Blood Ties - A Magnolia Novel

by Ashley Fontainne

  “Funny, Mom.”

  “Listen, you need to call Cal. He called three times and sent two texts while you were inside with Cecil. I almost answered on the third call but figured it would be best for me not to speak with him. Might say something I’d regret later.”

  Karina fiddled with her phone, tapping and scrolling through the screens. “Good thinking. Oh, yes! He got the information on the IP address. Wait, don’t leave yet. I need to call him back and probably take notes. Will you pull back to a parking spot? Say, why didn’t you tell me that Carmella chick looked like the little sister of Morticia Adams? I thought Cecil was just exaggerating. I mean, wow, scary. Apparently I made her freak. Said I looked like one of her dead friends. Gross.”

  “She does look like she belongs in a long black dress, cutting off the tops of roses with shears. I just failed to mention it before because I didn’t pay too much attention to her in our previous interactions. And yes, I heard the conversation with Ms. Fake Fingernails. Lucky you.”

  “Yeah, no kidding.”

  LiAnn put the car in park. “Hey, before you call Cal, tell me, how did your earlier conversation with him go? Was he shocked to hear from you?”

  Karina chuckled while rummaging for paper and pen in her purse. “I never actually spoke to him. I just sent him a text, asking him to check out the IP address.”

  “Wait, didn’t you call him earlier, before Cecil arrived?”

  “Nope. Bo arrived early, so I went out to help him mow.”

  “Oh, then this conversation should be interesting.”

  Karina produced a devious smile. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll put him on speaker so you can listen, too. If Cal knows you’re listening, he won’t dare say anything I don’t want to hear.”

  “Good thinking. Such a smart girl.”

  Cal picked up on the second ring. “About damn time, Karina! I’ve been trying to…”

  “Hey, Cal. Sorry. Mom and I have been busy learning how to be farmers, and now we’re helping out a family friend who someone is trying to steal from. Just finished putting a camera and bug in his apartment, so we can catch and hear the perp on video. That’s why I needed a run down on the IP address. Someone tried to open an online banking account, not long after the vic spotted an employee leaving his place. So, tell us, what did you find out?”

  There was a long pause, followed by a heavy sigh. “Hey, Sgt. Tuck. How are you?”

  Karina winked and LiAnn returned it. “Fine, Cal. So, what’s the verdict? I’m hoping it’s not an overseas IP because that will just complicate matters.”

  “Oh, it’s not. Don’t worry. You’ve got yourselves someone local. Came from an internet cafe in Hot Springs. Name of the place is The Coffee Mug and it’s on Central.”

  “Fantastic! Thanks, Cal. Should be easy to find. We’ll head right over there.”

  “Karina, wait. Listen, I need to tell you something else before you go,” Cal said, his voice louder, more insistent. “So don’t go off playing good cop, bad cop, until I do, okay?”

  Karina sensed the worry in Cal’s voice and responded, “I don’t like the sound of that. What is it?”

  “I’ve been trying to connect with you for several days now to tell you…”

  Karina interrupted, “Sorry. As I said, we’ve been busy.”

  Cal snapped, “Karina! Be quiet and just listen.”

  “Calvin Benson, I know you didn’t just tell me to be quiet…”

  LiAnn heard the anger roar to life in Karina’s voice, and it set her nerves on fire. “Enough, both of you. Cal, what is it?” Karina opened her mouth to protest, but LiAnn motioned for her to be still.

  “You know I keep a close watch on who comes to visit the website, keeping track of all IP addresses and such.”

  “Yes, yes, I know. You always were afraid of hackers,” Karina interrupted.

  “Karina, seriously. Listen. Three days ago, someone visited from an Arkansas IP address. Searched all over the site and clicked on all the links pertaining to you. I mean, they didn’t visit any other part of the site unless it had something to do with you.”

  Stunned, Karina slumped back in her seat. “What in the world? By the way, I thought you were going to update it, and remove me, you know, since I’m not your partner anymore?”

  “Give it a rest, Karina, will you? I’ve been busy. At first, I thought maybe you’d attracted some cyber-stalker, you know, someone who decided to check you out. Or maybe you applied for a job or something down there, and an HR company was researching your credentials. But that’s not it.”

