No Good Deed...Part XXVIII

[Robbie C.]

Ricardo Tubbs was on the rooftop patio of Casa Cooper when he got word that Wiggins and Haskell were dead. Lester made the call, telling Rico he’d told Stan to get his fat ass home. “We let Castillo know,” he finished. “And I called Sonny just before you.”

Rico nodded even though he knew Lester couldn’t see him. “Solid. And you think it was Hector and his crew who pulled the trigger on those chumps?”

“None other. He went in before they did, and disappeared as soon as the shooting stopped and that smoke grenade went off.”

“Gotta give him that. Smart trick. Gets everyone runnin’ around like maniacs, every kinda unit in the world rolling, and no one’s thinking to look for a shooter ‘cause they’re afraid the place is burning down.” Rico had a thought. “No one took out the main pole, did they?”

Lester’s laugh was long. “No, I think Noogie’s still got his place of honor. I talked to a buddy on Miami-Dade and he said they found the burned-out grenade over by the third stage.”

“They got any idea…”

“Naw. Robbery gone bad. Mob hit on Haskell with Wiggins being collateral damage. They got no clue. Almost makes you feel bad for them.”

“Almost.” Rico’s voice left it plain he didn’t feel the least bad for Miami-Dade. “Thanks for letting me know.”

After hanging up the phone, he turned and looked out over the neon skyline of Miami, the street noises floating up through the humid air to fill his ears. He could feel the familiar weight of the Walther P88 on his right hip, and it brought its usual comfort.

“Who was on the phone?” Mindy stepped through the patio door, her body wrapped in a sheer green nothing. She caught him staring and giggled. “I figured I’d wear it before I get too big.”

“Pretty lady, you are beautiful in that. And always will be.” He drew her to him and kissed her. “And that was Lester who just called. Wiggins and Haskell both got whacked tonight. Looks like it was Hector and his crew.”

“Any idea why?” She looked up at him, her eyes bright.

“Lester didn’t say, but if I was guessin’ I’d say the lawyer chumps wanted to back out of the game and Hector wasn’t gonna let them. Miami-Dade’s playing it as a robbery gone wrong or some shit.”

“Typical.” She rested her head against his chest, and the floral scent of her perfume filled his nose. “Does this mean it’s over?”

“I don’t know. I’d like to think so, but Wiggins was after Sonny mostly, I think. That was where the bad blood was. This Hector? I got no clue what he’s about. Maybe he was just the hired help, an’ maybe there’s more to it than we know.”

“You busted him, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but he was just another chump goin’ to do time. Nothin’ special that I remember. And I was just cleanin’ up. Sonny set the table with him.”

“Something about it.” She looked up at him, and he could see the lines of her body though the green lace. “I don’t know. What are the chances of them hiring a guy to do their dirty work who you happened to put away?”

“In this town? Not as bad as you’d think.” He chuckled. “Sonny an’ I ruined more than a few days back when we were OCB. Lotsa dudes ended up doin’ time. Some of them held grudges when they got out, others just wanted to get on with their lives. This chump? He’s got money now. He might just fade into the street, doin’ his little deals and finally get blown away by some other dealer tryin’ to make a name for himself. Lotsa stories end that way around here.”

“I know.” She sighed and pressed herself against him. “And I’m ready to go inside if you are. But there’s just something…”

“Let it go, pretty lady. We actually won one without havin’ to get our hands dirty. I’d say that calls for a little celebration.”

 

“I thought you’d be happy.”

Sonny looked from the phone to Jenny. “I am, darlin’.”

“That’s not what your eyes say.”

“Oh, I’m glad Wiggins is dead. And the world’s a better place with Haskell pushing up daisies next to him. It’s this Hector that’s got me thinking. What’s his angle?” He waved his hand. “Yeah, I know he was hired help and all that. But he whacked the guys who were paying bills. Now what’s his game?”

“Has he contacted Ramona?”

“Not as far as I know. And I think Lester would burn the lines up with the news if he had. So she’s still in play.”

“He’s not finished, Sonny. Whatever it is he’s doing, he’s not done yet. And that means you and Rico are still in danger.”

“Why us?”

“He hasn’t looked at anyone else, has he? He’s been focused you or the House ever since he turned up.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out toward the water. “And he was looking for you before…at Sanctuary.”

