Beachside PD: The Reluctant Knight

By Neil K. Yuzuk and David A. Yuzuk

Danny Phillips, gun in hand, enters the dark shack. In the middle of the room, he pulls a hanging light switch. The bulb moves frenetically filling the room with bursts of light and shadow.
Danny steadies the light only to see a set of shackles on the wall and dried blood on the floor.
"OH GOD no, no, no, what did I do?" Danny falls to his knees, "This is my fault, I should have done more."

* * *

Growing up in Brooklyn, the son of an honest beat cop, Danny Phillips wanted it all and he flew high on Wall Street; blondes, bourbon and success. But when that came crashing down, he found himself working as a cop in Beachside PD—running scams for his Brooklyn buddy Angelo Tedeschi and the crooked Captain Hagen.
The last thing this charming entrepreneur wanted to be was a cop, but due to his Wall Street smarts and his unexpected bravery in the line of duty, Hagen quickly promoted him to the rank of Detective Specialist in charge of the Missing Persons Bureau.
His complex relationship with fellow officer Anna Perez and an encounter with Rudy, a badly scarred young boy, slowly began to soften his amoral behavior. But he hasn’t reached redemption yet and when he ignores a string of missing children cases and the bodies of two kidnapped young boys are discovered, he is suspended from duty.
Danny is faced with a choice—continue with his amoral ways or to become the type of cop he swore he'd never be. Battling his inner demons, this reluctant knight begins his ultimate quest for redemption.
Will he turn away from his sexual escapades with his posse of blondes and hook up with Anna Perez? Will he set aside his illegal schemes and find the killer? And what will Danny do when he is confronted by the ultimate horror of his actions?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beachside PD Books
• Release date: Jun 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458094100

Neil K. Yuzuk

Neil L. Yuzuk was born in Brooklyn, New York. Now retired after twenty-two years, as a SPARK Substance Abuse Prevention Counselor, he wrote "Beachside PD: The Reluctant Knight," after collaborating with his police officer/actor/writer son, David, on a screenplay called "The Reluctant Knight." He's just completed the fourth book in the Beachside PD series, "Beachside PD: Undercover" and it is now available on Smashwords. Neil is available for book signings and other events in the Los Angeles/Southern California area and will travel as needed.

Book preview

Prologue

Danny Phillips, gun in hand, entered the small abandoned shack; the inside was dark. In the middle of the room, Danny pulled the hanging chain light switch. The bulb moved frenetically filling the room with bursts of light and shadow.

Danny steadied the light and the room was dimly lit allowing him to see pictures on one wall and dried blood on the floor. On the far wall was a set of chains and shackles. A small pile of discarded clothes rested in the corner.

OH GOD no, no, no, no! Danny overcome by guilt fell to his knees sobbing. What did I do? What did I do?

He tried to stand, but stumbled back against the doorjamb, partly in the room and partly out.

This is my fault, I should have done more.

1

Danny Phillips

Canarsie, Brooklyn, that’s where it all started; my old man, Samuel Philikowski, came to America at age 28. He was a cop and he walked his beat for twenty-seven years in the 69th Precinct, and every business owner and resident of his one square mile zone knew and respected my dad. He loved walking the beat and he refused promotions and more money, to stay on it.

As a result, money was always tight at home. I loved sports, so he signed me up for Little League Baseball, but in order to save my entry fee he did every odd job, no matter how disgusting, even cleaning the dog shit off the fields. He would stand at the fence always yelling instructions to the managers, coaches, and players in that loud Hebrew-accented voice of his. I was embarrassed, but people were always telling me how lucky I was to have him as a father. I didn’t get it.

It always felt like we were at war. To me it seemed he was giving everything to the neighborhood; but what about us? My mom was the soft touch in the house, always mediating between us. It wasn’t that I was the favorite, my sister Rina and I were equally loved, and she just felt my needs were greater.

Everything I wore was a hand-me-down from our neighbors. My mother somehow cleaned and sewed the clothes so they fit, but I was always out of style. I think that’s how my success with the girls started as I learned to be so charming that they saw past the clothes. Being a star athlete didn’t hurt either.

