by C L Bauer
His waiter grabbed the shot glass off of the table, and he ordered two more.
He saw Carlos finally headed his way. “I ordered you a tequila.”
“I need it,” Carlos admitted as he sat down across from his former commanding officer. “This is becoming way more complicated. Have you noticed?”
“Yep.” Dev stopped the conversation as the waiter returned with shots of tequila.
“I met an old buddy of ours, well of mine, not so much yours.” Carlos’ thinly veiled smile resurrected Dev’s suspicions. “I saw Keeting today.”
Dev cursed under his breath. “Why?”
Brad Keeting had been in the CIA as long as Dev had known of him. Their first encounter had been outside of Kandahar, Afghanistan when he’d been rooted out along with his poppy producing buddies. He had infiltrated so far down the rabbit hole that they weren’t sure Keeting really was American, or if he was on their side. His duplicitous behavior was an Academy Award performance at all times.
“He said he keeps hearing about the Americano. Sound familiar?”
“I’ve heard about this American now three different times in the last couple of years. Who the hell is he?”
Carlos ordered two beers. The only thing safe in this town was the booze. They’d take a chance on some food but, only because Carlos knew the owner’s daughter well. Very well. He was like family to them, and his friends were their friends, but any feeling he had for her vanished when he headed home to Miami. Dev had known them ever since they’d begun their time tracking down lead after lead, chipping away here and there at different drug traffickers and numerous dealers, the narco terrorists of this new drug world. The puzzle pieces were fitting together with connections from the United States to South America to Afghanistan and Europe.
“Has Keeting met this guy?”
“He says he saw him leaving a Buenos Aires hotel last year, and he only saw his back. He was surrounded by five bodyguards including a couple from one of the Cartels. Keeting said he’s not a very big man, very slight build.”
“So, we have to find Americano,” Dev suggested. “We, at the very least, need to find out who the heck he is and see what kind of connections he seems to have. Apparently, he is an American with deep pockets and social connections. He’s not our usual cartel guy.” That’s just what they needed, another drug dealer.
“So, we keep on.” Carlos was finishing off another beer.
Dev was done for the evening, but they had one more piece of business. “I told you about Alise, remember?”
Carlos nodded. “Yes, her father was the former police officer jammed up in that drug drop last year in Kansas City, when you met Lily?”
“She was also a companion of the Americano at one time. She’s worked out a deal to become an informant for us. Alise has been in Miami working with the Justice suits detailing names, sites, you name it. She’s willing to go back out there.”
Carlos had already read some of the notes she’d provided. He heard her brother had died in the drug world, and she had attempted to escape that same world for her daughter’s sake. “I can meet up with her when I get back.”
“No, not right now. Her mother is in Kansas City. The woman is dying.” Dev looked away from his partner. Some sand must have gotten into his eyes as he thought about Big John’s wife, how terrified she was the first time he had met her in the hospital waiting area. She was gracious. She was cold. She was frightened she’d lose her husband. She was clueless to her daughter’s hand in the events that eventually killed him.
“When will we set her up?”
“After I talk to her.” Dev wiped away the tears that had formed at the edge of his eyes. “Damn sand.”
Carlos pushed back from the table. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Dev looked up to the darkened sky. It was almost midnight, but you could still see the menacing clouds joining together to produce rain, maybe a good old thunderstorm. He could smell the rain moving in. Storms always brought back memories he wanted to forget. The loud crash of lightning could return him to his past life, one filled with sand and sorrow. He took his final drink of beer as Carlos returned to the table.
“Well, I told my little chiquita that I’d be gone for a few weeks.”
“You should’ve told her you won’t be back,” Dev said as he stood up.
“I should’ve. I just couldn’t.” Carlos hated this part of his job. “I’ve never been comfortable with the deceiving and the leaving.”
They began their short walk to the hotel they’d been using.
“Carlos, that’s a big part of the job,” Dev said. “You have to walk away and not make anything personal.”
