Leopard's Baby

Jennifer Roberts was awakened by the buzzing of Kent Malone’s phone. Malone turned away from her to answer it. As he spoke softly into the phone, Jennifer had a full view of his well-formed, naked back. Younger men make the best lovers, she thought. Provided they’re built the way Kent is. Merritt’s let himself go. He’s way overweight and no longer has the stamina to do it more than once. Sometimes he can’t even manage that. He doesn’t turn me on the way he used to. I have to force myself to have sex with him just to keep him in line. Curtis is still okay, but he’s so caught up in senate business he’s usually not available. Besides, we’re on the outs right now, and it’s possible we’ll never get back to normal. The question is, do I want Kent in South America with me? I doubt he’ll appreciate being a kept man. Should he get bored and leave, it might let the wrong parties know where I am. It’s probably best if I cut my ties with him as soon as I get Brendan back.

“I just got some semi-good news,” Malone said, breaking into Jennifer’s reverie.

“What?” Jennifer asked. She sat up. The sheet fell from her body leaving her naked from the waist up. “Tell me!”

“The little surprise I set up for Olivia Selinson only partially worked,” Malone said. He slid over and ran his right forefinger around the outside of Jennifer’s right areole. Her nipple hardened.

“What part?” Jennifer asked. She reached over and began fondling his nipple.

“She survived, but she’s out of commission,” Malone said. He pushed her onto her back, separated her legs, and got between them. “Should be good enough. Broken arm and broken leg. I expect everything will be settled before she can return to the fray. Martinez was only slightly injured.”

“I don’t care about Martinez,” Jennifer said. She began moving her hips and her breathing became heavy. She gasped as he gently ran his finger across her clitoris. She touched his hardened penis and guided it into her. She arched her back while saying, “Martinez would’ve only been a bonus.”

***

As frequently happened on a Friday night, Haley’s Place was jumping. Haley spent most of her time in the kitchen preparing food orders. There was a window next to the bar where the servers, Tammy and Janine, could pick up the orders for their customers. The menu was not elaborate, consisting primarily of burgers, wings, fries, and onion rings.

Joe, the bartender, took care of drink orders. Janine was a heavyset woman in her late forties. She’d been working for Haley, off and on, for a while. Jose, a Hispanic man in his early twenties, was the busboy. He had a pockmarked face and a thin mustache. He was medium height and was slender to the point of appearing emaciated. While the tavern was open Brendan slept on a cot in the kitchen where Haley kept a watchful eye on him. Tammy had paid for heavy-duty locks and a steel-reinforced rear door which was always kept locked. After the tavern closed Tammy would carry him upstairs to his bed. Periodically Tammy peeked in just to make sure he was okay.

Following his usual pattern on a weekday, Ethan Butler came in for a beer after work. Sometimes he stayed and ate, but not this evening. Earlier in the week he’d lingered because Tammy sat with him for a few minutes. Tonight she was much too busy. He finished his drink, reminded her of their upcoming date, and left.

Shortly before 10:00 PM four large, rough-looking men came in. All were at least six feet tall, weighed over two hundred pounds, sported full beards, and wore bandanas on their heads. A party was just leaving a table. The four pushed ahead of another group and took the table before Jose finished cleaning it.

It was one of Janine’s tables. “Excuse me, guys,” she said. “Those other people were ahead of you. You’ll be seated as soon as another table opens up.”

“Well we’re here now,” one of the men said. He pulled his lips back in a semblance of a grin and elbowed a red-bearded man next to him. “You gonna try and move us? Might not get too far.”

“You tell the bitch, Clem,” Red-beard said. A third man grinned, showing several rotted teeth.

Janine started to protest. A woman from the other group tapped her on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry about it, Janine. I see a table in the back has just opened up. We’ll sit there.”

Janine gritted her teeth and hunched her shoulders slightly forward. The immediate contentiousness was averted, however. She visibly relaxed and indicated that Jose should continue clearing the table.

“Bring us a pitcher, whatever you have on tap, and two baskets of wings,” the fourth man, the biggest one of the group, called. “No, better make it two pitchers. And a basket of onion rings.”

The attitude and appearance of the roughnecks caused Tammy’s antenna to go up. She sidled up to Janine and asked softly, “Want me to take it?”

“I’ve got it, Missy,” Janine said. “Before you started working here I had to deal with assholes like these all the time. You’ve got those college kids against the wall. From the looks of them it’s about time to shut them off. Do they have a designated driver or do you have to collect their keys?”

