UNMASKED: Sequel to Behind the Mask

by Heather Carnassale

  “Yeah, I just wish I would hear from him.”

  With that, she decided to text Chris.

  Have you heard from Liam? – Remi

  She too needed to get ready for work, but she’d be beyond useless there. “Ugh,” she uttered, as she flipped on the television while waiting for Chris to text her back. “We begin our program with breaking news,” said a female news anchor. “Around 1:30 A.M. a break-in at the Market Street Jewelers was thwarted by police just as the two thieves were in the process of robbing the store.”

  Remi shouted, “OH MY GOD!”

  Just then the buzzer sounded as Melanie ran out of the bathroom to see what all the commotion was. Frozen in shock, Remi just pointed at the TV as Melanie checked to see who was downstairs. “It’s me, Chris.”

  She let him up while trying to get Remi to speak. “Liam,” mumbled Remi. “What about him?” asked Melanie. “I can’t breathe,” cried Remi, collapsing to the floor. “I can’t breathe,” she repeated, clutching her chest. Melanie opened the door for Chris, who immediately rushed over to Remi and wrapped his arms around her. “What the hell is going on?” shouted a confused Melanie. Chris helped Remi off the floor then moved her to the couch and said, “Liam was arrested.”

  “Oh shit,” whispered Melanie. They both watched over Remi for a few minutes while she sat in a somewhat catatonic state. Though dazed, she could still hear them talking in hushed voices. She couldn’t make out much of what they were discussing except that Liam had called Chris. All of a sudden she coherently announced, “I’m going to the police station!”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?” questioned Melanie.

  “I need to see him,” she said then looked at Chris. “You talked to him, is he okay?”

  He nodded tentatively.

  “I can’t believe he was arrested, I mean he said it was a possibility but how did this happen?” she asked aloud, trying desperately to make sense of it all. She sighed sounding frustrated then declared she was going to get dressed. “You’re not going alone, I’ll go with you,” demanded Chris. “And me, I can drive,” chimed Melanie. Remi thanked them both then hopped in the shower. While she was in the bathroom, Chris and Melanie heard a ruckus next door and went out into the hall to see what was going on. What they witnessed was a CSI team coming in and out of Liam’s apartment. Many were carrying clear bags filled with items tagged as evidence, and Chris knew that was not good.

  Fifteen minutes later, dressed and ready to go, Remi emerged from the bedroom and questioned, “Where were you two?”

  Before either could respond, she heard a loud banging noise coming from Liam’s place. As her eyes immediately gravitated in that direction, Melanie prepared her by explaining the situation delicately. Without hesitation, Remi rushed out into the hall, coming face to face with Special Agent DeGrazerio. “Good morning, Miss Catalano,” he said coldly. “Are you here to interrogate me?” she asked nervously. “Nope, we are here to sweep your boyfriend’s apartment.”

  She looked towards the door, but there were so many people blocking it she couldn’t see anything. Melanie came up behind her and suggested they get going, but Remi wanted to ask him about Liam. However, the smug expression written all over his face proved he took great pleasure in the arrest, which in turn caused her to want nothing from him. Instead, she stepped back inside to retrieve her coat and purse then the three headed towards the elevator. When they got out to the parking lot, Remi asked, “Mel, why wouldn’t that agent question me?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, he even said it himself, about Liam being my boyfriend, and how many times did he and Detective Weston interrogate me, it’s odd that he would have nothing to ask me now,” said Remi, clearly distressed along with being highly suspicious. Melanie shrugged as Chris pretended not to hear the conversation.

  A despondent looking Liam just sat there watching his mother flipping through an insane amount of paperwork. “Why did Detective Weston call you?” he asked. With her lilac colored Christian Dior reading glasses resting halfway down her nose, she replied, “He knew you were going to need help.”

  Liam smirked while sarcastically tossing out, “Guess he didn’t get the memo about the Matthews clan.”

  Penny pushed the glasses back up to her eyes while giving her son a stern look. “Is this the part where you start judging me?” he asked, shifting in the metal folding chair while the shackles on his feet clanged together. “I’m not judging you,” she said. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.”

