What a Peach - A Southern Story
By Chris James
Chapter 5
The alarm went off at six. They showered one at a time and then walked up the street to the Waffle House to eat breakfast. Brad ate three pancakes and two eggs despite his protests of the night before. By eight-thirty they were headed south through the early morning traffic. By nine they were parked on the curb behind the Walgreen's and pointed back the way they had come.
At nine-fifteen the store employees began to arrive. On a Sunday Charlie figured there would be four. Two at the pharmacy, one cashier and a manager. By nine-forty five all four were in the building and Charlie kept his eyes open for the Lincoln with New York plates. Brad was beating a steady rhythm on the seat with his left hand. Nerves, better to let him get it out here. Charlie looked in the rear view mirror and applied the fake mustache which matched his own hair.
Brad had his two flash-bangs, one in each side pocket of his shorts. Charlie had the other two, one in his left pants pocket and the other in the right side pocket of the sport coat he wore. The left sleeve of the sport coat hid the throwing knives mounted on his forearm. The switchblade was in his right hand pants pocket, it was the sharpest knife he carried.
A few minutes passed before Brad and Charlie got out of the car. Charlie had unscrewed the locking buttons from the door so no one would know the car was unlocked. They left the windows up and the ignition key on the visor above the driver's seat. They walked to the front of the store and waited for it to be unlocked.
The manager was a minute early by Charlie's watch and that was a good thing. Just as the guy unlocked the door, Charlie turned to Brad and said," Showtime." They entered the store and looked back to see the Lincoln pulling into the parking lot. The driver took a space almost in front of the door.
As they hurried towards the middle of the store Charlie looked back and saw Danny come through the door followed closely by a bodyguard. Excellent, the other one had stayed out in the car. Unfortunately this was the same guy he had spoken to on the pool deck yesterday. Mustache or not, the man would surely recognize him if he got a close look.
Brad and Charlie went down the aisle full of body lotions and soaps. Danny would be coming here for his shampoo. What mattered was how closely the guard followed. Charlie picked up a large box of bath salts and held it partially in front of his face. He looked around the box to see where the guard had gone.
Brad was hovering at the end of the aisle behind Charlie and closer to the rear exit which was about thirty feet away. If the guard stuck to Danny like glue then Brad was to move into the next aisle and hurry towards the front. He would brush past the guard, drop a flash-bang and take off running for the door into the back storage area. He and Danny were to hit the exit, setting off the alarm and once outside they were to run another thirty feet to the Caddy. Once inside the car they were supposed to jump in the back and lay on the floor behind the seats.
Danny moved into the shampoo aisle but the guard lingered at the end. If he didn't follow the boy, Charlie was going to move past Danny and block the man. Charlie would drop a flash-bang and Brad would grab Danny and run. Charlie would then have to take the guard out of action until the boys were gone and he could exit through the front.
Suddenly the guard seemed aware that Danny had moved away and he hurried up to follow the boy into the aisle. Danny had seen Brad standing at the end of the aisle and he smiled. Brad shook his head negative and Danny lost the smile and stopped in his tracks.
"Go," Charlie said under his breath and Brad crouched as he ran down the parallel aisle. He reached the end and came up behind the guard who still had not seen him at this point. Charlie watched Brad pull a flash-bang from his pocket and get ready to drop it.
The guard was looking right at Charlie, trying to figure out what he was seeing. It would only be a matter of seconds before the guy remembered the pool man from yesterday. Danny started to move towards Charlie and then all hell broke loose inside the normally quiet drugstore.
Brad pushed past the guard and dropped the flash-bang. He was barely past the man when it went off, the sound reverberating off the walls and smoke filling the aisle.
Danny jumped and looked back as Brad came charging down the aisle and grabbed Danny's arm.
"Run, Pokey, run," Brad yelled.
The two boys were past Charlie in a flash and didn't even notice the throwing knife which had suddenly materialized in his hand. The guard was coughing but his right hand went under his jacket for a gun. Charlie couldn't take the chance that the boys were still in range and he threw the knife.
