Black Butterfly

by Marja McGraw

  “Both. He was a good undercover cop, but he got in too deep and switched sides.”

  “Get out! Are you sure about that? He really switched sides?”

  “That’s what I hear, but you know how legends are. I’ve got a friend in Las Vegas I can call. I’ll let you know what I find out. Now, I’ve gotta go. A victim awaits me. Talk to you later.”

  Janet hung up without fanfare and I sat back in my chair.

  Could Gabe really have done the ol’ switcheroo? If that was the case, then Meredith could really be in danger. I couldn’t let go of the thought that he’d kept in touch with gangsters. That simply didn’t seem like a normal thing for a cop to do.

  I hurried out to the Reservation Desk after calling Mikey to see how his day was and wishing him sweet dreams.

  I told Chris what Janet had said.

  His face hardened. “When Sammy comes in we’re going to have a long talk.”

  “I wonder just how well he really knows his uncle.” I rubbed my upper arms, suddenly feeling chilled.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sammy’s reservation was for eight o’clock. That gave Chris plenty of time to stew on what Janet had told me. Maybe too much time.

  When the nephew arrived, Chris marched up to him and took him by the arm. “I’ll show you to your table.” His jaws were clenched. “I need to talk to you about Gabe.”

  Sammy’s smile faded. “What’s going on?”

  They walked away and I didn’t hear my husband’s reply.

  I waved Gloria over.

  “Yes, boss?” she asked.

  “I need you to do me a huge favor.” It seemed to be my night for asking for favors.

  “Okay.”

  “Would you please try to find excuses to hang out around the table where Chris is sitting?”

  She glanced around the room and settled her gaze on Sammy. Her eyes lit up. “Sure thing.”

  “I want you to tell me what you hear them talking about. It would be too obvious if I tried to spend time near the table. Besides, I’ve got customers coming in and I need to seat them.”

  The look of surprise on the waitress’s face was priceless. “You want me to eavesdrop? That’s not like you.”

  “It is in this case. Do whatever you can to hang out around their table. I’ll return the favor, I promise.”

  She nodded and walked away, toward the kitchen, and returned with a tray of hors d'oeuvres.

  A couple arrived and I took their name. Before I could show them to their table, I saw Gloria trip and the tray went flying. Of course, it landed right next to Sammy’s table. Her hand flew to her mouth in embarrassment and I could see her apologizing to Chris.

  I chuckled to myself. She was a pretty good actress.

  She excused herself and left to find something to clean up the mess. I saw a busboy offer to take care of it, but she pointed to a table where some people were leaving and sent him to clean up their dishes.

  In nothing flat, Gloria was back and on her knees, cleaning up the food.

  Chris was so engrossed in his conversation with Sammy that he didn’t even notice.

  She hurried back to the kitchen with the tray and returned to the table to ask what the men wanted to drink.

  They gave their order and she stopped near the table before walking away, furiously scribbling something on her order pad. Somehow I knew it was honestly just scribbling and that she was listening. She finally headed for the cocktail lounge where she placed their orders and waited for them.

  I called Phyllis over, our Marilyn Monroe look-alike, and asked if she could cover one of Gloria’s tables, explaining that it looked like she was having a bad night. I couldn’t bring myself to tell Phyllis that Gloria was eavesdropping for me.

  I seated a foursome at another table and tried to keep my eye on things at the same time.

  Gloria outdid herself. She tripped again, spilling the drinks in the same place as the first mess, and glanced at the floor like she was trying to see what she’d caught her toe on. She bent and picked up a nonexistent culprit.

  This time Chris took a good look at her and said something.

  She held out a closed fist which could have held the thing she’d tripped on. Chris nodded his head and she once again went in search of something to clean up the mess. She came back with rags and a small sign that said, “Wet Floor.”

  I was so engrossed in her actions that I almost forgot to do my job. Another couple came in, regulars, and they chatted for a minute before I showed them to their table.

