by John Milesky
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning, Maggie was awakened by Genevieve’s cell phone. It was Alverez calling to fill her in on the suspect they had apprehended the night before. Unfortunately, he was not the murderer. He was identified as Christopher Carpaccio, a lobbyist for the automotive industry. He was, however, the C.C. they were looking for.
“He had an air tight alibi for the day your sister was killed,” Alverez said. “He was at Disneyworld with his wife and two kids. That means we are down to three names left in your sister’s contacts.”
“I was hoping that was him,” Maggie admitted.
“I know,” Alverez agreed, “but we are closer.”
“What now?” Maggie asked.
“What now, is you go on being your sister,” Alverez responded. “Hopefully, one of the other contacts will pan out.”
“Ok,” Maggie replied. “Thank you, Detective.”
“Not a problem,” Alverez answered. “You call me if you need anything.”
After with the call ended, Maggie got out of bed and made a pot of coffee. She wasn’t sure what the protocol was for nuns and drinking coffee. Regardless, she enjoyed her new routine. Maggie spent the rest of the morning and afternoon tidying up the apartment.
After Maggie finished cleaning up, she showered and got dressed. She didn’t put on anything fancy, just a pair of jeans and a blouse. She neglected to put on any makeup, since she was not planning on going anywhere. She made her way into the kitchen and started to prepare dinner for herself. She eyed the bottle of wine that was in the refrigerator and decided it was ok for her to have a glass of chardonnay.
“What the heck,” she said out loud. “Jesus drank wine.”
After she poured herself a glass of wine, she went into the living room to relax for a few moments while her pasta was cooking. It was around 5:30, and the sun was casting a pink hue on the buildings of the city. She stood at the window enjoying the view and her glass of wine, when the buzzer to the elevator rang. Without thinking, she wandered over to answer the caller.
“Hello,” she said into the intercom.
For some reason, she was expecting it to be Detective Alverez. She realized her mistake when she heard the voice on the other end.
“Hey, Baby, it’s Tony,” the voice on the other end answered.
“Tony?” She repeated into the intercom. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”
“I know, baby, but I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by to see you,” Tony replied.
Thoughts of panic quickly went through her mind as she tried to remember the list of possible suspects. She didn’t recall anyone named Tony being a possibility, so without hesitation and without thinking, she accidentally hit the entry button, instead of the call button, which sent the elevator down to retrieve someone named Tony.
When she realized her mistake, she quickly went into the living room to grab her cell phone and to make sure the gun was still in the sofa just in case. She immediately dialed Alverez. He answered at the exact time the elevator doors opened.
“Alverez,” he said into the phone.
When she saw Tony step out of the elevator, she quickly hung up the phone.
He was a tall, Italian man with dyed, jet black hair that he had slicked back in a ponytail. “Hey beautiful,” Tony said. “I hope you don’t mind that I just dropped in, but I was in the area, and I thought I’d stop by to see my favorite gal and perhaps, get a little attention.”
The cell phone in Maggie’s hand rang. It was Alverez. “Hello,” she said into the phone.
“I see that you called,” Alverez answered. “I’m just checking to see if everything is ok.”
“I can’t talk right now,” Maggie responded.
Maggie’s response set off a red flag for Alverez. “Is everything ok?” He asked.
“No, not really. I’ll have to sign those papers tomorrow,” Maggie said into the phone.
Now, Alverez was really panicked. She wasn’t making any sense. “Maggie,” he said. “What’s wrong?”
“Ok. Well, I’ll need to see you as soon as possible,” she responded.
“What’s going on?” Alverez asked. “Is someone there?”
“Yes,” Maggie said nervously. “I have to go, will I see you soon?”
“I’m on my way,” Alverez said and hung up the phone.
“Who was that?” Tony asked.
“Just my insurance guy,” Maggie said, trying to cover. She was now in uncharted waters. She was on her own on this one. “Please come in,” she said.
