Dead and Gone

by Tina Glasneck

  That concluded the report. I wondered who had influenced the investigators since most of the “report” was contradictory, suppositions, or bogus. At the same time, I was relieved that my actual relationship with Brett wasn’t mentioned and puzzled that they either failed to gather or omitted any data about Father. Also, there was nothing stated after I was hospitalized, except Lindsey visiting twice.

  Conner entered, slamming the door behind him, baring his teeth. I jumped. “Viltro doesn’t want to talk to anyone but ‘the man’ and he wants to get paid for whatever he’s got regarding Cameron’s death,” he said. “He’s our employee. He doesn’t get extra compensation for doing his job. Who does he think he is?”

  “Who’s ‘the man’?”

  “I am. He insists on talking to my father. According to Caden, Viltro almost inferred I had something to do with Cameron’s death.”

  “Can’t you have Viltro brought to you?”

  “It’s not that easy. Viltro has been interrogated before. He has scars to show for it. We wouldn’t get anything out of him that way. He claims his information will tell us who’s responsible for Cameron’s death. It’ll be destroyed if he’s taken by force. I can’t have that after his insinuation.”

  “What are you going to do?” I asked, wondering what information he could possibly have since Cameron and his men all perished in the morgue.

  “Call Cedric,” Conner said, sitting down at his desk. That was the first time I had ever heard Conner refer to his father by his first name.

  “Rosanne, can I speak to my father?” Conner said into the receiver. A moment later, “An employee, Viltro Fazio…yes, Saul’s brother…he claims he has information that will disclose Cameron’s assassin…no…he won’t…only to you…there’s more, he wants to get paid for it…this will be the first.” He chuckled. “Agreed…when…I don’t know what he was waiting for…maybe he just got it…yes…sounds good.” He hung up.

  “Is he going to see him?”

  “Yes, the day after tomorrow. He’s curious, although he doesn’t believe it will lead us to the responsible party, maybe to a hired thug. That’s more than we’ve got now.”

  “Is Viltro still working for you?”

  “He was a bodyguard assigned to Carina until yesterday. That was probably when he got the information. After that, Viltro requested to be kept in a secure location until he talked to my father. He doesn’t want me to know where he’s being held. Strange.”

  “Do you think he cooked up some kind of evidence to incriminate you? Saul wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t been with me.”

  “Cedric would never fall for that. The information will be carefully scrutinized. If that’s what Viltro has done, he’ll be leaving my parents’ house in a body bag.” He pointed toward the report on my lap. “What did you think?”

  “I had no idea Brett and Lindsey were after the documents. How did they know I had them?”

  “Fred Shoeman.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “The guy who cleaned the pool. He worked for Emmanuel until he tried to sell the missing documents to a friend who Shoeman thought was a family enemy. He was wrong. That’s when we questioned him. I suspect he was the one who put the other set of books on your desk.”

  “Didn’t you ask him about that?”

  “He collapsed. Somehow he escaped while we were waiting for him to recuperate.”

  “Lindsey did visit me a few times in the hospital. She never mentioned anything about documents. I haven’t seen Brett since he was lying on the sidewalk. I thought he was dead.”

  “So did I until I got the report from the investigator. Daborel needs to be taken care of.”

  “I wish we could forget about everything that happened in Billings. It was a nightmare, and now it’s over.”

  “I lost men. This Lieutenant Barnes thinks I had something to do with the spider incidents.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Phil and Shelley Kessler. The missing couple from the hotel. They were drug dealers.”

  Squinting my eyes, I knew they had been targeted. Lindsey had said Tegens didn’t go after innocent people, like Nancy. She hadn’t mentioned that couple.

  He continued, “The guy who was bitten as he rode a bike works for my family. Then you, a witness in the spider-related investigation deaths, came and stayed with me in Houston. Barnes thinks there’s a connection.”

  “That’s absurd.”

  “We’ll handle Barnes and his sidekick, Sergeant Harmon.” He winked at me and smiled. “It is strange to have someone after me for that type of crime. Spiders would never be my choice for weapons.”

  “I know.” My lips curved into a lopsided smile. “You got squeamish when one decided to join us in bed.”

  “I’ll try to put the Billings problem on hold until Cameron’s killer is located.”

  “Then what?”

  “Daborel and Farrington will be handled swiftly. You won’t have to worry about them again.”

  Hiding my concern, I asked, “How are you going to do that?”

  “Fire.”

  I felt a lump in my throat, but kept my face from showing any emotion. “Why?”

  “We can’t shoot or stab spiders. That’s the only way we can guarantee any ‘weapons’ they’re carrying are destroyed.”

  “That’s so gruesome.”

  “We do what we have to do. If I had to burn a thousand people alive to protect you, I’d do it without hesitation.”

  I forced myself to rise, go over to him, and wrap my arms around his neck. “Do you think we can have a nice evening and enjoy a warm, soothing bath?”

  He kissed my arm. “I need to make one more phone call. Why don’t you head upstairs?”

  “I’ll get the bath ready,” I said, moving toward the door. I eased out into the hallway and leaned against the wall, out of his sight, to listen.

