Mark noticed the bottle was that of the same vintage they had drank earlier, in his office.
As he poured her a glass of wine, the waiters quickly refilled everyone’s glasses for the toast. A couple of waitresses were refilling water and soda-pop to those who were not of age. Allie looked at Mark and mouthed the words, “You ok with this?” He nodded and smiled back at her, raising his glass. Dom had asked for Mark’s permission earlier that day.
“To friends and family, may you cherish your youth and ensure bright futures. Happy birthday, Princess Allie! You have become a beautiful young woman, and may God continue to bless you in every aspect of your life,” Dom’s misty eyes betrayed his suddenly gruff tone.
Applause erupted from all around and Allie’s friends giggled as they watched her take her first drink of wine. In front of other adults, that is.
“Now, it’s time for cake!!” Lucy interrupted.
Mark got up and walked over to stand next to Allie.
The waiters wheeled out the lavishly decorated birthday cake. An acoustic version of “Happy Birthday” began to play in the background. Everyone began to chime in and sing the words. The restaurants staff began to clap in rhythm, and others caught on quickly. The cake glowed with all eighteen candles lit, as Lucy guided Allie towards it to “make her wish.”
“Ok, ok, I wish for…” Allie squinted as she silently made her wish…and then blew out all of the candles! (Not in one breathe of course.)
While everyone was being served slices of the beautiful cake, Allie was then presented with her very own, miniature version of the cake. That must have been Lucy’s special surprise she had mentioned. Many pictures were being taken as you can imagine, and the flashes of the cameras were beginning to bother Mark’s bad eye. Even with the corrective laser surgery, his vision would sometimes blur, which made it hard for him to focus. The old injury was a morbid reminder of how special today was for him. How poignant.
“Happy birthday, Princess, I love you,” he said tenderly. She gave him a long hug and said, “Thank you for this dad, I’ll never forget this night as long as I live!” Allie turned and exclaimed loudly, “I thank every one of you for a wonderful night, thank you for coming and being a part of the best night of my life!” She cried.
That was Allie, as gracious as she was beautiful.
Mark walked over to the lobby where it was a bit quieter. He stood back and watched as everyone indulged in the delectable cake. He couldn’t help but notice the staff was starting to disperse a little. Probably since the food service was officially over. He also had to remind himself, that HE wasn’t working tonight either.
Mark looked for Dom, hoping to have caught up with him at some point this evening. Except for the toast, he hadn’t seen him much tonight.
Just then, Mark heard a commotion at the head of the room. Mark turned just in time to see Allie slump over into Jen’s lap. Everyone was panicking and running to her. He heard someone say, “Call 911!” Dom was suddenly at her side.
“Allie?” Mark yelled. His heart went up into his throat, and it was pounding so hard he could barely talk. Mark was already moving people out of his way, trying to make it through the crowd to get to her. He could see glimpses of Dom laying her on her back. “Move, please! Excuse me!” he yelled.
Too many people were crowding around her, he couldn’t get through the hysterical young girls. He jumped onto the table, and slid off the other side, spilling the floating candles. There she was. Dom was already administering C.P.R. and assured him, that “help was on the way.” Mark smoothed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead, “You’re going to be ok Allie, you’re going to be just fine,” he whispered in her ear.
She started to gag and vomit. “Turn her to the side Marko!!” Dom yelled.
Her breathing slowed and became very shallow.
“Allie! Can you hear me? Allie cat, open your eyes, come on honey,” Mark tried to shake her to get her to stir. Her skin was clammy, cool and becoming almost translucent.
She started to mumble... ”It’s ok dad, my wish, my wish came true…”
“What? What was that honey? What did you wish? Tell Daddy! Stay awake,” he stammered.
“I wished that Aunt Alice was here with us… and she’s right here,” Allie smiled faintly as her eyes rolled back into her head.
“Lily!” Mark shouted, not realizing he had said her REAL name. Dom looked at him strangely for a second. “I mean… Allie! Wake up honey! Allie?” Tears fell freely from his eyes. He was suddenly so afraid of losing her.
