Amanda's Return

by June Kramin

  “Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

  “Hound dog.”

  “It’s Big H to you, lady.”

  She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll take care of you tonight.” She took a sip of her drink and coughed. “Holy crap. What did you order me?”

  “Liquid gold by the price of it. I have no idea. I said whatever the house martini was. I didn’t expect it to be blue.”

  She took another sip. “Jeez. You shouldn’t have closed the tab. Two of these and you’d be doing me on the table.”

  Hunt stood and pretended to rush to the door. Mandy laughed as she pulled him back by the shirt. “Come on. We need to get serious. You have no idea how upset I am about Sue.”

  “She did seem genuinely upset about Angelo. Were they close?”

  “Not necessarily, but Sue did really like him.”

  “I thought he was kind of a punk back then.”

  “He sort of was as far as most of the men were concerned, but we liked him. He didn’t have to play tough guy for us. Of course he was a man about town and a playboy, but he was always a gentleman at formal affairs. He danced with us at some of the parties and such. He did have respect for the women in the family even if he didn’t have any for the ones he brought back to his bedroom.”

  “Any chance he and Sue…you know.” Hunt cupped his hand and put his index finger in and out.

  “Hunt! That’s horrible. No. Of course not.”

  “You sure?”

  “Of course. Angelo had more respect for Lonny than that.”

  “Guy hormones, babe.”

  “I know she’s gorgeous, but no. There is no way. She was a very dedicated wife and mother. Darci was almost always with her. Any time I popped over at the house, she was there. She didn’t go sneaking around.”

  “Just had to ask. So…she knows about you playing Angelo’s sister. She had to know you were only calling him dead.”

  “I suppose. Now the question is, who is she getting the information from? I don’t think she’d contact anyone from Vince’s office. Any of the older crew would want the money back.”

  “And, who is this Sinclair? He knows something. If he’s just her French lover, I’ll kiss my crazy aunt Nellie on the ass.”

  “He didn’t pull ‘happy to see us’ off nearly as good as he thought he did.”

  “Okay. Eddie is on the ‘maybe’ list since someone tried to pop him.”

  “Or us.”

  “Or us. Milo is under question because we know he’s lying, too.”

  “We can almost rule out Gunner since he pretty much is only after a piece of ass, but we know he holds back info until we directly ask him, so there still could be something missing.”

  Hunt stood and slammed his drink. “This little chat got us nowhere and cost me fifty bucks, not counting valet or maître d’. I want a payback.”

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Hunt was grinning on the drive home.

  “I swear, Hunt. You’re like a teenager every time we mess around.”

  He took her hand and gave the back of it a long kiss. “Not every time. I just love the whole sneaky feeling. I’ll never say no when you want to come to New York again. I think you get as hot and bothered as I do.”

  “It’s not the town, nut job.”

  “Reminded me of the day I first met Hannah.”

  Mandy smiled. “Me too, only this time I wasn’t leaking breast milk.” As she said the words, Mandy gently pushed at the sides of her breasts and winced slightly.

  “Was I too rough, babe?”

  “I don’t think so. They’re just…” She covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Just what? You’re scaring me. Do I need to pull over?”

  “No.” She chuckled. “My boobs are sore.”

  “This is funny why?”

  “Mom was right.”

  “Babe. Would you please not do this?”

  “I’m serious, hon. You weren’t around for Hannah. This is how I knew I was pregnant.”

  “By your boobs?”

  “I swear! I know this feeling, Hunt.”

  He reached for her hand again. “Please. We have so much on our plate right now. Don’t go sliding back into this.”

  “I’m not sliding into anything. I have to be pregnant.”

  “Because a nice old lady thinks you are and your boobs hurt?”

  “Men don’t get it.” Mandy crossed her arms and peered out the window. “If you were around while I was pregnant with Hannah, you’d understand.”

