Promised Box Set

by James Kipling

  “Oh,” she said, and she dropped her gaze. “So is she—well, you know, dead?”

  “I don’t know. I sent someone for her, but I don’t know if they were successful or not.”

  They were silent for a while and Nancy spoke. “Do you love her?”

  David was taken aback, and he shook his head. “She and I are close, but not in the way you may think. Emily is a wonderful woman, but she and I would never work out.”

  “You do realize that you admitted you love her, right?”

  He shook his head, “I never said those words.”

  “David, I may not be in the best mind frame at the moment, but you obviously have feelings for her, so why would you choose to save me instead of her?”

  “I love you, Nancy, and I knew that Emily would be fine.”

  “You have never been good at lying about how you feel. I appreciate you, David, but after all of this, I am going to need time away from you for a while.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we both need time to think about everything. Give it a couple of weeks.”

  “And what will we be doing in the meantime?”

  Nancy turned on the radio and David glanced at her. He did not like her terms, but he knew that she was right. There was a lot going through his mind, and he was not too sure how to go about any of it.

  ###

  Emily had passed out, but she was not certain long she had been out for. She could hear the sounds of a heart monitor, and even before her eyes were open, she could feel the brightness of the lights above. Being in the hospital was not how she had planned all of this out, and she finally opened her eyes.

  Sleeping in one of the chairs was Tom, and she wondered how he had known where she was. She wanted to know how he got to her. Where was David? She had so many questions and wasn’t sure any of them would actually be answered, and she noticed Tom stirring.

  As he woke, she saw the smile on his face. “How are you doing?”

  “Better than I was a few hours ago, and what about yourself?”

  “I am just elated to see that you are awake.”

  Sitting up in bed, she felt a pain shoot up from her wrist, and she cursed under her breath. Tom got up from where he was sitting, and as he walked over towards her, he took her hand in his.

  “Tom, there are so many things I want to know.”

  “Like what?”

  “How did you know where I was?”

  Tom took in a deep breath, and it seemed as if he did not want to tell her anything, but he finally found his voice.

  “David was in his office, and he received information that you and that Nancy chick were being held. He was told that he could only save one of you, but he did not like that answer, so he went to me, and he asked me to go to your place to find you.”

  Emily did not know how to feel. David chose Nancy over her. She looked at Tom. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

  He smiled warmly at her and kissed her forehead. “It is something I would do again, I assure you.”

  Staying with him for a while, her mind was spinning with everything that was happening. She knew who was behind this, and all she needed was proof. She saw someone walk into her room. He looked like hell, and she saw the blood he was covered in.

  “David, are you alright?”

  He nodded, “You should see the other guy.”

  Staying mad at David was near to impossible, and she watched him look at Tom. “I just want to say thank you for helping me. I have no idea what I would have done without you.”

  He nodded, and Emily looked to the both of them. “Could I speak with David in private for a minute?”

  Tom nodded, and he got up and walked away. David shut the door behind him, and they shared a moment together.

  “Emily, I am so sorry for everything that has happened.”

  “Do you mean choosing Nancy over me? I should have suspected just as much.”

  “Look, I knew that Tom knew how to get to you, and I did not know anyone who could get to Nancy. I am very sorry it worked out that way, but I didn’t want either of you to die.”

  “Is that all you have to say?”

  “No, it is not,” he said slowly. “I know that the Gemangini family is behind this, but I don’t know how we are going to prove it.”

  “Well, that is something we can do tomorrow afternoon when I feel more like a human.”

  David took in a deep breath and nodded. He thought of telling her about his feelings. It was something that Nancy had picked up on, and he spoke. “There is something else I want to tell you as well.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “I really care about you, Emily.”

  “You haven’t proven that,” she said harshly. David wondered why she couldn’t understand why he did what he did, but he wasn’t going to press it any further.

  “Look, I know you need your space, and I am going to give it to you. When you want to talk, you know where to find me.”

  As he was walking away, he was hoping that Emily would stop him and say something else, but she didn’t. He knew that there was nothing else he would be able to do at this point but wait for her to come to him. The thing about it, though, was that he did not want to wait.

  Chapter 19

  She had found out more than what she was bargaining for at the cemetery. James had documented everything there was and more, and she could not believe what she was reading. He had compiled enough evidence to free Carlisle Castro and to convict William Gemangini. Everything she was reading was pointing to him, and she could not believe it. Her father was innocent, and Gemangini had framed him for something he had not done.

  Wiping the tears from her eyes, she let this news sink in. She had wrongly accused her father. She had been manipulated by a family she had grown up knowing, and now she knew she had been betrayed. As she read through everything and put it all neatly back together, she knew without a doubt that James was dead. If he had been right about everything, he would have been killed. Her James was gone, and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.