The town was too small to have a taxi service. Rideshare companies such as Uber were willing to send someone, but it frequently took an hour or more for one to get there. Instead a couple of men hung out at the tavern picking up a little money by driving people home after Tammy took their car keys. A few objected to Tammy’s action, but most quickly learned protest was futile. The sheriff’s deputies discovered that stopping drunk drivers leaving Haley’s Place offered slim pickings, and usually stayed away. That increased the popularity of the place.

Tammy’s awareness was split between the drunken college kids and the recently arrived louts. She barely noticed a good-sized, athletic-appearing man who arrived with two women, one of whom was obviously pregnant. The man was around thirty. It wasn’t clear if the women were old enough to drink. The new man brushed past her and a strange sensation ran through her body as their arms touched. Before she could follow up, her attention was diverted.

A girl at the table of college students suddenly jumped up, clapped a hand over her mouth, and raced toward the lavatory. She didn’t make it. She fell to her knees and threw up, tried to get to her feet, couldn’t, and threw up again. She started to cry.

“Jose!” Tammy called. She went over to the girl, lifted her to her feet, and half-carried her toward the ladies room. Jose left the table he’d been cleaning and went to get a mop and a bucket.

“Hey!” Red-beard yelled. “Get back here you little Spic! You ain’t done with our table. When the fat broad brings our food and shit, we don’t want to be eating and drinking in the leftover crud.”

Jose had cleared off the dirty plates and glasses. They were sitting in a large, plastic tub on the floor. All that still needed to be done was wipe off the table and bring new place settings. Janine, lips pressed tightly together, came over to the table with a damp cloth and wiped it down. Some of the crumbs got pushed onto Red-beard’s not-so-clean pants.

“You fucking bitch!” he shouted as he jumped up and brushed the crumbs off his pants.

Janine put her hands on her hips, faced the man directly, and said, “If you want your order, shut the fuck up and sit down. Otherwise you and your friends can get the fuck out.”

The other men at the table laughed. Red-beard flushed, but sat. Tammy saw the immediate crisis was over and entered the lavatory with the college girl. Once inside, Tammy moistened a paper towel and cleaned off the girl’s face.

“I don’t feel so good,” the girl said. Most of the color had drained out of her face.

Tammy had her sit on a commode and put her head down between her legs. “What’s your name, Honey?” Tammy asked as she handed the girl a cup of water. “Drink this. It’ll help settle your stomach.”

“Wanda,” the girl replied. “I don’t know if I can hold that down.”

“Try.”

Reluctantly Wanda sipped the water. When nothing happened she finished it. Her color improved slightly.

“You look a little better,” Tammy said. “You’re probably dehydrated. Keep drinking water. I think it’s time for you and your friends to leave. Unless you have a designated driver, I’ll get a ride for you.”

“Tim is our driver,” Wanda said. She put her hand on her stomach and groaned. “He didn’t have anything but coke. I should’ve done the same. I’m having my period and my stomach was already queasy before we came in. I was an idiot to drink. As long as I’m here, I might as well use the facilities.”

Wanda got to her feet. She seemed a little unsteady at first, but after taking a few deep breaths said she became stable. She thanked Tammy for her help. Tammy offered to get her a tampon, but she said she already had one.

Tammy returned to the tavern. The scene was relatively tranquil. The man and two young women who’d come in right after the four yahoos were sitting quietly at a table off to the side. He had a highball glass in front of him. The women each had a soft drink.

Tammy went over to the college kids, told them Wanda would be out shortly, and said they were now cut off. They kidded with her for a couple of minutes, but took it good-naturedly. They settled their bill, leaving a generous tip, and walked to the door. Wanda, walking a little unsteadily, came out of the ladies room, joined her friends, and they left.

Tammy went to another table to see if they wanted anything else while Janine delivered the order to the roughnecks and said, “Sixty-three dollars.”

Clem filled a mug with beer, drained it, burped loudly, and said, “We’ll run a tab.”

“Only our regulars are allowed to run tabs,” Janine said. She held out her hand, palm up, and said, “Money.”

Bad-teeth grabbed a wing from the basket, put it entirely in his mouth, pulled out a clean bone, threw it on the floor, and said, “You heard what Clem said. We’re running a fucking tab. Get your fat ass out of here until we need refills.”

