Vendetta

by Jennifer Moulton

  His chest tightened up as he drew in a cold, ragged breath; his head began to pound. He felt sick to his stomach. Mark had hardly slept, and didn’t have an appetite. Maybe he would drink some coffee, but that would be about it. He had no desire for any sustenance at all.

  The stress he was under was starting to take a physical toll on him. It served as a reminder that his body was still alive and trying to function normally, even if his mind wasn’t.

  Marks dilemma was that he couldn’t bear to think of his daughter as being dead, it would debilitate him. He almost couldn’t believe that she wasn’t here with him, now. It just wasn‘t real to him sometimes, but despite his rejection, it was painfully obvious that she really was gone.

  It was getting easier for him to block the idea from his mind whenever it became devastatingly apparent that this was, in fact, his reality.

  Mark stayed focused on keeping his body moving. Step after step, breathing in and out, and keeping his eyes open and alert. He didn’t know how to pretend that he wasn’t anything other than a hollowed man with nothing left to lose. But he would try to act sociable tonight, for Julie. She needed this, and if it would make her happy, than he would be there.

  Mark also struggled with the decision on whether to tell Nick and Julie about everything. He decided that despite Nick’s odd behavior lately, he trusted them enough to tell them about his past. They were two of his only friends and they would understand. After all, they had lost her too. Everyone needed to hear the truth.

  ~

  Mark sat full and satisfied, admiring the large oak table where the three of them now sat. Bright red drapes served as the back drop behind Nick and Julie. The color matched the table cloth that he ran his hands over.

  “Well-made table,” he commented aloud, “Good size too.”

  Mark could smell the apple pie that now cooled in the other room. He felt a small pang of guilt. It was amazing that he ate dinner, let alone contemplated eating a slice of pie. Allie couldn’t have any apple pie… not anymore. She would have had hers with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. “Allie-mode,” she always said.

  “Hey man, are you all right?” Nick was looking at him, wide eyed and concerned.

  Mark stopped day dreaming and looked up at them. Julie was staring at him in utter disbelief. She was speechless and hadn’t said a word the entire time. Mark had drifted off in thought for a moment, and had briefly forgotten that he had just told them his entire life story.

  “Oh my gosh, Mark,” Julie finally said. She put her hands on her forehead and rubbed her temple. “You have been through so much. And poor Allie… she had no idea, did she?” Julie wiped her teary eyes.

  “She remembered Aunt Alice… but not a whole lot more. If she did, she never let on. We didn’t talk about it at all. We just moved on and started living a different life… until now,” Mark stated.

  “So, is that why you hired that detective from the other night?” Nick asked. “You think this Leo guy had something to do with it?”

  Marks gaze switched from Julie to Nick. He suspiciously glared at Nick through narrowed eyes.

  “What makes you so sure that I hired a detective?” Mark asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know for sure if you did. I just saw you talking to him that night at the restaurant…that’s all,” he said nervously.

  “Well, you see, Nick, when someone’s usually healthy daughter mysteriously dies, the police usually have a few questions for people. They call those cops… Homicide Detectives,” Mark said sarcastically.

  “Well, yeah. I know that, but you were talking to him for a while and it would make sense if you did hire him, for extra investigating, especially after what you just told us,” Nick tried to justify his unusual statement.

  “I mean, Wow! My mind is just blown right now man… you sure have been through a lot! I‘m really sorry to hear that that happened to you and… Allie,” Nick said nervously trying to seem sympathetic.

  “So you think that if I’m having a conversation with the Detective, that I must have hired him for a side job?” Mark was pushing him for more of a response. Nick shouldn’t have known about Detective Williams being hired, at all.

  “Well, yeah, no… I mean, I guess not,” he was back peddling. “So what do you think happened? You know, to Allie, or Lily, I mean,” he was shifting in his seat to get more comfortable.

  Mark winced at hearing Nick call Allie by her real name. The conversation quickly became more intense.

  Julie was watching Nick. She must have thought he was acting strange, too.

  “I don’t know what happened. That’s probably why I hired the Detective, right Nick?” Mark said dryly.

