The Gypsy Queen: A Matt Preston Novel (Matt Preston Series Book 3)

by Paul Shadinger

  “I could be a smartass and say lonely, but I won’t,” she replied.

  “Sharon, I’m sorry I haven’t—”

  She interrupted me. “Stop! That’s not why I asked you over. I don’t know exactly how to tell you this, but… oh God this is difficult.”

  “If you’re having this much trouble, I’m worried. Are you ending our relationship?”

  She took a deep breath. “In a way, yeah. I’m getting married.”

  Damn, talk about push me over with a feather. “I guess I’ve been staying away too much.” I tried for a smartass remark. It didn’t go over too well.

  “George and I have been dating pretty steady and the other night he asked me to marry him. I know you and I can’t see us ever getting married. Matt, I want children while I’m still young enough to enjoy them. I want a home and stuff like that. You are not a home person, or a guy who I can see being a father. You may like kids, as long as they belong to somebody else.” I had to agree, I like kids, but not enough to have my own.

  “When is this wedding going to take place?”

  “I fly back to Boston in a couple of days because that’s where George is from and he wanted to get married back there. You’re invited if you want to come.”

  “Don’t be upset, but I think I’ll pass. I tend to cry at weddings.” Again, I was trying to be flip so that my hurt wouldn’t show.

  “I do have a favor to ask you, will you take care of Max while I’m gone, and George and I are on our honeymoon?”

  “Of course, you know you don’t have to ask. I’d love to have him. When do you want me to pick him up?”

  “Can you take him with right now. I am so busy with getting things ready and…”

  “Of course.” I assured her.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  As I walked down the wharf with Max in my arms, I was glad to have him so I could wipe my face on his coat. A couple of times he reached around and tried to lick at my tears. Sharon was right about a couple of things. I wasn’t ready to get married again. I doubted if I would ever be ready. And I didn’t want kids. A dog was just perfect for me. I sat Max on the seat next to me and as soon as the truck was started, he seemed to know I needed him in my lap. I know it’s not the safest way to drive, but then driving with tears in your eyes isn’t the best idea either.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Beanie was overjoyed to have company. The two of them tore through the house barking and enjoying each other. Finally, I had to shout at them to stop barking. I seemed to have become a bit short tempered. I wonder where the hell that came from. As I was thinking about Sharon I remembered that I was supposed to call Gladys back. I found my cell and pushed in her number.

  “Hello.”

  “Gladys, It’s Matt.” I tried to sound up.

  “I’m glad you finally found the time and retuned my call.” I could feel the frost gathering on my phone. The lady was pissed!

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call before now. I have a good excuse…” My voice trailed off.

  “I’m sure you do. You always seem to have a good excuse.” I could feel more frost coming through the phone.

  “You sound pissed.”

  “Pissed? No, not really. I do wish you’d been available. I’ve had to make some decisions on my own and I would have liked to have discussed them with you.” I don’t want to say her voice was cold, but it wasn’t very warm and friendly either.

  “Oh. What decisions have you made?”

  “Matt, I’ve decided I’m going to get married.”

  What the fuck. Didn’t I just have this conversation… what, less than an hour ago? I was stunned!

  Speechless.

  Finally, I found my voice. “Oh. Anybody I know?”

  “Actually, yes. David Wheeler.”

  And the hits keep coming. Where the hell did this come from? “Wheel? You’re going to marry Wheel?” I know the tone of my voice was not exactly what I wanted, but I was trying to process what she just told me.

  “Yes I am.” Now she seemed to be defensive.

  “I didn’t even know his divorce was final. I knew he was thinking about getting divorced but…”

  “We’re going to live together until the divorce is final and then we’re planning on going to Vegas and getting married.” I thought to myself how appropriate that was. But then I realized I needed to stop with those kinds of thoughts. I was pissed and hurt, and I really had nobody to blame but myself. I’d not been very attentive to my two ladies so this really was all my fault. Maybe this proves you can’t please two masters, or ladies either for that matter. “I am sorry it turned out like this,” she added.

