by Darcia Helle
His hand was on his zipper when a black Chevy pick-up pulled up to the entrance. Dean recognized the truck as McCormick’s. It looked like the Martel broad was in the passenger seat. He immediately shoved the magazine onto the floor and grabbed the camera. He peered through the lens, his erection thumping at the sight of his prey.
Dean clicked off shots as the two of them sat there talking. Then he was rewarded hugely when the Martel broad leaned into McCormick and kissed his cheek. Next thing, their lips were locked, eyes closed, no doubt sucking the saliva off each other’s tongues. And he’d caught every move on film.
Chapter 45
Still tingling from the very intense kiss, Lucianna stepped off the elevator and headed to her office. Something classical, probably Mozart, played softly inside the reception area. Classical meant Vinnie was in one of his more mellow moods, which, considering Vinnie’s temperament, was always a good sign.
He was seated at his desk, engaged in a telephone conversation. From his expression Lucianna could tell that he had been lulled into some sort of bored stupor. She waved a hello. He threw a pencil at her. She chuckled and ducked into her office.
She tossed her purse on top of the assorted clutter covering her desk. As she slipped off her coat, Vinnie stepped into the doorway. He said, “Your grandmother,” by way of explaining the phone call.
“Ugh,” Lucianna muttered. Her grandmother was 87 years old. She had the mind of a 20-year-old and could outdo any mule in the stubborn department. After her husband had died five years ago, she’d moved into an assisted living complex. She hated it because the people living there were “old”. Consequently, she held Vinnie responsible because he was “too busy to be bothered” with the woman who had given birth to and raised him.
Vinnie said, “She wanted to know if her granddaughter is too busy chasing cheating husbands to be bothered with her.”
“Great. What did you tell her?”
“That you just don’t want to visit her.”
“You didn’t!”
Vinnie’s lips twitched into the slightest hint of a smile. “I can’t be the only one on her shit list all the time.”
Lucianna collapsed into her chair. “But you handle it so well,” she said.
Vinnie broke into a full smile then. “True,” he said. He pulled a chair beside the desk and got comfortable. “How did your meeting with the sister go?”
“You won’t believe it,” Lucianna said, and told Vinnie the story. His expression remained passive and he made no comment. She said, “I have a feeling she knew Cameron was going to sell the baby, just not that he was selling her through some gang that ran a child pornography ring as well as black market babies.”
Vinnie nodded thoughtfully. “Interesting.”
“Interesting?” Lucianna said. “This woman slept with her sister’s husband while she was barely more than a child. Had some wild affair, got pregnant, watched the guy disappear with their baby then blow her off as if she didn’t exist, all the while playing the loving husband role. And all you have to say is “interesting”?”
“The dark side of human nature is not something that ever truly surprises me.”
“Such a cynic.”
“No, just a realist.”
“A cynic and a realist are often one in the same.”
Vinnie arched a brow. “Are we entering into an intellectual battle, my dear?”
“Heavens no!”
“I’m happy to hear that you know better,” Vinnie teased. “Now then, I suppose we need to find the elusive Cameron McCormick.”
“As soon as possible. He seems to be the only constant link in this mess. Otherwise, it makes no sense why anyone would be after Corinne regarding this baby. She had nothing to do with it.”
“Unless whoever is responsible assumes Corinne to be the mother,” Vinnie said. “After all, the two were married at the time.”
“True. I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“Which is precisely why you need me around.”
Lucianna laughed. “Oh my. You are full of yourself today, aren’t you?”
“Always,” Vinnie said. “Now would you like to know what I’ve gotten on Detective Benjamin Sterling so far?”
“I’m breathless with anticipation.”
“His record is clean. Good cop, from all I’ve gathered. Generally plays by the book. No complaints.” Vinnie paused to pop a butterscotch candy in his mouth. Then he said, “Forty-nine years old, divorced ten years. Typical cop story. Gone too much, married to the job. No obvious domestic issues. One child. A daughter. She’s a college graduate, currently living on her own. I have no further information on her at this time.”
