Never Be Safe: A Suspense Thriller

by Ray Backley

  She called the number and clamped the cell phone to her face.

  The dialing tone stopped. She said nothing at first, just listened.

  “That you again, Karen?” the voice said, croaky with a side of yawn.

  She knew she shouldn’t have been surprised, but couldn’t suppress a sharp gasp on hearing his voice again. “What have you done with my daughter?”

  He laughed. “It’s a little early, but so good of you to call again. I just knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.”

  “I swear, Vinnie, if you’ve hurt her, I’ll—”

  “Hey, hey, lollipop. Just chill.”

  “I won’t chill. And don’t you dare call me that. Where is she?”

  “Little Phoebe is fine. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t harm her. She’s not old enough for me – not quite.”

  “Don’t joke, Vinnie. Tell me where she is.”

  “She’s, uh . . . you know, it doesn’t feel right talking about this over the phone. Why don’t we meet up?”

  “Can’t you just tell me what you’ve done with her?”

  “Mmm . . . well, thing is, I didn’t take the charger for Dan’s cell phone. Battery’s low, and if I was to start explaining where your daughter is, it might just die on me.” While Cath thumped a wall tile in frustration, he added, “It could fizzle out at any time. With no warning. And if that happened, I’d have no way of contacting you. And then I could never tell you where your daughter is.”

  “You twisted bastard. You haven’t changed.”

  “What hasn’t changed, Karen, is that I still love you. And if we met up, if I could talk to you face to face, you might just see that.”

  “Don’t you even suggest that shit. I’m married. I’m happy. Well, I was until you turned up.”

  “Oh, for sure. But is dear old Dan happy? Does he know about your past life? I’m guessing he doesn’t.”

  “Leave Dan out of this.”

  “I saw from your photos you wear your hair shorter these days. That right?”

  “Again, Vinnie, none of your goddam business.”

  “I was just wondering if you could grow it long again, just for me? I mean, once this Dan guy is out of the way. Could we make that part of the deal?”

  Cath needed a few calming breaths before replying.

  “Listen to me, Vinnie. Okay, we’ll meet if that’s what you want. You say what you want to say, and you tell me where my daughter is. And then you disappear from my life just like you did all those years ago, but this time you don’t come back. Ever. And if you harm my husband or children, I’ll kill you. That’s the deal I’m offering you.”

  “Hey, lollipop. Why are you being so unpleasant about this? All I want to do is meet up and discuss old times. Can’t we have breakfast together somewhere? I’ll make you a counteroffer. We meet. We take an hour to talk. And after that, if you’re still sure you don’t love me, I’ll leave you alone, okay?”

  “You’ll leave me alone forever?”

  “Forever. You have my word.”

  “And my daughter?”

  “Oh, your little lollipop? I’ll let you have her after we’ve talked.”

  “But why should I trust you?”

  “Look. I know I wasn’t exactly the world’s best boyfriend last time around, but that was a long time ago. I’ve changed. All those years in prison have made me a better person, for sure. I think you’ll see that if we meet up.”

  “Okay, where and when?”

  “Well, where are you right now?”

  “Oh, very good. I’m not that dumb, Vinnie. Not anymore.”

  “Just making life easy for you, lollipop. If you’re a flight away it’s gonna be a pretty late breakfast and I’ll be kinda hungry soon.”

  Cath told herself to give him as little information as possible. “Okay,” she said after a few moments’ thought, “Let’s say anywhere within twenty miles of downtown LA.”

  Just after 7:30, Dan woke up and staggered out of bed toward her, rubbing his eyes and snaking his stiff neck from side to side.

  “How long have you been up?” he said.

  “Oh, only twenty minutes.”

  “You sleep well?”

  She nodded. “And I need to talk to you.”

  “Sure. Thirty seconds.” He got a glass of water, drank half of it, then sat next to her. “What is it?”

  “I called him.”

  “Called who?”

  “Vinnie. We know he has your cell phone. So I called it.”