Tammy told her current customers she had a situation to deal with and would return shortly. She walked over to where Janine and the four men were glaring at each other and said, “You guys have a choice. You can pay your bill and stay here, sitting quietly, or you can pay your bill and get out. Those are your only two options.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are, cunt,” the largest man said as he got to his feet. He was at least five inches taller than Tammy and a hundred pounds heavier. He walked over, bumped into her, and said, “I’ll give you two options. Give me a blowjob with your clothes on or your clothes off.”

He reached toward Tammy’s sweater. She caught his hand before it reached her and kneed him the groin. Hard. He fell, gasping for breath. Bad-teeth picked up a half-full beer mug and flung it at Tammy. She caught it and threw it back at him. It struck him flush on the nose. Blood spurted. He staggered, his shirt soaked with beer. He made a gurgling sound and rushed at Tammy. Instead of bowling her over as he obviously intended, he bounced back. She lifted him up bodily and slammed him down on the floor. The breath whooshed out of him. Clem took out a switchblade, pressed a button extending the blade, and, in a crouch, headed slowly toward Tammy, waving the knife back and forth.

“I’m gonna cut you real bad, bitch,” Clem growled. “You’re gonna regret starting in with us. You got lucky with them other two, but I’m ready for you.”

Moving so swiftly Clem had no time to react, Tammy reached out, grasped Clem’s wrist, and twisted. The wrist bones snapped. The knife fell to the floor, and Clem fell to his knees screaming in pain and retching. Tammy kicked the knife to the side, put her foot on Clem’s rump, and pushed him face-first into his own vomit.

The entire quarrel had taken less than a minute. Red-beard was still sitting at the table with his jaw hanging down. Tammy stepped over to him with her hand out, palm up, waggled her fingers and said, “Pay the bill, take your friends, and get out. Don’t return. Be sure to include a tip for Janine. And Jose. You guys left a mess.”

Red-beard slid to the edge of his chair and seemed as if he were about to protest. Tammy bared his teeth and growled. He slid back, reached into his pocket, held out two twenties, and said, “This is all I got.”

Tammy took the bills and said, “Get the rest from your friends.”

Red-beard went over to the large man, who was just starting to recover from the knee to his balls, and said, “Woody, I need some money.”

Still hunched over, Woody got to his feet and said, “Go fuck yourself. I ain’t gonna give this cunt nothing else.”

Tammy walked over to Woody and punched him in the solar plexus. He doubled over and would have fallen had she not grasped him by the collar. She reached into his right front pocket, took out a wad of bills, peeled off two twenties, and handed the rest of the bills to Red-beard. He stared at them as if he had no idea what to do with them.

“You and your friends get out of here,” Tammy said, pointing toward the door. “Don’t ever come back.”

The four stumbled toward the door. Bad-teeth, holding a dirty handkerchief to his bloody nose, reached the door, turned and yelled, “We ain’t gonna forget this you fucking bitch!”

Tammy took a step toward him. He quickly ran out the door. The rest of the crowd applauded.

The man who’d come in with two women at about the same time as the roughnecks, came up to Tammy, put his hand on her arm, and said, “I’m impressed. Really impressed. My name is Reggie. Reggie Calhoun. I want you to come with me. Now. We’ll make a great team.”

At his touch Tammy felt as if an electric current had run through her body. She was feeling a mixture of revulsion and desire. “I-I c-can’t leave,” she stammered. “P-please go back to your table.”

“You’re coming with me!” he declared as if he hadn’t heard her. “Let’s go!”

He tightened his grip on her arm and tugged her toward the door. The two women he’d come in with left money on the table and headed toward the door themselves. Tammy tried to yank her arm out of his grasp. She couldn’t. What the fuck? she thought. This guy is as strong as I am. Maybe stronger.

She braced herself and gave mighty heave, reeling back a couple of steps, but finally getting loose. Anger flashed in Calhoun’s eyes. He stepped toward her just as Brendan came out from the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. “Hungry, Mommy,” he said, walking toward Tammy.

“That your kid?” Calhoun asked.

“My son, yes,” Tammy replied. She scooped up Brendan and backed away.

“Get the fucking kid, Marti,” Calhoun ordered. The expression on his face was as malevolent as Tammy had ever seen.

