The Big Guy Chapter 2

The Big Guy
Chapter 2

 “Five years ago, I was allowed to train a dog, something I’d done in the Navy. Max is the result of that training. He’s the best partner I’ve ever had. I just closed out an investigation involving a team of brutal rapists who tortured and murdered young women they kidnapped. I had one under control when I whistled for Max. He ran in from the car and kept the second suspect on the floor while I cuffed mine.”

“How’d he get out of the car?”

“It’s equipped with a panic bar like you’d see in a building, and the door is spring-loaded, so it also closes automatically. All I needed was someone to open the bar’s front door. Speaking of doors.” I opened the door and let Max in, drying him again, saying good night to Lucy, and brushing my teeth in the kitchen sink before lying on the couch. It was small and not very comfortable. When Lucy returned in a robe, I tried to get into a tolerable position.

“I’m sorry, Matt. I should have realized that the couch would be too small for you. Come and sleep in the bed with me. I think I can trust you. Come on.” She reached down to pull me up, holding my hand while she led me to the bedroom. It held a queen-sized bed, and I saw immediately that the right side had been turned down; I assumed to accommodate Lucy. After thanking her, I started to climb to the opposite end. I stopped when Lucy began to laugh.

“What?”

“Do you always sleep in your clothes?”

Um…no; I usually sleep in my boxers.”

“Well, why don’t you take everything else off? Don’t worry--I’m not going to rape you.” Then she laughed again and rolled over, facing away from me. I removed my tee shoes and socks before dropping my cargo pants to the floor. A few seconds later, I pulled my Colt from the holster, placing it on the floor to reach it quickly if necessary. Max came to me for our nightly ritual of petting and ear-scratching before walking to the bed's foot and laying down to sleep.

I slept like the dead—just as I always did—safe knowing Max would awaken at the slightest disturbance. He’d saved my bacon any number of times in the past. There was nothing but the steady drumbeat of the falling rain on the aluminum roof all night.

The rain continued into the following morning, even after Lucy woke me at 8:30. “Take a shower if you wish, Matt. There’s no hurry. I don’t have to go in until 11:30. Okay, if I put Max out?”

“Sure…Max, go with Lucy. She’ll put you out.” Max rose and stretched before loping down the hall with Lucy. I walked toward the bathroom and turned to take a clean pair of boxers and a clean tee from my bag. I also carried my Colt into the toilet, leaving it on the vanity while I turned on the hot water.

I’d learned how to wash myself quickly while in the Navy, so I was drying myself with a fluffy towel when Lucy knocked on the door. “I have coffee in the kitchen when you’re done, and I’m afraid I have bad news. I’m watching the Weather Channel and all the roads are flooded. Looks like you’ll be my guest a while longer.”

“I don’t want to impose on your hospitality.”

“You’re not. I’m glad to have the company. I’m pretty lonely here.”

“I find that hard to believe. You’re an attractive woman with an upbeat personality. Surely, you must go on dates.”

“Remember that I know almost everyone here—if not from the diner, then from church or the city government. I’m on the City Council. Unfortunately, all the guys want from me is my pussy. There doesn’t seem to be anyone who wants a serious relationship with me.”

“I find you an interesting, even intriguing, woman. I’m surprised you’re not married.”

“Intriguing? How?”

“You’re a successful businesswoman who could act superior and aloof. Instead, you’re friendly and open—the kind of person offering a stranger a place to stay. People like you don’t come around every day. That’s the truth.” I smiled as she blushed at my compliment. Lucy looked into my eyes and then smiled. “How about some breakfast? I can offer you bacon and eggs—any style.”

“Okay, but only if I can help you somehow.”

“You can set the table and get out the orange juice. I’ll handle the rest. I was one of the cooks when my dad ran the diner. You know what? I’m in the mood for an omelet. It’s just as easy to make two as one.” I smiled and nodded my agreement as we walked together into the kitchen. Max ignored us as he lay quietly on the living room floor.

