by Marnie Perry
He could tell by her expression that she was very sceptical of his being right or that he himself believed what he had said. He didn’t blame her. He said, ‘yeah right, but I did say we have a few options. Another being that we could leave Alabama. Glissando’s influence only stretches so far and is mostly contained here in the south. We could go further north; I’m thinking, New York, or even east to Washington D.C. Once there we could go to the nearest FBI offices, you could tell your story and solicit their help.’
Adela was dumbfounded not at the idea, which was a good one, but that he had said the magic word. “We.”
He was still speaking, ‘I’ll back you up, I’ll tell them how you came to me, bruised and battered and almost dead on your feet. You still have the taser burns on your neck and marks around your wrists from the tape. They may even find the shack you were taken too.’
He paused again and looked down at his elbows resting on his thighs his hands joined together as if in prayer before saying, ‘there is one problem with that, they might hand you over to the FBI, then you’ll just wind up exactly where you didn’t want to be and what we’re trying to avoid.’
Adela realised that this was the most Lando had spoken since she had met him, probably the most he had spoken in four years, if not longer.
Her voice sounded hoarse as she said, ‘that’s not the only thing we have to worry about though is it?’
‘Me?’
‘Yes. They won’t overlook your lying to the police, nor failing to report a crime; they might even add obstructing justice too.’
He scowled and said sharply, ‘I think I told you before, I can take care of myself.’
‘But…
He cut her off impatiently, ‘all right, if it makes you feel any better I’ll tell them you broke in here and held me hostage then forced me at gun point to lie. I think they’ll buy it don’t you?’
She was startled but his acerbity. What was wrong with him? She was only thinking of him, why would he get so angry with her for merely being concerned. But now she was angered by his sarcasm. She equalled it, ‘yes, that would work, except for one thing, the small fact of your pointing a rifle at two detectives come asking questions relating to an ongoing investigation. It’s a wonder they didn’t arrest you there and then, and not just for threatening them with a rifle but for being such an unhelpful, hostile, obnoxious…arse.’
It was hard to say who was the more shocked by her outburst. Maybe Adela, who was thinking that she had never used that word before, ever, and to say it to this man, who was all the things she said he was, but was the only person who genuinely wanted to help her with no hope of reward or favour. On the contrary, helping her would get him into trouble with the law, and more importantly and much more dangerously, with Hennessey and Glissando, and she had called him an arse.
Or maybe it was Lando who was the more shocked, dumbstruck would be more appropriate. Where had that come from? She had called him an arse. But instead of being angry for the first time in a long time he actually wanted to laugh out loud. The only reason he didn’t was because he realised that her burst of temper had come from her deep fear of what was happening to her and what she might have to go through to make it right, if she could make it right that is. He was ashamed of himself for snapping at her and for his uncalled for sarcasm, after all she had only said what she had out of concern for him. He was amazed afresh that with everything that was going on in her life right now, in the forefront of her mind was the worry that he might get into trouble because of her.
Before he could speak she said, ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Lando, I…that was uncalled for, I didn’t mean it.’
‘Yes, you did.’
Her head shot up expecting to see him glowering at her but was astounded when she saw that his eyes were bright and his lips were turned up into something like a smile. He said, ‘you did mean it and you were right, I was being an…arse.’
Her eyes opened so wide he thought they would pop out of their sockets. He said, ‘and while you were right about my attitude towards the two detectives, they had obviously spoken to Sheriff Lomax who knows me as well as anyone in Alban does and he would have told them that I was hostile and unhelpful,’ his lips twitched again, ‘although I don’t know about the obnoxious. But if I’d acted any differently with them, if I’d been friendly and cooperative it would have aroused their suspicions.’
She was still stunned by his sudden change of mood and that he had actually made a joke but managed to say, ‘I see, yes, I never thought of that.’
‘Because you aren’t a cop...or an ex -cop.’
She smiled, ‘still, I shouldn’t have called you…what I did, and I’m sorry.’
He waved his hand dismissing her apology. ‘Forget it. I’ve been called worse things.’
She was about to say, that’s not the point, when he said, ‘anyway, let’s get back to our options. And the last but one, at least that I can think of, is really your idea which is to try to get to the nearest British embassy. You can tell them what happened, it has the added bonus of being in Washington D.C, further enough away from Glissando, he’d have no influence there and certainly not in the embassy, you’d be safe there and they might even help you get back to the U.K. But as you’ve said the danger might follow you home.’
She paled and he added quickly, ‘but the FBI might find Hennessey and start investigating Glissando, that might be enough to put him off trying to harm you.’
She said, ‘you said that was the last but one option.’
He looked down at his hands, ‘the forth option’ ‘he hesitated as if unsure whether to carry on, ‘is that you stay here.’
Her head snapped up with a crack and if he hadn’t been asking himself why he had even thought of it let alone said it he would have laughed at the expression on her face, talk about pole-axed.
Adela studied his face closely looking for the humour or the sarcasm when she saw neither she stammered, ‘st…stay here? He nodded. ‘with you?’
