Unforgettable (26 page)

He stormed up to the
clerk's office.

"Where is it?"

"What,
Detective?"

"The Huesling case. You
know, the poor guy beat himself and then jumped out a window.
Extraordinary case."

"The what? I never heard of
it. Maybe there weren't no evidence to begin with."

Silverman
smiled.

"I'm sure you're right. I'm
sure the Chief had nothing to do with this. And I'm sure your bank
account wasn't fatter this week. Have a glorious day, man. Someday
soon it may not be so glorious."

Around three I woke. I heard talking in
the hall. Which wasn’t unusual after a party. Except I kept hearing
my name.

I crept to the door.

Someone grabbed me, put a piece of duct
tape on my mouth and tied my wrists together. They shoved me toward
the top of the stairs.

Panic made me insane. I thought my
chest would explode. I was kicking but doing no good. I dropped to
my knees and managed to knock a vase off. It crashed. The intruder
panicked and started to run. I fell to the ground. They slipped and
fell down the stairs, landing halfway down.

Jack ran out, called for
security.

I screamed when he ripped the tape
off.

Roger and another guard had the
intruder. They pulled his ski mask off.

It was Gloria.

She looked at me. “Sorry,
Sam.”

Jack untied me.

Silverman came with two uniformed
officers. They took her away. I just watched, not
believing.

I gave my statement and went back to
bed. I slept, dreaming about dark figures hiding under my
bed.

Wednesday

“
That security bitch got
caught last night. We’ve been watchin’ that goddamn ranch for five
days and I’m sick of it,” Eddie was making fried bologna
sandwiches. “I hate fucking fried bologna. I want some real food!
We need money! I need to have some goddamn fun! You’re never going
to get close to that bitch. They have a freakin army around her.
Let’s go get some money.”

“
Shut up,” Robert was
cleaning his knives.

“
I hate this apartment,”
Eddie continued. “It smells like rotten cabbage. Let’s
move.”

“
We will. Every three days.
Every three days. Besides, I want a nicer place to bring my queen,
the mother of my child.”

“
You really think you’re
going to keep her long enough to get her knocked up and keep her
nine months. You are an idiot.”

Robert slammed into him
pushing him into the wall and knocking a large hole in the
plaster.

“
Don’t you ever call me
that!”

Eddie ran out the door,
limping and crying.

Oscar went outside on the
tiny, cracked patio and talked to Arnie again. “Yeah, that’s right…
should get you right in…just get me the fuck out of here,
man!”

Silverman called at nine.

“
Seems Gloria was being
blackmailed by Welsh. Welsh found out she had a record. She was
terrified he was going to let her girlfriend and you and Jack know.
And he threatened to kill her and her family. She confessed to
putting the tape recorder under your bed. She had no way of
contacting him, though. So that’s a dead end. Welsh really knows
how to manipulate people.”

“
What will happen to her?” I
asked.

“
She’s been charged, attempt
to abduct. Judge will probably go light.”

“
Can I do anything?” I
asked.

“
You, as the victim, can
make a statement at sentencing.”

Roger and I made it to the ranch around
eleven. I sniffed and cried all the way thinking about Gloria. I
felt sorry for her but I was angry, feeling betrayed.

I felt hollow.

The weather was heating up, clouds
high, thin and wispy. People spoke to me, called me by name, which
felt good. I was feeling visible for a change.

Jack was under a tent viewing the last
scenes with him and Shandi. Several people were standing around so
I hung back, not wanting to get in the way.

In the scene Shandi was wounded and
Jack was holding her.

“
Rehana, you are the all
that I have left. You must hold on…I won’t lose you!” He buried his
head in her chest.

The crew applauded. I got bumped and
pushed aside and I realized how out of place I was there. And I
felt mad as hell.

Roger found me. I hadn’t known I was
lost but he said I was.

“
What’s wrong? Shandi bug
you? You and Jack have another fight?”

“
I’m not independent. I’ve
always had my own job, my own place, my own money. I have nowhere
to go, except protective custody, no job. I’m stuck.”

“
I understand but until they
capture Welsh you kind of
are
stuck. You’ve got to have the
protection.”

“
I know. Maybe I should go
into protective custody.”

Roger put his arm around me.

“
Think about it long and
hard. I think you’d hate it. And I know a whole lot of people
around here who would miss you. Lots.”

When they had a break I got Jack’s leg
elevated.

“
Gonna tell me who you’re
mad at?”

“’
Don’t know. What time will
you be home tonight?”

“
What’s wrong,
Sam?”

“
I need to talk to you about
the job with David. I’ve been giving it a lot of
thought.”

“
Okay. How are you going to
manage that with Welsh out there?”

“
I’m not sure.”

“
Sweetie, I can’t talk now.
But…you’ve got to stay safe. I know you’re bored.”

“
I’m
dependent
. ‘Can’t have that. I can’t
live like this. We need to talk. I’m going back now. We’ll talk
tonight.”

Roger took me back to the house and I
called David.

“
Where are you?”

“
Jack’s.”

“
I think we should have
dinner.”

“
Security. I have to
stay…”

“
Jack isn’t the only one who
can provide you with security. Twenty four hours a day. Day and
night. I’ll pick you up at six.”

I called Roger.