“Yeah, he was. And that was before Wiggins and Haskell jumped into bed.” Sonny shrugged. “Tomorrow’s plenty of time to worry about him. Right now it just feels good to know the last asshole who tried to have Caitlin killed is dead. And in Rizzo’s no less. Goes against every classy bone in Wiggins’ body.”

“Did you hate him?”

“I don’t know, darlin’.” He paused, staring down at the deck. “I never thought about it, I guess. He took a shot and missed, and I helped put him away for it. At the time I was pissed at him, but I guess I didn’t hate him. Not like I hate Hackman.”

She nodded and walked around the wheel to sit beside him. “At least Stan can spend time with Gina now.”

“Yeah, there is that. Be nice if we could wrap Hector up with a bow for Miami-Dade, but I’m not gonna waste much effort on that. We’ll see if he tries to reach out to Ramona and go from there. If he doesn’t, I’d say he’s packed up his tent and moved on.”

“So long as you’re sure.” Her blue eyes were intense as she stared at him. “We need to be sure, Sonny.”

“We will be, darlin’. We will be.” He kissed her forehead, trying to push his worry back down in his chest. It was hard not to get spun up when Jenny got this way. “I’m gonna leave Stan and Lester on it for a couple more days, and maybe have Trudy reach out to her CI, Marco. See if there’s anything the streets know that we don’t. But I think Ramona’s the key. If he leaves her alone, he’s done. If he reaches out, he’s not.”

“You’re right. And I shouldn’t worry.” She paused, then smiled. He saw some of the fear slip from her eyes. “I need to talk to Angie tomorrow. We need to start planning for when Mindy and Gina go on maternity leave.”

“Rico an’ I talked about that earlier. It’s gonna be tough, but we’ll manage. We might be able to bring Trudy on full-time. And maybe you…”

“I’d love to help out.”

“Yeah, I know. We’ll figure it out once it gets closer. Schedules and all.” He turned away from the side of the boat and headed for the companionway. “I don’t know about you, but I got an early morning tomorrow.”

Sleep didn’t find Sonny often that night. He woke up once, when Jenny slipped out of the queen-sized berth and walked barefoot through the aft suite and to the companionway. He thought about following her topside, but from the light sounds of her footsteps on the deck she’d had one of her dreams. After that sleep never returned, even after she finally came back below and slipped into bed next to him.

It was like there was something in the air. A light charge like touching your tongue to the poles of a nine-volt battery. He’d done that a few times growing up, once on a dare from a cousin at some family get-together and later just to show how tough or cool he was. This felt like that, except it was all over his body and not just centered on the tip of his tongue. He laid there under the sheet, listening to Jenny’s measured breathing once she fell back to sleep. Watching the scenes behind his eyelids as the past replayed itself like an old movie running through a broken projector.

He’d thought he’d feel some kind of relief when Wiggins was killed, but instead there was nothing. Just a stuttering image of his face when he’d been arrested. Jimmy’s wild eyes jerked past, and he saw the image of Celeste dancing out by the pool at the Carrera mansion as if it was happening just in front of him but through mosquito netting. Then Ramona took her place, her young eyes wide and scared as Sonny told her how it would be if she didn’t help them. And behind it all was the grainy image of Hector Rendozo he’d gotten from Robbie’s security system. It was actually a relief when the sun started to stream red through the portholes and the alarm sounded its cry.

They’d tied up at the House dock, so it was a simple walk to work instead of a drive. Jenny was chipper as ever, but Sonny looked at the world through heavy eyes and a foggy mind two cups of coffee had done nothing to dispel. He nodded to Gina as he plodded through the outer offices. She smiled at Jenny and then turned to Sonny. “Long night, Crockett?”

“Kinda. Didn’t sleep very well. How did the girls do last night?”

“Good. Everyone’s settling back down, I think. With the cops gone most of them can pretend it didn’t happen.” She shook her head. “The doctors have two they’re spending extra time with, but they don’t think it set anyone back too much.”

“Good.” He turned to Jenny and touched her arm. “I think Jenny’s gonna shadow you some today. With you and Mindy going on maternity leave at the same time we gotta make some plans.”

“I told Sonny I wanted to help. And with fundraising season coming up…”

“Girl, it’s always fundraising season around here.” Gina grinned her big, sloppy grin. “But yeah, I could use the help. And you might have some new ideas, too. I feel like I’m getting in a rut with benefits with Trudy’s art, concerts, all that high-brow stuff.”

“We’ll see what we can do.” Jenny kissed Sonny quickly and then walked off with Gina, her voice getting faster as she started going through ideas.