Lucianna said, “Doesn’t sound like the kind of guy who would deliberately push a woman over the edge.”
“No. But no one ever said that it was deliberate.”
“True.”
Vinnie stood. “I’m off to dig the cobwebs from Cameron McCormick. If he’s breathing, I’ll find him.”
Lucianna switched on her computer, then as an afterthought called, “Hey, whatever happened with Patrick? Did you talk to him?”
Vinnie turned. “Must you even ask?”
“You didn’t hurt him, did you?”
Vinnie simply stood there sucking on his candy, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he said, “Men must reap the things they sow, force from force must ever flow.”
“Who are you quoting and what does that mean in respect to Patrick?”
A devious smile played on his lips. “I have my cell phone. Call if you need me.” Then he grabbed his coat and disappeared out the door.
***
Surprised to find the house locked up, Ian sat in his truck and waited for Rob. The air was cold but he didn’t bother to run the heater. The cold air might help clear his mind. Or numb it.
Ten minutes later Rob’s truck pulled in beside his. As they both climbed out, Rob said, “Sorry I’m late. Why didn’t you wait inside?”
“Alison’s not home,” Ian replied.
“Really?” Rob looked momentarily confused, then shrugged. “She must have gotten hung up with the boys. How’d things go with your sister?”
As Ian followed Rob to the side door, he said, “I have to be sitting down with a shot of whiskey before I get into this story.”
Rob cast an inquisitive glance over his shoulder. “One shot of good old Jack coming right up.” He pushed open the door and Archie immediately bound out, barking excitedly and jumping up to lick Rob’s face. “Damn dog,” he muttered, though there was a smile in his voice.
Settling Archie down took a full 5 minutes. Finally Rob tossed him a Milk Bone, grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels and two shot glasses from the liquor cabinet, and he and Ian went down to their office. Two shots each and twenty minutes later, Ian had finished his story. Rob was staring at him, shaking his head. “I’m speechless,” he said.
Ian raked his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I had that problem too.”
“So what do you do now?”
“I don’t know.”
The business line rang. Rob sighed and scooped up the receiver. “North Shore Construction.” He was silent a moment, his expression going from blank to perplexed. “I’ll be right there,” he said, then dropped the receiver onto its base.
“Everything okay?” Ian asked.
“That was the teacher at the twins’ karate school. Alison hasn’t picked them up.”
Fear crept into Rob’s eyes. Ian said, “Maybe she just got hung up at the store or something. Lost track of time.”
“Alison has never lost track of time when it comes to the kids. And the school’s been calling her cell phone for the past forty-five minutes. No answer, just voice mail. The lady said they left messages here as well but of course I didn’t check the damn machine when we came in.”
“Try not to panic. I’m sure she’s okay.”
Rob stared at him. They both knew better. “I’ve got to pick up the boys.”<
br />
“Want me to stay here in case Alison calls?”
“Yeah. Please.”
“You okay to drive?”
Rob nodded. “Call my cell if you hear from her. I’ll be back in a half-hour.”
Rob disappeared up the stairs. Ian was left wondering what sort of crazy epidemic was spreading through their lives.
***
Rob had sent the twins out to chase the dog in the backyard. Their squeals of delight were a sharp contrast to the pain in his eyes as he paced a four-foot stretch in front of the phone. He’d already called the cops and was promptly informed that they could do nothing for him. Alison was not yet officially a missing person.
“What the hell kind of stupid law is that, anyway?” Rob snapped as soon as he’d hung up the phone.
Ian leaned in the kitchen doorway, watching through the back window as the kids threw dead leaves on Archie’s back. He said, “Maybe she had car trouble. Is there a mechanic she’d call?”
“I’m her mechanic,” Rob said. “She’d call me.”