  “And whose fault was it that I wasn’t? Do you really want to go there? ’Cause I for one don’t.” Hunt pulled the car over at a bus stop and hit the emergency flashers. “Come here.”

  “No.” She was now into a level-two pout.

  “Come here, dammit.” He didn’t wait for her. He leaned over and pulled her by the waist until she was next to him. Despite her struggling, he held her tight. “I don’t want to do this. Please.” He kissed the top of her head. “We’ll stop at a drug store, and you buy a test kit. Okay?”

  “I don’t want to now.”

  Hunt sighed. “Fine. Maybe you shouldn’t know. We need to figure this out and get the hell home. I don’t need you any more distracted than you already are. Let’s wait and find out. You’re not due for another week, anyway. Maybe if that doesn’t come and go, you’ll know.”

  “I already know. If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

  He threw his head back in frustration. “You really think I don’t want to know? Of course I want another baby, dammit. What I don’t want is you upset when you’re not. Please. You need to stop acting like this, Mandy.”

  “Acting like what? Someone that wants a baby?”

  “No. I don’t want you to get your hopes up and freak out if you find out you’re not pregnant. I love you more than life, but we need to start living ours and not relying on whether or not you’ll get pregnant again. I’ll love our life whether we have one baby or ten. I don’t care where we are as long as we’re together. Please let this go.”

  “I shouldn’t have had that drink.”

  Again Hunt sighed. “So don’t drink until you find out.” He moved a hand over her stomach. “You know I want to be there from the beginning this time.”

  She placed both her hands over his. “Maybe you won’t love me with a bulging belly.”

  “Bet you I will. I seem to recall liking the titty fairy.”

  Mandy finally smiled. “I want another one so bad.”

  “I know, babe.” He kissed her forehead. “Our time will come. Have faith in that doctor I paid a bundle for, okay?”

  A few loud blasts of a bus horn made them both jump. Hunt pulled back into traffic and headed to the house.

  Milo had dinner waiting for them. Mandy was thankful they were alone. “Where is everyone?” she asked.

  “Eddie pulled them away. Said they’d be back before dark. He was really pissing and moaning about wasting time having them here when you weren’t.”

  “He can take them away for good for all I care.”

  “You play tough all you want. I like at least someone here at night. I didn’t get this close to retirement to get blown away.”

  Hunt couldn’t hold back his laugh. “Got a good severance package and 401K, do you?”

  Milo smiled. “I guess that does sound funny. It’s a nice night. Since it’s just the two of you, I set up the table out by the pool. Go sit, I’ll bring it out to you.”

  There was a bottle of chardonnay and a Shiraz on the counter. Hunt reached for the Shiraz and picked up two glasses. Mandy cleared her throat, and Hunt put one of the glasses back. Milo raised an eyebrow to Mandy. “Is there something I should know?”

  “No. I want to keep alcohol out of my system while we’re trying to do a job.”

  “You’re not doing such a good job of it. You smell like vodka.”

  “I decided this after a martini lunch.”

  “Ah,
I see. Go sit. I’ll be a minute.”

  Rather than sit at the table right away, Hunt and Mandy sat at the pool’s edge with their feet dangling in.

  “We should hit the hot tub tonight, babe.”

  “You’re still treating this like a vacation.”

  “We need to rest up here and there and give our brains a break. We are finding out something new every day, only each something is a different lead. So far we have five suspects and nothing solid to go on.”

  “Something has to tie together. Since you got your fix this afternoon, we have extra time tonight to work on it.”

  “You mean you’re cutting me off because of a nooner?”

  Mandy laughed. “You’re hopeless.”

  Milo walked out with two plates. Hunt stood then helped Mandy up with the hand that wasn’t holding the glass of wine.

  “I need to speak to you two. If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit with you for a few minutes.”

  “Of course,” Mandy said.

  Milo put the plates on the table. They never heard the shot, only Hunt’s glass shattering then Milo falling to the ground.

