The Grim Spectre (16 page)

Within his hospital room, Joey DeLuca sat up slowly and grunted.

“You are still in pain?”

DeLuca turned toward the source of the voice and saw The Grim Spectre floating in front of his window.

DeLuca chuckled and said, “I wondered when you’d show up. After all, it’s your fault I’m in here in the first place.”

“To some extent, that
is
true, but your own actions over the years had more to do with you being here than any other part of the equation. You must see that.”

“See it? All I’m seein’ is that I stretched my neck out to help you an’ I got beaten half to death by the monster of all thugs an’ his men.”

“I am very sorry about the treatment you have received by Zeus and his men. Did the police question you about how you were injured?” the Spectre asked.

“Yeah, yeah they did, an’ I told ‘em I tripped an’ fell down the stairs. If I woulda told ‘em the truth I woulda been in a pine box already. That’s the way this psycho mook works. If you survive his beatin’ an’ you keep your mouth shut, you live to get another beatin’ another day.”

Hidden in the shadows of the room by the curtains for the window The Grim Spectre nodded slowly, “What are you going to do now?”

“What else, ya friggin’ ghost? I’m getting’ outta here. I’m leavin’ Riverburgh an’ never comin’ back.”

“That is a foolish choice. I cannot protect you anywhere else.”

“Ya didn’t do such an aces job of it the first time, ya damned spook,” DeLuca said.

“I will not argue this with you, DeLuca. It may be little comfort for you, but I realize you tried to do the right thing and turn your life of crime around. Know you that I came to your aid as quickly as I could once I discovered you were in danger. That is something I will no longer be able to do if you leave this city.”

DeLuca looked at The Grim Spectre and seemed to sneer at first, but then he softened, “I know,” DeLuca said.

“This city needs men to stand up for it, DeLuca. It needs men who see it for what it is and see that it
can
be saved. It needs people who believe in it. I believe you are one of those people.”

“I don’t know what I believe in anymore, Spook. All doin’ the right thing did for me was get me beaten near ta death.”

“Very well, DeLuca, then I will take my leave of you. I wish you well.”

The Grim Spectre turned and began to walk through the wall when DeLuca called to him, “Hey, Spectre, thanks for comin’ for me. If you din’t, I’d definitely be pushin’ daisies in a field somewhere.”

The Grim Spectre looked at DeLuca and said, “This city needs you. Do not give up on it. Men like you who have seen the light are what can save the soul of this place. Think on that.”

The Grim Spectre turned, walked through the wall and was gone.

The docks of Riverburgh. One of the hardest working and also seediest sections of the city. Men were employed here from all around the city and the surrounding regions of New York State.

Yet, at night, the docks became an area where most of the cities crimes were planned and orchestrated. Gangsters met in dark alleys and between shipping crates. In small dingy offices and cabins of ships that had just come in from the sea.

It was a part of the city that was both necessary and at the same time loathed by its citizens.

Rain swept the docks this night. A steady light rain, driven by gusty winds. It was no night for a man to be out on the docks working.

Yet, there were several men here, collars pulled up against the rain, hats pulled low. Orders were shouted by one man in particular and the others unquestionably obeyed him.

Invisible to all, The Grin Spectre floated above a container on the dock, watching silently.

‘DeLuca left a message for me with George at the Gazette. I told him that would be the best way to contact me. Tammy mentioned it to me earlier tonight, never realizing I was relying on her wanting to blab everything about her job to me.’

He watched silently as crates were removed from the ship and placed aboard three trucks. The ‘workers’ appeared to be anything but. To a man, the crew of half a dozen looked far more the part of the professional gangster than anything else.

Within moments the three trucks were loaded, and with a healthy slap on its back door area, to signify it being ready to go, the first and then the second truck took off into the night. 

Now the leader walked over to the third truck and was about to pound on its rear doors when with a snap a whip curled about his coated arm and yanked him backward to the dock below his feet.

Instantly The Grim Spectre appeared, glowing brightly and floating inches above the ground, in the very midst of the gathered thugs.

