High Deceit

by C. E. Waterman

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know, happy. And peaceful. And not afraid.”

  “You can have that, too.”

  “I know. The preacher says to know Christ is to know peace. But how do you know Christ? I mean isn’t He like God or something?”

  Robin smiled gently. “You just ask Him into your heart. Do you want to do that?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think he’ll want the son of a drug dealer.”

  “Don’t be too sure. He wanted Paul, and Paul was running around trying to kill Christians.”

  “He was? You mean the Paul in the Bible?”

  “The very same. You see, he thought he was doing God’s work until Jesus appeared to him and asked him why he was persecuting Him.”

  Tony was quiet for a while, obviously digesting what she’d said. “I don’t know that I’m ready, but I’ll think about everything you said.”

  38

  “Robin? They’ve got Robin?” Mark slammed his fist down on the table. How could he have let them get to his wife? First, he’d failed Cindy and now Robin.

  Peter flinched as if he’d slapped him. “I’m so sorry. If I’d known she was going to visit Janice, I would have stopped her. Libby said she had a doctor’s appointment or something.”

  The pain on Peter’s face calmed him.

  “It’s not your fault,” Mark said. “It’s my fault. That’s exactly the kind of thing Robin does. I should have known. I should have protected her.” Mark jumped up and threw on the coat Lenny had bought him. “Let’s go.”

  Peter grabbed his keys. “Where?”

  “Rossetti’s.”

  “You think they know where she is?”

  “I think they know more than they’re telling, and I’m sick of being nice.” Mark flew out the door and jumped into Peter’s SUV.

  Peter followed, barely stopping to shut the cabin door. He raced down the dirt road, skidding around the corners. “Better call it in,” he said.

  “That didn’t go so well for me last time,” Mark said. “But now that Beth’s not there, I guess I’m safe. This time I’m calling dispatch.”

  He pulled the radio from Peter’s dash and called in their location and where they were headed.

  The restaurant was busy when they slammed through the doors. “May I help you?” The hostess asked as they whizzed by.

  Peter flipped his badge at her. “No, we’ll find our own table.”

  Mark took the stairs two at a time, with Peter following so close he clipped his heels. He slammed into Carlo’s office. The door banged against the wall and came back at him. No one there.

  Dominic stood outside his office. “What’s this about?”

  Mark charged him, and he backed out of the hallway and into his office, a frightened look on his face.

  “Where is she?” Mark yelled.

  “Who?” Dominic hurried into his office and put his desk between them. “Who are you looking for?”

  A growl formed in Marks throat as he moved around the desk. “My wife! Where is she? I know you have her.”

  Dominic backed against the credenza, desperation in every line of his face. “I don’t know! Calm down, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  A surge of adrenaline rolled over Mark as he pulled his bad arm out of the sling and grabbed Dominic’s collar with both hands. He backed him in the corner, nowhere to go. He wanted to hit him, to smash him in the face until he told what he knew.

  Someone put a restraining hand on his arm. He jerked his arm away and reared back, ready to slam his fist into whoever was trying to stop him from getting to his wife.

  “Hey man, I’m on your side.” Peter took a step back and held up his hands.

  Mark lowered his fists and tried to get his breathing under control. He stepped away from Dominic, afraid he wouldn’t be able to control himself if he didn’t put some distance between them. “Sorry,” he said to his friend.

  Peter grinned. “We’ll keep that in reserve. Meanwhile,” his gaze bored into Dominic’s, who looked ready to wet himself, “you have some explaining to do.” Peter allowed Dominic to sit, probably to keep him from falling.

  Mark breathed slowly, in through his nose, out through his mouth, forcing himself to calm down.

  Peter sat in one of the chairs at Dominic’s desk, and Mark perched on the edge of the other.

  Dominic eyed them like a deer watching a cougar. “What do you want?”

  “Do you know the whereabouts of Mrs. Clayton?” Peter spoke first.

  “No, I don’t even know her.”

  “What about Beth Harris?”

  “Who?”