  Mandy screamed, “Milo!” and dropped to his side. Hunt knocked the table over and pulled it down to give them cover. As Mandy placed her hand on Milo’s wound she cried, “Call 9-1-1!”

  The wound was close to his heart. He wasn’t going to make it but she couldn’t sit there and do nothing. Mandy removed the cloth napkin from the table and tried to keep pressure on the wound. “You’re going to be fine, Milo. Hang in there.”

  Hunt dialed nine-one-one and got up and ran in the direction the bullet came from.

  “I’ve done you a horrible injustice, Amanda.”

  “Shhh. You haven’t done anything. Just rest. You’ll be fine.”

  “Eddie thinks I was on his side, but I wasn’t. I never would have given away anything.”

  “I know, Milo.” Mandy stroked his hair. “I trusted you.”

  “I wouldn’t have given up the cabin location. I was just playing along. I’m too fond of the boy.”

  “Don’t try to talk. The ambulance will be here any minute. You’ll be fine.”

  Milo coughed. “I needed to tell you…Sue was here earlier.”

  “She was? What did she want?”

  “The safe…” Milo coughed. “She cleaned out a safe.”

  “What was in it?”

  “Mostly jewelry. Paperwork…I don’t know.”

  “It’s okay. We’re watching her. Nothing is your fault.”

  “She was so sad about Angelo.”

  “She loved him, too.”

  “I told her he was alive.”

  Inside Mandy screamed, but she calmly stroked Milo’s hair again. He wasn’t to blame for anything. “It’s okay. No harm done. It’ll be okay.”

  He coughed again. “Be careful, Mandy. Eddie doesn’t think you’ll last another day…” His eyes closed slowly and his head lolled to one side. One last breath escaped as Mandy whispered, “No.”

  When Hunt joined Mandy again, her head was resting on Milo’s. “He gone?”

  She nodded with tears in her eyes.

  “I didn’t see anything. Go pack. We’re out of here.”

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Mandy threw together what little they had in a hurry. When she reached the front door, Hunt was backing over the lawn, speeding towards her. She hurried over with her bag while Hunt ran up for his. Sirens from the ambulance were already blaring. Hunt rushed back, tossing the suitcase in back with Mandy’s, and hit the gas.

  “Where to?” Hunt asked.

  “This may sound odd, but Gunner is who I trust most right now. Go to the warehouse.”

  “I’ll trust you on this. What are you going to do about Eddie?”

  “Nothing right now. He’s not going to give us any answers. It’s not like Milo had any great info that he was hiding and about to spill. We don’t know if that bullet was for one of us or him. Let Eddie get word about this and see if he tries to contact us.”

  “I don’t think Eddie would have Milo killed. Do you?”

  “I wouldn’t think so, but why did he happen to pull out his men? If he knew we were going to be hit, why not take Milo too?”

  “Maybe it was the vigilante. Maybe Milo knew more than we thought. Did he say anything that seemed important before he died?”

  She told him about Sue cleaning out the safe.

  “He say what she got?”

  “Jewelry and paperwork.”

  “Did he know what the paperwork was?”

  “If he did, he didn’t get a chance to say.” Mandy sniffed then swore. She dropped her head to Hunt’s lap and cried.

  Once they were in Gunner’s office, Mandy filled him in. “Who do you have out right now, and where are they?”

  “Everyone is accounted for and home with their families or here.”

  “So you really have no idea if someone is out there okaying clean up, do you?”

  “This isn’t one of my guys. Why the hell would we kill a chef, for fuck’s sake?”

  “What about us? That bullet was inches from hitting me,” Hunt said.

  “You haven’t pissed anyone off enough. Don’t flatter yourself. It’s not my guys, Mandy.”

  “Where are Axle and Kermit?”

  “I just did a pickup and left the two dipshits. They’re drunk as skunks and playing that stupid Xbox thing. Damn kids.”

  Mandy sighed heavily. “Where’s Heidi?”

  “Waiting for me at my place. She visited Face today. Told him it was over.”

