“Harold,” Carlo said. “So nice of you to come.” Carlo was impeccably dressed in a light gray Armani suit with shoes shined to a high gloss. “How is it we’ve never met? After all, you’ve worked for my father for what, twelve years?”
“Something like that,” Harold said not taking a seat. You didn’t sit in front of a Donati unless you were invited to sit. People had been killed for lesser offenses.
“It’s exactly like that. As a matter of fact, I know your twelfth anniversary is coming up shortly.”
“I guess so.” Harold wondered what Carlo was working up to. There had to be a point to this meeting. Carlo was not known for his sociability and never called his subordinates in simply for pleasantries. However, Harold knew better than to try to hurry a Donati. He would let Carlo get to the point whenever Carlo felt the time was right.
“I bring this up because in all the time you worked for my father he never mentioned any time you had failed him, and he always discussed such things with me. After all, he was readying me to take over. I would have said take his place, but no one will ever take his place.” Carlo looked almost wistful.
“I’m so sorry about your father…”
“Save it,” Carlo cut in. “I’ve heard all the platitudes I care to hear. Father and I, as well as my mother, have come to terms with what is happening to my father. Everyone knows life is not always fair. My father is a good father, and he is a good man.” Hundreds of Alphonso’s victims would argue that last statement if they could. The ones that were still alive wouldn’t dare and the rest couldn’t as they were no longer able. “But enough of that, I called you here to discuss a troubling situation.”
Carlo was finally coming to the point. Harold had no clue about what was coming, but he was starting to visibly sweat. He’d heard Carlo’s statement about Harold failing him although Carlo had glossed right over it. But now he had said ‘troubling.’ When a Donati said ‘troubling’ the one it was said about was generally the one in trouble. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about sir. Have I done…”
Carlo held up his hand. “I’m getting to it. Did I or did I not give you product to be distributed free in several of the small towns in the northern part of the state where our sales have dropped off over the last couple of months.”
“Of course you did, and Rupert did that. He’s my associate who deals with that territory.” No, it couldn’t be Rupert. He wasn’t all that smart, but surely Rupert wouldn’t try to rip him off. And he especially would not rip off Carlo Donati. There surely wasn’t a faster path to the great beyond than to mess with a Donati. “Have you heard something?” A bead of sweat trickled into Harold’s eye, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand hoping Carlo didn’t notice.
“I have been informed, by a very reliable source, that Stippens didn’t deliver the product for free. He charged the normal rate for it but failed to pass our share of the profits on to us.”
Harold couldn’t hide his surprise. “It’s not possible. Rupert’s not that stupid.”
“Apparently he is, and I want you to deal with it.”
“I swear I know nothing about his deception.”
“I’m sure you don’t, or you’d already be dead.” Carlo formed his hand into a finger gun and “shot” Harold. “But it needs to be handled.”
“Not to worry. I’ll take care of it.”
“I never worry about such things. Smart people always do what I say, and I know you’re smart. But enough about that. How are you doing with finding me a blue-eyed, blonde, baby girl?”
“I have feelers out all over the state and in several of the surrounding states, but nothing has popped yet. Everyone has apparently become more vigilant since the last two disappearances. It’s been reported to me that cops have been posted to keep an eye on the parks where people normally walk their kids. And where there aren’t enough cops, neighborhood patrols have stepped up their vigilance. I have heard this same story from virtually every part of the state. I thought I had a line on a baby last week but I followed the parents to a doctor’s office, and then the parents took the baby directly to the hospital. I’m sure you don’t want a sick baby.”
“Of course not. Any child I sell must be in perfect health. My clients expect it. And I expect you to do your job. You need to step up your efforts. My client is getting antsy and threatening to find someone else who can deliver. I can’t tell you what it would mean to lose their fifty thousand dollars.” He deliberately didn’t mention the fact that he’d already received the client’s down payment of twenty thousand dollars. And the clients had not threatened to go somewhere else, at least not yet. But it was a good story to put pressure on Harold.
“I’m doing all I can,” Harold almost whined but knew better so he choked it back as well as he could.
“Well do more,” Carlo slammed his fist on his desk. He was getting tired of excuses. “Get me a blue-eyed, blonde baby girl, or I’ll take the fifty thousand out of your cut for as long as it takes.
Harold knew that was no idle threat. He also knew he could not afford to lose that much income. “I’ll get one,” he said with more conviction than he actually felt. “How long do I have before the client takes a powder?”
“How the heck should I know. He’ll abandon us when he does. He’s probably already been checking around. So you’d better get me that baby soon.”
“I’ll do it. And I’ll also take care of that rat Stippens.”
“You already said that,” Carlo said with a wave of dismissal. “Now get out of here and get it done.”
“Yes, sir,” Harold said and turned on his heel to exit through the door before Carlo had a chance to get any angrier. Harold didn’t stop sweating until he was in his car at least a mile away from the Donati estate.
Chapter 6
Harold waited by his car when Rupert pulled up and stopped behind it. Rupert got out carrying the briefcase Harold was used to seeing. He walked up to Harold as if he didn’t have a worry in the world. Harold knew that would soon change.
“You got my money?”
