Rick Cantelli, PI: Into the Darkness (Rick Cantelli, P.I. Detectives Book 3)

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “Ramos didn’t realize I was out of prison until the ones who came in the store probably told him later when they were able to make a call. The three he sent to your house were there as you suspected… to test the waters as to what was happening with ‘Godfather’s Cell’, and see if you knew what Garibaldi’s intentions in the area were. Those three tonight came for me. That crew at the meth lab didn’t belong to any cartel. The lab was one of Dane Ramos’s production plants. I saw him kill one of his dealers there. At the time there were only two of us workers there, and the lead guy you killed the night of the bust.”

  Stacy took a deep breath and sat on the bed’s edge. “Ramos put me to work in the lab because he owned me. Gambling debts, drug debts… you name it, and I’d already done it. He laughed when his guys brought me in for nonpayment. He told me I’d have to work off my debt. Ramos knew I was scared to death of him, so he never gave it a thought when he killed the dealer right in front of me. I should have left the area, but I continued my usual vices instead when I managed to get released. You knew about me and Al Baylor being targeted by Trish and her partner. Ramos hired the killers to remove us loose ends. If I hadn’t been sent to prison, I’d be dead.”

  Her story rang the truth bell in my head, and all the puzzle pieces fell into place from past events she referred to. “So when Teddy Alvarez sent Trish and Chet to kill you and Al Baylor, he was acting on input from his second in command, Dane Ramos. With Alvarez dead in the hit at his beach house rental, Ramos filled the void.”

  She met my gaze straight on. “That’s how I see it, Rick. I never heard of Alvarez at all until after his death. He was too high up, I guess. Do you think it was Ramos who had Alvarez killed?”

  Nope. That was me. Lo boated me to a spot where I could make a night approach on the beach. I killed Alvarez and his henchmen with my .50 caliber sniper rifle, and left the same way I arrived with Lo at the helm. I had no intention of sharing that piece of info. “It’s possible. If they can tie in those three who tried to ambush us with Ramos, it may chill him out. I don’t understand why he’d bother though. The dealer you saw him kill is gone. Without a body, he can’t be arrested on your accusation.”

  “Ramos ordered the three of us to dispose of the body, Rick. I know where it is, and he doesn’t. Baylor is dead, and so is Louis Martine, the other worker who went with us.”

  “Uh oh. Give me a second to digest that one.” With Stacy’s reputation, there’s no way Ramos lets bygones be bygones on her word she would never rat him out. That leaves three choices, none of which struck me as easy or safe. We could take this to my police captain buddy, show him where the body was buried, and Stacy could testify. It would mean a death sentence for Stace, and Ramos’s lawyer would eat her alive. Ramos avoids public trials at all costs for good reason. A second option would be to simply tell him where the dealer was buried – logic dictating without a body Stacy wouldn’t be a threat. Unfortunately, that option relies on Ramos’s forgive and forget attitude. The third option is I exterminate Ramos, and any of his soldiers who may carry on where he left off concerning Stacy. Yep… no good news there, because anything happening to Ramos, and I would be the number one suspect.

  “I hate to say it, Stace, but we may have to play this out for a while until a solution presents itself more clearly.” I took her through our options.

  Stacy stood up, and came into my arms. “I’m trouble with a capital T. Are you having second thoughts about keeping me on the Cantelli team?”

  “Nope. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere. Jim would never look at me in the same light if I kicked his G-ma to the curb. Besides… you look awful good tonight. I’m not ditching you before I have a chance to peel you out of that dress later.”

  Stacy laughed at my adlib, which made things seem a bit brighter. We stood there in each other’s arms for the moment, two geezers contemplating rough seas ahead. A knock on the bedroom door jerked us back into reality.

  “The limousine is here,” Jim informed us.

  “Thanks Jim, we’ll be right out.” I held Stacy out at arms’ length. “Ready to go into the target zone again?”

  Stacy reached and framed my face with her hands. “I’ll go anywhere with you.”

  I hope she didn’t eventually regret that line.

