Love Never Dies

by Loren Lockner

  “C’mon now, you’re talking about a southern California resident here. I can get you to the Strip with my eyes closed.”

  Julia was an excellent driver. It took only a matter of moments before she acclimated herself to the heavier steering mechanism of the truck and Simon breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto Santa Monica Boulevard. Within fifteen minutes, he was convinced they hadn’t been followed as she parallel parked on Hollywood Boulevard, only two blocks from Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. They strolled down the star-studded lane, pausing every few steps to read the famous and sometimes nearly forgotten names from Hollywood’s golden age.

  “Wow,” said Simon, quite impressed by the splattering of stars extending down the sidewalk. As they approached the famous theatre Julia recited the names.

  “Look Simon, here’s Kevin Spacey. Oh, and one of my favorites, Spencer Tracy. Remember Groucho Marx and his crazy brothers?”

  They passed Julie Andrews and Greta Garbo, William Shatner and Tom Cruise. Even singers such as Elton John and Michael Jackson had added their stars to the famous Walk of Fame. Julia paused before the Chinese Theatre’s gaudy facade and pointed to the forecourt housing 173 star’s footprints and handprints.

  “This is the priciest real estate here Simon. If you make it to Grauman’s forecourt, you’re truly a superstar.” Julia swung the camera off her shoulder as Simon knelt by Clark Gable’s square as she snapped a photo for memory’s sake.

  Simon shook his head in amazement. “I’d read about this place, but had no idea it was so extensive. Look, here’s Judy Garland who wrote, ‘For Mr. Grauman… All Happiness,’ and it’s dated 1939. There’s George Lucas and Tom Hanks, and near him, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thanks so much Julia, you don’t know how much this means to me.”

  After finishing their often-amazed scrutiny of the forecourt, they continued their quest for quite a while, still enthusiastically reading the stars until Simon, his leg truly aching, asked if they could rest and have something to eat. They sat upon canvas director’s style seats in a sidewalk cafe and sipped diet sodas while sharing a plate of nachos as they watched tourists from all over the world stroll by. A particularly excited group of Japanese tourists halted at every star and snapped a picture.

  “You’d think it would be cheaper to buy the book,” murmured Simon, as he placed a crunchy tortilla chip smothered in olives, guacamole, and sour cream inside his mouth. “This is definitely something Toronto is missing ; good authentic Mexican food.”

  “Maybe you should change your career line and open up a Mexican restaurant. I’m sure you would make a fortune.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. French cuisine as well as seafood from the Maritimes dominates most restaurant fare.” He scanned the busy sidewalk for the skeletal Adam Gable and relaxed when the gaunt man was nowhere to be seen. For the time being they seemed safe, but his fingers itched to call Angus.

  After their delicious snack, Simon excused himself and headed for the men’s room. Once inside, he flipped open his cell phone and gave Toronto a call. Angus’ answering machine locked in after only four rings and Simon left a terse message. Simon then dialed Stan Garten’s cell. The phone rang endlessly but never logged onto any message system. A wave of trepidation passed over him. It was not like Stan to disregard calls and as Simon hurried out of the men’s room his eyes immediately sought Julia. She was window-shopping, her camera looped over the shoulder of the pale peach top.

  “Is your leg well enough to continue?” she asked sympathetically.

  “I think the rest did help, but I feel like strolling back to the car.”

  “Will you look at that,” stated Julia’s amused voice ten minutes later as they paused in front of a trendy clothing store. “Isn’t it amazing?”

  If Simon’s attention hadn’t been directed to the huge glass store front, he’d never have glimpsed the reflection of the silver BMW gliding slowly down the street. The blue-haired mannequin sat perched on a red chair in a shimmering lime-green dress and glass hat while blowing huge pink bubbles out of a toy pipe. The Beamer slowed down to get a better view as it headed in the opposite direction. The narrow face of Adam Gable peered out of the open car window and once he’d spotted Julia and Simon he speeded up, searching for a place to make a u-turn. Simon immediately jerked Julia around and hurried down the sidewalk, avoiding tourists who’d paused to study the imprints upon the sidewalk.

