Lakeview Vendetta: A Gripping Vigilante Justice Thriller

by KJ Kalis

  The nurse nodded. “Okay, I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes. The doctor should be in to see you again shortly.”

  Emily followed the nurse out of the room before she talked to Marlowe. “Excuse me,” Emily said.

  “Yes?” the nurse turned.

  “Can you tell me how she’s doing? Marlowe, that is.”

  The nurse shook her head. “Honestly, I shouldn’t be talking to you. You know, the privacy laws and all that, but since she said she knows you...” The young woman sighed, leaning all of her weight on one hip, dropping the tablet in her hand down to her side. “I’ve never seen a case like this, and I’ve been a nurse for eight years. It’s bad enough to come in being pregnant after a rape, but then to lose the baby and then have the rapist come in and try to kill you while you’re in the hospital, well, that’s a new one.”

  “So, she told you everything?”

  The nurse nodded.

  Emily chewed her lip, “Will she recover?” Emily wanted to know not only for herself, but she was sure that Angelica would be texting her for an update soon.

  “Physically? Yes,” the nurse said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Mentally? I’m not sure.” She glanced back at the door to Marlowe’s room. “Her gynecologist called in a consult from psychiatry. There’ve been some whispers about putting her on the secure ward for a couple of days to let her rest.”

  Emily knew from her days with the Chicago Police Department that the hospital had a right to pink slip someone into the psychiatric department on a forty-eight-hour hold. A lot of times, people who were schizophrenic or bipolar and went off their medication and needed some help to get back on track before they hurt themselves or someone else would be pink-slipped. Emily thought for a minute. Putting Marlowe in the psych unit for a day or two probably wasn’t the worst idea she’d heard. It would give her a chance to get some intensive counseling and make sure she was stable enough to leave the hospital and wouldn’t harm herself or someone else. “That makes sense,” Emily said. “Thanks for your help.”

  The nurse walked away and then turned back, “By the way, how do you know Marlowe?”

  By the look on the nurse’s face, Emily could tell she was a little suspicious. The nurse had every right to be given what Marlowe had been through. “I’m helping her with her business affairs,” Emily said, trying to figure out what to say.

  “Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” the nurse said, nodding.

  Emily watched for a second as the nurse walked away and disappeared around the corner, the rubber soles of her tennis shoes squeaking on the high-gloss linoleum floor of the hospital. When the nurse was out of sight, Emily pushed the door open to Marlowe’s room.

  Marlowe was turned away from the door, facing the small window on the outside wall of the hospital. The blinds had been pulled open, the late fall sun creating a puddle of light on the floor by the foot of Marlowe’s bed. “It looks like a nice day outside. Is it?” Marlowe croaked.

  “It’s not bad out. There’s supposed to be some rain later.” Emily sat down in the chair next to Marlowe’s bed but didn’t say anything. She folded her hands in her lap and waited. It was a skill she’d learned working on active cases. Detectives that barged in to talk to a victim, demanding answers, rarely got the information they wanted. A couple of minutes of quiet didn’t take that long, especially if it resulted in better information.

  After a minute or two of silence, Marlowe turned toward Emily. Her eyes were bloodshot and her lips pale. “He was here, Emily. He tried to smother me with the pillow.”

  It was at that moment Emily realized Marlowe wasn’t resting her head on a pillow. She was just leaning against the back of the bed. If Marlowe asked the nurse to remove the pillow because of what happened, Emily wouldn’t blame her, “Can you start from the beginning?”

  Marlowe cleared her throat. “It all happened so fast. I was sound asleep, and I felt someone poking me in the arm.” Marlowe tried to sit up in bed a bit. “I’m on painkillers and a couple of other medicines because of the miscarriage and hysterectomy. They make me groggy.”

  “That’s okay. Just tell me what you remember.” For a second, Emily wondered if she sounded too much like a detective.