She led Tony to the living room. “Have a seat,” she said politely. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No, baby, you know what I am here for,” Tony answered. “I’m in a bit of a hurry and can’t stay long so I thought we’d just get down to business.”
Now Maggie was really in a predicament. She was kicking herself for letting this thug into the apartment. She should never have answered the buzzer. It was then she noticed that Tony was sitting on the sofa right next to where the gun was hidden.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Maggie said. She was thinking fast and trying to come up with a logical reason why she couldn’t have sex with this man.
“Why not, baby?” Tony asked.
“I’ve been under the weather for the past week, and I’d hate to get you sick,” Maggie said. It was the only thing that came to her mind.
“I don’t mind a few germs,” Tony said as he got up from the sofa. He made his way over to Maggie, who was standing in front of the window. He put his arms around her. “It won’t be the first time you gave me something a little extra,” he continued.
Maggie tried to push Tony away, but his hold on her was strong. “Come on, baby,” he said. “Don’t be like that.”
Maggie noticed the smell of something burning. It was her pasta.
“I have something on the stove,” Maggie said. “I think it’s burning! Let me turn it off,” Maggie said, as she loosened her grip from Tony and managed to break free from his hold. She quickly went into the kitchen and turned off the pasta that had started to boil over. Then she frantically looked around the kitchen for a weapon. She noticed the set of knives on the counter top. As she reached for the butcher knife, Tony was behind her, and he put his arms around her waist.
“You smell nice,” he said, as he planted his nose into the back of Maggie’s head. “Or is that your pasta that smells so good?” He said, jokingly. “Come on. I don’t have much time.”
Maggie turned around to face Tony. “This really isn’t a good time,” she said. “I am not feeling that great at all,” she repeated.
“Come on, baby,” Tony said. “You’ll feel better after you have a little dose of Tony.”
Tony grabbed Maggie by the hand and led her into the bedroom. He started to pull her. “Come on, baby,” he said. From his tone, Maggie could tell he was starting to get annoyed. “I told you; I don’t have much time.”
“I don’t want to, Tony,” Maggie said, adamantly.
“You don’t want to?” Tony replied. “Is that any way to treat your best customer?”
Maggie started to resist his actions. This seemed to anger Tony because he was now pulling her harder into the bedroom. “Please,” Maggie said. “I don’t feel well.”
“That’s too bad, because I feel great,” Tony replied, as he forced Maggie down onto the bed. Maggie just lay there as Tony took off his shirt and started to unbuckle his belt. “Really?” Tony asked, angrily, as he noticed Maggie was not getting undressed.
Tony kicked off his shoes and took his pants off. He stood in front of her totally naked. Maggie realized what was about to happen. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow, when I am feeling better,” Maggie said in an effort to stop him.
It wasn’t enough. Tony climbed on top of her and tore her pants off. He forced himself inside her. Maggie was stunned someone would do this to another person. Her thoughts turned to her uncle and the years
of abuse that went ‘un-talked’ about. Maggie lay silent and let Tony finish.
Afterwards, he started to get dressed. “I don’t know why you had to put up so much of a struggle? Why did you call me yesterday and tell me you wanted to see me if you were feeling so sick?” He pulled his shirt over his head. “I’ve been coming to you for years,” he continued. “It didn’t have to be like this.”
Maggie remained silent, as she lay in the bed thinking about what a monster Tony was.
“I hope this doesn’t damage our relationship,” Tony said. He was oblivious to the fact he just raped her. “I don’t know what you expect,” he continued. “You are a whore.”
Tony’s final statement really upset Maggie, and she started to cry. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, she realized that she was a whore.
“Jesus,” Tony said as he dug through his pockets. “Don’t go getting all emotional on me.”
Tony threw a wad of money on the nightstand. “Like I said,” he continued. “I hope we don’t have to go through this again. I’ll be in touch.”