  By the total confusion on Dominic’s face, he either didn’t know who Beth was, or he was a fantastic actor.

  Mark imagined it was the former. It made sense that Beth wouldn’t want people to know who she was. It was far too dangerous. And he’d bet Carlo was the brains behind Rosetti’s business. At least the illegal part. Maria probably ran the restaurant. Dominic didn’t look as if he could run anything.

  Peter had been questioning Dominic, to no avail.

  Mark weighed his options. He interrupted. “Where’s Carlo Litzi?”

  39

  Tony thought about what Robin said. His stomach lurched. How could his family be so evil? And how could he have ignored it? He remembered watching people at church when they repeated the prayer the pastor prayed about forgiving their sins. They looked so happy. He felt so dirty. He never realized it before, but now he wanted the feeling to go away. He wanted to feel clean.

  He jolted as steps thudded outside and the lock rattled. Before he could move, Carlo had a gun pointed at him. A man Tony didn’t know walked toward him with a rope and some burlap.

  Tony’s every muscle tensed.

  “Settle down,” Carlo said. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret. We’re taking a little trip, and then maybe you can give me a hand. You don’t want me to have to hurt this nice lady, do you?”

  Tony forced his shoulders down and opened his clenched fists.

  “That’s better. Now put your hands behind you so Evan, here, can tie them.”

  The big muscle-bound man with legs the size of tree trunks lumbered over. What was Evan’s day job? Wrestling? Bouncing at some lowlife bar? Gritting his teeth, Tony complied.

  Evan tied his hands while Carlo held the gun on Robin. Then the big man used the other end of the rope to tie her hands in front of her. Three feet of rope hung loose between them.

  “Now if you’re careful, you won’t hurt yourselves. You follow Evan, and I’ll follow you. How does that sound?” Carlo’s voice held a cheerful ring, as though he was giving candy to a child.

  Evan went to the door and waited for them to catch up.

  Tony had to walk first, and Robin followed. If he went too fast, the rope pulled painfully on his arms. If he went too slow, she stepped on his heels. By the time they mounted the stairs, they were in sync. At the top, they turned left, went through the kitchen, and out to the garage toward a van with blacked out back windows. Carlo ordered them into the middle row of seats.

  Getting in while tied together proved tricky. He nearly fell as Robin climbed in and the rope tightened, pulling him backward. Once they were seated, Evan untied Tony’s hands and retied them in front. He then buckled first his seatbelt, then Robin’s, and shook out the burlap. It unfolded as two bags.

  “No!” Robin screamed. “Don’t put that thing over my face.” She jerked her head around, and Evan slapped her.

  “Hey, knock it off!” Tony tried to rise. The seatbelt stopped him, and then Evan punched him in the face. His head snapped back, and pain exploded from his cheek.

  Robin cried out, “Tony, no! It’s OK. I’ll wear it. Don’t hurt him. Please don’t hurt him.”

  That and Carlo’s laughter were the last things Tony heard before he blacked out.

  40

  Dominic’s face developed a sheen. He rubbed a hand over his forehead. It was shak
ing.

  Mark smiled. Good.

  “I don’t know where he is. Did you check his office?”

  “Yeah, Sherlock, we did that,” Peter answered.

  Dominic reached for the phone on his desk. “Here, let me page him.” He pushed a button and spoke into the handset. “Carlo, come to Dominic’s office, Carlo Litzi to Dominic’s office.”

  The words came to Mark in stereo, followed by a click after he hung up. Mark’s arm twitched, and pain blossomed from his shoulder. He slipped it back into the sling.

  “Arm hurting? Hope you didn’t pull out the stitches.” Dominic fumbled in his drawer. “I think I have some aspirin in here, somewhere.” Suddenly, he was so eager to please. This might go better than he thought.

  “It’s nothing,” Mark said. No time to worry about stitches now.

  They waited in silence for a few minutes.

