The Referral Game

judge looked down at me over her glasses and shook her head. She hated me. I could tell without her saying a word. At the table to my left the prosecutor stood up and began to speak. The judge’s expression immediately changed to one of rapt attention, nodding in agreement to each point he made, only I couldn’t make out any of the words.
    Looking to my right I saw a jury seated. They had their backs to me or they had no faces at all, I couldn’t tell. I realized the judge was speaking, no she was screaming at me. Denouncing me for my crimes, but refusing to tell me what they were. I shouted my innocence, but no one listened. A bailiff yanked me out of my seat to face the jury. They were in a mist and I could see only shadowy figures. A single word came out of the twilight.
    “Condemned.”
    It rang and echoed off the walls, magnifying as if many voices were being added. I covered my ears and screamed: “No!”
    I turned to the gallery for something, hope maybe, I don’t know. They all hated me too. It was written on their faces, hatred. Except for one old man. His face told of sadness and pity. He held out a hand for me and I reached for it instinctively. I touched it and was repelled. It was cold, unnaturally so.
    He looked into my eyes with that awful sadness and said: “That’s right son, you’ll be joining me soon. It’s so cold here. I can do nothing to help you, you chose the path that you now walk.”
    I broke free from that arctic embrace and ran for a door that appeared in front of me.
    “You can’t run from this son,” called the old man.
    I raced through the door. I thought that I had broken free when unseen hands began to pull back. Voices in the dark chanted my name.
    “Frank…Frank…Frank.”

Chapter 8

The Hospital

I awoke to Bill Vinson staring down at me, holding my hand. I was in a bed and Bill was saying softly: “Frank, Frank you’re going to be alright. Just be still.”
    “Where am I?” I croaked. My throat was dry.
    “You’re in the hospital. You’ve been shot.”
    “What happened? Where’s Paula?” I said, my voice rising. “Bill it wasn’t Edgar, it was Silas. Edgar’s dead-”
    I raised my head and felt an eruption of pain in my head.
    “I know Frank, stay calm. You’ve had a pretty close call, one inch to the left and you would have checked out permanently instead of just having a new part in your hair. Even so you’ve been out almost twenty-four hours, so don’t let yourself get over excited.”
    “Bill I have to tell you what went down.”
    “I know all about Frank. I was in the hall right behind Silas. I heard the whole thing.”
    “But how?” I stammered. “I don’t get it.”
    “Just lay back and listen,” he said. “After my shift was over last night I stopped by your place to see how your meeting with Edgar went. When you weren’t there I got a little worried, what with all your talk about domestic cases being so dangerous. Anyway I figured I might catch you at the office with your nose to the grindstone. You weren’t there either, but as I was getting back into my car I noticed Silas pull up and go into your building. It didn’t seem right so I decided to wait around awhile and see what developed.
    “About fifteen minutes later you and the girl arrived in a cab and headed inside too. You’re my old partner so I figured that you had one more back-up coming on account, so I went up the backstairs and crept down the hall to listen to what was going on. I was trying to figure out how to take Silas down when you forced the issue by pulling that hero move. I slid in and hit the lights, trying to disorient Silas enough to give you a chance. You were at pretty close range. That wasn’t a high percentage move Frank.”
    “I was just tired of taking it, that’s all.”
    “You’re lucky he didn’t kill you. I’d hate to have to go to your funeral and lie about what a great guy you were. Anyway once you started things I had no choice but to blow Silas down. He’s dead Frank.”
    “The girl?” I asked. I was afraid to hear the answer.
    “She’s fine, came through it all without a scratch. I sent her home a few hours ago to get some sleep and told her not to come back before tomorrow. She’s been here almost the whole time. She’s got guts.”
    “Yeah, she’s got that.” I paused to catch my breath, my heart was racing. “Did you find Edgar’s body?”
    “It was wrapped in a shower curtain in the trunk of his own car.”
    I was