Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows)

by Mell Corcoran

  “So what’s the modesty level here?” Abby asked as she skipped into the bathroom, arms loaded with towels and a fluffy pink robe. “Shall I close my eyes or are we grown ups?”

  Lou snorted. “I took my top off for the medic in front of Dillon and a dozen Sanguinostri agents that I had never met before today. What do you think?” Lou attempted to shimmy out of her jeans but the pain knocked the wind out of her.

  “That answers that.” Abby grinned and got straight to it, helping Lou out of her clothes and guiding her into the shower. “I’ll just be out here so yell if you need help.”

  Abby left Lou leaning against the shower wall to fetch her clean clothes. Lou breathed in the warm steamy air and let the hot water roll over her aching body. She knew it was only going to hurt worse before it got any better so she buckled down and bit through the pain to shampoo her hair and scrub the sweat and grime off of her tender skin. Everything hurt. She slathered conditioner into her hair and let the steam and heat roll over her for a little while longer before she rinsed off and tried to get out without further injury. When she finally emerged from the shower, Abby was waiting with eyes squeezed shut, holding her robe open for her. Lou couldn’t help but smile. She was lucky to have a friend like Abby. Actually, she was lucky that Abby and her had become friends given Lou had no choice as to whether the woman was in her life or not. Abby could have hated her and they could have had to pretend to get along, much like Lou did with Deputy Rochelle. Yes, Lou was lucky Abby was her friend and she would somehow repay the sassy, flame haired woman for all her care and kindness.

  “Feel better?” Abby asked as Lou tied her robe up.

  Lou scooted to the edge of the bathtub and took a seat. “Yeah, thanks Abby. I really appreciate your help.” Abby snooped through the cupboards, finally finding some lotion while Lou attempted to towel her hair dry without incurring too much pain. Her head throbbed fiercely and she wondered when the hell those pain killers were going to kick in.

  “Lou, you have to know by now that I think of you as my sister.” Abby took a seat on the floor and scooted up to Lou’s feet. She squirted a few pumps of the lotion into her hands then proceeded to rub Lou’s feet with the warmed liquid. “We are family now. You would do the same for me and you know it.”

  Lou almost moaned at how good Abby’s foot rub felt. She hadn’t realized how much they hurt in contrast to the rest of her body. “You are my favorite sister in the whole wide world.” She croaked. “Thank you Abby. And you bet your ass I would do the same for you.”

  “Reflexology.” Abby grinned. “I’m a huge believer in it. I’ll take you to my guy when this case is over. I get a foot massage once a week.”

  “Seriously?” Lou really wasn’t too surprised. “You get regular manicures and pedicures too, don’t you?”

  “Oh yeah.” Abby confirmed. “They are my tools so I take good care of them. You should too! I’m gonna start dragging you with me, once a month at least. You need some pampering.”

  Lou looked around her huge bathroom and all of it’s amenities. “I’m not exactly un-pampered Abby. I have a pretty plush life.”

  “That’s different and you know what I mean.” She gave Lou a scolding look. “Yeah, you live in a very nice house and have very nice things but you work your ass off. Your idea of splurging is buying a new gun or actually getting your hair done as opposed to cutting it yourself with dull scissors!”

  “Geez!” Lou frowned. “You make me sound like a guy!”

  “Well you’re practical like a guy!” Abby qualified her statement. “I know your mom is a girly-girl but I have no idea what happened to you!”

  Lou laughed out loud forgetting her ribs. “Owe, stop! You sound like my mom and Caroline.”

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to be insulting.” Abby felt bad for offending her. “I just find it fascinating is all.”

  “I don’t know why I am not more girlie.” Lou had thought about it a lot recently. “I guess I was just always busy with a project or with school or digging in the sand with the sea turtles in Texas. My mom would have a fit if I ruined one of my pretty dresses playing in the dirt or climbing trees so I guess I just stopped wearing them to avoid a problem. If I didn’t wear something nice or have my face and hair all done up then I didn’t have to worry about wrecking it. I guess I got too practical.”

  “And that’s perfect!” Abby smiled at her. “It’s you! But now you’re a big girl so you can mess yourself up if you want and your momma can’t ground you for it!” She giggled.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that!” Lou teased. “I guess I got a little lazy too. I’m going to try harder.”

  “You don’t have to do anything for me! I love you no matter what!” Abby made an exaggerated wink that made Lou laugh again. “I just wish you would recharge your batteries more. Girlie stuff is great for that.”

  Once Lou’s ribs settled down and she could take a breath she nodded. “As soon as this case is over I’m going to take some time and we are going to do another spa day. I really enjoyed that.” Lou was referring to the day Caroline, Abby, Lou and her mother all spent a luxurious day at the spa getting ready for the Gala that Lou was abducted from.

  “This time we will just go have a nice dinner afterward.” Abby added. “No more kidnappings.”

  “Agreed.” Lou grinned.

  “OK, let me dry your hair for you. I promise to be very gentle.” Abby carefully placed socks over Lou’s feet then pulled the chair out from under the under the vanity for Lou to sit properly.

