For Love of Livvy

by J. M. Griffin

  "No, it's a promise,” I breathed.

  "One that will have to wait, I'm afraid. I have to get back on the road, but I really did come by to check on you. Even though Romeo is upstairs, I worry about your safety."

  "Would you like to hear the message?” I asked.

  "No, Romeo gave me the gist of it. He also told me of your response to the damned thing. This will be over soon, you can bet on it.” His attitude solemn, I believed his words.

  "Why do you call him Romeo? He's not like that, you know."

  "Right, I've seen the way he looks at you. I'm surprised you haven't noticed."

  "I have noticed, but he's not forward like you. He doesn't try to take advantage of me like you do. He's a nice guy."

  "So you think I'm forward, that I'm not a nice guy and that I take advantage of you?” Marcus asked with a wicked grin.

  "Yeah, and I like it too, I might add. Before this goes any further, I think you better get on the road. Call me tomorrow, will you?"

  "Will do, ma'am. Have a good night.” He saluted me and chuckled when I swatted him.

  He stepped through the open sliding door, turned and then kissed me once more. It was a long, soft kiss that left a promise behind as he walked away. He disappeared around the corner and the side lights illuminated the driveway. A few minutes later, I heard the car ease away from the driveway.

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  Chapter 20

  The jingling phone woke me with a start, and I sat up in the dark. Rubbing my eyes, I tossed the swath of hair off my face. The bedside phone continued to jingle. I realized it was likely my scratchy voiced creep. It's awful to be right so often.

  I lifted the phone to my ear and issued a sleepy greeting.

  "Did you get the gems back from the cop?” The voice scraped like a rusty tin can against the sidewalk.

  "They will be here tomorrow afternoon,” I mumbled.

  "Good thing for you. I'll call around two p.m. and set up the drop. No cops, understand? Cross us now and it won't be good for you or your mother."

  "Yeah, I get it. You're pretty friggin’ brave on the phone though, aren't ya?” He'd threatened my mother and that was all it took to piss me off. She had done nothing to deserve it. I was more determined than ever to put a stop to this jerk.

  "Don't push us Lavinia, you won't like the results. Just do as you're told, bitch, and things will be fine."

  The line went dead. Slumped back against the pillows, my hands shook, and I wanted to kick some butt right now. It was just the adrenalin that flowed at top speed through my system giving me a false sense of bravery.

  This had to end, I needed to push the envelope. The cops were too slow. Justice, rules and the rights of the perpetrators got in the way of the job. Thoughts of the threat to my mother angered me once again.

  Listen to yourself, my voice said. You sound like a vigilante, for gosh sakes. I reasoned with the voice by justifying the need for my mother's safety. The voice argued back and we went back and forth a bit. This little voice thing was a nag and I began to suspect I'd lost my marbles.

  The bedside clock burned bright in the darkness of the room. It was two in the morning, and I was certain I'd never get back to sleep. I flicked the switch on the lamp, and grabbed a pad of paper and pen from the bedside table. Words scrambled across the sheet as I planned out the possibilities of the gem drop.

  If Lola watched out for me, then we could call the cops when the drop was made. Maybe Lanky Larry would follow this creep in his van until the jerk could be apprehended. I wrote these and other ideas down while my adrenalin slowed to a crawl and exhaustion kicked in.

  I snuggled against the pillows and read the notes over. A yawn issued from deep inside my body and I turned, tossed the pad and pen aside before flicking the light off. Slipping under the covers, I hoisted them up under my chin. After I flopped around for some time, sleep finally drifted in.

  A few hours later, I awoke with a headache. My mouth tasted like dog shit. Not that I know what that tastes like, it was just an assumption on my part. My head pounded like a hangover. That's what stress can do, I thought, with a grim outlook.

  If this was how my day started, it could only mean it would worsen before it ended. Not exactly positive thinking, but I'm not stupid enough to believe it would turn itself around any time soon. I lay under the covers for a while until I flipped them aside to get up.

