“Well?”
Kayla swallowed then decided to tell the truth.
“I just noticed how good-looking you are. I was just admiring the view.”
“Are you flirting with me Miss Kayla Richards?”
Kayla was briefly startled. “Of course not. Just because you’re easy on the eyes and I just happened to notice doesn’t mean I’m flirting,” she tried to sound indignant.
Lawrence laughed. Kayla also noticed that his laugh was a rich baritone that was as pleasing to her ears as his appearance was to her eyes.
“You find that funny?”
“No. I find you getting flustered and embarrassed funny.”
“I’m not flustered or embarrassed,” Kayla countered.
“Sure you are. I don’t recall your cheeks being as flushed as they are now. So either you’re embarrassed or you’re about to get one mean sunburn…in your living room,” His eyes gleamed mischievously.
Kayla had to laugh at herself. “Okay. You got me on that one.”
Desperately wanting to change the subject, Kayla told him, “I probably should call Anita just to check in and see how things are going in the office.”
“You know what they say right?”
“No, what?” Kayla asked.
“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
Kayla looked at him with feigned annoyance. “If you’re trying to imply that I can’t handle the conversation and that I am trying to come up with some fake excuse to avoid it, you’re wrong.”
“Of course I am. I’m so wrong that your cheeks just flushed to an even deeper shade of berry.”
Kayla blew air out of her mouth and rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Think what you want, I’m going to go call Anita.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“What are you talking about now?”
“It’s going to be kind of hard to call Anita with your phone sitting on the coffee table.”
Kayla reached for her pocket even as her eyes looked toward the coffee table. There sat her phone. Right where she left it when she had first come into the living and sat down. Feeling slightly foolish, she walked over to the table and with an exaggerated flourish, picked up her phone. Just as she left the room, she looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Lawrence.
Kayla went up to her room and called Anita. After several rings with no answer, Kayla was about to hang up and try her on the business phone when she heard “Anita Lewis speaking.”
“Anita, it’s Kayla.”
“Well it’s about time you called me. How’s everything going?”
“Everything’s fine. They’ve been back since 9:30.”
“And you’re just now calling me?” Anita pretended to be irritated.
“We never had an agreement that I would call as soon as they got here. Mom and Aunt Nat have been hanging out in the kitchen. They are really enjoying each other’s company.”
“Where’s Lawrence?”
“He and I were hanging out in the living room.”
Silence.
“Is that so?” Anita asked knowingly.
“Yeah, he’s kind of cool once he lets his guard down.”
“Lawrence never lets his guard down.”
“Well as much as it’s possible for Lawrence to let his guard down.”
“Not too far down I hope.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“He might be my cousin but I know that boy is fine.”
Kayla giggled.
“Uh oh, are you crushing on my cousin? I have never heard you giggle before.”
“No, no and no.”
“She protests way too much. So what’s up?”
“I’m just checking in. Anything happening that I need to know about?”
“All’s quiet on the home front. When you’re ready to come back, there shouldn’t be any surprises, at least as of right now.”
“Good. When you get off, come on over.”
“Did you really think I wasn’t?”
As an afterthought, Anita asked, “Did you call Detective Woods to let him know your mom is back?”
“Not yet. We just wanted to kick back and breathe before dealing with the drama.”
“Good idea. You want me to bring anything?”
“Just yourself.”
“Can do. See you later.”
Anita went back to work, the feeling of unease started to creep up on her again. She hated keeping secrets from Kayla but she understood how necessary it was. She just hoped that whatever Agent Sullivan was going to do he would hurry up and do it. It was going to be hard pretending nothing was wrong, especially around Lawrence. He seemed to have an instinctive sixth sense when it came to her. Even though they were cousins, he had always been more like a brother to her. She just hoped she would be able to keep up the façade until Agent Sullivan called.
***
“Are they back yet Detective?” Escobar asked.
“Not yet.”
“You wouldn’t be playing games with me would you Detective?”
“No, of course not. I already told Kayla what the situation was and what needed to happen. She agreed to everything.”
“Well then you need to get on the phone and contact them. This meeting needs to happen by Friday, no later,” Escobar’s voice was dark and threatening.
“Of course. That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll get right on it.”
“You do that detective.”
***
Kayla had barely sat back down when her phone rang. When she saw that it was Detective Woods, her heart sank. She knew why he was calling and she was hoping that they would have just a bit more time before having to deal with the circumstances at hand. She gestured to Lawrence who immediately came and sat next to her. She answered the phone and put it on speaker.
“Hello Kayla.”
“Detective.”
“Um, is Mama Ann back yet?”
Lawrence tapped her on the shoulder and shook his head from side to side.
“What’s going on?”
“Well, I’ve been told that the meeting has to happen by Friday, no later, no exceptions.”
Kayla looked at Lawrence. He mouthed, “Tomorrow night.”
“She’ll be back tomorrow evening. When she’s officially in, I’ll call you.”
“Oh good. I just don’t want these guys getting antsy. There’s no telling what they may do.”
