. 11

Ty sat outside of the house and waited. His heart raced at the thought of what he was about to do. Murder wasn't new to him, but his victim had been an adult. He was only just realizing that he hadn't thought about the children. He was certain that Lawrence wouldn't have wanted them hurt, but what was he supposed to do with them? The idea of taking them back to South Carolina with him crossed his mind and was quickly discarded. It presented too many problems.

For one, it would draw too much attention. A single man with two children would be remembered. Secondly, they wouldn't go with him willingly.

"Damn it!" he swore disgusted that he hadn't planned better. He had let the news of Lawrence's death and Becca's leaving cloud his judgment. After several more minutes of self-debate, he decided to leave and let someone else deal with Sally and the children. Ty started the car, put it into gear and drove away.

Several seconds later, a black sedan pulled out from the driveway and began to follow Ty's car.

**********

"Dinner was delicious!" Charles exclaimed as he leaned back in his chair and patted his full stomach.

"You are welcome." Hana replied with a smile. "Hattie is responsible for the apple pie."

"All of it was delicious." Charles replied. "Miss Hattie, do you think that I could have the recipe for that pie?"

"I spose I could give it to you." Hattie said reluctantly. "It's a recipe that me and Ralph came up with... I've never given the recipe out."

"I understand." Charles replied. "If you should decide to share, I would love to have the recipe."

Nick stood up to clear the table.

"We'll do it." Hattie said stopping him. "You men have things to talk about."

The men went to Nick's office and shut the door.

"I wish that you had called me sooner." Charles said. "I was lucky to get a car over to Will's house."

"You're right." Nick conceded, "But he's supposed to be here tonight."

"You're making an assumption." Charles countered. "You're assuming that he's going to keep to his routine."

"Why would he change?" Will asked.

"Think about it," Charles replied, "If we know that Goodman is dead, maybe he does too. He may not be thinking or acting rationally. He could also be planning to complete Goodman's mission."

No one said anything for several seconds.

"As I said," Charles continued, "There's a car at Will's house. If your man shows up or makes any moves, he'll be stopped. If he leaves, he'll be followed."

Nick looked at the clock and then back at Charles.

"He could be here already if we were to follow your logic." He said.

"This is why our good friend Briscoe is sitting in a car a few houses down." Charles said.

"Briscoe?" Nick asked. "How'd you pull that off?"

"I called him after I talked to you and he volunteered." Charles replied, "But let's go over this plan of yours."

*********

Ty circled around the block at a normal speed and then again driving slower. He took note of Nick's car in the garage and thought it odd. The car was usually in the garage with the door down. After thinking about it, he decided that Nick was probably going out again.

If that were the case, it would make things easier in some ways, but more difficult in others. He had intended to kill the Jap woman too; but it looked as if that wasn't going to happen. He would kill Nick, get away and take stock of things. There was still a chance that he could visit Lawrence's ex-wife and her new husband although the children remained a problem.

As he waited, Ty checked his gun and began to plan his trip back to South Carolina just in case he had to leave California. As soon as he killed Nick, he would go to a cheap hotel and lay low. His suitcase was in the back seat of the car and the money that he saved in anticipation of Lawrence's arrival was securely in his wallet. All he had to do was bide his time.

*******

Will was the first one to see the car sitting across the street from the house.

"He's here, but where's Briscoe?" he asked.

"I told him to stay put unless our man tried something." Charles replied. "Are you ready to do this?"

Charles and Nick left the house via the kitchen. They cut through the neighbor's yard and circled around to the street. They could see Ty's head silhouetted in the street lamp. Charles and Nick nodded at each other, and made their way down the street; their guns in their hands.

They were almost to the car when Ty caught sight of Nick in his side view mirror. Panicked, he tried to start the car. Finally, it started. He shifted it into gear and was about to pull off when the passenger door opened.

"Turn the engine off." Charles said his voice calm. "And keep your hands where I can see them."

He pressed the barrel of his gun against Ty's head. "Do it."

"You heard him." Nick said, his gun also aimed at Ty's head.

Ty moved his hands to the steering wheel as he silently cursed.

"Get out of the car." Nick said stepping back.

"Look fellas..." Ty started to say.