“What perfidies are you scum taking part in this night?” his voice carried out over the docks, amplified by his magic belt.

“We ain’t tellin’ you nothin’, Spook!” the lead gangster shouted. He found his feet and reached for his gun. Instantly his revolver was out and sparking death! Bullets flashed from its muzzle, to fly harmlessly through the ghostly avenger.

The Grim Spectre hovered there momentarily, for dramatic effect, as now all six thugs frantically fired their guns through his incorporeal form.

“H-he really is a ghost!” a short, pudgy thug with a cap pulled low on his head shouted. His beady eyes shone brightly beneath the brim of his cap, vaguely reminiscent of The Grim Spectre’s own glowing orbs. The gangster fired his gun until it could be fired no more.

The Spectre flew upward and then down, his open hands glowing and sparking. He grabbed the short, pudgy thug and the one nearest to him, a taller, reedier fellow with a shock of blonde hair appearing at the back of his own cap. Both men received the numbing pain of his shocking touch.

Dropping their insensate bodies on the dock, he turned to remaining four.

“He can’t take us all,” a big man shouted. He was built like a railroad car, blocky and powerful.

The punk next to him picked up a length of chain that was lying on the dock and began to whirl it around. Another thug grabbed a crowbar used to open crates. The fourth was the leader. He grinned maliciously and produced two long knives from within his long pea coat.

“Get ‘im!” the leader shouted.

All four of the gangsters charged The Grim Spectre at once. They swung their weapons through him repeatedly but to no effect. He stood there impassively, a ghost, a spirit, a phantasm among men; untouchable and unaffected.

“Surrender, you fools. You cannot harm me. But I can most certainly harm you.”

“You ain’t fightin’ fair, Ghost,” the boss said, “We can’t touch you.”

“Foolish mortal, do you wish to battle me on equal standing? On equal ground? You may regret what you wish for.”

The Grim Spectre landed before them and in a flash of blinding brightness he became once more corporeal.

The leader smiled a sick, poisonous smile that practically dripped venom. Then he yelled, “Get him!”

The four men charged him as one.

The Spectre ducked a slash from the chain, and countered with a roundhouse kick to the first assailants gut. The second, the big powerfully built thug, grabbed The Grim Spectre from behind in a crushing bear hug, “I’ll send you right back to whatever hell you came from, Demon,” he growled in the Spectre’s ear.

The Grim Spectre did not hesitate; he snapped his head back into the brutes nose, making the man see stars.

“Aaaggh, I-I’ll kill you!” the big thug grunted.

“I think not, fool.”

The Grim Spectre drove his heel down into the brute’s foot, right where the instep connected to the ankle.

“Owww!” the thug howled.

But The Spectre was not finished; he jammed his foot backward into the big thugs groin and dragged it forward swiftly. Immediately the thug saw stars and released his grip. The Spectre did not hesitate as he spun backward, his right elbow slamming with bone jarring force into his enemies jaw.

Now he continued his spin so that he was facing the pained big man. The big brute lunged for him again, but The Grim Spectre side stepped to the left, parried the man’s lunge and swiftly chopped down with a right hand knife edge strike to the man’s neck. The bigger man stumbled away, seeing stars.

The rustle of wet pants and feet splashing through puddles caused The Grim Spectre to turn as the crowbar wielding punk swung at him.

The Spectre bent backward, avoiding the attack and allowed the thugs momentum to carry him past. Stabbing his right leg out, The Grim Spectre swept the man’s rear leg out from under him.

“What th?” the thug yelled as he fell over. The Grim Spectre did not hesitate, he quickly kicked the crowbar from his foes hand, and continued through his motion, landing on the foot he had just used to disarm his foe, and while his enemy tried to regain his feet, The Grim Spectre threw a spinning wheel kick to his enemies jaw. With a solid ‘Thwack’ the man hit the dock, chin first and unconscious.

But it was a short lived victory, for the instant he had put down the one foe the chain wielding gangster whirled his chain and snapped it out so that it wrapped around the Spectre’s throat.