“I wasn’t aware that you had a problem with that Detective,” Kayla’s voice dripped acid.
Detective Woods knew exactly what she meant and felt that familiar pang of guilt.
“Make sure you call me as soon as she gets back.”
“I said I would.” Then without another word, Kayla hung up. She looked toward the kitchen. Worry lines creased her usually smooth face.
Seeing the worry on her face, Lawrence tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get her through this in one piece.”
“I really hope so.”
Lawrence’s eyes softened. “We have the rest of today and part of tomorrow to plan. Let your mom and Aunt Nat enjoy themselves for now. Look at them; they’re in there talking like they’ve known each other for years. Frick and Frack,” he laughed.
“Mutt and Jeff,” Kayla chimed in.
“Tom and Jerry.”
“Abbott and Costello.”
“Thelma and Louise,” they said at the same time then they both burst out laughing.
Hearing the commotion, Mama Ann and Aunt Nat came to the door.
“What’s going on in here?” they asked, their faces crinkled with puzzlement.
They stopped laughing long enough to say, “Oh nothing.” Then they looked at each other and burst into laughter once again.
Mama Ann and Aunt Nat looked at each other and shook their heads. “Young people.” Then they went back into the kitchen.
“Why are we laughing?” Kayla asked wiping the te
ars from her face. “It really wasn’t that funny.”
“No it wasn’t but we needed a good laugh. It helps to relieve stress.”
***
The clock on the wall finally said 5:30. Anita couldn’t wait to leave but was too emotionally and physically drained to rush out the door. After dropping some paperwork off to one of the other administrators, she went back to her desk, grabbed her things and head for the door. For the briefest moment she considered stopping at the Raven’s Nest but then decided against it. It’s not that she really wanted to go; it was just a stall tactic so she wouldn’t have to face Kayla, Mama Ann, Aunt Nat and Lawrence. Since she was going to have to face them at some point, there really was no sense in putting off the inevitable. She hopped into her car, turned on the radio and head to the house.
She parked out front and sat for a few minutes after shutting off the engine. She looked over at her phone and silently willed Agent Sullivan to call. When the phone didn’t ring, she cursed under her breath and head for the front door. Lawrence, ever vigilant, heard the squeak of the gate and rushed to the window. When he saw his cousin, his face lit up and he called down to her.
“I was wondering when you were going to get here; it took you long enough. We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Some of us actually had to work today if you don’t mind.”
“I thought you got off at 4:30.”
“No, I usually get off at five but the other loafer up there with you wasn’t in today so I had to stay a little later.
Kayla peeped around Lawrence’s arm. “Who are you calling a loafer?”
“Well, well, well. Speak of the devil and in she walks. I’m calling you a loafer. Remember while you were having a nice peaceful day at home doing absolutely nothing, I was doing my job and yours.”
“That’s what I pay you for.”
“No, that’s what the Medical Center pays me for.”
Anita thought if she kept things light-hearted, no one would notice her anxiety.
Lawrence was so happy to see his cousin that for just an instant he forgot why he was there. He swiftly sobered up and told Anita to come upstairs. All this yelling back and forth from the window might attract unwelcome attention. No argument there, thought Anita as she head for the front door.
***
Detective Woods called Escobar to inform him about his phone conversation with Kayla. Escobar told him that he wanted to get the meeting over and done with, the sooner the better. Detective Woods assured him that he would keep him fully apprised of everything, then hung up.
As bad as he felt about the situation; he felt even worse that he had lied to Kayla. For the most part, the story he had told her was true. The part about him being recruited to approach her father was not. She had enough on her plate without having to find out that her father had been cheating on her mother. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that her father had chosen to commit an act of indiscretion with the girl of the head of the cartel and gotten caught. She didn’t really need to know that the only reason he had agreed to launder money for them was to save himself and his family from certain death. It just seemed easier to let her think the cartel was just looking for new channels through which to launder their money.
Normally, those chosen to handle the laundering of the cartel’s cash would be paid for their services. Kayla’s father had to do it for free because he had to pay a price for his lust. He then compounded his stupid mistake by thinking he could successfully steal from the same guys who had already threatened to kill him and his family. Detective Woods shook his head.
“Well stupidity seems to be something we have in common, Mr. Gary Richards.” he thought. “Or should I say something we had in common.”
Detective Woods really wanted to go speak to the Chief again but he didn’t want to push his luck. He got up and started pacing around his office. His thoughts turned back to the day he received the call about Gary Richards.
When Escobar found out that his girlfriend/woman/wife, Alyssia, was cheating on him, he was livid. He had known something was wrong; there were too many unexplained absences and Escobar was not a stupid man. After getting one conflicting story too many, he put some of his guys on her. They followed her to a discount store in town and parked up the block. She had parked directly in front of the store. About ten minutes after she arrived, another car pulled up. A tall good-looking man got out and walked to the front of the store as she was getting out of her car. He looked up and down the street before looking over at her and signaling for her to come. They disappeared inside the store. Escobar’s guys got out and peered in the store window. That was when they saw Alyssia and the man embrace and kiss in the middle of the store. They then went to a back room and closed the door.