  Gloria brought fresh drinks and took Sammy’s order, and I was sure she’d probably fluttered her eyelashes at him. She had a peculiar smile on her face that seemed to say, I’m flirting, and I don’t care who sees me.

  She took the order to the kitchen and returned, stopping at the table next to Sammy’s. She took their drink orders and headed back to the cocktail lounge, returning with drinks – which she didn’t spill.

  I noticed she took her time leaving the table, obviously – at least to me – listening to Chris and Sammy.

  Being a Monday night, things were relatively quiet after that.

  Although Sammy and Chris were deep in conversation, I couldn’t help but notice that Sammy watched every move Gloria made.

  It was all quite entertaining.

  After delivering the nephew’s food, she finally made her way over to me and whispered, “I’ve got lots to tell you. What the heck are you guys involved in this time?”

  “Later,” I said. “Meet me in the kitchen. It looks like Chris is getting ready to leave the table.”

  She nodded before stopping at a few tables, including Sammy’s, to see if anyone needed anything. Then she headed for the kitchen.

  Chris walked behind the Reservation Desk and started perusing the list of customers. “I see the Bakers are here.”

  I pointed to a table by the window.

  “I’ll go say hello.”

  “No, Chris, you take over the desk. I need to run back to my office for a few minutes.”

  He shrugged and settled in behind the desk. After glancing around the restaurant, he asked me where Gloria was.

  “She’s on a break. She’s had a rough night and I asked her to meet me in my office so I can talk to her. What did Sammy have to say about Gabe?”

  Chris hesitated a fraction too long before replying. “Not much. We’ll talk about it more at home.”

  I could tell he was going to hold back and not tell me everything. The telltale signs were there, like not looking at me when he spoke.

  I left him and headed through the kitchen to my office, motioning for Gloria to follow me.

  She looked around the room before sitting on a chair. “You know, Pamela, every day when I come to work, I’m amazed that you and your husband were able to take this old house and turn it into such a popular restaurant.”

  I smiled at her. “It’s partly the food and partly the ambience, but my famous person look-alike staff has a lot to do with it. Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you dressing the part and going for the Myrna Loy style?”

  “Yes, you have. No need to kiss up. I’ll tell you everything.”

  I laughed. “I’m not kissing up. Just being honest.”

  “Uh huh. Well, I was kind of hoping that guy would ask me out, but now I’m not so sure. From what I heard, there’s something going on involving the mob.”

  “Oh, Gloria, Sammy is an attorney. I don’t think he’s involved with the mob. It’s his uncle that I’m not sure about.”

  “That makes sense, because I heard them talking a lot about his uncle, and Chris had some pointed questions for him. Chris asked him if his uncle was really a police officer at one time or if he was part of organized crime.”

  “He came right out and asked him that?” I was flabbergasted. I thought we’d already gotten the answer to that question from Gabe. Apparently Chris decided to see if Sammy might stumble over the answer.

  “Yes, he did. Sammy said th
at to the best of his knowledge, his uncle had been in law enforcement, working undercover to take down some gangsters. He also said his uncle was nuts about some woman. I think her name was Marilyn, or Meredith, or something like that.”

  “What else did you hear?” I asked.

  “The boss surprised me. He said the uncle should be on his best behavior because he’d be keeping a close eye on the woman, and if anything happened to her, he’d…” She stopped talking.

  “He’d what?” I prompted.

  “I don’t know. That’s when the people at the next table called me over. I didn’t hear the rest.”

  “Anything else?” She had to have heard more than what she’d told me.

  “Not much. There was a lot of small talk at first. Oh, yeah, Sammy said he’d appreciate it if you and Chris would be in on the meeting tomorrow morning. He also said that he doesn’t quite trust his uncle. Are they meeting with the mob?” Her eyes were as big as saucers.

  “No. They’re meeting with the woman you heard them talking about.” Huh! So he didn’t trust his uncle. That was interesting.

