Buried Secrets
Whoo hoo, moving right along! Another chapter cranked out in record time *Happy Dance* N-joy, I'm gonna head off and crash in a corner somewhere. Apparently I'm suffering from an angst overload or something now that the cocoa puffs have worn off..........
* I do not own the BT series characters. They belong to a much-more talented individual. I am however, more than willing to take credit for characters/scenarios not featured in the books or television series. Not making any money. No copyright infringement intended*
Chapter Two: The Usual Suspects
Vicki Nelson strode up the short flight of stairs to her office and began shifting the various items in her hands in order to reach the door knob. With the bag of donuts and tray of coffees balanced precariously atop a stack of case files, she reached out and as her fingers barely curled around the knob, the door swung open with a bang. Slightly taken aback, Vicki squinted past the early morning light streaming in through the office window and into the face of her young assistant, who stood there looking exceptionally perky. Not a good sign. Vicki sighed and rolled her eyes heavenward.
“Looks like its going to be one of those days.” Resigned, she handed Coreen the tray of coffees. “Alright. Spill. Tell me what I’m up against this week.” Coreen could barely contain her excitement and immediately handed Vicki a new file folder marked Bugsy Siegel. Vicki’s eyebrows rose up nearly to her hairline and she looked questioningly at her assistant, who positively beamed.
“Bugsy Siegel? As in the Bugsy Siegel?” Vicki snorted in disbelief. As if having every creepy crawly imaginable from the pages of badly-drawn comic books showing up in her caseload wasn’t bad enough, now they seemed to be recruiting members out of the history books as well. “You can’t be serious.” Coreen seemed to deflate, but only slightly. She knew her boss would react with skepticism and had come prepared. You’d think by now things like this wouldn’t surprise her anymore, she thought. But then again you don’t become unofficial partners with a vampire without being just a little strong-willed and hard-headed.
“It’s not actually the Bugsy Siegel,” Coreen explained. “Actually it’s more of a confession to his murder by a man named Lazlo “Louie” Mariori. He’s currently a resident at the Golden Years Retirement home just outside of town.” She looked expectantly up at her boss who was by now leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in her hands. Vicki had a far-away look in her eye that Coreen knew meant that she was considering the case. So far so good. She continued. “According to Mr. Mariori, last night he suddenly recalled his involvement in the murder and would like to hire you to look into it.” Vicki straightened.
“He wants me to look into it? Coreen, this is a 60 year-old cold case. How the hell am I supposed to do that? Besides it’s a little out of my jurisdiction…..” She raised her hand to block her assistant’s next remark. “I meant out of my jurisdiction in the sense that it was committed in California, not that I couldn’t handle it otherwise.”
Coreen nodded in understanding but maintained her enthusiasm. “I know Vicki, but that’s not why he wants to hire you. Apparently someone or something made him forget that he was the trigger man, and he would like to know who or what it was. But most importantly, he would like to know why they did it.”
Vicki remained silent while she ran through the list of possible suspects in her mind. “Maybe you should ask Henry about what kind of creature or person that can do that. I mean he’s all over the whole Vulcan mind meld thing,” Coreen interjected.
“You mean Jedi mind tricks,” Vicki corrected, and then quickly added “What? It’s a classic,” in response to her assistant’s shocked expression. Coreen grinned knowingly. “You’re taking the case aren’t you?” Vicki took a long swallow of coffee and handed the file back. “Yes, I’m taking the case.”
She winced at her assistant’s answering squeal and headed into her office, then attempted to shout over the din. “While you’re at it, make me an appointment to see Mr. Mariori tomorrow morning.” Flopping down at her desk, she took out her cell phone and dialed Henry’s number. Coreen was right. If anyone would know who or what was capable of such a thing, Henry was her best bet.
v
Henry clicked off the answering machine and walked towards the window to stare out at the city. From up here in his condo he felt far removed from the rest of the world as it went about its respective business down below, but he knew in his heart that the detachment had nothing to do with his vantage point. He sighed heavily. The city was positively teeming with life, millions of people who if he chose to, he could form some sort of relationship with.
He could offer any one of them anything from a simple feeding to a level of intimacy few could imagine, but he didn’t want them. He wanted her. Vicki. Her message had once again reinforced what they were to one another, partners when it came to solving cases that required supernatural expertise, but nothing more. He supposed that in some way he was at least partially fortunate. She had seen him at his worst and instead of turning away in fear or revulsion, the level of trust between one another had been strengthened. She could count on him in a dicey situation and he could depend on her to do the same.