The guard's hand was just coming out of the jacket with a 9mm automatic when the knife slammed into his wrist and shattered the bones in his hand. The man screamed and Charlie managed a quick glance towards the rear exit in time to see Brad and Danny hit the door and pass through to the back.
With them out of immediate danger it was time to take care of the guard. The man had managed to wrestle the gun out of its holster with his other hand when Charlie body slammed the guy to the ground and yelled at the top of his lungs, "It's a robbery."
The announcement was followed by the sound of the rear door alarm. A piercing screech filled the store and Charlie knew that the boys were out of the building. It was time to get moving.
Charlie rolled off the guard who struggled to get back on his feet. Damn, the guy just wouldn't give up. This had to end quickly, Charlie thought, he was sure the cops were already on the way.
The gun was on the floor and the guy was going after it when Charlie made his decision. The switchblade appeared in his hand and clicked open. The guard reached for the gun just as Charlie plunged the knife into the guy's left shoulder incapacitating the whole arm. The guy screamed as the blade withdrew from his flesh. Charlie put his foot on the guy's wrist and retrieved his throwing knife. The guy screamed again but he was now defenseless so Charlie let him live.
Running up the aisle at a crouch Charlie almost missed the second bodyguard slamming through the front door. Somehow he had been alerted to the commotion inside and had come to investigate. This one was no fool. He came with his gun drawn and ready.
Charlie stopped at the intersection of two aisles and waited for the man to approach. Slowly he reached into his pocket and took out a flash-bang which he held in his left hand. The switchblade he held close to his right leg as he crouched on the floor.
The man with the gun stepped into the aisle and pointed the gun at Charlie.
"Officer, "Charlie gasped," He almost shot me." He pointed towards the back where the other guard lay.
The gun hand went up, pointed at the ceiling. Charlie was no longer the target. The new bodyguard now thought the threat was further back in the store and he approached carefully down the aisle.
"Alan," he called. "Alan, where are you?" But he got no response from his buddy.
The man moved closer and was about to pass when Charlie suddenly stood up. His left and right hands came together and there was a mighty explosion. Holding the flash-bang in his left hand, Charlie had brought the butt of the switchblade across his body and slammed it into the primer on the shell.
The explosive force was contained by the surgical tape wrapped around the shell and Charlie had directed it straight at the bodyguard's face. The man went down screaming with his face torn to shreds and the chemicals embedded in his skin starting to smoke. His gun went off several times before the man collapsed on the floor unconscious.
Charlie's left hand was so numb from the blast he hardly felt the burning pain in his leg. Standing up he pushed his left hand into his coat pocket. He triggered the button on the switchblade which retracted into the handle. Without looking around Charlie quickly walked to the front of the store and pushed open the glass doors.
Outside he turned left and followed along the front of the store towards the sidewalk. The sharp pain that suddenly shot up his left leg took Charlie by surprise and he almost fell. Looking down he saw blood soaking through his pants leg. Damn, he had been shot. The pain increased as he turned the corner of the store. In the distance he heard the sound of sirens approaching.
Charlie hobbled up to the back of the Caddy and almost passed out from the pain when he put pressure on his left leg. Using the car as support, Charlie worked his way down to the driver's door. Suddenly the door popped open and Brad sat there grinning.
"You are supposed to be on the floor, get there," Charlie yelled.
Brad recoiled at Charlie's anger and jumped over the seat into the back. Charlie dropped in behind the wheel and flipped the key down from the visor. He placed it in the ignition and started the engine.
His leg was on fire but Charlie smiled, remembering what he had been told about getting shot. If it burns you'll be all right, if it goes numb you're in trouble. He put the car in gear and slowly pulled away from the curb. He went over a block and turned right towards the interstate. As he turned two police cars passed him heading for the drugstore.
Charlie had to stop somewhere and staunch the blood leaking out of his leg. He made a quick left into the parking lot of the McDonalds and pulled into a parking slot.
"Brad, hop up here, I need your help," Charlie said, gasping at the fire in his leg.
