The Runner -Part 5 of 6

“Car 809, there’s been a 319 on Fifth Street and Abington Avenue. Get over there ASAP. An ambulance is on the way.” When Rizzo heard the call, his first thought was Angela. He turned on the lights and siren and hit the gas pedal hard.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Sykes said, “but you got to slow down before you hit somebody. Use your head, Tony.”

Rizzo slowed down just enough to satisfy his partner. When they arrived at the scene of the accident, they found Jack sprawled out on the asphalt. The ambulance arrived moments after the cops. The kid was unconscious. The driver of the car, a man in his forties, was standing over the kid, a bewildered look on his face. “He came out of nowhere; I swear to God! When he got to the curb, he just started running. I didn’t have time to stop. Is he going to be all right?”

“Too soon to tell,” the ambulance attendant said.

“Where are you taking him?” Rizzo asked.

“Columbus Hospital.”

Sykes agreed to handle the paperwork and get the driver’s information. He arranged to have another patrol car pick him up. “You go get the Oliveri’s and take them to the hospital. I’ll catch up with you later.”

When he got to the Oliveri’s apartment, they were already getting into Angelo’s car. A neighbor had just told them what happened. Angela ran to him and asked, “Did you see Jack? Is he going to be all right?” She was crying hysterically. Tony took her in his arms and did his best to calm her down.

“They don’t know yet, honey. Let’s get to the hospital.” He told Angelo to stay close behind him. He would give them an escort.

In the hospital emergency room, they could see that Jack was getting a lot of attention as the ER doctor and nurses went to work. Rizzo was allowed to go into the treatment area, briefly. It looked to him like Jack was conscious now, a good sign.

One of the nurses approached him. Her name was Claire Bogan. Rizzo knew her because they had gone to high school together and had been on a few dates.

Claire pulled Rizzo behind the curtain of a treatment bay that wasn’t being used. “We found this inside his pants. I don’t know what’s in there, but if it’s hidden, I’m guessing it isn’t baseball cards.”

Of course, Rizzo knew what it was. His face turned crimson with rage. He went back into the waiting room. He panned the room with his eyes, searching for Fortunato. He had no doubt he would be there, waiting. It didn’t take long to find him. Their eyes met and when Fortunato saw the gray bag in Rizzo’s hand, he knew he was in hot water.

He walked over to Rizzo and said, “It’s not what you think, Tony.”

“You’re under arrest, asshole.”

“Wait a minute. Today was the only day he picked up since I promised to stop. I was in a bind. Not for nothing, but your own father placed a couple of bets today.”

Rizzo gave him a very hard, cold stare. He grasped the implied threat immediately. Fortunato was suggesting he would name names, especially Rizzo’s father, if he was charged. “Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to leave here before I do put one in your skull. You’re going to go home and wait until I come for you. Now get your stupid ass out of here.”

Fortunato smiled. “You’re not thinking clearly, officer. You arrest me, you take down Angela’s little brother and her father. Yeah, you think I’ve been paying the kid? Think again. I pay his old man and he pays his son.”

Rizzo looked at Fortunato, hatred in his eyes. “You heard me. Go home and wait for me.”

“You think I’m going to wait for you so you can murder me? No thanks. I’m staying right here. I want to make sure the kid is okay, be around other people.”

After an hour of examining and working on young Jack Oliveri, the ER doctor came out of the exam room to speak with the Oliveri family. Rizzo was standing next to Angela, holding her hand. “It looks like your son was very lucky. Somehow, his body took the brunt of the collision. Miraculously, we think he escaped a serious head injury. He did break his collarbone and he has fractures in the pelvic region. He needs surgery, so he’s going to be here for a while. However, he should recover. He’s conscious and responding to us, so you can see him for a few minutes before we take him to the operating room. I should tell you that we will have to watch him closely to make sure he didn’t sustain a more serious head injury.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Marie said, making the sign of the Cross. A nurse ushered the family to Jack’s treatment room. Ralph Fortunato joined them, standing to the rear of the family. “Thank the good Lord,” he said. “Such a nice boy.”

Rizzo noticed a look pass between Fortunato and Mr. Oliveri. He knew he had a problem. He was still holding the bag with the betting slips. No one had noticed it. But as he was getting ready to leave the hospital, Fortunato approached him. “I’ll need the bag. You understand, right?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Rizzo saw Mr. Oliveri again. His usual stance, that of a man who was always in control of every situation, had disappeared. He glanced back at his son for Rizzo’s benefit, as if to say, give my boy a break.

Angela too saw the sack now. A look of horror, mixed with fear came over her. She moved close to her father and wrapped her arm around her father’s arm. Rizzo sized up the situation quickly. He handed the bag to Fortunato.

To his credit, the bookie didn’t gloat. He thanked Rizzo and made a quick exit.  Rizzo watched him leave, pondering his decision. He was relieved that perhaps he wouldn’t have to break Angela’s heart, but dismayed that he had been derelict in his duty. He had never let anyone who broke the law off the hook, not even a driver he caught speeding.

He believed bending the rules eventually led to being compromised. When he became a police officer, he was sure he wouldn’t let that happen to him. Certainly, he had seen other cops make that mistake. He knew some of them took payoffs from crime bosses and small-time operators too. That would never be him. Only now, because he was in love, he had done just that.