Diamond in the Rough

The backyard of the triple decker house is busy with comings and goings. Reek from the barbecue taints the air, sausage, hamburgers and ribs. Jem and Doug are sitting on the porch steps while Gloansy flips burgers, his long term girlfriend and their kid sitting at the bench with Krista and Shyne. Des pushes through the back door with a case of beer, which Jem takes and puts into the bucket of ice underneath the window. Everyone is relaxed, eating, drinking and laughing without so much as a care in the world.

The shutter of a camera clicks.

Behind tinted windows, Agent Adam Frawley and his partner, Dino watch the scene in the Coughlin backyard. Dino snaps pictures of the four men and everyone there as Frawley looks through heavy binoculars.

"Desmond Elden. Systems tech at comcast"

Dino takes more photos, one of Jem saying something to his kid sister.

"James Coughlin. Killed a guy for no apparent reason, at least nothing we know about. Served nine in Walpole. Dad was murdered on the streets, possible gang connections. Mom died of Aids and left this three storey banger to her two kids. He's your prototype townie; lifer,killer, shithead. These guys plan and execute with sophistication which isn't Coughlin. He's hot headed and has no discipline. I think his best buddy, Doug MacRay is the planner"

***

A kid in sweats jumps over the back fence, panting and sweating. Doug, Jem and Gloansy automatically surround the kid and ask him what's the problem. They were giving him two hundred bucks for watching their backs and like a soldier in the making, the kid did what was asked of him.

"Tinted windows on a car down the street. Windows are black as fuck with an antenna on the roof"

Doug and Jem share a knowing look.
"You did good, kid. Here" Jem hands the kid some bills, some extra for sticking his neck out and tells him to go eat.

"Jesus fuck" Jem curses.

"Now what do we do?" Gloansy asks, looking over at Janine and his kid.

"Got to be the fuckin bank manager" Jem adds.

"Yeah, and what did she say that there were four of us?" Doug says.

"Maybe we pushed the phone thing too hard" Des says with a nervous roaming eye.

"We gotta bench this other thing" Doug takes a long drink of his sofa.

"That's right. They think we're goin dark now and we go over the top" Jem says, drinking his beer.

"It's not ready yet, but it will be. Just give me some time and I'll tell you when. After today we don't be seen together unless we can help it"

They agree and continue to enjoy their day.