Her Silent Shadow: A Gripping Psychological Suspense Collection

by Edwin Dasso

  Joe stood and followed her. He caught her outside the door. His eyes pleaded with her. "Lida, you have no choice. I can't protect you. The first time all my brother did was break your arm and give you a black eye." He swallowed. “I have no idea what he’ll do if you don’t do what he wants with the books.”

  Lida gritted her teeth. “You bastard. You just told me he’d never kill me because you loved me. I knew that was crap. You need to go to the police, to the FBI before you’re brought down for all of his crimes.”

  Joey shook his head. “I can’t. I would if I could, but I can’t.” Joey looked away and then looked at the dirty concrete parking lot. “Lenny’s my brother.”

  There was a long silence. Lida looked into Joe's eyes. She saw fear. "He’s your crazy brother that killed your mother and beat you up over and over.”

  Joey’s face was flushed. Lida’s heart went out to the gentle spirit of the man she cared about. She touched his shoulder. “You’ve got to make a stand against him to be free, Joe.” Joey didn’t reply and Lida became angry again. “So, it was your brother that drugged me and broke my arm and gave me a black eye." She shook her head and muttered, "I should've known,” in a low voice. She paused, “so, the story about a mugger in the area was a lie… another lie, I might add.” She signed deeply. “I figured it was him, but I had hoped against hope that it wasn’t.”

  Joe nodded. "Yeah. He was responsible for it. I only found out today. I thought it was a random mugger, too."

  "So, what's he gonna do? Kill me? Kill me like he killed Valerie? And those other women? I saw where he injured Melody’s shoulder. Melody, the graduate he fired from Human Resources. It’s badly bruised still and she’s been gone a long time, maybe even a month." Lida sobbed as tears streamed down her face.

  Joe put his arms around Lida and hugged her. "Oh no, baby. He wouldn't do that. He won’t kill you, but he may hurt you. You’ve gotta fix the books, you’ve just got to," he pleaded with her. “He’s a maniac when he’s angry, and if he drinks, no telling what he’ll do.”

  Lida didn't respond. She saw fear in Joe’s eyes. She looked across the highway at the wide expanse of the Gulf of Mexico. "You’ve gotta take me back to my car. I've got to drive to Mobile. I'm taking care of my mother tonight so my dad can have a break. I'll be back in the morning. It’ll be Wednesday and I'm spending the day with my friends. Don't call or text me. Don't contact me at all. I mean it,” she said quietly as she stared into his handsome face.

  “But, but you’ll miss the dinner tonight with your friends.” Joe objected. “I was looking forward to it.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m not in a party mood. Surely you can understand that, Joe.”

  The pair walked slowly down the sidewalk to Joe's car.

  As Joe pulled out from his parking place Lida looked at him and said, "I won't be coming to your house for Thanksgiving. I'm not sitting down and being thankful for working for a bunch of murdering, mutilating, mafia gangsters." She turned her head away. “Y’all can go to hell for all I care.”

  Joe nodded but remained silent. When he parked beside her car in the casino parking lot Lida spoke again. "Tell your brother I quit and if anything happens to me, I'll call the police, the governor, and the FBI.”

  Joe shook his head and said, "Lida, get smart here. Wake up and smell the roses. The Minelli family owns the governor and the local police. It won’t do you any good to call anyone.” He tried to reason with her, but Lida wasn’t interested.

  “Leave me alone and be quiet.” Lida glared at him but remained silent. She knew that was true. She felt powerless and she hated the feeling.

  Joey hesitated and began again, “Don’t do this,” he pleaded. “Do it this one time, do what Lenny wants and then leave. If you don’t, I can’t protect you." Lida was silent as they pulled into the Magnolia parking lot near her car.

  “Please, Lida. Just do it.” Joe stared at her and reached for her hand. “Please, for us.”

  Lida didn't respond. She slammed the door of Joe's car and hissed “Screw you, Joey Minelli. I thought you were different. I’ll never alter anybody’s books, much less your fat, ugly-assed brother’s records because he’s been skimming off the top and may have to pay some taxes.” She got into her own car and quickly drove out to the parking lot. Her heart was beating fast and she could hardly breathe. She looked down at her hand on the steering wheel. She’d clenched the wheel so tightly her fingers had turned white. She removed her hand and realized it was numb. She exercised her fingers to get the blood running again.