  “So am I. I wish we would have been able to talk, but then I don’t know what I would have said that might have changed your mind. You know I’m not ready to get married. I’ve never lied about that.”

  “I know. I guess I just wanted to hear how you felt about me and where things stood before I made my decision. The one thing I see now is I would have always come in second. You have Sharon, and your life and …”

  I interrupted, “Sharon’s getting married too.”

  “What? Sharon’s getting married? When?”

  “Sharon and I just saw each other. She’s getting married to her doctor friend, George. They’re flying back to Boston in a few days to get married. I have Max with me.”

  Silence. When she started to speak, her voice was very soft, “Oh Matt, I’m so sorry. Gee, I guess this wasn’t the best time to tell you about Wheel and me and…”

  I wanted this conversation to end. I could see no reason to drag it out. I wasn’t going to beg her not to marry Wheel and I wasn’t going to ask her to marry me, that meant it was time to end this call. “Actually Gladys, this was a perfect time for you to tell me about your upcoming wedding. This worked out well. I honestly wish the two of you the very best of luck. Goodbye, Gladys.”

  And I hung up.

  I quickly turned my phone off. There was nothing left for me to say, and I couldn’t imagine she had any more to say either, but I had no desire to find out. Perhaps I might not have been so abrupt with Gladys if I hadn’t just had a similar chat with Sharon a short time before, but getting put out to pasture twice in just a couple of hours… well, that can do a guy’s Ego, Id and Psyche some serious damage, or at least do some major hurt. I was just pissed, at me and at both of them, and life in general right now, but I knew it would pass. For now, I needed to avoid people.

  I know from a philosophical point of view everything changes. Nothing stays the same except change. I was dealing with some major changes in my life, but, you know, it’s real easy to ponder such deep subjects when they affect other people, but when you’re the one having to deal with them, the whole thing really sucks. Considering the way things were going, the changes had to happen. My two friends needed to move on. It would have been easier to be pondering such big alterations in somebody else’s life. But… ah well, so much for trying to be philosophical. This just sucks.

  This just sucks fucking rocks.

  I got up and went in search of two leashes. I was going for a walk with Max and Bean.

  A long walk.

  When I looked outside I saw it was raining.

  Perfect! The weather seemed to suit my current bleak mood. At least that way nobody can tell the difference between tears and raindrops on my face.

  “Come on puppy dogs, we’re going for a walk. A nice long walk.”

  EPILOGUE

  My living room was shrouded in darkness with only candlelight dancing over the walls and across the ceiling. I was working on my third large Scotch of the evening and as the saying goes, I was feeling no pain. I believe the word that best described my mood was melancholy. I knew things couldn’t have been different with my two lady friends because I am who I am. I wasn’t ready to get married again, and I wasn’t ready to cha
nge my life around for either of them. But I was still sad things had worked out the way they did. The drinks probably didn’t help much with my morose feelings either, but I didn’t care. This was my pity party! I’ll deal with my dragons in my own fashion, thank you. You know where the Scotch is, go get a drink and join me, or go away. Your choice!

  I sat sprawled in my chair with my feet propped up on the ottoman being careful not to jiggle my wounded leg. I was told eventually I’d be able to walk without the limp. I knew the long walk I took in the rain the other night hadn’t helped either. That day had not been one of my better ones. Perhaps the doctors were right about the limp going away and all, but it was going to take a lot longer to get over all of the problems I’d dealt with over the past few weeks.

  I sat looking out over the lake and the Aurora Bridge off in the distance and I could tell from the amount of traffic going over the bridge, it was late, very late. Bean was snuggled up along one side of me and Max was curled up on the other side. As I stroked their fur, occasionally one of them would give a contented grunt, wiggle a little and settle down further next to me. The evening had been peaceful and I was as satisfied as I could be due to so many of those problems being over.

  One of my biggest questions just recently resolved concerned Sakol. I was so puzzled when I’d called him after I heard rumors that somebody had seen Heyward Hollis. Sakol had been so evasive and it bothered me. The other day he had finally fessed up. As it turns out, he had seen a wanted poster for the third Hollis one day. He’d been filing papers and pulling posters of deceased criminals when he came across one that under aliases, the name Heyward Hollis was listed. It was right after I had shot and killed my Heyward Hollis.

