Windfall

[toddsmitts]

Windfall

The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.

March 26, 1989

("Downtown Train" - Rod Stewart)

The young man tried his best to use the newspaper to shield him from the rain as he ran into the building. It didn't work very well, however, and he tossed it in a waste basket as soon as he made it inside.

The interview had been a bust. He could see in the manager's eyes as they talked. Still, Johnny Parker forced a smile as he walked up the stairs to his apartment. The last thing he wanted was either of them feeling sorry for him, especially today. He turned to see Trevor, the building super who was screwing in a hallway lightbulb give him a friendly smile as he passed by.

Johnny's efforts not to wallow in self-pity were helped somewhat by the young, slender, short-haired girl who planted her lips on his the moment he walked into his apartment.

"Hey there, birthday boy." Rachel Wallace said smiling as she pulled back, her arms still around his neck. "How'd the interview go?"

Johnny paused a moment, looking down before looking back up at her. "Uhhh... well I don't really know. Could go either way."

Rachel smile faded as she flashed him a look of slight suspicion, her arms dropping from his neck. Dammit, Johnny, you should know by now you can't B.S. this girl! He thought.

Fortunately, his dread of an awkward conversation passed as he saw an elderly woman walk from her room towards the door where they were.

"Oh, good. You're finally home.' She said, leaning up to place a kiss on Johnny's cheek. "Happy birthday, dear."

Johnny smiled warmly. "Thanks, Gran.'

Alma Parker, whom Johnny had called "Gran" for as long as he could remember, had been the only family Johnny had ever since his parents' death a few years earlier. At seventy-six, she appeared frail to some, though Johnny knew she had a kind heart, even if she was getting a bit forgetful. Though it sometimes made it difficult for him and Rachel to have some privacy when Rachel came over, Johnny simply couldn't stand the thought of her being placed in a home somewhere.

"Well, take off your coat and I'll start dinner" Gran said, walking back to the kitchen before turning back to Johnny with a smile. "Then we'll see if we can't find you some cake."

Johnny gave Rachel a pained look once he was sure Gran was out of earshot. "I asked you not to let her buy a cake." He whispered.

Rachel folded her arms. "What did you expect me to do? It would've broken her heart. Besides, it's just one cake."

Johnny sighed. "You know I'm trying to save money until I get a second job and I don't know how long it'll be until I do."

"I thought you said Rosie was giving you more shifts at the store."

Johnny nodded. "She is, but she can only give so much. Besides, you know I want us to get married but I'll never be able to afford that if things don't get better and the way things are going--"

Johnny stopped as Rachel put her hands on both his cheeks. "Hey." She said, calmly but firmly. "Everybody goes through a rough patch. Things are gonna get better though. You've gotta believe that."

Johnny sighed and lowered his head for a moment before looking back up at her. "You're right."

Rachel smiled slightly. "Of course I am."

Johnny chuckled and walked over to Gran in the kitchen. While he asked her if she needed any help, Rachel rushed into Johnny's room and emerged with a large, boxy, Polaroid camera.

"Wait, I want to get a picture before start stuffing yourself with cake." Rachel said, laughing.

Johnny rolled his eyes, but gave a genuine smile as he put an arm around Gran and looked into the camera.

She's right, things are gonna get better. Johnny thought as the flash went off. They have to.

Johnny watched Gran as she headed over to the kitchen to start dinner, with Rachel following close behind. He looked at the two of them intently and sighed, feeling a hopeful smile come across his face...

***

Johnny's body floated down the river. Face down, his right eye was open but his left was almost swelled shut. That, along with the swollen lip, and numerous bruises all over his body revealed the brutal beating he'd received. Every few moments one of the stacks of money around him would brush up against him as they floated along with him...

***

Lifting the case box, the detective stacked it up with the others. They'd been working this one far longer than most cases. Everyone knew why, of course. The truth was any leads had dried up months ago. The chief didn't want the papers thinking they were putting Philly's most talked about homicide aside without some serious time put into it, even if it was a dead end, so he'd had them drag it out until the point most people stopped caring. Now they'd reached that pont.

Sorry, kid, the detective thought, looking up at the case box. We tried, but it looks like this one's gonna remain a mystery...

***

Detectives Lilly Rush and Scotty Valens looked around as they walked into Schaeffer Center for Assisted Living. The humble setting inside suggested a home for the elderly who didn't have much money, but still making a noble attempt to offer dignity and comfort.

Scotty shook his head. "Can you imagine spending your last few years in a place like this, havin' to rely on someone else to feed you? Not something I'm looking forward to."

Lilly gave him a sly smile. 'I think you got a ways off before you need to worry about that."

Scotty chuckled before turning back to a serious look. "So this doc really thinks he's got a lead on the "million-dollar murder"? I've heard that one before."

"Well this is where the victim's grandmother stays now." Lilly said. "He said he was her primary physician."

The two spotted a young Asian doctor walking towards them, who introduced himself as Dr. Martin Cheng, the man they spoke to on the phone. "Thank you for coming."

Dr. Cheng nodded. "As I mentioned, Alma Parker stays here. She's not doing so well these days. Her kidneys are failing. She's not mobile anymore." He sighed. "She's dying."

"There's nothing you can do?" Scotty asked.

Dr. Cheng shook his head sadly. "Just try to make her comfortable. She's ninety-four years old. At this point I'd give her a few weeks at most."

The two detectives nodded solemnly.

"Anyway, her memory fades in and out these days as well. She finds herself in earlier times, asking for a husband who's been dead for thirty years, a son and daughter-in-law who've been dead for twenty-five, and a grandson who's been dead for eighteen. But something she said earlier caught my attention." He shrugged. "Honestly, I've never really been interested in the case but I just couldn't seem to shake what I heard her say." He leaned in closer. "You can see her but I'll have to ask you to keep it brief."

The two detectives walked in to Alma's room. As fragile as she looked in the oversized hospital bed, they could see a flicker of warmth in her eyes, a trace of the person she'd been in her life.

"Oh, Doctor, have you found Johnny yet?" She asked Dr. Cheng. "It's not like him to be away this long."

"Um, no, Mrs. Parker, we haven't found him yet." Dr. Cheng gestured at the two police officers. "These are the police. I asked them to come and talk to you." He gave the two an apprehensive look. "Maybe if you tell them what you told me, they can help."

Alma shifted uncomfortably in her bed. "I... I don't know. I don't want to get Johnny in trouble."

Lilly sat down at Alma's bedside. "Johnny's not in trouble. We just want to help."

Alma nodded. "Well he thinks I don't know about that money he took, but I do. I heard him talking about it. I'm sure he thought he was helping, but he needs to find that Mr. Monaghan and give it back before anyone else gets hurt.

"Mr. Monaghan?" Scotty asked.

Alma placed a frail hand on Lilly's, a pleading look in her eyes. "Please promise me you'll find Johnny."

Lilly looked up at her partner, then down at Alma, and nodded solemnly. "I promise."

ROLL INTRO

[longislanditalian2]

Really good it feels like it's really a real CC episode

[toddsmitts]

WINDFALL

Starring
Lilly Rush - KATHRYN MORRIS
Scotty Valens - DANNY PINO
John Stillman - JOHN FINN
Nick Vera - JEREMY RATCHFORD
Will Jeffries - THOM BARRY
Kat Miller - TRACIE THOMS
Guest Starring
Johnny Parker - SAM HUNTINGTON
Jack Monaghan - TIM ABELL
Alma "Gran" Parker (1989/2007) - ALICE DRUMMOND
Carl Watkins (2007) - MARK HARELIK
Sammy Blalock (2007) - KIERAN MULRONEY
Carl Watkins (1989) - DAVID NEWSOM
Trevor Jones (2007) - HENRY G. SANDERS
Rosie Donovan (2007) - GWYNYTH WALSH
Rosie Donovan (1989) - KARA ZEDIKER

Trevor Jones (1989) - KEITH DIAMOND
Dr. Martin Cheng - JAMES HIROYUKI LIAO
Sammy Blalock (1989) - TONY WILDE

With
Rachel Wallace (1989) - NORA ZEHETNER
And
Rachel Wallace (2007) - LESLIE HOPE


The case box for Johnny's murder was heavier than most.

"Well you can't say they didn't put the effort in on this one." Lilly said, examining the box's contents at her desk with Scotty while their boss, Lieutenant John Stillman stood over them.

"This was the case everyone was talking about back in '89." Stillman said.

"No wonder." Lilly said. "John Parker, a twenty-two year old kid found face down in the river, beaten, with nearly a million in unmarked bills on him. That's one people notice."

"'The million-dollar murder', that's what the papers called it." Stillman said. "Aside from the boy in the box, it was probably Philly's most famous cold job. No one could figure it out."

Scotty shrugged. "Doesn't make any sense. If it was a murder, why'd they dump the money in with him? If it was a suicide, then who beat him to a pulp?"

Stillman smiled. "People've been asking that for eighteen years. Cops spent longer on it then most. Even after the leads dried up, public interest made them stay on it. Eventually that faded too."

Lilly nodded. "Leaving behind a mystery."

Detectives Will Jeffries and Nick Vera headed over to the others, the look on their faces showing that they had something.

