Shadows of Doubt

by Corcoran, Mell

  “Don’t pop your back. Get my uncle and nephews to help. Give Vera a kiss for me.” Lou hopped out of the car and ran up the steps to one very annoyed Caroline Devereux. “I am so sorry but traffic was a bitch.” Lou peeked into the carton to see how much chow mein had been consumed and saw it was nearly full and steam was still rising off the noodles.

  “I know about the traffic, I drove in it too remember?” Caroline stabbed the contents of the carton with her chopsticks then handed it to Lou. “Now hurry up and get me inside so we can eat while we watch the security discs to find Yummy Morgue Guy!” Jumping up and down, Caroline could barely contain her excitement.

  “So you’re not pissed?” Lou pulled her keys out and unlocked the door then dashed for the security panel.

  Caroline hurried inside right behind Lou, closing the door after them. “Not at all! But I had you fooled, huh?” She didn’t bother containing her giggle.

  Lou punched in her security code then stuck her thumb on the little blue circle next to the keys. After a second, the panel beeped three times and the previously red LED light turned green.

  “Even Vinny thought you were pissed. You got security to give you the discs from the other day? How’d you manage that? You wanna watch them in my room or the media room?”

  “Your room, I’m spending the night again and I want to change before we snarf so we can expand cozily as we eat.” Caroline dangled the bag stuffed with more Chinese cartons and what appeared to be a pink bakery box.

  Lou smiled wide and ran for the stairs. “Last one up forfeits the extra egg roll!”

  “Cheater!” Caroline yelled as she scrambled for the stairs, nearly falling on her face at the second step.

  Twenty minutes later, both women were sitting indian-style in the chairs of Lou’s sitting area wearing nearly identical sweatpants and oversized t-shirts shoveling noodles into their mouths.

  “There!” Lou shouted with her mouth full. “That’s him!”

  Caroline nearly dropped her carton of noodles trying to grab the remote. She finally found the pause button. “Holy crap!” Caroline managed to mumble without food falling out of her mouth. She swallowed hard and looked at the image on the screen, rewinding a bit so they could see from the moment he exited the building.

  It was a night and day difference between the resolution of security footage from the market Winslow had been in to the footage from the morgue. Lou had told Caroline exactly which door she had come in and he had gone out so that she could get the precise camera feed. Despite it being night time, there on the screen, crystal clear, living color they saw a black town car pull up and a tall, well built man with reddish-brown hair dressed in all black get out from the rear driver’s side of the car. He wore wrap-around sunglasses so his face was relatively obscured, but by movements it appeared to Lou that he was scanning the area as he walked around the car and waited. The camera angle was elevated from the second floor of the adjacent building so it caught the rear view of the car clear enough that Lou scrambled for a pen to jot down the plate number.

  “Geez, that guy is pretty damn hot.” Caroline sat on the edge of the chair, leaning towards the screen and squinting as if she would see more if she did.

  As the time display on the feed ticked off the seconds, Lou found herself holding her breath as she waited for her mystery man to appear. When the man waiting at the car moved and opened the rear passenger door, the glass door of the building swung open and out came Lou’s Yummy Morgue Guy.

  He was everything that Lou remembered and more. Now that she had the luxury of taking her time to ogle him, she got up from her chair and moved to stand near the flat-screen so she could examine him closely. As he stepped out of the building, his overcoat swooshed in the breeze and his hair tousled around his perfectly chiseled face. It was a distant angle so it was hard for Lou to make out the finer details, but she could tell his expression was intense with those perfectly arched eyebrows knit, giving his eyes a fierce look. He scanned the area in a similar fashion as the other man had done. Lou noticed his rich olive complexion was clean shaven so that his chiseled features were a play of light and shadow. He was tall as Lou had remembered and had a build underneath that immaculately tailored suit that made her mouth water. His stride was dangerous. Feline graceful as he moved toward the car with purpose. He reached up and raked his fingers through his hair which made Lou noticed his elegant, strong hands. His mouth moved so she knew he was saying something to the man who stood waiting, She couldn’t help but wonder what his voice sounded like. It was probably deep and rich, she thought, and would more than likely make her toes curl when he whispered. She lost herself for a second in the thought of what whisper would sound like but was jarred back to the moment when he slid into the car. The other man shut the door and walked around to get in himself.

  “Christ.” Was all Lou could say.

  “Holy shit, Lou...” Caroline stammered as she rewound the tape to replay the scene again. “... no freaking wonder you went all pudding cup over this guy!”

  As they watched again from the moment the car pulled up, Lou tried to remember the smell of him as they passed each other. Her body started to hum as the memory of him so close saturated her senses. Never, ever, had a man affected Lou like this. It was disconcerting at best and horrifyingly frightening to her. She didn’t want it, or need it despite what anyone said. Lou was perfectly content with her life alone and had no desire to disrupt her routine with a man in her world. But the thud of her heart as she watched this person exit the morgue for the twelfth time was telling her something entirely different.

  “Run it!” Caroline’s voice snapped Lou back to the present.

