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First part by Peggy
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Jeff Smith looked up from where he was rewinding cable, at the
two suits coming on site. What did they want? The film crew was
busy packing up from the long day's shoot and that wasn't the
normal time for the backers to show up and check things out.
Backers always came when the "names" were on site, when things
were exciting. Not when it was just grunt work. They walked up
to him, one of the suits pulling out an id. INS? What? "I'm
Robert Sumter, this is my partner, Paul Jackson. We're looking
for Rollie Tyler. Can you tell us where to find him, sir?"
"Uh, yeah, Rollie's over there." Smith pointed to where Tyler
FX's big rolling workshop was parked behind the building facade
that hid it from the cameras. He watched puzzled as the two INS
agents thanked him and walked over toward the van. "Hey, Jill!"
He called to a nearby crew member. "What do you suppose the INS
would want with Rollie? Think they're out to deport him?" The
big man was half joking, half serious. He tried to remember if
Rollie had ever gotten his citizenship and realized he just
didn't know. It wasn't something that would come up in casual
conversation with the Aussie FX man.
"Ha, ha," the woman mocked back. "If they are, the film's in
trouble. No way could we get another special effects crew in
time to finish. We're filming the big scene in less than a week."
"Ah, it's probably just a technicality or something. No way is
Rollie in that type of trouble." Jeff continued to keep a
curious eye on the van, waiting for the agents to leave so he
could ask Rollie what was up. He was rewarded ten minutes later
when the pair of INS men and Rollie came out.
Rollie pulled on his leather jacket and looked around. Spotting
Jeff, he walked over. "Hey, Jeff, mind telling Angie to finish
packing up when she gets back? I got some, uh, business to take
care of."
"Sure, no problem man. So what's up?" Jeff was buzzing with
curiosity now.
"Just some business, tell her to take the van back to the shop.
I'll talk to her tomorrow. Thanks" Rollie smiled and hurried
over to join the waiting agents.
Jill was watching the whole thing and had heard what Rollie had
said to Jeff. If the INS was going to deport Rollie, it could be
news. News that would be worth a hundred bucks easy on the
gossip circuit and she knew just the columnist who'd buy it. And
if they weren't, well it was an easy mistake, what with Rollie
being picked up by INS agents. Oh, yeah, this would be an easy
hundred.
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Second Part by Robert on Tuesday, 7 October 1997, at 10:29 a.m
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"Sumter" held the door opened of the car as Rollie approached
the waiting car. "Jackson" was already seated. Rollie got in,
and "Sumter" got into the passenger side. The driver, pulled
away.
Sorry for the deception Mr. Tyler, but we couldn't have everyone
knowing our real identity and agency, but your track record for
helping the NYPD has been outstanding and we're in need of your
special talent.
"So", Rollie interrupted, "what are your real names and what
agency do you really work for?" "Jackson" replied, "Let's just
say our name's are correct, as for our agency, we're with the
FBI and we couldn't very well have everyone knowing right now
that your helping a government agency." At least, not at this
time. Continued "Sumter"
Rollie was starting to feel the hairs on the back of his neck
raise up as he asked. "So what's this all about then?"
Mr. Tyler, "Jackson" replied; we have a very serious situation.
Your friend Leo was helping us when he was killed. And before we
go any further, we want to tell you how sorry we are for his
death. We didn't anticipate that anyone would utilize the kind
of devices used to kill Leo.
"Sumter" added: Leo was a very good man and if there was one
thing he taught us was how to bend the rules without crossing
the line. Which is why we've decided that we need your help.
"Jackson" The people you and the NYPD helped to neutralize where
only the tip of the iceberg Mr. Tyler and we want the rest of
the iceberg to melt. The weapons that they posses not only
impose a threat to national security but to international well
being.
Rollie: "Well if it help me get all those responsible for Leo's
death, you can count me in! Whatever you need me to do you can
count on me. However we're going to need my other friends to
help us also."
"Sumter" Mr. Tyler, we can't have anyone else in on this, we had
a hard enough time convincing our boss that we needed you in on
this to begin with.
Rollie: Look, the people that killed Leo weren't amateurs and
you can be sure that whoever else they have aren't either. If
we're going to this right I'm going to have to have Angie help
me and maybe a couple of others that I know I can trust as well.
Leo was family and I know that I'm not going to be able to do
this by myself. And another thing, call me Rollie.
This was going to be tough Rollie knew and he figured that he
was going to have to pull out his bag of tricks to do it.
"Jackson" Rollie, your friends have got to know that we can't
have this getting out. We've got someone leaking information and
we have to limit how many people know what's going on.
"Sumter" We've got to know if your people can keep a secret till
the jobs done.
Rollie: Oh, I can vouch for my people that's for sure. It's
payback time and the people I'm going to bring in will want to
be in on this for sure.
