Natalie's Dilemma: a Frank Renzi crime thriller (Frank Renzi novels Book 7)
Page 35
“Agent Conti, but he wasn't the man who killed her. One of the mob thugs shot her in the back. The doctors tried to save her but they couldn't. I rode with her to the hospital. Her last thoughts were of you.”
Still no reaction. Was the man incapable of feeling?
After a moment Lam said, “I am not her father, but I loved her like a daughter. What has become of this man who shot her?”
“He's dead. I shot him.”
A flicker of emotion appeared in Lam's eyes and his posture relaxed slightly. “Natalie was right to trust you. She would be pleased that you have avenged her murder. As I am.”
He felt like he'd passed some sort of test. Clearly, Natalie had told Pak Lam about him, which meant Lam knew he was the cop who'd been trying to arrest her.
Lam gestured at the lacquered table. A large tray held bottled water, cut-crystal glasses, a porcelain teapot, and two cups and saucers. “Would you care for some tea, or water perhaps?”
“Water would be good, thanks.”
“Help yourself,” Lam said and poured tea into a cup.
Frank opened a bottled water, poured some into the glass and waited.
“You may have heard about the Asian concept of saving face, Detective Renzi. But Westerners intellectualize the meaning of this. Asians live it every day. Natalie did not understand this until she was a teenager. After that, it ruled her life.”
“She wanted to avenge her mother's murder.”
“Precisely.”
“It took her a long time to find the killer. Twenty years.”
Lam sipped his tea. “She told you this?”
“Not exactly. I read her diary. It started when she was ten, after her mother died.”
“Then you know that Natalie endured difficult times in her quest for vengeance. She told me about this when we met two years ago. Her tenacity and determination impressed me.”
“Unfortunately, the police don't view this as a positive thing. There are warrants outstanding for her arrest in New Orleans. Well, there were. Not any more.”
Lam remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. “When we met, Natalie had a problem. A man wanted her to steal some paintings. She wanted to get away from him.”
“So you helped her escape.”
Expressionless, Lam gazed at him. “She was afraid of you. She knew you were hunting for her.”
Frank shrugged. “That's my job. I'm a homicide detective.”
“Do you have a family, Detective Renzi? A wife? Children, perhaps?”
“A daughter. She's the light of my life.” No need to get into the ugly divorce from his wife.
Lam gestured at a photograph on the wall. A boy and a girl—aged six or seven Frank guessed—stood hand in hand, laughing. They reminded him of the kids he'd seen in the market. A striking woman with beautiful almond-shaped eyes and flowing black hair stood behind them. “My wife and children,” Lam said. “Two weeks after that picture was taken a rival tong murdered them.”
Stunned, Frank remained silent for a moment, then managed to say, “That must have been devastating. I'm sorry for your loss.”
Lam gazed at him, expressionless. “I grieved for my family, of course. But I could not allow their murders to go unpunished. It was a matter of honor. So I killed the men who took my family from me.” Tracing the ugly scar on his cheek with a finger, Lam said, “They wounded me, but I cherish the scar. Each day when I see it in the mirror, I rejoice that justice was done.”
Frank thought about it. Would he do the same if someone murdered his daughter? He studied the smiling children in the photograph.
And then it hit him. The boy and girl were twins. Pak Lam had given Natalie their passports, substituting photographs of her for theirs.
He reached inside his jacket and removed the items he had taken from Natalie's purse. He'd left the cash in her wallet but had taken her iPhone, her new passport and driver's license. He put the passport and the DL on the table. “Who is Bruce?”
Lam ignored the documents. “The friend of a friend of mine.”
“A CIA agent, Clint Hammer, shot him.”
“So Natalie said. But she killed him. This was as it should be.” Pak Lam locked eyes with him. “Just as you killed the man who shot Natalie in the back.”
“I'd rather you didn't tell anyone that I killed Orazio.”
“Understood, Detective Renzi. Never give your enemies ammunition they might later use against you.”
“Are we enemies?” Frank said.
For the first time, Lam smiled. “Not anymore.”
_____
Five minutes later he walked out of the dark alley into the sunshine, happy to leave the grim atmosphere inside the Royal Dragon behind.
He could understand Pak Lam's desire for revenge. But if every man whose wife and children were murdered took matters into his own hands, there would be no law and order, only chaos. Considering that Pak Lam knew he'd been hunting for Natalie, the meeting had gone well enough. They would never be friends, but at least they weren't enemies.
Basking in the warmth of the sun, he leaned against the side of a brick building. His father was taking a nap. He could do with a nap right about now, with Kelly O'Neil. He took out his cellphone and called her.
“Hey, Frank, great to hear from you. What's up?”
“Nothing special, just felt like talking to you. Where y'at?”
“My aunt's house and it's bedlam. My father, my three brothers and their wives and kids are enjoying the Zeppetella family pig-out. Every vegetable known to man, six kinds of pasta, and a roast turkey bigger than a Volkswagen Bug. Now we're gearing up for dessert: fourteen kinds of pie, topped with ice cream or whipped cream.”
He loved her hyperbole, which was often an indicator of her mood. Maybe her guilt feelings about Angelica's murder and Jacques were diminishing. “What have you got on?”
“Frank,” she said sternly. “This is no time for X-rated conversations. Little ears might overhear. I'm wearing my pretty red dress with the high neckline, very chaste.”
“I can fix that. What time do you get home tomorrow night?”
“Fly into Louis Armstrong Airport at seven.”
“Great. I'll be there to meet you.”
She uttered a throaty laugh. “You better be. I miss you.”
“Miss you too. Go eat some pie.”
