Chapter Nine -- Witchblade Karma

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Date Posted: 17:55:47 10/31/04 Sun
Author: moondreamer
Subject: Chapter Nine
In reply to: moondreamer 's message, "The Ghost in the Machine - PG 13" on 08:45:09 10/07/04 Thu

Chapter Nine

Jake received lots of sympathy from the other guys for the chauffeur duty he pulled at Danny�s funeral, but the truth of it was he had volunteered. He couldn�t have stood to hear the graveside service.

It was all he could do to enter the cemetery knowing he would be able to stay in the car. To have had to gotten out and walked over to Danny�s casket�Jake shuddered at the very thought.

He just couldn�t have done it. It was all too reminiscent of everything he kept trying to forget. And it kept coming back and slapping him in the face. Worse, he just felt so responsible.

If only he hadn�t wanted to test Pezzini�s relationship with Gallo. If only he hadn�t given her the information about the Rialto. If only he had been able to get into the building faster, Daniel Woo would still be alive.

What a mess this had become. Jake watched as Danny�s wife led the kids to the waiting limousine. He could see the burning anger in Lee�s eyes at the injustice of burying the husband she loved, and having to go on, alone. In his mind all her grief and pain was directed at him.

And Sara, Jake could see her visibly struggling to hold back the tears as she stood by Danny�s coffin talking with Captain Siri. What would she think, what would she do if she suspected that Jake had fed her the information about Gallo deliberately, wanting to see what the results would be?

God, did he need a drink. He needed some oblivion. The worst of it was that it was all for nothing. He had no results. He had absolutely nothing. A good officer, another innocent had died because Jake blew another stakeout.

He couldn�t remember anything past the door opening and a wall of black. Jake didn�t know who the assailant was but he didn�t think he was one of Gallo�s men. He had done his research and could put names to all the faces that surrounded Tommy Gallo.

He had come to after the ambulances had already arrived. A screaming headache and a bruised jaw were the worst of his injuries. But the carnage at the Rialto was something else altogether. Bodies were everywhere.

Jake had held an ice pack to his face as he walked around the Rialto trying to piece together what had happened. He tried to avoid looking at Daniel Woo, focusing instead on Gallo�s men. It had been one hell of a fight.

Bullets, casings and blood seemed to cover the stage. Ballistics didn�t stand a chance. In the center of it all, once again, was Sara Pezzini. She seemed dazed, grief-stricken and almost unintelligible. Jake had snuck a look at her report. It had more holes than his grandfather�s socks.

She swore she and Danny Woo had seen Gallo murder one of his own men. That they had become separated and next thing she knew Gallo had shot Danny and was going to shoot her.

Somehow she managed to distract them and in the resulting fracas the electrical box was hit and everything went dark. Anything else, she couldn�t remember. Man, was that thin.

Who had killed all these men? Some of them looked like they had been hacked apart. She swore she didn�t see anyone else; that she didn�t know who the man in black was. But what else was she hiding? Could Jake have been wrong? What if Gallo wasn�t �V�? And if this was an attempt on Gallo, was Sara involved with �V�?

Jake slumped lower in the driver�s seat of the car. His head still hurt. Worst of all was the fear that when he went home tonight, when he faced that empty apartment, would Daniel Woo be there waiting? Yet another dead body for Jake to feel responsible for. He didn�t know how much longer he could take this.

He wiped his hand over his face, fighting for control. He needed to find some way to live with what he had just been a part of. What could he do to appease the angry spirit of a man gone before his time?

Jake�s thoughts were interrupted by Captain Siri tapping on his window. He hit the power locks and let the Captain into the vehicle.

�Let�s go, Jake.� Siri muttered.

�Sure, Cap.� Jake struggled to find a way to bring his next thoughts out to the open but then the Captain beat him to it.

�I�m worried about her, Jake. I know what it�s like to lose a partner.�

�Must be rough.� Jake almost choked on his reply.

�Danny was the only one that could really keep up with her. He was the only one that could cover her back.� The older man shook his head wearily. �There�s going to be a lot more questioning. It�s always intense when an officer goes down.�

�I wish I could have been more help, Captain.�

Jake paused before continuing slowly. �What will happen to Sara after the hearing? I don�t have a partner yet, maybe we should team up.�

�You�re a nice kid, Jake. And I�ve heard you have a crush on her, but Sara Pezzini doesn�t make an easy partner.� Captain Siri shook his head emphatically.

�Come on, Captain. Do you really think I�d take advantage of Sara like that? I just think this is going to be a bad time for her. I�d like to give her a little backup.�

Unspoken in Jake�s mind, the sentence continued��It�s the least I can do since I got her partner and friend killed.�

�I�ll think about it, Jake. I�ll think about it.�

The rest of the drive was completed in silence. Both of the men occupied in their own thoughts, reliving their different pasts, united by their concern for Sara Pezzini.

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Replies:

Chapter Ten -- moondreamer, 18:53:33 11/05/04 Fri