by Jessie Cooke
Mario stood up then and went over to his daughter. He kissed the beautiful young woman on the cheek and then turned back to Maddox and said, “Mr. Maddox, this is my daughter, Carmella.”
6
Carmella was dressed in a pair of short, cutoff denim shorts and a white tank top. Maddox could see the thin strings of a bikini top, peeking out from underneath the tank. The strings were tied together behind her neck. He’d seen every inch of her body just the night before, but that didn’t stop him from suddenly wishing she’d lose the shorts and tank and let him get a glimpse of her in that bikini. His mouth had gone so dry that he felt like he needed to peel his lips apart before he was able to speak. It took several seconds but finally he said, “Carmella, it’s a pleasure.” They stepped toward each other and she took the hand he offered. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining things or not, but as she pulled her hand away, he may have felt the gentle brush of her thumb against his palm. He consciously had to try not to shiver and he forced himself to give her just a slight nod and refocus his attention on her father.
“You go on, baby girl,” Mario said. “Mr. Maddox and I have some business to attend to.” Carmella smiled and even though Maddox could only see her out of the corner of his eye now, his insides began to melt. Mario watched her leave the room and Maddox fought the lust that coursed through his veins when the smell of her perfume assaulted him as she walked by. When she was gone, Mario pointed at the chair behind Maddox and said, “Please.” Maddox sat, but his mind had followed Carmella outside and he had a clear picture of her sliding out of those shorts and that shirt, her brown skin glistening in the sun... “Mr. Maddox?” Shit. Maddox never had trouble focusing. Again, he forced his attention back to Mario and said:
“Yes, I’m sorry. We were talking about Louis. So, you only knew him as the local butcher? You wouldn’t have any idea where he may have gone?”
“No. I would have no idea where Louis would go. So, you’re looking for him, as well as Blackheart’s sister?”
“It seems to me that two disappearances in the same neighborhood in one day would have to be related, don’t you think?”
“Perhaps,” he said. He opened his mouth again, but the doorbell seemed to ring out of it. With a sigh he said, “If you’ll excuse me, Cyrus will have gone out to walk the dogs by now.” Maddox nodded, and like a child who has been left unattended, as soon as Mario was gone, he turned toward the glass doors about six feet behind him. He could see a gazebo, and beyond that, the blue water of an Olympic-sized pool, but no sign of Carmella. He thought about walking over and looking out, but if Mario caught him gaping at his daughter, that might be the end to their “friendly” talk. He gawked out the window like a teenager until he heard the sounds of someone coming back down the hall. He was facing the right direction when Mario, and a guy who looked like a poster boy for being a made man entered the room. “Mr. Maddox, this is my nephew, Gianni Tucci.”
“A pleasure,” Gianni said. Even his voice was spot on, as if he’d walked right out of an Al Pacino movie.
“As well,” Maddox said.
“Gianni might have some information to help you,” Mario said. That piqued Maddox’s interest. Gianni sauntered over toward the couch and stopped to unbutton his silk jacket before sitting down. Maddox saw him look toward the glass doors and frown.
“Someone in your pool, Uncle?” Damn. Maddox tightened his muscles to keep his head from spinning around on his shoulders as if he were possessed.
“It’s Carmella,” Mario said. “Tell Mr. Maddox what you just told me.”
“Yeah, about Louis. My cousin Frank may have seen him the day before he went missing. Frank said he was headed in to pick up some lamb for the dinner he makes for his mother every Sunday and Louis was locking up the doors when he got there. That was Saturday at about 4 p.m.”
“Was it unusual for Louis to be leaving work so early?”
“Yeah. Frankie said he was acting weird when he asked him why he was locking up two hours early. Louis has this loser son who was in and out of trouble for years, Antonio. He told Frankie he was locking up early to go check on him.”
