Blood Brothers: A Jarvis Mann Detective Novel

by R Weir

  “You both must have a game later,” I said. “Though I don’t see a glove, so you must be hitting only. Error prone in the field?”

  “Funny as always,” said one of them. “We are here for our money, isn’t that right Bruce?”

  Though I could still not tell them apart, I now knew which was which. They were dressed similar to before; Chicago cubs ball caps, baggy gym shorts, dry-fit tops and god-awful colored running shoes.

  “Damn right,” added Bruce. “And if we can’t get it, we are taking it out of your hide.”

  “I’m not too worried since Cub fans couldn’t hit the side of a barn door to save their lives.”

  Being a Cardinals supporter from days past, it was always fun poking at fans of The Loveable Losers.

  “Really, is that so?”

  Bruce took his bat and smacked the siding on the house, leaving a good size dent.

  “Poor defenseless house didn’t stand a chance,” I quipped.

  “Man, this smart mouth doesn’t get it,” said Crispin.

  In unison they continued moving forward. I backed up the driveway weighing my chances and options. The bats tilted things in their favor. Though I had an ace up my sleeve.

  “Two against one and both with lethal weapons in hand. Not really a fair fight, is it?”

  “We don’t give a damn. After you sucker punched us the last time, we’ve been waiting to settle the score.”

  “If you think I sucker punched you, then you both have been drinking and smoking too much weed.”

  I could smell the booze and marijuana smoke on them even from a distance. Sometimes boys never grew up and remained immature even in their late thirties. These two happened to be large sized and wound up tighter than a spring, and higher than a rocket ship.

  “Gentlemen, Flynn is dead. So if you’ve come for money, then you are out of luck. There is no money to be had. So you should walk away before someone gets hurt.”

  “You will be the only one to get hurt,” said Bruce.

  “We are going to break a bone for every thousand Flynn stole from us,” added Crispin.

  Molly continued to bark, now standing at the back porch screen door, growling at the two brothers, when they came into her line of sight.

  “Tell the dog to shut up or I’m going pulverize her too,” said Bruce.

  They’d pissed me off.

  “Now you’ve gone too far,” I replied.

  Using my ace, I tilted the odds in my favor and pulled out my .38 and pointed at them both. Their movement came to a halt.

  “What the fuck?” they both said in unison.

  “Touch a hair on the dog and I’ll kill you both. Is that clear?”

  No dog was ever going to get hurt on my watch again.

  “You wouldn’t dare shoot us,” said Bruce. “You don’t have the guts.”

  Taking my gun, I aimed at their feet and fired. Together they each let out a squeal of fright that could have shattered glass.

  “I believe that answered your question,” I said. “Do you have any others?”

  Behind them, Helen’s car pulled in and out marched Rocky. The brothers turned and saw him, and I believe their hearts stopped. He walked over and snatched the bats from their hands, like it was nothing, and gave them a look that may have caused them to pee their pants. With the end of the bats he poked each one in the ribs lightly, but enough for them to flinch. The message was clear.

  “Now boys, you have to understand that if you come around here again and threaten anyone at all, including the dog, your lives will likely not be worth a plug nickel. The gentlemen before you or myself will give you a beating you’ll never forget. Are we clear?”

  Both were still frozen in fear.

  “Answer the man,” said Rocky, poking them again, a little harder this time.

  “Yes,” they both said softly.

  “I don’t think Jarvis could hear you.”

  “Yes, we understand,” this time loud enough for all to hear.

  “Initially, I planned on getting you your money back, as I’m working on a solution. But now I’d say for the aggravation and fear you’ve caused this household, the cost of your loss will pay for us not having the police come out and put your butts in jail. So the debt has been paid. Is that understood?”

  They both acknowledged this time with no hesitation.

  “Glad to see we’ve come to an understanding. Say a pleasant, mannerly hello to the ladies, stroll slowly to your car, and drive away calmly so the neighbors won’t give you a second thought.”

  They did as they were told, glancing back in fright, giving both Helen and Jolene who stood next to the Mustang, a simple “Hi,” and were gone never to be seen again.

  “These might come in handy,” said Rocky of the bats he was holding as if they were toothpicks. “The weight on them is about right for me.”

  “Oh my,” said Jolene, as she and Helen stood beside Rocky. “Who were those jerks?”

  “Classmates of your father, from way back,” I answered. “The James Brothers, Bruce and Crispin.”

  “So they were investment partners with Flynn?” asked Helen.

  “So it would seem. I kicked their butt earlier in front of Flynn. It seemed they felt like I’d not played fair in the duel, and wanted to get even.”

  “I never liked those two,” said Helen. “Do you think they’ll be back?”

  I looked at Rocky, who started to laugh.

  “I think they have been significantly emasculated enough that it will be a long time before they bother anyone again,” said Rocky.

  I walked over to Molly and let her out the backdoor. She came running, sniffing the ground, going back and forth before peeing on the spot where the two James Brothers had stood.

  “Atta girl, Molly,” I said. “You show them who is boss around here.”

  We all started laughing, her tongue sticking out in a happy pant.

