Dave Zeltserman - Small crimes

I didn't want to lose my dream. I wanted to somehow get back into it. I wanted more than anything to be back with Elaine and my two girls. But I was wide awake and they were gone.

I watched the phone and waited for the ringing to stop. Nobody should've known where I was. With each ring I felt my heart turning more into an icy slush. Nobody should've been calling. All I could think was that it had to be a wrong number. But I didn't answer it. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, the ringing stopped.

I waited a long time after that before sitting up. I held my breath and concentrated, trying to listen for anything out of place. The only noise I could hear was my heart skipping to a sick Irregular beat.

I was about to get out of bed when there was a hard knock on the door. I almost jumped out of my skin. There was another knock, and then a voice yelling, 'Denton, Joe Denton. This is the Stowe police. Open the door.'

I moved as quietly as I could to the door, looked through the peephole, and saw two uniformed officers standing out in the hallway. I didn't recognize either of them.

I had the chain on. I opened the door a crack, keeping my shoulder against it so they couldn't force it open.

'What do you want?' I asked.

'We have a warrant for your arrest.'

'Can I see it?'

He handed me a paper through the crack. I read it over quickly. It was for missing a meeting with my parole officer. The warrant was signed by Sheriff Dan Pleasant. I couldn't believe that Craig had reported me.

'Let me call my lawyer,' I said.

'You can call him from the station.'

'You're taking me to Stowe?'

'Yes. Now open the door.'

'Can I get dressed first?'

'Go ahead. Make it fast.'

I made it fast. When I opened the door, the officer I had talked to turned me around and cuffed me. He and his partner led me out of the room and through the lodge. We probably didn't pass more than ten people, but each of them stopped to stare as we went by. When we got to the parking lot I saw Hal Wheely and Stan Black leaning against a Bradley County sheriff s vehicle.

'You said you were taking me to Stowe,' I said.

Neither of them said anything. They were on either side of me, dragging me faster as they held me by my elbows.

I started to yell for help and something hard whacked me on the back of my head. Next thing I knew I was in the back seat of the cruiser, with Hal behind the wheel and Stan taking up the passenger seat. The back of my head throbbed, and I sat frozen from the pain for a minute before asking how they knew where to find me..

Hal asked, 'How do you think?'

'Come on, at least tell me that.'

I could see Hal through the rearview mirror smirking. I followed you last night.'

'From where, Kelley's? You spotted me there?'

His smirk widened. 'I followed you all night last night. I saw you when you crawled out of your car and curled up like a baby sucking your thumb.'

'You did a lousy job early on,' I said.

'Yeah, well, fooled you later, didn't I?'

He was still smirking, but it seemed to tighten, almost like it was etched on his face. I didn't like the glazed look in his eyes. I also didn't like the fact that Stan was being so withdrawn and quiet.

I said, I kept my mouth shut all these years. I could've sent both of you away for a long time.’

‘I appreciate it,' Hal said. 'Look, what you're doing now is nuts.’

‘Doesn't sound nuts to me.’

‘Did Dan ever tell you about my safety deposit box?’

‘Why don't you shut up?'

'Stan, what about you, you don't want this, do you?’

‘What I don't want is to go to prison because of you,' Stan said.

'Look, I told you to shut up,' Hal said.

I could see his ears turning red. Something about his tone told me that I'd better listen to him. I sat back and watched the road. As we entered Bradley County, Hal turned down a dirt path and headed towards an old quarry that was once used for swimming but had dried up years ago.

As we got closer to the quarry, I could see Dan and one of his deputies, Josh Stone, leaning against Dan's car. Hal pulled up next to them, and before I knew it, Josh and Stan were pulling me out of the back seat and dragging me onto the ground. Hal joined them as they dragged me to the edge of the quarry and then flipped me on my stomach. Knees pushed into my neck and the small of my back, pinning me to the ground. I tried to lift my head, and for a second could see Dan standing off to the side watching. Then a hand shoved my head back into the dirt. As I was pushed down, I could feel my broken nose being smeared to the side.

The handcuffs were taken off me. While I was pinned to the ground, my right arm was forced out and then bent so my hand was against the side of my face. A gun was shoved into my hand, and my hand held in place with the barrel pushed hard against my temple. Other fingers were on my trigger finger, applying pressure. I had to fight like hell to keep from pulling the trigger.

Dan said, 'Manny's still around. You promised me he'd be gone by morning. I'm getting sick of you breaking your promises.'

I was losing the fight. I could feel the trigger being pulled in. I had only seconds left.

'So long, Joe,' Dan said. 'Believe it or not, I am sorry about this.'

My mouth was being pushed into the dirt, but somehow I spat out that Manny was being taken care of.

The pressure on my finger was relaxed. Someone grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. I started gagging, spitting out the dirt I'd been forced to swallow. After I could breathe, I opened my eyes and saw that Dan had moved over to me. He was squatting, sort of sitting on his heels as he considered me.

'How is Manny being taken care of?' he asked.

'He's going to be overdosed with morphine.'

'And how is that going to happen?'

'His nurse-'

'Joe, you're lying to me again-'

'Dan, it's true. I've been seeing her. It's all set.'

'And why would a nurse do this for you?'

'She has no choice.'

"Why would that be?'

'Look, can you get them off me? My neck and shoulders are killing me.'

'Not yet. Answer my question, Joe. Why does this nurse friend of yours have no choice?'

'She's done it before where she used to work.’

‘How do you know this?'

'I played out a hunch and spoke to the Chief of Surgery at her old hospital. He suspects her of killing four of her patients.’

‘Sounds unbelievable, Joe.’

‘It's true.'

'How come she's not in prison?'

'It's hard to prove. The patient ends up dying of respiratory failure, and nothing specific to a morphine overdose will show up in the autopsy.'

His eyes shifted, and I could tell he was starting to take me seriously. 'How come she hasn't gotten rid of Manny yet?' he asked.

'She needs some time,' I said. I was grunting now because of the pain. It felt like nails were being hammered into my shoulder blades. 'She has to siphon off enough morphine from other patients to do the job. This way she doesn't have to tamper with the machines and there's no evidence of anything.'

'I don't get it. How does she overdose him without leaving a needle mark?'

'She injects the morphine into the IV tubing.'

That brought a smile to his face. 'What's her name?'

'You don't need to know.'

A shadow fell over his eyes as he nodded to his boys. All at once my trigger finger was being pulled back. 'Charlotte Boyd,' I forced out.

I struggled for another few seconds and the pressure stopped.

'1 might be giving you a reprieve, Joe,' Dan said. 'I'm not promising anything, but we'll see.'

He stood up and then my head was forced back into the dirt. I could hear one of his deputies breathing hard as I was held down. Not only was he breathing hard, he was beginning to perspire, his sweat dripping on me. I had no idea which of the three it was, but whoever, I hoped to hell he'd drop dead of a heart attack.