Dirty Work (Rapid Reads)

by Reed Farrel Coleman

  “I guess that’s why my parents adopted me. So what are you going to regret, Mr. Vespucci?”

  “You tell Nina she’s out of it. She can have what she wants. I’ll have my lawyer draw up the papers. Tell her I hope she gets the kid back. You too, Dowd. I hope you find your kid. I have boys too, but a daughter is special.” He was staring at the photos on the mantel. “They are really special.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Vespucci. You’re right. I don’t know her, but I know she’s special.”

  “Do me a favor, Dowd. Call me Joey. Not many people call me that. I kinda miss hearing it.”

  “It’s a deal, Joey,” Gulliver said.

  Vespucci was still staring at the mantel. “I’ll tell Tony not to bust your balls on the way out.”

  As Gulliver turned to go, Vespucci called after him. “Just one last thing. Watch your back with Nina. I’ve known her for going on fourteen years. She isn’t always what she seems.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Ask Nina how I know her. Then you’ll understand. Take care, little man.” He winked when he said it. Gulliver smiled.

  Gulliver liked Joey Vespucci. He knew he shouldn’t, because Joey was a killer. But life was crazy that way. Gulliver hated some people he knew he should like. He liked some people he knew he should hate.

  In the hallway outside the study, Mr. No Neck waited for Gulliver. He gave him back his SIG and knife. Mr. No Neck wasn’t confused about his feelings. He hated Gulliver. That wasn’t going to change.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Ahmed drove away from Todt Hill and headed back to Brooklyn. After Keisha’s murder, Gulliver had left Long Island. He’d moved into the loft space his little sister had bought in Red Hook. Red Hook had once been the toughest neighborhood in New York City. Now it was kind of hip. But it wasn’t quite tamed. First Keisha and now Gulliver liked it that way. Red Hook reflected their lives—orphaned, rough around the edges, but good at heart.

  Ahmed told Gulliver he had done a little phone work. He had gotten the name of Anka’s boyfriend at Bloomfield Prep. From what Ahmed had heard, Dillon Kent was a good kid. A smart kid.

  “That all you got?” Gulliver asked.

  Ahmed grinned. “So far…except maybe his cell-phone number.”

  “And how’d you manage that?”

  “Hey, little man, you’ve got your ways, I’ve got mine.”

  Gulliver agreed. “Fair enough. What’s the number?”

  Ahmed remained silent. Gulliver repeated the question several times. Then it hit him. “Oh, the bet about Vespucci not seeing me. You owe me how much? A hundred on top of the hundred I don’t have to give back to you? Okay. You give me Dillon Kent’s cell number. I’ll forget about the second hundred you owe me.”

  Ahmed pretended not to hear. “Did you say somethin’, little man, or is there, like, a mosquito buzzin’ in my ear?”

  Gulliver gave up. He handed five twenty-dollar bills to Ahmed. “All right, we’ll make it like the bet never existed.”

  Gulliver entered Dillon Kent’s number into his cell phone. He didn’t press the Call button. Gulliver had reached his limit for the day. And talking to high schoolers could be delicate. Their hormones and emotions ran high all the time. One false step, and you could lose them. One wrong question, and you might lose their goodwill. There were many reasons Gulliver would never ever want to go back to high school. Just recalling how intensely he had felt everything back then was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach.

  Mostly what he’d felt in those days was shame and anger. The pain of his high- school years was never going to go away fully. It was etched into him. Working this case was bringing it all back to him. He was having a hard time controlling his feelings. He was being pushed and pulled in all directions. He needed to go home to rest. To collect his thoughts before going back to see Nina.

  “Drop me off at Visitation Place, Ahmed,” Gulliver said. He looked out the window at the Statue of Liberty.

  “Will you need me anymore today or tomorrow?”

  “Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow. We’ll talk in the morning.”

