THE ACCUSED

 

 

By:  Kenda

 

    

     The Accused is the second story in a trilogy series.  Part 1 of The Accusation series, entitled The Accusation, can be found in Kenda’s Emergency! Library.  Part 3 of the series, entitled The Accuser, can also be found in the Emergency! Library.

 

*************

 

     John Gage sat at the defendant’s table, willing himself to keep his eyes on the girl in the witness stand.  Though this was only a preliminary trial, the paramedic could hardly believe the accusation Vanessa Schaffer had made against him had gone this far.

 

     Johnny had been released from the hospital three weeks earlier.  He’d suffered a severe concussion as a result of a mine cave-in.  He’d been told by Roy that Station 51 had been called to the scene when a couple by the last name of Seavers, who were out walking their dog, thought they heard a girl’s voice coming from inside the abandoned Clariton Mine.  Everything Johnny knew about that rescue came from his partner.  He had no memory of it, or of any part of that afternoon.  When he’d first awakened in a Rampart treatment room six hours after he’d been injured Johnny was a month in the past.  The last thing he remembered was helping Roy side his house.  During the time since that day at the hospital bits and pieces of Johnny’s memory returned until he could recall being teased by Chet and Marco just before they got toned out to the mine about the invitation he’d received to Jennifer DeSoto’s tea party in celebration of her eighth birthday.  The problem was, Johnny didn’t remember anything after that round of teasing.  To say this memory lapse was causing him an abundance of troubles was an understatement.

 

     Johnny stared at the teenager so hard that the tension headache he’d woken up with that morning seemed to squeeze his skull even tighter.  It was difficult to believe he’d spent over four hours alone with Vanessa Schaffer. Her face meant nothing to him, and the conversation she said they had about her cheerleading skills could have just as easily been had between the teenager and someone else for all Johnny knew.  Nothing she said, absolutely nothing, brought back any memories of that afternoon.

 

     Vanessa started to cry softly when the judge made her tell of the assault she’d endured.  When she stated John Gage made her perform oral sex on him the paramedic felt his face burn red.  Not that everything she hadn’t said up until then wasn’t bad enough, but an intimate act such as that was not one Johnny wanted attached to his name in a packed courtroom full of friends and co-workers.  He hadn’t wanted any of those people here to begin with, but it had done little good to tell them that.  Not only was the Station 51 A-shift crew in attendance, but so were a good number of other off-duty firefighters who had come to show their support of their colleague, along with Dixie McCall, Joanne DeSoto, and Doctors Early and Brackett. 

 

     John Gage would be the first to admit he didn’t live like a monk, but he’d always been too much of a gentleman to ‘kiss and tell.’  Which drove Chet Kelly bananas.  Nonetheless; despite all the women he’d dated Johnny didn’t give anyone details about the degree of intimacy he’d shared with some of them.  Not even to Roy.  From the time he was a young boy Johnny’s father had instilled in him the importance of respecting women whether that meant holding open a door for a lady, or giving your seat up to a woman when she entered a room and there were no chairs left, or by replying “Yes, Ma’am,” and “No, Ma’am” when responding to a woman your senior.  By the time John was fifteen his father had taken that lesson in respect one step farther and told him that what went on between a man and woman in the privacy of their bedroom was no one else’s business but theirs, and was not something a man of honor and integrity spoke of to his buddies. Johnny had lived his adult life by that creed, which was why having his sex life probed in public was humiliating beyond words. 

 

     Johnny knew this entire situation had been difficult for everyone involved.  If he could have spared Roy, Joe Early, and Kelly Brackett from having to testify at this hearing he would have.  It had been especially difficult for Brackett who was forced to admit that his examination of Vanessa Schaffer proved she had indeed, had sexual intercourse during the afternoon of February 26th.

