Covet - A Novel of Fallen Angel Part 22

aLovely service,a Marie-Terese, said laying her palms lightly on her sonas shoulders. aAnd the cathedral renovations are coming along beautifully.a aThey are, they are.a Father Neely looked around with a smile, his white hair and tall, thin bearing perfect for a man of the cloth. In fact, he kind of looked like the cathedral, pale and ethereal. aQuite a lift on her, and about time.a aIam glad youare cleaning up the statuary as well.a She nodded over to the blank spot where the Mary Magdalene figure had been. aWhen is she coming back?a aOh, dear, you donat know? She was stolen.a People pressed in, and Father Neely started meeting the stares of other churchgoers and smiling. aThe police are looking for the vandal. Weare lucky, though, considering what else could have been taken as well.a aThat is terrible.a Marie-Terese tapped Robbie and he took the hint, clasping her hand and starting to lead again. aI hope they get her back.a aMyself as well.a The priest leaned forward and squeezed her forearm, his eyes kind under his cotton-ball eyebrows. aBe well, my child.a He was always nice to her. Even though he knew.

aYou, too, Father,a she said roughly.

She and Robbie walked out into the chilly April afternoon, and as she looked up at the milky white sky, she smelled a change in the air. aWow, I think we may be getting a snow.a aReally? That would be so cool.a As they went along the sidewalk, car engines were starting up far and wide as the Sunday Times 500 lit off and the congregation raced back home to collapse on sofas and easy chairs with the newspaper. At least, that was what she a.s.sumed they did, given the number of people she saw coming out of the Rite Aid down the street with their arms full of the New York Times and the Sunday edition of the Caldwell Courier Journal.

Without being asked, Robbie took her hand again as they came to the curb at the end of the block and they waited together for a break in the b.u.mper-to-b.u.mper. Standing by him, she worried about what was waiting for her on her phonea"except she knew better than to check with him around. Her poker face was good, but not that good.

It turned out her gamble with the parking laws had worked in her favor and the Camry hadnat been towed, but its engine was not happy about the cold weather that had rolled in. She finally got the thing started, though, and pulled out into traffica"

From the backseat, her purse let out a little purring sound: Her phone was vibrating again, this time against her wallet, which accounted for the sound.

Craning her arm around, she tried reach the thing, but Robbieas nimble little hands got there first.

aIt says aTrez,aa he announced as he handed the cell over.

She hit send with dread. ah.e.l.lo?a aYou need to come down to the club right away,a Trez said. aThe police are here about the a.s.sault and they want to ask you some questions.a aWhat a.s.saua"a She glanced at Robbie. aIam sorry, what are you talking about?a aThere was another man found in an alley last night. He had been badly beaten and heas in critical condition in the hospital. Listen, heas someone I saw you witha"and others did, too. You need toa"a aMom!a Marie-Terese slammed on the brakes and the Camry went into a pig-squeal skid, narrowly missing the quarter panel of an SUV that had the right of way. As the other caras horn blared, the cell phone flipped out of her hand and bounced across the dashboard, ping-ponging all the way over to Robbieas window before disappearing onto the floor at his feet.

The Camry came to a stop with the lurching grace of a bull and she wheeled around at her son. aAre you okay?a As she patted her hands over his chest, he nodded and slowly released his death grip on his seat belt. aI thinkathat lightawas red.a aIt sure was.a She pushed her hair out of her face and looked through the front windshield.

The SUVas furious driver made eye contact, but as soon as the guy saw her face, the anger in him easeda"which gave her an idea of how terrified she must appear. As he mouthed, Are you okay?, she nodded, and he lifted his hand in a wave before driving off.

Marie-Terese needed a minute, howevera"so thank G.o.d the Camry had essentially parallel parked itself at the curb.

Well, on the curb.

In the rearview mirror, she saw a man getting out of a blue Subaru that had pulled over behind her. As he walked up, he pushed his gla.s.ses a little higher on his nose and tried to smooth his thinning blond hair in the brisk wind. She knew him, she realizedafrom prayer group meetings and from the previous evening at the confessionals.

