Beautiful, Naked & Dead (Moses McGuire) (17 page)

“That’s it? Everything?” He slammed the barrel of the 9 mm into my gut and almost got a face full of my partially digested taco. “Don’t think about holding back on me.”

“Look, that’s it. You want more, you’re going to have to find another sucker.”

“Alright for now. Do yourself a favor and stay out of San Francisco. You pissed in my stream, and I will warn you once, but only once. Walk away. Don’t look back and forget you ever heard the name Gino Torelli.” I hung my head in what I hoped passed for defeat. He holstered his piece, climbed in the sedan and left me standing in the middle of the street.

My face felt cold as I tried to stuff down my feelings of rage and impotence, fact was the fed could drop me any time he wanted, put me in a cage and say goodbye to daylight. He was right, who the hell would take my word over his. I knew the score and so did he. In the straight world I was nothing but a two time loser with a penchant for violence. And he was a shining star of valor.

“Who was that?” Cass asked as I walked past her to the kitchen.

“A couple of government pricks on a fishing expedition.” I poured myself a tall glass of Scotch and sat down at the kitchen table. Angel curled up around my legs laying her head on my foot, and went to sleep.

“What’s the plan, Ace? Get drunk and hope it all goes away?” Cass said.

“You got a better plan? Me, I’m fresh out of ideas.”

“Then let them skate. Put me on a bus out of town, they will find me sooner or later but you won’t have to worry about it. You can just get drunk and forget you ever met my sister or me. Is that what you want?” I didn’t answer her, instead I took a long warm drink. The McCallans tasted like liquid smoke warming its way down to my soul. Standing with the bottle in hand I walked past Cass and her reproachful eyes. Falling into bed I took one pull off the bottle before sleep swept up over me and took me down under.

I’m back in Chino, out on the yard, but the place is completely empty of human life. The guard tower is manned by a guy in a black suit and dark glasses. He is following my every move with a scoped rifle. Men just like him stand on all the walls, none move. Except for the wind rustling their suits they could be statues. I try to move but a cage has formed around me, closing in getting tighter with every second. My breath is ragged as the bars push against my chest.

It was dark when I woke, Cass had taken the bottle from my hand while I slept and Angel was curled up on my chest. In the shower I let my mind unwind. Somehow I’d been looking at this thing from the wrong direction. Kelly’s killers had something to do with this Gino Torelli. The boys in the desert were mobbed up, I was sure of that. Two from Vegas and one, a James Grasso, his driver’s license told me, was from San Francisco with an address on Post Street. Had they whacked Kelly? If so, who sent them? I knew who would know.

It was ten o’clock when I pushed through the door of Figueroa’s. An older square headed muscle man stepped into my path as I moved for the back room. “Sorry, we’re closed.”

“It’s me, Eddy. Moses, remember?”

“I know who you are, and we’re closed.”

“I need to see the old man.”

“Make an appointment, he’s busy.”

“Eddie!” The metallic chirp of the Pope’s voice box called out.

“Don’t move,” Eddie the Mechanic said as he headed for the back. He was once one of the most feared enforcers in LA. Pushing sixty he still put a chill in my bones.

Don Gallico sat at his table, drinking an espresso while a mousy young nurse stood beside him drawing blood. “Moses, word is our Armenian problem is walking with a limp, I owe you one for that. The vig is stopped, the principal is all you owe us,” he said spreading his hands out with benevolence.

“I’ve come to ask for more than that, I need your help.” I said keeping my face neutral.

“You owe two large and I haven’t taken your spleen. I’d say we were even. What the fuck are you trying to do shish-kabob me? “ he squawked at the nurse. She didn’t bat an eyelash, she just kept pulling blood from his wrinkled arm.

“A girl I know was killed up in Silver Lake.”

“It happens, LA is going to the dogs.”

“She was hit, pro.” I shot the nurse a glance but her full attention was on her job. “Is it ok to speak around her?”

“Say what you want, she’s deaf as a tombstone. Now, what the fuck makes you think I know anything about some dead girl?”