“Sir, I need you to move, NOW, please! Stand back,” Mark felt a tug on his shoulder.
The E.M.T’s were trying to get to her. Mark stood up and backed away… not hearing anything else, but what they were saying. Everyone and everything else seemed muted.
“I can’t get a pulse,” said the first man.
“Let’s bag her, get her in the bus!” The E.M.T.’s were yelling at each other.
“We’ll get her hooked up to fluids inside the ambulance,” said the second man.
Everything seemed to happen in fast motion after that, Mark ran beside her as they wheeled her out to the ambulance and he grabbed her cool hand for one last squeeze. Why he felt it would be the last, he wasn’t sure.
Dom was right by his side, assuring him that everything would be fine. Dom had a car waiting for them to follow the ambulance. Julie was already running to her car as well.
Once at the hospital they were taken to a family waiting room. Something in the air had changed. Mark insisted that he be at her side, but they gently refused, telling him to please patiently wait for a moment until the Dr. would be able to come in and speak to him. Mark sensed it then. He already knew what they were preparing to tell him.
With Dom, Lucy, and Julie in attendance, Mark was told that Allie was pronounced dead in the ambulance. She had died. She was gone.
They wouldn’t know the cause of death until an autopsy was performed. The Doctor thought it could have been an allergic reaction to something she may have eaten or drank. Dom was staring at Mark, watching, waiting for some kind of reaction that never came. Lucy seemed almost afraid of what Mark might do, discouraging any eye contact. No one knew how to react. It was so surreal. Julie began to cry and reached out and grabbed Mark’s arm for support. Mark was devoid of any emotion. He just didn’t feel anything at all. It was strangely calming and almost peaceful; not to feel anything. It felt like he was dreaming and simply no longer a part of this painful physical world. The Doctor continued to talk, but Mark didn’t listen to a word. As long as he didn’t believe her death, none of this was real to him.
Dom asked a series of questions to the nurse and proceeded to the desk to speak with the staff. He helped Mark, by making all the necessary arrangements. Mark blindly signed whatever was put in front of him. He didn’t care what happened with the paperwork. It wasn’t going to change anything.
“Marko, do you want to see her?” Dom asked.
Mark nodded.
“I’ll be right there with you,” Dom patted his shoulder. “You’re not alone, Marko. I’ll be right by your side, till you ask me to leave.”
A nurse led them to the triage unit where she was laid out. Lucy stayed behind to talk to the others who gathered in the lobby. Mark could hear his daughters dear friend Jen, sobbing uncontrollably from the waiting area, as she learned the heart breaking news.
The nurse quickly jerked the curtain to the side, with a shrill metal scraping sound.
There she was, his baby girl… his sweet angel. She looked like she was sleeping, so peaceful and dreaming. The three of them stood and looked at her for a moment before Dom and Julie turned and left, quietly closing the curtain behind them. Mark was all alone with her now.
He heard Dom say something to Julie about maybe getting a priest. “I don’t need a priest,” Mark thought, “I need my daughter to wake up.”
Mark looked at Allie’s angelic face in disbelief… not truly bel
ieving that she was really gone. “She never made a sound when she slept anyway,” he thought, as he stood there watching, waiting for her to breathe in deep.
But there was nothing. No sudden gasp or deep breath. Just silence.
Mark was trying to feel something about what was happening. He saw her with his own eyes, yet nothing budged…
He didn’t even tear up. He couldn’t cry.
It just felt wrong, so unnatural, like it shouldn’t be happening. He closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths. He began to feel something. There was something there, alright, something familiar stirring deep within him. He knew what this was. It was pain; pure sadness, in its truest form to him. That dreaded feeling of emptiness and complete loss that he had felt so long ago.
It started to rise up in him, and he desperately tried to push it back down. He didn’t want to hurt again. Instead, he turned it into anger. Anger doesn’t hurt as bad, he realized. Maybe he would allow this.
