Assassin Affairs (5 page)

“I
have mixed feelings about Manuela, Uncle Chip. If you feel that way,
a truce is okay for now. This will give me a chance to work with
Danny and see how things go.”

“How
about you, Danny?” Cicero asked.

“As
long as it's just distress and not death, it works for me, sir.”

“Good,
here's a folder with the details. Because the amounts involved are
relatively small, I'm increasing your commission on these to fifty
percent.”

As their
get-acquainted evening came to its conclusion, Cicero said, “I'm
having a cocktail party this weekend at my summer home in The
Hamptons. I'd like you two to come.”

They
exchanged a glance and readily agreed it sounded like fun.

“I
have to warn you, though, Renée, Bernice will be there.”

As they
left the building, Danny asked “Who's this Bernice?”

“She's
my competition in Uncle Chip's organization, my nemesis. Bernice is
strictly second rate. It's just a matter of time before she's working
for me. The man that I visited in Arizona thought I'd been sent by
one of the mob bosses I know, so I persuaded him to share a lot of
stories about the man. I sat back and enjoyed drinking that beer as
he talked. I got so excited about the secrets I'd learned that I
forgot the bottle. I've gathered so much information about the inner
workings of this operation and its people, I expect to soon be moving
up into a more powerful position. Knowledge is power. Nobody takes a
short girl seriously, but now that I have you with me, I'll be
unstoppable.”

“How
about 'we'll be unstoppable'?” he corrected.

“You
know what I mean. I'm really very smart, Danny. As a team, a couple,
we could eventually take over everything!” she beamed.

“As
long as you have me around to keep you in-check, we should be fine.
Sometimes you seem a little too twisted and too eager to make things
happen. Objectivity and patience can be virtues,” he said as he
looked around behind them.

“What
is it?” Renée asked.

“I've
got this feeling somebody is watching us. I don't see anyone
following us though. Oh well, let's catch the train back to your
place and see who looks the most interesting in these files.”

Later, as
they snuggled into bed, Danny leafed through the pages.

“Here's
one who's a young high school teacher,” he said. “She and
a few friends each owe about twenty-five large on some gambling
debts. We could pop over there tomorrow, and then hopefully have some
good news to give your Uncle Chip at his party.”

Renée
looked over the paperwork and agreed. “Let's go look for her at
the school first, that could be a little different than the usual
home visit. Variety is the spice of life. If we miss her there, we'll
go to her apartment.”

It was late
afternoon when they arrived in the run-down neighborhood, both
dressed in black, and asked the last of some departing students where
one might find the teacher in question. They were told she was in
charge of the detention hour for delinquent pupils and that she was
probably the only instructor still in the building, on the ground
floor in the back. When they found the room, they slipped on their
black hoods and entered. There were about twenty teenagers seated at
desks and an attractive, well-dressed young woman sitting at a large
table in front.

“Everyone
remain seated and remain quiet!” Renée ordered as they
both displayed their firearms. She went through the woman's handbag
and confirmed the I.D.

“What's
the meaning of this? What do you want?” the young lady asked.

“I
said remain quiet! Never make me repeat myself!” Renée
shouted back as she slapped her. “It seems you owe someone some
money, honey. We're collectors. Pay up!”

“I
don't have any money,” she retorted in a snippy manner.

Danny
looked around to get a feel of the room. “Do you kids think we
should believe her?”

“No,
she's a lying, stuck-up bitch,” one said.

“She's
always flashing cash and buying expensive, designer clothes.”
added another.

“Get
up on the table,” ordered Renée, pointing the weapon at
her.

“Hey,
that's a Walther PPK,” one of the kids observed. “Cool!”

“Shut
up, junior. What do you guys suggest we do with this deadbeat?”
Renée asked the group.

“Shoot
her,” requested one.

“Bitch-slap
her good,” said another.

“We
need a party-fund,” said a voice in the back. “Let's
auction off her clothes!”

“Oh,
I like that last idea. What do you say, partner?” she asked
Danny. They avoided using each other's names.

