Shadow of Secrets

by Kacie Clement

  Steve downed his drink as the waitress brought the second round. After she was away from hearing distance, Steve looked at Martin, "Artie killed him? Martin, I didn't sign up for murder, how did you let this happen?"

  Martin looked at Steve with intense anger, "I didn't order this, that stupid brother in law of mine did this one on his own. We have another problem that goes with this, and the Sheriff told me that Emma ordered Jack to leave the site before the Sheriff arrived and he seemed fine with that. Tell me how in the hell does this little bitch have this much power."

  Steve visibly shaken stayed silent. Wesley was taking a drink and with a slight smile, said, "You do know who her father is, Howard Graystone of Matrix International, one of the richest men in the world Martin." Martin was looking at Westley with disgust, "I am fully aware of who her father is, he is also a shareholder in this project. So if we go down, he goes down with us. Emma will as well, as she is his co-conspirator. So maybe we can use that to our advantage."

  Wesley, shaking his head, responded, "Do you people not do your homework? Howard Graystone has a private investor as well, Carmine DeLuca and rumor has it, Howard Graystone is marrying his sister Vittoria DeLuca and that woman is rumored to be as powerful and deadly as her brother." Steve, who was feeling suddenly nauseous, said "Carmine DeLuca of the DeLuca crime family out of New York? Are you kidding me?"

  Westley pulled a picture up on his phone of Howard and Vittoria leaving a restaurant taken by a paparazzi photographer and showed it to both Martin and Steve saying, "You got it, the only solution to this is to let Artie take the fall for this. Hell, you don't like him as it is, Martin. We need to do it in a way that keeps our hands clean. Didn't you say he has a thing for young blonds? We need to spin this in a way that keeps our hands clean, we only have one problem standing in our way, and that is Emma Graystone." Steve horrified looked first at Martin and then Wesley, saying, "What are you saying, we get rid of Emma? Think about this. It's insane. Excuse me. I'm feeling sick." Steve quickly got up and ran to the restroom emptying the contents of his stomach.

  As Martin and Wesley watched his exit, Wesley turned to Martin and said, "I will handle Ms. Emma Graystone, what we need to do now is make sure Artie takes the fall for Blackfeather with no connection to us, and we use Emma as the motive."

  Martin seeing Steve walking out of the pub, visibly shaken exclaimed, "Where the hell is Steve going?" Wesley looked towards the door seeing Steve making a quick exit, smiled, and said, "Don't worry about Steve. I will get him on track." Martin, who as looking at Wesley, said "Well you better do it quickly, we need to be at the Sheriff's office tonight at nine, and we all better be on the same page. I think we lay this out that Artie had a fascination with Emma and that he had racial hatred tendency's and wanted Grayson out of the way so that he could get to Emma. What do you have in mind for eliminating the problem with Emma?" Westley smiled, "I am sure we all have heard Artie call Grayson a dirty injun, and I know you have talked to him about his racist tendencies on the job and his sexual harassment of Emma. Make sure you have a written warning about that in his personnel file. I will get Steve on board, and it is better if you don't know what is coming for little Emma Graystone. We have work to do before nine, let's get busy."

  Back at the Morgue, two Navajo Indian representatives arrived. They were entrusted from the tribe to retrieve Grayson's body for burial the next day. After arriving at the Ceremonial lodge on the reservation, the two men removed their clothes only wearing their moccasins, gently placed Grayson on the covered burial table. They then smeared ash all over their bodies to protect them from evil spirits. They washed and dressed Grayson in traditional clothing. Meanwhile, two other designated men were digging the grave. Only those four men would be present tomorrow at the burial.

  Back at the Penthouse, having a drink after the Sheriff left the Penthouse, taking Jack’s statement, Emma asked Jack, "Can you find out what the arrangements are for Grayson's funeral, I want to be there, Jack."

  Jack looked at her sadly responding, "There will be no funeral, Emma. According to Navajo belief, birth, life, and death are all a part of an ongoing cycle. The natural course of things, crying and outward demonstrations of grief are something not usually seen when someone dies. It's not a lack of caring. According to Navajo burial customs, if any emotion is verbalized the spirit's journey to the next world can be interrupted. The Navaho people believe that their spirit can attach itself to a place, object, or person if this process is interrupted."

