Dirty Deeds (18 page)

Keane shook his head. “I’m going to ask a neighbor what happened.”

“Knock yourself out. I’m going to get back in the car and warm up. I’m also getting hungry. Hurry up. I’m done with these people,” I said.

As Keane walked to the next house over I called Marisa and told her what we were doing and what we’d found.

“I’ll try to research the couple. Maybe they were reported missing? You might want to ask your new best friend Chenzo, too,” Marisa said.

“Not funny.”

“Oh, but it is. You’ve received an invitation to go to one of his big charity balls this Friday night. Make sure you trade in the jean shorts for a tux. This is fancy. You’re moving up in society. Maybe now you’ll date. I can see you all cleaned up and on the arms of a wealthy Park Avenue cougar,” Marisa said.

I didn’t want to be anywhere near Chenzo, especially if Keane was going to blab and ruin us. I also knew I needed to go. “Obviously let Chenzo know he can expect me.”

“Obviously.”

There was an awkward pause in the conversation. I watched Keane as he talked with the neighbors.

“Boss. . . I’m really sorry. As soon as you get home I want to talk to you,” Marisa said.

“Yes. I’d like that, too. Where are you now?”

“In Atlanta. I was going to surprise you and pick you up at the airport and buy you dinner. I figured a delicious cheeseburger at Varsity would distract you enough I could really apologize,” Marisa said.

“A greasy cheeseburger does sound good.” I sighed. “I think I need to eat better. I got my butt handed to me by a guy twenty years younger. I’m always tired and out of breath. I think I’m doing this all wrong, and the last week or so has proven how out of shape I really am.”

“I’ll clean out your fridge and cabinets. We’re going low carb healthy,” Marisa said.

“Don’t get rid of anything I like.”

“You like all of it and it’s all bad for you, especially the candy.”

“No. Keep some of the M&M’s,” I said.

“It’s all going away. Trust me. You’ll thank me for this help.”

“I’m already mad at you,” I said.

“You can stay mad but be healthy. I think it’s a fair trade,” Marisa said.

“How about I forgive you now and you don’t find the stash of Snickers bars near my recliner?”

Keane returned just as I was done pleading my case about eating the way I liked and Marisa forgetting the stupid thing I’d said about being healthy and living past fifty.

“The Black family sold the house. They gave all their furniture away. Had a massive party for the neighbors, who never really liked the couple, but free food and drink made them tolerable. I’m talking a block party of massive proportions,” Keane said.

“They sold the house and blew it on a party?”

Keane shook his head. “They bought a Winnebago. Top of the line. Frank was bragging about paying for it in cash. He said a big family inheritance had come in. They were going to travel the world. I guess he thinks they can drive the Winnebago to Europe.”

“Chenzo paid them off. To go away. Thanks for raising his kid all those years. Now they needed to disappear so he could bond with his kid who wasn’t really his kid, and the Blacks know it. They got their hush money and what they always wanted: the money is more important than their dead son.”

“You know I need to arrest them,” Keane said.

“I wish you’d reconsider. Let this play out for a bit. See what Chenzo really does, and let us get somewhere safe or beyond the line of fire. I’m going to beg you if I have to,” I said. “Please sleep on it.”

We got back into the car for the drive back to the airport.

“I took your advice, by the way,” Keane said.

“What advice?”

“I took up painting again. I think I’ll spend some time in the Florida Keys and do some painting and fishing for awhile. Spend the few bucks I have on supplies and sleep on the beach,” Keane said.

“You don’t strike me as a beach bum.”

Keane shrugged and stared out the window.

When Chenzo invited you to a star-studded gala in Manhattan, you went. I didn’t want to be here but I really had no choice. It was amazing to see so many movies stars, sports greats and politicians, all rubbing elbows while standing next to a man who had ordered so many deaths over the years.

Power draws people like flies, I guess. It’s all out of fear, which is why I was here. I’d finally gotten on his good side and had no intention of being on the other ever again.

I drooled at the spread of foods on the buffet tables, knowing this was going to be a true test. I’d been watching my diet and sworn off junk food and soda. I was eating a lot of filling meat and hadn’t had pasta or rice in weeks.

