“A jury only heard about how he was connected to those three women, but he would never kill them. You know deep down he was not that kind of man. You know that Gemangini did it, and you are ignoring it because you’ve been blinded!”
Marissa watched as Isaac struck him across the face with the butt of his gun. She watched as fresh blood started to trickle down his temple. She looked to Isaac and it only took a second for him to turn the gun around. She heard as he pulled the trigger. She stood there stunned. She was not done questioning him. She looked at Issac.
“Issac, you wanted to know how much he knew.”
“Yes, and now I know. Now it’s time for me to find everything and destroy it.”
“Why,” she asked quizzically. “He thinks your father is the man responsible, and we both know he isn’t. You have proof it was Castro the entire time. The man who supposedly loved my mother had all of them killed.”
Isaac shook his head. “You’ve never doubted me,” he said. “Don’t start doubting me now. I know why he’s trying to exonerate Castro, and he is willing to falsify evidence in order to do it. Please Marissa, will you help me find his evidence?”
Marissa looked over towards the now dead body of his sister’s husband. She then turned back to Isaac. He had been a friend to her and her sister ever since they were in grade school. She trusted him and had gotten to know his family. Gemangini treated her as if she was part of his family, and she had loved that. It was something she’d always wanted—a father. Her uncle knew them, but her mother had always been leery, but her mother never liked anyone. She died like those other women, because she was going to speak out about the crimes that Castro, her biological father, had committed. She remembered how he had attempted to speak to her and her sister, and they refused to talk to him. She took Isaac’s hand and walked out with him, leaving James’ body behind.
“I will help you with everything,” she said, as the door closed behind them. She wondered when someone would find his body, and how Olivia would feel when she found out he was dead. Her sister would get over him… he wasn’t good for her. He had betrayed her, after all. All Marissa had done was protect her big sister from someone was going to hurt her. Olivia would thank her one day.
###
Emily was standing not too far away from him in a beautiful red dress. Her hair was braided back and she looked as if she were an angel. She was walking barefoot through a meadow and he was laying there in the grass. He couldn’t have been more at peace with the world. Emily walked towards him, but then she stopped and looked up to the sky with horror.
David followed her gaze and saw a slick black raven flying overhead after her. She was frozen there in horror as it approached her. He felt the ground underneath him tremble. He watched as a crack made its way towards where she was standing, and he watched, terrified, as the earth pulled itself apart. He wanted to get up, to run towards her and save her from being swallowed into the ground, but he couldn’t move.
“Emily,” he heard himself scream. “Emily!”
But it was as if she couldn’t hear him. He watched as she fell and the raven circled over where she had been standing. He still could not move. The sky above him turned black and everything began to disappear.
Shooting up from that nightmare, he realized he was drenched with his own sweat. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was unsure what was going on. Emily wasn’t with him, no, she was at her own place, and he couldn’t help but feel concerned. He got to his feet and was looking for his cell phone. He never used the damn thing and he wasn’t too sure where he had put it.
As he was looking for his phone, he realized he was becoming desperate and he froze when he heard a knock at his door. Peering through the peep hole, he saw that Emily was standing there.
Swinging open the door he was relieved to see her. She looked at him in surprise. It was as if she wasn’t expecting to see him.
“David,” she said, as she walked in. “Are you alright?”
“Um, yeah, why?”
He shut the door behind them and turned towards her. “Because you look as if you’ve seen a ghost. Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes, of course,” he said. He was beginning to relax more now that she was standing in front of him. She was alive and well. It was just a dream and it meant nothing. That was what he kept thinking, but he couldn’t help feeling as though something was wrong and it just hadn’t happened yet.
“I just wanted to come by since we’re going to be leaving here shortly. I wanted to make sure you were still doing alright.”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I be alright?”
“Because I know you don’t like heights. You don’t even like being on the fourteenth floor, so flying would most likely be a worse experience for you.”
He nodded. He didn’t realize that she had observed so much, about him and he smiled. She knew him very well, and he couldn’t help but feel secure with her. It was as if they were in sync and he wasn’t too sure how this all worked. He wondered if she felt the same way.
“I will manage. We are doing this so we can find answers after all.”
Emily smiled and nodded. “Yes. This is what you’ve been wanting this entire time, is it not?”
“It is,” he admitted. “It’s a lot more work than those divorce cases though.”
He watched as she smiled at him. Her mouth was perfect and her smile had always been stunning. She took a step closer to him and he felt as if he couldn’t breathe. He heard yet another knock on his door. He didn’t want to end this moment with Emily, but he finally stepped away from her and went to the door.
Pulling it open, he saw Nancy standing there. She looked stunning as well and she brushed past him and stepped inside. She stopped, “Why is she here?”
“I was about to ask you the same question,” David said as he shut the door. “Emily and I are going to Boston to follow up with someone who may have information on a case. She was just stopping by to make sure I was getting ready.”