  Julie was confused by the negative turn the conversation took.

  “Okay, guys. I know this is a lot to take in all at once. Please, excuse Nick; his manners are horrible lately…I don’t think he slept a wink last night either,” Julie tried to diffuse the uncomfortable situation.

  “Oh? You’re not sleeping well, Nick? I wonder why that is,” Mark intentionally intimidated him now.

  Nick was about to say something, but Julie put her hand up… shaking her head at Nick.

  “No, really, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mark said sarcastically. “You must be really stressed out with all the added responsibilities at work and all.”

  Julie sat up straight and stared harshly at Mark.

  “Look, I think I know what the “raised emotions” are about and you don’t have to worry, Mark,” Julie said. Her blue eyes softened as she continued. “We’re more than just your friends here we’re like family and there’s no need to be so defensive. We will support anything you’re doing. We’re here for you when you need us, alright? End of story…we’re not the enemy,” she took a drink of her wine and sat back into her chair. Obviously exhausted, she rubbed her eyes.

  Putting himself in check, Mark nodded and looked at them both. “Thank you, for your friendship and your understanding,” he looked at Nick as he spoke. “It means a lot right now.”

  Nick swallowed, hard.

  Julie continued.

  “You’re very welcome. Seriously though, if you suspect this guy Leo, has something to do with Allie‘s death, can’t you just go to witness protection and have them investigate it? Surely someone else might suspect this Leo Vanzetti’s involvement, given the history this dirt bag has, especially with your family! Plus, he’s getting out on Monday? It just seems so cut and dry,” Julie exclaimed.

  Mark was glad to hear someone else say what he has felt all along. “You would think so, but it’s being treated as a complete coincidence. I’ve already been told by my witness protection coordinator, that there’s no way “Mr. Vanzetti” has anything to do with it. He has a solid alibi I mean, he’s in prison until his parole hearing on Monday morning. So, yes, that’s why I’m pursuing this on my own and I hired Detective Williams. I‘ll be meeting him tomorrow at Allie’s favorite coffee shop,” Mark looked at Nick, who now looked very worried.

  “I know that they don’t see the situation as I do, and I can‘t prove anything right now, anyway. I just want to uncover the truth, and put whoever is responsible, behind bars,” he took a drink of his now cold coffee and shot a glare at Nick. Why was his friend acting so sketchy?

  “No kidding!” Nick blurted out. “What kind of fucking sicko would want to poison a little girl anyway? I hope you get all the proof you need, man,” Nick was rocking back and forth in his wooden chair, causing it to creak loudly with every jerking motion. Julie noticed again, how weird her husband was acting. That wasn’t a rocking chair.

  Mark had to admit, he was slightly entertained by Nick, picking up on this awkward outburst. Mark had suspected that he was on drugs for a while, and this just proved him right. After all, Mark used to be a narcotics agent. He hadn‘t said anything to Dom, let alone Julie, but with him acting out like this, it shouldn‘t be hard for them to figure it out on their own.

  “Thanks, Nick, but we don’t kno
w for sure if she was “poisoned”. We won’t know anything until after the autopsy is performed. Dom is just as anxious, he’s scheduled it for me as early as possible after this long holiday weekend,” Mark mentioned.

  The sudden image of Allie’s cold body flashed in his mind.

  “I keep seeing her… all laid out in her pretty dress with her brown curly hair all fanned out like a little porcelain doll,” Marks eyes clouded over with darkness as he stared off again.

  Julie’s body shuddered as she too, remembered the image of Allie in the triage unit.

  Nicks face turned white as he listened to Mark and noticed Julie’s body language.

  “Nick, why don’t you go get desert for us,” Julie suddenly suggested. She gestured to the kitchen with a nod of her head.

  “Yeah, sure, I’ll be back in a few minutes. I need to go use the bathroom anyway,” Nick said. He got up from the table, tripping over his feet. Finding his footing, he turned and made his way into the kitchen.

  She watched hesitantly as Nick left the room.