“Oooh noooo,” she wailed. “Think of the calories!”
He smiled, enjoying her theatrics. “Don't worry. We'll work them off tomorrow night.”
######
Susan says . . .
If you'd like an email alert when my next book comes out, sign up at http://eepurl.com/ExkX9 I promise never to share your email with anyone. If you enjoyed Natalie's Dilemma I would appreciate an honest review on the Amazon site where you purchased it. I know this takes time, but the review needn't be long, and whatever you do, please don't reveal the ending. Thank you!
Praise for Susan Fleet's Frank Renzi crime thrillers
ABSOLUTION Best Mystery-Suspense-Thriller — 2009 Premier Book Awards
“Relentless tempo . . . sharp writing.” — Kirkus Discoveries
“Creole-flavored suspense.” — Attleboro Sun Chronicle
DIVA
“Absolutely fascinating ... a very suspenseful book!” — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
“Fleet subtitles Diva a novel of psychological suspense. That's an understatement.” — Jan Herman, Arts Journal
NATALIE'S REVENGE Best Mystery-Thriller — 2014 Feathered Quill Book Awards
“Fast paced, well written and extremely challenging to put down.” — Rebecca's Reads
"The coolest detective in literature at the moment [is] Frank Renzi." — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
JACKPOT
“Thrilling and gripping. The writing is tight and builds to a tense climax.” — Readers' Favorite
“A page-turning thriller. Frank Renzi hunts a disturbed serial killer.” —Tom Bryson, author of Sarcophagus
“A tremendously great series.” — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
NATALIE'S ART
“Compelling characterization and a surprising conclusion. That's fine art, indeed." — Midwest Book Reviews
“Non-stop twists begin on page one. A fast-paced, action-packed read!” — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
MISSING
“Opens with a bang, fast-paced and hard-hitting. An emotional roller-coaster ride far above the usual whodunit." — Midwest Book Reviews
[The] action never stops, and the suspense is palpable." — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
Praise for Susan Fleet’s non-fiction
WOMEN WHO DARED: MAUD POWELL and EDNA WHITE
“Fleet is an expert on American female musicians who deserve wider recognition in the history of jazz and classical music.” — Matt Morrell, ‘Jazz at WGBH,' Boston, MA
“Fleet's heroines were successful, artistic performers, attracting and enriching broad audiences.” — Howard Mandel, music critic, Billboard
DARK DEEDS: Serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides
Volumes 1 and 2
“Well researched and well written. The inner world of these killers is vividly and psychologically portrayed.” — Arthur Smukler, MD, psychiatrist
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prior to writing crime thrillers, Susan Fleet was a freelance trumpeter in Boston, a college music professor and music historian. The Premier Book Awards named her first book, Absolution, Best Mystery-Suspense-Thriller of 2009. Feathered Quill Book Awards named Natalie's Revenge Best Mystery-Thriller of 2014. After living in New Orleans for nine years, the primary setting of her Frank Renzi thrillers, she returned to the Boston area, but she visits New Orleans at least once a year. See more about Susan on her website: http://www.susanfleet.com
Crime fiction by Susan Fleet
ABSOLUTION http://myBook.to/ABSOLUTION-Amazon
DIVA http://getBook.at/Diva-Amazon
NATALIES REVENGE http://myBook.to/NataliesRevenge
JACKPOT http://myBook.to/Jackpot
NATALIE'S ART http://myBook.to/NataliesArt
MISSING http://myBook.to/Missing
NATALIE'S DILEMMA
Non-fiction by Susan Fleet
WOMEN WHO DARED: Maud Powell and Edna White http://myBook.to/WomenWhoDared
DARK DEEDS Vol 1: Serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides http://myBook.to/DarkDeeds-Vol-One
DARK DEEDS Vol 2: Serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides http://myBook.to/DarkDeeds-Vol-Two
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing Natalie's Dilemma took longer than I expected. Like many of my readers, I love Natalie! So many adventures and narrow escapes. If you haven't read the other Natalie books, Natalie's Revenge and Natalie's Art, I urge you to do so. You're in for a treat!
In the interests of accuracy regarding the Mafia, I consulted two books. Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, by former FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone, and Making Jack Falcone, by former undercover FBI agent Joaquin “Jack” Garcia.
Writing a novel is a collaborative process and many people helped me along the way. My thanks to members of the crimescenewriters group for answering several questions. Thanks also to my beta readers, who read the final draft. Their suggestions greatly improved the book. Many thanks to John Amaral, who proofread the manuscript and made his usual helpful editorial suggestions. His astute comments on the use of firearms, weapons terminology, and ammunition were invaluable.
My heartfelt thanks to NOPD Detective Armando Asaro, who sat down with me in the District 8 station and patiently answered my many questions about police procedures and protocols. However, the events and actions in Natalie's Dilemma are fictional, and I have taken a certain amount of dramatic license. Any errors or inaccuracies are mine alone.
And finally, a huge thank-you to all my readers! Without you, all my hard work would be in vain. I would love to hear from you. You can send me an email at: susan@susanfleet.com
Natalie's Dilemma is a work of fiction. All names, characters and events are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Susan Fleet
All rights reserved.
Published by Music and Mayhem Press
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews. For information and permissions contact the author at: www.susanfleet.com
Print edition
ISBN-10 0-9847235-9-5
ISBN-13 978-0-9847235-9-1
Front cover photographs used with permission:
from Fotalia, Chinesische Mafia Gangsterbraut, © Haramis Kalfar
from Shutterstock, Sad little girl with toy, © altanaka
Author photo by Pete Wolbrette
Printed in the United States of America