CHAPTER 10
A little while later, DeeDee, Jake, and Cassie had all gone to bed. They’d had a busy day traveling and were tired. The big Indian take-out meal they’d ordered, along with the copious amounts of wine they’d all been drinking, added to their tiredness.
Benny, who had so much stamina he was always the last man standing when it came to talking, and Al, who was too worried to relax, stayed up to talk.
“Benny, I wanna’ know more about them other victims,” Al said. “Whad’ya know ‘bout Butch? What was his name again? That big meal fried my brain.”
“Haha! Don’t tell me you’re losing your touch, Al. His name is Butch Zamora,” Benny said. “He was the one who supposedly died of an accidental overdose of his own prescription medication.”
“Don’t wanna’ sound naïve, and I know the Mafia world front to back, but ya’ think there’s a chance that coulda’ happened? Any chance at all?”
“I’d say about the same chance of me turning into a unicorn in front of your eyes, Al,” Benny said. “I can smell a mob hit from a mile away. You can too. You’re just refusing to smell it because all the roses of your new life are getting in the way.”
Al grinned. “Ya’ sound jealous.”
“A little,” Benny said. “Would you feel like a real success if I didn’t have a little twinge? It’s great to be in love, man. Great to be happy and settled. I’m happy for you.”
Benny’s own wife had left him once their kids were grown, saying she was looking for romance and adventure, not just making him lasagne and tidying up his socks for the rest of her life. Al conceded she probably did have a point, and guessed that Benny – as much as he loved him – was very hard to live with.
“Thanks,” Al said. “Ima deservin’ it, right? All that hard work fer the mob year after year. Nearly losin’ my life more times than I can count. Deserve some happiness.”
Benny leaned forward. “Listen up Al, both the victims were like you. They were in the mob at one time, then got out and tried to live a normal life. It’s just too much of a coincidence that it’s the same case for all three of you.”
Al thought for a moment, and rubbed his forefinger along his upper lip. “Ya’ think the only reason for the killin’ was that we all left? Ima thinkin’ that’s pretty extreme.”
“I don’t know, Al. You know Benny has many theories and many stories, but who knows what the truth is?”
“Didn’t really know Butch or the other guy,” Al said. “And I never met Shirley. I’d heard of ‘em, but they didn’t really overlap in our circle, did they?” He paused for a moment to think. “But Shirley certainly had no plans fer leavin’ the Mafia.”
“But maybe she wanted to,” Benny said. “Maybe she’d confided in someone about it. The wrong person. Or someone knew the wrong person and passed the information on.”
“Yeah, that’s a possibility,” Al said. “Don’t feel right, though. Call it a hunch. Ima thinkin’ there’s gotta’ be a missin’ piece to the puzzle. Nothin’s fittin’ together. Only way it would all fit together is if the guy that’s been offin’ people is a complete psycho.”
“What about that Rock guy?” Benny asked. “If there’s a psychopath around, he’s one. No ties, no obedience, no allegiances. There were rumors he was an informer, or perhaps still is one. Then he went and killed a cop. The guy has no sense of loyalty or code. He just does whatever he wants.”
Al shook his head. “Sounds like he thinks he’s some kinda immortal.”
“I don’t know,” Benny said. “If you ask me, he’s begging to be murdered. But I think no one can get to him. For one thing, he’s always moving around. Kind of like a disappearing act. You hear of one killing he’s done, then he’s nowhere to be found. Maybe he is invincible. I could forgive the guy if that’s how he saw himself.”
“Ima thinkin’ he could definitely be a suspect, though why he’d wanna’ kill me I got no clue,” Al said. “I mean, if he ain’t got no real affiliations, don’t see why he’d be mad about me gettin’ out of the game.”
“Who knows what goes on in that crazy mind of his?”
“What ’bout the other guy who died?”
“Huey Polanski,” Benny said. “Fell out of a window when he was sleepwalking.” Benny rolled his eyes in mock astonishment. “I mean, come on, not even a five-year-old would believe that one. Apparently the police did, or at least they closed the case. Maybe just because it’s a mob hit, or maybe someone paid them off. I’m a bit out of the loop on that one. No idea who’s got the cops in their pocket these days, if anyone. I try to stay out of it.”