  * * *

  The limo let us off in front of the restaurant as had been our habit on Casablanca Night. We played the game now to the hilt. The inside looked more and more like the movie every time our partners the Collinswoods found a new forties style poster or lighting fixture. Lo and I had been overseas for a while, so we were a little disorganized with what happened earlier. I was the first of our merry band to arrive, because the customers liked to see Rick in his ice cream colored suit-coat in true Bogey form. I hurriedly slipped out to hold the door for Jim, Stacy, Bone, and Carlene, at least as hurriedly as my side allowed. I admit the smattering of applause from the line of people waiting to get in dressed to the nines in forties attire brought a smile to geezer Rick’s face. I took Stacy’s arm and escorted her to the line of people while Bone took Carlene inside to make sure of security. Jim held on to her other hand, gawking at the restaurant’s lavish Rick’s Casablanca banner in lights.

  “Hey, Rick… what the hell? Did they clone you?” One of the regulars called out, pointing at Jim. “Man… it’s good to see you back.”

  “Thanks, Pal.” I shook hands with him, and everyone else within reach. We’d carefully cultivated this familiarity with our gym workouts and the restaurant. It was paying off to an unbelievable extent. That there had been deadly shootouts, including a Mossad sniper incident from Lo and I’s past had only worked to make the Friday night Casablanca special even more popular. People seemed disappointed when there wasn’t a shootout now. Considering I had brought the infamous Cantelli-land with me into the restaurant partnership, it was probably a good development. Our customers’ imaginations leaned toward me being more like a gangster than a good guy – whatever sells. The fact it was more accurate than I had ever imagined spilled into my reality far more times than I cared for.

  “This is my Grandson Jim, and this is his Grandma Stacy. They’ll be regulars from now on. I’ve decided to put violence behind me.”

  “Rick!” A guy called out from further down the line. “You killed three guys today! I heard it on the news.”

  Uh oh. Caught in Cantelli-land reality without a life preserver. I shrugged. “It’s a process.”

  Huge laughs at my movie line explanation of the unexplainable. I noticed Jim and Stacy politely showed amusement. I had not explained my Casablanca Night events yet to them, and I didn’t know how much they already knew about them. It’s a process. After Stacy came back into my life, triggering a series of events bringing back the personas of cold blooded killers Lois and I really are, nothing had ever been the same. It had been an exciting revival of past sins Lo and I embraced for good or bad. We’d decided not to go out of this life like dried husks of corn. We planned on going out as we lived… two very dangerous geezers with a past unlike any normal folk could imagine. Then Cantelli-land hit the rocks… as usual.

  “Hey… Cantelli!

  I saw someone approaching with four big suit-coated goons, all in black. I opened my coat while pushing Jim and Stacy behind me. I glanced back. “Get Jim inside now, Stace!”

  She questioned nothing. Stacy propelled the resistant Jim to the entrance while I turned to face the entourage approaching. I suspected it might be Dane Ramos, but I never expected him to actually appear at a public event like Casablanca Night. I grinned in anticipation. I don’t know how many killers Dane brought, but they wouldn’t be enough to prevent me from putting a bullet right between his eyes. It dawned on me since reaching my seventh decade, that many of the cautions I’d adhered to in my past had fled the shadowed Cantelli-land like campfire girls at a grizzly bear picnic. Jim would be safe if this encounter turned bad, because this idiot would be dead… that was a guarantee. I turned to the line of peop
le waiting to get in.

  “Please walk away folks! I’ll make it up to you, but walk away for now!” They saw my face, and they chose wisely, disbursing rapidly during this insane confrontation. No… I didn’t reach for my cell-phone to punch in 911. I think the three dead soldiers Ramos had sent against me drove him into the darkness. I’m already there waiting.

  Ramos chuckled, and his minions echoed their leader’s amusement. “Do you know who I am Cantelli?”

  I studied his face with serious contemplation as if truly wondering who the hell he was. “You know… you look like the dwarf I saw in one of the last dwarf tossing contests I saw in a bar downtown. You appear to be a little smaller though.”

  One of the goons had to stifle himself much to Ramos’s displeasure.

  He lost his smiling Tony Soprano look. “If you don’t wise up you fuck, you’re going to die right here!”