He nodded
affirmatively.

“I
want that bitch’s stilettos,” said a black girl sitting
near the back. “Five cents for the pair,” she called out.

“These
are hundred dollar shoes!” the teacher whined.

“Sold!”
Renée answered. “Take 'em off, honey. Toss 'em to the
nice girl in the back of the room.” The exchange was readily
made.

“A
dollar for her skirt,” offered one of the young men. “My
girlfriend is that size.”

“Five
bucks if she comes over here and politely asks me to remove her
underwear,” said a geeky teen wearing thick-rimmed glasses and
a leg-brace.

“Stop!
Wait! I'll pay what I owe, just don't make me do this. Please!”

“What
about your girlfriends?”

“Yes,
they'll pay, too!”

“Okay,
step down and we'll work out the details,” said Danny, trying
to contribute an ounce of decency to the situation.

The entire
room booed the decision, then sat quietly as the two women stepped
out the door and Danny stood guard. A moment later Renée
returned and placed all the designer clothes in a heap on the
tabletop, along with the woman's handbag and phone.

“Here
you go guys. She wants you to help yourselves while she goes to find
her friends and gather up our money by tonight. I kept her apartment
key in case we need it later.”

Half the
group gathered at the window to watch her sprinting naked across the
nearly-empty parking lot. The other half grabbed for the expensive
clothing.

Renée
and Danny delivered her share of the cash a few nights later at Uncle
Chip's Hamptons party. He was impressed. There were around fifty
people in attendance.

“This
is the first time I've ever seen you wearing high-heels and a
cocktail dress, Renée. You clean-up real good,” observed
Danny. “I like the way it matches your hair.”

“Thanks,
honey. Let's go mingle. That's Bernice over there. She's the frumpy,
matronly-looking one over by the food, with the attitude.”

“Who's
that young woman standing by the bar, Renée? She reminds me a
little of you, except that she's got black hair. That sleek, black
outfit looks good on her,” said Danny.

“I
don't know her. She is adorable. Let's go introduce ourselves.”

“Hi,
my name is Laura. I just moved to the area and my aunt suggested I
come here with her, meet lots of people, and hopefully make some new
friends.”

“Who's
your aunt, honey?” asked Renée.

“I’m
the niece of Bernice,” she informed them.

The three
of them kept running into one another throughout the evening as
everyone continued to mingle, eat and drink. Then later, as the
festivities wound down, Danny and Renée came over to her and
asked, “Laura, how would you like to join us? Since it's still
early by New York standards, we're going downtown to party some more.
We could introduce you to the city's nightlife. Please join us!”
they insisted.

“I
don't know. I rode here with my aunt, so I don't have my own
transportation.”

“No
problem, we'll drive you wherever you want to go afterward,”
offered Renée.

The details
were worked out and the threesome departed. Soon after they entered
the downtown area, they were surprised by flashing lights and the
spurt of a police siren.

“Pull
over!” came the demand over the loud speaker.

They were
in Renée's car and she was driving. “What is it,
officer? I'm sure I wasn't speeding.”

“You
have a tail light out, miss.”

Suddenly
they heard the sound of one of them being smashed.

“Is
that alcohol I smell on your breath? Have you people been drinking?”
The officers knew they had been as they had followed them from the
party. “We'll need all of you to step out of the vehicle!”
They proceeded to search the car, then mysteriously found a
suspicious baggie of white powder.

“That's
not mine! You put it there. My uncle won't like this!'”
complained Renée.

“Oh,
and who's that?”

“Never
mind, it's not important,” she said, rethinking her situation.

They soon
found themselves being booked and fingerprinted at the local
precinct. The arresting officers moved them to a separate room for a
private chat.

“We're
part of a special task force the mayor has established to fight crime
and corruption in the city. We report only to him, so your uncle
can't help you. You aroused our interest when we observed you leaving
the hi-rise residence of Charles Cicero. We followed you to Brooklyn,
but your license and registration show Cicero's address. Why is
that?”