Instantly the man yanked hard on it, pulling The Grim Spectre off his feet.

“Grrgg,” the Spectre grunted in pain.

But instead of trying to remove the chain, the Spectre grasped the chain with both hands and leaned back a moment, pulling against it with all his might, then he charged forward. Instantly the thug before him was thrown off balance and fell backward, with The Grim Spectre slamming into him with a stunning right that rammed his opponents head into the dock with enough force to knock the man out cold instantly.

Suddenly pain shot through his lower back, with a grunt of agony, The Grim Spectre spun backward with a solid back fist, catching the leader in the temple.

“You Sonuva…”the leader trailed off as he stumbled backward. The bloody knife he had just stabbed The Grim Spectre with clattered to the floor.

Without hesitation, The Grim Spectre, running on adrenaline alone, delivered a left cross, then threw his own fist over a blow of the leader’s, parrying it, and tagging his foe with all his might in the throat. Immediately his enemy’s eyes went wide in pain as The Grim Spectre pressed his silent advantage. He began raining blows on the leader of this group, tearing apart his feeble attempts to block him. Until finally his enemy threw another right in a big sweeping arc, which the Grim Spectre easily ducked below and countered with a swift rising right punch that knocked the leader of the thugs into the air and onto his back. Stunned, the man hit the ground and seemed to deflate, like a balloon with a hole in it.

“RRRaaaarrrggghhh!” a voice shouted from Bobby’s blind side, he spun just in time to be tackled by the brick wall shaped thug, who sought to bowl him over.

Without hesitation, The Grim Spectre dropped to his back, jammed his foot into the charging brute’s stomach, and then threw him over.

Instantly Bobby was on his feet and he struck. He drove a right jab and a left cross into the big man’s face. Blood spurted from a broken nose as his enemy, half blind from his own flying blood, grasped for him with gargantuan hands.

Bobby sailed to the left and avoided the grasping hands, as he planted his right foot and spun on the balls of that foot to deliver yet another solid left, this time to the huge thugs jaw. The man fell over like a sack of sand, slamming into the dock, unconscious before he landed.

The Grim Spectre stood there and surveyed the groaning, bloodied men about him.

“Enough of this foolishness,” he said aloud, and instantly became immaterial once more. He once again floated inches above the dock.

He grabbed the man who was the leader of this crew of thieves and shook him hard. The thug awakened and moaned in pain,

“Oooohhh, what do you want from me?”

“What was in those crates, tell me now and I’ll make sure you are visited by an ambulance immediately. Refuse me and I’ll throw you in the river without any hesitation. Decide which it shall be.”

The lead thug looked at him in terror and said, “Chemicals, it was all chemicals Boss Zeus needs fer somethin’.”

“What does he need those chemicals for? You must know,” the Spectre shouted.

“I-I don’t, I swear. I really don’t. But whatever it is, it’s big. The boss says this is his biggest play ever. He says it’s the one that’s gonna make him king of the city, an’ no one’s ever gonna fight with him about it, not even you.”

“You can tell your boss how wrong he is, for I will fight him to the very grave, and beyond!”

Dropping the man back to the empty dock, The Grim Spectre flew heavenward and disappeared into the night sky.

“So what do you think his play could be?” Bobby was in the dojo of Sensei Buraglia once again. The small Japanese man was wrapping the wound in Bobby’s side. He was still in his Grim Spectre uniform, but the mask, the cape and the shirt all lay on the mat next to him.

“Hold still, you fool. This wound is deep. I do not know how you are still conscious; let alone chatting as if you just stubbed your toe.”

“I told you, Sensei, It’s this magic belt. It heals me. By the morning I’ll be back to normal.”

“You hope,” the diminutive Japanese teacher added.

“No, I will be. You don’t understand how this thing works.”

“Oh and you do?” Buraglia scoffed.

“Well, maybe not,” Bobby reluctantly admitted.

“You are lucky to be alive today, you stubborn idiot. You should not have held back while fighting against those men. You should have dealt with them with all your power and fury. What have I been teaching you all of this time?”

