Open Wounds (7 page)

“And a good morning to you too,” Kellie replied, her smile never wavering. She knew what got on Amelia’s nerves; bouncy and energetic was at the top of the list. “Still not a morning person I see.”

Amelia shook her head. “Jesus, Kellie, what the hell are you wearing? We’re not on parade here.”

Kellie looked down at her clothes, then over at Amelia’s casual look. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

She turned to Darryl, who shrugged and said, “I’m not getting involved in this.”

Kellie fingered the hem of her blouse self-consciously. She liked her clothes, which screamed professional, and gave her a slightly cool,
keep away
sign that saved her time knocking back unwanted advances. She was always the aggressor, never allowing another control. It was the only way she could be intimate without panicking.

Amelia took a sip of the coffee from Kellie’s travel mug and her eyes bulged as the caffeine entered her blood stream. She felt some satisfaction when Mia looked down at the cup in surprise. She liked her coffee strong, especially on days like this when she’d had little sleep the night before and knew it would be a long and tiring day.

“No offence, but your outfit is a little stiff,” Amelia said. “You know, rigid. The kind that says you don’t know how to have fun, that you have no idea what spontaneity is.”

“They’re work clothes. They’re supposed to be bland and practical.”

“All I’m saying is, how are you supposed to run down a criminal in three-inch heels? I don’t see that as being practical.”

“I sit behind a desk five days out of seven. I’m not chasing anybody down any streets. I don’t need a lot of movement or comfort in my clothes.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not in the office anymore, sweetheart. While you’re a part of our team, you might have to do that, and I’d rather you not break an ankle.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good, because we’re going to make a little visit to Coleani and ask some questions and if we’re lucky, ruffle some feathers.”

Kellie’s body temperature dropped at the thought of casting her eyes on the man she’d hated for so long. She had never met him in person, never wanted to, and had managed to avoid it. Now it seemed her luck had run out.

“I’m sure we can manage that.”

Amelia smiled at her, the look in her eyes telling her that she’d thought of the times they’d interfered with Coleani’s business in the past. It was about to happen again.

“I’m sure we can.”

They’d been threatened by Coleani’s runners more than once in her youth, but she’d never been scared. No one did anything without Coleani’s authority and she wasn’t afraid of him. He’d already taken everything he could from her, and she’d doubted he even knew she existed—or cared, for that matter. She was nothing but a spit in the ocean to him. It had been a bold move to go up against Coleani, but that hadn’t stopped her from speaking out against the obvious corruption. Her voice had been lost in a crowd of people. Nothing she ever did made any dent in the world, and she figured if she pissed him off, she would hear about it. He’d almost been a stepfather to her. Even now, she practically gagged at the thought.

She steeled her backbone, glad she’d dressed in her business attire, not casual like Amelia. She would need every bit of protection she could get, and as they said, the clothes made the woman. She felt confident and powerful in her heels and suit.

And she would need every ounce of that confidence to get through the day.

Chapter 11

“Boss, there are some police officers who wish to speak to you,” the burly bodyguard said as he led Kellie, Amelia, and Darryl through the restaurant to the table where Dick Coleani was having lunch.

“Well, by all means. What can I do for the police this fine day?”

Coleani didn’t appear how Kellie expected him to. Although she did recognise his Hugo Boss suit that retailed in the thousands. He hardly looked the type to run the biggest crime organisation
outside of Sydney.

A chill raced down her back when her gaze met his. Did he know who she was? Did he see the resemblance? No, she doubted he would even remember the name Jules Munroe.

“Mr. Coleani?” Amelia made the introductions for herself, Darryl, and Kellie. She seemed just as sceptical.

Coleani nodded. “What can I do for you, officers?”

His voice revealed only mild curiosity, that or humour at having the cops inside his restaurant. She felt his cold gaze once more and met his stare, resisting the deep urge to turn away. She thought she saw one side of his mouth minutely lift in amusement or admiration, but in the end she decided she’d imagined it.

Kellie glanced about the restaurant. It wasn’t the health code violation it had been years ago. Now it had a new location, five stars to its name and charged fifty dollars a plate. The walls were done in merle, framed photos decorating their surroundings. Each showed a group of young boys in their early teens. Coleani’s merry band of drug dealers and murderers, she guessed.

It’s nice he’s so proud of them
, she thought scathingly.

The tables were covered in sunflower yellow damask tablecloths. Both the seat area and the backs of the chairs were padded with black cloth, creating a comfortable setting for long sit-down dinners and conversation. Kellie lifted her gaze from a restaurant Gordon Ramsey could be proud of to take in the occupants of the room.

