Heart of the Devil

by Ali Vali

  “Are you afraid I will or I won’t?” Maybe Therese found something lacking about her.

  “She loves you, so I pray that you will. Derby is kind, compassionate, and loyal. Once she commits to you, she’ll give you her all and her heart, but she’s also strong and as unbending as her da. Those who hurt her family and those she loves are very seldom forgiven.”

  “Don’t cry over things you don’t have to worry about. She could be the devil incarnate and I wouldn’t care, because I love her. The heart of the devil is safe with me.” Therese nodded, and the raw emotion on her face made Emma cry as well.

  “God bless you, my darling,” Therese said, kissing her cheek.

  “I feel blessed and, more importantly, very loved.” She returned Therese’s affection and smiled. “I’m not blind to who Cain is, but she loves me despite my faults, so all I can do is the same. Thank you for accepting me.”

  “Your mother will one day learn there’s a price for not treasuring the precious gift you are, so you need not thank me for that. Your strength will make you a good Casey, but your choice, I pray, will bring you as much happiness as mine did so long ago.”

  “She’s not the only blessing I’ve found,” she said, kissing Therese’s cheek again. “You and your children are more than I ever hoped for in a family, so let’s get back to taking care of them.”

  “It’s a big job.”

  “True, but I’ve got a lifetime to get it right.”

  * * *

  “Are you sure you’re okay to go out right now?” Emma stood in the middle of the den in the Casey home with her hands on her hips, not appearing too intimidated to stand up to Cain. “You got out of the hospital an hour ago. What can’t wait until tomorrow?”

  “Believe me, lass, if I could put it off, I would.” Cain glanced at Therese, but her mum shook her head as if she didn’t want to get in the middle of this. “Billy will be doing all the heavy lifting, so I’ll be fine.”

  “Cain,” Merrick said before Emma could give her rebuttal. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

  “Sure,” she said, knowing Merrick never butted in for minor things. Merrick followed her out and told her the news Norm had called with. “Who the hell did that? Wait. Come on so we don’t have to go over this twice.”

  “What’s wrong?” Emma asked when she returned, as if she could sense bad news.

  “Your friend Bea is dead, lass. I know you might’ve been mad at her, but I doubt she had any hand in what happened, so she certainly didn’t deserve her fate.”

  Emma rushed close and fell against her. “She’s gone? How? What happened to her?”

  “According to the police, she was able to call her father with a dying declaration,” Merrick said when Cain nodded at her. “The guy who hurt Cain had a sister, and for some reason she stabbed Bea to death. She died before she could say why.”

  Emma cried for a bit, as if not being able to process what was happening. “Do you think she might’ve had something to do with you getting hurt and that’s why she got murdered?”

  “I really don’t know,” she said, and the doorbell cut her off.

  “Ms. Cain, some men are here to see you,” Carmen the housekeeper said.

  Billy went to the door with her, where Kyle and his little helper were waiting. “You need to come in for questioning,” Kyle said, pointing to his car.

  “Questioning for what exactly?” She glanced at Billy and mouthed Muriel’s name.

  “Beatrice Weller was killed, and we have reason to believe you were involved,” the young guy said.

  “Am I under arrest?”

  “I said questioning,” Kyle said, placing his hand on the doorjamb.

  “If you want, come in and ask away.”

  She sat next to Emma and smiled when Emma took her hand.

  “Do you realize she just got out of the hospital?” Therese said, pointing to the love seat if they wanted to sit.

  “According to the NOPD, the girl who died was killed by the sister of the guy who stabbed you,” the smaller guy said.

  “Her name was Bea, and I didn’t know her any more than I did the guy who cut me. It wasn’t exactly a stab,” she said, hearing the door open again, and Muriel appeared a few minutes later.

  “From our viewpoint, that’s motive.” Kyle paced in front of them. “We know how you deal with anyone who dares go against you.”

  “Agent Kyle, how long have you been in town?” Cain asked, and Muriel sighed.

  “Five minutes, but I can read. Your file is extensive.”

