by Ali Vali
Since their return to New Orleans, Cain took this outing with them at least once a week. Emma would laugh the entire time, as Hannah always managed to cover her ever-patient partner in powdered sugar before they were done.
“Navy sweater, mobster.” Emma plucked at Cain’s top and shook her head. “Not a smart choice.”
“Those little handprints are going to look good on you too.” Cain patted her backside, referring to her black skirt.
Hannah led them to a table close to the entrance, wanting to listen to the older gentleman playing a saxophone right outside on the sidewalk. Emma was sure their little girl loved these outings with Cain and Hayden because New Orleans was so different from what she’d known, and Cain indulged her need to explore. Hannah was finally having the childhood she deserved, which hadn’t been possible living with her grandmother.
“Chocolate milk and donuts, Mom,” Hannah said, her hands on the metal railing and a smile on her face as the street musician played something with more pep.
Cain ordered for all of them and ran her hand along Hannah’s back, clearly enjoying her enthusiasm. Then the relaxed set to Cain’s mouth evaporated so quickly that Emma followed her line of sight and saw Juan Luis standing there staring at them. From the way his lip was twisted into a snarl, she could tell he was disgusted by what he saw.
“Cain.” She took hold of Cain’s hand as she stood up. “Leave it alone. Let Lou handle it.”
“I just want to talk to him, lass,” Cain said, the proof of T-Boy’s information eyeing her from behind Juan. Anthony Curtis was smiling so widely he looked almost idiotic. “Just a talk, I promise.”
She waved Lou off and stepped out, stopping five feet from Juan and his new employee. “Slumming?” she asked Anthony. “If you’re this hard up for work, I have openings at Emma’s for dishwashers.”
“Still trying to pretend you have a pair, Casey?” Juan said, finally locking eyes with her. Through the entire exchange up to now Anthony had been staring at Emma. “After seeing your little bastards, though, I’m almost convinced you might not be pretending. Or is it that the slut you—”
Cain grabbed Juan, spun him around, and slammed his head so forcefully into one of the café’s pillars, it split his lip. He pushed back in what she assumed was an attempt to get away and retaliate, but she easily held him in place.
“Listen up, because I’m only going to say it once,” she whispered in his ear, driving his head into the pillar again to make him stop squirming. “You do whatever you need done and get out of New Orleans. Come near my family while you’re here and I will kill you.”
“What was that, Casey?” Anthony asked, finally coming to Juan’s defense. “Assault in public isn’t usually your style. Want me to call the cops, Mr. Luis?”
Juan straightened his clothes and pressed the handkerchief Anthony offered him to his lip when Cain let him go. “Fuck off, Curtis. You,” he pointed at Cain, “got lucky today.”
She grabbed his finger and twisted up so much he screamed and dropped to his knees. When it was clear he wouldn’t resist anymore, she bent over and put her lips close to his ear again. “I don’t have to pretend to be a man as much as you do, hijo de puta.” She laughed and twisted his finger toward his wrist even harder, bringing tears to his eyes. “That’s the correct term, isn’t it? Your father wanted a quick fuck and your mother was quick to spread them, you son of a bitch.” The rage in his eyes bloomed stronger than the pain and she laughed harder. She let him go and stepped back to anticipate his next move. “Oh, yes, you’re not the only one who did a little digging into family trees.”
“I’m going to kill you for that,” Juan screamed as he lunged at her.
This time she opened a cut over his left eye when she slammed him into the pillar again. “Today is me being merciful, so remember what I said,” Cain told him. Behind her, two cars screeched to a stop, followed by slamming doors.
“Anthony, I’m going to have to ask you to come with the agents behind me,” Shelby said, pointing to the second car being driven by Joe Simmons.
“Cain Casey,” Shelby said next, sounding official, “I’m going to have to ask you to come with us.”
“Why? Am I under arrest for something?”
“Just a few questions, but with the assault on this gentleman we just taped I’ve got enough to cuff you. Don’t make me do that in front of your kids.”