  Emma looked at Jack, stunned, “There is not a funeral? What happens to Grayson's body, what about his family, how do we grieve?" Howard and Vittoria entered the room, taking a seat on the loveseat across from Jack and Emma. Vittoria softly asked Jack, "If there is no funeral, what is the procedure, Jack. Please help us understand." Jack taking Emma's hand, responded quietly, "Right now, two men are preparing his body for burial, two other men are digging his gravesite. Tomorrow all his belongings will be loaded onto a horse and brought to his gravesite. Led by one of the four men designated to ensure his journey to the land of his ancestors, then two other men of the four designated will carry his body on their shoulders to the burial site, and the third man warns those that they meet on route to stay away from the area. Once they have buried Grayson and his belongings, those four men take great care to ensure no footprints are left behind, and then they destroy the tools they used to dig the grave."

  Emma, tears flowing freely down her face, said, "Then I can't say goodbye, I can't tell him I love him one more time." Jack squeezed her hand and said, "Emma, Grayson has been my best friend since we were children, he knows how we felt about him, never doubt that. Grayson would want to be buried by Navajo tradition."

  Vittoria stood saying, "Howard, I will take Emma into her room to get some rest." Ensuring Emma was asleep, Vittoria walked out to the Garden Patio outside the penthouses master bedroom. Making a call on her cell phone, she waited for the person to answer. "Frank" Vittoria started, "I want a full dossier on the following people, Artie McDonald, Martin Stevenson, Steve Hopkins, and Wesley Bentley and I want them by nine am tomorrow. Frank this information is for my eyes only, understand?" Upon hearing that she would have all the information requested first thing in the morning, she hung up her cell phone.

  Westley found Steve sitting alone in his office, cleaning out his desk. "Where do you think you are going, Steve?" Steve looked up, surprised, "I have no idea, Switzerland may be a good place to start. I didn't sign up for this Wesley, and I thought it was quick money, not murder. I am not going to prison for Martin and his ideas."

  Emptying the contents of his desk drawer into a box, he looked up when Wesley said, "I have a solution to our dilemma that will give us an out. Want to hear it?" Steve stopped and said, "Okay, and what great solution do you have that will get us out of this with no repercussions." Wesley smiled, sitting back and explained precisely to Steve how they would survive this mess. "You know that energy conference we are supposed to be attending next week in New York? We say were leaving early to enjoy that new Broadway show opening Saturday night, "Getting the Band Back Together." When we arrive at LaGuardia Airport, we go our separate ways with our new identities in hand. I can have new characters developed by then. We are sitting with thirty million in the Project account. Right before our flights leave from New York, you will wire fifteen million into each of our new individual accounts in Switzerland that you will set up in our new names. Guaranteed no one will figure it out before we are gone, and by the time they do figure it out, we will have a second set of new identities and become ghosts. I will set up a distraction over the next few days here, that will keep everyone busy, and we can leave Friday."

  Steve, listening intently, responded, "You know that just might work, get me the names and I will get the accounts set up to accept a deposit, but what about Martin?" Wesley looked at Steve and said sharply, "Screw Martin, he got us in this mess, he brought his imbecile brother in law into this knowing that Artie wa
s the one who killed Antonio DeLuca. He gets what he deserves. Plus, if by chance Carmine DeLuca happens to find out who killed his kid, then we are gone and not connected in any way. So, are you in?"

  Steve, with renewed hope, said, "I'm in, but how are we going to keep Martin in the dark." Wesley smiled with pure evil and said, "Leave that up to me, you keep your head down and talk to only me. Now listen, tonight when we talk to the Sheriff, here's what I want you to say. I want you to tell the Sheriff, that Artie is Martins brother in law, act scared to share this information, but you seem to think that the reason Artie is here working is that Martin is protecting him from something. Make him think it odd that Artie showed up when he did and replaced Jack. Make sure you also sing Emma's praises about the work she does, her close relationship with Grayson and how they were a great couple, Blah, Blah, Blah. Martin will be trying to cover his ass and Artie's ass, and we need them to take a closer look into Martin. Payback for trying to sink us is a bitch. I will have the names for you tonight after we meet with the sheriff, open those accounts tomorrow morning. I will get things rolling on my end."