  “So, why come here and claim to want to help me?” he countered.

  “Because you’re my son, and despite what you believe, I do love you.”

  She reached her hand across the table and lightly touched his still cuffed hands. Liam’s first reaction was to pull away, but something inside of him wouldn’t let him. It was a brief, tender moment between a mother and son, one that had needed to happen for a long time. “Are you sure you want to make a full confession and plead guilty?”

  Liam’s blank expression said it all. He refused to budge, which she had expected, having been genetically predisposed to be stubborn, thanks to both sides of his family. Just then, Weston walked in and whispered something to Penny, but Liam wasn’t even the least bit interested in what they were discussing. He had completely checked out, which Penny, who had glanced over at him, found extremely worrisome. She tapped Liam’s hand and told him to sit tight that she’d be back in a little while. Penny and Weston left the room, but a guard was brought in to keep an eye on him. Liam couldn’t help but wonder if he hadn’t made a huge mistake. He hated that it involved others or how he had disappointed so many people. His grandmother never judged him, and he betrayed that. He knew she would look at him differently now. No longer the sweet grandson she adored, to her he would now be the gun-toting hostage-taking bank robbing jewel thief. Liam leaned back slightly then peered down his legs at the shackles between his ankles. He just sighed and closed his eyes.

  Penny was talking on her cell phone when she spotted Remi, Chris and Melanie entering the station. She waited for them to go through the metal detector before saying hello. Chris saw her standing nearby and waved. When Remi saw her, she immediately ran over and asked how Liam was doing. “He’s okay physically, but I get the sense that he’s close to a breakdown,” she explained not sugarcoating it. Chris felt sick. Having known Liam most of his life, hearing that was almost unfathomable, him losing control and straying from reality didn’t seem plausible. A part of him hoped Penny was way off base, especially since she hadn’t been around Liam in a few years to fully gauge her son’s demeanor. That said, Chris hadn’t seen Liam yet. He also worried about Remi and how this was going to affect her. He could already tell from her faux stoic expression that she was a mess. Penny took them up to the third floor and when they arrived, she quietly asked Remi if she was okay. “I will be once I see him.”

  Penny escorted them down to the holding room. Weston joined them at the door and told Chris that Liam wanted to talk to him as well but to let Remi go in first, alone. She had to surrender her phone and her purse, which she handed to Melanie then Weston opened the door for her. As she shuffled a few steps inward, she was immediately taken aback by the sight of Liam dressed in a standard jail orange jumpsuit. The moment Liam saw her, his vacant eyes lit up, and a wide smile appeared. Remi returned the smile but couldn’t stop a few tears from spilling from her eyes. As she walked towards him, he went to stand up, but the guard stopped him and warned, “Stay seated!” Liam held up his hands and directed a question at Weston. “Can I please have these removed, for just a few minutes?”

  As Remi looked at the handcuffs then noticed the shackles, a sudden pang of nausea hit deep in the pit of her stomach. Weston unlocked the cuffs then ordered the guard to leave them alone for a moment. The guard balked, but Weston insisted. Penny walked in and handed Remi a few documents. “What are these?” she asked. “Your immunity deal,” replied P
enny, as she and Weston vacated the room. Holding the papers in her hand, Remi sat down across from Liam and immediately asked, “What the hell is going on?”

  He grabbed her hand gently and said, “I’ll explain, I promise, but we only have a few minutes so can we just not fight, please.”

  He looked so glum, so un-Liam like. It frightened her. Even when Liam had been sliced open or when Tom was about to put a bullet into his head, she had never seen him so defeated. “I don’t understand,” she said, as his thumb caressed the softness of her hand. “It had to be done this way,” he said. She sniffed a couple of times, and Liam knew she was close to bawling her eyes out and pleaded with her not to cry. “How can I not?” she countered. Their fingers clasped together tightly, and Remi wondered how in the world she was going to be able to let go of him. She whispered, “My immunity?”

  Liam sighed. “You won’t be charged with anything, and you will be cleared of all of this.”