  Mark, unable to sit still any longer, leapt to his feet and started pacing. He wasn’t here, the dirt bag wasn’t here, because he was somewhere holding Robin. He turned to Dominic, wanting to choke the answers out of him. “Where would he go?” he asked. “If he kidnapped someone, where would he take her?”

  Dominic’s face paled. “Kidnapping? I don’t know anything about any kidnapping.”

  Maria Rossetti burst through the door, followed by their son, Jimmy. She skidded to a stop when she saw Mark and Peter.

  “Tony’s missing.” Her voice was high and shaky.

  Dominic glanced up at her, ready to dismiss her. “Give him time. He probably stopped somewhere to eat.” He nodded to Peter. “Gentlemen, my wife, Maria. Maria, this is the police.” His voice delivered a warning, but she didn’t seem to care.

  “Good. I’d like to report a missing person.”

  “Maria, I don’t think that’s necessary.”

  She turned on him and brandished her nails, as if to launch an attack. “I don’t care what you think! I’ve had enough. If Carlo hurts a hair on my boy’s head, I swear, I’ll kill him myself!”

  Jimmy winced but remained silent.

  Mark wondered what he knew.

  “Maria!” Dominic tried again to shut her up.

  “Mrs. Rossetti,” Peter said. “Tell us what happened.”

  She glanced over at her husband and back to Peter. “He was supposed to go straight to his grandmother’s. He should have been there hours ago. Katherine said he never made it.”

  “When did she call?” Peter’s voice was too calm.

  Mark wanted to jerk the information out of her.

  “The first time was a couple hours ago, and I told her to wait awhile in case he ran into some bad traffic or something. She called a few minutes ago and said he’s still not there.”

  “What do you think happened?” Peter asked. “Did you try his cell phone?”

  “Yes, but all I get is voice mail. I’m worried about him, Dominic. I don’t know what to think.”

  Jimmy wiped his hands on his jeans. He knew something.

  Maria dialed her cell. “Tony, this is your mother. It isn’t funny now. Call me.” Her voice trembled. “Please, honey, you’re scaring me.” The fear in the woman’s voice was palpable.

  Mark could feel it emanating out of her.

  “Do you think Carlo would hurt him?” Dominic asked.

  “If he thinks Tony’s a threat…” Mom’s voice drifted off. “Look what happened to that Joey kid last year. He was just a baby.”

  “Come on now,” Dominic said. “We don’t know what happened to that kid. Maybe he wasn’t getting better like they thought.”

  “Right, Einstein. He was doing fine. Then we heard the chief was going to talk to him, and the next thing you know his funeral’s in the paper.”

  This was getting interesting. But they didn’t have time to investigate that right now, they needed to find Carlo.

  “Where would Carlo take him?” Mark asked, careful do dial back on the anxiety he felt.

  The backup he’d called for could be heard in the hallway.

  Dominic didn’t want to answer.

  “There’s a meeting place he uses, an old school in the process of remodel. Or he uses the warehouse in Denver,” Jimmy spilled the truth.

  Denver seemed the obvious place, and Mark could tell Peter thought so, too. He bounded out of his chair. “What’s the address?”

  Dominic gave them a blank stare. Mark couldn’t tell if he was being obstinate or if he just couldn’t remember. He opened the credenza behind him and fumbled through some papers.

  “I can take you there,” Jimmy said. “I need to know my little brother’s OK.”

  Mark, Peter and Jimmy ran from the room, passing the other officers. “Hold them for questioning,” Peter said. “We’ll call from the road and explain.”

  41

  Tony woke in the van, his head aching. He couldn’t see. What was this thing over his face? Then it all came back. He hoped Robin was OK. She was quiet next to him, probably praying. It sounded like a good idea. He wished his grandmother was here. She prayed great prayers, as if she knew God personally or something. Since she wasn’t here, he wished he could pray. But he knew God wouldn’t want to talk to him. Then he remembered what Robin said about Paul. If he had wanted to talk to Paul, maybe he would give Tony a chance. After all, Tony hadn’t killed any Christians.