"We think we might know who that Mr. Monaghan might be." Vera said, placing a mug shot of an unfriendly-looing man on the desk in front of him. "Jack Monaghan, mid-level enforcer for the O'Leary family."

"O'Leary family?" Scotty asked.

"Small Irish crime family that operated in the eighties, mostly out of Kensington." Jeffries said. "They got shut down in the early nineties."

"So Johnny's death could've been mob related?" Scotty said.

"A few people thought so." Stillman answered. "But no one could find any connection."

"Here's an interesting tidbit though." Vera said. "Jack Monaghan drops off the face the earth right around the same time Johnny was killed."

Lilly leaned back in her chair. "How'd they miss that in '89?"

"Cops at the time knew Monaghan was gunning for his boss' job." Jeffries said. "They figured O'Leary got wise and buried Monaghan in a rug somewhere. They managed to pinch O'Leary for another hit but with no body they could never get him for Monaghan's murder. He died in prison in '97."

"But now Johnny's grandmother says Johnny had Monaghan's money." Lilly said. "That'd explain how he ended up in the river."

"And if there was some sort of struggle and Monaghan lost the money in the river, that'd piss off O'Leary easy." Jeffries said.

"Is there anyone who could confirm any of this?" Stillman asked.

"We're still looking into that." Scotty said, looking back over some notes he'd pulled out earlier, including a polaroid of Johnny and Rachel smiling for the camera in an embrace. "In the meantime, we were gonna talk to Johnny's girlfriend, Rachel Wallace. Apparently she lived with Johnny's grandmother and took care of her until she went to Schaeffer Center two years ago."

"Taking care of your dead boyfriend's grandmother for sixteen years?" Jeffries asked. "That's dedication."

"Or guilt." Vera simply said with a facial shrug.

***

The sparsely furnished Kensington apartment looked to Lilly and Scotty like someone's effort to try and make the most out of very little. Lilly noticed some of the unpaid bills on the kitchen table, catching the word FINAL NOTICE in red letters on some of them. Even a place like Schaeffer Center can get expensive and not leave much left. She thought.

Rachel, having recently turned forty, was as attractive as ever, still keeping her hair short but now dressing much simpler in her heavy sweatshirt and jeans.

"Yeah, I took care of Gran, that's what Johnny always called her." Rachel said. Lilly noted the resignation in her voice as they sat down. "They were the closest thing I had to family. She was never the same after he died, and neither of us really had anyone else, so I moved in with her. Her memory started fading a few years ago so it got harder and harder for me to let her be on her own. Then when she fell and broke her hip, I had to take her somewhere. I felt terrible but I just couldn't keep an eye on her all the time." Rachel shifted as she sat on the couch. "Dr. Cheng told me what she said. You're really looking into Johnny's death?"

"We got a new lead and decided to look into it." Scotty said.

Rachel nodded and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful. It's just that a lot of people have been interested in this case over the years and most of the time it was for all the wrong reasons. Most people only cared because of the money. They didn't care about Johnny or what he meant to us."

Lilly nodded solemnly. "You said that Johnny'd been acting kind of strangely just before he died?"

Rachel nodded. "It started about a few days before when I picked him up from a job interview at the bus terminal. He had to sell his car so he pretty much relied on me to drive him anywhere he couldn't walk to. When he came out, he had something he hadn't had with him when I dropped him off..."

***

("Personal Jesus" - Depeche Mode)

Rachel looked around the parking lot from her car until she saw Johnny walking quickly out of the terminal.

She stared at the large brown tote bag Johnny was carrying. Whatever was in it was heavy from the way he was struggling with the bag. Rachel kept her eye on the bag as he tossed it onto the back seat.

"Hey." He said simply as he got in and leaned over to give her a kiss.

"What's in the bag?" She asked glancing at the bag in the mirror.

"Uhhh... I picked up a few things at the thrift store across the street."

Rachel glanced at him. "A few things?"

Johnny shrugged quickly. "Just some clothes and stuff. I figured if I'm gonna be going for some more interviews, I'd better get some more changes of clothes."

As they pulled out of the parking lot, they both heard someone yelling. As they both looked back towards the terminal, they spotted a thin red-haired young man running towards the car, waving his arms erratically.

Johnny's eyes widened. "Oh, crap!" He turned back to Rachel. "Drive!"

Rachel looked at him, confused. "Why, what's going on?"

"It's just some nut who was hassling me inside." Johnny stuttered. "Y... You know what the terminal's like. There's always some weirdos around."

Rachel looked hesitant for a moment before pressing her foot down on the gas. The car sped off before the young man could reach them.

Rachel turned to see Johnny looking back at the young man at he disappeared in the distance. She then glanced back in the mirror at the bag in the back, still confused...

***

"One thing Johnny could never do was lie to me. I still didn't say anything though. I mean, it wasn't like him to do anything wrong. I trusted him."

"So this guy who chasing after you," Scotty started. "About your age, thin, red hair..."

Rachel nodded. "I told the police about it. They had me look at some photos, but I was never able to make an ID. I don't know if he had anything to do with the money or what happened to Johnny. For all I know, he really was just some nut"

"Well, we've got a few more photos that they did back then." Lilly said. "Do you think you'd be able to recognize him if you saw his picture?"

Rachel looked up at her. "Maybe."

***

"Rachel picked out a photo of the guy who was chasing after Johnny at the bus terminal." Lilly said as she and Scotty joined the rest of the squad. "Guy's name was Sammy Blalock. Apparently he was a bit of an errand boy for Monaghan."

"Sammy Blalock?" Vera said, looking up from his desk. "I know that guy. Twitchy little jerk. I busted him twice for possession of stolen goods back when I was in uniform." A smirk crept over his face. "He's gonna be real thrilled to see me again."

***

As Vera and Detective Kat Miller walked towards the docks, Kat turned to Vera.

"So is there anything else I should know about this guy?" she asked.

"Nah, he's pretty harmless." Vera said. "Just as long as you remember every word out of his mouth's a lie."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Sammy!" Vera called out to the forty year-old man inspecting a cargo container, who immediately rolled his head in frustration at the sight of Vera.

"Aw, crap! What do you want, Vera?" Sammy said, pointing to his name tag. "I'm legit now!"

Vera gave him a condescending smile. "We ain't here about what you're doing now. More like what you were doing eighteen years ago."

Sammy squinted his eyes in confusion. "Eighteen years?"

"Specifically when you were working for Jack Monaghan." Kat said.

A look of unease passed over his face. "What, did you guys actually find him?"

Vera shook his head. "Nah, he's still sleepin' next to Jimmy Hoffa. We're here about Johnny Parker. Remember him? The guy they pulled out of the river with the money?"

"I don't know nothing about that." Sammy said nervously.

Vera looked at Kat and gestured at Sammy. "What'd I tell you? Every word."

"Johnny's girlfriend I.D.'d you as the guy chasing them at the bus terminal after he came out with a bag full of money." Kat said, giving Sammy a stern look. "You want to tell us what you were doing there?"

Sammy raised his hands. "All right, all right. First thing you gotta know, it ain't like I was some mob guy. I just owed Monaghan some money. He knew I couldn't pay it so he let me work it off. One of my jobs was dropping off a bag at the terminal. Jack never told me what it was for, only to give it to this guy reading the paper in a specific area wearing red shoes..."

***

("Orange Crush" - R.E.M.)

Sammy looked around nervously as he opened the locker Jack said it would be in, and pulled out the bag inside. As thin as he was, Sammy wasn't in the best of shape and the bag was just heavy enough that it was already starting to put a strain on his arm. I'll be glad to unload this. He thought.

He scanned around the seating area near Gate D. Monaghan specifically said a guy at that gate with red shoes, reading a newspaper. There was no one like that here though.

Monaghan had made it pretty clear that there was nowhere Sammy could go that Monaghan wouldn't find him if he even imagined taking the money and running, and Sammy believed him. What he hadn't said was what to do if the guy didn't show up. Do I take the money back to him? Put it back in the locker? Sammy wondered. What?

Sammy was leaning towards doing just that when he saw two men emerge from a door with EMPLOYEES ONLY written on it. The older man wearing a suit, maybe the terminal manager, was shaking hands with the other, who had a disappointed look on his face. The younger man, about Sammy's age, caught his attention, particularly the newspaper in his hand and the red shoes he was wearing. Is that him? Sammy thought.

As the older man stepped back into his office, Sammy watched the younger man walk over to a bench close to Gate D and sit down. He looked at the newspaper he was holding and with a look of frustration, threw it into a garbage can next to him.

Okay, Jack said the guy would be reading the paper, not throwing it away. What if this ain't him? Sammy paced nervously. Then again, what's Jack gonna say if I bring the money back and blow this deal, whatever it is?

After several agonizing, endless seconds, Sammy forced himself to make decision and started walking towards the young man.

"This is from Monaghan." Sammy muttered quietly to the young man as he passed him by, dropping the bag on the bench next to him.

A confused look appeared on the young man's face and he looked like he was about to say something, though Sammy hurried away before he could get the chance.

Sammy rushed around a corner but peeked around it. The young man was looking around, confused, for a few moments before opening the zipper on the bag slightly and looking inside. Sammy could see his eyes widening as he saw the bag's contents, and quickly closed it up, looking around nervously.