His female companion with the flat abdomen tried to take Brendan away from Tammy. He began to whimper and clutched Tammy tightly. Tammy pushed Marti. She fell on her backside. The pregnant one helped Marti to her feet and the two advanced on Tammy. A ratcheting sound came from behind Tammy. Haley stood there leveling a pump-action shotgun at Calhoun and his friends.

“Get out of my bar right fucking now,” Haley ordered. “I won’t hesitate to shoot. I should call the sheriff and report an attempted kidnapping. Want me to do that, Missy?”

“N-no,” Tammy said. “I just want them out of here.”

Calhoun gave a mocking bow and walked slowly toward the door, followed by the two women. He opened the door, turned back, and said, “You know you want to be with me, Missy. Don’t worry. I’ll be back.”

***

Cal Ricci leaned back in his recliner, stretched, and glanced out the window of his apartment just as a large, dark-colored SUV drove up and stopped beneath a street lamp. Two men got out. Ricci jumped to his feet. He recognized one of them as a goon who habitually hung out with Manny Sebaro. Oh shit, he thought as his heart began to race. When Manny wants me to do something he usually calls in advance. No call means I’m a “loose end.” I suspected this day would come.

Ricci ran into his study and opened the bottom, right drawer of his desk. With shaking hands, he lifted off the false bottom and took out a thin wooden box together with three large, manila envelopes. He hurried to the front hall closet, put on his coat and hat, and grabbed his getaway bag off the top shelf. He left the apartment, rushed to the back stairs, and bounded down two steps at a time until he reached the basement. He hunched over for a few seconds to catch his breath before going to the furnace room. Once there he picked up a mitt to opened the furnace door, and, with a heavy heart, threw the wooden box into the flames. That severed any connection he had with his daughter. Sebaro must know he had some secret. Ricci vowed he would die before he’d tell the hoodlum about his daughter.

Ricci ran to the door of the super’s apartment and knocked. After about fifteen unnerving seconds, a sleepy looking black man opened the door.

“The time has come, Jamal,” Ricci said as he handed Jamal ten hundred-dollar bills.

Jamal led him to the outside entrance of the apartment–it opened onto a side street–and unlocked it. Ricci went up the stairs, looked furtively in both directions to make sure there was nobody around, and hurried down the street. He stopped at mailbox and thrust the three envelopes inside. One was addressed to the FBI, one to the Washington metropolitan police, and the last to Senator Curtis Roberts. Each gave details of jobs he’d carried out for Manny Sebaro, along with supporting documentation. Tammy’s prenup was included. Ricci wasn’t as interested in justice as he was in keeping Sebaro tied up with legal difficulties. He wanted the resourceful gangster to be too busy to come looking for him.

Next Ricci hailed a cab and had it take him to Union Station where he bought an Amtrak ticket to New York, paying in cash. He’d been afraid that at some point he and Sebaro would have to part ways. To prepare for that eventuality, should it occur, he’d squirreled away a lot of money in the Cayman Islands using false identification he’d created himself. He planned to fly there from Kennedy airport as soon as he could get a flight.

As the train moved along, Ricci wondered why he’d given that woman so much information. It’s weird, he thought. I didn’t want to tell her stuff, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. Once I talked to her, it was inevitable Manny would find out. She had to play that recording for somebody. It was pure luck I glanced out the window when Sebaro’s men showed up.

At Kennedy, using a prepaid visa card, Ricci bought a ticket to Owen Roberts International Airport. He went through security, went into a men’s room, and took a seat in a stall. He texted his ex-wife, telling her he would no longer be able to help pay for their daughter’s school. Then he crushed his phone under his feet and flushed the pieces down the toilet.

***

At 1:55 AM Haley came out from the kitchen and yelled, “Last call, everyone.”

Most settled their bills and headed for the door. A few dawdled at their tables, finishing their drinks. One man, seated at the bar, wanted another drink, which Joe gave him. By 2:10 all customers had departed.

“Great day for tips,” Janine said with a smile. Haley took out money for taxes. Of the remainder, Jose got ten percent while Tammy, Janine, and Joe each got thirty percent.

Tammy and Janine cleared the debris, brushed off the tables, and placed the chairs on the tables while Jose swept. Jose, Joe, and Janine got their share of the tip money and left. Haley reconciled the receipts with the cash-register tapes and the credit card slips. In this rural bar most people paid in cash, but a few used credit cards or checks. Haley placed the cash and checks in a night deposit bag. Tammy would take the bag to the night depository drop box at a bank two blocks away. Then they’d lock up for the night.

