“Did she tell you what it was she wanted?”
“She said it was some documents.”
“You sent the goons, Artie and Gordy?”
She lowered her head, the dirty hair falling onto her face. “Yes.”
“You made a big show of how much you disliked Rosarita’s riders, what gives?” For a moment I had a strong urge to hit her.
“They were the only creeps I knew. Believe it or not, this isn’t what I normally do. Desiree made a deal with them. That’s how they got involved.”
“Look what it got them, beat up and killed.”
“None of that was supposed to happen. I just wanted my money back. I didn’t expect any of this.” She was crying.
I wanted to be pissed off; I wanted to be righteous in my anger. I wanted to smack the hell out of her, but I couldn’t do it. I’d worn those shoes too. I got pulled into my own harebrained scheme and nearly got killed because of it. A part of me pitied this woman. We were all a confederacy of fuckups.
“What about Jeremy Tophanovich?” She looked at me shaking her head. “The guy in the car, yesterday, with you and the two goons,” I said.
“I don’t know who he is. He was with Arthur when they picked me up. He stayed behind after I left.”
“Yeah, he’s dead too. Was Martin there when the killers showed up?”
“He was in the house.”
“He’s not there now.”
The woman Dahlia brushed the hair out of her face. “I don’t understand?” She seemed genuinely surprised.
“That’s why you’re in this mess.” We could hear the kids at the other end of the park running and shouting. “Where was all this money supposed to come from?”
“I don’t know. It was supposed to be Martin’s or something like that. They were trying to keep it away from his wife,” she whimpered.
I looked Dahlia in the eye. “No. It’s drug money, lots and lots of laundered drug money, wanted by the kinds of people who wouldn’t think twice about killing a little girl like you.”
Jones couldn’t contain himself. “She’s a fucking dude, man. Not some little girl.”
“I’m not gonna argue about that now! If we make it through this fucking mess we can argue about it then, but it doesn’t mean shit now.”
He slammed his fist on the table. “I don’t want to fucking hear that, man, it ain’t right! It ain’t fucking right!”
I realized we were shouting. I lowered my voice. “It’s not important.” Dahlia just sat there. “You have anybody you can stay with? You can’t go home and there’s no guarantee work is safe either. You might need to be sick for a few days.”
“I have a friend by the clinic.”
“I’ll drop you off there.”
Now that we were all pissed off we could head back. I didn’t notice anything or anyone who looked out of place in the park. I didn’t see anyone hanging out in their car as we got to mine. I couldn’t tell if anyone was following us, and once we got on the freeway, there was too much going on. I did what I could. Nobody talked. Jones was the first to go. I told him to be careful after we stopped in front of his house. He just shook his head. Dahlia got in the front and directed me to her friend’s house. Traffic was heavy and the going slow. She kept tugging at herself. It’s never fun to be filthy and dejected. The friend’s apartment was tucked in around a strip mall. Dahlia didn’t seem to want to get out.
“Why are you doing this? Helping me?”
Why? “Because enough people have died over this. If you don’t hear from me in a couple of days, get the hell out of LA.”
“Where would I go?”
“I hear Virginia is nice,” I offered.
She started to cry. “I don’t want to go to Virginia.”
“Neither did I. Goodbye.”
I watched her knock on the door. Someone answered it and she went in.
It was almost seven by the time I got back to Agnes. To give myself time to calm down and get my thoughts in order, I went to the grocery store; two birds. There was little to eat at the house. I stocked up on the fruits, vegetables, and dairy we would need. I also picked up some pork, beef, and chicken. Pasta and bread finished off the list. The cashier took my money. I knew what I had to do. I had a plan. There was nothing left to do but go home and wait.
Agnes met me at the door.
“I got some groceries.”
“I was worried.” That made me smile. I kissed her.
“Me too.” She didn’t get the comment. I wished I didn’t. I was half-tempted to confide in her, but I wanted her to be safe. “Why don’t you give me a hand?”
The self-described bad cook helped with dinner and we ate on the patio. It was an inviting place, peaceful with a nice breeze. We sat there holding hands and enjoying a glass of wine. I wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that it might be my last night here. I chose to believe I’d be back here tomorrow night. When the light was gone, we cleaned up and I took her to the bedroom. Her lips brushed against mine as I removed her clothes. I meant to savor every inch of her. I didn’t care how much time it took. Agnes didn’t seem to mind. It was sweet and sweaty and I went as long as I could. When we were done, I held her as tight as she held me. Sleep came after a while. I don’t remember any dreams.
I was sitting in the kitchen when Agnes got up. I was working on my list. I had people to call, Durant, Miguel, Judith, and Mallory. I had the TV on. They mentioned four people found murdered in Laguna, but that was about it. Maybe the cops were keeping a lid on it. I’d ask Mallory. Agnes sat down at the table with me.
