“Great, you got some really good shots of the handoff and both of their faces,” Bo revealed.
“Sweet. Now, I already have the badge, so I need a gun that will make me look like a cop.”
“What, you don’t want to take your giant Dirty Harry gun that you claim to have for protection? You don’t want to ask the cop you are working with for a gun? Of course not, that’s why you need a stud like your friend Bo to bail you out. I’m obviously not going to give you a real gun. I couldn’t have that on my conscience. Plus, if you were to go on a rampage, the gun’s in my name. Are you sure this is necessary?” he wanted to be certain.
“I need to find Susan’s killer and bring him to justice. Of course this is necessary.”
“Alright. I’m going to give you a replica pistol that looks similar to the ones the officers on the city force use. You can only flash this at someone to scare them and you better be damn sure they don’t have a real gun or it’s game over. I can’t believe you are doing this. You’re such a badass,” he told her.
I am a badass. I finally have a chance to show everyone, but I can’t tell the one man I want to. I would love for Bo to brag to Trent about how daring I am.
“I’ve always read about defining moments in people’s lives and I think I really understand what they are talking about now. I’ve always had this within me. I just needed a chance to prove I can do anything.”
“Well I’m glad you are confident, but don’t be overconfident. That is the best way to ensure defeat and in the game you are playing, losing doesn’t just mean losing a game. Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Bo offered.
“No. I draw enough attention crawling around that place trying not to be seen by anyone. You and I would be laughing and talking the whole time and I need to be incognito so I thank you for the offer, but I need to go it alone.”
“Well give me a call or text if anything pops up that you can’t handle and I’ll be there in a sec, alright,” Bo promised.
“You got it. Thank you for all the help and support and make sure you don’t tell anyone about this.”
“My lips are sealed and I would never squeal. Snitches end up in ditches round here, you know how it is,” Bo said.
Whitney shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Oh, I know you’re hardcore. I need to use your bathroom to get into my disguise real quick.”
Whitney screamed goodbye to Bo as she secured her wig and walked out the front door.
*****
After a great fourth date, Whitney and Trent went back to his house. She walked up to a nice, ranch-style house and he opened the door for her. She liked his furniture, which appeared to be made of soft leather and when she sat down, the couch felt great. She had fallen hard for Trent and couldn’t stop or even slow down the tsunami of emotions that she felt when they were together.
He sat down next to her and said, “Thanks for another great restaurant recommendation. You’re going to make me fat before too long.”
“Oh, I think that would be impossible. So how are things with the job? Have you made any progress on the Susan Foley murder?”
A troubled look came over Trent’s face and he said, “We’ve made a bit of progress, but nothing major. Whoever did it, didn’t leave a trail of crumbs. We do think we’ll find the killer soon to keep everyone safe.” He paused for a few moments. “Wait, I can’t keep doing this.”
Whitney became scared that she was pushing him away somehow. “What’s wrong? Is it me? What did I do?”
“No, no, it’s not you at all. It’s me. I need to come clean on something with you. I’m not on the local force. I am sort of, well, let me explain. I’m working to try to bring down the entire Dante Crime Family of Pennsburgh. I don’t know if you heard about how all the organized crime syndicates were busted up a few years back in Hendale?” he asked her.
“Yes. I remember reading about it in the national news. They never showed any photos of the team of agents that took them down, but I remember that story.”
“They wanted to protect the identity of the men who took them down. I was the one that went deep cover into the family for three years. I had to do a lot of things I’m not very proud of, but I did them to make the streets safe for everyone. I wanted the little kids playing baseball in the streets to feel safe. You know, jumping rope or playing tag without worry that they were going to be shot by gangsters. That city was reverting back to the lawless days of the twenties and early thirties and I wouldn’t stand for it anymore,” he became fired-up as he got to the end of his statement.
“You are the perfect man.” Whitney leaned over and kissed Trent.