Shaking his head, Sonny headed into his office and sank into the comfortable desk chair. He wanted to take another run at Ramona, or better yet have Rico do it, but he also knew it was too early in the day. She’d be in one of the early counseling sessions, and then some screening and maybe group before lunch. Firing up the computer, he tapped in his access code and pulled up her schedule. Maybe we can get her after lunch. Looks like there’s a gap…

 

They’d scattered just after the shooting, exactly as Hector had planned. He’d gone to bed with a smile on his face, picturing the shock on Wiggins’ smug face when the first shots boomed out. The black bag was under his bed. Later he’d shift the money someplace else. Someplace safer.

It was mid-morning before he ventured out, walking the half-hour it took to get to the little café where he’d told them to meet. The sun was warm on his shoulders, and he took his time getting there. It felt good to walk, and to pretend he had all the time in the world.

He got there just before eleven…a good ten minutes before he’d told them to meet him. Ignoring the tourists at the outside tables and the shifty older men toward the back, Hector picked a table close to the main door but away from the wide windows looking out over the patio and the street. It was a reasonable compromise, and he didn’t want the old hoods in the back getting nervous. When the waiter came by he ordered coffee and settled in to wait.

Ramon was actually the next to arrive, and he grinned when he saw Hector. “You know, this place has the best damned orange juice in town? No kidding.” He waved to the waiter and ordered a large. “And some pasteles. I haven’t eaten since last night.”

“You still up for this?” Hector leaned across the table, keeping his voice low. “I mean really up for this? ‘Cause I ain’t done yet. If you ain’t up, say so now an’ Jangles and I walk outa here.”

“Naw, man. I’m in. One hundred percent. If Cooper’s a cop like you say, he needs to go down.” He grinned. “An’ that looks good to the others, no?”

Hector nodded. “Ups our status we take out a cop. Even if he’s an ex-cop. Tubbs musta been good if he could get that close to Burnett. Good enough for the man to hire him now.” He thought about Wiggins’ story again and shook his head. It was one way to explain Cooper, but not everything Burnett did. Ain’t no cop can get away with all that.

Before Ramon could say anything else, Jangles came in and sat down with a sigh. “Long night, Hector.”

“Yeah, but our time’s come, mano.” He paused when the waiter came with Ramon’s damned orange juice and pastry. “They gonna get lazy now that Jimmy made his play an’ the two lawyers are dead. Leaves us a clear field.”

“What about Ramona?”

“Yeah. We gonna need her.” Hector sipped his coffee, letting the plan form in his mind. It wasn’t quite there yet, but he knew they’d need the girl. “You might reach out. See that she’s ok an’ let her know her work ain’t done.”

Jangles nodded. “What about the cash?”

“We do a split once Tubbs is dead. We’ll have to lie low for a bit afterwards, so you’ll have cash to do that. We all know cops chase harder when one of their own goes down, even if he’s retired or whatever.”

Ramon spoke up, his mouth full of puff pastry and cream cheese. “How we gonna do it? I can’t see us pullin’ a Jimmy or whatever and jumping that damned fence.”

“I’m workin’ it out. But no, we ain’t gonna jump no fence. Way I see it, we gotta draw him out somehow. Get him away from his people an’ all that. It’ll be harder now after all the noise, but maybe we get lucky an’ they’re all lazy thinkin’ things are done.”

“You think they’d know about us?”

Hector looked at Jangles for a moment. “Ain’t no way. None of us have been near the damned place, an’ none of us had a public fight with them like Jimmy an’ Wiggins did. No, as far as they know we’re just some dumb spics waiting to park the cars.” Hector grinned. “It’s gonna be fun proving them wrong. Only way we can lose is if Ramona gets caught.”

“She’s careful. I got her up on that shit, man. The phone gets hidden when she ain’t using it, an’ text is short an’ quiet. No roomie can overhear it.”

“But what if she starts calling her girlfriends or what the hell ever?”

“Ramon, man, the girl’s pure Little Havana. She knows the score.” Jangles chuckled. “An’ she thinks Hector will waste her if she fucks up.”

“Ain’t no think about it. I will waste the little puta if she screws this up.” Hector looked at his watch. “Jangles, you reach out an’ let her know we’re still in business. We meet here again tomorrow, only an hour later. If any of us don’t show, the rest assume the cops are involved an’ lay low. Got it?”