Carlos snickered. “Like you have, boss? Seems like you made it personal in Kansas City, and you keep going back.”
“She wasn’t a drug dealer.”
“She was part of it.”
Dev looked up at the sky, ignoring Carlos completely. He had walked away from Lily, but he’d never make that mistake again. Not if he could help it. It seemed like he worried more, now that he had someone waiting for him.
“We’re going to get rain tonight.”
“So, you’re not going to answer me?” Carlos shook his head. He knew his former commanding officer well enough to know the discussion was over.
Dev remained silent. He said goodnight when they reached their rooms. Once inside, he heard the rain pelting the window. The storm had begun. He thought of that terrible night when he had found Lily sitting on the sidewalk outside her shop’s door. She had just seen her friend shot. She’d been part of a shootout. She seemed so powerless as rain dripped off her hair and nose. He had promised to protect her. He had failed. He wondered if she thought of that night often, or at all? He hoped she didn’t. When he closed his eyes, his nightmares of other nights in Afghanistan and Iraq were unimaginable. They had been his reality. He hoped her reality didn’t haunt Lily in the same way when the rain came, the lightning flashed and the thunder crashed.
But by Sunday night, another storm was raging in Kansas City. Lily’s sleep was interrupted by a year-old nightmare. The lightning flashed, or was it something else? The darkness had enveloped her. The rain had pelted the shop’s window. She had sprinted to the police car, but there was no safety there in an empty vehicle. When she heard the shots, she instinctively ran back into the shop through the back door. She was hiding behind her friend, shielded by her very own desk. She flinched with every popping noise. Muffled words spoken, or had they been shouted, were unrecognizable.
John had left her side as she heard more foreign noises. Minutes later all she heard was the rain, gentle and comforting.
Lily slowly moved from her sanctuary, crawling around the counter. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark. She could see. She could see the heels of John’s shoes. With the flash of lightning, she could see the full form of his body shoved within the door frame. The door was pushing against him. The alarm was buzzing, and she could hear the police sirens blending into the sounds of the storm.
Another flash illuminated a man’s form standing over John’s body. She crawled backward. She saw a face.
Lily screamed out into her empty bedroom as the evening’s storm raged outside.
“I saw a face.” She’d seen the man’s features; he was familiar. Her body was wrapped in sweat.
Lily threw off the covers, turning on two lights before she reached the kitchen. She needed more light in the house. Grabbing a glass of water, she slowly entered the living room and turned on the television. Without thinking, she found her favorite mystery channel.
Jessica Fletcher would calm her down. Lily remembered this one. She’d probably seen this specific show at least three dozen times. Jessica’s friend murdered someone, and she was feeling tortured, betrayed. This wasn’t the pick-me-up she needed. She needed sleep, uninterrupted sleep.
Like a scared high schooler staying alone for the first time in her parents’ house, Lily didn’t turn off one light before
returning to bed. She closed her eyes tightly, pressing them tighter. She could see that face, but she couldn’t. Her fear was interrupting her memory. Lily surrendered and reached for her phone, texting Dev.
“JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU.”
Immediately, despite the early morning hour, she received an answer, rather a question.
“YOU CAN’T SLEEP?”
“NO, BAD DREAM.”
“ANYTHING I CAN DO?”
Lily paused. “I’LL BE FINE.”
“FINE ISN’T AN ANSWER.”
“ONLY ONE YOU ARE GETTING.”
“ARE YOU REALLY FINE?”
“YES, GOING TO SLEEP NOW.”
“TALK SOON.” Dev knew something was wrong with her, but there wasn’t anything he could do. He was miles away doing a job that kept him away. That seemed to be the story of his life.
The next morning, Lily received a call. “Hey Lily, Jeff from car service. Have they found your car yet?”