  “Is that guy really a lawyer? Could he be working for the mob?” Gloria’s eyes hadn’t downsized any.

  “Yes, like I said, he’s an attorney, and no, I don’t think he’s working with goons. Want my advice?” I didn’t wait for an answer. “If he really wants to go out with you, he’ll probably keep coming in. Get to know him a little while Chris and I figure all of this out. I’ll let you know if he’s legit or not.”

  “Oh, realistically he wouldn’t want to go out with me anyway. I mean, I’m just a waitress.”

  “I was a waitress when I met Chris, and look how things turned out for us. If he decides he’s interested, he won’t care what you do for a living. Besides, waitressing is a good job. There’s nothing wrong with what you do.”

  “Thanks, Mrs. C. I’d better get back to work.”

  “Oh, I told Chris you were having a bad night to make up for you spilling things. If he asks, just tell him you have a raging headache. He’ll accept that.”

  She left the office and I leaned back. I hadn’t really learned anything new, but then she hadn’t heard everything. I hoped Chris would open up to me.

  I returned to the Reservation Desk, glancing at my watch on the way. At least we were nearing closing time. It had been a long couple of days.

  “How much did Gloria tell you?” Chris asked.

  I clenched my jaws rather than letting my mouth drop open.

  “You two were pretty obvious,” he said, closely watching my expression.

  I straightened my shoulders before turning to him.

  “I understand that Sammy doesn’t trust Gabe. Why is that?”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Gloria dropped Sammy’s check off at his table, and when she turned to walk away he touched her arm and said something to her. She smiled and chatted with him while he got out his credit card and handed it to her with the check.

  Chris was watching them, too. “I like Sammy. He seems like an okay guy. If I ever needed a mouthpiece, I’d probably call him. He’s smart.”

  “Too smart to trust his uncle?” I asked.

  “Sammy doesn’t actually know his uncle all that well. He’s helping him because he’s family, and his father asked him to.”

  “If they’re uncle and nephew, why doesn’t he know him well?”

  “Gabe moved to Los Angeles a couple of years ago. Before that he lived in Las Vegas and Sammy only saw him on rare occasions. Now, do you think you could wait until we go home to discuss this?”

  I exaggerated a deep sigh. “I guess I can try.”

  The restaurant finally emptied out and I took care of paperwork before we left.

  Chris talked about his conversation with Sammy during the drive to our house. He didn’t really add anything of consequence to what we already knew.

  It had been another long day and I was ready for sleep. In the back of my mind, I looked forward to the next morning. It might give us a better chance to size up Lefty – or Gabe. I’d almost forgotten about his nickname.

  ~ * ~

  The meeting between Gabe and Meredith had been set for ten o’clock.

  I was up early, out of habit. When I sleepily walked to the back door to let the dogs out, I remembered they were at my in-law’s house, along with Mikey. I was sorely tempted to go back to bed, but I knew it would be futile. Sleep was now long gone.

  Chris was still sleeping, so I took advantage of the moment and took my shower. By the time I was done, my husband was up.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” I said.

  “Must you be so cheerful this early?”

  I knew he’d feel better once he took his shower.

  We had a light breakfast – cereal – because we wanted to meet with Meredith before Gabe showed up. I left the dishes in the sink and we walked over to her house.

  She was waiting for us. She patted her hair and turned in a circle. “Do I look okay? I’m a little nervous about seeing Gabriel after all these years.”

  “You look mahvelous, dahling,” I said.

  “Like a real, live duchess,” Chris added.

  “He’d better be worth it.” Meredith had softened her make-up, wearing less than normal, added a luscious pink lipstick, and she wore what I thought might be her best grey slacks and sweater. They were a little outdated, but she still looked great in the outfit. With her complexion and blonde hair, grey was classy.

  I had to admit that she didn’t look like she was in her mid-eighties. I hoped I looked that good at her age.

  Chris escorted her to the couch and she sat down. “Okay, cookie, how do you want to play this?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are we going to play hardball with Gabe or play it by ear?”

