'Is everything all right, Miss Sanderson?' the bank officer asked, staring pointedly at Michael.
'Fine, thank you,' she replied, an arrogant tilt to her chin. 'Your prompt assistance was most helpful.'
They left the bank and stood outside for a moment.
'Good luck,' she said, leaning in to kiss him on the mouth. 'Phone me as soon as you find out anything.'
'I'll do that,' he said edgily.
He drove directly to the gas station and hung out by the pay phone. Lighting a cigarette he scanned the area, searching for anything suspicious.
At exactly ten o'clock the phone rang. Grinding his cigarette butt into the ground, he snatched the receiver.
A woman's voice. 'Michael Scorsini?'
'Yes.'
'Do you have it?'
'I've got it.'
'Get into your car and drive to Century City.'
Where in Century City?'
'Park, go into Brentano's Bookstore. Don't forget you're being carefully watched at all times. If you're followed, the deal is off.'
'Nobody's following me. Where's Bella?'
'You'll find out in exchange for the money.'
'I want my daughter.'
'The only way you'll get her is if you cooperate.'
'How do I know you have her?'
'That's a risk you must take.'
'Where do I go once I'm inside the bookstore?'
'Walk around. We'll find you.'
The line went dead. He stood by the phone for a moment thinking about the ramifications. What if he handed over the money and nothing happened? What if he couldn't find Bella? What if this was some great big scam?
Maybe he should have called in the cops.
No. It was too risky - however sophisticated their surveillance teams were, something could go wrong and blow the whole deal. This was something he had to take care of himself.
He'd never felt so helpless, and yet there was nothing he could do except follow instructions. Right now there was no other way.
* * *
Rosa glanced around the packed press conference taking place at the Parker Center. 'Exciting, huh?' she whispered.
'I'll say,' Kennedy replied.
'As soon as this is over, we'll do a remote outside.'
Kennedy nodded. 'I'm all set.'
The Chief of Police and the Mayor, surrounded by their minions, made their entrance.
Kennedy settled back, ready to hear what they had to say.
* * *
On their second visit to the house, Reno carried a crowbar in a hold-all, fully prepared to break into Zane's room.
'There'll be no problem,' Luca said confidently. 'This time we'll nail the fucker.'
'Let's go over this again,' Bosco said. 'You're tellin' him you want him to come for a ride with us to discuss his future.'
'That's it.'
'How about the maid and the gardener?'
'You think they're gonna miss him when he's gone? They don't give a shit. Once we got him in the car, we drive out t' the desert an' dump him for good.'
The sun was shining and the birds were singing when they arrived at the house. 'This place ain't bad,' Luca said, his hooded eyes checking out his property. 'Fixed up it could be a fuckin' palace. I could set a girl up here easy.'
'What girl?' Bosco asked.
'Bambi.'
Reno laughed disbelievingly. 'You wanna set a hooker up in you'r house?'
'If I make her my exclusive property, why the fuck not?'
'You mean you'd give her this place?' Bosco said, eyes popping.
'I wouldn't give her nothin'. I'd stash her here, an' at my convenience, fly in whenever I felt like it. Maybe I should spend more time here.'
'You'd better change your way of dressing if you're planning on doin' that,' Reno remarked.
'You criticizing the way I dress?'
'No, but a silk suit don't cut it in LA. You gotta be more casual. We havta take a walk down Rodeo Drive, visit some of them fancy stores where they charge you five hundred bucks for a tie.'
'Five hundred for a freakin' tie?' Bosco said, shaking his head in disbelief. 'No freakin' way!'
'That's what they pay on Rodeo,' Reno said, speaking as if he were the town expert.
'OK, so we'll do it later - after we've gotten rid of the prick,' Luca decided.
They entered the house and headed for Zane's room.
'Knock first. If he don't answer, bust in,' Luca commanded, standing back.
'Sure,' Reno replied, knocking sharply.
There was no response. He knocked again. Still no response.
'He's out,' Bosco said.
'I don't give a fast crap whether he's out or not,' Luca said in a hard voice. 'This time we're goin' in.'
Reno worked on the locks for a few minutes until the door sprang open and they entered the room.
'Fuckin' stench!' Luca complained, wrinkling his nose as he took in the unmade bed, garbage on the floor, and a cockroach scurrying over a Big Mac wrapper. 'This place is a fuckin' dump.'
'He's gone,' Reno said. 'Look around, there's nothin' here.'
'Someone must've told him we was visiting,' Bosco added. 'He took a fast run.'
'Fuck!' Luca exploded. 'You mean I gotta go searchin' for this schifosot Jesus Christ!'
'We should'a stayed around yesterday,' Reno said. 'Waited for him to come back.'
Why didn't you open your big mouth then?' Luca demanded.
Eldessa was in the kitchen when they marched in.
'Where is he?' Luca demanded.
She shrugged non-committally. 'Dunno. He was here yesterday. He must'a come back and packed up -I never saw him leave.'
'You got no idea where he went?' Bosco asked.
'No. He never told me nothin'.'
'What car does he drive?' Reno asked.
