Nowhere To Run (To Protect And Serve) (8 page)

Santiago’s family operated the largest Columbian
drug cartel in the country. But by accounts the thirty-three-year-old Columbian had walked away from the money and power and made a name for himself in the diamond community.

Riley’s partner told him
Santiago had made numerous calls to the precinct over the last hour or so, checking on the progress of the Scott kid’s murder. A red flag as far as Riley was concerned. The man was fishing for information about the case. Which was why Riley was betting Santiago would be more willing to talk than his fiancé had been.

When he
called ahead, Santiago’s assistant told him Santiago was agreeable to the meet.

In fact
, he seemed eager. He was waiting for him in the lobby of his office building when Riley ducked in.

“Detective Donovan
. Thank you for stopping by. Come, we can talk better in my office.” The Columbian moved with pent up energy past several elegant display cases probably containing millions of dollars in diamonds. Instead of crossing the Italian marble lobby to the bank of elevators, Santiago veered down a short hallway to a door marked ‘stairwell’. Riley wondered if this were deliberate or part of the man’s normal workout routine.

The
thirteenth floor opened into a waiting area where a young woman sat working on the computer. Santiago retrieved several messages from the girl, then proceeded through another door that led into a stylish but somewhat cavernous office.

Riley refused coffee while trying to remain polite. He couldn’t afford to piss off his only means of gaining insight into Jeremy Scott’s final days
, but time was of an essence, and he’d been skating on thin ice for hours. The Feds would have his job if they found out about this meeting.

“No thanks. I’d like to
get straight to the point if I may. There are a few questions I’d like to ask you about your relationship with Jeremy Scott--”

Riley’s cell vibrated at his waist. He unhooked the phone
and glanced at its small illuminated screen. Jordan’s cell number popped up on the ID.

“Do you need to take th
at, detective?” Santiago’s gaze narrowed when Riley ignored the call and retuned the phone to his belt clip.

“
No. It’s nothing that can’t keep.” God he hoped that proved to be the case. He couldn’t risk talking her call in front of Santiago and possibly endangering her life even more than it was already.

Santiago indicated one of the chairs across from his desk. “Of course. Please. Sit.” The Columbian waited until Riley was comfortable before sitting
.

“
I take it there’s no news on Jeremy’s case yet?”

Riley struggled to appear casual. “
No. Nothing yet. But it’s very early in the investigation and we’re still shifting through the evidence.”

Santiago nodded noncommittal. “
How can I help, detective? Needless to say this has been quite a shock to Jeremy’s sister.”

Riley studied the man’s polite demeanor.
Something flashed in those dark eyes for a moment. Enough to make Riley believe he’d stepped into the presence of pure evil.

“But not to you.”
Riley confirmed the obvious.

Santiago
gave a brief nod. “No. Not a surprise. Jeremy has been drifting for a while. His sister refused to accept the boy had problems. Jordan is smart. But she practically raised the boy. When it comes to her brother, she has an enormous blind spot.”

Pictures of Jordan taken at various social functions along with her fiancé decorated the credenza behind Santiago’s desk.

Santiago caught the direction of Riley’s gaze. “She’s very beautiful, isn’t she? By looking at her, you’d never guess the atrocious family life she survived growing up.”

Somehow, Riley managed to conceal his contempt for the man. The very thought of this monster touching her was enough to send him ballistic.

“Both parents are deceased?” Riley knew a few brief details of the Scott siblings past.

“Yes, thank God. The father was
a lowlife addict who took his frustrations out on anyone in his way. His wife mostly. Sometimes Jeremy. He never touched Jordan though. She’s strong, you see. Her brother, alas, was nothing like his sister. He took after the mom.”

“Any idea what the kid might’ve gotten himself
mixed up in?”

Santiago smiled at Riley’s
polite line of questioning. Damn, the guy was good. He’d perfected the part of the caring fiancé. “I think we both know what Jeremy was involved in, detective. And, I’m guessing that since you know about the drugs, you’re obligated to ask me about my family’s involvement. I’d expect nothing less from the NYPD.”

Riley inclined his head.
“Thank you. I realize some of these questions might be delicate, but as you’ve said, I have to ask.”

Caesar Santiago lifted both hands, palms
skyward in a gesture of acceptance. “Please, I’m here to help.”

“Thank you. When was the last time you spoke to your family, Mr. Santiago
?”

Only the tiniest amount of annoyance
distorted the Columbian’s polished demeanor. “Please, call me Caesar.” He corrected with only a hint of his previous smile. “My family and I, well we are no longer close.” Caesar got to his feet and moved to the windows overlooking the congested Manhattan business district, his demean pensive. “I speak with my mother each week and my youngest brother attends university here in the states. But ‘my family’ – and by that you mean my father and brother, have not spoken to each other since I left home. I was disowned by them for abandoning the family business my father expected me to one day control.”

In spite of the urgency for answers, Riley found himself intrigued by the man’s story. “You walked away from the family fortune?” Riley’s gaze drifted around the plush office.
Even if the story weren’t pure bullshit, it didn’t appear as if Caesar Santiago had suffered any lasting financial effects from leaving the family. Unless he wasn’t as clean as he wanted Riley to believe. Riley made a mental note to check out the details of Santiago’s story later. “That must have been hard.”

Riley met the Columbian’s gaze without hesitation
. His gut instinct told him this man could be as formidable as his old man when necessary.

“You’re wondering how I managed to accomplish all this without my father’s
money.” Santiago’s hand swept the room. “My father paid for my education. In return, he expected I would take over for him as the second oldest son. I refused. He kicked me out. That was the end of my family’s assistance.

