But the Children Survived

by A. L. Jambor

  Teresa took Jason by the hand and they walked up to the casket. She asked him if he wanted to see his Daddy one last time. Jason solemnly nodded his head. Teresa asked the director to open the casket so they could see Antonio. He looked so peaceful lying there. There was no sign of the agony he must have experienced. Jason looked upon his father's calm countenance and began to cry. Teresa knelt down and took him in her arms.

  They held each other and sobbed, overcome by the pain of loss. Teresa stood up and took one last look at her beloved Antonio. She lightly touched his arm. Then she took her little boy's hand and left the funeral home.

  Teresa was staying with her parents. She hadn't been home since they’d left for Orlando. She and Jason would head back to her house after the interment to pick up some fresh clothes and check on the house.

  Some of the mourners had traveled to the cemetery. Teresa and Jason sat in front of the casket with her mother next to her and her father next to Jason. After they lowered the casket into the ground, she and Jason left for home.

  When they arrived home, Teresa pushed the button on the garage door opener. She pulled in and parked the car. Jason got out of the car, and as she was getting the bags out of the trunk, she noticed him walk into the house. She put down the bags and followed him. That door should have been locked.

  When she got inside, Teresa found Jason standing in the kitchen looking at a mess on the floor. Everything in her kitchen had been emptied. Her computer was still there. She ran to the living room. The pillows and sofa cushions were cut open. Drawers were pulled out and emptied. Teresa ran to the phone and called 911.

  The police took a report and asked Teresa if there was anything missing. Her TV and stereo equipment were still there, and her computer and other kitchen appliances hadn’t been touched. It didn’t look like anything had been stolen. The officers asked her what the thieves could have been looking for. She said she had no idea.

  Teresa had Jason pick out some toys to take with him. She took the dogs’ bowls and their beds. After she packed some clothes, they headed for Ed and Dorothy’s.

  Ricky greeted them at the door. Lorraine, who was leaving for home the next day, hugged her. Chloe was sitting on Dorothy’s lap and wagged her tail when she saw Teresa. She then jumped down and went to the door, looking for Antonio.

  “He’s not coming, girl,” Jason said as he stroked her head. Teresa felt tears welling in her eyes. She put her arm around Jason and brought him into the living room. Jason sat on Ed’s lap and Teresa sat down next to her mom.

  She told her parents about the break-in. She told them she was going to stay in a hotel for a few days so she could sort some things out. She asked them if they could watch Jason and the dogs. They agreed, and Teresa made a reservation at the Marriott.

  After dropping Lorraine off at the airport, she checked into the hotel and called attorney Evelyn Moore. Evelyn's secretary made an appointment for the next day. In the meantime, Teresa bought a diary and started writing down everything she could remember about her life with Antonio. She wrote through the night because she couldn’t sleep. In the morning, she took a shower and headed for Evelyn Moore's office.

  Evelyn Moore was a short, round woman with gray hair and glasses. She was pretty and smiled in a way that put Teresa at ease right. She led Teresa to a conference room she used for interviews. There were several leather chairs with high backs around a long table. Teresa chose one on the side while Evelyn sat at the head of the table.

  Teresa explained her situation, how Antonio had been murdered, how she believed Dr. Tomlinson was involved, the ransacking of her home, her fear that someone might try to hurt Jason, and Antonio's involvement in Tomlinson's scheme.

  Evelyn listened intently until Teresa was done. She asked about Teresa's financial situation. Teresa told her about her online trading and the money she had in the bank. That combined with the insurance policy from Antonio's job would leave her somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000,000.

  “In that case, Mrs. Russo, I would suggest you hire someone to fortify your home, new locks, security windows and shutters, alarm systems, etc. You should consider putting your son in a private school with good security. You also may want to install security cameras. Where is the safe deposit key?”

  Teresa pulled on the chain around her neck and revealed the key.

  “Did Antonio have a will?”

  “Yes, I have a copy.”

  “Good. I’ll need that to file probate. Where are the plants now? Were they in the house?”

