by Ali Vali
Chapter Thirty-Four
Since telling Dallas good night the previous evening, Remi hadn’t thought about anything but her. At least she was still sleeping behind the closed door, or so Remi guessed, since she hadn’t heard a sound from the room all morning. She reread the first line of the lead story in the morning’s paper for the twentieth time and still didn’t have an inkling of what it said.
She put the paper aside and decided to concentrate on the view instead. Maybe she could do that while trying to organize her jumbled brain. When the elevator doors opened, Remi was so startled she almost went for a kitchen knife. Simon and Juno lived a floor below her, and they were the only ones who occasionally popped in unexpectedly. But Dallas stood in the foyer wearing a T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants, and judging from the perspiration running down her face, she’d been out exercising.
“I thought you were asleep,” Remi said as she tried not to put her hand to her chest and calm her heart to a steadier pace.
“Sorry, I checked with Simon and she let me down and came and got me so I could take my morning walk. I would’ve let you know but you were still in your room, and I didn’t want to bother you.”
“You shouldn’t go out this early alone,” Remi said, putting her finger up to keep Dallas from wandering off since the phone was ringing. She looked at Dallas after she picked up but didn’t say anything once she pressed it to her ear.
When Dallas pointed in the direction of her room Remi shook her head, not wanting her to leave. “Do you have any idea who?” Remi finally said, then fell silent again and listened. “You need me to send someone out there? Call me if you change your mind.”
“Something wrong?” Dallas asked when Remi hung up.
“Someone killed one of Cain’s men this morning at the airport.”
“God, that’s tragic. What happened?”
“Whoever it was made it look like Rick got rolled and shot, but people usually don’t get mugged in an airport.”
Dallas kept her distance and wiped her hands on her pants like she needed to dry them. “Do you need to go see Cain? I could sit with Emma if you want me to come along.”
“You might want to stay here,” Remi said, then cleared her throat as Dallas neared.
“I’d like to help.”
“I know,” Remi said, and exhaled deeply, “but you might not want to get too involved in this.”
“Why am I here, Remi? I mean really here?”
“We’ve been over this already. You staying home isn’t a good idea right now, if Bob has some problem with you.”
Dallas laid her hand flat on Remi’s chest and looked into her eyes as if trying to find something in them. “That doesn’t answer my question. If that’s the only reason, there are plenty of hotel rooms in this city where it would’ve taken Bob a year to find me. Why am I here?”
“I’m not sure what answer you want, because that’s the only one I’ve got,” Remi said, dropping her gaze to Dallas’s hand. It appeared delicate against the green, heavy silk of her robe.
“You have another one, but maybe you’re not ready to share it with me.” Dallas moved her hand up until she reached Remi’s shoulder. “But that’s okay.” She stood on tiptoe. “I’m willing to wait you out until you’re ready.” She put her hand behind Remi’s head, encouraging Remi to bend down so she could reach her lips.
They’d kissed before, but for Remi this one was like turning the page of a book and finding out something new about the character she thought she knew. Dallas might have been an enigma, but when Remi pressed her lips to hers, she got a dose of passion and compassion all in one act. For all her doubts, Remi relaxed somewhat, because in her experience, no one could fake something like this.
“You’re here because you need someone to stand up for you, since you can’t or won’t for whatever reason,” Remi said when they parted. Dallas opened her mouth in an almost perfect o and had taken the breath to push out whatever word she had in mind, but Remi kissed her again. “You’re here because I want to be that someone. Not because I owe it to you, or because you asked me, but because I want to.”
She pulled away and headed toward her bedroom to get dressed, but stopped as she reached the hall. When she turned around Dallas was standing there touching her lips and appearing dazed. “If you want to, I’m sure Emma would appreciate the company. If you want to stay, that’s okay too. But promise you won’t go out alone until I know what’s going on.”
*
Muriel quickly made it from the parking garage to the airport with only one thing in mind. As much as what had happened to Rick upset her, she was concerned with the living, and she hadn’t been able to reach Lou since he’d hung up with Cain. She’d spent the morning calling all of their police contacts and was still in the dark.
While she tried to find Lou, Cain had made a few calls of her own and had gotten their people back from Mississippi. Katlin was there in two hours and had volunteered to escort Muriel to the last place Lou had been, so Katlin, along with a few more men, walked with her, making almost a human cage of protection as they entered the chilly interior of the main corridor.
“Did he say where in the building he was?” Katlin asked.
“They were here to pick up a damn bag,” Muriel said, disgusted. “Nothing worth getting killed over.”
“Let’s start there.”
At the bank of escalators three police officers stood in front of a line of police crime-scene tape to keep anyone from going down. “Who’s in charge?” Muriel asked the first one who looked her way.
“Captain Hallman, but he’s too busy to come up right now.”
“I don’t want him to come up, I want to go down.” Muriel pointed at the escalator that someone had turned off, the steps frozen in position.
“They’re still working the scene, so that’s not going to happen.”