“Don’t even look over there,” Marisa said.

We’d sorted out our stuff and she’d worked overtime to get everything back on track, and she’d made sure I stuck to my diet and was eating better.

“I’m still mad at you,” I said.

She laughed. “No, you’re not. You got over it. You’ll never get over the bags of M&M’s I destroyed, though. I thought your garbage disposal was going to give out.”

“Now I really do hate you,” I said.

She patted me on the arm. “I’ll go and fix you a nice plate of salad.”

“By salad you mean the chocolate chips next to the cake?”

Marisa wouldn’t even dignify my response with her own, walking away.

I noticed every guy in the place glancing at her. She was a beauty, and the tight red dress she’d insisted on wearing was only getting more looks. I wondered what had happened to the guy she was dating and made a mental note to start asking more personal questions and not just be the boss all the time. Marisa was a good kid and she was entering her twenties with a good head on her shoulders. She was independent and took care of me like I was her annoying dad, which I guess I was by default. We joked all the time but never had a serious conversation unless it was about a job. Maybe she was as lonely as I was? I needed to be her friend and not just her boss.

A waiter offered me a glass of champagne but I declined. I’d sworn off the booze for awhile, too. Not like I had a drinking problem, but I needed to cleanse my temple of toxins.

Marisa’s words, not mine. Obviously.

I’d taken a walk this morning. Not a long one, just around the block of the hotel we were staying at. I figured while we were in town for this big bash thrown by Chenzo I might as well keep on my schedule of a few days. I didn’t want to tell Marisa, but I was already feeling better. I had more energy and I actually got up out of bed instead of rolling off the side. Even if it was all mental and in my head, it was working.

I felt more alive. I realized each day was ruled by my eating habits. I went through a normal day watching the clock so I could eat a huge breakfast and then figure out how long until a really bad lunch and then off to dinner and then late night snack. Between each meal I also snacked. I had a massive sweet tooth that added to the tire I was carrying around my midsection and it wasn’t going to magically disappear.

Harry had easily kicked me around, too. I knew I’d never be in shape to take out a guy twenty years younger, but I could at least hold my own for awhile. If I’d been able to fight back Chenzo’s goons would’ve inadvertently saved my butt.

I was going to lay low for a few weeks and hope another job didn’t come in until I was ready again. I was trying to figure out how to get involved in a martial arts class or maybe kickboxing or something physical other than standing on a treadmill at a gym.

Heck, I could buy a gym or add one to one of my houses.

I made a mental note – which I would forget as usual – to contact a personal trainer when I got back to Atlanta. I’d stay in the ATL until the next sports card show and try to enjoy life. Maybe I’d date? Stranger things had happened.

I saw Will Black, or the guy impersonating Will who now went by Chenzo Junior, making the rounds in the crowd. He’d cleaned up nicely, with his thousand dollar suit and new haircut.

The transformation wasn’t complete yet, though. His teeth were still messed up a bit and he looked too skinny, but I knew his new daddy was going to fix everything physically about him and try to fix his insides.

“Ahh, Mister Gaffney, so good to see you again,” Chenzo Junior said when he finally got to where I was standing. He’d seen me a few minutes ago but thought he was being slick by taking his time. Tonight I had all the time in the world.

“Will. . . I mean Chenzo. . . I mean?” I frowned and put a finger to my lips. “I wonder who you really are.”

I got straight to the point and I could see I stunned him, which was the intent. I knew I didn’t have much time in this crowded room to get my point across, and I needed to nail him and see what his reaction was.

He wasn’t too happy.

“Is there a problem?” he finally asked.

“Just an observation from my perspective. I’m just wondering what the game is for you. The end game,” I said.

He seemed to relax a bit and shrugged, looking around the room.

“I do what I have to do. Life is one big hustle, right? We’ve both made my father very happy,” he said.

“Who are you? I know the real Will Black, the real son of Chenzo, is in a morgue or buried by now. His father and mother, the Blacks, are currently touring Canada with pockets stuffed with cash. It’s all very convenient for you, no?”

