Vendetta (11 page)

    
“Alright…okay! I’ll stay and see what I can find out. Don’t worry, I can do it… I don’t really have a choice, do I? I’ll see you tomorrow… you too,” he said in a calmer tone.

    
Julie panicked, realizing that he was about to hang up. He would walk in and surely see her standing there. She needed to get out, and fast. She walked back towards the door as quickly and quietly as she could, hoping he wouldn‘t think she overheard his call. Instead, she stopped just before running out the door and switched on the light instead.

    
“Honey, are you out there?” She bellowed loudly as she turned around and walked swiftly back toward the balcony.

    
“Yeah, I’m right here,” Nick was startled. He shut the French doors behind him and walked into the den. “I was just finishing up a phone call,” Nick said quickly.

    
“Oh, that was a long one. What was that all about?” Julie asked innocently.

    
“I have a meeting at the restaurant tomorrow morning… just had to go over some things,” Nick said, believably enough.

    
He flashed a quick smile and took a swig off the beer he held in his hand. “I didn’t want to bore you with it in the kitchen! I decided that I’m going to stay home and have dinner with you tonight, regardless of what’s going on at the restaurant. They’re just going to have to get along without me,” Nick’s demeanor changed and he seemed very convincing.

    
“Great, are you almost ready to eat?” She smiled.

    
“Absolutely, I’m ready when you are,” Nick said overly excitedly.

    
“Mark is running a little late, but he’ll be here soon.” Julie was surprised at how calm and nonchalant her voice sounded. Her hand was steady, as her husband took it and led her into the dining room.

                             
      ~

    
Mark sat at the kitchen table with Williams. He looked over copy of the prisons “Visitor Sign-in Roster” that Williams handed him.

    
“Christina L. Mazzo?” Mark was puzzled. “Do we know who she is, yet?”

    
“I don’t know yet, there is absolutely NO record of her. Not even a speeding ticket. I was hoping you could tell me,” Williams said.

    
Mark concentrated and shook his head.

    
“Well, whoever she is, she’s been visiting him regularly, twice actually, just this last month. I‘m assuming she‘s local to visit him so often in New Jersey,” he looked at Mark. “So, the name doesn’t ring a bell with you, at all?” Williams felt a little let down. He was excited to show Mark what he was able to get.

    
“No, not at all,” Mark rubbed the back of his neck and leaned back in the chair. “Maybe she’s someone he met thru another inmate? Or, could be a wife or girlfriend of someone he already knows.”

    
Williams commented. “Maybe she’s his girlfriend.”

     “Maybe, t
hey could be using the woman as a front to relay messages,” Mark thought out loud. Mark looked up at the ceiling as his mind ran the idea one more time.

    
“Get her to sign in, be on camera, and then talk business thru the glass,” Williams was trying to wrap his head around the notion. “That would appear innocent enough,” he decided.

     “That’s it. We got it!
” Mark exclaimed.

    
“What’s that?” Williams inquired.

    
“The surveillance cameras,” Mark sat up in his chair. “There’s got to be security footage, right? Maybe we can I.D. her that way.”

    
“Nice, I can get us that first thing tomorrow morning. I‘ll do the best I can, giving that it‘s a Sunday,” Williams felt hopeful again.

    
“The guys over there don‘t have anything exciting to do anyway,” Mark added. “So, let’s do it. In the meantime, could you make a call to your department and run that last name against the other inmates, just in case there’s a connection?” Mark said.

    
Williams nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I can do that.”

    
“I appreciate your work. Thank you,” Mark stood and shook his hand.

    
“Let’s meet tomorrow morning at the coffee shop on the corner of 6th and Main. Eight o’clock,” Mark opened the back door. “I’ll walk you out.”

     “That s
ounds good to me, Mark. See you tomorrow morning,” Williams said as he walked to his car.

    
Mark walked back into the house, locked the door and shut off the lights. Leaning up against the wall, he peeked out the back window. That’s when he saw the black Ford Expedition. It slowly pulled out behind Williams as he drove away. It was too slow to be tailing him, probably just keeping an eye on him and verifying his whereabouts. It was a precinct vehicle… unmarked. He knew it was only a matter of time before they got curious.

    
Mark zipped up his jacket and went out the front door, locking it behind him. It was about a ten minute walk to Nick and Julies. He welcomed the crisp cool air on his face and the crunching of dead leaves under his boots as he walked down the sidewalk. It was definitely autumn, Allies favorite season. All though she would say it was “fall”, because, the leaves “fall from the trees, Daddy”, a then seven year old Allie had explained. Thinking back now… maybe raking the leaves wasn’t the worst chore after all. As long as he had Allie there to jump in them and mess up his neatly raked piles, he would gladly do it every day.

    
His chest tightened up as he drew in a cold, ragged breath; his head began to pound. He felt sick to his stomach. Mark had hardly slept, and didn’t have an appetite. Maybe he would drink some coffee, but that would be about it. He had no desire for any sustenance at all.

    
The stress he was under was starting to take a physical toll on him. It served as a reminder that his body was still alive and trying to function normally, even if his mind wasn’t.

    
Marks dilemma was that he couldn’t bear to think of his daughter as being dead, it would debilitate him. He almost couldn’t believe that she wasn’t here with him, now. It just wasn‘t real to him sometimes, but despite his rejection, it was painfully obvious that she really was gone.

    
It was getting easier for him to block the idea from his mind whenever it became devastatingly apparent that this was, in fact, his reality.

