Where There's a Will ....There's Murder

by Julie Ramson

  I cleaned off the table and headed for the shower. I used extra care. Perfumed soap and shampoo, full makeup and even a spray of perfume that was supposed to make me “irresistible.” We’ll see.

  Digs wasn’t home yet so I took Killer down for a fast duty run. “Later, maybe, Killer,” I promised, “but right now I have some serious beauty things to finish.” I stayed in the building with the door closed while Killer ran around burning off his energy and cookies.

  Then some serious getting ready. I dressed in good pants and a dark green silk sweater. It hugged me. I added only earrings.

  Since Digs still wasn’t home, I pulled the time line back out. Something was nagging at me but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I added some details but still felt I was missing something.

  I heard the key in the lock. I knew it was Digs. Killer came racing out of the bedroom and skidded across the floor. “Killer! Be careful!” Goofy dog. Digs opened the door and Killer all but knocked him over.

  “Hi there, Big Guy!” Digs handed me one of the grocery bags he had in his arms. I peeked inside. “No peeking! There’s a surprise in there!” I put the bag down in the kitchen and took another from him. This one had wine in it. I grinned. Digs put down his bags and shed his coat, scarf and shoes. He came over and put his arms around me. “Hi, Maggie,” he breathed into my ear. “Ready for......dinner?” I could feel him smiling as he kissed me.

  “Sure,” I said breezily, stepping back. “Always ready for dinner. What are we having?”

  “Surprise,” he said. He walked me into the living room and turned the TV on. “Sit. Don’t come in the kitchen. How’s Killer?”

  “Walked and finished. I hope. So what happened today in Cicero? Don’t keep me in suspense!”

  “I’ll tell you all about it over dinner,” he called back as he headed for the kitchen.

  I half watched an old rerun of a sitcom and heard him banging pans in the kitchen. I picked up my cell and called Mary Grace. I hadn’t talked to her in a while.

  “Hi MG, it’s Maggie.”

  “Maggie!” Before I could get another word out she started with the questions. “How are you! I have been worried! Sean said Digs is taking good care of you – and don't think we won't get back to that subject, too! But how are you? Is the leg better? Are you okay?” She shot these questions out like bullets. I had to smile.

  Finally, she ran out of breath. “I’m fine! Stop! I didn’t even need stitches! Yes, my leg is much better. Yes, Digs is taking care of me. No, we are not going to discuss that any further.” I stopped. “Now, take a deep breath. Tell me about the kids.” Once she was satisfied that I was fine, Mary Grace was off and running about Kevin and Katie and I loved hearing it. We chatted for a while and she said that Mom would be getting home in another few days. I asked about Gram - again, the guilt. I hadn’t been to see her.

  “Gram is fine - I think she and Mom both do a lot better when they aren’t living together!” Mary Grace laughed. “She’s been bingo- ing every night and last night she won $100 - you’d have thought it was the moon!” We both chuckled. Mary Grace told me that she and Michael were planning a trip with the kids over spring break. “Maybe Disney World,” she said. We talked about that and some of the latest developments with my client. I left out everything about the mob. No need to scare her to death.

  I heard Digs go into the bathroom and the shower come on. I got up and sneaked a peek at the kitchen. All the pans were covered. I debate cheating but then decided against it. I wandered back to the living room, still chatting with Mary Grace. She yelled a “hi!” to Michael and said good bye. I promised to call her again soon - and tell her anytime I ever got shot......and we hung up.

  Restless, I wandered back to the kitchen and started pulling down plates and glasses, cups and silverware. I set the table. Digs came out and nuzzled my neck. “I’ve a few more touches for that, Toots.”

  He went to a bag and pulled out a beautiful bouquet of flowers. “Oh, Digs!” I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had given me flowers. “They are just lovely!” There were dark pink roses and white carnations, pink lilies, purple iris and even some pale ivory orchids. The baby’s breath set all of it off. I was really touched and went to my cabinet and pulled down a vase. It was a Waterford vase that I had gotten a few years earlier in Ireland. I filled it with water and added a bit of sugar. I arranged the flowers and put them in the center of the dining table. I stood back and admired them again.

