Amanda's Return

by June Kramin

  Hammer grunted. They stood together and watched as a tall, thin black man approached Mandy. She talked to him with exaggerated hand expressions. Hunt wasn’t sure what to think. The man took her by the waist and dipped her down. They were far away, but Hunt could tell he was kissing her. He took a step closer to the edge, and Hammer held his arm.

  “Give it a second.”

  Mandy was released and stood straight back up then leaned towards the man and slapped him hard.

  “Bingo,” Hammer said. “That would be my boss, Sully. You think he’d learn by now.”

  “He’s kissed her before?”

  “If you want to call that a kiss. She has one hell of a follow through.”

  “Maybe I know why we haven’t been to see you yet.”

  “Nah. Amanda’s tough. She don’t take his shit. I guess it’s been a while, and he needed a reminder. You doin’ her or what?”

  “She’s my boss.”

  “So?”

  “I don’t mix business and pleasure.”

  “Too bad for you. Always wanted me a piece of that.”

  “I’ll be sure to pass it on.”

  Hammer took a small, brown vial out of his coat pocket. He knocked out a pile of powder on his knuckle and sniffed it up with his left nostril. After doing the other side, he offered the bottle to Hunt.

  “Thanks, but again, I don’t mix business and pleasure.”

  “It’s really good. It was the sample off this shipment.”

  “Still good. Thanks.”

  “Well, I’m heading down. You staying for a while?”

  “A little. I want to watch as the van leaves. See if anything goes on in the aftermath.”

  “Good plan. I’ll catch your act later.”

  “I’m sure you will. See you.”

  “Later, Big H.”

  Hunt laughed. He had to remember to rag on Mandy about that name again.

  After watching for another fifteen minutes, the truck drove away. The delivery bay cleared out, and everyone that should have left did. Mandy went back inside with Gunner. Hunt decided everything was clear and went back down. Hammer had been right. No one was out to mess with the drug haul.

  Hunt walked into the warehouse and assumed his best stance outside the office where Mandy talked to Gunner. After spotting him, Mandy said her goodbyes. He walked quietly beside her until they were outside. Once they were in the car, Hunt spoke.

  “So, ‘didn’t really click’ means he always tried to probe your tonsils with his tongue?”

  “I figured by your silence you were pissed. I was hoping you didn’t catch that, and no. He didn’t slip me any tongue, oh jealous oaf of mine. He likes to make a big production of everything. Sully knows I can’t stand him. That’s the whole point of it.”

  “I’m not pissed. Just playing the strong, silent type, sweetness. I’ll let him live for now. Did you learn anything new out of him?”

  “No. He confirmed what Angelo told me. They have this whole new understanding. I take it you didn’t see anything or you would have spoken up.”

  “Nothing out there to see, but I made a new friend.”

  She turned her head to face him. “Who?”

  “My namesake.”

  “Hammer? How did you meet him?”

  “Showed up on the roof I was on. It was so romantic.”

  Mandy slapped his leg. “Stop it. I’m really sorry about the name. I honestly forgot about him. I told you, we weren’t the friendliest. I don’t know why it popped in my head.”

  “That’s all right. It’s not like I have to live with it for long. But just so you know, next time I play gangster, I get to pick my own name.”

  She chuckled. “Deal. We’ll have to do some rounds again tomorrow. There is a whole new territory divide, and everyone seems effing peachy. I’m not sure what to think at all. If someone is trying to shoot their way into Vince’s spot, it’s not Sully.”

  “‘Effing,’ babe?”

  “I’m tired. Too much driving today. I want to crawl in bed and not move for a day.” She rested her head in Hunt’s lap. “I’m sorry. You’ve been up a lot longer than I have. How are you holding up?”

  “I’m fine. I didn’t even need a blast of coke from Hammer.”

  She let out a heavy sigh. “I’m really sorry I brought this into our lives.”