  Ahmed pulled the Escalade up in front of Gulliver’s building. Gulliver hopped out without a word. He stood on the sidewalk in front of the old factory building. No wonder Keisha had picked this place. He stared up at the chipped brick. At the cracked door glass. At the worn steps. This place was like them. It was like Red Hook. Worn down. Beaten up. Not defeated.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Gulliver thought about going to talk with Nina at the restaurant again. He asked Rabbi to join him. His old friend turned him down. He said that he and the hostess hadn’t really hit it off. The sex had been fine. Better than fine. There was just no spark between them.

  He had heard Rabbi’s tale of woe countless times before. It usually didn’t faze him. Gulliver had been without love for so long, he’d grown almost numb. But seeing Nina again had changed all that. The image of Nina nude before him brought alive feelings that had lain sleeping in his heart for many years.

  He now remembered the drunken power of love. The simple joy in the touch and scent of a woman. He remembered how for two brief months he had been able to shut out the pain. How it had seemed there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. That as long as he had Nina’s love, there was no challenge he couldn’t face.

  Now Gulliver lost patience with his old friend. Women threw themselves at Rabbi and he threw them back. How Gulliver ached sometimes to be so lucky.

  He decided to call Nina instead of going to the restaurant. He had his reasons. For one, he didn’t want to deal with the hostess again. She hadn’t exactly been warm to him. And that was before Rabbi had slept with her. But even Gulliver knew that wasn’t the main reason.

  The truth was, he didn’t think he could turn Nina down a second time. If she offered herself again, he would say yes. He had struggled all day with his decision to walk away from her after all his years of longing. The picture of her in his mind had haunted him as he toured the Wilton Academy. It had haunted him in Joey Vespucci’s study and on the ride back to Red Hook. It haunted him now as he held the phone in his hand.

  Nina’s voice was all business. “Did you find her?”

  “No, but I made some progress. Did you know she has a boyfriend?”

  “Dillon Kent,” she said. “He comes from a very good family.”

  “So what does that mean? Good family means rich family. Some of the most fucked-up people I’ve ever met are from good families. Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

  “Relax, Gullie, he’s a good kid. I already spoke to him. He had nothing to do with Anka’s disappearance.”

  Gulliver wasn’t buying it. “How can you be sure?”

  “Go see for yourself.”

  “I intend to. Tomorrow morning.”

  “I’ll call ahead to the school,” Nina offered. “I still don’t think you’ll—”

  “Look, Nina, let me do my job. Even if the kid is in the clear, he may know something you didn’t know how to ask about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like the older man Anka was seeing,” Gulliver said.

  There were several seconds of silence on the other end of the phone. “What older man?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out. Security spotted an older man hanging around campus. Then a security guard ran into Anka and this guy at a local coffee shop.”

  She repeated her question. “What older man?”

  “If I knew, Nina, I’d tell you. That’s why I’m heading back up to the area around Wilton and Bloomfield Prep tomorrow. The people at Anka’s school seem to think she ran away. Did you know. They think she got involved with something she couldn’t handle. Started screwing up in school and split.”

  “But you don’t think so?” Nina asked.

  “I don’t know enough yet to think anything. By the way, did something happen over the summer with Anka?”

  “No!” Nina answered too loudly and too quickly. “Why?” />
  “Everyone at the school says she came back from summer vacation a different girl.”

  Nina changed the subject. “Did you check on Joey Vespucci?”

  “Why are you so sure he has something to do with this, Nina?” Gulliver was curious.

  “He threatened me. He threatened Anka.”

  “He doesn’t have her,” Gulliver said.

  “How can you know that?”

  “I had a long talk with him at his house today. Let’s just say I believe him when he says he doesn’t have her. You either have to trust me on that or hire someone else.” Gulliver’s threat was an empty threat. There was no way he was going to abandon a search for his daughter. Still, Nina backed down.

  “Okay,” she said. “Okay.”

  Gulliver opened his mouth to tell Nina the good news. That Joey Vespucci was going to let her off the hook. That she could go about running her restaurant in peace. But he didn’t say a word. There was something in Nina’s tone that Gulliver didn’t like. He already didn’t like that Nina hadn’t gone to the cops. There were things she wasn’t telling him. He seemed to be the only one who wasn’t holding anything back. And that left him in a weaker place.