  Taking a moment to regain control, she knew where she needed to go first. It was to the only person she knew she could trust, but she could no longer take this car. It would be safer that way. Taking in a deep breath, she wanted to call Marissa, but she doubted she could trust her sister. It was not that she had any hard evidence of this, but it was just a very strong feeling.

  Taking out her cell phone, she called the office, and much to her surprise, the phone was answered. “David Orlando,” he said. She could hear the exhaustion in his voice.

  “Mr. Orlando, this is Olivia Shapiro, and I have found some evidence that would exonerate Carlisle Castro. Where would you like to meet?”

  He was silent on the other end, and he finally spoke, “How about we meet at the library on 7th Street?”

  “Alright. I can be there in about three hours.”

  “That is fine,” he said. “I look forward to seeing you there.”

  Disconnecting the line, she started the car. She was going to drive into town, dump her vehicle, and take a cab the rest of the way. Everything around her was beginning to feel surreal, and she did not know how to react.

  ###

  He was sitting in the police station and doing his own report. Of course, they all looked at him as if he was insane, but there was one of them that seemed to want to help. He was processing everything on his clothing, and it seemed he had a thousand different questions. David looked up at him.

  “Is there something on your mind, Detective Dawson?”

  “You are the private investigator who was looking into Shapiro’s disappearance, aren’t you?”

  David nodded. “Yeah, we have not found anything to lead us to him, though.”

  “It is about that family isn’t it? The family that put Castro away?”

  “How do you know that?”

  Detective Dawson looked over his sh
oulder and he sighed. “I was buddies with James, and he told me everything. He trusted me, and he told me to keep what he was doing secret. If anyone found out what he was doing, it would kill him, and I feel like that is what happened.”

  “How come no one here is doing anything about his disappearance?”

  “Because he told everyone he was going to be taking time off. That he needed to be left alone, and that if it looked as if he had disappeared not to worry, because he needed it to be that way.”

  “And why do you think something is wrong?”

  “James would never have left Olivia alone. Besides, the way he spoke sounded scripted.”

  “Do you think that the person I— you know— killed would be able to help make a case against the Gemangini family?”

  “If what James thought about them was right, we probably won’t be able to trace anything back. This guy, and probably everyone else working for him, are ghosts. That is the thing about these mobsters. They are smart.”

  “The good guys always triumph.”

  Detective Dawson shook his head. “That is fiction. If you have been around crime as long as I have been, you would know that the smart ones walk and live to do it all over again.”

  David shook his head. He did not want to believe something like that was possible, and he looked back up to him. “If you were working this alone, how would you proceed?”

  “If that sonofabitch had done what he did to you to my family, he would not be breathing.”

  “I can’t just go kill a man because he is a bastard.”

  “Then, what I would do is hit him where it hurts. Every person has a weakness.”

  “Unless they are sociopaths!”

  “There’s got to be something, and I am sure you’ll be able to find it.”

  “Will you guys be launching your own investigation?”

  He snorted. “No. They think this is a closed case and that this incident has nothing to do with what had happened. Besides, even if they didn’t think that, we do not have any jurisdiction over the matter anyway. The crimes never took place here in Primer.”

  “Of course.”

  “We are done here,” he said finally. “If anything comes up, I’ll sure let you know.”

  “Thank you, it means a lot.”

  Getting up, he was thankful he had brought a pair of clothes to change into. He knew that they would have more questions once they went to the institution to find his body, if it was even still there. David did not like what was going on around him, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure the real people behind this would be put in prison where they belonged.

  ###

  Several hours had passed, and he was waiting in the library for Olivia to show up. He now had news that would surely crush Olivia. Despite her having evidence that would be used to exonerate the very man she had sent to prison, it would not do much good. As David sat there, he was not sure how he was going to break the news to her. He was not even sure why she had changed her mind—there had to have been something crucial to make her change her mind on Castro.

  Looking to the few faces that had made their way in here, he wondered what was on their minds. Each person had something different going on in their lives, and it was interesting to think of it. He would never be able to look at each person and see the world as they do, but it was something he had wanted to explore.

  Finally he saw that Olivia had entered the library, and she too looked to have had little sleep. The way she walked, it seemed as though she was paranoid, and he wondered what was happening. She took a seat, and she put the briefcase on the table. She was clutching it firmly, and it was obvious she did not want to let it go.

  “Olivia, is there something wrong?”

  Her eyes met his, and she nodded. “I was wrong about Castro killing my mother. All of the evidence was superficial and I—I cannot believe that James would hide something like this from me. Why would he keep it a secret from me?”

  “He probably did not want to lose you,” David said. He was itching to see what was inside the briefcase.