Tony left the apartment. Alverez failed to make it to Maggie’s rescue. She had been raped. She felt like she wanted to die. The tears started to fall at a faster pace. All she could think about was Uncle Henry and the abuse that went on for years. She looked over at the money on the nightstand. “I really am a whore,” she said out loud.
Chapter Sixteen
By the time Alverez showed up, Tony was long gone. When Alverez stepped out of the elevator, he instantly knew something was wrong. Maggie had stopped crying, but her eyes were puffy and red.
“I’m so glad you are ok,” Alverez said. “Are you ok? You don’t seem like yourself.”
“I’m ok,” Maggie insisted.
“Do you have any idea who that guy was?” Alverez asked.
“No,” Maggie said bluntly.
“Are you sure you are ok?” Alverez asked.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Maggie said again.
“I’ll have a forensics team come by and dust for fingerprints,” Alverez offered.
“He said his name was Tony,” Maggie said.
“Tony?” Alverez said. “Like, short for Antonio, maybe?”
Maggie had a foolish look on her face. “Of course,” she said. “Why didn’t I put that together?”
Alverez noticed that Maggie was shaking. He was deeply concerned. “Now, walk me through the visit.”
“Well, we started in here,” Maggie said. “He sat on the sofa, and we walked into the kitchen. I had something on the stove that was burning, so I went in to turn it off. He followed me in.” The two walked into the kitchen where her pasta sat in a pot of warm water. “Then, he pulled me into the bedroom.”
“Oh, God,” Alverez mumbled.
The two of them wandered into the bedroom. Alverez noticed the bed was in disarray, and then, he noticed the wad of money on the bedside table.
“Maggie, did you have sex with him?” Alverez asked, delicately.
Maggie began to tear up, and Alverez knew at that point, she had been raped.
“He forced himself onto me,” Maggie said, in a shaky voice. “I didn’t want to have sex with him, but he insisted. Finally, he just tore my clothes off and had sex with me, whether I wanted to, or not.”
“He raped you?” Alverez asked. “That son of a bitch!”
“Yes,” Maggie said, and she started to sob. She was angry and embarrassed because it happened to her.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Alverez said, angrily. His face turned red.
“You really can’t blame him, Detective,” Maggie said, sympathetically.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Alverez shouted. “The man raped you!”
“In all fairness, I did lure him up here with the promise of sex,” Maggie said, diplomatically.
“How can you defend that monster?” Alverez asked.
“I’m not defending him. I’m just stating facts,” Maggie replied.
“Oh, wait until we catch that guy,” Alverez said. “If he’s not the killer, I am going to put him away for raping you for a long time. After I kick his ass!”
“Can we do that?” Maggie asked. “I mean, I am a prostitute-or at least pretending to be one. Don’t you think that will work in his defense?”
Maggie was right. The whole ordeal was not going as Alverez expected. He had no idea that Maggie would possibly be put in the situation where she would be forced to have sex. Even if they did find Antonio D’Adamo, how will they prove this wasn’t a business transaction? Tony had connections and good lawyers. Having sex with a prostitute, was not going to bring down Tony D’Adamo.
“Damn it!” Alverez said, angrily. “Sorry, Maggie, I wasn’t expecting this. I am so sorry this happened to you.”
“It’s my own fault,” Maggie admitted. “I never should have let him up here until I checked in with you.”
“Well, we never really discussed what we would do if someone just showed up. So I think the blame is more on me. I have to find this guy.”
“It’s not your fault, Maggie said trying to relieve some of Alverez’s guilt. “I made a mistake. I let that monster in here, and I have to deal with the consequences.”
Alverez was angry at himself. He had his doubts about how to proceed from this point on.
“Listen,” he said, “I don’t want anyone coming into this apartment, until I am here. You got it?”
“I understand,” Maggie said. “I think I learned a valuable lesson today.”