She hit the window b.u.t.ton, thinking she was surprised he approached. He seemed shy and almost never spoke at the meetings. Which she supposed put him in the same quiet tribe as her.

aEveryone all right?a he asked, bending down and putting his forearm on the roof.

aWe are, but that was a close one.a She smiled up at him. aNice of you to stop.a aI was behind you, and I should have honked or something when I didnat see any brake lights as you came up to the intersection. Guess you were distracted. You okay, too, son?a Robbie kept silent, his eyes locked downward and his hands in his lap. He was not one for making eye contact with men, and Marie-Terese had no interest in forcing him to.

aHeas fine,a she said, resisting the urge to check him for injury again.

There was a long moment and then the man stepped back. aGuess youall be on your way home then. Take care.a aYou, too, and thanks again for checking on us.a aMy pleasure. See you soon.a As she put up her window, a squawking came from the floor at Robbieas feet. aThe phone!a she said. aOh, no, TrezaRobbie, could you get that?a Robbie bent down and picked the thing up. Before he gave it to her, he asked grimly, aWould you like me to drive home?a Marie-Terese nearly laughed, but what stopped her was the seriousness in his face. aIall watch out better. Promise.a aOkay, Mom.a She patted his knee as she put the phone back to her ear. aTrez?a aWhat the f.u.c.k was that!a With a wince, she held the receiver away from her ear. aAhait was a red light that I didnat handle very well.a She checked every mirror on the car and all the windows before putting her blinker on. aBut no oneas hurt.a As the blue Subaru went by, she waved at the driver. PaulaPeterawhat was his name?

aJesus ChristaI nearly had a heart attack,a Trez muttered.

aWhat were you saying?a As if the near miss in traffic wasnat enough of a shocker.

aWhy donat you call me back when you get home. I donat know how many stoplights there are between you anda"a aIam paying attention now.a She pulled out slowly. aI swear.a There was some male-oriented grumbling over the connection. Then: aFineahereas the deal. The cops showed up here about a half hour ago, looking to talk to staff again, and you in particular. I guess theyad gone to your house and then tried to call you, and when they couldnat reach you, they headed over here. I donat know a lot, only that thereas a footprint at both scenes that seems to suggest a link between the two attacks. The tread of a running shoe, I guess? I donat think Iam supposed to know this, by the waya"it was just that two of the cops went outside for a smoke and they were pa.s.sing some pics back and forth, and gee whiz, I picked up on the convo. Go. Fig.a Marie-Tereseas first thought was that Vin didnat wear sneakersa"or at least head had on flat-soled loafers both nights.

Odd, wasnat it: Her main concern was whether or not Vin was involved, not that Mark was sending people after her from jail. The thing was, though, shead run from her ex once beforea"and she could do it again. But the idea that she was falling for another violent man wasnat the kind of thing she could get away from so easily.

aTrez, do you have any idea when theaa She glanced over at Robbie, who was drawing shapes on his window with his fingertip. aDo you know when it happened? Last night?a aAfter you left.a So it couldnat have been Vina.

aYour manas in trouble, by the way.a aExcuse me?a aVin diPietro. His face is all over the news. Guess his girlfriend ended up in the hospital, and sheas saying he was the one who put her there.a As the second round of drama hit, Marie-Terese took her foot off the gas and deliberately looked up as she came to an intersection. Green. Green means go, she told herself. Go means gas. She carefully eased her foot down and the Camry responded with all of the gusto of a ventilator patient.

aBy any chance,a Trez murmured, awere the two of you together late last night around ten?a aYes.a aThen take a deep breath. Because according to the news, thatas when she said it all went down.a Marie-Terese exhaleda"but only briefly. aOh, my G.o.dawhatas he going to do?a aHeas out on bail already.a aI can help him.a Although as soon as the words left her mouth, she wondered whether that was true. The last thing she needed was her face on the news: There was no way of knowing whether shead been asafea from Mark thus far because he was leaving her aloneaor because people head sent after her just hadnat found her yet.

