Shatter Page 9

  Katie walks up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Jules, honey. We should go. He needs his rest. We can come back tomorrow, ok?” She says softly. I gently slide my fingers inside his limp hand, “Dad, we’re going to go and let you sleep. I’ll be back tomorrow, I promise. Rest, you need all of your energy to fight this.” Katie turns toward the door and touches my arm, “come on.”

  Just as I’m about to leave his bedside, I feel a flicker on my hand. I look down and see my father’s hand twitch around my fingers. An electric feeling runs over me. He knows I’m here. I smile inside. “I love you, Dad.”

  * * *

  On the way out of the hospital, Katie looks at me with wet eyes, “That was powerful, she says, referring to when he reacted to my hand in his. “See, it’s going to be ok. He’ll come around.”

  We drive to my place to pick up a change of clothes for tomorrow. Katie talks me in to staying with her at her apartment for a few days so I won’t be alone. Katie picks up the spilled oranges on the floor while I go to my room to pack a bag. As I walk down the hall, I see the dried blood on the floor, instantly, I think about Jim and his bullshit story. That cowardly son of a bitch. How could he just leave when two guys were beating the hell out of my dad? Then I remember Slinky, and how Jim said we should go to Blood Alley and find him. All the pain and worry I’ve been feeling quickly turns to anger and an overpowering desire to find out the truth about who did this?

  I stuff a couple of pairs of jeans and t-shirts into a bag and then rejoin Katie in the front room. “Let’s get the hell out of here, I say.”

  On the way back to her place, I tell her how I’m going to find Slinky tomorrow and when I find out who hurt my father, I’m going to make them pay. She nods with understanding then offers to take tomorrow off work and come with me. I don’t want to pull her into this shit more than I already have. “Thanks, but this is something I need to do alone.”

  After a couple of hours sleep and pacing the floor for the rest of the night, it’s morning and Katie is getting ready for work. She tells me that I can drop her off and use her car, but from here I’m within walking distance to both Blood Alley and the hospital. We hug and I tell her that I’ll call her as soon as I find out anything. She gives me a spare apartment key then leaves. I decide to call Ed and brief him on what happened to my father and that I’ll be needing a few days off. Considering how impressed he is over the case I just solved, it shouldn’t be a problem. Ed’s phone rings then goes to the answering service. I leave a long message, grab my jacket and head out to find Slinky.

  * * *

  Blood Alley is a strange place. As soon as you step foot on the narrow cobblestone lane, you’re hit with the overwhelming stench of urine and garbage. Even though it’s a beautiful day, it’s dark here. Dumpsters with makeshift cardboard beds sit against the brick buildings. Blood Alley got its portentous name from when a string of butcher’s sold meat here in the late 1800’s. Now, its old buildings have been turned into cheap rooms that cater to cash and carry pimps and dealers. As I near the middle of the alley, there’s an elderly woman talking to herself and pushing a cart. I reach into my pocket and pull out a five. If I want any information from anyone here, I’m going to need money as an incentive. I stop in front of her. She looks up at me but doesn’t see me. Her eyes look spaced out as she continues chanting.

  “Hello,” I say, holding the bill where she can see it. She stops chattering and looks at the money.

  Speaking loudly and clearly, I ask her if she knows where I can find Slinky? For the first time, she looks at my face and seems to connect. I repeat, “Do you know where I can find Slinky?” I hold the money out.

  She turns around and points to a red door at the end of the alley way.

  “He’s down there?” I say, handing her the money. She nods and resumes chanting and fiddling with the cart. The closer I get to the red door, the more anxious I’m feeling. This place has such a negative vibe. I can’t imagine its inhabitants having much in the way of morals. If the wrong person happened by me at the right time, I could be in real trouble. Thankfully, there’s not a lot of foot traffic right now. When I get to the door, I pull my sleeve over my hand and open the door. The putrid odor in the alley way is nothing compared to the thick stench inside the hall. I gag and hold my arm over my nose. Looking up, I see five narrow stairs that lead up to another level.