  Sakol still had a photo of the body the military had removed and it didn’t look a thing like the poster he was throwing away. Because the name Hollis was listed as an alias, Sakol wondered what it was all about. Then a couple of months later I call and ask if it was possible if Hollis was still alive, Sakol didn’t know what to tell me. Basically, Sakol had two dead Hollis’ on his hands. At the time, he just wanted me to go away. He needed time to think it over and what if anything he wanted to tell me. Then things happened and it never got brought up again so he let it lie. Until I told him the tale of the three Hollis’, he had forgotten about the first two. Both of us agreed that there was just one Heyward Hollis running around now and that was more than enough.

  Reflecting over all the happenings of the past few weeks, I was reminded of the four invitations sitting on my mantel next the flickering candles. Two wedding invitations on one side and two on the other side of the candles.

  The first invitation was sort of expected. It was the invitation to Ralph and Melissa’s wedding. Ralph as a joke had said he wondered if they could find a minister that would conduct the service while the two of them were making love, and then time the vows so when it came for the part to say “I do,” they could both scream “Oh God, yes… yes… yes”! I know it was a joke, but deep down inside, I think he kind of meant it. Melissa was of course, horrified. I thought if she was that shocked, she really didn’t know him as well as she thought she did. It didn’t surprise me in the least. That’s just my boy Ralph.

  Even though the main part of their relationship was a physical compatibility, they seemed to be well paired in many other areas. The two of them had a good chance of making it, marriage-wise. And considering Ralph’s past, that was saying something. Ralph’s new gaming program was a smash success. It put his little company on the map and even though I had refused any stock in the company, Ralph had demanded I take some, so I had. Now I needed to figure out what to do with the money. Life’s been good for me over the years, and money is nothing I need to be concerned about. Now when I have to deal with my CPAs, it’s embarrassing to realize my net worth. I was positive something would come to me and I would find a good place to donate a big chunk of the money.

  The next invitation had made me feel good all over when I received it. Mouse had proposed to Jade and of course she had accepted immediately, and now they had set a date. That’s one wedding I was going to make for sure.

  After Mouse got Jade back, there was just one kidnapper left, and due to national security, he is incarcerated somewhere that doesn’t officially exist and I know he will never see the light of day again. After the remains of the gang were gathered, they were put to rest in Potter’s Field. Other than my limited participation, I’d never ask Mouse for more details about what happened. There are certain things I know better than to discuss with Mouse.

  The last two invitations surprised me a little in that I didn’t think I would be included on the mailing list. I knew the weddings were coming up, I was just surprised I was being invited. One was from Sharon announcing her intentions to marry her doctor friend, George.

  In a way, I felt sad. I knew we would always be friends, but I also knew the depth of our relationship was changing and there was nothing I could do about it. I agreed to take care of Sharon’s little dog Max, who was a littermate to my dog. Thus, I now had two dogs for a while.

  The final invitation was from Gladys. At first I was bummed when she told me about her upcoming marriage, but then I decided I was not about to ask her to marry me, it was for the best. The biggest down part of the whole mess was I’d learned about the two marriages in the space of just a couple of hours. Let’s say it wasn’t one of my better days. My dinner that evening had been a long damp walk with the dogs, followed with large quantities of a liquid which is distilled overseas on the foggy moors of Loch Lomond.

  I set down my glass, which was now totally devoid of that liquid from the foggy moors and I realized if I didn’t take the dogs out right now, things were going to get serious for my sweet puppies. As I stood up the best I could, the three glasses of consumed Scotch made their presence known and I decided it was definitely time to take my tribe out.

  I stopped off in the bathroom realizing that I needed to make the same journey for the same reasons that I was doing it for the puppies. When I passed by my cell phone lying on the kitchen counter, it rang. I was so startled I actually jumped back before I picked it up. I didn’t recognize the number and as the dogs and I walked outside, I answered, “Hello. Matt here.”

