Wednesday Story Day – AKA – Hump Day

~ John W. Howell

 

“What are you waiting for Little One?”
“Going to see if Friday is busy.”
“I’m sure Friday is busy for the next two days.”

It is Wednesday Story Day again, and last week we witnessed a gunshot that caught Larry in the chest. In addition, the shot caused the SWAT team to move in. In the melee, both Cortez and Juan were taken down. We also saw Gloria make an appearance and comfort Larry. The medical Examiner’s team has arrived, and Larry has been placed in a bag. He is then gently lifted to a stretcher. The stretcher is taken out of the house and passes through a phalanx of SWAT team members who stand at attention and give the passing bier a final salute. The rear doors of the hearse are opened, and Larry silently eased inside.  The attendant closes the doors. Two police motorcycles take up a position in front of the vehicle. The entourage pulls away slowly. I see Mike and Andrew talking in the front yard. Let’s go and listen in.

 

Mike squints in the bright light and reaches for his sunglasses. Andrew is turned with his back to the sun. He is looking toward Larry’s departure until the vehicle goes out of sight. Mike clears his throat. “Our boys will take real good care of Larry until the ME releases him to you. We have a twenty-four-hour honor guard and consider him to be one of our own.”

Andrew looks at Mike. “I appreciate that. I know Larry would be pleased to know you guys are taking care of him.”

“It’s really the least we can do. I wish this had turned out a little differently. Larry did a hell of a job in trying to get Cortez to surrender.”

“What’s going to happen to Cortez’s family?”

“Not sure. I hope they take that plane to Mexico. We have no reason to hold them. I sent someone to give the bad news about Cortez to his widow. I haven’t heard back yet. You and Larry close?”

“We really only got close over the last few weeks working this case. How are the hostages doing?”

“The doc’s with them now. So we should know something shortly. They all looked okay, though.”

“I’m glad those goons decided to give up rather than cause any more bloodshed.”

“You and me both. Did Larry have a family?”

“He had a wife. But, unfortunately, she died, and I have to say Larry misses . . . er missed her something fierce.”

“So no kids or anyone we have to notify?”

“No. I need to call the chief and fill him in, but the department was all the family Larry had. I think he will be missed, though.”

“He seemed like a nice guy.”

“That he was Mike. That he was.”

“You have a place to stay?”

“I’ll get a hotel room to wait for Larry. I have some arrangements to make to get him home.”

“If you need anything, let me know.”

“I guess just a ride back to the rental car if I can remember where it is.”

“Okay. You ready. The team can finish here.”

“More than ready, Mike.”

***

Well, that is the end. I want to thank you all for hanging in there. It was started May 9th of 2018, and as of right now, it is 91,200 words. For those of you concerned about Larry, here is the latest. He and Gloria are on the French Riviera, sharing a bottle of champagne and looking forward to an eternity of travel and fine dining. The nice part is they never have to sweat reservations.

I am at Story Empire today having some fun. Please come visit. HERE is the link.

I will be taking a little break from the Wednesday Story Day but will come back with a new one when appropriate.

54 thoughts on “Wednesday Story Day – AKA – Hump Day”

  2. What a way to wrap things up, Boss. Along the French Riviera. Larry and Gloria, finally together after all this time. So well done good sir. But of course, as analysts will do IMMEDIATELY after a team wins . . . what’s next for Wednesdays? 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  5. This has been great, John. You have held my interest throughout the past two years. I may have cheated my employer out of.a few productive minutes when this saga first started. I look forward to the next story, but I understand your looking forward to a break/ I hope Larry and Gloria have a grand eternity.

    Liked by 2 people

  8. Great conclusion and wrap-up, John. I’d love to see your 91,000 words in a novel. I suspect all your readers would enjoy the refresher and also the transformation from serial to book. 😊

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Ahhhh John. What a satisfying wrap-up. While sad that we lost Larry, I am so very happy he and Gloria are on their own eternal place together.

    Give yourself a pat on the back for this one and take a well-deserved break. We still have you six days per week 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  12. This one brought a tear or two. I didn’t realize you had started this story back in 2018 … I think I only picked it up early in 2020, so I missed the first half or so. I guess I’ll have to clip my nails, now that I will no longer be biting them in suspense all week long. Thanks for a great story, John … looking forward to the next one!

    Liked by 1 person

  17. John, I have enjoyed every single episode. It was a gripping serial from day one. Thank you for that! I’m glad Larry and Gloria are together at last. If any of the good guys had to die, Larry was the one. You are such a good writer. I’ll be the first one in line to get a ticket for your next serial.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Not sure how far along you were in the story when I came along, but it was a nice ride. My compliments for keeping us all engaged, as that can be tricky with a serial that only appears weekly. I think it made a lot of sense to have a regular day to publish as you did with this.

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.