  “You don’t have to do that. I’ll just let it air dry.” Lou felt bad that Abby was fussing over her.

  “I don’t want you catching a cold on top of everything. Now come and sit.” Abby fished the hair dryer and a brush out of one of the drawers while Lou moved to the chair. “After I’m done you can get changed then we can go down and get some ice cream.” She waggled her eyebrows at Lou.

  “Oh! We have ice cream?” Lou’s mouth started to water.

  “Yup! I stopped at my favorite creamery on my way over.” She beamed a bright smile.

  “Will you marry me?” Lou joked, making Abby snort.

  “Sorry sweets, I’m saving myself for Gerard Butler.” She gave her a cheeky grin.

  “Nice choice!” Lou approved.

  Abby laughed and turned on the dryer, carefully blowing Lou’s hair to it’s glossy and practical perfection. Once Abby was satisfied with her handiwork, she put all the tools away and gave Lou some privacy to finish up on her own. Lou managed to brush her teeth and dress herself without incident. She even managed to slather lotion on herself, making her feel more girlie than she had felt in a while with the powdery lavender scent soothing her spirits and calming her mind. She emerged from the bathroom to find that Abby had changed into eye scorching bright green long-john pajamas and matching fuzzy flip-flops. She was bent forward, brushing out her impossibly long, flame red hair. When Abby straightened up, her hair went flying everywhere, static electricity making it stick up on end which by the expression on Abby’s face, was the desired result.

  “Woohoo! I’m a troll doll!” She did a little dance and Lou nearly doubled over in pain, laughing so hard. Abby rushed to Lou’s side, helping her to the chair so she could sit. “Oh gosh Lou, I am so sorry! It’s going to be so hard staying serious so I don’t make you laugh!”

  When Lou was finally able to take a breath she looked up at Abby and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Don’t you dare stop being you! That was just the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

  Abby giggled. “For some reason my hair is super effected by static electricity. Instead of getting annoyed I just run with it and have fun.”

  “That is so funny!” Lou was in agony but she couldn’t stop laughing. “I double dog dare you to walk downstairs like that and freak Dillon out.”

  “Oh! Too fun! You ready to go back down now?” Abby wasn’t sure Lou’s ribs had settled enough for her to try and take the stairs again. />
  “Give me just one more minute.” Lou finally stopped laughing and took a few breaths, as deep as she could without causing her ribs to expand too much.

  “Did you put on the brace I left you?” Abby couldn’t tell if Lou had it on her knee under the hot pink sweatpants.”

  “Yeah, thanks again.” Lou reached for her crutch and prepared herself for the pain that was going to come once she stood but paused a moment. “I don’t remember these sweats at all. Where did you find them?” She looked down at herself and wondered if her lack of memory of the garments had anything to do with her head injuries. It made her worry a little.

  “I got those for you.” Abby beamed another impish smile. “I got your mom some too as kind of a thank you for letting me stay here. See, we match!”

  Lou inspected herself and realized the flamingo hot pink sweatpants had the letter L embroidered on the front hip and was the same eye-piercing green as Abby’s pajamas. There was also a small L on her chest, to the right with the numbers 01 right below it, similar to a football jersey number. As Lou shifted the sweatshirt to get a better look at it, Abby fetched a pair of fuzzy flip-flops out of a bag next to her chair that were a combination of the hot pink and nuclear green. She slipped off Lou’s socks for her and replaced them with the slippers.

  “You are too cute.” Was all Lou could come up with.

  “The back says Lou and has the numbers real big. I’m surprised you missed that putting it on.” Abby stood proudly in front of Lou, waiting for her signal of approval. “Your mom’s are purple with yellow embroidery.”

  Now that Lou was paying attention, she saw that Abby’s long-johns were very similar in that they had a Yellow A at her hip and another A at the chest also with the numbers 01. “Turn around!” Lou wanted to see if the back of her shirt was the same. Sure enough, just like a sports jersey, Abby’s name was embroidered in the sunny yellow with the numbers 01 done up huge on the back. “We are all number one?” Lou wondered aloud.

  “But of course!” Abby grinned then her head cocked suddenly and her face grew stern, as if she heard something. “He’s here. Come on.”

  Lou took another deep breath, positioned her crutch under her arm and readied herself for standing up but before she could, there was a knock on her door. The two women looked at each other curiously. “Yeah?” Lou called out and the door swung open and Max shyly peered in at them.

  “Is it alright if I come in?” He asked sheepishly. Not what Lou had expected.

  “Of course!” She grinned and watched him enter her room. Her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him. As usual. “How did it go?”

  “First of all, how are you doing?” He frowned when he saw her face and then the crutch.

  Lou chuckled half-heartedly. “Once again I’m a little beat up!” She shrugged. “I’m fine though, just a little worse for wear.”

  “I’m going to go fetch us some tea while you two talk.” Abby informed them before heading out of the room. “The ice cream will keep.”

  “Thanks Abby.” Lou smiled at her before she scurried away.