  8

  "Oh, Mikey. I'm so glad to see you again. Thanks for coming to offer us moral support." Kat smiled as she jumped out of her chair and ran across the room to hug her old college friend. Mike’s large frame filled the doorway of the waiting room of Memorial Hospital. He had a huge grin on his face.

  By anyone's estimation Mike Chaisson was hot. He had a square jaw and drop-dead blue eyes. His body was toned and tanned and promised a set of six pack abs under his blue shirt. He was handsome and looked like a movie star who surfed the California coast. Mike returned Kat’s hug and reached out to Allison. "What the heck are you girls doing here at the hospital? We had enough hospitals and drama last year at our reunion."

  Allison emerged from her hug. "Yeah, we did that, Mikey. You look good." She smiled at him. “I swear, I think you get taller and taller every year when I see you.” She gave him an admiring glance.

  “What about Barb? Do we know what happened yet?" he asked, a frown on his face.

  Kat shook her head. "Not really. They mentioned food poisoning as a possibility. I guess she could have been allergic to something she ate at lunch.” Kat’s green eyes wide with concern. “And did you hear about the dead body?”

  Mike backed up and held up both hands "Huh? What? Whoa, whoa, what’s this about a dead body? Was that before Barb got sick? Slow it up for me a little bit, Kat."

  "Honestly, so much has happened," Kat admitted, a frenzied look on her lovely face. "I’m probably incoherent. Barb and I went for a walk on the pier after lunch at the Gulf Grill. We saw an old boat, a dinghy, with something bright flying in the breeze. It was a piece of brightly colored fabric, so we decided to investigate.

  "And," Mike motioned for her to continue with his hand.

  Kat took a deep breath and continued, "There was a body, a dead woman in the boat. She had long light colored, probably blonde hair, and was covered with a tarp. I think she was a dancer – at least according to Lida. She worked at the Magnolia Casino."

  A dark shadow flickered across Mike's handsome face. "The Magnolia Casino is no longer a great place to visit. It's about the most corrupt operation on the Gulf Coast. And the Minelli family is part of the mob."

  A look of dismay crossed Kat’s face and she said in a soft voice, "Did you know that Lida works at the Magnolia?"

  Mike shook his head slowly, a frown on his face. "No, I didn't. I'm sorry to hear that."

  "Not only that," Allison piped up, "she's dating Joey Minelli!"

  Mike shook his head and pulled his face into a scowl. "So, enough about Lida and her bad decisions. I'm more interested in Barb. What happened?"

  "We don't know," Kat admitted. "We had a big lunch and were taking a walk. Barb said she didn't feel well. She complained of chills. That's just about the time we found the body in the boat. Then Barb fell down. She just sort of melted down onto the pier. She could hardly talk to me, her speech was slurred. A minute or two later, she was barely conscious." Several tears squeezed out of Kat’s eyes. She quickly wiped them away.

  "Then what," Mike asked as he touched her shoulder. His face was concerned.

  "The paramedics came. They asked us if Barb took drugs," Allison reported in a disgusted voice. "We assured them she didn't. They started an IV and told us to come here." She looked up at Mike. “That’s it. We’ve been here ever since.”

  Kat interrupted. “There’s something else. Another thing we know is that Lida knew the
dead girl in the boat." she added. “I don’t know if they were close friends or not, but Lida knew her.”

  Mike shook his head. "I'm sorry Lida is tied up with that family. They’re gangsters. Crooks, there's no other word for it," he said sadly. “Y’all need to stay away from that place,” he cautioned, a guarded look on his face.

  “Look, here comes a doctor,” Allison whispered. The three friends looked up as a white-coated man approached them. He asked, “Are you here for Barbara Hershey?"

  "Yes, yes we are. Are you her doctor?" How is she?" Kat’s voice full was filled with anxiety. She shifted her body and clasped her hand.

  The man nodded. "I'm Dr. Mahmoud. I'm an emergency physician here at the hospital. Are you family?"

  Allison shook her head and said, "No, we are her friends. We all went to college together in New Orleans and we’re here on our annual reunion."

  Dr. Mahmoud nodded but didn’t respond. He assessed the three of them.