“Either you call him and get me cleared or I’ll call his boss and get the same thing, your choice.”
“Let her down,” a man screamed from the floor beneath them. “Alone.”
Muriel took the steps two at a time and stopped in front of Paul Hallman. He was two years from retirement, and to Muriel, he always appeared tired. “That your guy in there?” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
“Rick worked for my cousin, Cain Casey, and he was here picking up a bag for a family member. When you’re finished with your investigation, call my office so we can arrange to pick him up and take him to the funeral home.”
Hallman scratched his head, then tried to order his thinning hair with his fingers. “That’s mighty agreeable of you, Muriel. All the years I’ve known you, I pegged you for someone whose nails we need to shove bamboo under while we drip water on your forehead to get you to admit to your name. I do believe that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at one time.”
“I’m feeling generous, considering the situation, but that’s not why I’m here. Our family will take care of Rick later. I’m here for Mr. Romano.”
“Who?”
She laughed at the way he crinkled his brow. “Don’t start playing dumb now, Paul. You’re too old for that. Lou Romano is in your custody, if I had to guess. Unless you have reason to hold him, I want him released to me.”
“Lou’s last name is Romano?” Hallman laughed and led her to the security office. “I sure as hell didn’t know that. Never heard him called anything but Lou.”
“Why is he still here?”
“The guys told me he was the one who found your boy, and he volunteered to give a statement.” Hallman opened the door, and the same security guard that had put Lou in the chair still sat across from him. Lou was still cuffed. “Why in the hell didn’t you take those off, you idiot?” The guard came close to falling backward when Hallman screamed at him.
“You okay, Lou?” Muriel asked.
“Just great.” Lou rubbed his wrists and stood up. “Am I free to go?”
“Did you give a statement?” Hallman asked.
“That’s going to have to wait. I need to go to the hospital and have my hands checked out from being cuffed so tight for so long.”
Paul nodded. “I’ll cut you some slack, but I want you in my office no later than tomorrow.”
“I’ll have him there,” Muriel said.
They had started to leave when Hallman’s gruff voice stopped them. “You didn’t see anything, did you, Lou?”
“Just my friend with a bullet hole in his forehead.”
“Let’s say I believe you for now,” Hallman said slowly. “Don’t go doing anything crazy, okay?”
“Crazy isn’t our style,” Muriel said as she wrapped her hand around Lou’s bicep to keep him quiet.
“I’ll see you around, then.” Paul stuck his hand out and offered it to Muriel first, then Lou.
“Let me know if you find anything that points to who did this,” Muriel said. “Cain’s putting up a ten-thousand-dollar reward for information. That should help with the investigation.”
“I’ll pass that along, and you remember to do the same. If you find something, phone me.”
Muriel just stared at him before smiling. “I’m sure you’ll be my first call.”
“You’re full of shit, Muriel, but I like you anyway.”
She bowed her head slightly and just as quickly quit smiling. The cops had their job to do, and they had theirs. Whoever had killed Rick would face endless court dates or only one quick date with death. It depended on who won the footrace—Hallman or them.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“You know what this might mean, don’t you?” Cain asked Remi. She was staring at the spot where Rick had been standing just that morning. After asking Merrick earlier she knew he was twenty-six years old. At that age she’d never thought about death much, until it became such a frequent visitor.
“The start of a war? If it is, it’d be nice to know who we’re fighting.”
“We’re fighting the future, Remi, and for once I don’t know if we can win this fight no matter how hard we go at it.” Cain exhaled and shook her head to force herself to look away.
“You want to give up before we even start?”
“I’m tired, that’s all. I’ve changed because I wanted peace. I wanted to enjoy my family and my wife without some asshole constantly taking shots at me.”
Remi placed her mug in the sink and leaned against the counter. “I can’t see you retired and knitting booties somewhere.”
“But I can see her feeding cows somewhere for about a week,” Ross said, interrupting them. “After that, all your energy would drive you mad.”
“Are you wondering deep down if perhaps Carol was right? Your daughter could’ve picked safer,” Cain said.
“My daughter picked with her heart. Your life isn’t always perfect, but unlike what that guy Kyle told me, the fight seems to always come to you without you looking for it. This would be the time to get up, brush yourself off, and kick the shit out of someone.”
“You know...” Cain did something she’d never done to Ross. She walked over and hugged him. “You asked me once if you were anything like my father.” She’d never been this close to him, and while he wasn’t a large man, he felt strong and solid. “If he’d been here, that’s exactly what he would’ve said.” The kitchen door opened and Lou walked in, his shirt still stained with Rick’s blood. “You look like a man who could use a drink,” she told him.
“Later on I’d love one, but right now I want to talk to you.”
Lou followed her out to the yard and stood in the center, well away from the trees. “Any idea who did this?” she asked.
“I dropped him off and went to pick up our stuff.” He coughed and had to stop, and Cain suspected it had nothing to do with the weather.
“We can do this later,” Cain offered when he pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes.
“It was a fucking bag,” he yelled. “We could’ve sent anyone in there…I could’ve gone.”