  “I don't know,” Teresa said. She hadn’t checked the greenhouse the night she called the police.

  “Go check out the safe deposit box and bring in the will. Let me know what you find.”

  When Teresa left Evelyn's office, she felt better. At least she had a plan. She’d been unable to think these last few days, let alone plan. She needed to see Jason so she drove over to her parents’ house and visited him.

  Teresa told her parents she had a plan and as soon as her house was ready, she would bring Jason home. In the meantime, he would stay with them. Jason wasn’t happy to see his mother leave again and let her know it.

  “Look, kiddo, I have to make the house safe for us. You be a brave boy and let Mommy do this, okay?” Jason nodded his head but still cried when she left.

  The next day Teresa went to Farlands Bank. She spoke with the manager regarding the safe deposit box. He took her into his office and they sat down. He checked the account and noted that Teresa was the Antonio’s beneficiary. He had her sign some paperwork and then led her to the vault. There he used their keys to remove the box. He placed it on the table and left Teresa alone.

  Teresa opened the box. Antonio had been the last person to touch this box. She felt the tears welling in her eyes as she touched the sides of the box, trying to feel his fingers. She saw the notebook along with what looked like a letter.

  She flipped through the notebook and decided to leave it in the box. She opened the letter and read it. It contained information outlining what Antonio had done and where his plants had been taken. It was a confession of sorts. He was clearing his conscience. Teresa kissed his signature. She then folded the letter and put it in her purse.

  A few weeks after Antonio's death, Teresa received a large check from the insurance company. She wept bitterly at the sight of the check. It was all she had left of her husband.

  Teresa kept herself busy fortifying the house. When she was done, no one would enter her house again without her knowledge. She picked up Jason from her parents’ house and brought him home. She showed him the security screens and told him not to open the door without checking them first, or calling Mommy. She showed him how the shutters closed at night, or during a hurricane.

  That night when she tucked him in, Jason asked her to stay while he fell asleep. Teresa gently lay down next to him and held him. He fell asleep in her arms.

  *****

  Teresa now turned her thoughts to Dr. Tomlinson. She talked to Evelyn about how she could bring him down. Evelyn said it would be hard without implicating Antonio. If Teresa chose to sue, any petition she filed would contain information regarding the Dono di Russo. It would also be a public record, available to anyone, including the lawyers at Wilmer and March. As soon as they found out where Antonio discovered his Dono di Russo, Jacob Wilmer might put two and two together and sue. Also, Tomlinson’s father had deep ties to law enforcement, which made him almost invincible.

  This was a bitter pill for Teresa to swallow. She could stand to lose everything, putting her and Jason's future at risk. Evelyn told her to think long and hard about doing anything concerning Dr. Tomlinson.

  In the end, Teresa had to let it go. At least the old bastard would never treat another woman with Fetura. Antonio had seen to that.

  The next day Teresa drove up Alternate 19 until she reached a dirt road. She made a right, and drove to end of the driveway where she saw a greenhouse. She parked the SUV and walked to the greenhouse doo
r. She knocked and then opened it. She saw a short, round older man watering plants. He turned and smiled. He asked if he could help her.

  “My name is Teresa Russo. My husband told me you were holding our plants for him.”

  Vinnie Rawlings waved for her to follow him. She walked to the back of the greenhouse and followed Vinnie into the office. He sat down on a lawn chair and indicated she do the same. He offered her some coffee, and as her husband had done three weeks before, she declined.

  “So, where is the little goomba? I expected him back before this.” Vinnie was smiling at Teresa.

  “I, uh...I'm afraid he was...murdered.” Teresa was trying very hard not to cry. Vinnie's eyes darkened.

  “When? When did they get him?” His voice sounded flat and menacing.

  “Two weeks ago while we were in Orlando. He was....was by the lockers...and...he was stabbed. From behind. He never saw them.” The tears were now rolling slowly down her face.

  Vinnie hated shit like this, shit where somebody good, somebody genuinely good was hurt.