  Kat’s heart raced. She knew something was wrong. "Dr. Mahmoud, Barb lives in Northern Virginia. She's a nurse practitioner. Can you tell us how she is?"

  Dr. Mahmoud looked uncertain. "I can tell you that she's quite ill. She is still unconscious. Can you tell me what happened? Did she eat something different?"

  "We had lunch at the Mississippi Grill. She had the grouper. She was fine throughout the meal and then we went for a walk on the pier. She complained she felt sick to her stomach and said she was freezing. A few minutes later she fell down and was unconscious.” Kat paused and thought back. “It was like her legs gave way. I tried to talk to her, but her speech was slurred."

  Dr. Mahmoud nodded his head and scribbled a few notes. "Then what happened?"

  "I called 911 and they came and brought her here," Allison said. "What's wrong with her?"

  Dr. Mahmoud shrugged his shoulders. "I'm honestly not sure. She hasn't regained consciousness, so we are running tests, her heart rate is elevated, and I'm concerned about that. My colleagues and I believe she was poisoned."

  "Poisoned, who would poison Barb? Nobody here even knows her," Allison cried as her voice turned to a screech. She turned to Kat, "Oh my God! Who would poison Barb?"

  Kat’s face was white, and she reached out for Mikey's hand. She shook her head but said nothing.

  "Doctor, when will you know? When will you know if she was indeed poisoned? Food poisoning, is that what you think?" Mike held Kat’s hand, his arm around Allison.

  Dr. Mahmoud nodded, "Possibly, we're not ruling that out. We've sent her lab tests over to Jackson to have them run again at the University Hospital. We’ll know something by this evening," he said. “But, I must tell you, she is very ill.” His face was somber.

  “Is she going to die?” Allison’s eyes filled with tears, her voice hoarse.

  “She is stable at the moment and breathing through a tube. She’s still in a deep coma.”

  "Can we see her," Kat asked as she wiped tears from her eyes?

  "Perhaps later today," Dr. Mahmoud agreed. "We are moving her into our intensive care unit."

  Kat nodded dumbly and gave the doctor her cell number. “We’ll be back in a few hours,” she said in a voice that she didn’t recognize. Who had poisoned her friend?

  9

  Kat sipped sweetened iced tea as she watched Allison finish off a large order of Boardwalk Fries. "How can you eat, Allison?” Kat asked. “I'm so upset about Barb my stomach is churning," she admitted. “Plus, I’m still stuffed from lunch.”

  Allison shook her head. "I don't know, but you know I've always been an emotional eater. Some people stuff themselves when they're upset, like me, while others like you don't eat a morsel."

  "Don't eat too much, Allison," Mike ordered. "I’ve postponed the dinner at my place. We're meeting the group at the buffet over at the Casino down the road. The food there is fantastic, and the price is right. Tom and Glenn are coming and,” he turned and gave Kat a sideways look, "and so is Liam.”

  Kat felt a wave of pain shoot through her body but shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "That's fine. I'm totally over my heartbreak from Liam," she assured them in a voice that made her question herself. The thought of Liam Cross still sent shivers down her spine, but she knew better than to become involved with him again.

  "Is he bringing another woman?" Allison asked. She stole a look at Kat. She wasn’t sure at all that her friend was over her old heart throb. After all, they’d been an item for years.

  Mike shrugged his shoulder and reached for his beer. "I've no idea. Haven't talked to him, but I wouldn't be surprised."

  Kat checked her watch. "Guys, let's go back and check to see if we can see Barb. Maybe she's regained consciousness. My stomach is torn up about all of this, plus," she said, "I'm worried to death about Lida and that gangster she's dating.

  Mike nodded. "You should be, both of you. I'm worried too. There's not much good that comes out of the Magnolia Casino much less the Minelli family. It is generally known that Joseph Minelli is the ‘good’ brother. His brother Lenny is bad news.”

  "I believe that," Kat said. “Lida was so upset when Barb and I found that woman in the boat. She knew her and they’d worked together at the Magnolia," Kat mentioned as she remembered the afternoon. “She mentioned that Lenny’s brother was pretty awful.”

