by Sherie Keys
Chapter10
It was a long day. Alicia went to work because she did not know where else to go. It was at least something to keep her mind off of the situation at home. She thought she held up all right. Everyone knew that she was a bit distant, but they all wrote it off to pregnancy hormones. At least she had that going for her.
Most of the day, she sat with her hand resting on her belly. It was far too early for the baby to be moving, but she rubbed her hand against it anyway. At least the baby wasn’t here yet. It was still safe inside of her, and away from this situation. It had no idea what types of lies its father had told, or what type of harm that he had put them both in.
It was horrifying to learn that she had spent all of this time living with a would be murderer. She told herself that she had no idea what type of man that his or her father had been when she’d married him. She reminded herself that this was what she got for marrying a man in a Green Card marriage. How could she have been so stupid?
She would divorce him. Who cared if Dimitri got deported? She needed to get away from him. She could not spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder to see if the Russian mafia was after them. There was one problem: the baby. He or she would be without their father. Oh well. Dimitri wasn’t the type of man she wanted around her child. She was going to have to protect it.
But what about Dimitri’s criminal connections? Would they still come after her and the baby? Would she have to leave Baltimore? And if she did, would it do any good? She had so many questions, and so few answers. She didn’t even know if she’d ever get answers.
She was most angry that she couldn’t go home. Dimitri was in her apartment. If the men knew where he was, they had to know where they lived. This was terrifying. Where should she go? And if she went somewhere else, would she be putting others in danger?
Once work ended, she accepted the fact that she had to risk it. She drove to her parents’ house. It broke her heart to think that just the other day they had been here to tell her parents their good news-together. Tonight she wanted nothing to do with him.
She did not give her parents the full details. That would have unleashed a can of worms that she did not want to encounter. Instead, she left it at Dimitri had given her some information that she felt uncomfortable with knowing. Her parents were trying to understanding, but she got the vibe they were trying not to say I told you so. Her father was especially silent. Alicia felt like more of a disappointment than she ever had in her entire life.
The worst of it all was that she still missed him. As angry and hurt as she was, a part of her missed him. She left that part out to her parents.
“We’re not going to let you go alone.” Her mother assured her. “We’ll help to take care of you, and of our grandchild.”
“Thanks,” Alicia responded glumly. It didn’t make her feel much better. Now she was bad with money, down to one salary, and pregnant. Could things really get any worse?
With Russian mafia men in town, she supposed that she could.
Dimitri had sent text messages. He had hoped that Alicia would come home. But she didn’t. There was no response from her. He still loved her. He still wanted to protect her. And he still wanted the baby.
He was faced with an awful dilemma. He now had Rudolph and his men waiting for him to complete the job. He was officially between a rock and a hard place. At the end of the day, what did it really matter? If he was losing the one person that he wanted to protect, why did it matter what he did to Rudolph-or for him for that matter?
By dawn, Dimitri had made up his mind. He had spent a night alone without Alicia, and he did not like it. He could only get her to come home to him in one way. He could only do it if Rudolph-and the job-were no longer on the table. So he was going to do it. He was going to do the absolute last thing that he had ever thought that he would do.
At nine o’clock the next morning, Dimitri stood outside of the Baltimore police station. He took a deep breath, and walked inside. Dimitri sat in front of one of the officers he recognized from when he had been brought in a few months ago. They both sat, staring at each other.
“So you’re here to…confess?” Dimitri nodded.
“I am. I am here to confess it all. I worked in Russian mob. I do…attacks…for them.” It was the best word that he could come up with for it. “Now these men are after me, and they might hurt my wife. She is pregnant. I want her safe.”
The officer shook his head.
“Mr. Petrescu, this is a bit unexpected. We’ve never heard of these things.”
“You know the man and the woman who were murdered the other night?” Dimitri stared at the officer. The other man opened his mouth, and stared at Dimitri.
“Do you mean that…?” Dimitri nodded.
“I do. That man was working with me. We were going to try and get away from those men. I told my friend-Victor was his name-that we would make him a good life in America. These other men found out…they kill him.” Dimitri shook his head. “And his girlfriend. They kill both, and leave the son orphaned.”
The officer was apparently beginning to understand.
“You could testify to this?” Dimitri didn’t know much about American courts other than he wanted to avoid them.
“I could. Do I need a lawyer?” Dimitri asked. The officer was silent for a moment. He seemed to be considering. Then he got to his feet, raising one hand.
“Let me go have a conversation with one of my superiors.” He started towards the door. “I have an idea that might benefit all of us.”
Dimitri had no idea what that meant, but he nodded. Deep down, he wondered if he had done the right thing. He had just potentially put himself into a huge mess. He had to remind himself that it was necessary. He couldn’t go on like he had been. While he had once led two different lives, that was not the type of man that he wanted to be. He wanted to be the man that Alicia believe him to be-if she would ever speak to him again.
It was some time before the officer returned. Another man was with him. This one was dressed in a suit and tie.