My sister Rina was a stunning dark-haired beauty, easygoing, bright, and always the teacher’s pet. It didn’t matter what she wore, she attracted guys all the time. The hard part was that we had to share a bedroom. As kids it was fun, we always got along. However, as we matured it became weird and we ended up becoming less affectionate with each other and more formal.

My buddies Angelo and Jay helped me keep the creepier guys away from her. Nobody wanted to mess with us, especially with Angelo. As a kid he was already toughened by the beatings he would catch from his abusive father. After one especially vicious beating of his mother, Angelo, age twelve, attacked his father with a baseball bat and beat him nearly to death. He might have gone away for that if my mother hadn’t pleaded his case with my father who testified for him.

So I learned an important lesson, that in order to have the finer things in life you needed to go get it yourself and never take no for an answer. I would make my own future, but I wouldn’t work for the neighborhood, I was going to make the neighborhood work for me.

* * *

High school was boring, the work never challenged me. I only stayed in because of the sports I played . . . and Coach Cam. He was always on my case along with my father. It really sucked having my father on foot patrol every day around the school. He always sniffed out when I was cutting and where I was hiding.

In high school, I came up with a World Series betting pool to make a few bucks. Typically, Angelo decided not to pay off the big winners and kept the money for himself. They squealed and when the Principal had us in his office, Angelo took the full blame. My father knew that he wasn’t smart enough to come up with a plan that needed advanced math; Ange was barely getting by with a C- average. He had no proof that I was behind it, but he grounded me anyway.

* * *

After graduation, all I could afford was a City University, so I went to Baruch College where I majored in Finance. I worked part-time in Mickey D’s as a cover for the money I was making developing schemes for Angelo and Jay to run. Our best one was a stepped up protection racket, no more nickel and dime stuff. Angelo ran it day-to-day as Jay and I went to college. One thing you could always count on was Angelo resorting to violence when things didn’t go as planned. However, it paid for school. After college I got a job at Chase Manhattan first as a bank teller and then as a loan officer. At the same time, I was going to Columbia for my MBA thanks to the scam money and a scholarship.

My sister Rina fell in love with one of her Brooklyn College Professors, and of all things, they got engaged. Of course, not before I checked him out. Ange and I took him for a ride out to Plum Beach for that, but he was okay and they still have the rarity of a strong and loving marriage. It was tough on Angelo; he was in love with Rina from day one. However, he knew it wasn’t returned and he accepted it.

Then in my second year, my dad was killed on the job he loved and money really tightened up for a while. I had to help support my mom and sister, so I developed a big bucks stock scam, it was a variation of selling shares in a non-existent Brooklyn Bridge company and it paid off. However, Angelo decided to do it on his own and of course, he screwed it up. His pigeon was the nephew of a guy known as The Don of Carroll Gardens. Angelo left town and ended up in some hick town outside Miami called Beachside, where of all things he became a cop. I never knew the whole story behind that deal, but it allowed me to get my MBA and Jay to study Law without having to deal with the fallout from Angelo’s temper.

Eventually the city paid my father’s insurance and I invested the money into a safe mutual fund that paid enough for my mom to take it easy; but she wanted to work and took a part-time job as a School Aide at the high school.

In 1992, I graduated with my MBA and went to work as an Investment Consultant for J.P. Morgan and Company. I learned a lot there and began to develop a real appreciation for the finer things in life, especially blondes and fine bourbon.

* * *

Six years later I became Daniel A. Phillips, Financial Advisor and opened my own office on Broad Street complete with a knockout blonde secretary named Kimber. Her full name was Kimberly, but I shortened it like her skirts.

All I had to do was have her in the room, legs crossed, taking notes and I could sell men anything including nonexistent investments. But I didn’t, I put them in high-yield, but also high-risk investments, mostly dot com startups. When they paid off, they paid off big and when they didn’t, well the term ‘crash and burn’ works real good and they crashed more often than not—the trick was to get out early and take your profit before they went under.

When it was a woman client, Kimber stayed outside as I worked my charm. With married couples, we worked as a team. Of course, I was banging her, but she was starting to get possessive. There was this couple, I called them Mr. and Mrs. Gotbucks. She was the bank and he was supposed to keep her from making any bad investments.