  Chapter 39

  The weekend was here and it was time to turn up the pressure some. I had wanted to track down Samuel Rivera since I’d gotten back to town, and was finally getting around to it. I needed to talk with him one more time to see what he knew. I called his office and, today being a Saturday, he was not in. Since he owned homes in several cities, odds were he might not be in town. I had his address and took a shot. It appeared he was there, as were a large group of people, for he was hosting a barbeque. The house was spacious, though not as big as I would expect a furniture mogul would have. Maybe sales of cheap furniture weren’t in vogue.

  The front door was open, so I let myself in. The front foyer and living area were crawling with male yuppies in shorts and flowered shirts, females in golf shorts and blouses open to show cleavage. Strolling through, I smiled and said, “Hi” to all I saw, making good eye contact as if I belonged. I’d have dressed differently if I’d known the dress code, but in my slacks and polo I didn’t stand out too much. I saw his ape of a bodyguard and glided by so he couldn’t make me. I hit the kitchen and found a cold beer. Through the window, I saw that Samuel was cooking over a huge barbeque, larger than my kitchen. He was searing up burgers, brats, chicken and steaks, all the while being a jokester with all gathered around him. He dished out the cooked meat on demand. I moved outside, getting as close as I could, grabbing a plate. No reason I couldn’t enjoy the meal too.

  “I’ll take a burger with cheese please,” I said to him as I’d moved to the front of the line. “Well done, if you have one.”

  “No problem,” he replied.

  He glanced over and for a second tried to remember who I was. After a moment it dawned on him.

  “Jarvis, isn’t it?” he said. “Nothing has changed, so enjoy your burger and leave.”

  “So happy you remembered,” I said. “I’m not here to cause problems, unless you won’t talk. Fifteen minutes of private time is all I need and I’ll be on my way and never bother you again.”

  He let out a big sigh. He was entertaining and didn’t want a big scene. H
e looked around and called out, asking one of his guests to take over. He waved me on to follow him and we entered into what appeared to be the office he used to work from home.

  “Make it quick,” he said while sitting in his chair.

  No reason not to eat, so I enjoyed a bite of the burger while standing. I wanted to be ready in case his bodyguard popped in.

  “Tell me how you met Casey?” I said.

  “How else? We met at a bar.”

  He named the bar and it was the same one I had followed her to.

  “You went over, bought her a drink and you hit it off?”

  “Most definitely. She was with two other friends. We made eye contact and hit it off right away.”

  “One thing lead to another…”

  “Yes. I didn’t have to work too hard. We got a hotel and had sex.”

  I’d finished half of my sandwich. It was quite good. Those with money always had the best burgers.

  “So you continued to see her?”

  “For a few months, two or three times a week.”

  “Was it getting serious?”

  “Not for her. She enjoyed the sex, but didn’t care to get involved beyond a good time in the sack and me spending money on her for lavish gifts. I was infatuated.”

  “So what happened to end it?”

  “She did, when I said I wanted to spend more time with her. ‘No thanks’ she said.”

  “Was she seeing someone else?”

  “She always was. Some hot guy who spoke French and Italian to her while screwing. She told me about him. Some younger stud. Drove me crazy.”

  “Yet you still wanted her.”

  “I was going through a tough time. My wife and I were separated, she living in our home in Kansas City, me living here. It had been a long time since I’d felt the kind of passion we shared. I didn’t want to lose it. So I wouldn’t leave her alone.”

  “You were stalking her?”

  Turning, he stared out the window at his guests, his hand nervously tapping the arm of his chair.

  “In a manner of speaking, yes.”

  “You wouldn’t leave her alone, so some man paid you a visit.”

  He nodded his head.

  “Pushed you around, punching you a few times, telling you to stay away from Casey or he would come back and do worse.”

  He didn’t answer but even viewing his face in profile confirmed the affirmative.

  “Called the police and filed a complaint.”

  “Stupid move on my part. I got a call the next day saying drop it or else.”

  “So you did, and then you hired the man of granite to protect you.”

  “It scared me to death. I’m not a tough person, so it doesn’t take much to put me over the edge.”

  “Nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “If anything, it knocked some sense into me. Got me to call my wife and see if we could work something out.”

  “How is that going?”

  “Slowly, but we are talking. When I go down there, we have dinner and are friendly.”

  I finished the burger and washed it down with the remaining suds, managing to keep the grease on the plate and off of me.

  “Did you know about Casey’s family?”

  “Some. I know her mother remarried a big shot criminal. I’m sure he is the one who sent the man to scare me.”

  “Do you know his name?”

  “No. And I don’t want to.”

  “What about Carlos DePaolo?”

  “There was a Carlos Casey talked about. He was the young stud I mentioned before.”

  “So he never came to threaten you?”

  “No.”

  “Did you ever invest any money with her biological father or uncle?”

  Samuel paused, uncertain how to answer.

  “I’m guessing that is a yes. How much?”

  “Twenty-five thousand.”

  “Casey provided the connection?”

  Barely a nod, but it was there.

  “Did you see any return on the investment?”

  “At first, yes, but then nothing. I called and was told the money was lost in the market when the company went belly-up. I didn’t have a lot of recourse and I was afraid to take additional action, so I wrote it off as a business loss.”

