03 Food Festival and a Funeral

by Harper Lin

  The voice mail cut her off.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Amelia couldn’t deny her motherly instinct. She had to do something. If she waited for Dan, it could be too late. “He’s someone’s son.” She worried as she shoved her fear aside and marched up the stairs. Slowly, she turned the keys in the doorknob, heard the click, and pushed the door open.

  The home had the distinct smell of a home different from hers. It wasn’t foul, but it wasn’t sweet either. It was a mixture of someone else’s habits, someone else’s taste in foods, different cleaning products and soaps.

  “Hello?” she called, not too loud for fear of scaring DeLuca into accidentally discharging his weapon that she was sure was pointed at his own head. “Hello? You left your keys in your door.”

  There was no answer except the tick-tick-tick of a clock somewhere in the darkness. The curtains were drawn as she went up two steps to enter the living room. A recliner, of course, was front and center in front of a large flat-screen television. A sectional took up the far wall. As her eyes adjusted, Amelia could make out several beer bottles on the floor. The sweet smell of stale beer could also be detected now that she noticed it.

  “Hello? Is anyone home?” Amelia cleared her throat. “You left your keys…”

  “Amelia?”

  Turning with a quick yelp, Amelia whirled around to see the familiar silhouette of Dan standing in the doorway. He had his gun raised and pointing toward the ceiling.

  “Are you insane?” he hissed.

  “Both of you can hold it right there!” came the slurred voice of Chuck DeLuca, who was sitting on an ottoman in an almost completely black shadow. “Drop that gun, pal.”

  Dan set the gun down and raised his hands.

  “You left your keys in the door. I just happened to notice you when you came in and…”

  “You mean, when you were following me,” DeLuca slurred. “I saw you all the way back at the bar. Not very stealthy.”

  “No. I’m not,” Amelia confessed. “I saw you with your gun, and I thought…”

  “You thought what?” He slowly stood up. “Just shut that door behind you, partner. I don’t want to be disturbed anymore tonight.”

  “I thought, well, that you were going to kill yourself and…”

  “Kill myself?” A phlegmy, drunken laugh came out of him. “I don’t think so. But I could kill two intruders who broke into my house. By the time the cops arrived, I’d have all the evidence cleaned up.”

  “Evidence?” Dan mumbled. “It’ll be pretty hard to dispose of two bodies, one the chief detective for Gary PD, the other a mother of two with no history of crimes.”

  “Shut up, Detective. I wasn’t talking about that evidence. Hell, I could leave you both lying on the floor to bleed to death. No one would blame me for shooting two strangers in my house.”

  Amelia looked at Dan in the darkness and wanted to cry again. What had she done? She’d entered a strange man’s house. What did she think the guy was going to do?

  “I thought you were going to hurt yourself,” Amelia said pleadingly.

  “Shut up,” DeLuca snapped, but it didn’t seem as if he were talking to Amelia. “I’ll handle this. Like I handle it all. I handle it all.” His breathing started to become erratic, and in the pale light peeking from the drawn curtains, Amelia could see DeLuca’s forehead glistening with sweat.

  “It’s over, and you won’t feel a thing. I told you, you won’t. You won’t!”

  “Just calm down,” Dan said soothingly.

  “You shut your mouth! That’s all I ever hear from you!” DeLuca wasn’t talking to Amelia or Dan but some other demon that was in the room tormenting him. He spewed out a string of horrific profanities. His body jerked and twisted, and all the while he held the gun on both of them. One false move, one squeeze of the trigger, and everything would be over.

  “You think I’m going to listen to you now? Ha! You’re dead! You’re dead, and you’re not coming back. I beat you! You fat…crooked…cheating piece of dog…! I killed you!”

  Amelia’s mind tried to focus. She thought of her children. That was all she ever thought of. That was why she did what she did. Payback couldn’t be a bullet in the gut!

  “Mr. DeLuca?” she whispered. “Can you put the gun down?”

  He stopped, and she felt his eyes boring into her. Bad move, Amelia. Such a bad move.