  “We need to go,” he hissed under his breath, and Julia jerked her arm away from him, surprised at his bullying manner.

  “What on earth?”

  Simon realized that in less than two hundred yards the BMW would be able to make a u-turn and dragged Julia to the Pajero, pressing the security system and thrusting her toward the car after the telltale beep.

  “Get in,” he demanded.

  “What do you mean? You were all fired up about visiting here an hour ago and now you want to leave?”

  “I said get in the car,” he ground between his teeth, and practically threw her onto the passenger seat. Her face paled as he jumped up as quickly as his hurt leg would allow into the driver’s seat and ground the gears in his haste. Simon waited until the BMW headed toward him and then suddenly pulled out, gunning the engine before engineering a severe u-turn in front of a city transit bus. Julia shrieked as he streaked in the opposite direction from the BMW, the impatient bus driver blasting his horn at the 4x4. Simon immediately hung a sharp right.

  “Where’s the nearest on-ramp?” he demanded, realizing they had only a minute or so to lose the silver BMW.

  Julia frantically buckled herself in before backing against the car door as if he were a madman.

  “If you make a right over there you it’ll put you on the Hollywood freeway. Simon, what are you doing?” The last came as a frightened shriek as Simon pulled onto the ramp, his foot ramming the accelerator and they hurled full throttle onto the freeway, barely missing a red Subaru as he merged into the traffic. “Now you’re starting to frighten me Simon, what’s going on?”

  “We’re being followed,” he shot out, casting a quick glance at her shocked face.

  “What do you mean we’re being followed? Followed by whom?”

  “By a man named Adam Gable who works for another man called Joe Alletti.”

  “Adam Gable and Joe Alletti? I’ve never heard of them, so why would they be following us? Are they the police?”

  Simon snorted depreciatively. “Not in the least. And they’re following you because of Seth.” The confused expression passing over Julia’s face was enough to plunge Simon into despair. So much for her emotional recovery.

  “But Seth… Seth’s been dead these past ten months. I don’t understand!”

  Simon changed lanes and studied the rearview mirror. “I can’t talk to you about it right now and while I know it’s a hard thing to ask you, I’m begging you to trust me Julia. Trust me because you loved Seth.” Julia didn’t appear trusting in the least; in fact she looked about to leap from the vehicle. “Please Julia, you’ve got to help me since I’m not familiar with this area. If we continue heading south on the 101, where’s the best place to get off if I need to exit quickly?”

  Julia shivered and grabbed the dash as Simon swerved around a Ford Bronco. “If you keep on this highway you’re going to run into the Burbank Freeway or 134 toward Pasadena, but our hotel is that way. You’re going the wrong way Simon!” she cried.

  “I’m fully aware our hotel’s in the opposite direction, but I can’t worry about that right now. Toward Pasadena; that sounds as good a choice as any. Isn’t that where the Rose Parade is held?”

  “Yes,” whispered Julia, scrunching back as far away from him as the confines of the 4x4 would allow. Simon immediately veered north and within a few miles looped onto the 134. His eyes continually returned to the rearview mirror and Julia became so paranoid she began peering out the rear window of the Pajero, clueless as to just what she should be looking for. One thing was for
certain, the man beside her had changed from a casual carefree tourist into a man she didn’t remotely know. Her chest burned in fright and Julia kept whispering Seth’s name, hoping he could somehow protect her against his maniac brother.

  “I have an important question to ask you Julia. Has anyone unfamiliar approached you within the last few days for any reason; perhaps to strike up a conversation with you, or ask for your help or something?”

  “I’m… ah… not sure. I talk to a lot of people; I’m a teacher for God’s sake!”

  “This man would have been a tall, dark-haired fellow with a sallow face, way too thin for his height.”

  A sudden image of Mike Cooper flashed into her brain. “Well on Thursday after school a man by the name of Mike Cooper approached me regarding his nephew who apparently hadn’t gotten on the bus.”

  “And just where was this?”

  “In the parking lot at school when I was getting ready to go home. That’s when he approached me.”

