by Lisa G Riley
Brian frowned. “Why do they think it was Brickman?”
“Some of the islanders had done day work at the villa, and when questioned, the men they described sounded like Brickman and his brother Jonathan, and the description of the woman sounded like Ida Martinez. But even more importantly, some of the things the workers overheard made it even more likely that it had been Brickman.”
“What did they hear?”
“Apparently, Brickman and his people just assumed the workers didn’t understand English, but many of them did. Some of them heard discussions around his drug and arms businesses. Caroline’s name came up.”
Already anxious, Brian stiffened.
“Someone heard Brickman and his brother discussing her. They at first referred to her as the artist, but then one of them said her name -- her maiden name. The worker is an art lover and recognized her name, even though she’s relatively new to the art scene.”
Furious now because even thousands of miles away, Brickman was still obsessed enough with Caroline to talk about her, Brian had to force himself not to destroy something. “What did he say about her?” he asked in a voice that was barely understandable.
“He still wants her,” Jack said simply. “Now,” he began before sitting back in his chair. “What do you need?”
***
BRIAN walked into the dance school and followed the strains of This Old Heart of Mine to the back of the building where he encountered a huge room with hard wood floors and mirrors covering all but one of the walls. He saw Jae sitting in the corner of the room and nodded to him in greeting. He’d already phoned ahead and told him the news about Brickman. Brian’s gaze then found Caroline. She stood with three other women, her friends K.K. Patrickson and Tracy, and her ex-sister-in-law, Cat Singleton. Beautiful women all, they wore the same outfits. On top of the go-go boots and fishnet stockings, they wore mini-dresses with hems that at most reached seven or eight inches below their waists. The dresses were sleeveless with black mock turtlenecks and black vertical lines going down the centers and separating large blocks of colors; yellow and white on the top and blue and white on the bottom. The white squares were diagonal to one another, giving the dresses a geometric look.
Ron Isley’s and Rod Stewart’s version of the song was blasting through the speakers and the women practiced their dance moves. Unaware, he thought, that they had an audience. A few men leaned against a mirrored wall watching the show and grinning appreciatively. The women were facing the only wall without a mirror, and he would bet everything he owned that that had been Caroline’s idea because he knew she wouldn’t want to watch herself.
He watched as the women simultaneously raised their arms one at a time into the air and then yanked them back down again, rhythmically in tune with the jerking of their torsos.
“I think I’ve got it now.” He heard Caroline say excitedly. The other women stopped to watch her, and to the beat of Rod Stewart crooning about his heart being weak for the woman he loved, she bent her knees a bit and wriggled her hips as she fluidly brought her arms up and in front of her so that they crossed one another before she brought them back down. The hem of the dress rose dangerously close to a behind that now moved sensuously and seductively, making Brian lift a brow. She repeated the move several times.
Brian watched the close fitting material tighten over her butt for a fourth time, heard a low whistle escape some male interloper’s throat and thought everyone had seen enough. He knew he had. He walked across the floor and deliberately stood right behind Caroline so that the other men’s view of her was effectively blocked. “Hi, ladies,” he said, making them all turn to look at him in surprise and then one by one, greet him with a hug and a kiss.
“You guys almost finished?” he asked after he’d hugged Cat and was reaching for Caroline.
She hugged him briefly and pressed a close-mouthed kiss to his lips. “Hi. We’ve actually been finished for some time, but they all agreed to stay with me and practice until you got here. Did you get to see any of the rehearsal? What’d you think? Think I’m up to snuff?”
“Oh, you’ll more than do,” he said wryly. “Just ask those guys.” He indicated the men behind him with a flick of his thumb over his shoulder.
Frowning in confusion, Caroline leaned to the side so she could see around him. She lifted a brow. “Hmm,” was all she said before kissing him on his chin. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”
Brian nodded. “Sure, unless you want to stay and practice some more.”
“No, that’ll do it for the day.”
“I take it Lee’s gone,” he said.
“Yeah, a little while ago. He had to leave immediately after rehearsal. So did the choreographer for another class.”
“So, how’d it go? You four ready for Friday night?”
K.K., who was the same height as Caroline, but sported a more voluptuous figure, said dryly, “As ready as four unprofessional dancers with a total of a scant three years of girlhood dance school experience between them will ever be.”
The women all walked across the room and began to gather their things. As Caroline put on her coat and began to belt it around her waist, Tracy said something, making Caroline throw her head back as she laughed with everyone else, her eyes sparkling with good humor. Looking at her, Brian wished he didn’t have to tell her what he’d found out about Brickman. He knew he had to though, as the last time he’d tried to keep something from her regarding the man, she’d hit the roof. He sighed as he thought about the fight they’d had about it. Learned my lesson that time.
He walked over to the group, deciding that he’d wait until they were home to tell her. He took the slender hand she held out to him, and holding it, left the building.