“It came out of San Francisco. Gino Torelli is involved. It’s got mob stink all over it.” I looked in his eyes, not a flicker or a flinch.

“Mob stink? That’s nice, you got the manners of a wart hog. And you’re ignorant to boot. Read the papers, there hasn’t been any family business in the Bay Area since 1988 when Milano bought a Rico charge.”

“Who is Gino Torelli?” I said, and still saw no reaction.

“Other than he sounds Italian, I got no clue.” If he was lying he was good, but then again you don’t get to be his age in the game without being good.

“James Grasso?”

“Sorry, are they connected to the dead girl?”

“Yeah. Look sir, you know me, I don’t want to make trouble for anyone. Live and let live. I just need to know what I’m dealing with so I don’t step on any toes.”

“Take my advice kid, walk away. Shit you don’t need to know about, shit I don’t need to know about. Forget you ever met these girls and get back to earning the cabbage you owe me.”

“You’re right. Fuck it. Italian don’t make it mob. Thank you for the time.”

“You going to take a hike on the matter, let dead dogs lay?”

“Maybe…” I let out a long tired sigh.

“Do.” Even through the squawking box, the edge in his voice was clear.

“Alright, I will.”

“Good boy.” His face relaxed. “Now you want me to have Charley make you an espresso? You can tell me who’s winning at the track?”

“I’d love it, but I have to get to work or Manny will have my ass.” I walked out shooting Eddy a smirk and a wink, he shook his head scowling.

Two blocks away I found a phone booth and called home. Cass picked up on the third ring. “Get your things, grab my dog and get out of the house, now!”

“What? Moses what’s happening.”

“Do it. Wait for me at the panaderia.”

“The what?”

“Mexican bakery down on the corner. Now move.” Sweat was running down my back in a cold stream. I hung up the phone and jumped into the Crown Vic. I hadn’t told the Pope about Cass, but he told me to walk away from those “girls”. I should have known, if there was a hit in his town, they would need his approval. I skidded up onto Los Feliz almost smacking a mini van full of kids in dirty soccer uniforms. The mom flipped me off as I sped past them. I raced around the Griffith Park fountain and slid onto the freeway. Traffic was at a crawl. Half a mile up I could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles. I pulled over onto the shoulder and punched it. I jumped off at Fletcher and took side streets into Highland Park. The whole wild ride took only twenty minutes, I just hoped that wasn’t too long.

Looking through the front window of the panaderia I could see the entire shop, Cass wasn’t there. A bell rang over the door when I entered, past a rack of bread and tortillas I found her sitting on the floor with the owner’s granddaughter, playing with Angel. Letting out a long sigh, I grabbed her suitcase.

“Let’s roll,” I said picking up Angel. Cass followed me without question. In the car I told her about my meeting with the Pope.

“You told him I was with you?”

“No, he put it together when I asked about Kelly. My place isn’t safe anymore.” I said flicking my eyes to the rearview to make sure I wasn’t being followed.

“Who ever is after me, now knows you’re involved.” She said.

“Or they will soon.”

“So, I guess you’re stuck with me now.” She was right, walking away was no longer an option, if it ever truly had been. Sooner or later they would find out I took out three of their soldiers, and they would want me to pay the freight. My only chance was to find them first.

“Where are we going?”she asked as we snaked onto the freeway.

“I have to hook up a place for you to stay.”

“Us. A place for us.”

“You have to trust me, baby girl, I have things I have to do that I can’t do if I’m worrying about keeping you alive. When it hits the fan I have to know you’re safe if I’m going to be any good to either of us.” She didn’t like it, but she knew all the cute pouts and coy eyes weren’t going to change my mind.

I parked behind Club Xtasy. “Is this where Kelly worked?”

“That’s the place.”

“Kind of shabby.”

“It’s alright.” I left Cass in the car and went inside. Piper was sitting in a booth with a man in a baseball cap and a tee-shirt that proclaimed he was a party animal. Piper’s face formed a broad grin when she saw me approach. “Hey buddy, wait your turn, I’m talking to the lady,” the guy said.

