“It was a very tough time Juan, and one I will never fully understand and never fully recover from. As you know, I lost my wife two years later. I’m sure it was the stress of losing our dear Lisa that caused her death.”
“I’m very sorry Mike.”
“Thank you Juan, I appreciate that,” says Ricci softly. “I probably should have told you myself, but it’s hard for me to talk about.”
“I completely understand Mike. And I would understand if this case is too stressful and brings back painful memories for you.”
“This case is too stressful for everyone,” responds Ricci. “The entire community is stressed over it. I’ll be fine, but thank you for your concern.”
“Sure Mike, if you ever want to talk more about it, I’ll be here for you.”
Later that night, Garcia shares with Rosa the tragedy of Ricci’s daughter, and the subsequent loss of his wife.
“Oh my goodness,” says Rosa. “No wonder he is so angry at drug dealers. I’d probably shoot them myself if anything like that happened to one of our kids.”
“Rosa, so long as some people want drugs, there will be drug dealers. Murdering drug dealers is not the answer. Finding ways to improve our communities, our education system, our economy; those are ways to reduce the drug usage in this country.”
She knows Juan is right of course, but it still makes her sad and angry to hear about Mike’s daughter.
On Wednesday, Ricci leaves work early for a doctor’s appointment at the Paganelli Oncology Center. There will be no treatment this time. This appointment is to review Ricci’s latest scans and test results. As Ricci walks into the center he notices the smell of fresh-cut flowers from a large, assorted flower bouquet that sits on a table in the corner. Are these supposed to make people feel better? thinks Ricci. He doesn’t have to wait long before his doctor calls him in.
“Good afternoon Mike. How are you feeling today?” asks Dr. Baylor.
“About the same as last week. I don’t seem to have as much strength or stamina as several months ago. What do my tests show?”
“I wish I had better news, Mike,” says Dr. Baylor. “There has been some slowing of the growth, but the cancer still continues to spread. I still recommend we do the surgery and start you back on chemo. A three-prong approach is the best chance we have of beating this thing.”
“Have my chances of recovery improved?”
“No, but your chances diminish the longer you put it off.”
“I really don’t want to go through all that again for only a twenty percent chance of recovery. At least now, I can continue to do the things I want to do for as long as I can.”
“Mike, radiation alone will only slow the growth. The chance of it killing all the cancer is very slim.”
“Thank you, but if you just do what you can to keep me feeling as well as possible, I will appreciate it.”
“Okay Mike, we will do what we can. I will keep you on the Zofran for the nauseousness. Have you lost any more weight since your last treatment?”
“Just a few pounds. I’m drinking those protein shakes and they are helping a bit.”
“Drink as much as you can tolerate. Let’s make your next radiation appointment for Friday.”
“Alright, thank you doc.”
As he is driving home, Ricci drifts off into thinking of Ella and the wonderful life they had together until the tragic death of their beloved Lisa. Since then, life has not been the same. Ricci wants to remain well enough to work for as long as possible, but is content in his decision. He will soon be with his wife and daughter again. He does feel bad for his son, but Chris is strong and independent. His practice as a young attorney is growing. Ricci knows Chris will be saddened by his death, but Chris will survive just fine. Ricci has already explained to Chris his decision not to accept full treatment for his cancer. He wants to live the last months of his life doing what he wants and feeling as well as possible. In the meantime, part of his plan is to spend more time with Chris in the coming months.
Eleventh Attack
It is now late on the last Friday in October. There have been no more attacks by the Candy Man Killer since the death of Miguel Gomez and there have been no sightings or reports of the suspicious man in black.
Ricci is straightening up his cluttered desk and packing up his briefcase before heading home for the weekend.
Garcia has noticed Ricci seemed especially tired this past week. “Get some rest this weekend Mike, you look tired.”
“I plan to take it easy,” responds Ricci. “I’m going to be working on some projects in my woodshop and visit my son on Sunday for dinner.”
“Oh, that sounds nice. Say hi to him for me.”
“I will Juan. You have a nice weekend.”
“Thanks, same to you. Hopefully, we’ll get through another weekend.”
Unfortunately, that will not be the case. On Saturday, it is a particularly warm and sunny afternoon for this time of year in Chicago. Garcia is at his neighborhood park having a picnic with his wife and three children when at 12:15 pm he receives the call he is dreading. The Candy Man Killer has struck again. This time, it is in the Hermosa neighborhood outside the three neighborhoods he has always attacked before. Hermosa is north and west of the West Garfield neighborhood. Unlike where the other killings have occurred, Hermosa is primarily a Hispanic community with approximately twelve percent of the population being white or of another ethnicity.
“Honey,” Garcia softly says to his wife. “I’m so sorry, but I’ve got to go. We just had another attack.”
“Oh no,” she says. “Do you have to go?”
Garcia just gives her that look that says, you know I have to go.
“Oh alright, you go on, I’ll call my sister to pick us up. I don’t want to
