Murder Across The Ocean

by Charlene Wexler

  Once they left the hospital, they arrived at Cate’s flat, redressed, and started out in Joseph’s black Bentley. Cate loaned her mother something dressy to wear, as one didn’t go to the Swiss Re building in casual clothes; no one who would be dining at Lord Lunt’s table, anyway. The black knit dress was a little tight on Anne, but it worked, as did her black, stacked, strappy heels. Cate looked gorgeous in a figure-hugging sparkling silver dress that draped down in a soft cowl just above her derriere, revealing her slender back. Her silver stiletto heels accentuated the length of her shapely legs, and her long beaded earrings glistened through her long straight yellow hair.

  The Gherkin over East Central, a modern sky-rise of green and clear glass, cut a striking figure in the London skyline. While Joseph, dressed in a lovely, ‘60s-style, fitted, dark grey suit, checked in to the reception desk, Anne and Barry looked around in awe. Security was very tight. The group and all their belongings had to go through airport-style X-rays before entering the lifts to reach the thirty-eighth floor.

  “Oh, my God, my ears are popping,” Anne, exclaimed. She barely had time to cover her ears when the doors of the first lift opened on floor thirty-four, as high as it would go. Next, they took another lift to the domed top, as Cate was anxious for her folks to see the best view in London.

  She smiled as she watched her mom and dad step off the lift and take a look around. Her dad’s outfit was much more casual than those around him, but it would pass as business casual in the States. He wore a pair of dark blue trousers and a button-down white shirt with a blue and grey tie. His matching suit coat was draped over his arm.

  “All glass! Why, I can see the moon through the roof,” Barry said, awestruck.

  “The moon over London,” Anne, said, sighing, taking her husband’s hand in hers and gazing out at the twinkling city lights, the illuminated buildings, and the snaking traffic below. “Magical!”

  After about ten minutes, Joseph nudged Cate. “We are running late with all this sightseeing.”

  Cate snapped back, “We came to show my parents the magic of this place.”

  “Fine, dear. You’re right,” he said as he stood back. He so hoped for reconciliation that anything Cate wanted was fine with him.

  Cate, who had been there many times, was still taken by the expansive view. One could see all of London, from the ancient castles to the modern sky rise buildings. She was happy that it was a clear, beautiful spring evening.

  After heading back down to the dining floor, they were seated at Lord Lunt’s favorite table, located in a corner away from others. In tune with the four glass walls and the glass ceiling, everything in the room was modern and sparkling.

  The attendant approached. “Good to see you again, Mr. Lunt. Would you like to try your usual matching wine service and selection of starters?”

  Joseph smiled, “That would be fine, William.”

  The full-bodied red wine was served in tall crystal glasses. They raised them in a toast. “To Lori’s recovery.”

  While they waited for the starters, Anne leaned into Joseph and said, “Tell me about yourself.”

  Joseph faced her. “Not much to tell that you don’t know. I’m a solicitor, the son of Lord Lunt, and…”

  Cate startled him with, “Joseph, stop. My mother knows your bio and that we are here because of your father. She wants to know what you are interested in besides sitting by the telly.”

  Anne was silent. She was a quiet, easygoing person who didn’t like to get involved in controversy. She took a sip of the wine. Her daughter’s disposition was more dramatic and less tolerable than hers.

  Barry reached over and put his hand on Cate’s arm. “Honey, you are being very rude.”

  William the server approached with their starters of caviar, red and black berries, tea crackers, smoked salmon, and a light white wine, just in time to save the day.

  Joseph, ignoring Cate’s rudeness, raised his glass after everyone’s glass had been filled and repeated the toast. “To Lori’s quick recovery!”

  They clicked glasses as Barry said, “Amen. My mother will be fine. She is a tough one. Growing up, I thought my dad was the tough one. I was wrong. He was just loud.”

  Cate calmed down and smiled at her parents as she picked up a menu. “The food here is marvelous. Right, Joseph?”

  “Yes, definitely. Make sure you keep room for dessert. I would recommend the monk fish as a main course.”

