I lied, of course, and gave her a fictitious name for Miriam. 'Oh, Patricia, how nice of her,' I said. I smiled at her and continued with what I was doing. 'Sorry, was there something else?' I asked, as Rota continued to linger in my office.
'No, I'm sure everything is fine,' she said.
PART THREE
MAYHEM
Ascenscion
I couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt for having crossed the so-called 'line' and having a life of my own away from the Foundation. It was a world in which I was expected to pay my way. But that was something that never seemed to get mentioned, my pay.
I would definitely need to clarify that and there was no better time than the present. Rising from my seat, I descended the stairs and knocked on Carlos' office door.
'Enter,' Carlos called. 'Louise, how can I help you?' he said. He smiled, that Cheshire cat smile and I knew I would have to stand my ground.
'I need to speak with you about my salary.'
'Your salary? What has brought this on?' he asked. 'Why do you need money? When have you ever needed money?' He looked at me as if I were asking for something out of hand.
'Well, now that I am a woman of some means, I need to think about taxes and a will,' I told him, trying my best to invent a need.
'Those things will be taken care of as they arise, Louise. And your will... the Foundation is your legacy and your children have individual Trusts established, as do your grandchildren.' He paused for a moment and gestured for me to sit. 'In the event of your death, they will be amply provided for as you have just intimated, you are a woman of some means.' Carlos joined me in a chair opposite mine and took my hands in his. 'Are you not happy with my generosity, such that it is?' he asked.
'Yes, but... these are things women worry about. Do you not worry about them?' I asked.
'Tax Returns? Wills?' He thought for a moment and smiled. 'No, Louise, I do not worry about them. My affairs are in order and taken care of every year. Do you not remember all those lovely people supporting the Foundation. They support us in many ways.'
'Yes, I know,' I said, 'Everywhere I go, there is no need to pay, nothing for me to do but make a remark or like something and it appears. It is something I am not accustomed to and would very much like to have some money of my own that I can pay for something out of my own handbag. Is that too much to ask?'
'You do realize you'll be dipping into charitable funds for a personal reason?' he asked.
'Really, would I?'
'But, of course. Your 'salary' is automatically funneled into several accounts that will allow it to accrue great interest to ensure that you remain a woman of some means. That cannot be undone.'
'Surely, a small portion of those can be funneled directly to me in the form of cash? Really, I'm not asking for all of it, just a few hundred a month. Just enough to give me a little something of my own,' I said. My voice trailed to a whisper as I managed to get the words out.
He let go of my hands as if I had burned him. 'I thought you had more than enough to get by on, more than enough from what I have seen. You now have more personal items than you have ever had. You dine at the finest restaurants. The Foundation clothes you, feeds you and then provides you with the most sumptuous penthouse apartment that New York has to offer. You want basically for nothing, you work the hours you wish to work, and now you require something of your own?' He sighed, shook his head and looked away from me. 'Fine, I will see to it,' he remarked. 'Thank you, you can go now.' He rose and went back to his desk. He did not look at me again. He stabbed at the buttons of the phone as he began to make a call.
Reluctant though he would be to entertain the fact that I might need a few folded bills in my purse, I had entered his office with a different outcome in mind. I didn't expect him to turn the whole thing around and throw it back in my face as if I were truly ungrateful for all I now had. My stomach churned and my knees wobbled. I felt sick.
'Apologize!' a voice said in my head, but something held me back. Perhaps it was the realization that something was just not right. His original promise, to make me wealthier than I might ever imagine, seemed worthless. His words seemed to resonate in my head.
I made my way back down stairs. The lobby was such a calm place. Faerys was at the desk and she looked up and gave me an innocent smile. I smiled back.
A dark sedan caught my attention as it drove across the lanes at high speed and approached the front entrance. I knew the car was not going to stop and it barreled through the entrance and into the large, open lobby in an explosion of glass like a tsunami.