Besides Coleani and his bleached blonde companion, the room only held three more people or at least three more she could see. The first was the man who’d brought them to Coleani, his gym-toned body bulging. What interested her the most was the forty-five beneath his black work shirt. His shirt sported the word
Coleani’s
over his right breast pocket. A quick glance at the other two men standing by the exit told her they were all packing and that the situation could turn from bad to worse in a split second.

A light hand on her elbow shocked her into tearing her gaze away from the weapons, and she faced Darryl. His expression told her he had seen the armoury as well.

She cleared her throat. “Looks like you’ve come a long way, Mr. Coleani.”

“I always said I was destined for greatness,” he replied smugly.

“Interesting décor. I remember you didn’t use to go for all that,” Amelia commented, “when you were too busy running your other businesses.”

Coleani smiled. “Things are changing. You have to move with the times or go under.”

“Like starting up
dot-com
companies?” Kellie asked, and was rewarded with Coleani’s narrowed eyes as he glared at her.

His gaze roamed her body slowly as if searching for weak points. “Is that what you’re here to talk about? The murders of Carl and Kevin?”

“You’ve heard about it? That’s rather interesting, considering it only happened yesterday.”

“What happens in my neighbourhood is always reported to me,” Coleani told them piously.

“Funny, I always thought of the neighbourhood as belonging to the city of Harbour Bay,” Darryl said.

“Semantics, Detective. So, do you have any further questions for me or are you just wasting my time?”

Amelia appeared unconcerned. “I’m sorry, Mr. Coleani, that the murders of boys you were once close to is an inconvenience. But we should be out of your hair soon since you should have some knowledge as to who the perpetrator might be. After all, everything that happens in
your
neighbourhood is reported to you.”

Darryl moved in front of Amelia to draw attention away from the combustible vibes he seemed to sense. Tension, thick and ripe suffocated Kellie. She forced herself to calm down. The history between them was almost palpable and she had to remind herself they were here about the double homicide.

“Can you tell us something about them?”

“They were good boys,” Coleani replied noncommittally.

“You mean malleable and eager to please,” she said, earning her a glare from Amelia, who had returned to bad-ass detective mode.

“I get the feeling you don’t like me very much, Officer.”

“I suppose you must get that often enough. Surely that doesn’t bother you, Mr. Coleani. You look like you have thick skin.”

He chuckled as if he found her funny, but she knew he didn’t like being challenged. The irritation was clear in his eyes. “That is quite true. I’ve had a lifetime of making enemies. Now I only make friends.”

“But your price is rather high, isn’t it?” she asked, not able to remain quiet. “In exchange for your friendship, you want blind ignorance. Tell me, how did you deal with their betrayal? I doubt they got a slap on the wrist and a stern lecture.”

“The only punishment I hand out, young lady, is my disappointment. I let Kevin and Carl go, without any references, without any protection. There are people out there who would take advantage of young, defenceless men like them. Alone in the world, unable to look after themselves. I was afraid they would come to a bad end but I can only do so much. My people must know and understand that betrayal of any kind will not be tolerated.”

“Your boys are resourceful, Mr. Coleani. They would’ve landed on their feet had they not been murdered. They were smart and quite savvy, to tell you the truth. I saw their plans. They were meticulously thought out and had they continued, their business would have rivalled yours,” Amelia said.

“Then it was a good thing for all involved that they were taken out of the picture. Imagine what destruction their business could’ve done to the city had they lived. It certainly would’ve been more work for all. I believe the man who took care of our problem deserves to be commended, does he not?” Coleani said with a cruel smile.

Kellie bit down on her tongue. She was tempted to say something but knew she was already on wafer-thin ice. She was only a visiting member of the team and had no real standing in the investigation. As it had been pointed out before, she wasn’t a detective.

She watched the men surrounding them. She’d seen both Amelia and Darryl spare the occasional glance towards them, as well. Their sharp eyes seemed to determine if they were a threat, or if they’d moved in the slightest from their initial positions.

They were outnumbered and outgunned, making her nervous. She knew Coleani well enough to know how he really dealt with those in his way.

Kellie steeled herself, not wanting to show fear or any other emotion that might please him.

Darryl stepped forward, drawing complete attention. “Do you know a man named Michael Lambert, Mr. Coleani?”

He frowned. Years of dealing with the police had made him quite the actor. “I don’t believe so. Should I?”

Kellie shrugged nonchalantly. “He lives in your neighbourhood, attended your youth centre, and was even employed at one of your businesses. Surely you’ve met him?”

“I employ many boys and unless they stand out from the crowd, I never meet them in person and I don’t visit the youth centre anymore.”