“Are you alright? You look worried.”
“I am. I have to be something I’m not very good at.”
She waited for me to say what. I didn’t oblige. “Anything I can do?”
“Yeah, I want you to stay at work till you hear from me,” I told her.
“Why?”
I wanted to say more, but stopped. “Just do it for me, ok?”
“Ok. Does Johnny know? Maybe he can help?”
“He does, but he can’t help. This is something I have to do. Speaking of Johnny, don’t be surprised if he’s a little on edge.”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you later. Don’t say anything to Johnny, it won’t help.”
Agnes didn’t know how to respond to all this cryptic talk. I saw her off to work, all the while looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Nothing.
I had my list, the weapons, and a charged phone.
It was time to go.
40
The first call was to Mallory. Leave a message. It was the same with Durant. I got the sneaking suspicion no one wanted to talk to me. After leaving the house, I stopped at a playground down the road next to an elementary school. It was still mid-morning and few people were there. I counted three mothers and seven children, all preschoolers. I took stock of my bullshit and its limits. It worked great if no one cared and you weren’t broke, but once you found yourself in the turning gears there was little to stop the movement or the profound fear that you were doomed to be crushed by mechanisms beyond your control. I danced around this. What could happen, I’m a nobody? My willingness to look for the woman Desiree, something I now regretted, had me cornered. I remember thinking this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe I should have listened.
The phone beeped once.
There was a message, eight letters and numbers in a jumbled sequence from an unknown phone number. Judith. Who else would send an access code? It was back to the car.
I came to the keypad and punched in the code. Th
e house showed no hint of trouble. I hadn’t actually spoken to Judith. I just assumed she sent the code. It could be Martin or those responsible for the killings. The 45 was in my hand. I pulled back the slide. A light breeze floated through the car; there was always a breeze here. My hands were shaking. Virginia was sounding really good right now. I still had family there and I had promised to visit. There was time. Start the car and go. They wouldn’t kill Agnes. She had Johnny D. If I disappeared, so what? I’d done it before. A man needed strength in these situations. I wasn’t that man. My hand was on the key, ready to turn it.
I removed the key and got out of the car.
It was a beautiful day to die.
I’m an idiot!
The front door was unlocked. I looked up at the camera and smiled. I keep forgetting these places are always monitored, always on the lookout for some unwashed goof like me. I went in. It looked the same, sun-drenched and languid, the colors playing off the light. Judith was on the couch facing the patio and the pool. I didn’t see anyone else. For a second I thought she might be dead, but she turned her head towards me. I put the gun away and placed the tablet on the bar. She pointed.
“Do me a favor and bring my drink to me?”
A glass, filled with ice and a dark red liquid, was on top of the liquor cabinet. I took another glass, poured in a little whiskey, and grabbed a bottle of water. Judith reached out as I came towards her. She took the glass from me and watched as I sat in the chair across from her.
“I don’t want you all the way over there, please come sit with me.”
I did as she asked. She was wearing yellow capris and a soft white blouse with no sleeves. Her hair was pulled back, exposing that exquisite neck. I leaned in hoping for a kiss. She moved towards me. Our lips grazed each other before meeting in the middle, the taste of pomegranate and vodka mixing with the textures of her lips and tongue, soft and sweet.
“I missed you, Monk.”
I kissed her long beautiful neck. “I can’t imagine why.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” She smiled as she put her hand on my face.
“Well, I can’t be good at everything.”
“Isn’t that always the way it is?” The kisses lingered a while longer.
“I’m afraid so.” I wanted to do more, but I wasn’t here for love and affection. I had that at home. It was as I looked at her that I noticed how tired she looked. “Are you ok?”
“You know I’m not. I haven’t slept in days.”
“Martin?”
She laughed. “Martin’s dead, or soon will be.” She turned away. “He or they expect me to save him. Imagine that.” Despite the tough talk I knew she was terribly frightened.
“You’ve seen him?”
“No. He called the other night, begging me to give him the papers. I told him I didn’t have them. He was crying, to me of all people, asking that I save him from his stupid mistakes. I told him there was nothing I could do. I didn’t have his stupid papers.”
“And Jeremy?”
A sad half-smile crossed her face. “Jeremy was here that morning. How did you know about him?”
“He was at the beach house. That’s where I found Martin and Desiree. He was there with them.” I wanted to see what reaction that got, whether I should say more.
Her eyes grew wet as she looked at me. “They said he was dead. Is he?”
“Yes, along with Desiree Marshan and two others. Who are they?”
“I don’t know. They gave me till today to turn over the papers. They still believe I have them.”
“Or know who does.” I wiped the tears away. The half-smile returned, mingling with the tears.
“You have them, don’t you, Monk.”
“Yes, I have them.” I kissed her again, those soft electric lips.