  As soon as I start to climb, I hear a door shut from above and then footsteps. Next, the door to the stairwell opens and two men walk through. The first man is old and bent over a bit. He’s wearing dirty light-colored pants and has on a blue ski coat with rips on the arms. His hair is almost completely gone on top and the back is pulled into a grey ponytail. The younger man behind him is thin as well but stands a good foot taller. I stop my ascent and step backwards until I reach the landing. They both stare at me as they walk. I reach my hand into my pocket and ready a new bill.

  “Hi. I’m looking for Slinky.” I say, pulling another five-dollar bill from my pocket. When they reach the landing, the younger man says, “Who the hell are you?”

  “Just a friend,” I say smiling. He looks at my hand and sees the money. “Were you going to give that to us?”

  “Yes. I thought it would be a kind gesture in exchange for information.”

  He laughs, “It would be. I bet you have more kind gestures in your pocket?!”

  All of a sudden, I feel unsafe and am rethinking my decision to use money as a lure. The old guy walks up until he’s only inches from my face. His breath smells of stale booze and rotten food, “You say you’re a friend of Slinky’s?”

  “Yeah. Well, not me, but my parents are…were.”

  He looks me up and down and with a furrowed brow says, “Who’s your parents?”

  Not wanting to piss him off, I try and approach my answer diplomatically, “Well, it’s actually a long story. I’d rather to save it for Slinky, if I can find him.”

  The old codger stares into my eyes. I’m not sure if it’s his way of intimidating me or if he’s trying to detect bullshit.

  The younger guy pipes up, “Let’s just take her cash and get the fuck out of here, Slink.”

  The old man shoots him a punishing glare.

  “Hey? You’re Slinky?”

  “Depends on who’s asking?”

  “I’m Julia Gordon. My dad is John Gordon and my mom was…”

  “Jean. Your mother’s name was Jean,” he says, his face relaxing. “I knew your parents very well. We were close,” he says, smiling and revealing broken brown teeth.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Slinky. Is there somewhere we can go to talk?”

  “Of course. How did you find me?”

  “A man named Jim that works at the bottle depot told me you’d be here, in Blood Alley.”

  Slinky looks at the tall man and seems to communicate something with his eyes. The guy nods and then walks out into the alley. Slinky leads me outside and tells me there’s a place a half a block away where we can go and talk.

  As soon as we walk out of the alleyway, I take my first deep breath since arriving in Blood Alley.

  “So, Julia, where is your father now? He’s in good health, I hope?”

  “He’s in the ICU at the hospital. That’s actually the main reason I came here to find you.”

  “I’d heard he was out of prison, but I wasn’t aware he was in the hospital. ICU, you say? Something serious?”

  “Yes. He was beaten up by two men, or so Jim says.”

  “Jim, from the bottle depot is a crackhead. You can’t believe a word that skid says.”

  “Yeah, I definitely detected an element of bullshit.”

  We arrive at a small Chinese Restaurant and sit at a booth in the back. Slinky seems to know the waitress, as he holds up two fingers and she brings us a couple cups of coffee. Slinky is staring at me, “I can’t believe you’re John and Jean Gordon’s daughter. Do you remember me being around when you were a kid? I was very tight with your mom
and dad for many years.”

  “No. Sorry, I don’t. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that whenever my parents had people over, we told to stay in our room. Plus, there were usually a lot of individuals hanging around.”

  “I’m not offended. I was very fond of your folks though. They were different than a lot of the other addicts of the time. As much as they had monkeys on their backs, they were good people. I always thought they didn’t suit the druggie lifestyle. They were intelligent and both of them had potential to do a lot better in life. Unfortunately, they got hooked on junk and spiraled in the wrong direction.

  “Yeah, tell me about it.”

  “ It’s just horrible what happened to your mom. She was very kind and very beautiful. You look a lot like her, except you have your father’s eyes,” he smiles.

