Exceptional Merit (38 page)

“Hey Louie, what's up?”

Castillo felt his palms begin to sweat.  He couldn’t believe he was actually nervous.  “I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go out to dinner tonight.  I know this great German restaurant in Maspeth.”

She decided it might be fun to play a little hard to get.  “Well you know, it is a Friday night, Louie.  You can’t just call a girl last minute.”  She continued with a clearly playful tone in her voice.  “What if I already have plans?”

Castillo sensed that his old flame was teasing him and he would give it right back to her.  “Well then I guess you'll have to miss out on my celebration…unless of course, you break your previous plans to help me celebrate.”

He seemed to flip the script on her.  Now she was the one getting excited.  “Celebrate!  What are you celebrating?”

Castillo decided he wasn't going to tell Sharon any of the details.  He was never one to count his chickens before they hatched.  It didn't matter anyway.  Within a few weeks, Sharon, along with the entire city, maybe even the entire country, would know the name of Louis Castillo as the greatest corruption fighter since the days of Frank Serpico.

“I'm celebrating the rebirth of my career and I'm hoping to also celebrate the rekindling of a romance with the only woman I've ever loved.”

Castillo had surprised himself with his comment.  He wasn't usually so cocky or so forward but there was something about this day which gave him all the confidence in the world.  He was waiting patiently for a response from Sharon, who after a brief pause agreed to the date.  “Great, I'll pick you up at seven.”

Castillo was pleased with himself as he hung up the phone.  He called the restaurant and made reservations for eight o'clock.  Castillo got up from his desk and limped over to the coffee machine.  The rainy weather had caused his leg to ache but it didn't seem to bother him as badly as it usually did.  He had just finished pouring himself the coffee when he heard the familiar voice of Inspector Marsh behind him.  “Good morning Louie.”

“Good morning, boss.  What are you doing here so early?”

“I promised my kids I'd take them to the Rangers game tonight at the Garden so I changed my tour.  They are playing the Canucks at home for the first time since we beat them in game seven last year to win the Stanley Cup.”

“Oh, it should be a good game Cap, they’re on a tear.  Maybe they can repeat and win back to back cups after all of these years without winning any.”

He couldn't believe his good fortune.  If Marsh had come in ten minutes earlier, he would have caught him not only in his office but also with the entire secret file on Keegan.  Castillo was convinced his luck had changed for the better.

The couple returned to Sharon Winter's Forest Hills apartment after eleven.  Castillo hadn't been in her apartment for quite a few years and he was impressed by the remodeling she had done.  Castillo had scanned the room as soon as he entered to see if she had received the flowers he had sent her.  It didn't take him very long to spot the dozen long stem roses in a pink vase, serving as a centerpiece for her coffee table.  He was relieved to see that she had received them.

He decided she was still playing with him, since she never mentioned receiving them over dinner or drinks.  Sharon invited him to have a seat on the sofa as she went into the kitchen to get a bottle of wine and two glasses.  Sharon joined him on the couch and handed him the wine along with a corkscrew.  Castillo twisted the corkscrew into the cork and slowly pulled it out.  There was a soft pop.  Castillo poured the wine into one of the glasses until it was half full and handed the glass to Sharon.  After pouring himself a glass, he raised it in the air and waited for Sharon to raise hers as well.  Castillo softly touched his glass against Sharon's.  He toasted.  “To new beginnings.”

Sharon echoed his sentiments and excused herself.  As Castillo sat alone on the couch, he began to think about the fact that it was James Keegan who had somehow turned his life around.  If it wasn't for Keegan, he would have never gotten back together with Sharon and he would have remained in the Internal Affairs Bureau for the rest of his career.  Castillo decided he had wasted the last few years of his career and as soon as he got back from the District Attorney's office on Monday, he would put in a request for transfer to another detective squad.  A detective squad where he would eventually show that he did in fact deserved the rank of detective.