“All right, all right, I get it, no more kid gloves. I’ll use all my abilities all of the time. It was just nice to rely on me and what you taught me so far instead of the magic in this belt, that’s all.”

“Never look a gift dog in its jaws,” Buraglia said.

“Yeah I think you mean something else, but I’m not gonna argue the point with you.”

“At least you learned
something
,” Buraglia scoffed.

“What I didn’t learn was what was in those trucks. The punks I busted up said it was some kind of chemical that Zeus wanted, but none of them had any idea why.”

“Do you know how much of it was there?” Buraglia asked.

“No, but it was a lot. There was a lot there. It took three trucks to hold it all.”

“As you said,” Buraglia said.

Yeah, as I said. I bet there was enough of those chemicals there to blanket the whole city.”

Both men looked at each other.

“That is not good, Robert. If you are correct, that could well be his plan.”

“Yes, I know, but what
is
his plan? I mean what is he actually looking to do? What do those chemicals do? Dammit, I should have followed those trucks instead of fighting with the gangsters. I’m an idiot.”

“We are in agreement on
something
at least,” Buraglia said.

“You are really funny, Sensei.”

“Again, we are in agreement. It must be a full moon,” Buraglia said.

“Ah, whatever. Now I’m back to square one. I have no idea where those chemicals are or what Zeus wanted them for. For all I know he could be opening a toothpaste factory.”

Buraglia chuckled a moment softly and then said, “Wherever they have ended up, they must be near something that will make it easy to distribute them to the city.”

“So like something in the water maybe?”

“Perhaps, Robert, or perhaps by air.”

Bobby locked eyes with his Sensei and said, “By air… a plane or a blimp maybe?”

“Either is a distinct possibility,” Buraglia said.

“There are plenty of crop dusting planes in the area; this is all farm country up here.”

“That is true, Robert. It would not cause this gangster too much trouble to acquire a plane for whatever nefarious purpose he has in mind.”

“Hell, we don’t even know if that is really his plan. Maybe he really is going to do something to the drinking water instead,” Bobby said.

“Or perhaps he really needed the chemicals for one of his legitimate businesses.”

“Judging by the time of day the chemicals came to shore and by the crew that unloaded them, I can pretty much put that idea to rest.”

Buraglia nodded, “I believe you are correct, Robert.”

“You know, Sensei, I want to thank you.”

Buraglia looked at his pupil quizzically and said, “For what Robert?”

“You don’t know how lonely this has been, how I haven’t had anyone to confide in about this whole…whatever it is. I considered telling Tammy but I didn’t want to put her in danger.”

“She is in danger every day, Robert. You would not be putting her in any more than she is already in by confiding in her.”

Bobby thought about this silently for a moment and then said, “I don’t know, Sensei, I just think she’d be a target if she ever slipped about what she knew. I mean, isn’t it a big chain with this stuff? I confide in her, she confides in a friend because she can’t handle the pressure. Then that friend tells her friend and finally it reaches the wrong ears or she worries herself sick because of me. I mean I just think I’m better off without her knowing.”

Buraglia shrugged, “Do whatever makes you comfortable, student. I can promise you that there will be no chain with me. What you confided in me stops with us.”

“I appreciate that, Sensei, I really do.”

Bobby stood and bowed toward his teacher.

Buraglia met his bow with one of his own.

“So now I just have to figure out where those chemicals went to. I don’t see that being very easy.”

“It does not have to be hard, Robert.”

“Do you have an idea, Sensei?”

Buraglia nodded, “I do, and it is a simple one. You go to the same docks and stay hidden. Do it every night until another shipment arrives. When it does, you follow it to where it is being hidden. The worst part of this all is that you may have to take the law into your own hands completely. From what you have said, you can expect no help from the Mayor, who is at least as much of a scoundrel as Phylo Zeus is.”

“I hate to say it, Sensei, but he may be the worse of the two evils. I gave him a chance to redeem himself but he didn’t take it.”

Buraglia sighed and said, “That is…unfortunate, Robert.”

