J.M. Griffin - Vinnie Esposito 06 - Death Gone Awry (12 page)

“I heard the cars drive in and worried you might need me again,” Monica said with a smile.

I waved her in and pointed to a chair. “Have a seat and some wine. We’re just catching up with one another.”

Accepting the glass of Chablis I offered, Monica folded herself comfortably into the chair. She glanced at each of us and sipped from her glass.

“The news coverage for Tim Slaggard was pretty sketchy, did you see it?” I asked Monica.

She bobbed her head up and down. “He’ll be all right, I guess.”

“Seems so. Have you spoken to anyone about the incident?” I asked.

“Not a word, but then, there’s nothing to say, is there? I did wonder how he got here and where he was attacked. The poor guy looked pretty bad.” Monica shifted her gaze from me to Lola.

“Do you not know Mr. Slaggard came here today, injuries and all?”

Mouth gaping, Lola rolled her eyes and then settled her gaze on me. “And you planned to tell me this, when?”

“Lola, it’s been a shitty day. I had to get to my parents’ house for dinner and was running late, honest. The last thing I’d relish would be my father to begin a rant about tardiness.” I smirked and everyone chuckled.

“Then tell us now what happened. Aaron and I are all ears.”

Between Monica and me, we filled them in on Tim’s sudden appearance earlier in the day. Aaron seemed innocent, though I wasn’t sure if it was an act. Since he kept so much from me and often refused to share information, even when it was necessary for my survival, I was hard pressed to believe him in instances such as this.

“No wonder you posed those questions. I had no idea what you were talking about,” Aaron remarked.

“If Frankie T is behind these attacks, either he should get a better soldier to do his dirty work, or give up completely.”

Lola gasped. “Vin, that’s an awful thing to say. Tim is a nice man, he’s simply mixed up with the wrong people, or person, I should say.”

“That’s for sure. Mrs. Sarducci rubs the fact that she has pledged her support of Slaggard in her husband’s face every time I’ve seen her, it’s no wonder he’s decided to do away with the preacher,” I said with a shake of my head.

Aaron leaned forward, poured a bit more wine into his glass, and then held my gaze. “I wouldn’t be too sure that Frankie is the one you should be looking at.” Aaron cocked a brow. “Slaggard may have secrets that are detrimental to his staying alive.”

“Got something you want to share with us, Aaron?” I said slyly.

A shrug was his answer.

“Who should we be seeking, then?” Lola demanded.

Another shrug. “I have no idea. Everyone has secrets, ones they hope will never be found out. Unfortunately, sometimes they are found out and then there’s hell to pay. The point is someone other than Frankie could be at fault here. Think about it, Rhode Island is a small state where people know one another more so than in larger states with bigger cities. What if Slaggard had done something that could be used against him somehow, and he was found out? There are reasons other than jealousy that cause a person to murder, or try to murder, another.”

It was my turn to shrug. My having been shoved hard against a doorway in Providence, while being issued a severe warning, crept into my mind. Frankie T was at the top of my list, there was no doubt in my mind he was guilty of attempted murder, twice over.

Lola set her empty glass on the coffee table, stretched, yawned, and said she’d see me the next day. Monica, leaving right behind Lola, was nearly at the door when she turned to Aaron.

“I guess you’ll want your apartment back, right?”

“I will,” he answered and dipped his head in a half nod.

“Tonight?”

“Not tonight, tomorrow will do. I’ll sleep on my sofa if you won’t be uncomfortable having me there?” Aaron, courteous as ever, made me smile.

Her eyes wide, Monica assured him, “That’ll be fine. I’ll be going now.” She made a hasty retreat.

I chuckled softly when the door closed and turned to Aaron.

“You can sleep on my sofa if you think she’ll be nervous. I don’t mind.”

He snapped his fingers and said with a grin, “And I thought you’d give in and let me sleep in your bed, with you.” His eyebrows hiked and he looked hopeful.

I answered him with a laugh. “I’ll say it again, not happening. On a serious note, what are you not telling me about Slaggard?”

“There’s nothing to tell. I merely pointed out that the man may not be as pure as driven snow. How many times have you thought one thing and found another to be true instead?”

“You weren’t the one slammed against a door and threatened.” I studied my fingernails. Gosh, I needed a manicure in the worst way. Tucking my hands into my pockets, I flicked a quick glance at Aaron.