“Of course I do. You got my product?” Rupert wasn’t sure what the question was about because Harold wasn’t typically one to play word games. But with no other response in mind, he thought he would play along.
“Let’s see it,” Harold said stepping aside to give Rupert room to set the briefcase on the hood of his car.
Rupert opened the briefcase on the hood of Harold’s car. Harold stared at the money for a few seconds before he said, “That looks to be this week’s take. Where’s the rest of it?”
“What do you mean ‘the rest of it’? I don’t know what you mean.”
“Are you really so stupid that you thought you could get away with stealing from Carlo and me?” Harold pulled a silenced gun from his jacket pocket and pointed it at Rupert’s chest.
Sweat broke out on Rupert’s forehead. “I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Several weeks ago did I not give you product to distribute free in the northern part of the state?”
“You did…and…and I did it.” Rupert started to stutter in abject terror as he wondered how they had found out about his duplicity. He realized, not for the first time, that what he had done really was a bonehead move that had signed his death warrant.
“That’s not what Carlo heard.”
“What did he hear? Who lied to him?”
“He heard that you sold the product for the normal price, so again I ask, where’s our share?”
Rupert tried again. “It’s a lie. I didn’t get any money for that load of coc.” Sweat was now running down Rupert’s cheeks.
“It may be a lie because I really didn’t think you were so stupid that you’d cheat Carlo and me. But that’s what Carlo heard, and his instructions were to take care of the problem, meaning you. So that’s what I have to do. Lie or not.” He raised the gun until it was pointed between Rupert’s eyes.
“Don’t boss. I…I�
�ll give…the money back.”
“Sooooo, you admit you stole from us.”
“I’ll give it all to you. Even my share.”
“But what kind of example would that set? Everybody has to know that you don’t steal from a Donati. I really thought you already knew that. But, I guess not.” Harold cocked the pistol.
Rupert had to think of something quick. He knew Harold would have no qualms about killing him. Harold had killed before. A last-ditch idea came to him. “What if I know where you can get a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, baby girl? You’re still looking aren’t you?”
Harold wondered if this was a ploy to save his miserable life or might Rupert have found what Harold desperately needed. He figured he’d hear him out. “Have you been holding out on me? Where might this baby be?”
“I wasn’t holding out on you. I thought you wouldn’t want this particular baby. It belongs to a cop. I didn’t think you or…or Carlo would want that kind of heat.”
“Tell me about this baby and let me be the judge of how much heat it might generate.”
“Well, a few years ago I was shacking up with this babe, and she got pregnant. I sort of…beat her up because she wouldn’t do what I told her. Then she got involved with this cop. They got married and then she had my brat. I heard she had a blue-eyed, blonde baby girl.”
“And you know where she lives.” Harold lowered his gun until it was pointing at Rupert’s chest again.
“I do, and I also know her schedule.” Rupert wiped the sweat from his forehead before it could drip into his eyes.
“So you were holding out on me.” Harold raised his gun to Rupert’s forehead again.
“No…no I wasn’t,” Rupert pleaded. “I was just waiting to know if it was going to be possible to snatch my kid.”
“Let me guess. You were planning on delivering the baby to Carlo yourself and cutting me out.”
“I would never…” Rupert said in the same pleading voice although that’s exactly what he had been planning. “I can show you where she lives. It’s across the street from a park where she walks every day. The problem is she walks with a friend.”
“So.”
“So I’ve been watching her so I can plan what to do about it.”
“You should leave the planning to someone who has the brains to formulate a plan.”
Rupert breathed a sigh of relief. “So you want to help me snatch my kid.”
Harold finally lowered his gun. “Okay. I’ll let you live for the moment, but I want to see this kid and the layout.”
“And you’re sure she will be in the park in the morning?” Harold asked as he and Rupert walked to their cars with Rupert holding his briefcase. “You mentioned before that every other time she walked with her friend in the afternoon.”
“I told you I’ve been watching her for the past couple of weeks. Although, she frequently walks with a friend and sometimes in the afternoon, I’ve never seen her in the park in the afternoon when the weather report was predicting rain. And, because of the tap I put on her phone, I know her friend has a doctor’s appointment this morning so they won’t be together.”
“And you’re sure you didn’t leave any fingerprints behind when you put the bug on her phone.”
Just how stupid does he think I am, Rupert thought, but no way would he ask his boss that kind of question, especially after his last mistake. Harold had never given the impression he thought Rupert had any sense at all. And he still wasn’t sure he was out of the woods with Harold for the cocaine incident. “Of course I’m sure. I was very careful, and it’s not the first time I’ve bugged someone’s phone.”
“Okay, I’ll have to trust you. But you had better not have screwed up.” Rupert couldn’t have screwed this up any worse than he’d done by trying to steal from Carlo Donati and him. That was without a doubt the dumbest thing Harold had ever been a part of—definitely a life-ending mistake. He would make sure of that.
“I didn’t. I promise.”