Why's he so surprised to see what in the bag? The only possible answer left a sinking feeling in his stomach.

I gotta get that bag back! Sammy started back towards the bench when he saw the young man walking towards a security guard. Before he reached the guard, however, the young man stopped and looked down at the bag, appearing lost in thought for a moment, before rushing towards the exit.

No! No! No! Sammy's mind screamed as he raced after him. Sammy followed him out the exit, where he saw the young man jump into the passenger's seat of a car in the parking lot. Sammy ran towards the car as fast as he could, waving his arms erratically. The car didn't stay though, but pulled out of the lot quickly.

"Hey!" Sammy screamed still waving his arms and running after the car for about half a block before he lost sight of it.

Sammy stopped where he was in the middle of the street, exhausted and put his hands on his knees. He looked towards the end of the street where the car had sped off and closed his eyes in frustration.

I'm a dead man. He simply thought.

***

Sammy shook his head. "I found out later the guy I was supposed to meet got picked up by the cops on his way there. I mean, what are the odds?"

Vera folded his arms and looked at Sammy with a smirk. "So that was Monaghan's money and you just let Johnny take it?"

Sammy looked at him, annoyed. "I didn't really have a choice, did I? I couldn't tell Jack what happened so I skipped town and didn't come back until I heard Jack disappeared. It's a good thing he did too, otherwise, for all I know, it might've been me they fished out of the river with half the money."

Kat gave him a suspicious look. "Wait. What did you say?"

Sammy gave a serious nod. "Oh yeah. Whoever started calling it the 'million dollar murder' was a little off. I don't know who has the rest, but it wasn't a million dollars in that bag. It was two million."

Vera and Kat just looked at each other in disbelief.

[irishkale]

Great, Toddsmitts! What I like most about your writing is that your dialog sounds very "true" and "authentic" to me. It makes the scenes come alive for me as I read them. Great stuff!

I also really like the character you created in "Sammy." I hope we see him again in the interogation room!

I'll be waiting for Chapter 3

[boxman]

Very interesting story, ToddSmitts! Looking forward to Ch. 3!

[toddsmitts]

In the squad room, Stillman folded his arms and shook his head as he read the report. "Cops pulled every bill that went into the river with Johnny. Total was exactly nine hundred forty-three thousand six hundred dollars in unmarked hundreds. No way they missed another million."

"So where's the other half of the money?" asked Kat.

"Monaghan's people could've found it, taken it back, and dumped Johnny in the river and we'd have no way to be sure." Vera said grimly.

"But how'd the money end up in the river?" Scotty asked. "And how'd they find Johnny in the first place?"

"Maybe Johnny said something that got back to them." Lilly said.

"Well he probably said something about the money to somebody." Stillman said, turning to Lilly. "Go have another talk with Rachel. Maybe she knows more than she let on."

***

"Please, Mrs. Parker." Dr. Cheng said, patiently. "You need to rest."

"I don't need to rest." Alma said, looking at Dr. Cheng with a look of displeasure on her face. "I should be getting home. Johnny's probably home from work by now. He's probably wondering where I am."

"It's all right." Rachel said, putting a reassuring hand on Alma's. "Johnny knows you're here. He said he just wants to make sure you're taken care of." She pulled out a polaroid photo of Johnny and Alma from her bag, the one that had been taken on what would be Johnny's last birthday eighteen years earlier. "Look. He wanted you to have this to keep company until you see him again."

"Oh, his birthday." Alma said, smiling and taking the picture. "Such a lovely picture."

Alma looked up to see the two detectives entering the room.

"Oh, hello." Alma said, smiling at Lilly and Scotty. "Are you friends of Rachel's?"

Lilly gave Alma an awkward smile and nodded. "I was just hoping to talk to her for a second."

Rachel gave Lilly an uncomfortable look and stood up. "I'll just be a minute." She said to Alma.

"Look, this really isn't a good time." Rachel said once they were outside. "She's been having an episode all day. We finally got her calmed down."

Lilly folded her arms. "We just found out the money Johnny took was more than we thought. It was actually two million."

"What?"

"About half of that ended up in the river with him." Scotty said. "We don't know where the other half is."

"And, what? You think I do?" Rachel said, a confused look on her face.

"Do you?" Lilly said, looking at her intently.

"You saw my apartment. You saw the bills." Rachel said evenly, but with a hint of frustration. "I've been living hand to mouth for the past eighteen years. Does that sound like someone who's been sitting on a million dollars all that time?"

The two detectives just looked at her, as if waiting for more.

Rachel closed her eyes and put a hand to her head. "Yes, I figured out there was money in that bag he had but I had no idea how much."

"Come on, Rachel." Scotty said. "You were over at Johnny's place all the time and you were never curious how much was in there?"

Rachel looked at him. "No, because first of all, Johnny didn't keep the bag at his place."

"Where'd he keep it?" Lilly asked.

"The corner store he was working at. He brought it with him to work one day and kept it there. I guess he was hiding it until he could figure out what to do with it. Ask the woman who owned the store, Rosie Donovan. She was nice but she couldn't afford to give Johnny as many shifts there as he needed. That's why he was looking for a second job."

"She still there?" Scotty asked.

"Yeah." Rachel said, nodding. "She's even visited Gran sometimes."

***

Rosie Donovan, a woman in her late forties with a friendly face, smiled as she talked to Scotty and Kat.

"My father left this place to me. It's been a real adventure keeping it open all these years. I really couldn't afford much help most of the time but Johnny was a good kid and I wanted to help him out."

"Do you remember Johnny keeping a brown tote bag here just before he was killed?" Scotty asked.

Rosie shrugged. "Johnny would keep junk in the lockers in the back once in a while. I don't really remember what. I do remember him saying he'd come into a bit of money. I thought maybe he meant an inheritance or something. I certainly didn't know it was anything as big as it was. I did learn one thing though."

"What's that?" Kat asked.

Rosie shook her head grimly. "When you got money, everybody wants to be your friend..."

***

("Got My Mind Set On You" - George Harrison)

Rosie sighed as she walked over to Johnny, who was stacking some cans at the other end of the aisle. She knew he was looking for another job and what she had to say wouldn't help.

"Hey, Johnny." She said, putting a had on his shoulder as he turned to look at her. "Listen, I know said I'd try to get you some more shifts next week but money's a little tight right now. I just can't. I'm really sorry."

A disappointed look appeared on Johnny's face just for a brief moment before he looked over her shoulder to the back room, specifically one of the lockers, and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

"Really?" Rosie asked, surprised.

Johnny shrugged. "Yeah, the truth is I came into a bit of money lately. I'm fine."

"What, like an inheritance or something?"

Johnny shifted nervously for a second before answering. "Yeah, sort of."

Before Rosie could ask him what he meant, she looked over to see a tall, dark-haired man in his thirties walk into the store. Johnny turned to look and smiled when he recognized the man.

"Carl! Hey!" He said, smiling as the man walked towards them. "Rosie, this is my cousin, Carl Watkins. He's just in town from New York" He said, gesturing to the man, and doing the same for Rosie. "Carl, Rosie."

"A pleasure." The man's lustful smile and the fact that he held her hand just a little too long when he shook it immediately put her off, though she hid it moderately well.

"Yeah, sure." She simply said.

"Is there somewhere we can talk?" Carl asked Johnny, who gestured to one of the back corners of the store. "So you said something on the phone about coming into some money and wanting some help investing it?"

Johnny nodded as they walked to the back, not noticing Rosie still listening. "Well I haven't really decided anything yet. I'm just considering things right now. I just wanted to know my options and I know this is sort of your area."

Carl shrugged. "Well before I can help, I gotta know what kind of money we're talking here. A couple hundred?"

Johnny raised his thumb to gesture 'higher'.

"A couple thousand?"

Johnny kept his thumb raised.

Carl's eyes narrowed. "How much are we talking about here, Johnny?"

Johnny looked around, then whispered a sum in Carl's ear, caused his eyes to widen.

"Okay, okay." Carl said with nervous laughter. "I can work with this, I can definitely work with this. Yeah, I know some real good places we can go with this."

"Well I didn't want put all my eggs in one basket, you know?"

Carl's expression suddenly turned sour. "Look, I'm the one in business, remember? Do you want my help or not?"

Johnny leaned back at Carl's reaction. "Okay, sorry." He said quietly.

The smile quickly returned to Carl's face. "Good then. Tell you what, I'll meet you for lunch tomorrow and we can talk about what we can do with your little nest egg."

"Okay." Johnny simply said.

Carl slapped Johnny's arm and headed towards the exit, giving Rosie a smug look and a wink as he passed her by. Rosie simply made a noise of disgust and shot him a repulsed look in return.

***

Rosie shook her head and frowned. "I could spot a creep like that a mile away. I guess Johnny couldn't. Maybe just cause he was family."

"So you think he was after Johnny's money?" Scotty said.

"I wouldn't trust a guy like that to return a library book for me, let alone handle money." Rosie said. "Plus I read in the paper a while back that he got busted for fraud and embezzlement, doing a stretch at Club Fed."

"It's still a big leap from fraud to murder." Kat said.

