Before Lucy

By Terry H. Watson

Tony Harvey, young, ambitious and single-minded is determined to follow his lifelong dream of becoming a detective despite his father's derision about his choice of career.

Chicago is a tough place to be a cop, his training didn’t prepare him for the reality of life on the streets.

That reality comes crashing down when a fe

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ramoan Press
• Release date: Aug 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781999650254

Terry H. Watson

Terry H. Watson qualified in D.C.E. and Dip.Sp.Ed. from Notre Dame College, Glasgow and Bearsden, and obtained a B.A. degree from Open University Scotland. A retired special needs teacher, Terry began writing in 2014, and to date has published ten books. Terry welcomes reviews for her books.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sincere thanks to Kim and Sinclair Macleod of Indie Authors World for support and friendship, to Christine McPherson for clarification of the manu-script, to my secret beta reader, and to Drew my first proof-reader, and to the many fictional characters in The Lucy Trilogy who lived on in my imagination and brought BEFORE LUCY to fruition.

CHAPTER ONE

ANTHONY JACK HARVEY! The voice bellowed like a megaphone at a public event as if clearing its airways to brace itself to make an important announcement. The voice in question was neither being made in public, nor was it announcing pleasantries. Anthony Harvey senior, his face red with exertion, stood in the kitchen of his family home in confrontation with his twenty-two-year-old son. The house was set back from the road, the large yards at front and rear preventing the nearest neighbours from hearing his blaring voice.

‘I will not allow you to go down that road of destruction. We have invested dollars in your education and I’m damned sure you won’t be wasting it on some crap idea. Look here, you need to follow in my footsteps like we talked about, and study archaeology. Good heavens, boy, you enjoyed your expeditions with my team. Have you forgotten the thrill of the find? Don’t you remember how we felt when we unearthed those pieces of ancient artefacts? We were ecstatic. You are going to do your post-grad, have no doubt about that. There are opportunities out there for a serious archaeologist. Where will your thirty-semester degree get you? Not far, Anthony. You need to continue with your studies, you’ll thank me for it some day.’

‘Lighten up, honey,’ his wife begged as the two men in her life faced each other, neither giving in to the other’s opinion.

Anthony Jack Harvey, known to all but his parents as Tony, shook his head in defiance.

‘Sure, I remember the digs. It was fun, it was exciting at the time, but so was fishing with you and I’ve no more wish to spend my life as a fisherman than I have as an archaeologist. I’d be bored out of my mind within months.’

Despite the lack of closeness to his father – a man whose very presence could suck the joy out of any celebration – Tony’s graduation ceremony had been a pleasant enough event. His father, who continued to insist that he do a post-grad course in archaeology, had taken the opportunity to speak to one of the senior lecturers, out of earshot of his son.

‘My son is keen to study archaeology, and there are openings for well qualified people. I’d like to set up an interview for him to discuss it with one of the professors. He’s preoccupied with a wild notion of joining the police force – a dangerous job, don’t you agree? There are good opportunities out there for serious archaeologists.’

Armed with a prospectus and a date for an interview, Harvey senior had smirked as he’d pocketed the information. Junior will thank me for this someday. He’d shown only mild interest when Tony introduced him to his friends after the ceremony.

Now, in the family kitchen, Tony stood as tall as his father and faced him eye-to-eye, their noses almost touching as they squared up to each other. Mildred Harvey, normally the peacemaker between volatile father and son, stopped stirring the pot on the stove and looked pleadingly at her son.

‘Anthony, sweetie, we only want what is best for you. Think of the dangerous situations you could find yourself in. It won’t be a safe job, and, as a rookie cop, you’ll be on front-line duty. Honey, only last month a young cop was shot trying to stop a thug from breaking into a store… no…is any job worth that? Anthony, please listen to your father and rethink your choice of career. Please, for my peace of mind, don’t go down that road.’

Her eyes were wet with tears that she struggled to control. She hated these father/son arguments which had escalated as young Anthony grew to adulthood and confronted his father with a venom that at times scared her. Her normally mild son took on the visage of a wild animal when faced with his father’s rage.

‘Mom, who were the first people we called for help when we had an intruder in the house last Fall? And who would you call if you were in an accident? The cops, Mom, the cops. I want to be there helping people and solving crime. I want to go through the ranks and become a detective. My mind is made up. This has always been my dream.’

The senior Harvey sweated profusely as his temper and blood pressure began to rise to an unacceptable level. He was not far short of striking out at his son, although he was not disposed to physical ill-treatment. His abuse was generally emotional and loud. ‘Dream? That’s all you do. Dream. Get real, boy. Join the real world, and man up and work towards a proper job.’

