Part 2 – Kenny Sullivan

  Chapter Fourteen – Ugly Hat.

  Jerome sat and sipped coffee. The table was by the plate glass window. The name of the restaurant, written on an arch, was behind him. It was backwards. He had read it from the street and wrote it in the margin when he sat down. He had picked this table before he came in. It was on the left side of the door. This would give him better access to anyone coming or going. It was the expedient choice.

  When he came in, there were five people in the room, other than the staff and himself. He had surmised that there was a cook in a dishwasher in the back. The young lady who exited the kitchen may have been thirty years old at the oldest. She seemed to be acting as waitress, server and bartender. Her dark eyes, nearly black, stood out as her strongest feature. Her hair was tied at the base of her neck. Her brunette ponytail laid on the center of her back. She wore khaki pants and a pullover shirt. The uniform of this place. It was early afternoon.

  The couple were in their fifties. They had pastries and coffee at a dark table by the bar. They had leaned over the candle and spoke quietly. They had just walked out, casually touching their hands. He guessed that they would end up in a hotel room eventually.

  This left three people in the restaurant. The two guys were sitting at the bar. They were drinking beer and staring into the glasses. One was a light-haired guy who just ordered “whatever” beer on tap. The other man was two chairs away. He wore a jersey. It was probably the Boston Bruins. They didn't seem to have noticed each other. In fact, they didn't seem to care about anything except the beer.

  And then there was the big guy. He was sitting across the room. He had curly brown hair and a long curly beard. He sat near the double doors where the orders came out. He had just finished French fries, baked beans and a lobster roll. He was currently sipping on a Samuel Adams. On the table was one of the ugliest hats Jerome had ever seen. Resting near the hat was one enormous hand. He had just handed the server the menu and ordered chowder. His other hand was just as big.

  Jerome blinked and thought about ordering another pastry. None of these people were of any particular interest to him. He wasn't here for them. He was here for one particularly mean thief. He had been instructed to let him pass. He would follow the man. If the man came this far, it was because Kenny let him. Kenny would have a reason.

  The exit door to the kitchen swung out. The server carried a tray with chowder, crackers, and a beer. Jerome lifted the puzzle book. He scratched lines in the margin of the crossword puzzle. Hidden behind his book, he scanned the room. Without warning, the sound of plates crashing and utensils scattering came from the kitchen. His attention was drawn to the double doors used by the servers.

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  There he was. The thief had pushed his way through the double doors. Then his progress stopped. An urgent dance to get around the server began. The thief was neither graceful nor quick. It did not matter which way she turned. He was there to hinder her advance. She would go right, and he was there. She would go left, only to find him once more. This continued as his frustration grew. Finally, he pushed her aside. The room filled with his vulgar expressions and obscene gestures directed at the server. He did not care that she crashed into a table. Nor did he care that both her and the table slid to the ground. His focus was escaping this room. Only his freedom was important. He was the center of his world.

  Jerome instantly knew who the troublemaker was. He also knew his plans had changed.

  A small patch of red pooled by the server's left hand. Waves of agony, anger and shock flowed across her face.

  Jerome knew he was going to act.

  The big man spoke with a calm force. “One of you help the lady. I've got this guy. He ain't going nowhere.”

  Jerome moved to help the server. It was all he could do. He knelt and surveyed her wound. “We'll need to wash it and bandage it. But I think you'll be OK. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

  The dark eyed brunette blinked. A moment later, she slowly shook her head.

  The other two men sat with their mouths open. All three men marveled at how fast the big man had moved. In an instant, he cleared the table and grabbed the intruder. He quickly twisted him up like he was tying a knot or making pretzels. The thief ended up on his knees. His feet tucked under a chair with one arm behind his back. His other arm flailed uselessly. The big man sat on the chair with one giant hand pressing down on the man's head. The chair was on top of the man.

  In one motion, the big man released the man's head and pulled two plastic strips. He zipped tied the man's hands and feet and forced a man face down on the floor. The jovial expression never left the big man's face. He spoke as he stood, “Stay right there and don't move or I'm going to have to hurt you.”

  Jerome blinked.

  The big man stepped over the thief, then he knelt by the server. His smile was full of sincerity and warmth as he said, “Don't worry, he can't do nothing else. I got him all tied up.”

  In a commanding voice, Jerome spoke. He pointed towards a man at the bar and gestured towards the double doors. “Hey, you beer drinker, go see if the cook’s alright.”

  The man wearing the jersey peaked through double doors. Then, he disappeared behind them. A moment later, he returned with the cook. The cook was a thin gray man with very little hair. There was no blood visible, but he held a towel to his temple.

  “Is this everybody?” Jerome asked.

  The cook nodded.

  The server compressed her hand with a wad of paper towels.

  Jerome watched. He spoke directly to the big man. “Alright, we're going to need to call the police... in a moment. But first, you have zip ties? Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

  The big man replied, “Eating some chowder. But now, I have something else to do.”

  Jerome’s eyes followed him.

  He paid for his meal and a sizable tip in cash. He smiled at the server and said, “I hope everything works out for you. You will find this guy outside your back door. Can you give me a minute before you call the police?” He knew it really didn’t matter.

  She returned a weak smile and nodded.

  The big man lifted the thug off the ground.