Redwood Nine: Season 02 Ch. 06

"Wow, you look awesome, Babe. All you girls are knockouts. You guys, you did a great job on them, good stuff."

"Merci, tres bien, monsieur. I would be happy to do your hair, as well."

JT smiled embarrassingly and waved him off.

"I think we should get going girls. Piney, if you'd escort the girls and I'll escort Mar, we'll let Wayne lead the way and make sure we're clear. Ready out there, Wayne?"

"Yup, I'll head to the elevator and go down and send it back up. If it stops between floors on the way up, go back to the room pronto, remember?"

"Got it."

Wayne took the elevator down and then sent it up. It arrived without interruption, so they got on and headed down. They pressed the G button and the car began descending and JT felt Marlene's hand tighten on his arm. He put his hand over hers and rubbed it lightly. Marlene put her other one over and held him. The car stopped on the second floor and everyone went into a panic mode, waiting to see who was there. The doors opened to an older couple, who were shocked by the group, who looked in fear of their lives. When they saw it was okay, they sighed and relaxed, making the couple hesitant about getting on. Piney saw their worry and smiled.

"Sorry, thought you might have been someone else."

The man looked up at him, as they continued down.

"I hope we don't meet this person either, he sounds terrifying."

That almost had them laughing, as the car stopped and the doors opened. The couple went to exit the car and saw Wayne in front of them with his gun drawn. They became frightened and panicked, dashing back into the car and into the group, beginning to come out. Piney caught them and held them, sticking his face between theirs.

"It isn't him either, he's a good guy."

The couple looked at him and back to Unser, who put his gun away, then exited the car and went to the front desk, instead of the doors outside. The only words they could make out were about fear and guns and leaving, as they lambasted the desk manager. Unser went outside and checked to make sure and waved them out. The group surrounded Marlene and went out to the car. They put Marlene between the girls, while JT and Piney sat up front. Wayne motioned them to follow and they made their way to the funeral home. The short ride was over and the same procession walked inside around Marlene. Unser went to Lenny to make sure no strange people showed up and was told everyone checked out.

They entered the chapel and took their designated seats, while Wayne stood at the doors to watch everyone at once and still keep an eye on the entrance. Reverend Madock came from the back and stood at the pulpit at the head of Jake's coffin. He looked at the faces and warmly smiled at them, then a personal one to Unser at the rear, along with a small nod. He led them through the ceremony in his usual fashion, relying on his personal touches and the personal knowledge of his townspeople. Gus was asked to come and say a few words and they were surprised, those that had met him, to see him with false teeth and fairly well dressed. He showered his praise of character and strength that he said Jake had. He never took it to his shady side and left everyone with a good sense of the man and parts of his unknown life. Marlene went up and said much the same and showed the softer side of Jake and left many with tears. To everyone's surprise, Arthur Lowen went up and spoke.

His eulogy left the guys speechless, with how far back he had known him. He spoke of things that even surprised Marlene. As much as his rendition of Jake's life was far more complete, it left a lot of unanswered questions about Art, himself. JT went up and spoke the words that he and his brothers felt about Jake, adding how he himself felt like he had a father again. He expressed the love of his friends for Jake, as well as Marlene, then stifled a sob as he finished. With all words spoken, the service concluded and Rev. Madock bade them to raise the coffin and carry it out. JT and Piney were on either side at the front, while Art and Gus took the middle positions and Keith and Lenny took the rear. They raised it to their shoulders and paced out to the waiting hearse, in perfect step together. They lowered him and slid him into the back, hands kept with it, until it was secured in place.

The door closed and the guys went back in and escorted Marlene out to the limousine for her and several girls, making it more comfortable for the others to go to the cemetery. Two miles felt like two hundred, the distance to cover weighed down with sorrow and finality. The hearse slowed and stopped in front of the grave site area, the procession following suit. The pallbearers resumed their duties and carried Jake to the platform, laying him down gracefully. Gus winced a couple of times, showing some of the hard knocks in life that bothered him now. Marlene was brought from the car and was surrounded by twenty four friends, making Wayne smile in amusement at how seriously they took his warnings.

