This is Gonna Require a Little Finesse
Chapter 2
I pulled up at the cemetery and stretched my lengthy legs.
Right on time.
I closed my car door and saw Jerry getting out of his. "Hey, stranger." I said with a weak smile.
"Glad to see you made it." Jerry responded pulling me into a brotherly hug, I kissed him quickly on the cheek.
"No kids with you?" I asked while looking around.
"Nah, I didn't want to drag them out here." He said as we walked to the casket.
I walked over and touched Evie's casket, I started to cry softly. Being here at the cemetery really meant she was gone, she wasn't coming back. I glanced around for an open seat and found one... next to him and my heart skipped a beat.
He was sitting there with his head bowed, elbows on his knees; I could see his shoulders shake a little-- he was crying. I sank into the seat next to Jack, "How you holding up, J?" I asked. I couldn't think of anything else to say, my mind was blank and my body was numb.
At first I wasn't sure if he'd even heard me. After what seemed like an hour he shrugged in response and looked up into my eyes. "Glad you could come, Kari." He whispered. Damn it Jack, don't look at me like that!
I opened my mouth to say something when I was interrupted.
"Hey, Legs is that you?" a voice called from behind. I leaned over the back of my chair and easily spotted Bobby standing with his hands in the pockets of his brown leather jacket.
"Bobby!" I exclaimed happily. I dashed over to him, he greeted me with a spinning hug and a little kiss on the forehead. "Good to see you're not locked up." I smirked.
"Yea, good to see you're not knocked up." He said with a smirk of his own, as mine faded away rather quickly. I punched him in the arm, harder than he expected. But he just laughed and put a hand on the top of my head.
"Hey, Jackie." Bobby said looking to my left. "You alright?" he asked.
Jack nodded.
"You sure?" Bobby asked skeptically.
Another silent nod.
"Come here." Bobby said and hugged his little brother.
((Green and Fowler's P.O.V.))
"That's Bobby Mercer. Heavyweight champion, fuck-up of the family. And that's a well-defended title. Would've made his daddy proud if he had ever had one. I used to know him a little. Played hockey with the boy. Got thrown out of 60-odd games before the league finally had enough of him. They called him the 'Michigan Mauler'." Lt. Green commented as he and his partner, Fowler, pulled up the street that Jerry now lived on.
"Who's the kid?" Detective Fowler asked.
He chuckled. "Oh, that's Jack. He's the youngest. First-class fuck-up, third-class rock star."
"He don't look like trouble." Fowler said a little confused.
"He's a Mercer, don't let him fool you." Green grumbled as they pulled up outside the house on the other side of the street.
"And the girl? I thought you said it was just the Mercer brothers." Fowler muttered skeptically. While giving the girl with brown hair a once over. "And there's no way that she's really a guy with a sex change."
Green laughed a little, "That's Kari Molloy. She lived next door to the Mercer boys, her dad is always in and outta jail; and her mom is a known drug addict. She spent most of her time at Evelyn's. Keep an eye on her too, she's their unofficial little sister and she follows orders. When they know they're being watched they get Kari to do their dirty work, although most of the shit on her record is her own doing." Green finished as he and Fowler walked into Jerry's backyard.
Kari was sitting on the front steps outside the house and Bobby and Jack had been talking with Amelia and Daniela when the two girls ran into the house.
((Karis P.O.V.))
Green and a new detective I recognized from the paper, Fowler was his name, walked up to my group as Jerry stepped past me and stood with Jack and Bobby.
"You been keeping straight Bobby?" Green asked.
"Straight-ish." Bobby said waving his hand in the air.
"Jack." a nod at Jack
"Green." a nod in return to Green.
"How you doing, girl?" Green asked looking past the guys at me.
I smiled innocently, "Fine, kept my nose clean for the past two months!" I said as though it were a casual thing for people to be in jail. "...mostly..." I murmured under my breath. Jack heard me and covered his laugh with a soft cough.
Green turned to Jerry, "Sorry about your mom, brother. Give me some love."
We all headed inside, the guys stopped in the living room but I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a soda. When I walked back in Bobby must have said something about the cops not looking for whoever killed Evelyn.
"Yeah, be easy, Bobby. We got these punks." Green said in a watch-where-you're-headed tone. "Kid playing basketball across the street witnessed two gang-bangers run in there, shooting up the place."
"Come on, Green. I used to make a good living around here," Bobby stated, "because cops like you guys couldn't find tits in a strip joint."
Bobby hasn't changed at all.
The two cops left soon after that. I hung out with Amelia and Daniela in the backyard. The last time I'd seen them they wouldn't stop crying, and now they wouldn't stop talking. They had a swing set with a slide and stuff, I smiled at the sight of it. From pavement to swing sets. Jerry's a good dad. I sat in one of the swings with Daniela on my lap and Amelia on the swing to the right.
Jack had been standing in the back door way watching me for a little while when he yelled: "Kari, we're heading back to the house; let's go!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm coming!" I called, while making no effort to get up.
"Let's go!" Jack yelled getting annoyed.
"Fine!" I whined and got up and half jogged to the door. "Dick." I mumbled passing Jack in the door way.
"What!?" Jack yelled and chased me out the front door. I grabbed Bobby's arm and hid behind him.
"What the hell's going on?" Bobby asked annoyed.
"Jackie's gonna hit me." I squealed not taking my eyes off Jack in case he lunged.
"This fairy...? I don't think so." Bobby said which earned him a punch in the arm from Jack.
I took the chance and dashed to my car and shut the door with a slam. I turned on the engine and rolled down the window, "Hey Bobby, I'll race you!" and booked it out of there.