  “And did you stay with him the whole time?”

  “Uh no… I went back into the office to check if his little boy got onto the bus.”

  “So you left him alone near your car?”

  “Well I guess so. Yes, yes I did.”

  “Thank God we’re in my Pajero.”

  “What’s this all about?” Her words no long sounded frightened, but angry, her fingers locked around her handbag. Simon was certain she would use it on him if he didn’t manage to placate her soon.

  “Please allow me to explain it all to you later,” he asked gently. “I need to concentrate on my driving, but believe me when I say I only have your best interests at heart. You’ve got to help me though. If you see anything resembling a silver BMW let me know. The man inside… he wants to kill me for sure and very likely you as well.”

  Julia began to hyperventilate; her hand vainly searching for the warmth of Seth’s soul, only no comfort was to be had, only a severe tightness indicating intense anxiety.

  “Okay,” she croaked, struggling to breathe. “I guess I’ll just have to trust you for now.” Julia swiveled in her seat and searched the busy freeway with anxious green eyes. Thus occupied, she managed to calm herself enough to ward off her previous light-headedness. A full twenty minutes later, Simon pulled off onto Lake Street in Pasadena to search for a secluded hotel.

  “Ah, this will do,” Simon said thankfully, after driving for several minutes along the beautifully treed streets of Pasadena. A low-roofed motor lodge stood on the right-hand side near Altadena Drive. He pulled up promptly before the reception area, removed the keys from the ignition, and ordered Julia to stay put. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest, unwilling to meet his concerned stare. Within five minutes, Simon returned with a hotel key dangling from his fingers.

  “I managed to get us a room around the back. There’s parking right by the room so no one can spot us from the road.” He maneuvered the truck around the back and parked under the shade of a mulberry tree just beginning to lose its broad leaves. Simon stiffly removed himself from the Pajero as Julia’s voice floated over the top of the bronze vehicle before she slammed the door angrily.

  “I need some answers now Simon.”

  “And you’re going to get them, but inside the hotel room. C’mon.” He unlocked the door, throwing his key atop the TV set before moving to the drapes. They slid shut with a hiss. Julia watched his movements, staring at him as if trapped in some sort of surreal dream. This was the kind of scene from some sort of grade-B movie, not her well-structured life, and suddenly a hot spurt of anger threatened her and she barely maintained control.

  “I think you have a lot of explaining to do mister,” she snarled, ignoring the burning sensation in her chest that suggested caution, and Simon turned bleakly toward her and nodded grimly.

  Chapter 10

  Simon sat across from her, his chair facing backward while his arms leaned across the pine top. He gazed intently at her pinched face that somehow managed to be frightened and angry at the same time. Julia perched upon the edge of the bed, her hands twisted in her lap as her confused face demanded credible answers.

  “About sixteen months ago,” Simon began, “my brother Seth worked for a firm called Girard and Tierney. They are a large architectural company in Toronto and serve some of the main business interests in the city. Seth worked for the firm for over two years and had bought, as I mentioned before, a condominium on the shores of Lake Ontario. He enjoyed working for Lou Tierney and the two men became personal friends.

  Lou had been son of a well-known businessman and seemingly entered the field of architecture through love, not obligation, having decided to reject ownership of his father’s successful textile business. While Lou Tierney played at architecture, his firm was actually a front for other lucrative business holdings he held, unfortunately not all of them legal. Unbeknownst to Seth, Lou was a chronic gambler and to pay off his debts his well-established business was used by the mob.”

  “Good God, the mob’s involved in this?” asked Julia, turning white.

  “Unfortunately yes, and that’s where Seth comes in. His computer, having unfortunately crashed, severely set him behind on some plans he was designing. To catch up, he decided to work late and use his secretary’s machine. While using her computer, he noticed some files that, well, didn’t fit and realized he’d stumbled upon some very incriminating information. That night, by chance Mandy Gascone, whose real name was Mandy Gaskill and an undercover cop, came back to retrieve some papers and caught him at her machine.”

  “I bet that didn’t look good.”

