1973
Grizz was lying on the bed in number seven, Willow on top of him, when Chowder banged on the door and finally just walked in.
“I kept walking by number four and hearing your phone ring,” Chowder said, hands up in apology. “I finally went in and answered it. Guido needs to talk to you.”
He left the room and Grizz flung Willow off of him. If Guido was calling the motel, it was because of Ginny.
He pulled his jeans on and quickly but calmly walked back to his room and picked up the telephone receiver lying on the kitchen counter.
“What?”
“Just thought you might want to know there’s a cop car parked in front of the house next door. Two cops went in.”
“Is it the parents? They fighting or something?”
“Don’t know. Haven’t heard them or anything. Never seemed to have that kind of problem before.”
“You think they caught whiff of the mom’s side business?”
“Can’t say, boss. All seems quiet. They didn’t show up with sirens on or guns drawn or anything like that.”
“Watch the house. Call me when they leave.”
“You got it, Grizz.”
They hung up. Grizz stood next to the phone for a minute, lost in thought. He felt arms tighten around his waist from behind.
“C’mon back to number seven, darlin’. Or let’s go in your bedroom and finish what we started.” Willow was trying to unzip his jeans.
He couldn’t think. He couldn’t concentrate. He certainly was no longer in the mood to get it on with Willow. He yanked her roughly around to face him.
“Get the fuck out.”
She pouted. “C’mon baby. I don’t know what upset you so bad, but I know I can get your mind off it.”
He stared at her for a few seconds and relented. He grabbed her by the shoulders and roughly shoved her to her knees in front of him. She started to object as he unzipped his jeans all the way, then forced her face between his legs, but something in his expression stopped her.
He leaned back against the kitchen counter and closed his eyes, letting it happen. When she’d finished, Willow stood up to lean into him, hoping for a kiss, especially a kiss, or any type of gesture.
What she got was a snub. “Now you can get the fuck out.”
Ten minutes later, his phone rang. He listened to Guido, hung up without comment, and dialed another number.
“It’s me. There was a call to an address on Southwest 23rd Avenue. Cops were there about twenty, maybe thirty minutes ago. What do you know?” He listened as the person on the other end of the line talked.
He hung up. Fuck, man. What had Ginny gotten herself involved in?
Two months passed. Late one night, a small group was sitting around the pit. It was almost midnight and Grunt was getting ready to go inside. A car pulled into the motel and parked in front of the units. Before the owner had cut the engine, Grizz stood and started walking towards the car.
Grunt knew the car, too—it belonged to Ginny’s neighbor, Guido.
Grunt could never remember one instance of Guido being at the motel. Why was he here now? Grunt jumped up and followed Grizz at a distance.
“Why are you here?” Grizz demanded, fists clenched. “Is she okay?”
“Calm down, big guy, she’s—” Before Guido could finish his sentence, Grizz had instinctively grabbed him by the throat, his anxiety at Guido’s presence evident.
So this was about Ginny. Grunt felt an immediate stab of fear, but he quickly steadied himself. He also knew they wouldn’t learn anything if Grizz continued to hold Guido by the throat.
“Grizz, let him go,” Grunt calmly said. “Let him tell you what’s going on.”
Grizz let go of him as quickly as he’d grabbed him.
“She’s fine,” Guido gulped. “But it’s a good thing I got to her when I did.”
Then he explained everything: how he’d been sitting on his front porch smoking a joint when some guy pulled up and parked partially on his lawn. Walked right up to Ginny’s house and knocked on the door. Guido had been shocked when she’d let him in the house. She was a smart girl and he knew her parents weren’t there. Something wasn’t right.
Guido walked over to the front of her house and peered inside one of the windows that flanked the front door. Good thing he did. The guy had Ginny pinned to the floor. He was holding her hands over her head with one hand and was using his other hand to alternately try and cover her mouth while trying to undo his jeans. Guido tried the doorknob. The deadbolt was in place. That bastard must have locked it behind him when Ginny let him in. That’s when Guido started beating on the door, threatening to call the police. The man jumped off of her and went out the back sliding glass doors. Ginny got herself up and ran to let Guido in. He started to chase the guy out the back doors, but stopped when he noticed the kitchen wall that used to have a phone mounted on it. The guy must have yanked it off on his way out. Guido told Ginny to use the phone at his house to call the police. That’s when they heard the truck engine start and the guy take off.
“She wouldn’t leave the house to call the police,” Guido sputtered, keeping a safe distance from Grizz. “Kept insisting she had to wait for her parents to get home. So I hightailed it back to my place, called Smitty’s, and told them to get their asses home. I’ve been calling you, too. Figured it was important enough for me to drive out here.”
“I want to know who this guy is and I want to know before dawn,” Grizz growled.
“Already know who he is,” Guido replied. “Johnny Tillman. Knew the girl’s parents from Smitty’s.”
Grizz squinted in concentration. He’d never heard the name before.
“Did the police show up and make a report?”
Guido nodded.
“Come inside.”
Guido and Grunt followed Grizz into number four. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
“It’s me. An assault or attempted rape report was made in the last few hours. What do you know?” After a few minutes Grizz said, “You will find him and bring him to me.” Another pause. “I don’t care if someone else picks him up. You figure out a fucking way to intervene and get him. You can say later that he got away from you.” Another pause. “Are you questioning me? What the fuck do I care about your reputation? You will find this bastard and you will make sure he is delivered to me. I’ll let you know if my guys find him first.”
Without waiting for a reply, Grizz hung up.
They wordlessly followed him back out to the pit. There were about five or six guys lounging in flimsy lawn chairs around a dying fire. It was getting late and people were getting ready to go home or crash in one of the old rooms. A plump blonde was sitting on Blue’s lap and whispering something in his ear.
“Listen up,” Grizz announced, his voice loud in the quiet night. “There is a man out there I want brought to me. Guido will tell you what he looks like and what he’s driving.” He nodded at Blue. “Blue will organize it so that you cover every possible street. Start with a two-mile grid beginning with Smitty’s on Davie Boulevard.”
Blue jumped up and the blonde fell to the ground giggling.
Grizz looked at the girl directly. “Tiny, make yourself useful for once. Use Chowder’s phone and make some calls. Tell them what I just told everyone.”
Without waiting for a reply he turned and walked back toward the motel, calling over his shoulder, “No one comes back here unless that fucker is on the back of someone’s bike.”