“You’re telling me? I had hoped he’d see the error of his ways and turn around, but that’s not what happened, not at all. He ignored me. I’ll have to expose him and take him down before this is all over.”

“Be careful, Robert, one can never underestimate the forces of greed and corruption. They will take men to unheard of depths, make them do things they would never have contemplated when they walked the path of the righteous man.”

“It’s 1937, Sensei, I’m not sure how many righteous men there are left in this city or in the world for that matter.”

“You are the one who is now underestimating the power of the heart, my son. You could stand to be surprised.”

Bobby tilted his head sideways a moment and then slowly agreed, “Perhaps you’re right, Sensei. If anything, the last half a year has made me more cynical.”

“Do not give up on this city or its people, Robert, they may surprise you.”

“You sound like what I said to DeLuca, right before he ran off and disappeared.”

Buraglia chuckled, “Even that man my yet surprise you, Robert.”

“Maybe you’re right. I just feel kind of lost at the moment. Everything I did, all the good I thought I was doing, seems to be lost or swallowed up by the evil of Phylo Zeus and William Winston. I almost feel like dragging Tammy out of here, hitting the road and never looking back.”

“Her career is here, Robert. She would probably never leave. She has roots here.”

Bobby nodded in agreement, “Well yeah, there’s that.”

“You should consider your next steps in your war with these men. Your situation with Miss Thomas will even itself out.”

“You’re right, Sensei. But I just don’t know what my next step is at this point.”

Buraglia smiled and said,” Ah, that part is easy, Robert. It is what I have already said to you. You will go back to where the shipment came in and wait, invisibly for another to arrive. When it does, you will not engage the gangsters you will find there unloading the chemicals. Instead you will follow the trucks to wherever they are hiding their cargo, and you will strike from there.”

“I got it, Sensei. You know I didn’t tell you this, but there’s one other thing I should consider, Zeus wants me, Bobby, to play at the Olympus room.”

“Did you tell him yes?”

“Not yet, I’ve been holding off because of all of this going on. I really didn’t want to work for a mobster,” Bobby said.

“An admirable position, Robert, but you are an idiot. The man offers you the keys to his inner sanctum and you do not take him up on it? You need to take that job for him and you need to do it immediately. You may be able to infiltrate his entire operation from within and find the evidence you need to have the federal agents arrest him and put him in jail forever. Elliot Ness, yes?” Buraglia grinned and nodded his head.

“Yes Sensei, Elliot Ness, I guess.”

“Good. Now go see your pretty little girlfriend, and consider what you have confided in me. Again I tell you that you might want to tell her as well.”

“It’s just not that easy, Sensei.”

“If you want to be truthful with her, you will be.”

“Okay Sensei, and thanks again. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

“Good, now go,” Bobby had donned the rest of his uniform while they were talking and disappeared. He floated upward invisibly and passed through the ceiling and roof of the dilapidated dojo and into the bright morning sunshine. Arcing away, Bobby flew toward his home, and floated immaterially through the wall of his apartment.

After a cursory glance about the place to make sure he was alone The Grim Spectre reappeared.

‘Bobby,’
he thought to himself. Instantly his Grim Spectre uniform disappeared to be replaced by the clothes he was wearing before he raided the docks.
‘One of these days I have to find where the clothes go when I call for my uniform.’

Bobby walked over and pulled the shades closed, then made sure his door was locked and bolted. He slipped into his bed, still wearing his magic belt wrapped around his shorts that he slept with.

‘I have to let this thing heal me for a few hours and perhaps longer. That knife barely missed an important organ or two according to the Sensei. Lord knows I could use the rest anyway. No gigs tonight, but when I wake up, if there’s enough time, I’ll go see Zeus about his offer and tell him I’m taking him up on it. I still have to see Tammy later on.’

Bobby fell asleep almost instantly, but his dreams were troubled nightmares of him as The Grim Spectre fighting bizarre and monstrous foes as well as The Grim Spectre fighting Bobby himself.

He slept restlessly.