Maggie felt abused. She felt violated, but there was nothing she or Alverez could do about it. It was over. Now, they needed to somehow contact Tony again. “Was this guy the murderer?” Maggie said. “If he is the murderer, I just let him walk right in here. How foolish am I?”
Chapter Seventeen
Detective Alverez called for a forensics unit. He waited with Maggie until they arrived. It took them about an hour to get there. While they were waiting, Maggie asked if she could take a shower. Truth was, she felt dirty and wanted to wash as much of Tony as she could off of her body.
The detective waited patiently in the living room. Forensics showed up while Maggie was still in the shower.
“There’s no need to dust the whole apartment,” Alverez told the forensics unit. “Just in here at the coffee table and in the bedroom.”
“You got it,” one of the forensics guys replied.
The forensics unit was nearly done when Maggie finally got out of the shower. She felt better now that she was clean.
“Maggie,” Alverez said, “are you sure you wouldn’t like me to take you to the hospital?”
“No, thank you, Detective,” Maggie replied.
“Well, the forensics team is nearly done, so why don’t I take you out to dinner once they’re finished,” Alverez offered.
“No, thank you, Detective,” Maggie said, again. “I think I would just like to be alone this evening.”
Alverez noticed the wine glass sitting on the table next to the window.
“Was he drinking this?” Alverez asked. “I’ll get the forensics team to dust the glass for prints.”
“That won’t be necessary, Detective,” Maggie said. “I was drinking the wine while I was preparing dinner.”
Detective Alverez looked concerned.
“I know, a nun drinking alcohol,” Maggie admitted. “It must seem strange to you.”
“Not at all,” Alverez responded. “I know a lot of priests become alcoholics. Not that you are an alcoholic. Jesus, I don’t know what I am saying.”
“It’s ok, Detective,” Maggie insisted. “I just thought it might relax me a bit, that’s all.”
“I understand,” Alverez answered.
“I’m all done in the bedroom, Detective,” said one of the guys from forensics, as he entered the living room.
He startled both Maggie and Alverez. “Is there anything else?”
“No, thanks,” Alverez said. “Just run the prints and get back to me
if you get any hits.”
“No problem. I’ll let myself out.” With that, he left the apartment.
“Why don’t I get you another glass of wine?” Alverez asked.
“I think I may need one,” Maggie answered. “My nerves are still a little shaky.”
The detective went into the kitchen and poured Maggie another glass of wine.
“Why don’t you join me, Detective?” Maggie asked.
“No, thank you, Maggie,” he answered. “The reason I know why so many priests are alcoholics is because I’m one myself. Seven years sober this month.”
“Good for you, Detective,” Maggie said.
“A lot of guys get hooked on drinking because of the job,” Alverez admitted. “I guess I was no different. After seeing what I’ve seen, I needed something to take the edge off.”
“I’ll bet,” Maggie said, empathetically.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” Alverez asked, again. “We can do a rape test on you to get some of this guy’s DNA. The D.A. might be able to go after him for rape. That is, if we ever catch this guy.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Maggie insisted. “I let him in here. I am pretending to be a prostitute, so there could really only be one reason why he was here. Besides, I already took a shower. Quite frankly, I don’t want the attention either. I’d much rather just forget about it.”
Alverez nodded. He was a little curious as to why she was so insistent about not wanting to go after this guy for raping her.
“I’ll drop it,” Alverez said.
“Thank you,” Maggie responded. “Detective, if you don’t mind, I think I’d like to be alone.”
“No problem,” Alverez said. “I’ll shove off, but remember, no one comes into this apartment unless I am here. Got it?”
“I got it,” Maggie said.
Maggie walked Alverez to the elevator and said goodnight. The detective leaned in and gave her a hug. She wasn’t expecting it. Alverez also kissed her on the top of her forehead; something else Maggie thought was odd. Then, the detective left, and Maggie went back into the living room and picked up her glass of wine. She gazed out of the window at the view of the city. The city was lit up like jewels.