“Hardly. Anyway, I laid low for a few years until I heard about another situation I could be of help with. I heard Pennsburgh was becoming pretty rotten and they called me in to help. The city force didn’t want to take the chance of me being recognized in the city so they sent me out here. I will work on the case from here and travel into the city when necessary. The guest bedroom is full of files about the different crime families of Pennsburgh,” he responded.
“I knew there was more to you than just being on the local force.”
“Well, what about you? I feel like there’s more to you than just a local librarian. What secrets are you hiding?” Trent asked.
Whitney shrugged. “Unfortunately, it’s just boring old me. No good secrets to tell.”
She wasn’t quite ready to tell him about the ghosts that had been helping her. Whitney was scared that Trent would leave her if she told the truth.
“So are you ever going to tell me about your family?”
Trent looked over at her with a glossy look in his eyes and she noticed a buildup of moisture. He spoke emotionally, “Sometime, I’ll be able to talk about it, but not just yet.” The dam did not break and Trent returned to his normal stoic look.
Whitney was turned on by his emotional response and swung her leg over him to straddle his lap. She started kissing him and liked the commanding position of being above her bigger, taller man. His hands were like magic, caressing and sending wonderful electricity throughout her body.
She could feel the heat rising like a wave from her feet to her forehead. She pulled away and fell onto the spot next to him on the couch.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. Just three more dates, ok? I kind of have a seven-date rule. And believe me, it’s not that I don’t want to. I really, really do, but I have rules. Maybe that’s why I’m still single.”
He smiled. “I can respect that. You’re a woman of conviction and I’m just glad no one has realized it yet. I can’t believe it, but it works out well for me.”
She didn’t want to leave and her heart had never felt fuller of love, but she knew if she stayed, she would end up having sex with Trent.
Chapter 7
Whitney found herself in the top row of the Oval Downs again. She spotted the man she was looking for and followed him into the club house. She had noticed a pattern to this gambler’s activity for the past few days.
She tried to stay far enough away so he wouldn’t detect her but also close enough to see his scam in action. The gambler slunk around the crowded betting windows, weaving in and out of people like a conspiring snake. He appeared to zero in on his prey and walked straight toward an extremely drunk man.
The two men collided and both apologized to the other. Both men went on their way and Whitney continued to track the gambler. He walked around the horseshoe-shaped building until he got to a deserted area.
Whitney watched him reach into his pocket and inspect his stolen treasure. She went back to the stands and waited for him to return.
About a half-hour later, the gambler returned to his normal spot in the bleachers. Whitney took a deep breath and went down to sit next to the man.
“May I?”
The man looked up with bloodshot eyes and an unshaven face and smiled. “You sure can, honey.”
She could smell his booze-ridden
breath through his brown teeth as he sucked in air and audibly pushed it back out.
“That’s a nice little trick you’ve got going there, huh?”
Despite the overcast day, the gambler put on his sunglasses. “I shoulda known you wasn’t looking for a date. What do ya want?”
“I just want to talk to the man who has mastered the art of the obvious pickpocket. I like that you find the drunkest person in the room by the way.”
“I’ll say it again, what do you want and why the fuck should I care?” the gambler asked.
“Take a quick peek.” Whitney slid the fake badge out just enough so the man would realize what it was and pushed it back into her pocket.
The man sat up straight and scratched his snow-sprinkled black hair. “You gonna arrest me then?”
“No. Well, maybe. It depends on whether I think you are being truthful. Just a heads-up, I know an awful lot and it would behoove you to tell the truth.”
Behoove? Stop using stupid words that this guy won’t understand.
He looked around and almost whispered, “What is it you’re trying to hear?”
“Tell me everything you know about Susan Foley.”
The gambler looked around several times and spoke in a low tone, “She came here a lot. She came with guys she shouldn’t have been hanging with. Bad guys. They’re not here today or I wouldn’t even be talking to you. She would come in a disguise and I only know her cuz we went to high school together. She was usually on the arm of Benno Dante.”