“Did I ever thank you for the flowers Louie?” asked Sharon as she emerged from the bedroom behind Castillo.

He turned around to face her and saw she was wearing red lingerie, flowing apart at the hips to reveal the matching red panties underneath.  The plunging neckline was made of a sheer material that clearly exposed her bare breasts, her nipples hardened.  She modeled it for him and spun around giving him a good view of the g-string panties from behind.

Castillo stood up and slowly looked her up and down before responding.  “No.  I don't believe you did.”

She looks like a model right out of a Victoria’s Secret catalog
, he thought.  He got up, walked over to her and pulled her tightly against his body.  They slowly and deeply kissed, their tongues dancing in each other’s mouth as they had done so many times, years ago.  But this time it felt different, Castillo thought, as he felt himself becoming aroused.  It all just felt so right.

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

His aching jaw and fractured rib had prevented Keegan from getting a good night's rest as the doctor had suggested he do.  He was taking the painkillers as prescribed, but it didn't seem like enough.  He crawled out of bed on the Saturday after Saint Patrick's Day at twenty minutes before seven.  He figured he only got about three hours sleep at most.  That was even less than the night before.

It was just his luck, he decided, that when he finally started to doze off at two-thirty in the morning, his neighbor's dog began to bark and woke him from his sleep.  After that, he fell in and out of a light sleep for the remainder of the night.  Kate held him all night.  He wasn't sure if that was to comfort him or herself.  When he got out of bed, it seemed every muscle in his body hurt.  His head ached something awful and he was actually dizzy for a couple of moments when he stood up.

It had been a long time since he had been in a fight as fierce as the one he was in with Flynn.  He'd be sore for at least a week to come, he estimated and it would take much longer that for his injuries to mend.  Thinking back, he wished he had taken the advice of Captain Anderson, who suggested he go out line of duty sick for a while.  He already stayed home yesterday to try and rest but it wasn't James Keegan's style to let things hang in the wind.  He wanted to make sure the case was closed out as soon as possible and put the entire episode behind him.  After this was done, he would go out sick and give himself the time to heal that he needed.

It was his own suggestion that he meet with the Super Chiefs at nine o'clock this morning to explain in detail, his investigation as well as his version of the shooting.  It was standard operating procedure of the police department that when any member of the service is involved in a shooting, he will be interviewed by his superior officers in the presence of legal representation, once the District Attorney’s Office gave their permission.  The District Attorney’s investigation supersedes the department’s internal investigation, since they would criminally prosecute for any shooting deemed unjustified.  In the case of someone dying as a result of a police shooting, however, the District Attorney routinely presents the case to a Grand Jury to determine if the police acted appropriately and within the guidelines of the law.

Keegan had nothing to fear though.  This was as clean a shooting as there could be and it was captured by television cameras from around the country.  The Police Commissioner and the mayor had already proclaimed him a hero and the Manhattan District Attorney closed their investigation out by nightfall, declining to even present the case to a Grand Jury.

The only thing left for Keegan to do to put this all behind him was give his statement and stick to his story.  Something he no doubt would be able to do.  He had watched the incident numerous times on five different stations, making sure to watch from every angle that was available.  He had been praised by every reporter for doing a heroic job.  His role in thwarting the bombing of the federal courthouse was once again put front and center, as all of the news stations had made mention of it, while reporting on this story.  The media speculated the gunman, who remained unidentified, may have been attempting to shoot the Cardinal, thus making Keegan an even greater hero.

Keegan slowly eased himself down the stairs and went to the front door.  He opened the door to retrieve the morning newspaper.  The cold air immediately hit him and sent a shooting pain throughout the exposed nerves in his mouth.  Grimacing from the pain, he bent down and picked up the paper.  He brought it into his kitchen and set it down on the table as he got himself a glass of water to take his pain killers.  He hoped the oral surgeon would be able to do something with his battered mouth.  He had an appointment today at noon and figured he would go there directly from the meeting at Police Headquarters.