'A black Ford,' she said.
'You know the licence?'
She shook her head.
Luca pulled out his gold money clip, extracted a hundred-dollar bill and slipped it to her. 'If he comes back make sure you find out where he's livin'. You do that and there's more where this came from.'
'Yessir!'
'Bosco, give her the number at the hotel.'
Bosco scribbled down the number and handed it over.
'C'mon,' Luca said, 'We've wasted enough time.'
-=O=---=O=-
Shelley did not come home all night. The Man roamed around the house becoming more furious as each hour passed.
How dare the bitch stay out.
How dare she do this to him.
She was sleeping with somebody. She was a whore just like he'd known she was. Every woman he'd ever known eventually let him down. It was a given.
His anger deepened when it began to get light and there was still was no sign of Shelley. She was ruining his plans.
He went into the small kitchen, boiled a kettle of water and made himself a cup of black coffee.
It was impossible to sleep. How could he sleep when he had no idea when Shelley was going to appear and surprise him?
Not that he needed much sleep. He never rested more than three or four hours a night.
Taking a chair, he placed it opposite the front door. Then he sat down to wait.
Eventually she'd come home, and when she did he was ready.
* * *
Shelley opened her eyes and immediately realized three things. One, she was not alone. Two, she was not in her own bed. Three, she had no clothes on. It was then she recalled the previous night. She'd gone to acting class, met a seemingly nice man who'd invited her back to his place for pizza with some friends. They'd sat around talking and drinking wine, his friends had left, they'd talked some more, she'd drunk too much, and that's the last she remembered.
Her head throbbed. Spying her clothes on the floor, she crept quietly out of bed, gathered up her things and scurried into the bathroom.
She dressed quickly, suffused with guilt. It was so unlike her to sleep a
round. Before coming to Hollywood she'd only had one boyfriend - a steady from high school. Since arriving in LA she'd had no boyfriends at all. The only man she'd even gotten close to liking was John Seagal, but he was a strange one, he'd given no indication of wanting to get involved, even though she'd encouraged him as much as she could.
Once dressed she felt more secure. Standing in the bathroom she wondered whether she should slip out of the apartment and go home, or if she should wake her new best friend. The embarrassing thing was she couldn't recall anything about their love-making, in fact she didn't even know his name.
She went back into the bedroom and stared at him, willing herself to remember.
He stirred, opened his eyes and sat up in bed. 'You're up,' he said, stretching his arms above his head.
She smiled nervously. He had long brown hair, an extremely hairy chest and muscled arms. 'Shall I make coffee?' she asked tentatively.
'Yeah, I could do with a cup,' he said, getting out of bed and padding naked into the bathroom.
She went into the tiny kitchen and boiled some water. 'I didn't mean to stay over,' she called out.
'S' OK,' he replied loudly.
'It's just that... I... I think I had too much to drink.'
'The way I feel, we both did.'
'I suppose I should have a cup of coffee and go home.'
'Yeah,' he said, emerging from the bathroom.
Wasn't he going to ask how it was for her?
Wasn't he going to suggest that they saw each other again?
'Do you take milk and sugar?' she asked.
'Milk, no sugar,' he said, pulling on a pair of Levi's.
She handed him a mug of coffee. 'Where are you from?' she asked, groping for conversation.
'Arkansas,' he said, taking a gulp of hot coffee.
'How long have you been going to acting class?'
He threw on a plaid shirt. 'What is this - question time?'
'It's just that we spent the night together and I don't know anything about you.'
He laughed nastily. 'Are we supposed to exchange resumes just because we had good sex?'
Was it good sex? she wanted to ask, seeing as she couldn't remember.
'No, but it might be nice, since we spent the night together.'
'Listen, honey,' he said, putting down the coffee mug. 'It's not my intention to upset you, but you were the one that begged to stay over, and my girlfriend's coming back this morning, so you gotta leave.'
'Your girlfriend?' she said, stunned.
'Yeah, my girlfriend,' he answered belligerently. 'Wanna make something outta it?'
'Why did I spend the night?' she asked, feeling used and let down.
'Cause you wanted it, baby. You wanted it bad.'
'You never told me you had a girlfriend,' she said accusingly.
'Do us both a favour and split before we get into a fight,' he said, walking back into the bathroom and slamming the door.
She ran out of his apartment, sat in her car and burst into tears.
This was not a good way to start the day.
* * *
The Man's eyes must have closed because he was suddenly awakened by the sound of a car door slamming.
He sat up, springing to attention.
The whore was home and he had to be ready to greet her.
* * *
When Shelley walked through the front door she was still upset about her one-night stand. For a moment she didn't notice Zane sitting there. When she did she was startled. 'Oh, my God, John!' she exclaimed. 'What are you doing here?
He stood up. 'I came to see you. You invited me, didn't you?'
She was puzzled. 'Of course I did, but... how did you get in?'
'I arrived last night. You were out, so I let myself in.'
'You mean you spent the night here?' she said, frowning. Although she was pleased to see him, she was not sure he should have taken the liberty of spending the night in her house without her permission. Plus it wasn't even her house - she was house-sitting for her acting coach who'd impressed upon her she was allowed no overnight guests.
