The Creeping Dead: A Zombie Novel (15 page)

Frankie made a motion with his fingers across his throat, gesturing for Officer Pike to cut it out.

“I asked you a question, Martinez,” demanded Pike, now standing in front of Frankie.

“Are you trying to pull a fast one?” asked the man inside the room, his voice panicked.

“No. I don’t know what that is,” pleaded Svetlana.

“Are you wearing a fucking wire?” he heard the man ask. Svetlana cried out, there was a loud thud, and something broke.

Pike heard the ruckus inside the room.

“I would never!” Svetlana insisted. “Please, no!”

More thrashing around.

“What the hell’s going on in there?” Pike asked Frankie, who only shrugged in response. “Ma’am, are you okay in there?” Pike shouted. No response. Then a gunshot.

“Get out of here,” Pike told Frankie, and then he ran around to the front of the building.

However, Frankie didn’t run. He was frozen in place, horrified that he might’ve been responsible for Svetlana being killed. Maybe she wasn’t a prostitute after all. Maybe she was a drug dealer. Maybe the man in the room was her supplier.

He heard rustling in the room, and then he heard a zipper closing. He heard the door creak open, and he heard Pike. “Police officer!”

There was a gunshot and a lot of yelling. Frankie couldn’t tell if it was Pike or the mystery man yelling. Hell, it could’ve been both of them.

Then Frankie heard a struggle in the room. There was more thumping, and he heard both men breathing hard and grunting. Frankie’s heart was in his throat.

He heard Pike yell, “Oh, Jesus! Wait! Please!”

“Are you alone?” asked the mystery man.

“Please, no! Don’t!”

“Are you by yourself?”

Frankie figured that Officer Pike lost the struggle. The mystery man wanted to know if he was alone so he could make his escape. Yeah, he’d run away, and Officer Pike would be fine. Then a grisly thought entered Frankie’s mind.

If Officer Pike says he’s alone, he’s an only witness. A loose end. Frankie realized that he hadn’t heard Svetlana’s voice. At all.

Frankie’s phone buzzed, and he picked it up. It was Ted: ‘what’s going on?’

This was it. Frankie decided he needed to do something. One more moment, and Pike was going to be murdered, and it would be his fault.

Frankie tested the back doorknob. It wasn’t locked.

“You are alone, aren’t you?” he heard the mystery man say.

Frankie took a deep breath, turned the knob, and pushed into the room. He saw Pike lying on the floor, his face bleeding, and the mystery man turned and pointed his gun at Frankie.

Frankie dashed into the bathroom to his right as a bullet whizzed by, just missing his head.

“What the fuck is going on here?” shouted the mystery man.

Frankie heard Pike grunt and moan in pain. He peeked out of the bathroom and saw the man holding Officer Pike in front of him, his one arm under Pike’s throat, the other hand pointing a gun to Pike’s head.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” said the man. He was a tall, thin, Caucasian man. He had an accent, but it wasn’t exactly like Svetlana’s. He had a black duffle bag slung around his shoulder.

“I’m just a kid,” said Frankie. “Don’t hurt him.”

“I’m going to back out of here, get in my car, and leave. You do anything, and I’ll blow his brains out. I swear,” said the man.

“Frankie! Get out of here!” shouted Pike.

“Anything you say, Mister,” said Frankie to the man.

The man reached back with his gun hand and spread his fingers to turn the doorknob, dragging Pike with him. He pulled the door open awkwardly and kicked it all the way ajar with his foot.

Frankie’s eyes went wide when he saw who was in the doorway.

Ted grabbed the man’s gun hand and tried to wrestle the gun away from the man. The man dropped Pike and grappled with Ted. Frankie rushed the man, tackling him, and all three tumbled to the ground in a heap.

Ted was holding the man’s arms back while Frankie wailed away at him. Ted finally wrested the gun from the man’s grip, and it slid outside onto the pavement.

Pike slipped his retractable baton out of his pocket and extended it. He threw himself on the heap, pushed Frankie out of the way, and brought the baton down on the man’s skull twice. After the second blow, the man stopped struggling.