  “How do you know my name?”

  “I told her,” Dan interrupted and came up the step behind Amelia. Carefully, almost as if he were showing her a slow dance move, Dan positioned himself between her and DeLuca. “Mr. DeLuca, you’ve had enough to drink today. Put the gun down, and we can talk.”

  “I’m not talking to you. You’re dead. I’m dead. We’re all dead. But my soul will live. I’m not going to hell because I killed you. No matter what you say.” Then DeLuca began to not just cry, but sob pitifully. “You made me do those things, and I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to! But whatever the mayor wants, right? Just take the money, you said! A coward like me! Just take the money!”

  Before she could focus on what was happening, Amelia saw a rush of movement and felt a hand against her shoulder, then she fell down the two steps, losing her balance and landing on her fanny. The gun went off.

  Chapter Fifteen

  There was punches being landed and shuffling on the floor as furniture was knocked out of the way. Grunting and more swearing came from DeLuca as he tried to stand up, but before she could get to her feet, Amelia heard Dan and the click-click-click of handcuffs.

  “You have…the right to remain…silent…” He finished the Miranda rights in gasps and finally stood up.

  When he turned on a light, his eyes squinted. Amelia was sure he was more than angry with her, but when he saw her sprawled on the floor, he quickly reached his hand down to her.

  “Are you okay?”

  Nodding, Amelia took his hand and got to her feet. Only when she turned and looked at poor Mr. Chuck DeLuca panting and weeping on the floor did she see what he was looking at.

  Across from him, covering the entire wall, were newspaper clippings. Every article was something about Mayor Pearl and the variety of dealings he had his hands in. There was a land grab in the Southwestern suburb of Minooka where the mayor planned a new airport. The residents were opposed to it. Each article had red markings on it. A name circled. Gertrude Bullerdick. It was circled and written all over the collage of articles DeLuca had taped to the wall.

  “Chuck. Who is Gertrude?” Dan asked, careful to only touch the newspapers with the tip of the pen he pulled from his pocket.

  Rolling over onto his back, the large man sat up, and Amelia was positive he was smiling.

  “She was just a nice old lady.” He grinned as tears rolled down his cheeks. “She lived in Minooka her whole life. She didn’t want to move. But Richard…” He swallowed hard. “He wanted her to change her mind. He offered her money and a new house free and clear if she’d just get off the land.”

  “You mean Mayor Pearl?”

  “Who else do you think I mean?” He began to hiss and rant again as if his mind had snapped. “She was only thirty-two.”

  “Who was?”

  “Mrs. Bullerdick’s daughter.”

  “Where is she?”

  “I took a payoff. I didn’t know that’s what it was for. But I knew he’d get away with it. He paid off my house. He bought my car. All I had to do was do as he said. That was it. It sounded so easy…”

  Amelia put her hand to her stomach and reached out to Dan, who told her backup was on the way.

  He took her outside, as Chuck DeLuca seemed content to just sit on the floor handcuffed. The fresh air made everything stop spinning, and Amelia sat down on the stoop.

  “Is it just me or…did he just confess to doing something really bad to someone.”

  “Amelia, do you have any idea what a dangerous thing you just did?” Dan’s eyes filled with tears. “What would I have told Adam and M
eg if…” His words stuck in his throat. Coughing, he took her hand in his. “If something would have happened to you?”

  Swallowing hard, Amelia didn’t try to explain her reason for taking such a stupid risk. It was stupid, and Dan was right. She just hated the idea of someone feeling that much pain, feeling that alone. Maybe part of her was trying to rescue herself from feeling so alone and so abandoned.

  “I’m sorry, Dan.” She squeezed his hand back. The image of his bruised face tore at her heart. Gently, she put her hand up to his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

  Before she could stop herself, Amelia pulled Dan’s hand to her chest, leaned forward, and kissed him. Her heart flooded with adrenaline as she felt his other hand slip around her waist and pull her closer to him.

