GOTU - A Robin Marlette Novel (7 page)

“Hey Dad, remember you said we were going to play some baseball today?”

“Yes, I remember, Eddie.”

“Well, can Aaron and Bobby play too?”

Robin felt pangs of guilt he'd felt far too many times before. “I can't play right now, son. I've been up all night and I need some sleep.”

“Ahwww, Dad!”

Robin could see tears building in his son's eyes. He put his arms around Eddie, who buried his face into his father's chest. “We were very busy last night. Let me get some sleep and if it's still light out when I wake up, we'll play some ball. It will be cooler then anyway.”

Eddie looked up into Robin's eyes. “Okay, Dad.” He got back on his bike. “Did you catch any bad guys last night?”

“We caught some big time bad guys last night.”

“Radical, dude! Well I gotta go, Dad. Love you.”

“Love you too, son,” said Robin as he watched his son rocket back up the street.

Robin walked up his driveway to the door of his house, a modest single story home in the Ahwatukee neighborhood of South Phoenix. The home had a white stucco exterior and a double car garage with desert landscaping in the front yard. Robin hated desert landscaping, but it made the yard easy to maintain. At least a large palo verde tree provided shade. When he reached the door his wife, Karen, opened it from the inside.

Robin's wife stood two inches shorter than him, with medium length auburn hair surrounding a creamy smooth face. Her deep green eyes projected an intensity accentuated by an expressive mouth with inviting lips. Robin perpetually believed those lips begged to be kissed, which he did.
How I love this woman!

“Hi, babe,” he said. She hugged him tight. “What's the matter, honey?” Robin asked.

“What's the matter? You don't come home last night. I stay awake all night long worrying about you. Then you call me at seven in the morning and tell me you've been in another shootout and you ask me what the problem is.”

“I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to scare you.”

“Robin, this makes three shootings for your squad in five years. It makes five shootings for you since you've been a cop. How long do think you can keep this up before you get shot?”

“I can keep it up as long as we do as well as we did last night. Everybody did what they were supposed to do and none of us got hurt.”

“Damn it, Robin. I know your squad is good. The whole damn world knows it. But you have told me yourself that a lot of it is luck—and luck can run out.”

“So what do you want? Should we quit and just let the assholes have a free run?”

“Who is ‘we’? I'm talking about you. I'm not married to anybody else. You're a lawyer, for God's sake. You can be a prosecutor and fight the criminals that way. At least you won't have to get shot at.”

“I've told you before. The cases are made in the street. If the cops do it right, the case is good. If the cops fuck it up, then the case is fucked up and there's nothing a prosecutor can do about it. That's why I'm a cop.”

“You're a cop because you need the identity the badge gives you. There is something inside of you that needs the stupid, macho bullshit of being a cop.”

Robin fought to control his temper. He and Karen had been over this ground many times before. He knew she spoke partly out of fear. He also knew she meant what she said. Whenever they got into these arguments, nobody won.

“Karen, I don't want to argue with you. For now, being a cop is my job. I'm dead tired right now and need sleep. I'll end this conversation by just saying I love you.”

Robin kissed Karen on the cheek, feeling the stiffness in her body. He squeezed her hand and headed for the bedroom. Karen had already closed the blinds, turned on the ceiling fan, and turned Robin's side of the bed down. He took off his gun, handcuffs, and extra magazines and put them up on his closet shelf. He took off his clothes and let them drop in a pile at his feet. It felt so good to get them off.

As he climbed into bed, he heard Karen crying in the kitchen. He started to get up to go to her, but then thought better of it. He didn't want the fight to start again. Robin lay back in the bed. Wearily, his mind started to float

“Rob, honey, it's all right. You're having a nightmare.” Robin's mind struggled for consciousness as Karen's voice filtered through the terror gripping him. He breathed fast, his right hand closed tightly.

“Robin, wake up. You're having a nightmare.” Robin looked around him and realized he was in his bed, Karen shaking him. He put his hand on her arm to stop her. His body relaxed and he lay back down.

“What were you dreaming about?”