  I went up to Digs and put my arms around him from behind. I reached up and kissed his neck. He stilled. “Thank you so much, Digs. What a wonderful thing to do!”

  He turned and looked at me carefully. “What?” I asked.

  “That’s the first time you have ever come up and hugged me first,” he said. He put his arms around me. “I liked it.” Then he patted my rear end. “Had I known that flowers would do that, I’d have sure as hell brought them sooner!” He started rubbing my rear and gave me a lecherous leer. I rolled my eyes but gave him a kiss anyway.

  “I still love the flowers, even if you are taking liberties with my ass!” I danced just out of reach.

  He turned back to the stove, smiling. “Almost ready,” he said. He reached in the bag and got candles and took them to the table. He lit them and handed me the wine to pour. I tried to see the oven over his shoulder, but he blocked my view. “Sit. Don’t look.”

  I poured the wine and sat down. In a few minutes Digs brought in peas and rolls and butter, baked potatoes and small dishes of sour cream. He then came in with a platter of lobster tails! I was stunned.

  “Digs! Wow! What a treat!” I couldn’t believe my eyes. He had cracked the shells and they looked incredible. He leaned over and gave me a lingering kiss.

  “I hoped you liked lobster,” he said smiling.

  I gave him a look. “Duh.....!” He laughed and put the drawn butter in the small dishes at the head of the plates. We dug in.

  “I don’t know how you do this! It’s delicious!” He looked thoroughly pleased with himself. I filled him in on my day with Sam and told him about Emily’s call. “I think she’s lonely, Digs,” I said.

  He didn’t say anything at first, then put his fork down. “I do, too, Maggie. But I'm afraid she’s really going to hurt Jimmy. She's been so stressed lately with all this. I'm afraid once it's over, she won't need Jimmy as much.”

  “I agree. She's had the shock of finding Lily, then learning that her uncle was a mobster, probably a murderer....and she's been threatened, too. Maybe this is all just too much and she’s trying to protect herself.”

  “I know. I'm not blaming her. I do understand.”

  “So what happened in Cicero? Did the cops there let you in to Louie’s apartment?” I changed the subject.

  “We saw it. Trashed. The photo was there, though.” He grinned at me.

  “What? And you wait this long to tell me? You creep!” I sputtered. He laughed out loud.

  “And more, Toots! The bullet in the skeleton matched Herbert’s gun. Sean got the ballistics back.”

  “Wow. We figured that, though. Anything else?”

  Digs put his fork down and sighed. “Not really.”

  “Could it have been a random killing? No, that’s too coincidental.” I ate in silence.

  Digs nodded. “I still think the mob.”

  “We can’t figure out the time line either. It doesn’t make any sense.” We finished and Digs cleared the table.

  “I’ll clean up. You cooked, I clean. Fair’s fair.” I started rinsing the dishes and Digs got the dessert out. I looked back over my shoulder.

  “We’re talking chocolate, right?” I asked. Digs smiled. He got two more plates while I finished rinsing the dishes and stacked them in the dishwasher. I brought in the coffee.

  “No chances with this, Sweetheart. I got a dessert called ‘triple chocolate fudge torte.’ That chocolate enough?” He came up behind me and waved the plate in front of me, then pulled it away. “First, the ki
ss.” he said. “A real kiss.” He pulled me up hard against him. And kissed me. Hard. The real deal. He angled against me, kissed me again. Whoa. This was the first man who could almost make me forget a triple chocolate dessert in front of me. Almost. He let go. We sat down and dug in. About midway through the torte, he leaned over and kissed me again. “I like your chocolate better than mine.” He said and leaned in again.

  What the hell, I thought. I settled in. He pulled my chair out and pulled me up. Still kissing me, he walked me toward the bedroom. I walked with him. This seemed like a better idea every minute. He stopped and started rubbing me. Everywhere.

  “Digs! I hate to say this but one of us has to walk Killer.... .. .” I

  made a face. He clunked his head on his chest. “We’ll be very sorry if we don’t........” I had to smile.

  “Don’t move. Don’t forget the place. Do not think! I mean that. Do. Not. Think.” He moved toward the living room, calling Killer.