Jangles nodded, but Ramon chuckled around another mouthful of pastry and coffee. “Man, you watch too many of them spy movies, Hector. We got this.”

“You ain’t been inside, have you, Ramon? Naw. You’d be someone’s bitch still if you had been. We do it careful, none of us go inside. We get stupid, we go inside. And I ain’t doin’ that again. We clear?” He waited for Ramon to nod. “Good.” He tossed a twenty on the table. “Let ‘em keep the change.”

Back on the street he struggled to control the hot feeling in his chest. Ramon was an idiot. Maybe when this was done he’d go the way of Wiggins and Haskell. There was the other lawyer, Watkins, still out there, too. There was no way to tell how much Haskell or Wiggins had told the idiot.

Still, he was a problem for later. After Tubbs had been solved. Sauntering down the sidewalk, Hector let ideas float through his head, even though the girls in bikinis all conspired to distract him. What he needed was a way to draw Tubbs out away from the rest, and he figured the easiest way to do it was through the girl. It was the how that kept spinning in his head. He knew he’d break it sooner of later, though. One thing about prison, it had tought him focus and patience with his own planning. His mind would get there if he gave it the time and space to work.

 

Sonny looked down at his white canvas shoes. “I don’t remember some of it,” he finished, “but I know whatever it was I had feelings for her. I must have, because I let her walk.”

Tex nodded, setting his pen down on the pad on his desk. “Yeah. An’ there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. You were in a rough place, Sonny. A really rough place. Hell, after losin’ your wife you mighta been havin’ what us shrink types call transference. You were movin’ what you felt for Caitlin onto Celeste. An’ that head trauma made it worse.” He paused for a moment. “Or maybe you just saw somethin’ in her she didn’t see in herself.”

“I never really thought of it like that, Tex. Hell, I tried not to think about it for years. After I let her walk, I pretty much erased her from my memory. Stuck it away like some of that other Burnett stuff.” He sighed, then looked at his watch. “Guess I’ve taken up enough of your time.”

“Don’t sweat it, troop. I cleared the afternoon anyhow.” Tex grinned. “And I guess I gotta thank you for the call I got the other day. Some spooky guy wantin’ to set up an appointment.”

“That must be Castillo.” Sonny chuckled. “He’s a tough guy, Tex. No two ways about that. But he’s stretched. Hell, I think he was in country before either of us. Maybe Cuba before that. Laos and Thailand after.”

“So he’s seen some shit. Copy that. But it’s got a way of catchin’ up with you, no matter how bad-ass you are.”

“Yeah. He’s married now, and off the job like me. I think…” Sonny paused, sorting through his thoughts. “I think he wants to make sure he’s running right now. And how to adjust when you don’t have duty telling you what to do as soon as you get up in the morning.”

“Roger that. I see a lot of guys who crash and burn when they try to make that jump.”

They talked about nothing and everything for a few more minutes, and then Sonny was out in the sunshine and steering the Daytona toward Sanctuary. It had been a few days since he’d talked to Robbie, and he felt a need to see his old buddy again.

Robbie was in his office, mulling over what looked to be sales receipts, and he grinned when the security guy showed Sonny in. “Sonny! It’s been a minute, man! It too early for a celebration?”

“Not if it’s that single barrel bourbon you got me started on.” Sonny grinned as Robbie hugged him before heading for the liquor cabinet and returning with two cut crystal old fashioned glasses and the familiar bottle.

“Don’t drink anything else when I’m not out front,” he said, pouring them each an early afternoon measure. Robbie poured his drinks based on the time of day, more as they day progressed. “So what brings you by my little shack?”

“Had a drop-in with Tex and just happened to be in the neighborhood.” Sonny sank into one of the overstuffed leather club chairs with a sigh, feeling the smooth heat of the bourbon flow over his tongue as he took a sip. “Been a hell of a last couple of days.”

“Yeah. I saw the news about the shooting out there. And then those two lawyers. Ain’t you suing them?”

“Yeah. Miami-Dade had to question us about that, too.” Sonny snorted. “Like I’d want to off two guys I was suing. You don’t get money from bodies. They’re dealing with our lawyer now.”

“That Towers guy? I bet he enjoys kicking them in the nuts.”

“I think he does. For a former prosecutor he doesn’t have a high opinion of most of their command staff these days.”

Robbie nodded. “So what was the deal with that kid? Some crazy Romeo type tryin’ to get his girl?”