  Wesley entered his office, shutting the door. Picking up his phone, he called an associate of Martins, Vito Moreno, his bookie. "Vito, Wesley Bentley here, I understand Martin stood you up for a boatload of money. He's also trying to screw with me too. What do you say we take this ass down?" Continuing his call, he said, "You can have a guy here tonight? Great, I need you to have him track Emma Graystone's movements, but she has lots of security surrounding her, how are his driving abilities?" Listening to Vito's response, he continued, "Great I will have a white Hummer rented under Martin's name at the airport on his arrival, there will be two hundred-grand in the glovebox in cash for him, and I will send a courier with five hundred grand to your office at the completion of the job. Now, this is what I want your man to do." Upon completion of the phone call with Vito Moreno, Wesley called Hertz Car rental and arranged an immediate rental for three days for a Hummer to be picked up at the airport late that evening.

  After getting the location of the car in the lot and the license plate for further identification, Wesley asked them to leave the keys in a secure lockbox under the passenger wheel of the Hummer. Looking at his watch, he thought, I have just enough time to get home, hit the safe, leave the money in the glovebox and make it to the sheriff's department by nine. Everything is in motion; he and Steve would walk away from this unscathed.

  13

  The next morning Emma woke with a deep sense of loss. She still couldn’t believe Grayson was gone. There was no closure. She remembered their plans for yesterday afternoon. They were going to take their relationship to the next level, and now she could not even say goodbye. He was just gone.

  Emma's head was throbbing, and she needed a cup of coffee. Walking out to the dining room, she smelled the coffee and breakfast awaiting her. Seeing Dad and Vittoria at the table and looking at her with such pity, it all most made her drop to her knees. Walking over to the table, she sat down, pouring her self a cup of coffee. Blindly pouring in some cream and stirring it slowly, she heard her father ask if she had a good nights rest. She looked at him in disbelief. “You are seriously asking me if I had a good’s night rest?” Emma said sharply. “Sure dad, they are burying Grayson today, and I cannot be there, I can’t say goodbye, apparently according to Jack and Navajo tradition I can’t even grieve out loud so that his journey by Navajo tradition is respected. How do you think I rested Dad?”

  Vittoria placed her hand on Howard's arm before saying, "Emma, would you like some eggs? You should try to eat something, Bella.” Emma looked at Vittoria with great sadness, “I’m just not hungry. If you will excuse me, I am going to take my coffee to my room.” Standing she swayed a bit, picking up her coffee, she slowly walked back into the master bedroom and closed the door behind her.

  She was sitting out on the garden patio watching the sunrise over the Mesas. She wondered how she was going to get through the day. She needed to be back in her apartment, her home. She needed to go for a drive and clear her mind, and then maybe she could come to terms with this, most importantly, she needed to be alone. Sipping her coffee, she remembered her car was still in the parking ramp at Green Touch Renewables.

  Howard looked at Vittoria, saying, “Vittoria, I don’t know what to do or say. She’s different than she was when we lost Antonio. She went to her bedroom and hid there. I didn’t see her until the morning of the funeral. This time it’s like she died with Grayson, what are we going to do?” Vittoria looked at Howard with a mixture of sadness and concern, saying, “Howard give her a while today, she needs to have some space. I don’t want you worrying and getting yourself worked up. In about an hour I will go in and speak with her."

  Hearing her cell phone ring, Vittoria glanced to see it was Frank calling. She answered, saying, “Frank, give me a minute, please.” Looking again at Howard, she said, “Finish your breakfast, darling, I need to take this call with Frank, it won't take long.” Vittoria walked into the adjacent sitting room sitting in a dark soft leather recliner. Turning her attention back to the phone call, she said, “Frank, did you complete the dossiers as I have asked?’ Frank replied, “Yes, Ms. Deluca they should be arriving by courier shortly, but I thought I should give you a call personally. There is something in the dossier; you should know ahead of time so that you can decide if you want to call Carmine personally.”