  He considered his grandmother. He wanted what she had. He wanted to be able to talk to God like a real person. He needed someone who would love him despite his family. Someone who wouldn’t let him down. Someone who wouldn’t do the wrong thing for money.

  He knew where he could go to get that. He would talk to his grandmother as soon as he got out of here. But what if I don’t get out of this? What about now? I know what to do. I’ve seen it at church, and Grandmother told me how. Why not do it now?

  He’d always planned to become a Christian someday. All those summers with his grandmother convinced him long ago that he wanted to grow up like her. Then his friends at church made it feel even more possible. He closed his eyes and prayed the words he hoped would change his life.

  Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. And I know You don’t need someone like me. But I need You. I might not get this right, but please come into my heart and make me Your child.

  He opened his eyes and then quickly shut them. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen. They always said that at church. It seemed too simple. Was that all there is to it? Peace seeped into his heart.

  Yes, that’s all there is to it.

  42

  Robin tried to remain calm. The van had made a few turns, then accelerated, as if on the highway. She lost track of the length of time they stayed on the highway, but wherever they were going must be pretty far away from Pinon Creek.

  Tony had been silent most of the trip, moaning a little in the last half hour or so. She hoped he was all right. That Neanderthal had hit him pretty hard.

  Finally, the van turned off and made several more turns before coming to a stop and shutting down. The sound of metal and gears grinding together led her to believe they had entered a garage of some sort.

  The van door slid open and the bag over her head was removed. Fresh air caressed her face. Well not outside fresh air, but better than what she’d been breathing through the burlap. A couple times she almost panicked, a smothered feeling almost overcoming her. The only way she was able to stand it was to close her eyes and practice breathing, in and out, in and out.

  The Neanderthal stood in front of them holding a gun. He pulled the bag off Tony’s head, and she was relieved to see he was awake. His cheek was red and swollen, and his nose had bled down his face. Neanderthal unlatched her seatbelt and Tony’s. “Get out,” he growled. He waved the gun toward Tony. “You, too. And don’t try nothing, or you’ll get more of that.” He pointed the gun at Tony’s cheek as if to touch it, but Tony ripped his head back. The Neanderthal laughed.

  Robin struggled out of her seat, trying not to jerk too hard on the rope. She and Tony stumbled and nearly fell out
of the van and onto the concrete floor of a large warehouse. Double doors had closed them in, and there was another set next to those with room to park a couple large trucks. Flickering fluorescents barely lit the huge area, but after being in almost total darkness, she could see pretty well. Metal shelving stacked with boxes towered on her right. Ahead of her sat Beth’s yellow sports car. So, she was here.

  Carlo slammed the driver’s side door and nodded to Neanderthal. “Take care of these two, would you?”

  Her heart slammed in her chest. What did that mean?

  “What do you want me to do with them?”

  “Put them in the cafeteria for now. Tie them to something.”

  Neanderthal tied them the same way they were before and motioned for them towards another area.

  Tony started walking. He moved too fast and yanked her hands. She moved too slow and heard his hiss of pain as his arms jerked back. After a few steps, they got in rhythm, and it was easier.

  An office with a window overlooking the warehouse occupied the center of the floor. A hallway ran next to it, which was where the body builder directed them to go. As they made their steady way in that direction, the other set of double doors opened.

  Robin turned to look without slowing her progress.

  An unmarked truck the size and shape of a medium U-Haul pulled in. The driver cut the engine, and the double doors thundered back down.

  Robin took a last look around the warehouse before she reached the hallway. More rows of the same shelving lined this side of the warehouse, and a set of five overhead doors loomed on the other side of the warehouse. Loading docks? She wondered what they distributed here besides drugs.

  At the end of the hallway, a door opened to a cafeteria, lined with long steel tables molded to include the benches as one piece. Massive bolts held each table to the concrete floor. Neanderthal forced her to sit at a table and bound her feet to the steel legs. He did the same with Tony on the other side of the table, facing her. He tested the ropes and laughed. “Don’t you go nowhere, now, ya hear?” He left them alone, slamming the door behind him.