  Worry crept into Karina’s voice. “So, what is it then?”

  “After you sent me the text earlier with the IP address you wanted me to investigate, I didn’t need to do much research. Took me a few minutes but I recognized it. It’s the same one.”

  “What the hell?” Karina shouted. Her anger filled the car. “Well, that certainly does change things. Big time. There is no way it can be a coincidence. Period.”

  LiAnn’s stomach lurched with the same queasy feeling she used to get when on a case. Her daughter was right: there was no way it was a coincidence. She’d bet her retirement that the black-headed bitch Carmella was behind it, but for what reason? Why in the world was she interested, especially enough to cyber-snoop, in Karina? Up until a half hour ago, Carmella didn’t know Karina existed.

  “Mom? Mom! Hello?” Karina snapped her fingers, bringing her mom out of a funk. “Let’s go. I want to get to The Coffee Mug so we can play good cop, bad cop. Oh, and this time, in the mood I’m in, I get to be the bad cop. I don’t have the acting skills to play nice today. I’m beyond pissed. I’m the investigator, not the investigatee.”

  LiAnn didn’t say a word in response. She backed out of the parking lot and shot out, tires squalling. Karina punched in the address and the droning voice of the GPS system gave them directions.

  First thing LiAnn noticed when they walked inside The Coffee Mug was there were no cameras. Dandy. The place was small, with seating for maybe twenty people. There were only six computer terminals, and they looked at least five years old, if not older.

  The place wasn’t anything like the ones LiAnn had been to on the West Coast, other than the fact it was a coffeehouse. A young man, in his early twenties, leaned against the counter, tapping his fingers away on his phone. He didn’t even look up when they walked in. LiAnn exchanged glances with Karina and gave her a knowing wink, pulling out her billfold. Karina did the same. They both walked up to the counter. LiAnn peered at the name tag on the kid’s shirt.

  “Good afternoon, Carl. I’m Detective LiAnn Tuck, and this is my partner, Detective Summers.” They both flipped their wallets open, showing their old badges for only a split second. “We’re here to investigate a possible cyber-stalking crime, and need to take a look at your security footage from last week.”

  It took a few seconds, but finally Carl pulled his eyes away from his phone. “Can’t help you. We don’t have video surveillance. Owner says we can’t afford it, which I sure can’t understand, given how busy we always are.”

  His crass attitude didn’t bother LiAnn, for she was used to it. Her daughter was another story. Before Karina exploded, LiAnn tried again. “Since there seems to be a lull in the crowd, it looks like you have a moment to chat.” Carl shrugged his shoulders with indifference. “So, no cameras, huh? How about a log for guests to sign? Got one of those?”

  Carl scrunched his face, his light blue eyes shifting between the two of them. Suspicion danced behind them. “Got a warrant?”

  “Not yet. Trying to do things the easy, civil way first. Give you and this fine establishment a chance to show no collusion was involved in the crime. You know, be able to tell the press when we arrest the criminal that the folks over at The Coffee Mug cooperated fully with the investigation. Because when businesses don’t, it usually means they are involved in the illegal activity.”

  “Look, lady, I ain’t got nothing to do with what people do when
they come in here to get online. I don’t ask, don’t pry, and don’t look. Made the mistake of peeking when I first started working here, and got an eyeful of some sick porn site I still have nightmares over.”

  LiAnn leaned her elbows on the counter and gave Carl a huge grin. “Now see, cooperation and honesty. That’s all we’re looking for. So, a log? You have one?” Carl nodded. “Good. If you’ll just let us take a look at it, I promise we’ll be out of here in two minutes. Let you get back to work. Okay?”

  Carl huffed and reached under the counter, producing a small spiral binder. “Fine.”

  Karina moved to peek over LiAnn’s shoulder. LiAnn flipped the pages back to the week prior, surprised at the amount of people who’d come to use the free Wi-Fi. When she turned the page to three days ago, LiAnn had to bite her lip to keep her thoughts inside her head. From the corner of her eye, LiAnn saw Karina stiffen.