“You know what-ifs don’t accomplish anything. What we need now is to honor Rick’s life by taking care of his family and finding the bastards who did this before the cops do.”
“While I was sitting in that fucking room with my hands on my ass, I tried to remember anything that would get us closer to the shooter. I saw this group of guys leaving when I went in to check on Rick. I could swear one of them was wearing Rick’s clothes, and when I found him he was in his underwear. His shoes and cell phone were shoved in the can.”
“Did you get a look at their faces?”
“They were staring at those ads the airport puts up so I didn’t think anything of it then, but later I thought that was weird.”
“No faces, okay, anything else?”
“It was their hair that gives me an idea where we need to start looking.”
Cain glanced at Lou’s face and saw that his eyes had watered. “What about it?”
“Black, thick, slicked back, and one of them had a ponytail.”
“Tall or short?” Cain asked the questions the police were probably trying to squeeze out of whoever was within a ninety-mile radius of the airport.
“Short sticks in my head. They remind me of those guys we saw always hanging close to Juan and his uncle.”
“Rick was with us the night we went to the Steak Knife, wasn’t he?” Cain felt like someone had given her a shot of adrenaline.
“I had him tag along so he’d get used to being around you guys. If we eventually put him with Hannah, I wanted him to get used to the family’s routine.”
“Good work, Lou. You’re right. We know where to look first.” She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed briefly. “If I’m right, Rick was at the wrong place at the wrong time for all the right reasons. It sounds like these guys panicked, so I’m sure Rick never saw it coming when they got him in the bathroom.”
“What about his family?”
“I’ll take care of that myself. Rick was loyal and needs to be repaid, if not to him then to his mother.”
“Take Mook with you,” Lou said. “He’s another good kid, and she’s his great-aunt. I’m sure it’ll make her feel better to have some family around.”
Cain nodded and led him back inside. “Clean up and I’ll call you if we’re going out, but don’t worry. That won’t be for awhile yet.”
“Don’t start without me.”
“More importantly, I don’t plan to finish without you.”
*
From the sunroom, Emma watched Cain and Lou talk, and she could tell Lou’s face was wet with tears. She was trying not to give in to her own grief again, since it wouldn’t help Cain take care of things. When Cain had told her about Rick, she’d cried for the loss but had selfishly given thanks it hadn’t been Cain or one of her children. If she burned in hell for that, then so be it.
“This doesn’t happen often, does it?” Dallas asked her.
“Not really, but it doesn’t make it any easier when it does. Could you excuse me for a minute?” She stood next to the window until Cain noticed her. She knew that once Cain started to strike back, they wouldn’t have much time alone.
When Cain’s eyes finally found her, she smiled and waved her out. As Emma hurried to where Cain was standing, she stopped and put her arms around Lou and kissed his forehead when he bent down to return the kindness. “I know you’re not going to listen to me, but you need to lie down for a while. This wasn’t your fault, Lou.”
“It might take a bit for that to sink in, and I couldn’t sleep now unless someone cold-cocked me.”
“I’m in no position to tell you what to do, but can I ask you for a favor?” When he straightened up and she dropped her head back to still see his face, she had to shield her eyes from the brightness.
“You know you can.”
“Lie down for at least an hour. When Cain decides to move, she’ll want you with her, and I want you at your best. You won’t be protecting only her, but my heart as well. That’s a really corny thing to say, but it’
s true.”
“You’re a tough opponent, Emma.” Lou hugged her again and headed to the pool house. After Katlin had moved out, the guys used it as a sort of bunkhouse when they kept long hours and needed to get some sleep.
“Undermining my authority, lass?” Cain asked, but from the relaxed set of her eyes Emma could tell she was kidding. “I’m glad he listens to one of us.”
“I just told him the truth. He does go out everyday with my heart in his care.” She leaned against Cain and put her arms around her hips. “One thing I’ve learned about you big ruthless types is that most of you are closet romantics who can’t fight it no matter how hard you try.” Cain laughed and scratched Emma’s back. “Did Lou give you any clues?”
“I needed a point to start from, and I think he provided that. Sounds like three or four guys waiting for something else jumped Rick and killed him. From Lou’s sketchy descriptions they sounded Hispanic.”
“Rodolfo’s guys?”
“I can’t answer that right now, but give me some time and maybe I can narrow it down.”
“Before I lose you to the people waiting inside, remember that I love you, and I’m here to take care of you.”
“I love you too, and even though I’m working, I want to see you.”
Emma pressed her cheek to Cain’s chest and laughed. “See what I mean about you big ruthless types.”
They walked back to the house hand-in-hand, and Emma saw Dallas standing at the French doors of the sunroom watching them. Aside from when they arrived, Emma hadn’t seen Remi and Dallas together. She was looking forward to it, if only to see if there was anything worth celebrating.
“Ramon and Mano arrived while you were out there with Lou. I put them all in the kitchen since there aren’t enough chairs in the study, but don’t worry. I’ll keep the kids out of the way.”