  “You aren’t alone. Others have been bilked as well.”

  “Now you understand why I don’t want to talk about it. I felt like a foolish old man who got conned by a hot, younger woman. I’m getting on with my life and will, hopefully, never do anything stupid like this again. So can you leave me alone now?”

  There was that look in his eye, the glimpse of genuine sadness. I felt sorry for him, having been conned by a woman myself last year. There was no reason to push it any further, as I’d gotten what I’d came for.

  “Thanks for the burger, it was outstanding. You won’t hear from me again.”

  I went through the kitchen and grabbed some water and walked past the Michelin man, waving, no expression of remembering who I was filling his face. I should have probably gone back to tell Samuel he needed to upgrade his protection, but didn’t care to scare him any further.

  Chapter 40

  So it appeared Casey was not only providing a little nookie, but also clients for her father. She seemed to be the doorway to finding Flynn’s killer and I planned on opening it. I went to the bar that evening, hoping she would show, since she had lost two of her lovers over the last few weeks and might be on the prowl for more. Though she may not have had a shortage of them I planned on working my magic.

  “I arrived at 7 p.m. and took a seat at the bar, nursing a beer to remain lucid. I had some chicken tenders, which were edible, and waited. At around eight, Casey showed and took a seat on the other side of the room. Shortly after, Jennifer and Kayla showed up, the three of them were laughing up a storm. If she was in mourning for her now dead lover, it didn’t show. Knowing Kayla would remember me, I told the bartender to send a round of drinks to their table, with a note to Kayla asking how her love life was. When they arrived, I was pointed out, and raised my beer to them. There was some conversation before Casey waved me over. Once there, I smiled brightly and took a seat.

  “Ladies,” I said. “How are you all doing tonight?”

  “Feeling good, since you arrived,” stated Casey. “Kayla was telling me what a gentleman you were with her.”

  “So kind of her,” I answered. “She was marvelous company and we had a lovely dinner together.”

  Kayla blushed, while the other two snickered. They had seen the note too.

  “What she didn’t tell us was what happened after dinner,” said Jennifer.

  “I won’t kiss and tell,” I replied. “I’ll only say it was one of the more enjoyable evenings I’ve had in some time.”

  “What do you have to say to that Kayla?” asked Casey. “How many times did you enjoy each other?”

  “No comment,” she answered while laughing.

  We talked and I studied Casey, showing my interest in her. I kept the drinks coming, along with food. I continued my control on the alcohol. Ninety minutes into the conversation and after a trip to the bathroom for the three of them, which took so much time I wondered if they had snuck out, Kayla and Jennifer said they had to leave.

  “It’s getting late for us,” said Jennifer. “We have church in the morning and hubby was kind enough to let me blow off some steam for a while.”

  “Same here,” added Kayla. “We’ll leave you two alone to enjoy the rest of your night.”

  She leaned over and spoke softly.

  “Thank you for the advice. It has done wonders for my love life.”

  “You’re welcome,” I answered, while giving her a short embrace.

  The three of them exchanged hugs and ear whispers before Kayla and Jennifer left. Casey and I were alone.

  “I hope I didn’t bore and chase them off,” I said.

  “No, not at all,” stated Casey. “They left so we could be alone a
nd decide what to do from here.”

  “Did they have any suggestions?”

  “They did, though nothing I hadn’t already thought of. Kayla told us how you treated her. It was quite gentlemanly, noble, and rather sexy. It is a shame she didn’t enjoy a seductive evening with you. Her loss could be my gain.”

  “Do you care to leave and explore this further?” I asked.

  She mouthed yes, so I paid the bill and we decided to take my car. I opened the door for her and, when I slid into the driver’s seat, she grabbed me and kissed me with a red hot fire. I kissed her back with all my skills. It lasted for some time before she broke away.

  “I wanted to make sure you understood what I’m looking for,” she said.

  “No question. Where shall we go?” I asked. “My place isn’t available. So what about yours?”

  “I like doing it in a hotel,” she said. “More exciting. We can check in as Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

  I smiled at the irony.

  “Is there one nearby you recommend?”

  She named a hotel and it was the first one I’d followed her and Flynn to. Maybe I should have asked if she got a volume discount! I checked us in and got the room key card and rode up in the elevator, her hands and mouth all over me on the entire trip up. When we stepped inside she lunged at me again, her arms pulling me in tight, her hands squeezing my ass. She smelled good and could kiss as well as anyone I’d been with. Though my body was excited, I remained in control, with visions of Emily White and how that turned out still fresh on my mind. She spun me around and pushed me back on the king-sized bed and started to undress, by unbuttoning her top. The old me would have enjoyed all of her pleasures and then revealed who I was and used whatever means necessary to get information from her. But I was not that man anymore. I stood up, grabbed her before she finished unbuttoning, and threw her on the bed, her bra covered breasts popping out her open blouse.

  “Wow, I like a man who takes charge,” she murmured.

  “I don’t think you’ll like how I’m going to take charge at all,” I said.

  My words confused her.

  “What?”

  “You were involved with my brother and now he is dead. I’m here now to find out everything you know about it.”