"Get out of the car." Charles said repeating Nick's order.

John came up from behind the car and stood next to Nick.

"Everything alright?" he asked as he returned Ty's glare.

"We've got it under control.' Nick replied not taking his eyes off Ty. "Our friend is going to get out of the car so that we can have a nice chat about what he's doing here."

"I have a better idea." Charles said. "Why don't we take him to the office? Briscoe can follow us over; John can stay here with Hana and Hattie and Will can go home."

"Good idea." Nick said as he opened the car door. "I wonder what goodies he's got." He added.

"I got it." Charles replied smiling."

"Look fellas," Ty said, "I think that we have a misunderstanding here."

"I don't think so." Charles replied, "But we can clear it up at the office."

Briscoe pulled up behind them and got out of the car.

"What's the plan?" he asked as he peered into the car at Ty and Charles.

Nick explained the plan, to which Briscoe gave a ringing endorsement,

"I've always wanted to see the inside of that building."

********

Ty thought about making a run for it, but changed his mind. He wouldn't make it and he wasn't that much of a believer that he was willing to die. He sat with his hands on the steering wheel and waited for further instructions. He had no illusions about his future and wondered what he could do to change it.

Before long, he was sitting in the back seat with Nick on one side and Charles on the other. Briscoe drove the car leaving his car in front of Nick's house. Ty stared at the back of Briscoe's head wishing that he could blow it off.

As he watched the palm trees speed by, he thought about Becca. It was just as well that he was rid of her and the brat. He had a feeling that it wouldn't have ended well for any of them. He hadn't lied to Becca when he told her that he had gotten away with murder. As far as he knew, the body had never been found. Even if it had been, there would have been no proof that he had been the one to kill her.

The her had been his wife Ellen London. She had been a pretty, petite blonde whose family while not poor; was far from rich. The money didn't matter; he would have loved her even if she was as poor as he was. No matter how bad his day had been, all she had to do was smile at him and the worries of the day disappeared. He had once told her that she was the love of his life and he had meant it.

Even now, it seemed impossible that he had been angry enough to kill her. If only he had taken the time to listen to her explanations she wouldn't be dead. Ty closed his eyes and allowed the memory to wash over him.

888888

"Hey Ty!" Caleb Greene called out to him. "What's Ellen doin in the nigger part of town?"

Ty ignored the question. He had no use for Caleb who seemed to delight in causing trouble. He knew that Ellen went down there sometimes to do charity work, but it wasn't Caleb's business. Every day Caleb asked the same question except for one day, he added something.

"I heard that your missus goes down there to see a Negro... what's the problem? You can't..."

That was all Caleb got out before Ty had him pinned against the wall.

"Shut your fucking mouth! You don't know what you're talking about!" Ty screamed into the man's face.

It had taken three men to pull Ty off Caleb who had dropped to the floor gasping for breath. As the weeks passed, there was more talk about Ellen and the unknown Negro male. Instead of asking for an explanation, Ty tried to trap Ellen in a lie. He remembered that day as if it was yesterday. June 6, 1944.

He had gone home in a mood. The whispers about Ellen and her alleged Negro lover had spread through the workplace. Part of him knew that it wasn't true, but the seeds of doubt had been planted. Whenever he asked Ellen about her day, she told him about it without hesitation.

"So who's the nigger male you been seeing?" he asked her point blank.

Ellen had paled slightly, but answered the question.

"That would be Norman, Why do you ask?"

"Are you fucking him?" Ty asked. His voice was deceptively calm as he asked the question.

"What? Of course I'm not sleeping with him!" Ellen protested appalled at what Ty was suggesting. "Where would you get such an idea?" she asked.

"Why haven't you mentioned him before if there's nothing going on?" Ty demanded. "You and that nigger are the talk of the damned town."

"Ty, you don't...."

"I don't what? Understand? Explain it to me." Ty said losing his temper.

"It isn't what you think." Ellen replied trying to remain calm. She knew that Ty had a temper, but she had never experienced it before. "I'm not sleeping with Norman or anyone else with the exception being you."

Ty wanted to believe her. She had never lied to him before, but there was another issue. Ellen had been seen with a black girl who was obviously mixed. People were speculating that the girl was Ellen's daughter and that the nigger was the father.