  “Yeah, I miss my mom a lot. I don’t think a day passes that I don’t think of her. I went through a lot of therapy early on to help me cope with the grief and anger I had from losing her. Now my father is in critical condition and I’m afraid I’ll lose him too. I don’t think I could bear that.”

  I’m not sure why I feel safe enough to say something so vulnerable and personal to Slinky. I guess because he seems sincere when talking about my folks. I wonder why I don’t remember him? Maybe he looked different all those years ago. Drugs can shit kick people’s appearance. Maybe if I saw a picture of him and my parents together, I’d remember.

  “Do you know who it was that attacked him? I mean…did Jim give you any names or anything?”

  “Nah, He didn’t say too much, just that I should come and ask you.”

  “I’m not sure why he would suggest that I would know something about your father getting hurt. How could I possibly know about that? Jim has always spouted off about things he knows nothing about. I think he does it to get attention. Regardless, I’m glad you found me.”

  “Thanks, I am too.”

  “Hey, you have a little sister, don’t you? How’s she doing?”

  Shit. I am not prepared for this. I feel like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. “Yes. Her name was Abby.” A lump forms in my throat and I do my best to stop my eyes from watering.

  “Was?”

  “Yeah. We lost her a short while after Mom.”

  “Oh no. I’m so sorry. She was such a sweet little thing.”

  “So, do you think you may be able to ask around or find out who the guys were that hurt my father?” I say, changing the subject.

  “I’m just an old man. Nobody tells me much, but I’ll certainly ask around.”

  “Thanks, Slinky. I just want to know who they are and why they hurt him so badly? His skull has multiple fractures and he’s in a coma. Whoever those guys are, they laid a horrible beating on him. By the extent of his injuries, it kind of makes me think that they were trying to kill him.”

  Slinky reaches his hand across the table and pats my arm, “Stay positive. Your Dad was always a very strong man. He’ll pull through okay? You’ll see.”

  The compassionate and sensitive man sitting across from me is the polar opposite to the suspicious and defensive one I met just a half hour ago in the stairwell. Though, to be fair, I guess you can’t trust too many people in this area.

  “Can I give you some advice?” he says gently.

  I nod.

  “Be careful walking around these parts and asking questions. People on these streets have no qualms about grabbing a pretty little girl and robbing you or…worse. I’d hate to see that happen.”

  “Thanks, Slinky. I’ll be careful.”

  “Good.”

  I finish drinking my coffee and then tell him that I should be going because I have to check in on Dad. He throws a few dollars on the table to pay for our drinks then walks me to the door. I shake his hand, thank him for his time and am just about to walk away when he stops me, “If you want to meet me here tomorrow afternoon, I’ll do my best to see what I can find out about what happened to your dad.”

  “Really? I sure would appreciate that.”

  “It’s no problem. It’s the least I can do. To be honest, I’ve always felt guilty over what happened to your mom. I don’t know if you are aware but I was at your parent’s apartment that night she was attacked. Though when I left, they were sitting at the table laughing and joking. The next thing I heard was that your mom was gone and your father was on his way to jail. It was all so crazy. To this day I’ve never forgiven myself for leaving when I did.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it, Slinky. That was a long time ago and how could you have possibly ha known what was going to happen?”

  “I guess so. I feel bad for John as well. He would never have hurt her. I hope you know that. It was a set up from the get go. It had to be. My guess is, they just happened to owe the wrong person money, so an example was madout of them,” he says shaking his head. “And to think, the asshole that they owed the money is still around today.”

  “Fournier?” I ask.

  “Wow. You know about him? You have been doing your homework, haven’t you?He’s a very dangerous man. Did your dad tell you that too?”

  “Yes.”

  “For your own good, stay away from him.”

  I smile and then agree to meet Slinky back here at one o’clock tomorrow.