  “She what? She tell him about you?”

  “Yes. I’m tired of all the hiding. Maybe Angelo would be alive if I could have given Heidi the time she wanted. She wouldn’t have needed to go to him. I was going to schedule a visit and own up to it and let the consequences fly.”

  “Why did you say ‘was’ like that?”

  “He hung himself today not long after she left.”

  “Oh, my God.” Mandy sank down hard in a chair.

  Hunt ran his fingers gruffly through his hair. “Well, at least our list of suspects is shrinking.”

  Mandy flipped open her phone.

  “Who you calling?” Hunt asked.

  “James.” She turned to Gunner. “Hate to kick you out of your own office, but can I have some privacy?”

  “Do I know this James? He east-side?”

  “No. But he may have more for me about Face. I’m not so convinced it’s a suicide. How did you hear so fast?”

  “We have another guy in. He called as soon as he heard.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about someone else in when I was asking you about Face getting information?”

  “It didn’t seem important. He’s nobody. Just some junkie that attached himself to us, so we put him to work. Punk kid. Got himself arrested right away selling to an undercover.”

  “I thought you had an understanding with the cops around here. How could he get so sloppy?”

  “Kid hit up a rookie. Hit him pretty hard for a first offense. No skin off my nose. The kid didn’t rat on us.”

  “So he’s not feeding anyone anything he shouldn’t?”

  “Billy? No. In all honesty, I sort of forgot about him until his call. I was about to call you before you showed up. I thought you’d want to know.”

  “Thanks, Gunner.”

  “You want me to set you up with a place to stay?”

  “No. Thanks, though. We’ll pick something random. The less people that know, the better.”

  “I gotcha. No offense taken either.” He left and closed his office door. Mandy called James.

  James answered with, “What took you so long to call?”

  “I just heard.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Gunner’s warehouse.”

  “Well, I guess it is his warehouse now with Face gone.”

  “What do you know, James? Does it really look like a suicide?”

  “He was alon
e in his cell. I’m afraid so.”

  “Your logs can lie.”

  “There’s no discrepancies, Mandy. I oversee those personally. He was a two-bit loser at best in there. He may have thought he was so special, but he was on nobody’s list. He hung himself after his girlfriend left. And don’t even start with me about listening in. We gave him a conjugal on this one, and the guards turned a deaf ear to the wailing. I’ll play the tapes if you want more detail, but my guess is after she got her ride, she told him goodbye. The guard that took him back said there was nothing that made him want to put him on a special suicide watch or anything.”

  “I guess we’ll have to go with what you say, then.”

  “Why are you calling from Gunner’s? Isn’t that risky?”

  “Believe it or not, he’s all we have right now. We’re here because Milo was shot. But we don’t know if the bullet was meant for us.”

  “I received the call on the house shooting. I wanted to call, but I was afraid of who you might be with. You had me worried, kid.”

  “So you are watching the house.”

  “Just a little.”

  “What else do you know?” Mandy’s voice raised.

  “Meow.”

  “You fucking pig. You care enough to eavesdrop on us having sex, but you don’t keep an eye enough to stop an innocent chef from being murdered?”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Goddamn you, James.”

  “Look. Chill out. We have a tail on Sue. We know she was at the house, but we don’t know what she did.”

  “Was anyone else at the house while she was? Other than Milo?”

  “The guards were already gone.”

  “Shit. Only Eddie can call them off. He cleared the way for Sue. Sonofabitch!”

  “Where are you going to go?”

  “To go move Angelo. Milo told Sue about him. If he mentioned the cabin, she now knows where to go.”

  “Do you want me to send people there?”

  “He’s not where she thinks, so that will buy me some time. He’s too close for comfort, though. What are my chances of getting a plane and getting him out of there?”

  “Tomorrow? Pretty damn good. I want you with him though. You’re done there. This thing is going to shoot itself out with or without you. We’ll relocate you again. Hunt’s parents too.”