Collision Course (A Josh Williams Novel) (9 page)

The
Medical examiner's report was the usual mishmash of terminology, visceral descriptions of tissue conditions, and organ damage evaluations

Three hyper-velocity Black Talon 9mm rounds worked as advertised. One penetrating the brain, two fatally damaging the pericardium.

The skin, muscles, and bone shield the heart. The pericardium, a tough sack surrounding the heart, protects, lubricates, and holds it in its position.

When punctured, the pericardium fills with blood and compresses the heart, preventing it from performing its critical function. It causes an abrupt loss in blood pressure leading to unconsciousness and death in a few minutes.

Briefly, the M.E. concluded that the victim, Anthony Machado, aka JoJo, was a twenty-four year-old, light-skinned, black male, five-foot ten inches, one hundred sixty-five pounds, in good general physical condition. Machado's body showed evidence of several previous significant injures including the following,

Gunshot wound with skull fracture and significant residual scarring on the left front of the head.

Muscle and surface damage to the upper left leg consistent with an explosive device injury with evidence of second and third degree burns.

Gunshot wound to the lower left abdomen.

Extensive scarring on the upper and lower back consistent with shrapnel from an explosive device.

These injuries had been treated and healed as best as could be expected considering the nature and extent of the wounds. The leg wounds causing limited mobility of the limb.

Mr. Machado died of multiple gunshot wounds to the pericardium resulting in Pericardial Tamponade.

The M.E. ruled the cause of death to be Homicide by Gunshot. It was for the grand jury to determine whether the shooting was a justifiable homicide.

Bovi's
Tavern is a landmark in the City of East Providence. Some would say it is a tired looking building, others would say it has charm. One thing is certain; it is a rarity in its longevity.

It sits at what is undoubtedly the most confusing intersection of streets in the State of Rhode Island, if not the United States. This area is known as Six Corners.

Bovi’s has served generations of locals and countless others from all over the world. Monday night Big Band and Jazz tradition, begun back in the 50's, is a musical legend among aficionados and the tradition continues to this day. Portraits of the many musicians that played here, pictures of the championship softball teams, and newspaper stories of the history that is Bovi's cover the walls.

There is a distinctive, if unofficial, differentiation between the day-to-day crowd gathering after work, the late night crowds on Fridays and Saturdays, and the most interesting of all, the morning and early afternoon clientele. Each group possessed a unique character. Some were able to cross over and move between all of them; most were content with being a part of their own period, so to speak.

Throughout the saga of the Bovi’s epoch, there have been legendary members of the frequent drinkers club. Some of whom are memorialized by plaques or nameplates affixed to their favorite chairs, or over the bar at their favorite spot to stand. It was for many, something for which to aspire.

Many of the customers are from the public safety services of the City of East Providence, as well as other towns, cities, state, and federal agencies, which contribute to the cosmopolitan mix that makes this place unique.

Much good-natured ribbing takes place between the cops and firefighters. All in the camaraderie of those that share an intimate view into the hell that is their workplace.

Josh Williams, Chris Hamlin, and Joe McDaniel were members of this intimate, albeit non-exclusive society.

Francis Patrick O'Malley, Gunnery Sergeant, United States Marine Corps (Ret.), was the current cornerstone of the afternoon contingent, accompanied by his loyal and faithful, if imaginary, friend. The friend bore a name that changed, sometimes daily, sometimes over two or three days, and sometimes in the middle of their conversation.

Frank O'Malley was proud of many things, one of them for being the sculptor of the divot in David Anthony Ventraglia's head.

Frank O'Malley was a creature of habit. 35 years in the Marine Corps will do that to you. He would walk in the door at 13:00 most days, except Sunday.

If it were at the beginning of his financial windfall that was his pension check, he would drink Guinness. This would go on until his budget for good beer was exhausted then he would switch to Miller, Bud, or whatever Lite. He would order his last beer at 3:30; sip this one until 4:15, rise from "his" seat, bid farewell to his imaginary friend, and head out the door.

On Sunday, he would come in at 12:15 wearing a shirt and tie, carrying a copy of the Sunday letter published at St. Domenicks.

Parishioners, and Father Jim Swanson as well, never saw Frank at Mass, yet he always held the letter and raised his first glass in a toast, in which all present were required to participate, to "the Glory of God and the United States Marine Corps."

