Say Good Bye Rockets

A police funeral in a small South Jersey Town

Chapter 2

 

The funeral for Rockets was an odd affair. Turns out Rockets was homosexual and the whole gay community of Frankenberg turned out in true colors. It was quite a scene with the red, white and blue police, firemen and emergency medical officers mixed in with the chartreuse and mauve sequined cross dressers, black tie lesbian couples, and tattooed spandexed body builders. It turned out Brogan was the odd man out when asked to say a few words as Rockets supervisor and fellow police officer. All he could say was who knew Rockets better than the people here and that even though he barely knew him, he always had smile. He saved his life. He was a good policeman and more could be said but he wasn’t able to add to what most already knew about Rockets, may he rest in peace.

After the ceremony the crowd went their separate ways to continue the mourning parties. Brogan felt funny and angry as he left Rockets behind under the ground rather than his heading back to the precinct, stopping for donuts or a bag of burgers on the way. So Brogan stopped for him.

“Burgers”, Brogan plopped the paper sack from Wad-a-Burger on Dave Kingston’s desk just like Rockets might have done on any other ordinary day. Course it was just Christie on dispatch and Harry Cronet on watch while the others were sending off Rockets at Rosie’s Bar-Bee-Que and Pool Hall.

“Say Harry, got a minute?”

“Sure Matthew but shouldn’t you be home resting up?”

“I’m fine”. Brogan twisted his neck and shoulders in an attempt at a full range of motion. “Noth’n Jack Daniels and a chiropractor can’t fix later”.

“Sorry about Rockets. It’s a down right shame. Kind of sad to see him gone so young. How’s Jonsey?”

“Jonsey’s better but won’t be coming back for a while. Say Harry, anything from the FBI boys on the Strauss place?”

“Nope, but you know those G-men are silent outside their own kind”.

“Okay thanks, Harry”.

Sitting down in his office for the first time since the explosion brought back the Strauss scene in rapid fire succession. Rockets and Jonsey screaming bomb, scrambling out of the house, slipping on the gore covered kitchen floor, tripping over the bloody, distorted bodies of Strauss and his wife. Rockets pushing him ahead of Jonsey toward the front door. Rockets skewered by a two by four slamming into him. The smell of cordite and burning tar and paint. He closed his eyes trying to keep from seeing Strauss’ face.