  “What? Why?”

  She looked him up and down, a hint of distaste on her face.

  “It’s okay, Cath. I’m on your side. I just thought perhaps this is best left to the cops.”

  “I don’t have much faith in them, and neither should you. Their screw-up caused all this.”

  “Okay, so never mind that, what happened? Did he tell you what he’s done with Phoebe?”

  “He asked to meet me. And I agreed.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  Dan shook his head. “There’s no way you’re going on your own. Guy’s dangerous. If I—”

  “Dan! No! Listen to me.”

  They both glanced at Benjie, worried Cath’s raised voice might have woken him, but it hadn’t.

  “You listen to me,” Dan hissed. “I don’t want you to go on your own. And that’s not being unreasonable.”

  He let out a tired breath and finished his glass of water, while Cath nodded to herself, gathering her thoughts.

  “Two things, Dan. One, I know he won’t do anything to harm me, but I know he wants to hurt you or worse, so I don’t want you anywhere near him. Two, I don’t want Benjie left with anyone else; I want you to stay here and look after him. Does that make sense?”

  “Well . . . kinda. But I’m not comfortable with it, not one bit.”

  “Please, Dan. Trust me. I know Vinnie, and I know what I’m doing. And we’re meeting at a public place, not some remote barn.”

  Dan pursed his lips, tilted his head to the side, weighing it up. “That helps. So you’re definitely going?”

  “Frederick’s Diner. I already made the reservation in case it got too busy. I don’t want to take that risk.”

  Dan nodded, an uneasy silence filled the air, then he said, “I guess there’s no way I’ll talk you out of this.”

  “There isn’t. I’m meeting him for breakfast in an hour.”

  “Okay. I’ll stay here and look after Benjie if that’s really what you want. Just promise me you’ll put this motel number on your cell phone and call me if there’s any . . . I mean, if anything . . .”

  Dan froze, his jaw slowly fell open, and a grave expression overshadowed his face.

  “What is it?” Cath asked.

  “You said you’re meeting him in an hour at Frederick’s Diner?”

  “Yes.”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” He half smiled, those warm hazel eyes uncharacteristically just a little manic. “Isn’t it obvious what we do?”

  Fifteen minutes later, Cath left the Toledo Motel, heading for Frederick’s Diner. She’d had no breakfast but had never been less hungry. It had taken all her effort not to throw up after hearing Vinnie’s voice again, and she had no intention of eating anything at Fredericks. But that wasn’t the point. It definitely wasn’t the point.

  The diner had a wide frontage, mostly glass, everything else shouting out its red and black livery, with an even wider parking lot out front. It was a well-known and unmissable landmark. But the most important feature was that it only had two doors, one at either end of that wide frontage.

  The interior was also mostly red and black – probably a little too much for someone already feeling queasy. Cath headed for her window table. She needed to be there in good time for Vinnie. The aromas of fresh coffee, syrup pancakes and cheese omelets would normally have been too tempting. Not today. She ordered some water, eased herself onto the seat, and let her fingers tap on the table for a minu
te before stopping herself and checking the time. Then she checked her cell phone in case he’d called. In case it was some sort of trick.

  Some sort of trick. That was funny. No, nothing was funny. Although it felt as good as funny.

  No, he hadn’t called. But he was late. Endless minutes sauntered by, during which she told herself to sit still and relax and not fidget. Then she spotted him through the window and watched him walk to one of the entrances. Once through the door, he saw her within seconds, but took a good look around the diner before heading over, then glanced around again before he sat opposite her.

  “You look good, Karen. Really.”

  And Vinnie looked fairly good too, considering his age. Sure, he had a little less hair, he was quite a bit lighter around the shoulders, almost gaunt, as if his weight had fallen down, but he still had that disarming – and very dangerous – smile. Overall, not too bad for his age. He’d obviously kept fit to some degree in prison. Not that his physical condition would make one bit of difference to what was about to happen.

  She said nothing.