He lived by the budget. He once made the mistake of exhausting his money prior to the deposit of the next check and forced to rely on the charity of others, he never let it happen again.

However, Francis also bore a secret. Francis loved to read. He read, and more importantly, remembered everything he read. His ability to do this won him many free drinks. He would bet he could read any article in the newspaper and recite it word for word. He never made a mistake, even after he consumed what for most would have been a week's worth of beer.

O’Malley was engaged in conversation with Jimmy the Rake, and the empty stool between them, telling one of his oft-repeated stories of his days as a Marine.

“I wish he’d come up with something new to talk about.” Karen said. “I could tell all those damn Marine stories.”

"Want to hear a real good Frank story?"

"Ah, I suppose, he's not gonna demonstrate farting again, is he?"

"No, a real story, a story about Frank you would never believe if I told you. Watch this." Josh paused a moment while Frank engaged in conversation with his invisible friend, then walked over to him.

"Excuse me, ah..."

"His name is Adam!"

"Ah, Adam,” addressing the empty chair. “Might I have a word with Frank?” Smiling he turned and said, "Frank, tell Karen here the most romantic thing you ever did for a woman."

Frank's eyes lit up. He sat up tall and straightened his shirt. He smiled; a tear came to his eye. Taking a deep breathe, he held it as if to savor the memory, then slowly exhaled.

"Karen she was beautiful, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She came into the bar at twenty Water Street in East Greenwich. I haven't always hung around in Bovi's, you know."

"I know the place Frank. Did you have a date with her?"

"No, no, that's the best part. It was one of those moments, one of those times when two people, directed there by forces more compelling than anyone can imagine...” Frank paused, looking out the window, and then turned back to Karen.

“Two people, well, they connect, they look at each other and just know that this time, this moment, and this encounter would be remembered for the rest of their lives."

Karen looked at Josh. He was staring into his drink; he looked like there were tears in his eyes.

My God, their actually sharing something with me,
she thought.

Frank took a long sip from his drink, finished it, put it down and looked at Josh.

"Why do you make me remember this, why do I have to feel this all over?"

"Frank, it really is one of those stories that reminds me of our humanity, Karen will understand."

"No she won't, they all break your heart...I have to leave."

"No, no Frank, next one is on the house. Please, just tell me, I want to hear."

She poured Frank a tall one, the one he only could afford for the two or three days it took him to go through his good beer budget.

"Okay," taking a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and then downing half the beer, he continued.

"She sat a few seats over from me. She ordered a Chardonnay and kept looking out at the boats. I assumed she was waiting for someone."

Frank drained the beer.

"I can't do this, Josh, I have no idea why this still hurts...but...I just can't."

"Karen, give him and I another one on me."

Karen looked at Frank, saw as sad face as she had ever seen on a man, she felt sorry for him.

"Bullshit, drinks are on me. Well, symbolically anyway," pouring two more drinks for them and a special soda for herself, "Please, Frank, I want to hear this."

"Well, I am not much of a pick ‘em up easy guy, but she was just so damn beautiful, I thought I'd give it one good try."

Josh bowed his head, turned, and focused on looking out the window.

Karen looked at Josh.
Was he, holy shit, is he, is he, what the fuck, he's crying, what is going on?

"I walked over and introduced myself," Frank said, forcing Karen to look back at him.

"Hi, I'm Francis Patrick O'Malley, could I sit here and talk, we are, after all, only on this planet for a short period of time”. Pausing again to take a long drink, “I know it sounds stupid but it was all I could think of...she was way out of my league, Karen."

Frank looked down into his drink for a moment, "She looked at me with the most exciting, and saddest, eyes I have ever seen."

‘Please, I'd like that,’ she said, ‘I just brought my father's......I mean my boat in, my father died last month, and I am not sure it's tied up properly.’

"I said I'd be happy to make sure it's tied up. I know a few things about knots."

Josh turned to face them, "Of course he said that Karen, the Marine Corps is, after all, part of the Navy."

Frank glared "Yes it is asshole, the men's department. You smart-ass, fairy humping, fly-boy...”

"Stop! God, you two, I want to hear the rest of the story."