Chapter Six
Caroline aimed her camera on a happy faced, chubby-cheeked six-year old and after adjusting the lens a bit, snapped a series of pictures. Sitting atop the cheetah of the endangered species carousel at Lincoln Park Zoo, the little boy laughed delightedly just as his animal began to swoosh past where Caroline and Brian were standing behind the barrier. “Too cute!” Caroline exclaimed and lowered her camera. She looked over at Brian, who was leaning back against the barrier and looking into the distance. Her smile disappeared. She hated the situation they were in and wished they could somehow wipe Alexander Brickman off the face of the earth. Since he’d given her the update on the other man the day before, Brian had been pensive and unhappy. She studied his strong profile fondly, loving every inch of his six foot frame. She brushed at some hair that had fallen over his forehead, causing him to focus his attention on her.
She smiled gently and with sympathy. “Aw, honey. I know it’s upset you that our least favorite bad guy has left Italy, but maybe you could look at it in a different way,” she suggested as she stroked his cheek.
“What way would that be?”
She let the camera hang free from the strap around her neck and straightened the collar on his light blue Oxford. “Well, it got us outside and into the fresh air because you thought to cheer me up with a trip to the park and the zoo today.”
Head cocked, Brian appeared to think about it for a moment. “Yeah…sorry, no,” he responded with a shake of his head, “but that doesn’t brighten the old mood any.”
Caroline pulled on the tab of the zipper on his navy ball jacket until it reached the top, closing the metal teeth. “Well, how about the fact that I love you even more knowing that the zoo is the last place you would ever choose to go to, but you chose it anyway because you know I like coming here for inspiration? And if that isn’t enough,” she whispered as she kissed his chin, “how about the fact that I’m going to reward you handsomely for your sacrifice when we get home?”
This drew a lewd smile from him. “Really? Just what exactly will be my reward?”
“I’ll let you have first dibs on the television and the ice cream.”
In the process of nuzzling her ear, Brian stopped, paused briefly and th
en burst out laughing. “Gee,” he said between chuckles, “that’s mighty big of you.”
Pleased that she’d brought him out of his mood, she said, “Seeing as how the dish has practically become a staple for me, then yes, I’d say the offer is mighty big of me.”
“I know what you’re doing, and I thank you for it, but I’ll be fine. I just wish we could somehow bring the bullshit to Brickman, you know? I’m sick and tired of waiting for him to make his next move, giving him all the control. I want to take it back.”
Caroline nodded. “That’s the worst part of it, feeling as if we have no power. What can we do, though? We have no idea where he is and when we’ll see him again. The only thing we can be even minimally sure of is that we will see him again.”
“And Ida too.”
She shook her head. “You know, as fanatical as Ida was when we knew her, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that she’s actually caught up in all of Brickman’s craziness.”
Brian snorted. “‘Caught up?’ That implies that it’s out of her control. Trust me; she’s doing this -- whatever it is -- of her own free will. Ida is in it because she wants to be, and to get whatever she can from the situation.”
“I suppose so,” Caroline said and backed up against him as a group of pre-schoolers trooped past like a line of ducklings following the mama duck. She smiled. As usual for a weekday, the zoo was swarming with groups of school children.
“At any rate,” Brian said, “I’d rather not think about her. I’ve got to figure out a way to wrest control away from the sick little fucker.”
Caroline had started taking pictures again, and said distractedly, “Maybe we can do that through Ida somehow. Perhaps she can be of help to us for once.”
She paused because Brian was looking at her quite intently, but she could tell that he wasn’t really seeing her.
“Ida,” he mumbled.
Caroline didn’t say anything. She’d learned to keep her silence when he was like this, so as not to interrupt what he liked to call his rare moments of brilliance. She focused on her surroundings again, immediately getting wrapped up in the sights and sounds. The zoo was a favorite attraction of city dwellers and was free and open every day of the year. She’d been coming since she was a child and never grew tired of it. The carousel was a relatively new addition and was located near the east entrance. Caroline often positioned herself there because it was one of the biggest attractions and usually afforded her too many subjects to count.
The Gateway Pavilion, a two-story red brick and glass structure with a small dome fronting it, served as a visitor’s center and inevitably captured her attention before she left the zoo. She headed over to it now, but not before snagging Brian’s hand in hers to drag him along with her. “Gateway Pavilion,” was all she said and still looking as if his mind were somewhere else, he nodded and followed her.
She searched for Jae to make sure he was aware that they were relocating and was unsurprised to see him moving smoothly a couple of feet behind them as they snaked their way through the hoards of little people running, jumping and screaming in their excitement. After about a half an hour getting lost in her own world in which nothing existed but her, her camera and several unwitting subjects, she finally looked up. Brian and Jae were talking to one another, but both had their gazes on her. They’d obviously been following her as she’d walked around the Pavilion and up the couple of dozen of wide, concrete stairs near it. She smiled, thinking that she was probably the most protected person at the zoo that day, up to and including the newly walking toddlers who had more determination than actual balance.
She studied Brian. The pensive look was all but gone, and he even laughed at something Jae said as she approached them. “Hi, guys. Thanks for keeping up with me. I’m afraid I got so engrossed in everything that for a little while I forgot you were here. I take it you two geniuses have a master plan,” she said to Brian.
