Chapter 32
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When Mack pulled up in front of the old house, he looked at her and asked, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I’m serious,” she confirmed.
She hopped out just as Chester and Darren pulled up behind them in a black-and-white police car. “Why would he even be here?”
She smiled at him and shared, “I think he’ll be here, to right a wrong, … unless I read the situation completely wrong.”
He stared at her and shook his head.
With the animals at her side, Thaddeus tucked up once again into her neck scarf, they trooped up the front steps. It was pretty icy and cold. She rang the doorbell, which was loud, then pounded on the door itself. When Mack looked at her in surprise, she shrugged. “He’s partially deaf.”
“Good God,” he muttered.
And, sure enough, when the door opened a good ten minutes later, the old man she had met while walking the neighborhood stood there, with his coat on and a hat in his hands, his cane hooked on one arm.
He looked at her, over at Mack, then back at her, and nodded. “I wondered if you would be my downfall.”
“Sorry,” she yelled, with a smile. “We are trying to clean up the town, after all. It’s nice to know you are Cisco.”
He laughed at that. “That I am. Somebody will just take my place. You do know that, right?”
“I know,” she loudly declared, “but your days in that role are done.”
“They are, indeed,” he muttered.
With his old wit and charm, he smiled at her and added, “If I’ve got to be arrested, at least let it be by somebody like you.” With that, he offered his elbow, and hooked his arm with hers. She led him down to the police car, where both Chester and Darren waited.
As she helped him into the back seat of the cruiser, she looked at the two men and stated, “Yeah, that’s Cisco.”
Chester, his eyes wide, looked into his back seat, then turned to Darren, shaking his head at her.
She shrugged and said, “It makes for a great cover.”
“But why would anybody be afraid?”
At that, Cisco’s voice cut like a sharp whip through the chilly morning air. “Because I don’t have a problem doing what needs to be done.”
Then he immediately softened, looked over at Doreen with a smile, and asked, “You’ll come visit me in jail, won’t you, dear?”
Doreen chuckled. “If you’re anywhere nearby, I’ll come visit.”
Mack stepped forward and added, “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.”
The old man laughed in delight. “The fact that you still see me as a challenge, even in this sorry state, made my day. Now, I guess the more pressing question is, what will I tell everybody?”
She smiled at him. “You could try the truth. I mean, at least once in your life, that isn’t too much to ask.”
He turned to her, and a smile beamed across his face. “I think that would be a marvelous way to go out.” He looked over at Mack and added, “But it’ll take an hour or two.”
Doreen cracked a smile. “No, it’ll take a lot more than that,” she stated, with a chuckle. “But just think, if you tell the truth and clear your conscious, it’ll make for a great book for somebody to write.”
His eyes twinkled, and he nodded. “I don’t have much longer to go.”
“I know. You told me that,” she confirmed. “So this is your one chance to get everything off your chest about anything and everything you’ve done or have been responsible for. Just imagine how surprised everybody will be.”
“They will be,” he agreed, with a laugh. “They absolutely will be.” He nodded at Mack and added, “I’ll see you after a while, young man. We must get started because it’ll take a fair bit of time.” He faced Doreen and repeated, “Can you come visit?”
She looked over at Mack, who sighed and relented. “Oh, she probably can come visit.”
He smiled in delight. “Good,” Cisco replied. “In that case, I promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth.”
He reached up a hand in a high five, and Doreen smacked it gently. “I’ll see you in a few days, but only after you’ve said everything you need to say.”
“Will do,” he agreed. “I also have a couple things in my life that I didn’t get to complete,” he muttered, “things I didn’t get answers for. I hear that you do that sort of thing.”
She smiled at him and nodded. “Sometimes, and if there are cases that you think still need to be dealt with, we can talk about them. But rest assured that I won’t be doing any of your dirty work.”
And, with that, Chester snorted, Darren laughed, and they closed up the doors to the cruiser and drove away.
She turned to Mack and asked, “I know it’s a long shot, but is there any chance of getting breakfast out somewhere at this hour?”
He nodded. “There is actually, but I have to go into the office.”
“But could we sneak in a very early breakfast first? You’ll probably need some sustenance to get through Cisco’s statement.”
He grinned and nodded. “I’m down for that.”
And with that, he led the animals back to the vehicle, where she stared at them and added, “But we’ll have to take them in too.”
He groaned. “You know how that really limits our options.”
“I know,” she said, “but they were the ones who once again saved the day.”
“What about Thaddeus?”
“He’s asleep,” she replied, with a chuckle, and she unwrapped the scarf a little bit. Thaddeus squawked at her, and she immediately tucked him back up. “He doesn’t think much of winter.”
“Maybe not,” Mack noted. “And, if we’re talking about having all the animals with us as we eat, sounds like we should go home to make breakfast.”
She grinned at him. “That sounds even better.”
With a smile, he leaned over, kissed her, and added, “You are going to keep me on my toes, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely,” she murmured.
“And what’s that about his having cases?”
“I don’t know,” she said, “but I really can’t turn down another case, and you know that.”
“You could,” he pointed out. “Particularly if it’s coming from him.”
“Maybe, but he could also have some pretty interesting cases,” she murmured.
Mack rolled his eyes. “Let’s just go home before I change my mind.”