  William stood quietly until he was acknowledged and food was ordered. Joseph and Barry engaged in a political conversation while Cate let her mother catch her up on news about family and friends in the States.

  The main dishes were not only delicious, but their presentation was a delight. The twirls of color on the plates and the placement of the varied foods were definitely works of art. Both Cate and her mother had the fish with duchess potatoes and a vegetable cake, and the men had big, thick, juicy steaks. Being quite full of food and wine, Joseph suggested the cheese and fruit tray for dessert.

  Anne, holding up a cracker loaded with cheese, commented, “I’ve always thought the cheese we get in Wisconsin, just over the Illinois border, was superb, but this continental blue just melts in my mouth.” Turning to Cate, she said, “Honey, I think I’m going to bust out of your dress.”

  “I understand you will be going back to the States soon,” Joseph said.

  Barry answered, “Yes, as soon as Mom is transferred to rehab, we will leave her in Cate’s and your capable hands. We both work in the hospital, and this was not a planned trip.” Barry stopped and took a deep breath. “I really thought I was going to lose my mother this time. I live a calm, normal life, but my mother always manages to get involved in a tragedy or some craziness.”

  “Dad, this wasn’t Gram’s fault.”

  Barry smiled. “Cate and Lori are fifty years apart, but they are real soul mates. They understand and defend each other.”

  He took out his wallet and turned to Joseph. “This has been a delightful evening. Please let me treat you.”

  Joseph smiled and shook his head. “In here, the check is automatically put on the Lunt account. It has been my pleasure.”

  As they rose from their chairs to leave, Barry and Anne stayed a distance behind Joseph and Cate. They watched Joseph take hold of Cate’s arm. They watched their daughter stiffen at his touch.

  Anne leaned in towards Barry. “I have my doubts about a wedding in their future.”

  Barry looked at his wife and said, “Didn’t Cate tell you she applied for an internship with a D.C. judge?”

  ***

  Though Jordan had joked with Sanders over the prostitutes who had visited Suzi’s room, it still bothered him that they had so little information about Suzi and the Chinese connection in the Wheeler murder. He decided to pay another visit to Lori now that she was on the mend and being prepared to move to a rehab facility.

  He stopped by her hospital room late in the day after visiting hours, around nine-thirty in the evening. He entered the room carrying a box of chocolates. His Jewish mother always told him bakery goods were the way to everyone’s heart.

  He breathed a sigh of relief when he found Lori alone watching television. Approaching the bed, he handed her the candy and inquired about her health.

  Lori accepted the candy, while she eyed him with curiosity. “Very kind of you, Jordan, but I somehow believe this is more than a friendly visit. What can I help you with?”

  Jordan grinned as he looked down at the petite lady sitting in the large hospital bed.

  “You’re right. I’m troubled by Roland’s confession to the murder. He seems to know so little about the Chinese who hired him, and it is impossible to ask Suzi, unfortunately. It seems Tony, the man who drowned during the car chase, was hired by the Wu family to follow Wheeler and abduct him to obtain his money from the safety deposit boxes. Roland was hired by Tony to help him with the job. Your appearance changed Wheeler’s plans. Since you have some history with Suzi, I was hoping
you could enlighten me.”

  Lori took a deep breath. “Could you please get me a glass of water and raise this bed up so I am in a sitting position?”

  When Jordan left the room to get Lori some water, her mind traveled back some thirty years or more to when she was young and married into the crazy Brill family.

  Jordan handed her the water while she turned off the television and motioned for him to sit down in the lounge chair near her bed.