While I was showing Mrs. G. the view of the New York harbor from my window with my arm casually around her shoulder, Kimber was giving Mr. G. another view, tits and ass, as she bent several times to pick up a pen she just kept dropping. By the time they were sitting together in my office they were ready to buy anything I suggested, and they did. In fact, Mr. G. said to me as he reached his hand out with a check, I appreciate that you’re letting us in on this project, Mr. Phillips.

First, I took the check and put it on my desk and then we shook hands and I made sure to put my left hand on his right shoulder and said, It’s Danny to my friends. I’ll have Kimber give you a receipt.

I called Kimber on the intercom and I think she unbuttoned another button because Mr. G’s eyes started to bug out. Let’s face it, Kimber not only had great legs, but an au naturel rack.

Kimber would you please give Mr. and Mrs. G. a receipt and a contract, as I handed her the check.

Of course Mr. Phillips and I’ll notarize it as well. Mr. G., would you please come with me.

His eyes widened at the double-entendre and her twitching butt. It was all he could do to restrain himself. In the meantime, I got close to Mrs. G., distracting her from the byplay of Mr. G. and Kimber. I took her hands in mine, gave her the killer smile and told her, Please feel free to call me anytime and remember me to your friends.

I leaned forward and kissed her cheek letting my cheek rest on hers for a moment too long. She blushed, embarrassed and pleased at the same time.

After they left, Kimber came in with the signed contract and a check in the high six-figure range.

Yes, I shouted and pumped my fist. Kimber sat on my lap and started to nuzzle my neck. Danny let’s go celebrate. First feed me, then I want to fuck. All those zeros make me so horny.

Not tonight. My old pal Angelo is in town and I haven’t seen him in years.

Can’t I come with you? she said in a whining tone.

C’mon Kimmy, it’s a boys night out, no girls. I’ll tell you what, hold that thought, and we’ll go away for a short vacation. How does Vegas sound; good food, good shows, and sex in the desert? If you want we can join the mile-high club on the way there.

She squirmed in my lap and I started to get aroused so I told her to lock the door and turn off the lights in the front office. Angelo could wait, Kimber couldn’t. I was late, but Angelo was even later.

* * *

I was meeting Angelo at Keen’s Steak House and as I walked in I was warmly greeted by the Maître d’ and the staff. Right this way Mr. Phillips, he said as he led me to a private booth in the back.

Your party is not here yet; can I get you a drink in the meantime?

Yes, I’ll have a Champagne Cocktail. Ever since I saw Paul Henreid order one in Casablanca, I thought they were the coolest thing to order. I felt like a suave movie star saying, I’ll have a Champagne Cocktail, but they tasted like piss and I couldn’t wait for my second and favorite drink, bourbon to wash the taste out of my mouth.

As we walked to my booth, several people stopped me for chitchat and I exchanged greetings with staff members. I treated everyone as if they were the most important person in my life. I spread the honey and caught a lot of flies.

I was in my booth drinking my cocktail when one of the waitresses came by and gave me a tip on a business deal she had heard about earlier in the day. I slipped her a C-Note and she walked away smiling.

Danny, someone shouted and it was Angelo walking to my booth, followed by two beautiful women, a blonde and a brunette. Angelo’s stocky build was fitted into a light grey Armani suit and with his dark hair, white teeth, and tan he looked great. I stood up and he gave me the old one-two, pulling his punches and grabbed me in a bear hug . . . better known as the Angelo hug.

Danny, my main man Danny, it’s so fuckin’ good ta see ya.

Ange, it’s been too long. You okay?

Yup, the Don is dead, he said with a grin, the nephew’s in Green Haven and no one gives a shit about what happened back in the day.

And who are these lovely ladies?

They were my flight attendants and since they have a layover . . . he smirked, I invited them for dinner . . . and maybe a layover.

The brunette playfully punched him on the shoulder, Be nice, or else.

Angelo pointed first to the brunette, Danny, this is Sally, she’s mine; and this lovely lady is Liz. Liz, this good-looking guy is Danny. Be careful, he loves beautiful blondes. Liz was wearing a navy blue sheath dress that outlined her bountiful bosom and ended well above her knees showing slim ankles, strong legs, and a nicely rounded butt.