Ted squiggled out from underneath the man and crawled away from him. Frankie stood and backed away as Pike collapsed on top of the unconscious mystery man, panting.

“Are you okay, Officer Pike?” asked Frankie.

Pike rolled onto his back. “Yeah. Help me up.”

Frankie reached out his hand, and Pike took it. Frankie helped him to a kneeling position and then to standing. Pike groaned with the effort.

“Who was that guy?” asked Ted.

“I don’t know,” said Pike. “The bigger question is, ‘what the hell were you boys doing here to begin with?’”

Chapter 10

Frankie and Ted sat in Chief Holbrook’s office squirming in their seats. Officer Pike had just taken written statements from them, and they still weren’t sure what kind of trouble they were in.

Frankie knew they weren’t under arrest because when Officer Pike wanted to take their statements, Frankie demanded a lawyer. He saw it on a cop show once. Officer Pike laughed and told them they weren’t under arrest.

Chief Holbrook had placed calls to both of their parents. Frankie’s parents were both out of town, but Ted’s were right outside. Holbrook was talking to them.

“We’re in deep shit this time,” said Ted. “Thanks a lot, asshole.”

“Hey, I didn’t hold a gun to your head,” said Frankie. “Besides,
we’re
not the bad guys.”

“Yeah, right.
Your
parents aren’t waiting outside to skin you alive. Christ, I hope Holbrook locks us up. It’ll be safer that way.”

“Will you relax, Ted. You’re such a pussy about these things.”

“Pussy? That guy had a gun, Frankie. He tried to kill Officer Pike. He would’ve killed you.”

“He was just some crazy pimp tweaked up on God knows what. It wasn’t like he was a marksman or anything.”

Ted shook his head in exasperation. “In that tiny hotel room, he didn’t need to be a marksman, you jackass.”

Frankie pointed a finger at Ted. “You could’ve stopped me at any time. This is your fault. You know me and my stupid ideas.”

Ted was clutching his right hand into a fist when Holbrook and Pike barged into the office. Holbrook stepped around the boys and took a seat behind his desk, while Pike closed the door. Ted caught a glimpse of his parents and swallowed hard as the door closed them off from view. Pike stood behind the boys.

Holbrook regarded both boys with a gravity that made Ted’s blood run cold.

“Frankie…” Most cops would address the teen by his last name or Mister so-and-so for the sake of intimidation, but Smuggler’s Bay wasn’t that kind of town. Here, everyone knew everyone on a first name basis. “…what in God’s name were you doing behind the Morning Star Motel?”

“I was just cutting through. You know, a short cut.”

Holbrook arched one eyebrow. “Ted,” he said while still eyeing Frankie, “what was Frankie doing in back of the Morning Star Hotel?”

Frankie glared at Ted.

Ted twitched a bit. “Frankie thought it’d be a good idea to check out those Russian girls that always hang out in front, to see if they were…prostitutes, sir.”

Frankie buried his face in his hands.

“So what if they were?” asked Holbrook, addressing Frankie. “You thought you’d get a glimpse of two people having sex? That would make you a peeping Tom, which incidentally, is against the law.”

Frankie slouched in his seat and threw his hands up in the air. “C’mon, Chief. You know there’s been a lot of talk about that place. All of Smuggler’s Bay knows what’s going on at that dump.”

Holbrook shook his head. “So, what, you and your sidekick thought you were going to crack the case for us and save Smuggler’s Bay from the scourge of prostitution?”

“I’m not his sidekick,” demanded Ted.

“If I saw or heard anything strange, I was going to call you right away, sir. Honest.” Frankie offered up his best genuine smile.

“So you boys think you cracked a prostitution ring…”

Frankie shrugged. “Frankly, someone had to, sir. My parents are tax payers, and no one wants to see the town go down the toilet. We’re a family town.”

Holbrook cracked an ironic smile and quickly wiped it off of his face. “What you two chuckleheads don’t realize is that you weren’t spying on a prostitution ring.”