  “When I woke up, Vince was leaning over me asking me why I was in the hospital and why I was still in the city. It took a minute to clear my mind, but then I told him about the pregnancy and the miscarriage. It was strange. He looked like he didn’t remember at all. He got this blank, faraway look on his face and then he got pale. Just the look on his face was scary, so I reached for the call button for the nurse. Just as I did, he pulled the pillow out from behind my head and stuffed it over my face.”

  The words stopped. Emily waited for a moment, knowing that it was probably just Marlowe trying to process what had happened to her. “Can you tell me what else you remember?”

  Marlowe looked towards the window for a moment and then looked back at Emily. “I don’t remember much more. I remember feeling like I was choking. I was terrified. Then everything went black. When I woke up, the nurse and a security guard were standing over me. The nurse said they nearly lost me. I guess when the nurse came in the room, Vince ran out.”

  “Did they call the police?” It might have seemed like an obvious question, but Emily wasn’t sure how far the case had gone.

  Marlowe pressed her lips together. “I guess so. I’m not sure. It all happened so fast. The doctor came in a little while ago to check me out. She said they’re going to have a doctor from psychiatry come and talk to me to make sure I’m okay. Nobody said anything about the police, but the security guy was here.” She paused, “I don’t know.”

  Emily stared at the floor for a minute. If officers arrived, that would complicate things. A clock started ticking in her mind. Time was running out. If any detectives showed up, Emily knew she’d have to make a quick exit. Her stomach tightened. Marlowe needed justice and if she waited for the legal system to run its course, Vince would likely see all of his days still a free man. There was something very wrong about that in Emily’s mind.

  Neither of them said anything for a moment. The last thing Emily wanted to do was be found in Marlowe’s room if a team of detectives arrived. Emily’s throat tightened. She was trying to stay under the radar, but nothing about this case made it easy for her. When Emily looked up, Marlowe was staring at her, her eyes watery and still bloodshot. Emily knew the broken capillaries in her eyes were from lack of oxygen. Marlowe had managed to save her own life by pressing the call button, apparently just in time. At least there was that. “You are still going to take care of this, right?” Marlowe whispered.

  Emily stood up and nodded, “Yes.” Without saying anything more, Emily got up and stood in the doorway for a moment, pushing the door aside. Coming down the hall, she saw two detectives, their badges swinging around their necks. Emily put her head down and stepped out of the room, heading in the opposite direction and circling back around to the elevators. She hoped the two detectives were so busy talking to each other they hadn’t noticed her leaving Marlowe’s room.

  Back at her truck, Emily sent a text to Angelica. “Marlowe’s still in the hospital. May need psych unit. Vince tried to kill her last night.”

  “Che?!?” was the text Emily got back within a few seconds, the Italian word for “what.”

  As much as Emily knew Angelica would want details, it wasn’t the right time. Emily needed to focus. Questions ran through her mind. Where was Vince now? What was he planning? Had he given up on Marlowe or was he lying in wait for her to be released from the hospital? Emily had the eerie feeling that unless Vince was eliminated, he’d be a constant threat for Marlowe if she decided to stay in Chicago. Emily thought Marlowe would have a better chance of survival if she moved and started her life over again, but no one should be forced to make that decision, not especially someone like Marlowe who had been through so much.

  Lost in thought, Emily had forgotten about Angelica
’s text. Her phone rang a second later. “Please tell me you were kidding about Marlowe,” Angelica said, offering no hello.

  “I wish I was.”

  “Is she okay? I mean, do you have any details about what happened?”

  Emily spun the wheel, passing Sammy’s Butcher Shop. As usual, she could see Carl behind the butcher counter, his head down, bent over something. Emily said a quick prayer he had good news about his store. She could use some good news about something right about now. “I guess. I was just at the hospital. Her eyes are all bloodshot and she seems weak.”

  “Petechiae. Did he try to strangle her?”

  “She said he smothered her with a pillow.”

  “Classic sign of strangulation or smothering. Broken capillaries in the eyes.”

  “I think they might put her on a psychiatric hold for a couple of days.”

  “That probably would be the best thing for her. At least she could rest.”