I had to admit that the breakfast was one of the best I’d ever had. The food was great, and the company was just as good. Lucy asked about the case I had just closed and was especially interested in how we had tracked down the two suspects. We cleaned up together, then worked again to make the bed. When she asked what I would do today, I wore another uniform tee and cargo pants.

“I don’t know, but I thought I might drive around town a bit.”

“That won’t take too long. Why don’t you come up to the diner? I’ll reserve a booth next to the door, and we can talk or watch the TV news and weather. I’ll even buy you lunch.”

“I’ll gladly come, but I insist on paying my way. What will I do with Max? I can’t leave him in the SUV all day.”

“Bring him in with you. Is he okay with kids?”

“Oh, yeah; he loves kids. I sometimes think he’d play Frisbee all day if I’d let him. He loves going to my cousin’s house and playing with her girls.”
We talked briefly, and then Lucy entered the bedroom to wear her dinner uniform. There was a slight break in the rain when we left, and Lucy was right—her home did look better in the daylight.

I paid close attention to her directions, and five minutes later, I pulled into the diner’s lot. She pointed me toward the town’s main drag and waved as she entered the doorway. No sooner was she inside than the heavens opened again.

The town was pretty much deserted even though it was a Saturday, a day I assumed most people would be shopping. There were plenty of small shops of all kinds. The city was clean, and I could see that an effort had been made to revitalize the area with large concrete boxes planted with colorful flowers and hanging baskets on the lampposts. The buildings were well maintained with gleaming paint, even on a gloomy day at best.

There were three schools at the end of the broad avenue—elementary, middle, and high. The football field looked like it could hold 5000 people easily. This was rural America at its best. I didn’t see a single homeless person, although they could be sheltering in a church, senior center, or someplace I didn’t even know existed. Overall, I was pretty impressed by the city, even though it looked more like a big town than an actual city. The entire commercial area wasn’t more than a half mile long by about three blocks on either side of the main road. I turned around and returned to the diner around 1:00. That was the routine I followed for three days, exploring different areas of the small city every day. Ultimately, I had to agree with Lucy—it was a great place to live.

I moved my rifle and shotgun back into the SUV as I did every morning, and I had my marshal’s belt with pistol and baton under my rain parka as Max, and I ran into the diner. As promised, there was a booth just to the right of the door with a sign that said “Reserved.” I sat behind the door and pointed Max to the opposing seat.

We weren’t there long the first day when a waitress approached to tell me that I couldn’t bring my dog into the building. “Lucy told me I could. Maybe you should check with her. How about a menu while you’re doing that?” She brought it a minute later, and by then, two young girls had approached us. That also became a regular part of our day.

“Could we pet your dog, Mister?”

“Sure, just hold your hand out first and let Max sniff you. It’ll be okay. He loves children and always plays with my cousin’s girls.”

The older girl looked about ten years old and had some experience with strange dogs. Max sniffed her hand and then licked it a few times while she laughed. I had to tell Max to sit down because his tail had hit the people in the next booth several times. I tried to apologize, but they just brushed it off.

I was leaning over the table, and my jacket opened briefly as I did. The girl gasped as she saw my revolver. “Is that a real gun, Mister? How come you have a gun?”

I waved her closer and opened the parka so she could read my shirt. “Oh, are you some kind of policeman?”

“Yes, I am, honey, except I work for the federal government solving crimes that violate federal laws like kidnapping or drugs. Max is my partner. He’s a police dog when we’re working, but he’s just a big baby the rest of the time.”

They stayed with Max while I ordered a club sandwich on white toast with extra mayo and a Coke. I opted for the chips when asked if I wanted fries or chips. The ones I had that first night were great. Once the waitress had gone, I looked aimlessly out the window. I didn’t like what I saw there. Two men got out of their car. They were wearing raincoats, which was to be expected considering the weather. I didn’t particularly appreciate seeing them go to the trunk and emerge with their right hands inside the other side of their coats as they looked up and down the street.

“Girls, you have to return to your parents and stay there. You can play with Max again in a few minutes, okay? Go now.” Once they were gone, I gave Max the command that would put him on alert. I also moved him to the floor under the table, where he was less likely to be seen. I shrugged my arms from the parka but kept it over my shoulders.