  Julie quickly turned, leaned in and whispered to Mark, “I need to talk to you about Nick! It’s important, Mark. Just trust me on this. Do you trust me?” She asked, shaking.

  “Yes, I do,” Mark answered softly.

  “Something is wrong; very “off” with him… for quite some time now,” she looked at the closed kitchen door. “I think it has to do with you and your story!” She was very frightened.

  “Okay, Calm down Jules. Just keep it together for a little while longer. He smiled at her and it seemed to give her some reassurance. “I know exactly what you mean,” Mark confirmed.

  She nodded, then straightened herself up and cleared her throat. He heard Nick flush the toilet in the hall bathroom.

  “Do you remember where I said I was meeting Detective Williams tomorrow morning?” Mark asked.

  “Allie’s favorite coffee shop,” Julie said quietly. She remembered, and knew just where to go.

  “Meet me there at eight o’clock,” he silently mouthed the words.

  Julie nodded and sat back into her chair.

  Mark slowly pushed his chair from the table as the chair scraped loudly on the floor.

  “I’m going to get us some coffee to go with that pie,” Mark said loudly.

  “No need for that, I got it right here!” Nick exclaimed. He came banging thru the doors into the dining room carrying the pie and a decanter of hot coffee. “Sorry about that wait!”

  Julie managed to smile at her husband as he poured her a cup of coffee and sat it next to her dessert plate.

  “Thank you, my friend, I definitely appreciate it,” Mark grinned and held up his coffee cup.

  “No, problem, and like Jule’s said, if there’s anything we can do, just let us know,” Nick tried to look sincere as he poured Marks coffee, but his weakened voice betrayed him.

  ~

  That night, as Mark walked home he thought about Nick. Was it his imagination playing tricks on him, or could his old friend know something about what happened to Allie? Despite being an obvious crack head, could there be another reason for his odd behavior? One thing was evident. Nick didn’t seem surprised at all to hear about his secret past. That could only mean one of two things. Either, he was so shocked the only way he could respond was with awkward questioning, or Nick was no stranger to the story. He had heard it before.

  Mark thought that from this point on, he had to question everything about the “safe new life” he thought he was living, including, his relationships with the people in it.

  Nick’s behavior at the restaurant lately was erratic and his work ethic had been dwindling away the last six months or so. He acted like he just didn’t care anymore. Mark tried to stay out of Dom’s business, but he had had to go to him about Nick a few times. You just never knew which Nick you were dealing with at any given time. Nice, funny, laid back Nick, or loud, snappy and ticked off Nick. You just can’t be like that working with the public, especially in the hospitality business. It wasn’t ever personal at all… but he had a feeling it was about to get that way.

  CHAPTER 8

  THE OFFICE

  Mark and Detective Williams had already begun to drink their coffee, when Mark spotted Julie coming through the door. Seeming quite winded, her blue frightened eyes searched the busy coffee shop for a familiar face.

  Mark stood to get her attention and gestured with his hand, “Over here.”

  “Thank you, for letting me intrude upon your meeting. I had to talk to you as soon as possible,” she said to Mark, looking hesitantly at Detective Williams.

  “Not a problem, Jules. You’re not intruding. Don’t worry about the detective, you can trust him,” Mark assured her. “I do.”

  Mark introduced them and they sat down at the table at the back of the noisy café. With so much noise and chatter, there was no danger of being overheard. A young man walked up in an apron and placed a ‘to-go” cup of hot herbal tea in front of Julie. Mark had ordered it shortly before she arrived.

  “Thank you,” Julie was flattered.

  She was pleasantly surprised by this small act of kindness. Nick wouldn’t have ordered anything for her. He didn’t even know she drank tea. She took a cautious sip and smiled at Mark. It calmed her down a little bit.

  “Do you feel comfortable telling us both what the matter is, Julie?” Mark was inquisitive.

  Julie nodded and took another sip of her tea before she began.

  “I overheard Nick’s phone call last evening,” she looked at Mark. “It seemed like he was talking about you. Almost like he had been following you or something and whoever he was speaking to, was telling him what to do and for him to calm down. He said that he had to meet whoever it was at the restaurant today.”