Brad climbed over the seat. "We did it Charlie, we...what's the matter?"
"Sorry buddy, I got shot."
"Oh Charlie, "Brad said as he looked down at the blood soaked pants leg.
Charlie managed to turn himself until his wounded leg was resting on the seat. Brad knelt on the floor and looked at all the blood. Danny popped his head over the seat.
"We need a pressure bandage," Danny said. "Compress the wound and the bleeding stops. Did the bullet come out the other side?"
Brad took Charlie's switchblade and began cutting the fabric away to expose the wound.
"Danny, you sound like a medic," Charlie said through clenched teeth.
"Oh, I seen bullet wounds before. If the bullet went through you'll be ok, otherwise you need a doc."
"Thanks for the advice," Charlie said, grimacing as Brad tore back the fabric.
A small amount of blood was leaking from a hole in Charlie's calf muscle. He turned his leg and saw a second larger hole in back which was bleeding freely.
"Two holes, you'll live," Danny said.
"Shut up," Brad said, "He's bleeding."
` Danny pulled off his t-shirt and started ripping it into strips. "Fifty dollar fucking shirt, oh well. Stuff the pieces in the holes, Brad, and use yours to bind around his leg. We need to get some gauze and antiseptic."
"We could go back to Walgreen's," Charlie said, and the absurdity of his suggestion made them all laugh.
Brad bound the wound with care, hesitating every time Charlie winced. Danny put his hand on Charlie's cheek.
"I have yet to thank you. You're a good man, Charlie Brown." With that he kissed Charlie on the cheek.
"You're very welcome. Now let's get out of here," Brad said.
Charlie flexed the fingers if his left hand and started shaking it.
"What happened to your hand," Brad asked, "It looks all red."
"That's what happens when you hold one of those flash-bangs when it goes off."
"You what?" Brad yelped. "You are one crazy guy, Charlie."
They drove back out onto the interstate and headed back towards the motel. Charlie didn't want to put pressure on his leg until they got to the motel. Just walking to the room would be painful enough. They passed a grocery that had a pharmacy and Charlie pulled over. Brad went inside and came out with bandages, antiseptic and a bag of red licorice.
"And why the licorice?" Charlie asked, looking at the small handful of change Brad held.
"Everybody knows licorice is good for gunshot wounds," Brad said.
"Yeah? I never heard that one," Charlie said.
"It's true, some chemical in the licorice prevents blood poisoning," Danny chimed in, but he had a wide smile.
"I think you're pulling my leg, just not the left one, please."
Once back in the motel room, Charlie went in the bathroom and stripped off his pants. He threw the blood soaked t-shirt in the tub and slowly removed the packing Brad had placed in the wound. The bullet had entered his calf about six inches below the knee. The hole there looked small and dark but the exit wound was much worse.
Fortunately the shot had penetrated only his muscle and missed the bones entirely. There was still some minor bleeding but Charlie was relieved. He would live although walking would be a problem for a while. He would require stitches if this was going to heal properly and he wasn't about to go to the local hospital with a gunshot wound.
"Brad," he called and the boy came to the door. "Turn on the news and let's see what they have to say."
"Yeah, Danny already has it on," Brad said. "That looks bad Charlie."
"I've been shot before. Will you help me clean this thing off?"
"Do you need a doctor?"
"Not here. We'll head back north and I'll go to the hospital in Statesboro before we head home."
"Can you drive? Neither Danny or I have any experience driving," Brad said.
"I'll manage somehow. It will just take us a while longer," Charlie said.
Brad washed the wound with warm water, cleaning away the blood and bits of cloth that had stuck to Charlie's leg. He poured the antiseptic in both holes and apologized when Charlie winced.
"That's ok, it has to stay clean until I see the doc," Charlie gasped.
Brad packed the holes with sterile gauze and wrapped Charlie's calf with gauze bandage. They stuffed the bloody pants and material in a plastic bag which Brad took to the dumpster behind the motel. By the time he returned Charlie had managed to hobble out and sit in a chair near the television.
