Silent Whisper

by ANDREA SMITH

  I checked my pages while stopped at a light in Chester. Sal, Sal, Vinnie, Sal, my father, Sal.

  Fuck all of them.

  I drove up the winding drive at Belle’s noticing the volume of customers had decreased since I’d last been here less than a year ago. I suspected it had to do with the expansion of the track in South Chester that Vinnie had overseen this past spring. I was hoping that Belle still didn’t know that I was part of the family. She would likely be more cooperative in letting me speak to Karlie that way.

  Karlie’s blue Nissan was nowhere to be seen once I reached the parking lot at the top of the hill, next to the house. Surely she’d have arrived by now even if she had waited until noon to depart which sent my blood cold once again worried that someone had caught up with her on the road. But that was impossible—my family hadn’t even known how I had located her, though I’m sure they could’ve hired someone the same as I had, but still, they couldn’t work that fast.

  I went inside the familiar house, walking down the hallway towards the large walnut encased check-in desk outside of the parlor. There was a semi-familiar face behind it.

  “What can I do for you, sweetheart?” the dark haired girl with lots of blue-eye shadow asked.

  “I’m looking for Belle,” I answered. “Is she available?”

  “Ah, like ‘em old, huh? Well you’re plenty good-lookin’ honey, but I’m not sure that even Belle would come out of retirement for you. I’m Rhonda. Hey you look kinda familiar?”

  “May I speak to Belle, please?” I asked, my tone now getting impatient.

  She rolled her eyes, and got up from behind the counter, and went into the bar area, returning a few minutes later with the older red-haired woman I recognized immediately.

  “Rhonda,” she said, “Take over for me at the bar.”

  Rhonda gave another eye roll and left us alone in the entryway.

  “You,” she hissed, her eyes squinting angrily at me. “What are you doing here? Gonna take what miserable few customers I have left to your fancy little whore-casino you got going now?”

  Fuck. She knows who I am now.

  “So you know who I am?”

  Great - now I’m stating the obvious.

  She snorted derisively, not one bit intimidated. The old broad had balls. I liked that, but right now, I needed her to chill. “Yes, I know who you are Dominic Castellano! You passing yourself off as ‘Nick’ with some fake last name—what a crock of shit!”

  “Listen, Belle, as I recall, this place operated on a first-name basis only and it was ‘Nick’ which is what I am called by some—”

  “Not by me you ain’t you simple son-of-a-bitch! So why are you here, anyway? Did you at least have the decency to bring Karlie along with you so as I’m not tempted to shoot your ass full of buckshot! Can’t figure out why in the hell she fell in love with the likes of you, but she did. Where is she?”

  She was looking around, behind me towards the front door. I was stunned into momentary silence, contemplating whether or not Belle was just that good of an actress, or if she truly didn’t know where Karlie was. “You mean she’s not here?”

  I watched her reaction because in my line of work, it is critical to have the ability to read people; their body language, their unspoken reactions and I could read Belle’s loud and clear: she had no clue as to what the fuck was going on.

  “No she’s not here, why? Was she supposed to be coming up?”

  “I just presumed she might,” I said. “We had a bit of a spat.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she now assessed me for body language and unspoken reactions. I suppose our line of work required similar skill-sets.

  “Do you mean to tell me you don’t know where she is?” She was glaring at me now, her hands on her hips, shooting daggers.

  “Obviously, I thought she’d be here. When did you last speak to her?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but if it helps, I haven’t spoken to her since she visited here on a weekend a while back. Seems like she was upset with you then as well, but she never did tell me why.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck with my hand. “Listen, Belle, this is very important. If you hear from her, tell her to go somewhere safe— a motel or a hotel, and to register under a different name. You don’t even have to know where it is. But tell her to stay there and to call you daily from a pay phone to let you know that she’s all right. Do you understand?”

  “What in God’s name is going on?”

  “I’m not sure,” I answered honestly. “I just want to know that she’s safe. Will you do that?”

  She nodded slowly. “If she calls, I’ll let her know.”

  “Thank you. And I will call you and let you know when it’s safe for her to leave wherever it is that she’s staying, so that you can let her know, understood?”

  She nodded again. “But what if she doesn’t call?” she asked meekly.

  “She has to,” I said, with determination and emotion. “She just has to.”

  I left and drove around the area, making sure that I didn’t spot Karlie’s car in nearby parking lots, gas stations or ditches along the winding curves and narrow two lane roads that skirted the mountains. I continued driving and searching until I could see the morning light approaching and I knew in my heart that Karlie wasn’t anywhere around Belle’s.

  Once I was back in Pittsburgh, I phoned Marco from the airport. “Well?” I asked as soon as I heard his sleepy voice on the other end.

  “Well what? Did you get to her in time?”

  I felt my heart drop to my feet. “She’s not there,” I replied.

  “Hey Nick,” he said, his voice hushed. “We should probably wait and talk in person. When will you be back in Camden?”

  “Today,” I replied, “The first flight out.”

  “See you then.”

  chapter 33

  I had just washed my face and brushed my teeth when Lana tapped on my door.

  “Come in,” I hollered from the bathroom, running a brush through my hair.