  “It’s not like we didn’t foresee excitement, babe. When you meet with a bang like ours, I guess it should be expected.”

  “I suppose it should, but it isn’t. Life has been so pleasant until now.”

  “It’ll get back to normal soon.” Hunt stroked her hair while he drove until she fell asleep. She hardly stirred when he carried her into the house.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  The next morning, Hunt and Mandy wandered down the stairs to the kitchen. Milo put his paper down. “You two have looked better.”

  “Long day yesterday,” Hunt said, running his hand over his face, still trying to wake up.

  “Sit. I’ll bring you coffee.” As he walked over with the pot and cups he said, “Sorry you couldn’t wait for me to go with you.”

  “They were, too. Trust me. Angelo made more than one complaint about the food,” Mandy said. “We’ll take you next time if there is a next time. I’ll give you warning to pack some provisions for them. They’d appreciate it. We were awake and wanted an early start. We had to be back for something last night, so it just wouldn’t have been worth it for you to come all that way.” Mandy quit talking. Even to herself, she sounded like she was rambling.

  “Do I expect you for dinner tonight?”

  “Hard to say, Milo. I’d like to think so.”

  “I’ll plan on it. It doesn’t hurt anything if you’re not.” He lowered his voice. “The oafs eat well, anyway.”

  Mandy smiled at him. Inside, her mind was racing. She wanted to trust Milo and hated that she now had doubts about him.

  Mandy made Eddie her first stop that day. She had gotten grief for not filling him in as often as he’d like, so she wanted to get it out of the way. After being announced, they walked into his office and sat in the loveseat against the wall rather than in the two chairs across from his desk. It was less intimidating that way.

  “I’m humbled you took the time to stop in.”

  “Can the shit, Eddie. I’m here. There’s nothing to tell you, but I’m here. Angelo is fine, and the deal went down without a hitch. I’m going to follow up with Sully today. I learned things are a little different between the groups, and I want to be seen and let them know who’s in charge.”

  “Just so you don’t forget who’s really in charge here. Me.”

  “You have me. You figured it out. I wanted you to kidnap me in my own home and disrupt my life, so I could come and pretend to be Vince’s daughter and take over the Menusco fortune.”

  “I’m glad you mentioned that. Angelo would have gotten everything if he was here, but I can tell you…we’re not a Fortune 500 company. I won’t be sending him a monthly allowance if he bails out. He’ll be given a nice sum then he’s on his own.”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t expect any more than that. His mind is made up, Eddie. Word is spreading like wildfire that he’s gone. Do whatever you need to as far as what your plans are for Vince’s money.”

  Eddie leaned back in his chair. “Honestly, I expected more of a fight.”

  “It’s not about the money. I would have thought that was clear.”

  “What did you learn at the cabin?”

  “I had to follow up on a lead. I needed to find out what Angelo knew.”

  “Who is this ‘lead’?”

  “Someone I’m tying in with Face. I’ll let you know if it pans out. If there was something I needed you to do, I’d ask.”

  “Would you?”

  Mandy stood. “Yes, Eddie, I would. I want out of here, remember? If I thought you could speed things up for me, I would ask for your help.”

  “Nice to hear. To think, all this time, I
thought maybe you didn’t trust me.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t know what to think of you.”

  Eddie grinned. “Same old Amanda.”

  “Yeah. Fancy that. Same old me.”

  “You want to meet with the man that replaced your husband?”

  “Do I? You think it’s of importance?”

  “That’s your call. I know he’s not involved. To quote Kevin Costner, ‘the man couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat.’ He’s not our shooter, but he does have the insights on everyone in the immediate family.”

  “He have the will?”

  “I have a copy of it here,” he said as he opened a bottom desk drawer. “I keep going through it, looking for something I may have missed.” Mandy stood up and walked over to take a look at it. “There’s nothing in it out of the ordinary. Angelo inherited everything except, of course, there were provisions in it for Angie.”

  Mandy flipped through it. “And you have final say in case of accidental deaths.”