 

     Though a number of people testified to Johnny’s character, including Hank Stanley and Chief McConnikee, the paramedic knew it was a long shot that he wasn’t going to be bound over for trial.  He had no memory of that afternoon, therefore what could he offer that would prove Vanessa Schaffer wrong?  For as many people who spoke on Johnny’s behalf, just as many spoke on Vanessa’s.  Her science teacher confirmed his students had been assigned to collect rocks for a project on minerals.  Since the high school kids had been released at noon that day due to a teachers’ meeting the man said he’d encouraged his students to work on their project during their free time.   Several other teachers spoke about Vanessa’s high morals, as did her minister.  Vanessa Schaffer appeared to be the All-American girl.  Straight A student. Cheerleader. Member of her church’s teen counsel.  Member of her church choir and teen club. And most detrimental to Johnny’s case, no boyfriend or history of one.  To all intents and purposes, a young girl who was innocent to the ways of the world until fate brought her and John Gage together.  Or so the District Attorney pointed out with a good deal of dramatic flair despite the fact that a preliminary trial contained no jury.

 

     Johnny’s thoughts came back to the present when the judge asked Vanessa to point out to him her alleged attacker.  The girl hesitated a brief moment, then raised a shaking finger and aimed it at Johnny.  She couldn’t stop crying, nor would she meet Johnny’s eyes, when she whispered, “Him.  It was. . .it was him.”

 

     “John Gage?”  Judge Markus Clayborne asked.

 

     “Ye. . .yes.”

 

     “Are you certain?”

 

     When Vanessa didn’t answer the man the judge prompted,  “Miss Schaffer?”

 

     “Yes,” the girl hung her head as she once again spoke in the faintest of whispers.  “Y...yes, I’m. . .I’m certain.”

 

     Everything occurring after that was a blur to Johnny.  It was only by the grace of God, and by the fact that he had stellar reputation within the fire department, that he wasn’t sent directly to jail to await trial.  Instead a bail amount was set that Johnny knew the fire department would front for him.  He was being represented by the department’s lawyers.  All possible outcomes of this hearing had already been explained to him.

 

     Johnny waited until Vanessa and her family left the courtroom before pushing himself to his feet.  He had to grip the edge of the table in order to stay upright.  His legs felt weak and unused to hard ground, as though he’d just stepped off a sailboat that had been out to sea for three days.

 

     When Johnny was finally able to walk he kept a hand on the railing behind him for support.  He faced those in attendance for the first time since entering the courtroom.  He wished now that he’d remained seated until they, too, had gone.  He was embarrassed enough as it was without having to meet the eyes of his friends and co-workers.  Eyes that held everything from shock, to disbelief, to tears. 

 

     After five years of working together there was little John Gage could hide from his partner and closest friend.  Despite Johnny’s stoic expression, Roy knew the man was on the verge of collapse.  Roy was the first one from his seat.  As unobtrusively as possible Roy slipped a firm hand around Johnny’s left elbow.  Johnny didn’t seem aware of Roy’s presence as he placed one foot in front of the other.  His glassy-eyed gaze never wavered from the big wooden doors in the back of the courtroom.  Nor did he notice the protective circle that was formed around him by his station mates and several other firemen.  Chet Kelly took up a position on Johnny’s right.  Like Roy, he placed a supportive hand on Johnny’s arm.

 

     If Johnny had been thinking clearly he would have realized a large part of the reason he was surrounded by his friends was because a throng of media people were waiting just outside the courtroom doors.  The dark haired paramedic was immediately assaulted by flashbulbs and reporters shouting questions.

 

     “Mr. Gage, how do you feel about Vanessa Schaffer’s accusation?”

 

     “Mr. Gage, do you still claim to have no memory of that afternoon?”

     “Mr. Gage, do you think the fire department will continue to allow you to work given today’s outcome?”

 

     “Damn reporters,” Chet grumbled under his breath as he and Roy hustled Johnny down two flights of stairs and out the door.  The group of firemen surrounding Johnny didn’t leave their posts until they’d arrived at Roy’s car.  Marco joined them with Joanne in tow.  It wasn’t until she, Johnny, and Roy were safely in the Impala, and Roy was pulling it out of the parking lot, that the firemen began to disperse. 

 

     Johnny rode in the front passenger seat of the car simply because that’s where Roy and Chet had placed him.  Truthfully, he could have been in the trunk and wouldn’t have noticed the difference.  Nor cared.  He didn’t say a word as Roy drove them toward the DeSoto home, a fact that wasn’t lost on Joanne and her husband. 