Josh turned back to the window.

Frank took another drink of his beer and smiled. "So I went out and retied the boat, I came back in and sat down. We talked for hours, we talked about everything, she was brilliant, she told me she was here to finish selling off the rest of her father's things and then she stopped and became very quiet.

I asked her what was wrong.

She said she just wanted to talk about good things. She told me she was glad I came over to talk with her; it made her feel safe.

I thought to myself, this is the first time in my life I was listening to what a woman was saying, rather than looking for clues on how to get her knickers off."

"You know I have always loved that word knickers."

"Shut the fuck up, Josh" Karen and Frank said in perfect, if unrehearsed, unison.

Josh raised his glass, lowered his head, and resumed his observations of the wrong way traffic on Taunton Ave.

"Karen, we decided to get a bottle of wine and go out to her boat, it was docked at the last slip, past the bright lights, and the sky that night was breathtaking. She started to point out constellations and stars and... Well, frankly, I was in love. I know this sounds stupid and you can't imagine this ever happened to me but it did."

Josh farted, loudly.

"I will take that drink away, you fucking pig, you asked him to tell the story, it is a wonderful story, let him continue, please, just be quiet and it is open bar for you two."

"I am sorry, I am trying to help my friend here, and I know this is hard for him, should I get my own drink?"

"Yes, dammit, get your own fucking drink; make me one for God's sake." Karen came around the bar, sat next to Frank and put her arm around his shoulder.

"Thank you, Karen, and I thank that Jewish guy with the holes in his hands, the one that brings so much comfort into this world, that you quieted my misguided, unromantic, insufferable friend over there."

Josh poured Frank another tall one, made himself a Ketel One on the rocks, and poured Karen a giant 7&7.

"Hey, I am the one that asked you to tell the tale, even I know a good story," resuming his observations of Taunton Avenue.

"Have you ever felt...well, like you have known someone forever?"

Karen put her head down and started to sob. "No, dammit, no, and I so want to..."

Frank put his arm around her, way around her, trying to fake surprise at finding her right breast in his hand....

"Frank, I want to hear this, but you can speak with a broken arm."

"Okay, Okay, I was caught up in the moment." removing the arm to a less invasive position. "We just connected, we talked, we stared at the sky, and eventually she said something that broke my heart."

"Oh, my, God, what Frank, what?"

"She looked at me and explained that because of what happened to her father, she went to have certain testing done...oh this is not easy...”

"Frank, it's okay. Please, just tell me...."

"Well, she said she had been diagnosed with, man, I can't believe after all this time it is so hard to say......She said her Father died of a rare form of Colorectal cancer that was so aggressive it was generally diagnosed post-mortem. She told me she was tested genetically and the markers indicated a 90% chance of developing it."

"I have to tell you I was devastated, I kept thinking here I am forty-four years-old, meeting a woman that makes me look at her as human and not just a goal for my personal sexual satisfaction, I meet the woman of my dreams and she, well, she tells me she is probably going to die young."

Karen began to sob.

Frank put his arm around her, careful to avoid any even slight indication of touching the wrong spot.

"Karen, the rest of the night was magic, we held each other, we kissed in a way I have never even imagined and then she told me what she was afraid of. It was so silly, so simple to overcome, so minor when compared with the magic of being together."

Josh turned around, looked at Karen, and said, "As big an asshole as I can be, this is something even I cannot joke about...”

Karen looked at Josh and then back at Frank.

Frank drank from the beer, bowed his head, breathed deeply.

"Karen, she told me she was raised in a Catholic family and joined a convent when she was 18.”

Frank paused again, wiping his eyes, “She had never been with a man. She took my hand, held it to her heart, and whispered, 'until now...well I never wanted to be."

“She put her arms around me, buried herself in my chest, and sobbed the words, now he will be doing an examination, a damn examination of my, well, my ass, and that will be my memory of my first time...”

So, Karen, I took her in my arms, I carried her down below. She looked at me with those sad, beautiful eyes, and her clothes just fell away. I was amazed at her body, she was stunning, she was so beautiful...and then I thought...what kind of God would do this to such a beautiful person...why do we put faith in a mystical being that would inflict her with a fatal disease..." Frank paused to finish the last of the beer, waving the glass at Josh.