  Well, that was going to change. In spite of his anger and hurt. In spite of all his pain and resentment, Gulliver Dowd always played it straight with people. His body might be twisted up, but he spoke the truth. He hoped other people would play it the same way. But when they played dirty, Gulliver could play that way too. He was low to the ground and more used to the dirt than the people who tried to play him for a fool.

  CHAPTER TEN

  They met off campus at the coffee shop in town. The minute Gulliver saw Dillon Kent, he understood that Nina was right about him. Dillon was a tall kid with an athletic build. He had unruly brown hair and an attractive face. He was wearing his school’s uniform. Maroon blazer with gold trim, a fancy crest on the pocket. Beige slacks. White shirt. Gold-and-maroon-striped tie. The thing was, Dillon Kent was blind. The chocolate Labrador at his side was like the boy’s fifth limb.

  Gulliver called out, “Over here, Dillon!”

  The kid turned his head to Gulliver. He navigated his way to the little booth in back with no trouble at all. When he arrived, he held his hand out. The hand was a little too high.

  “Mr. Dowd?”

  Gulliver pulled it down to his level and gave Dillon’s hand a firm shake.

  “I’m quite a bit shorter than you might have thought,” Gulliver said.

  The kid smirked and slid into the booth. “And I’m probably a bit blinder than you expected.”

  “Just a bit,” Gulliver said. They both laughed. “Should we get your dog some water or something?”

  “Her name’s Cocoa. She prefers decaf coffee, orange juice, and eggs over easy with hot sauce.”

  “A comedian, huh?” Gulliver said. “Does Anka like that about you?”

  Dillon winced at the mention of Anka. “I think she just liked Cocoa.”

  Gulliver backed off. They ordered breakfast. The two of them talked about everything but Anka. Were the Jets ever going to win another Super Bowl? Was the economy going to recover? Stuff like that. Then they talked about Dillon’s blindness. He’d been that way since birth. There was nothing to be done about it.

  “Money can protect you from everything except fate,” he said. “I’m not bitter. This is the only life I know.”

  Gulliver liked that, even if he didn’t feel the same way about things. He guessed he was plenty bitter for the both of them. They got back to talking about Anka. They both knew they would.

  “Dillon, I hate asking you this. Was Anka—”

  “Seeing someone else?” He finished Gulliver’s question. He shifted in the booth enough that even Cocoa took notice. “You mean, was she cheating on me?”

  “That’s what I mean.”

  “This is going to sound foolish and maybe stupid, Mr. Dowd. But yes and no. I think there was somebody else. But I don’t think she was cheating.”

  “I’m pretty smart, kid. Just not that smart. Do you mind explaining that one to me?”

  Dillon repeated what everyone before him had said. That Anka had come back from summer vacation a changed person. He’d asked her about it, but she wouldn’t discuss it. Whatever it was, it was big.

  “When we were together…” Dillon said, blushing. “You know…together?”

  “In bed.” Gulliver gritted his teeth. The notion of teenagers fooling around didn’t usually bother him. But Anka was his daughter.

  “Yes, when we were in bed. I never felt like she wasn’t there. We were good together. And when we were alone like that, it was even better than before she left for the summer. But her head was somewhere else the rest of the time. Like there was something or someone on her mind. It was like she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She wouldn’t let me help her.”

  “Did she say anything at all, kid?”

  “Only once, a few days before she split. She said she felt betrayed.”

  “Did she say by whom?”

  “No.”

  “Did you tell Anka’s mother about this?”

  Dillon seemed surprised. “Of course. I want Anka back safely as much as anyone. More.”

  “I believe you, kid, I believe you. How did Anka’s mother react when you told her about the betrayal?”

  “I’m blind, Mr. Dowd.”

  “Good point, kid. How did her voice sound? What did she say?”

  “She didn’t really say much. I guess I could tell she didn’t like hearing it.”