 

     Joanne sat right behind Johnny, in the spot Chris usually occupied when the DeSoto family traveled together.  She moved forward in her seat and placed a hand on the paramedic’s shoulder.

 

     “Johnny?”
    

     Johnny never took his eyes from the side window where he appeared to be engrossed in the passing scenery.

 

     “Yeah?”

     “Are you all right?”

     As soon as she asked that question Joanne realized how stupid it sounded.  Of course Johnny wasn’t all right.  Who would be given the position he now found himself in?

 

     Neither Joanne nor Roy expected Johnny to give any other answer than he did.

 

     “I’m okay.”

 

     “If you want to talk--”

 

     “I’m okay,” Johnny repeated with a firmness to his tone he’d never before used on Joanne.  Generally he teased her with all the enthusiasm of a younger brother who enjoys giving his older sister a hard time.

 

     Joanne caught her husband’s glance in the rearview mirror.  Roy shook his head at her, indicating it was best to leave Johnny alone for the time being.

 

     Joanne respected her husband’s wisdom in this matter.  Though she considered Johnny to be a good friend, he was Roy’s best friend.  A man Roy knew almost as well as he knew himself.

 

     Joanne gave Johnny’s shoulder a squeeze.  Before she could sit back in her seat he raised a hand and placed it atop hers.  He left it there a moment, then dropped it back to his lap.  That gesture alone made the woman want to cry.  Joanne knew Johnny was thanking her for her concern.  Why did a man as kind and gentle as John Gage have to suffer through something like this?

 

      Jennifer DeSoto ran from the house as soon as she saw her parents’ car pull in the driveway. 

 

     “Uncle Johnny!  Uncle Johnny!”

 

     The girl and her brother had been in school when Roy, Joanne, and Johnny had left the house that day.  All the DeSoto children knew was that their parents and Uncle Johnny had to run an errand together, and that a teenage neighbor girl would be baby-sitting for them until their mom and dad returned.

    

     Jennifer encircled Johnny’s waist as he climbed out of the car, waiting to be picked up and spun around.  But that didn’t happen today.  All Uncle Johnny did was pat her on the back and tweak her nose.  He didn’t even give her a smile when he said in a quiet voice,  “Hi, Jenny Bean.”

 

     The girl looked up at the paramedic, immediately taking note of his black suit, white shirt, and gray and black tie.  Her father was in his fireman’s dress uniform which she found confusing as well.

 

     “How come you and Daddy are all dressed up, Uncle Johnny?”

     “We. . .we had to be someplace kinda formal.”

 

     “Where?”

     “Jennifer,” Joanne interrupted, “please go in and set the table for me.  Round up your brother from wherever he’s at and tell him I said he’s to help you.”

 

     “Okay.”  The girl turned her attention back to Johnny before doing her mother’s bidding.   “I like that suit.  It makes you look very handsome.  And very serious.  You can wear it to my tea party, all right?”

     That got a slight smile from the paramedic. 

 

     “All right.”

 

     “Promise?”

     “Promise.”

 

     Jennifer looked at her mother.  “Am I supposed to set a place for Uncle Johnny, too?”

     “Yes.”

 

     “No.”

 

     “Johnny. . .”

 

     “Thanks, Joanne, but not this time.  I need to get home.”

 

     “Please stay, Uncle Johnny.  Please.”

 

     “Jennifer, go do what your mother asked,” Roy said in a tone that invited no argument.  The girl couldn’t understand why her father seemed so out-of-sorts, but knew when he spoke like this a smart kid obeyed his directions.

 

     Joanne waited until Jennifer ran around the house calling for Chris before speaking again.     

    

     “Johnny, I want you to stay.  I planned on it.  I made that chicken casserole you like so much.  All I have to do is warm it in the oven, bake some dinner rolls, and toss a salad.  We’ll be able to eat within an hour.  You and Roy can sit on the deck and have a beer while the kids and I get the meal together.”

 

     Johnny shook his head.

 

     “No, I just. . .I need to get home.  The horses need to be fed and watered, Joe needs to run. . .I’ve just got things to do.”