“Did you just say what I think you said?”
Whitney knew Benno Dante as the godfather of the biggest crime organization in Pennsburgh.
The gambler continued, “Yeah, you heard it right. She spent a lot of that mob money on losing tickets too. Seemed like Benno didn’t mind too much at the start. But toward the end, she started borrowing from other people and Benno had to step in and settle some debts.”
The man paused as a few people walked by to sit in the aisle. He waited until they got far enough away.
He continued, “He gave her son a chance to help out old mommy. The kid was supposed to throw a basketball game that they was going to bet on. For some dumb reason, the kid didn’t throw the game. He got throwed off a third story and I guess they wasn’t as nice with Susan. Shame too, she was quite the piece of ass.”
“Lovely sentiment. I believe that’s what’s written on her head stone too. What else do you know?”
“That’s it, and don’t ask me how I know it. You know, we never went steady or nothing in high school and I’m still available if you was wondering,” the man smiled, exposing his nasty teeth.
Whitney almost laughed in his face. “Yeah, I can believe Susan never dated you. And I can certainly believe you’re single. Thanks for confirming it.”
“Can I be on my way now, kind lady?” he asked, and frowned.
“Sure, get the hell out of here.”
The man groaned as he got up and limped away. Whitney felt powerful even though she carried a fake badge and gun. She assumed the man must’ve had a few prior convictions and didn’t want to go to jail for a long time, but it showed the advantage of having informational leverage over a person.
The sun disappeared behind some of the skyscrapers as Whitney walked to her car. She sat behind the wheel for a while trying to process this new information.
How could Susan Foley be a girlfriend of the mob boss? Did he really have her killed because of the gambling debts? He must have paid that other kid, Daniel Elders, to kill her over the debt. Wait, no, I know he didn’t kill her. Or at least that’s what the ghost said. What is going on here? I have no way of connecting the dots to get to the killer. Should I talk to Trent about this new information?
Dusk had conquered the sky when Whitney came out of her deep thoughts and started driving home. She kept thinking about the case, but thoughts of Trent sneaked in. She started to feel really guilty about doing this behind his back. She loved him even though they hadn’t had sex and worried that if this secret life went any further, he might break up with her.
She passed the Granny Larson Library and pulled up to a red light. She went to turn the music up and a jarring sound filled the air. Gunshots.
Whitney Powers ducked down as a hail of bullets peppered her car. Broken glass spilled onto the back of her neck, but she couldn’t tell if she had been shot. She didn’t feel pain, but for the amount of bullets that had just hit her car, she couldn’t imagine she hadn’t been hit.
The shooting stopped and she heard a car racing away. She still didn’t want to raise her head and put it in direct danger. Her entire body was shaking in terror as she summoned the courage to sit up. She quickly glanced around and didn’t see anyone. The car was still running and Whitney hit the gas and took off for her house. She arrived quickly and ran up to her front door.
REDRUM had been painted in red across the front of her door. She became even more scared and whirled around to check for someone. She didn’t find anyone, but didn’t want to enter her house. She thought the people trying to murder her might be inside.
Whitney pushed the fear away for a minute and decided she had to go into her house. Her hand twitched as she tried to get the key into the handle and deadlock. She fumbled with the locks until she finally opened the door and got inside her dark apartment.
She immediately looked out the windows to see if any cars were driving by or parking outside her house. Her heart raced and even though she didn’t see anyone, she didn’t feel safe.
“Redrum,” a dark voice sounded behind her and a pair of hands grabbed her upper arms.
Whitney screamed and tried to break the hold but the person was extremely powerful and held the grip. She shook around violently and heard a voice laughing. She recognized the laugh.
“Trent? Is that you?” she screamed.
“I got you. I told you I would get you first. You should have never given me your keys,” he said.
He let her go and she ran and turned on the light.