What a way to start another week: with a call reminding you that you were still driving around in a flower shop van. “No,” Lily sighed. She never wanted to see the poor wayward vehicle again. It was gone. It was dead to her. Some nasty, sticky hands were touching her steering wheel. They had adjusted the seats and mirrors. She’d never get them right again. And they’d probably thrown out her Celine Dion CD.
“When’s the insurance bunch calling it non-recoverable?”
“They’re thinking a couple more weeks,” Lily responded. “I haven’t heard anything from the police. Nothing.”
“Well, I have. My brother is a KCPD detective and there seems to be a lot of thefts recently of fairly new cars just like yours.”
Lily thought of the black sedan. “Jeff, did your brother say anything about a black sedan being spotted? My neighbor saw my car leave followed by a tinted windowed sedan. She thought it was an undercover police vehicle. I updated the police but no one really thought anything of it.” She almost thought she could hear Jeff thinking.
“I’ll tell my brother. You coming down to look at a new car?”
“Not yet.” Lily was scanning her emails on the shop’s computer screen. “I’m too busy right now. Maybe in November.”
“Happy weddings. I’ll keep in touch.”
“Thanks, Jeff.”
Lily had fifty unanswered emails on a Monday morning. First, she’d answer any immediate clients. This week featured just one very large wedding at a new venue overlooking the Kansas City downtown skyline. Hopefully, there would not be any more drama than she could handle.
Lily’s heart actually began to hurt when she read the third email down. The subject line said, “I’m Big John’s daughter”. Oh no, now what? Lily, why did you have to ask that? You probably just cursed yourself!
“Lily, this is Alise, Big John’s daughter. I know you were close with Daddy. I saw your email address on Momma’s phone. I thought you might want to know that Momma passed away late Saturday night. We are having a funeral for her Tuesday morning.”
Lily looked over at her to-do sheet and threw it up in the air. “Well, there goes that schedule for tomorrow.” But she had to be there, she needed to be there, for John.
Abby covered at the shop while Lily attended the funeral. She’d missed most of the service. At the very least, she had to introduce herself to Alise. She doubted the woman would remember her from the last time, from her father’s funeral. Lily had attended with Tom and Dev. Alise’s small daughter had taken a running leap, right into Dev’s arms at the cemetery. She was another one of his admirers.
Lily grabbed a small cup of coffee and walked slowly through Alise’s parents’ home. She stopped in front of the many photos on the wall. It was a lovely photo of John and his blushing bride on their wedding day. He was so handsome, and she was just the prettiest little thing. Lily touched the framed photo softly. I miss you, my Big John. You always knew what to say to me to keep me from jumping.
Alise was surrounded by well-wishers. Lily looked at her watch. She really needed to get back to Abby. They had quite a bit of prep work for this weekend. She placed her cup down with other discarded plates on one of the tables near the kitchen. She signed the guestbook by the front door and sneaked out. Alise wouldn’t care if she was there.
Lily was standing on the front lawn, searching for her car keys when she saw the little girl. She was alone, sitting in a swing attached to a huge oak tree. The keys were in Lily’s hand, finally, but she shoved them back into the dark hole that was her purse. There were times only NASA could find something in that bag.
Slowly, she made her way over to the small form. The child’s head was down. She was humming. Lily looked around, but there was no one else in the yard. The little one shouldn’t be by herself, Lily thought.
“Hello,” she said as she walked up slowly to her. She crouched down in front of her. “Is your mommy, Alise?”
The child looked up slowly. “Yes.” Her whisper was barely audible.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Thinking.”
“About what?”
“How everyone leaves.”
Lily bit her lip. Crud. What do you say? How do you answer? “Well, I’m right here, your momma is in there, and so are all those people who loved your grandmother very much.”
The child stopped her swaying and looked directly at Lily. “I think I remember you.”
She smiled. “I know I remember you.” Lily’s legs were done in. She took her shoes off and sat on the ground. Thankfully, she was wearing black. “You know my friend, Dev.”
The child’s face brightened with a large smile. “That’s who you are. You are Dev’s girlfriend.”