Keegan sat down at the table and for the first time looked at the front cover of the newspaper.  Two days later and it was still front page news.  He had asked Kate to save yesterday’s paper for him as well since he never read it, spending the majority of yesterday in bed.  The pain killers had knocked him out and he slept most of the day.  He decided to read yesterday’s first.  He looked at the rather graphic photo on the front page.  Inside a green border, was a picture of him as he lay unconscious in the middle of Fifth Avenue with a gun in his hand next to the lifeless body of Gerald Flynn.

It was something most people wouldn't understand but he actually felt bad for having killed the Irish hit man.  In all of his eighteen years on the job, he had never before killed a man and he had only fired his gun one previous time.  Many people believe that cops are in shootouts every day, but the fact of the matter is, most cops go through their entire career without ever being involved in a gunfight.

He began to think about Flynn. 
Why couldn't he just back down
, then at least Keegan wouldn't have to carry the burden of killing another human being.  Although he felt some remorse, he knew killing Flynn was to be the only way of keeping himself safe.  The threat of losing his job or even going to jail was now all behind him.

He thought momentarily about Castillo and decided he couldn't have anything on him that would stand up.  Even if he did have something, he would be laughed out of court unless it was air tight, especially after the endless praise the media has showered him with.

Keegan read through every article there was about the incident in the paper and wondered if this was going to get even more press then the
Federal Courthouse Caper
did.  The newspaper made a reference to Keegan's previous heroics in that case as well.  The publicity from that case had just started to die down when Judge Boden was shot and killed.  The Judge’s assassination had put Keegan’s name back in the papers, if only for a little while.  Then on St. Patrick’s Day, he was hurled right back into the center of a large media circus.

He wondered if he would be receiving another congratulatory phone call from the President of the United States.  He then let his mind wander a little bit and wondered if maybe even the Pope might call to thank him for saving the life of New York's Cardinal.  Keegan silently thumbed through the eight pages of coverage the confrontation had drawn.  There were pages of photos alone, illustrating the encounter frame by frame.  He took the time to carefully examine each and every photo.

Keegan got up from his chair and went into the living room where he retrieved his scrapbook.  He brought it back into the kitchen and selected a pair of scissors.  Seated at the kitchen table, Keegan started cutting out all of the articles from the newspaper to add to his collection when Kate walked in.  “Hey, don't cut the paper up I haven't read about my hero yet.”

“Good morning love.”

He greeted her with half a smile, conscious not to expose his broken teeth.

“How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good,” he lied.  “My mouth is a bit sore and it hurts a bit when I take a deep breath, but I guess that's to be expected.”

He wanted to play down the severe discomfort he was in so Kate didn't try to get him to stay home instead of going to work and closing the case out immediately.  The sooner it was put to bed the better.

“So let me see what the papers have to say.”

Keegan handed his wife the semi-mutilated paper as he pieced it back together.  Kate's heart skipped a beat as she looked at the picture of her husband as he lay unconscious on the pavement.  All she could think about the fact that he looked like he was dead and that he very nearly did lose his life.  Kate was nonetheless proud of her husband.  She knew his actions defined what a cop should be, not just yesterday, but always.  He should be a role model for all young cops to emulate.  Kate often hoped that their children wouldn't want to follow in their father's footsteps.  Being married to a cop was bad enough and she didn't know if she would be able to handle being the mother of a cop in today's day and age.

Kate thumbed through the paper and looked at her husband, who had his head down, clearly fighting the discomfort he was experiencing.  Kate examined her husband's battered face.  The bruises were starting to come through on his cheek and around his mouth.  She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead without uttering a word.  Kate glanced at all of the photos and wasn't sure she could read the articles.  She still hadn’t read a single article or watched the news since St. Patrick’s Day.  She did not need to be reminded how close her children came to having to grow up without their father.

