Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows)

by Mell Corcoran

  “Caroline was there too?” Lou wondered why she hadn’t heard from Caroline yet on any of this.

  “Yes.” Shevaun set her cup down then turned to her daughter with a serious expression. “You still have a lot of healing to do, sugar. I know you are feeling better and I want to know what is going on here too, but you need to stay back on this. You are not ready to go back to work yet.”

  “Oh for crying out loud!” Lou got up from her chair and began pacing. “I am fine! Aside from going nuts that is. I need to get back to work! I need to get started working as Principate too! The guys have been working out with me and I have been following my rehab to the letter. I am ready!” The guys to whom Lou was referring were all part of the new world she had recently been inducted into. It was all quite convoluted.

  Two months ago Lou caught a case that was almost written off as just another junky prostitute that met her demise through the hazards of the trade. However, when another body turned up, Lou’s gut wouldn’t let it go. In the middle of all that, she passes a well dressed, handsome stranger in the hall of the County Morgue and that split second encounter stirred something that she simply did not want, could not explain, nor did she have the time for. The Laws of Attraction and Fate didn’t care what Lou wanted. That stranger and those victims were the linchpins in a course of events that would change her life forever. It hadn’t just been Lou’s life, it was her mother and Caroline’s too. The three women learned that they all had been just a hair’s breadth away from a totally different universe nearly all their lives.

  The stranger Lou passed in the Morgue that day was a man by the name of Maximilian Augustus Julian. To the uninitiated he was just a long time business associate of her step-father. In truth he was what amounted to being the king of a group of people that had been carefully concealed and guarded for thousands of years. The way Lou understood it, ages ago some catastrophic event occurred that resulted in an entire village of people being forever altered. Mutated, so to speak. Back then, these people had not the knowledge or understanding to even guess what happened to them. Even with a millennia of science and technology to work with since then, the truth of what really transpired has long since been lost to time and dust. With what little information they did have about what happened and historical records, they speculated it may have had something to do with radiation exposure from a meteor crash. The smoke from the fire that resulted, inhalation of irradiated dust, or perhaps a combination of all of the above. All Lou could think was that it sounded like something out of a comic book. It was all more than she could wrap her head around and the how and why was really irrelevant at that point. What was important to Lou was that up until then she had been misdirected and sidelined on her cases at every turn up until she learned the truth and it had been because she was dancing on the edge of uncovering the secret of the Sanguinostri. It had been a calculated risk on Max’s part but once she was told everything, understood the situation and discussed it with her mother, Lou was all in. She learned that the cases were in fact related, as her gut had told her, and that her suspect was himself a Sanguinostri gone rogue. Max and his lieutenants, known as the Aegis Council, had been hunting the rogue for years and Lou had stumbled upon him in just a week. It was this fact, among other things, that made Max decide Lou was vital to their operations and he brought her in not only as one of them but made her Principate for the Western Region. The equivalent of sheriff for the West Coast. It had been Lou’s indoctrination and placement as Principate that ultimately lead to the rogue revealing himself when he abducted her.

  Albert Von Messenbach had a special kind of hatred for Max which fueled a killing spree designed to mock and torment him for decades. Albert’s power and prestigious reputation as a former Aegis helped him stay below radar for years. Until, that is, he couldn’t resist taking Lou and revealing himself for the monster he was. He had broken every sacred law of the Sanguinostri and betrayed his people so deeply that it nearly got them all exposed. Keeping their existence a secret was the ultimate law. In the end, Max had made a choice to save Lou at all costs. The cost in this instance was that Albert had escaped and was out there somewhere but his crimes labeled him a dead man walking. They would get him sooner or later.

  Eight weeks had passed since then and Lou was itching to get back to work. Both as Principate and good old Homicide Detective Lou Donovan. Niko, Yuri, Connor and Finn, Max’s Aegis Council, had all become like her brothers. Niko most of all. They had equipped her house with state of the art electronics and tech gadgets she was sure she would never fully learn how to use. They had taught her everything they thought she would need to know to be a solid Principate. Niko and Conner were working out with her every day under the supervision of her doctors and physical therapist. It was Abby and Frank, Max’s right hands, that had spent night and day with Lou, teaching her about the Sanguinostri itself. The politics, protocols, black and white laws that were never ever compromised. Lou now saw Abby and Frank as family as well and had grown accustomed to their incessant phone calls, checking in to make sure she had everything she needed. They treated her like a queen and she really wanted to prove herself worthy of that treatment.

