No Such Thing as a Lost Cause (30 page)

“Uh, Mom, she is.”

“Brandy Renee, what an insensitive thing to say. We can’t all be great beauties. I’m
just happy your brother found someone.”

“Okay, Mom. Well, I’ve got to go. Nick’s taking me for a ride in the car.” I hung
up with promises to call her if I heard anything.

Nick was clean-shaven and dressed in a gray, long sleeved jersey and black fitted
trousers. It was the perfect choice; understated, yet classy.

I rooted through my suitcase for a clean shirt. The only thing I could come up with
was a lacy pink camisole. It looked like underwear, which it was. I yanked it over
my head, tucked in the bra straps and was good to go.

“Nick, do you mind if we take the Jaguar?” I asked when we got outside. “My uncle
loves classic cars, and it would give you guys something to talk about. Hey, maybe
you could let him drive it. Not far—just around the block—”

He stared at me thoughtfully.

“What?”

“You seem pretty anxious about this get together, Darlin’.”

“Anxious? I’m not anxious. Oh, and if Carla suggests we play Charades, just go along
with it, okay? She’s really into party games.”

The Jag was parked in the loading zone. Odd that it never got towed. Nick opened the
door for me and I slid in. I leaned over and returned the favor by pushing open the
driver’s side door.

On the way over to Carla and Frankie’s we stopped off at Bon Vivant to pick up some
candy. As soon as we got inside, I headed straight for the truffle case eying it as
if it were a long lost friend. The woman behind the counter walked over to the other
end and pointed to some hand dipped strawberries.

“We have a lovely selection of chocolate covered fruit, if you would prefer something
lighter.”

Why would anyone prefer that? The fruit takes up space where the chocolate ought to
be. “Thanks, anyway, but I think we’ll stick to the truffles.”

I reached into my bag to get out some money, but Nick beat me to it. He bought two
one-pound boxes and handed one to me.

“I didn’t think you’d last the ride over, and it didn’t seem like good form to bring
them a half-eaten box of candy.”

“Eh, it wouldn’t be the first time.” I tore open the box and ate a truffle. After
the third one I started feeling guilty about not sharing. “Would you like a truffle?”

He leaned over and flicked the chocolate off the corners of my mouth with his tongue.
“I’m good.”

*****

Uncle Frankie stood at the screen door as we pulled up curbside. His face was set
in a grin of forced enthusiasm. It was the same one he used whenever my mom offered
to cook for him.

Carla stood beside him, her ginormous beehive towering over his five-foot ten-inch
frame. She opened the door, simultaneously giving Frankie a quick nudge to his ribs.
“Be nice,” she mouthed.

I figured we weren’t meant to see that, so we pretended we didn’t.

“Come on in, you two. Dinner’s going to be a little while. I forgot to turn on the
oven.” She laughed. “Hope you’re not starving.”

I was so hungry I could eat my own arm. “No, that’s great. It’ll give us all a chance
to catch up. Uncle Frankie, you remember Nick, don’t you?”

Frankie nodded. “How’s it goin’?” His tone, while not exactly hostile, wasn’t all
warm and fuzzy, either.

We followed him into the house. Nick and I took up residence on the couch, while Carla
and Frankie shared the love seat. There really wasn’t room enough for two sofas, but
Carla likes things “cozy.”

“Carla,” Nick said, getting the conversational ball rolling, “I ran into your cousin,
Benny, today. He said to tell you hello.”

Frankie bolted upright. “Benny, the gun runner?”

“Oh, for Lord’s sake,” Carla fumed. “He’s an insurance salesman. I don’t know how
that silly rumor ever got started.”

Frankie cut his eyes toward Nick. “How do you know Benny?”

“He sold me some insurance.”

An awkward silence ensued, which I, of course, felt compelled to fill. “Mmm, mmm.
What is that terrific smell coming from the kitchen?”

