Déjà Vu (20 page)

L
ong, well-manicured fingers examined the gun, extracting the clip and shoving it back in its chamber. Satisfied with the inspection, Santiago placed the gun inside of his slacks, pulling his tan cashmere sweater over it. He glanced at his likeness in a hall mirror, making faces as he did so. He patted his hair and ran his hand down the length of his sweater, feeling for the gun for added assurance.

“No one plays me for a fool,” Santiago said to the reflection in the mirror that pointed back when he did. “No one.”

Santiago reached for his leather coat when the phone began to ring. He uttered a few choice words and told the caller he’d meet him outside in a minute.

Snapping the phone shut, Santiago went to Angelica’s room once more. He surveyed it and shook his head. While it appeared that her belongings were still there, she was not and apparently hadn’t thought it necessary to share her whereabouts with anyone else.
Where was she?

Santiago stepped out of the house as Dominic pulled up. Sammy jumped out and opened the back passenger door for Santiago. Santiago slammed the door, and the trio was off.

“Where to, boss?” Dominic asked.

“I want you to drive to Queens. I would have had Niko take me there, but I didn’t want my car to be recognized. Once we get
into Queens, I’ll direct you to where I want you to go.” Santiago lifted his right hand and felt the gun. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to use it.

The trio drove in silence—Sammy and Dominic sensing Santiago’s mood. It seemed that there was some urgency to the task they were about to undertake, although they didn’t know what it was yet. Santiago barked orders—a left turn here, two right turns there—and then he told Dom to pull over to the curb. Dom and Sammy looked at each other in the rearview mirror and waited for the word.

Upon Santiago’s orders, all three scrambled from the car. Dom and Sammy hung back at the bottom of the steps, while Santiago climbed them to the porch and rang the doorbell. After one minute of knocking and no answer, Santiago became enraged and beat on the door—still no answer.

He motioned to Sammy and Dominic, and they jumped into the car.

“Dom, take me to Manhattan. I’ll let you know where to go once we get there.” And they were off again.

Thirty minutes later, Santiago motioned for Dominic to pull over to the curb beyond the next traffic light and in front of a twenty-five-story apartment building on Manhattan’s east side. A tall, olive-complexioned man dressed in a traditional doorman’s uniform stood in front of the building.

Ari stood tall, almost like the building where the residents he doted on lived. He never saw or had time to react to the two gentlemen that jumped from the car that sat idling in front of the building. He had barely turned around from bidding Ms. Faraday a good day when he was hijacked from his post.

“Put me down,” Ari shouted at the men.

Sammy and Dominic said nothing but pushed Ari through the car door that stood open. Sammy and Dominic jumped into the car and took off.

Ari stared at the man that sat next to him. His eyes scanned Santiago’s face with interest. A slight grimace passed over Ari’s face as if there was some recognition upon examination. But he sat quietly, waiting to find out what was so important that he was plucked from a busy New York street for it.

“This will be painless and you can return to your little perch outside the building in a few minutes if you cooperate,” Santiago said with a stoic face. “Where is she?”

“Where is who?” Ari asked with a puzzled look.

“You know who I’m talking about. I know it was you who helped Angelica to leave my home…her home.”

Ari looked at Santiago as if he were mad. “What in the hell are you talking about? I haven’t seen Angelica in weeks.”

“You’re lying!” Santiago screamed. “You know and you’re going to tell me now.” He pulled Ari by the collar until Ari’s face was inches from his.

There was no smile on Ari’s face. In fact, it was hard as stone—like clay that had been fired in a kiln under 400-degree heat. The fine line that formed his lips was etched on the lower part of his face, and his eyes were blank like they were drawn on his face by the hand of a five-year-old child.

In slow motion, Ari took the palm of his hand and placed it over the one that had his collar in a chokehold.

“Don’t you ever put your hands on me again,” Ari said with authority.

Santiago let go, but placed his face less than an inch from Ari’s. He reached down and lifted his sweater to reveal the gun that
was concealed under it. He brandished it in Ari’s face and then stared menacingly at him. “Tell me what I want to know.”

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know,” Ari replied.

Whoop
. Santiago slammed the butt of the gun into the side of Ari’s face. Ari clutched his face—a small trickle of blood leaked between his fingers.