“Very sensible,” Al said. “Ima seriously considerin’ about what Cassie said. Ya’ know, just disappear by goin’ somewhere real remote.”
“Not a bad idea, if you ask me,” Benny said. “I’m not going to lie, I thought you were off your rocker when you said you were coming here to Chicago to play Columbo.”
“Ain’t playin’ Columbo, Benny,” Al said, feeling annoyed. “I’m tryin’ to keep myself from getting’ killed. Track down the killer before they can get to me. Ya’ were the one who tipped me off, fer goodness sake.”
“I hear that.”
“Maybe Cassie’s right. I’m worried somethin’ might happen to her.”
“And rightly so,” Benny said. “Clearly, these people don’t play around, whoever they are. And they don’t hesitate to kill women, either. If I were you, I might just disappear.”
Al felt the pressure mounting in his head. “I hear ya’, but I can’t uproot Cassie from her life. That’s the thing. Don’t want her to have to drop everythin’ ‘cuz of my past. I jes’ want her to be happy.” He felt like his head was going to split in two as he struggled with trying to decide what was the best thing to do.
“Benny, I gotta’ see this through to the end. And when I say the end, I don’t mean my end. I mean the end, where the killer is locked up behind bars, and Cassie and I ain’t gonna’ ever hafta’ worry again.”
Benny raised his wine glass as if toasting Al. “Well, all I can do is wish you the best of luck, and find the best of leads for you.”
“Thanks, Benny,” Al said. “Yer’ a true friend.”
“Don’t get all soppy on me, Al,” Benny said, then flashed him a friendly grin. “You’ll be safe, man. You and I know it’s dangerous, but I’m sure it’ll be fine in the end. It’ll work out. It always works out for you.”
“Yer’ right,” Al said. They settled into a comfortable silence. “I wonder if Vinny was alive if he’d be on the hit list.”
“Probably,” Benny said. “Now, listen to this.” He leaned forward and looked Al directly in the eye. “Even though I’ve said you’ll be fine, don’t get sloppy. Be careful. Be very, very careful. I don’t want another one of my friends to end up on the wrong side of the grass.”
CHAPTER 11
DeeDee and Jake laid in bed, whispering late into the night, neither of them able to sleep.
“I think we can do more to help,” Jake said. “We might provide Al with some good cover, because we hardly look like Mafia types. We won’t attract too much attention.”
DeeDee sighed. “I guess I wanted to leave it to Al and have us just support Cassie. But that’s not really good enough, is it? As much as I don’t want to face up to it, Al is in very grave danger. He just makes so light of it that I sometimes forget how much danger he’s really in.”
“We men try to put on a brave face,” Jake said. “You know, hold it together for you women. We want you to think that we have everything under control, so you feel safe.”
DeeDee stroked him on the arm. “Isn’t that lonely, sometimes? Like you have to hold all the worry inside while putting on a brave face?”
“I don’t know,” Jake said. “Maybe in extreme situations, yeah, or if it goes on a long time.”
“Don’t you think Al’s scared?” DeeDee said. “I would be. And he just sits there cracking jokes and sipping wine like we’ve come here on a vacat
ion.”
“Don’t forget, DeeDee, he was in the game for a long time,” Jake said. “He’s used to dealing with these kinds of situations. This is kind of routine stuff when it comes to the Mafia.”
“I suppose,” DeeDee said. “It’s feels weird to think we’re actually caught up in a mob saga. This kind of thing only happens in the movies. Thing is, in the movies, it’s all exciting and glamorous. When it happens, it’s just freaking scary.”
Jake nodded. “The image of the Mafia has definitely been glamorized.”
“Kind of like pirates,” DeeDee said. “We have all these romantic notions about them now, but really they were just terrible murderous criminals, and the seafaring life consisted of sickness, death, and killing.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
They settled into comfortable silence for a while, leaning up on the pillows, facing each other. “I’m thinking we should offer to interview some of the suspects ourselves,” DeeDee said. “That will help Al keep undercover for longer. Plus, it will help keep some of the stress off his shoulders.”
