UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask

by Heather Carnassale

  After work, Remi and Melanie chatted briefly about Remi’s upcoming meeting with Penny. It wasn’t long before Justin arrived, so Remi skedaddled over to Liam’s place. Once there, she laughed at how at first she couldn’t have imagined spending one night there, let alone most. It wasn’t as if she enjoyed being by herself; it was just the way being in his place made her feel, which was—safe. As she relaxed, she called her mom. She mentioned that she had gone to the cemetery and talked about her job. Remi tended to keep things light when it came to her parents. The last thing she needed or wanted was for them to think she was unhappy. They conversed for about twenty minutes then Remi needed to eat and get ready for bed. Tomorrow was jam packed, so she needed a good night’s sleep. When she finished up in the bathroom, she debated on whether or not to sleep in the bed again or just go back to the couch. It was a tough decision because she very much enjoyed sleeping in the bed the night before. She looked down both ways of the hall, and it was a no-brainer. The couch didn’t stand a chance. Off to the bedroom, she went.

  As Liam waited for a late dinner via room service, he called his grandmother, Marlene. “Oh sweetheart, it’s so good to hear your voice,” she said then asked. “How are you?”

  “I’m good, and yourself?”

  “I’m fine, but I sure do miss you,” she said. Liam told her that he missed her too then she asked if he was still in Miami. “Yeah, for now, but I’m thinking about heading back to Philly soon.”

  That was music to her ears. Though he was a grown man, she still preferred him nearby so she could keep on eye on her favorite grandson. “Had enough of traveling?” she asked. He laughed at how well she knew him. “I guess you could say that.”

  He then got quiet, prompting Marlene to ask if he was all right. He replied, “I’m good.”

  Never one to push, she didn’t pepper him with any more questions. Instead, she told him about what she had been up to at the retirement village, everything from winning three hundred dollars at bingo to teaching piano lessons to some of her fellow retirees. It gave him great joy to hear how happy she was. Before they ended the conversation, she told him to please be safe and that she hoped to see him in the near future.

  As soon as he hung up, the food arrived, just another sad reminder of living hotel life, which had waned and ran its course. He tipped the attendant and quickly dug into the well-done bacon cheeseburger and coconut shrimp. Not exactly the healthiest of meals, but having not eaten all day, Liam was famished. While he ate, he checked the weather forecasts for next week, starting with Florida then going all the way up to Philadelphia. Though planning on taking Interstate 95 for most of the route, he used a GPS to get information on rest stops. He figured if he left early next Thursday morning, and drove straight through, he could be home in under twenty-four hours. But then again, there wasn’t any rush for him to do that. However, as he took the last bite of the burger, he had to admit, that he was ready to go home. Feeling content that his almost month-long sabbatical served its purpose, he thought it was time to join the real world again and stop running. Not that he’d actually acknowledge that’s what he was doing. Cause technically, he didn’t run from the law, more as he ran from himself, or who he had become. Losing control and allowing emotions to dictate his actions, twisted him so much, that his only solution was to go away to regroup. However, Liam’s mind had better clarity, one constant source of confliction was still Remi. “My undoing,” he whispered, grinning ever so slightly. Curious as to the welcome home he might receive, or maybe the not so welcome. At least he had a long drive to prepare himself.

  CHAPTER 3

  It was 6:45 A.M. and Remi rushed next door to find something respectable to wear. As she tore through the closet, Melanie popped her head through the doorway. “Could you be more manic?”

  “I’m dying to meet her, but at the same time, I’m kind of nervous.”

  Melanie plopped onto the bed and assured, “You’ll be fine.”

  Remi chose a black fitted pencil skirt along with a black silk button-down blouse. Once she got Melanie’s stamp of approval, she slipped on her best 3-inch black strappy heels then finished fixing her hair and applying a little makeup. Ten minutes later, she was out the door, hurrying towards the train station. At work, Remi kept excruciatingly watching the clock tick by, and when it was finally time for her to meet with Penny, she was even more anxious than earlier. It only took her a few minutes to reach her destination, which once there she lingered outside, in an attempt to build up her nerve. As she took a few deep breaths, she read aloud the words inscribed on a gold nameplate, “Penelope Matthews, Esquire.”