Ian nodded. Of course he’d known that. But the other possibilities slipping around his mind weren’t anything he cared to give a voice to.
“I’m going to call the hospitals,” Rob said. “I’ll use the business line downstairs. I want to keep the other lines open. Will you grab that phone if it rings? And keep an eye on the kids for me. Christ, I don’t know what I’m doing.”
After Rob had gone, Ian glanced at his watch. Alison had been missing over two hours. Something was seriously wrong. Just then it dawned on him that he was supposed to be home in less than a half-hour. That shrink would be at his house. And Lucianna. He’d have to call her and cancel the meeting. He couldn’t leave Rob to deal with this alone.”
He tugged his cell phone from his belt. Maybe Lucianna could help. After all, she was an investigator. And her uncle was an ex-cop. The guy must have all sorts of connections.
He was about to dial her number when his phone jingled out the Bugs Bunny theme. The called ID told him the caller information was blocked. He clicked it on and answered, his mind already wandering to the call he needed to make.
“Ian McCormick?” a raspy voice asked.
Ian refrained from being rude, just in case it was a client. “Yes?”
“You’re with your partner and friend Rob Jennings right now?”
“Who is this?”
“I imagine you two geniuses have figured out that his wife is missing.”
“Who the hell is this?” Ian demanded.
“You want your friend to get his wife back, then I suggest you shut up and listen. She’s safe right now but I won’t guarantee how long that’ll last. Cute little thing, you know.”
The last comment turned Ian’s stomach upside down. He struggled to keep his voice calm as he said, “What do you want?”
“You need to call off that sexy bitch you got yourself hooked up with. Then you talk to that lunatic mother of yours and find out where the hell they are.”
“Who?” Ian asked. He heard the desperation creep into his voice. “Where who is?”
“Don’t fuck with me asshole! You got one hour.”
“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ian almost shouted.
“One hour,” the voice said. Then the line went dead.
Breathless, Ian stood staring at his phone. Then he began punching in numbers as he yelled, “Rob! Get up here!”
Chapter 46
Ian was stumbling over his words, trying to explain the phone call to Rob while punching in numbers on his cell phone. He dialed wrong, got some real estate company. Rob yanked the phone from his hand. “What the hell is going on?” he said. “Where is Alison?”
Ian took a deep breath. His heart slammed against his chest as he repeated the phone conversation to Rob. When he’d finished, Rob stared at him blankly. His face became deathly pale and he mumbled, “Someone kidnapped my wife to get to you?”
“Looks that way,” Ian said. Guilt ripped through him even though he had no idea what he’d done to cause all this. He took the phone back from Rob. “I’ve got to call Lucianna,” he said. “She’ll know what to do.”
“For Christ sake,” Rob said. “The son of a bitch on the phone told you to get rid of her and you want to get her more involved? You want Alison dead?”
Ian felt the words like a blow to his stomach. He closed his eyes, tried to fill his lungs with air. “Of course not,” he said softly.
Rob collapsed on the couch. “I’m sorry. Jesus, Ian. I didn’t mean… What the hell do we do?”
“I have to call Lucianna. That guy wants information and I have no idea what it is he wants. I need her help.”
“But he said keep her out of this. Jesus. Shouldn’t I call the cops?”
“You can if you want. But we only have an hour. By the time they get going…”
“Jesus,” Rob muttered. “Okay. Call her.”
***
Lucianna glanced in her rearview mirror. About four hundred yards behind her, the black Explorer made the same left turn she’d just taken. She’d noticed the Explorer following her just over five minutes ago. Since then she’d been driving aimlessly, making sure it wasn’t her imagination. And it wasn’t. She was being followed.
She didn’t want to lead the idiot to Ian’s house, so she’d have to lose him. That wasn’t a problem. The only drawback to that was she wouldn’t be able to get close enough to find out who he was. And she wanted to know who he was.