“Mr. Petrescu.” The man in the suit offered Dimitri his hand. “I’m Captain Baker. Officer Tartum tells me that you have some very important information for me.”
“I suppose that I do.” Dimitri wondered just what this was all about. He had already told Officer Tartum what he knew. Why did he have to repeat it?
Both officers sat down at the table. Captain Baker faced him seriously.
“Look, I’ll level with you: we need to get the guys who committed a double homicide off of the streets.” He looked at Dimitri. “If you can offer us some assistance along those lines, I maybe be willing to cut you a deal.”
Wait, what? Dimitri hadn’t been expecting that. He was curious.
“What exactly do you mean?” He asked carefully.
“Well,” Captain Baker began, “you know must know that things haven’t been exactly well for the Baltimore police in the last few years. After the Freddie Gray case, we’ve had a bad light in the public eye. We need to set an example not only for the public, but to the criminals. Some of them think they’re running this town and that the police are too nervous now to make a move. If we can bring in these guys, it’ll be a huge boost in our ratings.”
“And how exactly do I help with that?” Dimitri knew all about the Freddie Gray case. He had seen the rioting and anger that went along with it. While he didn’t quite know how he felt on that case, he did know that it wasn’t his problem how the Baltimore police were viewed.
“You say that you know these men who committed the crime?” Captain Baker raised his brow. “You know them personally?”
“I do.” He nodded firmly. Captain Baker appeared to be pleased with that response.
“Good. In that case, how would you feel about talking to them for us?”
“What?” Dimitri gave the Captain a look as though he had lost his mind. “Talk to them? These men, they do not talk. They are not that type. You see what they a
re capable of.”
“Oh, I see.” Captain Baker raised his hand for silence. “Believe me, I see. We’d send you in wearing a wire. And we’d have a car situated right outside of your location-or at least a block away. They’d be listening the entire time. If things would go bad, we would be right there.”
Dimitri shook his head. He couldn’t believe this offer. “And what is in it for me?” He asked. “What exactly happens if I do these things?”
“We will let your record slide.” Captain Baker told him. “We’ll pretend that this little conversation never happened. You just happened to come in with guilt on your conscious that you knew who had killed these people. You didn’t want the murder of a couple with a young son to go unsolved.”
“And I can…go?”
“You’ll be free to go.” Captain Baker assured him. Officer Tartum was nodding his agreement.
“You can get a lawyer if you like, but this is a good deal. We can arrest you for your parts in the crime, but this could all be worked out in a plea deal. Consider this to be a much easier way out. No arrest record, no courts, no lawyers.”
“We will of course be keeping an eye on you,” Captain Baker warned. “If you would get yourself into any trouble after this, we could not offer any more opportunities.”
“Trust me,” Dimitri told them. “After this, I will never have trouble with law again. I want to be different. I am not criminal.”
“Given that you are sitting here right now, I don’t really believe that you are.” Captain Baker met his eyes. “So what do you say? Do we have a deal?”
Dimitri took a deep breath. While he did not embrace the idea of facing Rudolph and Alexei again, he did embrace the idea of getting them off of the streets.
“You will arrest both of them for murder? They will not get out?”
“We will make sure that neither of them walks the streets of Baltimore or any other city.” Captain Baker appeared to be a very confident man. “From what you’ve told about their connections, we’re dealing with two very dangerous men.”
“That we are.” Dimitri muttered. “What exactly would I have to do?”
“We need to arrange a time-the sooner, the better. Tonight even.” Captain Baker looked a bit more hopeful. “We need to get these two before we risk them leaving the country-or doing anything worse.”
Dimitri thought of Alicia. He could not let Rudolph and Alexei roam a city where she lived and worked. He knew that they were undoubtedly watching her.
“They may know that I am here.” It suddenly occurred to him. One of the men could have followed him. “They may already be onto plan.”
“Then we need to act.” Captain Baker urged. “What do you say? Are you prepared to act tonight?”
He was. It was the safest for everyone.
“Yes.” Dimitri looked at both officers, giving them a firm nod. “We will act tonight.”
It was a supposedly a simple plan. Dimitri would meet two plain clothes police offers at a location down the street from his garage at six o’clock that evening. They would rig a wire into his shirt to transmit the entire conversation. He would then proceed to the garage, where he would then text Rudolph and Alexei to come and meet him. He would tell them he had important details to discuss about the upcoming job. Once the two men arrived, Dimitri would press them for more details about Victor and Kristina’s murders. He had already given the police the pictures pulled from his trash file, as well as allowed them access to his text messaging. They were quite interested in the fact that Alexei had texted him those pictures.
It was just after five. Dimitri was nervous. He’d tried to drink police station coffee, but it hadn’t helped. He wondered if he should have gotten this deal in writing. Were they going to turn around and arrest him as soon as he had finished? They very well could. He had no record of their conversation. At least he had money if he did need a lawyer.
There was only one thing that he wanted to do, but he wasn’t sure if the other party would be willing. Deciding that it might help in some small manner to calm his nerves, Dimitri decided to try. He pulled out his phone, dialing Alicia’s number.