His eyes narrowed and realising how that must have sounded she rushed on, ‘I meant, I mean, well, here?’
He said sharply, ‘I don’t mean permanently of course, but until all this blows over, that’s all.’
Still looking stunned she asked, ‘and what if it never does?’
He shrugged, ‘then we’ll think of something else.’
She leaned her head on the back of the chair, closed her eyes and sighed a heartfelt sigh that was so full of defeat and despair that Lando felt the sudden urge to reach for her, pull her to him and hold her tightly against his chest as he had earlier. He of course restrained himself.
He said nothing further but waited her out. The silence filled the room, broken only by the ticking of the grandfather clock.
Eventually she opened her eyes and leaned forward putting her head in her hands for a moment before rubbing them up and down her face. She took a deep breath and said,
‘four options? First option, going to the police is risky, not just for me but for you too. Whatever happens I could end up in Glissando’s hands, and so could you.
Second option, leaving here and going to another state further away from Glissando.
We’d need money which neither of us has right now, and we couldn’t walk all that way.’
He interrupted, ‘I have some money, enough for the bus fare to say, Washington.’
He didn’t add that it was only two hundred dollars and was all he had in the world, money he had put aside for a rainy day. Well, it wasn’t just raining right now, it was a deluge.
She leaned back a little surprised then narrowed her eyes; he had lied to her earlier when she had asked him to lend her money. But now wasn’t the time to get all indignant so said, ‘okay, so money isn’t too big a problem but getting to a bus or train station is. And even if we made it without being picked up by either Hennessey or Glissando’s men or the police, it’s still a long way to travel and the longer we’re on the road the more likelihood of being
spotted. And even if we got to Washington or wherever, the federal agents there might not believe me either and as you say send me back here.’
She stopped speaking but he didn’t comment on what she had said but let her run with it. ‘Third option, going to the embassy, that might be the best bet, Hennessy couldn’t get to me and the embassy is British soil so the police couldn’t arrest me there.
But even if I could get home they could extradite me and again as you so rightly said, even at home it wouldn’t end there, there would be still more people involved. Glissando might use my family against me; I can’t and won’t risk them. And I can’t see the embassy helping me to settle in another country while there’s a warrant out for my arrest?
As for staying here,’ again she paused and he waited for her to say you must be joking or I can’t stay in this dump it’s the antithesis of everything I’ve ever known.
She looked around the tiny room then down at Dante and rubbed his shaggy head; Dante looked up at her and snuggled closer to her legs. Lando was left speechless when she said softly, ‘I have to tell you, Mr. Lando, that the prospect of staying here is very, very tempting right now. But I can’t do that to you, I know how you value your privacy, how you hate outsiders intruding on it. God alone knows how long it would be before this whole mess is sorted out, if it ever is. And anyway, I’ve caused you enough trouble with the law as it is I don’t want to add harbouring a fugitive too. No, Mr. Lando, you don’t deserve that.’
He had rarely been so amazed, she sounded so concerned, so sincere.
She went on, ‘but if I go to the FBI and tell them everything, about Olivia, Hennessey and Glissando and offer to testify that would solve the problem. After all, Hennessey himself told me that Glissando had hired him to kill me; he also admitted that he had killed for him before.
The FBI could subpoena phone records; there must have been eyewitnesses who saw them together, maybe even at Glissando’s house, someone might be willing to come forward and testify. Hennessey might even turn states evidence for a lesser sentence or even to avoid the death penalty. And if not, there’s the rental car company, he lied to them; he used a fake name to get a rental car. And you, you saw him at my cabin posing as a realtor; you can identify him as the man calling himself David Somers. And that’s not to mention Sammy Know- It- All.’
Lando frowned perplexed. She waved her hand, ‘sorry, there’s a young man in Alban his name is Sammy, Hennessey questioned him about me and Sammy told him that he had seen me with a young girl getting into a car in Mobile. All these things combined coupled with my injuries point the finger at Hennessey being guilty of stalking me at least.’ Lando stared hard at her. All she had said was true, but there was a big difference between telling the feds about these people and getting them to testify against a hired killer and a powerful, wealthy, well respected…at least to those who didn’t know the real Glissando…business man.
She could either read his mind or she had already thought of this because she smiled wryly, ‘but could I involve those people in this, could I ask them to risk their lives, and that’s what they would be doing. Sammy for instance would probably do it without even knowing what he was getting into; the FBI would bully him into it.
But of course all this depends on them catching Hennessey which is unlikely.’
She looked at him as though waiting for him to speak, he didn’t, he couldn’t think of anything to say. When she realised he wasn’t about to speak she said, ‘but there is a fifth option.’ He arched a brow but said nothing and she went on, ‘yes, I could up Glissando’s offer?’