Maddox had heard from Maz that Louis had a son, who was indeed a “loser.” But Maz said the two men had been estranged for years. Maddox supposed that could have changed, but there was something about Gianni that sent his sixth sense into overdrive almost as soon as he’d walked into the room. Acting like he knew nothing about the son, Maddox said:
“Where does his son live?”
Gianni kind of shrugged and said, “I think Louis said he was homeless down in Mississippi somewhere or other.” Louis’s car wasn’t at his home, or at the butcher shop, so again, it could be possible he went to see his son. It could be possible he went anywhere...but Maddox’s contacts told him that none of Louis’s credit cards or debit cards had been used since he went missing over a week ago now, and his cell phone hadn’t pinged off a single tower. Maddox had called both his and Brigette’s phones himself and they both went straight to voice mail...they were turned off. He would have his tech friend in California check the calls Louis made right before he went missing again and see if there were any incoming or outgoing to Mississippi.
“So did your cousin Frankie actually see Louis get in his car that day and leave?” The video the police had did show Louis leaving on Saturday afternoon about 4 p.m., according to what Maz was able to find out. No one had come or gone in or out of the butcher shop after that, supposedly. Unfortunately, the camera he had on his building didn’t cover the parking lot. Maddox was trying to obtain the video from the bank that sat across the alleyway and faced the other direction, but he hadn’t been able to so far. He was sure the police had it, but he was also sure they wouldn’t just offer up that information.
“Nah, Frankie left when he told him he was leaving, and that was it.” The timing was perfect according to the last time Louis was seen on camera...maybe a little too perfect, though. Maddox never trusted perfect. In real life, nothing was that easy.
“You knew Antonio, before he left town?” Gianni glanced at Mario; it was quick, but Maddox didn’t miss it. He wondered if the two of them had practiced what to say...and hadn’t covered that question. Gianni was silent for about half a second, and then he said:
“I met the guy, wouldn’t say I ‘knew’ him. Not my kinda person, you know?”
“Why’s that? I mean, what kind of person is he?”
“A loser,” Gianni said, again. “He was like a sponge to the old man, ya know? Forty fucking years old and asking Daddy for money all the time. Like I said, I never really knew him, but I saw him around the first year we were in NOLA. He always looked like he was high as a kite, his hair was a fucking mess, and he had facial hair that looked like a fucking nest for a bunch of bugs or some shit. Anytime I was in the shop when he came in, I stood downwind too because the fucker stunk. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out Louis went to help him out and he killed him or some shit.”
Maddox felt his eyebrow go up and consciously brought it down before saying, “Was he a violent guy, from what you knew?”
“Hell, I don’t know,” Gianni said. “I’m just guessing.”
“What about the missing girl?” Maddox asked him. “Brigette Babineaux? Do you know her?”
“Nah, ain’t never met her. I saw the posters around town...she’s kinda hot...” Mario shot him a look on that one and looking properly chastised Gianni said, “But no, I don’t know her.”
“Okay,” Maddox said. “Is there any way I can talk to this cousin of yours, Frankie? It seems like he might be the last person to have seen Louis before he disappeared off the face of the earth.”
Again, Gianni looked at his uncle. Mario’s face was impassive, but Maddox could feel the tension and wondered if Gianni was going to get his ass kicked as soon as they were alone. “I’ll set it up,” Mario said. “Is there anything else, Mr. Maddox?” Maddox stood up, and casually glanced over his shoulder as he did. Carmella was standing at
the edge of the pool, dressed in a beige, glittery bikini that barely covered up the sexy round butt he’d had his hands all over only hours before. Almost muttering a curse aloud before he caught himself, he quickly turned back to Mario and said:
“I think that’s all for now. I really appreciate your time. I would like it if you could set up that meeting with Frankie and give me a call as soon as you can.”