Rosie gestured around the store. "I've been running this store for over twenty years. I've seen all kinds walk through the doors." She gave the detectives a serious look. "Trust me when I tell you this was not the kind of guy who takes no for an answer."

***

S.C.I. Laurel Highlands was a minimum security facility in south-western Pennsylvania, a few hours' drive west of Philadelphia. Neither Vera nor Jeffries were excited to make the trip but with Lilly and Scotty having recently traveled as far as Nashville for another case, it was their turn.

Carl Watkins' reaction upon hearing why they were there didn't help matters. Sitting on a bench in the courtyard, the fifty-something and noticeably thinner, more gaunt Carl rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm in prison, so it must've been me who killed him, right?"

Jeffries looked at Carl intently with a suspicious smile. "Come on, Carl. Your cousin stumbled on to two million dollars and you weren't interested?"

Carl gave him a defiant stare. "I was in town, and he asked for my help on how to invest it. "

Vera frowned. "Right, cause you've had such a great track record of taking care of other people's money. That's what got you ten years in here."

Carl turned his stare on Vera. "That sentence was ridiculous. Everyone was talking about Enron at the time. I didn't have a chance at a fair trial."

"Oh, I'm cryin'." Vera smirked.

Carl glared at him but continued. "Besides which, I never laid a hand on Johnny or his money. In fact, I got out as soon as I found out what he'd gotten himself into..."

***

("I'll Be Waiting" - The Offspring)

Carl gave Johnny a friendly pat on the back as they walked up the stairs to Johnny's apartment.

"You're doing the smart thing." Carl said, smiling. "You just let me take care of things and your money's gonna double before you know it."

Johnny looked at Carl awkwardly. "I'm still not sure about this. I mean, are you sure--"

"Hey, hey, hey." Carl said, chuckling and putting a hand up. "What have I been telling you the last couple of days? I know what I'm doing, all right? Your money's gonna be in good hands."

Before Johnny could say anything, they both looked up towards the sound of a cry of pain coming from up the stairs and down the hallway. Johnny hurried up the stairs towards the sound of the noise.

Looking down the hall, he could see a forty-something black man in a fetal position on the floor in the doorway while three men mercilessly landed punches and kicks over his body.

Johnny started to rush towards the men, when Carl pulled him back and into a nearby alcove out of the men's line of sight.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Carl whispered harshly. "You want to get a beating too?"

"That's Trevor!" Johnny whispered frantically. "He's the building super. I know him!"

Around the corner, the sound of punching and kicking finally stopped. Carl listened to hear one of the men talk.

"You tell him this is a little preview of what'll happen if Jack Monaghan doesn't get his money back."

Carl could feel the color draining from his face at the mention of that name. A quick peek around the corner revealed the man who had just spoke, the one with the pronounced and unfriendly face, was exactly who Carl thought he was.

Carl breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the men exiting the hallway using the stairwell at the other end of the hallway. Only then did he finally release his grip on Johnny, who rushed over to Trevor, still on the floor, moaning softly.

Carl walked up to them and looked into Johnny's apartment, the door forced open, and the contents ransacked.

"Trevor! Oh my God! What did they do to you?" Johnny said, gripping the older man's hand. He looked up at Carl. "We gotta call an ambulance!"

At this, Carl finally looked down at Johnny. "What do you mean 'we'? You're the one who got in with the mob!" With that, Carl broke into a half-run down the hallway towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Johnny shouted down the hallway, but not moving.

"As far from here as I can!" Carl shouted back.

As he reached the stairs, Carl could hear Trevor starting to regain his senses. "What did you get into, Johnny?" Trevor said sharply, grabbing Johnny's wrist. "What did you bring into this building?"

Carl didn't wait for Johnny to come up with an answer, and instead simply bolted down the stairs.

***

"I went straight to my hotel, got my stuff, and headed back to New York." Carl said. "That's where I was when Johnny died. I didn't even set foot back in Philly until I moved back there ten years ago. Figured it was safe by then."

"Guy gets beaten senseless and you just leave him there?" Jeffries said, giving him a look of disapproval.

"If I hadn't split when I did, maybe I would've end up in the river too." Carl said. "I knew who Jack Monaghan was. I grew up in the same neighborhood as him. That guy was brutal and he was hands-on. Just ask that Trevor guy. Of course, he sounded pretty tiffed with Johnny himself. I mean, getting a beating that was meant for Johnny, I can't say I blame him."

"Yeah, right." Vera said, simply, a sarcastic look on his face. "We got some pictures for you to ID."

"Okay, sure." Carl said in a softer tone as the two detectives stood up. "Hey, look, I know you probably won't believe this, but Johnny was about the only one in my family that I actually liked. I'm glad somebody's finally givin' this another look. If I can help you catch whoever did it, I want to."

Vera found himself holding back a condescending remark and instead simply rolled his eyes they walked off.

***

"Uh-huh? Okay thanks." Scotty said into the phone at his desk before hanging up and turning to Lilly, who was sitting next to him.

"Carl ID the guys with Monaghan?" Se asked.

Scotty nodded. "There not gonna be much help though. One got shot trying to hold up a liquor store in '94, other one keeled over from a heart attack in '98. Vera and Jeffries think the super in Johnny's building might be worth talking to, though."

Lilly nodded and turned back to Johnny's case box, sitting on her own desk. "Trevor Jones? I was looking at some notes on him earlier."

Scotty turned to see Stillman exiting his office and walking towards him, a grim look on his face, the face of a cop with a career of giving bad news.

"Boss?" Lilly asked, seeing the look on his face as he approached them.

"I just got a call from Dr. Cheng at Schaeffer Center." He sighed and continued. "Alma Parker just died."

Lilly and Scotty lowered their heads slightly, not saying a word.

[r2k]

Excellent!!!! I love this case. And now the only link is dead. Keep writing. You got the characters down good. The victim is one you feel for as well.

[irishkale]

Great stuff, Todd! I love the mob angle you're working here. The Dialogue is excellent. You do a great job of making the characters seem real. Can't wait for the next chapter!

[boxman]

Heh! So we get a commercial break right after a big turn of events, huh??

[toddsmitts]

Dr. Cheng looked at the empty bed, shaking his head while Lilly looked on.

"It was very sudden." He said softly. "It was peaceful though. Rachel was right next to her." He looked out into the hallway where Rachel was sitting, looking lost in her thoughts. "She hasn't said a word since it happened. She hasn't even moved. I tried to get her to talk to me but..." He trailed off and shrugged.

Lilly nodded, understanding what he was asking her and walked out to the bench where Rachel was sitting. Rachel didn't look up, instead, she looked down at the photo of Johnny and his grandmother on his birthday.

"Rachel?" Lilly said quietly, sitting down next to her.

"I wanted to be a teacher." Rachel said simply, her gaze still on the photo.

Lilly leaned closer, waiting for her to elaborate.

"That's what I was going to do before Johnny died." Rachel continued. "My dream was I was going to go back to school, become a teacher, and Johnny and I were going to married and start a family." She sniffed as the pain returned to her face. "Then he died, and I moved in with Gran to take care of her, and everything else just got put on hold. I never went back to school, I never became a teacher, and I haven't had a serious relationship since Johnny. All I had was her, and now..." She trailed off, then finally looked at Lilly. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

Lilly tried to think of something to say, not sure what to tell her. Rachel didn't give her the chance though.

"Excuse me." She said, getting up suddenly. "I need to call the funeral home." Without another word she headed off towards the exit.

Lilly watched Rachel walk away, shaking her head sadly. Good luck, Rachel. She thought.

***

Jeffries and Kat looked up at Trevor, who was standing on a stepladder in the building's hallway screwing in a lightbulb. "Yeah, I remember Johnny. Nice kid. His girl Rachel moved into the apartment to take care of his grandma after he died."

"We know about the beating Jack Monaghan and his men gave you, Trevor." Kat said. "It's interesting you never bothered to report it."

Trevor, his face more weathered over the years but his eyes as sharp as ever, shrugged as he stepped down from the ladder. "I grew up in a time when reporting a beating like that did more harm than good, especially with a guy like that."

"You sure that's the only reason?" Jeffries asked, eyeing Trevor suspiciously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Trevor asked, turning to Jeffries.

"That beating was because of Johnny. We heard you weren't too happy with him because of that. Plus you've had some run-ins with the law yourself; two assaults, resisting arrest, and a few other charges."

"You think I was the only angry young black man in the sixties who had some run-ins with the law?"

"No, but you were the only one with a grudge against Johnny." Kat said.

"Look, I wasn't happy with Johnny at the time, but he was basically a good kid. Besides which, after I found out the truth, I actually felt sorry for him." Trevor shook his head. "That boy was in way over his head. The sad part is he wouldn't even admit it to himself..."

***

("Do You Believe in Shame" - Duran Duran)

Trevor looked up from his hospital bed at Johnny and the guilty look he had, though Trevor's battered face made it difficult to tell what his mood was.

"The uhhh... the doctor says the bruises should start to fade in a day or two and the swelling should go down about the same time." Johnny said. "Good news is he says you didn't break any ribs after all, but they may be sore for a while."

There was a knock at the door and Trevor looked up to see Rachel and Alma entering with some take-out containers. Johnny turned from them to Trevor and back, noticing that Rachel didn't smile at him when she saw him.