  “So does it say anywhere in there that I’m a psychic? If I didn’t know the guy who cut me, how am I supposed to know he has a sister? All I knew was his name was Boone Richard, because he introduced himself right before he cut me.”

  “Rumors were going around that you were looking for him. You backed it up with plenty of money,” the little guy said.

  “I did? I have no idea what you’re talking about, so the next time, come with facts and the ability to prove them, but you’re free to go if that’s all you got.”

  “This isn’t done,” Kyle said. “And you should open your eyes and get out of here, Ms. Verde.”

  Emma didn’t say anything as Billy escorted the men out. Cain glanced at Muriel and shrugged for not waiting for her before talking. “You okay?” she asked Emma.

  “You were the one hurt, and they’re blaming you for Bea? That’s crazy,” Emma said.

  “The FBI has a way of connecting the dots, but sometimes they take a circuitous route to try to force the issue. I’d say you get used to it, but I’d be lying.”

  “They’re really trying to force it now,” Billy said, clapping his hands together. “They’ve got us boxed in from every block.”

  “Let’s stay in then, and eventually they’ll move on,” she said, looking at her watch.

  “I’ll start dinner,” Therese said, and Emma and Marie went with her.

  “There’s no getting out?” She cursed when Billy nodded. “Where’d you have Callie put?”

  “With Boone and Heidi. We had a short window of time, so tomorrow will be too late.”

  “You realize if they die, they take their secrets with them,” she said, walking to the front of the house. Kyle had really stacked the deck with two vans and a number of sedans waiting for them to go out. “There’s got to be a way.”

  “It’ll be hard to shake a tail today.”

  “Maybe,” she said and made a call. “How much are you in for these days?” she said, making Billy come closer. “Damn,” she said, and laughed. “Come by in an hour in your official capacity, and I’ll pay up before you lose the use of your legs and your pension.”

  “Dinner will be in a few,” Therese said, wiping her hands when she came back. “We’re having sandwiches in case you have to run out.”

  “Excellent idea, and we need to send Emma home with Lou when we’re done,” she said, heading for the kitchen. “Hopefully we won’t have to chip away at our problem to get some answers.”

  “I’ll bring the icepick just in case,” Billy said.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  “It’s not much, but here you go,” Jake said as Bradley counted the money. “You can see we delivered, so when’s our next deal?”

  “Hell if I know,” Marty said as he touched a few of the boxes. “We’ll check with the boss and get back to you.”

  “It’s all here,” Bradley said, zipping up the small bag it’d come in.

  “Good. Tell her not to wait too long or the price might go up,” Jake said, taking a bottle of whiskey before he left.

  Marty and Jonsie had the delivery made to one of Marty’s father’s empty buildings and laughed until they cried when they were alone. Even if they doubled their money, they’d be set to make a few more of these deals.

  “You have Big Chief’s numbers?” Jonsie asked.

  “I called him already, and he’s sending someone with cash and a way to get it out of here.” The building backed up to t
he river, so that’s how they figured it was leaving, but Marty could’ve cared less. “I say next time we put everything back in and make a bigger score.”

  “What if he calls Casey and asks how she liked the service?”

  Marty exhaled, wishing Jonsie had a little less bitch in him. “We already told him she doesn’t want to deal with him directly. He calls and the deal’s off. Eventually we’ll tell him we’re branching out on our own. It’s a win-win since all we are is the middlemen.”

  They heard a horn outside, and Marty opened the delivery door. The white paneled truck backed in, and the driver had them lower the door. “Hey, you Marty?”

  “That’s me.” He shook the guy’s hand and waited. He didn’t see any reason to waste his time with the help. “Big Chief on his way?”

  “He’s not coming,” the guy said, reaching into the truck for something. When he got it, Jonsie had a gun on him. “Jeez, man. You want your money or not?”

  “How much is in there?” Jonsie said, not lowering his weapon.

  “Three hundred large.” The guy handed over the bag. “What, you don’t want it?”

  “He said seven to one,” Marty said.