Max looked up at me as the two walked through the outer door into the vestibule. I tapped him twice on his ear, which put him at my ready. He would move at the exact instant I did. My pistol was prepared with an undone leather strap and a safety thumbed-off. I turned my body sideways to the table just as they entered.

“THIS IS A STICKUP,” the one to the right yelled as he approached the counter before us. He held a rifle in his right hand. His partner had a shotgun, and both were pointed up at the ceiling. I made my move immediately, and Max exploded from the booth. After a single step, he leaped up, wrapping his jaws around the man’s wrist. He screamed in pain, and his partner would have come to his aid if only I didn’t have my revolver jammed into his ear. I spoke just as the rifle fell harmlessly to the floor.

“Don’t even think about it. One false move, and your brains will be all over the ceiling. Move your finger away from the trigger and lay the weapon on the counter. Slowly, now, slowly. Lucy, get out of the way. I don’t want any accidents.” Once she had moved, I grabbed the asshole’s collar and pulled him to the floor. With my knee on his neck, I quickly handcuffed him and left him there while I attended to his partner.

Dogs were very successful hunters long before they were domesticated thousands of years ago. They killed their prey by grabbing it by the neck and shaking it violently, breaking the animal’s neck in the process. When Max bit into the perpetrator’s wrist, his instincts told him to shake it as his ancestors had done ages ago. The action destroyed the man’s wrist, breaking several bones in his hand as well as his forearm within the first three seconds. Since then, his wrist had been completely obliterated. “Off, Max…off,” I said calmly. Max released him and stepped away until I snapped my fingers and pointed to the one I had dealt with. “Hold, Max.” He ran to the other robber and wrapped his jaws around his neck, not biting but holding him in place.

“Lucy, do you have a towel? Even a dish towel or two would be a help.” She returned a few seconds later with two dish towels. “Please call 9-1-1 and ask for police and EMTs while I bandage this guy’s wrist.” I wrapped the first towel tightly around the area where the blood flowed freely from his wound. I tore about half of the second towel down its length, then applied it over the other. Finally, I tied the two torn sections into a firm knot.
I could restrain him just above the elbows using two plastic wrist cuffs. He had limited use of his hands, although he was unlikely to use his right hand much again.

Pulling the one I was working on up, I forced his legs apart and then bent him over the counter while I searched him. He had a 9mm semi-automatic and a knife that I laid on the counter next to his rifle. “Don’t get any stupid ideas. Max will be right behind you in a second.” I left him then, returning to the one I had dealt with. Max rose when I got there and walked behind his partner, growling menacingly as he did.

I could hear sirens in the distance as I searched for the remaining robber. He, too, had a 9mm and a knife. Leaving him over the counter, I unloaded the shotgun and the pistol as I had his partner’s. I smiled as I spoke to the patrons. “I’ll bet you weren’t expecting all this excitement when you decided to eat out today, did you? I’m Matt Cahill, U.S. Marshal, and this is my partner, Max. Right, buddy?” We’d done this several times before, so Max woofed his agreement before returning to his guard duties.

I could hear sirens coming from two directions, so I released Max. “Go and play with the girls, Max. I have this covered.” German shepherds are among the most intelligent dogs, and Max is the smartest dog I’ve ever encountered. He woofed once and capered down the aisle until he had reached his two friends.

They were eager, but their father held them back. “Is this dog safe?”

“What Max did here today, he did on my exact orders, nothing else. Did you notice that he took this man’s neck into his mouth but didn’t bite? I told him to ‘hold,’ nothing more, and that’s exactly what he did. He would have bitten and broken the man’s neck if I or any of you were seriously endangered, with or without my instructions. That’s just how good he is, but none of you are in danger from him.” Then, looking at the older girl, I told her, “Honey, put your arm into Max’s mouth. Go ahead. He won’t bite you. I promise.” She was tentative as she slid out of the booth but laughed when Max licked her face. Standing with him, she pushed her arm between Max’s jaws and grinned wildly when he stood calmly, his mouth wide open.