  She turned towards him. “Back some forty years ago, I was young, naïve, and married into the Brill family. Now, you may already know some of this information from me, from Cate, but here it is. My brother-in-law, a lawyer, shocked everyone when he divorced his wife of twenty-nine years and married a prostitute named Zi. Zi was a young Chinese beauty who spoke no English. She was owned by a house in Cicero, Illinois, called—you’re not going to believe this—the Enchanted Pussy. My brother-in-law had to buy her from the madam, who worked for people in China. I don’t remember the name of her employers, but Wu sounds familiar. Huh, employers,” Lori said, scrunching up her face in disapproval. “She was a sex slave, that poor woman, pure and simple.“

  Lori stopped and took a drink of water before opening the box of chocolates. She offered Jordan one, but he refused. Jordan had spent time arresting prostitutes and pimps while working on his first job in New York. It was frustrating work because they never were able to catch the men who kidnapped the young girls in the Orient and brought them to the States to work as slaves in the prostitution houses.

  He interrupted her. “Lori, how does Suzi fit into this picture?”

  ”Suzi is their daughter. She was a beautiful young girl. When my brother-in-law died, she and her mother left Chicago. My brother-in-law’s children from his first marriage made sure Zi left penniless. They blamed Zi for their mother’s suicide and threatened her with deportation if she took them to court.”

  ”Do you know where Suzi and her mother went?” Jordan thought back to the woman at Suzi’s bedside, so incongruous to Suzi’s lifestyle.

  “Not really. I heard they settled in Chinatown in San Francisco. When she appeared at the warehouse, I was in shock.”

  Jordan clenched his fists together and shuffled his legs back and forth, but he stayed seated. It was sounding to him like Suzi ended up in the high rollers prostitution ring, run by the Wu family. He wondered if that was Zi’s payback for having left the fold to marry Lori’s brother-in-law. Wheeler was just one of her customers. Jordan had seen many politicians and businessmen worked by the girls hired by the Wu family. Somehow, Wheeler was able to turn the game around and get them to invest with him. Normally, the Wu family would be more interested in getting their money back than in killing Wheeler. Jordan would have to explore this theory.

  Presently, a nurse entered the room. “Visiting hours are over. Mrs. Brill needs her medicine and her rest.”

  Jordan got up. “Thank you, Lori, for your help.”

  Lori grabbed his arm just as Jordan rose from his chair. “Is there any chance Suzi will come out of the coma?”

  “It doesn’t look good, I’m afraid, but one never knows with comas. There is a chance she may pull out of it. I’m not certain what condition she’d be in afterwards, of course.”

  Lori dropped his arm and looked into his face. “Will you make sure that Cate or I are kept informed about Suzi’s condition?”

  “Yes.” Jordan responded. Outside of the room, he stopped to reflect on Lori’s last statement. Why did she tell him to keep Cate informed? He smiled a little grin as he left the hospital.

  Chapter 23

  Jordan tossed and turned and finally got out of bed. It was still dark. Just a touch of moonlight streamed through the window, and the digital clock on his nightstand read 3:26 a.m. Last night he had gone to a noisy bar in Soho. He intended to have a last fling, but he had ended up giving a high-class call girl two hundred pounds for nothing more than a make-out session and some heavy petting. He tried to blame his unrest during his last two days in London on his uneasiness about Roland’s confession, but in his heart, he knew his problems revolved around his feelings for Cate. He hated leaving London with so much business left unfinished.

  From his visits to the hospital and then the rehab home to see Mrs. Brill, he’d learned Cate had graduated and her parents had left for the States. Mrs. Brill had hinted that things were not good between Cate and the Englishman. He decided to give the girl one more chance. He waited until around 8:30 a.m. before driving out to Cate’s flat. He didn’t want to wake her, just catch her before she left the house.

  ***

  Cate had spent almost every day in the hospital with Lori, talking to the doctors, watching her, helping her sip liquid from a cup, eat her meals, and practice walking. Now that Lori was on the mend in a rehab facility and Cate’s classes were over, she was able to start packing up her belongings.

  She woke up early, somewhere around 7:00 a.m. The rainstorm outside made the room look dark and brooding. A perfect day to work inside, she thought. She showered, brushed her teeth, threw on a shirt and a pair of old shorts, and headed downstairs to start right in on her tasks. Two more weeks and she would be on her way home to the States.