Jake nodded. “We’ll have to come up with some plausible story for why we’re poking around.”
“Yes,” DeeDee said, “but the problem is, being in the mob, they’re going to be very suspicious of outsiders. I would imagine they’re used to all kinds of people coming around with bad intentions like undercover cops, hit men, you name it. We’ll have to be smart about how we go about this. Very smart.”
The sound of a buzzer rang out throughout the apartment. It was very loud, and signified that someone who was downstairs at the reception desk wanted to communicate with someone in the apartment.
Both DeeDee and Jake jumped. DeeDee looked at her watch, then realized she didn’t have it on. She grabbed her phone from the bedside table. “It’s one in the morning. Who on earth would be buzzing at this time?”
“I don’t know,” Jake said, “but I’ve got a very bad feeling about it.”
They jumped out of bed and rushed into the living area only to find both Benny and Al sitting dead still, looking at each other with barely-concealed fear on their faces. Cassie was also coming out of her room.
“It’s probably just Little Fingers or Joey,” Al said, getting up and dusting off his knees. “Nothing to worry about.” He walked over towards the intercom.
“Don’t,” said Benny. “Get in your bedrooms, all of you. I’ll handle this.” He patted his waistband at the back of his shirt, making it clear he was armed, and started walking towards the main door.
Al continued towards the door, Red with him. “I ain’t gonna’ hide in fear.” He punched the button on the intercom and reception buzzed through.
“Hi, there, we have a package just delivered by a courier for your apartment. Would you like us to bring it up or will you come down?”
Al’s mind immediately jumped to the worst. Perhaps it was some kind of bomb or explosive. He didn’t want to open it up in the apartment where Cassie and the rest could be hurt. “I’m comin’ down,” he said. He’d look at it down at the reception desk and decide what to do next.
“Al,” Cassie said.
But he left with Red by this side. He didn’t turn around or say anything.
Cassie broke down in tears. DeeDee rushed over to her and hugged her.
“I’m gonna’ go down there, too,” Benny said. “Just in case.”
“I’m so worried about him,” Cassie sobbed. “Everything makes me tense and edgy. The stress is too much.”
“I know, honey,” DeeDee said, stroking her hair like she was a little girl. It seemed like Cassie needed to be mothered right then. “This whole situation is just horrible, isn’t it?”
Benny managed to thrust his arm into the elevator just before the doors closed. He hopped in beside Al, who kept telling himself to stay calm. It’s probably nothin’, he thought. Probably nothin’ at all.
When they got to the front desk on the ground floor, the receptionist had the package ready and waiting for them. It surprised Al by being a regular-sized envelope, bulked out with some padding. It felt like a small object, such as a bracelet or tiny bottle, had been wrapped in bubble wrap and stuffed into the envelope.
“Thanks,” Al said, then turned to Benny. They walked back towards the elevator. “Whad’ya think it is?” he said in a low voice. “Feel it.”
He passed the envelope to Benny, who took it in one hand and ran the fingers of his other hand over it. “Couldn’t say,” he said. “Maybe some kind of jewelry?”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Al said. “But who would wanna’ send me jewelry? Guess if one of the bosses knew I was in town, this could be their way of letting’ me know they know I’m here. Maybe I got made at the Russo house.” They got into the elevator.
Benny nodded. “Could be a kind of ‘welcome back’, you know, if they think you’re getting back in the game.”
“Could be,” Al agreed. “There’s probably a surveillance camera here in the elevator, and I don’t want security knowin’ my business, so we’ll jes’ wait ‘til we’re back in the apartment to open it. Maybe it’ll calm Cassie down. I mean, if it is jewelry, it could be from anyone. Ya’ know, someone who likes me or someone who wants me dead. Could be either, but she don’t need to know that.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Benny said.
When they walked back into the apartment, they found Cassie, DeeDee, and Jake sitting on the couches in their robes, looking nervous. Al’s eyes met Cassie’s, and the concern in them pierced straight through to his heart. It even made him a little angry. Why was she doubting his ability to keep himself safe?