  There were tears forming in her eyes, and she finally relinquished her grasp on the case. “I am more than positive that James is dead,” she said softly. “And I do not think I can trust my sister any longer. If she comes to you seeking information or fishing for something, please do not divulge anything.”

  “Mrs. Shapiro, all of this is safe with me. I can assure you that much.”

  “I will go now, then.”

  “Wouldn’t you want to be taken into protective custody?”

  “No. I will actually be arranging to see him—my father.”

  David looked away from her, and he shook his head. He knew that Castro was not her biological father. That was what Jason Geerdes had told them, and he also knew that she would be crushed with the news. Did he really have to tell her the entire truth?

  “You will not be able to see Carlisle Castro,” he said. “He was found in his cell block, dead.”

  A wave of emotions swept over her, and he wondered what she would say, but she was speechless. David knew he was obligated to tell her the truth. She needed to know all of it.

  “Another thing,” he said slowly. He was attempting to find the words that would sound best, but there was no way to make it sound any better. “Carlisle Castro was not your father. Your mother was sleeping with William when she got pregnant with you. Only Marissa is his child.”

  Olivia had a crooked smile on her face and David wondered if she would either break down in tears or start burning down everything around her. She finally nodded. “Of course, because there is no way for this to get any more twisted than it already is. Um, so, do you know if he knows?”

  “William?”

  She nodded.

  “Yes, he knows, or at least that is something we have been told.”

  “I am going to have to leave you for now,” she said slowly. “I will be calling tomorrow to see what steps we need to take.”

  David nodded, and he watched as she got up and began to walk away. He was not quite sure how to process everything, but he knew where he needed to go next. It was the one place in the world that had ever made complete sense to him.

  Chapter 20

  Emily was now in her home, and she was disgusted with what she saw. The home she had grown up in had been mutilated. All of the windows had been broken, and all of the shutters pulled off. Some of the siding was missing, and her front door was broken down. This had been one of the only places in the world she had felt safe. This had been her fortress, and now it was tainted.

  Tom was standing next to her, and he too seemed appalled by what he saw. He took a step in front of her and turned to look at her. “Emily, I think that it would be better if you were to stay with me. Especially since this has happened.”

  Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, and she nodded. “If it is not too much to ask.”

  “No, of course it is not too much. Besides, I know you would have done the same for me.”

  Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed gently and nodded. She had spoken with him often, and had gotten to know him rather well. He was a wonderful person, and she was thankful to have him.

  ###

  He was sitting in the corner booth, rummaging through everything that Olivia had provided him. James had been very thorough in his investigation, and he too began to agree with Olivia. If they had found out that he was launching an investigation and that he was getting close, they would have killed him. That was something he understood most certainly, and he was curious to know why she was convinced her sister had something to do with it.

  As he was reading through all of the test results, he realized that all of the evidence they had that Castro had been at each of these places was obviously planted. Not all of it made sense, and he wondered why this was able to hold up in court. It was very possible that they had paid the jury or otherwise had turned thi
ngs in their favor. Whatever it was, he knew that it would be an uphill battle when they dragged this into the light.

  He saw information about Natalie Granger. She had no connection to the Gemangini family at all. This young woman had never crossed paths with them either, and he was beginning to wonder if the way she had died was similar but not connected. However, as he continued to read over everything that James had found, he realized that Natalie was the mouthpiece that he needed to get all of this out into the open.

  Natalie Granger had been a journalist who was reporting on closed cases that others believed were fixed. James had approached her, and she, of course, had accepted. The work she had been doing had never been published—due to the fact that everything in her office had been cleaned out. Everything was missing and her body had shown up shortly after that. The reason Miss. Granger had such a fascination with closed cases and the wrongly accused, was because her uncle had been wrongfully convicted as well, and her investigation had proved it. Her uncle had been killed in a car accident several weeks after his release.

  David was startled when Sal came over with his food and milkshake. “Your father will be right out to speak with you.”

  He shook his head. “I did not request him.”

  Sal seemed to know something was wrong, and he shrugged. “Your father seems to think that there is something on your mind. If you ask me, he is right.”

  Nodding, he knew that by coming here he was opening this line of questioning, and no, it was not a bad thing. This was just the only place that he felt comfortable. This was the single place he could always come back to and know that he would be able to leave with a full stomach and a clear head.

  Closing all of the files, he placed them neatly in the briefcase. He was confident that with all of this, he would be able to clear Castro’s name. The only thing he would not be able to do is prove that William Gemangini was the killer of all of these women.

  Eating a fry absentmindedly, he saw his father approaching. He was drying his hands on his apron. He eased into the booth, and he was looking at his son. “Word spreads fast, especially in a small town like this one.”