"Hey there." Rachel said, giving Trevor a smile. "We heard what happened. We thought we'd get you some real food."

Alma shook her head. "It's so terrible, somebody trying to rob our apartment and doing this to you."

"Yeah, it's terrible." Rachel folded her arms and looked intently at Johnny, seeing the guilty look in his eyes. "Can I talk to you about something out here?"

Johnny, looking nervous, followed her out of the room. After a moment, Trevor pulled himself out of bed, ignoring Alma's urges for him to stay there. Quietly, he walked out of the room and peered around the corner towards an empty hallway where Johnny and Rachel were standing.

"So is there anything you want tell me about what happened to Trevor?" Rachel asked, staring at him coldly.

"I don't... I don't know what you're talking about." Johnny answered, not looking her in the eye.

Rachel grabbed his wrist, forcing him to look at her. "This is about that bag you brought back from the bus terminal, isn't it? What's in that bag, Johnny? Money? Drugs? Don't lie to me again!"

"All right!" Johnny whispered. "Look, when I was at the terminal, I was just sitting there, minding my own business, when this guy just drops it down right next to me says it's from Monaghan and walks off. I know it sounds crazy but that's what happened. I don't know, maybe he thought I was someone else. I opened it up and inside were stacks and stacks of money. I haven't had time to count it all yet but there's over a million in there at least. I mean do you know what we could with that kind of money?"

Rachel's angry stare didn't diminish. "So you're saying that this guy and his thugs who beat up Trevor and trashed your apartment were looking for the money?"

Johnny nodded quickly. "They didn't find it though. It's not at the apartment. I'm keeping it someplace safe until we can figure out what to do with it."

"We?"

Johnny gave a nervous smile and put his hands on her arms. "Yes, 'we'. With this money we can do whatever we want. You want to go back to school? Become a teacher, like you told me? You can do that. Aren't you tired of living hand to mouth?"

Rachel pushed his hands away. "And what are you gonna do when those guys come back? I mean, what do you think they would've done to you if you'd been home? What if Gran had been home?"

Johnny sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about Trevor. I'll make it up to him. And we'll be okay as long as we're careful. Come on, Rachel. I did this for us!"

Rachel looked at him coldly. "You did this for yourself, Johnny. You didn't think for a second about the danger you were putting us in, and now you're just trying to rationalize it." She stepped away from him. "I don't even know you right now."

Johnny gave her a pleading look. "Rachel, please! I just wanted to able to take care of you and Gran!"

She looked up at a clock on the wall, then back at him. "You should get going or you'll be late for work, if you still give a damn about that." With that, she walked off.

"Rachel, wait!" Johnny pleaded, starting to follow her for a moment before stopping and sighing.

Trevor shook his head, then turned to see Alma behind him listening as well.

Alma turned away and walked back towards Trevor's room. "I shouldn't be eavesdropping." She said nervously. "It's not nice."

Trevor turned back to see Johnny still standing there in the hallway. After a moment, he looked down at his watch and walked slowly towards the exit. As he passed by the waiting room, a thin, red-haired young man sitting there looked up from his newspaper at Johnny, watching him walk out. After a few moments, the young man stood up and followed him out...

***

"You said this guy was following Johnny?" Kat asked.

Trevor sighed. "Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't say anything back then."

"Thin guy, red hair?" She turned to Jeffries when Trevor nodded. "Sound like anyone we know?"

"Whatever happened to Alma anyway?" Trevor asked. "I haven't heard from her since she left a couple of years back."

"Actually, Alma just died yesterday." Jeffries said.

Trevor lowered his head and sighed.

***

Sitting at the table in the interview room, Sammy's eyes darted back and forth from Kat to Vera.

"You ever get tired of lying, Sammy?" Vera asked standing over him. "I mean, we always end up seeing through the B.S. you give us, so why go to the trouble?"

Sammy swallowed. "What are you talkin' about?"

"You didn't skip town after you lost the money." Kat said, standing over him on the other side. "We got a another eye-witness who saw you following Johnny the day he was killed. What, did you think if you tailed him and found the money, that'd get you back in Monaghan's good graces?"

"Or maybe you thought you could take him out and keep the money for yourself." Vera added.

Sammy looked up and Vera. "No! I never laid a hand on the guy! And I wasn't stupid enough to try and take the money myself either."

"But you were working for Monaghan." Kat said, looking at him intently.

Sammy sighed. "A few days after Johnny left the terminal with the money, I went back and told the manager Johnny'd dropped something on his way out and got the guy to give me his name. Jack and his guys didn't find the money at his apartment, so Jack thought if I could follow him, he'd lead me back to wherever he was hiding the money."

"And what did you think they were gonna do with him when they caught him?" Kat asked, shaking her head disapprovingly. "You sold him out to Monaghan."

"He was gonna kill my parents!" Sammy said, a pained look in his eyes. "Jack said if I didn't help him get the money back, he was gonna have my parents killed. I'm sorry about Johnny but Jack wasn't the kind of guy to make threats and not follow through. I know I left all this out before, but I got a wife and kids now. What do you think Jack'd do to them?"

Vera rolled his eyes. "It's been eighteen years. Jack's takin' a dirt nap. He ain't comin' back."

"Oh yeah?" Sammy asked, turning to Vera. "That's what you guys thought about that chick I read about in the papers. The one that blew up her husband and faked her death for twenty-five years?" He turned back to Kat. "Or that little girl everyone thought got killed back in the seventies, and then turned up alive a few months back?"

He looked up at Vera, a sad but defiant look on his face. "You wanna lock me up again for what I did back then, Vera? Then do what you gotta do. But I wasn't gonna put my family in danger."

There was a long pause before Kat broke the silence. "What happened after you followed Johnny?" She asked, softening her tone and look.

Sammy lowered his head. "I followed him to his work. I figured that was where he was stashing the money, so I went to talk to Jack a couple of hours later. I know it doesn't mean much but I did try to one good thing that night..."

***

The bar, one of several Sammy suspected O'Leary owned, was empty except for Sammy, Monaghan, and two muscular goons; the same two that had helped Monaghan beat up Trevor earlier that day. Monaghan and his men sat on the bar stools, their arms folded, listening while Sammy explained what he'd seen.

"It's called Donovan Foods. Little mom and pop store a block from his apartment. He's got it stashed there."

A cold smile crept over Monaghan's face as he turned to his men and gestured towards Sammy. "Well, what do you know, boys?" He said in a slightly gravelly voice. "He can do something right after all."

Sammy nodded and glanced down at his watch, finally feeling some relief. "It's almost two now. They should be closing in about fifteen minutes. Once they're gone, we can just go over there and get the money, no fuss."

Monaghan's smile faded as he stood up. "First of all, we're not going anywhere with you. You already lost it once. And if I wait till they leave, how am I supposed to teach that little son of a b itch not to take things that aren't his?"

Sammy's face went slack. "Y- You don't need to do that! I told you where you can get the money back. No harm, no foul, right?"

Monaghan's hand lept up and grabbed Sammy's throat. "Wrong. Only reason we gotta go to all this trouble is cause you lost my money in the first place, so that's that a big foul right there." Sammy choked as he tried in vain to pull himself free from Monaghan's grip. "And trust me, there's gonna be a hell of a lot of harm for that; for him and for you." Looking into Sammy's terrified eyes, Monaghan shoved him into the arms of his two men, now standing behind Sammy.

"I'm gonna deal with that little pric k myself." Monaghan said, reaching over the bar and pulling a handgun out from under it. "Boys, keep an eye on Sammy here till I get back."

As Monaghan walked out of the bar, ignoring Sammy's pleas, the two goons pulled Sammy back towards the men's room. Throwing him to floor inside, they shut the door behind him. Sammy could hear them pulling a chair up against the door to barricade it.

Sammy paced around the room for several minutes, trying to figure a way out. Even if he could break down the door, he'd never get past Monaghan's goons. His eyes darted up to an open window. It looked just big enough that he might be able to crawl though. Unfortunately, it was also too high to reach.

Then he spotted the empty mop bucket sitting in the corner.

Picking it up and turning it over as quietly as possible so the goons wouldn't hear, Sammy carried over to the wall by the window. Standing on it, he winced as he pulled himself up by the window's ledge. The window turned out to be smaller than he expected but Sammy still managed to squeeze himself through, landing with a muffled grunt on the pavement outside.

Sammy rubbed his right arm where he'd landed and stood up. Looking up at the window for a moment, he quickly broke into a run, racing two blocks before he slowed down at the sight of a pay phone, which sent an unexpected spark of conscience running through him.

For God's sake, Sammy, the guy deserves a warning!

Sammy stood there for a moment, hesitant, before hurrying over to the phone. He quickly leafed through the attached phone book until he found the number for the store. Dropping a quarter into the slot, he started dialing.

***

"Donovan Foods." Johnny answered, wondering why someone always had to call right when they were closing.

"Is this Johnny Parker?" The excited voice on the other end asked.

"Uhhh... yeah." Johnny answered, slightly confused.

"Listen to me. You don't know me but you gotta get outta there now!"

"What?" Johnny asked. "Who is this?"