“No coat?” Haley asked as Tammy took the bag and headed for the door. “It’s the middle of February.”

“Not that cold tonight,” Tammy replied. “I’ll be fine. It’ll give me incentive to run there and back. Be back in about five minutes.”

“I’m completely wiped out,” Haley said. She sniffed at her armpit and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t smell good either. I can’t believe you can run after the day we’ve had. I have to admit, though. It’s nice to have business this good.”

Tammy opened the front door. Reggie Calhoun pushed in followed by the same two women who’d been with him earlier. He pointed a handgun at Tammy and said, “How nice. You have the money all packed up for me. Hand it over.” Haley took a step toward the bar. Calhoun pointed his gun in her direction and snarled, “Don’t try going for that shotgun unless you want to wind up dead.” Haley stopped. Calhoun turned back to Tammy and said, “Missy, you’re gonna come with us. Marti, get the kid.”

In one motion Tammy hurled the bag back over the bar, grasped the gun by the barrel, and tried to twist it away from Calhoun. She couldn’t get it out of his hand, but she was able to get it pointed away from her. The gun went off shattering a window. Calhoun yelled for the women to help him, but they cowered back away from the battling pair.

While Tammy and Calhoun fought over the gun, Haley ran back to the bar for the shotgun. She stepped toward the combatants and shouted, “Drop the fucking gun or I swear I’ll blast you and your friends!”

Calhoun allowed Tammy to take the gun. He shook his head and said, “I guess there’s nothing for it but to do this.”

Before anyone could react, he reached down, grasped his sweater, pulled it over his head, and slid out of his trousers. There came a whump sound. Where Calhoun had been was a large, male cougar.

Oh my God! thought Tammy. He’s a were-cougar! No wonder I had those conflicting feelings when we came in contact.

Haley shouted, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” She crossed herself, but had enough composure to level the shotgun at the cougar, fire, pump, and fire again. The shots knocked the cougar backwards, but didn’t penetrate his hide. He growled, bared his teeth, and leapt toward Haley. She fired again and ducked. Her last shot deflected the cougar from his trajectory, but he was still able to rake her left forearm with the claws of his left front paw.

Tammy had no choice. She tugged off her clothes and changed. The two women who’d come with Calhoun screamed and ran out the door. The black leopard intercepted the cougar in his next leap. The two cats commenced a fierce battle, yowling and shrieking. Fur flew. Chairs went crashing off tables. The cougar was bigger but might have been sore from taking three shotgun blasts at close range. The leopard had a larger head and bigger teeth. After a few minutes the cougar gave an ear-splitting howl and, limping slightly, ran out the still open front door.

The leopard changed. Tammy, naked, was on her hands and knees breathing heavily and bleeding from numerous claw-marks and bite-marks. Wounds from another were-creature could penetrate the leopard’s hide. Still taking deep breaths, she tried to rise, winced, and fell back to the floor on her side.

Haley hesitated, locked the front door, put the shotgun on a table, and went back to the kitchen. She came out with a towel wrapped around her own injury and a moistened second towel which she used to clean Tammy’s wounds. Tammy’s breathing slowed and she sat up.

“I don’t know what you are or what that thing was,” Haley said. She stood. “I’m going to need another towel. It appears as if you saved my life, so I’m cutting you some slack. When I get back, prepare to give me some answers. No bullshit.”

By the time Haley returned Tammy was on her feet. Haley put her arm around Tammy and said, “Take a seat. You look like shit. I’m going to tape cardboard over the broken window. Then we’ll get you upstairs and into a bath. I’ll put antiseptic on your wounds and you can start talking.”

Haley carried Brendan upstairs, put him in his bed, and drew a hot bath. Tammy sank gratefully into it and closed her eyes.

“If you weren’t some kind of demon, Missy, I’d say you’re quite the babe,” Haley said. She sat on the commode watching Tammy soak. “Why do you hide yourself?”

“I’m not a demon,” Tammy said without opening her eyes. “I’m a were-leopard. A natural creature.”

“Natural, huh? What about the other guy? Is he a demon? He tried to rob me.”

“He may be a crook and a murderer, but he’s not a demon either. He must be a were-cougar.”

“Are there a lot of those were-thingies? Werewolves? Whatever?”