aYeah, maybe you should try to stay out of it, though,a Trez said. aHeas got cash and connections, and lies are always revealed in the end. In any event, can I tell the police youall talk to them now?a aYesa"but have them wait with you.a The last thing she wanted was the cops in front of Robbie again, so the club was the place for her to meet them. aIall call the babysitter right away.a aOne last thing.a aYes?a aEven though youare out of the business now, a past like ours has a long reach, feel me? Please be careful of everyone around you, and when in doubt, call me. I donat want to alarm you, but I donat like these attacks happening to people whoave been tied to you.a Neither did she. aI will.a aAnd if you need to leave Caldwell, I can help.a aThanks, Trez.a She hung up and looked at her son. aIam going to have to go out for a little bit this afternoon.a aOkay. Can Quinesha come?a aIall try to get her.a When they came to a stop at a light, Marie-Terese quickly punched in the babysitting serviceas number and hit send.

aMom, whoas ahima who you wanna help?a As the phone rang, she met her sonas eyes. And didnat know what to say.

aIs he the reason you were smiling in church?a She ended the call before it was picked up. aHeas a friend of mine.a aOh.a Robbie picked at the crease in his khakis.

aHeas just a friend.a Robbieas brows pulled together. aI get scared sometimes.a aAbout what.a aPeople.a Funny, so did she. aNot everyone is like youraa She didnat want to finish the sentence. aI donat want you to feel like everyone is bad and will hurt you. Most people are okay.a Robbie seemed to mull this over. After a moment, he looked up at her. aBut how do you tell the difference, Mom?a Marie-Tereseas heart stopped. G.o.d, there were times as a parent that words escaped you and your chest went hollow. aI donat have a good answer for that.a As the light overhead turned green and they headed forward, Robbie focused on the road ahead and she left a message for the babysitters. After she hung up, she hoped that he was staring out with such fixation because he was watching for traffic lights with her. But she didnat think it was that simple.

They were halfway home when she thought, Saul. That man from the prayer groupas name was Saul.

When Jim got back from the Commodore, he pulled in front of his garage and got out. As he went up the stairs, Dog parted the drapes in the bay window with his head, and going by the way his ears were p.r.i.c.ked and his face was doing a shimmy, it was clear that stubby tail was going fast as an airplane prop.

aYup, Iam back, big guy.a Jim got his key ready as he came up to the door, but he paused before he put it into the shiny, spanking-new Schlage head installed after head moved in.

Looking over his shoulder, he focused on the dirt drive. A fresh set of tire tracks had marked up the partially frozen ground.

Someone had come and gone while head been out.

As Dog tap-danced with excitement on the other side of the door, Jim did a visual sweep around the landscape, and then looked down at the wooden stairs. Lot of muddy-ish footprints, all of which were dry and with a telltale Timberland treada"indicating theyad been made by him alone.

Which meant whoever it was had either wiped their feet off on the gra.s.s first or had hovered their a.s.ses up to his crib: He had a feeling they hadnat just pulled into his driveway, done a K-turn, and headed right back out.

Putting his palm to the small of his back, he unsheathed his knife and used his left hand to put the key to work.

Cracking the door amped up the tic-tic-ticaing of Dogas paws on the bare flooraand also sent up a soft sc.r.a.ping noise.

Jim waited, sifting through the sounds of Dogas h.e.l.lo, searching for anything else. When there was nothing, he opened the door as sharply as he could without hurting Dog, and his eyes went around in a sweep.

No one was there, but as he stepped inside, he saw the cause of the tire tracks down below.

While Dog scampered around, Jim bent down and picked up a stiff manila envelope that was on the linoleum right under the mail slot. No name on the front. No return address. The thing weighed about as much as a book, and whatever was inside had a book feel to it, rectangular with clean edges.

aHowad you like to go out, big man?a he said to Dog while pointing to the great outdoors.

Dog trotted out with his telltale limp, and Jim waited at the door with the package in his hand as business was conducted on the fringe of bushes by the drive.

As he held on to Matthias the f.u.c.keras version of fruitcake, he had to convince his stomach not to issue evac orders to those two roast beef sandwiches Vin had made him.

See, this was the problem: Your head could decide all kinds of things, but that didnat mean your body was all jolly-jolly with the plan of the hour.

After Dog came up the stairs and through the door, he headed right for his bowl of water.