Everything suddenly went into slow motion. Alarms sounded. I hurried down the stairs and met Faerys at the bottom. Two men stepped slowly out of the car and began spraying the walls with machine gunfire. The noise was deafening. Shards of plaster and marble shot everywhere, hitting my shoulders and lodging in my hair.
It was as if hell had chosen an afternoon appointment. I screamed and kept my head down as I grabbed hold of Faerys' hand. We made our way toward the freight elevator at the back of the building.
We could still hear the gunshots. The gunmen seemed to be demolishing the whole building windowpane by windowpane. We ascended in the lift. I hoped it would all soon stop.
'Where is your brother?' I asked Faerys.
'Mom, he's fine, he's at lunch,' she said. 'Philo and Sabene are with Rota and they have gone to the park for the day.' She seemed so calm and in control.
I was worried that the gunmen would follow after us. They had, I'm sure, seen us head for the freight elevator. It was in plain sight of reception as a security precaution. No one ever thought it would be used to flee a clear and present danger.
Neither of us had any idea of where we were heading. It was more by instinct, than anything else, that made us head to the floors that were still under construction.
The lift stopped on the thirty-second floor and opened to a warehouse of building supplies. Powder from concrete, sand and dust littered the floor. Small bits of rubble, remnants of wire, cable and pipe were seen in corners and pallets of rebar, PVC piping and reels of wire and cable greeted us. Metal and wooden sheeting, fixtures and fittings and bins of plastic lined walls. Hand and power tools were encased in steel cupboards and there were bins of nails, screws, nuts and bolts and small construction pieces to complete a finish.
Scaffolding and a ladder to a mezzanine level caught our attention. We had to find somewhere to hide until people came to find us.
I wasn't dressed for this but Faerys was. Her active apparel made it easy for her to scale that ladder and get to the top. She encouraged me from the top.
'Come on, Mom. You can do this!' she said.
'Of course I can. Look around up there for somewhere to hide and I'll be up in a minute.'
My flats, though rubberized to avoid slipping, did little to aid my ascent. My dress, with its petticoat, padded the rails but also got in the way and made it difficult to move. My jacket had big deep pockets that held my Filofax, a handkerchief and a tissue or two. I took one out to wipe my brow. Sweat in my eyes was not going to help get me to the top.
Faerys was back to the ladder to assess my progress. 'Mom, you'd better get a move on,' she whispered, 'the elevator just opened and I think we've got company.'
That was all I needed to spur me up to the top. I was just about there when a shot rang out. It whizzed and fizzed by my head and I froze for just a moment until Faerys brought me back from my stupor.
'Mom!' she yelled. 'No time to waste. Get up here now!' She reached down and grabbed my dress at the back and supported me as I made the last few rails.
Another shot rang out and we scurried to the back of the mezzanine. Faerys guided me to the back behind ventilation units packed with insulation. She pushed me to the ground and told me to stay there. She was going to hide somewhere else. She had a pipe she could use as a weapon.
We heard the sound of someone ascending the ladder and knew it would only be a matter of time before
we were cornered.
Then, silence.
I peeked around the corner of the ventilation unit to see what I could. A head appeared above the mezzanine floor level. A gun was raised. Eyes searched for movement. Ears listened for sound.
I couldn't help but suck my breath in and try to recover my position. It was all the gunman needed. Shots rang out and I heard a body fall.
I was so worried it was Faerys. I looked around one more time and saw a gun laying on the mezzanine floor. I stood up. Faerys appeared from behind a metal cabinet. We looked at each other and slowly started toward the ladder.
I heard the sound of heavy breathing as a body was dragged. I motioned to Faerys and whispered to her, 'Get down on your hands and knees and retrieve that gun. Try not to be seen. We don't want whoever is down there to know we are here.'
She nodded and crawled to where she could pick the gun up without making a sound and brought it back to me.
'What are we going to do?' she asked.