  “So, this isn’t just about the jewelry store; it’s about the bank too,” she surmised. He just nodded.

  “But I aided and abetted, and I knew who you were, and lied for you,” she declared, professing her role. With their hands still joined, Liam placed his other hand over her mouth and said, “Shhh, don’t say anything else.”

  His hand then slowly crept to the side, feeling her cheek. Remi instinctively dropped her face into his hand savoring his touch as if it would the last time she’d ever have it. “It’s all a part of the deal I made,” he said. His hand stayed firmly put, and though she heard him speak those words, it hadn’t quite sunk in what the deal was exactly. “I have to tell Detective Weston and that Special Agent my side of the story and let them know all the good things you’ve done,” she snapped, her voice stressing the urgency. “Remi,” he murmured, as his hand slipped to the back of her neck. “They already know.”

  The moment those words left his mouth she got it. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed.

  “Remi,” he said, trying to calm her, but it didn’t work because she suddenly cried out, “You cut a deal to protect me!”

  The guard unexpectedly opened the door, “Everything all right in here?” he asked, directing the question at Remi. “It’s fine,” she replied. He stared at Liam and harshly ordered, “No physical contact!”

  Liam side-eyed the rather large man with the semi-automatic in his waistband holster and reluctantly pulled his hands away. With his touch abruptly gone, the absence felt unbelievably painful. Liam could instantly see the sadness in her eyes, so it took him less than twenty seconds to defy authority by taking her hand and holding it between both of his. “I chose to walk into that bank that day, I chose to hold you hostage, and I chose to steal the diamonds,” he said. “No one forced me, I did it willingly, knowing exactly what I was getting myself involved in.”

  As he spoke, his gaze never left her eyes. “You didn’t have a choice.”

  Remi was quick to point out, “True, but I chose to help you even after I knew who you were.”

  Liam produced that self-assured half-grin she had grown accustomed to and responded with, “Stockholm syndrome.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “It’s as good an explanation as any, don’t you think?” he asked, winking at her. “I’m sure even Dr. Layton would agree.”

  Remi smirked. “You have this all figured out, don’t you?”

  He squeezed her hand and replied, “I hope so.”

  She glanced at the documents then asked, “What’s going to happen to you?”

  He shrugged as if he had no clue but Remi knew Liam was smarter than that. Having already worked out an immunity deal for her, he knew what was in store for him he just didn’t want to tell her. The tears began to well up in her eyes again, and the overwhelming sense of dread loomed largely. Remi suddenly lowered her head, but Liam spied a couple of tears dropping from her eyes. She quietly cried, “I wish this weren’t happening.” Liam let go of her hand then leaned across the table, and with a soft swipe of his fingers, he brushed away the rolling tears from her cheeks. He then sweetly kissed her quivering lips. “Is this allowed?” she questioned, curling her fingers around his neck. “I’m already in trouble,” he said, grinning as he kissed the tip of her nose. She smiled but then in pure desperation, she wrapped her arms securely around his neck and held onto him so tightly, he could hardly breathe. As she clung to him, she whispered in his ear, “I don’t want to lose you.”

  Before Liam could respond, the door swung open. “Times up,” the guard with impeccable timing announced. Remi quickly removed her arms while Liam sat back down. Weston and Penny walked in behind the burly man. “I’m sorry,” Liam mouthed to Remi. As Penny witnessed that quick interaction, her heart ached for Remi. Though she felt equally sad for her son, it was Remi she felt was going to have a tougher time dealing with the ramifications from all this.

  Remi picked up the documents while she told Liam she’d see him soon. Though not an easy task, he generated the most honest smile he could conjure up, just for her. After she and Penny left the room, Weston informed Liam that he only had five minutes with Chris.

  While standing in the hall, Remi looked at Penny and asked, “You’re going to get him out of here, right?”

  Penny placed her hand on Remi’s shoulder, and in a maternal-like, protective way she said, “He’s not getting out.”

  “What do you mean, doesn’t he get bail or something?”