“Emma, head home and call Muriel,” Cain said calmly. Juan had given Shelby and her ilk the opening they’d been wanting. Letting her temper loose was satisfying, but the consequences had just arrived and were the reason she told Hayden over and over why such behavior was never wise, no matter how good it felt. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back home soon.”
“Mom,” Hayden said, moving close to her.
“Take care of your mother and your sister. That’s your job until I get back,” Cain said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be home soon.”
“How can you be so sure?” Shelby asked as she held open the back door of the black sedan she’d arrived in.
“Because Mr. Luis won’t press charges, and you’re just fishing.”
“Wow.” Shelby slammed the door and got in the front. “Did you consult one of the fortune-tellers before I got here?”
“No, you’re as easy to read as a Dick and Jane primer.”
Shelby turned around, not appearing pleased. “Go ahead and enlighten us.”
“Juan is the nephew of one of the largest drug runners in Mexico, but has the mentality of a gang banger. It’ll be a long time before he achieves the polish Rodolfo has, if ever. He’s not pressing charges for tripping in the street and accepting my assistance because that would make him lose face more than he has already,” Cain said with a shrug, as if it should’ve been obvious. “Hispanic men don’t take kindly to having a woman beat the shit out of them.”
“And us just fishing?” Claire Lansing asked.
“That’s the easiest one of all, Agent Lansing.” Cain chuckled like she always did at their shocked expressions when she knew them by name. “If something goes wrong in the city, you guys throw your nets in my direction. You’re just fishing because that’s all you ever do. Call it the law of average behavior.”
“Don’t you mean the law of averages?” Shelby asked.
“Unlike you, I always say what I mean. There’s nothing new in your pattern, so your behavior is average, predictable, non-imaginative, and whatever other word you care to apply.”
“It must be a burden to always be right,” Claire said.
“The bigger burden would be to always be wrong.” Cain sat back and laughed. “But that’s only a guess. After all the training and money the government’s invested in people like you, I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
“It might be wise for you to listen to the part that says you have the right to remain silent,” Shelby said.
“You haven’t read me my rights, but you’re correct. Who am I to tell you how to do your job?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Comfortable?” Shelby asked Cain when she finally picked a seat that gave the folks behind the mirror a good view of her face.
Cain just stared, wondering what was bothering Shelby so much that she sounded pissed. “What are you hoping for here, Agent Daniels?” She drummed her fingers in an uneven beat that made Shelby glare at her hand.
“It’s Agent Philips, Ms. Casey. I know how much you pride yourself on getting our names right,” Shelby said, her voice lower than before and her face paler.
Cain whispered right into her ear, after jumping up quickly and grabbing her head, “Tell them to turn off the built-in sound system until my attorney arrives or, trust me, it’s going to be entertaining for me and interesting for them.” Joe Simmons magically appeared at the door, gripping the frame.
“Shelby?” he asked when Shelby looked straight at him but didn’t try to move away from Cain.
“It’s okay. Tell them to turn off the equip
ment until Ms. Casey’s attorney gets here.” She pointed at him and in a serious voice repeated, “I mean it, Joe, turn it off.”
Cain straightened up and laughed. She knew better than to believe Simmons would stop the tape. “Are we alone now, Agent?” Shelby stared at her but stayed quiet. “Is it safe for us to share all our dirty little secrets?”
Shelby barely shook her head. She saw it, but doubted anyone else looking in would. Of course it wasn’t safe. And one word from Cain about the night she’d first met Shelby and convinced Vincent to spare her life, and Shelby could lose all she’d worked for. Her fear was written all over her face. Shelby Daniels was the name she had given Cain on that flight when she agreed to lie in exchange for her life.
“It doesn’t matter, though, does it, that I have nothing to say. That I’ve done nothing to warrant you dragging me away in front of my partner and my children like a common thug simply because you can.”