  “There’s a lot of heat on him right now because of Casey, so this is it. You want to pass, I’ll call him and tell him. I’m only here to pick up.”

  “We’ll take it,” Jonsie said.

  “Good. I’ll need a couple of hours, so if you want, take off and I’ll lock up.”

  “You want some help?” Marty asked.

  “Nah. Go ahead.” The guy waited until they were gone before he moved to the back of the truck.

  “Fuck, man,” Marty said when they were driving away. “If that’s all it takes, we need to set up another deal quick.”

  “Make sure your friend wants to buy some more so we don’t get stuck with it.”

  Jonsie drove them back to Marty’s place, where they put the cash in the small wall safe and called Big Chief.

  Marty tried his best to sound nonchalant but pumped his fist when Big Chief told them he’d take all they could get. They’d handle the exchange the same way, and they had to keep up the lie that they worked for Casey.

  “Man, we can score serious cash when we’re done,” he told Jonsie after repeating what Big Chief said.

  “Who says we’ve got to be done,” Jonsie said, and they both laughed.

  “That bitch is going to wonder where all her business went. Then she won’t be so fucking tough without backup.”

  “Dude, let that go. We’ll be getting blown on a beach somewhere thinking about how to spend money.”

  “Some shit a man can’t let go of.”

  * * *

  “Who is that?” Kyle asked as the front gate opened.

  “Not sure, sir,” Joe Simmons said as he checked the license plate to verify it belonged to the NOPD. “The car’s property of the city,” he said as the guy came into view. “That’s the guy who came by the hospital to get a statement. Maybe he’s back to talk to Verde or he’s got an update.”

  “There’s nothing to update. The guy who did it easily got bail, but now his girlfriend’s dead and his sister’s in the wind. Did any of you connect the Richards to Casey?” Kyle asked as the cop pulled toward the back because of all the cars in the drive.

  Logan North spoke over the radio. “Not yet. According to Boone Richard’s jacket, the guy’s been in and out of jail plenty of times, but they’re from Baton Rouge. There’s no connection yet.”

  “Everyone keep your eyes open. You know Casey’s up to something,” Kyle said.

  “It’s catching her at it that’s been the problem, sir,” Joe said, and Kyle tried to ignore the sarcasm.

  * * *

  Norm drove out and headed back toward his precinct in the Quarter, with a black sedan for company the whole way. He kept up a running commentary of the guy’s movements the entire time, as directed, and sounded relieved when he parked in the police lot.

  “He’s gone, guys.”

  “Thanks for the ride, and don’t forget to pop the trunk before you go,” Cain said, handing over a thick envelope. “And don’t forget to pay up before you head to the track again either.”

  “You’re a lifesaver, Cain. I don’t think my wife would’ve stuck around if I’d told her about this one.”

  Norm left her lying on the backseat and went inside like she’d asked and called once he had the vantage point of the second floor. When he didn’t see anything suspicious, he called her so she could get Billy out of the trunk.

  “Norm gives new meaning to protect and serve, doesn’t he?” Billy said as he climbed, out, rubbing his shoulders.

  The car she’d asked Ramon for was waiting a block away, so they took their usual careful route to the warehouse. She unlocked the freezer while Billy held both his guns on the door in case the cold hadn’t completely knocked the fight out of their guests.

  Callie was the only one able to crawl out on her own, so Cain watched her while Billy dragged the other two out. They should’ve been cold but still alive, so she was surprised that Boone and Heidi were both dead.

  “What the hell?” she said as Callie shivered at her feet.

  “You fucker,” Callie said, her face wet with tears. “You killed him.”

  “Unless he slit his wrists with an icicle, he should still be alive,” Billy said.

  “He and that bitch smoked everything in that bag. They were both gone when you put me in there.”

  “Your brother admitted he killed our father, so I’m not exactly sorry he’s gone. But I didn’t think he’d take the easy way out until he talked to you again,” Cain said, standing over Boone’s body. “No tears for your mother?”