“Garbage. The disposal’s backed up. So.” Uncle Frankie thrust his chin toward Nick.
“How’d you know Benny was Carla’s cousin? And while we’re on the subject, I never
did hear how you and Brandy met.” He still had that ridiculous smile plastered on
his face, but he was talking through clenched teeth. Definitely not a good sign.

“Funny story.” Carla let out a nervous giggle. “I, ah, had actually arranged the introduction—through
Benny.”

“Did you, now?”

“Yeah. Uh, remember last year when Johnny went missing? Listen, why go over old ground.
It all turned out just fine. Would anyone like some iced tea?”

Uncle Frankie stood. “Carla, can I see you in the kitchen for a minute? I need some
help with the antipasto.”

“But it’s already made.”

“In the kitchen.”

Apparently, Frankie and Carla were under the impression that their kitchen was soundproof.
Once the door swung shut, Carla exploded.

“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re acting like a total jerk to Nick and you’re
embarrassing Brandy.”

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you? You were the one who brought that guy
into my niece’s life, and I’m just now hearing about it? I can’t believe you kept
this from me.”

“Yeah. I mean why would I keep it from you? You’re taking it so well!”

“Look, if Brandy wants to be with him, that’s her business. But we sure as hell shouldn’t
be encouraging it. He’s dangerous, Carla. Everybody knows that.”

“Who’s everybody?”

I slipped my hand into Nick’s. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Maybe we should let them work this out in private.”

“I have a feeling they think they are.”

“Frankie, you’re not making any sense.” Carla continued. “You’re friends with Alphonso
and he works for Nick. But you don’t have a problem with him.”

“That’s different,” he sputtered. “Alphonso’s not sleeping with my niece. She’s gonna
get hurt. He’ll break her heart and I’ll have to kill him.”

“Is that what this is all about? You’re afraid of a repeat of DiCarlo?”

Oh, God, don’t be bringing that up.
I cut a sideways glance at Nick, but his face was unreadable.

Carla’s voice softened. “Look, will you give the kid some credit, here? She loves
him. And when you think about it, if it weren’t for Nick, Brandy might not even be
here. She finds trouble all on her own, and he bails her out. If anything, we should
be thanking the guy.”

Carla had a point. I guess Frankie thought so too, because suddenly all the yelling
stopped. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just that—that kid means the world
to me, y’know?”

“I know.”

“All right,” Frankie relented. “I’ll butt out…as long as he makes her happy.”

“That’s the spirit, hon.”

A minute later the kitchen door swung open and Frankie emerged with an enormous pot
of spaghetti. “So, who’s hungry?”

*****

“Three words…first word…sleep…Sleepless in Seattle!”

“Yes!” Carla shouted. “We win again!” She leaped to her feet, no easy task in four-inch
stiletto sandals, and took a victory lap around the cramped living room. Uncle Frankie
high-fived her as she jogged by.

“Congratulations.” Nick offered. “You guys are an unstoppable team.”

“Congratulations,” I grudgingly conceded, having never fully mastered the art of gracious
losing. Personally, I thought the teams were a little unfair. Carla and Frankie knew
all each other’s references.

We’d gotten through dinner in about ten minutes. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished
when there’s no pesky conversation to get in the way. Now, we were in party game purgatory.
On the up side, beating Nick seemed to put Frankie in a much better mood.

Uncle Frankie squeezed my leg. “Don’t worry, Midget Brat. You’ll make up for it next
round.”

“You bet I will. We’re mixing up the teams. Frankie, it’s you and me against Nick
and Carla.” I turned to Nick. “Sorry, Santiago, but I need a fighting chance of winning
and you’re just slowing me down.”

“Competitive little thing, isn’t she?” Frankie laughed.

We played another round and Nick and Carla won. Crap.

*****

Nick was subdued on the way home. He was too polite to be moody, but I sensed something
wasn’t right. This was confirmed for me once we got back to his place. He pulled into
the loading zone and turned to me, the engine still running. “I’ve got some paperwork
to catch up on, Darlin. I’m going to head over to the studio.”