  “Have to say, shorter hair suits you. What kind of style do they call that?”

  She smiled with as much sweetness as she could muster but still held her tongue.

  He picked up a menu. “Aren’t you gonna speak to me?”

  And then it happened.

  Four cops. Two at each entrance. And one voice – loud, but calm and very experienced – cutting through the hum of a hundred polite conversations.

  “Listen up everyone, this is the police. If your name is Vincent Lemont, put your hands up where we can see them. Everyone else, please stay in your seats. Sorry to disturb your meals, ladies and gentlemen, but this won’t take any longer than necessary.”

  Everyone in the diner did as they were told. Vinnie was one of the last to comply, but he did. The genial smile was gone, replaced by that snarl Cath had only ever seen once or twice back in the day. It meant Vinnie was genuinely riled. And that meant she had won.

  He leaned his head toward her and hissed the words out. They were quiet, but his diction was perfect.

  “That wasn’t fair, lollipop. You’ve abused my trust. And you’ll pay. Dan, Phoebe, Benjie. I’ll take them all one by one. You hear me?”

  His words weren’t quiet enough; a few customers’ heads turned, and most of their faces grimaced with a mixture of fear and disgust.

  Only then did Cath speak. She didn’t hiss the words out.

  “Where’s my daughter?” she said.

  “What daughter?”

  “You bastard, Vinnie. She’s never done anything to harm you. Tell me what you’ve done with her.”

  By now the police were at their table, and Vinnie’s twisted smile made a guest appearance. “You know,” he said, “I have absolutely no idea what the hell you’re talking about.”

  The police led Vinnie away, leaving Cath to get outside for some fresh air. She called Dan and told him what had happened.

  “Well done,” he said. “And I’m sorry I doubted you. Did he tell you where Phoebe is?”

  “No. But I guess the cops will get it out of him. He’s in big trouble for even contacting me, let alone for kidnap and whatever the hell else he’s done with her. How’s Benjie?”

  “Oh, kinda chocolate saucy around the mouth.”

  “Good. I’ll be with you soon.”

  Chapter 18

  That afternoon, at the Police Station, Vinnie and his lawyer, Gerry, were led into an interview room. It was bare and functional, containing little more than a table, four chairs, a recorder, and lots of stale air.

  A man, balding before his time, who nevertheless looked like he could still make a good account of himself in a barroom brawl, introduced himself as Detective Carlton. His colleague, a young, glum faced woman said she was Officer Gomez.

  “How you doing?” Vinnie said to them, squeezing the words through a genial grin. “You had a good day so far?”

  “Oh, sure,” Carlton said, matching Vinnie’s grin, raising him a chirpy voice. “Because every day is Christmas Day in here.” His grin fell away in an instant, then he hit the record button and spoke in a weary manner, reading out the names of those present and the date and time. “So tell me, Vinnie,” he then said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. “What’s the score? What’s happening here?”

  “Please ask my client specific questions,” the lawyer said.

  But Vinnie held a hand up. “No, Gerry. It’s cool.” He leaned across the table, hopping his confident stare between Carlton and Gomez. “Ask me anything. I want it on record that I’m innocent, I have absolutely nothing to hide, and I want this whole thing done with as soon as possible.”

  Carlton gave a puzzled frown and glanced at his colleague before continuing. “Okay. Straight question. Could you tell me where Phoebe Brewer, aged six, is?”

  Vinnie shook his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I think you do, and I think that’s why you haven’t given us an address, so we can’t go search the place.”

  “I haven’t given you an address because I don’t have one. I’m straight out of Quentin. Staying with friends until I sort my shit out.”

  “So you deny taking the girl from forty-one Lancaster Drive?”

  “You got any prints of mine there?”

  “I’m guessing you wore gloves. Did you take her or not?”

  “Uh, excuse me for repeating myself, but I don’t know anything about any . . . what did you call her? Phoebe, was it?”

  “That’s correct,” Gomez said. “So why does the girl’s mother think you’ve taken her?”