With no one's knowledge, three hundred yards away, lying on the roof of Ryan's Hardware store, was Clive Brock, a high powered hunting rifle resting on the frame of the sign, the telescopic sights trying to fix on the red haired head amongst the crowd.

Reverend Madock gave his final blessings, commending his body to the ground and his soul to heaven. Those that knew, were feeling his presence among them and some joined hands. As show of tribute to him, the crew took off their suit coats and displayed their cuts underneath. JT saw Art smile at the show and closed his eyes and gave them a nod. A corporal on home from leave, played the last call for him, bringing a finality to the service. The guests paid their last respects, by laying a flower on the coffin. Stan and Lorelei handed the mourners a flower and a memorial card as they passed. The guys waited until the end and helped Marlene rise and walk her to the coffin.

Clive wiped his forehead, the sweat beading up and dripping down into his eyes. He focused through the scope again, waiting for the one clear shot he needed. He watched the procession thin, one by one and saw the guys surrounding her, as she walked to the grave. Faint glimpses of a shot appeared and were lost, before he could pull the trigger. When Marlene went to place a flower on the coffin, a break between the bodies, gave him the opportunity he needed and he pulled the trigger in desperation.

Marlene kissed the flower, then bent forward to kiss the coffin, where Jake's face would be underneath the gleaming, walnut wood. As her lips touched the wood, the bullet splintered the top less than a foot past her head. JT pulled her back and covered her with his body, shielding her from another shot. Piney stood behind him, turned towards the angle the shot came from. His time in the war, had honed his skills at figuring where a shot was fired from, without the need for instrumentation. He looked at the line of stores and the signs above, along Grace Street, on the opposite side from the cemetery.

Unser had his gun drawn and looked where Piney was looking. From that distance, he had closer to a zero chance of hitting anyone, than anything else. Piney spotted movement over on the hardware roof and pointed it to Wayne. They scanned it for further signs, but nothing was seen. JT and the others had Marlene in the limo, then told the driver to stay put. He went back to Piney and the others, looking for any signs of trouble. Everything had gone back to the serenity of what it was earlier, lessening the threat, but the sight of the bright, blue Corvette turning the corner from Mission Rd., onto Grace St., caught Lenny's attention and discreetly pointed it out to Keith and Wally beside him.

Unser dashed back to his cruiser and radioed in what had happened, calling for back up to search the area, but the guys knew it was a waste of time, Brock was on his way out of town already and headed back to Palm Springs. JT climbed in with Marlene, who was crying and scared to death for her life. He sat across from her and she saw him, begging him to protect her. The girls moved so he could hold her and she buried herself into him, ruining her hair and make up. Unser came to the driver and told him to follow him to the hotel. He got in his cruiser and while radioing in, he started driving faster than normal through the cemetery grounds.

JT and the others hustled Marlene into the hotel, to surprised looks on the guests. They got her in her room and locked the door, while Unser stayed downstairs and talked to the manager about the situation and safety concerns for Marlene and the other guests. In her room, Marlene was catching her breath and trying to stop crying. She looked at the half dozen men and felt a sense of security from them, that allowed her to relax. Wally, Moon and Piney had quickly herded the girls into the cars and bus, heading to the farm and safety. In fifteen minutes, what had been a scene of frantic people and frenzied movements, had turned back to a calm, peaceful setting once again. Jake lay in his coffin atop the platform, still keeping him with the living, while a small bluebird landed on the golden, wood surface and investigated the flowers, now scattered about from the panic.

Marlene calmed down enough to start asking questions. With only the club members present, they told her it was Clive that did it and Lenny confirmed it by noting the blue Corvette leaving the scene. Marlene's fear returned, but also a look of anger mixed in.

