Blood Ties - A Magnolia Novel

by Ashley Fontainne

  “All warriors have elite physical skills. It is those who master the mental side of the game who triumph over their adversaries. A skilled warrior is dangerous. A motivated warrior who applies dedication, extreme mental discipline, and determination, is deadly. The epitome of courage is indifference to death. The warrior must be ready to die at all times.”

  Caesar’s memories shifted again, bringing him to the moment he walked out of the prison and went back home. Even his family was hard pressed to recognize him. He possessed the strapping physique of an Alpha male, but his biggest strength was the mental toughness provided by the deprivation lessons from his mentor. Master Yamashita had skillfully succeeded in establishing the Yakuza mindset in Caesar as automatically as taking a breath.

  After his release from prison, Caesar went back to his old life. His father used him, once again, as a bagman to collect on past due debts and a hitter, along with Carmine. Though successful, it wasn’t the life he wished to lead. Caesar was demoralized that he was no longer a captain of his crew but merely a street soldier without rank. While his grandfather slowly died from the cancer eating his body away, Caesar would lay in bed and remember the conversations with Master Yamashita. The offer on the table to come anytime to Asia and learn further about the ways of the Yakuza. How their family differed from his. How the Yakuza way was superior because they didn’t rely on the ties of familial blood to make up their groups. Family members couldn’t always be relied upon to remain loyal. Loyalty wasn’t a birthright, it was a permanent bond, solidified with sacrifice and blood.

  Caesar left the states after Don Tomaso died. Packed a few belongings and slipped out of the country. Told his father he wanted to explore other family business ventures. Spent almost eight years in Japan under the strict eye and tutelage of Master Yamashita’s second-in-command, Akitaka Saito. His time in Asia opened Caesar’s eyes to a whole new world of generating massive amounts of wealth, and a completely different way of thinking. After being introduced to the Yamashita family’s predominant source of revenue, body parts bought and sold on the black market, Caesar traveled all over Asia, honing his new craft.

  Although he enjoyed Japan, and the beautiful, exotic women, as the years passed, the pull to return to the states nagged him. Caesar had his share of relationships, but it wasn’t until the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen appeared in his life. Romella romped and played in the azure waters of the Pacific as Caesar walked along the beach. She was on a student visa, studying Japanese at Tokyo International University. Caesar was determined to make the young beauty his wife, and didn’t give up until he did.

  Caesar knew Master Yamashita was savvy enough to recognize the Calvanios pined for the states. Through messages conveyed through Saito-san, Yamashita told Caesar he should consider expanding their business venture to the United States. Weeks were spent hammering out the details, searching for the perfect location to begin. Caesar was the one who aggressively campaigned for the location to be in Arkansas. Master Yamashita gave his blessing on Hot Springs as Caesar’s business headquarters. So, Caesar bid his friend and sensi farewell and returned to New York, his much younger bride in tow.

  He’d been back for less than a year when tragedy struck the Calvanio family. His three older sisters died in a car accident on their way back from Jersey, and their deaths sent Caesar’s stepmother into a depression so deep, she never recovered. Even Carmella couldn’t reach her. Victoria Calvanio downed a handful of Valium a few weeks later, hell-bent on joining her daughters on the other side. Grief-stricken, his father Carlos dove head first into the bottle. One night, not long after the death of Victoria, Carlos Calvanio stumbled down the back streets of New York, so drunk he passed out in an alleyway. A gang of young thugs thought he was homeless and decided to roll him. Carlos fought back and shot two of them, before the others unloaded their clips into him. Carlos Calvanio bled out on the dirty, black pavement of New York before the ambulance arrived.

  After his father’s funeral, Caesar had a long talk with Romella, Carmella, Franco, Carmine, and Vincenzo. Explained how the family was vulnerable, and it was time for a change. Romella was pregnant at the time, and retired early to bed. Once she was asleep and out of earshot, Caesar laid out his true plans to the remainder of his family, and within four weeks, they all moved to Hot Springs.

  Those were the days, the ones Caesar craved to relive. Warrior strong in body and mind. Possessing those memories with vivid clarity, rather than the current ones haunting him, calmed Caesar. His eyelids grew heavy, along with his heart, when the vision of the day he met Romella took over.