  Vittoria sitting up straight intrigued asked, “What is it, Frank?” She listened for Frank to reply. “Turns out the Construction Manager, Artie McDonald is Martin Stevenson’s brother in law.” Vittoria interrupted, saying, “You felt that needed a personal phone call, Frank? Please don't waste my time, Frank. I have my hands quite full here.” Frank took a deep breath before continuing, “There is more. It turns out this Artie McDonald was the contractor for the New York Project, and it was Martin Stevenson that got him out of New York and has been hiding him since.”

  Vittoria was silent for a minute, then responded, “This is the contractor Carmine has been searching for from New York? The one who ordered Antonio’s death?” Frank quietly answered, “Yes, Mam.” Vittoria again taking a moment of silence continued, “Thank you, Frank. Can you tell me is my brother in his office yet this morning?” Frank responded, “Yes, Mam. I talked to him earlier this morning. Would you like me to have him call you?” Vittoria answered, “No, Frank, thank you for your work. It sounds like the dossier has arrived. I will call my brother after reviewing the dossier. Till then, please say nothing. I am sure I will see you shortly. Till then, I say goodbye.”

  Hanging up the phone, she bent over, putting her head into her hands. How was she going to tell Carmine that man that ordered the murder of her nephew, his son, had now killed Grayson Blackfeather breaking Emma’s heart for the second time in just a few months? That the contractor Carmine had been searching for, had been here under their noses the whole time.

  Standing, she walked back into the dining room, finding Howard just finishing his breakfast. Seeing the package on the table, she heard Howard ask, “You received a package, you're not intending on working today are you?” Sitting next to Howard, she picked the package up, and while starting to open it, she looked at Howard and said, “We need to have a chat, and then I must call my brother.”

  Vittoria dialed her phone calling the hotel. Speaking to the concierge at the front desk, she informed them she would need the use of the entire twelfth floor starting tonight until she told him otherwise. Howard stunned looked at Vittoria as she continued her conversation, “If there are currently people on the twelfth floor, relocate them. I expect that floor to be available this evening. Thank you, I am sure you will get the job done. Just send the bill upstairs, and I will take care of it immediately.”

  Hanging up her phone, she turned to look at Howard, not wanting to have this conversation with him or her brother. Howard asked, “Vittoria, there is something you are not telling me, we have no secrets.” Vittoria was setting her c
offee cup quietly down on the table. She turned to talk to Howard. He had seen that look in her eyes only once before, and her eyes could turn hard as stone and cold as the north pole. It never ended well for the other party.

  Vittoria started the conversation, “It appears that Martin Stevenson hasn’t been as honest with you as you think darling. I ordered Frank to put dossiers together for Martin Stevenson, Steve Hopkins, Wesley Bentley, and the Construction Manager Artie McDonald so I could review them before deciding how best to assist Emma. It appears that Artie McDonald is Martin Stevenson’s brother in law and he was brought here from New York by Martin.” Howard gaped at her in confusion. Suddenly a look of disbelief entered his eyes, quickly turning to the ice blue as the realization hit him. He said, “New York? This McDonald character is the contractor we have been looking for?”

  Carmine DeLuca was leaving the barbershop and getting into the car that was waiting for him when he saw the Sheriff from Flagstaff calling him. He answered the phone, “Sheriff, you have information for me?” Before the Sheriff could respond, Carmine saw he had another call coming in, and it was Vittoria. He hit send to voicemail and continued to listen to the Sheriff, who answered, “I do Mr. DeLuca. We ran ballistics on the Glock we found in the Construction Office, and it appears this gun, was the murder weapon used in Grayson Blackfeather’s murder, but it also came up in another crime sir.”

  Carmine looking thoughtful, responded, “Another crime? What kind of crime?” The Sheriff wished he did not have to be the one to inform of the news, but continued, “This gun was also the weapon used in the murder of your son, Antonio.” Carmine grew quiet, after a full minute he said, “You're sure of this? Whose prints were on the gun?” The Sheriff nervously responded, “Yes, we are positive it is the same gun. The prints belong to Artie McDonald, the Construction Manager for the Navajo Project.”