  “Oh good, I didn’t wake you up,” Lana said, coming into the room and closing the distance between us. “Karlie, Belle called. She’s frantic. I didn’t tell her you were here, but I think we need to let her know that you’re alright.”

  “What happened?” I asked, turning away from the mirror so that I could see her.

  “She’s fine, don’t worry. Dominic came looking for you and by that I mean he’s not looking to drag you back or anything.” She relayed to me the conversation that had taken place the night before between Dominic and Belle, and the instructions that he’d given her. I was glad now that we hadn’t let Belle in on my whereabouts, not that she would’ve divulged it to him, but Dominic was gifted when it came to seeing through people.

  “I don’t want her to worry,” I admitted, “But I don’t want her to tell him that I called her, either. I can’t go back to that life right now, Lana. Maybe not ever. I have the baby to think about.”

  “Oh sweetie, I agree,” she said. “How about I’ll call Belle, and let her know? Then she can honestly tell him every day when he calls that she’s not heard from you, how’s that?”

  I nodded.

  “And eventually, when he doesn’t call her anymore, it’ll be safe for you to phone her, alright?”

  I nodded again, a lump forming in my throat. I hadn’t had a bit of morning sickness, but at the moment, I felt as if I could heave.

  “Lana,” I said, “I think I’m gonna be sick. Could you please put some tea on?”

  “Sure thing, hun. You come down when you’re ready.”

  She left and I proceeded to the bathroom, sinking down in front of the commode, feeling the warm, salty tears that I’d been holding in trickle down my cheeks. I threw up until there was nothing left, not in my stomach and not in my tear ducts.

  I flushed the toilet and went to the sink, splashing cold water on my face, hoping it would hide the tearstains. I brushed my teeth again and then loo
ked at myself in the mirror.

  It was over. This thing with Dominic and me was over, I realized. I could never go back. It would never be safe for this baby that I carried to be exposed to that kind of life.

  As I looked at my reflection, I wondered if that was the reason that Sal and Vinnie’s wives never had children. Maybe they secretly took birth control pills, the way that I had for a while, or maybe they had gone away on some secret vacation and had their tubes tied. I could only speculate, but I knew that I had made the only sane decision in leaving Dominic.

  chapter 34

  Dominic

  It had been more than five weeks since Karlie had disappeared. I had phoned Belle daily, and each time I talked to her, she told me that Karlie hadn’t phoned her. The desperation in her voice haunted me, as if she couldn’t fathom why I hadn’t found her yet.

  It wasn’t for lack of trying.

  I’d hired a private investigator to comb the area around Belle’s, even having him stake it out for several weeks just in case she wasn’t being upfront with me.

  Nothing.

  I had searched Karlie’s condo, and it looked exactly as she would’ve left it had she planned on returning. Her clothes were still hanging in the closet and folded neatly in the dresser drawers. There was no sign of a struggle inside or out. Her car was gone as would be expected. Neighbors had not seen or heard anything unusual.

  I’d checked her phone bill when it arrived. No collect calls, no long-distance or toll calls. It was as if she had disappeared off the face of the planet. I wasn’t even sure what she was living on because I had no clue how Karlie had managed her money. I hadn’t made it my concern because she craved her financial independence, but now I wondered if she had possibly fled the country. I prayed that this is what happened; I couldn’t live with myself if I’d been responsible for her murder.

  I couldn’t mention that I knew about the contract. I couldn’t expose Marco that way. Besides, under family rules, it was really a moot point.

  My father had contacted me the day I returned to Camden asking where the hell I was. I told him I’d been called back due to a medical emergency with Anna Maria. She was recovering from pneumonia and I was needed at home.

  Since there was never any interaction between Anna Maria and the rest of the family, he couldn’t prove otherwise. I had requested that she stay within the confines of our estate for the next couple of weeks, even allowing her to have her lover, Christina, stay with her in our suite. She was unusually compliant, which triggered my suspicions a bit.

  My father took the initiative to appoint someone else as consigliere since my absence was going to span a couple of weeks. I mostly stayed at my estate, not taking calls unless they were from Marco or Vinnie.

  Vinnie had not spoken a word to me about Karlie. That was the way it was with family. Everyone knew protocol. He probably thought I’d been clueless as to what he and Sherry had been up to with Marco and the rest of the family with respect to the heroin and cocaine sewn safely inside Karlie’s garments going to Italy.

  Once exposed, he knew that as a member of the family, my place was to support the project and my loyalty belonged to the families involved in this particular deal, no exceptions. He would naturally presume that as a loyal member of the family, I personally had arranged the hit on Karlie for the reason that she’d uncovered family business and was a potential risk to us. I didn’t let him think any differently through my conversations or interactions with him or anyone else tied to this project.

  The thing that Vinnie hadn’t counted on was the fact that he’d deliberately betrayed a major rule of LCN by allowing a non-family member, and non-associate, participate in this business venture to the full extent—Sherry Ritaglio. Sherry was up to her eyeballs in this deal. If things went askew, I had that filed away for future reference.

  I was in my study, checking my messages on my private phone when Anna Maria tapped on the door.