Frankie sat up in his chair, and Ted leaned forward in his. “What do you mean?” asked Frankie. “The pimp came running in with a gun and almost killed Officer Pike.”

“That wasn’t a pimp,” said Pike from behind them.

“So what the hell was he?” asked Ted. “A terrorist?”

Holbrook sat back in his chair. “What you two
did
was stumble upon an identity theft ring.”

“What?” said both boys simultaneously.

“They were lifting credit card numbers, PIN numbers, you name it, from the wireless in the hotels all around them and selling the stolen information. We believe this leads all the way back to the Russian mob. The FBI has been contacted and will be taking over the investigation.”

“So, you mean we’re heroes?” asked Frankie in utter disbelief.

Holbrook rolled his eyes and sighed, as if the next words out of his mouth were going to literally cause him pain. “While it is true that you both saved Officer Pike’s life and assisted him in arresting an armed perpetrator,” Frankie and Ted both smiled at this, “you both could’ve gotten yourself killed. In the future, it would be wiser to call us if you see anything else suspicious or out of place in Smuggler’s Bay. Understood?”

Both boys nodded.

“When do you go away to school?”

“Three weeks, sir,” said Ted.

“I’m staying local,” said Frankie.

Holbrook sighed in exasperation. “Do try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the summer. Now, if you don’t mind, I have other business to attend to.”

That was their cue to leave. Both boys stood as Pike held the door open for them. They nodded to Pike, who nodded in response, and they left the office.

“That was close!” said Frankie.

“Too close,” said Ted. “Let’s just skate from now on. We’ve both got school coming up.” He saw his parents waiting for him. They looked both concerned and angry. Great.

“I’ll catch you later,” said Frankie, who bolted out of the police station, waving quickly at Ted’s parents.

They only glared back. They knew Frankie well, and they knew this whole mess was likely his idea.

It was always his idea.

Ted felt like a dead man walking as he stepped over to his parents. They looked like they were both going to ream him out publically in the middle of the police station when Ted felt a hand on his right shoulder. He turned around.

It was Officer Pike.

“Ted, I just want to thank you again for saving my life.”

This stopped both of Ted’s parents in their tracks. Their outraged expressions melted away and were replaced with what could only be shock and awe.

“Mr. and Mrs. Salvatori, I’d like to apologize because this was largely my fault. I was in the process of arresting a perpetrator, and I lost control of the situation. The perp was armed and resisted arrest. He tried to kill me, but your son and his friend were both walking by and saw what was happening, and they came to my assistance.

“I know they both should’ve called for help instead of interceding in a dangerous situation, but to be honest, if they didn’t intercede, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you.”

Both of Ted’s parents looked at Ted in utter disbelief.

“Well, I’m glad something was finally done about that eyesore,” said Mr. Salvatori. “We’ve all kind of suspected there was something going on at the Morning Star.”

“And we’re certainly glad nothing happened to you,” added Mrs. Salvatori quickly. “We’ve always taught our son to do the right thing, Officer.”

Pike nodded solemnly. “Well, thanks again, Ted. I’ll see you around.”

Pike left the police station, and Ted was left alone with his parents. He still wasn’t sure if he was out of the woods quite yet.

“Well, let’s go get something to eat and put this all behind us,” said his father.

His mother put her arm around him, and they all walked out of the police station together. Crisis averted. Ted smiled to himself. Officer Pike wasn’t such a hard-on after all.

Things were different between them after that.

***

“Hey there, headbangers, it’s Johnny Wong bringing you the best in hard rock and heavy metal at the Shore. Another boiling hot day in this August heat wave, and there’s still no relief in sight. Smuggler’s Bay has been experiencing rolling blackouts. You know what that means, folks, no air conditioning.

“But, the temperature isn’t the only thing heating up in Smuggler’s Bay. Police raided the Morning Star Hotel earlier today and made some arrests. Residents say that shots were fired, but Chief Holbrook went on the record saying that no one was hurt, except an identity thief who sustained a gunshot wound to her shoulder; she’s expected to make a full recovery. Chief Holbrook, one. Bad Guys, zilch.