 

     “Then at least let me put some casserole in a container and send it with you so you can heat it up at home.”

 

     “No thanks. I’ll grab something on the way.”

 

     Joanne raised a skeptical eyebrow.  She studied Johnny’s lean frame and guessed he’d already lost five pounds since this ordeal began.  Five pounds he certainly didn’t need to lose.

 

     “Are you sure?”

     “Yes, I’m sure. 

    
     Joanne sighed.  “All right then.”  She got on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.  “You take care of yourself.  And I mean that in every sense of the word.”

 

     “I will.  And thanks for being there today.  I. . .I hated it that you had to hear what that girl said, but. . .but I appreciate your support.”

 

     “Even though I know it must not feel like it right now, you’ve got the support of a lot of people, Johnny.”

 

     “I know.” 

 

     Before the conversation could go any farther Chris DeSoto appeared to say hi to his Uncle Johnny.  John ruffled his hair and asked him about his latest Boy Scout project before Chris, too, was sent in the house by his father to set the table.

 

     The ten-year-old boy glanced over his shoulder twice on his way to the front door.  He wondered why his parents looked so somber and his Uncle Johnny looked so sad.  Like Jennifer, he also wondered why Uncle Johnny was dressed up in church clothes.

 

     Joanne said a final goodbye to Johnny, then followed Chris into the house so she could pay the baby-sitter and send the girl home.  Roy walked with Johnny to the Land Rover that was parked at the curb.

 

     “If you change your mind about supper turn around and come back.”

 

     “I won’t change my mind, but thanks anyway.”

 

     “Okay.  But if you need to talk just--”

 

     “I know,” Johnny acknowledged of the offer Roy had extended many times since this nightmare had begun.  “Give you a call.  Thanks.”

 

     “Johnny. . .”

 

     Johnny paused with one foot in the driver’s side of the Rover.

 

     “Yeah?”

     “Are you going to be okay tonight?  You’re more than welcome to stay here.  You can come back and sack out on the hide-a-bed in the den after your chores are done.  Joanne and I don’t mind.  And I’ll make sure the kids leave you alone.”

 

     “Roy, I’m fine.  I just. . .I just need some time to think is all.  I’ll be okay alone.  As a matter of fact, after the day I’ve had I’m looking forward to being away from prying eyes.”

 

     Roy nodded his understanding. 

 

     “Okay, then.  See you tomorrow.”

 

     “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

 

     Johnny got in the Land Rover, slipped the sunglasses on that had been resting on the dash, then pulled into the street.  He gave Roy a small wave as he drove off in the direction of the ranch he’d purchased the previous summer.

 

     Roy stood on the sidewalk a long moment before turning for his house so he could change out of his uniform and into something far more comfortable.  He barely acknowledged the neighbor girl coming out the front door who had been watching his children.  Nor did he say more than two words at the dinner table that night.  By the time the meal was over and the DeSoto children were doing their assigned chores they knew something serious was going on but had yet to figure out what it was.   First Uncle Johnny refused to stay for dinner, which never happened, then they had noticed tears in their mother’s eyes while she tossed the salad.  Plus their father was distant and remote throughout the meal, which was completely out of character for him.  When he wasn’t on a duty at the fire station an evening meal never went by without Roy DeSoto asking his children about their day at school, their friends, their activities, and whatever else might be going on in their lives at that moment.

 

     The kids were sent into the den after their chores were done.  At the current time this fourth bedroom in the DeSoto home was their playroom and also housed a second TV.  Whenever their parents wanted piece and quiet in the living room Chris and Jennifer were told to retreat to the den.

 

     Chris turned on the TV and began flipping channels while Jennifer dug through the toy box.  She glanced up when she heard Chris yell, “Hey, Mom!  Hey, Dad!  Uncle Johnny’s on TV!”

 

     Jennifer watched the screen with rapt attention.  She saw Uncle Johnny being hurried out of a big building with her daddy on one side of him and Chet Kelly on the other.  She didn’t understand everything the reporter was saying, but figured out enough to send her running into her mother’s arms.

 

     “Mom!  Mom!  That man on TV said Uncle Johnny hurt someone!  Why did he say those things about Uncle Johnny?  Why would he lie like that?”