  Lou turned to see her friend licking the filling from a cream puff. “What?”

  “Run the damn plate to the car, Lou!”

  Lou had forgotten all about jotting down the license plate. “Oh shit, yeah!” She whirled around to grab the piece of paper she had written it on, then dashed for her laptop.

  It took a few minutes to boot up, get the program loaded and log in to the system. She input the plate number and waited, hovering as if staring at the monitor would make the data appear faster. Finally there was an audible beep as the information came up on screen. The car was registered to a rental company, as both women had expected. There were half a dozen branches in the metropolitan area. Caroline ran for the phone, peered over Lou’s shoulder to read off the contact numbers then started dialing madly.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Lou demanded as Caroline stuffed the phone into her hand.

  “I am calling the company so you can find out who the car was rented to!”

  “They aren’t just going to tell me that over the phone!” She pressed the off button on the hand-held and got up from the desk to pace.

  Caroline studied her friend a moment. “Lou, you’re a cop, of course they are going to give you that information.”

  “No, genius, they won’t.” Lou walked back over to her chair and plunked down. “Think for a second. Anyone can call up and say they are a cop. Besides it’s after ten, no one of authority who can give me that info will be there. I’ll have to go down there and bully it out of them.”

  Caroline skipped over and plopped down into her chair next to Lou with a devilish grin on her face. “Can I play bad cop?”

  “What are you talking about?” She stared at Caroline, trying hard not to be caught up in her infectious enthusiasm.

  “Well I am going with you, as soon as they open tomorrow. Don’t even think about arguing with me on this, we are going.” Caroline tucked her legs up back into an indian-style sitting position
and wiggled to get comfy. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, I am going to be incommunicado tomorrow night.”

  Lou looked at her suspiciously. “Why for?”

  “While I was waiting for you to get home I got a call from my parents.” She paused and sighed with annoyance. “They are coming in with my uncle tomorrow morning and want me to have dinner with them. I’m pretty sure they are going to try to con me into moving back to Savannah or something stupid like that. No biggie though. Just call me when you get back from your Sunday golf thingy with your parents and I’ll fill you in.”

  “Well that’s kind of out of the blue isn’t it? Isn’t this the first time they’ve come out since you moved here?”

  “Exactly, which is why I know they are plotting something. But I can handle that. We have far more important things to focus on like your Yummy Morgue Guy.” After rewinding the security footage so she could remind Lou of the more important matters, she picked up another cream puff out of the pink box, carefully peeled the pastry top off, of then proceeded to lick the filling out.

  Lou looked down at the open box and noted that out of the ten cream puffs that filled the box, two were hollow pastry shells. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

  The Indian Falls Country Club was everything you would expect from an exclusive five-star club. The facade was immaculately groomed with abundant trees and shrubs, carefully obscuring any view from outsiders who might want a glimpse of the recreational habits of the elite. Max was impressed to see a club in Los Angeles that held to the old traditional country club vibe. When he stepped into the main entry hall of the facility he noted the butter toned marble floors were polished to a mirror finish and swathed in elegant hand loomed rugs. Rich dark wood wainscoting wrapped the walls with the remainder awash in a soft glowing butter that blended perfectly with the marble. Elegantly carved sideboards were strewn with massive fresh floral arrangements while gleaming brass and crystal chandeliers illuminated everything in a flattering warm incandescence. As he continued to take in the décor, a pleasant looking woman dressed in proper dinner attire approached him carrying a leather bound folio.

  “Mr. Julian?” When Max made eye contact with her she immediately snapped her fingers and a young man of perhaps seventeen years, at most five and a half feet tall and eagerly polished in his formal waitstaff uniform appeared out of nowhere. “We are so pleased to have you with us this evening. Allow Daniel to take your coat for you.” The young man bent slightly at the waist and then assisted Max with removing his coat.

  “Thank you, Daniel.” Max smiled genuinely at the boy. He had a soft spot for youth that held to manners and tradition. It was a rare thing to come by these days.

  “My pleasure Mr. Julian. I’ll have it for you when you’re ready to leave. Enjoy your time with us, sir.” The boy smiled earnestly then scooted down a hall and out of sight as quick as a wink.

  “My name is Elaine Price, I am the Club Director...” The woman handed him her business card which she had at the ready. “... Mr. and Mrs. McAllister requested that I see you to their table.”

  Max walked with the woman as she led him up a sweep of steps and down a hall that was lined with portraits of what he assumed to be a long line of former and current members. “Thank you, Ms. Price. This is a lovely facility you have here.”

  The woman blushed as if Max had complimented her personally. “Please, call me Elaine. Mr. McAllister didn’t mention how long you would be in Los Angeles but we would be honored to have you as our guest during your stay. We have fourteen tennis courts, all lit and available to you at any time. Complete and comprehensive spa and gym facilities as well as indoor and outdoor pools and whirlpools. We also have our famed east and west golf courses at your disposal. Both are championship courses that I am certain you will enjoy very much.” It was clear to Max this woman had done her homework on him and knew he was a sucker for golf.