Picking the lock, Escobar’s men went in and stood outside the door and listened. After several minutes, they looked at each other and left the store. There was no mistaking the sounds they had heard coming from that back room. They hurried back to the warehouse to tell Escobar who did not take the confirmation well. He called Alyssia several times and received no answer. When she finally did respond, she lied of course and said that she had just gone for a drive to enjoy the night air. Escobar told her to meet him at the warehouse. She did and was never seen or heard from again.
The next day, Escobar’s men paid Gary Richards a visit. At first he balked at the idea of doing any type of business for a drug lord. When they showed him a picture of Alyssia, his whole demeanor had changed. He agreed to meet with Escobar the next evening to discuss whatever it was he wanted him to do.
The following evening, Gary Richards, showed up at the warehouse. Escobar put his offer on the table. He did not fail to mention that if Gary refused, he would keep him alive long enough to watch his wife and daughter killed and then it would be his turn. Gary accepted Escobar’s offer and a new Montenegro collaboration was born.
Detective Woods received the call shortly afterwards. His job was to keep an eye on Gary Richards. It was too early to determine just how serious he was or how deep his loyalties lie. It was entirely possible that he had only temporarily agreed in an attempt to save his family and himself while deep down he was planning on going to the authorities. If he suddenly showed up at the precinct looking to speak with the Chief, Detective Woods was to redirect him and then inform Escobar. Fortunately he never did show up.
“Yeah, but that didn’t stop him from ending up dead though. What a mess,” thought Detective Woods.
Chapter 17
The front door swung open and Anita was greeted by both Kayla and Lawrence. Lawrence smiled hugely as he swept her off of her feet and wrapped her in the biggest bear hug imaginable.
“Hey cuz,” he said.
“Hey. Love you too but could you put me down, I’m getting a little dizzy.”
Lawrence let her go. Anita looked him up and down. “Clearly you don’t know your own strength. Next time try to go a little easy.” She looked at Kayla and gestured toward Lawrence, “I can tell somebody’s been putting in some serious time at the gym. Now where are my two favorite ladies?”
“Still in the kitchen; can’t you hear them?” Kayla responded as they started walking toward the sounds of laughter.
They stopped in the kitchen doorway. The radio was playing and Mama Ann was doubled over with laughter while Aunt Nat tried to show her some of her fancier dance moves. Anita briefly looked at Kayla.
“Is this what they’ve been doing since they got back?”
“Yeah. Your aunt sure knows how to keep someone’s spirits high.”
“That she does,” Anita murmured. Then she went into kitchen to greet her aunt and Mama Ann.
Aunt Nat looked up surprised, “Anita, when did you get here?
“Just now,” as she embraced both women.
“You want to see some of my moves?”
Anita shook her head and dramatically rolled her eyes. “I think I’ll pass. Besides I think I’ve seen all of your moves already.”
“Shoot, girl you don’t know nothing about this,” Aunt Nat said as she danced her way around the kitchen.
“You’re absolutely right. I’m just going to leave you two to your little senior citizen dance off.” With one final glimpse at the dancing duo, she turned and head back to the living room with Kayla and Lawrence.
“Have you heard anything yet?”
“Detective Woods called but I told him mom wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Lawrence thought they should have a bit more time to relax and enjoy themselves before we got back to the business at hand.”
“Oh you did, did you?
“Sure why not? The meeting has to take place by Friday, there’s plenty of time. Nothing’s going to happen in 24 hours,” Lawrence responded.
“And you know this how?” Anita’s voice was tight.
Lawrence threw Anita a look. “Give me a break Anita.”
Already on edge, Anita snapped, “Why should I give you a break? You don’t know Lawrence. We don’t know anything. This is a drug cartel, there’s no telling what they may decide to do.”
“Anita, they already knew that Kayla’s mom wasn’t here in town, it was already decided that the meeting wouldn’t be set up until she got back. What’s wrong with you?”
Anita walked over to the window and stood with her back to both Kayla and Lawrence. When she finally turned around, she stared directly at Lawrence. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t want anything to go wrong in a situation where most anything could go wrong. I just don’t want anything to happen to Kayla or Mama Ann.”
Kayla got up and walked over to Anita and wrapped her arms around her.
“You worry too much. We’re all going to be fine.”
Anita hugged her friend back and looked at Lawrence, who was watching her closely through squinted eyes, over her shoulder. “I sincerely hope so.” Anita silently prayed that Agent Sullivan would contact her soon.
***
After speaking with Anita, Agent Sullivan shifted into hustle mode trying desperately to get something into place before Kayla’s mother would have to go meet with Escobar. He had made several phone calls to the DEA and arranged for multiple meetings within his own department. He needed to get everyone up to speed on the recent events involving the Montenegro Cartel and the whole situation in Lambert.
MY FATHER'S KILLER: Kayla's Story Page 13