  “Caden, tell Viltro that Cedric will see him the day after tomorrow at 2 p.m.” He clicked down the receiver.

  Quickly turning toward the stairs, I stumbled. As I caught my footing, I picked up a magazine from the side table just as Conner entered the hall.

  “Why aren’t you upstairs?”

  “I thought I’d grab a magazine,” I said, holding it up.

  “Do you think you’ll have time to read?” he asked with a raised brow.

  I smiled, laying it down. “Silly me. I noticed them here and took one without thinking.”

  “You can read tomorrow. I’ll get a bottle of champagne and tell Darcy we’ll be eating upstairs since guards will be periodically checking the first floor. The alarms on the windows and balcony doors have been set. Don’t open any of them.”

  “See you in a minute,” I said, heading to the stairs.

  The sun glared through the window. Conner’s arms were wrapped around me so tightly I couldn’t move. Attempting to wake him, I kissed his neck and chest.

  He stirred and his eyes dropped down to mine. “Good morning.”

  “Do you have to go to work today?”

  “Yes, and it’s going to be a long night. I have a dinner meeting with my father at eight. I tried to leave my evenings free while you were here; it’s not working out. What have you decided about a trip to your favorite island in the South Pacific after you’ve finished your treatments?”

  “I haven’t decided yet,” I lied. I had no intention of going with him.

  He kissed me. “Take your time.” He gazed into my eyes, pulled me closer, and gave me a slow, passionate kiss. “You have no idea how much I enjoy waking up with you. You look a little pale. Why don’t you lie by the pool today?” He climbed out of bed.

  “I thought I’d go shopping instead.”

  “Shopping?” He sat down next to me. “I’d rather you stay here and get some sun.”

  “No. You promised on the phone I could do whatever I wanted. Today, I want to go shopping.”

  He scanned my face. “I’m going to have Mont follow you to make sure
you’re safe. We don’t know why Cameron was killed. Until we do, we have to take precautions. Every member of the family has been assigned one or two bodyguards.”

  “I’m not a member of your family.” I paused after hearing what I said. “Yet,” I added, remembering my pretense.

  “Sara, please.”

  “Okay. Does he have to go with me into the dressing room?” I asked with a crooked smile.

  He grinned. “No. I’ll even have him stay in his car while you shop. I want you to wear a beeper.” He stood, picked up a bracelet from the top of the dresser, and put it around my wrist. “We give something like this to everyone in the family. See this button?” He pointed to a greenish-blue circle that looked like a stone. “Push this if you are approached by anyone unfamiliar. It has a GPS. Mont will come to your aid.” He stroked my face and kissed me. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Do you want me to wear it all the time?”

  “Yes. Will you do that for me?”

  “Is it okay if it gets wet?”

  “Yes. It works in water.”

  After Conner left for the office, I spent the morning in his den copying documents and writing down information that I thought might be useful in the future. I searched for the name of the ship to no avail. I put the documents and my notes into a nine-by-twelve envelope, addressed it to S. Alston in Bismarck, North Dakota, and slipped it into my purse.

  27

  Freedom

  At 1:30 p.m., I drove out of the compound with Mont following in a black sedan right behind me. I headed straight to the mall. Mont parked in the next stall, facing the south mall entrance.

  “Remember to use the button if you need me,” he said as I got out of my car.

  “I will.”

  Inside the mall, I continuously kept looking over my shoulder, fearful Mont might not have stayed in his car. My first stop was at a self-service post office where I stamped and mailed the envelope. From there, I went to a craft store and purchased a thick, white, permanent magic marker. As I stepped out into the hallway, a large, athletic-looking woman with short, black, spiked hair plowed into me. She stared at me without apologizing. Given her appearance, I wondered if she was a Crussett employee. Had Conner sent another person to keep track of me?

  Moving toward the payphones, my head swung between them and the craft store where she entered. She hadn’t emerged from the store when I reached the phones. I decided it would be safer if I used one down another corridor. I continued moving along at a swift pace. Stopping at that bank of phones, I scanned the area, searching for her. She was nowhere in sight. I picked up the receiver and dialed Brett’s number.

  “Hello,” he answered.

  “Hi,” I whispered, paranoid that someone might be listening. My eyes were fixed in the direction of the craft store.

  “Are you ready to return to Bismarck?”

  “No. Conner had an investigative team check into you and Lindsey.” I filled him in on what the report said and what Conner planned after Cameron’s murder had been resolved.

  “Then I have nothing to worry about.” Brett chuckled. “They’ll never figure it out.”

  “One of their employees claims he has information about the killers. Is it possible there was another person we didn’t see?”

  “I doubt it. When will Conner get the information?”

  “This is the strange part. The guy won’t talk to him about it. He’ll only give it to Cedric, Conner’s dad. They’re meeting tomorrow.”

  “What explanation did he give?”

  “From what Conner told me, the guy inferred Conner played a role in Cameron’s death.”

  “Whatever this guy has fabricated, if Conner’s in trouble it might spill over on you.”