Mark began pacing the small room. He felt compelled to say something to her.
“I made a promise to you a long time ago, baby, that I would protect you and keep you safe and I didn’t do that … did I,” he was talking out loud to her.… seemingly, apologizing.
He thought of Allie, Alice, and of her baby. What kind of protector was he? Alice and his mother would be so disappointed, wouldn’t they? He felt a sharp pain in his chest. It physically hurt him to think that he had let them down in any way.
Suddenly, a large knot seemed to form in his gut. He was on the verge of getting sick. Mark struggled to make sense of the situation.
“Was this a freak accident? Or did someone do this to you, baby?” He whispered to her as he knelt down next to her head.
This is really happening, isn‘t it, he asked himself. His mind was reeling.
“You really are lying here, and you’re never going to get up, are you?” he said out loud.
He felt the sting of the tears coming now, as he looked at his sleeping angel; so pretty in satin, like a porcelain doll. Mark gently stroked her hair back off her face, careful not to touch her skin. He didn’t want to feel the coldness in her normally flushed cheeks that were usually so full of life. He steadied himself against the stretcher and fought the impending urge to vomit. He struggled with the reasoning aspect of it. Despite his need to understand, he would never accept the loss of his precious daughter.
Mark wiped away a tear on the sleeve of his shirt. He thought about what the Doctor had said, “it could have been a possible food allergy”. He remembered Allie throwing up. It was a plausible explanation, but that still didn’t sit well. He hadn’t known her to be allergic to anything, and they definitely wouldn’t have served it at her party if she were. It felt wrong. A random thought quickly entered his mind. “This might not have been an accident. It could be a poisoning,” he thought. Was it morbid for him to think that? The old “Detective” mind set began to focus his thoughts on a possible homicide case. He needed a motive.
Why would anyone want to do this to her? What could the motive possibly be, and how could it involve Allie? He just felt like this wasn’t an accident. His intuition had beckoned him again. Who did he know, that was capable of killing a precious young woman? Allie had no enemies. She was just a young girl with her whole life ahead of her, a completely innocent…. young woman.
Just then, his body physically answered his own questions. The hair on his arms and legs, spiked at the sudden realization. His mind quickly revealed the possibility.
This was an unmistakable moment of clarity for Mark.
There was only one person he knew of that was truly capable of such horror. This particular person also had something against him and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill another innocent young woman, especially, if it were in the name of revenge.
“No!” Mark said aloud. “No, it couldn’t be.”
How could he have found us? Mark thought. He’s still in prison! Marks mind was spiraling out of control just trying to rationalize this insane notion. That doesn’t make any sense… Mark struggled with his sudden awareness. His parole hearing is coming up… would he jeopardize his freedom for a little revenge?
The sudden, knowledgeable fear he felt slowly began to manifest itself into something else. It was strange, but familiar. It slowly filled his heart and soul with every breath he took.
Mark felt the anger turn to silent rage as it consumed his entire being. He could feel it wrapping around his heart, like the welcoming arms of an old friend’s embrace.
He stood over Allie, kissing her on the top of her head for the last time.
Mark said his name out loud…“Leo Vanzetti,” he hissed.
“Did you have something to do with this?” he whispered quietly and looked up to the ceiling.
Mark’s instincts forced him to acknowledge the possible connection. His mind instantly reacted, and gave him his answer. In Mark’s heart and mind, this was the only possible explanation. He had his first suspect.
“He has managed to take everything from me now,” Mark’s voice was low and raw.
He looked down at Allie, making a final promise to her. Mark vowed, “He’s taken everything good in my life, now. I won’t stop, until I have taken HIS.”
CHAPTER 3
SHIFT CHANGE
Dom was standing at the nurse’s station when Mark came out of the viewing room from seeing Allie.
“Marko,” Dom nodded respectfully, acknowledging him.
“I am handling all of the preparations here at the hospital including the autopsy scheduling. There’s no need for you to worry about funeral arrangements right now,” Dom stated. He was very concerned for Mark. He was genuinely trying to ease some of his worry.