That encouraged other kids and their parents to join her, and soon, Max was the center of attention as several dozen people were petting and rubbing him. That scene greeted two sheriff’s deputies who entered the diner with their guns drawn.

My back was to them as they entered, and they were justifiably cautious. “Put your hands up and turn around. Don’t do anything sudden or stupid.”
Lucy was about to explain until I stopped her. I turned slowly so they could read the front of my shirt. “Got some ID, buddy? Anyone can buy a shirt and have it lettered.” He stepped forward, so his pistol was only about three feet away from me.

“I’d like to suggest that you step back a bit. We’ll both be losers if you don’t. You’ll lose the use of your right hand for the rest of your life, just like this asshole over here, and I’ll lose my best friend. My ID is in my left-hand cargo pocket. Okay, if I reach for it?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I pointed them behind them to where Max had come silently. He growled when they turned. “Oh, God—what is that thing a wolf?”

“No, he’s my partner.” Kneeling, I called Max to me. “It’s okay, Max. Come here, boy.” I held him with my right hand even though he could pull away from me whenever he wanted. Reaching with my left hand, I opened it and showed my official ID to the deputies. They holstered their weapons and stepped back. “Okay, Max; you can return to the kids now.” He looked at me for reassurance, then trotted away.

“What happened here, Marshal?”

“I was seated in the booth behind you with Max while two girls petted him when I saw these two drive into the parking lot. Their actions put me on guard. They went to the trunk and removed something I couldn’t see. They both had their hands inside the raincoats when they reappeared. I sent the girls back to their parents and put Max on alert. He’s a highly trained and experienced police dog. He attacked this one as soon as I stepped out of the booth, first biting his wrist and then shaking it until the guy dropped the rifle. I’d be amazed if he didn’t have half a dozen broken bones.”

We were interrupted then by three city patrolmen and two EMT’s who went straight to the injured man. “Who’s going to take custody of these two? It’s armed robbery, at least, and I’ll bet that these firearms aren’t registered. I’m sure your DA can come up with a bunch of charges. I’ll also bet that these two are responsible for the other robberies in the area.”

“We’re in the city, so it’s their case, but they always send their prisoners to the county jail.”

“Okay, then I suggest that some of you need to get the names and addresses of all of the witnesses.” The two deputies and two of the city police went to do that while the other started to remove my handcuffs so he could replace them with his own. What he did was all wrong, ass-backward, and a potential disaster in the making. “What are you doing?” I asked as he had almost removed one of the cuffs, stepped between him and the robber, and ratcheted the cuff tightly on his wrist again.

“Um…I was removing your cuffs and replacing them with mine.”

“Give me your handcuffs,” I instructed him. I placed them onto the perpetrator’s wrists just above mine, and then I unlocked mine and replaced them into their holder. “Never…ever remove handcuffs before putting yours on a prisoner’s wrists. There are potentially dangerous weapons here—steak knives, even forks—and plenty of potential hostages. These are violent, dangerous men.”

The prisoner had a sickening smile when I pulled him up and turned him around. “Too bad you were here. I would have gotten away from this hick cop for sure.”

“I doubt it. Max would have been on you before you went ten feet. Then you’d be as messed up as he is.” His smile disappeared as he realized what I said was the truth. Once again, Max stood only a few feet behind me, fangs bared. Turning to the patrolman, I told him to Muddle both of these a-holes so dozens of people would witness them. I didn’t want either of them to get off on a technicality. Ten minutes later, both prisoners were removed—one to the hospital, the other to the jail.

Max and I were standing in the diner when Lucy approached me. “You both deserve a reward. Max is getting a big salmon steak, but I have something else for you.” Then she pulled my head down so she could kiss me. It was long and sweet as she pulled herself into my body. I responded by clutching her tightly, too. Breaking it, she whispered, “The rest will have to wait until later.”

Lucy and I were in bed my second night with her when she moved over behind me. “How long since you last had sex, Matt?”

“You mean with another person?”

She laughed and then jabbed me in the ribs. “Asshole!”

“Well, you asked! It’s been a long time, probably close to a year. My work keeps me moving around often, so I don’t get into many relationships.”



To be continued