  That was pretty much where their conversation ended. Dillon offered to help Gulliver any way he could, even with money. “My family has more of it than they can spend. And believe me, they try. Let me help if you need money, Mr. Dowd.”

  Just as they were shaking hands good-bye, there was a tremendous explosion behind the coffee shop. The floor shook beneath their feet. Cocoa jumped up.

  “Will you be all right, Dillon?” Gulliver asked. “Do you need me to help you outside?”

  “I’m fine. Cocoa will get me out. And I have a driver waiting in front.”

  Gulliver didn’t wait. He headed out of the coffee shop and around back as fast as he could move. It wasn’t fast enough. Just as he had feared, his specially equipped van was engulfed in flames. The stink of burning plastic and tires was overwhelming. The wind was blowing the black smoke directly into Gulliver’s face. Through the smoke, he saw a man running in the opposite direction. Gulliver didn’t think twice about following him. He took off after the running man.

  It was at times like these that he hated himself most. There were things in his life he had overcome by the sheer force of will and guts. But there were some things, like stubby, uneven legs, that no amount of will and guts could change. No matter how hard he pushed, the gap between himself and the man ahead of him kept growing. At least it wasn’t as large or increasing as fast as Gulliver had thought it might. In fact, this guy wasn’t much faster than Gulliver. He’s not young, Gulliver thought, and probably not in great shape.

  Then the gap began to narrow. The running man was slowing down. Then he stopped. He was bent over. He was grabbing at his side. Gulliver knew that pain. He was feeling it himself. A stitch in his side that felt like someone was beating his ribs with a nine iron. When the man turned around and saw Gulliver gaining on him, he took off again. Gulliver got a blurry glimpse of him. The man’s hair was light brown with wispy strands of gray. Was this the man the security guard had seen on the grounds of the Wilton Academy? Was this the man who had been in the coffee shop with Anka?

  Now it was Gulliver’s turn to stop to catch his breath. He was nauseous and more than a little dizzy. After a few seconds, he felt like he could breathe again. He wasn’t dizzy anymore. When his stomach had settled down, Gulliver started after the man. He pushed himself to ignore the pain in his side.

  There he is! The running man was walking now. He probably thought Gulliver had given up the chase. He w
as only three quarters of a block ahead and seemed to be in no hurry at all. Gulliver ducked into a doorway. He took in big gulps of air for a final sprint. The short time he spent there felt like forever.

  Then Gulliver crossed the street, so the man wouldn’t spot him as easily. He sped up enough to gain a little ground with every short stride. He thought there was something familiar about the guy. It was almost like he knew him. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. Still, he had a feeling he just could not shake. He would find out soon enough.

  Now the man was less than a quarter of a block away. Gulliver decided to make his move. He checked to his left for oncoming traffic. None. His path was clear. But he hadn’t checked for bicycles coming the wrong way down the street. Bang!

  Gulliver went down in a heap. The bicycle’s front wheel locked up. The Chinese-food delivery man riding it went head over tail. Wonton soup, roast pork, fried rice, and orange beef spilled onto the pavement. It took a few moments for Gulliver to recover. By the time he had, there was a crowd forming around him and the delivery man. Wobbly, Gulliver stood up. He looked to see if the man he had been following was anywhere in sight. No luck. He was gone.

  Gulliver was disappointed and still stunned. He sank back down to the ground. The air smelled of garlic, ginger, soy sauce and hot mustard. He could not get the image of the man out of his head. He kept trying to place him. It was no good. The man had stayed beyond Gulliver’s reach during the chase. He stayed out of the reach of Gulliver’s memory as well. Then Gulliver’s world grew dark.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Gulliver couldn’t quite make sense of it when he opened his eyes. He saw Rabbi, Ahmed and Nina standing over him. His head hurt a lot, and he was groggy. But he wasn’t totally out of it. He took a second to take in where he was—a hospital room. Even if he had not heard the whir and ping of the machines, he would have known where he was. Hospitals had a one-of-a-kind smell. It was a cocktail of pine cleaners, alcohol and other chemicals he couldn’t name.