“Thank you, but I can take care of all that myself,” Mark arched his back, stretching his strained neck. All though, he wasn’t ready to deal with or even hear of “arrangements” just yet. It was nice of Dom.
“Nonsense, it’s already done. Would you like to stay awhile or shall I take you to a priest? Whatever you need, just ask,” Dom said. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and rubbed his eyes. He looked very tired as well.
Mark felt a fleeting hint of relief. He was grateful to Dom for handling the specifics, but he really could’ve handled it.
“Alright, thank you, my friend,” Mark put his pride aside. He was too exhausted to argue.
“Why don’t you get Lucy home and I will call you if I hear anything. I need to go say a few words to her friends and their worried parents. Then I think I’ll head back to the house,” Mark said.
Dom gave Mark a puzzled look.
“You could come to our home. If you prefer not to be alone, I will wait here for you,” Dom urged.
“I’ll be fine, I really don‘t want to be around people right now. I need to be alone tonight.” Mark thought for a moment about what that actually meant to him… to be alone. Without Allie, he had nothing. Nothing would ever be worthwhile. LIFE would have no real meaning any longer. He really was, all alone.
Dom studied Marks face and reactions, wondering what he was thinking about.
“Alright, Marko I understand,” Dom said reluctantly. Marks tone of voice then changed. It sounded unusually chipper, as he said, “ Have a good night! I’ll be in contact.”
Dom paused. “I still need to discuss my week’s plans with you. I hope that you’ll understand my predicament,” Dom seemed hesitant. “I must leave tomorrow, to tend to my sister Anita’s health care issues and I don’t want you to think that I‘m insensitive to this situation.”
Mark raised his hand to quiet him, knowing where the conversation was going.
“Please, don’t worry about this. Okay? Go. Take care of your sister, and I will let you know what’s going on as soon as I find out anything.” Dom looked very upset and quite emotional. In fact, Mark had never seen him this way in the eleven years they‘d known each other. On the other hand, they’ve never experienced this kind of tragedy… together.
/> Mark tried to reassure him.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, or when it might… so please, just do what you have to do. Focus on your family and do what’s right by them. That’s how you can help me,” Mark said honestly.
Mark sincerely meant every word and Dom knew that. He nodded quickly and cleared his throat, patting Mark hard on the shoulder. That sentiment meant more to Dom that Mark would ever know.
“Okay, Marko. Lucy will handle the restaurant with Nick, and my niece will be here tomorrow. She’ll be hosting this week and filling in where needed. I will return as soon as I find Anita a new home health care nurse and everything is to my liking. I will definitely be back on Monday, as I have made it clear that the autopsy be scheduled no sooner than that day. I will be around to handle things at that time,” Dom finished.
They stopped just before rounding the corner, and entering the waiting room. Something about that didn’t sit well with Mark.
“YOU made it clear that the autopsy be scheduled later? Isn’t that something that the coroner usually dictates?” Mark didn’t realize he was glaring at Dom. “What if they were able to perform it sooner?” he asked.
“Yes, well, I felt that it was appropriate timing, what with the holiday on Monday and all. No reason other than wanting answers and personally seeing to the scheduling. It’s important to make sure these things go smoothly, yes?” Dom stared strangely at Mark for an awkward moment. “It was the soonest for the hospital staff anyhow. I’m only trying to help you.”
Mark realized that he might have sounded a little rude. His pride reared its head… once again. He took a slow deep breath to calm himself. Perhaps he was overthinking the issue.
“You’re right, who knows how long it could be before they are able to do it, anyway. That’s very helpful, thank you. Thanks for all you’ve done, it won‘t be forgotten.”
“You’re welcome.” Dom smiled.
Dom handed Mark some wrapped up tissues, and Mark put them in his jacket pocket. “Just in case you need them, there’s no shame in it.” Dom squeezed Marks shoulder. “This too, shall pass.”
Vendetta Page 4