Right on time.
I closed my car door and saw Jerry getting out of his. "Hey, stranger." I said with a weak smile.
"Glad to see you made it." Jerry responded pulling me into a brotherly hug, I kissed him quickly on the cheek.
"No kids with you?" I asked while looking around.
"Nah, I didn't want to drag them out here." He said as we walked to the casket.
I walked over and touched Evie's casket, I started to cry softly. Being here at the cemetery really meant she was gone, she wasn't coming back. I glanced around for an open seat and found one... next to him and my heart skipped a beat.
He was sitting there with his head bowed, elbows on his knees; I could see his shoulders shake a little-- he was crying. I sank into the seat next to Jack, "How you holding up, J?" I asked. I couldn't think of anything else to say, my mind was blank and my body was numb.
At first I wasn't sure if he'd even heard me. After what seemed like an hour he shrugged in response and looked up into my eyes. "Glad you could come, Kari." He whispered. Damn it Jack, don't look at me like that!
I opened my mouth to say something when I was interrupted.
"Hey, Legs is that you?" a voice called from behind. I leaned over the back of my chair and easily spotted Bobby standing with his hands in the pockets of his brown leather jacket.
"Bobby!" I exclaimed happily. I dashed over to him, he greeted me with a spinning hug and a little kiss on the forehead. "Good to see you're not locked up." I smirked.
"Yea, good to see you're not knocked up." He said with a smirk of his own, as mine faded away rather quickly. I punched him in the arm, harder than he expected. But he just laughed and put a hand on the top of my head.
"Hey, Jackie." Bobby said looking to my left. "You alright?" he asked.
Jack nodded.
"You sure?" Bobby asked skeptically.
Another silent nod.
"Come here." Bobby said and hugged his little brother.
((Green and Fowler's P.O.V.))
"That's Bobby Mercer. Heavyweight champion, fuck-up of the family. And that's a well-defended title. Would've made his daddy proud if he had ever had one. I used to know him a little. Played hockey with the boy. Got thrown out of 60-odd games before the league finally had enough of him. They called him the 'Michigan Mauler'." Lt. Green commented as he and his partner, Fowler, pulled up the street that Jerry now lived on.
"Who's the kid?" Detective Fowler asked.
He chuckled. "Oh, that's Jack. He's the youngest. First-class fuck-up, third-class rock star."
"He don't look like trouble." Fowler said a little confused.
"He's a Mercer, don't let him fool you." Green grumbled as they pulled up outside the house on the other side of the street.
"And the girl? I thought you said it was just the Mercer brothers." Fowler muttered skeptically. While giving the girl with brown hair a once over. "And there's no way that she's really a guy with a sex change."
Green laughed a little, "That's Kari Molloy. She lived next door to the Mercer boys, her dad is always in and outta jail; and her mom is a known drug addict. She spent most of her time at Evelyn's. Keep an eye on her too, she's their unofficial little sister and she follows orders. When they know they're being watched they get Kari to do their dirty work, although most of the shit on her record is her own doing." Green finished as he and Fowler walked into Jerry's backyard.
Kari was sitting on the front steps outside the house and Bobby and Jack had been talking with Amelia and Daniela when the two girls ran into the house.
((Karis P.O.V.))
Green and a new detective I recognized from the paper, Fowler was his name, walked up to my group as Jerry stepped past me and stood with Jack and Bobby.
"You been keeping straight Bobby?" Green asked.
"Straight-ish." Bobby said waving his hand in the air.
"Jack." a nod at Jack
"Green." a nod in return to Green.
"How you doing, girl?" Green asked looking past the guys at me.
I smiled innocently, "Fine, kept my nose clean for the past two months!" I said as though it were a casual thing for people to be in jail. "...mostly..." I murmured under my breath. Jack heard me and covered his laugh with a soft cough.
Green turned to Jerry, "Sorry about your mom, brother. Give me some love."
We all headed inside, the guys stopped in the living room but I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a soda. When I walked back in Bobby must have said something about the cops not looking for whoever killed Evelyn.
"Yeah, be easy, Bobby. We got these punks." Green said in a watch-where-you're-headed tone. "Kid playing basketball across the street witnessed two gang-bangers run in there, shooting up the place."
"Come on, Green. I used to make a good living around here," Bobby stated, "because cops like you guys couldn't find tits in a strip joint."
Bobby hasn't changed at all.
The two cops left soon after that. I hung out with Amelia and Daniela in the backyard. The last time I'd seen them they wouldn't stop crying, and now they wouldn't stop talking. They had a swing set with a slide and stuff, I smiled at the sight of it. From pavement to swing sets. Jerry's a good dad. I sat in one of the swings with Daniela on my lap and Amelia on the swing to the right.
Jack had been standing in the back door way watching me for a little while when he yelled: "Kari, we're heading back to the house; let's go!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm coming!" I called, while making no effort to get up.
"Let's go!" Jack yelled getting annoyed.
"Fine!" I whined and got up and half jogged to the door. "Dick." I mumbled passing Jack in the door way.
"What!?" Jack yelled and chased me out the front door. I grabbed Bobby's arm and hid behind him.
"What the hell's going on?" Bobby asked annoyed.
"Jackie's gonna hit me." I squealed not taking my eyes off Jack in case he lunged.
"This fairy...? I don't think so." Bobby said which earned him a punch in the arm from Jack.
I took the chance and dashed to my car and shut the door with a slam. I turned on the engine and rolled down the window, "Hey Bobby, I'll race you!" and booked it out of there.