Harold had to admit Rupert was usually reliable if he overlooked the problem with the cocaine. But he knew he couldn’t and, more precisely, wouldn’t ignore it because he knew Donati wouldn’t. Rupert had to go or Harold himself would be facing certain death—with or without the kid. He certainly didn’t want to incur Donati’s wrath. So it wouldn’t actually matter if the cops found the bug and Rupert’s fingerprints were all over it. Nope, it wouldn’t matter at all. There was no way they could tie him to Rupert.
“And all the money you stole is in the briefcase?” Harold glanced questioningly at the briefcase Rupert was still holding.
“I said I’d give it to you. It’s every bit I shorted you and Donati as well as the share I would have gotten.”
“Let’s see it,” Harold said as he snatched the briefcase from Rupert’s hand. He laid it on the hood of his car to open it. He briefly glanced at the stacks of bills before he closed the briefcase.
“Aren’t you going to count it?”
“Later. I don’t think even you would be stupid enough to try to short me twice.”
“I didn’t. It’s all there.”
Even though he had given Rupert a logical reason why they had to take both cars to snatch the kid, it wasn’t the real reason. He couldn’t tell Rupert the real reason. If Rupert had any sense at all, he would have been able to figure out the reason himself. Harold had no worries in that regard, however.
“You gonna follow me?”
“I already said I’d follow your car.” Rupert’s bright yellow car would be easy to follow. Why Rupert would steal a car so obvious, Harold couldn’t guess, but it would definitely be easy to follow. “You know I’ve been there before, so I know where to go in case we get separated. Just be sure you don’t approach her before I get there.”
“I won’t. Even though I don’t think I’ll need your help to corral her. She’s scared silly of me, and she’ll do anything I say. But it might be best if you’re there.”
“Not to worry, I ain’t going to let you do this on your own. I want to make sure we get this kid. I’ve been looking for a blue-eyed blonde for a while and Donati’s getting antsy.”
Rupert nodded his understanding as Harold got behind the wheel of his car and Rupert moved to his own vehicle. A few seconds later they were on their way to pick up their trophy.
The sun slanting in the picture window made Molly glad she had decided to walk in the park this morning. It was a decision she would soon regret making.
She loved looking at the calm pond on the edge of the park across the street from her house. The flowers in the large bed between her view and the pond were always pretty in May when they were worshiping the sun. She was so glad she and Bobby had decided to buy the house across from the park with the money her father had given them as a wedding present. Though April had been unusually dry this year, the park’s sprinkler system gave the flowers the moisture they needed to flourish.
Molly’s friend Carol had proposed their daily constitutional should be in the afternoon today. However, the early morning weather report warned of rain in the afternoon. This convinced Molly an early morning visit to the park was the only sensible course even though Carol had a doctor’s appointment and couldn’t go on the walk. Molly knew she dare not risk taking Mary Beth out if there was any chance of rain. She currently had a slight cold. Molly never took chances with Mary Beth’s health nor would she ever.
Molly looked over at Mary Beth standing in her playpen with her lips securely clamped around her pacifier. She smiled at her toe-headed daughter. Mary Beth’s startling blue eyes gazed up lovingly at her mother. At least Molly imagined they were watching her with love.
Mary Beth’s father had tousled her curls on his way out the door. Bobby was Mary Beth’s father even though not actually her biological father. Biology had nothing to do with the love and adoration Molly had seen in Bobby’s eyes from the first time he had laid eyes on Mary Beth. So, yes, Bobby was definitely Mary Beth’s father.
Molly
had yet to brush Mary Beth’s hair since Bobby had mussed it as he left. She grabbed the brush off the end table and walked toward the playpen. Mary Beth immediately sat down knowing what her mother was about to do. Mary Beth hated having her hair brushed while Molly loved doing it and loved Mary Beth’s hair after she was finished. It was so soft, and the color was glorious. According to Molly’s father, Mary Beth’s hair was like her own when she was a baby. Therefore, Molly was having none of Mary Beth’s stubborn streak. “Now none of that young lady,” she said in her best mock-stern voice. Molly leaned over and tried to brush Mary Beth’s hair, but Mary Beth waggled her head making the job virtually impossible. Molly grabbed Mary Beth’s chin gently but firmly and began the ritual again. Mary Beth tried to squirm out of Molly’s grasp but Molly was practiced at this warfare, and Mary Beth lost the battle.
“There, isn’t that better?” Molly smiled when she had smoothed the unruly mop of hair. Mary Beth picked up her pacifier and rubbed it through her hair before shoving it her mouth. “You are being a pill this morning Love,” Molly said before running the brush through Mary Beth’s hair again to smooth the pacifier-caused disorder. She picked Mary Beth up, hugged her, kissed her cheek, and walked to the other side of the living room where she set Mary Beth in the stroller before snugging her pink blanket around her under her arms. Then she returned to the playpen where she picked up the caramel colored teddy bear. Mary Beth had to have her favorite toy if they were to go anywhere; otherwise, she would raise a ruckus. Molly went back to the stroller and tucked Beer under Mary Beth’s arm. Bobby had named the bear Beer because its color reminded him of his favorite brew. Molly hadn’t liked the name, but Bobby had insisted, and Molly had grown used to the name although she still thought it inappropriate for her little princess’s favorite toy.
The Dog Who Ate The Flintlock Page 4
