Reel to Real (7 page)

He was smart enough to realize that when the police took his statement about the gun they would then go directly to John’s house. He knew that if John got into any type of legal difficulty because of this incident, he would blame any and all of his problems on him. He knew that if this incident ended up escalating, which it looked like it would, John would come gunning for him and would most likely kill him the moment he had a chance.

He sat perched on the edge of his bed in his room, holding his knees and rocking himself. Then he heard his dad talking loudly to a cop at the front door and his heart rate, already high, notched itself up several more beats per second.

The loud voices were moving toward his bedroom.

Ethan desperately wished he had never answered that phone call from Esther. In an effort to calm himself, he vowed to stay far away from chicks who had done time in prison, especially old chicks, and super-especially old chicks with psycho ex-con boyfriends.

But that was in the future, if he had one. For the time being, he had only one thought, which was that he was so very, very dead.

“One day might be different from another, but there ain't much difference when they're put together.”

W
ILLIAM
H
.
A
RMSTRONG

Things went from worse to terrible for Esther and John. He let her know that everything was all her fault.

“You better fix this,” he snapped before he left her apartment. “I do
not
want to go back to prison because of you. You better keep that boy’s fucking mouth shut.”

She said she would.

As soon as John left, two police officers showed up at Esther’s apartment, looking for him.  Esther told them he wasn’t there, but they wanted to come inside anyway.

“There’s been a report of a felony at this location ma’am. Can we come in?” Patrolman Gomez asked, his face expressionless. “Someone called in an assault with a deadly weapon. We need to find out what happened.”

Esther let them in and more or less told them what happened. She omitted the part about having sex with a seventeen year old. That would have just gotten her in a lot more trouble that she didn’t need.

She told the police that Ethan had been over for a short visit and her boyfriend had misconstrued his presence into something crazy, something that it wasn’t. It was just a big misunderstanding, she said, and the most important thing was that no one had actually been hurt.

The officer was unmoved by Esther’s attempt to minimize events. He asked her for John’s last name. Patrolman Gomez ran the name through his computer and found John Lausell identified as a parolee who was prohibited by law from possessing firearms.

The sergeant also ran Esther’s name through the computer and told her the incident would be reported to her parole officer as well.

***

After they left Esther’s apartment, Shane and John criss-crossed the streets of Albuquerque for hours, sorting things out.

“Why the fuck did the bitch have to go and pull that kind of shit now?” John asked, veins bulging in his forehead.

“She’s out to get you,” Shane replied evenly.

“Wha-at? Why?”

“To pay you back for the other chick.”

“The other chick? Crystal? She doesn’t know nothing about Crystal. I told her nothing.”

“Chicks always know about that kind of shit.”

Eventually, John decided he needed to go back to Esther’s place and re-enforce his edict regarding her duty to keep the kid’s mouth shut. But as bad luck would have it, when John and Shane turned onto Candelaria Road, they saw a police car pulling up in front of Esther’s apartment building.

“Hold up, junior,” John said, ducking down in his seat. “There’s fucking cops over there and …

and ... and I can’t believe it. There’s that goddamn kid again.”

John raised his head to peek through the bottom of the dirty passenger-side window. “He’s getting out of the cop car now.” John paused, his mouth forming a jagged 'O.’ “He’s crazier than I thought. What the fuck does he think he’s doing going back over here?” He slammed the palms of his hands against his thighs. “I shoulda took his fucking ass out when I had the chance. Son-of-a-bitch. Goddamn Esther has done it to me now.”

Shane sat in the driver’s seat, quietly smoking a cigarette while John spat out each new development. “You can’t go there now, bro,” Shane said matter-of-factly. The engine idled quietly as they watched the scene unfold from behind a parked van. “They’re out there waiting to bust you. We gotta blow.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. We gotta get outta here,” John said, a profound frown on his face. He sat back up. “Matter a fact. I need to get my black ass outta town. Now.”

