“What?” he barked at a knock on his door.
“Boss—”
“I’m fine, Angelo.” He waved him away.
Phil watched Angelo pull up a chair and sit across from him as he ignored the dismissal. He cocked his head to study Angelo.
“Don’t understand what go away means, Ang?”
“We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“The redhead.”
“Her name is Kyra,” Phil emphasized.
“She’s trouble. I like Kyra. She can provide a great service for us, Phil, but she’s not interested in a personal relationship.”
“Be careful where you tread, Ang.”
“It’s not anything against you or her. It’s not a good match.”
“Why?”
“She sees you as her boss, nothing more.”
“Why?”
“She was put out Saturday night when you brought her in here first to discuss business. You did it to remind her you were the boss.”
Angelo’s overstepping his authority, but I’ll let him continue. They’d been together for many years. Phil respected him and his opinions. Angelo was his silent partner. A fact he didn’t share with the world.
“It’s only your opinion.”
“No, it’s you. I watched her the other day. She’s a professional who takes pride in her work. You pushed her away before you even asked her out. You did the whole ‘I own you’ thing, didn’t you?”
Phil chuckled. “I did.”
“Well, that’s not the way to win a woman, especially a woman like Kyra. Has she been back to the casino yet?”
“No, I’m surprised. It’s obvious she has a problem, but no, she hasn’t gone since last Tuesday. What do you make of that?”
“She’s trying to get her son back.”
“There’s something missing in a mother who gives up her son.” He subconsciously threw his own mother’s desertion in his face. How she’d left him to fend for himself at the age of nine against a mean, drunken father.
“She didn’t give him up, Phil. I did the research. Her husband greased a lot of palms to get custody. He was taken from her.”
“Because of her problem,” Phil stressed.
“Yes, because of the gambling, but most people don’t lose their kids for that. Her husband’s family is connected in Wilkesbury.”
“What have you learned about him?”
Phil knew Angelo’s research skills were the best. People would be surprised to find out how deftly he handled a computer.
“He works hard, but he hasn’t made any big splash in life. He married young, had a kid, and works for his father. I understand the divorce is ripping him to pieces.”
“He sat in wait for her Saturday night.”
“He’s the one who wanted the divorce. He blamed it on her gambling. She okay?”
“Yeah, it upset her. We should pay him a visit.”
“Phil, don’t. She seems to be able to handle herself. Let’s keep her as a business tool.”
“She doesn’t want me to talk to him, but she wants to talk to me tonight about yesterday.”
“Is she coming here?”
“Yes, I told her I’m not available until ten o’clock.”
Angelo raised his right brow and laughed. “Pissy, aren’t you?”
“I guess I am. I like this one, she’s different. On another note, how are we going to use Joe Dillon?”
“He’s ambitious. At the moment he serves a purpose. Why?” Angelo frowned.
“It seems… I haven’t decided if we’ll incorporate him into our organization yet. When I do we’ll discuss it.”
Phil tapped his pencil on the desk.
“Discuss what?”
“There’s something about him I don’t like. He had no qualms about setting up a woman with a small child.”
“That’s funny, since when does that bother you?”
“It’s not funny.”
“Yeah, it is.”
It wasn’t. And Angelo better shut up if he knew what was good.
Chapter 14
Kyra worked through her day in a fog. One minute she’d be smiling, the next, her stomach flipped upside down as Phil’s sneer filled her mind. She had to keep herself alive and her son safe. She had to keep Phil as a business arrangement and nothing more.
Saturday night’s dinner was nothing to write home about. On top of that, Phil was scary. She guessed if you ordered someone’s death, you weren’t a normal person to begin with. Did burning a body for him put her in Phil’s class? Kyra hoped not. Though she burned bodies every day, this one…haunted her. Did he—or was it a she? —have a family? Before it destroyed her, she pushed it from her mind.
She was doing this to get Trevor back. That was all she had to remember. It was her job to dispose of bodies. As she scooped the remains of today’s cremation from the chamber, she rehearsed what she’d tell Phil. The intercom speaker boomed to life and startled her.
“Kyra?”
She walked over to the intercom then depressed the button. “Yes, Dina?”
“Jake’s on the phone for you.”
“Thanks, I’ll take it in here.”
Kyra walked into the processing room and picked up the wall phone. “Hey.”
“I wanted to give you a quick call. Tell you I had a great time yesterday.”
“Me too.”
“What night would you like to go out this week?”
“I can’t tonight or Wednesday, any other night’s fine.” It tickled her when she realized she’d been waiting all day for his call. Her body turned into a furnace, the fire raging below whenever she talked to him or remembered the day she had spent with him. When I’m with him I’m alive. But he could get me killed. Somehow, that made it all the more thrilling, even better than the rush I got from gambling.
“How about tomorrow night?” She guessed the quiet, Catholic, good girl was gone, replaced by this thrill seeker.
“Sounds wonderful, what time?”
“Seven?”
“Yes. How about I cook for us?” Damn. That’s asking for trouble.