Amelia rolled her eyes. “No, now you just have your lackeys do the grunt work for you.”

“The pleasures of being a boss. I can delegate all those jobs that I find tedious to someone else. That’s why we strive so hard to climb the career ladder, is it not?”

Darryl crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against a supporting wall. “We believe him to be the perpetrator. We’re in the process of getting a warrant. All we’re waiting on is some results from forensics. He will be arrested and charged for his crimes and anyone connected with him will go down with him.”

“And you should know him,” Kellie said. “After all, he did kill for you didn’t he? Do you always have other people fix your problems for you?”

Coleani lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling, allowing the smoke to fill the room and tickle Kellie’s nostrils.

“I’m just a businessman, Detectives. I pay my taxes, provide jobs for my people, and safe places for their children to play and learn. I am a pillar of the community. I don’t go round killing my people.”

His
people. Christ, he really believed himself to be some kind of king who looked down on his serfs, working them until they were no longer useful. She doubted Coleani would be very tolerable to the mistakes of others. When Butler and Benedict had betrayed him, he’d immediately cast them aside. No room for apologies and forgiveness—once lost, it could never be recovered.

“Just because you colour outside the lines and use laws to cover your illegal activities doesn’t mean that one day you won’t get caught,” Kellie warned him, having made his life hell twelve years prior when she refused to bow down to his dictatorship. Back then, she’d felt invincible, foiling more than one of his drug deals. If she could put him behind bars, she’d find a way.

“But until then I will have to stay goodbye, Detectives,” he replied, unfazed. “I’m done being accommodating.”

Darryl gave him a sharp nod. “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Coleani. I hope we haven’t taken up too much of your time.”

He turned and laid a hard hand on her waist as he faced her. The unbreakable hold he had on her forced her to turn with him as he moved past when she would’ve preferred to stay and continue their little chat. Had she not yielded, she would’ve been forcibly dragged out. Amelia followed.

Darryl didn’t release her until they were outside. She jerked away from him, flustered and oddly turned on from being in such close proximity to him and his alpha behaviour.

She let out a deep breath and rearranged her clothes, ironing away invisible creases with her hands in order to waste time while she reorganised her thoughts and calmed down.

She took several deep breaths and inhaled the salty air from the nearby harbour. Coleani’s restaurant was in a prime position down on the promenade. Around them, tourists shopped and walked along the wharf. An old couple sat on a metal bench and fed the seagulls. It was a perfect day, warm with a light breeze and many of the city’s residents and visitors were taking complete advantage of it. The harbour was filled with sailboats setting forth to an island destination for fishing or just a lazy day on the beach.

Kellie couldn’t enjoy it, not with an open double homicide to tend to. She glared back at the restaurant, not yet open for business. Wait-staff were setting up the outside tables with their frilly white umbrellas on the dock that extended over the water. Coleani would’ve spent a fortune for that luxury, and as always, when his name passed through her mind, anger reared its ugly head.

She fumed at his gall. Men like him infuriated her because they believed they could do whatever they wanted, and damn the consequences. Her hands curled into small fists with impotent rage. It was always the innocents who got hurt in the end. Those who had done nothing to deserve the cruel hand fate dealt.

“What was all that about?” she demanded as they walked to the car.

“Funny, that’s what I was going to ask you,” Darryl retorted. “What was with all the attacking in there? We’re lucky if he doesn’t call the boss to lodge a complaint.”

“IA investigating IA, that would be something,” Amelia joked.

Kellie glared at her, in no mood for her brand of humour. “Coleani is a scum bag.”

“What happened to the woman who said even scum have rights?” Darryl asked.

She glared at him for throwing her words back in her face, then gritted her teeth as she opened the car door. Coleani was a sore subject. Her mother’s face flashed before her. She ruthlessly pushed the image away.

“It’s just seeing him there on his lofty perch after all he put us through as kids. We had to grow up way too fast.”

Amelia’s light brown eyes were filled with understanding and equal frustration. “I know, Kel. Believe me, I’m right there with you. But he didn’t give us one thing we could use against him. That man is as cool as a cucumber. I guess you need a certain set of balls to get you to the top rung. It makes me think of all the things he did to get there.”

“But the question is…” Darryl began as he climbed into the driver’s seat of his police issued Commodore, “Did we learn anything at all? We pretty much already knew he was guilty.”

“He’s narcissistic enough to believe himself to be a king, and like any king, when his kingdom is being threatened he will do everything in his power to do something about it.”

Kellie leaned against the back seat. “I only hope Michael Lambert comes to his senses quick enough to see Dick’s true nature. He is not his saviour but will be his executioner. I guarantee it.”