“You going to tell me now, old man?”

“Angelica is getting as far away from you as she can…you evil manipulator,” Ari said. “And I remember you. Oh yes, I remember you, now. Came to see Donna the day she died. I would bet my last dime that you killed her.”

“You talk too much,” Santiago said in a gruff voice. “I don’t like people who run off at the mouth.”

Before Ari knew what happened, Santiago hit him in the face again and then punched him in the stomach. Ari began to wretch. Dom looked at Santiago in his rearview mirror.

“Drive to the spot,” Santiago barked. He looked at Ari, holding himself and punched him again.

Somewhere outside of the city, Dominic drove. Dusk turned to dark. At some remote area amid a forest of trees, Dom pulled over. There was no reason for dialogue—it was apparent that Dom and Sammy already knew the drill.

They got out of the car and pulled a doubled-over Ari out. Though he was already unconscious, they beat him unceremoniously until Ari seemed to have given up the ghost. Satisfied that the lesson had been taught, the duo jumped in the car while Santiago looked out of the window, keeping Ari’s body in view until they drove out of sight.

“Don’t mess with me,” Santiago said to himself aloud and put the gun back in its hiding place.

A
ngelica felt more at ease as she pulled into D.C. Even though she and her brothers didn’t always see eye to eye, they were there when it mattered. She was closer to Edward, the attorney, than her brother Michael, the doctor. It might have been because she needed Edward more than she should have, and while he could not keep her out of jail, it felt good to have someone you knew and trusted on your side.

Washington, D.C.—with its many one-way streets and those that could tangle you up for hours if you weren’t sure if you were supposed to be going N.W. as opposed to N.E. or S.W. as opposed to S.E.—was enough to make you pull out your hair. Angelica hadn’t driven in D.C. in years, and now the confidence with which she rode into D.C. was beginning to fade. Luckily for her, the phone rang and it was Edward, instructing her where to get off I-95/I-495 so he could meet her.

Angelica’s face lit up when she saw Edward and immediately followed him in the rental car to his place. Edward seemed truly glad to see his sister, and they hugged each other and walked arm in arm to Edward’s expensive condo.

After settling down, Edward poured himself and Angelica a glass of wine.

“You look good, little sister. You never cease to amaze me how you continue to rise from the ashes.”

Angelica looked from behind the glass of wine to stare at Edward. “What do you mean, Edward?”

“Sweetie, it was a compliment. You are so resilient. All the things you’ve been through, you don’t seem to let it stop you from moving forward with your life. You weather one storm after another and, as the title of Maya Angelou’s famous poem suggests, and still you rise.”

“I really want to get my life together, Edward. It seems that trouble seems to follow me like flies to a picnic. I don’t even ask for it, but when I look up, the dark cloud is swarming over me. I can’t seem to shake the dark side of my life. I’m trying, Edward. God knows I’m trying.”

“Sis, you are going to be fine. Hearing you say that you want to turn over a new leaf leaves me no alternative but to help you in every way I can.”

Angelica looked at Edward with so much love in her eyes. “Oh, Edward, that’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time…well, almost.”

“What do you mean by almost?” Edward snickered.

“I did meet a nice man in New York. Edward, he truly cares about me. In fact, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to get out of New York.”

“You plan to go back to New York after the funeral?”

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I know it would be a death sentence to go back there now, with Santiago looking for me. He gives me the creeps. Sometimes I feel like he’s following me.”

“Well, big brother is here to protect you now. We’re going to get rid of the rental car tomorrow morning, and we’ll strike out for Fayetteville after that. Hamilton’s funeral is temporarily set for Saturday; however, I believe the family is waiting for you to get there to complete the arrangements.”

“How is that? I’ve been estranged from that family forever. They must know that Hamilton gave me his insurance policies and things to hold. Maybe we can get Jefferson to go over Hamilton’s investments.”

“Is that a good idea? My sources tell me that Margo and Jefferson are trying to work on their marriage, and your asking Jefferson to help with Hamilton’s finances might be misconstrued.”

“Remember, Edward, I’m no longer up to my old tricks. I want to take care of business and be left alone.”