"Look, Jack Monaghan knows you got the money at the store. He's heading over there right now! If you're still there when he shows up, he gonna kill you! You gotta get out of there now! Ya hear me? You gotta get out of there now!"

The color drained from Johnny's face before the sound of a woman's pained scream turned him around.

***

Sammy's heart skipped a beat as he heard first the woman scream, then the clicking sound.

"Hello? Hello?" He said frantically in the phone, already knowing he'd been cut off on the other end...

***

Sammy shrugged and shook his head sadly. "I tried to warn him, for all the good it did."

"You said you heard a woman scream?" Kat asked.

"Yeah."

Kat walked over to Vera. "That would've been Rosie." She said quietly. "Wonder why she didn't mention that before."

Vera folded his arms. "I can think of about a million reasons why not."

[r2k]

Oh man, this is getting good. I like the references to the Season 4 cases. And more twists. I love the twists. I have got to find out how this one ends. You left out a word though.

“We know about the beating Jack Monaghan and his men gave you, Trevor.” Kat said. “It’s interesting you bothered to report it.”

“It’s interesting you never bothered to report it.”

Otherwise, keep it up. This is your best one yet.

[toddsmitts]

Sitting at the table, Rosie looked up at Scotty and Jeffries without the friendly smile from earlier. She looked decidedly uneasy. We caught her in a lie and she knows it, Scotty thought.

Jeffries folded his arms and looked at her intently. "Jack Monaghan went to your store to get the money the night Johnny was killed. You were there that night too."

"Then a few hours later, Johnny's get pulled out of the river with half the money, Monaghan and the other half disappear, and you're sittin' here alive and well." added Scotty. "How does that work? You make some sort of deal with Monaghan? He give you a cut of the money to help take care of Johnny?"

Rosie looked at him incredulously. "I'd never make a deal with him! That man was a monster."

"So maybe you did something to both of them, keep the money for yourself." Jeffries said.

Rosie shook her head. "I didn't hurt Johnny, and I didn't care about the money. Not after what happened that night."

Scotty sat down next to her and leaned in closer. "What happened in the store that night?"

Rosie sighed and lowered her head, a pained look forming on her face. "I don't blame Johnny. I don't think he knew what he was getting into. But I still have nightmares about that night..."

***

Rosie looked over to see Johnny sweeping up, a sullen look on his face. Every few moments she would catch him glancing towards a locker in the back room and glaring at it. She walked over and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's with you tonight?" She asked, smiling. "You've been lookin' like somebody took the wind out of your sails all night."

Johnny looked up at her just for a moment. "I'm fine."

Rosie cocked her head. "Uh-huh. Sure you are." She raised an eyebrow. "Trouble with the girlfriend?"

He looked up at her again and sighed. "All I wanted was to take care of her and my Gran. I thought I was doing something to help. Instead it's starting to look more and more like I did something really stupid."

She shrugged. "Well, you're not the first."

Johnny shook his head. "I don't deserve either one of them."

Rosie patted him on the arm. "Hey, don't beat yourself up." She looked up at the wall clock, which read 1:59, and grinned. "Well, it's closing time. That's always good news."

They both turned as the phone on the counter started ringing. Rosie started walking towards the front door.

"Can you get that? I'm gonna close the shutters outside, and remind me we still gotta get the phone in the back room fixed tomorrow."

Johnny nodded as he picked up the receiver. Before she could pull out her keys, a hulking figure forced his way through the door and grabbed Rosie by the neck. Rosie knew the neighborhood well enough to know who it was, which left her eyes wide open in fear.

"Where's the kid?" Monaghan hissed.

Rosie said nothing, unsure of what he was talking about. They both looked over to hear Johnny, his back turned to them, say "What? Who is this?" into the phone. Monaghan's eyes narrowed at the sight of Johnny and walked over to him, dragging Rosie along with him. She let out a pained scream which spun Johnny around.

In a startlingly quick motion, Monaghan pulled the phone from Johnny's grasp, ripped the cord free from the wall, and slammed the entire phone against the counter, shattering it.

Monaghan finally released his grip on Rosie, shoving her against Johnny. "So you're the little son of a b itch who took my money."

Rosie looked up at Johnny. "Johnny, what is he talking about?"

Johnny gave her a sad look. "You know before, when I said I did something stupid?"

"Damn right, you did." Monaghan said coldly, pulling a handgun from his jacket and aiming it at Rosie. "Now, where's my money? I know you got it here. Hand it over or I put a hole in your pretty little friend's head."

Rosie looked over at Johnny, terrified, and Johnny quickly raised his hands defensively. "All right! All right! I'll give it to you. Just don't hurt her!" He gestured towards the locker in the back room. "It's in the back. I'm gonna go get it."

"Slowly!" Monaghan barked, keeping his eyes on Johnny and gun on Rosie. "You try bein' stupid again, she's dead!"

"All right." Johnny said nervously, walking towards the back room, and opening the padlock on one of the lockers. A moment later, he emerged with the large brown tote bag, which he set down on the counter in front of Monaghan.

"It's all there." Johnny quickly said. "I didn't spend a penny of it."

Monaghan opened the bag to inspect its contents, not saying a word.

"Look, you got your money back." Johnny finally said, after several moments of silence, a desperate look on his face. "Please, just take it and go."

At this, Monaghan finally looked up at Johnny with a cruel smile. "Just take it and go? You steal my money and you think all I'm gonna do is just take it and go? Who the hell do you think you're dealing with?" He turned to Rosie, whose eyes widened, and raised his gun to her face. "You took something from me. I think I'll something from you."

"No!" Johnny screamed, picking up the bag. He hurled it at Monaghan's arm, causing the shot to go wide, the bullet hitting the wall close to the floor.

Monaghan turned towards Johnny, a murderous look in his eyes. He grabbed Johnny by the collar, and threw him to the floor. Rosie grabbed Monaghan by the arm, trying to pull him away, but one back-handed slap sent her to the floor as well. Turning back to Johnny, he began brutally hitting him in the face with his gun, occasionally stopping to kick him in the stomach and ribs.

Rosie shook herself awake and saw Monaghan continuing to beat Johnny, who let out a few pained cries before going silent. As she stood up, she grabbed a large glass jar on a nearby shelf. Rushing up to Monaghan, she brought the board down as hard as she could on his back between his shoulders. The jar shattered and Monaghan felt to the floor, dropping his gun, before he stood up again, turning around to face her.

"All right." He said, advancing menacingly and breathing heavily. "Now I'm really tiffed."

He threw her to the floor, then knelt down over her, straddling her. He wrapped his hands around her throat, her own hands grabbing his wrists in a vain attempt to pull them off. Her eyes widened as he began to squeeze.

Neither of them noticed as Johnny's eyes fluttered open several feet away. Hearing Rosie gasping for air as Monaghan continued to strangle her, a sadistic look on his face, Johnny's eyes came to rest on the gun Monaghan had dropped.

Struggling to sit up was difficult from the number of times Monaghan had kicked his ribs. Still, Johnny managed to grip the gun and aim it at Monaghan's back. He hesitated for a moment, seeing Rosie's eyes start to glaze over as she struggled to breathe. Finally, Johnny gritted his teeth and squeezed the trigger.

The gunshot was deafening as it echoed through the store. Monaghan immediately released his grip on Rosie as his hands moved to the bloody wound that had suddenly appeared on his chest. Stunned, he turned his head to face Johnny, but didn't make it there before he slumped to the floor.

Rosie coughed and inhaled heavily as she found herself able to breathe again. This gave her enough strength to push Monaghan's body off of hers and quickly crawl over to the counter away from him.

Blinking back tears and running her hands over her sore neck, she looked over at Johnny, beaten and bloody, who finally lowered the gun. He looked at the body with a sad look in his eyes, before looking down at the bag of money. Rosie saw the sad look turn to one of disgust as he stared at the bag, not saying a word...

***

"He just sat there looking at that bag." Rosie said, shaking her head sadly.

"What happened after that?" Jeffries asked softly.

"When Johnny finally started talking again, I told him we needed to tell the cops what happened." She looked up at Scotty and Jeffries before continuing. "The phone in the back room wasn't working and Monaghan smashed the one up front, so we couldn't call from the store. Johnny said he wanted to take the money and go straight to the cops, tell them everything that happened. He said he wanted to get rid of the money right away before anyone else got hurt. I told him I'd stay there with the body until he came back."

"But he never did." Scotty said.

"No, he didn't." Rosie closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard. "I waited there for hours. I thought maybe one of Monaghan's people had got a hold of him. I started thinking what they'd do to me if they found out what happened and I panicked. I borrowed a friend's van, wrapped the body in plastic, and buried it in the woods just outside the city. The next morning, I heard about them pulling Johnny out of the river with the money."

Rosie looked up at the detectives and sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything. Johnny made a mistake, but he was trying to make it right. He didn't deserve what happened."

***

From the other side of the mirror, Lilly and Stillman looked in on the interview room. Stillman frowned in thought for a moment before turning to Lilly.

"The nearest precinct was sixteen blocks away." He said. "So how was Johnny gonna get the money over there at two in the morning with no car?"

Lilly paused for a second before the answer came to her. She sighed in disappointment when she realized what it meant.