‘Calm down, Harvey,’ his wife pleaded. ‘You know you mustn’t get stressed.’

‘Yeah, cool it, Father. There’s nothing you can do to stop me. I’m capable of making my own decisions and my mind will not be changed, not by you and your bullying, nor by anyone who gets between me and my ambition.’

The younger Harvey stood his ground, finding the strength to confront the man he had never been at ease with.

His parents looked at each other; Mildred pleading with her eyes for her husband to do something to stop their child going down a road fraught with danger, her mind buzzing with horror scenarios where her only child could endanger and even lose his life. The recent killing of a young cop was fresh in her mind and caused her sleepless nights. In her dreams, she confused the deceased with her son, and often woke up drenched in sweat and silently screaming in terror.

Tony turned to walk away, only to hear the insistent bellowing from the senior Harvey.

‘Don’t walk away from me. I am not finished with you. Listen to me. The Force won’t take you with that useless degree. You need to move up a level and do a post-grad degree. Grow up, study archaeology, and settle to a real job.’

Tony paused. ‘Then I’ll go down the road of the military and join the Force after military training. And, for your information, I worked my butt off to get that so-called crap degree.’

He was gutted that all his hard work had been dismissed as worthless by his father, but knew continuing their fraught conversation would only end in even more distress. He looked at the troubled face of his mother and wanted to spare her witnessing any more argument from the men in her life. He knew he was wasting his breath; nothing he could say would change his father’s mind.

Harvey senior threw a prospectus on the table and shouted, ‘You have an interview, Thursday, 11am with Professor Buckley. Make sure you perform well.’

In the minutes that followed, the silence broken only by the food bubbling in the pot, young Tony Harvey made a decision that was to be the turning point in his life.

Tension was high.

His head thumped.

He needed air.

His father’s overpowering presence suffocated him. His mother’s demeanour saddened him. But in that brief silence, in that moment, he had a choice to make turn towards his father, accept his advice, and be forever under the thumb of the overbearing man; or walk away.

He chose the latter. Tony stormed to his bedroom, threw some items together and, avoiding his mother’s pained expression and his father’s fury, left the family home.

He jumped into his car and drove for several hours, trying to clear his head of the resentment he felt, determined it would be the last clash he would endure. He played music at full volume in an attempt to erase the past few hours. He knew that by cutting ties with his father, he would rarely see his mother. A loving and devoted mother, she acquiesced to every demand from her husband, more in a bid to keep things calm than from any weakness on her part. Mildred Harvey was no weakling, but she avoided confrontation with her loudmouth spouse who, once on a roll, was hard to reason with.

CHAPTER TWO

Driving aimlessly around the city of his birth, Tony pulled into a fast food diner where he purchased a double burger and pondered his future. His immediate need was for a place to stay for the night or face sleeping in his car – not an option that he relished. He had done that far too often.

Not far from the diner lived a friend he hadn’t seen for some time. Tony drove to the apartment in a rather run-down area, parked up, and banged loudly on the door. The apartment block housed several undesirable members of a broken society, placed there by authorities who had no answer to the many social problems that beset a growing section of humanity. Hopelessly let down by life, many disheartened individuals had little option than to exist in such depressing conditions. Authorities were unable to solve the root cause of their misery and turned a blind eye to the goings-on in such apartments.

Loud music could be heard coming from inside the apartment, and after several thumps at the door he was admitted by a group of scantily clad girls, giggling and pawing at him as if expecting him to join in the drug-fuelled mayhem that was the life chosen by Dolly Filch. Tony’s one-time high school buddy, was now a drop-out from society, a bohemian cross-dresser, drug addict, and sometime musician.

In the main room, Dolly – formerly Dave – lounged on a sofa along with several more drug-fuelled females. His matted hair was almost waist-length, blond in bits, with various coloured beads decorating the tresses. Dangling rings adorned his ears. He wore a full-length floral dress, decorative mules on his feet, and smoked a pipe from which a stench assailed Tony’s nostril as he tried to breathe properly. The air in the room was oppressive. Every type of drug, or so it seemed, was in evidence, emitted through pipes and cigarettes, augmented by unwashed bodies, and from the stale airless atmosphere. Tony’s throat caught the whiff of the narcotics as he moved to shake the proffered ring-covered hand from the master of ceremonies. The scene confronting him both shocked and dismayed him. How far has Dave fallen to get to this?

‘Tony, my buddy, come on in and meet my friends. Guys and gals, this is my high school buddy, my mate from another world. Hey, man, come and join the fun.’ Dolly moved to share a pipe, while several girls fawned and caressed the visitor.

‘Sorry, Dolly mate. I just called in to see if I could doss down here for the night, but since you’re busy, I’ll go.’