She handed Jim back the paper so he could finish cutting out the articles and photos to put in his scrapbook.  Maybe she would be able to look a little more in depth at the articles and photos in a few weeks.  The day after almost losing her husband was too soon for her own well being to relive it. 

Kerry was the first of the children to wake up on the Saturday morning.  Kerry was always up before seven-thirty on Saturdays so she could watch her favorite cartoons.  Keegan hadn't spoken to his children very much since coming home from the hospital.  He went directly in his bedroom to try and get some rest and remained there for the overwhelming majority of the day yesterday.  Kerry walked into the kitchen and studied her father's face, unsure what to make of the bruises and missing teeth.

She didn't know what to say and instead of immediately saying anything, she walked over to her father and gave him a tight hug.  She then stepped back and again studied him.  “Daddy, are you a hero?”

Keegan didn't know how to answer his daughter's question and he had even been embarrassed by it.

Kate saw her husband was having difficulty fielding the question and she decided to answer for him.  “Yes sweetheart, your father is a hero
; a great hero.”

Kerry seemed satisfied with the answer but offered no reply of her own.  She simply looked at her mother as she answered and then at her father.  She stared at him again for a couple of moments and then gave him a kiss on the face.  She left the kitchen and walked into the living room where she put on the television to watch her Saturday morning cartoons.  As Kerry left the room, her parents looked at each other and shared a smile.  Keegan returned his attention on cutting out the articles and photos from the paper and carefully putting them in the scrapbook.

“Don't you think it's about time you showed your book to the kids?”

Kate felt the boys were old enough to understand and she wanted them to know what kind of man their father was so they could be even more proud than they already were.  “This way they can see firsthand all the medals you've earned a
nd what a real hero you are.”

“I don't know, Kate.  They are still so young.”

She reasoned with him.  “Kerry might still be too young to understand but the boys are already eleven and eight.  That’s not too young.”

Keegan did want to share his experiences with his children for a long time now, yet he wasn't sure if they would be ready for it.  He debated it.  “There's a lot of violence throughout my scrapbook, pictures of the guns I've taken off the street, pictures and articles about guys I've locked up for homicides, terrorist attacks and now this extremely graphic encounter.  I don't know if it's a good idea to expose them to such violence.”

“You can't shelter them all their lives.  They see the news when we watch it.  They see what goes on in the world.  All they could talk about yesterday was what a hero their father was.  They had seen the footage on the news and were so proud of you.  They started to call up their friends from school to brag and to tell them to watch the news.”

Kate took pride in the fact that the children were so proud of their father. 

Keegan had finished adding his new collections to the scrapbook by the time Kevin and Timothy had woken up.  On the way back from headquarters, he would pick up the rest of the city's newspapers to read what they had to say.  Keegan went upstairs to shower and get dressed but he knew he wasn't about to shave today.  There was no way; his delicate face would tolerate being shaved.  When he got to the foot of the stairs, Kevin and Timothy emerged from their bedroom.  “Dad, you were great!” Kevin said enthusiastically.

His younger boy was quick to chime in.  “Yeah dad, you really kicked his butt.”

“Thanks guys.”

He didn't know how to react to their praise and he didn't want them to think that killing someone was okay.  He decided later on today he would have a long talk with them about morals and what was right and wrong.  Maybe Kate was right, the children should see his scrapbook, but only after he explained to them that he had killed the man in self defense and if there was any other way for him to have arrested the man without shooting him, he would have done so.

Timothy wasn’t quite finished yet.  “Can you tell us all about it dad?”

Kevin clearly agreed.  “Yeah, dad, please!”

“Not right now boys, I'm running late.  When I get home later I'll tell you guys all about it.”

“You promise, dad?”  They both added.

Keegan agreed.  The boys were satisfied with their father's promise and went down stairs to eat breakfast and watch cartoons.  He watched his kids scamper down the stairs and the look of the excitement on their faces had been captured in his mind.  He was looking forward to having this talk with the boys but he still felt Kerry was too young for the harsh realities of the world.