  “That’s very kind of you, I may take you up on that. As it so happens, I may be making my stay more permanent and would need to make arrangements for membership for myself and my staff.”

  “Oh! How delightful! Might I ask how many of your staff you would be considering?” To the woman’s credit, she restrained her excitement very well.

  “At the moment there would be six but we are expanding the firm to include Los Angeles so there may be a dozen or so more within the next few months. I would also need an inclusive allowance for bringing clients and guests without restriction so you may want to revise your figures taking all of that into account.” Max tapped a finger lightly on the leather folio the woman was clutching and gave her a warm smile. He had negotiated thousands of membership deals over the years and was well accustomed with the discreet sell they always tried to give him. He found it so much simpler and amusing to cut them off at the pass.

  “Uh... I... of course! I would be happy to prepare a proposal for you. Tailored to your specifications, of course! Is there anything you would need from us that I should handle for you?” The woman gracefully recovered from stumbling on the step as they entered the formal dinning room.

  “I think that about covers everything. Just make sure that usage of all facilities is included, without restriction. The total fee as well as a direct telephone number for you so that I can have my assistant handle all of the details and finances, please.” He smiled once again as they approached the McAllisters who were seated at a table next to the rear wall of windows. The table provided for a stunning view that looked out over the immaculately groomed 18th hole of the east course.

  “I’ll revise this and have it ready for you by the time you are ready to leave us this evening.” She all but sang with excitement. “Here we are. Mr. and Mrs. McAllister, Mr. Julian...” The exuberant Ms. Price nodded to her left and a waiter whooshed in to pull out Max’s seat and stood by at the ready to place his napkin. “Please enjoy your evening and let me know if there is anything you need.” She backed out and nearly sprinted from the dining room.

  Max approached Joe McAllister who had stood and come around the table to greet him. He took the hand Joe offered and embraced the man warmly as a dear old friend, rather than an operative.

  “Max it is so damn good to have you here. I was completely thrilled when Shevaun told me you were not only here but were going to be our neighbor!” Joe patted Max on the back enthusiastically.

  “Well I am sure she told you I was equally thrilled when I discovered she was your Shevaun at the meeting last night. You kept this brilliant jewel a well guarded secret all these years.” Max was oozing charm as he approached Shevaun and leaned down to greet her with a kiss on her cheek and a squeeze of her delicate hand. “It is lovely to see you again. You look simply gorgeous this evening.”

  Shevaun’s smile was sincere and stunning, sending a pang in Max’s gut since it reminded him so much of her daughter. He could only imagine what Lou would look like dressed in finery as her mother was now. Elegant and understated, putting the other women in the dinning room to shame.

  “You are too kind and very full of it, but thank you Max.” She waved her hands in a gesture for both of the men to sit. “We’re so glad you could join us tonight. The food here is truly excellent.”

  Max took his seat and observed the couple together for the first time. He had known Joe forever but had never envisioned what his mate might be like. After meeting Shevaun the night before, seeing how beautiful she was and that she was also a truly lovely person, it made Max look at Joe with entirely different eyes.

  Joe McAllister was a handsome man in his mid sixties who may have looked younger than his years if not for his time under the Texas sun. He had crisp blue eyes that twinkled with pri
de when he looked at his wife, and strong angular features that softened profoundly when he smiled. His choppy dark blond hair was silvering at the temples and suited him nicely. His hands were well manicured but had clearly seen their fair share of hard work and he wore a single Irish knot-work wedding band on his left ring finger. The bespoke charcoal gray suit complemented his wife’s pewter satin dress perfectly. Joe and Shevaun were an unassuming couple with impeccable taste and Max already enjoyed their company immensely.

  They chatted and laughed over bad business trips while sipping martinis when Shevaun excused herself to visit the power room before their first course arrived.

  Max leaned in towards Joe and lowered his voice “I really would have liked to discussed things with you prior to this dinner, Joe. I realize that your wife knows nothing of the true nature of our relationship let alone anything about the Sanguinostri so I am at a bit of a disadvantage here.”

  “I know my Dom...” Joe dragged his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated. “I apologize profusely for the inconvenience of it all. I truly hate keeping my two worlds separate from my wife. It’s agonizing on a daily basis dancing around the truth with her. I feel like such a shit.”

  “Its a long time to keep such a big secret from someone you obviously adore. She’s quite exceptional Joe.” Max stabbed the olive in his barely touched martini and swirled it in his glass.

  “I know she is, which makes it all the worse! But first it was about our daughter. I couldn’t expect Shevaun to deal with my world with a baby girl that’s the center of her universe, could I? That was simply asking too much. I know damn well I will always be second in Shevaun’s life and I am totally okay with that.” Max continued to fidget with his skewered olive while Joe vented his predicament. “Then Lou grows up and follows with her family tradition of being a cop. How the hell was I going to explain all this to the two of them and it not totally blow up in my face?” Joe’s expression was one of pure exasperation. “I would give anything to be able to come clean with them, but how the hell do I do that at this stage in the game?”