  “It could be even worse than that. He might have something that indicates our responsibility.”

  “Where are you now?” Brett asked, sounding worried.

  “At a mall. No one can hear me.”

  “Why don’t you make up some excuse and return to North Dakota?”

  “There’s something I have to take care of first.”

  “Can’t it wait?”

  “No,” I barked at him.

  “I’m leaving for Houston tonight.”

  “Brett, no. It’s too dangerous. And I want to say good-bye to Conner on my own terms.”

  “I won’t contact you after I arrive. I just want to be close if you should need me.”

  I wanted to tell him I didn’t need his help, but I knew I couldn’t sway him to stay put. “Promise me you won’t mention any of this to my father.”

  “I think he should know.”

  “Promise, or I won’t contact you if I’m in trouble.” The phone went silent as I waited for his response.

  A minute later, “I promise,” he sighed, reluctantly. “And always have the GPS button with you.”

  “I never go anywhere without it. I need to go before I’m missed. Be careful.”

  “I will. Bye, Sara.”

  I cautiously went to a car rental office that stood at the other end of the mall. I used a phony driver’s license I acquired in North Dakota. The agent wanted a credit card. I convinced her to allow me to put down a $5,000 deposit in lieu of that. The $200 tip helped.

  Making my way to the west entrance, I stopped and bought a cup of coffee. My eyes darted around looking for the woman with the spiked hair again. I didn’t spot her anywhere. I exited the mall, hurried to the road, and walked along the outside perimeter of the parking lot until I reached Mont’s row. I inched toward his car, keeping my head low to avoid being seen. Loud music blared from a jeep parked three spaces from him, drowning out the sound of my approach and anyone walking by.

  When I reached his car, I saw his head buried in a newspaper. I stayed low and used the white magic marker on the trunk, the passenger side, front fender, the side of the hood outside his line of vision. Then I crept around and applied it on the passenger door behind the driver. Hunkering close to the ground, I zigzagged around the vehicles and then stood at the end of the row, next to the mall entrance. I turned and walked back to Mont’s car, admiring my handiwork.

  He looked out the opened driver’s window. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever known to go shopping without buying anything.”

  “I’m not through. I thought you might like some coffee,” I said, handing it to him. “Leaving the mall, I ran into a friend and chatted so it might not be hot.”

  “It feels warm. Thanks.”

  “I’ll probably be a while.”

  “Not a problem.”

  I entered the mall again. I placed a call to the police department on a payphone.

  “May I help you,” a woman asked over the line.

  “I’m so upset,” I said, talking in a high-pitched tone.

  “What’s the problem, Miss?”

  “I just pulled into the south parking lot of South Pointe Mall. Oh, it’s so disrespectful. It’s awful.”

  “What’s awful?”

  “There’s a black car parked on the row leading to the entrance. You can’t help walking right past it. All over the back and sides in white paint is written Cops Suck and other terrible obscenities about our police force. It’s awful. The police in this city do such a great job. How could anyone put that on their car? I just don’t understand it. Is there anything you can do about it?”

  “The car’s on the south side?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “There’s probably nothing we can do about it, but we’ll check it out.”

  “Thank you.”

  As I hung up, the spiked-haired woman walked passed me. It appeared she was going to the exit. I stayed put, watched her go out the doors, and disappear in the parking lot. I went into a department store and purchased a blouse and skirt without trying them on. Then I headed to a cell phone store and bought three phones, paying cash and displaying my fake ID. While the phone batteries were being charged, I went to a computer store and tried out the
latest model by searching for the quickest route from the store to Pier 29, the departure location for the Crussetts’ ship.

  Leaving the mall through the south entrance, I sighed when I saw Mont’s car was gone. I put my package in my trunk along with the bracelet and took out my duffle bag.

  At 3:45 p.m. I parked the rental car on the street next to Pier 29. I snuck around the rusty, drab metal buildings until I could see the moored ships along the waterfront. There I waited, hidden in the shadows.

  Twenty-five minutes later, a limo pulled up next to a ship and Conner emerged. He moved up the gangplank with two men. I saw the name Freedom on the side of the vessel and shook my head, thinking about its cargo.

  Knowing the ship’s name, I turned to leave and bumped into something. I looked up and found myself staring into the chest of a muscular, tall man with an unshaved face and an acerbic reeking body odor like dead fish mixed with liquor that forced me to hold my breath.

  “Whatcha want?” he blurted out, his voice low and raspy.

  “I was just looking at the water.”

  His eyes moved up and down my body, studying me closely. “Turn around.”

  “Why?”

  “Do it,” he snapped.

  I followed his instruction since I wasn’t sure if he worked for the Crussetts and I didn’t want to draw any suspicion. I sensed him looking me over suspiciously; he didn’t try to touch me.

  “Get outta here.”

  I hurried back to the rental car, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder, and then drove away.

  Driving around the area close to the mall, I decided to leave the car at the Sunlight Hotel, a block away, and rent a room under my false name.

  I stepped into the mall from the north parking lot and made a couple of quick purchases just for an alibi. I left through the south entrance and saw Mont standing by my car.