     Roy DeSoto took a deep breath from where he sat in his recliner.  He set the newspaper aside and moved to the couch.  Chris appeared from the den looking as confused and upset as his sister.  Roy motioned for his children to come to him, then gathered them on either side of him while Joanne perched on the coffee table in front of her family.  Roy was grateful for his wife’s presence.  He didn’t even know where to begin so was relieved when she began for him.

 

     “Kids, sometimes people say things about other people that aren’t true.  That’s what’s happened to Uncle Johnny.  Someone, a young girl, has accused Uncle Johnny of. . .of hurting her while he was rescuing her from a mine cave-in.  You remember, the cave-in where Uncle Johnny got that bad bump on the head a few weeks ago?  But your dad and I know Uncle Johnny didn’t do any of the things this girl says he did.”

 

     “What did she say Uncle Johnny did?”  Chris asked.

 

     “What she said isn’t important, Chris,” Roy told his son.  “What’s important to remember is that she lied.”

 

     “But why would she lie and say Uncle Johnny hurt her?”  Jennifer wanted to know.  “Uncle Johnny would never hurt anyone.  He put Band-Aids on my knees that time he was baby-sitting for us and I fell off my bike.   He didn’t even put any stingy stuff on ‘em like Mom does.  He just washed ‘em off with warm water and a little soap and it didn’t hurt a bit.  And he got gum out of my hair once without even pulling on it.  Mom can never do it that good.  And when I had a tummy ache that time you and Mom were away for your anniversary, Daddy, he rocked me in your chair until I fell asleep.  When I woke up I felt all better.”

 

     “I know, princess,” Roy said while running a hand through his daughter’s honey blond hair.  “And I agree, Uncle Johnny would never hurt anyone.  As to why this girl lied, we don’t know.”

 

     “But what’s going to happen to Uncle Johnny?  Will he get in trouble?”

 

     “We don’t know that either,” Joanne answered honestly.  “Uncle Johnny had to go to court today for what’s called a preliminary hearing.”

 

     “What’s that?”  Chris asked.

 

     “It’s where a judge decides if there’s enough evidence to have a trial.”

    

     “Was there?”

     Joanne swallowed hard as she nodded.  “Yes, Chris. Or so the judge thought.”

 

     “But that means Uncle Johnny could go to jail!”

 

     “No!”  Jennifer cried as she wiggled from her father’s grasp.  “I don’t want Uncle Johnny to go to jail!”

 

     “Kids, calm down,” Joanne instructed in a quiet voice.  “We have no way of knowing right now if that will happen, so there’s no use in getting upset over it.”

 

     “But you and Dad are upset,” Chris pointed out.  “And Uncle Johnny, he seemed real upset.”

 

     Roy rolled his eyes at his wife.  So much for their ability to hide anything from their children.

 

     “Look, guys,” Roy said as he pulled his daughter back against his side.  “Right now the best thing you can do for Uncle Johnny is just act like your normal selves when he’s here.  That means no questions about any of this.  And it also means you don’t bug him if he doesn’t want to stay for dinner, or doesn’t want to play a game with you, or toss a baseball, or read you a story.  Just. . .just remember that he’s got a lot on his mind right now and respect that fact.”

 

     “Can I still give him hugs?”  Jennifer asked.

 

     Roy smiled.  “Yes, you can still give him hugs.  I think those are one of the few things that will make him feel better.”

 

     After the children had gone back to the den Joanne moved to sit beside her husband.  She leaned her head against his chest and felt his arm come around her shoulders.

 

     “I hope Johnny didn’t see that news broadcast,” the woman said.

 

     “I hope not either, hon,” Roy agree as he kissed the top of his wife’s head.  “God knows I hope not either.”

 

____________________________________

 

     John Gage was more thankful than ever that he had his ranch.  Given the current circumstances he would have gone nuts if he’d been confined to a small apartment.  At least he had plenty of work to keep him busy during his off-duty time, though he’d be lying if he said that work kept his mind from drifting to the accusation that had turned his world upside down.           