Hi Danny . . .

Hi Liz, Ange, I’m in love. Let’s sit down, grab some drinks and order, I’m starved.

It was a terrific meal. Liz was charming and willing. It was good to be young, even though Kimber had drained me just a few hours ago; Liz was revving me back up.

After dinner, the women excused themselves and went to the Ladies. It gave us a chance to talk.

How’s the south treating you? I said

Brudder, it’s a paradise filled with beautiful women, Palm trees . . . and da action, fuhgedaboutit!

That’s my Angelo. Are you running that hick Police Department yet?

Shit, I was there for only three years and dey made me a sergeant. But I gave it up and I’m into sellin’ insurance, Brooklyn style, he laughed. But I’m still connected. The captain . . . well let’s just say we’re like dis . . . he crossed middle and index fingers, . . . and my old road crew is still on my team, ya know what I mean? After five plus years in the south, he still sounded like Brooklyn, dropping his g’s, using d for th, using ya for you, and so forth.

No shit?

No shit! You know a guy like you; you would clean up down there.

How do you figure?

"Everything is much slower down there; half the people there have their head up their ass. With your charm and good looks, you could be mayor in five years and governor in ten.

Not a bad idea I thought, but not yet. Sorry kid I’m making too much money here.

C’mon Danny, it’ll be like the old days you and me . . .

Yeah, running from the cops? I said and laughed.

You’re forgetting, I’m the cops now . . . and the babes, you gotta see ‘em, he kissed his fingers, Mwah!

They’re Latinas, c’mon Ange you know it’s only blondes for me.

Hey, in the dark they all look the same. You gotta meet Paola, you’re gonna love her. Tell you what, next time you get a vacation you better come down; I’ll show you around and introduce you to her, if she’s in town.

Sure, just let me keep making the money I’m making and I’ll retire down there in three years and it’ll be the two of us.

You got a deal.

We shook on it and then came the Angelo hug. When the girls came back, they stared at us and laughed. Liz asked in a teasing tone, Excuse us, do you boys want to be alone?

We broke the hug and I held out my arms to Liz she ran right into them. Later, I went back to the hotel with Liz and she was a lot of fun. A real sweet piece and I was so thinking with the wrong head that I forgot to ask her if she was on the pill. That was a big mistake.

That one-night-stand cost me. Liz ended up pregnant and as a devoted Catholic, she refused to have an abortion. I had Jay fight her in court until the results of a DNA test established that I was positively the father. After that, I was generous with my child support. The kid would have whatever he needed, except me.

2

Kimber Clarke

Danny and I really had a good thing going from the first day I walked into his office for the interview. I impressed him with my secretarial skills, my knowledge of the financial world, and especially my looks. We were like two magnets drawn together from the first moment we saw each other. I ended up in his bed that first night after dinner. He said I was the best dessert he had ever eaten.

At first, it was slow, but as we developed a working style together the business picked up speed and we started to bring in the big bucks. I loved him and I wanted to start a family, but he kept putting me off, I just could not nail him down. Even though I never caught him, I sometimes suspected that I wasn’t the only blonde in his life.

We were in bed one night and I decided to put it to him.

Danny, you keep telling me we’re going to take this relationship to the next level but I still don’t see a ring.

Are you kidding me Kimmy? he said, You’re my girl. Don’t worry baby, when the time is right I’m going to get you a ring so big it’s going to make your arm sore.

You keep saying that, but nothing happens. We make such a great team at work and you make me so hot at home. Let’s get married and make babies, lots and lots of beautiful babies.

He didn’t say anything as he reached over and started to stroke my naked body. I moved away and said, When Danny?

Let’s talk about that later because right now I feel like making a hostile takeover of your ass . . . ets.

Danny grabbed me, pulled me close, and the argument was over, I could never resist him. Then one day this blonde bitch walks in with a baby and tells Danny that it was his and she wants child support.

I wanted to kill him, but I thought of a better way of bringing him down. I went to the New York State Attorney-General’s office and the SEC and they came down on him like a ton of bricks. My revenge was complete when the State Police came in with an arrest warrant. They took him out with his hands cuffed behind his back, a look of shock on his face and I just laughed and laughed. The bastard was getting what he deserved.