  Vinnie shrugged. “I don’t know. Perhaps you need to ask her that question.”

  “We have,” Carlton said. “She said you asked to meet up with her.”

  “She’s lying.”

  “So why did you meet up with her?” Gomez asked.

  “You must have known it’s a serious offense to even contact her,” Carlton added, “bearing in mind she was such an important witness at your trial all those years ago and she had to change her identity to hide from you.”

  “What has that got to do with anything?” Gerry asked. “Why would that imply my client had anything to do with this alleged kidnap?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Carlton said, his eyes still on Vinnie. “You want revenge for all those years locked up.”

  “I don’t want revenge. I want a quiet life. I know it’s an offense to contact her, and I didn’t. I wouldn’t.”

  “What do you mean? You must have agreed to meet up with her.”

  “Okay, yes, I agreed to see her. But she asked me. I don’t want to tell you guys how to do your jobs, but you must have checked the calls on that cell phone. I never called her once. She called me. She was the one who made the approach, said she wanted us to meet up. I just felt sorry for her, perhaps thought I could apologize for the things I did all those years ago.”

  “And I’d call that entrapment,” Gerry said. “Have you checked the call history on the cell phone? Can you prove that my client placed a call to Catherine Brewer?”

  The officers said nothing.

  “I’m thinking you can’t,” Vinnie said. “And I know that because I know I didn’t call her.”

  Gomez just stared. Carlton drew breath.

  “The cell phone in question belongs to Daniel Brewer, Catherine’s husband. Would you mind explaining how you came to be in possession of his phone?”

  “Got it in the mail.”

  “The mail?” Carlton said. “But you don’t have an address. You forgotten that already?”

  “I’m not saying I can explain it, just telling you how it is. Somehow it got to the house I was staying at. I don’t know how, but it did.”

  “Mr. Lemont,” Gomez said, leaning back in her chair, “do you have any idea how implausible that sounds?”

  “It’s the truth. What else can I say?” Vinnie shrugged very slightly, and his eyebrows
twitched up almost imperceptibly.

  Then Carlton started chuckling. He folded his arms and leaned toward Gomez, so their shoulders were touching. He spoke out of the corner of his mouth to her, although loud enough for Vinnie and Gerry to hear.

  “Listen and learn, Officer Gomez. Listen and learn. This guy’s leading us on to the old implausibility con trick. It’s quite rare but often effective. You see, you and me are supposed to be thinking that his story is so ridiculous – so completely implausible – that he couldn’t possibly have made it up, that he wouldn’t dare try to fool us with such bullshit. Except, of course, I’m not buying it, and I know it really is bullshit.”

  “It’s true,” Vinnie said.

  “You’re seriously suggesting Catherine Brewer mailed the cell phone to you?”

  “No. I’m saying that’s how I got it. There was no return address. I was going to bring it into you guys as lost property, but someone called before I got the chance. The name ‘Cath’ came up. Well, how was I to know who that was? When I answered it, I was shocked to find I recognized the voice. I told her who I was and that I shouldn’t be talking to her, that it would get me into trouble with you guys. But she insisted, said she wanted to meet up with me, and I said no, I wouldn’t do that, and hung up. But later she called again, begging, and so we arranged to meet up at Frederick’s Diner. I think you’ll find that she made a reservation, not me. So I went there. What can I say? I felt sorry for her.”

  Carlton shook his head in disgust. Gomez spoke.

  “We tried calling the number, but you didn’t pick up. Why did you pick up for Catherine but not for us?”

  Vinnie shrugged. “Guess I was scared. I didn’t know it was the cops calling me, did I? After she called me the first time I told myself not to pick up for anyone, but to take the damn thing in to the police station. Then she called again and . . . hey, you guys know I did some bad things to her many years ago. I felt sorry for her. I didn’t want to ignore her if she wanted to talk to me. I did wrong, and I’m sorry for that, but I promise you I just want an easy life. No hassle. That’s the truth of the matter here. It really is.”