"Fucking Gianni, that lying bastard. If he told him to do the hit, after we had made a deal, I'm as good as dead, you know that?"

"I don't think it was him, I think Clive was trying to clean up his own mess and save some face with him. Gianni didn't sound all that happy about him, so maybe we should call him and see what gives?"

"Make the call, JT and talk to him. I don't think I could do it right now."

JT dialled the number she gave him and waited for the other end to pick up. Benjy answered and JT announced who he was and who he was calling for and asked to speak to Gianni. He waited for almost five minutes, before he heard a click and he was off hold and heard Gianni's voice.

"You should have a very good reason to be calling this number, JT."

"Yes, I do, Gianni. I'm sitting here with Mar right now and she's unable to talk, because a fucking bullet just missed her head by inches not more than an hour ago. You want to tell her why that happened? She was under the impression we all had a deal and now this happens."

"What? What are you talking about? What hit?"

"We were at Jake's funeral and Marlene was laying a flower on the coffin, when a bullet just missed her head and went into Jake's coffin."

"I don't know nothing about that. I didn't order that hit. I told Mar we don't do hits on women, ever. This, I will look into, JT. Can I talk to Mar? Will she talk with me?"

"I'll ask her, hang on."

JT covered the mouthpiece for privacy and looked at Marlene, calmer now and agreed to talk.

"Okay, hang on, here she is."

"Gianni, please tell me you had nothing to do with this."

Gianni could hear the desperation in her voice and knew it wasn't a trick of some kind.

"Mar, I swear, I had no knowledge of this. I told your guy that and I will look into this myself. You should know me by now, Mar. If I say something to you, it's the truth. I said I would take care of you and I will, but not like this. Was this Clive? You got any proof of it?"

"A couple of the guys saw a light, blue Corvette leaving the scene just after and that's what Clive drives. It had to be him, unless someone used his car and tried to make it look like it was him. That's why I'm worried this might have been you and you're setting him up as the shooter."

"Trust me, Mar. This thing has not come from me. I assure you again, I did not order a hit on you and never will. Can I talk to your guy again?"

Marlene passed the phone back to JT.

"Yeah?"

"JT, listen to me carefully. I am a man of my word and when I say to you, I did not do this thing, you can take this as the truth. I did not put a hit on Mar and never will. Jake knew it and was a man of my own heart. He respected women they way I do, that's why we got along. Even all the cheating shit that went on between him and Mar, I turned a blind eye, because I knew he respected Mar, as much as loved her. I have no reason to want Mar dead and furthermore, I don't want her dead. I want her alive and well. She might have a problem with sharing beds, but she's a classy broad and knows the score. I trust her to do her part, just like she trusts me to do my part."

JT listened to Gianni and had to believe him and take him at his word. He made all the sense and divulging his knowledge of Jake's affair and stating he had no issues with it, made him agree that he wasn't the one who ordered the hit.

"So how do we handle this now, Gianni?"

"We go ahead as planned. Jimmy knows about this and my wishes for the outcome. The meet goes as planned and I want the same as you, JT. I want this issue dealt with and put to rest. I have a business to run and don't need interference like that, getting in the way,. You can understand that?"

"Yes, I do understand that. I'm in the same position and my business is suffering too, because that asshole is making my life miserable and everyone else's as well. I'll be here tomorrow to take the call and set this up. From myself and my club, I thank you for helping us out like this."

"I thank you as well, JT. This thing is making both our lives miserable and you take care of this thing like you say, I want to talk to you after and see if there's a way we can help each other out and make up for this mess that's happened."

"I'd like that, Gianni. You wish to speak to Mar again?"

"Yes, please."

Mar took the phone and sounded less stressed now, after eavesdropping on the conversation.

"I'm here, Gianni."

"Mar, Sweetheart. Are we good? You don't believe for a second it was me that did this thing, do you?"