  “Carl, got a copier in the back?” Karina asked, her voice low, sinister. LiAnn recognized the tone. Her daughter was close to full meltdown. When Karina was mad, she yelled. When the volcano was about to explode, she barely whispered.

  “Yeah, first door on the left past the bathroom.”

  Without a word, Karina took the binder and stomped down the hall. LiAnn heard the copier fire up. In seconds, Karina was back, her face flushed crimson, a few droplets of sweat on her brow. She tossed the log on the counter.

  “Thank you for your cooperation, Carl. We’ve got what we needed. Just one more question and one favor, and then we’ll be out of your hair, okay?” LiAnn asked.

  “What’s that?” Carl replied. Nervousness crept into his voice.

  “Noticed from the sign-in sheet, you usually are the one working on Mondays and Tuesdays.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  LiAnn took a business card from the counter and scribbled her cell phone number down on the back. She slid it across the counter. “When Carmella D’Nucci comes back, call me immediately. It will save me hours of sitting in a parked car in the heat outside, waiting. Wouldn’t want to scare off any of your regulars, right?”

  A twisted grin appeared on Carl’s face as he picked up the card. “Oh, that bitch, huh? Double espresso with a shot of hazelnut. Orders it every time, then complains about how I make it. Always insists on a discount. Never leaves a tip. Can’t say I’m shocked she’s a suspect in cyber-stalking. Woman gives me the creeps, you know? No problem picturing her as a bully. Be glad to.”

  “Great. Thanks again for your willingness to help. We’ll be in touch.”

  Carl’s face crinkled as confusion spread across it. “Say, this number…it ain’t our area code. What department you from?”

  Karina shot LiAnn a look, and LiAnn responded with a slight nod.

  In a flash, Karina leaned across the counter, her face inches from the pasty one of Carl. She growled, “You just lost your brownie points with me. I thought you were smarter than that. You really want to know, Coffee Boy? I’m afraid we’d need to go for a ride. A long one.”

  For a second, LiAnn wondered if the boy would faint, piss his pants, or scream. When angry, Karina was an imposing figure. She carried her 5’10” frame like she was 6’5” and three hundred pounds.

  Carl shook his head no.

  Karina gave Carl one, last harsh look before she moved. “Thought so.”

  They walked out in silence toward the car. Karina headed to the driver’s side but LiAnn pushed her toward the passenger side. LiAnn didn’t want her to drive. The girl was too upset. Once back inside the car, LiAnn fired up the engine, enjoying the rush of cold air.

  Karina exploded. “What in the hell is going on? Why is that bitch scoping me out? I don’t know her! She never knew I existed until today, and I introduced myself as Vivian Pickard!”

  “Breathe, honey. We’ll figure this out. Come on, let’s head home and get on the computer. You still have access to all your investigative sites from We’ve Got Ya?”

  “Unless Cal’s changed all the passwords, yes. If he did, I’ll just tell him I need access.”

  “Good. We need to do our own snooping into who this woman really is. Know thy enemy, right?”

  “Yeah, then blow thy enemy to kingdom come. Oh, that bitch is lucky I didn’t know all this earlier,” Karina fumed.

  Neither spoke for a few minutes, both of them lost in thought. Once on the freeway, Karina let out a gasp. “Oh, my God! Do you think it’s a possibility this ties to Jubilee somehow? Maybe Carmella worked for them at some point, learned the tricks of the trade? Maybe she read online about the appeal, started researching, found my name in the news archives. Obviously, she’s learned quite a bit about Cecil from snooping around his apartment. Knows who Gram and Grampa are, since they are the only ones to come see him. Probably searched about them, too. Wonder if she’s scoped you out, too?”

  Karina’s words made LiAnn push the gas pedal harder. “Okay, that’s freaky. I was just thinking the same thing. The woman has no idea she just screwed with the wrong family.”

  “No doubt. Drive faster.”

  “Not a word about this to Gram and Grampa until we figure out how all this ties together. Okay?”

  Karina’s answer was a nod of agreement. Neither of them spoke on the rest of the forty minute drive. LiAnn noticed the puffy white clouds to the east had changed to dingy gray. It looked like a storm was moving in, and fast.

  25

  Final Choices

  “Now that dinner’s over, and I’ve made you all wait long enough, it’s time to retire to the living room and have a drink.”