Nancy eyed him, and he was aware she was noticing him wearing only a tank top and a pair of sweat-pants, and that he was covered in sweat. “Would I be able to speak to you in private?”
David looked over towards Emily and she motioned as if it was alright, but he knew she was uncomfortable with his new visitor. David led Nancy to his room, shut the door behind him and locked it.
“What the hell Nancy, what are you doing here?”
“You’ve been avoiding my phone calls. I’ve been wanting to see you.”
“I’ve been busy. I told you I would call you when I had the time, and right now I don’t have time. This case is involved and I have a lot of people to talk to about this situation.”
She rolled her eyes. “And why is that bitch here? I thought she was just your assistant.”
“When I originally hired her, yes. But she is really good at investigating, and she has helped me uncover a few things. I need her help.”
“No, you want her help, there is a big difference. I mean are you seriously going to stand here and tell me you don’t notice she has feelings for you?”
“We just work together,” he said. “Look you should not be jealous, alright. Besides even if that were the case, it would be wrong for me to be with her since we work together.”
“David, this country doesn’t work like that. People don’t have ethics anymore and that’s why we have all these scandals.”
“Nancy, there is nothing going on between me and Emily. I will admit she is attractive, but there is nothing going on. And you should not be jealous, anyway.”
“Is that so,” she said, as she wrapped her arms over her chest. “And why is that?”
“We are not in a relationship. What we had was a fling. You want to have sex or I do and we do it. There is nothing more.”
“There could be,” she said. “And you are choosing not to because your heart belongs to someone else.”
There was nothing he could say and he didn’t want to argue. Nancy took a step closer to him. “We can be together,” she said, as she was unbuttoning her trench coat. He realized she was wearing a revealing bra underneath. “It’s your choice.”
He couldn’t help but want to put her in his bed. Her lips met his as she took his hand and was guiding him to her breasts. He heard as the coat fell to the floor and he wanted her. Nancy was right, they could be together. Emily was beautiful and smart, but he knew they would never work out.
David pushed Nancy away, and she looked as if he had slapped her. He took a step closer and whispered. “I have to catch a plane, but when I get back we can start where we left off.”
“Or we can finish now.”
He watched as she unclasped the front of her bra and they fell in bed together.
###
They were boarding the plane and Emily had not spoken a word to him. It was as if she was angry with him, and he was not too sure why. Maybe it was because he made them run a little late, which was not his fault. Had Nancy not shown up he would have left on time, but she was there. He realized he could have easily said no to her, but he hadn’t. He looked to Emily, but she refused to return his gaze.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No,” she said. He realized that it seemed she was struggling to breathe. He looked at her and wondered if there was something else wrong.
“Emily, you don’t look so good.”
“Thanks,” she smiled. “I just don’t like being cramped in with a lot of people. I get really anxious.”
He understood. She was claustrophobic and he realized she was facing one of her fears, just as he was with his own. He took his seat beside her and they were silent for a moment.
“Do you need me to do anything to make you more comfortable?”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “I have my own way of coping with it,” she said, as she pulled out an MP3 Player. He nodded. Music seemed to be the remedy to all of her issues. She zoned out, and he pulled out his files and he began to read over everything again. It was good to review everything multiple times in different ways, because there was always something that may have been missed.
Chapter 11
They were being escorted up a flight of stairs by Mrs. Geerdes. Her long black hair was in a wave of curls and she was glowing. David could tell she was only a few months pregnant. When they had finally made it to the second floor, she turned to them and spoke, “My husband is a very busy man, and it is surprising he even agreed to meet with you. Especially with this topic.”
Emily smiled slightly. “Would it be alright if I stayed out here with you? I am just his assistant, and I’m only here for reservations and such.”
Mrs. Geerdes returned the smile and she agreed, as they thought she would. She walked over to the first door on the left and knocked on it three times before entering. “David Orlando is here to speak with you.”
David didn’t hear anything, but he was motioned to go inside. He glanced over his shoulder at Emily and she walked away with Mrs. Geerdes. He stepped into the office and saw Jason sitting there reading over a few sheets of paper.
“Please sit down,” he said, and David found a seat. It was not as comfortable as his chairs, but he doubted people came to Jason’s home office very often. Who knew what type of business he was really running anyhow, but anyone that walked through those doors were most likely known criminals, or those who were too good at what they did to ever get caught.
“David Richard Orlando,” he said, without even looking up from his files. “You are different than most people that want to ask me questions. You are not a cop, and yet here you are wanting to know so much about Carlisle Castro. I do think it’s odd you have taken an interest in this. Especially seeing as you live in another state all together.”
“It is a very interesting case,” he began.
“I do agree with you, but it still makes me wonder why someone is just now wanting to investigate what happened. Especially after he’d already been proven guilty.”
“Well,” David said, as he adjusted in his chair. “There has been another murder in my town. Her name is Natalie Granger, and she died the same exact way that the other three women died. I was looking to see if there was any way there could be a connection.”