As she contemplated her next move, her cell phone jangled. She clicked it on and answered while falling in with a line of traffic at a stoplight. She listened to the voice babble. Definitely Ian, although she was clueless as to what he was ranting about. “Slow down,” she said. “I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
Ian sighed into the phone. “We have a huge mess here. They have Alison. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who they want and I know my mother sure as hell can’t help.”
“Ian, what are you talking about?” Lucianna swung the car into a grocery store parking lot. She pulled into a space and let the car idle. The Explorer followed her in, then drove past her to the other side of the lot. She turned her attention back to the phone and said, “You need to start at the beginning. Who is Alison and who has her?”
Lucianna listened as Ian explained about Alison, then the phone call. “Listen to me,” Lucianna said when Ian started rambling again. “Meet me at your house in fifteen minutes. I have to show that picture to your mom. I can’t help you or Alison if I don’t know what we’re up against here. If your mom’s Ben is Detective Sterling, I’ll get the truth out of him. He must know who’s involved in this.”
“We only have an hour,” Ian said so softly that it was almost a whisper.
“I know. Tell Rob to stay by his phone in case whoever has Alison calls him. We’ll find her, Ian. I promise.” She disconnected the call, then dialed Vinnie’s cell phone.
“What can I do for you, my dear?” Vinnie said by way of greeting.
“I’m being followed,” Lucianna replied. She explained the circumstances, as well as a description of the car and a vague one of the driver. “I need to know who it is, so I don’t want to lose him.”
“Okay,” Vinnie said. “You could deliver him to me if you’d like.”
“No, I need you to meet us at Ian’s house.” Lucianna caught a glimpse of the Explorer on the other end of the parking lot. He was holding something near his face, like a camera. “I need you to handle this idiot quick because we’ve got bigger problems that I need your help with. And he might know something.”
Lucianna explained as she pulled slowly out of the parking spot and headed for the exit. When she’d finished with the update, she said, “I’m about fifteen minutes from Ian’s house. Can you meet me there?”
“I’ll be waiting,” Vinnie said.
***
Lucianna didn’t see Vinnie or his car when she drove down the quiet street
. Then again, she hadn’t expected to see him. If he said he’d be waiting, then he was here somewhere. She pulled up in front of Ian’s house and switched off the ignition. The Explorer drove past, turned right at the corner, then slowed as it moved out of view.
Heavy gray clouds threatened a raw rainfall. As if in warning, two large drops splattered on the windshield. Lucianna waited. Ian probably wasn’t here yet. She picked up the manila envelope from the seat beside her and said a little prayer that the pictures of Ben wouldn’t send Corinne completely over the edge she now teetered on.
Less than five minutes later, Vinnie’s Mercedes turned the corner. He pulled into the driveway and threw open his door. Lucianna climbed out of her car and went to meet his passenger.
“You were right,” Vinnie said as she approached. “This gentleman was taking pictures. He has an impressive digital, complete with a long lens. He also thinks I’m stupid.”
“Uh-oh.” Lucianna glanced at the man seated in the passenger seat. Shaved head, narrow eyes, muscular in that steroid sort of way. He didn’t exactly appear to be the friendly sort. To Vinnie, she said, “I take it he doesn’t want to cooperate.”
Vinnie strolled around to the passenger door. As he yanked it open, Ian rolled in behind them. He jumped out of his truck, pale and wide-eyed. Motioning to their guest, he said, “Who’s that?”
Lucianna shrugged. “We don’t know yet. He’s been following me.”
The man remained in the car, not even turning to acknowledge their presence. To Ian, Vinnie said, “Do you mind if I take this gentleman to your backyard for a chat?”
Ian looked at Lucianna. She offered another shrug and a smile. Ian said, “Go ahead.”
Vinnie grabbed the man by the back of the neck and forced him out of the car. He turned back to Ian and said, “Might be a good idea to keep your mother away from the back windows for the time being.”