  Allison bobbed her head in agreement. "Yeah, plus, Lida has a broken arm and a black eye, and Melody, who used to work at the Magnolia, has bruises all over her shoulders. What do you think Mike?" Allison asked, as she gave him a wild-eyed stare.

  Mike shook his head and said, "I wouldn't be surprised at anything the Minelli brothers do. The old man, Vito, is a bona fide Mafia gangster who spends most of his time in New York now. The older boy, Lenny whom you mentioned, is a few years older than me. He was the kind of kid that would strangle a cat or pull the wings off of bird just for fun. He's a real psychopath in my book."

  Allison shook her head. "This doesn’t sound good. Thank goodness Lida is dating the younger brother. He's good-looking," she added with a sly smile. "Plus, he seems nice."

  Kat gave Allison a scornful look. "You don't know that, Al! We saw him for maybe seven minutes in total. He could be bad as well."

  Mike spoke up and said, "Joey Minelli is a pretty nice guy, from what I can remember. He went to live with his mother for a while, but then she died, and the old man went and brought him back to Mississippi. But,” he said, as he shook his head, "it’s rumored the old man killed Lenny and Joe’s mother, but, of course, no charges ever stick against the Minelli family. Joey is powerless against Lenny and the old man, Vito.” He shook his head. “That's how that goes."

  Kat shook her head and reached for her cell phone, "I'm gonna call and see if I can reach Lida. I haven’t heard from her, and she was gonna check in.” Kat picked up her phone and left the café.

  Mike and Allison watched Kat as she stood outside and dialed her phone.

  "You think she's truly over Liam?" Mike asked Allison.

  Allison shook her head and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. What I do know is that she never talks about him and that she's happy with her new job at the Smithsonian." She paused for a moment. "I hope she is done with Liam. He's such a scumbag," she muttered. “And a prick.”

  Mike grinned and raised his mug in the air. “No argument here, but in my book he’s always been those two things.”

  Kat returned to the restaurant and said, "I'm gonna go back to the hospital for little bit – just to see if I can find anything out." She looked at her two friends, "I’m just so worried. I talked with Lida and she is headed to Mobile to see her parents. She’s not sure if she’ll be back or not.” She looked at Mike and Allison. “Either one of you want to come with me?"

  Allison shook her head. "I trust you, Kat. You always were the most responsible of the group. I'm gonna go back to the hotel and work. I’ve got a few clothing designs I need to get back to the office," Allison said. "After they’re done, I can begin to party and not just
overeat,” she said with a smile.

  Mike stood and said, "Come on, Allison. I'll give you a ride back. Then I'll come back and stay with Kat for a while at the hospital. " He paused for a moment and said, "I gotta tell you, I'm not at all happy about the two of you plus Barb and Lida having rooms at the Magnolia. Not sure that's the best place for single, young women,” he opined as a frown crossed his face. “There’s not a lot of good things that happen there.”

  "You’re probably right but the room rate is so reasonable," Allison said. “It’s the only way I could afford the trip across country.”

  Mike nodded and said, "I don’t care about the room rate. I care about your safety. No telling what Lenny Minelli is doing over there.” He turned to Kat. “I'll be back in about a half an hour, Kat. I'll meet you in the waiting room by the intensive care unit."

  Kat nodded and said to Allison, "Get some beauty rest now, tonight's a pretty big night plus, we have $10 in gambling money to spend."

  10

  Joe Minelli sat in the Magnolia bar nursing his second scotch and water. He scowled when his brother slid on the stool next to him. Even the air around Lenny Minelli was fetid.

  "What do you want, Lenny,” Joe’s voice was bitter. “I thought I only had to see you once a day."

  Lenny checked his watch and said, "This isn't like you, Joey, drinking before five in the afternoon. What's the matter, you and Little Miss Priss have a fight?" he asked sarcastically as saliva dripped down his chin.

  e shook his head. "Wipe your mouth, Lenny. You drool like a retard. What Lida and I do is none of your damn business. Go somewhere else--you're ruining my buzz."

  Lenny grabbed Joe’s wrist and squeezed it until tears sprung into his brother’s eyes. "If that bitch don't get them books done by this time tomorrow, I'm going to give her a buzz and it might be one of those buzzes you don't recover from," he snarled as he pushed his ugly face close to Joey. "Get it, asshole?"