  I laughed. This guy was so entertaining. I had a little man inside the building with his G-ma. This moron thought I was afraid to die. Heh… heh… not so my little bandito. I gave up fear of my death a very long time ago. “You are so cute!”

  I dropped back sideways, coat open in the breeze, my hand near my 9mm Ruger. “Let’s dance. You get a hole in that empty head of yours, Dane - then I take out as many of your goons as I can. I’m feelin’ real good tonight, boys. I bet I get all five of you. You brought pussies with you, Dane… just like you. I kill people without remorse or a second thought. Want a taste, you little piss-ant? I’m your huckleberry, you piece of shit!”

  The boys with him knew I’d killed three of their bad boys, when they had the drop on me. I could see every one of them wondered how the old geezer in front of them could get them all before they got me. I could tell though they didn’t want to find out. On top of that reluctance, Dane started to step backwards with a look of realization that was priceless. I pointed my left index finger at him with a smile.

  “Stay where you are or die right the fuck now!” Yep… time to get to it.

  Dane glanced at his boys and saw uncertainty. He held up his hands in placating form. “I…I came here to negotiate, Cantelli!”

  I considered being the placating entity putting off the destruction of my small family… for a heartbeat. “I’d be glad to negotiate. You showed up with a very bad plan, Dane. Here are the terms – you walk away in handcuffs after confessing to murdering the drug dealer who worked in your lab, or we start shootin’. How’s that? Plain enough for you, prick?”

  I hit the trigger of insanity in the psychopathic ditz. Dane reached for his gun, and grew a 9mm hole in the center of his head. It was on then. His goons drew, and two died with their pieces barely touched. The other two died after one drawing and firing into his own foot, while his other live companion had his automatic out, but saw my barrel already waiting for him. The two 9mm hollow points ended his thoughts and dreams forever and a day.

  It ended in the incredible silence following combat no comparison on earth can do justice to. I relaxed my Ruger holding hand to my side, while straightening from a shooter’s crouch. I smirked at the five dead bodies, because I was too old to care about repercussions, incarceration, or what life trials brought the five poor souls there in front of the restaurant. I was done though for today. My side ached, and I was done… period. I sat down in front of the restaurant, placed my Ruger on the sidewalk surface, and simply waited.

  I knew I didn’t have long to wait. The police would be arriving in short order. No number of HD clips from our excellent security cams at the restaurant were going to keep me out of the tank this night. Bill Staley drove alongside with his wife Sue. He made it there minutes before his brethren. I heard him tell Sue to go home. I clasped my hands behind my head when I heard him shuffle his feet toward me.

  “Hi Bill,” I greeted him without turning.

  “I…I don’t know what the hell to say, Rick. I see you’ve laid your weapon on the walkway. Does that mean the chances any of those gentlemen will need an ambulance is rather a moot point?”

  “Eloquently put. On the positive side, I didn’t get wounded in this encounter.”

  To my surprise, Bill simply sat down beside me as the familiar banshee wails of police sirens and ambulances drew ever nearer. “What the hell am I to do with this?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, my friend.”

  “You realize there are more than a few serial killers with less confirmed kills than you have in this one single day, right?”

  “Gee… how nice of you to share your take on the statistics of my day, Bill. I have an explanation. As your confidential informant, you put me hot on the trail of these five banditos. I finally found them. One thing led to another, and now poor old Dane Ramos and a few of his soldiers have assumed room temperature. How’s that?”

  “Shitty. Ramos, huh? Tonight I was going to tell you about our finding a link between the guys you killed earlier across the parking lot and guess who - Dane Ramos.” Staley sung in what he thought was comical rhyme, “It’s a small world after all.”

  “You bastard!” Bill tried to keep a straight face, but couldn’t help laughing. “You damn well know I’ll have that ‘It’s a Small World’ in my head for the next two weeks. That was just… mean.”

  Bill clapped me on the shoulder while standing. “For some reason that little ditty has never bothered me. Uh oh… I see Lo jogging towards us in high heels. Hide me, Rick.”

  “Fuck you, Bill… and the small world horse you rode in on.” Yeah, the prick even laughed at that zinger.