  After she posed that question a tall, sharp-dressed, incredibly good-looking man with sandy-brown hair and blue-green eyes, stepped off the elevator. As he approached where they were standing, it was apparent he was Liam’s older doppelganger—his father. Melanie’s mouth dropped open while Penny introduced him to Remi, whose initial impression reeked of an icy disposition. Not friendly at all, but Remi also had a preconceived opinion, courtesy of Liam’s description of him. Plus the circumstance of why he was at the police station probably didn’t help. Warren managed a half-smile as he shook Remi’s hand, and it was as if she was looking at Liam, except for a few gray hairs, and the age lines around his eyes and forehead. Penny told him that Chris was in there at the moment, but he could go in soon. She then pulled Remi aside to break the unsettling news about Liam’s fate. “There won’t be any bail because he’s pleading guilty.”

  With her shoulders slumped and an expression of total awe, Remi asked, “He’s not even going to fight this?”

  Penny shook her head. “There’s not much to fight, not only did he make the deal, he admitted his role in the heist along with the DNA matching the DNA found on that red bag.”

  All Remi could think was that fucking bag and how it was her stupid idea to plant it on Tom. If only she could go back in time, she thought. “This is all my fault,” she whispered at an inaudible level. Penny suggested she go home and just rest for a while, there wasn’t any more she could do for Liam at the station, and he would only worry if she were hanging around there. “I’ll keep you updated; I promise,” said Penny. Feeling as if her whole world was collapsing around her, Remi reluctantly agreed and retrieved her cell phone while waiting for Chris. Of course, inundated with text and voicemail messages, she probably should have just tossed it in the trash. Everyone from her parents to Olivia had tried to reach her. At the moment, the news had only begun mentioning Liam’s name as one of the men arrested for the jewelry store break-in, but it was only a matter of time before word got out that he was involved in the bank heist. Remi whispered to Melanie, “I just want to crawl into a big hole and disappear.”

  Melanie gave her a little nudge on the arm, as Remi texted her mom:

  I’m okay. I promise to explain about Liam later – Remi

  She then needed to send one to Olivia who had left a voice mail message, wondering why she hadn’t shown up for work. It was evident from the message that she hadn’t heard about the arrest yet. So, she decided to keep the text to Olivia simple:

  Sorry for the late notice, won’t be in today, will exp
lain later – Remi

  She knew that wasn’t going to go over too well. Chris finally emerged and was shocked to see Warren standing outside the door. “Mr. Matthews,” he said, in a formal tone. “Mr. KilKinney,” he returned, sounding less than pleased to see the young man. Melanie commented, “Is it me, or did the temperature just drop about forty degrees?”

  Remi agreed as she gathered there was no love lost between the two men. Penny walked over to Remi to assure she’d be in touch then unexpectedly hugged her. It was warm and genuine, not one ounce of pretension. Remi knew Liam’s relationship with his mother was strained but was glad that she was there for him now. After they said goodbye, Remi, Chris, and Melanie headed out while Warren, who hadn’t seen or talked to his son in nearly three years, entered the room. Liam, once again handcuffed, was both surprised and annoyed to see him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Your grandmother was worried about you,” he replied while pulling out a folding chair and sitting down across from his son. Liam lowered his head in shame, but only for his grandmother’s benefit not for his father’s. “You didn’t bring her, did you?”

  “No.”

  A look of pure relief washed over Liam’s face, which Warren was quick to throw right back in it. “Ironic that you would be concerned about how this would affect a woman you claim to care so much about, guess you should have thought about that before you chose to become a criminal.”

  His father’s condescending tone was nothing new nor unexpected, but he didn’t need to sit there and take it either. “Guard,” he called out, loudly, glancing over at the armed man standing near the door. “I want to be taken back to my cell.”

  The guard took a couple of steps towards the table, but Warren held up his hand. “Wait!”

  Warren then looked at Liam. “Few minutes, please.”

  Liam thought about it for a moment. “Fine,” he said, grudgingly. He then told the guard he changed his mind. Once the man took his post by the door, Warren asked, “Why did you do it?”