That sounded good. “I wasn’t then, but I am now. What’s your name?”
“I’m Angelica, but my very good friends call me Angel.”
“That’s a beautiful name for such a little girl. Is it hard to spell?”
Angelica slid off the swing to stand in front of Lily. “Not for me. I’m special. I can read. I can write, and I haven’t been to real school yet.”
“Wow,” Lily exclaimed. “You are special. Most kids have to be in school for a couple of years before they can do that.”
“I know. Like I said, I’m special. I’m sad too.”
Lily reached up and took her small hand in her own. “Me too. Your grandpa was one of my best friends. Well, and you know I like Dev, and he’s gone doing his job. I understand how you feel, you see, both my mommy and daddy are gone. They live in heaven.”
“Do you think they have talked to Grandpa J?”
Lily wiped a tear from the side of her eye. “I’m sure of it. In fact, they’re probably all upset that you and I are being such gloomy heads on a beautiful, sunny day.”
“Will you read me a book? Books make me happy.”
Lily sighed. She knew how much she needed to get done today. She could feel the time ticking away, but she had to stop. She had to sit in this grass and spend time reading with a little girl. “Of course. Go get one.”
Before she could change her mind, Angelica was racing into the house and returned with a book in her arms. “This is one of my favorites.”
“Well, let’s get comfy.” Lily spread out her skirt. “Um, why don’t you just sit on my lap so we can both read together, since you are so special.”
“But sometimes I just want to be a little girl. Will you read to me?” Angelica’s large eyes were the soul of her essence, deep and vulnerable to all the sadness of her life, but bright with the joy of youth. She looked at Lily, and there was no way the adult could say no.
Lily opened her arms. “Come on then. Let’s read and spend time together.”
Over an hour later, question after question about how much Lily liked Dev, and the story of how Lily’s boyfriend took care of the little girl at the hospital when her grandfather had died, they finished the book. Lily was able to talk to Alise briefly as she came to retrieve her daughter from the florist.
&nbs
p; “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought something for your daughter. I have it in the car.”
Alise hugged Lily warmly. “You are too kind. Yes, that’s fine.”
Lily ran down to the van, and grabbed the gift. Angelica was running toward her when she saw the stuffed animal.
“How did you know I love lambs?” She ran right into Lily and wrapped her arms around her legs.
Lily knelt down to present the toy. “I love them too.” She smoothed a wayward hair from the child’s forehead. “Maybe he will help when you feel alone.”
Angelica held the lamb carefully in her arms. “I know why Dev likes you.”
“You do?” Lily couldn’t wait to hear the answer to this.
“You are really, really nice.” She hugged Lily, and placed a kiss on her cheek.
Lily said nothing, but held on for dear life. “And he probably likes you, because you are so nice.”
“We should probably get back in there, baby.” Alise patted her daughter’s head. “Lily, this meant so much that you came. Thank you.”
As Lily stood up, Alise gave her a strong embrace. “Thank you for your friendship to my father, and now to my daughter. It means so much.”
As they pulled away from each other, Lily promised to stay in touch. The small child was still waving as she drove away. Even though Lily cried all the way back to the shop, she’d just had one of the best hours of her life.
Chapter Six
Patsy and John, two of Lily’s favorite people who provided wedding cakes, were placing the finishing touches on a large four-tier “naked” cake as Lily continued to decorate the hotel’s ballroom. The “naked” cake had been the number one trend this year, featuring icing that didn’t cover the entire cake, leaving brown areas all over. Usually, the occasional bloom here and there provided the finishing touch to an unfinished look.
“So when’s your boyfriend back in town? I liked that guy,” John asked. The former engineer and Dev had talked last year on another reception. John had served in a Vietnam Army engineer unit when he was only eighteen years of age.
Lily laughed uncomfortably. “I wish I knew. His job keeps him on the east coast.” And wherever else he may be.