'Nothing,' I said. 'We wait. Now, we have a weapon I can use and I will if I need to. Get back behind that metal cabinet again. I'm ready.'
'Mom?'
'Don't 'mom' me. Just do what I tell you and take cover. We'll be just fine.'
Fire
I planted myself at the back of the first section of ventilation units. My feet were shoulder width apart, one slightly forward of the other, and my knees were slightly bent. I was ready if I needed to use the gun.
Enrique Cordele's face appeared above the mezzanine floor. 'It's over, you're both remain life,' Enrique said.
'Both?' I said.
'You and Miss Faerys,' he said, 'I hear you both speaking so I know you are both here.' He stepped up and cleared the ladder. He was a big man, well over six feet tall. 'You're now safer.'
'Safe from whom?' I asked. 'We were both nearly killed,' I reminded him.
'It is no more,' he said. 'You come with me now. Boss told me take care of you,' Enrique said. He couldn't help but smile.
'I don't think so,' I said. 'You can report to Carlos that we are okay and will be down soon.'
'No, I cannot do that,' he said. He took a step towards me. 'I am looking forward to taking care of you both!'
'Not if I take care of you first!' I shouted. I drew the gun, cupped the grip with both hands and shot him before he knew what hit him. The look of astonishment on Enrique's face was priceless.
The handgun pulled upward and slightly to the left as it fired, the bullet impacting just below his right eye and exiting the back of his skull, spraying the mezzanine floor in a shower of blood, bone fragments and particles of brain matter. The force of the round made his head snap back, lifting him clear of the roof, throwing him backward with a jolt. He didn't even have time to clear his gun from his waistband.
'You're safe!' I shouted to Faerys. 'Its okay baby, he's dead. You can come out now,' I said. I ejected the clip to see how many rounds were left. I pulled back the slide to eject the one in the breech. I counted nine.
'Urgh! Gross,' Faerys remarked. 'His eye is hanging out of his head.'
'Good,' I replied. 'I bet he didn't see that coming.' I smirked and motioned her back toward me. 'I'll keep this so we can now adequately protect ourselves,' I said. I wrapped the gun in my scarf and put it in my other jacket pocket.
'Isn't it heavy?' Faerys asked. 'Isn't it just creepy to carry a gun like that?'
'It's a lot of things,' I told her. 'In any case, it's always wise for a girl to use protection.' I smiled and brushed my skirt to ensure that nothing looked out of place.
I looked over the scene. The police would need to be told something. Surely they would be called. So I looked around to determine how I could plausibly state what happened to whom and when. Then, I had to convince Faerys to stick with my version of events and not deviate from them. We were not yet out of the woods and this 'crime scene' had yet to be cleaned. I heard the words of the woman monitor again, 'Keep the card. That way we can both clean up the city,' reverberating inside my head. Suddenly I knew what she meant.
If I had any doubts before, they were now gone. I knew. I now understood just who Carlos was and the thought made me feel sick to my stomach. He had sent 'The Colombian' to take care of us and make sure we didn't create any more problems for him.
'How are we going to get down?' I asked.
'Same way we came up,' Faerys remarked.
'No, I don't think so.'
'Why not?'
'Take a look,' I said, 'there is so much blood all over the floor and the ladder. We can't get down without compromising the crime scene and I don't relish being covered in blood. Do you?'
'No. But we may want to stay up here for a while yet.' Faerys motioned for me to be quiet and pointed toward the elevator.
I heard the elevator doors close. Someone else was down there!
'Mom, Faerys, are you in here?' Alasdair yelled.
'We're up here!' I yelled. 'I don't think that we'll be able to climb down again. The ladder is covered in blood.'
'Wait right there and I'll call the fire department!' he shouted. He pulled out his mobile and dialed 911.
'Right. While he's doing that, we need to make sure Enrique has his gun in his hand. Left or right?' I asked.
'What?'
'Left or right hand. I need to remember if he was left or right-handed.'
