“I filmed it,” Gus said. “He heard his rights read to him in front of witnesses, and on video.”
“Thanks Gus. Your refusing to acknowledge your rights isn’t a problem anyway. I don’t have any questions for you. Mr. McCarty, I’m sure, will be glad to give us a copy of your assault, and press charges at the station, right Mr. McCarty?”
“The moment I reach home with my dog and Gus, I will get in my vehicle and drive to the station,” Nick stated.
“You will pay for this affront!” Rashidi began a screaming tantrum, which Gus continued to film, while the police loaded the men into the squad cars for transport.
“I don’t think he likes you, Nick. I admit it. I don’t mind this particular arrest at all. Rashidi really screwed the pooch returning to the school. I don’t know for how long, but he’s going to jail.”
“I will testify. I guarantee you that, and I have solid witnesses from yesterday too.”
“What I think will happen is the DA will offer them deals after Rashidi cools down, and his lawyer explains he isn’t in Tehran under Sharia Law.”
“They’re pushing for it,” Nick replied. “It’s getting so we’re not allowed to be Americans in America anymore. We have to remove our flags, piss on the Constitution, and allow Islamist assholes to enslave their own wives and daughters right here in America as if they were still in an Afghan cave. When Sharia Law becomes our law, I’ll be dead, and every bullet I can get my hands on will have been fired.”
“And I’ll be dead next to him,” Gus added.
“Save me a spot, guys,” Dickerson agreed. “See you at the station, Nick. I think there were some suits getting ready to visit your house anyway on the Formsby matter. You’ll save everyone some time coming down to the station.”
“I’ll be there. Thanks for showing so quickly today, Neil.”
“It was my pleasure as it turned out.”
After the police left, Nick, Gus, and Deke restarted their journey home. “Rachel will love this new twist in the simple school walk.”
“I bet she’ll start making you drive Jean to school pretty soon,” Gus replied. “After the last couple days, I’d be willing to entertain the idea if I were you.”
“Deke loves his morning walk to school with Jean. If I have to kill a few people to make it less of a trial, so be it.”
“Speaking of killing a few people, when are you letting Tim and Grace in on the wonderful plan you want them involved in?”
“Tonight if they’ll come down here,” Nick answered. “I’ll call them after I get back from the station and bring Jean home.”
“I hope you can get a couple hours sleep in there somewhere. I know I plan to.”
“The Rashidi mess fired me up. I’m surprised the press didn’t follow him and his gang. That in itself is a bit disturbing. You don’t suppose they wanted to keep my possible beating off the news, do you, Payaso?”
“The fact they were haunting the school makes me wonder about their sudden disinterest when we were followed,” Gus admitted. “Nothing those jackals do surprises me though. You’ve made them look bad many times, amigo. If they had followed, you would have been blamed in some weird way, only the venerable fifth estate could fathom. I like this outcome. You didn’t have to shoot anyone in the head, but that was a nice beat down you put on the Rasidi brother. Do you think they’re going to survive this continuing escalation against the dreaded El Muerto?”
“Only time will tell, but if I have to hear that Rashidi voice one more time, I may be forced to make an adjustment. I hope to serve anything like that cold though. I have too many hot irons in the fire right now. We have a couple of big cases in the North. I don’t want to get bogged down here, and miss a window of opportunity to play El Muerto.”
“I will be cursed for all time in creating that comic book reference to compare you with,” Gus admitted. “I hope your continued games involving us as the ‘Unholy Trio’ doesn’t backfire with you ending your days in a prison cell.”
“Not happening, Gus.”
“Why not? What the hell could you do about it, chomp a suicide pill in your teeth?”
“I could, but I won’t have to. I’m protected. When the government finds a killer, they don’t let him go to prison unless he kills the wrong people, like a Senator. Now that adjustment in the congressional population might have put me over the top into liability land. Since I was already on an NSA hit list thanks to Frank Richert at the time, it didn’t much matter. If I get taken into custody wiping out an Isis clan, or doing surgery on the Seattle Ripper, they’ll grab me from the locals, and stick me in a military prison. From there, after a few months, I’ll be quietly released into a new identity. That would be the death knell for my writing career, but I’d go to work somewhere else with Rachel and Jean. Damn! I’d sure miss Pacific Grove though. It would be years before I could move into the area again.”