  Busy tossing things into boxes and suitcases, she stopped to glance out the window at the water cascading down the panes. I’ve had enough of this bloody weather. She turned back to the kitchen counter, picked up the teakettle, and threw it in the garbage can. Gram’s right. Enough of this abominable tea. I’m back on coffee.

  “We are done with tea, Tigger,” she said aloud. Tigger lay sprawled out on the living room couch, purring and watching Cate go about her business., moving bags of garbage and give away things in and out of the flat.

  He had only come up the steps when he caught sight of her. He stood in the doorway watching the swaying of her hips, the nice muscular legs showing through her shorts.

  Cate suddenly became aware of someone standing in her doorway, and she gasped when she saw him. Her heart quickened both in fear and in excitement of seeing him smiling at her, but her excitement turned to anger, and she cried out “What are you doing here? You scared me!”

  “The door was open, so I walked in. I didn’t mean to frighten you, Cate,”

  Jordan said, apologizing.

  “Well… What do you want?”

  “I brought back your grandmother’s travel bag.”

  “She is near the station at rehab. You could have dropped it there.”

  “I’m going back to the States, thought I would say goodbye. In person.”

  “Goodbye.” Cate stuffed her hands inside the pockets of her shorts.

  Jordan walked around the room. He picked up the teakettle from the trash bin. “Looks like you are going somewhere. Are you moving?”

  Cate didn’t look at him. “I’ve accepted a job in Washington D. C. Going home when Gram gets out of rehab.”

  Jordan tried to keep from smiling. “What happened to your stuffy Englishman?”

  Cate turned around, faced him, and with hands on her hips she declared, “Don’t you belittle Joseph. He is twice the man you are. We… we just didn’t fit.” She walked towards the door, opened it wider. “Thanks for stopping by. Goodbye.”

  Jordan started to walk out. “I’m stationed in D.C. Maybe we’ll run into each other.”

  “Yes, maybe. Someday.” She stood now with arms crossed against her chest.

  The tension between them was thick. They both stood silent, staring at each for a few seconds. Then Jordan turned towards the door and quickly exited.

  He jumped into his car and drove off, swearing to himself. “Damn arrogant girl. Why did I belittle myself? There are plenty of girls in D.C. waiting for me to return.”

  The smell of exhaust permeated the flat as Jordan’s car raced away. Cate lingered in the doorway a few minutes before closing it.

  Why did he have to come here, and why did I have to be so mean? That man does something to me. I can’t do anything right
when he is around.

  She sat down on the sofa in the living room next to Tigger, opened the curtains, and stared out the window, unable to go back to her packing.

  About ten minutes later, she saw his car pull into her driveway. Her heartbeat quickened anew. She waited for the doorbell to ring.

  Cate’s previous sharp tones softened when she opened her door. “You’re back!”

  “Only to retrieve my cell phone. I think I dropped it in your flat.”

  “One way to find out,” Cate said, as she pushed the front door shut and took her cell out of her pocket and dialed his number. “We’ll see if it rings in here.”

  He didn’t say a thing, though he was impressed that she had his number plugged into her mobile phone. A weird science fiction type of ring was heard very near to his body.

  She moved close to him and, with a coy smile, she stuck her hand into his coat pocket. Laughing and looking him up and down, she whispered, “Um, I believe your pocket is ringing.”

  Jordan took hold of Cate’s arm and pulled her close to him. He kissed her with a desire that was matched only by her own. His lips embraced hers, his tongue exploring every part of her mouth, savoring the sweet taste of cinnamon sugar scone.

  He tore at her clothes, quickly undressing her. He wrapped his arms around her firm hips and pulled her towards his hardening groin. His heart raced as he felt her willing response, felt her fingers working the zipper of his trousers. They slid down on Lord Lunt’s blue and green silk Oriental rug, which covered the living room floor. He lowered his trousers and paused to look into her eyes for any sign of resistance before entering her. Her moves were in perfect rhythm with his own, slow and deep at first, then quickening to hard and fast thrusts, and filled with just as much longing and fervor. Within minutes, it was over, and they lay there in each other’s arms, panting and laughing until she rose and led him up to the bedroom.