He had actually made a point of going to see the girl. The resemblance was unmistakable. The girl looked to be around five years old which meant that Ellen hadn't been unfaithful, but she had fucked a black man and in his mind, that was worse than being unfaithful.

"Who's the kid?" he demanded.

Ellen's face went deathly white as Ty took another step toward her. Before she could say anything, Ty backhanded her sending her sprawling to the floor. Blood ran from the side of her mouth as she scooted backwards trying to get away from him.

"Ty let me explain!"

"There's nothing to explain." He replied. "You spread your legs for a nigger and had his brat! Did you think that I wouldn't find out?"

"NO! Listen to me!" Ellen begged even as Ty began to kick her using every ounce of his considerable strength.

He kicked her until he got tired. He then picked her up by her hair and began to pummel her in the face with his free fist. When he finally stopped, he dropped her to the floor, kicked her again and poured himself a glass of water. He looked Ellen as he drained the glass and frowned. He sat the glass down, stared at her for a few more seconds and walked over to her.

"Get up!" he said as he kicked her foot.

When she didn't move her harder and called her name. Then he realized that she wasn't breathing. He hadn't meant to kill her but there she was lying on the floor dead.

"Fuck!" he hissed. He sat at the table debating what he should do. It wouldn't be long before her family began to wonder about her. But first, he had to get rid of the body before anyone showed up. He ran down to the cellar, grabbed a tarp and some twine and sprinted back up the stairs.

As quickly as he could, he wrapped Ellen's body in the tarp, tied the tarp with twine and laid it against the wall. When it was dark enough, he carried the bundle to the car and unceremoniously dumped it into the back seat.

He drove far out of town, past the last farm and parked just outside of the dense woods. After dimming the lights of the car, he got out, grabbed hold of the tarp holding Ellen's body and yanked it out. He looked around, hefted the bundle over his shoulder and walked deep into the woods. He froze when he thought he heard someone. After listening for a minute, he dropped Ellen's body to the ground and walked away.

He had mixed feelings about what he had done. He felt sorrow, anger and a little remorse and wondered if maybe he shouldn't have given her a chance to explain.

"Too late for that." he muttered.

By the time he got home, he had come up with a story good enough to at least buy him enough time to make some decisions. He went to work the next day and tried to keep out of trouble. It wasn't to be. Caleb taunted him until once again; they had to be pulled apart.

Ty wouldn't find out the truth until weeks later, but by then, it didn't matter. He had reconciled himself to the fact that he had killed the love of his life. Ironically, the truth had come from none other than Caleb. Ellen's family was still looking for her; the police had questioned him and finally let him go.

The one person who hadn't left him off the hook was Ellen's brother Dean. He had been injured in the Pacific arena and had been honorably discharged. Dean had never liked Ty and didn't care who knew it including Ellen.

Dean had wasted no time in finding Ty and letting him know what he thought.

"I know that you did something to her. She wouldn't have left like that!"

"Maybe you didn't know your sister as well as you thought you did." Ty retorted. "I happen to know that she liked dark meat."

"Liked?" Dean asked. "What do you mean liked?"

Ty silently cursed at the small slip, but recovered.

"She isn't here is she? Let me fill you in on a few things. Your sister was fucking a nigger before I met her and she had his brat. I saw it myself."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"The girl..."

"Melanie? What about her?" Dean asked.

"You know about this?"

Dean suddenly became secretive and changed the subject back to Ellen.

"If I find out that you've hurt her, I'll hunt you down and kill you."

The two men exchanged a few more words before Dean left. The day after the confrontation, Ty went back to work. As always, Caleb was waiting for him, but not to taunt him as usual.

"We have to talk." Caleb said. "It seems that I owe you an apology."

Ty didn't want to hear anything that Caleb had to say, but the man had been insistent. He hounded Ty until he gave in.

"What do you want?" Ty snapped.

Caleb hesitated, looked around to see if anyone was within earshot; and began to tell Ty what he knew.

"That kid wasn't hers. It belongs to her brother Dean. She was helping the girl's mother while Dean was away."