“Just another day in the pressure cooker. Here’s
Into the Fire
by Dokken.”

The blazing sun was now drifting in the West as the day was winding down. Mario was in his back office placing orders and managing inventory on his laptop, his little wall unit spitting out cool air. Marie was at the register.

Mario couldn’t get his mother’s roommate out of his head. She was like a monster. He was overcome with pangs of guilt for leaving his mother in such a place.

He couldn’t stand it any longer. The heat was getting to him. His mother was getting to him. He stood, flung the door to his little office open, and walked up to the register.

Marie was bagging some tee-shirts she had just rung up for a couple of teenage boys. She handed the bags to the boys and smiled. “Thank you.”

She saw Mario standing there with a worried expression on his red face, wiping the sweat off the back of his neck with his handkerchief.

“What’s wrong, hon?”

“I’m not sure I should be leaving Ma in that place.”

“What do you mean?”

“I-I don’t know if that’s the best place for her.”

“Why, because of that woman? Her roommate?”

“Jesus, Marie, who knows who else she’s trapped in there with?”

“Oh, she’ll be fine. That place has nurses everywhere.”

“What if they can’t get to her in time?”

Marie knew where this was going. They’d been down this road before. “We can’t take care of her, Mario.”

“Why not? I’ll run the store.”

Marie put her hands up. “There’s no way I’m waiting on Mama Sophia hand-and-foot. She hates me.”

“Okay, so then you’ll run the store, and I’ll watch her.”

“And what if there’s an emergency? What will you do that a nursing home can’t?”

“I’ll be there, so I’ll know right away if she needs help. I can call 9-1-1.”

“So, what, you’re going to stay in the house with your mother all day and night? Mario, we have a store to run. We have two children.”

“It’ll be good for Ma to be around her grandchildren. It’ll be good for them, too.”

“We talked about this before. This is not possible. She’s in a good place where she’s well taken care of.”

Mario, his blood pressure rising, pointed an accusatory finger at his wife. “You actually like that she’s in that place, don’t you? You never liked my mother.”

“How
dare
you? She hated me from the moment she met me. I’ve done nothing but reach out to her to try to show her I care. I take pretty damned good care of her precious son, too. But she’d never say so.”

Mario saw a flash of movement over Marie’s shoulder. It was a kid. He reached up to one of the mannequins and pulled its tube top down.

“Hey! Stop, you little punk!”

The kid saw Mario and took off down the boardwalk.

“Mario, what is it?” asked Marie, startled.

“It’s that punk kid! I got him,” shouted Mario as he ran around her and out of the store.

He saw the kid dashing away, weaving between pedestrians, nearly knocking over a baby carriage.
Bastard.
He had a good lead on Mario, but Mario was pissed off.

He pumped his fat legs as hard as he could, panting in the heat. His eyes didn’t have enough time to adjust to the brightness outside. Tourists jumped out of his way as he collided with a garbage can, knocking it over and spilling hot, stinking garbage on the boardwalk.

“I got you, you little punk!”

The kid was putting more and more distance between him and Mario. He looked back and saw the hefty man struggling, so he slowed to a stop.

Mario was about to give up. His heart was beating out of his chest. His body couldn’t take it, and he knew it. He looked up at the kid as he clutched his chest.

He saw the kid, and the kid knew he had been seen. Mario wouldn’t forget that face. Not in a million years.

The sun suddenly became brighter, whitewashing his vision as his heart pulverized the inside of his chest, beating faster and faster. Mario felt pain everywhere…

Marie ran down the boardwalk and found her husband lying face down on the boardwalk. There was a crowd of tourists around him. A couple of them were on their cell phones. A couple were pointing the cameras in their phones at him, taking video.

“Somebody call 9-1-1!” Marie shouted. She got down on her knees next to her husband. “Oh, Mario!”