Cain moved closer again and lowered her voice. “Power is intoxicating, Agent, but like anything else, too much of a good thing isn’t healthy. You wield it indiscriminately, and I’ll show you how it’s done. I’d love nothing better than to teach you all how to take away little by little everything that’s important to the lot of you. I’ll talk, and you know the Irish, we can weave a tale, we can. Do we understand each other, Agent Daniels?” Cain’s lips were so close to Shelby’s ear she could smell her perfume.
“Perfectly.”
“Good. Then to answer your question, I’m comfortable.” It was the last thing she said until Joe walked in with Muriel.
“Why is my client here?” Muriel said. She sat next to Cain and crossed her legs. When Shelby and Joe stayed quiet she snapped her fingers. “Now would be a great time to answer.”
“Your client assaulted a gentleman on the street. We brought her in for questioning in that matter and about a few other topics.”
Cain smiled and shrugged when Muriel glanced at her. “Let them tell us what I’ve done now, Muriel. It’ll probably save time.”
“Let’s start with your altercation with Mr. Luis this afternoon,” Joe said.
Cain leaned back in her chair. “Did he press charges or define it like that?”
“He didn’t have much to say on the subject, but after more conversations he may change his mind,” Joe said, his hand resting on another file. “There is another matter.” He patted the file.
“Would it create more tension if you played dramatic music?” Cain asked, making Muriel snort.
Shelby bristled. “This isn’t funny, Ms. Casey.”
“You’re right, this is serious business. Go on, Agent Simmons, let’s hear it.”
“Agent Barney Kyle was murdered last night.”
“I’m aware of that,” Cain said, never losing eye contact. She laughed when he leaned forward. “Don’t look so eager. I do know how to read. That was the headline story in this morning’s paper.”
“You visited Agent Kyle yesterday in jail,” Shelby said.
“You would know. You did, after all, follow me there from my office and had someone analyze every word we exchanged. Not to mention study every blink I made, and every facial expression. I visited Barney, but I don’t believe that’s a crime.”
Shelby nodded. “Considering your past relationship with Agent Kyle, why bother seeing him?”
“Just a couple of things before we go on,” Muriel interrupted. “Cain’s ‘past relationship’ consisted of Kyle shooting her with the intent to kill. And why do you insist on calling him Agent Kyle? The guy was in jail facing some serious charges.”
Shelby and Joe dropped their eyes to the table and didn’t dispute her right away. The door opened again and Annabel took a deep breath before pointing to Shelby. Without hesitation Shelby gave up her seat and left the room.
“We meet again, Agent Hicks.” Cain offered Annabel her hand.
“Thank you for agreeing to come in,” Annabel said, accepting the handshake.
“You’re welcome, even though it wasn’t exactly voluntary.”
“Before I arrived, Ms. Casey asked a question about Agent Kyle, and I’m here to answer it,” she said, ignoring what Cain had stated.
“We’re all ears,” Muriel said.
“Agent Kyle was in the sheriff’s custody when this happened, but in light of the report released today, I seriously doubt the District Attorney’s office would’ve filed charges.”
“Why is that?” Muriel asked.
“The FBI concluded that the incident with your client was an accident.” Cain put her hand on Muriel’s leg to keep her quiet until Annabel finished. “Furthermore, there was no evidence that Agent Kyle was working for, or affiliated with, the Bracato family. As far as the federal government was concerned, he was free to go as soon as he finished with local law enforcement. I understood Agent Kyle planned to retire after this to pursue other interests.”
“He almost kills my cousin, and you’re telling me it was an accident? Did your investigators bother to interview everyone in that warehouse that night?”
“Trust me, the investigation was thorough.” She opened the file Joe had brought in. “We have the murder weapon used last night.”
“Let me save you some more time in this little charade,” Cain said. “Is it a Remington shotgun, silver barrel engraved with Irish roses, circa 1942?”
“No, it isn’t,” Joe said.
“Then it isn’t mine. That’s the only firearm I own. If you don’t believe me, check.”
“The gun used belonged to Giovanni Bracato,” Annabel said.