He drew back very slowly in his seat and his eyes sort and pinned hers, he opened his mouth but nothing was forthcoming so she continued, ‘I could offer Hennessey more money not to kill me. Outbid Glissando for my life as it were.’ His eyes darkened but she went on calmly, ‘in fact it was Hennessey himself who first suggested it, I told him in no uncertain terms what he could do with his offer, but now, well now, it seems like the only way out. I could even pay Hennessey more to tell the police that he kidnapped me, not in person of course, he could send a tape recording or something. He could also tell them I had nothing to do with Dean being attacked.’
She almost smiled at the look of utter amazement on his face coupled with disbelief.
Lando had never taken his eyes from hers. He couldn’t believe what she was saying; he had had a feeling that she was rich but that she could speak about giving away five million dollars as though it was chump change staggered him. But the thing that astonished him most was the fact that she was seriously contemplating making a deal with a professional killer, for whatever reason, and that she sounded so casual about it, almost business like, as though doing deals with a contract killer was an everyday thing. But then everyday things to most people didn’t include getting involved with a hitman. They didn’t involve being kidnapped and hunted by the police.
His tone was quite almost accusing, ‘you told me Glissando offered Hennessey five million bucks.’
‘Yes. But that was for both me and Olivia, two and a half million each, but of course I would insist that he leave Olivia alone too.’
‘But five million bucks.’
She nodded, ‘yes, I could pay that, and more.’
His amazement changed to one of distaste, ‘so, you’d make a deal with the devil would you? And what about Glissando? You might persuade Hennessey to take your deal but Glissando won’t leave it there, he’ll either send his own men or hire someone else, what you gonna do then, pay them too, do you have a bottomless pit of cash? Because you’re gonna need one.’
He studied her face closely and could see that she had already thought of this.
‘Or maybe you could hire Hennessey to kill Glissando,’ he continued, ‘that would solve all your problems, and you could even tell yourself that you’d done the world a favour.’
Her eyes widened in horror at his words, but before she could reply he hurried on, ‘or why don’t you offer Hennessey something else instead, something he might prefer,’ he looked her up and down insolently, ‘or maybe he’s already had his fair share of that and now wants the cash.’ He gave a derisive laugh, ‘lucky guy this Sterling Hennessey, gets the best of both worlds cash and sex. It’s a wonder more guys don’t take up professional killing for a living.’
The horror vanished to be replaced by acute embarrassment, which was swiftly replaced by a look of such hurt that he almost closed his eyes to shut it out. But despite her obvious feelings she kept his gaze until she abruptly rose to her feet and walked towards the picture she had admired earlier and stood looking at it.
He cursed himself for saying what he had. Why had he? He had no answer except that he was angry with her for considering paying off a man like that, who had used her, lied to her, hurt her both physically and emotionally, even to save her own life. He hardly knew her but in the short time he had he'd thought better of her. But he had also wanted to know what their relationship had been, platonic or sexual? It had been hard to tell by her reaction. He chose to ignore the sharp stab somewhere in the region of his chest at the thought of she and Hennessey together.
He watched her closely, he expected her body to be rigid and tense, instead she appeared composed, almost at ease as she stared at the picture which she seemed to find fascinating. Her hands were in front of her body not clenched but laced together, she looked as though she was at an art exhibition casually admiring a painting. Despite what he had just said to her this was the most relaxed he had seen her since she’d been here.
He wondered if it was because she had decided on a cause of action and this had put her mind at rest. The silence laid heavy on him and he wished she would speak and tell him of her decision and when he could stand it no longer he said, ‘so, which option is it gonna be? The local police, the embassy, the long trip to Washington or paying off a stone cold killer with cash?’
She seemed to come out of her reverie and her shoulders stiffened slightly but she
didn’t turn to him as she said very quietly, ‘when Hennessey asked me if I wanted to make a deal with him I told him I would never lower myself to give him money, and that’s what I’d be doing isn’t it, lowering myself to their level, to the level of liars and slave traders and killers.’
She turned to him, ‘Mr. Lando, I would very much appreciate it if you would escort me into town and point me in the direction of the sheriff’s office.’
He sat up straight and his eyes widened in surprise as she went on. ‘I have to talk to the FBI, tell them everything that happened, everything I know, it’s the right thing to do, it’s the only thing to do’ She gave a wry smile, ‘it’s the only option that makes sense.’
He said nothing but the respect was clear in his eyes. She had amazed, shocked, astounded even stunned him since the moment she had arrived here but never more so than at this moment. He had not expected this, but then when had she said or done anything that he had expected since arriving here. She wasn’t anything like he thought she was.
She sat down again, ‘although I have to admit your idea of hiring Hennessey to do away with Glissando was almost as tempting as your offer to stay here.’
He tipped his head to one side and regarded her speculatively. But then she smiled the first real smile since she had seen Josie and her foal although as then not with her eyes something he had noticed from the first that she did.
He said, ‘I’m glad you chose not to go down that path because I would have been very tempted to find Hennessey for you.’
It was her turn to be surprised but then his lips twitched and her smile grew wider.
As for Lando he was thinking about what she’d said. She looked very calm now, at peace somehow; as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders now that she had made her decision.