“No.” In short sentences he told Robbie about Celeste and Jimmy’s connection to her.

“Man, only you, Crockett.” He laughed as he refilled glasses gone empty during the story.

“Something like that, man. Oh, and in the good news department, Stan and Gina are pregnant.”

“No shit? First Rico and Mindy and now those two. What the hell you got in the water out at that place of yours?”

“I don’t know. But Stan’s happy as hell. So’s Gina. Both scared, too, I think.”

“They’ll do fine. You know that as well as I do.” Robbie leaned back in his chair. “I still remember that night Robbie Jr. was born. Man, I was so spun up I didn’t know what the hell to do. So scared I’d screw everything up but…”

“But you did fine, man. Aside from that little rough patch with your mob family, but that happens to the best of us.”

“Not you, though.”

“No. I had the perfect family. Great parents. You name it. And my first marriage ended in divorce. Haven’t talked to Billy in years now. His choice, and I ain’t gonna push myself into his life. My second wife was murdered by an asshole I got off death row. So yeah, I almost think it’s better if you come from a messed-up family. At least you know what doing the wrong thing looks like.”

“Speaking of which, how’s Jenny?”

“She’s great, man. Best thing that ever happened to me. And she keeps telling me I’m the best thing that ever happened to her, so we must be doing something right.” Sonny looked over at the stack of papers. “Looks like I’m keeping you from stuff that needs to get done.”

“Naw, just going through the books. I gotta tell you, Sonny, that Lester is a Godsend. Nights he’s doing his thing my profits jump.” He laughed and shifted his voice to an approximation of Lester’s stage voice. “DJ Tango Foxtrot in the house!”

“Yeah. It’s funny. He’s such a quiet guy normally. But those lights go down and he changes.”

They talked for a few more minutes about the intricacies of club business and then Robbie looked him square in the eye. “Do you think this trouble’s done now, Sonny?”

“I don’t know. With Jimmy and those two reptiles dead I’d like to think so. But Hector’s still out there, and we never figured out what part he was playing in all this. Especially since he showed up here looking for me before everything kicked off. I don’t suppose he’s been back since?”

“No, and my people have been watching for him. I’ll let you know if he does show.”

“Thanks, Robbie. And thanks for the drinks. I’ll let you get back to work.” He chuckled. “I should at least show my face out at the House.”

Downshifting the Daytona to make the turn onto the House’s private drive, Sonny enjoyed the feeling of the wind in his hair. He still had no idea how Jenny had found the car, or how much she’d paid for it, but he loved how it took him back every time he drove it. He showed his ID to the gate guard, waiting while they ran in through the swipe system, and then drove through to his parking spot by the side doors. Out on the wide lawn he could see one of the smaller, advanced groups sitting in a circle going through their afternoon therapy in the fresh air. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago someone had been killed just feet from where he stood.

He ducked into the Security office before heading upstairs, catching Rico going through some files at his desk. “Find any lost treasures in that stack of stuff, partner?”

“Naw. But I was gonna call if you didn’t wander in before four.” Rico chuckled and came around the desk to slap his partner on the arm. “We just got a ping on that fancy gear Stan and Lester left. Ramona turned on that phone about ten minutes ago.”

“Has Jenny talked to her yet?” Sonny returned the arm slap. “I would have been here sooner, but I had to make a couple of stops.”

“Solid.” He could see Rico wanted to ask but knew he wouldn’t. “She hasn’t yet. We were gonna wait until that phone shut down again. It did, but she’s in group now. Jenny’s gonna catch her as soon as they’re done.”

“Good. Maybe Jenny can just take her to her room or something. We need to keep Ramona as relaxed as we can. Unless she tries to play us.”

“Solid. That’s what I was thinkin’, too. I talked to the therapists earlier, an’ they agree with us. She’s not a bad kid, not really. Just in over her head and startin’ to see there are choices she can make.”

The afternoon inched by. Sonny sat at his desk, going through some of the more mundane aspects of his job and trying not to look at the clock or his watch. Jenny would stop by as soon as she was done talking to Ramona, and watching the time wouldn’t change that. So he waded through expense reports, a proposal for another fundraiser, and a construction update.

When he finished the last report, right down to the last line of excuses, he snatched up the phone. “Get Gary on the line.” When the lawyer picked up, Sonny read him the last four lines of the report. “It sounds to me like they’re spinnin’ crap and that they’re really close to having the first set of completion penalties kick in.”