  It wasn’t appropriate, with the suspect of a murder handcuffed inside the house they were sitting in front of, but it felt right. She inhaled the smell of his skin, felt the tears that had rolled down his cheek, and enjoyed the strength in his arms as they tightened around her. Her mind pushed out everything else, and she felt at ease in this moment, in this place, with this man.

  Amelia couldn’t tell how much time had gone by. Before she realized it, the sound of sirens was echoing down the alleys and bouncing off the buildings, getting louder as they got closer. Pulling away from his lips was like the last bite of dessert or the end of a favorite song.

  Feeling her cheeks blazing red, Amelia looked up at Dan. His blue eyes twinkled, looking pleased with this new development, and the right side of his mouth curled into that devilish smirk Amelia found irresistible.

  “I’ll have one of the officers take you home after you give a statement.” He stood from the steps, helping her get to her feet.

  “Will I get you in trouble? Tagging along on a stakeout then letting myself into a strange person’s house.”

  Dan leaned down, lifted Amelia’s chin with his finger, and kissed her on the lips.

  “Just tell the truth. It’ll be all right.” He leaned back and winked at her as he went back up the stairs to check on the suspect.

  Chuck DeLuca was sitting quietly on the floor where Dan had left him, tears streaming down his face. The police arrived along with an ambulance.

  While Amelia was telling one of the uniformed officers what had happened, she saw them wheeling DeLuca out on a stretcher, strapped down tightly, his face much calmer than it had been.

  “When I saw the gun and how drunk he was, I was afraid he was going to kill himself. That’s why I went into his house.” The officer looked at Amelia as if she had all of a sudden broken into song to tell her story. “I know it was dumb. But he’s someone’s son. I have a son. I’d hope someone would help him if he needed it.” She looked down at her hands.

  Perhaps she should be embarrassed, maybe even ashamed at her actions. There was no telling what kind of ticking bomb DeLuca was or where his mind might have been when she stepped foot in his house. But she had her reason, and to her it made perfect sense.

  Shortly after DeLuca was carted away, the press showed up. Dan pulled a uniformed officer aside, pointed to Amelia, and gave him some fast instructions. The man nodded and smiled as he approached Amelia.

  “Dan said you needed a lift home.”

  “If it’s no bother.”

  “None at all. I’m six months from retirement, and the less excitement I’m around, the better.” The officer led Amelia to his squad car. She climbed in and told him her address, to which the officer said he had a high school buddy who lived in the same subdivision.

  When she got home, the kids were waiting up and wound up tighter than clocks.

  “Where’ve you been?” they asked scoldingly. “We’ve been worried sick.”

  “I’m sorry.” Amelia smiled through her exhaustion.

  “You’ve never heard of a telephone? You couldn’t call?” Meg shook her finger at her mother.

  “We almost called the police.” Adam scoffed, folding his arms in front of his chest.

  “I was with Dan. He was on a stakeout and asked…”

  “I’ve heard enough!” Meg put up her hand as if she were trying to stop traffic. “And here I thought Dan was a responsible young man.”

  “Meg and I will need some time to decide on your punishment,” Adam said, putting his arm around his sister. “We’re not mad. Just…disappointed.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Amelia rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You guys won’t believe the night I’ve had.”

  She looked at Adam, who was trying hard not to laugh at the performance he and his sister were putting on. Amelia thought of why she went into Chuck DeLuca’s house again, and tears surfaced in her eyes, but she bit them back.

  “I’m sorry. You guys are right. I would tan your hides if you didn’t call me. I should have called you. Everything happened so fast, I didn’t even realize what time it was until it was way late.”

  She walked into the kitchen and saw the remaining four cupcakes had been devoured.

  “What did you think of my honey apricot cupcakes?”

  “They were delicious,” Meg snapped then looked up to the ceiling as if there were something of interest up there to distract her from pretending to be furious at her mother. Finally, she looked at her mom and giggled. “So are you going to tell us what happened, or do we have to wait until it’s all over the news?”

  The kids took a seat around the kitchen table while Amelia pulled a jug of milk out of the fridge and poured them each a glass. She began with Lila stopping by and ended with the ride home in the squad car. She left out the kiss between her and Dan. But her heart fluttered at the thought of it.