  Lou had come to terms with her new life and was eager to get to living it. The only downside to being privy to everything was having to lie to Vinny and her uncle Seamus. Vinny was expecting his first child and Seamus was now retired from the job. He had been through far too much in nearly being blown up during a meth lab bust several years ago. Her nephew and aunt needed him safe and sound. Lou and her mother had discussed it extensively and both agreed they needed to keep their new lives a secret from him and everyone else outside their circle. It was too complicated and too dangerous. Ignorance was definitely bliss in this case.

  “Lou, we need to get you cleared by the doctors first. I will not allow it otherwise.” Shevaun was not budging. “I almost lost you three times now! How much am I expected to take here?”

  “I understand.” Lou knew where her mother was coming from. Eight years before the Sanguinostri came along, Lou had decided to go on a date. Unfortunately that one date turned into a year of hell. Robert Sawyer had been a very handsome and helpful clerk at the downtown courthouse whom Lou agreed to have dinner with. He turned out to be a sadistic psychopath that had beaten and left Lou for dead, twice. With the help of a hefty trust fund, Sawyer plead out and was sentenced to ten years but was up for parole mid-summer. That was until Max found out about everything, including the fact that Sawyer had two of his former cell-mates ambush Lou and Vinny several weeks ago. Robert Sawyer was mysteriously beaten to death in prison. It was only minutes before her abduction that Lou found out Max had been the one to do the beating. That was why she went into that bathroom in the first place, to compose herself. Lou chalked that up to one of those black and white secrets that came with being part of the Sanguinostri and to her considerable surprise, she was perfectly fine with that.

  “Vinny is coming over during his lunch break to check on you and fill us in.” Her mother informed her. “Max will be coming over with Abby after Vinny leaves. He wants to check on you as well.”

  “He checked on me last night.” Lou popped up out of her chair and started to panic about her appearance. Something she had never done until he came into her life. “He is worse than you! Both of you fretting and fussing! I am OK!”

  “Oh it must be just awful to have so many people care about you!” Her mother mocked.

  “That’s not what I mean and you know it.” Lou stomped into her closet and started digging through the racks. “Is Vinny bringing this new guy? What did you say his name was? Cole?”

  “I’m not sure. I can call and ask him?” Now that Shevaun thought about it, she should have asked. “Shouldn’t his replacement be vetted by Max’s people? I mean, how would an outsider work exactly? That will be tricky, won’t it?”

  “I kinda expected them to filter someone in, ya know?” Lou yelled from her closet, looking for something decent to
wear.

  “None of the guys have said anything have they?”

  “No. I would have heard something by now. I think.” Lou found a decent pair of yoga pants and a light sweater that would do. She stuffed herself into them and emerged from the closet, open arms, looking for her mother’s approval.

  “That’s cute.” Shevaun was pleasantly surprised. “Might want to put on a headband though. Your hair is a little mussed. Some make-up would be nice too.”

  Lou made a bee-line for the bathroom and saw exactly what her mother was talking about. Lou had fallen asleep in the chair outside before she blew her hair dry so the left side was completely plastered flat to her head and the other half was so frizzed that it stood horizontally away from her scalp. It was beyond salvaging. She stuck her head underneath the sink faucet and started over.

  Dillon had followed Vinny’s instructions to the letter arriving at Lost Hills Sheriff’s station and finding an empty desk to work in under twelve minutes. He was typing away on his laptop by the time Vinny arrived and was already pulling up data on Casius Arcano’s business so that they could get a better picture of who they were dealing with. While it was another check in Dillon’s favor, Vinny was still not convinced. It was going to take more than good manners and initiative to qualify him as a suitable partner for Lou.

  “You got anything yet?” Vinny asked as he dumped his stuff on the desk opposite Dillon.

  “Arcano’s business is quite something.” Dillon leaned back in his chair and studied the data scrolling across his computer screen. “I didn’t realize what a pain in the ass coffee import and export was. I’m printing out local contact information now but there’s a lot of government involvement in the coffee business. Colombian coffee in particular.”