“Then I suggest you find him and ask him why he decided to use Agent Kyle for target practice.” She said Kyle’s name with as much sarcasm as possible. “Wait, I forgot. There’s no link between Kyle and Big Gino. At least not anymore. It sounds like Bracato made sure of that.”
“I’m trying to locate Mr. Bracato and his sons, but haven’t had much luck,” Annabel said.
“And what? You want me to help you?” Cain stood and laughed. “Call the investigators you put on Barney’s case, Agent. After what you told me today, they should be more than capable of finding things that are lost, because so far they’ve done a beautiful job of finding things that weren’t there at all.” She tapped Muriel’s shoulder and started for the door.
“We’re not done, Ms. Casey.”
“Sure we are, Agent Hicks. You don’t need help with anything. If it doesn’t exist or doesn’t fit in the hole you created, you make it up as you go along. So much for honor and duty, huh? You and your minions are nothing but a pack of lying dirt bags.” She opened the door and faced them once more. “And you call me the criminal. If I was I could learn something from you, because compared to you, I’d be a rank amateur.”
*
Anthony waited in the next interview room, sitting down in the same position Cain had. He showed no emotion when Annabel walked in and sat down. “I never thought I’d be on this end of things,” he said, trying to be flip.
“Shut up and listen. This isn’t an interrogation and it isn’t an interview,” she said. “There are people who learn from their mistakes, Agent Curtis, and then there’s you.”
“What—” he jumped in his seat involuntarily when she slammed both her hands on the table between them and stood up, so he had to crane his neck back to see her.
“I said for you to be quiet. You’re suspended, Mr. Curtis. If you’re too stressed or feeble-minded to realize that means you’re supposed to stay home and contemplate where you went wrong—consider this your warning.” She leaned farther in, making him back up more in his seat. “Your new friend is under scrutiny from two agencies. If you do anything, and I mean anything, Mr. Curtis, to interfere in or screw up those ongoing operations, I will mount your head on my wall.”
“It’s my time to do with as I please,” he said, louder than necessary, trying to intimidate her. “You said so yourself.”
“You’re not involved in this situation in any official capacit
y, and if something goes wrong I won’t be able to protect you. Surely you know what that’ll mean to your career? Why take the chance?”
“At the academy they kept saying if you don’t take chances every so often, you’ll never get anywhere. I’m tired of not getting anywhere.” He slid his chair back, tired of the uncomfortable position. “Juan hates Cain and has some big hang-up about Emma Casey. Eventually one of them will reach the boiling point, and I plan to be there when that happens.”
Annabel sat down and stared at her hands like she’d written her next words on her fingers. “You aren’t taking a chance for the good of the team. You’re set on revenge. I studied your file more closely and it led me to your father.”
“Leave him out of this,” Anthony said with menace. “They never proved he did anything wrong.”
“You know how the Bureau works sometimes. They never publicized his case, but that doesn’t mean nothing was there.” She sighed like she knew she was wasting her time. “Something like that could cast a long shadow if you let it.”
“My father wasn’t on Bracato’s payroll,” he screamed.
“You’re right, he wasn’t on Bracato’s payroll. He was on Vincent Carlotti’s. A lot of evidence proves that. You can live in denial, but it won’t do you any good to fall into the same situation, even if you have good intentions.”
“Why are you doing this to me? This is my father you’re talking about like a common criminal.”
Annabel rested her crossed arms on the table and lowered her voice. “I’m not trying to humiliate you, but I’m still your boss and it’s still my job to protect you.”
His anger ratcheted and he jumped up and towered over her, but Annabel didn’t flinch. “You’re protecting me by tearing down my father? How convenient that he’s dead and can’t defend himself.”
“I’m protecting you by telling you not to accept a salary from Juan Luis, though I doubt he’d take you seriously if you offered to work for free. But if you go that route, you’ll be vulnerable because you’re dealing with a monster and you have no backup.” She stood and shook her head. “If we find stashes of cash in your accounts or in your possession when we’re done, don’t be surprised if we conclude it’s another case of ‘like father like son.’ Once that happens you’ll never throw off the suspicion.”