***

"We know Jack Monaghan showed up at the store looking for the money the night Johnny died." Lilly said, circling the person sitting at the table in the interview room. "He nearly killed Johnny and Rosie before Johnny shot him in self-defense."

"Johnny had to kill a man," Scotty added. "But he finally got it in his head that money was trouble. He was gonna take it to the police. Turn it in."

"He never made it there though." Lilly continued. "Something happened to him on the way."

The person sitting at the table said nothing.

Scotty folded his arms. "But you already knew that, didn't you, Rachel?"

Rachel looked up at her and opened her mouth, as if to say something, but still didn't make a sound.

"You knew because you were the one Johnny got to drive him to the police after he left the store." Lilly continued grimly. "You said it yourself; he pretty much relied on you to drive him anywhere he couldn't walk to."

"What happened, Rachel?" Scotty asked. "Was givin' up all that money harder than you thought?"

A tear rolled down her cheek. "I used to dream that I'd go back to school, become a teacher. Johnny would find some great job. We'd buy some beautiful house, get married and start a family." She turned to Lilly with a pleading look on her face. "Am I a bad person for wanting those things?"

"No." Lilly said simply, sitting down next to her..

"All this time though," Scotty said. "You never spent any of the money."

"I couldn't." Rachel said. "Gran didn't have anyone else, so I made a deal with myself. I'd take care of her for as long as she lived, which meant I couldn't spend the money."

Scotty nodded. "Cause then she'd know how you got it."

A sad smile appeared just for a moment on her face. "I never touched it, no matter how hard things got. I thought I could just wait it out, but..." she paused and sobbed as more tears flowed down her face. "I miss her. I miss them both. I don't even want it anymore. I just want them back."

"Then let it go." Lilly said, leaning in closer.

Rachel recoiled slightly at this, a part of her still unwilling to give it up.

"It's hurt enough people." Lilly said gently but firmly. "Just let it go."

Rachel let out a slight laugh between sobs. "That's what Johnny tried to tell me. But I didn't listen. I thought with that money, Johnny and I could have anything." She closed her eyes as more tears flowed. "Instead, it cost me everything..."

***

Rachel was jolted awake by the intercom buzz and immediately looked at the clock beside her bed, wondering who would be calling this late.

Tying her housecoat, she stepped out of her bedroom to the front hallway and pressed the button next to the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Johnny." The tired voice on the other end said. "I need to come up."

Puzzled, she buzzed him in and waited a few moments before opening the door. When she finally saw him, she gasped.

"Johnny!" She whispered, looking at his swollen eye along with the cuts and bruises covering his face and body. "Oh my God!"

"Something's happened." He said, the pain evident in his voice. "I need you to drive me to the police station."

Rachel just stood there looking at him in the doorway, horrified. "Johnny, what happened to you?"

Johnny closed his eyes and sighed. "Rachel, please just get dressed. I'll tell you on the way."

She nodded and looked down, noticing for the first time the brown tote bag in his hand...

***

The car cruised down the streets, no other cars in sight. Rachel kept her eyes on the road, turning away occasionally to glance at the open bag sitting on the seat between her and Johnny. She barely reacted as Johnny told her what had happened at the store.

"I thought when I found this, I could take care of you and Gran." He said, sounding exhausted. "You were right though. I was only thinking of myself." He reached over and placed his hand on hers. "I'm so sorry."

She squeezed his hand, nodding as she glanced over to him. "It's all right." She said simply. Turning back, her eyes fell on the bag again, and she swallowed hard.

They felt a slight bump as the car passed over the bridge. At the end was an intersection with a set of lights. There were still no other cars around, but Rachel still slowed to a stop as the light turned from yellow to red.

She turned to Johnny with a slight smile. "Look, Johnny, I've been thinking. I know what I said before but maybe you were right." She gestured to the bag. "I mean this could really make a difference in our lives. Maybe we shouldn't be so quick to get rid of it."

Johnny chuckled and shook his head. "No. We're doing the right thing. Trust me."

"But maybe we could just--"

"Rachel." He said, simply. "Trust me on this. It's not worth the trouble."

The smile faded as she turned back towards the road and watched as the light changed to green.

The car didn't move.

Johnny looked at the light, then at Rachel, with an awkward smile. "Uhhh... the light's green."

Rachel didn't move or say a word. She just stared straight ahead for moment, before she put the car in park, grabbed the bag, and hurried out of the car.

"Rach?" Johnny called after her. "Rach, what are you doing?" Slowly he stepped out of the car as well and followed her over to the side of bridge, where she was leaning, staring at the bag and shaking her head. "What are you doing?" He repeated.

"I can't do this, Johnny." She said, not looking at him. "This is crazy. We don't need to give up the money. There's got to be another way."

Johnny looked at her, confused. "What are you talking about? A few hours ago you were mad at me for taking this."

"Because you put us in danger!" She said, finally looking at him. "But we're not anymore."

"You don't know that. Somebody else probably knows about the money and they'll come after us too."

"Then let's just leave." Rachel continued, with a desperate smile on her face. "We could start over somewhere."

Johnny paused for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Besides, that's not the only reason I'm doing this." He shrugged. "I don't want to be sneaking around, and lying, and looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. And I don't want this money to hurt anyone else. I mean look what happened to Trevor and Rosie." He gestured to his bruised and swollen face. "Look what happened to me."

"You're gonna be okay, Johnny" Rachel said reassuringly.

"Rach, I killed a guy tonight!"

"You didn't have a choice!"

"Of course I had a choice!" he said, putting his hand to his head in frustration. "I could've told the cops what happened after Trevor got beat up. I could've not taken that bag in the first place!" He sighed. "Rachel, just trust me, it's not worth it."

Her eyes narrowed. "So what? We're supposed to just give it up and go back to the way things were, huh? Neither of us making enough to do anything with our lives?"

"It's not always gonna be like this." He said softly. "Things are gonna get better. You said so yourself."

"You know what?" Rachel said through gritted teeth. "I am tired of being the strong one! I am tired of being the one who always says 'hang in there, things are gonna get better'!"

"Then let me be the strong one for once." He said, gesturing to the bag. "Let me just take this, and get rid of it, and we can get on with our lives."

She didn't move as he continued. "I know what you're thinking, that this money's gonna solve all our problems. I thought the same thing. But it won't." He tried to put his hand on her arm but she pulled away. "Rachel, you want to be a teacher, and for us to have a life together, a family? You can have all of that. I promise, you can have everything you wanted, but you gotta let this go."

He put his hands on the side of bag, but Rachel gripped the straps tighter.

"Just let it go." He said softly, trying to pull the bag away.

"No." She said angrily, holding her grip.

"Just let it go!" He pleaded, pulling harder.

"No!" She repeated louder.

"Rachel, please! Just let it go!"

"No!" She screamed through her teeth, as she wrenched the bag free of his grip and swung it at him harder than she meant to. The bag struck him in the face, knocking him back, with the momentum sending Johnny over the railing, as several stacks of bill spilled out of the bag and followed Johnny down the long drop to the river below.

"Johnny!" She screamed down to him as he fell, though her voice was drowned out by Johnny's own scream. It was the most horrible sound she'd ever heard.

Johnny hit the water head-first, his neck breaking on impact. His body disappeared below the surface for a moment, stacks of money hitting the water above him, before coming floating up the surface again.

"Johnny!" Rachel screamed to the body floating face-down below. She sobbed when there was no answer. "Johnny!" She called out again...

***

("Another Day In Paradise" - Phil Collins - without the strange intro)

Rachel didn't say a word as Lilly and Scotty escorted her on the long walk to her cell. She just looked straight ahead and didn't resist as they placed her inside. Wrapping her hands around the bars, she finally gave Lilly a sad, resigned look as Scotty shut the gate. Lilly looked back at her with a hint of sympathy before she and Scotty walked off, leaving Rachel alone with her thoughts...

As Jeffries opened the basement storage locker, Kat stepped inside and looked around. Lodged between some boxes was a large brown tote bag. Kat crouched down and opened it up, examining the contents. She looked up at Jeffries for a moment, before the two looked down grimly at the bag of money, shaking their heads...

In the woods, Stillman folded his arms and watched as the workers pulled Monaghan's long-buried body from the location Rosie had given them...

In his cell, Carl leaned back on his bed as he started reading the book, entitled Ethical Investments. He wasn't sure what had prompted him to take it out of the library, but found himself reading it intently...

As Sammy opened the door to his house, two small children, a boy and a girl, rushed over to hug their father. A moment later, his wife walked over to kiss him on the cheek. Sammy looked on at his family and smiled...

Vera lifted the case box, now with the word CLOSED written in marker on the lid, and stacked it in among the other boxes, giving the box a slight punch before walking off...

Alma's funeral was a small outdoor event with only a few people present at the cemetary. Lilly looked on at the board standing next to the casket, which was covered with pictures taken throughout her life. At the center, she could see the picture taken of Alma and Johnny at his birthday.

As Dr. Cheng, Trevor, and Rosie each took turns to step towards the casket and pay their respects, Lilly looked up to see Johnny looking on from several feet away. A moment later, Johnny turned to see Alma walk towards him. Johnny embraced his grandmother in a long-overdue hug before they turned back to Lilly.