 

     After feeding his animals and letting Joe romp, the now eight-month-old Alaskan Malamute Roy’s family had given him for his birthday in August, Johnny reentered his house.  He took his boots off in the laundry room as Joe scampered ahead of him into the main part of the house. 

    

     Johnny washed up at the laundry room sink, then removed the jeans and shirt that smelled of horses, hay, and feed dust.  He tossed his dirty clothes in the laundry hamper and crossed to a tall cabinet that sat next to the dryer.  He pulled out a pair of clean Wranglers and a light blue T-shirt.  Johnny slipped into the clothes then headed for the kitchen.  He opened the refrigerator and stared at its full contents.  Nothing looked appealing, but the paramedic knew he had to eat at least a few bites of something. If Kelly Brackett noticed he was dropping weight then the doctor could pull rank on him, demand he appear at Rampart for a physical, and take him off-duty if Brackett thought Johnny’s physical or mental health warranted such an action.

    

     Johnny finally settled on pouring himself a bowl of Wheaties.  He added milk and sugar, then carried the bowl of cereal into the living room.  He turned on the television as he passed it.  He sat in his Lazy Boy, being careful not to spill any milk as he got himself settled. 

 

     The paramedic had only gotten two spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth before he saw himself on the TV screen.  A faceless male voice filled the room.

 

     “Los Angles County Firefighter/Paramedic John Gage is shown leaving the courthouse today after a preliminary hearing that will result in his case going to trial.  A fifteen year old girl has accused Gage of rape while he was rescuing her from a cave-in at the Clariton Mine three weeks ago.  Gage denies all charges, but claims memory loss due to a head injury he incurred while in the mine that day prevents him from saying just exactly what did happen.  At this time Gage has not been put on leave by the fire department and is still on active duty at Station 51.  Fire Department Headquarters released a brief statement late this afternoon that reads; ‘John Gage is a nine year veteran of the Los County Fire Department with an exemplary record.  The fire department and its employees stand in support of Mr. Gage during this difficult time.’ ”

 

     Without giving it conscious thought Johnny set his full cereal bowl on the end table next to his chair.  He lost count after his phone rang for the eighth time that night.  Regardless of what concerned friends might be calling, he didn’t feel like talking to them. 

 

     At ten o’clock Johnny rose from the spot he’d been frozen in for the past three and a half hours.  If someone had asked him what television shows he’d viewed during that time period he wouldn’t have been able to give them an answer.  Or at least not one that went beyond, “I have no idea.”

 

     Johnny shut the TV off, let Joe out for one last run, and dumped his cereal down the garbage disposal.  He put his bowl and spoon in the dishwasher, made a trip to the bathroom, then went to the back door to let the Malamute back in. 

 

     The young dog followed his master to the bedroom.  Joe started out sleeping at the end of Johnny’s bed like he normally did if there wasn’t a woman occupying it with the paramedic, but soon moved to the floor.  His master’s tossing and turning prevented a dog from getting a peaceful night’s sleep.  It also prevented a man named John Gage from getting the same thing.

 

____________________________________

 

          

     The day after the preliminary hearing found the Station 51 A-shift back on duty.  Despite his best efforts, not even Roy was able to draw Johnny out from behind the figurative wall he’d built around himself.  Though Roy didn’t think this self-imposed emotional isolation was healthy for his partner, especially considering how open Johnny normally was with his feelings, Roy couldn’t say this new demeanor came as a surprise.  From the time Johnny entered the locker room that morning it was apparent the last thing he wanted to discuss was what had happened the previous day in the courtroom.  Roy didn’t imagine he, or the rest of his shift mates, would act any differently if it was one of them who had been charged with sexually assaulting a minor.  In order to do his job with his usual efficiency Johnny had to put all thoughts of Vanessa Schaffer as far from his mind as possible.  For if there was one thing Roy knew without a doubt it was Johnny would do everything possible to prevent being pulled off-duty by Hank Stanley, Kelly Brackett, or the fire department brass.  But then Roy didn’t want him pulled off-duty either.  As Dixie McCall had said weeks earlier, that action would devastate Johnny.  Absolutely devastate him.