3

Jay Gardner

I was Danny’s lawyer through all of the negotiations with the SEC and the AG’s office and finally on a winter’s day, I met with him in his office. He was standing at the window looking out on a city that was rapidly filling with heavily blowing snow.

He turned to me as I came through the door and said, What’s the decision, Jay?

Let’s sit down.

Sitting across from Danny, he looked awful. He had put on weight, dark bags under his eyes, and he was unkempt; a beaten man, no longer my confident and charming friend of more than twenty-five years. To see him like this was painful, but I had saved him from an even worse fate.

Danny, I have good news and bad news, I started.

Give me the good news first, Jay.

"You’re not going to prison. The Attorney-General and the Feds both agree that while you presented the investments as being safer than they were, they also felt it was the buyer’s responsibility to be aware of the risks . . . and while it was their greed that often did them in, you were still at fault for putting them at-risk.

Since you weren’t running a Ponzi, you won’t be sharing a cell with Bernie Madoff and, if Kimber used her assets to befuddle them, well that’s tough because there was never a quid pro quo.

He looked relieved, That’s not so bad Jay; I guess my three hundred thou worked. So what’s the bad news?

Not so fast, while you technically didn’t violate any major laws, you bent them pretty badly and there were too many ethical lapses on your part. In order to keep you out of prison I made a deal with them and you’ll have to sign off on it.

What’s the deal?

You’ll have to declare bankruptcy as part of paying your clients back. That means they are taking the summerhouse, the co-op, your boat, the cars, your credit cards and your sports memorabilia collection. You’re also out of the financial advice business, permanently.

Jeez Jay, what do I get to keep?

Pretty much nothing; except for your personal stuff, one car, and whatever money you have hidden away. I looked at him and he just shrugged. He was always closemouthed about his money.

What about the kid? I can’t keep sending Liz all that dough now.

I’ll see what I can do about getting the child support reduced. You need to keep it zipped, Danny, I cautioned him.

I know, she really took me to the cleaners. My motto, since then, is: No Glove, No Love!

Do you see the kid at all?

Nah, she named him Jack and I’m not big on kids. The last time I saw him was at the DNA hearing. Anyway, how long do I have? he said.

Get your stuff together and be out in five days.

Where am I supposed to go? he said despondently.

I’ll tell you what; you can use my condo in Fort Lauderdale. Pack some things and you can have it for . . . I guess the next five or six months or until you get settled. I have a big case to prep. The dumb bastard, he really dug himself a hole and no matter what I do, I’m only stalling the inevitable; he’s heading for a big fall.

I guess I got off lucky, he replied.

You did, but now the good thing is that you can start over down there, no jail time or convictions on your record. Call Angelo tonight and tell him you’re on the way and I’ll have your car and the rest of your stuff packed and shipped to my condo.

Sounds like a plan.

One more thing, Danny, I said as I took a sheaf of papers out of my briefcase and put them in front of him. You need to sign off on the deal. I’ll wait while you read it.

Just show me where to sign; I don’t need to read it.

You need to sign the first and last pages with a full signature and initial the bottoms of all of the other pages.

He took a pen from a desk set and signed as I instructed; he handed it back to me.

Here you go.

We stood up and Danny came around the desk and we shook hands, then I pulled him into a brief hug.

In a quavering voice Danny said, You’re a good friend Jay, and I appreciate all you have done for me.

Danny, truth be told I would have never made through law school without your help. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have made it out of childhood without you and Angelo watching over me. I’m just glad I was able to help you.

He put his hand on my shoulder and nodded.

Can I give you a lift? I have a car waiting for me and it’s pretty bad out there.

Nah, I’ll be okay. I’ll call you from Florida.

As I turned to leave, Danny was back at the window staring out; his shoulders slumped, shaking his head.

4

Danny Phillips

I took a long last look around the office before I closed the lights for the last time; there were a lot of memories in those rooms. Outside the snow, pushed by the wind, was coming down heavy and the city looked like something out of a fairy tale—covered in white and the lights softened by the falling