  Caesar watched his guests nod in solemn agreement as each rose from the dining room table. None of them said a word as they walked to the living room. Carmine reached the bar first and starting pouring drinks. Caesar ambled over to the locked safe behind his favorite portrait of an Italian winery at sunset, took it down from the wall, unlocked the safe, and extracted his notes. When he turned around, Franco, Carmella, Vincenzo and Carmine were all staring at him while they pretended to sip their drinks. Caesar could feel their combined tension from across the room. He motioned for them to sit. Once they were all seated, he moved to the center of the room.

  “I have made some decisions, some of which I’m sure you all will like, and others you may not. However, they are my decisions to make, and each of you know when my mind is made up, I won’t change it. Wanted to make that perfectly clear before I begin. No debating issues. What I’m about to say is the way things will be. Got it?”

  Each nodded in agreement. Only Carmella, his tough baby sister, had the guts to speak.

  “Caesar, we’ve never questioned or doubted you before, so we won’t start now. What’s on your mind?”

  Caesar held her gaze for a full minute, searching for any traces of insincerity. Seeing none, he began. “I’m retiring and moving to the tropics in two weeks. Before I go, we will all participate in one last job. Our quarry is worth a substantial amount of money. Enough, in fact, that should any or all of you choose to do so, you could retire as well. However, if you all wish to continue the businesses without me, then here is how it will run. Ownership of The Magnolia will remain at status quo, only changing hands upon my death. At that time, as you all know, each of you will own twenty-five percent. However, my stake in Happy Days Retirement will transfer to Carmella four months after I leave. Carmine will dispatch Nick Shonnert in a tragic suicide, and Carmella will be appointed to his position. Nick has become more of a liability than an asset. So, congratulations baby sis, you just became a COO, of course, should you wish to continue.”

  Stunned, Carmella choked on her brandy. She recovered quickly and raised her glass in a mock toast. “To breaking the glass ceiling!”

  Caesar turned his gaze to Franco, whose eyes were as big as saucers. “Franco, you will be the point man now, in charge of taking the orders and making sure they are filled in a timely manner.” Franco blanched, the blood draining from his face. “Don’t worry. I have all the codes and what they mean right
here,” Caesar said, holding up the papers in his hand. “Our contact overseas does not need to know there has been a change in the guard, right? All communication is done through email, so don’t worry, you won’t need to try and sound like me. If you follow these instructions, my departure will remain our little secret. When I leave, you will be in charge of maintaining my residence, and I will leave my computer here. Our contact might become suspicious if he detects the emails were sent from another location, and believe me, he would know. You know how the Asians are when it comes to technology.”

  Franco responded by gulping down the rest of his drink. He looked like he was about to throw it back up. Caesar wondered why Carmella decided to marry the idiot.

  “Okay, so our first order of business is completed. Now, onto the last hurrah, for me at least. Though I hesitated in the beginning, I have changed my mind about Cecil Pickard. Our research into his holdings is just too much to walk away from. The next order needs to be filled within two weeks. The recipient of Mr. Pickard’s organs is weakening, and our contact is getting antsy. Well, more than likely, his client is getting antsy. Now, I know this choice poses a few twists, since our donor has some close friends, but I don’t believe this group will have any trouble taking out an old couple and two women, am I right?”

  Carmine snorted, “Cakewalk.”

  Carmella added, “Before today, I would have questioned the ability to pull this off, but after what I found out earlier, I concur with Carmine. Cakewalk.”

  “Would you mind expounding on that, please?” Caesar asked, intrigued.

  Excited, Carmella rose from her perch on the couch and went to the bar, refilling her drink. She took a hefty sip and replied, “Well, as you know, if we use Pickard as the next donor, we had the issue of his friends, a.k.a., the beneficiary and his family members. I had a very interesting conversation with Mr. Pickard and his niece, who is actually Karina Summers. Recognized her from my research. At first, I was worried because it seems old Pickard is suspicious about his bank accounts and called her in for help. They even went so far as to give her a cover name. However, none of that matters now. He mentioned in passing that next Saturday, he is going to Branson with the Tucks and their daughter. So that means…”