With a lightning lunge, Jim ditched the delivery and got there first, picking up the bowl, dumping it out, and washing the thing with soap. As he refilled it, his heart was beating in a grim, steady rhythm.

The thing was, the package was just slightly larger than the mail slot. So they had been in here. And although it was unlikely that they had poisoned Dogas water, the animal had somehow become family in the last three days, and that meant any margin of risk was unacceptable.

As Dog had his drink, Jim went over to the bed, sat down and grabbed the envelope. The minute Dog was finished, he limped over and hopped up as if he wanted to know what was in the package.

aYou canat eat it,a Jim said. aBut you could p.i.s.s on it if you wanted to. I would definitely excuse the mess. Totally.a Using his knife, he pierced the stiff, thick paper and opened a slit that stretched wide, pouching out and revealinga A laptop the size of an old-school VHS tape.

He took the thing out and let Dog have a sniff-spection of it. Evidently, there was an approval, because Dog gave it a nudge and curled up with a yawn.

Jim opened up the screen and hit the power b.u.t.ton. Windows Vista loaded, and what do you know, when he went into the start menu and called up the Outlook that had been installed, he had an account. And his pa.s.sword was the same as his old one.

In the in-box, he found a welcome e-mail from Outlook Express, which he ignored, and two from a blank sender.

aG.o.d, Dog, every time I try to get out, they keep pulling me back in,a he said, not even attempting an impersonation of Al Pacino.

Jim opened the first e-mail and went right to its attachmenta"which turned out to be an Adobe file ofaa personnel report that was a good fifteen pages long.

The picture in the upper left-hand corner was of a hard-a.s.s Jim knew, and the details included the guyas last-known address, his vital stats, his clearances, his honors, and his deficiencies. As Jim scanned and absorbed the intel, he was mindful of the time clock in the lower portion of the screen. It had started at five minutes, and quickly was down to two, and when the three digits separated by a colon read 0:00, the attachment was cyberdust, as if it had never existed. The same outcome occurred, only immediately, if he tried to forward, print out, or save the file.

Matthias was sharp like that.

So thank f.u.c.k for photographic memory.

As for the report itself? On the surface, it appeared as if there were nothing out of the ordinary; it was just your garden-variety rundown on a black-ops guy who was like the e-filea"nothing but ether until he disappeared entirely. Except then there were the telltale three letters at the end next to the word STATUS.

MIA.

Ah, so that was the a.s.signment. In the military branch Jim had been in, there was no such thing as MIA. There was AD, OR, or PB: active duty, on reserve, or pine boxa"the last being a term of art used unofficially, of course. Jim was ORa"which meant that technically he was liable to be called back in at any moment and had to go or the letters DEAD were going to appear next to his status. And the truth was, head had to blackmail Matthias the f.u.c.ker to even get into the reservesa"although given what he had on the guy, he should have been able to stay there. If he hadnat had to resell his soul.

Wellathe a.s.signment was clear-cut: Matthias wanted this man killed.

Jim quickly rescanned the report until he was certain he could close his eyes and read the text and see the picture on the backs of his eyelids. Then he watched the clock zero out and the thing disappear.

He opened the second e-mail. Another e-file to crack and another ticker in the bottom corner that was triggered when he did. This time he just had a picture of the guy, only now the face was battered, with a split in the forehead that had let loose a tidal wave of blood. He wasnat a victim, though. His knuckles were wrapped for fighting and there was red chicken wire behind his head and shoulders.

The image the solider was a scan of a flyer for an underground mixed-martial-arts fighting group. Area code was 617. Boston.

The name the soldier was going by was both cheesy as f.u.c.k and pretty G.o.dd.a.m.n accurate, a.s.suming he hadnat changed: Fist. His real one was Isaac Rothe.

This file lasted only a hundred and eighty seconds, and Jim hung out, staring at that face. Head seen it a number of times, on some occasions right beside him while they worked together.

Dog nuzzled his way into Jimas lap and curled up, putting his face on the keyboard.

Yup, Matthias wanted the guy dead because Isaac had bolted from the folda"so it was a standard job and standard rules applied. Which meant if Jim didnat do it, someone else woulda"and the chaser would be that Jim woke up dead in the morning, too.