  “And you planning his death puts me in charge. I know how this looks. If I was after money, I could have killed him anytime. It also wasn’t my idea to kill off Angelo. That was you.”

  Mandy tossed the will back on the desk. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get a head start on my day.”

  “I’ll follow you out. I have a few things to do today myself.” He stood and removed his coat from the back of his chair. “This job ain’t all glamor.”

  Mandy motioned for Hunt to get up and join her. “You are doing the strong, silent thing well, hon,” Mandy said when he reached her. She wrapped an arm around his waist mostly because she wanted to piss off Eddie. He had always frowned at public displays of affection. Mandy had never seen him with a woman. She had no idea if he was married and never cared to know. She’d only feel sorry for the poor woman.

  They rode the elevator in silence. When they walked into the lobby, Eddie spoke up again. “I know you and Sully don’t get along very well, but please don’t be burning any bridges. All these killings really come as a surprise. They would have been at the top of my list before, but lately things have been going too well.” He actually held the door open for her to step outside. “I know how you feel, Mandy, but I’m not—”

  Shots were fired by Eddie’s head, and everyone scrambled to the ground. Eddie touched his head and inspected his hand. There was no blood.

  Hunt crawled towards him and checked his head. “You’re not hit.”

  Another shot hit the wall. They lay there with their hands over their heads. Hunt was the first to stand. After hearing a car squeal away, Mandy shot to her feet and caught sight of Hunt already running after the car. Mandy removed her gun and took off after it as well. Seeing it turning at the corner and taking the alley, she changed her mind and went back for the car. It was being held at the front in a reserved parking spot.

  Speeding away from the curb, Mandy almost took out a cab. She was given a heavy dose of car horn and a one-fingered salute but kept her focus and floored the gas, sliding around the first corner. Catching up to Hunt in another block, she slowed enough for him to open the door and jump in.

  Traffic was thick but not at a standstill, and she was able to keep the car in sight. She had to run a yellow light to keep up, barely avoiding an accident.

  “You think this new twist has Eddie off your list of bad guys?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  The car took a ramp down, and Mandy had to cut off another car to keep up.

  “Careful, babe.”

  “No shit. Can you catch anything of the plates?”

  “Still too far away.”

  Mandy managed to get closer by another two car lengths, but they were still too far. The car ran a red light and took a left turn. Cars were sliding everywhere, but Mandy managed to dodge through them without hitting anyone. After another block, a police car pulled out behind them.

  “Shit!”

  “Keep going, babe. Don’t lose them. Let the cops follow.”

  “I wasn’t planning on stopping.” Flooring it to make her point, she managed to get another car length closer. The car pulled into an alley. Within seconds Mandy pulled in behind it, but the car had already been abandoned.

  Mandy slammed her hands on the steering wheel. “Goddammit!” She took her gun off of the seat and hurried out of the car. The police car screeched behind them. Two officers got out with their guns drawn.

  “Drop the weapon!”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Hunt knew whoever they were after was long gone. He played the only card he thought would keep them from getting arrested. Getting out with his hands high, he held up his badge.

  “Put your guns down. We’re FBI. Call in the plates on this thing and see what you come up with.”

  The officer from the passenger side came running over and went to the car. He called in the plates while the one that drove walked over to Hunt. “What’s the problem?”

  “Shots were fired over at Vince Menusco’s building.”

  The police officer laughed. “And I give a shit why?”

  “Because they went over my head, that’s why.”

  Mandy had tucked her gun back in its place and walked around the car to join them. “Word is you boys in blue aren’t doing anything about the killings. I guess I hoped for a little backup if needed.”

  The officer pointed to his partner. “We’re calling in your plates. Don’t get huffy with me, lady. We’ve been dealing with this shit for far too long around here. If some Dudley Doright is going to thin out the thugs, I’m not going to stop him.”

  “Even if one of you gets caught in the crossfire?”