  Soon, my love. Soon, we’ll be together. Forever.

  22

  The Investigation

  “I still can’t believe she’s gone. I should have called her!”

  LiAnn tossed the last bit of chicken feed onto the ground and stared at Karina’s distraught face. LiAnn convinced Karina to come outside after breakfast, away from the ears of her parents, and break the news about Melissa. While they worked in tandem, LiAnn listened to Karina prattle on about her adventures the night before with Bo, and then gave only minimal answers about her date with Jimmy. At first, Karina didn’t seem to notice her responses were clipped, since Karina was a bit hung over and amped up about her night on the town. Once the coffee kicked in, Karina asked her what was wrong, so LiAnn dropped the bomb.

  Walking over to the spot where Karina stood, dumbstruck, LiAnn put her arm around her neck. “That was my first reaction, too. I feel awful. Yet another reminder life can be over in the blink of an eye, so cherish every second. Right?”

  Karina nodded in agreement, wiping a tear from her face. “I’ll take care of sending flowers from us. Oh, wow, this sure puts a damper on things. Her poor family. Oh, and her husband! They just got married! I wonder what’s going to happen with the Jubilee case. Did Crigger say?”

  “No, he didn’t, but I imagine the deputy P.A. who assisted Melissa, Cheddy Singleton, will take over.”

  Karina rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Cheddy is an idiot! Never could figure out how he passed the bar. Seriously, he couldn’t find a hole in his pants even if his hands were on it!”

  “Don’t worry, honey. The case is solid no matter who is sitting in the prosecuting attorney’s chair.”

  Karina furrowed her brows, a look of confusion on her face. “What time did Crigger say the accident happened?”

  “Around five o’clock Pacific. Why?”

  “Hmm, well, I was just trying to figure out if the cryptic text Cal sent me had anything to do with Melissa’s accident, but the time frames don’t match up.”

  Grateful for a topic change, LiAnn asked, “Cal contacted you? What did he say, er, type?”

  “He sent me two texts the night before, asking me to call him. Plus, I had a voicemail from him last night. Had my phone on silent while I was out with Bo. Cal sounded concerned. Guess I should call him though I really don’t want to. Can’t imagine what he wants to discuss. It’s a little late to gab about us. Oh, I know, maybe he and Misty are getting married and he wants to know if I’ll attend the wedding.”

  LiAnn pulled Karina toward the house. “Why don’t you order flowers for Melissa and then take a nice, long shower before you contact Cal? Wash the beer fuzzies away before you call him back, okay? Don’t want to start the conversation out on the wrong foot, right?”

  “Good idea. Somehow, I don’t think I’m going to enjoy hearing his voice. Just a hunch.” Karina smiled.

  They walked in silence to the back porch. Once inside the house, LiAnn headed straight to the coffee pot and refilled their mugs. She handed Karina a cup as her father walked into the kitchen. He looked upset and in a flash, LiAnn was by his side. “Pop? Are you feeling okay?”

  Junior waved his daughter away as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “I’m fine, quit worryin’.”

  Karina piped up, “You don’t look fine, Grampa. What’s wrong?”

  Junior sank down in the chair at the table and frown
ed. “Oh, I just got off the horn with Cecil. He said somethin’ is wrong but wouldn’t tell me over the phone. Asked to come over here for lunch, instead of us goin’ to see him. Plus, he specifically asked all of us to be here. That’s the first time he’s ever asked to come over since he’s been at The Magnolia, so I’m worried he’s got bad news to share. Hope it ain’t his health.”

  LiAnn and Karina exchanged knowing glances. At Cecil’s age, whatever he had to share probably was health related. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, Pop. Maybe he just needed to get away from Wylie’s mouth. It sure can run amok sometimes. We’ll be glad to have lunch with him.”

  Junior let a feeble smile appear on his face. “Yeah, could be. The man is annoyin’, that’s for sure.”

  “Did I hear you right, Junior? We’re havin’ company for lunch? Mercy, I better start cookin’!” Ruth exclaimed.

  “I’ll help, Gram,” Karina offered.

  Ruth made a beeline for the pots and pans. “Ain’t you workin’ in the hayfields today, sweetie? Or did your late night with Bo wear him out?”