  She seriously debated on whether to turn around and bolt. However, the notion that Liam’s mother was just behind the door made it too tempting to run. So, after a good amount of stalling, she finally stepped inside. “Welcome,” said a pleasant and attractive twenty-something woman, who introduced herself as Penny’s administrative assistant. “I have an eleven o’clock appointment,” stated Remi. “Ms. Matthews will be with you in a minute,” the woman said, smiling cordially.

  Remi scanned the waiting area, taking special note of the numerous awards strewn along the one wall. His mother was incredibly accomplished, making her all the more intimidating. “Hello, Miss Catalano, I’m Penny Matthews,” she announced, extending her right hand. Remi gazed upon the statuesque woman standing in front of her. “Hi,” Remi squeaked out, shaking Penny’s hand then instantly observing her blue-green eyes. They were unmistakably identical to Liam’s. She was absolutely gorgeous, which wasn’t surprising considering how her son looked. Dressed in a long navy blue skirt with a crisp white fitted blouse, and her dirty blonde hair clipped up in a loose bun, she much more resembled a supermodel than a lawyer. “Please, come into my office,” she said, waving Remi inside. And once in, Remi immediately spotted an eight by ten picture frame sitting on a large mahogany desk. It was a photo of Liam, a younger Liam that is. Penny watched Remi’s eyes gravitate towards it and decided not to prolong the inevitable conversation. “He was sixteen there,” she said, picking it up and handing it to Remi, who couldn’t resist smiling, not just because he looked so young, it was just actually seeing his face again.

  “So, you’re the one who was involved in that shooting—with my son.”

  Remi nervously nodded, all the while unable to avoid staring at the photo.

  “I’m sure he’s told you that he and I aren’t exactly on the best of terms.”

  “To be honest, Mrs. Matthews,” said Remi. “He didn’t say much about you.”

  “Please, call me Penny.”

  Remi smiled shyly, “Okay.”

  “Can’t say I’m surprised,” she remarked then asked, “How is he?”

  Remi shrugged, “I guess he’s okay.”

  “You guess?”

  “I haven’t seen him in a few weeks,” she replied, somberly. Penny wrinkled her forehead, obviously perplexed, so Remi clarified, “He needed to get away for a while.”

  “You two don’t talk?”

  Remi sighed. “He wrote me a few letters, or more like notes, telling me how he was and from what I gathered he seemed good.”

  As Remi carefully placed the frame back onto the desk, Penny inquired, “I hope you don’t think this is too personal, but what exactly is your relationship with Liam?”

  She chuckled, “Good question.”

  Penny sympathetically exhaled and remarked, “My son is quite complicated.”

  Remi didn’t say anything but believed Penny to be spot on with that description. “But, I’m sure you’re already aware of that,” she added with a wry grin, reminiscent of Liam. Remi nodded in agreement. Penny sensed that she cared about him, probably even more so than she was letting on. But feeling it wasn’t her place to intrude, Penny decided to get down to the business at hand.

  “Okay, you are here about a donation for Olivia Denton’s silent auction, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let’s see,” said Penny
, studying her computer screen. “I could donate free legal advice,” she said, smiling. Remi giggled as she found Penny to be genial, not the cold-hearted bitch alluded to by Liam. While Penny pondered what to donate, Remi noticed another picture on a bookshelf. The man in the photo had to be Liam’s father, she thought, as the resemblance was uncanny. The sharp jawline was an exact replica. How ironic, Remi thought, Liam’s great looks were created by two people he categorically despised.

  “How about a weekend stay in the Penthouse Suite at the Dumont Hotel in New York City?”

  Remi gasped. “Seriously?”