Reunited at last, they both gave Lilly a grateful smile before they faded away.

THE END

[shiloh]

Congratulations, toddsmitts.
That was an excellent story.
It's the first one I've read in here.
I look forward to reading more of your work!!! ;D

[irishkale]

I'll echo what Shiloh said... Awesome story, Great job TS!

Since the story is complete, I'll list my pros/cons since I know you like feedback:

pros:

--Great Dialogue. I hear the characters speaking in my head when I'm reading your stories. I don't know how you do it. I just know that I like it, and it makes the characters totally believable.
--Great character development. I love the character of "Sammy." He sorta reminds me of the old guy/killer from episode 3x04 -- "Colors".
--Great story twists. I couldn't guess the killer from the cast of characters. Everyone had some sort of viable motive, but I couldn't guess who would be the one.
--The ending ... Ghost Johnny & Ghost Grandma hug with Lilly watching. Loved it!



cons:

--The introductory "teaser" scene was confusing. I had a hard time figuring out where the action took place after Johnny left the office of the job interview. Also, I would have liked a description of his and his grandmother's apartment. But, on the other hand, I do like that your introductory scene is very "quick reading." The introductory scenes of the actual show are very quick, they serve to introduce the victim, the setting/environment, and one or two major characters. So in a way, you mimic the TV episodes in that you're not bogged down with alot of descriptive prose. Maybe there's a happy medium between the two?
--In the last chapter, Rosie borrows the van & buries the body herself? Can she carry a 180lb. man by herself? Can she bury him by herself? This seems doubtful.

[r2k]

Cool!! I did not see that ending coming. I do have to agree with irishkale that it would be hard for a woman to carry a man's body like that. But sometimes those details are not too important. I have to say, I felt for the killer in this one. You really give us the feel of a real episode here. I am truly impressed.

[toddsmitts]

Thanks for the reviews to those who gave them.

To peope who were wondering how Rosie could've buried Monaghan's body on her own, I agree it would be difficult but not impossible. Most business (especially a store) have dollies or such for moving heavy objects.

I'd be more interested to know what people thought of the revelation of who was ultimately responsible for Johnny's death (notice that I didn't just say "the killer"?). Did you buy it? Was it too out of left field?

[irishkale]

There were hints that you gave that sorta made it believable.

Just in the 1st chapter --> She buys a cake, but Johnny sorta scolds her for it, saying, he's trying to save money. It's not a big purchase, but shows a sorta recklessness to her.
--then, in the Rachel interview of the present day, her bills are unpaid but she still takes care of Johnny's grandma. There's a self-lessness there that's self-destructive in a way. There's an "unbalance" there that could manifest itself in other ways (ways in which would lead to Johnny's death.)

I think you layered the details in a good way.. it's transparent when you're reading the story for the first time, but reading it again, it seems obvious.

[The Reverend Bizarre]

I enjoyed this story. You have a knack for writing these things like actual episodes. I'm a visual person, and I can actually see this playing through my mind like an actual episode. I liked the song choices that you used also.

Like a few others I'm also skeptical about Rosie taking and burying the body by herself. I was also a bit disappointed in the actual death itself. Another accidental shoving off of a bridge or high place. Of course this is only my own personal preference and has nothing to do with your skill as a writer.

Keep up the good work!

[boxman]

I finally had the chance to read the last chapters. I really liked the fine little details such as this:

toddsmitts said:

We caught her in a lie and she knows it, Scotty thought.

...and all the Vera facial expressions. I could easily imagine them thinking and doing these things. You had me guessing throughout the story who killed Johnny (or how did he die), and I think that shows good writing. Rachael *was* on my list of suspects, but being Johnny's girlfriend, I was keeping her at the bottom. Normally, I don't like "accidental" murder cases, but you set this one up excellently as to how it happened and why Rachel would keep quiet about Johnny's death. The story is very solid in this regard.

The transition from good fortune to bad is one part of the classic formula for a Tragedy. This is why I would have preferred a little more positive "emotional play" on Johnny's character at the start of the story. I'd like to feel more as to why we would be sympathetic towards him in his life and at his death. Opening up the story with a young man (Johnny is about half my age), who is pessimistic, defeated, and dreadful towards life was a bit of an "energy drainer" that made me feel like I shouldn't associate myself with him. He wasn't one of "life's winners", so to speak, and instinctively I wanted to distance myself emotionally from his character. I understand that the story needed to provide a reason why Johnny initially wanted to keep the money. Johnny's destitude, I feel, could have been revealed later after the opening. I've noticed the Cold Case writers usually open an episode showing an idealized setting to get this "good fortune to bad" effect. For example, in "Churchgoing People", the story opens up with what we think is the perfect "all-American" family, only to later learn all the dirt about them throughout the episode. Many other episodes open with a scene showing the victims at a certain high-point or pinnacle at their lives too. For example, "Knuckle Up" opens up with a kid who's optimistically preparing to enter college, "Honor" shows a veteran's homecoming, "The Promise" shows a young woman preparing for a party, "Debut" has a young woman about to be presented at a Debutante ball, and so forth. Those positive impression in the beginning leaves one to wonder "aw geez... why did that person have to die" at the end, making Cold Case stories much more than simple murder mysteries, or stories about plain detective work. That initial connection or "emotional bond" they create with the "good fortune" opening helps keep viewers glued to the ending, where viewers know the cause of this character's bad fortune will be revealed. So anyway, my point is that a minor tweak to show Johnny in a good light at the opening may help to make a nice dramatic flow, keeping us driving towards the end, and a little more reason to feel emotionally relieved that his murder has finally been solved.

Other than that, I really like the overall concept of the story. In retrospect, it kinda reminds me of the Warner Brothers' classic, "One Froggy Evening". The sudden discovery of the frog initially brings ideas and dreams of good fortune to the construction worker who finds him; but after a series of misfortunes, the frog becomes something to get rid of. Johnny goes through the same "greedy dreams-to-misfortune" experience and is about to get rid of the bag; but to his misfortune, it is introduced to Rachel and the whole cycle is tragically started again. Very nice concept, so it makes for me the tragedy of Johnny's "killer" very profound.

[toddsmitts]

You make some good points about the intro, though the show hasn't always started off with an idyllic setting: "Detention" started with what appeared to be a bunch of sulky teenagers, "Rampage" opened with the nightmarish setting of a public shooting, "A Dollar, A Dream" opened with a family reduced to living out of their car, "Blackout" started with a dysfunctional family and an unsympathetic victim (which would only prove even more dysfunctional and unsympathetic as the story progressed).

Instead of starting with good fortunes for a character, I hoped the interest in the story would stem from the jarring contrast between his life and the circumstances of his death: how did a young man obviously not well off end up dead surrounded by all that money? Though admittedly that kind of bizarre circumstance is something more typical of a "CSI" episode

What you said though did make me realize I didn't really establish Johnny's defining characteristic (and the thing I think keeps him sympathetic throughout the story) enough at the start: everything he does is motivated by a sincere desire to take care of the two people he loves the most: Rachel and his grandmother. It's always in the back of his mind in everything he does. Even after he takes the money, he doesn't waste it on selfish things. (He's sort of similar to the victim in my last story, "Do No Harm" who was also stuggling financially and motivated to take care of the people he loved). I think I may edit the introduction to change that later on. In fact, I'm definately going to.

Good analogy with the singing frog. I hadn't thought about that cartoon in years. Seems appropriate that it would become the mascot for a now-defunct TV network. That frog (like the money) is cursed!

A few other quick thoughts:

-Notice no one ever spends a cent of the money? I think the second anyone did that it would stop representing hopes and possibilities.

-Very early on, I planned Rosie (who, at this point, was not as well defined) to be the one who killed Johnny for the money. Rachel would therefore be at Alma's funeral and would "see" her and Johnny at the end. When I casually imagined a scenario in which Rachel did it, I almost immediately realized that worked so much better. It was more logical and dealy nicely with the question of what does Rachel do with her life now that Alma's died.

-Carl was a late addition to the story when I realized Johnny's fortune should bring him a "fair-weather friend", who gets close to him when he learns about the money but splits at the first sign of trouble. I was also debating whether to end with him at the funeral, having reformed to some degree or end with him sulking in jail, totally unrepentant. I eventually settled on something in the middle: he's still in jail but he did genuinely like Johnny and the book he was reading showing he was changing for the better.

-I wish I'd shown more reason why Lilly empathized with Rachel so much. I suppose she could have related Rachel taking care of Alma to the fact that Lilly probably had to take care of her mother much of her life. Probably even more so after her mother relapsed and she had to take her in, though that hadn't yet happened when this story takes place.

If you can find the songs that go with this, you really should. Rod Stewart's "Downtown Train" struck me as sounding very blue collar but still optimistic. Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" had a nice feel to it. REM's "Orange Crush" had just the right element of dark humor when Sammy loses the bag. George Harrison's "Set on You", the Offspring's "I'll Be Waiting", and Duran Duran's "Do You Believe In Shame", all had some nice, appropriate lyrics (and sounded great too). As for Phil Collins' "Another Day In Paradise", I set the story in 1989 just so I could use that song, so that should tell you how well I thought the music and lyrics fit.