  “Frank and Dillon filled me in on what transpired today.” Max told her. “He said that you did an excellent job handling the clean up and that you left the perfect trail of breadcrumbs so it leads back to Carlos Vargas tomorrow. You’ll get your warrant and tie everything together neatly for your homicide cases.”

  “Will I?” Lou wasn’t so sure. “Ernesto Vargas and Manuel Rojas are still in the wind. Now with the addition of this blood born, I am not sure how I’m going to figure all that into the case for public consumption. The helicopters and everything, it’s a little over the top.”

  Max nodded in understanding. “The blood born is Cameron Timms. He’s the son of an affluent Sanguinostri family in Cape Town. At least he was until he annihilated them and took off with Johan Esterhuizen. Apparently, Esterhuizen had been working for Timms for some time. Cameron’s right hand man helping establish his high end criminal enterprise.”

  “He’s the one who headed up all of this?” Lou was trying to make sense of it.

  “Apparently.” Max nodded. “It appears to be a classic case of an entitled adolescent shithead on a much much grander scale.”

  “How is that possible?” Lou frowned at him.

  “The Timms were a very old Sanguinostri family that established themselves in Cape Town in the sixteen-hundreds, when the Dutch East India Company set up shop down there.”Max gave her a brief history. “It was a different time then and although the Sanguinostri frowned upon it, the Timms family blended in and established themselves in trade, primarily the slave trade. They got involved in livestock of all kinds, negotiated with the British when they took over, then were right on top of things when diamonds and gold came into the market. Even with the money they had amassed when they landed in South Africa, it only grew exponentially after they settled. Although they kept just below the radar, they still became one of the most influential families in the region with all the perks and benefits that come with that.”

  “No offense but old money plus new baby equals spoiled shithead.” Lou furrowed her brow.

  “Exactly. I had a long conversation with Moshe this evening and he filled in all the blanks for me on the family. They were a less evolved line of Sanguinostri as far as humanism goes. George Timms fixed himself as an Afrikaner from the get go. He apparently had quite a superiority complex and used his power and influence to help the National Party get into power and ultimately fostered Apartheid. He was not one of Moshe’s favorite subjects, to say the least.”

  “What a dick!” Lou was getting a clear picture of the man now.

  “Sadly, yes.” Max leaned back in the overstuffed chair before he continued. “I’ll skip the rest of the history lesson but suffice it to say George Timms was a proud elitist and his wife, Alma, was right there along with him. The norm among our people is to approach attempting to conceive with utter reverence and solemnity. It is a true gift to successfully bare a blood born child. In Alma’s case, and from my take on things, it was something to do to garner some excitement in her life.”

  “She got pregnant and went through all of that because she was bored?” Lou was stunned.

  “Evidently. She used it too. Literally sat on a golden pillow being waited on, hand and foot for the entire pregnancy like she was some mythical goddess.” Max spoke as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. “Then, when the child was born, she grew bored with him and left his rearing to the staff. The kid never stood a chance being raised by such self-important gluttons.”

  “So let me fill in the blanks here.” Lou thought for a moment. “He was waited on just like his mother from day one, hand and foot. Had his ass wiped and his every want and desire tossed at him so that he wouldn’t bother his parents. Probably went to the finest schools, every toy and gadget tossed at him without needing to bat an eyelash. Started getting into trouble just to get more attention and his parents made it all disappear so as not to tarnish the good family name, blah blah. Am I close?”

  “Spot on.” Max nodded. “Being blood born, Cameron was smart as a whip, handsome, talented, strong, all on an exceptional level and he used that to get whatever he wanted. It seems he started his criminal activities at a very early age. His sealed record is extensive.”

  “You got a peek at it?” Lou was curious.

  “I did.” Max smiled at Abby when she walked in with a tray of cups and a pot of tea as promised. “Thank you Abby. You can stay if you want.” Abby smiled and poured them all a cup while he continued. “Cameron started at the top with a blood diamond operation. That, along with his siphoning funds from his parents accounts in undetectable increments, he amassed a small fortune by the time he was sixteen. Enough of a fortune that he was able to contract Esterhuizen to come and work for him exclusively and start building a small arsenal.”

  “Small?” Lou snorted. “He has one of those helicopters! That’s not exactly small.”

  “Yes, well that was
actually his father’s that he commandeered for himself and had smuggled out of Cape Town. God knows how.” Max ran his fingers through his hair, tired and frustrated. “He had it brought to South America to facilitate his drug operation which he stole from the Salazar Brother’s former employer.”

  “Weren’t they cartel men?” Lou asked for clarification. “Like Ernesto?”

  “The Jacinto Cartel, yes.” Max picked up his cup of tea and took a sip before resuming. “Yuri uncovered that Cameron Timms struck a bargain with the Jacinto Cartel that included a regular stipend of diamonds each month. Ernesto Vargas was assigned as Timms’ point man in Bogota. It was a lucrative arrangement for the cartel and Timms didn’t have to worry about ruffling their feathers while he did his own business.”