  The coffee pot was on. It had probably been on for a while before I awoke. The smell brought me out of my doldrums. I poured a cup of java and shuffled my hair into some kind of order. What the day would bring was anybody's guess.

  During the night it had rained, the grounds and air smelled fresh and clean. I slid the door open to the deck and stepped out onto the moist wood. Crisp, cool air assaulted my senses. A few deep breaths eased my headache to a dull throb. My mind cleared as did my eyes.

  My glance traveled the back yard and rested on the garage. It was a large, two storied building that had at one time been a barn of sorts. Over the years the multitude of owners had used it for various purposes. Livvy had rented out the lower bays as storage for someone who owned classic cars and I'd never changed the arrangement. As for the second level, I hadn't used it for anything.

  It occurred to me that my interloper might have used it for his own purposes. After all, where had he gone when he escaped the house? He'd have been seen if he'd run down the street, I reasoned. Maybe he watched what happened from that vantage point. There were two windows in the second floor loft which allowed a full view of the rear of the house.

  A chill skittered along my spine when I considered someone spying on me. Why would anyone watch me? With a mental shake, I stepped inside the house. In a flurry, I grabbed some jeans, a jersey, some underwear and a pair of sneakers. Within fifteen minutes, I had showered and dressed.

  The door locked behind me as I went down the front walk to the sidewalk. I hustled toward the corner and entered the deli. After I ordered a muffin and a fresh coffee, I wandered toward the kitchen. Lola kneaded dough on the stainless steel worktable. She glanced up as I walked into the room and momentarily stopped working.

  "You look a bit strained today. What's happened?” she asked, and went back to pounding the crap out of the dough.

  "I had a call in the wee hours from the creep. If I don't get the gems back today for a drop, they'll harm me and my mother. At least that's the latest threat.” I spoke in soft tones. Only Lola could hear me. I watched her eyes grow round.

  "No shit, this idiot threatened your mother?” Lola whispered.

  "Yeah, and the worst part of it is that when Richmond came by last night, I gave him my word that I'd stay out of Cranston and away from my parents for a few days.” I recapped the conversation from the night before. Lola whistled when I finished.

  "What are you gonna do?"

  "I'm going to the craft store and get as many freakin’ gems as I can. Then I'm headed to my parents’ house and have a chat with my father. That should be an interesting event. I'd rather go to the dentist than face him with this news. I'll be back before two and then work out some way to catch this guy."

  "You think it's a guy?"

  "Yeah, I think it's one of the dummies."

  "That's what I thought as well. Do you need me to help you out?"

  "You might be a lookout when the drop takes place. I'll insist it be someplace public so I don't have to worry about being in a deserted place alone. That would leave me too vulnerable."

  "Okay, just give me some notice. I'll have one of the girls take over so I can give you a hand. You seem to have thought things through."

  "Yep, I have.” I grimaced. “I can't tell you how angry I got when threats were made against my mother.” I sighed and stared at the floor for a second. “I'd better go. I'll call you later on your cell phone."

  "I'll be here, just let me know."

  At a trot, I hurried back to the house and got the car. I noticed Aaron's truck was gone fro
m the driveway and I figured he was back on the stakeout, wherever that was. As my car glided into the street, I headed out of town with an eye out for anyone who might have followed me. Once I reached the craft shop, I parked the car and hustled my way through the jewelry supply department.

  Colorful beads, stones and findings covered display racks. I strolled up and down the aisle, tossed packages of stunning faux gems into the carry basket without care. I'm not a gemologist and have no idea what these trinkets were made of, but plastic or glass would be my guess.

  They shone like the real thing and sparkled under the lights. That's all that mattered to me. Velvet gift bags hung on an end cap at the end of the aisle. I tossed three of them into the basket and sauntered along the aisle one last time.

  When I'd picked up enough sparklers to match the amount I'd found in the various velvet bags at the house, I headed to the checkout counter. The clerk looked at me and then ran them past the scanner.

  "You must design jewelry.” She smiled.