'I don't know,' Faerys said. 'I didn't see him.'
The scene replayed in my head. 'When he came up off the ladder, the last hand he used to support his weight was... his left hand. He's got to be left-handed. It was his power hand.'
'Oh, I hope you're right,' Faerys said. 'Where's his gun?'
'He didn't set it down on the floor before he stepped up,' I said. 'So, it must be in his waistband or a holster.'
I looked for a holster but did not see one. Carefully, I rolled his body just enough to see his gun in the waistband of his trousers just behind his left side. I pulled it out being careful to grasp the stock with just two fingers.
'Won't that have your fingerprints all over it?' Faerys asked.
'I can use the hem of my dress to wipe it clean, just in case,' I said.
I wiped the gun down and placed it in his left hand. I wrapped his fingers around it and placed his index finger in the trigger guard. And, just one more thing... I made sure the safety was off.
'Mom! Are you both okay?' Alasdair shouted. 'Are you hurt at all?'
'We're okay!,' I shouted. 'We just need to get down.'
The elevator doors opened again and we saw a few firemen emerge. Talking ensued. The construction chief joined them.
'Just remember, you saw nothing, you only heard gunshots. I threw the gun away after I killed him. It is somewhere in this vast warehouse space.' I had to remind Faerys and myself of the story we would share with the authorities.
'That's okay, I know what to say,' she said.
'Okay, step this way ladies,' a fireman offered, appearing over the edge of the mezzanine. 'Try not to look down. Just take it one step at a time. Look up at me,' he said.
We both walked toward the edge of the mezzanine and onto the platform of the cherry picker. The red steel bars were our lifeline as we were lowered to the ground. I hadn't realized how in shock we were until we were on the ground and Alasdair hugged both of us. Tears came as we both realized how fortunate we were to survive that ordeal.
Paramedics checked us out and gave us the all clear with the advice that we take the rest of the day to rest. We were asked to report to the police station in the morning to give our statements. They would begin looking for the handgun I had thrown to see if they could find it.
I had a million and one thoughts rushing through my head.
It was fairly obvious, to me at least, that the money pouring into the Foundation came from dubious sources, kick-backs as opposed to donations. I would also bet the clothes on my back that the success of those I'd met at the gala had made it to the top on the back of soiled money.
&nb
sp; If you could buy a Senator using the proceeds from racketeering to get him elected... then why stop there? Why not buy yourself a President? After all, I'd actually met one former President and First Lady, not forgetting a city alderman, a police chief, actors, film stars and football pros to whom I'd been introduced. The list was endless. It seemed pretty clear to me that if you were approached by the mafia and you rejected their offer, whatever that might be, you just might wind up dead.
At the moment, there seemed little point in running straight to the authorities. After all where would we go? Which airport would we use and, moreover, who could we trust? What would we do if they followed us back to our house in New Hampshire? The sheriff would be no match for these guys.
We couldn't just stop the first policeman we saw and ask him for help? We couldn't rely on anyone's help to escape the clutches of Carbinicci and the rest of his associates. They had eyes and ears everywhere. They were like a cancer that controlled the streets. I had to think. That step, from the cherry picker platform, was our first step toward freedom. I was now packing an automatic weapon. It was loaded and I was more than ready to use it.
Questions
So what happened?' a police officer asked. I shifted in my chair.
We arrived at the police station shortly after 9 o'clock to give our statements.
'We were hiding. I hid behind a ventilation unit and Faerys hid behind a metal cabinet. I have no idea what happened to the man on the floor,' I said. 'I heard shots being fired and heard a body hit the floor.'
'So who was the guy on the mezzanine, where you were?' he asked.
'His name was Enrique Cordele. Detectives Bristow and Neaser told me about him when I was brought in a few months ago to identify some items that belonged to my husband. He is an enforcer for Carlos Carbinicci. I'd never met him before yesterday.'
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