“Of course,” Mario said, getting to his feet as well. Gianni stood up too and re-buttoned his jacket. It was about 90 degrees outdoors and the humidity level had to be equally as high...Maddox wondered how bad that silk suit smelled when the young gangster took it off at night. Maddox gave Gianni a nod and Mario walked him to the front door. He thanked the old gangster and heard the door close behind him as he headed toward the front gates. He had only taken a few steps when he heard a strange, almost hissing sound. He turned around and saw that Carmella was standing near the iron gate along the side of the big house. His mouth went dry again...damn, that bikini was something. With his insides shaking, he made his way over toward her. Her long, dark hair was wet, slicked back from her pretty face and hanging down her back. He could see the glitter of water droplets on her long eyelashes, and her cheeks and lips were bright red from the sun. He unconsciously licked his own lips, thinking about how good hers had tasted.
“Funny meeting you here,” she said, with a tight smile. There was something in her tone, and one of her dark eyebrows was raised in a suspicious arch as well.
“Believe me,” he said, “I was shocked as shit when you walked in.”
She looked like she wasn’t sure whether or not to believe him before she said, “Really? You didn’t know who I was...and that’s why you came on to me last night?”
Maddox couldn’t help it, he ran his eyes from her pretty face down to her bare toes and back up again with a little shudder and said, “I had no idea who your father was, and believe me when I say that even if I did, he would have been the furthest thing from my mind.”
“Hmm,” she said, with a thoughtful look. “Okay, I guess I believe you...but just so you know, I don’t fuck around with people who do business with my old man. I live my life on the right side of the law.”
Maddox laughed, and at the same time he wondered about the sense of relief he felt when he heard her words. Was he seriously thinking of continuing to see this woman? If he did, she’d be the first non-professional he’d been with more than once since Lizzie died. “I’m not here for that kind of business,” he said. “I’m trying to help a friend find a missing person, and I was just hoping your old man might know something.”
She frowned. “You think he had something to do with that girl who is missing?”
He wasn’t surprised she had heard about Brigette. Blackheart and his crew had spent the better part of the past week tearing up the city looking for her and the girls affiliated with the club had hung up posters with Brigette’s face on them all over town.
“Not like that,” he said. “But not much happens in this city that your father doesn’t know about, so I was hoping maybe he’d heard something.”
“Did he?”
“Not much,” Maddox said. “No.”
She sucked on her bottom lip then, and he wondered if she had any idea what she was doing to him. “She came into the restaurant sometimes,” she said. “She seems like a nice girl. I hope you find her. You’ve talked to her boyfriend, right?”
Maddox frowned. That was the first he’d heard of Brigette having a “boyfriend.” He was surprised Blackheart didn’t know, but then he thought about Mandy and the man who was quite possibly living with her and he wondered if maybe the biker’s sisters were savvier and sneakier than Blackheart wanted to believe. “No...would you have any idea where I could find him...or a name, at least?”
Maddox and Carmella both heard the sound of the front door opening at the same time. Carmella cursed, almost in a whisper, and then to Maddox said, “Meet me at the restaurant tonight, I get off at ten.” She disappeared back into the big back yard before he had a chance to respond and when he turned around toward the front of the house, Gianni was coming toward him.
“What the fuck you doing?”
Maddox forced a wide smile and said, “Just checking out the rose bushes.” He knew Gianni didn’t believe him, but when the big Italian looked through the gate, there was no sign of Carmella and the pool wasn’t visible from their angle. He snorted and said:
“You better get going.”
“Sure,” Maddox said. “You have a nice day.” Gianni snorted again and Maddox knew that Gianni Tucci was someone that he wanted to know more about. He didn’t have a list of suspects yet, but if he did, the made man would definitely be close to the top.
7
An hour after leaving Mario’s house, Maddox was sitting at a diner just outside the Quarter with his notebook and a list of people he still needed to talk to in front of him. He took out his phone and punched in the number of his friend Dale in Quantico. He reached his voicemail and left a message, but two minutes later, Dale called him back.