“I’m not your buddy, pal. I’m with the health department and this ‘Lady’ has tested positive.” The guy instantly took his arm off Piper. “Come with me miss,” I said. Piper stood up and stalked me into the back.

“You crazy bastard, he was good for sixty bucks, minimum.” Her eyes were sparking with mirth.

“I need you to slip out the back and take a friend of mine to your house.”

“Can’t do it sweet cheeks, this is my big night. And momma needs to make rent.”

“I’m jammed up Piper. I really need this.”

“And I look like a pushover, is that it?” she said, crossing her arms over her chest, pressing her breasts together creating a mountain of cleavage. It was a power move, half defiance, half seduction, designed to confuse the poor male brain into doing her will.

“I don’t have any options here,” I said honestly.

“You sleep in my bed but you won’t fuck me, you leave town and you don’t call. Now you want me to leave my money night to help a friend of yours. When did we get married?”

“Fuck it, you’re right. I’m out of line. I’m sorry I asked,” I said and started to turn away.

“Slow down, big guy. Have I ever refused you anything, have I?” Leaning up she gave me an almost sweet peck on the cheek. “There’s something about you, I don’t know what it is, but you got me. Now let’s go before I change my mind and have Turaj kick your ass out of here.” That image was enough to make me smirk. Grabbing her bag from the dressing room locker we went out the back door, then down the thin staircase and into the parking lot. Piper stopped cold at the foot of the stairs.

Across the parking lot she saw my car with a pair of clearly female legs hanging out of the window. Piper spun on me, her face hardening, “You want me to take in your strumpet, you got some balls Moses.”

“It ain’t like that Piper, she’s a friend, and she’s in trouble,” I said.

“A friend you’re fucking? Huh, Mo?”

“No baby doll, I ain’t fucking anyone. Getting fucked pretty hard.” I shot her a feeble wink. She stared hard at me for a long moment, then a smile crept onto her face and I knew I was home free.

“God damn you, Mo.” Hooking her arm into mine we strolled through the parked cars to the Crown Vic. Cass sat up, looking at Piper and her arm on me, it was subtle but I could see her eyes flicking back and forth.

“Piper, this is Cass, she needs looking after,” I said. Piper studied Cass’ face with growing shock.

“Kelly?” she whispered.

“Her sister,” I said.

“It’s like looking at a ghost.”

“I’m not a ghost. Ok?” Cass said climbing out. “This your girlfriend?” she looked Piper up and down. I was saved from answering by Angel jumping out of the car and bouncing up to Piper.

“No, no no no, Mo! I told you how I feel about dogs,” she said.

“Just one night, that’s all I’m asking,” I said, flashing some uneven teeth.

“Fine, whatever. But if it pees on my carpet I’m making it into slippers. That’s right little fur ball welcome to Cruella DeVil land.” Whoever said all women loved puppies had never met Piper. Getting Cass into Piper’s powder blue ‘65 Ford Falcon I sat Angel on her lap and told her to keep the pup out of trouble. As they drove away, Cass watched me through the window. Somewhere in her heart she believed every goodbye might turn out to be permanent.

When I got back to Highland Park the streets were quiet. I parked around the corner from my house, jumped the fence and entered through the back door. With my .45 in hand I moved through the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and then the living room. Content that I was alone I pushed my club chair into a corner. From this position I could cover the front door and the kitchen. I left the lights out, waiting with the Mossberg riot gun on my lap. Patience was never my long suit, I would rather rush forward then lay in wait. I could hear the treads on every car as they rolled past along the pavement. Around midnight the neighborhood dogs began to bark, first one then joined by many. I tensed, ready for the door to fly open. One of the dogs let out a painful yap. A slight odor of a skunk drifted through the window. Somewhere down the block a dog had been sprayed. I drifted off sometime after midnight.

In my dream, Cass and I are living in a house on a Mexican beach. She is dressed in a flowing kimono with gold braid dragons climbing up her breasts. She is feeding me slices of mango while we watch Angel playing in the surf. She kisses the back of my neck. Someone is knocking at our door. I hope they will go away.