 

     A group of teenagers had used the station’s parking lot for a beer party while B-shift was out on a run the previous night, so Cap had assigned Johnny the task of cleaning up the broken glass, empty McDonald’s bags, and cigarette butts. Like Roy, Hank had realized during roll call that Johnny had no desire to be offered words of sympathy from his co-workers.  In an effort to give the paramedic the space he needed Hank put a broom in his hands and said, “The parking lot’s all yours, pal.”

 

     After the completion of their assigned tasks the other men drifted into the kitchen.  Roy poured himself a cup of coffee, then wandered over to the window that looked out on the back lot. For several long seconds Roy watched his partner sweep broken glass before finally joining his co-workers at the kitchen table.  He reached into the white box Marco had carried in that morning and pulled out a doughnut.

 

     “Leave a jelly one for Johnny,” Chet said to no one in particular as he, too, poured himself a cup of coffee.  “Those are his favorite, you know.”

 

     Hank Stanley and Roy exchanged amused smiles at the man’s words.  Given a choice, Chet Kelly would have denied to his death that John Gage meant anything to him other than being the Phantom’s favorite pigeon.  It was comments like the one he’d just made that every so often revealed the friendship that existed between the two adversaries.

 

     “I don’t think Johnny’s much interested in eating right now,” Marco said as Chet joined his shift mates at the table.  “If anything, it looks to me like he’s dropped some weight these last few days.”

 

     “Can you blame him?”  Mike said as he reached for a doughnut, being careful to avoid the lone jelly filled treat on the off chance Johnny did want it.  “I don’t think anyone who’s going through what Johnny is would have much of an appetite right now.”

 

     “That’s true,” Marco agreed, “but it’s not like he can afford to lose much more.  If I could get him to come to dinner one night my mother would take care of that problem.”

 

     “If you could get him to?”  Roy questioned.  Johnny always raved about Mrs. Lopez’s cooking. For that reason Roy had never known his partner to turn down an invitation to dine at Marco’s home.

 

     “I’ve asked him three times in the past week, but he keeps saying no.  That he’s busy.”

    

     Roy told Marco the same thing he’d told his kids the evening before.

    

     “He’s got a lot on his mind right now, Marco.  I think. . .I think he just wants to be alone when he’s not here.”

 

     “So he wouldn’t eat with you and Joanne last night either, huh?”  Chet easily guessed.

 

     Roy shook his head.  “No.”

 

     The Irishman shifted to a different topic on this same subject as he turned his attention to their supervisor.

 

     “Hey, Cap, you got this morning’s paper in your office?”

     “Yeah, and that’s where it’s staying.  If you want to read it you’re welcome to go in there, but close the door and whatever you do, don’t say anything about it to John.”

 

     “I won’t.”

 

     Without asking questions the men knew what their captain meant.  Roy and Mike had read the paper before coming into work that morning, and Marco had read it while he cleaned Cap’s office.  The story that appeared on the front page didn’t differ much from what had been reported on the news the evening before.  A color picture of Johnny taken with a telephoto lens as he got into Roy’s car accompanied the damning article.

 

     “Some reporter called me at home last night,” Chet volunteered.

 

     “What’d you tell him?”  Hank asked.

 

     “Exactly what the chief told us to.  ‘No comment.’ ”

 

     “Good.”

 

     “But man, if I could have said something I would have given the guy an earful.  He wanted to know if it was true that Johnny dated a lot of women, wanted to know if I’d ever thought anything was ‘funny’ about him,. . .which could have been a loaded question if a reporter asked me that at any other time but this one.”

 

     Chet’s audience chuckled.

 

     “But then what really pissed me off was when he started asking me about Johnny’s relationship with Roy’s kids.”

 

     “My kids?”

 

     “Yeah.  Especially about Jenny.”

 

     “What about Jenny?”

     “Somehow the guy knew that Johnny baby-sits for the kids sometimes, Roy.  Or at least that’s what he implied.  He wanted to know if I thought Johnny would ever. . .you know--”

 

     “If you thought I’d ever rape her?”  A voice asked from the back of the room. “Is that what he wanted to know, Chet?  If you thought I’d ever do to Jennifer what I supposedly did to Vanessa Schaffer?”