Pretty d.a.m.ned simple.

Jim ran his hand down Dogas flank and worried about who would feed and care for the little guy if something bad happened. s.h.i.t, it was weird to have something to live forabut Jim just couldnat deal with the idea of the animal lost and alone, hungry and scared again.

Lotta cruel motherf.u.c.kers in the world who couldnat care less about a scruffy ugly-a.s.s dog with a limp.

And yet the idea of killing Isaac was repugnant. G.o.d knew Jim had wanted out of the service bad, so he couldnat blame the guy for leaving: A life that was led in the gray borderlands between right and wrong, legal and illegal, was a hard one.

If only the idiot had had the sense not to do anything with a public presence, even an underground one.

Then again, they would have found him eventually. They always dida"

The twin sounds of Harley engines pulling up to the garage brought both his and Dogas heads around, and Dog immediately started wagging his tail as those growls silenced down below.

As boots came up the stairs, the animal leaped off the bed and headed for the door.

The knock was loud and it struck only once.

Dog paddled at the door, his excitement making him appear even scruffier than usual, and before the poor thing expired from ecstasy, Jim got up and walked over.

As he opened the door, he met Adrianas cool eyes. aWhat do you want?a aWe need to talk.a Jim crossed his arms over his chest as Eddie knelt down and showed love to Dog. Given the way the animal reacted, it was hard to believe the bikers were playing on Devinaas team, but just because they werenat pally-pally with her didnat mean they were legit: All Jim had to do was think of the shadows he hadnat seen and the confusion in Chuck the foremanas voice when head been asked about the pair.

Made a guy wonder just what the f.u.c.k was standing on his doorstep.

aYou two are liars,a Jim said. aSo that makes talking kind of pointless, doesnat it.a As Dog rolled over onto his back so Eddie could do some serious belly rubbing, Adrian shrugged. aWeare angels, not saints. What do you want from us.a aSo you do know those four English whack jobs?a aYeah, we do.a Adrian glanced pointedly at the refrigerator. aListen, this is going to be a long conversation. You mind beering us?a aDo you exist?a aBeer. Then talk.a As Eddie got to his feet with Dog in his heavy arms, Jim held up his palm. aWhy did you lie.a Adrian glanced over at his roommate; then looked back. aI didnat know whether you could handle s.h.i.t.a aAnd whatas changed your mind.a aThe fact that you figured out what Devina is and you didnat bolt. You believed what you saw on that pavement on the hospital.a aOr didnat see, as was the case.a Jim stared at the two of them, thinking that clearly theyad been following hima"and maybe Devina had sensed them instead of him in the parking lot of the hospital.

aNo,a Adrian said, awe masked you so she didnat see you. Thatas what she was picking up on when she looked around. There are advantages to her thinking youare on your own and youare clueless.a aYou guys read minds, too?a aAnd Iam full aware of how much you donat like me at this moment.a aCanat be a new thing for you,a Jim said, wondering if he was ever going to work with people who werenat a.s.sholes. aSoayou two are here to help me.a aYup. Just like Devinaas going to have people helping her.a aI donat like liars. I have too much experience with them.a aWonat happen again.a Adrian ran a hand through his ridiculously gorgeous hair. aLook, this isnat easy on usa. To be honest, I had my doubts from the beginning that bringing you on was a good idea, but thatas my damage. Bottom line is, youare here and thatas that, so either we work together or she has a serious advantage.a Well, h.e.l.lathat logic was pretty d.a.m.n una.s.sailable.

aI kicked all the Corona the other night so I only got Bud,a Jim said after a moment. aIn cans.a aAnd thatas just what an angel has a craving for,a Adrian shot back.