  “This is going to be your shortest walk in history so you’d better make the most of it,” he said sternly. Killer jumped up and down. He didn’t seem very concerned.

  I walked into the kitchen and turned off the coffee pot. I put the rest of the food away and cleared the table. I was smiling and humming. Digs walked back in. “You did move fast!” I grinned.

  “Oh, Toots, you haven’t seen me move fast yet. But you will......” he reached over and grabbed me. He started kissing me again, angling me closer. He was walking me backwards toward the bedroom.

  My cell phone rang. “Ignore it!” he said desperately. “Just ignore it!”

  Reluctantly, I pulled back and went into the dining room and got the phone. “Hello?”

  “Maggie! I think Emily is missing!” It was Jimmy. “I’ve called Sean and we need Digs! Now!” I gasped.

  Digs came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist. I put up a finger.

  “Digs, it’s Jimmy. Emily is missing.” He looked shocked and took the phone.

  “Yeah, Jimmy, what’s happened?” He listened and then looked at me. “Fine, but I’m bringing Maggie. She’s not going to be here alone.” He hung up.

  “We have to go to the precinct. Sean and Jimmy will meet us there. Apparently, the last ones to see Emily were you and Sam.” I ran and got our coats.

  “I can’t believe this! She was just here a couple of hours ago!” We got Killer’s leash but didn’t even bother putting it on him. We ran for the car and left immediately.

  When we got to the precinct, Sean and Jimmy were there but so was Brice and, of course, Olivia. Brice had on jeans and a dark burgundy sweater. I had never seen him look casual before. His hair was mussed as if he had been running his hands through it. Jimmy was pacing. Sean had a frown on his head and looked very worried.

  Olivia looked as cool as ever. Her eyes locked on Digs immediately. She, too, had on jeans. Skin tight and an equally tight, bright blue V neck sweater. Of course, she had a silver necklace and silver earrings on as well. Her hair was not mussed and she looked completely in control.

  I went up to Sean. “What happened?”

  “We were going to ask you that. You and Sam saw her last. Did she say anything about where she was going after she left your place?”

  “No. She said nothing about any plans. We worked on our time line of events and tried to put everyone on it.”

  “What do you mean, a time line?” Olivia came up. “What's that?”

  I looked at her impatiently. “We had a time line of everything that had happened, starting with 1985. We had all the events of now, starting with Lily and Louie’s murders. I wanted to place everyone’s whereabouts for each event, but it all falls apart if the mob is the killers. I have no idea where any of them were at any point in time.”

  Olivia started to speak but Brice came up and interrupted her. “Maggie, if the mob did it we may never be able to prove that.” He looked tired.

  I sighed. “Yeah, I know. But Emily - She’s been threatened before and....” I stopped. “Has anyone checked Lily’s house?” They all looked at each other. No. They hadn’t.

  “Why don’t we start there? That’s where she went the last time she was missing.”

  Brice turned to Olivia. “Get your coat. We can at least check there.” Jimmy and Sean turned to Digs. “Are you coming with us?” Digs looked at me and we nodded.

  We all got into the cars and headed for Lily’s house. Digs turned to me. “Good thinking, Mag. Even if she’s not there, it’s something we all should have thought of.”

  I shrugged. “It’s a hunch. I’m just praying that she’s there.”

  We turned onto Lily’s block. Her whole area was dark. Castelletti’s lot was burned and both Irma Gorman and Fee O’Brien were gone. Brice and Olivia were already there and Jimmy and Sean arrived with us. We got out and headed for the door of Lily’s house.

  The front door flew open and Emily rushed out and into a very surprised Jimmy’s arms. “Thank God you’re here!” she cried. “I’ve been so scared! I tried to call you and Sean but no one answered! I got another phone call and... and.... and...” she started to cry.

  No one moved. Jimmy put his arms around her. “It’s all right, Emily. We’re here now. “It’s all right.” He looked at us over her head. “I suggest we find a quiet, safe place to talk.”

  “Come back to my place,” I said. “We don’t need to parade her into a police station right now.” Sean nodded.