‘Tony, babe, you can stay right here… plenty of room, and we’d love to have you. Find a space and put your head down. Have a smoke. It will blow the cares of the day away and leave you free, man.’

Dolly turned his attention back to the besotted girls and dismissed Tony as if he had already forgotten he was in the room.

He had already blotted out his friend’s presence such was the effect of his long-term drug use. Tony, exhausted emotionally and physically, headed for the one bedroom in the flat, hoping to bed down somewhere. But his hopes were dashed when he found two young females in a semi-comatose state sprawled across the only bed. He was dismayed at the scene as it unfolded in Dolly’s flat. His only other options were to sleep in his car or settle down in the bathtub – neither of which appealed to him. Due to the lateness of the night and the outside plummeting temperature, he opted for the bathtub.

He locked the door, jammed a chair against the handle and, using his backpack as a pillow, spent an uncomfortable night. At first light, he awoke and splashed cold water on his face. With a quick glance at his friend, who was still surrounded by his sleeping guests, Tony left the apartment with a heavy heart. How would I deal with this if I were in the Force? Someone should save those kids from themselves. But he could not bring himself to report his friend to the police. Although Dolly had chosen to take a road to ruination, he was still the same friend who had saved Tony’s life in high school when he misjudged a dive into the swimming pool. It was Dave who had spotted him, quickly pulled him to the surface, and called for assistance. Tony would remember the incident throughout his life.

His priority now was to find more permanent accommodation. His long-time buddy, Paddy, had an apartment which Tony often used when tension with his father was overpowering and where he could breathe freely, away from the constraints of home life.

He made the call.

CHAPTER THREE

‘H i Paddy, I need to crash out at yours for a couple of days or possibly longer. Is that okay?’

No other explanation was necessary. Paddy understood his friend’s relationship with his father, and had supported him since high school and throughout their college days. The product of a happy home life, he often wished Tony could enjoy the love and warmth that he, an adopted child, had experienced.

‘Sure, Tony, you know you’re welcome at mine whenever you want and for however long you need. Parent trouble, I presume. I’ll be out of town for a few days, so make yourself at home. Do you still have your key?’

‘Thanks, buddy, I really appreciate it. Yeah, father trouble, and I’ve left home for good. I’ll tell you about it when you get back. And I need to talk to you about Dave.’

‘Our lost buddy? Sure. Make yourself at home, I’ll catch you in a day or two.’

Tony picked up some groceries, drove to Paddy’s place and, emotionally exhausted, slept soundly in what he considered a haven of peace – a place where explanations were not required, he could relax and share his concerns, recharge his batteries and breathe easily.

When Paddy, a keen hiker, returned home a few days later, he dumped his kit in the hallway and the two young men sat for a time discussing Tony’s future.

‘First things first,’ Paddy told him. ‘You know you can stay here, make this your permanent address. You’ll need a base and a postal address. I know you well, Tony, so let’s draw up a formal agreement and sort out rental. I know you won’t want to doss down here free of charge. We’ve been down this road before.’

‘You do know me well, Paddy. I’ve enough money to tide me over until I get a job while I sort out my future. I’m determined to be a cop.’

Paddy smiled. ‘Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve bent my ear with cop talk! Go for it, man. Is that what caused the split with your father?’

Tony sighed. ‘Yeah, I’m not prepared to take any more of his crap or put Mom under any more stress when we argue. Moving out is the best solution for us all.’

‘I guess you’ve made the right decision. Now, what’s new with Dave?’

Tony related his tale of the worrying events he’d witnessed at their friend’s apartment.

‘Dave may be beyond our help, but it’s those kids I’m worried about. Not one of them looked over sixteen – some seemed a lot younger. I don’t know what to do. We have to get them out of there, but you know I can’t grass my buddy.’

Paddy sighed. Dave had been a concern for them since he had dropped out of high school, despite being a top student. Sorely affected by his parents’ divorce, he had become caught up in the drugs scene and entered a world where he shunned any help to save him from himself.

‘Tony, I share your concern, but we can’t just go in there and drag those kids out. Look, let’s call over to my parents. You know my dad is level-headed and will sure as hell come up with a solution. He loves a challenge, let’s drive over there. Mom will be pleased to see us, and we can cadge a meal, you know how she loves to fuss over us.’

‘Yeah, and we love it. You are so lucky to have such caring parents.’

Tony frowned as he settled in Paddy’s ten-year-old Buick for the short ride across town. The vehicle was badly in need of a clean. He threw some discarded coffee cups and food wrappers from the seat onto the floor before he settled for the bumpy ride.

‘Sorry, buddy.’ Paddy noticed his friend’s grimace. ‘I never seem to get around to tidying this old car. Even when I do give it a clean, it’s not long until it’s in a mess again, so why bother expending all that energy and time?’