Eddie nodded. aSounds good to me.a Jim stepped to the side and opened the door farther. aAre you alive?a Adrian shrugged as they came inside. aHard to answer that. But I know I like beer and s.e.x, how about that.a aWhat is Dog?a Eddie answered that one: aConsider him a friend. A very good friend.a The animalaor whatever he wasagave a shy wag like he understood every word, and was worried head offended, and Jim felt compelled to lean in and give his chin a little scratch. aGuess I donat need to get him vaccinated, do I?a aNope.a aWhatas with the limp?a aItas the way he is.a Eddieas big palm smoothed over the dogas rough fur. aIt just is.a As he and Dog sat on the bed and Adrian wandered around, Jim took his headf.u.c.k over to the refrigerator, grabbed three Buds, and dealt the cans out like cards. A trio of cracks and hisses cut through the room and then there was a collective ahhhh.

aHow much do you know about me?a Jim asked.

aEverything.a Adrian looked around and focused on Jimas twin piles of clean and dirty. aGuess you donat believe in dresser drawers, do you.a Jim glanced down at his clothes. aNope.a aIronic, really.a aWhy?a aYouall see.a Adrian went over and sat down at the table. Tipping the shoe box full of chess pieces toward him, he glanced inside. aSo what do you want to know. About her, us, anything.a Jim took another drag on his Bud and thought it all over.

aOnly one thing matters to me,a he said. aCan she be killed?a Both of the angels went still. And slowly shook their heads.

CHAPTER 30.

Considering what head been arrested for and the way things were going, Vin couldnat believe what was showing on the screen of his cell phone as the ringer went off.

As he accepted the call, he muted the local news and held on hard. aMarie-Terese?a There was a pause. aHi.a Swiveling around in his desk chair, he looked out over Caldwell and found it hard to comprehend that mere nights ago, head stared at the view with such a sense of domination. Now he felt like his life was totally out of control and he was fighting to stay where he was instead of being king of the mountain.

Never one to beat around the bush, he said, aHave you heard the news? About me?a aYes. But you were with me late last night, when it happened. I know you didnat do it.a Relief rolled through hima"although only about that particular part of the s.h.i.t storm. aAnd the other attack, in the alley?a aIam on the way to the Iron Mask now. The police want to talk to me.a aCan I see you,a he blurted with a desperation that would have shocked him under normal circ.u.mstances.

aYes.a Vin was surprised by the quick answer, but sure as s.h.i.t not going to argue with it. aIam at home over in the Commodore, so I can meet you anywhere, anytime.a aIall come to you as soon as Iam done with the CPD.a aIam on the twenty-eighth floor. Iall tell the doorman to expect you.a aIam not sure how long Iam going to be, but I can text you when Iam on my way.a Vin shifted his eyes over to the left, imagining her however many blocks west and south of where he was. aMarie-Tereseaa aYes?a He thought of her and her sonathought of the kind of people shead managed to get away froma"thus far. Her ex could easily reach out from prison, maybe already had: even if those attacks werenat tied to her, or were being done by someone else, she still needed to keep the lowest profile she could.

aDonat try to protect me.a aVina"a aIall explain more when you get here,a he said gruffly. aBut letas just say I know how much you have to lose if your face gets into the media channels.a Silence. Then: aHow.a He could tell by the tightness in her voice that she didnat appreciate the look-see into her background. aJim, my friendahe has connections. I didnat ask him to do it, by the way, but he told me what he found.a Long pause. The kind that made him wish to h.e.l.l head waited to drop that little bomb until she was in front of him. But then she exhaled. aItas kind of a relief, actually. That you know.a aIt goes without saying that Iall tell no one.a aI trust you.a aGood, because I would never do anything to hurt you.a Now it was Vinas turn to get quiet. aG.o.d, Marie-Tereseaa There was the slight squeak of brakes. aIam just at the club now. Weall talk in a little bit.a aDonat protect me. Please.a aSee you soona"a aStay quiet. Donat get yourself involved with the s.h.i.t thatas on my tail. For your sonas sake and yours. Itas not worth the risk.a He stopped himself right there. No way he was going into the whole truth about Devinaa"partially because he didnat understand it fully himself, and mostly because he hated the idea of Marie-Terese thinking he was crazy.

aItas not right.a Her voice broke. aWhat sheas accusing you of. Itas nota"a aI know. Just believe me when I say Iam going to take care of it. Iam going to handle this.a aVina"a aYou know Iam right. See you in a bit.a As they ended the call, he prayed she would go with the reasoninga"and figured, given the conflict in her voice, that the math was adding up correctly in her mind.