  Karina’s face turned three shades of burgundy and LiAnn couldn’t help but laugh. Karina shot her a look of irritation, so LiAnn responded back with a wink. “It seems to me an afternoon spent sweating under the sun would be of great help. You know, it will remove the last traces of alcohol from your system.”

  “Really, Mom? Oh, let’s change topics, shall we? We want to hear all about your date last night with the charming Jimmy Calhoun. Gee, he will be so disappointed you won’t be attending his painting class today. Or, will he? Gosh, and I was looking forward to calling him Daddy.”

  Before LiAnn could snap back, Ruth interrupted. “Enough! Honestly, you two are a mess sometimes. LiAnn, you help me with lunch and Karina, it sounds like your help just arrived,” she said, pointing out the window, “So you best get out and help him finish the mowin’ before noon. Make sure to invite Bo to lunch as well. If he’s gonna date my granddaughter, then I need to get to know him better.”

  “Gram, we aren’t dating…”

  Ruth waved Karina’s words away like pesky mosquitoes. “Call it what you like, girl. I may be old, but I surely ain’t dumb. That boy’s a suitor for sure.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Karina sighed. Without another word, she slunk out the back door, Ranger right behind her.

  “Whew! It sure is a hot one today, I tell ya!”

  “Come on in, Mr. Pickard. Good to see you. Lunch is ready. Pop’s in the kitchen, along with everyone else.”

  LiAnn held the door open and watched Cecil Pickard shuffle through the doorway. He smiled at her, but she could tell it was forced. He took off his cowboy hat and LiAnn saw his fingers shake while he held it. He’s really nervous. Oh, no, please don’t let this be bad news.

  Cecil followed her down the hall to the kitchen. Karina sat at one end of the table, alone. Bo left before lunch to pick up samples of paint for the barn. LiAnn assumed the boy wasn’t quite ready to be grilled by her family. Cecil sat down in the chair next Junior, exchanging pleasantries. LiAnn helped her mom set out the fried chicken and all the trimmings.

  “Sorry to be so vague on the phone, Junior, but what I got to say, I didn’t want nobody to hear. Thanks for lettin’ me come by.”

  “No thanks needed my friend. So, spill. You’ve got us all riled up, wonderin’ what in tarnation is wrong. Whatever it is, we’re here for ya.”

  With a sheepish grin, Cecil looked around at everyone at the table. He took in a long, slow breath then huffed it back out, his cheeks puffing up. “I know that, Junior. You always have been, and I appreciate it, I surely do. That’s why I’m here–y’all are good people. Trustworthy. Okay, I…ain’t exactly sure where to begin. Guess I’d like to say first off, my body may be old–I may creak a tad when I walk–but my mind is still sharp. I don’t forget things, especially when it comes to money. I know how much I got, which banks I have accounts at, and do all my transactions in person.” Cecil paused while he gathered the remainder of his thoughts.

  Ruth interjected. “Cecil, take ya a few bites. Get some protein in your belly before you pass plum out. You’re as white as a ghost!”

  “Okay,” Cecil took a hefty bite from the chicken leg, followed by two forkfuls of green beans.

  The rest of them nibbled at their plates, waiting for Cecil to continue his story. LiAnn had a feeling she knew what was coming next, and the thought made her angry. Someone at The Magnolia is stealing from him.

  “Last Thursday, I went to the banks like I do every Thursday mornin’, you know, to draw out some cash, check on things. Since I have all this money now and not much else to occupy my time with, I take weekly visits to stay on top of it all. Everythin’ was fine until I pulled up at First State Southern. Realized when I parked I left my wallet in my apartment. I drove back to The Magnolia to get it. The elevator was full, so I took the stairs up to my floor. My room is at the end of the hall on the second floor, and Carmella was closin’ the door to my apartment. I remember thinkin’ I was losin’ my mind. I mean, I forgot my wallet and figured I left the door open, too, and Carmella was nice enough to close if for me.”

  Karina immediately piped up. “Who’s Carmella?”

  LiAnn answered, “She’s the head of healthcare at The Magnolia. The one who kept throwing strange looks my direction. Her son, Ray-Ray, was murdered, remember me telling you?”

  “Oh yes, right! Uh, she works there? That’s not good at all. Mr. Pickard, did it look like she was just passing by and closed the door, or was she actually exiting the room?”