  “I’ll worry if and when it gets to that. For now, there is no investigation from our end. I don’t know you, and I don’t know where you’re from.” He reached his hand out for Hunt’s ID. “I wasn’t aware the Feds were involved in this.”

  “I’m sure my partner meant no offense,” Hunt said to the officer. “But I guess with everyone’s attitude about it on the local level, someone bigger wanted us to take a look before innocent people get hurt.”

  He gave the ID back, apparently satisfied with it and Hunt’s answer. “This is our territory. If you’re up to something, you should have stopped in and spoken to our chief at the station.”

  “My apologies. Truth be told, this was our first stop. We’re starting off with routine questions and trying to get some idea of a place to start. Once we heard Vince was killed, the bureau no longer wanted to sit on this.”

  “Long overdue housecleaning if you ask me.”

  Hunt knew that was going to send Mandy over the edge. She stepped forward. “And Angelo being killed? That was more deserved housecleaning?” She poked at the officer’s chest, and Hunt cringed.

  He shoved her hand away then his head tilted. “Angelo’s dead?”

  “Think we need to get involved now?” Her hands went on her hips.

  The other officer walked over and interrupted them.

  “The car was reported stolen about an hour ago. I can dust it for prints, but I doubt that’ll do much good.”

  “Do it anyway,” Hunt demanded, grateful for the change of subject. If the officer dared bad mouth Angelo, he was sure to be wearing his police cruiser on his back, courtesy of his wife.

  “We taking orders from Feds now?” he asked his partner.

  “Just do it.”

  The officer mumbled as he walked back to the patrol car.

  Hunt stood by Mandy, hoping she took the cue to let him take it from here. Amazingly, she did. He read the officer’s name and precinct number off his uniform and said it out loud. “I’ll give a call there in a few hours and see if you lifted anything for prints. We’ll stay out of your way. If I hear anything that will be of use to you, we’ll be in touch. We didn’t expect trouble this early in the game, or we would have had back up.”

  “You think you were the target?”

  “I believe Eddie
was. We just happened to be there.”

  “With Vince and Angelo gone, I guess he should watch his back then, huh?”

  “It would appear so. Sorry for the bother, gentlemen.” Hunt took Mandy by the arm and put her in the passenger seat then walked around to the driver’s side. “You mind moving that thing so we can get out?” he shouted to the second officer still digging the fingerprint kit from the trunk. He slammed it closed and looked to his partner.

  “They’re free to go.”

  He shook his head, slid behind the wheel, and backed it up.

  Once they were on their way, Hunt spoke up. “Thanks for letting the subject of Angelo drop. We needed to get out in a hurry. I’m lucky he didn’t try to get a card or something from me.”

  “He didn’t give a shit. No one gives a shit. This is why I never wanted back in. No one does anything about the situation. They just piss and moan. If someone’s child was caught in the crossfire, would they care then?”

  Hunt pulled the car over to the curb and hit his flashers. A few cars honked, but he ignored them. “Come here,” he said as he motioned for Mandy to slide over to him. She did, and he held her tight. “It’s okay.”

  “No it’s not,” she said into his chest.

  “Yes it is. And holy shit, you sure know how to drive, babe.”

  She smiled and sat up. “Woody worthy?”

  “I could pound a twelve-inch spike with it.”

  She laughed. “I love you.”

  “Prove how much later. We need to get back to Eddie.”

  Eddie was in his limo when Mandy and Hunt returned. Hunt stayed in the car while Mandy went to give him a quick update.

  “Any luck?” Eddie asked.

  “Lost him. Did pick up a couple of cops, though.”

  He scoffed. “They’re mine or they don’t care, am I right?”

  “Thanks for caring how we managed to get ourselves out of it. This is where those badges came in handy. They’re dusting it, but I don’t expect anything to come of it. The car was stolen of course. We’re off to Sully’s. Just keep your head low and watch your back, Eddie.”

  “You still think I’m behind it?”