Celia's Puppies (22 page)

“
I’m so glad,” he said to
her sleeping form.

~~~~~~~~

“
You were marvelous
tonight,” Valerie said.

They were sitting in a full bathtub. Mike
was brushing her hair. He kissed her head. After the ‘event,’ Mike
and Valerie had worked to manage their guests. The worlds famous
were professionals. With smiles all around, they left the Castle
with their children as if nothing had happened. Valerie made Jill’s
brownies between organizing the clean up crew and dealing with the
police. When they were finally on their own, Mike and Valerie
migrated to the warm safety of their bathtub. They’d been soaking
for at least an hour.

“
I think four men asked me
about your ‘country suit’,” she said.

“
Frederec thought I should
look like a 1940s country western star,” he said. “I love the boots
and the cool ribbons down the leg of the pants. I thought I looked
more like bull-fighter with the short jacket, but he said it was
perfect for my shoulders.”

“
You were gorgeous, and so
fun to be around,” she said. “Thank you.”

“
For?”

“
Being my one and only,”
she said. “Putting up with me and all my bullshit. I see poor Jill
and I... I feel very lucky.”

“
Jill will be all right,”
Mike said. “Ropers are made of tough stuff.”

She leaned back and they kissed.

“
Do you have any idea who
killed Trevor?”

“
No,” Mike said. “Alex’s
team was all accounted for. It had to be someone else. But who? And
why? Trevor’s wife stopped talking as soon as she knew he was dead.
I think she’s working on a story that makes him solely responsible
for everything.”

Valerie sighed.

“
I can’t believe I waited
so long to be here with you. I... If that happened to you? Oh my
God. I... Oh Michael, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“
For what?”

“
For everything,” she
said.

He chuckled and continued brushing her
hair.

“
Say something,” she
said.

“
You take responsibility
for things that are just life,” he said. “We have this time, this
place. Don’t waste it on regret.”

“
I have six more months on
my contract,” she said.

“
And?”

“
I think we should try and
have a baby,” she said. “When my contract expires, I
mean.”

He smiled.

“
Let’s see where you are
in December. By then, you may be ‘A’ listed and...” He mock
squealed. “Everything will be perfect!”

Laughing, Valerie slapped at him. He
laughed. Valerie settled against him again.

“
Let’s just stay here,”
she said.

“
In Denver? I thought you
had to work on Monday,” he said.

“
No in this bathtub. Let’s
just stay here forever,” she said.

He kissed her head.

“
It’ll be dawn soon. Do
you want to sleep?”

“
Oh tomorrow. I’d rather
not have tomorrow come. I’m sick of police and hospitals and
violence and drama. And I work on a soap opera! I just
want...”

“
To stay in the bathtub?”
he asked.

“
Yes,” she
said.

He pulled her between his knees, then
wrapped her tight in his arms. No matter what happened tomorrow,
they would be together.

And that’s all that mattered.

~~~~~~~~

Saturday morning — 4:00 A.M.
Denver Police Department

“
And who are you?” the
Chief of Police asked.

“
Major Joseph Walter, sir.
It’s my understanding that you have questions about the involvement
of Homeland Security and Army Special Ops on Race Street tonight. I
have been dispatched to answer your questions.”

“
I requested the head of
the team to speak to me prior to this press conference. I’m not
going to let the Army or Homeland Security leave us hanging out
there like country bumpkins. Where is the Lieutenant
Colonel?”

“
The
Lieutenant Colonel was unable to make it. I was dispatched
instead.
Of course, whatever
I say must stay in this room. And, I promise that if it doesn’t,
we’ll know.
”

The Police Chief’s brow rose at the
insinuation. Was this man threatening him?

“
And who are
you?”

Joseph smiled at the Police Chief’s repeated
question. In his exhaustion, the Chief hadn’t realized he repeated
himself until Joseph smiled. The Chief nodded his head.

“
I’m someone who can
answer your questions,” Joseph said. “Have you completed an autopsy
on Trevor Mc Guinsey?”

The Chief put his hand over the autopsy
report. His eyes reviewed the man in front of him. Walter was in
his forties, cropped brown hair with a dusting of gray, brown eyes,
medium height. He had an air about him as if he was someone you
could trust, someone who was used to being trusted, but someone not
to be messed with. The Chief nodded his head. He pushed the autopsy
report across the desk. Walter didn’t reach to pick it up.

“
I’m particularly
interested in the bullet,” Joseph said. “I understand your men
found the bullet in the roof of the SUV.”

The Chief nodded.

“
We expect the bullet is
hand made, no finger prints or DNA but is stamped with a series of
characters.”

“
Characters?”

Joseph took a
pen from his pocket and drew a series of characters
on the autopsy report.

“
How would you know
something like that? We haven’t entered that information into any
computer or...”

Joseph nodded his head.

“
May I see it?”

The Chief of Police gave Joseph a small
Ziploc bag with a bullet in it.

“
I’ve only heard about
these,” Joseph said. “I’ve never seen one before. Wow. Frankly, I
thought the whole thing was bullshit.”

“
Major, what are you
talking about?”

“
I’d like to tell you a
little story about a Russian family on the run and a little girl
who was rescued by a contract killer, but we don’t have time. You
have a press conference and I need to get back the
team.”