While the agents were telling Rollie what little they knew,
since Leo had died before passing on the information he had
acquired, Jill had been on the phone with Jack Salt, a gossip
columnist who also did radio reports. Jack paid Jill five
hundred smackers for the tidbit about Rollie maybe getting
deported. Since it affected the filming of "Bullets and Mercy",
which the buzz had as a hot contender for the summer box office
next year, it was more than worth the price. Especially, since
he was just about to go on the air and would scope everyone else
in town and Hollywood. This might even cinch the nationwide
syndication deal he had worked so hard to acquire. Naturally,
there was no doubt when Jack salted his report, Rollie was being
deported and the fate of "Bullets and Mercy" was in doubt.
Which was why, Captain Vanduran immediately grabbed Francis when
he returned from meeting with the commissioner. "What's with
this report on the radio, Gatti? What's going on?"
"What report, Captain?" Francis was naturally puzzled, he had
been buried in paperwork all afternoon, not listening to the
radio. Had Mid Town South sprung another leak, this time to the
press?
"The report about Tyler getting deported! That's what report!"
Though the captain would never admit, if the report was true, he
would miss the laid-back, innovative Australian special effects
expert. Things were never dull when he was around. "HE'S your
friend. What's going on?"
"Rollie? Deported? This is the first I've heard of it! They
can't do that! Can they? Why?" Francis was now frantic, he had
to reach Rollie or Angie and found out what was going down.
Maybe there was something he could do to prevent it. If it was
true, if Rollie got deported... He COULDN'T let that happen, Leo
wouldn't have let that happen and neither would he!
"Well, don't just stand there, Detective! Find out!"
Naturally, the first thing Francis did was to try and call
Rollie. Except he wasn't getting an answer, not at Rollie's
home, not on the cell. Thinking, he remembered where Rollie and
Angie were working this week and headed over there. He was still
trying to reach Rollie and had added Angie's apartment to the
list of numbers he was dialing.
No answer... no answer... finally, he heard Angie's voice on the
cell number, "Tyler FX, may I help you?"
"Angie! What's happening? How's Rollie?"
"Francis? What do you mean what's happening? Rollie was fine,
the last time I saw him. He's off taken care of some business,
somewhere." Angie was puzzled, just what had set Francis off
like this? The young special effects expert was getting scared
now, why was he asking about Rollie?
Had something happened? Ever since Leo had been murdered, and
Francis almost murdered, she had been more worried about him. If
something did happen to Rollie Tyler... he was her only family.
"Angie, the captain heard Rollie was getting deported! They
can't do that to him, can they?"
"Rollie? Deported? No, they can't deport him." Angie was now
amused, where had this one come from? There wasn't anyway for
Rollie to be deported, unless maybe he was convicted of a major
crime or something. And they all would have know about that
happening, well before deportation procedures were started. As
long as she had known the "business", all of her life, she had
been amused and amazed at the way rumors and innuendoes were
started, spread and grew. Obviously, the latest "hot news" now
touched her boss and partner.
"Wait a minute. I'm here." Francis parked his unmarked police
car and hung up the cell phone. He hurried over to where Angie
stood, looking amused.
"Just where did the captain hear this "news"?" Angie asked her
friend.
"The radio. Are you sure he's not getting deported?" Francis
felt himself calming down, looking at Angie's amusement.
"Where'd they get the story then? And just where IS Rollie?"
"Who knows? Maybe it was a slow news day. Every time I think I
can't be surprised by the stories they come up with, they find
something new."
"Uh, Angie?" Jeff having "overheard" Angie's part of the phone
conversation, decided to stick in his two cents worth. "The
suits he went with were INS. If they're not deporting Rollie,
why'd they pick him up?"
"INS? I don't know, maybe they finally got tired of Dingo
getting into trouble."
Francis smiled at that statement. He hadn't meet Dingo yet, but
he had heard the full details of his last adventure in town from
Leo. Dingo was definitely a character and why anyone had allowed
him to immigrate was a mystery.
"We'll find out, what's going on when Rollie resurfaces. Until
then I've got to get this gear back to the studio." Angie's
matter a fact attitude settled Jeff's anxiety, but not his
curiosity. He really did want to know what was going on, but
knowing Rollie and Angie, he probably would never hear. He
sighed and headed back to his own packing up.
Francis was helping Angie put up the last of the heavy equipment
boxes when the cell phone rang again. He looked curiously at
Angie as she sighed dramatically and answered the phone.
"Tyler FX".... "Rollie, where are you? Francis heard you were
getting deported."... "Okay, I'm finished here, I'll meet you
there."... "Bring Francis?" Angie looked questioningly at the
detective. He promptly nodded, he wanted to know what was going
on. "Okay, we'll be there soon."
"What is it? What did he say? Where are we meeting him?"
"Rollie just said to meet him at the Marriott near the studio.