  “Out of my way, flatfoot!” Lo threw the already retreating Staley off to the side, grabbing me by the ear, while crouching next to me. “Damn you, Cantelli! You got into another gunfight without me? You’re fired! You’ll never work in this town again… as God is my witness! Anymore wounds or are you just resting until they put you in the tank?”

  “No more wounds, Lo. Thanks for the jail cell reminder.”

  She patted me on the back of the head. “C’mon Bill, you useless precinct pimp. Let’s go see who these guys are. I have to get some pictures so Rick and I can cross them off our wish list.”

  Staley was still laughing as he illegally allowed a civilian to snap facials with her camera phone of the victims. The police officers routed to us were placated by their Captain. Bill directed the crime scene investigation and bagging of weapons, including my Ruger, soon to join its brother Colt in lockup. Don’t worry boys… I’ll be there soon. I chanced a glance at the restaurant as the officers I didn’t know cuffed me. Bone had Jim and Stacy in protective custody. He waved at me, and I nodded. As I was guided toward the patrol car, I passed the rest of my stunned Cantelli-land inhabitants of darkness and shadow. Trish grinned at me.

  “We’ll watch out for Stacy and Jim, Hooterville.”

  “Pop!” Temple edged around Trish. “Why are they arresting you?”

  “Past sins, kid. Have a good dinner in there with everyone. Please sing a couple songs for Jim, will you? Make sure he and Stace have a good time. I’ll be fine. I feel better already.”

  Trish laughed.

  “We will, Pop!”

  Hell… I felt blessed. I hate to thank God for the opportunity to relieve the earth of so many of the Lord’s misguided inhabitants; but if no one else knew about Ramos’s problem with Stacy… well then God bless us everyone. I’d say it was a dynamic jab by the fickle finger of fate, as Karma turned out to be a real bitch for Dane. Hopefully, some of my more friendly cell mates from past tank stays would be sharing space with me. Of course in this day and age I might also be stuffed into prison as a public hazard. Dane might get a little payback in there from beyond the grave. I always figured if I ended up in prison, I’d make the first few days memorable, especially if I go in for multiple murders. Why stop there? I hit the big house, I may as well add a few or get my stay cut short by the Reaper. Besides, I’m too old to become some clown’s jail-cell romance – I guarantee the foreplay would be violent. I hope if they do send me
down the river, that they’ll let me out on bail so I can get a drink. I could sure use one right now.

  Lo appeared before they ducked me into the backseat. “Anything I can get you, Rick?”

  “Yeah, a pint of Bushmill’s would be nice, Lo.”

  She cackled. “Would if I could, you old cuckold. This have anything to do with Stacy?”

  “Past sins already forgiven, Lo,” I told her with my no nonsense Cantelli face as I eased my sore side into the squad car.

  Lo smiled. “Understood. Stay out of trouble in the tank, Rick.”

  “Would if I could,” I replied as the squad car door shut in my face.

  * * *

  It was a quiet night in the tank at first. Although the crowd of unfortunates in there with me were unhappy, they tended to keep their unhappiness bottled inside where it belonged. I confess to being happy as hell. I had no clue what course I could have taken with Dane Ramos alive, involving Stacy witnessing Ramos killing a drug dealer in his lab. The jerk decided to teach the old punk a lesson right in public. He left an opening that offered me a chance to lure him into a stupid move. My life’s problems were solved. I wasn’t drugged, drunk, or even depressed. Then a couple of gangbangers were escorted to our holding cell. I didn’t know them, so I relaxed again in my snooze position. Us old folks like our naps. One of the ‘bangers gave me a ‘I shoulda’ had a V8’ pop in the forehead.

  “Hey… OG (old geezer) nice coat. Let me try it on.”

  What the hell? The best part about the tank when having an altercation is it would be unarmed combat. Another dead body won’t matter. “Run along, homey. Go hump someone else’s leg.”

  The retort drew an appreciative reaction from my cellmates. It also engendered a huddled, hand waving, blasphemous warmup to more, as the two dodos figured if they danced around, they could threaten me into a stupor. I stood, slipped off the ice cream coat, rolled my sleeves, all while listening to the ‘banger drivel of intimidation.