“No, I’ll take you out.”
“You sure? I don’t mind cooking.”
“Yep, this way we can visit without distractions.”
“Distractions?” she said.
“Yes.”
“Seven it is. See you then.”
A huge smile spread across her face as she hung up. If she survived tonight with Phil…best not go there.
* * * *
He’d blown the perfect opportunity with Kyra. He should’ve accepted the dinner invitation at her condo. The attraction was growing though the timing wasn’t right. He’d wait for whenever she was ready. Jake liked that she didn’t do casual sex. How stupid was he? It made him want her more.
“Who’s Kyra?” Louie asked.
Jake frowned at his partner. He hadn’t heard Louie sneak into his office.
“A friend.”
“A friend, as in female friend? Since when are you dating again?”
“Louie, it’s none of your business.”
“You used to be fun, before you screwed things up with Mia.” The disgusted look on Louie’s face annoyed him. My personal life is exactly that, personal.
Louie, his childhood friend and now partner, took a lot of liberties with him. Louie’s olive complexion made him look tan all year round. Black hair and brown eyes on a six-two, muscular frame housed a nosy, fastidious man he’d give his life for. Louie wore his suits like a second skin.
“I’m still fun, but it might help if you wore a skirt,” Jake joked.
“Oh, you’re a riot.” Louie turned to leave the room but not before Jake caught the frustration on his face.
“S
it down.”
“Why?”
“I’ll fill you in, and let me add a caveat. No gossiping.”
“You’re no fun,” Louie repeated, shaking his head. He took a seat in front of Jake’s desk.
“I met her last week at a party. We’ve been out twice. There’s nothing more to tell.”
“You mean you’re not sharing anything else.”
“Correct.”
“No details?”
“There are no details to tell.”
“She’s holding out on you, huh?”
“You’ve got a one-track mind.”
“What about Mia?”
Jake frowned. “I haven’t seen or talked to Mia since she walked out on me.”
“So you’re going to move on, instead of talking to her?”
“It seems like it.” He shrugged.
“Well, you’re stupid.”
Jake coughed into his hand to hide the laugh. “A fact that breaks my heart every hour of every day, Louie.”
“Oh shut the hell up. I’m serious.”
Louie and his wife had fixed him up with Mia. Jake experienced their joy when he fell hard for her. Louie loved his family and Sophia was the best wife a man could ask for. Together, Louie and Sophia were raising three well-behaved kids. Bestowing the honor of godfather on Jake at their daughter’s birth showed how much they cared for and respected him. My family. Louie’s wife, Sophia, though sweet and well-meaning, had caused the fight that had broken up him and Mia. Over the last few weeks, Sophia had been trying to apologize with numerous calls and voice messages, though he hadn’t returned one call. Louie was caught in the middle as he tried to hang in the background which was out of character for him. It had put a strain on both their working and personal relationship. Jake figured Sophia had ordered Louie to stay out of it.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Why does everything with you have to be permanent?”
“Let’s discuss the case, because this conversation’s over,” Jake said, reining in his temper.
“Just like that?”
“Yep.”
“Someday you’re going to be a lonely old man and it’ll serve you right.”
He understood Louie always had to have the last word and let him. He turned his attention to the case and pulled the file from his drawer.
“Did you get the lab reports?”
“Dwight Wade’s blood alcohol level was one-point-six. I’d say he had a good time before he died.”
“That’s twice the legal limit. Did the autopsy report come in?”
“No, the M.E.’s office hopes to get it to us by tomorrow.”
“I’m curious about the bruising on the body. How about the ballistics report?”
“Not yet.” Louie scratched his head.
“Which hand showed the residue. His wife said he was right-handed, but the wound showed a left-handed entry. It’d be awkward to use your goofy side to shoot yourself, especially drunk.”
“What the hell’s a goofy side?”
“Snowboarding term. It means not your natural side.” Jake watched Louie process the information.
“You’re calling it a homicide based on what, your gut?”
“No. I’m waiting on the reports, but this guy was blind drunk. The entry’s on the wrong side, especially for someone incapacitated. It’s a bit suspicious. Mr. Wade had help getting to the great beyond. I’m sure of it,” Jake said.
“Okay, I’ll dig deeper into his life.” Louie stood. “It’s good you’re dating again, but you owe it to yourself to be happy. You were happy with Mia. Settle it one way or another by talking it out with her. Otherwise it will fester.”
“I’ll consider it, Louie. Bring in the reports when you get them.”