"How do you know?" Ty asked as a sickening feeling settled in his stomach.

The sickening feeling gave way to full blown nausea as Ty listened to Caleb talk.

"I heard it from Darlene Miller. She was engaged to Dean, but broke it off when she caught him with Carolyn Percy; the girl's mother. She forgave him, but he was caught again. Dean finally admitted to Darlene that he was in love with Carolyn and that he was going to take her north."

"Why did she tell you this?" Ty asked.

"Let's just call it pillow talk and leave it at that." Caleb replied. "Anyway, the war started and Dean enlisted. It interrupted his plans to take Carolyn away. By this time, Carolyn is knocked up with his kid. He asked Ellen to help Carolyn with the baby until he got back."

"How does Darlene know this?" Ty asked.

"She watched, listened and remained friends with the family. Especially Ellen. They were friends before Dean and she became an item. Ellen knew how she felt about the Negroes but thought that their friendship would supersede the politics between them. Ty, Ellen didn't sleep with that black man. The man is the kid's uncle."

Ty was speechless. He had killed his wife for nothing and it was Caleb's fault. Just as he raised his hands to grab Caleb, someone walked in saving Caleb's life. The rest of the shift passed in a blur as Ty tried to deal with what he had done.

It was time to leave South Carolina before Dean made good on his threat. He left work, went home, packed and walked away leaving the house unlocked.

8888888

He found it hard to believe that a mere two years had passed since he killed Ellen. After he left South Carolina, he became involved in a variety of illegal activities including armed robbery. It was in prison that he met Lawrence and became a loyal follower.

In retrospect, he realized that he should have left and come back another time. There had been no rush to kill anyone. Once again he wondered what he could offer the agents that captured him. He decided to tell them everything in exchange for being sent to a minimum security prison.

*********

Patricia sat in the back yard of Hiroshi and Dai's home enjoying the fresh air and longing for home. There was only one thing that she wanted more than going home and that was for the issue with Andrew Kelly to be resolved.

She understood what Kenji was saying and even agreed, but she didn't want him to be the one in harm's way. They had talked of little else since he decided to return to school with an agent posing as a med student. She still tried to talk him out of it even though she knew that it was pointless. His mind was made up.

The agent who was going to accompany Kenji and Joel had already come to the house and introduced himself.

"My name is Peter Frain. I'll be attending classes with you and Joel until we apprehend Andrew Kelly."

"I don't mean to be rude." Patricia said, "But these are medical students, won't you stick out?"

"That's a good question." Peter said not in the least bit put out. "I am a medical student that got a little sidetracked by the war. I'll actually be getting college credit for doing this. I want you to know that the safety of your husband and Joel is my first priority."

Patricia did have to admit that she felt a little better after meeting the agent, but she was still afraid. She wondered how things were going as far as capturing the man who had been watching Will and Nick. She worried for all of them, but especially her father.

He wasn't as young as he used to be and in Patricia's opinion, he sometimes forgot that not so insignificant fact. Neither her or her mother had tried to talk him out of it; he wouldn't have listened and would have gone anyway.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the night and wished for more peaceful times. In her mind, she, Kenji and the children were in another place and time where they could be exactly what they were. A family that deeply cared for and loved each other without worrying about being in danger. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear Kenji come into the yard. She didn't know he was there until he touched her.

********

Kenji finished reading to Ralph and Marie and went in search of Patricia. He knew that she was afraid, but he couldn't back away from this. If he did, Andrew Kelly would always remain a threat. He knew that there would be others, but Andrew was the only one who had openly dared to threaten his family. He was glad that Peter had stopped by; it made all of them feel better. Peter planned to stop by the following day to go over plans for class.

"I want Patricia and Penny here as well." He said. "I want them to hear the plans. It may put them at ease and they may have some ideas."

Kenji stood in the doorway and watched Patricia for several minutes before going to her. She was every bit as beautiful as the day that he first saw her if not more so. Her courage and grace never ceased to amaze him even after all of this time.

As he walked toward her, he decided that they wouldn't talk about Andrew Kelly. It had been a long time since they had talked about the places that they wanted to visit when they were done with school. It was something that made both of them feel better and had gotten them through some hard times.