Paddy’s adoptive parents were the kindest people Tony had ever encountered, and he’d always envied his friend. While Paddy’s mom fussed over the boys and fixed food for them, Tony related his latest spat with his father. The couple were aware of Tony’s home situation and had often had him over to stay during college vacations when life at home had become unbearable.

‘I’m twenty-two. I’m not a kid and won’t be treated as one. I’ve left home for good,’ Tony announced.

‘Yeah, he’s going to crash out at mine for the foreseeable future. We’ll be company for each other,’ commented Paddy as he helped himself to home-made pie.

‘You have to do what you think is best,’ said Joe Mullen as he looked at the sadness in the young fugitive’s eyes. ‘You have a good head on your shoulders and a steely determination to get on in life. You’ll make out just fine, and you know we are here for you.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ replied Tony, as he forced back tears that were welling up. The strain of the latest confrontation and his concern for his mother still troubled him, but he relaxed in the company of people he loved and who loved him in return. Doreen Mullen rose from her seat and hugged the young man who was such an integral part of their family. She was a close friend of Tony’s mother, and the two had often been in regular contact at times of crisis in the young man’s life.

‘Now, sweetie, eat up and let’s have some cheerful news from you boys. You know I love when you call around to eat me out of house and home.’

They laughed as the atmosphere lightened.

‘Hey, Mom, Dad, we have a problem to share and could do with some advice.’ They took it in turn to relay their concerns about Dave.

Joe Mullen listened in silence, nodded where appropriate, and tapped his fingers on the table. ‘You guys say you can’t just barge in? I think you can,’ he announced. ‘Tony, you’ve harped on long enough about wanting to be a cop, so here’s your opportunity to practice the trade. With a bit of role play and bravado, you can both go to Dave’s place. Paddy, you talk to the lost soul that Dave has become, try to persuade him to get help at a clinic, while Officer Tony here gets the kids’ names and information about where they live.

‘From what you say, they will be so out of it with drugs that they won’t remember you from the other night. Here’s your chance to hone those innate skills that are itching to surface. Dave is such a nice guy and worth saving, although from what Tony says, he seems to have deteriorated into a hellhole of existence. You two might be his last chance to have any semblance of quality of life. Go, sort him out. If anyone can do it, you can.’

The boys looked at each other, grinned, and high-fived.

‘Let’s go for it. For sure, we can pull it off.’

Freeing themselves from Paddy’s mom’s warm hugs, they left with enough food to last them a few days. And with a spring in their step, the two set off to rescue their friend from his dark existence, Tony’s demeanour much lighter than it had been for some time.

CHAPTER FOUR

Fortunately, when they arrived at Dave’s place, the girls – eight in all – were in the bedroom, sleeping off their nights of partying. The stench was worse than before, and Paddy held his handkerchief to his nose as he entered the gory den of iniquity where Dave lounged in the same clothes Tony had described him as wearing.

‘Hey there, Dave,’ announced Paddy. ‘It’s been a long time. How you doing, buddy?’

Dave opened his bloodshot eyes, recognised his visitor, and gave a wide grin that showed a mouthful of decayed and blackened teeth.

‘Hey, is that my old pal Paddy come to see a dying man?’

Paddy pulled a chair over, removed the remains of a meal, clasped the withered hand of his friend, and tried to hide the revulsion he felt at Dave’s situation. It was hard to recognise the man who lay there as being the high school athlete who had outrun the best of them and turned the heads of many students – both male and female – with his captivating smile and charisma.

Dave wept. Tears rolled down his hollow cheeks, at first slowly, then like a stream in full flow. He clung to Paddy, who could sense the heartbreak of a broken man. Inwardly, Paddy sobbed for the loss of a life that could have been successful if Dave had only chosen a different path in which to achieve fulfilment. Words weren’t necessary as the two sat together; one drew comfort from the other’s presence, the other prayed silently for a solution.

In the other room, Tony drew himself to his full height, knocked sharply on the paint-peeled door to alert the occupants of the foul-smelling room, then produced a notebook. He spoke sharply to the girls who had been rudely awakened by his arrival. They rubbed drug-fuelled sleep from their eyes and stared fearfully at the imposing man who stood in the doorway.

‘Pay close attention, guys,’ he said. ‘Listen up and listen well. I don’t have much time. Very soon there will be a raid on these premises, and you will all be arrested.’

Some screamed, others stumbled as they tried to leave the room.

‘Hold it there. I may be able to ease things for you. I have some influence with the drug cops. Firstly, I need your names, ages, and addresses, and no bullshit. I want the truth or things could get messy and I’ll walk out of here and