Chapter 24

Jerry couldn't believe he was doing this. The game was over; the kids were all gone home. But, when he'd seen Ray heading across the field past one of the older maintenance buildings, he couldn't resist the urge. He had to follow. He waited until Ray disappeared out of sight behind the faded yellow structure, took a quick surreptitious look around then strolled casually after him.

By the time he reached the thick grasses alongside the building, his heart was in his throat. He prayed that the sounds of the breeze and background noises of the park would cover the sounds of his movement. The ground sloped downward suddenly, and he nearly tripped, ending in a crouched position amid the tall grasses.

In that moment, it occurred to him just how stupid this was. He shouldn't be hear at all. What was he going to do if he got caught? There were two drug dealers inside the building and lots of tall, tall grass on the other side. They could throw his body in there and no one would ever find him. The smart thing for him to do was to get out of there and let the justice system do its thing.

Raised voices from opposite side of the wooden structure dragged him sharply out of his deliberations. Curiosity edged in – what were they arguing about? Perhaps there was trouble in gangster paradise. He leaned in closer, trying to understand that events that were unfolding on the other side.

But the voices lowered, tantalizingly out of his range of hearing. He crept forward, nearer to where he thought the door might be, and settled as low as he could in the grass. Still the voices were too muffled. If he could hear just a little bit of what was going on, then he'd leave, go back and called Steven and let him handle it from there. He just needed something . . . .

His eyes took in the area about him and caught on the big cement cylinder sitting out in the tall grass across and to one side of the building. The faded logo of New Haven's water company were emblazoned near its top. Easily big enough for him to hide behind, and considering its location, he should be able to get to it without getting caught – he hoped. From that vantage point he should be able to get what he wanted.

He felt more confident now that he had a plan. So how come his legs wouldn't move? He looked down at them, urging them to go. But they were just as scared as the rest of him. He really wasn't cut out for spying it seemed. He should just turn himself around and go back to the park and hope that Ray Santucci found something else to do next summer.

All he had to do was run.

He thought of Kim. She had every intention of coaching next season, and so did he. The kids needed to be safe – he needed to get the word out that Ray was no one who should be anywhere near a position of influence around kids.

He pushed his worries aside, counted to three and then sprang.

*

Kim squinted toward the fading horizon. For just a moment she thought she'd seen a familiar profile drop out of sight. She frowned. That couldn't possibly have been Jerry. What would he being doing out near a bunch of old buildings?

Dismissing the idea, she turned away from the old building and again focused on the parking lot. There were still a fair number of people around, and she scrutinized everyone of them, but none were Jerry. Where was he?

She turned reluctantly back toward the old buildings, heaved a sigh and set off across the grass.

*

Jerry skidded to a halt behind the huge cement cylinder. He leaned his back into it, trying both to catch his breath and listen for signs that he might have been noticed. His breathing had mostly calmed, and he was preparing to hazard a look around the stone barrier when he caught the unmistakable sounds of someone moving through the grass.

He froze just inches short of revealing himself.

The movement continued, steps through the tall grasses, not even attempting at stealth.

"Jerry?" Kim's voice reached his ears, kicking his heart rate into overdrive.

On cue, the voices inside the building stopped. A thick stillness seemed to hang in the air, waiting as if for someone to make a move.

It was the footsteps. Kim's footsteps. A few tentative motions, and then they retreated much more quickly than they'd approached.

Gradually the voices began again, much more quietly this time, defeating all of Jerry's efforts to discover what they were talking about. He almost groaned at the irony of it all.

And then suddenly, they came out of the maintenance building. They were just on the other side of the cylinder. So close. Too close.

"What's she doing back here?" The man who seemed to wear the ever-present track suit asked, an underlying edge of menace to his tone.

"Who knows," Ray's voice sounded dismissively. "She's gone now, and I don't think she heard anything."

"You hope she didn't hear anything," Track Suit shot back.

"Look, she probably got confused and couldn't find the little girl's room," Ray offered with a snicker. "She isn't exactly the smartest fry in the pack. Fine though. Can't imagine what she sees in pretty boy."

Jerry bristled as the two men traded laughter.

"Who understands females anyway? As long as they take care of business that's all that matters. And speaking of business. This here is a big deal. Tonight's the night and we can't have anything to mess it up."

"You make sure Tito and the boys are here at midnight and everything will be just fine." That from Ray.

"They'll be here. Don't you worry. Nothing's going to stop me from getting my pay day."

No further words were heard from the two men, and Jerry remained still as the sound of movement faded into the distance. As he waited, a plan began to develop in his mind. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

A small sound reached his ears, halting all thought of plans. The voice that followed sent a spiral fear through him.

"Yo, Tito, man. We've got a problem."

Chapter 25