     Chet’s mother had always told him gossip did nothing but cause a person trouble.  Of course, she usually said that right before she picked up the phone and started in on a long session of gossip with one of her seven sisters; nonetheless

Chet was now wishing he’d taken her advice. 

 

     “Johnny. . .I’m sorry.”

 

     “Sorry for what?  For repeating what everyone else is probably wondering?  Don’t worry about it, Chet.  Guess I’ll have to get used to people assuming their kids aren’t safe around me.”

 

     Chet stood as the paramedic walked past him and through the doorway.

 

     “Johnny!  Johnny, wait, I--”

 

     “Chet, leave him be,” Roy commanded as they heard the locker room door open and close.

 

     Chet reluctantly reclaimed his seat.  He expected his station mates to jump all over him for his big mouth, but no one did.  The only comment that was made came from Captain Stanley.

 

     “I think this subject is best put to rest, guys.  John needs a break from it, and this is the only place he can get that.  So just. . . just act like your normal selves while cutting him some slack.  Don’t treat him any differently than you usually do, he’ll notice that right away. But at the same time let’s not have any shaving cream pies go off in his face, no teasing about his dating life, and absolutely no discussions about the upcoming trial unless John initiates them.  Understood, Kelly?”

     “Understood, Cap.”

 

     Roy was relieved that Cap had set some ground rules.  Not that he thought Chet would be dumb enough at this particular time to do any of the things Cap just mentioned, but with Chet there was always the possibility that he’d left his common sense at home on any given day.

 

     Roy stood and walked over to the sink.  He dumped the rest of his coffee down the drain, rinsed the mug that read Number 1 Dad, and hung it on the wooden rack mounted above the counter.  He turned toward the door.

 

     “Where are you going?”  Chet asked.

 

     “To talk to my partner.”  

 

     “I thought you said to leave him be.”

 

     Roy smiled.  “I meant you, Chet, not me.”

 

     “Oh.  Oh. . .good idea.”

     Whatever further words were exchanged between the men in the kitchen was lost on Roy as he crossed the engine bay.  The paramedic pushed the locker room door open just enough to peer inside.  Johnny sat on the bench in front of his locker.  The wooden door was ajar, but from this angle Roy couldn’t see what his partner was staring at.

 

     “Mind if I come in?”  Roy asked.

 

     Johnny didn’t look up.  “I. . .I’m not much in the mood to talk.”

 

     Roy smiled as he sat down next to his partner.

 

     “Well now, there’s a first.”

 

     “You shouldn’t make jokes about it.  About what that reporter insinuated to Chet about me in regards to Jennifer.”

 

     “I’m not making jokes about it, Johnny.  Believe me, I don’t find it the least bit funny.”  Roy studied his friend.  Johnny’s eyes never left the collection of photos that hung inside his locker door.  All of them were of Chris and Jennifer at various stages throughout the time Johnny had known them.  “But, that doesn’t mean I find his insinuations to be true, either.  Or that I would ever believe they could be true.”

 

     Johnny didn’t answer his partner.  His eyes roamed over the photographs.  There was one of Jennifer clutching a doll Johnny had given her as a fourth birthday present, and one of her riding her first two wheeled bike at age six.  There was a picture of Chris in his Cub Scout uniform at age seven, and one of him in his Little League uniform at age nine.  The final photograph was of Johnny, the two kids, and Joe.  Roy had taken it the day the DeSoto family had given Johnny the dog.

 

     Johnny finally broke the silence.

 

     “I was just sitting here thinking how damning these pictures look.”

 

     “What do you mean by that?”

     “What the hell is a single guy doing with pictures of his partner’s kids?”

 

     “Johnny--”

 

     “No, Roy, think about it.  No matter what I do now, no matter how innocent the act, people are going to scrutinize my every move and look for some sort

of. . .of ugliness in it.  Look for something in it that’s not really there, but yet find exactly what they want to see.”

 

     “Not the people who know you. Not your friends.”

 

“Maybe.  Maybe not.”  Johnny stood and began taking down the pictures.  “By the time this is all over I’ll be lucky to have any friends left.”