“
I struggled and worked for every penny that I earned. In the beginning, there were times when it would have been so easy to return to the life my father wanted for me, but you see, I couldn’t accept that type of destructiveness anymore. I wanted a future. A family of my own. I wanted my life to amount to more.

“So, I repaid my father’s generosity -- every penny spent on my education as well as my privileged upbringing. I made sure I owed nothing of my future success to the sale of drugs.”

It was hard for Riley not to show his opinion of this.
Something Santiago just said didn’t add up. “You said you would take over for your father as the second oldest son. You have an older brother—“

He nodded. “Yes, E
rnesto was five years my senior. He is deceased. There were four of us. Ernesto, myself, Sebastian and Alain who is the baby of the family.” The pain in Santiago’s dark gaze burned into Riley. “Ernesto was like a god to me. I adored him. But my brother was an addict . He wasn’t a god. He wasn’t even strong enough to overcome something as base as a drug addiction. I watched him slowly kill himself and there was nothing I could do to save him.”

“That must have been hard.”

“Yes. It was the ultimate deciding factor in my leaving the business. With me out of the picture, my younger brother Sebastian was eager to take my place.” The bitterness in his tone was evident. There was bad blood between Caesar Santiago and his brother Sebastian.

“So you see,
I know how difficult Jeremy’s death will be for Jordan. I, myself have been there.”

Santiago returned to his seat. “Is there anything else I can answer for you
?” Riley sensed the interview along with Santiago’s good humor was coming to an end.

“Just one
more question if I may and then I’ll leave you alone. I know you must be busy and I appreciate your time.” Santiago held up his hands in a familiar gesture of humility. Riley wasn’t buying it for a minute.

“Of course. How
ever I can help.”

“Do you have any idea what Jeremy Scott was doing outside that building in
South Bronx?”

Caesar Santiago steepled his hands as if considering the question. “I would think
that would be obvious. Once an addict – always an addict.”  

***

Jordan didn’t dare leave a message for Riley. Instead, she spent the rest of the afternoon while waiting for his call, trying to find something that would give her a clue as to who might have wanted her brother dead. She’d turned over every piece of furniture in her brother’s room, stripped the bedding. Searched every shoebox, every pocket. Every drawer. And found nothing.

Had Riley been mis
taken? Could Jeremy’s death have been just a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time? Coming on top of everything else and coupled with the things she’d begun to suspect about Caesar made that premise hard to accept.

She found Jeremy’s favorite shirt and jeans. H
e’d never worn a suit in his life. She wouldn’t bury him in one now.

Jordan folded the clothes and put them into a bag
. Tonight would be the first time she’d seen Jeremy since his death.

How did she find the strength to bury
her brother?

Jordan tried
Riley’s cell one last time only to reach his voicemail again. With a final look around at the apartment that had been her home for so long, she closed the door and left the apartment. If she couldn’t find any connection between Jeremy’s death and Caesar here, there was only one place left to look.

Caesar’s
town home.

Night came early
in the city at this time of year. Even though it was barely six, the streetlights were on. Heavy traffic chugged along congested streets. New York crackled with an electrical vitality you could almost feel. Somehow, Jordan found this comforting.

She stopped for a moment to listen to
the bells of Manhattan Presbyterian chime out a familiar old hymn. She and Jeremy had attended that church as children. She barely remembered that girl anymore. She’d been so innocent back then. Before she realized how truly evil the human nature could be.

Someone bumped her arm, jarring the bag from her hand. Jordan glanced around. The sidewalk was crowded. People passed by in a hurry giving her little more than a curious glance. The bag containing Jeremy’s clothing landed some distance from her. Jordan hurriedly moved toward it only to have someone brush up against her once more.

“Excuse me,
Senorita.”A dark, swarthy man dressed all in black invaded her personal space. Unexpectedly, he clasped her arm, pinning her there. Jordan froze. Tried to pull away. His fingers tightened on her arm a moment longer before he smiled then released her and bent to retrieve her bag. When he straightened, deep-set eyes pierced hers. In the fading light of day, they appeared almost as black as night. There was something strangely familiar about him. And infinitely sinister.

“Thank you.”
Jordan added as an afterthought, wanting only to put space between herself and this very disturbing man. In spite of the warmth of the day, Jordan shivered. The man’s sharp gaze caught it. He seemed pleased by her reaction. Hard eyes shifted from Jordan’s frightened expression to the dark limo parked close by. Two men dressed similarly in dark clothing stood, arms crossed as if waiting for the man’s command.

He smiled once more
, then turned his full attention to Jordan. “No problem.” He spoke with a thick accent. His tone appeared pleasant until he added, “But you should be careful, Senorita. Tell your fiancé this city is a cesspool. Very dangerous.” He paused for a lengthy moment. “People die here all the time. I’d suggest, if he knows what’s good for him, he’d better watch his back. We know what he’s been up to, you see. Tell Caesar anything could happen to a young woman such as yourself out alone…Doctor Scott.”

H
is calloused fingers touched her cheek. “And it would be a pity if anything were to happen to such a pretty face.” Jordan jerked away from his touch. His only reaction was a chilling laugh. He enjoyed her fear. She couldn’t move. She stood frozen in place, her heart pounding in her chest.

With a curt nod, the man moved away and Jordan could breathe again. He said something to the two men that she barely caught. While she didn’t understand
all the words, she recognized the language immediately. She’d heard Caesar use that same language on the few occasions he’d spoken to his Columbian family in recent years.