  Before Emily could say anything more, Angelica let off a string of curse words in Italian. “For God’s sake, what does this guy want from her? I mean he’s taken everything she has — her money, her dignity. Now he tries to kill her?”

  “He wants her gone.” The reality of what Vince planned for Marlowe hit Emily like a ton of bricks. The weight of it laid heavy on her heart. Why Vince had decided to take out all of his life’s frustrations on Marlowe, Emily might never know. In reality, it didn’t matter. She had given up trying to figure out why people did the things they did the moment the handcuffs had been clipped on her wrists. Some people thought everyone was born good. Emily didn’t believe that anymore.

  Pulling into the driveway, Emily promised to update Angelica when she had more information. “You might not hear from me for a couple of days, but don’t worry. I’ll get this taken care of.”

  The kitchen was bathed in the smell of fresh coffee as Emily walked in. Miner ran over to her, his tail wagging, flopping on his side.

  “What’s the news?” Mike said.

  “Marlowe’s okay if that’s what you’re asking me.” Shrugging off her coat, Emily said, “Is that location tracker still working on Vince’s Land Rover? The one I placed a couple of nights ago at the bar?”

  Mike frowned for a second and then nodded. “It should be. Why? You need a location on him?”

  “Yes, but I need to take care of something else first.”

  Leaving Mike in the kitchen to work on getting Vince’s current location, Emily walked into her office and closed the door, not before Miner squeaked through, laying down at Emily’s feet. She sat down at her desk chair and dialed Anthony’s number.

  “Your friend’s been busy, I hear,” Anthony said, answering the phone.

  Though it would’ve been easy to be offended that Anthony never bothered to say hello or ask how she was, Emily wasn’t. It was just his way. “He has. But I’m not sure that you and I are talking about the same thing.”

  “The Lakeview building? I heard he’s got himself a new deal, complete with a padded expense account.”

  Emily frowned. “What are you talking about? I thought the building was condemned?”

  “Not as of last night. Your friend has gotten himself involved with a well-funded family. The stop-work order has been removed. From what I’ve heard, they’ve got architects working around the clock to adjust the plans. Construction should start again next week.”

  That explained why Vince had gone to the Lakeview after his trip to the bar the other night, or at least it was one possible reason. Not that it mattered. “Anything else I should know?”

  “The Battaglia’s have heard about his new real estate deal. Apparently, he won at their game last night, but he’s still in the hole by more than five million. They are becoming impatient.”

  “He also tried to kill his former business partner a few hours ago...” Emily blurted. In any other situation, Emily would expect the person she was talking to would have a strong reaction, but not Anthony. In his line of work, he received difficult news all the time. The way he and the family had survived over generations was by being diligent and careful. When she had first met him, he seemed less than emotional, but she learned over time that Anthony just showed it a different way.

  “May I ask how Ms. Burgess is feeling this morning?”

  “Physically she’s fine. Emotionally, she’s not right.”

  “Not right” was a euphemism used in Italian families for someone who was easily upset or even a little crazy. Emily knew by using that terminology, Anthony would understand exactly what she was saying, even if she didn’t describe all the details.

  “That’s a shame. No young woman should suffer through what she’s had to endure,” Anthony said, his voice nearly a whisper. “But that’s not why you’re calling, is it?”

  “No, it isn’t.”

  The words hung in the air for a second. Emily and Anthony hadn’t done business before. Her stomach tightened and she bit her lip. Asking him for a favor could require repayment of that favor in the future — she knew that. But she also knew that Anthony considered her family, even though Luca had left her. That was an injustice in Anthony’s eyes, and likely the reason that five thousand dollars in cash showed up in her mailbox every single month without fail. Emily never asked him about it, but he seemed to be the only logical option as her benefactor.

  “I need to get Vince over to the Lakeview. Tonight.”

  “And you're thinking I might be able to help you with that?”

  “A girl can hope…”

  Anthony chuckled, “Let me see what I can do. Look for a text from me from another number within the hour.”