  None of your business, I thought. However, I said, “Yeah, it's my latest craze. I just can't get enough of this stuff. The gems are gorgeous, don't you think?"

  "Indeed.” With that, she pulled a coupon out from under the counter and scanned that.

  I got a discount without even asking. I smiled and thanked her as I headed out the door, a determined woman on a mission.

  In the car again, I headed to Cranston. I dialed my cell phone and my mother answered the call. With a lame excuse, I asked to speak with my father. Mom said he was at the hall playing cards with the guys and wouldn't be home until later in the afternoon. I thanked her, promised to stop by soon and headed toward the Knights of Columbus Hall.

  It occurred to me that I'd have to face him down with as much bravery as I could muster. Maybe he wouldn't yell, scream and holler in front of his cronies. I'd been wrong before though, so why would it be any different now? I sighed, cut through the traffic and avoided my parents’ neighborhood.

  My father was the Grand Poobah or some such thing at the K of C. He hung out there quite often now that he'd retired from the restaurant. Dad and some of his law abiding friends, not Jimmy the Neck, played cards at the hall nearly every day.

  My car swung with ease down the street and I saw my father's car parked alongside the building. I pulled up next to it, locked the doors and wandered inside with reluctance. This must have been how the gunslinger felt at the O.K. Corral. Beads of sweat slid down my armpits. A face off with my father was never high on my list of priorities.

  Laughter greeted me when I entered the card room. My father sat facing toward the entrance. He was extremely superstitious about having his back to the door. When he glanced in my direction, the smile died on his lips. A serious gleam entered his dark eyes. Since I'd never before entered this realm of his life, he undoubtedly considered something was wrong.

  The other guys at the table turned to stare at me and I tried for a natural smile. It might have fooled most of them, but not my dad. Instead of greeting me with open arms, his dark eyes narrowed before he rose from the table. His hands spread out in welcome, he bid me entry into the room and introduced me to the other card players. Then he asked, “What brings you down here from the boonies, Lavinia?"

  "I just wanted to talk to you about Mom, if you have a minute. Nothing to worry about, just, you know, I wanted to talk to you. It won't take long. You can get back to your card game straightaway.” Wow, that was lame. No wonder his eyes narrowed.

  "Sure. Gus, deal the cards and you's can play until I come back, eh?” he ordered his buddies. With a false smile, he left the table.

  His hand on my arm, we walked from the game room into a larger one. It looked like a place where banquets were held. A chandelier sparkled above walls dressed in some shiny material. I glanced around without interest and played for time. The sweet smell of flowers drifted over my senses. A huge bouquet of roses and carnations sat astride the wall table.

  I tried to come up with a reasonable explanation of my actions so my father wouldn't lose his temper. Nothing came to mind. It was a sink or swim situation. I could feel myself sink before I'd had a chance to open my mouth.

  "Speak up, Lavinia. It must be important for you to come here."

  "It is, dad. Now don't get mad, but I've had some instances at the house that I haven't told you about."

  "It's the new boarder, isn't it? He's an ax murderer like I said and your cop friends told you, ah? Aye, I knew it, you just take everyone at face value. Now if you'd get married, this wouldn't happen.” His voice started to rise.

  My hand came up in a stop traffic motion. “Wait Dad, before you jump to all the wrong conclusions, just listen to me for a minute."

  His temper was on the rise, I knew the signs. He held it in check. Dark eyes glared, but Dad waited for me to continue. I'd better be quick or it would be too late.

  "A couple weeks ago I found a box on the doorstep of Livvy's house. In it was a bundle of expensive cut stones. There were a couple more bags hidden inside the house as well.” I explained how I'd found them and my intruder, leaving out the self defense part, of course. He'd blow a gasket if he knew I'd been attacked. Then I explained the reason why Trooper Richmond kept an eye on me.

  "So why have you told me this now?” He had a suspicious cast to his face.

  "There have been phone calls from some creep demanding the stones back. I don't have them, the state police do. They won't give them back since they're stolen contraband. The caller has threatened to hurt Mom, and I'm worried. The stones have to be returned today or Mom and I will be injured or worse."