Trent said, “I even parked down the street so that you wouldn’t see my car.”
He stopped as he realized that something was wrong and asked, “What’s going on? What’s all this glass in your hair and on your clothes?”
She moved in and hugged her man and finally felt safe again. “I was driving home and pulled up to a red light at Baker and Hempfield. Before I knew it, bullets were hitting my car and I thought I was going to die.”
“Wait, what? Are you sure they were bullets?” Trent wanted to make sure as he started picking glass out of her hair.
“Come here,” she commanded and took him outside to see her car.
“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding. You know these bullet holes in the back here; they can go through both sides easily. You’re lucky none of them hit the front or you’d be dead. What the hell were you doing that someone would shoot at you for stopping at a red light?” Trent asked.
“I wasn’t doing anything. Maybe it was a misidentification or something, but I’ve never done anything to justify getting shot at.”
Trent started breathing heavily. “Look, you can tell me. Tell me who I have to kill? Just give me a name if this is someone you know. I care about you and if someone is trying to hurt you, I’ll put a permanent stop to it. Just tell me who.”
Whitney knew she was lying to Trent and figured it was time to come clean.
“Let’s go inside and talk.”
Once they were back in the apartment, Whitney said, “Alright, now I need to tell you something. When we were talking about secrets, I may not have been completely upfront with you.”
“You don’t say,” Trent responded as he continued to try to pick the tiny fragments of broken glass from her hair.
“This is going to be very hard for me and I was hesitant to tell you because I’m afraid to lose you. I really don’t want that to happen.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. I just want you to be honest with me. I�
�ll always respect that,” he promised. He stopped picking out the glass and looked her in the eyes.
“We’ll see. Ok, so you know how I told you about the ghosts that visited me when I was twelve. They are back and they’re helping me to solve the murder case of Susan Foley. They seem to have a vested interest in me bringing the murderer to justice and have been giving me clues to help with the case. I know it sounds crazy and you’ll probably want to drive me to the loony bin and have me committed now.”
“Not at all. I think that sounds incredible. But what have you been doing that would get you shot at?” he asked.
“Have you been working on the case?”
“I have. It has the fingerprints of the Dante Crime Organization all over it,” he said.
“Exactly. So I’ve kind of been sleuthing undercover and trying to find out where this goes and I’ve found out some interesting things. However, the more I find out, the more it seems to go straight to the top.”
Trent shook his bright crimson face from side to side. “Damn it, Whitney. You can’t play around with these guys. I know it probably seems fun, but these men are ruthless. When I was undercover, I would fear for my life every time I got into the back seat of one of their cars. I knew what they were capable of, you don’t.” His tone got angrier toward the end.
“You’ve met my father right? Well he’s the only man who has the right to tell me what to do. I don’t have to listen to him, but he’s the only man who has that right.”
Whitney was steaming mad. She had just been shot at and now chastised like a child by her boyfriend.
“Alright, wait a second. I might be overreacting a bit, but you need to know it’s all out of love. Maybe we should just calm down a bit,” Trent suggested.
Whitney took a deep breath and realized he was right. “I know, I know. I’ve just had a weird day and I really don’t like being told what to do. You might want to tuck that away in one of your secret notebooks. Can we just talk about the case, please?”
Trent nodded and seemed to calm down even though the bulging veins of his forearms would suggest otherwise. “We know that the boss ordered the murder, we just can’t prove it yet. I understand and respect what you are doing, but I’m not sure you understand these kind of people. They don’t care about life. They don’t care that you are the most beautiful creature to ever walk the earth. They will kill you without even spilling their coffee and then go on to eat a donut. I respect that you are trying to solve this for your friend and the ghosts, but I think you should leave this to the pros. And if not, then at least stay out of danger,” he warned.
Whispers From Another World: Whintey Powers Paranormal Adventure #1 (Whitney Powers Paranormal Adventures) Page 6