  “You’ve got that right. She instantly thought he was involved with Lou Tierney and it took all of his sweet-talking skills to convince the middle-aged woman he wasn’t. Anyway, to make a long story short, Mandy enlisted his aid, asking him to keep an ear out for any additional information. Seth was simply going to be a source, nothing more, until a fluke accident occurred. As you probably have guessed, Toronto winters can get pretty chilly and icy. It was during a brief thaw that Mandy slipped upon the steps leading to the building and broke her leg in two places. Realizing that the carefully constructed sting intended to trap Lou Tierney in his money laundering business was about to go awry, she enlisted Seth’s aid again, placing him in contact with a man by the name of Angus O’Leary.”

  “O’Leary? I never heard Seth mention either him or this Mandy.”

  “I’m sure it’s because Seth didn’t want you to know Julia. All I can say is that things went terribly wrong. Seth’s cover was blown and even though Joe Alletti was arrested, a leak in the Toronto Police Department indicated that Seth and I, as well as our cousin Lucas, had been involved in the entire undercover operation. Our cousin Lucas had been down visiting us and some of Tierney’s associates took a snapshot of Seth and him. Of course, at the time, Joe Alletti couldn’t be sure if it was Seth or me who was involved because we were identical twins. As the trial approached and one government witness “mysteriously’ disappeared, the Toronto Police Department realized Seth’s life was in danger and because of our close relationship packed all three of us off. Lucas, I later found out, was stashed somewhere in British Columbia and I was sent down to Detroit.

  Seth of course wasn’t speaking to me at the time because the incident regarding the girl, Marcie, so I didn’t know he’d been stashed in Santa Barbara. Seth began a new life down here and in mid-October, flew up to Toronto to testify against Joe Alletti. No one knows how he was pegged, since his testimony had been sequestered, but when Seth returned to Santa Barbara he was tailed by the man following us now; Adam Gable. I’m not sure Seth became aware of his presence until December and by that time was hopelessly in love with you. He was instructed both by Angus O’Leary and Mandy Gaskill to relocate, but refused.” His voice tailed off and suddenly Julia realized what Simon hadn’t said.

  “Oh no! He refused to find a safe place because of me?”

  Simon glanced down sadly, his fist
s clenching the chair top. “It was a stupid mistake, one that cost him dearly.”

  “So what you’re saying is that the collision between the semi-truck and his Jeep was no accident?”

  Simon swallowed deeply. “I’m so sorry Julia.”

  “So the man I loved was murdered?” Julia suddenly rose, staggering blindly about the small room before backing into a corner of the room. She sank to the floor and leaning her head against the wall, cried silently.

  “Oh Julia, please…” Simon rose awkwardly and knelt beside her, placing gentle hands upon her shoulders. At first she resisted but finally, turning stiffly, sought the comfort of his arms.

  “They killed my Seth,” she gasped. “They killed him, those bastards.”

  Simon held her for a long time, soothing her hair and allowing the hot tears to rain down upon his chest. When Julia became calmer he lifted her from the floor, steering her toward the bed. Simon looped an arm over her limp shoulders.

  “Julia, I hate to say it, but there’s more. Joe Alletti was to stand trial on further allegations. Seth found out that Taylor Reynolds, an accountant with the firm, had access to a disk detailing Lou Tierney’s monetary connections with Alletti. Taylor didn’t trust the Toronto police, certain there was a leak somewhere in the department and unbeknownst to the police, mailed a copy of the disk to Seth, instructing him to hand it over to Angus personally if anything happened to him. Taylor was killed in January, just before he was about to testify, and because of his death part of the charges against Alletti were dropped. Within a day of Taylor’s ‘accidental fall’ from the balcony of his high-rise apartment, Seth’s Jeep burned to a crisp on a damp California highway.

  Alletti received information that Seth had secreted the disk of Lou Tierney’s workings somewhere in Santa Barbara. You probably didn’t know that Bastam, Hughes, and Glickstern suffered a burglary less than three days after Seth’s death. Seth’s desk was rummaged; his computer files pillaged, and his hard drive stolen.”