Well, he knew very well why, because he was doubting the same thing. That was why it made him mad. She made him face the very feeling he was trying to conceal in himself.
“It’s okay!” he announced with a smile. “Jes’ a little envelope. We’re thinking it’s probably jewelry. Maybe someone has spotted me around and wants me to know they know I’m here.”
Cassie gasped a little. “Does that mean your cover’s been blown?”
“Ain’t no a big deal,” Al said.
“But…” Cassie began.
Al laughed, though it sounded like it was forced. “Really, it ain’t no big deal,” he repeated, his voice louder and more intense than he meant it to be. “Let’s open this envelope. Maybe I got me a nice new piece of ice.”
“Bling bling!” DeeDee said, trying to lighten the mood.
But when Al sat down and opened the envelope, it wasn’t a piece of jewelry nestled in the bubble wrap after all.
It was a bullet.
The bubble wrap fell away, and there was a note on a tiny piece of paper coiled around the bullet. Al unwrapped it and read, “Watch your back, the next one has your name on it.”
Cassie surprised them all by standing up and throwing her hands in the air. “I can’t do this anymore! I didn’t sign up for this, Al!”
“Cassie, it’ll be fine,” he said, trying to sound breezy, though there was a vein throbbing at his temple. “Don’t worry, it’s just someone tryin’ to scare us.”
“Well, it’s working,” Cassie said in a loud voice. “They just delivered this to the apartment building. We need to get out of here, and fast.”
“She’s right,” Benny said. “You’ll have to relocate. It’s too risky, even with the windows being bulletproof.”
Al thought quickly. “Okay, well it’s clear my cover’s been blown and the people who wanna’ kill me know I’m here. So now it don’t make no sense to try and hide. In fact, Ima thinkin’ we need to get as visible as possible. Make everyone turn heads when they see us. More public we are, the better. That way it’s gonna’ be hard for anyone to make a move without bein’ spotted.”
He looked at Benny, then at DeeDee and Jake, and then at Cassie. “Ha,” he said, laughing. “I got the best idea. What’s the most expensive hotel in Chicago? Maybe the Four Seasons?”
“Likely,” Benny said. “I pref
er the Langham, though. Good staff. Wonderful bathrooms. Food’s great, too.”
“All right,” Al said. “We’ll be goin’ there and bookin’ the best suite in the place.”
They left within minutes and finally managed to get some restful sleep once they’d registered at the Langham Hotel and been shown to the penthouse suite.
The next morning, they all slept in until 10:30 a.m., and had missed the hotel breakfast. Of course, it was the Langham and they were staying in the penthouse, so they could order whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it.
They ended up having a long, lazy breakfast of pastries and toast and muffins, along with coffee and tea. Al surprised them by being in a very good mood, as if he’d anonymously been sent a bundle of cash the night before, rather than a bullet.
“Now,” he said, wiping his hands down on a napkin and grinning. “We’re gonna’ have us some fun.”
The rest of that day was filled with the most surreal experiences any of them had ever had, and it was so much fun they almost managed to forget there was any murder threat at all.
When they got into a cab, Al briefed them on his idea. “Okay, guys, so we gotta’ get as visible as possible now, right? Here’s what we’re gonna’ do. We hit Saks Fifth Avenue, and go and buy the most luxurious, wildest, brightest, boldest clothes we can. Seriously, don’t matter if’n we look ridiculous! All we’ve gotta’ do is turn heads wherever we go.”
Benny grinned. “Al, I love it when you’re in town. I’m chipping into this, folks. Money is no object!” Benny loved to dress flamboyantly, and with direct instruction to do so, he was about to have a field day!
“Then we’re gonna’ hit one of the best restaurants tonight, and a play. Maybe even go to an art gallery. Need to be showin’ our faces everywhere. I want everyone to know Al’s in town. That way all my supporters can come out of the woodwork.”
Jake shook his head, laughing with bewilderment. “Well, I certainly hadn’t predicted this is what I’d be doing this week.”
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