“I was going to call you about that report. Sounds like we’re reading it the same way. I’ve got a letter drafted for your signature I’ll send over as soon as we’re done.”

“Good.” He paused. “What about the suit?”

“The judge is reviewing the evidence. Since two of the four parties are now dead, he might just go ahead and rule. That Watkins is barely competent to wipe his own ass, let alone participate in his own defense, and with the other one doing Federal time…”

“Yeah. Keep me posted. If we can just settle the damned thing and fold what we get after your expenses into the trust I’ll be happy.”

“I’m handling this one pro bono, Sonny. So we’ll get everything we can from those bastards.”

“Thanks, Gary. I owe you one.”

“No. No you don’t. I actually feel like I’m doing something good now, Sonny. Helping these girls instead of locking them up for things that aren’t always their doing. I’ll get that letter done and to you before close of business today.”

Sonny turned to look out the window, knowing full well Gary Towers was giving up a five figure fee for handling the suit. It still amazed him the impact working at Caitlin’s House had on so many people.

He was still lost in thought when Jenny came in, followed closely by Rico. “She got a text from Jangles telling her things were still on.” Jenny sank into one of the chairs on front of the desk and smiled. “Nothing else.”

“What does she think that means?”

“She’s not sure.” Jenny looked from Sonny to Rico, her blue eyes bright. “She’s not holding anything back. I’m sure of that. She’s scared, but more of being kicked out of here than of him or Hector.”

“Did she say anything about Hector?”

“She doesn’t really know him. Only what she heard from Jangles.”

“Makes sense.” Rico nodded. “Hector was locked up until not long ago, so she wouldn’t have had much of a chance to meet the chump.”

“That’s what she said. She said Jangles knows him from way back. But she never met him. She said Jangles has some other friend. A guy named Ramon. She thinks he’s gay, but doesn’t know for sure.”

“So there’s maybe three of them out there.” Sonny thought for a moment. “Not likely Hector could have recruited more. Not with him being locked up. Hell, at the rate guys in his line of work get killed off now Jangles is probably the only one he knew who’s still alive. And that’s only because Jangles is small time. Kinda reminds me of Izzy back when we were OCB. Knows just enough to be useful, but not enough to kill.”

“What’s the plan?”

“For now we don’t have one, Rico. Like it or not, the next move is up to Hector. They might just be keeping her in place because they don’t know what to do next. I don’t want to push her.” He shook his head. “Yeah, I know the old Sonny would have. But this isn’t a case and her life’s worth more than that. If she spooks and bolts, they’ll likely kill her themselves. And that would be on us. I’ve got enough of those to carry around.”

“Solid. I agree, partner. We let her stay with therapy and get better. If they reach out again, we just adjust and go from there.”

Jenny nodded. “I’m glad you don’t want to push her. She’s being honest with us. As honest as she can be, anyhow. It scares her…trusting someone.”

Sonny thought back to the absolute hate he’d seen in Stan’s eyes after they found Larry Zito in that gym shower. Set up to look like he’d died from an OD. He thought of how much his pushing too hard had cost Stan, or so many before and even after him. “She can trust us. I’m not gonna push her into any kind of situation. If it comes down to it, we’ll find another way to smoke those idiots out.”

“If they even stick around. Maybe the lawyers were getting cold feet and Hector thought they’d rat him out to save their own hides.”

“Could be. Anyhow, have security keep a discrete eye on Ramona still. I don’t want her to bolt and ruin her chance.”

[mjcmmv]

It was sad reading Sonny and Billy hadn't talked for years. Inevitable, considering Sonny's life style, I guess. 

Good chapter, Robbie. Lot's of tension in the air! Definitely looking forward to the next one! 

[Robbie C.]

Thanks! Yeah, I opted for the distant parent model for Sonny based on my reading of his character. If we go back to the 'only what was shown in the show' model, we only see Billy when Sonny thinks he needs some kind of validation for an action or decision. Otherwise he's absent. Caroline had moved on...new husband...another kid...and as long as Sonny was paying child support or whatever on schedule I can't see her really reaching out to him. It just made sense for what I'm doing.

[mjcmmv]

2 hours ago, Robbie C. said:

Thanks! Yeah, I opted for the distant parent model for Sonny based on my reading of his character. If we go back to the 'only what was shown in the show' model, we only see Billy when Sonny thinks he needs some kind of validation for an action or decision. Otherwise he's absent. Caroline had moved on...new husband...another kid...and as long as Sonny was paying child support or whatever on schedule I can't see her really reaching out to him. It just made sense for what I'm doing.