  “Sound good?”

  “Oh my God, YES!!!” she exclaimed, unable to hide her elation. “That’s very generous of you.”

  She began jotting down the information when Penny interrupted, “I love my son, very much. And want him to be happy.”

  Remi wasn’t quite sure how to react. To which an astute Penny stated, “Just wanted you to know that.”

  “Uh-okay,” she uttered, a tad surprised at the out of nowhere admission, so much so that she was compelled to question, “Why are you telling me this?”

  Penny simply replied, “Because you’re involved in my son’s life.”

  Remi quickly countered, almost defensively, “I’m not involved with him.”

  “I meant you’re a part of his life, no matter how small a part it may or may not be.”

  She understood what Penny was trying to convey, but it made Remi contemplate about what part that was exactly. Her first thought, of course, was no matter how she spun it, she was at one time, his hostage. But who Liam was when he entered the bank that day isn’t who he was now. Then again, she asked herself, who was he? She was diving deep into thought, something she couldn’t afford to do at the moment. It was unprofessional and she didn’t want to come across as an airhead. So she shook it off and finished writing up the donation.

  “I received the invitation, but I misplaced it, when is the benefit again?” asked Penny.

  “Next Friday,” she replied then thanked her for the donation.

  Penny smiled warmly. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

  Remi returned the smile and said, “Likewise.”

  After exiting the building, she let out a huge sigh of relief. The meeting had gone better than anticipated, but she couldn’t get over just how nice Penny was and seeing that photo of a fresh-faced teenaged Liam. He didn’t look much different, just boyish and innocent. A sixteen-year-old with his whole life in front of him, but he chose to become a criminal. She often had to remind herself of that fact. Because it was easy to pretend he wasn’t guilty of anything, almost too easy.

  An hour later, Remi was sitting at her desk, mindlessly tapping a pencil when she spied a familiar face trekking towards her. “Hey you!” she said, beaming with a huge smile.

  “I’ve come to take you to lunch,” declared Chris.

  “What’s the occasion?” she playfully asked.

  “Well, I haven’t seen or talked to you in a while, thought it would be nice to catch up.”

  She glanced at the time then accepted the invite. “I’ve only got about a half hour.”

  “That’s plenty, let’s go!” he said, blatantly checking out all the cute ladies working in the other cubicles. Remi just shook her head, laughing. As they walked towards the elevator, he threw his left arm around her shoulders, giving her a side hug. “How’s the other arm?” she asked, noticing it was still in a sling. “It’s healing up nicely,” he boasted. “And how are you these days?” he asked.

  “I’m good.”

  Pleased to hear that, he gave her an affirming squeeze.

  For lunch, they opted to hit up the deli across the street, where Remi ordered a turkey sandwich with light mayo, while Chris chose an Italian hoagie. They took a seat at a table to wait, and after they chatted about Nina and Melanie for a few minutes, the casual conversation came to a complete halt. Until Chris brought up the inevitable name that always invaded their chats. “Let’s see, we’ve been together for a total of ten minutes, and you haven’t once mentioned Liam.”

  “Who?” she asked, obviously being sarcastic. He smirked.

  “Okay, I’ll bite, have you talked to him?”

  Chris shook his head, “Not since last week.”

  “Well, that’s more than me,” she sneered trying to sound nonchalant, but her voice betrayed her. “Liam does ask about you,” he said, attempting to reassure her. She shrugged. “It’s fine, I got three whole notes from him,” she said then sharply added, “I didn’t honestly expect much more than that anyway.”

  Her tone revealed an underlying sadness along with a touch of anger, but she couldn’t help but ask, “How is he?”

  “Seems okay. I think he’s finding himself or some bullshit like that.”

  She giggled, which was Chris’ goal. He didn’t like seeing any woman upset, especially Remi, as he definitely had a soft spot for her. “Can you picture what he looks like right now?” he asked. “He’s probably packed on a hundred pounds, has a beard down to his knees, and singing Kumbaya every morning.”

