Necessary Decisions, A Gino Cataldi Mystery (13 page)

Several times, thong-panties girl came into the kitchen. She hadn’t bothered covering up those ass cheeks yet. I wondered if she had clothes to wear or if she just liked teasing me. Maybe she knew I was a widower, and that it had been a
long
time since I’d had sex. A
very
long time. That might explain why my head always felt like it was about to explode.

She bent over to get a pan from the lower cabinet, flashing me those precious cheeks. I couldn’t help staring. Now I had two things to worry about exploding. After she stood again, which seemed like forever, and yet, not long enough, I made a mental note to suggest to Scott that she vacate the premises. Or get dressed.

Thong-panties set the pan on the island, poured a glass of milk then threw me a smile that sent a shiver up and down my spine. I normally didn’t like shivers. This one, I did. In a very good way. A way that had me reconsidering my mental note to Scott, who was just returning to the kitchen.

He looked upset, and I thought I heard “…and put something on.” I expected her to set a quick pace for the stairs; instead, she bent over again and aimed those weapons in my direction.

Scott sat across from me at the table, but before we got into anything, Delgado and Connors returned. I raised my wrist to look at the time, forgetting again that my watch was gone. “Son of a bitch!” A flash of anger raced through me. I vowed once again to get Number Three. It made me want to call Ramirez to see if she had gotten anywhere on the Marshall case.

“What’s the matter?” Winthrop asked.

“Nothing. I lost a watch. I keep looking for the time, forgetting the watch is gone.”

“Was it valuable?”

Valuable? Did everything come down to money with this guy?

“Not in terms of money, Mr. Winthrop. But to me it was priceless.”

Scott nodded as if he’d been there before, but I couldn’t imagine anything being more valuable to him than money. Delgado sat next to Winthrop, placing his notepad on the table.

“Anything?” I asked, but assumed the news wouldn’t be good.

“Two hours of talking to people, only to find out nobody saw anything. I thought I was in New York.”

Winthrop said, “Unfortunately, Detective, this neighborhood doesn’t keep much of a watch for trouble. Everyone assumes it’s safe. I’ve lived in places where it
isn’t
safe—Mexico City, Bogota, Caracas… When I got here, I thought we’d found paradise.”

Delgado turned to me. “We hit every house along the bus route. You want us to expand it?”

Two hours wasted.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

Delgado and Connors filled me in on a few details we needed to follow up on—a telephone repair truck and a strange mystery-woman jogger that a guy at the end of the street mentioned. I didn’t put much hope in either.

“How about you and Connors head to the school to see if you can get a list of her friends from the teachers and classmates. Question them. See what they know.”

They started to leave when I called them back. “And see if there are any boyfriends.”

“You got it,” Delgado said.

I looked over to Scott. Thong-panties had gone back upstairs. “Mr. Winthrop, I don’t like suggesting this, but…”

“Go on, Detective.”

“I think it would be better if Jennifer isn’t here while this is going on.” I hadn’t prepared a reasonable explanation why, so I rushed one out. “It’s just—”

Scott smiled. “I already asked her.”

“Thanks.”

“Kind of distracting, isn’t it?”

“What’s that, sir?”

“The way she dresses. It’s a little distracting.”

I’m sure I turned some shade of crimson, but I forced a smile. “Yes, Mr. Winthrop, it is
very
distracting.”

One of the techs walked in then. Before he said a word, I remembered something. “Oh, and Mr. Winthrop, how about giving that cell phone to our guys now. If someone calls, they’ll let you know.”

From the look on his face, you’d have thought I’d asked for his arm or some other appendage. He stared at me, then the tech, then slowly handed over the phone.

The tech pocketed Scott’s phone then addressed me. “How many cells are we going to need for the surveillance?”

“A lot of that depends on Coop. Figure a dozen.”

“Okay, Gino, thanks.” He was off into the back room to do whatever it was techs did.

As we talked, Scott reminded me that he had recorded the conversation with the kidnappers. I could have kicked myself in the ass for forgetting. I planned on waiting for Ribs and Connors, but figured I might as well listen now. “If you can get it ready, Mr. Winthrop.”

We listened to the tape. I was going to play it again but opted to wait for Delgado and Connors. About an hour later, the front door opened. I assumed it was Ribs. “How’d it go, Delgado?”

“Dad?”

I got up to see who it was. It definitely wasn’t Delgado.

“Dad, what are all the cars about?”

Before I could do anything, or even ask “Who are you,” Winthrop flew by me.

“Alexa! My God, are you all right?”

It was obvious that Alexa had no idea what was going on. “Is this your daughter?” I asked.

He nodded and seemed to be holding back tears. “How did you get away?”

She looked at him as if he had just stepped off the Enterprise alongside of Captain Kirk. “What are you talking about?”

I stepped in to cut through the parental red tape. “Alexa, my name is Detective Gino Cataldi. Someone told your father that you had been kidnapped.”

She laughed, then got serious. “Oh God, Dad. I’m sorry. I’m fine. Nothing happened to me.”

“But we called school, and…”

She lowered her head. “Lisa and I skipped school.”

He let the tears go and hugged her. “I don’t care. In fact, I’m glad.” I let them have their reunion, hugging and crying, then hugging more. Afterward, Scott turned to me. “Detective, I am
so
sorry I put you through this trouble. Thank goodness it was for nothing.”

I stared at him as if he were a moron, which he was. “Mr. Winthrop, you don’t seem to understand, sir. They might not have
your
daughter, but they have
someone.
And I’ve got to find her.”

He stared at me, dumbfounded.