A reporter was on the screen talking about the botched robbery attempt at the Walgreen's in Coral Gables.
It seems the police were confused about what happened. The employees had seen three men and two boys in the store but when they heard an explosion everyone panicked. The pharmacy clerk said he saw two boys running towards the back after the explosion and figured they were trying to get away from the gunmen.
No one saw one of the men leave the store because a second explosion and gunshots made everyone duck behind the counter. Police aren't sure if this man was involved but they are searching for clues to his identity and would like to question him. Fortunately no one was hurt at the scene other than the two gunmen.
"We now go live to the Walgreen's in Coral Gables," Charlie heard the anchor man say. A picture of the front of the drugstore and a reporter appeared on the screen.
"Two men are in police custody at this time. One of the men sustained a knife wound to his hand and shoulder, we were told. The other man seems to have been wounded by one of the explosions. Police are speculating the robbery attempt went wrong when the home-made explosive devices went off prematurely.
"Police have recovered two handguns from the injured men and are reviewing the video captured by the store's security cameras. The men's identity remains unknown at this time but a car which was impounded in front of the store bears New York license plates.
"No one knows what happened to the two boys who exited the store through the rear delivery entrance or the other man who arrived when the store first opened. Police are asking anyone who has information about these three to call them at the Miami Central Detectives Bureau. One officer at the scene who asked to remain anonymous said that someone yelled out "It's a robbery" and police think the two boys may have tried to warn store employees before they escaped to safety.
"So, here in Miami, two men are under guard in the hospital at the moment and police are trying to piece together the puzzle that seems to be a botched robbery attempt. Guess that shows us all that crime doesn't pay."
Brad clapped his hands, "We really fucked them over, didn't we Charlie?"
"Alan and Frank," Danny said. "Lamont will be going crazy about now wondering what happened. Bet he blows town in a big hurry."
"He won't be driving though, will he?" Charlie said. "He's probably in a cab on his way to the airport right now."
"Oh shit, you're right. I can't go back to the city, can I? He's got too many friends up there."
"Don't you have an uncle in Detroit?" Brad asked.
"My Uncle Jessie, yeah. Damn, haven't seen him in three years. But what about you, Brad? It won't take Lamont long to figure things out and if anything he'll go after you trying to find me."
"I suggest we make an anonymous call to the cops from a pay phone and tell them where Alan and Frank were living," Charlie suggested. "Maybe they'll catch Lamont on his way out of town."
"But they will find all the cameras and lights, and maybe even the movies we were making. You tell him about that stuff, Brad?"
"Yeah, Danny, Charlie knows everything."
"Your chance to put Lamont away for good, Danny," Charlie said.
"Got a quarter?" Danny asked.
The boys left to find a pay phone up the street. Charlie took a couple of aspirin and lay down to ease the throbbing in his leg. He would need to concoct some story about accidentally shooting himself before he went to the hospital. Maybe he would just call Doc Bennett and tell him about it. Injuries weren't that uncommon in Stony Creek, although gunshot wounds didn't happen that frequently.
Ten minutes later the boys were back, breathless and laughing.
"So what did they say?" Charlie asked.
"I told the cops that I was one of the kids in the drugstore this morning and they put me through to the detectives real fast," Danny said. "I told this detective named Bradley that I knew the guys who tried to rob the store and where they lived. I said the third guy had escaped and they had better hurry if they wanted to catch him."
"You implicated Lamont? That was clever, you think they bought it?" Charlie asked.
"I could hear him telling someone to scramble a couple of squads over to the Noble as were talking. Then he tried to get me to tell him where I was. I told him I wasn't turning myself in and that if he wanted to know why he'd get the answer at the Noble Apartments, Suite 302. Then I hung up."
"Wait until they see those movies," Brad said.
"Well, you're in a couple of them too," Danny said.
"Time to leave town boys. Say good-bye to Miami."