  “It looked like she walkin’ out, but I wouldn’t bet my life on it,” Cecil answered.

  “I don’t know about the rules here, but in other states, that’s a definite no-no. The staff at independent living facilities are not allowed to go into the living areas of a resident without their permission or presence, except in a life-threatening emergency. Somehow, I don’t think you leaving your door open falls under the category of emergency, and I assume you’ve never given her permission to enter your premises, right?”

  Cecil shook his head no.

  LiAnn’s instincts lit up. “Did you say anything to her, Mr. Pickard?”

  “Ms. LiAnn, at first I just stood there, unsure what to do. She saw me and put a huge, fake grin on her face, ramblin’ on for me to be more careful about shuttin’ my door and lockin’ it. Kinda like she was scoldin’ me. I mumbled my thanks and went inside and retrieved my billfold. I looked around. Nothin’ seemed out of place. No cash was missin’ from my wallet, and I don’t use credit cards. I even poked around all the hidin’ places I keep my bank statements, but nothin’ seemed wrong, so I brushed it off and went about the rest of my day.”

  “I’m confused, Cecil. You already told me this last week on the phone. Don’t you remember?” Junior asked.

  “Junior, I ain’t done with my story, and yes, I remember. Told you my mind ain’t old, just my body. That was just the warm up. This here’s the main course. Today’s Thursday, which means I go to the banks. When I got to First State Southern, the bank manager, Mary Rutherford, called me into her office. Asked me if I tried to set up online access to my account within the last week. I didn’t rightly know what that meant until she explained it to me. You know me, Junior, I ain’t never owned a computer and wouldn’t even be able to turn the dang thing on if I did. Shoot, like I said, I don’t even use any type of plastic! If I want money, I go to the bank and draw it out, or on occasion, write a check. That’s it. So, when I told her no, she said someone did try to set one up with them. They didn’t get somethin’ right and the system denied it.”

  “Ahh, now I see why you are all in a tizzy. You think someone nabbed one of your bank statements?” Junior said.

  “Yep, sure do, Junior. It just makes me sick. This money is more of a curse than a blessin’.”

  Hearing the heavy emotion in Cecil’s voice, LiAnn asked softly, “You think its Carmella, don’t you? Is that why y
ou didn’t want to discuss this on the phone with Pop? Are you afraid she might overhear you?”

  Cecil swallowed hard, a look of deep sadness creased his brow. “Though I hate to say it, and I surely wish I was wrong, my gut tells me yes. She…oh, I don’t know. Somethin’ behind her eyes just ain’t right. There’s a fakeness to her, if that makes sense. And it ain’t just because she is a dead ringer for Morticia Adams, either.”

  “Does The Magnolia have cameras, maybe in the hallways?” Karina asked, her voice tight.

  “I don’t know, never paid any attention,” Cecil answered.

  “Yes, I noticed a few when we toured the place. They’re quite old, though. Not sure if they were for show or they actually work. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” LiAnn posed the loaded question to Karina.

  In a flash, Karina was on her feet. “Great minds think alike, Mom. I’m going to see if my bag of stuff from We’ve Got Ya! still has the surveillance cameras in it. I think I left out one of everything, you know, for old time’s sake.” Before anyone could respond, Karina was gone.

  “What’s she talkin’ about, and what do you have in mind?” Cecil asked.

  “My guess would be she wants to put up a camera in your apartment to see if she can catch the thief red-handed,” LiAnn answered, hiding the grin she wanted to let out when she heard Karina squeal with delight from her room. “Even a high-priced lawyer can’t dispute the evidence if their client is on tape, clear as day, committing a crime.”

  Karina’s footsteps thundered down the hall. She slowed her gait when she entered the kitchen, holding the spying equipment out like a trophy. “Mr. Pickard, this bank manager…”

  “Mary Rutherford’s her name. Sweet woman.”

  “Okay, Ms. Rutherford. Did she happen to mention whether they filed some sort of report about the attempted online activity with any authority?”

  Cecil looked confused for a moment, his thin skin furrowing around his eyes as he tried to remember. “Yes, she did. But I can’t rightly recall all of what she said. Somethin’ about trackin’ virtual addresses and such.”