Chapter 26: Gone but Not Forgotten

It was a cold, lazy Sunday afternoon. Tony and Andrea Washington were sitting in the living room watching the Eagles play the Giants on their new color television set. In the middle of a big play, the wall phone rang out.

"Really...now?" Tony complained. "The Eagles are moving into Giants territory."

"Oh dear, I'll answer it." Andrea got off the sofa and walked over to the phone. After a brief conversation, she looked over at her husband with a worried expression. "Tony, it's for you...it's the police."

Standing aside, she listened in and watched the concern on her husband's face deepen. As he slowly hung up the receiver, she asked, "Tony, what's happened?"

He swallowed hard. "That was the cops, alright. Wayne and John's Woodie was abandoned at the Packer Drive-in last weekend. The cops have it at the impound lot…and…and both men are missing. There's no sign of their wives, either. The apartment still has all their clothes and belongings. The officer said they suspect foul play…'in light of recent events'."

Andrea's heart wrenched. "Oh, no. Do you think they've been taken by the mob?" Her voice cracked as she pleaded, "Tony, you need to come clean with the police. Five lives are in jeopardy."

"Five?"

"Did you forget? T'Naisa has a baby on the way."

Tony raised his hands, wincing as pain lanced through his injured shoulder. "Andrea, are you aware of the danger that would put us in? Sure, they could set us up with the witness protection program, but that means we'd have to leave our home…and give up all our friends."

Tears welled in her eyes. "We could live anywhere, Tony. A house is just a house. And we can make new friends. I wasn't going to share this till tonight, but…but Tony, I'm expecting, too."

His lips began to tremble, and then he was hugging her close. "Oh, Andrea. Can we? Can we really start over?"

The phone rang again. Reluctantly Tony parted from his wife and answered it. "Hello, Joe...yes, Joe...I heard about them disappearing...yes, yes…I'll take care of December's rent." He sighed. "Sure, I'll find you new tenants. But Joe, I need to go...bye." Scowling, he slammed the receiver down. "That low-life doesn't seem the least bit worried that they're missing! All he cares about is money!"

Right then and there, Tony contacted Frank from the construction site to verify that Wayne and John had been absent from work. Frank cussed Tony out for supplying such "lousy deadbeats" and said not to expect any more favors.

"Fine," Tony retorted, "but I'll soon be sending a little favor your way." He had made up his mind. He was going to the cops. And Frank would have his day in court, for he was Angelo Bruno's cousin, in deep with the Mafia.

Monday morning, Tony and Andrea headed to the police department's main office. After cutting a deal with the feds, Tony shared everything he knew about the Mafia and its ties to Angelo Bruno. The head investigator secured police protection for them and made plans for Tony and Andrea to move out of the area with new identities.

oooo

The very next day, a young man sat under the old oak tree at the Philadelphia construction site. All last week he had missed his two friends. He heard rumors that they were not coming back and that the mob had offed them. Leaning his head against the tree trunk, Jerome prayed that the rumors weren't true and his friends and their wives were safe. That very hour he made a promise to himself that he intended to keep. Right after his shift was over, he would head to a rehab clinic. Once he was clean, he would enter the community college. Then on to Temple, for all his life he had dreamed of becoming a teacher.

oooo

On the Pacific coast, Christmas was in the air as a man walked out of a Desilu soundstage where he had picked up a day's stunt work during the hiatus of Mission: Impossible. A disturbance in the parking lot caught his attention and he cautiously moved in for a closer look. Two blacks were accosting another man. Tyrone froze and stood watching the two thugs knock a lean white man to the pavement. His mind flashed back to a time when he was in that same predicament, only the thugs attacking him were white. Two white strangers named Wayne and John had come to his rescue without hesitation. They had treated him with respect and eventually they had become friends.

Gathering himself, Tyrone stepped toward the scene. "Hey! Let him be!"

A dark, angry face looked up at him. The brute of a man had the white victim facedown, in a hammerlock. "What's it to you, brother? He's just another rich honky. It's time for him to hand over our share of the wealth."

Tyrone ran up to the thug, grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him to his feet. This enabled the white man to stand back up. The second assailant pulled out a knife and pointed it at Tyrone.

Tyrone sputtered with anger. "Call me brother, then pull a knife on me?"

As the white man rubbed his arm, he saw that his assailant was preoccupied with Tyrone and remembered a move that a fellow actor had taught him. He swiftly karate-chopped the man's forearm. His eyebrow shot upward in surprise, for the man actually dropped his knife. The thug was reaching to pick it up when a studio security car skidded to a stop nearby. He and his partner in crime scattered like mice.

"They're muggers!" Tyrone yelled to security.

"Stick around, the police are on the way!" came the reply before they roared off in pursuit.

Tyrone turned to the casually dressed crime victim and saw his face clearly for the first time. With a start of recognition, he said, "You're Leonard Nimoy...the actor who plays Mister Spock. You look a little different with your eyebrows grown in and your hair combed to the side." The first season of Star Trek was on hiatus, too.

"Yes, I imagine so," Nimoy replied with a smile, tucking his shirt back into his jeans. He held out his hand. "Thank you, sir, for coming to my assistance. They caught me by surprise when I was unlocking my car."

Tyrone gladly shook his hand. "You're welcome, Mr. Nimoy. My name is Tyrone Kennett. Stunt man for Greg Morris." He dropped his hand to his side.

"Yes, I remember you were friends with the Brandt twins. A most unusual pair."

"One of a kind." Tyrone chuckled. "No, wait. Two of a kind."

They were still reminiscing over the Brandt brothers when the police arrived.

oooOOooo