  There was a moment of silence and then a familiar, soft accented voice started, “Hi. I don’t know if you remember me, but this is Nicola, Nicky Zadian, Bill Richardson’s friend. And ahh…”

  I interrupted, “Of course I remember. Hello Nicky, and how is Bill?”

  I heard a soft sob as she answered, “He died four days ago.” I had a strange feeling inside of my chest and I was surprised how distressed I was to hear about his death. I didn’t know him that well, but he had been a likeable old coot. “It wasn’t exactly unexpected, but I’m still feeling so sad,” she lamented. “You gave me your card and said if I ever needed anything to call you and I need…” Her voice trailed off.

  “What do you need?” I asked her as gently as I could.

  “I need to, well, I need to see you.”

  “Where are you?” I asked.

  Nicky replied, “I had to leave Florida, I was too depressed to stay there any longer.”

  As I limped down the walkway behind my place with the dogs, I noticed the cold wind was helping me gain some sobriety. I got to the edge of the field and watched as the two of them sniffed the bushes. Finally, they both located the perfect bush to do their chores and both settled down to do what they were outside to do. I asked her again, “Nicky, where are you?”

  “I’m sorry, I’m in Seattle.”

  “Why are you sorry?”

  “I don’t want you to think I’m stalking you or something. Right now, I have no place to go.”

  “Where in Seattle are you?” Getting information out of this lady was difficult.

  “In front of your apartment building.” She paused, “You aren’t angry with me, are you?”r />
  I laughed. “No, I’m not angry. I am thrilled you thought of me and called. As we speak I’m in a vacant lot directly behind my building letting my dogs go potty. Why don’t you go and stand by the entrance and I’ll let you in. When you hear the buzzer, push on the door. You’ll see an elevator at the back of the lobby and you need to get on. Push the button to close the door and the elevator will automatically bring you to me.” I swear I heard another little sob and then a hiccup.

  The dogs were done and we all went back into the kitchen where I got out some treats for them. I went to the control panel for the elevator and front door, and pushed the button to let her in. When the elevator door opened and I looked at her, I realized I’d forgotten just how attractive she was. For some reason, she seemed taller than I remembered, but I liked that. I stepped back and motioned for her to come in. “Welcome.”

  A tan blur came running out of the elevator and it dawned on me she had Rascal with her. With a sheepish grin, she pointed at the fur ball tearing through my place and asked, “You don’t mind, do you?” I shook my head and by now my two had noticed they had a visitor. They went through their getting to know you ritual of sniffing each other in inappropriate places, and finally decided they could all be friends. Max and Bean headed off to a large dog bed and Rascal followed. The two of them made a little room and Rascal plopped down in the empty space. I held out my arms and Nicky tentatively stepped forward. “Is this okay?” I reached out and wrapped my arms around her and drew her to me, giving her a big hug. Oh God, considering how my evening had been going, she felt so wonderful in my arms and she smelled even better.

  “How long can you stay?” I asked.

  “Until you want me to leave, or I see I need to leave. Is that okay?”

  “Tell me what happened to Bill.”

  “The past month had been really hard on him. The last week before he passed he couldn’t even get out of bed. I wanted him to go to hospice, but he refused. I could tell he didn’t have much longer to live, but I just couldn’t send him away. I was sitting on the edge of his bed when he passed.” She took a deep shuddering breath. “The whole time we were together Bill was a total gentleman. He never said or did anything that could be considered inappropriate. You’ve seen what I like to wear, you know, the shorts and cut off top?” I remembered. Her outfit was one of my best memories. She continued, “As I sat on his bed, he reached out and slipped his hand under my cut off shirt and touched me.” A small sob escaped and I watched a tear slide down her face. “He’d never done anything like that before. He smiled at me and he told me he had wanted to do that ever since he’d met me. When he started to take his hand away, I put my hand over his and asked him to leave it there. I thought it was sweet. He told me I felt better than he’d ever dreamed. He told me I was beautiful and that he loved me, but he knew there was no way anything could come of it.