Three years later they beat this kid up, made his life hell and then things got worse. The secret of who the kid's family came out and the police got involved. I remember the hold on business as police were watching the situation but Jim said he had everything in hand and he did. Carlos vouches for his entire group's innocence in stabbing this kid and in a follow up attack someone tortured the boy and sent him on a walk naked through their neighborhood. I don't read the papers much but I'm pretty sure there is something in there about at the very least the stabbing.
"So you allowed all the shit to happen but who was the instigator, you just don't seem the type," I ask Carlos and his day is just getting worse.
"Hector, it was Hector who he disrespected and it just snowballed from there," the boy explains and I nod.
"Get him in here now," I tell Carlos before turning to Smitty," Get your daughter out of here, this isn't gonna be pretty."
Carlos brings his boy Hector back in and the kid's got a look on his face that says 'what the fuck do you old bastards want now'. I'm just waiting for him to say it.
"What you need me for," Hector says it, close enough and I slap him hard enough to stun a baby calf which ends his ass on the floor," What the fuck?"
"I don't like swearing ya little turd now stand up," I order the kid and he stands up," Who is the kid you've been kicking the shit out of?"
"Guy… Guy Donnelly, what the fuck is this about," he swore again and I slap the snot out of him again," Fuck old man."
I kick him onto his back and stand on his chest putting just a little of my three hundred pounds down. He's squirming and his boy Carlos is standing back, Carlos knows better and I like that.
"You don't know how high up the pole you pissed son so I'm going to ask you this one time and if you fuck with me I'm going to take a tattoo gun and burst your eyeball in your head. If you lie after that I'm taking one of your testicles and if you keep lying to me after that I'm going to get creative you understand me," I explain to Hector who nods at me while in pain from the pressure," Were you part of what happened to this kid when he was stabbed or when he was tortured?"
"No," he's not lying but I push down and he almost screams at me," No, I didn't do it."
"Did you get someone to do it for you," I ask and he shakes his head no.
"No, I got in his face once after it happened but I didn't hit him or nothing," Hector explains and I take my foot off of him and with one hand yank his skinny ass from laying to standing.
"Listen to me very carefully, your boss and friend Carlos, he has a very good idea of who I am and he has respect for my position. You don't so from now on take your pointers from Carlos on how to act around people you don't know, that lesson is free," I state firmly before letting him go and address all three in the room," I want the people who touched this boy found, I want them found and I want them brought to me. If you need an explanation as to why it's simple, I fucking said so, that's why."
The boys nod and I know Jim will take care of things without even asking. I let the kids leave to do their small but important jobs and spend most of my day talking to Jim while my driver runs down some information and finally at three I head out to my new third appointment. Mr. Delauter has a very nice house and they left the gate open for me, or they're just decent people and I like decent people. I leave my Jessie outside by the truck and knock on the front door. Their maid answers and I tell her I've got an appointment with Mr. Delauter and I'm told he's not home and am allowed to wait in their sitting room or whatever fancy people call a waiting room. I am not waiting long before I hear two teen girls, one all bright and excited talking about her social life and the other quietly doing just enough to make it seem like they're actually talking to each other. I don't go out and say hi, if this Delauter doesn't like me now he'll hate me for socializing with his family. I hear what I believe is the man of the house arrives home and immediately he comes into the sitting room with a really pissed off look.
"Mr. Mulligan I'm not going to ask how you found out where I live but you are not welcome and need to leave right now before I call the police and have them remove you and your driver for trespassing," no wasted time with the threats from Mark Delauter.
"Well since you're not asking then I will. Do you actually want the people who hurt your family found or are you content to just take shit out on anyone that you think has criminal dealings," I ask the question and now he's thinking.
"The police will do their jobs," he's lying to me but he's good enough that the only reason I know is because it's happened twice and he's smart," Now about you leaving."
"Can we talk privately, man to man," I ask as there is an open door to this sitting room.
I was hoping we'd move to his office but he closes the door to the room and now we're both standing like gunslingers. He can make the call or he's told someone to make it already and is stalling, no he's not stalling, he's reading me out.
"Okay, so you don't believe the police are going to find who did this to your boy anymore than you believe that I'm a simple ranch owner," I say it and he nods in agreement," So don't drop me as a client, I can have things looked into."
"And you look into things exactly. People who did this to my family," I have to cut him off.
"You mean your son; I know it was your step son that someone decided to kick around. I've put my word down on that already but with what was going on after that, it's callous and brash," I explained sitting down.
"He's my step son but he's a good kid that people have been pushing around for too long," he explains to the boy and I can figure out why the kid was a target.
"Problem for me isn't who the kid is, it's why people think shit like this can happen without backlash," I explained my end of the stick to the lawyer.
"Well then what is your problem," he asks, taking a seat across from me.
"My problem aside from you dropping me as a client is people thinking that they can do whatever they want in this town. We have rules, rules that are in place to prevent things like what happened to your son," I explain and he's listening," When people break rules and start thinking they can do whatever they want to whoever they want which they did then we have a problem."
"Bad things happen to decent people all the time, way of the world," he doesn't like the idea but he uses it anyway and he's right.
"Except what happened wasn't isolated. Your boy didn't get stabbed and beaten randomly then get pulled into a warehouse and tortured because of fat. People do these things because they have a goal in mind and they're using him and your family to make a statement. Nearly killing him is one thing but then to turn around and come back again," I'm making a point about shit not being random here and he sees it.
"So the police could figure out it was connected," he says and they probably have.
"If they could they would have more than a bunch of 'We're sorry but we just can't find out who is hurting your son'," I tell him and he agrees but doesn't like it," I'll have this looked at, if there is a hole these people are hiding in I'll have the owner pull them out. If there are friends they brag to, their friends will tell me what they know. One way or another I'll have the people who did this taken to the woodshed."
"This needs to be handled by the courts, by the law," he tells me and it's not up for discussion by his tone.
"Fair enough but don't drop me because you don't like what you think I do. I'm a nice guy most of the time," I give him a smile and he doesn't return it," Let your friend take care of this and keep cashing my checks."
We stand and shake hands, he will keep me as a client thank god and with Jim looking into everything that happened without coming near the boy we'll get something soon. I'm walking out with Mr. Delauter when I see a young man in a tailored suit and sunglasses coming my way. His blonde hair is taken care of well and when the glasses come off I see his blue eyes and I have to stop. The boy walks past and barely looks at me before smiling at his step father and I wonder about the boy as I return to my truck and Jessie. It's a good distance to drive back to my ranch but that kid, something is wrong with him. If that's the kid, the same one that has been gutted and tortured and beaten on for years then I might need to put some attention on him just in case.
Guy: Friday that week
How do you win a war, you don't fight it yourself for starters. Take two sides and give them a reason to fight then step back and watch. Okay so they didn't fight much when Hector found out that his girl had a one time with Brandon and Jenna didn't fight with Nicole, Brandon's side girl, much since I don't see any bruising on her but still it's a good start. Something kept ringing in my head about Carlos and his people, something that didn't make any real sense. Everyone kept calling them neighborhood watch. What did they watch out for and what did they do to keep things safe. I've spent a good portion of my time this week looking up crime rates over the past couple years and where there was once a major drug scene in Carlos's neighborhood there is nothing now. More than that it's like drug dealers and manufacturers avoid the urban areas and move east in the city.
Oh I have a couple ideas.
I can tell, care to share?
I have been sharing, just wait and see.