“Why?”
“What did Jeremy want?” Judith took my arm and put it around her shoulder, tucking herself in beneath it.
“He came to warn me. If I had the papers, I had to give them up. If I didn’t, I had to get out. We were all in real trouble. He told me to leave and go as far away as I could. I thought he was being overly theatrical. Why would they kill me over some stupid papers?”
“The money,” I answered.
“The money?” she snorted. “What money? I asked him that. He said it was time to be honest. It was all a fraud. The company, he said, was a front for money laundering and now they wanted it back. I said that didn’t make any sense. We had years of earnings reports, years of corporate statements. What were we paying all those taxes on if it wasn’t our money? He didn’t have an answer. Jeremy was a real charmer, but he was also an inveterate liar. You could never trust a word he said. That’s why he ran away to Europe; too many lies to too many people, people like me. I loved him once. Between him and Martin, I’ve had my fill of love. Periodically he’d sneak back into town looking for this or that and would come around thinking I’d forgiven him. He just wanted another Judith special.”
Like I didn’t want the Judith special.
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t just divorce Martin and move on?”
“The house is why.”
“Just take the house in the settlement.”
“It’s not that simple. The house is owned by the corporation, in which we have shares. Division or liquidation of those shares would necessitate selling the house because Martin knows I love this house and he would do everything he could to keep it from me. I’m not giving up my home.”
“I think a good lawyer could work that out?”
“Or I could wait for the miserable bastard to die.” I was tempted to say that might just be what’s happened. “What are we going to do, Monk?”
“Try to survive. The document are our wild card, so we have to be smart with them.”
“Why did you take them?” She was looking at me, wondering.
I gave myself a few minutes to figure out how to explain it.
“That’s the joke on them, or me I didn’t technically take them. They fell out of the envelope in my car. I didn’t find them till later. They’re the transfer documents and I realized they were in fact signed and ready to be processed, I thought it’d be fun to return them to you so you could rub it in Martin’s face.”
“What changed your mind?”
“This whole thing with Desiree. Having a lot of very powerful people wanting me for this job. Me! It made no sense, unless, of course, I was nothing more than a patsy or a chump, and an easily expendable one at that. I’m well aware of what I can do and what I can’t, and when I couldn’t get any straight answers, or plausible explanations, I had to accept that I’d have to figure it out, so I decided to hold on to them just in case. And, as I found out more about what was going on, it only made me want to hold on to them more. Now, it’s probably the one thing keeping us alive.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Me too.”
Judith ran her fingers along the crease of my slacks and up along the front of my jacket.
“I heard through the grapevine that you’re involved now. I kind of liked having you come around when I needed you.”
“Yeah, it throws a bit of a wrench in that.”
“Possibly, is it serious?”
“Yeah. I figured with you being married our long-term prospects were not good, so...”
“I see.” Judith briefly smiled before looking at me. “Do you really think they’d kill us?”
“Before yesterday, I wouldn’t have thought so, but after finding four people shot to death execution style, plus the two in San Francisco, I’ve chan
ged my mind. Counting Boyer that’s seven people. Seven people! That’s not good. The only thing saving us right now is their belief that we have the documents they need. That’s our bargaining chip. Unfortunately, I don’t know if that’s enough.”
“That’s not making me feel better, Monk.”
“Sorry.” It wasn’t helping me either.
Her hand was back along my slacks. “I don’t suppose you’d be open to one more go around the block? I need someone to hold me.”
“Should I take this as a last request?”
“I sure hope not.”
My conscience said no, but the rest of me wasn’t listening. Judith was just too inviting. I knew Agnes would be angry if she found out, but I’m a dead man walking, and if I should get through this I promised I’d hate myself later…sort of… “Then yes, I’d like that.”
“So would I.”
“First, though, I think we should lock the doors.”
Dead man sex was, I had to admit, incredible. Maybe it was the spectre of murder, or of having witnessed so much of it lately, but it certainly heightened the experience of intimacy, both with Agnes and Judith. I wanted it more than anything else. It changed my perspective, and it seemed to change Judith’s as well. Before, our encounters were playful, certainly erotic, but there wasn’t a lot of emotional connection. This time I felt Judith was more vulnerable, that she wanted more than just sex. It felt so much more personal. She held me tighter, called my name, looked at me. When we were finished she was reluctant to let go.
“Stay here, Monk, stay with me.”
It’s possible I would have stayed with Judith if Coretta hadn’t called. She was frightened; even if Orville had assured her it would be ok. She knew better. Orville had never done anything like this before, and she could tell, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, that it was very bad.
“What did he say?”
“He said to tell you to wait for them at your place. He said you’d know what this is about. What’s going on, Monk? Is Orville in danger? I know that man, and he didn’t sound right. I’m worried, Monk.”
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