“Mr. Orlando, I can assure you that the killer is behind bars.”
“Why do you think your friend was responsible for these deaths?”
He watched as Jason hesitated for a moment. “Carlisle Castro was a good man, but that is just how he looked. If anyone knew his family, they could tell you otherwise. He didn’t come from good people, and being as successful as he was made it so he could, you know, do things without worrying about the consequences.”
“There was never a record on Carlisle Castro before those girls were murdered, how can you explain that?”
Jason leaned back in his chair, “He was good at not getting caught. There were things we used to do together, and neither of us got caught doing it.”
“Would you mind giving me an example?”
“As a matter of fact I do. You see, I am successful now myself. I have a gorgeous wife and a child on the way, and I’m not going to start telling you the sort of things I did as a kid. They are irrelevant now.”
“I do understand,” he began. “So how do you feel about being a father?”
“Well, I have never had a child before.”
“I thought you had a son. Wasn’t his name Emilio?”
Jason shook his head. “You are misinformed. I have no idea who you are speaking of.”
“Kathleen Winters had your son, and his name was Emilio, was it not?”
“My relationship with Kathleen was not exactly traditional, and we were not in a serious relationship. We would sleep together and that was it. There was nothing more to our relationship than that.”
“And why would you suspect that you were not the father?”
“Because Kathleen was a slut,” he said with distaste. “There was never any proof I was the father of Emilio, and truthfully I wouldn’t have wanted to be his father. I am happy now to be having a child with a woman who is actually faithful.”
“So, are you telling me you personally had no motive to kill Kathleen?”
“I had absolutely no motive to kill her. There was nothing about her worth going to prison for.”
“Then would you mind telling me why Carlisle Castro was the one who would kill her if she wasn’t worth it?”
Jason moved his chair so he could be closer to his desk and shook his head. “I didn’t suspect him of anything. He was not that type of person. Yes, we did some things I hope to God my child never does, but he was not a killer. However, I was wrong. They found evidence that he was there when Kathleen died. Hell, they even proved he had motive to kill her.”
“Did he actually have motive, or do you just think he did?”
Jason shrugged, and for a moment it seemed as if he was actually deep in thought. “Look, Carlisle did have motive—not just for killing Kathleen, but he also had motive to kill Lorraine and Daniella as well, but everyone had more motive than he did.”
“Would you mind telling me what motive he had to kill all three of them?”
“I didn’t even tell the cops that, so why the hell should I tell you?”
“Because I am not the cops, and it’s as simple as that. I’m here because I was asked to investigate this for someone, and that is what I’m doing. There is nothing more to it than that.”
“Can you assure me that nothing I tell you will backfire on me?”
David nodded, “I promise you that. All I need is this information, and you are the only one who can provide it.”
He nodded. “Alright, I will tell you, but this all starts with Daniella. She and Castro were neighbors back in the day. I knew her, too. In fact, all of us neighbors knew one another. All of us were around the same age. I was the
oldest out of all of them. Anyways, it was Daniella, and her brother Robert, along with William and Alicia Gemangini. We were all in high school when Castro and Daniella started dating. They were serious for one another, but they broke it off the first time. Daniella and Robert’s mother died suddenly. She was found murdered in their home, but no one knew what had happened to her. It was later discovered that someone had broken into the residence, and they were apparently searching for something. She had come home and they killed her. It was a gunshot to the chest.
“At that time, Daniella was only seventeen and Robert was nineteen. They were living with the Gemangini family. Daniella started to have a relationship with William. Carlisle wasn’t too thrilled when he found out, but he was leaving the state and going to Jersey to be with his Uncle Lenny. Then we all learned that Daniella was pregnant, but she had a miscarriage, or that is how the story goes.
“Anyways, during all of this was when Robert was first arrested, and he has been pretty much in and out of jail ever since. Carlisle met Lorraine, and he got her pregnant with twins. They had a daughter, Felicia, and a son they named Wyatt. Lorraine refused to marry him, and that was a big disappointment to him, but he respected her wishes. She moved from Jersey up to Maine and opened up her own business. From there, Castro moved back here after his uncle passed away. He took his inheritance and opened Castro Industries. He and Daniella were on speaking terms again by then, and she got knocked up with Teresa, but the only thing about it was that Teresa was not his daughter. William is her actual father, but no one other than Alicia knew, and she was the one who told me. The thought was that maybe Castro found out about it, but I don’t think he would have killed her all of those years later to be honest, and then three years later was when Daniella had his daughter, Samantha.”
“What made Castro and Daniella separate again?”
“Daniella would not leave the Gemangini family alone. She continued to associate herself with them, even though they were tied in with the mob. I have always believed she had stayed because of her brother, but Castro was not going to have anything to do with it, so he left. He told her he was not going to be part of their lives, and I think he mostly said that in the hopes of making her rethink everything, but that didn’t work.”
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