  “Come in,” I said, not looking up.

  “Nick,” she said, almost tentatively. “I know you’ve been distracted lately, and well, with staying here so much and allowing Christina to be here when I…know how difficult that is for you…I feel like—”

  “Spit it out, Anna,” I snapped, already bored with the conversation.

  She closed the door behind her softly, and turned back to me, wringing her hands.

  “It’s about Karlie,” she said, getting my attention immediately. “I went to see her several weeks ago. It was right before you came back to Camden…to stay…this last time.”

  I cocked a brow, waiting for her to continue.

  “If she’s gone, it’s because of me,” she admitted, her voice full of nervous angst.

  “Go on,” I instructed.

  “Well, it’s just that I’ve been around you long enough to know when things are heating up with the family business and all. So, I don’t know, I knew it was different with her. Your feelings, I mean. There were times you called out her name while you slept. You talked about her in your sleep. Part of me was curious, and part of me was even a bit jealous, and I know how crazy that sounds, but it’s the truth, Nick. Anyway, I went there initially out of curiosity and maybe even to intimidate her a little bit. I guess it was a little insecurity on my part even though our marriage—is well, a farce,” she continued. “But once I was there with her, and talking to her, I just—I dunno, I felt badly for her. I think I might be the reason you’re looking for her, Nick. I think I may have scared her off, and I’m sorry.”

  She lowered her head, looking at her hands, waiting for me to yell or to show anger. I couldn’t. She may have saved my Karlie’s life.

  “What was the exact day you visited her? This is important, Anna.”

  She looked up at me, studying my face to find something there to explain why I wasn’t angry. “It was the evening of October 11th,” she answered.

  “Thank you, Anna,” I replied. “You may go now.”

  After she left, I breathed a slight sigh of relief. For the first time in over five weeks, I felt somewhat optimistic that Karlie had in fact left town before Vinnie had discovered that someone had opened the crate and uncovered the hidden cargo. Hell, Karlie might’ve left the same night that Anna had visited. My heart wanted to believe more than anything that Karlie was safe at least for the moment.

  I knew as soon as that shipment docked in Palermo, which should be any day now, the contract for the hit would be forgotten. I had seen to that through Marco. He had distracted Fat Tony’s associate for the time being, with some false information along with a nice bribe. Once the cargo reached its final destination, the hit on Karlie would fall by the wayside because more important matters would take top priority.

  I now realized that this thing between Karlie and me—it was over. I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it, but now I could live with the fact that she was most likely safe, and outside of the LCN’s reach. And as long as she stayed wherever she was, she would have a future, even if it wasn’t going to be with me. I would never have wanted to deny her that. She was the love of my life. No one would or could ever replace her in my heart. I knew this to be the truth. For now, I continued to hope and pray that time was on her side and on mine.

  chapter 35

  It had been four months ago that I’d come to Lana’s. I was seven months pregnant, and my unborn child was kicking up a storm and already had a place in my heart.

  The time here had gone very slowly at first. I was emotionally in pieces, and I knew that it was going to take time. Dominic had stopped with his daily checks to Belle three months ago. She told Lana he stopped one day and had never called her since. Now Belle and I could converse without worry that someone was tapping her phone. She even had made a trip to Roanoke Rapids for visit a couple of times, hugging me and telling me how beautiful I looked and what a good momma I was going to make.

  Lana and Walter had been wonderful to me. I was seeing an obstetric doctor in Richmond, Virginia, and Walter had sug
gested that I go in under Lana’s name just in case the long arm of the mafia was still searching for me. He was convinced that there was more to it than just Dominic trying to make sure that I was safe. Since he’d been a judge and knew much more about those kinds of criminals and their activities, I felt like he was probably right so I took his advice. I knew that both he and Lana had the best interest of the baby and me at heart.

  Lana and I had shopped for baby furniture and a full layette. I wasn’t sure if the baby was going to be a boy or a girl, so we bought a lot of things in yellow and green. We had decorated another bedroom into a nursery.

  I had been frugal with my money and still had over fourteen thousand dollars left. I’d paid off the obstetrician’s bill, so the only other big expense I had would be the hospital bill when I delivered. Walter and Lana had refused to take any money for rent or groceries. Lana had even bought the crib, changing table and dresser for the baby’s room.

  She said once the baby was born, if I wanted to find a part-time job or something, she’d be glad to babysit. As much as I loved her for offering, I knew that I couldn’t stay here forever. At some point, I had to make a life for the baby and myself independent of their generous nature. I didn’t mention it to her at the time; she was so excited at the prospect of helping me care for the baby. I figured by the time the baby was six or eight months old, I would be ready to venture out on my own, though I really did want to stay in the area. North Carolina was beautiful. And if I remained close enough, Lana could certainly babysit, but I would insist on paying her.

  Lana and I had just finished washing and folding all of the new baby clothes we’d bought and getting ready to start dinner when the phone rang.

  “I’ve got it,” Lana said, as I was washing the potatoes to peel. “I hope Walter’s not going to be late again. This golfing streak he’s on is getting out of hand,” she laughed.

  “Oh hi, Belle,” I heard her say from the other room. “What?”