She didn't
answer.

The
interviewer let them sit for a few hours, then returned.

“With
Mr. Cicero's address on everything, you've certainly become a
person-of-interest, dear. You're required to update your license and
registration within ten days if you no longer reside there. I've been
busy cross-referencing information from your driver's license and our
other data bases. You graduated from your university summa cum laude.
That's quite impressive. We can't bust you for carrying a concealed
weapon, because you're properly licensed for it, but we'll be looking
into that, too.”

Danny
showed a look of surprise at the graduation information.

Several
hours later, bail was posted for all three.

As they
left the building, Renée said, “Danny, we can't go home.
Manuela will surely have access to my address soon. She'll make a
preemptive move against us.”

“Wouldn't
she be concerned about your Uncle Chip's reaction to that?”

“It
would likely be a fire. We'd be drugged and left inside to burn. I
know how she thinks. There would be no evidence to show it was her.
It would probably be staged to look like we were reckless with some
Christmas candles or something similar. It's too risky.”

“I
have no idea what you two are talking about, but it is really late
and if you can't go home, you could come to my place for tonight. I
just moved into a two bedroom apartment, but haven't found a roommate
yet. There's not much in the way of furniture, though,” said
Laura.

It was
determined that there was still enough time to retrieve Danny's car
and other possessions, as well as several suitcases full of Renée's
essentials from the loft. It was nearly dawn Sunday morning when they
finally arrived at Laura's apartment.

“I
knew my aunt ran with some interesting characters, but tonight was
way more than I expected. You two are really cool. I have an extra
pair of pajamas if you need them, Renée.”

“No,
that's okay. I packed a nightie, so I'm good.”

“You
two take the bed. I'm used to sleeping on the couch,” said
Laura.

“Are
you sure?”

Danny
didn't argue the point and was out like a light. Renée went to
the kitchen an hour later looking for a nightcap. As she found some
brandy, she noticed Laura was still awake, too.

“May
I pour you one, too, sweetie?”

“Okay,
I was about to suggest that,” she said with a quiet giggle.

As the two
became better acquainted over their nightcaps, Renée said, “I
don't feel right about sticking you with the sofa. Let me move Danny
to the couch and we girls can take the bed.”

“Oh
no, I couldn't do that to the poor man. He's exhausted.”

“It's
a big bed, honey. Come lie next to me so that I don't feel so guilty.
It's so much more comfortable there. Please!” Renée
pleaded, taking her new friend by the hand, gently coaxing her there.

“Oh,
I don't know,” she said, as she followed compliantly. The two
snuggled in together alongside Danny, and soon all three were sound
asleep.

When they
awoke, they were positioned like three spoons, each snuggled up
alongside the other. Once everyone had dressed, Laura asked “So
how do you guys know my Aunt Bernice?”

“We
all work on special projects for Mr. Cicero, the man who hosted the
party.”

“What
do you do, Laura?” asked Renée.

“I'm
between careers at the moment. Aunt Bernice introduced me to Misty
and said that Mr. Cicero might have an opportunity for me working
with her.”

“Oh
sweet,” Renée said sarcastically. “That sounds
like Bernice all right.”

“Life
here is so different than what I'm used to back in Minnesota. At
least I've got my Liberal Arts degree now; maybe that will help me
get a job here. What do you think? I lost my office job back there,
still owe a fortune in student loans and haven't been able to find
anything anywhere. I was going to file for bankruptcy, but discovered
that doesn't make any difference with those.”

“Laura,
what did you think of Misty?”

“Is
she a friend of yours?”

“No,
just a casual acquaintance,” said Danny.

“Oh
good, because I didn't get good vibes from her.”

“What
kind of work are you wanting, sweetie, another office job?”
Renée asked.

“No
way, I'm sick of that nine to five crap. I'm willing to do just about
anything.”

“Are
you and your aunt close?”

“No,
she was my guardian after my folks were killed in an accident. She
was the executor of the estate and handled all the finances until I
was eighteen and went to college and she moved here.”