The Messinger Sisters

Bella parked her car in the driveway of their dad’s house while Bobby parked on the side of the road. Bella led the way into the house and Jay trailed behind everyone else with Jack.

“Okay, so let me see if I understand this. The two of you have known each other since Jack moved to New York?” Bobby asked.

“After that, Jack moved into the lofts before I did. We’ve known each other about three and a half years now, I think,” Jay responded.

“You’re joking? Why haven’t we heard you talk about him then?” Andi asked.

“When was the last time you talked to me for more than 20 minutes?” Jay countered.

“Guess we’ve all been too busy with our own lives to worry about each other,” Andi concluded.

“So, do you make a lota racket like our Jackie does?” Bobby asked.

“Nope. He’s a musician, I’m an artist. And he’s actually really good, I will have you know,” Jay defended him.

“Yeah, for a fairy,” Bobby stated.

“Shut up, Bobby!”

“He does that often, I take it?” Jay looked over at Jack.

“All the time,” Jack sighed.

Bella sat down in front of the fireplace in the living room and started to build a fire. “Jackie, switch me spots?” Jay asked, eyeing her sister and what she was doing.

“Yeah, sure. Are you alright?” He asked.

“Not really. Fires make me nervous,” She confessed.

Bella hesitated for a moment and then kept on building the fire. “Are you ever gonna tell us why that is by the way?” Andi asked.

“Let her finish then I think I might,” Jay said.

“Jayden!” Andi threw a pillow at her in frustration. Just then, someone knocked on the door to the beginning tune of Frere Jacques (Brother John). Jay grinned and knocked out the second half on the window beside her head.

“Hi Ricky!” Jack called.

“Jack? What’re you doin here?” Ricky walked into the living room.

“Could ask you the same question, couldn’t I?”

“Hey Ricky,” Bella walked over to him and hugged him. “Jack and his brothers are here ‘cause their Ma was shot with our dad,” She explained.

“Which is why I’m here anyway. Are you guys okay?” He asked the four girls, looking at Jay for the most part.

“Not yet, but we will be,” Jay answered honestly. “Guys, this is my old foster brother, Ricky. Ricky, Jack’s brothers Bobby, Angel, and Jerry.” She introduced them.

“He was her foster brother before she came to us,” Bella clarified, moving to sit back in front of the fire.

Seeing it, Ricky moved to sit on Jack’s other side, between Jay and the fire. “You know why fire makes Jay nervous,” Andi stated.

“Nervous? That’s all anymore?” Ricky asked her.

“I’ve gotten better. I used to have to leave the room when they lit a fire,” She confessed.

“Why?” Andi asked, looking more to Ricky now, knowing it was likely that he would answer.

Jay gave him a small nod and leaned into Jack’s side. “It’s my father’s fault, really. When jay came to us, he was determined to do everything he could to make her make some sort of noise. Once, she was beaten with a hot fire poker and still made no noise. The day after that, he threw her into the fireplace with a fire going. That got her to scream and he pulled her out. But not before her hair was mostly burnt off and she got 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her back and neck.” Ricky starred into the fire as he spoke.

“Ricky called the police then. On his own father. For the next 61 years, three months, and,” She paused and looked at the calendar. “17 days Richard is in the Michigan State Penitentiary for attempted murder of a minor,” She finished, watching Ricky.

“That’s why the two of you have stayed in touch, isn’t it?”

“Of course it is, Bella. Ricky saved my life. Don’t Ricky!” She could see him starting to deny it. “Yes you did, whether you believe it or not.”

“Okay, so I know how you know Jay, but how do you know Jack?” Jerry asked.

“His band, The Spades, play at my club in New York at least three times a week, sometimes more,” Ricky informed them.

“Yeah, thanks to Jayden,” Jack put in.

“Not true. All I did was get you your first gig there. You guys got yourselves hired there,” She insisted. “I had no part in that.”

“So wait, the fairy and his band actually play at some club regularly?” Bobby asked. “I’m shocked.”