  “He was good, your Antonio. He was a good person. What my old friend Saul would call a mensch. He didn't deserve this.” Already the wheels in Vinnie's head were turning. “Look, Teresa, I have Antonio's plants. They’re safe here. I won't let anybody near them. Anybody shows up here and I’ll cut their throat. Capice?”

  Despite what the old man had said, Teresa found that she liked him, maybe even trusted him. She had no idea what to do with the poisonous plants. She knew Antonio's will bequeathed them to her, and Evelyn would have the patents transferred. But what would she do then?

  “You really don't mind?” she asked.

  “You just leave them here and when you know what you want to do with them, you let me know. Don't you worry about a thing. I’ll take care of everything.”

  There was something about the way he said “everything” that made Teresa cringe. She convinced herself it was just her imagination, but still he did remind her of an actor on The Sopranos. She thanked Vinnie and gave him her phone number. She said to call if he needed anything. Then she drove back to St. Petersburg to pick up Jason from school.

  Chapter 37

  When Teresa left the greenhouse, Vinnie called the kid who did the pickups and asked him to come over. When the kid arrived, Vinnie asked him if he knew a girl who could make a phone call for him. Somebody with a sweet, convincing voice. The kid, a Hispanic boy who called himself Cash, said he thought his new girlfriend, a 17-year-old named Trixie, would fit the bill.

  Trixie had just arrived from the Panhandle, straight from the sticks. She had liked the taste of blow he’d given her a week before and was itching for more. She would do it for a hit, Cash said, and her sweet Southern accent was perfect. Vinnie asked him to bring Trixie by in the morning around 9:30.

  Trixie looked like a 17-year-old trying to look like a 21-year-old. Her clothes were way too tight and her makeup bordered on clownish. Vinnie brought her back to the office while Cash wandered around the greenhouse. Cash knew better than to mess with the purple-edged plants. Vinnie told him if he did, his balls would fall off.

  Vinnie gave Trixie the telephone number for Dr. Tomlinson' office. He wanted her to call and make an appointment with the good doctor. If she did a good job, he said, she could have a hit on him. Arlene smiled and picked up the phone.

  When the receptionist answered, she made an appointment for three weeks later. The woman told her it would be $120 for the visit if she didn’t have insurance. Vinnie signaled her to say fine and to hang up. He then passed a small packet of coke to her.

  On the morning of Trixie’s appointment, Vinnie told Cash to bring her into the office again. He told Cash to have Trixie fill out the paperwork at the doctor's office with false information.

  “Just tell them anything. Make sure it's all bogus.” He handed Cash $120. Then Vinnie turned to Trixie.

  “When you get the doctor alone, I want to you tell him that Antonio sent you. You got that? Antonio.”

  “Antonio sent me,” Trixie repeated.

  “Right. When he asks you ‘who,’ you say 'I have the plants.' That's all. Then give him this number.” Vinnie gave Trixie a slip of paper with a number from a throw-away phone he’d purchased just for this occasion. “Then get the hell out of there. Don't stop for nothin'. They won't have anything on you anyway.”

  When Cash and Trixie got to Tomlinson's office, she filled out the paperwork as instructed. Cash paid for the visit and they waited their turn. When she was called, Trixie was led to an examining room.

  She was asked to take off her clothes and put on a gown. Trixie had no intention of staying, so she put the gown on over her tube top and mini-skirt. It looked like she was naked underneath. When the doctor walked in, her first thought was of course, Santa Claus.

  “Good afternoon, Mary is it?” He walked over and shook her hand.

  “Antonio sent me.” Trixie had wasted no time. “He said to give you this.”

  She handed him the slip of paper with the phone number on it, ripped off the gown and ran out of the room.

  She and Cash high tailed it out of there and into the parking lot. Cash put the key in the ignition and the pedal to the floor. When Dr. Tomlinson came out to find them, they were too far away for him to read their tag.

  Vinnie asked Cash to bring Trixie to the office to wait for Tomlinson's call. She told Vinnie she forgot to tell him about the plants. Vinnie wasn’t worried. He said just the name Antonio should do the trick.