“When did this happen?”

“Not long after the first attempt on the preacher. It was pretty scary to be tossed against the door like a ragdoll and then told to mind my own business. He said I should have let the preacher drown.”

“Vin, you didn’t tell the police, did you?” Aaron asked resignedly.

“Marcus knows, Dario knows, and God only knows who else is aware of the incident. You’d have thought someone took out a full page ad announcing it to the world.” I waved my hands and noticed I’d begun to rave like a mad woman.

Gentle laughter calmed my nerves. “You’ve been under quite a bit of pressure while I was away.” He raised his hand and said, “I really was away this time.”

“I don’t doubt it for a minute, and thought you might have been too busy to call.”

“I couldn’t call, we weren’t allowed to contact the outside world. And don’t ask about that.” Aaron smiled and swallowed the last of his wine. “I’ll look into the threat and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

“Thanks for not asking about Marcus and me. I appreciate it,” I said as I held the door open for him to leave.

“No problem.” He cupped my face in his hands, kissing my cheek before he strode loftily into the hallway and climbed the stairs while softly wishing me goodnight.

Thoughtfully, I leaned against the closed door, wondering why Aaron had been certain Frankie T wasn’t the guilty party. With a wide yawn, I locked up, shut off the lights, and flopped on my bed. The phone rang.

“Grrr, who the hell is calling at this hour?” I ground out as I looked at the alarm clock.

“Hello?” I barked out.

“Can you come and get me, Vinnie?” the hoarse voice whispered.

“Who is this?” I demanded.

“It’s Tim. I’m hiding in a closet at the hospital. Someone is trying to kill me. Hurry up, I’ll be downstairs, hiding in the bushes near the ER.”

Shocked as I was, I agreed to make the trip to save his sorry ass, for the third time. This habit had to come to an end. Crap on a cracker, had I been appointed savior du jour, or what? I slipped my shoes and jacket on and hauled ass to Lola’s house. I pounded on her door until she answered it, and told her to get dressed, that I needed help with my next escapade.

Not one to let the chance pass by to get into the thick of things, Lola grabbed her jacket, slipped it over a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, apparel I rarely saw her wear, and raced down the steps ahead of me. I smiled as she scooted past me into the cold night.

As she shivered in the harsh wind while waiting for me to catch up, she asked, “What’s up? Where are we headed?” Her excitement bubbled over and she was hilarious to watch.

“We’re saving someone.”

“Who, who, Vi . . . ?” her voice faded off. Lola gawked uncertainly at me. “N-not Tim Slaggard?”

“The one and only. I don’t know what to expect, and I’m not going it alone. I need you to help me collect him from outside the emergency room exit. He said someone was trying to kill him and that he was hiding in a closet. Other than that, I don’t know what else has taken place.”

Lola rubbed her hands together. I wasn’t sure if she was warming them using the friction method or if the hand rubbing was gleeful. Either way, I grinned and drove east.

We arrived at the hospital through the back street, rather than the highway exit. I had decided it wouldn’t do to alert the supposed killer of my intention to rescue Slaggard, yet again. I could only imagine I wouldn’t be given a warning next time around, but would be on the receiving end of something far worse. I shivered, stiffened my spine and banished the thoughts to hell.

As Lola peered at every bush, shrub and tree we passed, I slowed the car to a crawl. When she drew in her breath and grabbed my arm, I swerved the steering wheel and brought the car to a dead stop.

A man in a johnny gown and white robe jumped off the edge of the sidewalk, flinging himself onto Lola’s door. Lola cringed, brought her arms up to ward off being struck, even though her window was closed, and said, “I think it’s him, Tim Slaggard.”

I pressed the door lock button and heard the locks pop, followed by the sound of the car door swinging wide. Tim Slaggard scuttled into the back seat and hunkered down so he wouldn’t be seen. I glanced at Lola before we shot out of the lane and onto Providence’s streets filled with nighttime traffic and pedestrians on the hunt for nightclubs and bars.

We’d left the city behind and were on our way toward Johnston when Slaggard muttered, “Is it safe to sit up?”

I smirked, said he could, and asked if he wanted coffee. I sure did.

“Would it be too much to ask?” Slaggard responded.