  "Lavinia, your brother never got into this kind of stuff. Why do you have to have a life like this?” Heavy arms waved frantically as he rambled on. A thick hand ran through his hair while he paced back and forth.

  When he turned toward me, his eyes were flat and black like those of a shark. Shit, he was angry now. The worst was yet to come, so I waited in silence.

  "Other parents have daughters who get married, have children, do the soccer team thing with them, and live a normal life. But not you, no, you gotta hang out with cops and teach school about criminals and whatnot.” His hands waved in the air again and his pace slowed when he reached me.

  "Man, I knew this was a mistake. All I want you to do is to keep an eye on Mom for me. I can't go by the house, I have to get home and wait for the call.” I lied by omission. I had told Richmond I wouldn't go to my parents’ house, hadn't I?

  "Well, that's what I'll do then. But for Chrissake, find a man and get married, will ya? You're driving me nuts.” He left and went back to the card room to say good bye to his buddies. Why he thought marriage would change my haphazard life, only God knows. That's just the way my father thinks.

  Outside the foyer of the massive building, I waited for him to join me. I wasn't sure it was the smartest thing to do, but I did it all the same. He strode through the door and glanced to where I stood. Together, we walked to the cars and parted ways. I blew a sigh of relief that he hadn't started to bark at me again and drove out of the parking lot.

  Heading back to Scituate, I took the quickest route through the back roads. I wanted to be sure I was in place for the phone call to make the drop. Lanky Larry entered my mind, but I didn't call him. It would be me, Lola, and hopefully the cops, if things went well. The fewer people involved, the better at this point.

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  Chapter 21

  Parked in front of the garage, I contemplated the plan. It could get real dangerous, and the seriousness of the situation tied my stomach in knots. If this idea didn't work, I was screwed and so was my mother.

  If anyone tried to hurt my mother, my father would take actions nobody would like. He had many high powered connections, mostly legal and several illegal. People who owed him favors, folks who wouldn't think twice when it was time to pay up.

  With a heavy heart, I left the car and sauntered into the house through the French
sliders. The day had turned out sunny, even if it was cool. The vertical blinds closed with a flick of the cord and the kitchen became shadowed. If anyone watched me through the windows, they would be out of luck.

  The packets of gems lay strewn across the counter as I slid them all out of the bag before me. Piles of colorful stones of various shapes sat in small, clear plastic bags. I put the velvet drawstring pouches aside and split each plastic bag open. Emptying them into a pile, I then segregated the stones into three groups. Drawing each soft velvet sac closer, I swept the piles of gems into each one.

  They lay in a neat cluster on the countertop and I tossed the leftover debris into the trash container. Grasping the bundled gems, I tossed them into my purse and snapped the clasp tight. Now to await the phone call, I thought with dread. Patience had never been my strong suit and it was difficult to keep from pacing back and forth.

  I cleaned the sink, did a load of laundry, switched on the television and then switched it off for lack of concentration. The smooth surface of the lion beckoned me and I found some solace in the strength of the animal form. He was a fighter and so was I, it didn't matter that he was an inanimate object. His form encapsulated my emotions.

  The sound of the doorbell brought my breath to a standstill. I choked at the thought of who might be on the other side of the wooden door. With purpose, I strode forward, opened the door and peered through the security hole in the front entry. My mother stared around as she stood on the doorstep. Holy crap. I unbolted the door.

  It swung wide and I stared at the woman. Mom stepped into the hallway and through the door of my apartment. I glanced around outside to see if my father was there, but he was absent. After I secured the door, I scurried inside behind my mother.

  She stood with her hand on the lion, a strange look on her face. Unsure of what to expect, I sat on the edge of the nearest chair and waited for her to speak. My mother turned toward me after she glanced around the room.

  "I haven't been here for ages. I thought it would be nice to see what you've done with the place.” Her glance lingered on my face and she continued. “What's wrong, Lavinia?"