  We walk in opposite directions. Halfway down the block, I turn and look back. He’s still standing out front of the restaurant and watching me. Maybe he wants to make sure nobody tries to bother me. As I continue down the sidewalk, I start thinking about everything he said, how he cared about my parents and how guilty he felt over my mother’s murder. But mostly, I’m thinking about, Fournier. Slinky said the same thing to me that my father did. Fournier is dangerous and I should stay away from him.

  * * *

  When I’m at the hospital and out of the cold, I sit in a chair in the lobby and call Katie before I go up to ICU. She sounds preoccupied and busy but takes a quick minute to ask me if I found Slinky. I tell her that I just came from seeing him and that after work I’ll fill her in on the details. Just before we say goodbye, she tells me that her cop friend got back to her about the burned Mercedes. The license plates match the ones we saw in Fournier’s parking lot. From what Slinky just confirmed about Fournier, I’m not surprised. He probably had those young dealers killed for owing him money, just like he most likely did to my mother as well. No matter how much warning I’ve had from my dad, and now Slinky, to stay away from Fournier, I want him to pay now more than ever.

  On the ICU ward, I stop at the desk to let the nurses know I’ll be in with Dad. The older nurse that I speak to tells me that his bed has been moved down the hall. I ask her why and she tells me that his condition has stabilized and he doesn’t need to be monitored as closely. Finally, some good news. After the nurse leads me to the new room, I thank her and take a seat by his bed.

  Dad looks pretty much the same, connected to wires and machines and tubes. I reach out and touch his hand, it’s warmer than it was yesterday. When I look at the bandage on his head and his bruised and swollen face, tears roll from my eyes. “Please, Dad, wake up. You have to be strong and fight because I need you to stay here with me. I’m not mad at you for anything that happened in the past. I don’t care about that stuff anymore. All that matters is that we’re together.”

  I put my hand in his, but unlike yesterday, his fingers don’t move. As I sit with him, my mind flashes back to Abby and Mom. The four of us should have had much different lives. Slinky was right, my parents weren’t stupid, they were smart. If only dope hadn’t been a factor, who knows how different our lives could’ve been. I used to picture my parents and Abby and me in a nice house with fancy things. There would be no drugs, fights or strangers lurking around all hours of the night. Just the four of us, happy and living the life we should have had. I wipe away the moistness from my eyes just as a nurse walks in. She’s young and has a friendliness to her, “Are you John’s daughter?”

  “Yes,” I say, avoiding eye contact
so she can’t tell I’ve been crying.

  “He’s doing a lot better,” she says. “His blood pressure and pulse have improved. That’s great so soon after sustaining injuries like his,” she smiles, trying to make me feel better.

  “Yeah, he’s a tough guy. If anyone can beat this, it’s him.”

  She finishes adjusting the drip gauge on his IV and then pushes a couple of buttons on the heart monitor machine and walks out. She comes back in a few seconds later with a newspaper and a glass of water for me. I’m glad that Dad has someone like her to watch over him when I’m not here.

  I sit with and read the paper to Dad for an hour or so before I decide that I should probably start for Katie’s. I lean over him and gently kiss the bandage on his head and tell him that I love him.

  * * *

  I call Katie on my way out of the hospital. She is getting off work in an hour and offers to pick me up. I thank her but decide that the walk back to her apartment will probably do me some good. I’ve got a lot to think about, mainly Fournier and the plague he’s been on my family and how I can get payback for my mom. The image of my father lying helpless in that hospital bed kills me inside and even though I don’t have proof, my gut instinct tells me that Fournier is somehow responsible.

  * * *

  I walk up Burrard Street and stop at the light. I look over and notice a tall muscular guy whowalks up to me and is now standing a little too close. He’s wearing dark shades a camo jacket and baggy jeans. I immediately get the creeps because of the way he’s standing, - like a robot, back straight and head forward. Whoever he is, there’s an air of determination about him. When the light turns green it’s safe to cross. He waits until I walk in front of him then follows close behind. My heart rate immediately elevates. Who is he and why is he following me? Quickly, I decide to veer down Robson Street, a heavily populated area. Still, I feel him behind me.