“Not at all,” Lola chimed in.

I swung the car into the drive-thru at our usual coffee haunt and ordered. We hit the road as soon as the order was handed over and I’d paid for it. At the park, I took a right and slowly rolled to a stop behind the buildings located on the edge of the parking lot. No one would look for us here.

I shut down the engine and turned to Slaggard, who was looking fairly haggard, no pun intended. “What the hell is going on?” I demanded to know.

“I’m sorry, Vinnie.” Gone was the smooth-talking, confident man I’d seen before. Instead, this man looked somewhat cowed. But then, who could blame him? I’d be upset and haunted if I knew I might die any moment at the hand of some indiscriminate killer. Oh, wait, I did know that, didn’t I, and hadn’t yet shriveled up into a ball of scraggy looking yarn, had I?

“Well, fill us in, for God’s sake. Safe to say you refused to speak to the police about what happened, and the media are having a great time offering suppositions as to what brought this down on your head, for the second time. All that aside, you’d better tell me what the hell is going on, or so help me, you won’t have to worry about Frankie Tomatoes Sarducci, ’cause I’ll kick your ass right here and now.” I was on a roll, no kidding. I stopped long enough to inhale and then gave Slaggard a glare that should have curled his hair.

“All right, Lavinia, I’ll tell you what happened. You have to swear not to tell anyone, both of you, understand? It could cost me dearly, and I can’t have that. I can’t.” His voice sounded very desperate. I had a fleeting moment of sympathy for him.

He swallowed a mouthful of coffee and took a deep breath. Lola sat still as a mouse, but had turned in her seat to study Tim in the dull light filtering into the car from the nearly full moon.

“The first time you saved me, was a blessing. This time, it was a miracle. How I got to your home was by the grace of God.”

“What can you tell me about the first time you were attacked?” I asked gently. No sense in scaring the man any more than I’d already managed to do, so I tried my cop 101 interrogation techniques. Soft speaking, friendly attitude, hoping for trust, that was part of it.

“That day, I’d been praying while standing on the rocks at the reservoir’s edge. I heard a shuffle behind me, and then all went black. I remember the pain of being struck, but not entering the water. It was timely for you to have been there, I won’t ever forget you for that, Lavinia.”

“You never saw the perpetrator?” I asked doubtfully.

He shook his head.

“And, this time around? What happened?” I pushed.

“A man approached me after our prayer session. All the parishioners had left by then and we were alone. He was a newcomer, and as such, I gladly welcomed him, saying it was a pleasure to see him visit our parish, and hoped he’d return again soon. We walked toward the side door when he said he wouldn’t be returning, because this time around, he’d finish what he’d started. Confused, I turned to speak with him and he raised this huge knife and tried to stab me with it. We struggled, he was stronger, and I thought running away might be the answer. As I began to run, the blade cut my head and he’d already caught me in my shoulder when I stumbled. He tripped over me and fell. I regained my balance and opened the car door before he could finish the job. That’s when I drove as fast as I could to your house.”

I tapped my lips with my index finger and thought hard about what he’d said. “You were lucky to get away. Why come to me?” I finally asked.

“I’m not sure. Divine intervention, maybe? I thought you’d save me again? I can’t say with certainty, Lavinia. I am very relieved you were at home, though. Thank you for picking me up just now.”

“Who was at the hospital, and why were they trying to kill you?”

“I’m not sure about that either. It could have been to finish me off for good?” Tim asked in a tremulous voice.

“You didn’t see the person?”

“No, I heard him ask for my room, which wasn’t far from the nurse’s station. The nurse said visiting hours were over, and he insisted, saying he was from my church. Nervous, I grabbed my cell phone, leapt from bed and scuttled into the closet, holding the door closed tight. That’s when I called you.”

Nervous? He was so much more than nervous. In fear for his life, that’s what he was. I could hear it in his voice, smell it rolling off him, and his body language screamed fear. He’d also begun to shake. Adrenalin is fine until it subsides. That’s when the crash landing takes place. I’d been there so many times, I knew the drill by heart.

“Where do you want me to take you? The parish isn’t safe, and neither is your residence,” I commented.

Lola leaned forward slightly and said, “Tim can stay at my place. It’s small, but I fit on the sofa and he won’t, so he can sleep in the bed.”