“Not a lot. We’re rare. It’s genetic. I’ve seen a werewolf. I’ve never seen a were-cougar before. I don’t know of any other were-leopards outside of my family.”

“Why do say he’s a murderer? Because he tried to kill me?”

“No. It’s because he wanted to kill Bobby.”

“Kill Bobby?” Haley repeated, startled. She sat forward. “Why would he kill a baby?”

“In the wild the males of certain predator species will kill cubs they didn’t sire,” Tammy said as she sat up. “That way the females will be brought into estrus sooner. Until he changed I couldn’t understand why he wanted Bobby. Now I know. He wants to mate with me.”

“If you’re a leopard and he’s a cougar how could you mate? You’re different species.”

“Cougars and leopards don’t meet in the wild because their habitats are so different, but they have been bred in captivity.”

“Will Bobby become a were-leopard?”

“I don’t know,” Tammy said. She climbed out of the bath. Haley handed her a towel. “He’s too young to start showing symptoms.”

“Is there really an ex-husband trying to kill you?” Haley asked. She examined Tammy critically. “Appears most of your wounds have stopped bleeding. Except two. I’ll take care of those. Then you can help me with my arm.”

“No husband,” Tammy said. She put her hands on Haley’s shoulders and locked eyes with the older woman. “I hope I can trust you, Haley. My name isn’t Missy. It’s Tammy Roberts. Senator Curtis Roberts is my father-in-law. I’m a widow. You might have heard about me on the news. Jennifer Roberts, the mother-in-law from hell, forged some documents which gave her sole custody of Brendan, my son, and, indirectly, was the reason I was sent to prison. When I got out I got Brendan back by kidnapping him. I’ve been on the run ever since.”

“You can trust me, Missy, I mean Tammy. My business was going under and you saved it. Tonight you saved my life. I owe you. Big time. Tell me. Are you going to run away again?”

“I have to deal with Reggie Calhoun first,” Tammy said with a sigh. “Then I’ll see.”

“Can you beat him in a fight?”

“I don’t know, but probably not. He’s bigger. We were almost but not quite even. He’s stronger. I have to call for backup. Let’s take care of your arm and then go downstairs and start cleaning up the mess.”

***

Tyler bolted upright as his phone rang. Shit, he thought. I forgot to mute it. The number was not familiar. He was tempted to ignore it but he was already awake. So was Candi. She sat up and looked at him with a question in her eyes. He slid his finger along the phone to accept the call and said, “Who’s this?”

“It’s me, Tyler,” came Tammy’s voice. “I tried to call Mom, but all I got was her voice mail. I need you both.”

“Tammy, thank God you called,” Tyler said with a profound sense of relief. “We’ve been frantic trying to locate you. You must’ve learned about Jennifer.”

“I don’t know anything about Jennifer. What do you mean? She’s not the reason I called.”

“We’ve found out she’s hired a hit-man to whack you. She knows where you are. We wanted to warn you. If she’s not the reason, why did you call? Where are you anyway?”

Tammy gave her location and explained, briefly, about her encounter with the were-cougar. “I don’t want to go into more details over the phone,” she said. “Right now Jennifer is the least of my worries. She just wants to get Brendan back. This other clown wants to kill him. I can’t deal with the guy on my own. He’s at least as strong as I am. Probably stronger. He has thirty pounds on me. Or more. When do you think you and Mom can get here? Why didn’t she pick up when I called her? She usually leaves the line open.”

“Mom’s in the hospital,” Tyler said. He could hear Tammy inhale sharply and hastened to add, “She’ll be okay, but she has a broken arm, a broken leg, and a laceration on her back. Did you hear about the attack on Congresswoman Martinez?”

“No. I haven’t had time to watch the news.”

“Martinez gave a speech in New York last night. I guess it was two nights ago since it’s after midnight. Anyway, some guys attacked right after it ended. Killed a couple of people. Mom carried Martinez to safety, but was wounded in the process. The reason you couldn’t reach her is because her phone was also a casualty, and she hasn’t been able to replace it yet. I’ll be there with Tiffany and Jenny Fong as soon as we can.”

“Tiffany!” Tammy exclaimed. “She’s not ready for this.”

“We had a big argument and she won. You know how she is. Mom arranged for Jenny to come with us. She’ll be especially helpful now that we’ll be looking for a special. See you soon. Don’t go out in the open if you can avoid it. Whatever you do, take Jennifer’s hitter seriously.”