* * * *
Jake turned his chair to the window. His gaze traveled toward the new buildings that housed a branch of UConn. The city fathers fought for the campus to be here to bring more business to the downtown area—so far it hadn’t. Only the pizza parlors did a booming trade, but the other businesses still seemed at a stalemate. The Palace Theater was the draw for an evening out when it had an act booked. A few bars and restaurants benefited on show nights. His eyes scanned the rest of downtown. It depressed him to see many closed businesses. Even though the tanked economy had hit Connecticut hard, it hit Wilkesbury harder. Jake still loved this city. An old factory town—in its heyday it held the prestige title of The Brass Capital of the World, though most of the jobs and manufacturing had gone overseas decades ago. At the turn of the century and well into the thirties it was labeled Sin City and folks from as far as Pennsylvania and Vermont came for a visit to experience the debauchery and to blow off some steam. Good old Wilkesbury had fought for respectability for a long time. The town was also known for its politics. In 1960 a hopeful John F. Kennedy campaigned here to a record crowd at three in the morning. Many had been there all day waiting to get a glimpse of the candidate. On his return trip to Wilkesbury two years later as president, Kennedy remarked that Wilkesbury might have been the easiest town to get a crowd in or out of in the United States or it was a town with a large democratic base. President Kennedy made a promise he’d never be able to keep. He promised to meet the enthusiastic crowd again at the end of his campaign in 1964.
Yes, his town was steeped in history, some good, some bad, but Jake loved this city. In the old buildings, he saw the amazing architectural designs of the various eras. Though most buildings were in need of repair, their beauty still shone through. It was the classic design of the twenties and thirties. Some enterprising people were renovating them and making unique businesses out of them.
A boy kissed a girl as they sat on a low wall on the college’s property. Jake’s mind turned back to his conversation with Louie. He’d never tell him, but Louie was right.
Without speaking with Mia he’d never be able to move forward. Ending a relationship mirrored a death. You needed to grieve before you moved on. He was fond of Kyra, but she wasn’t Mia. Jake knew there’d be nobody else for him. He didn’t want to hurt Kyra. He should end this thing before it went any further—before it became more difficult for him to cut her loose.
Cripes, his life had never been easy. A little reprieve once in a while, he shrugged the thought away and turned from the window as someone shuffled their feet in his doorway.
Chapter 15
After lunch, Kyra returned Tommy’s call. She hoped to control the tone and content of the conversation. She hadn’t bothered calling back yesterday. It was small of her, but she wanted him to suffer the way he had made her suffer. She sipped her coffee while the phone rang. No answer after three rings. She debated whether to leave a message or not when he answered.
“Kyra?”
Shit. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you return my calls?”
Demanding? Sorry, Tommy, you don’t have the right. “I had plans.”
“Plans? Now, you’re too busy for me? What if it was about Trevor?”
Don’t play me. “Well, Tommy—” Wasn’t it about time she started addressing him as if he was a man and not a kid? “If it was about Trevor, I’d hope you’d be smart enough to leave a message.”
“Where were you?”
The jackass doesn’t get it. “Out.”
“Out where?” he yelled. Kyra pulled the phone from her ear.
“None of your business, Tom, you’re not entitled to that information.”
“Now I’m Tom?”
“Yes, it’s time we both grew up and moved on.”
Steam pushed through the phone—she was surprised her hand didn’t burn. That’ll teach him to sit outside my house.
“You want to play hardball, Kyra? You haven’t a clue who you’re dealing with.”
“I’m not playing anything, you are. You’re the one
who sat outside my house in the middle of the night. It’s called stalking. You’re the one who kept calling yesterday. That’s called harassment. And let me remind you, you’re the one who filed for divorce and took my son away from me. Now, why were you outside my house Saturday night?” Her temper rose. Her hands trembled as her face burned with hate. She inhaled to try to calm down. Nope, didn’t work.
“I’m sorry. I miss you. It got me crazy you being with another man,” he whispered.
Changing tactics, oh, such a Tommy move. “I can’t help you. It’s over, Tom, remember it was your choice.” Her voice hardened.
“No forgiveness, Kyra?”
She didn’t respond right away. Kyra tried to control her emotions. She prayed her voice didn’t crack. “I’m giving you the same amount of forgiveness you gave me.”
An echo vibrated through her ear when he slammed down the receiver on his end. Tears streamed from her eyes, blinding her as the realization smacked her square in the brain. This conversation ended any hope of reconciliation. Her stomach clenched as she doubled over, her muscles cramping. The door squeaked open. Kyra didn’t bother to look up.
“I’m sorry. I overheard everything. Are you okay?”
Dina walked over and hugged her. rubbing her back as unstoppable tears flowed along with the sharp pain that was jabbing her in the heart. She leaned her head against Dina’s stomach. Nine years of love turned to bitter hate. How did people survive? Dina wiped the tears from Kyra’s eyes as she held her.
“I’m sor…sorry, Dina.” She hiccupped.
“Oh, Kyra, let it out, honey. I locked the front door. We won’t be disturbed.”
Dina continued to rub her back. “I don’t understand why I’m crying.”
“This happens when you accept it’s over.”
Her head jerked up and off of Dina as someone pounded on the front door. “Can you get it? I’ll be in the bathroom.”
Her legs wobbled like rubber bands when she tried standing. Forced to sit back down, she watched Dina shut her door as she headed into the main office. After a few minutes, she got up and headed to the bathroom.
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