  Around 6 that evening, the throw-away rang. Trixie picked it up and said “Hello.” Tomlinson demanded to know what she was talking about. Vinnie had instructed her to say she had his plants. When she did, there was silence on the other end. She asked if he was still there and he said yes. Finally, Tomlinson asked what she wanted.

  “I want to give you the plants. I'm sure you’d be willing to give me some kind of reward.”

  “What kind of reward?” Tomlinson didn’t sound happy.

  “$50,000 should be okay.” Vinnie gave Trixie the thumbs-up. There was another long pause.

  “Fine. Where should I bring it?”

  Trixie gave Tomlinson an address in Tarpon Springs by the docks. There was an old warehouse there that belonged to a friend of Vinnie's. She told him to meet her there in two hours at nine o’clock.

  “And Doc, no cops. If I see cops, I burn the plants, capice?” Vinnie cringed at the way she said “capice.” The Southern accent killed it.

  “I'll be there, you little slut.”

  Trixie frowned. Vinnie told her to hang up. Vinnie told Cash to go to the warehouse and wait until he saw the good doctor arrive alone. If he wasn’t alone, Cash was to call Vinnie immediately. Vinnie was counting on the doctor's greed. He believed Tomlinson would show up alone.

  Two hours later Cash called. He said the doctor was there alone. Vinnie was sitting just down the road with a plant. He drove to the warehouse and parked next to the doctor's car. The doctor was sitting in it waiting for Trixie.

  “You must be the good Dr. Tomlinson. Antonio told me so much about you.” Vinnie was smiling at the doctor. He was holding the plant.

  “Where’s the girl?” He asked Vinnie.

  “Oh, it was past her bedtime. She asked me to take care of you for her. Won't you come in?”

  Vinnie walked over to the warehouse and opened the door. The doctor got out of his car and reluctantly followed. The warehouse was brightly lit, which helped assuage the doctor's growing anxiety. He now wished he’d called his brother the police captain to come with him, but he hadn’t wanted to jeopardize this exchange. Only someone with the plants would know about him and Antonio.

  Vinnie placed the plant on a table by the warehouse office.

  “I thought there were more,” Tomlinson said.

  “Well, there are, of course. This is kind of a teaser, if you will. Have you ever seen one of these beauties?”

  “No, there was no need. Mr. Russo made the drug. He d
uped me into believing he had FDA approval.”

  “Yeah, that's our Antonio. A real lowlife.” Vinnie pulled the cord on the overhead light. “So, whadda ya think?”

  The plant Vinnie chose was in full bloom. The leaves were big and the purple edges sublime. The doctor sucked in his breath when he saw it under the light.

  “It’s quite breathtaking isn't it?” He came closer to the plant.

  “Yeah, and you should smell it. Like a rose.”

  “Really? The purple solution smelled like wet plants.” Dr. Tomlinson leaned closer.

  “You gotta get right on top of it, Doc. Put your nose right to it.”

  Tomlinson put his nose closer. He was less than an inch from the large green center of the leaf.

  “I don't smell anything,” Tomlinson said.

  “You actually have to touch the plant, Doc. Rub your nose to release the oils.”

  Antonio had never mentioned the plants poisonous centers to Tomlinson. He put his nose to the leaf and rubbed it. He fell over so fast it surprised Vinnie. There was blood dripping from his nose.

  Vinnie picked up the plant put it back in his car. He called Cash to come in and remove the body. Cash came in and dragged Tomlinson's body to the back of the warehouse. There was a dock outside where the river ran. Cash hoisted Tomlinson's body over the edge of the dock, sending him into the river after carefully placing some nice smooth rocks in his pockets. Vinnie spit into the water.

  “That's for Antonio you son of a bitch.” He then paid Cash and waked back toward his car.

  He opened Dr. Tomlinson's car door and found a bag containing $50,000. Vinnie was surprised the good doctor was ready to pay. He took the money and put it in his trunk.

  “Hey, Cash, wipe for prints and make sure there's no blood on the floor, will ya?”