“Hey! Sorry to bother you again. I’m not rushing you on the Gruff thing...”
“Nope, it was perfect timing, actually. I have the wife’s name for you and a phone number for her. She’s in Tennessee now and I have no idea if she’ll be willing to talk, but it’s worth a shot. I haven’t gotten the juvie records unsealed yet, and I’m starting to wonder if whoever this guy rolled over on was a big fish since no one seems to want to talk about it. I’ll keep trying, though.”
“Thank you, Dale. I hate to ask for anything else...”
“But?” Dale asked with a laugh. Maddox would feel worse about asking for so much, but he’d saved Dale’s life, literally, twice so even though he’d never hold it over his friend’s head, Dale had never forgotten.
“I’ve got another name I’d like you to run for me, only when you have time.”
“What is it?”
“Louis Breaux has a son, Antonio. I’m assuming same last name, but not absolutely sure. Last known was homeless in Mississippi, and that’s about all I got.”
Dale laughed again. “You’re a fountain of information.”
“I don’t need to be,” Maddox said. “That’s what I’ve got you for.”
With another chuckle Dale told him he’d look into it and call him back. Maddox checked Antonio off his list for now and looked down at the name and number Dale had given him. He pressed the number into his phone and after a few rings, a female voice answered, “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Vivian Gruff?” There was a long pause and then she said:
“Who is this?”
“I’m sorry. My name is Brock Maddox. I’m a private investigator and...”
“I don’t know anything about where Billy is at these days or what he’s up to.”
“That’s okay, ma’am. I was actually looking into information about his past.” Another long pause and she said:
“Whatever this is about, I really don’t want to get involved.”
“There’s a young woman missing, the sister of Billy’s current girlfriend. I can’t tell you that Billy had anything to do with that, but I’ve been hired to find this woman and I’d like to know all I can about anyone who has been close to her recently.”
He heard her sigh, heavily. “Marrying that man was the worst thing I ever done.” When there was another long pause he said:
“Can I ask why you’ve never divorced him?”
“Because that would mean making contact with him again. I haven’t got money to pay no attorney to handle all that for me, and I’m not about to come back to Louisiana and get him to sign the papers. As long as he ain’t in my life any longer, I’m not gonna worry about a piece of paper that never meant nothing anyway.”
“Mrs. Gruff...”
“Don’t call me that. I dropped that loser’s name years ago. I go by my maiden name now, Caldwell.”
“Forgive me. Miss Caldwell, what
if I told you that I know an attorney who could do that divorce for you and you’d never have to lay eyes on Billy Gruff again?”
“I told you, I can’t afford that. I’ve talked to lawyers and what they want for something like that is three months’ pay for me...or more.”
“You won’t have to pay a cent, I promise.” She was silent again and if not for the fact that Maddox could hear her breathing on the other end, he might have thought she’d hung up. At last she said:
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I really want to find this girl, and I just have a gut feeling that there’s something in Billy’s past that might help me do that.”
“You sure if I give you what you want, you won’t renege on that lawyer?”
“I promise. I’ll give you his name and number now, and if that’s not enough, I can have the money for his fees transferred to your bank while we’re on the line.”
“Have ’em transferred straight to him,” she said. “I got me another loser and if he sees money in the bank account, he’ll spend it.” Maddox rolled his eyes. He never could understand women who consistently allowed men to use and abuse them. But he kept his opinion out of his tone as he said:
“I’ll do that. Would you like to talk to him before you talk to me?”
“No,” she said. “I’ll trust ya.” It was easy to see how the poor woman had ended up with users and losers. Maddox wouldn’t trust anyone he didn’t know, that he’d only spoken to on the phone for five minutes, with anything, much less money. But at least he knew he wasn’t lying to her. He had a good friend in California who would do it and give him a huge discount. In the end, he’d get it back in the fees that the Skulls and the Jokers were paying him, so it was all good.
“Thank you. Miss Caldwell...”