“
I have a
meeting.”

Roger was silent.

“
With David. At six. He’s
picking me up.”

“
I’m coming
down.”

I met him in the kitchen ready for a
fight.

“
Sit down, little girl,” he
said. “Now tell me what the fuck is going on. Because you’re not
going anywhere.”

“
Listen, little boy, I’m not
a goddamn prisoner.”

“
Okay. I’ll call Silverman
and turn it over to him. He’ll throw your ass into protective
custody.”

“
I want to talk to David
about a job. He’s offered me a job.”

“
I’ll call Jack…”

“
No you won’t.”

“
Sam, for God’s sakes,
you’re putting me in a helluva spot.”

“
David said he’d have
security.”

“
Right. That’s not all he’s
gonna have. I want to talk to David.”

I dialed his number on my phone, handed
it to Roger, and walked out to the pool.

At six o’clock a black Jeep pulled up
followed by David’s Maserati.

“
I’m starving. I made
reservations at a little bistro if that’s okay. Good place to
talk,” he held the door for me.

“
Thank you for seeing me
tonight.”

He grinned and pulled out into
traffic.

“
I always told you…anytime,
day or night.”

At the Bistro four forbidding security
men stepped out of the Jeep and escorted us in.

The place was small, Tuscany-decor,
with soft music in the background. We took a table close to the
bar. David ordered a bottle of wine and then food began to
magically appear.

“
We’re the only ones
here.”

“
Really? ‘Hadn’t
noticed.”

“
You did something…reserved
it or something.”

He grinned. “I wanted to be alone with
you.”

“
I need a job.”

“
Sure, we can talk about
that. What would you like to do?”

“
I have no idea.”

“
I had an investor liaison
position for you but you can’t do that with your current security
restrictions.”

“
I see.”

“
It is so wonderful to see
you.”

I smiled.

He leaned over and kissed
me.

“
You know if you stayed with
me I could set you up with an office and you could do all kinds of
things.”

He had the Cheshire cat smile
again.

“
Why don’t you just marry me
and stop all of this?”

“
David, you are the sweetest
man in the world. I wish you had a girlfriend or a wife or
someone.”

He laughed.

“
Oh, but I do. Four
actually. Lady friends. Kolina is an occasional visitor. We get
together for good times, including very nice sex, vacations
sometimes.”

I was in shock, but then I realized
there was no need to be.

He moved closer to me.

“
I detect a trace of
jealousy. How wonderful.”

“
No. Don’t be
silly.”

“
But I will tell you that I
have never asked any of them to marry me. If you do ever get tired
of the reprobate I am here for you, Sam. And I do have a job for
you if you insist you won’t move in with me.”

“
Oh?”

“
Script reader. I just had
one quit. It’s a boring job, really. I’ll give you areas I’m
looking for, like fantasy or sci fi, and you review and comment on
the scripts. I have a form. I’ll have them delivered to you every
day.”

“
Sounds fun. Thank
you.”

His phone rang. He looked at
it.

“
Oops.” He walked away from
the table and talked for a long time.

“
That was the reprobate.
Either he wants you back at his place or he’s coming here. He
seemed to have a strong feeling about this.”

Senator Ward did not want
to meet with George Brown. But he had said two words that made him
curious. That guaranteed he would meet and find out what he
knew.

The man was tired,
unshaven, in an expensive coat, expensive shoes. Even though he
looked like he'd been on a three day drunk he handsome, with a gaze
that took the Senator by surprise. They were meeting by railroad
tracks, behind an empty warehouse.

The Senator had one aid
with him even though George had told him to come alone.

They stared at each
other.

"Abdul Shah," the Senator's
voice was hushed.

George nodded.

"I had the good fortune of
spending several productive hours with his widow. She shared a
great deal before her unfortunate demise. It was quite
enlightening."

Ward took a step closer to
him.

"What the fuck do you
want?"

"Money, of course. A cut.
But...I want a personal favor. I want...Frank McMorris."

"Why not just kill
him?"

George laughed. "Now
where's the fun in that?"

The house was quiet when I got back.
One of the security men came in with me and made me call
Roger.

“
I’m back.”

“
I know. Jack’s upstairs in
the tub. He’d like to speak with you.”

Roses sat on the front
table. The card read,
Love,
Jack.

I climbed the stairs and knocked on his
bedroom. There was no answer but I heard water running.

“
Jack?” I peered in the
door.

“
In the tub.”

I walked in and saw his new boot on the
floor.

He had both feet in the tub with the
whirlpool going, drinking a scotch.

“
I didn’t know you were
getting your boot today. I bet it feels wonderful to have that cast
off. Let me see.”

“
I only show my naked self
to other naked people. You look very sexy in that. Come on in, we
can talk.”

I stripped and sunk into the warm water
opposite him and looked at his withered ankle. I instinctively
began to massage it.

He pulled me on top of him.

“
Why did you tell David you
had to have a job?”

“
Because I have to have my
own money. Nothing here is real… it’s all glitz and props… my
future isn’t real.”

“
This is real, dammit! I
love you. I want you for the rest of my life. And I don’t want you
screwing around with anyone else. ‘Drove me insane tonight when I
thought of you with David again.” He kissed me hard, our teeth
hitting together.