  “Figures.” Vinny checked his cellphone for any messages. “Government has it’s nose in everything, why would my coffee be any different.”

  “It’s not just our government, it’s the Colombian government.” Dillon knew it was a rhetorical question but he felt he needed to expand on Vinny’s thought a bit. “There is a whole business association dedicated to Colombian coffee production, standards, regulations, protection. They lobbied for the protected designation of origin from the European Union and got it back in 2007. In 2009 though, the Colombian Government took over their coffee imports. That had to really mess with Arcano’s family business.”

  “Great, we got the Colombian government to add to our list of suspects.” Vinny thought he needed to start appreciating his coffee a little more. “OK, start making calls and setting up meets with these people. I’ll start calling this list of guests that Jane gave us. See how many people we can interview in one day.”

  “We gonna start a pool on that?” Dillon looked over the top of his laptop at Vinny, hoping that he got the joke.

  “Maybe, smart ass.” Vinny liked that Dillon had a sense of humor. Another plus in his favor. “One pot at a time.”

  It only took ten minute for Dillon to line up meetings with Casius Arcano’s top men at the Los Angeles Arcano Imports corporate office. Arcano’s right hand man, Peer Taylor was well prepared and had expected the call. He and all relevant parties were more than happy to meet that afternoon at their offices, along with their corporate council, of course. This was good for Dillon because now he had names and the time to get some background on them so he and Vinny were better prepared. He knew it was going to be tricky with the diplomacy angle given they were a Colombian based outfit. With their government having their fingers in the pie, treading carefully was critical so that Dillon and Vinny didn’t get doors slammed in their faces. Once a diplomatic flag was waved, they would be screwed.

  When Vinny’s cell phone rang, Dillon could not help looking at the clock. It was 9:58 a.m. and he still had a shot at it being Lou, thus securing his sweep on the pool. What a coup that would be to win his first day out. Dillon was well aware he would never live it down but he was willing to deal with that.

  “Hey kiddo.” Vinny answered his phone and grimaced. Before Dillon could even snicker, Vinny pulled the hundred dollar bill he had gotten from the ATM from his pocket and threw it across the desk. Dillon didn’t mean to laugh out loud, but he did.

  “Who’s that laughing?” Lou could hear the hearty guffaws through the phone but it didn’t sound familiar.

  “What? Oh that’s just candidate number eight getting a little too comfortable. One sec.” Vinny stuffed his cell under his armpit and scowled at Dillon. “Make yourself useful and get us some coffee before I stuff that bill up your nose, smart ass.”

  “Sir, absolutely.” Dillon caught himself and regained his composure. “I am so sorry, I...”

  “Yeah yeah, coffee.” Vinny cut him off and waved him on before he resumed his conversation with Lou. “OK, I’m back.”

  “Well?” Lou got straight to the point.

  “Well what? Candidate number eight or the case?”

  “Both, actually.” She was more interested in the candidate if truth be told.

  “You know I can’t discuss the case with you.” Vinny looked around the room to see who was within earshot. “I’ll fill you in when I bring lunch.” He whispered into the phone. “Cole, Dillon Cole is his name. I only got a sec before he comes back but I think I want to bring him with me. He’s got a shot.”

  “Really?” Lou was definitely surprised to hear Vinny was optimistic about this one. He had nothing but crap to say about the previous contenders.

  “Yeah. I’d like to see what you think. Shevaun too. This is a complicated gig since your family comes with the package.”

  “Alright, if you think it’s worth it. Bring him. Bring me a copy of his file too would you?” She wanted to find out who this guy was on paper at least.

  “I just emailed it to you like five minutes ago. He’s sharp. Not what you’d expect when you’re going strictly by what’s in his file. I’d swear he’s got military in his background somewhere.”

  “I’ll give it a read before you get here.” Lou was already heading for her computer. “What are you bringing for lunch?”

  “Gotta make it quick so am thinkin chili dogs.” Vinny checked his watch. They were meeting the Arcano executives at 2 p.m. downtown so he was calculating the travel time in his head. “We’ll be there by 11:30 a.m. but we need to head out by no later than 12:45 p.m. to make it to our interviews. It’s Sunday but traffic is still gonna suck and I gotta check in with Caroline before we head out and see if we got I.D.’s on our vics yet.”