I didn’t like doing this. I could be wrong, and this could all be some sick bastard messing around, but my gut told me no. I liked to follow my gut. Instead of backing off, I stared back and wouldn’t let him off the hook. “Now let me hear that tape again.”

Chapter 20

Logic

A
fter Delgado and Connors returned, we listened to the tape. Then I had Winthrop play it again. I listened with pen in hand, jotting down notes.

“Delgado, you and Connors listen to this again.”

“Are you ready?” Winthrop asked.

I nodded, and he started it up from the spot where the kidnapper first spoke.

“This isn’t Michelle. Listen closely. We have your daughter.”

“What? Who is this?”

“I said, we have your daughter. So listen.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Is this you, Ted?”

“This is no joke. Get a pen and paper and write this down.”

“Mister, I don’t know who you are, but—”

“Shut up. Do you hear me? Shut the fuck up, or I kill her.”

“Stop it,” I said to Winthrop, then turned to Delgado and Connors. “You hear that? The caller was in control until that moment. When Scott challenged him, he lost it. It’s almost like he was reading a script.” I gestured for Scott to start it up again, explaining that it was him who we were listening to now.

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“Do you have something to write with?”

“I’m set. Go ahead.”

“You are to get seven million dollars and—”

“What? I don’t have that kind of money.”

“Mister, we know you don’t have it yet, but you can borrow on it.”

The man on the phone paused.

“I’m not going to say it again. Shut up and let me finish.”

“Okay. Sorry.”

I had Winthrop stop it again. “You hear that? He said we
know
you don’t have it
yet
, but you can borrow it.” I looked at Delgado and Connors. “They knew he had money coming in?” I grabbed my pen and paper and had him start it up again.

“Seven million dollars in non-sequential serial numbers, hundred-dollar bills, no tracers on the money, or in the money. We will know if you try to track us. Have it ready in forty-eight hours. We’ll call tomorrow with instructions on the transfer.”

“Wait! I need to talk to my daughter.”

“The next time we call, you can talk to her.”

I got up from the table and walked around the kitchen. Delgado spoke first. “Gino, I hear what you’re saying about these guys knowing things, but that leaves a big gaping hole. They got the
wrong person.
”

I shook my head, disgusted at myself. “Goddamn, Delgado, I
am
an asshole. You’re right. Everything they said is irrelevant. They thought they were talking to someone else.”

“So the question is, who did they
think
they were calling?” Delgado said.

Winthrop traded places with me and sat in my chair. “I need my phone. I’ve got to call Fred—”

“Whoa!” I said. “We’re still going to need your phone. These people are calling tomorrow. They might call your cell.”

Winthrop nodded. “Detective, do you think this might be a prank?”

“No, this is real,” I said. “Unless these people are practicing for a movie role.”

I looked at my empty coffee cup, then at Winthrop’s daughter, who’d entered the kitchen.

“Miss, would you mind making us coffee?”

She looked at me as if I had asked her to clean the toilet. What the hell was wrong with kids nowadays?

“I’ll get it,” Winthrop said.

There’s what’s wrong.

“Thanks, Winthrop. It looks like we’re going to need a lot of coffee.” My body would hate me later, and my nerves were already tight as piano wire, but I had a feeling this would be an all-nighter.

Alexa whispered, but not in a very “whispery” way. “They’re not staying are they, Dad?”

Scott hesitated, so I answered for him. “Yes, young lady, we
are
staying. A young girl has been kidnapped. We need to find her.”

“But
we
didn’t have anything to do with it.”

I walked toward her, hoping that
something
would make an impact. “No, you didn’t have anything to do with the kidnapping, but the kidnappers, for some reason,
think
they have
you
. That’s why they called your father. Or they think they called the father of the girl they really have.” I handed my empty cup to Scott. “Until we figure this out, we’ll be your guests.”

***

Alexa stormed away, her cell phone in hand, already dialing. She called Jada twice but got no answer. Next she tried Jason—same thing. Missy was next on the list. She picked up right away. “Missy, you won’t believe what happened.”

“What?”

“I came home today and there were freakin’ cops everywhere. I mean
everywhere
. It was like something out of a movie.”

“Oh my God! What happened?”

“Somebody told my dad I was kidnapped.”

“What? Did you tell Jada?”

“I can’t reach her,” Alexa said. “She skipped with Jason. He’s not answering either.”

“You know what that means.”

“You think they’re at Uncle Eddy’s?”

“You know Jason Rules.”

Detective Cataldi’s voice came from the other room. “Alexa!”

“Oh shit, Missy. I have to go. That cop wants me.”

“Call me.”

“Later.”

***

Alexa stopped and turned to me. “What?”

“Please hang up the phone.”

“Why?”

“Do it!” Scott yelled.

“This is bull,” she said.

I tried being nice. “Alexa, this is a serious situation. I have to ask you not to tell
anyone
about this until I say it’s okay. Can you do that?”

“Sure.”

“Who did you tell?”

“My friend Missy. That’s all.”

“Please tell her she cannot tell anyone else.”

She sighed. “I will.”

“Okay, thanks.” I went back to Scott to finish up.

“You’re convinced that a girl has been taken?” Winthrop asked.

I didn’t want to respond this way, but I felt I had to be honest. “I’m not convinced of anything, but we can’t afford the risk of assuming they haven’t taken someone.”

“How could this happen? Who else could it be?” Winthrop brought me back a full cup of coffee then offered some to Delgado and Connors.

Even though it was piping hot, I sipped it. If there was anything I despised, it was lukewarm coffee. I’d rather burn my tongue.

Delgado said, “I hate to bring this up, but we’ve got to give consideration to the fact that it
could
be somebody with a grudge against Winthrop, and they’re just fu…messing with him.”