You drive Francis, he said not to bring the truck. It's too
noticeable."
"Well, something is definitely up! I wonder what?"
"The sooner we get there, the sooner we find out." Angie tried
to sound calm, whatever was going on, it was BIG! She had heard
that in Rollie's voice. Someone who didn't know Rollie as well
as she did wouldn't have heard the excitement, but it had come
through loud and clear to her.
Rollie met his friends in the lobby and had immediately taken
them up to a suite on the fourteenth floor. There, they meet
Sumter and Jackson, and were told what little the partners knew
about what Leo had found for them.
Angie wrapped her arms around herself, she felt cold listening
to the Federal agents. She had so hoped the nightmare Leo's
death had started was over. Now, it sounded like it was just
starting. She watched Rollie and Francis, worried. How much more
could they really take?
Francis frowned in thought. "I didn't find anything about that
when I cleaned out Leo's apartment, his locker or his desk. And
believe me I checked everywhere when I did it. I didn't want the
next tenants to find anything."
"Maybe, one of Capricio's men found it, while you were in the
hospital?" Rollie asked tentatively.
"No, nobody'd been there. I'd know. Leo showed me how to check
his place. Make sure nothing had been... touched. The only thing
I didn't check was..." Francis trailed off, uncertain.
"Was what Francis? What didn't you check?" Rollie was puzzled
and concerned. What had his friend not bothered to check and why
hadn't he checked it out?
"Well, it was for you Rollie." Francis wasn't certain how his
friend was going to take this.
"For me? What was for me? Francis, what are you talking about?"
"I found a birthday present for you, Rollie. It was wrapped and
I didn't want to open it. I was waiting for your birthday to
give it to you."
"A present for me?" Rollie was stunned by that revelation. How
long had Leo had it? He wondered briefly why Francis hadn't gone
ahead and given it to him, but not for long. Leo would have
wanted Francis to wait for his birthday. "Well, my birthday's
Friday and I think we better go ahead and check it out." Rollie
swallowed, trying to keep down the fresh wave of grief at losing
his best mate.
Francis looked anxiously at Rollie, he knew what Rollie was
feeling, he felt it, too. Every time he went on a case without
his partner at his side or looked over at the desk that had
belonged to Leo. "I'll go get it."
It didn't take long for Francis to go to his place and return
with the large, colorfully wrapped present. The gift wrap was
covered with bright, different colored kangaroos. Just what Leo
would pick out for his Aussie pal. The Feds had stepped into one
of the bedrooms "to check in with their boss" they said, but the
three friend's knew it was to give them some privacy. They were
grateful for that thought, as Rollie looked at the gift. He
shook it and looked up at his remaining best friends. He wasn't
sure when he had gotten that close to Francis, maybe Leo's death
had finished the process, but Francis was now one of his closest
friends and he was glad they were both with him now. With a
rush, he ripped the paper off and opened the box. Inside was a
beautiful, natural colored wool sweater, it had been knit so
there were raised kangaroos and emus on it, jacquard style. It
was perfect and Rollie felt his eyes water as he gently unfolded
it and held it up, so the others could see as well.
Angie reached down and picked up the large envelope that had
fallen to the floor when Rollie lifted the sweater. "That's
beautiful, Rollie." Her voice was quiet, as she handed the
envelope to her "big brother".
Rollie opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper and
four other envelopes. Ignoring the paper for the moment, he
peered at the envelopes. "There's one for each of us and
Colleen. They marked personal." He handed Francis and Angie the
one's with their names on it. For a moment, the three friend
just sat there and looked at them, then as if they all thought
the same, they set the envelopes aside. Those were for later, a
more private moment when they were alone. Rollie looked at the
piece of paper in his lap and swallowed hard.
"What is it, Rollie? What does it say?" Francis knew looking at
Rollie, this was hard, but it had to be done, to be dealt with.
"What did Leo write?"
Francis and Angie watched silently as Rollie took a deep breath.
"He says if I'm reading this, that something must have happened
to him and to give the envelopes to each of you. That he was
investigating the illegal gun shipments for the Feds. And he
picked up some information that could break the back of the
syndicates running the guns at the highest levels and put them
out of commission for years." Rollie turned toward the bedroom
the two agents had disappeared into earlier and called out.
"Agent Sumter, Jackson? I've got it, I got the information Leo
had found out. You better come hear this."
The two Feds came out and Rollie turned back to his friends.
"Leo says he found that the syndicate leaders are having a
meeting. A real high level meeting, to redistribute the gun
"routes". They're having it Halloween, at a big, isolated estate
in upstate New York."
Agent Sumter nodded, this was what they had been looking for.
"This is the key, if we can find out what they say at that
meeting, we can break the backs of the biggest leaders. And stop
the major gun running for years! If we can bug that meeting, it
will make a major difference. Not just in New York, but across
the country, maybe even internationally!"