  “Vics? Plural?” Lou was trying to drag some information out of him.

  “Three. That’s all you’re getting so quit it.” Vinny could see Dillon coming back from the breakroom with two Styrofoam cups. “Here comes eight so I gotta go. See ya in a bit.”

  “Four chili and cheese only.” She put in her order. “Two for me, two for mom.”

  “Got it.” Vinny already knew what they wanted so he didn’t even bother writing it down. He ended the call and stuffed his cell back into his jacket pocket.

  “One of the guys brought caramel macchiato creamer from home.” Dillon sat Vinny’s cup in front of him then took his seat. “It’s one of my favorites, hope that was good for you too?”

  “Seriously?” Vinny eyeballed Dillon for several seconds. Only his wife and Lou knew he was a caramel macchiato addict. This seemed a little too coincidental for Vinny’s detective radar.

  “I’ll get you plain black.” Dillon started to get up.

  “No.” Vinny grabbed his cup and sniffed the aroma. “I like the caramel. Thanks.”

  “You ever try hazelnut with the caramel?”

  “No. I burned out on hazelnut a couple years ago. My wife was grinding hazelnut bean and using hazelnut creamer too. Way too much.” Candidate number eight was looking too good to be true. If this kept up, Vinny was going to have to have the talk with him soon. It was a solid twenty minutes drive to Lou’s, excluding the stop for hot dogs. Vinny figured he would have enough time to go over all th
e rules on Lou with Dillon on the way. The rules were absolute, in Vinny’s book, and there was no room for error or compromise. Those rules were the deal breaker. “Hey, where you living?” Vinny asked as he mentally went over his checklist.

  “Right now, just an extended stay place in Woodland Hills. I’m looking for a place though. I’d really like to get a house. I’m not an apartment or condo guy. You got any suggestions?” Dillon was hell bent on having a yard so he could get dogs. What he had seen of the city and the west side hadn’t seemed a right fit for him. He really liked the area around Lost Hills but he hadn’t been seriously looking. He didn’t want to count his chickens before they hatched..

  “You should look in the north west valley.” Provided Vinny decided to keep him, having Dillon within close proximity to Lou would be a huge plus. “It’s a buyer’s market right now. We got three houses for sale on our street alone.”

  “You must really like me Boss.” Dillon snickered. “Now ya want me as a neighbor? I’m flattered.”

  “I didn’t mean it like that. Was just sayin’ is all.” Vinny shook his head and proceeded to start his phone calls. “You’re a funny guy there, sport.”

  Dillon just smiled and got back to work. Getting too familiar too soon could ruin everything but Vinny seemed to appreciate his sense of humor. This was a fine line and a critical position for Dillon and he really didn’t want to blow it.

  The lab had little to nothing to tell Vinny. No prints or trace were found inside the house save for industrial cleaning products that were used by nearly every janitorial service in the country. That was the nothing. The little part was that the tests Dillon had asked them to run came back affirmative for jet fuel, just as he predicted. The photographs that he requested also came up aces and those were being messengered over later that afternoon. The tech that Vinny spoke to said that the photos had indeed revealed residual heat signatures consistent with Dillon’s theory. As ridiculous as it seemed, a helicopter had landed in that spot sometime within thirty-six hours prior to taking the photos. A more precise time frame was impossible given the ambient temperature fluctuations over the weekend and the material of the patio itself. The stone was known for retaining heat so the helicopter could have been set down for only five minutes ten hours prior or it could have been sitting there for a solid hour two days before. The only thing that helped the tech narrow things down was the jet fuel residue on the plants. The concentration amounts found was consistent with the automatic sprinklers having gone off once only. The timers were set for the sprinklers to go off at 6 a.m. and the deputies that locked down the scene shut them down before they could go off Sunday morning. That meant that the sprinklers had only gone through their 6 a.m. Saturday morning cycle since the helicopter had landed which further tightened up their window of opportunity. Caroline closed the window a little tighter with confirming time of death as being between 11 p.m. Friday night and 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Although there was no air conditioning or heat active in the house, the marble floor offset the ambient temperature and rigor on all the bodies had already disappeared. Combine all of that with the insect activity and Caroline’s official record would state they were looking at a midnight chop job.