***

On the best nights of her vacation, Crystal slept like a baby. Tonight, however, there would be no sleeping. Not with everything that had gone on. She was wide awake.

When the phone rang, she jumped. It was the Albuquerque Police Department and they were looking for John.

“He’s not here,” Crystal said.

“Okay, we were just checking. That’s fine,” the dispatcher said. “Thank you.”

Five minutes later, APD called back and told Crystal to come out of the apartment, the SWAT team was waiting outside the door.

“Shit. You’re kidding me!” Crystal said, straightening up. “Can you give me a sec? I’ve gotta put some jeans on.”

“Quickly,” the officer said.

Once outside, she was surprised by the number of law enforcement personnel crowded around the apartment complex. It looked like the entire SWAT team plus a few plainclothes detectives. They told her to put her hands up and walked her over to a somber-faced man with a thick brown mustache and aviator glasses. He introduced himself as Detective Hayes and asked her if John was inside. She told him no.

The detective told her bad things could happen if it turned out she was lying.

“I’m aware of that,” Crystal replied.

“We’re going to need to go in there to make sure,” Detective Hayes said. “We have reason to believe he’s in there.”

“Fine.”

Six APD officers dressed in full body armor marched inside, guns drawn. They swept through the studio apartment, looking for John Lausell. The rest of the cops stayed outside with Crystal. She lit a cigarette and leaned against the railing, looking dour, waiting for them to finish. One of the cops informed Crystal that John had been in an earlier altercation with a woman and another man at the woman’s apartment. Firearms were involved, he said.

“What’s he going to do?” Detective Hayes asked, walking over. “Did John tell you what his next move was?”

“I told you I haven’t seen him. How would I know what he’s going to do next? I know less than you do.”

Loud banging and yelling could be heard inside John’s apartment as the SWAT team conducted its search. Outside, Crystal was questioned. The cops wanted her first and last name, her social security number and a look at her driver’s license. They told her they were adding her information to the local database. Smoke curled through Crystal’s gritted teeth.

Ultimately the police emerged empty handed. They left shortly thereafter.

Crystal was furious at the police, but more so at John. She pulled her suitcase out of the closet and packed up to leave. She wanted out of Albuquerque and out of New Mexico. She needed to get back to Colorado, ASAP.

Her original flight was scheduled to depart at three that afternoon, but now that wasn’t soon enough. She called the airline to inquire about changing her departure time. They informed her there would be additional fees if she altered her flight. With no extra cash to spare, she was forced to stay.

***

Esther rubber her forehead in an unsuccessful effort to make her monster headache go away, and tried to think. The only thing she could focus on was the fact that everything in her life was going wrong, wrong, wrong. John was really mad at her. The cops had just been in her house and they had asked her tons of questions. She had tried as hard as she could to be honest — but not too honest, which was a tough line to walk.

When the police left, they made it very clear that they were going to locate John and arrest him. Esther felt sure John would want to know about these latest developments. He would be furious, of course, if she violated the no-contact rule again, but she felt duty-bound to inform him.

She grabbed her keys and drove the short distance to his house.

11 PM

John decided before he left town that he needed to go back to his apartment and find out what was up. With Shane at his side, he knocked on his own front door.

Crystal glared at him when she answered, but he ignored the look. He brushed past her, scanning for hidden police officers. She appeared to be alone.

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

“No one’s here?” John asked.

“No.”

“You sure?” he said, twisting his head in all directions.

“No one’s here now, but they were. The cops were here — the SWAT was, and they were looking for you. They’re still looking for you, and looking hard. They said they might be back.”

“Shit. What else did they say?”

“They said you stuck a gun to some kid’s head,” Crystal sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can’t believe all this, John. Why’d you have to go and do all this shit now? I was having a good time. I used my vacation to come here.” She looked him in the eye. “You fucking put a gun to a kid’s head? Why?”

John stared at her.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said flatly. “I don’t have time. I gotta get goin’ before the cops get back. I gotta get my shit outta here and
i
gotta get outta here. Now.”