Sad as this is, it makes perfect sense. 

[vicegirl85]

15 hours ago, Robbie C. said:

Thanks! Yeah, I opted for the distant parent model for Sonny based on my reading of his character. If we go back to the 'only what was shown in the show' model, we only see Billy when Sonny thinks he needs some kind of validation for an action or decision. Otherwise he's absent. Caroline had moved on...new husband...another kid...and as long as Sonny was paying child support or whatever on schedule I can't see her really reaching out to him. It just made sense for what I'm doing.

I agree that Sonny was an absent parent, and why you see him that way.  As much as I like Sonny, he (for whatever reason) basically abdicated his place as Billy's dad, and didn't really try to maintain a relationship (in my opinion).  But I believe you're being a little unfair to Caroline in saying you don't see her reaching out as long as Sonny is keeping up with the child support.  Using 'only what was shown in the show', she never expressed any concern about his financial support role in Billy's life.  She did contact him when she felt Billy needed emotional support from his dad because of behavior issues.  She had moved on from Sonny (with the divorce) because she needed more from him in terms of involvement and presence in hers, and Billy's, lives, and he clearly was too invested in his work to be the kind of husband and dad she wanted him to be.  But, if he continued to be as erratic and distant after the episode depicted in S5, I can see her giving up on a future different from the past (as a dad).

Anyway, so sorry for going off-topic!!!  My small gripe above has nothing to do with your current story, and since I don't have any problem with Sonny's comment that he and Billy were not in touch, it doesn't affect my reaction to the story at all.  I'm enjoying the bits I'm reading on the fly, and look forward to reading the whole thing in order some day soon. 

[Robbie C.]

You're fine. Obviously how you view Caroline comes down to how you see the character in general terms. I never found her very sympathetic, although I know others do. Much of this has to do with how we see them (or believe they would have acted) "off camera" if you will. By that I mean, of course, the space we're never shown. My child support comment was geared more toward my belief that Caroline wouldn't have reappeared unless there was a pressing external need (like she needed the child support). Others disagree, and again that's fine. It all depends on how you see the characters acting in that unseen space. In my unseen space Sonny and Caroline met and married after he left the Marine Corps (so about 1976), possibly after he graduated from the police academy. She thought she was getting a good, stable provider and grounded father for their eventual children (I base this partly on my unseen space for Sonny, which has him coming from a solid core family with some oddball relatives). Sonny likely wanted to marry because of his solid background and genuinely loved Caroline at the time. But he was also an action junkie, in remission perhaps but still hooked on it all. He wouldn't have done two tours in Vietnam if he wasn't. Uniform patrol would pay the bills, but he'd keep running into that firewall between patrol and detectives. Then he gets into Robbery and things start to slip. Maybe when they have Billy he slows down for a time and Caroline hopes it'll stick. But it doesn't. He chases the action and she wonders what happened to the life she thought she was getting.

Again, this all takes place in that unseen space. When it comes to characters, Vice usually leaves us with more questions than answers.

[vicegirl85]

13 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

In my unseen space Sonny and Caroline met and married after he left the Marine Corps (so about 1976), possibly after he graduated from the police academy. She thought she was getting a good, stable provider and grounded father for their eventual children (I base this partly on my unseen space for Sonny, which has him coming from a solid core family with some oddball relatives). Sonny likely wanted to marry because of his solid background and genuinely loved Caroline at the time. But he was also an action junkie, in remission perhaps but still hooked on it all. He wouldn't have done two tours in Vietnam if he wasn't. Uniform patrol would pay the bills, but he'd keep running into that firewall between patrol and detectives. Then he gets into Robbery and things start to slip. Maybe when they have Billy he slows down for a time and Caroline hopes it'll stick. But it doesn't. He chases the action and she wonders what happened to the life she thought she was getting.

Again, this all takes place in that unseen space. When it comes to characters, Vice usually leaves us with more questions than answers.

I agree with your "unseen space" history for Sonny and Caroline's marriage and eventual breakup, although in my own "unseen space", Sonny's early life and family background is less solid.  For me, that led to some of his difficulties with marriage and being a father himself.  But agree also, that different viewers can interpret this unseen space differently and there are no unequivocally right or wrong answers--since the show itself left a lot to the imagination.