“
Can you tell me about the
US Army’s involvement in last night’s events?”

“
I’m authorized to answer
your questions.”

“
My questions?” the Chief
of Police was too tired to play games. “What the fuck is going
on?”

“
Good question,” Joseph
said. He smiled his trustworthy smile. “It all started when Valerie
Lipson’s publicist scheduled her and Michael Roper’s appearance on
Oprah.”

Chapter Forty
Hanging out there

Saturday morning — 4:30 A.M.

Denver’s Police Chief closed the door after
Major Walter. Leaning back in his chair, he wondered what he needed
to do. When he signed on as a police officer, he never thought he
would be at the center of people trafficking, the Russian mafia,
and international assassins.

The domestic abuse? The cruelty inflicted
one person to another? He was used to that.

And so much of this case was normal.
Possessive guy dumps wife to marry a rich woman but still feels
like he owns first wife. Typical. Even possessive guy stealing his
only child. Typical.

But stealing a Senator’s grandson to hold
for ransom? New wife selling old wife into prostitution while new
wife is on her honeymoon? New wife stabs her own sister ten times
and screams ‘die bitch’ as the stretcher goes by? Guy shot in the
head from fifteen hundred yards by a professional contract killer
called Perses? Of course that’s AFTER the Russian mafia agrees to
leave some retired Sergeant and his family alone.

Propping his head in his hands, the Police
Chief rubbed his aching head.

What the hell was he going to tell the
press?

~~~~~~~~

Saturday morning — 4:30 A.M.

Jacob woke to the sound of his blackberry
buzzing. As he had every morning for most of the last week, he
gently shifted from under Jill’s head. Today, Jill grabbed him
before he could leave her. He smiled.

“
It’s Blane,” Jacob said.
“I need to let him know I won’t make it this morning.”

The ache in Jill’s eyes was almost more than
he could stand.

“
My blackberry is in my
tux,” he said.

Jill’s head moved in a nod. Getting up, he
went to the kitchen area where his abandoned tux lay on the floor.
When he turned to look at Jill, she was walking toward their
bedroom. He heard the bathroom door close.

“
Hey,” Jacob said after
dialing Blane.

“
Updates. Do you want
business first or family?”

“
Family,” Jacob
replied.

“
Honey is still in
critical condition. Sam says it’s touch and go. Her mom and Delphie
are by her side in ICU.”

“
Jill said she’d never
seen anything as brutal as the way Honey was attacked.”

“
Yes,” Blane said. “It was
vicious and cruel. I don’t think she would have lived if MJ hadn’t
been there. And honestly? No one’s sure she’ll make it. Her spine
is cut. They did surgery to reattach it, but she’ll probably never
walk again. She might have use of her hands but who knows? And
that’s if she survives. They removed her spleen, one kidney, part
of her liver, and some of her intestine.”

“
God, poor Honey,” Jacob
said.

“
Sam said her mother is
hysterical. With one daughter in jail and the other on death’s
doorway, I guess old Tiffanie is contemplating the error of her
ways,” Blane said. “They had to medicate her last night. That’s why
Sam and Delphie are still at the hospital.”

“
Who’s with Becky and
Briana?” Jacob asked.

“
Their nanny,” Blane said.
“Sam hired her last week when they officially split up.”

“
Delphie?” Jacob watched
Jill come from their bedroom in a bathrobe. She went to stand in
the doorway to Katy’s room.

“
She suggested it,” Blane
said. “On the business front, Bambi wants to know if she can close
the site today. That’s Honey’s team. She says everyone is upset
and...”

“
Of course,” Jacob said.
“I assume they’re doing the Lipson employee hospital
vigil.”

“
Like always,” Blane said.
“The call went out last night. They’ve been there in shifts all
night. Honey’s worked at every site, so every site has at least one
person at the hospital. Bambi wants to make sure everyone will get
paid.”

“
Of course,” Jacob said.
“Listen, we had a rough night. Can you and Aden start the
sites?”

“
Sure,” Blane said. “They
haven’t found anyone to identify the Trevor. His wife won’t do it.
I guess his mother has Alzheimer’s and his Dad is in a wheelchair.
Diabetes I think. I fielded a call from Denver Police wondering if
Jill was willing to do the identification.”

“
I was going to stay close
to home this morning,” Jacob said.

“
I don’t think there are
funds to bury...”

“
I assumed,” Jacob
said.

“
The Rocky is reporting
one of the children was the daughter of the man who was killed,”
Blane said. “This poor child watched her father die. She’s okay
though right?”

“
Katy? We’ll take her to
see Aden’s kids’ therapist. But she seems fine.” Jacob looked up to
see Jill walking toward him. He held out his arm to her and she
tucked herself into him.

“
Well, the press wants
photos of the poor child,” Blane said.

“
Sounds like it’s going to
be an interesting day. You’ll keep me in the loop for
Honey?”

“
Yep,” Blane said. “Call
me if you can meet us at noon.”

“
I will.”

Jacob hung up the phone. Setting the phone
on the counter, he held Jill to him.

“
How’s Katy?”

“
She’s still out,” Jill
said.

“
How are you?” Jacob
said.

Jill shook her head and moved away from him.
He pulled her back to him. Looking into her eyes, he saw her
sorrow.