Welcome! This week the word prompt is "plaid." I got a little carried away with it as it was such a good fit for my story. Yes, we have another episode of "Midnight in Central Park." Scroll down to go back to Tuesday Tales and read some excellent stories. Thanks for stopping by.
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Within
minutes, the apartment was filled with people. Ambulance people, cops, people
with clipboards whispering to each other.
A
policeman with the name Hart on his chest took me aside.
“Did
you say someone gave your mother the drugs or did she take them herself?”
“I don’t know. But this guy Spider and his
goony friend were here.”
“Do
you think they forced the drugs on her?”
“Probably.”
Had to clear Ma’s rep. No way were they getting the truth out of me.
“Can
you give me a description of them? Any name other than Spider?”
Oh,
shit. How could I tell him that Spider was now a pile of ashes floating through
the air in the Park? And his asshole friend, too?
“Uh,
no. They kind of took off.”
“If you can tell me what they looked like, we’ll go after them. If they killed your mother,
they should pay.”
Hell,
yeah. They should. And they did. But I couldn’t tell Mr. Nice-Guy-Policeman
Hart the truth now, could I? And what the Hell was the truth, anyway?
“I
don’t know. I don’t feel so good.” I
faked when I had to.
“Mrs.
Spencer, can you help this young man out?” The officer spoke to a woman in a
plaid jacket. Plaid? Really? Ma woulda laughed.
“Of
course. James, why don’t you come with me.”
‘Where?”
“We’ve
got a place for you to stay for a couple of nights. Until we find your
relatives.”
“I
don’t have any.”
She
frowned. Yeah, plaid lady. Think your way out of that one.
“It’s
okay, Officer Hart. I think we’ve got just the place for James.”
“Jamie.
My mother called me Jamie.”
“Oh,
I’m sorry. Okay, Jamie. Come on. Let’s get you something to eat first. Is there
a restaurant around here?”
“There’s
a diner on the corner.”
“Perfect.”
“Your
report?” Hart asked.
“I’ll
have it for you tomorrow. Let’s take care of Jamie now.” Mrs. Plaid put her
hand on my shoulder for a second. Officer Hart shoved something in my hand.
“If
you need anything. Have any trouble. Call me here.” He nodded, shot me a half
smile and joined two other cops huddled with the coroner.
“Where
are they taking her?” I stared at the body covered in a white sheet.
“The
morgue. She’ll stay there until we’ve decided on next steps.”
“Next
steps?”
She
nodded. Ma needed to be buried, but I didn’t have a clue where or how. Mrs.
Plaid and I walked to the diner in silence. I ordered a burger. Nothing seemed
real. Statues came to life. Ma died. What next?
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Poor kid. I truly hope things work out. You've done an incredible job with this story. I feel as if I've come to know Jamie and how much he cared for his mother despite her weaknesses.
ReplyDeleteIt seems his web is getting more and more tangled. I'm afraid his mother will end up in Potter's Field. Does that still exist for new burials? Poor kid.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! My heart hurts for him. Brilliant last paragraph!
ReplyDeletePoor guy, so hurt and confused. I really hope things look up. I’m so sucked into the emotion. Great job!
ReplyDelete