"Not now, Gianni. You can understand why I did though, can't you?"

"Yeah, I can understand it. I'd probably be thinking the same thing myself. No, Darlin', you have no reason to fear me. Clive, that cocksucker, is dead. This was it. Even before, I felt maybe he was a little bit right, but now, the fucker dug his own grave, taking that shot. I gave him an order to leave you alone, period, that I'd handle it now. I'm really glad he's a fucking putz and can't shoot worth fuck. It would be a bad thing to see you hurt, Mar. A very bad thing."

Marlene knew by that, that a very bad thing would be considered a reason to go away permanently. Gianni liked to think of it as an underground vacation, one you never came back from. She felt better, knowing it was only her ex involved and not Gianni, going back on his word.

"Thank you, Gianni. Knowing that, it makes me feel a lot better. The guys can keep me safe and I have an officer watching me twenty four hours a day, So there's no way he'll get another chance. You have Jimmy call tomorrow and we'll get this thing resolved as fast as we can."

"I will, Mar. You take care of yourself, Sweetheart, okay?"

"I will, I'm in good hands. Thanks again, you're a wonderful man, Gianni. I really appreciate your help."

"My pleasure. Talk soon, Mar."

"Okay, bye for now, Honey."

Marlene finished with a couple of kisses to the phone and hung up. She sighed and smiled in relief, looking at the guys looking at her.

"Everything cool, Mar?"

"Yes, we're cool. I believe Gianni and this was all Clive. He must really be panicking about this, if he would go against Gianni's orders.

Only the staff of Dubrowski's and Charming Cemetery were present at the grave site the following day, after police had recovered the bullet from the coffin and the coffin maker did his best to make repairs to it. The flowers were gathered again and placed atop it, as the button was pushed to lower it into the ground. Rev. Madock felt it necessary to be there again, doing his best to erase the tragedy and bless the spirit of the man inside, to finally be at peace. Once lowered, the site was cleared and the shovels were thrust into the soil, filling the hole back in, one shovel full at a time.

The call came that same day, while JT sat beside Marlene on the couch. Her usual flirty self started the conversation and JT was glad she knew how to keep them on a happy note. She blew a couple of kisses into the phone and passed it to JT. Jimmy told him he would meet him and asked him where. JT said he would pick the city, which was Stockton and Jimmy could pick the place, making it fair to both. Jimmy was agreeable to the deal and said to sit tight, while he thought of a place there.

Five minutes passed and Jimmy said he'd take the meeting at a bar in south Stockton, in the Manteca area. The place was called the Nueva Luna Lounge and it was on W. Yosemite Avenue, between Maple and Main, on the north side. He gave a time of two pm and said to be there, or he'd cancel if he wasn't.

JT assured him they'd be there and confirmed that no guns would be present at the meet. Jimmy said there wouldn't be, but JT heard the way he said it and knew not to trust him on his word.

JT hung up and looked at Marlene, with a look of worried expectation. She knew what he was thinking and feeling, knowing he had committed himself and his club to go into harm's way.

"It'll be okay, JT. You have a good plan for back up and I don't think Jimmy is that stupid, to know he's been outmatched and doesn't know to back off. He wants to keep his image of being a tough guy and save face, but he's not suicidal, neither are his men. You're all about the same age, so figure that into it and you know these guys aren't that smart yet. Not like you, anyway. You're like Jake in that way, you know how to look ahead and see what could happen and prepare for it. The guys that have served, know how to do things in a situation like this, so I know you can be prepared for anything, but the others, I can see how little they know and what could happen."

"I know, Mar. We've all done our best to share what we know with them. I'm pretty sure if the time came, they'd do the same as us and shoot to kill."

Marlene wasn't as sure as JT was about it, knowing who they were up against, even with a no gun policy.

"You really think they can pull the trigger?"

"They know to squeeze, not pull, Mar."