Brad hurriedly packed their things and checked the bathroom for any signs of blood. They left the key on top of the television and loaded the car. Charlie hobbled outside and eased himself behind the wheel. The aspirin had done little to ease the pain but his leg didn't burn anymore.
"Damn," Charlie said," And we didn't even get to see the beach."
"Maybe next time," Brad said, "Let's go home, Charlie."
Charlie drove out onto the Interstate and headed north. He settled in the outside lane and punched the cruse control for a steady sixty miles an hour. Without having to use his good leg Charlie was able to move around and find different positions to keep pressure off the wounded leg.
The boys sat up front with Charlie and talked continuously. Danny told them all about his trip to Miami and all the crap that had been happening. Lamont had made two further films and then had started loaning Danny and the other boy out to his friends. There was nothing Danny could do because either Alan or Frank went with him and if he didn't cooperate they promised him a beating.
"What do you think will happen to them?" Danny asked.
"For now I think they'll stay in jail on the weapons charges. Lamont probably has a good lawyer but I doubt he'll get to walk if they find those movies. Might be a while before those three see the street again.
"Cops are going to take a while to figure out what happened in the store but I'm sure Lamont won't help them in any way. I don't think the store security video will help them much either. Things got pretty confusing in there once the smoke filled the room."
"That was smart, Charlie. Damn near gave me a heart attack," Danny said.
"Brad, you acted like a real soldier in that fight. I'm proud of you," Charlie said.
"At least I didn't piss my pants," Brad laughed.
"You were out of the building before the shooting started. That's when things really start getting confusing," Charlie said.
"How's the leg?" Brad asked.
"It still burns but I think that's the antiseptic doing its job. I'll live," Charlie said. "Suppose I should teach you to drive, don't you think?"
"Might be a good idea," Brad agreed.
The miles seemed to go by slower on the way back north. It was dark by the time they finally reached Jacksonville. The boys were tired and so was Charlie. A hundred and sixteen miles and they would be home. There was something about finally being able to sleep in his own bed that drew Charlie on. Danny finally crapped out in the back seat.
Brad seemed to realize that someone had to stay awake and keep Charlie company. He slid over and put a hand on Charlie's thigh.
"You, ok?" Brad asked.
"I never felt better," Charlie smiled.
"Me too. I was just thinking about what we did. It was foolish and crazy but it turned out all right."
"It was something that had to be done and not just for Danny. I felt like we needed to do this together for a couple of reasons. You were so worried about Danny that if we didn't rescue him it would become impossible for you accept me in his place. Soldiers bond when they're under pressure and I think we have too because of what we did."
"You led a successful mission and none of us got hurt, is that part of it?" Brad asked.
So young and yet so aware, Charlie thought. "That's a part of it."
"And am I the other part?"
"Yes, very much a part," Charlie said. "I feel like I had to prove myself to you, Brad. Maybe it's because all the other men in your life failed to earn your trust. I think that's why you found it so easy to lie to me."
"I love you Charlie, I can't lie to you anymore."
"And I need to be worthy of that love, don't you think?"
"You are, Charlie, you are."
Brad laid his head on Charlie's shoulder and smiled.
It was almost midnight when Charlie pulled the Caddy into the lane at Stony Creek. Brad woke Danny and the two of them helped Charlie climb the stairs to his bedroom. Brad showed Danny the bathroom and put him to sleep in the bedroom across the hall before joining Charlie.
"Are you sure I should sleep with you? What about your leg?" Brad asked.
"I'm pretty sure I won't be able to sleep much anyway. I'm going to call the Doc first thing tomorrow and see if he can come here. I don't think I want to drive up to the hospital just yet," Charlie said.
Brad pulled back the sheets and helped Charlie undress. "I feel like a cripple," Charlie said.
"All I see is a wounded soldier, and a brave one at that," Brad said, shucking his clothes and crawling in under the sheets. "Sleep, Charlie, you'll feel better tomorrow."
Charlie didn't think it possible but he was really exhausted. He was out in moments and didn't even feel Brad kiss his cheek before the boy succumbed to his own exhaustion.
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