  She laughed. “I think you missed your calling as a stand-up comedian.”

  He smiled as he got up to retrieve their order.

  As Remi bit into her sandwich, Chris remarked, “In all seriousness, Liam taking off was the only thing he could do.”

  Remi mumbled, “Uh-huh.” He knew she wasn’t buying what he was selling, but the point was moot. It was obvious she wasn’t going to let Liam off the hook for bailing. So, Chris changed the subject, asking about her job instead. She almost spilled about meeting Penny but caught herself before divulging. Not that she didn’t trust Chris or that there was something to hide she just didn’t want him inadvertently telling Liam.

  Remi glanced at the time. “I really have to get back to work.”

  Chris inhaled the rest of his hoagie then walked her across the street. She thanked him for treating to lunch and hugged him goodbye. She then realized, after he was gone, she hadn’t asked if he had any idea when or if Liam would ever be coming back, but figured it was probably just as well.

  The rest of the afternoon flew by and before long she was at the hospital for her therapy session with Dr. Layton. “How are you?” the doctor asked, immediately whipping out a yellow legal pad as Remi sat down on the beige courdoroy loveseat. “I’m good.”

  “Been sleeping okay?”

  “Pretty much, I guess,” she replied, lying to a small degree. “I do still get the occasional nightmare, and I do take a sleeping pill if needed, I just don’t care for them too much.”

  “Are the nightmares about the shooting, the heist, or both?” she asked. Remi shrugged, “Sometimes both and sometimes they’re just random violent images that I can’t make sense of.”

  The doctor murmured, “Hmm,” as Remi added, “I usually wake up in a panic attack.”

  “Do you ever get a panic attack when you are fully awake, during the day?” she asked, jotting on the pad. Remi shook her head, “No, thank goodness.”

  “Is Tom’s shooting on your mind a lot?”

  “Once in awhile, I think about it.”

  “Which is normal,” remarked Dr. Layton. “But is it normal not to feel bad that he’s dead?” countered Remi.

  “He was an awful human being who killed your best friend and almost killed your friend, Liam.”

  The second she had uttered Liam’s name, Remi zoned out. And that sudden deviation caused Dr. Layton to pose the question, “I noticed that every time I mention Liam, you check out for a moment.”

  There was no response from Remi.

  “Is there more that you aren’t telling me?”

  That was a loaded question. However, even with patient confidentiality, Remi was extra cautious when it came to him. She thought it was funny how irony worked. Liam was always the one protecting her when in fact, she was also protecting him and was still doing it. Regardless of how bitter she was that he took off, she’d never rat h
im out. Even to a shrink. She subconsciously smiled, prompting yet another observational question from the keen doctor, “He’s special to you, isn’t he?”

  Without an ounce of hesitation, Remi declared, “Yes.”

  “Special how?”

  Remi smiled sheepishly, suddenly feeling like the pink elephant in the room. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

  The doctor just waited for Remi to elaborate, sensing she wanted to get this out. She thought for a moment then said, “We’re just friends, but everybody else thinks there’s more to it.”

  “And why would they think that?”

  She shrugged so Dr. Layton decided to give her a nudge. “You shooting Tom and Liam killing him, an experience like that would surely bond two people together,” she explained. Remi nodded, “Oh, there’s definitely a bond.”

  Of course, she wasn’t just referring to the Tom incident; it was everything dating back to the heist. “I’m also sure you are indebted to him for saving your life, but sometimes the lines can get skewed.”

  “Meaning?” questioned Remi.

  “Meaning, it’s possible you are in denial of how you truly feel about him.”

  Remi sighed. “You wouldn’t be the first person to doubt me on that, or at least think it.”

  Dr. Layton assured, “It doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks, the only person it matters to is you.”

  “Maybe,” she whispered, uncertainty in her tone.

  “Is he still away?”

  Remi nodded.

  “And how does that make you feel?”