CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: Bottom’s Out
Dave Peltier walked into Wainwright’s room. Being the con man he was – he was able to talk to the right people to find it. A nurse was monitoring Wainwright’s progress as he slept. He had been sweating from the detoxification process and was resting between his withdrawal attacks.
“Can I help you with something?” asked the nurse.
“Yes, I’m this man’s, um, brother,” said Dave.
“I just came to see how he was doing.”
“You’re not supposed to be in here. Officer Gillis said there were to be absolutely no visitors.”
“It’s okay,” said Chief Bushman, as he walked into the room. “This man is with me.”
Dave was surprised to see Bushman but knew they were working towards the same purpose.
“I don’t know about all this,” said the nurse. She picked up the phone to call the doctor.
Bushman grabbed the phone from her and blocked her view of Wainwright and Dave.
“Listen, miss,” said Bushman. “I am the Chief of Police and this man is a suspect in a major investigation. I would appreciate if you wouldn’t interfere with our work.”
Dave took a needle out of his coat pocket and was about to inject one cc of arsenic into the IV that was flowing into Wainwright’s veins. Wainwright opened his eyes at that moment.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing, you son-of-a-bitch?” screamed Wainwright. He recognized Dave’s face. The nurse peeked around Bushman to see what the commotion was about. Wainwright kicked Dave in the face. As Bushman turned around, Wainwright grabbed the pole holding the IV, swung it around, and knocked Bushman to the floor with it. The nurse struggled to get to Wainwright.
“Those two sons-of-bitches are trying to kill me,” screamed Wainwright. He ran out of the room, exposing his bare bottom from the back of his hospital gown.
Bushman tripped over Dave as he got up and tried to go after Wainwright. He then stumbled over the IV line Wainwright had just pulled out of his arm. The nurse buzzed for hospital security. As Dave tried to get up, he stumbled over Bushman and got tangled in the line. Wainwright had found the stairwell and was on his way down.
Bushman and Dave ran out of the room, looked in both directions, and didn’t see any sign of Wainwright.
“You freaking idiot,” screamed Dave. “How in the hell did you ever get to be Chief of Police in the first place?”
“Screw you, Peltier,” hollered Bushman. He pointed down the left side of the hall.
“Look, I’ll go that way and you take the other direction.”
“No, I’ll go to the left and you take the right,” said Dave.
“What the hell difference does it make who goes where?”
“Because I don’t like you telling me what to do. I don’t like cops, especially ones who get positions the way you got yours.”
“Listen here, Peltier. I earned my position through years of hard work and dedication.”
“Oh, yeah, right. And I suppose Carlos Verona had nothing to do with it.”
Bushman was fuming. “I have no connection with that man, Peltier. How dare you insinuate that I got my position by associating myself with that mobster?”
“What seems to be the problem?” asked Carlos, who was passing by the room on his way to get coffee.
“Oh, Mr. Verona, sir,” said the fidgety Bushman. “How long have you been standing there?”
“I just walked up and saw you arguing with this man here. Is there a problem?”
“Absolutely not, sir,” said Bushman. “Everything is under control.”
“Why don’t you tell Verona here what just happened?” asked Dave.
“No, everything’s fine,” said Bushman.
“What is this gentleman talking about, Bushman?” asked Carlos.
Suddenly, two armed security guards came running to the room. The nurse opened the door behind them and screamed, “Wainwright just got away.”
Carlos was stunned. “What does she mean by that?”
“Nobody was supposed to know he was here,” Bushman bawled at the nurse.
“Well, I’m the one taking care of him so obviously I knew who he was,” said the nurse. “Go find him,” she directed the confused guards. “He’ll be the half-naked old man running through the halls.”
They ran off in different directions while Carlos stood there, waiting for an explanation.
“Sir,” said Bushman. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
Tony was sitting at the table with Kat when Officer Gillis brought him the news.
“You found my fettuccine? Where is she?”
“I just saw her running out the front door.”
“Oh my. I must go after her.” He turned to Kat. “I’m glad to hear your mother is doing fine, but I must go after Deborah.” He ran out of the cafeteria. As he passed in front of the stairwell, the door flung opened and Wainwright ran into Tony, knocking them both to the floor.
“They’re after me, Tony,” screamed Wainwright. As he got up, his gown fell completely off and he ran naked through the front lobby, and out the front door. Tony got up and started running to the front door. He was torn between going after Debbie or his naked friend.
At the airport, Benny and Julie got off the plane. Benny wanted to check on Andie and Debbie. He dropped Julie off at her hotel and headed to Andie’s apartment, which was a few blocks away from the hospital. When he got close, he saw Tony running down the street, chasing after an old, naked man. He made a quick turn but didn’t see them when he got around. Tony caught up with Wainwright and wrestled him to the ground.
“Why are you running away, Joseph?” asked the out-of-breath Tony.