The phone rang for a few beats. He wasn’t expecting her to pick up, when suddenly she did.
“Hello?” She sounded tired.
“Hi.” He said. She knew who’d been calling when she picked up. Just the fact that she had picked up was a good start.
“What do you want?” She asked.
“I…wanted to see how you are.” Dimitri tried. “I wanted to see if you were ok.”
“Of course I’m not ok, Dimitri.” Alicia told him, a flash of anger rising in her voice. “You lied to me. You let me believe you were someone that I could trust. Clearly, that isn’t true.”
He didn’t really know what to say. He had lied, and he had misled her. He could only apologize for both…which he wasn’t sure if she would accept. “I know that you are upset, and it is understandable.” He couldn’t tell her exactly what he was going to do that night-that was police orders. But he was at least going to tell her something to try and make her feel better. “I…have plan. I am going to prove to you that I am the man that you fell in love with.”
“Dimitri,” now Alicia’s voice sounded curious, “what are you going to do?”
“I promise you, no one will be hurt.” He didn’t want her to think that he was going to carry out his plan solo. “I promise you that. I will hurt no one.”
“Then what-?”
“Do not worry.” Dimitri tried to assure her. “I will take care of everything. I promise you that. OK?”
“No, Dimitri, it’s not ok. Tell me what you’re going to do.”
“I cannot.” He couldn’t-not yet at least. “But it will be taken care of tonight. I will call you later…and explain everything.”
“Wait-Dimitri--" He disconnected the call. This time, it was he who ignored when the phone rang again. After tonight, she would see just how dedicated that he was to getting out of this lifestyle.
The Final Chapter
Alicia paced. She was now concerned. She wondered just what Dimitri was thinking of doing. Was he about to do something drastic? She picked up her phone, hitting dial on his number. Voicemail, once again. She resigned herself to the fact that he was not going to answer her calls.
What should she do? Go look for him? Call the police? Wait for him to call her? There was no good answer. She decided that she would simply wait. He had said tonight, so she would wait until she heard back from him again.
She just hoped that she did hear back from him again.
The police fitted him with an ear piece so that they could ask him questions subtly. Everything else was clipped beneath the button down shirt that he was wearing. It was small, and light weight, and he truly did not believe the other men would see it.
“Just head casually back to the garage.” The first officer told him. “Go straight back. Then call them to come to you. They’ll never suspect anything.” These two officers wore plain clothes, and drove an unmarked vehicle. They would not be spotted sitting along the street corner.
Dimitri did not believe that for a second. Rudolph and Alexei were experts at this. They could follow someone and the other party would never know that they were behind them. So while the police had sworn up and down that he was not being followed, Dimitri could not imagine that was true.
“All right, I will go. Now, if things will go bad…?” They had discussed this, but Dimitri needed a bit of reassurance. He knew these men better than the local police.
“We hear any signs of things getting worse and we’ll be right down there.” The second officer patted his arm. “OK, Mr. Petrescu. Good luck.” Dimitri nodded grimly. He was going to need it.
His own car was parked about a block away. Dimitri walked to it slowly. He didn’t want to call attention to himself, but he didn’t want the officers to think he was procrastinating. Finally, he reached it. He took a few moments to fumble the key into the lock. He kn
ew if Rudolph and Alexei were watching him that he looked beyond suspicious. Never the less, he started the car and drove back to the garage.
Stan was in the parking lot. He waved a hello to Dimitri. Dimitri did not want to talk to him, but he had no excuse for being rude either.
“Thought you weren’t feeling well.” Stan crossed the lot to him. Dimitri vaguely remembered the excuse that he’d used to call off that morning. It was amazing how much had happened since then.
“I am better now.” Dimitri assured him. “Was just a headache. I did not want to get behind too far in work.”
“Well, don’t stay too late.” Stan patted him on the back. “There’s always tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” Dimitri hoped that there was-for everyone.
“Well, see you tomorrow.” Stan waved, and then crossed over the left side of the parking lot towards his house. Dimitri watched him enter and close the door solidly behind him. He was jealous. He too wanted to go home. Hopefully soon.
But for now, he had a phone call to make. Dimitri listened to the sound of the ringing phone. He was almost lulled into a trance by the sound until it broke.
“Dimitri.” Rudolph sounded amused. “What can I do for you?”
“I need to see you.” Dimitri growled into the phone. “I need you to come to the garage.”
“Why?” Rudolph sounded board.
“Because it is important.”
“I doubt that, Dimitri. The only important thing you have to tell me is that the job was done-which I know that it was not. So get to work.”
“Wait!” Dimitri did not want him to hang up. He did not think he would get him back on the phone if he did. “There is something that you need to know. It is about Victor’s murder.”
“What about it?” The amusement had dropped out of Rudolph’s tone. He now sounded suspicious. Dimitri caught himself nodding even though Rudolph couldn’t see it.
“It is true. We need to discuss it. Something is…going on with it.” He heard Rudolph sigh.