Eyes Wide Open

“Kath, I just need you to listen. Call the police. Tell them to look for him. Tell them where he was. Give them his license plate numbers.”

“Jay! You’re sounding crazy. I don’t know the plate numbers. You’re scaring me!”

“Kathy, please, just do it, okay! Someone here said they had taken him.”

“Taken him? ” She became apoplectic. “Jay, tell me what’s going on!”

“I can’t. Kathy, I can’t. I’m sorry. Just do it for me. Please. I’m on my way to Charlie’s. They could be in danger too. I know how this all sounds. I know it’s crazy. But just call the police. Call the house where he was at.” I looked at the clock. “You can call me at Charlie’s when you know something. Okay? And, Kathy…”

I knew I sounded crazy. I also knew I had no idea how the next minutes might turn out. I couldn’t say it before, but now I could. And I did. “I love you, honey. And the kids…”

All she could say back was, “I love you too, Jay.”

I hung up. The driver must have thought I was crazy. “ How long? ”

“Long?” He turned around.

“How much longer until we’re there?”

He shook his head; his eyes went wide. “Five, six minutes…”

The palm of my right hand was throbbing. I hadn’t even noticed it since I left the hospital in such haste. I bit off the end of the tape and began to peel away the gauze, not sure what I would find.

It was covered in antiseptic cream.

I rubbed it on my pants and my heart almost climbed through my throat.

The ugliest cuts were there. Four slash marks dug in the skin-from Dev’s blade. Each a kind of a half semicircle.

I had seen them before, but now they were staring back at me. As a gruesome reminder. On my own hand.

An eye!

A feeling of nausea rose up through the waves of pain. My next call was to Sherwood. His cell number was embedded in my head. Dev had made me believe he was in trouble, or even dead, but how could I be sure?

The call went through, his phone rang-two, three times. No one picked up. My pulse buzzed like a bass guitar. Come on, answer, Sherwood. Please… Now it was five rings! To my dismay, it transferred into voice mail. “You’ve reached Detective Don Sherwood

… Please leave your name, a message, and your number. I’ll…”

My body was flooded by a sensation of dread. He wasn’t picking up. Which wasn’t good. Dev’s mocking smile came into my mind. If by “police” you mean your ol’ buddy Sherwood… He had become a friend. And I was both nervous and scared for him.

I struggled through some kind of hurried, rambling message. “Sherwood, it’s me. Jay. I’ve been beaten. By the guy I mentioned. It’s after eight. I’m heading to Charlie’s now. If you get this message send someone there. Please, Don… And God, I hope you’re all right.”

I hung up, pushing back the most horrible feeling something terrible had befallen him. He had said he was on his way. If he had been he would have found me at the motel. The EMTs would have mentioned it.

“I have to make one more call,” I told the driver.

This time to Charlie.

His number rang. I let the line ring and ring. Each was like a sharp blade cutting into my heart, taking a piece of me with each unanswered tone.

Where could they be?

No one picked up.

I was starting to get really scared now. And I wasn’t sure what to do. I handed the phone back to the driver. The neighborhood began to look familiar. We were on Costa Verde Drive now, only a few blocks from their place. The driver stopped at a light. Each second was like an eternity. He turned on Fourth and started to go up the hill.

“Call the police,” I said. “As soon as you drop me off. Tell them to come to that address. Six-oh-nine Division. Apartment two. Tell them there’s a possible homicide in progress.”

The driver looked at me, scared.

“Just do it, ” I said. “And I’m sorry. I can’t pay you now. I’m staying at the Cliffside Suites. You know it?”

He nodded. I don’t think he cared about being paid now.

“My name is Erlich. Ask for me there. I’ll leave money. I promise.”

We were only a block away, but Division was a one-way street and he’d have to wrap around the block, which I couldn’t wait for. I actually saw Charlie’s building. It would be shorter if I ran.

“I’m getting out!” I said. “Thank you for the phone. Now call…” I put my hands on his shoulders and squeezed. “Please

…”

I jumped out and headed down the darkened street. One side bordered a thicket of trees, the train tracks. I glanced behind me and saw the taxi drive away. I prayed he would follow through. My pace was erratic, my balance off, my brain still woozy. But I had regained my wits now and I prayed I wasn’t too late. That Dev hadn’t already gotten there.

Your brother and his wife are going to be dead soon…

I got to the carport of his building. The dimly lit courtyard.

I glanced across the street and what I saw there made my spirits soar.

A police car. Stationed outside. Like Sherwood had said. Parked in the shadows.

Thank God!

I hurried over. The car’s lights were off. The driver’s window appeared to be down. I could see a huddled shape behind the dash.