'Where were you all night?' he asked coldly.
Her frown deepened. 'What?'
'I asked where you were all night.'
'Really, John, I don't think it's any of your business.'
'I'm making it my business.'
She was confused. Here was this man, whose attention she'd tried to attract for months, acting like a jealous boyfriend. If she hadn't been so upset about last night she would have known how to deal with him.
'I don't understand your attitude,' she said, puzzled and upset. 'I think you'd better go.'
'No,' he said sharply. 'You invited me here. You've been chasing me for months.'
She flushed angrily. She'd had enough of men for one day. 'I have not,' she said hotly.
'Yes, you have. Inviting me to your room, confiding that you're lonely, telling me all about yourself. Well, now I'm here.'
'I don't want you here.'
'It's inevitable, Shelley.'
'What's inevitable?'
'Us. You and me together.'
He was beginning to alarm her. 'I'm going to call the police if you don't go,' she said, moving towards the phone on the hall table.
He reached her swiftly and grabbed her arm.
'You're hurting me,' she said, trying to pull away.
'I do not appreciate your behaviour,' he said sternly. 'I do not appreciate you staying out all night. Were you with a man?'
'None of your business,' she said, finally losing her temper. 'Let go of me at once.'
'Were you?' he demanded.
She attempted to pull away, but it only seemed to make him more determined to hold on to her. He grabbed both her wrists, pinning them up against the wall.
'If you were with a man I'll know,' he said. 'When we have sex I'll know.'
Shelley realized she was in serious trouble. A feeling of dread overcame her.
* * *
The Man stared at her with passionless blank eyes.
'Please,' Shelley whispered. 'Let me go. I won't complain about this, I won't tell anybody you were here.'
'Who would you tell? My uncle? Have you been talking to him?'
'No!' she said quickly. 'I don't know your uncle.'
'But you just threatened me. You said you'd tell somebody.'
'I didn't mean it.'
His head hurt. He hadn't planned on killing her, but now there seemed no other way. She knew something she wasn't telling. She was in cahoots with his uncle, and if he didn't get rid of her she'd give him up.
Besides, and this was the real reason she had to be eliminated, he needed a safe place to bring Cheryl and Jordanna.
It was time.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Brentano's wasn't crowded. Michael roamed around, finally settling in front of the magazine stand, where he picked up a copy of Rolling Stone and flicked unseeingly through the pages.
He'd had plenty of time to think about what he was going to do. Plenty of time to figure out a plan of action. Whoever approached him would get no money out of him until they produced tangible proof he was getting Bella back.
Putting the magazine down, he walked over to the audio-tape section. After a few moments he felt somebody standing behind him.
'Don't turn around,' a woman's voice whispered in his ear.
'Where's Bella?' he said, staring straight ahead, although his instinct was to spin around, grab whoever it was and beat them to a pulp. His anger was ready to explode.
'It's more complicated than you think.'
Mustn't blow it, he thought. Gotta stay calm.
'Where's my daughter?' he repeated in a low angry voice.
We have to trust each other,' the woman said. 'I'll tell you where she is - but first the money.'
'No way.'
'Put the money on the shelf in front of you and walk away with me. My partner will pick it up. When he signals it's all there, you and
I will talk.'
'How do I know you've got something to tell me?'
'Would I be doing this if I didn't? You're a big strong man. I wouldn't put myself at risk.'
His mind was going in all different directions. He couldn't decide what to do. Finally he realized he had no choice. Groping in his pocket he pulled out the envelope containing the money and placed it on the shelf next to a Tom Clancy audio. Then he immediately turned around, grabbing the woman's arm, moving so fast she had no chance to pull away.
As soon as he had her, he took a look to see who she was. She was in her thirties, with short dyed blonde hair and a suntanned face - most of it hidden behind huge mirrored sunglasses. She had on a blue T-shirt, short denim skirt and white ankle boots. From what he could see her body was good and she was pretty in a cheap way. He noticed she was extremely nervous, her bottom lip quivered and her manner was jumpy.
'Who are you?' he asked, as they headed for the door.
'It doesn't matter,' she said brusquely.
'It matters to me.'
'Don't get personal or I won't tell you anything. And, believe me, I know exactly where you can find your kid.'
'I need to know who you are.'
'A friend of Rita's,' she said abruptly. 'We worked together when she first came out here from New York.'
Once they were outside, she pointed to an open restaurant area. 'As soon as I get a signal that the money's all there, we'll talk.'
He knew his nails were digging into her flesh, but he kept his grip on her arm, for he had no intention of allowing her the slightest opportunity of making a run for it.
'How come you waited this long to approach me?' he asked, his eyes diligently searching the surrounding area to see if he could spot her accomplice.
'Saw you on television,' she said. 'Felt sorry for you.'
'Not sorry enough to give me the information without the money, huh?'
She shrugged. 'I've a sister who needs medical attention, the money will see her through an operation.'
Hollywood Kids Page 37