“Shut up, Bobby,” Jay said matter of factly from her spot against Jack’s side.

“So, Ricky, this club of yours, Jay doesn’t work there, does she?” Bella asked. She had a problem with any of her little sisters working in a club or bar she didn’t know.

“I’ve painted some stuff on the walls and on most of the table tops, that’s all,” Jay answered first.

The group hung out together for a while longer until Ricky left and shortly after that Bobby stated that it was 20 till 8.

“You girls take your car, alright? We’ll take mine. And I think you’ll have to lead to the restaurant because I don’t really remember how to get there,” Bobby spoke to Bella.

Bella nodded and the six of them made their way out and into the two cars. Jay knew that whatever happened when they caught up with the shooters couldn’t be anything good.

Together, the six of them walked into the restaurant and looked around. “Goatee, goatee, look for a man with a goatee,” Angel spoke.

Jay nudged Jack and gestured to the man. “There he is,” She said as Jack nudged Bobby.

Right there, the guy with the goatee,” Jack pointed and was kinda loud about it. The guy and his friend, the other shooter, obviously saw them. The guy with the goatee pulled out his gun and fired at Bobby. Bobby and Bella pulled out their guns and they chased after the guys, Jay and Jack in the lead because of their long legs.

Jack grabbed the shot gun from Angel and fired off a few shots before the two shooters drove off. “Follow us!” Bobby shouted to Bella as the six of them got into their own two cars and gave chase.

“Bobby’s got no traction,” Jay stated, watching Bobby slid around the road more than Bella was.

“Shut up, Jay. Put your seat belt on!” Bella ordered. “Andi, can you hit the shooters without hitting the guys?”

“Maybe, if they would stop sliding all over the damn place. Try going the opposite way they go, Bella,” Bella did and they almost skidded off the side of the road.

After chasing the two shooters for a few minutes, Bobby hit the shooters’ car and flipped it over. Bella stopped, threw the car into park, and the three of them hurried out of the car.

“Stay here, Jay,” Bella told her sister as they passed Jack. Jay stood beside Jack as Andi and Bella continued past them to Bobby and Angel.

Through the snow, they could barely see their siblings but they clearly heard the four gun shots ring out into the night and knew what had happened. Bobby, Angel, Andi, and Bella walked back to their siblings.

“Are the dead?” Jack asked, as they turned back to the cars.

“Yeah, they’re gone!”

“They killed our parents. We got them,” Bella pulled on Jay’s arm to make her hurry up.

“Bella, can you follow us to the junk yard to get rid of this and give us a ride back?” Bobby asked as they reached the cars.

“Yeah, sure,” The girls followed them and Bobby dropped his car in front of the junk yard, pulling out anything that was important. Jack sat, leaning against the corner of the seat of the car and Jay sat between his legs, leaning against him.

Jay turned to look at Jack, silently asking him a question. He nodded. “Bella, Bobby? I’m gonna stay with Jack tonight, okay?”

Bobby nodded his agreement. “We’ll be over tomorrow morning to see what we can find about why they were killed, alright?” Bella asked Bobby.

“Yeah. Sometime around ten should be good,” Bella nodded.

Twenty minutes later, Bella stopped in front of the Mercer home and let the three boys and Jay out.

“Who is this?” A skinny girl with long black hair was waiting in the living room.

“Jack’s friend, Jay. Jay, La Vida Loca, Angel’s girl.”

“Shut up, Bobby!” It seemed like that was a popular thing to say to Bobby.

“Her name’s Sofi,” Jack whispered to Jay. Angel and Sofi left the room shortly after that. Jack and Jay stayed up with Bobby for about an hour longer before they too went to bed.

“It’s not very big, if you’d rather sleep on the couch or you’d rather have the bed and I’ll take the floor,” Jack offered.

“Just get me some comfy pants and one of your shirts, Jackie,” Jay stated. He smiled and dug for the aforementioned pants and tee-shirt. Jack tossed them to her and left the room to change into his pajamas in the bathroom. When he got back, Jay was already curled up on his bed. She held out her hand to him and pulled him onto the bed beside her.