  She casually brushed a nonexistent wrinkle out of her slacks. “I think we should play it by ear. Don’t you?” She glanced up, apparently looking for a reaction from Chris.

  I noticed she’d brought out the box with her belongings in it and set it on the floor next to the couch.

  “Can I make a suggestion?” I asked. “Let’s do more listening than talking. See what he has to say for himself. We’ve learned that his nephew doesn’t know him all that well, so let’s try to learn as much as we can about him.”

  She looked surprised. “His nephew doesn’t know him well?”

  “He’s been in Las Vegas until a couple of years ago. It’s been a lot of years since you last saw him, Meredith. Who knows what he’s like now?”

  “And who knows what he was really like back then?” Chris had a gut feeling about Gabe. I could tell by his tone of voice. “We need to know if he’s a thug or if he’s aces.”

  Our neighbor nodded at my husband.

  “Is he a goon or a – “

  I interrupted. “We get the idea, Bogey Man. Don’t get carried away.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I do that sometimes.”

  Our conversation seemed to put Meredith more at ease. “I like being around you two. There’s never a dull moment. You’re the perfect couple.”

  We looked at each other.

  “She could be right,” I said.

  “You’re the bee’s knees.” Chris winked at me.

  That one made Meredith laugh. “Bee’s knees? I’ll get us some coffee while we wait for Mr. Charming. I hope he’s even half as charming as you are, Chris.”

  I raised my eyebrows.

  Her comments made me feel that she was going to reserve judgment before deciding if Gabe was on the up and up or not.

  I heard a sound out on the street and peeked out the window. A black Mercedes had pulled up and parked.

  Meredith stopped in her tracks, forgetting about the coffee.

  I watched as Sammy helped his uncle out of the car, and I stepped away from the window when they approached the house.

  How was this going to go?

  The doorbell rang and Meredith asked Chris to answer the door
.

  No words were spoken. Gabe entered the house with Sammy behind him. He stood quite still and openly stared at Meredith.

  She stared back, and tears came like a sudden storm.

  “Gabriel.” She spoke softly, brushing those tears away.

  He stepped forward and embraced her.

  She shoved him away and looked up at him. “You sure took your time finding me. I’ve been waiting for you for years.”

  “You hid too well,” he replied, grinning.

  She stepped forward and they hugged again.

  Sammy stood back and watched the little melodrama. There was a look of confusion in his eyes, along with… What? A look of distrust?

  I glanced at Chris, who stood with his arms crossed. I saw distrust in his eyes, too.

  I didn’t know what to think.

  Gabe turned to us. “Mr. and Mrs. Cross. Good to see you again. Thank you for arranging this meeting.”

  Was I imagining things or had his eyes misted over, too?

  “I thought the mob could find anyone.” Chris wasn’t going to give him an inch.

  “I’m not part of the mob. Besides, there are plenty of people who’ve gone into hiding and never been seen again.” Gabe wasn’t going to give my husband an inch, either.

  “Let’s all sit down.” Meredith looked into each of our faces. “We need to talk.”

  Gabe sat next to Meredith on the couch, and Chris immediately sat on her other side.

  What did my husband think he was doing? And why was he so distrustful of Gabe? He wasn’t even giving him a chance to explain himself.

  Gabe reached for Meredith’s hand, but at the last second he held back. “I looked for you. I had to wait for a couple of months before I could break away from Las Vegas, but I looked. I found your cousin. She said she hadn’t heard from you in months. She was pretty convincing. She said the cops had come to talk to her, and she thought you were dead.”

  “Mary never told me that she met you. She told me someone came looking for me, but she never told me it was you.” Meredith looked disappointed. “She should have. It should have been my decision about whether to see you or not.”

  Chris sat forward. “Just for the moment, let’s set aside the past. I want to know if the mob is after Meredith. Do they want to settle a score with her? And, Sammy, were you the person who was hiding out in the vacant house next door?”