  Mark could tell that she was focusing very hard on saying exactly what she had heard.

  “He was very upset, and kept saying he didn’t know what to do and how he’s supposed to be your friend, and then he called me stupid,” she was talking faster now and was becoming upset.

  “Ok, it’s alright. Do you know who he was talking to?” Mark asked.

  She shook her head no. “I don’t have the slightest clue! He just told me it had something to do with work, but he could be lying.”

  “All I know, is he is meeting or (has met) with this mystery person at the restaurant, sometime today and they will apparently make his situation all better,” she was visibly shaking.

  “He said, “I‘m starting to freak, this is getting hard for me, I‘m supposed to be his friend, he‘s asking questions, my stupid wife invited him over” and then it switched to.. “Alright, I’ve got this. Don’t worry, see you tomorrow,” she animatedly spoke with her hands.

  “Do you think this means that he has something to do with Allie’s death?” Julie clasped her hand over mouth, afraid of what she had just said. She quickly lowered her head, and wiped away the tears.

  “It‘s going to be alright. I‘m not real sure what this means, but we’ll figure it out,” Mark whispered to her. He shot a glance at Williams.

  “Oh, my gosh! I hate to think such horrible things, but this is over the top for him. He hasn’t been himself in almost a year, and we barely talk. We don’t even sleep in the same bed anymore. We only ACT like a married couple… and now this?” Julie hesitated. “I filed for divorce about 3 months ago. He hasn’t signed the papers yet. I thought we would try to work things out, but that’s not it. He wants to wait to sign, and I’m not sure why.”

  Julie shook her head and closed her eyes. “I knew that wasn’t going to happen smoothly. He knows I’m not in love him anymore. He‘s become a stranger, Mark. I don‘t even know who he is anymore or what he‘s capable of doing,” she grabbed a napkin and quickly swiped her cheeks.

  “I had no idea things were so bad between you, Jules. I’m sorry,” Mark tried to console her, but all he could think of was Nick, and where he might be right now.

  Williams glanced at Mark now. They
knew they were thinking the same thing. Nick’s odd behavior told them all that he was definitely hiding something. Especially, by the way he had acted last night. Mark had already told Williams about it.

  “Thank you Mrs. Butler, for telling us what you heard. I know it’s not easy for you, but we appreciate your help,” Williams was trying to calm her.

  “Do your best to act normal around him Jules, and go to work as usual. Try to put this out of your mind. I’ll do my best to find out what’s going on, alright?” Mark patted her hand.

  “Okay. I will try,” Julie said nervously. She felt a little out of place suddenly and decided it was time to leave.

  She grabbed her purse and slid the strap over her shoulder, hugging it close to her body for comfort.

  “I’ll talk to you as soon as I know something. You’re a good friend Jule’s. Thanks for coming to me about this,” Mark and Detective Williams stood and said goodbye to Julie.

  Mark decided that he would walk Julie to the door and see her out, but just as they made their way towards the exit, Mark began to hear Williams’ phone ring. Williams motioned to Mark that he would be staying at the table. He had been anticipating this phone call.

  A few moments later, after saying goodbye to Julie, Mark walked back to the table, where he saw Williams hang up his phone. Immediately, he looked serious. Mark remained standing.

  “That was my Captain, Mark. He wants us to come by, to tell you about something we’ve discovered,” Williams said, reluctantly.

  “What do you mean something “we’ve” discovered? You told your Captain?” Mark was blindsided.

  “I’m sorry, Mark. I had no choice. I had to tell my Captain what was going on, he was having me followed. My job was on the line, I mean, I‘m not a private investigator, I had to explain. He thought that my involvement with the case was beginning to exceed the normalcies of a homicide investigation, so I had to tell him about the connection. I’m sorry Mark, but he’s promised to keep it to himself, and he’s also stopped the tail he had on me. You can trust him…and you can still trust me. He can help us,” Williams was very sincere and was deeply sorry for breaking his promise of anonymity to Mark.