The next morning, Jay woke up slowly and stretched out on the bed. “Jackie?”

“Right here,” Jack spoke from a few feet away. “Bobby and Angel are already awake and your sisters should be here soon,” He informed her.

“Thanks, Jack,” She got up out of the bed. “I mean it, Jack. Thanks for letting me spend the night here.”

Jack pulled her into a hug. “I needed you here last night too. Just don’t tell the others,” He winked at her. Jay smiled and Jack left the room so she could change. The two of them went downstairs together.

“Where’s your car Bobby? It’s not outside,” Jay rounded the corner to see Greene standing there talking to Bobby.

“Hey Dave!”

“Jayden?”

“You were expecting Bella maybe? And we drove them home. Idiot over here tried to drive in that snow storm on bald tires and wrecked his car,” Jay provided the answer to Greene’s question.

“Hey! I am not an idiot!”

“Bobby, even I know better than to try driving in that kinda snow without at least decent tires and I haven’t driven since I moved to New York,” She rolled her eyes at Greene.

“How have you been anyway, Jay?”

“Not too bad, all things considered. You?”

“Pretty good, actually. Come here,” Greene pulled her into a hug.

“How exactly do you all know each other?” Fowler demanded.

“Jay and I are neighbors in New York,” Jack supplied.

“And we met Jay and her sisters at the corner store yesterday,” Angel added.

“Speaking of, Bella just pulled in,” Jack said, looking out the front window. “It’s open!” He called before she even knocked.

“Here, moron, you left this in my car,” Bella tossed Bobby’s lighter to him. “Hi Dave! What’re you doin’ here?” Bella smiled and went to hug the detective.

“Hey Bella. Hi Andi,” Greene hugged them both.

“We’re here because forensics found one of slick’s hairs on a pair of dead contract killers this morning,” Fowler pulled out a little baggie with a hair in it and held it up.

“Fishin for a confession with a phony hair? That’s an old one, boys,” Bobby snorted and sat back down the couch. “Come on, Greene. You know when I’ll know you got my hair off a dead body right? When I hear the jail house doors closing behind me, girls.”

“Okay, then you tell me what they told you. You think that these thugs were hired to kill Evelyn, is that it?” Greene asked.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Greene,” Bobby stated.

“Wait, Greene, how do you go from petty thug to contract killer? And even if they were professional shooters like you say, they’d have never told us who they were workin’ for anyway. Even if they got one hell of a ass-whoopin’,” Angel spoke from the arm of the couch.

“You think you’re pretty cute, don’t you? He does. Everybody’s a smart guy ‘till I bust ‘em in the mouth,” Fowler moved over to Angel.

“Don’t even try it,” Bella grabbed his arm as he moved past her. “Angel did nothin’ to you. Just ‘cause you’re getting pissed off doesn’t mean you get to start bustin’ people in the mouth,” Andi and Jay looked away, hiding their smirks. That sounded like something Bella would do.

“Look, Bobby, if you got something, you give it to me. And if it’s something vital we will run with this. But don’t try and take on Detroit by your damn self. You keep knockin’ on the devils door long enough, and sooner or later, someone’s gonna answer you,” Greene stated.

“Nice analogy, Dave. And who are we thinking might be the one to answer the aforementioned door?”

Greene looked at Bella. “Oh I really don’t like this. All of you actually working together on something? No good can come of this.”

“Sure it can. You tell us what you know, we’ll tell you what we know,” Bella shrugged.

“And what makes you think…..”

“Fowler! Enough. That’s not why we’re here. Look, if you get something important, not just a guess, call me and let me know. If we get something, I’ll call you,” Bella nodded and gave him her cell number, then he wrote his number on her hand and the two detectives were off.

“Thanks for that, by the way,” Bobby looked to Jay and then Bella and Andi.

“No problem. So what are we doing today?” Bella asked.