If this is what she is comfortable with, then so be it. It’s best to just take what you can get and accept it. Life is too short to live with regrets. Even mine. He straightened as he heard her familiar heartbeat outside his door and hurriedly made his expression neutral. She breezed in as soon as the door opened with barely a greeting. Resigned, he decided to take an active interest in the case, so long as it afforded him some time with her.
As she talked and began to lay out the main points, his uneasiness began to grow and was replaced by a pervasive sense of dread the moment she told him her client’s name.
Henry was in shock. It can’t be. I made sure he would forget! He was at a loss of what to do and as she stood waiting for him to say whether he’d help her or not, he decided to lie. He hated to betray their trust, but some secrets were better left buried where they lay. Especially those capable of destroying the life of a good man.
Henry attempted to appear nonchalant. “Well as interesting as this case sounds, I’m sure its nothing more than an old man indulging in his eccentricities. Either that or he's succumbing to delusions in his old age. Besides, I have a deadline coming up and really can't spare the time.” He knew it sounded weak the moment the words left his mouth, but they were the best he could do on such short notice. The effect wasn’t lost on Vicki and her eyes narrowed slightly at his sudden disinterest. In the awkward silence that followed, Henry crossed over to his workstation and began randomly shuffling papers into his portfolio, hoping the act would convince Vicki to drop the matter. It didn’t, and he should have expected as much.
Still maintaining her position by the couch, her expression changed as if she had suddenly remembered something. “Didn’t you tell me once that you were involved with one of Bugsy’s mistresses, and that he and his cronies left you for dead in a Vegas landfill?” Henry cursed silently and regretted this admission. He had only done it in order to make her laugh and lighten an otherwise uncomfortable situation during a stakeout, and at the time, was convinced that it was harmless. Now he wasn’t so sure.
“I did,” he said warily, and braced himself for what was coming next. Vicki looked hopeful. Or triumphant, Henry couldn’t decide which. “Well, if you knew him, then surely you could corroborate my client’s story. I mean, you would know if he was connected with Bugsy or any other members of the Syndicate….”
Henry felt the anger rising within him. He knew it was heavily linked with his earlier melancholy about the current state of their relationship-or lack thereof, he amended-and was further aggravated by this newest complication to his life. He had walked away from that car over sixty years ago thoroughly convinced that he had saved a good person from personal destruction. Never in a million years would he have expected the past to suddenly come back and haunt him, much less drag the object of his affections squarely in the middle.
Swallowing the urge to snarl, he managed a terse remark. “Vicki there’s nothing to tell. Bugsy Siegel was a sociopath who got exactly what he deserved. If you ask me, it’s better to let your client go on thinking that his 'involvement' was only a dream. Whether he really was or not.”
Vicki was slightly taken aback at his heated tone. Confused, she quickly replayed the conversation over in her mind. He had been somewhat distant but pleasant at the start and had appeared interested up until she mentioned who her client was….She stopped, her mind already beginning to crank out a bevy of suspicions. Looking at him, she was suddenly struck by a slight weariness and sadness around his eyes as if he knew something he had no intention of disclosing. She hated the feelings of mistrust that suddenly welled up in her and she did her best to keep them to herself. Easy Nelson. Don’t go jumping to conclusions without some sort of proof. Of course Henry’s sensitive about this case. He actually knew the victim and while they weren’t exactly friends, something like that is bound to affect you someway.
Vicki nodded and agreed that he was probably right, and got up to leave so he could make his deadline. Henry followed her to the door, still not completely convinced that she was giving up on the case. Her heart beat faster and her muscles were tensed as if she was steeling herself for a confrontation, and they had not been like that before her arrival. He bid her goodnight and as she made her way towards the elevators, he shut the door and leaned heavily against it. “When did my life get so complicated?” he muttered. Truth be told, the minute they had stepped into each other’s lives things had never been the same again. For better or worse. This definitely qualified as worse.
v
Even after the long walk home and a hot shower, Vicki still couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Henry was hiding something. Something about his past. Something he didn’t want anyone else to know about. “Just let it go already,” she said through gritted teeth, but she knew it was impossible. She could no more ignore her suspicions then she could the needs of her client. Whether real or imagined. I’ll just do a little checking into Henry’s background, she decided. Nothing major, just ask the client if he knew anyone matching his description, and then…. And then what? Vicki didn’t have an answer for that and silently prayed that there would never come a day when she would have to address that question.