  “I think that this conversation needs to take place in an official location.” Olivia sounded angry and glared at everyone around her. “This is a very serious matter. She can’t just run away and not let anyone know.......”

  Brice stepped in. “I know, Olivia. I think we were all scared and are now very relieved to find her. But Maggie’s right. We don’t need to drag her to the station right now. Let’s just go back to Maggie’s and try to sort this through in an informal manner.”

  Olivia tightened her lips and stalked off to her car. Brice shrugged. “It’s been a long night after a series of long, frustrating days.” We all nodded. Sean and Jimmy and Emily headed for his car. Digs and I moved toward mine. Killer was cowering on the floor in the back. “Poor baby. This is going to put him into shock!” I laughed out of nervous relief.

  Digs got in the car with a set look on his face. He started the car without a word. “Digs? Aren’t you glad we found Emily-” I started.

  “Yes!” he exploded. “I am. But I am pissed as hell at her, too! How can we protect her? She should have called the police station and asked them to find Sean or Jimmy! Or called the FBI and asked for Brice. She could be killed! This isn't a game!” He pounded the steering wheel. Killer cowered.

  “Let’s wait and hear what she has to say. She told us she did call both Sean and Jimmy, Digs.” I tried to calm the waters. “And to be fair, even if she had called the precinct, no one would have paged Sean.” I was annoyed too, but I knew that Emily was truly terrified.

  We drove silently for a few blocks. “Be ready for Jimmy to defend her. Especially since she did call.”

  “Yeah, I know. He was the one she ran to. She’s counting on him protecting her from any of us being angry with her. And he will. Or try to.” Digs’ mouth was still in a tight line.

  We got to the house and Digs said, “Stay here until Sean arrives. I want him to check your apartment.” I agreed. Digs walked Killer over the end of the parking lot, as much to calm himself down as to let Killer run. I had never seen him this angry before. Quite the sight.

  I waited for Sean and Jimmy and Emily. Sean nodded when he saw me and we all proceeded to my floor. We waited in the hall while he and Jimmy went through the apartment. Emily didn’t say anything to me in the hall and I didn’t say anything either. We just waited in silence.

  They returned and motioned us in. We all moved to the living room. Sean brought in some extra chairs from the dining room and I went to put on the coffee. Sean followed me into the kitchen.

  “So what di
d she have to say on the way over?” I asked as I measured out the coffee.

  “She said she called me and Jimmy. And she did. We were wrong. There was a message on my phone at work and also with the dispatcher.” He sounded tired.

  “What happened Sean?”

  “Maggie, I don’t know. She was threatened and called us. We think it's Whip but we're not sure.” He sighed. “We have to find out who called her. For sure she is terrified.”

  Brice and Olivia arrived. I took their coats and we all sat down in the living room. I brought in the pot of coffee and cups then went back to brew another pot. It looked like it was going to be a long night. Digs and Killer came in. Killer headed for the bathtub and Digs sat in one of the living room chairs. He looked moderately calmer.

  I guess Olivia had had some time to work on Brice in the car. He seemed angrier than he had at Lily’s.

  Before he could start, I said, “Brice, Olivia, you should know Emily called Sean and Jimmy earlier. She also left a message at the station for them.” Digs looked at me, chagrined.

  Brice looked relieved. “Emily,” he started, speaking gently, “we can do the informal report here but you are going to have to come into the precinct tomorrow and make a formal statement. Or you can come to the FBI office if you’d prefer.” He was calm but firm. Olivia just sat looking at Emily without expression. I had the feeling she was still furious.

  Emily sat next to Jimmy on the couch. She looked forlorn. “Sure. I will.” She looked up briefly at everyone. “I’m so sorry! I guess I just panicked when I got the second call today. I did try to reach Jimmy and Sean and tell them what happened and where I was going. I was so scared. I went to Lily’s because I didn’t think anyone would think to look for me there. It seemed safe.”

  She sat looking down at her hands. She wasn’t crying now but there were tear tracks on her face from previous tears. I could tell Sean was still half frustrated and very worried but he softened his voice.

  “We do need to know about the call. What happened and what did he say?”