“These guys were coming at me, shooting. I tried to shoot back, but my gun jammed”

Karen put her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Robin, I love you. I'm sorry about the fight.”

Robin pulled her to him. “It's all right, honey. I know it isn't easy for you.”

“I'm proud of what you do, Rob. It just scares me. I don't want to lose you. I need you.”

“I love you more than anything, Karen and I need you a helluva lot more than you need me.”

Karen raised her head and smiled at Robin. “Are you hungry?”

“What time is it?”

“Six o'clock. You've been asleep a little over four hours.”

“I'd better get up or I'll never get to sleep tonight.”

“Oh, by the way, there's three little baseball players waiting for you out front.”

“The kid never gives up, does he?”

“Of course not. He takes after his father.”

“Well, I promised him, so I better get with it.” Robin gave Karen long, deep kiss. “I love you, Karen.”

“I love you to, Robin.”

Robin got up and put on a pair of shorts and his “Staff” tee shirt from the DEA Command School. Despite the battles Robin fought with DEA, they still asked him to do a presentation on how to supervise narcotics officers. Robin felt a sort of satisfaction from the fact that DEA still thought enough of his abilities to ask him to teach other agencies about narcotics enforcement.

Robin went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face. As he dried off, he looked at this face in the mirror. His forty-two years were beginning to show in the form of gray flecks in his black hair and crow's feet at the corners of eyes. Speckles of white colored the dark stubble around his strong jaw. He gave his hair a quick once-over with a brush. Karen often said she wished he had more vanity. He wanted to believe she was kidding.

He walked into the kitchen where Karen had set out rice, baked chicken, and a beer for him. Robin quickly ate the meal. Afterward, he leaned back in his chair, holding his satisfied stomach. “That was good.”

“How many times have I told you that you eat too fast?” chided Karen.

“You'd get this way too if you had only a thirty-minute meal period.”

“Robin, you only had thirty-minute meal periods when you were on patrol, and you haven't been on patrol for five years.”

“Old habits are hard to break.”

“I know. I've been trying to break one for twenty-two years.”

“That wouldn't be the one that's twenty-two years and four kids old, would it?”

“What if it is?”

Robin took Karen into his arms. “I hear it's an impossible habit to break.”

“Right now I think that depends on how happy you make a certain ten-year-old.”

“Right! Well, I guess I'll be off on that mission then.”

Robin kissed Karen and went back to the bedroom and got his baseball glove. He walked to the front door and opened it to see a very serious marble game in progress. Eddie looked up and saw his Dad.

“Anybody here interested in a little baseball?” asked Robin.

Three little boys immediately scrambled to pick up marbles and gather up baseball gear. Robin chuckled to himself as Eddie grinned so widely his face threatened to break. The group started to leave when Robin's seventeen-year-old son, Casey, drove up.

“Hey,” Robin yelled to Casey. “You want to help me give these heathens some baseball practice?” Casey gave the typical teenage dubious look back to Robin.

“Look, I promise to make it a state secret if you do or I'll get it certified ‘cool’ by the current favorite rock group of the day.”

“Dad, you're such a dork,” Casey laughed, and shook his head. He reached back into his '73 Volkswagen Bug and retrieved his baseball glove. Upon realizing both his father and his big brother were going to play baseball, Eddie's grin grew even more. The group gathered up and headed for the elementary school baseball field. Somehow, Robin and Casey ended up carrying all the gear.

“Where's Laurie?” Robin asked about his sixteen-year-old daughter.

“She went to band practice today,” replied Casey.

“Why on Sunday?”

“Because they really screwed up at last night's game.”

“How's she getting home?”

“Chad Wilson will bring her home.”

“Oh, great! You just stand by and let a boy bring your sister home?”

“Get real, Dad,” Casey said, rolling his eyes.

Robin laughed. “It's okay, son. I'm just kidding, I think.”

Robin watched with amused wonder as the three little guys wandered all over the street on the way to the ball field. They inspected almost every rock, stick, and bug with great curiosity and conversation. Robin considered the fact that the boys probably inspected each one of these items a thousand times before.