John walked to the closet, Shane silently shadowing him. John didn’t understand Shane most of the time. He wanted to trust him but he didn’t think he could. He didn’t understand why sometimes he seemed to have diarrhea of the mouth, and other times he was a fucking mute. John decided he was just another weird ex-con and he would have to keep an eye on him, but right now he needed help and he could not afford to be picky.

John opened his closet. “Always best to clean your shit up before any search warrants get here,” he explained as he loosened a panel in the back of the closet. He pulled out a small baseball bat, a snub-nose revolver and a stun gun, tossing them on the floor.

“Yup, you’re probably gonna need all that,” Shane said, nodding his approval.

A couple of minutes later John bustled toward the front door holding a hard brown suitcase. “Gotta go,” he said.

Crystal stood post at the door, arms crossed. “Aren’t you going to tell me what is going on?”

“I told you, I don’t want to talk about it,” John said, coming to a halt in front of her.

“I need to know,” she said, lips quivering, voice shaking. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“I can’t help it, babe. I gotta leave now.” He pushed her aside. “Cops might be back any minute. If I don’t get gone, I’m gonna get got.”

He kissed her on the cheek and walked out the door. “I’ll call you,” he said, hustling down the stairs.

***

Esther pounded on John’s door and screamed that she needed to talk to her boyfriend.

Crystal opened the door. “He’s not here,” she said, mouth set.

“I’ll wait for him then,” Esther said. “I need to tell him something.”

“Well, you’re going to have to wait outside. I’m not letting you in here.”

“Fine. I’ll wait in the parking lot. I’ll wait all night if I have to.”

“Fine.”

***

Esther did not end up staying after all. She drove away when the cops showed up again. The police did not stay long, either. They said they were just checking to see if John had come back. When they left, John returned. He wanted an update on his legal status.

“They’re still looking for you, that’s all,” Crystal told him. “They want to arrest you. Surprised?”

“Shut up, Crystal. I don’t need that shit from you.”

“From me? Why don’t you tell me what you’re doing? Why was that woman here?”

“Woman? What woman?” John did a slow burn as he realized which woman she was talking about. “Damn it, Esther.”

Crystal started crying. “Why’re you treating me like this, John? Disrespecting me?”

John did not answer. His face was sullen.

“You told me I was the only one and now some other slut shows up and says you’re her boyfriend. What the fuck is that about? I thought we had an exclusive relationship.” She put her hands on her hips.

“Look, lady. I like having you here and all, but I’m single and any women I spend time with are just friends. That’s it, friends. I don’t care what she says.
I am not her boyfriend
.”

Crystal didn’t know what to believe. She was beginning to think that everything John said was a lie.

“She sure didn’t seem like she was just a friend,” she said, tears streaming down her face.

“Well, that’s what she is,” John said stoically.

“I think you’re a liar, John Lausell. She called you her fucking boyfriend. You are, aren’t you? Her fucking boyfriend?”

John turned, strode to the closet and grabbed a jacket. When his back was turned, Crystal picked up a drinking glass from the end table and threw it at him. The glass shattered loudly against the wall, barely missing his head.

Crystal looked around for something else to throw but John grabbed her from behind.

“Hey,” he said. “I don’t care how mad you are. Stop throwing shit and shut the fuck up. You’re gonna get the cops back here in about two seconds. I gotta go now,” he said, and slammed the door behind him.

As soon as he left, Crystal resumed screaming and throwing anything within reach. But for whatever reason, the police did not return that evening.

Eventually Crystal grew weary and went to bed.

February 18, 1996

The next day, Crystal woke up feeling terrible. Her hair was limp, her make-up smeared, and her nicest white blouse, which she ended up sleeping in, had a big red blotch on it.

Her vacation to Albuquerque had officially become a train wreck. Everything had been going so well too, dazzling really, but now it was all fucked up. Why in God’s name did John have to go and see that psycho bitch anyway? That’s when everything went to hell.