  “That bitch can rot, for all I care, but I’d kill you over Boone if I could.”

  “Who hired you to kill my father?” she asked, realizing she had very little leverage now that Boone had overdosed instead of facing her.

  “The only thing I’m telling you is that Boone didn’t kill that bastard.”

  “I know—you did.” Boone might’ve done it, but the real killer had to be this cold-hearted, deeply flawed woman. “You came here to do it, and you got lucky.”

  “It was easy, so luck had nothing to do with it. Your old man had a reputation, but he was an easy target.”

  “Who paid you?” Billy asked.

  Callie leaned into the barrel of his gun and laughed. “Fuck you. Go ahead and pull the trigger, because I’m not telling you shit.”

  “Billy,” she said, and Billy shot Callie through the foot. The sudden pain was too much to ignore, and Callie howled. “Who paid you?”

  “Shit,” Callie screamed, but she turned her face away. Billy shot again, and she still wouldn’t give it up. “You can fucking do this all day, and I ain’t telling you squat, so fucking kill me.”

  “I’m not killing you,” she said, and Billy holstered his guns. “And since you love your brother so much, I can tell you he’ll be out of here in a bit. You and your mother, though, won’t be so lucky. You can keep her company in the smoker when I tie you face-to-face.”

  Billy started the grinder, and Boone met the same fate as Callie’s two other guys. “You’re a sick bastard,” Callie said as she pulled the hair at the sides of her head when Boone’s head finally disappeared into the machine.

  “All I’m doing is avenging my father. You didn’t even know him, and you killed him for a few bucks.” She squatted and grabbed Callie by the throat. “You’re going to die in this pit, and you’ll be forgotten before you hit the ground. No one will think to retaliate, so you’ll die as badly as you lived.”

  Callie beat on her arm, but she couldn’t make Cain let go of her. “This will never be over, bitch,” Callie managed to say.

  “That’s optimistic,” she said, pushing Callie back. “I also changed my mind. There’ll be no slow death for you. You deserve to see it coming.”

  Billy emptied both clips into Callie, starting at her lower body and
working his way up. The why would come in time, so they’d have to settle for the fact that their da’s killer was dead.

  “You think she would’ve talked if Boone hadn’t fried his brain?” Billy asked.

  “They were both hustlers, so I doubt it. Why bargain when you know you’re not leaving? And she was smart enough to know she wasn’t leaving here alive.”

  “We’ll get our answers some other way, then, but I’m not sorry. This bitch and her brother deserved what they got.”

  “We won’t be finished until everyone responsible for Da is dead. We owe him that.”

  Billy hugged her and kissed her cheek. “I know, and that’s why I love you. You’re a closer with the patience of Job.”

  “I’m no saint, brother.”

  “I know that. It’s why we get along so well,” he said and winked.

  * * *

  “She’s dead, and I want the bitch who did it. I know she’s working for you,” Palmiro Weller screamed at Big Gino while pointing his finger at him.

  “Are you saying you think I ordered this?” Gino slammed his hand on his desk and got louder than Palmiro. He wasn’t used to anyone interrupting his meetings. “How long have you known me—worked for me?”

  “Years, Gino, but she was my only daughter, and I’m not going to swallow any more bullshit about Cain Casey being at fault. Callie Richard killed Bea, and if you’re really my friend, you’re going to hand her over.” He wiped his face impatiently as his tears fell. “She was an innocent girl.”

  “Palmiro, I don’t know why this happened, and it’s been some time since I’ve seen Callie or Boone. You deserve what you’re asking for, so I’ll try to get Callie brought to you.”

  “If you want to continue our friendship, don’t take too long,” Palmiro said softly.

  “Are you threatening me?”

  “I’m telling you the same thing you’d be saying if it was one of your boys. We’ve worked well together, but now’s the time to prove your friendship. If you don’t, then you’re my enemy. I’ve already met with the others, and they’ve agreed to throw you out of our neighborhoods.” He spoke in the same soft way and sounded totally serious. “You made things easier, Gino, but never think you’re indispensable.”