It was obvious Keane had kept his mouth shut since we’d been to Montreal and back. I had no idea what his ultimate move was but I had the feeling it wasn’t going to be rocking the boat before he retired. He’d done as much as he needed to do to clear his conscience. Opening the can of worms that was this guy wasn’t going to make life easier.

“Things happen for a reason,” he said quietly and looked like he wanted nothing more than to run away and join the in-crowd.

“Were you friends with the real Will Black?” I asked.

He looked sharply at me and nodded. “Yes. We lived on the streets together. We had each other’s back. If it wasn’t for Will I’d be long dead. He helped me kick the gear twice. I helped him three times.”

“I guess that’s what friends are for. I’m really curious how it came down to you killing the guy and dumping him in the ocean?”

He stared off for a few seconds before answering. “He knew who he was. His awful father told him when he was a kid in a drunken rage. Will couldn’t take it, and his parents always told him if he tried to contact the guy he’d be killed. Chenzo had paid for his murder. They thought he was dead. He started smoking pot at ten and got into the heavy stuff a couple of years later. Dude was a mess when I met him, and I was a nightmare by then with the drugs. I needed to get out of the lifestyle and off the streets. I begged Will to go see his dad. Get it straight and live the life you were supposed to lead. He wanted nothing from his real old man, who’d paid someone to kill him.”

“Paid me,” I said.

Chenzo Junior laughed. “Exactly.”

“Why’d you save me? You could’ve kept your mouth shut and let Chenzo bury me,” I said.

“Everyone has their place in life. Everyone can be used like in a game of checkers,” he said.

“You mean chess.”

“I never got into board games. Just using it as an example. I think you’re worth a lot more alive than dead right now. I might need to use your skills,” Chenzo Junior said.

“I’d never work for you. I’m not a killer for hire, either.”

He snapped his fingers. “True. But you are someone with a network for getting things done. You’re a guy who has information, which is all the real power today. You can do things I can only dream about.”

“I’m not for sale and I don’t do favors,” I said. I was done talking to this lowlife. He was making me feel dirty just standing next to him. He knew I was tipping my hand because I’d never go to Chenzo with any of this information. I’d be a fool. A dead one, too.

He scooped a glass of champagne off of a tray a waiter was carrying as it went past, threatening to knock the rest to the floor. The waiter wisely didn’t protest and was able to right the ship and keep moving.

“Your face is starting to heal,” he said.

I put a hand to my lip unconsciously. It had been hard to have anything touch my lips for a couple of days. I was beginning to see the black eyes had gone down from the heavy swelling and my nose as well. Nothing significant had been damaged but my pride.

“I’ll be good as new before you know it. I know you’re worried about me,” I said.

“I was worried one of my biggest assets in the future would be out of commission. I told you, I have a few things I’ll need help with. It would be in the best interests of you and my dad to get these things done,” he said.

“You don’t really want to go this route. I can be quite a gentleman when I have to but don’t mistake this smile for a soft heart.” I leaned a little closer and winked. “Two Will Blacks washing up on the same beach at different times isn’t so hard to imagine.”

“I’ll be in touch once I get a few things done,” he said.

“Like what?” I had to ask.

He grinned. “I’ll probably be attending a small memorial service in the next few weeks. I hear the roads in Vancouver are pretty treacherous, especially when you lose control of a Winnebago.”

I watched him move away and into the crowd, smiling and laughing like he had no cares in the world. And he didn’t.

A part of me wanted to call Keane or find someone in the Canadian police force to warn them about the accident the Black family was going to have soon.

I couldn’t be bothered. I know I’m going to burn for it but they also deserved the bed they’d made. I had no sympathy for Frank Black and his horrible wife, and they were going to get what they deserved. I’d learn to live with myself for feeling the way I did.

“I figured I’d give you and Junior some space to talk, but I know you’re probably starving,” Marisa said. She handed me a plate loaded with meats and a small salad.

I decided to thank her for the food instead of making a snide remark. I really was hungry.

“How long do you plan on staying?” she asked.

“Until Chenzo notices me and smiles or waves. I don’t want to talk to him. I just want to get credit for being here. Then we can fly back to Atlanta and relax.”