  The conversation ended without any goodbyes or see you later’s. Sitting in the chair in her office, Emily reached down to scratch Miner’s back, the thick gray fur of his winter coat coming in. For a moment, she considered texting Lou, but she needed to keep whatever happened next off the radar. Looking at the time on her cell phone, she realized it was nearly noon. Just going back and forth to the hospital seemed to have taken all morning long. Now, all she could do was wait.

  35

  Vince made a strong pot of coffee when he got out of the shower. His body felt exhausted and edgy all at the same time as if an electrical current were running through his skin. Waiting for the coffee to brew, he tried to tell himself he was just excited from his win the night before, but he knew it was more than that. Slumping down in one of the kitchen chairs, his mind thought back to the moment when he ripped the pillow out from behind Marlowe’s head and stuffed it over her face. The memory of the way her body moved and kicked and jerked wouldn’t leave him anytime soon, if ever. “This all could have been over,” he whispered to no one in particular.

  Filling a cup with the hot coffee that had barely finished brewing, he walked over to his computer, getting ready to start his work for the day. It was better that way, he decided. After taking a sip, his phone rang. It was Adam.

  “Hey, buddy. You up?”

  “Of course. Just logging on to my email as we speak. What’s going on?” Vince tried to sound as matter of fact as possible. He didn’t want Adam to have any idea that he’d been up all night gambling or hear any uncertainty in his voice after his visit to the hospital. Nearly one hundred million dollars were on the line. He couldn’t afford to blow this deal. He would never get another chance like this one.

  “Listen, we’ve got to get you an office here in the building. I’ll get our team working on that, but in the meantime, we’ve got the architects pretty much ready to go. You have time for a six o’clock dinner meeting with them tonight? Your architect – the original one that did the blueprints – is on board, too.”

  There was no way Vince could say no to any of Adam’s requests. “Of course. Just text me the details and I’ll be there.”

  “Sure. I can tell you right now. Just come to my office. We’ll do something catered. That way, we can have a whole team here so everybody’s on the same page. Sound good?”


  “Absolutely. I’ll be there.” Vince tried to sound definite in his tone as he hung up the phone. Six o’clock wasn’t that far off. Hopefully, he could get through enough work that he’d have time to take at least a short nap before he had to go meet Adam and the team.

  Scanning his emails, Vince’s mind started to swim, the combination of alcohol, gambling and no sleep fogging his brain. He quickly answered a few of the emails from the project managers, saying that he’d see them at six o’clock tonight and would be available to answer any other questions they had at that time. The general contractor emailed him with a schedule to look over. Printing it off, he leaned back in his chair and scanned it. With any luck, the complete renovation of the building would be done in a projected six months. That meant by spring he could rent the space, if not sooner. That’s when the real money could be made. Downtown rents in Chicago were skyrocketing, more and more companies wanting to move from the West Coast to the Midwest, where there were more friendly tax packages to be negotiated. Vince’s heart started to beat a little bit faster.

  All the struggle with failed business partners, crazy Marlowe, projects that had gone awry — it had all come down to this moment. Vince felt like a king sitting on top of a mountain, like nothing could touch him. Sure, he was riding the Rossiter’s coattails but this would be the project that would put him over the top. After this, he’d no longer be beholden to anyone else. He’d be on his own, in control of his destiny.

  Looking back at his computer screen, he thought about Marlowe for a second and then pushed the thought away. Completely crazy. That was the only way to describe her, he thought, picking up his phone as it beeped. It was one of the city inspectors, the head of the electrical division. He wanted to meet with Vince at the Lakeview. “Nine o’clock tonight?” the text read.

  Vince frowned. If one of the inspectors wanted to meet with him that late at night, it was because he was looking for a payoff. Annoying, but nothing to get upset about. He’d get a stack of cash from Adam at their dinner meeting and meet the guy. Vince would get whatever the inspector’s issue was out of the way. He probably just needed money for his kids’ private school tuition, Vince thought, looking back at the computer, trying to force the images of Marlowe out of his mind.