“Those two guys are after me,” said Wainwright.
“What two guys?”
“The two guys that started this whole downslide.” He started coughing from being out of breath. “That tall one tricked me into drinking one day at the office. He must have known about my chronic alcoholism. He put something in the drink – some kind of roofie. I woke up behind the 7-Eleven. All I wanted to do after that was drink. That other man kept finding after that, giving me more drugs, making me black out, and making me want nothing but the booze. I lost everything. Most of all - I lost my pride. I couldn’t bring myself to tell anybody. He’s the Chief of Police. His men have been helping him keep me this way.”
“Where are they now?” asked Tony.
“They were in my room. I woke up and the tall one was about to stick a needle in my IV. I’m not safe in that place.”
Tony looked around and saw a beach towel hanging over a wooden fence nearby. He grabbed the towel and gave it to Wainwright to cover himself.
“You stay right there, Joseph. I’ll go back to the hospital, find my friend, Officer Gillis, and try to get those two men,” said Tony. He ran back to the hospital, coming out of some bushes just after Benny drove by.
“What kind of bad news are you talking about?” Carlos asked Bushman. “And what did that nurse mean by Wainwright getting away?”
Dave was smiling as Bushman stumbled to find an explanation.
“Well, Mr. Verona, it, ah, seems that Wainwright was admitted to the hospital for some kind of rapid detox.”
“I don’t understand. I thought the drugs you gave him were supposed to keep him wanting nothing but alcohol.”
“Well, sir, apparently somebody admitted him,” said Bushman.
“Who in the hell did that? That man is not supposed to get better. He is supposed to suffer for stealing the love of my life all those years ago.”
“I thought I was the love of your life,” said Isabella, who had just walked up behind him. “Who were you just talking about?”
“Sweetheart,” said the surprised Carlos. “I would like you to meet some business associates of mine.”
“Who were you just talking about?” demanded Isabella.
“You, of course. You are the love of my life.”
“But I was never stolen,
like you just accused Wainwright of doing. Wasn’t he the man who stole your precious Louise from you back in Chicago?”
“I need to get going, sir,” said Bushman. He knew a window of opportunity when he saw one. Dave just stood there with a smile.
“Are you going to answer me or not?” said Isabella.
“I’m doing business right now, sweetheart,” said Carlos, trying to avoid the questioning.
“Well, it looks like one of your business associates just left, while the other one is just standing there with a silly grin.”
“It looks like she’s got you in quite a pickle, hey Carlos?” laughed Dave. Carlos stood in place, wanting to kill Dave, and trying to figure out what to say to his wife.
“Sweetheart, this man is my financial advisor,” said Carlos. “He came here to see how our precious Frank is doing.”
“Man, Carlos. You’re going to have to come up with something better than that. Look at her. She’s not buying one bit of your explanation.”
Carlos glared at Dave and blurted, “Just who in the hell are you, anyway? And do you realize who I am?”
“Well, judging from the way your wife is looking at you, I’d say you’re a man who is in deep shit. And as for the question of who I am - I’m the man who’s going to ruin you.”
Isabella stood there with her arms crossed. She was waiting patiently for Carlos to come up with a better story than the one he was dancing around. Carlos was debating who to confront first – his wife, who looked as if she were about to devour him, or the man standing right there, threatening to ruin everything he’d been working for.
“Izzy, what are you doing here?” was the voice suddenly heard.
Isabella turned around and saw Officer Gillis. She combed her fingers through her hair, making sure it was in place.
“Velma, hello,” said the nervous Isabella. Officer Gillis gave Isabella a huge, loving hug, but Isabella tried to make it look more impersonal.
“My son is here. He received his transplant this morning. This is my husband, Carlos.”
Gillis looked confused. She knew who Carlos Verona was but didn’t realize Isabella was married to him. In fact she didn’t know Isabella was married at all, much less even had a son. They were secret lovers, who met every Wednesday evening at a lesbian bar called Leather & Lace.
“Pleased to meet you – Velma?” asked Carlos. Gillis extended her hand to Carlos.
“Officer Velma Gillis. Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Verona.”
“I guess you know who I am.”
“Everyone on the police force knows who you are, sir. In fact, everyone in this town knows who you are. I’m surprised not many people know who your wife is.”
“I like to keep a low profile,” said Isabella.
“Obviously,” said Gillis. Dave studied the situation and started laughing.
“What in the hell are you laughing at?” asked Carlos.
“This is great,” said Dave. “The great Carlos Verona is here, trying to explain to his wife about the love of his life, while his wife is here with her lover. It just doesn’t get any better than this.”
“Her what?” asked Carlos.
“Don’t listen to this man, honey,” said Isabella. “She’s just my good friend.”
Officer Gillis understood the need for discretion and backed up the statement.