    
Mark stayed focused on keeping his body moving. Step after step, breathing in and out, and keeping his eyes open and alert. He didn’t know how to pretend that he wasn’t anything other than a hollowed man with nothing left to lose. But he would try to act sociable tonight, for Julie. She needed this, and if it would make her happy, than he would be there.

    
Mark also struggled with the decision on whether to tell Nick and Julie about everything. He decided that despite Nick’s odd behavior lately, he trusted them enough to tell them about his past. They were two of his only friends and they would understand. After all, they had lost her too. Everyone needed to hear the truth.

                             
       ~ 

    
Mark sat full and satisfied, admiring the large oak table where the three of them now sat. Bright red drapes served as the back drop behind Nick and Julie. The color matched the table cloth that he ran his hands over.

    
“Well-made table,” he commented aloud, “Good size too.”

    
Mark could smell the apple pie that now cooled in the other room. He felt a small pang of guilt. It was amazing that he ate dinner, let alone contemplated eating a slice of pie.  Allie couldn’t have any apple pie… not anymore. She would have had hers with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. “Allie-mode,” she always said.

     “Hey man,
are you all right?” Nick was looking at him, wide eyed and concerned.

    
Mark stopped day dreaming and looked up at them. Julie was staring at him in utter disbelief. She was speechless and hadn’t said a word the entire time. Mark had drifted off in thought for a moment, and had briefly forgotten that he had just told them his entire life story.

    
“Oh my gosh, Mark,” Julie finally said. She put her hands on her forehead and rubbed her temple. “You have been through so much. And poor Allie… she had no idea, did she?” Julie wiped her teary eyes.

    
“She remembered Aunt Alice… but not a whole lot more. If she did, she never let on. We didn’t talk about it at all. We just moved on and started living a different life… until now,” Mark stated.

    
“So, is that why you hired that detective from the other night?” Nick asked. “You think this Leo guy had something to do with it?”

    
Marks gaze switched from Julie to Nick. He suspiciously glared at Nick through narrowed eyes.

    
“What makes you so sure that I hired a detective?” Mark asked.

    
“Oh, I don’t know for sure if you did. I just saw you talking to him that night at the restaurant…that’s all,” he said nervously.

    
“Well, you see, Nick, when someone’s usually healthy daughter mysteriously dies, the police usually have a few questions for people. They call those cops… Homicide Detectives,” Mark said sarcastically.

    
“Well, yeah. I know that, but you were talking to him for a while and it would make sense if you did hire him, for extra investigating, especially after what you just told us,” Nick tried to justify his unusual statement.

    
“I mean, Wow! My mind is just blown right now man… you sure have been through a lot! I‘m really sorry to hear that that happened to you and… Allie,” Nick said nervously trying to seem sympathetic.

    
“So you think that if I’m having a conversation with the Detective, that I must have hired him for a side job?” Mark was pushing him for more of a response. Nick shouldn’t have known about Detective Williams being hired, at all.

    
“Well, yeah, no… I mean, I guess not,” he was back peddling. “So what do you think happened? You know, to Allie, or Lily, I mean,” he was shifting in his seat to get more comfortable.

    
Mark winced at hearing Nick call Allie by her real name. The conversation quickly became more intense.

    
Julie was watching Nick. She must have thought he was acting strange, too.

    
“I don’t know what happened. That’s probably why I hired the Detective, right Nick?” Mark said dryly.

    
Julie was confused by the negative turn the conversation took.

    
“Okay, guys. I know this is a lot to take in all at once. Please, excuse Nick; his manners are horrible lately…I don’t think he slept a wink last night either,” Julie tried to diffuse the uncomfortable situation.

    
“Oh? You’re not sleeping well, Nick? I wonder why that is,” Mark intentionally intimidated him now.

    
Nick was about to say something, but Julie put her hand up… shaking her head at Nick.

    
“No, really, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Mark said sarcastically. “You must be really stressed out with all the added responsibilities at work and all.”

    
Julie sat up straight and stared harshly at Mark.

    
“Look, I think I know what the “raised emotions” are about and you don’t have to worry, Mark,” Julie said. Her blue eyes softened as she continued. “We’re more than just your friends here we’re like family and there’s no need to be so defensive. We will support anything you’re doing. We’re here for you when you need us, alright? End of story…we’re not the enemy,” she took a drink of her wine and sat back into her chair. Obviously exhausted, she rubbed her eyes.

    
Putting himself in check, Mark nodded and looked at them both. “Thank you, for your friendship and your understanding,” he looked at Nick as he spoke. “It means a lot right now.”

     Nick swallowed, h
ard.

    
Julie continued.

    
“You’re very welcome. Seriously though, if you suspect this guy Leo, has something to do with Allie‘s death, can’t you just go to witness protection and have them investigate it? Surely someone else might suspect this Leo Vanzetti’s involvement, given the history this dirt bag has, especially with your family! Plus, he’s getting out on Monday? It just seems so cut and dry,” Julie exclaimed.

    
Mark was glad to hear someone else say what he has felt all along. “You would think so, but it’s being treated as a complete coincidence. I’ve already been told by my witness protection coordinator, that there’s no way “Mr. Vanzetti” has anything to do with it. He has a solid alibi I mean, he’s in prison until his parole hearing on Monday morning. So, yes, that’s why I’m pursuing this on my own and I hired Detective Williams. I‘ll be meeting him tomorrow at Allie’s favorite coffee shop,” Mark looked at Nick, who now looked very worried.