“I’ll give Jefferson a call, and see if we can’t set something up. I’ll be with you.”

“Great. Now I’m tired. I had a long day. Today was like a page out of one of James Patterson’s mystery novels.”

“Glad you’re here, Sis. You’re in good hands.”

Brring, brring, brring.
Angelica hesitated at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She had ignored several of Santiago’s calls, but maybe he would go away if she answered.

“Don’t answer that if it’s Santiago,” Edward cautioned. “He’s a smart guy. Your call could be traced, and he might have the resources to do it. I think we are going to have to get the police involved because, if we don’t, we may be letting ourselves in for a showdown that we’ll all regret.”

“You’re right,” Angelica said.

Brring, brring, brring,
the phone began again. Angelica looked at the number closely and realized it was Ari.

“This is the gentleman I told you I met in New York,” Angelica said to Edward, her face lighting up. “Hello, Ari,” Angelica said with excitement in her voice.

“An…An…”

“Ari, are you all right?”

“San…San…tiago,” the voice at the other end said.

“What about Santiago, Ari? Where are you?” Angelica saw the concern in Edward’s eyes.

“Beat…me…up…left to die. Wanted to know where you were. Says I helped…you. He…he killed Donna.”

Angelica’s heart sank. “Oh my God. Where are you, Ari?”

“I don’t know. Left to die. San…ti…ago and his goons snatched me…in front of the apartment building. Don’t know if I’m going to make it.”

“Don’t talk like that, Ari. You’re going to make it. I’m going to call the police and Nick. Hang in there, Ari, if not for yourself, for me. I need you.”

“Beeeeeeee care…ful. Santiago is dangerous. He…he had a…gun.”

“Don’t worry about me; it’s you I’m worried about. We’re going to find you.”

There was a long silence. “Ari!” Angelica shouted. “Ari, can you hear me? Hang in there, baby.”

The cell phone shook violently in Angelica’s hand. “It has already started, Edward. I guess Santiago tried to find out from Ari where I was, and when he didn’t tell him, he beat him up. He’s out there somewhere hurt and by himself.” She closed the phone, and the line was dead.

“Give me the phone,” Edward said. “I’ll call the police and put things in motion. I need to call that Captain Petrowski in Fayetteville to let him know that we’re on our way there and Santiago may be coming that way, too. We need all the help we can get.”

“Great, Edward. In the meantime, I’m going to call Ari’s friend Nick to see if he can help find Ari. Maybe they can trace his location through my cell phone.”

“Sounds like we’re racing against time. Hopefully we can find
Ari before it’s too late for him. We’re going to the police tonight, though. We have to stay a step ahead of Santiago and maybe set a trap he never saw coming. As soon as we talk to the police and all our calls are made, we are heading to Fayetteville. I’ll have someone pick the rental car up and turn it in. Let’s go.”

“I’m on it.”

Angelica called Nick and shared what she knew. She could hear the fear in his voice when she told him what Ari had said. Guilt consumed her because, if it weren’t for her, neither Ari nor Nick would have been involved in her mess. Angelica’s only hope was that Ari would be found before it was too late.

“I just got off the phone with the police and they want us to come to the station now, if we have any hopes of saving Ari,” Edward said.

“Let’s go,” Angelica said, grabbing her purse.

Edward raced to the police station, maneuvering around slow moving cars with reckless abandon. When they arrived, Angelica recounted the sordid story of her past and the details of Ari’s abduction and what led to it. She also shared her speculation about who may have murdered her ex-husband, Hamilton, and his cousin, Donna. If there was a tie-in, she didn’t know since she was merely making an assumption based on the thoughts of others.

Angelica gave the police Ari’s cell number and a description of what he looked like. The information was dispatched to the New York Police Department. They also offered to share the information about Santiago with the Fayetteville Police. Angelica was thanked for a job well done.

Glad to have that behind them, Edward and Angelica headed back to his house to grab their things. There was one other piece of equipment Edward needed before they headed to Fayetteville.
While Angelica fiddled with her face in the bathroom, Edward reached into a hidden compartment in his dresser and withdrew a revolver. Quickly, he put it in his briefcase underneath a batch of papers and locked the case. Feeling better about things, he was ready to face what lay ahead.