“Yes, Izzy and I go way back. She’s a good friend,” said Gillis.
“Why haven’t I ever heard about her?” asked Carlos.
“Maybe it’s because you’re always too busy to pay any attention to me. You’re always conducting some kind of business deal. You never have any time for me.” She started crying. “I’m tired of all this, Carlos. The stress of Frank’s illness and you never being there for me has just taken its toll on me. I want out of this marriage. I want a divorce.” She started sobbing uncontrollably as she fell into Velma’s arms.
Carlos stared at the two women hugging each other and understood what was happening.
“It looks like you’re losing another one, Carlos,” said Dave. “Are you going to have Peter do the same thing to this officer here as you did to Wainwright?”
“What do you know about Wainwright?” asked Officer Gillis.
“He doesn’t know a damn thing,” said Carlos. “Could I have a few words with you, sir?” he pulled Dave down the hall.
“Who in the hell are you and what are you trying to do to me?”
“Hey, don’t your panties all tied in a knot, Carlos,” said Dave. “I’m working for Peter Grimes. I’m the one who arranged this whole scheme of putting Wainwright out of commission and staging the plane crash. You should be thanking me.”
“I guess you’re right. That crash put my son in line for the operation he just got. What about Wainwright? Does he know what’s going on?”
“You let me worry about that. Right now, you need to figure out what you’re going to do about your wife.” Carlos turned around and saw Isabella and Velma in a warm embrace.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” said a disgusted Carlos.
Benny stopped at Andie’s apartment, but she wasn’t there. She had gone to Harold’s apartment, trying to find him. Benny went home to unpack and change before going back to the hotel to see Julie. He was looking forward to spending the rest of the day in bed with her. He drove by Debbie’s apartment but saw that her car wasn’t there. At least he had tried to be the consoling friend. He kept going to the hotel.
After trying to find Harold at his apartment, Andie went to the office, hoping to find him there. She had no idea where he could be located.
Harold and Gina were on their way home from New Orleans. Not a word was said between the two on the flight. Harold was trying to figure out what to do about the mess he was involved in. Gina was just getting bored. After arriving at New Lake City International, they hopped into Harold’s car.
“I need to stop at the office before I bring you home,” said Harold. “Is that okay with you?”
“Whatever,” said Gina. She was ready to be back home in San Diego. There was a doctor, a college professor, and a rock musician in San Diego all eagerly awaiting her return.
Andie went to her own office after searching for Harold. She started digging through the Verona files. Most of the cases involving Verona had something to do with the death of someone who had a history of liver disease. The case she won for him had the same outcome – one person from the transplant list was eliminated. William Joseph Wainwright’s name was on all the documents, including hers. She found this strange, since Wainwright was presumed missing in Africa a couple of days after her winning the case. She found a copy of her hiring papers, which were signed by Wainwright himself. She noticed a slight difference between the signature on the papers and the ones on the Verona documents. She was searching for other discrepancies when she heard two pairs of footsteps echoing from the empty hall. As the sound passed her office, she cracked the door open to see who it was. She saw Harold turning the corner, followed by Gina. She heard the door to the file room open and close.
“What are you looking for?” asked Gina.
“I know there are some documents linking me to Apocalypse Records. I need to find them before someone else does.”
“So you’re the one who Uncle Carlos is buying the record company for. I thought it was Peter Grimes.”
“No, it’s for me. Peter arranged that deal when I came aboard. I was to get the company and Peter was to get everything else. I don’t know what went wrong.”
“You’re a bad boy,” said Gina, who started feeling amorous again. “I like that in a man.” She walked up to Harold and started stroking the inside of his legs.
“Back off, damn it,” Harold shouted. “I’m not going to have sex with you anymore. You’re the sixteen-year-old niece of the most notorious man in this city. I’m in enough trouble as it is.”
“I love it when you’re mad,” said Gina. She grabbed Harold’s face and tried to drive her tongue d
own his throat.
“Leave me alone,” screamed Harold, as he pushed her away.
Gina smiled. “Oh, so you do like it rough. That’s cool.” She ran back to him and tore off his shirt. “What do you think about that, tough guy?”
Harold was steaming. “Listen here, you little bitch…”
“Don’t you dare call me that,” said Gina, as she grabbed his belt and flung it across the room. “Nobody calls me that.” She undid the button holding up Harold’s trousers and forced them down to his knees. “You have to pay for calling me that.” She got on her knees as she pulled his boxers down.
“I can’t believe I’m letting you do this to me,” whimpered Harold.
“I’m going to do more than just this,” said Gina, as she pushed him down on the oversized conference table. She pulled her dress over her head, revealing her beautiful, naked body. She climbed on top of Harold and started humping him as if she were a jockey in the Kentucky Derby, coming down the home stretch.
Andie was standing outside the closed door, listening to the whole thing.
The Devil's in My Bathroom Page 51