When the group arrived at the school ball field, Robin took up pitching duties and Casey did the catching. The three boys took turns batting and playing the field. After an hour, the boys said they were tired and went off to play on the monkey bars. Robin and Casey sat down at one of the several lunch tables.

“Well, son, you'll be graduating in one week. Feel any different?”

Casey's steady blue eyes met his father's. “No. Should I?”

“It's not mandatory, but a whole lot of new things are going to be happening to you. You need to be thinking about them.”

Casey adjusted the ball cap that seemed to be an integral part of his nature. “Dad, I'm ready for college. Besides, it's not like when Cathy went to the U of A. I'm only going to be a couple of miles away.”

Casey won a baseball scholarship to Arizona State University. Casey's ready smile immediately engaged most people he met. It belied his exceptional physical strength and agility. He was an outstanding player for his high school team, and an honor student to boot. Robin knew his son to be an intelligent, capable young man. He also knew Casey was starting to feel his oats, and Robin felt some words of caution were in order.

“It may not be as easy you think, son. You'll be making your own decisions, and what's more important, you'll be responsible for them. You've done a good job in high school and got yourself into the college you wanted. Now you have to pay attention to college because it means the rest of your life.”

Casey looked at his hands folded on the table. Robin could see the muscles in his son's jaw working.

“I'm not trying to piss you off, Casey. I've been in the world a little longer than you, and I've made many mistakes. I don't want you to make the same ones. I'm trying to let you benefit from my experience.”

“You couldn't have that many mistakes. You and Mom have us in a nice house and have raised a pretty damn nice bunch of kids. You're an outstanding cop and a pretty famous one too; at least your name's in the paper a lot.”

“Believe me, son, I've made plenty of mistakes and I'll guarantee you that having your name in the newspaper isn't a good measure of success. I guess what I'm trying to say is that whenever you can, think about what you're doing before you do it.”

“You mean like always check your back trail?”

Robin looked at his son, puzzled for a minute, and then laughed.

“You see, Dad, in your own way you've already taught me the things you're talking about. All the camping and hiking trips, the shooting lessons, all the lessons on hand-to-hand combat. These gave me the two things you've always harped on - confidence and discipline. I believe in those principles, Dad. You did a good job.”

Robin looked at his son and realized Casey had indeed been giving the future some thought. Maybe Casey should be a little cocky right now. It might help him get through some of the hard lessons all young adults have to go through.

. “Okay, Casey. It looks like you've got some of this figured out. Just remember your Mom and I will always be here if you need us.”

“I know, Dad.”

“Well, let's round up the heathens and head home.”

The night crept in as Robin called to the younger boys. The heat of the day still lingered, but the relief of not having the sun beating down always felt good. The boys did not want to stop playing, but Robin gently gave them no choice.

During the walk back home, the boys got themselves goosey by making up ghost stories. Casey really got them going. Robin looked up at the sky. The Phoenix city lights dimmed the blanket of stars he marveled at last night. He wondered if Miguel Rodriquez knew about his brother's untimely demise yet. He also wondered if the Guardians could really pull this deal off. It promised to be the most ambitious operation they have ever attempted, and a million different things could make it explode in their faces. Robin mentally shrugged.
That's life in the fast lane.

A Phoenix police car pulled alongside the group driven by Sergeant Gabe Martinez. Robin and Gabe had become friends when Robin worked patrol on the Phoenix freeway system. He and Gabe worked the same area and had backed each other up numerous times. When Gabe promoted to sergeant, he became the supervisor for the area where Rob lived. He often stopped by for a cup of coffee.

A giant of a man, Gabe stood six-two and lifted weights every day. Robin noticed the boys gawking at Gabe's biceps.

“Hey, Rob! What's up?”

“Gabriel! Good to see you. Need a cup?”

“Naw, we're short-handed tonight, so I gotta keep movin'. I saw you and just wanted to say hi.”

“Well, I'm glad you did.” Robin walked over closer to Gabe and leaned closer to the window.

“Gabe, we are in an investigation involving some pretty bad dudes. We killed one last night. I would appreciate it if you could keep an eye out around here.”