  “Well, I think I’ve got an idea what Mom’s punishment should be.” Adam kept his face completely stoic, making Meg laugh.

  “Do tell, Adam,” she urged him.

  “She should write a blog about why you should always call if you’re going to be late and tell everyone that she made her children worry and get premature gray hair.”

  “Yes,” Meg concurred. “That is a punishment that fits the crime.”

  Amelia looked at her children as if they had each just grown an eyeball in the middle of their foreheads.

  “I’ll expect to read it on The Pink Cupcake website within the next three days, since it takes you that long to update your blog,” Adam said teasingly.

  “And it better be done, or else that will be the last time you see that Dan Walishovsky.” Meg stared down her nose, desperately holding in her giggles.

  “What do you guys think of Dan?”

  “Well, after tonight, I’m not sure what I think of that hooligan.” Adam made his sister crack up.

  “I like him,” Meg replied in between laughs. “And I think he likes you.”

  “What makes you say that?” Amelia asked, smiling at her daughter.

  “You know, he always makes a point to stop by and check on you, and he eats all your cupcakes, and he looks at you when you’re not looking at him.”

  “Yeah, that’s the big one,” Adam added. “He’s stealthy that way.”

  Amelia swallowed hard and nodded, smiling a little.

  “Okay, well, it’s late. We all should get to bed now that everyone is accounted for.” Amelia didn’t want to talk about Dan anymore. She wanted to just lie down in bed and quietly sort through her thoughts and feelings and see what everything added up to.

  After they finished their milk and put their glasses in the sink, Meg said good night and made her way upstairs. Adam waited for his mom to stand up and start turning the lights off.

  “I think Dan is a good guy, Mom,” he mused. “I think he’s the kind of guy who would appreciate you. You should have a guy like that.”

  Amelia smiled and rubbed her son’s hair.

  “Thank you, baby.” She pulled him close to her and squeezed him tight.

  “I’m not a baby anymore, Mom.”

  “What are you talking about? You’ll always be my baby.” She kissed his cheek and watched as he d
idn’t wipe it off, as he might have done when he was ten or twelve. Instead, he smiled and headed toward the basement.

  “But don’t think this gets you out of your punishment. Three days.” He shook his finger at her.

  Amelia clicked her tongue and headed upstairs. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was dead asleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was barely twenty-four hours before the news of Chuck DeLuca’s arrest in the murder of Mayor Richard M. Pearl flashed across every local news station. Dan managed to keep Amelia’s name out of it and instead had her referred to as a Good Samaritan who stumbled upon DeLuca in a severely drunken state and tried to help him.

  As it turned out, once DeLuca was removed from the premises, the police found an extensive search history of poisons on his computer as well as residue in his kitchen and dining room for the same poison that had killed the mayor.

  Dan had come to Amelia’s house as soon as he was off duty, bringing hamburgers for everyone.

  Meg and Adam took their food and went into the front room to watch some sci-fi movie with aliens and spaceships while Amelia and Dan sat at the kitchen table.

  “It’s a lot sadder than just a guy who went off the deep end,” he mumbled to Amelia while helping her set the table. “Chuck DeLuca was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.”

  “From what?” Amelia’s eyes were wide.

  “Everyone knew how corrupt Mayor Pearl was, but there is a difference between taking money for a few special jobs and actually killing someone to get your way. According to DeLuca, the mayor rescued him from a dangerous life bouncing at some of the more insidious clubs in Gary.”

  Dan took a seat and rolled up his sleeves.

  “DeLuca worked as a bouncer, used steroids, and was heavily into partying when Pearl ‘discovered’ him. According to DeLuca, he was partying with a girl who overdosed at an after-party that the mayor just happened to have people at. They took care of the girl. DeLuca had a permanent job working for one of the most corrupt mayors in US history. They cleaned him up, dried him out, put him in a suit, and in their eyes, owned him lock, stock, and barrel.”