He smiled and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Is that sarcasm I hear from those usually adoring lips? At any rate, it’s not exactly a master plan, hell it’s not even brilliant, but it is enough to make me stop feeling so damned helpless.”
“Good. What is it?”
“It’s pretty simple, actually, and you gave me the idea when you mentioned using Ida. We can’t get our hands on her, of course, but she does have a sister. Her name is Rose and last I knew her she was still living in the area, whereas their parents retired to Florida a few years ago.”
“I’m confused,” Caroline confessed, frowning. “How will her sister help us?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out. I don’t know if she’s still living in the same place, but if not, we can track her down and find out what she knows about her baby sister.”
Caroline’s frown became more pronounced. “Do you really think she knows anything? It doesn’t seem plausible that Brickman would allow Ida to share anything with anyone about their lives together.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Brian agreed, “but Ida and her sister are -- or at least they were --very close, and when we dated, Ida told her everything. Ida could never keep a secret, and I’m banking on her still having that flaw. I’ll look her up when we get home, and if I do find her, I’m going to put in a call to Cap to see if he can help.”
“What exactly will you ask Captain Thompson to do if you do locate this sister of Ida’s?” Caroline asked.
“I’d like to question her to see what she knows, and I thought it would be best if we made it official, so I’m going to ask Cap to either come with me, or arrange for another officer to do so.”
“But don’t you think the police might have thought of talking to her already?”
“Oh, I’m sure they have, but that’s why I’d go along. Rose always liked me and she might tell me something that she wouldn’t have told the police. Besides, I’m not so sure the police would still be asking her questions. They might have when this first began, but it’s been seven months since Brickman and Ida disappeared the second time, and it’s not unreasonable to think that the police may not have checked in with Rose since then.”
“Right. Okay. Should we leave right now?” Caroline asked just when a deep roar could be heard in the distance, seemingly resonating throughout the entire thirty-five acre animal park. Suddenly, children came running from every part of the zoo, all seemingly headed to the same destination. They rushed around adults who were either being dragged along or left stupefied by the sudden onslaught.
“What on earth?” Jae exclaimed over the noisy stampede.
Chuckling, Caroline tried unsuccessfully to stay clear of the mad dash. “One of the big cats has come outside and is clearly wide awake. Let’s go!” she said and grabbed Brian’s hand to follow the crowd.
***
THE night was heavy with clouds and the threat of rain as Brian and Captain Dan Thompson made their way to Rose Patterson’s A-framed house on the west side of the city. Secure in Dan’s car, the two men discussed their upcoming meeting. “Now, I’ve read the brief file we’ve got on Ms. Patterson, but tell me what you know,” the Captain said, “tell me your impressions of her.”
Brian looked over at his friend, a man approaching retirement age, with a face that looked as if he’d earned every one of his sixty years the hard way. His dark, lined, craggy face housed brown eyes that could go flat and hard as steel in a blink, but under normal circumstances were affable and patient. He briefly and questioningly turned those eyes on Brian now before gazing back at the road.
Brian couldn’t relax, and had been on edge ever since he’d gotten the call informing him that the meet with Rose was confirmed for that night. He looked out the window just as a bolt of lightning shined stunningly against the backdrop of the black sky. “What can I tell you about Rose?” he began pensively as the tension continued to strum along his spine. “Let’s see…she’s definitely the nicer, the more practical and saner of the two. She’s as beautiful as her sister, but doesn’t have
the same flash and fury that made Ida the whirlwind that she was, and probably still is. Rose is two years older, divorced and childless. The last time I had any contact with her, she was considering trying to become a foster parent.”
The captain navigated a turn before asking, “And if she knew anything about her sister’s whereabouts do you think she’d tell us?”
Brian had closed his eyes to block out the approaching storm and with his head back on his seat, thought about his answer for a moment. “She might, yes,” he finally decided. “Rose is big on seeing the difference between right and wrong and then acting accordingly, but she also loves Ida and when I knew her, they were extremely close. She was protective of Ida, and at the same time, was always trying to get her to do the right thing. So my answer is if she knows something, she certainly won’t call up the police and volunteer the information, but if asked, she’s more likely than not to tell you what she knows.”
Brian grew quiet again, contemplating the meeting with Rose. His anxiety level was way too high and he knew it was because of the possibility of Rose having information they could actually use to take the fight to Brickman. Deep in thought again, Brian heard Cap speaking, but did not distinguish words. All he heard was sound.
“Sorry, Cap. What were you saying?”
Captain Thompson pulled the car over to the curb and clapped a large, friendly hand on Brian’s back. “Pay attention, boy. I said you were right about us dropping the ball regarding Ms. Patterson. We paid her a couple of visits and haven’t been back since.”
Brian was looking at the house, but shrugged. “I’m not surprised. We all have our priorities and new cases crop up that are more immediate and urgent.” He opened the door and stepped out of the car to the sidewalk. He looked at the house again. Something was off about it, he knew, and felt his stomach drop like lead. It was dark and there was no sign of movement that he could see. He hoped that it was because of the late hour, but his churning gut told him otherwise.