My heart began to pound. I knew the evening had been hard on him, but still, it felt
like a big, fat rejection. “Talk to me, Nick.”

“What do you mean?”

“Listen, Frankie didn’t mean all those things he said. He’s just looking out for me.
And now that he’s gotten a chance to know you, it’ll go much smoother next time…if
you want there to be a next time…were you bored? I’m sorry. I know it’s not the kind
of evening you’re used to—”

“I wasn’t bored, Angel. It was fine. They’re good people.”

“So, then, what’s wrong?”

Nick didn’t answer. Instead, he unhooked my seatbelt, pausing to brush his lips against
my cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

Fighting my instincts, I got out of the car and unlocked the security gate. I wanted
to give him space, but it took all of my will power not to turn around, jump back
into the car and choke an answer out of him. It was a lonely walk back to the apartment.

My cell phone rang just as I reached the elevator.

“Brandy, it’s Mike.”

I was in no mood to talk, but curiosity got the better of me. “Hey, Mike. What’s up?”

“The cops have located Donte Lewis.”

“Are you serious? That’s great! How did it happen? Did he confess? What did he say?”

“Not a whole lot. He’s dead.”

“What?”

Mike filled me in as I climbed into the elevator and made my way to the fourth floor.

“A couple of hikers stumbled across Lewis’ body in a shallow grave in Tookany Creek
Parkway.

“Where, exactly?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere near the golf course. Looks like whoever killed him was in
a hurry…either that or they didn’t give a shit about Lewis being discovered. He was
just sort’ve dumped there.”

Near the golf course… which, I happened to know from my obsessive internet searches,
was about half a mile from Wade Stoller’s house.
I said as much to Mike.

“If you’re suggesting that Stoller killed him, why would he dump the body so close
to his house?”

“Good question…unless someone else did the dumping.”

“Who’d you have in mind?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Someone on his payroll who didn’t have the work ethic to do the
job right.” And, seeing as three out of four of the major players were already dead,
that only left Barbeque Master Chef, Reginald “The Torch” Harwinton.”

I let myself in to Nick’s apartment and collapsed onto the couch. Adrian sauntered
out of the bedroom and began whining at the front door.

“Sorry, baby, I whispered softly. “Nick’s not here.”

He seemed disappointed. Or maybe I was projecting.

I turned my attention back to Mike. “Do you know how Lewis was killed?”

“From the preliminary report, it looks like he was shot in the chest at close range.
I don’t have any of the details, and it’ll be a while before they’re available.” Mike
coughed and cleared his throat. “Look, Brandy, I shouldn’t have shared that much,
only, I feel like I owe you for setting me up with Janine. But—if DiCarlo asks, you
didn’t hear it from me.”

“Got it.”

*****

The readout on the clock in Nick’s bedroom said three a.m. Instinctively, I knew I
was alone in the king-sized bed, but I reached an arm out, anyway, hoping to be wrong.
I wasn’t.

I sat up and turned on the light and grabbed my phone. Halfway through his number
I disconnected and placed the phone back on the nightstand. I spent the next ten minutes
playing the
What If
game.
What if he got into an accident…what if he’s lying in a ditch…what if he’s lying in
someone else’s bed…in someone else’s arms…No. He told me there’s no one else, and
Nick would never lie to me…But, what if…

The front door opened without warning. Quickly, I lay back down and squeezed my eyes
shut and waited for Nick to enter his bedroom and slip into bed beside me. My breathing
slowed.
I overreacted. Everything’s fine.
I waited some more.

A half hour passed before I finally admitted to myself that he wasn’t coming in.

*****

“He didn’t even hear me leave, Janine. Or if he did, he didn’t try to stop me. For
all he knows I could be dead.”

Being the knee-jerk reaction kind of gal that I am, it took me less than five minutes
to gather up Rocky and Adrian and go. I tiptoed past Nick, who was sprawled on his
back, asleep on the couch. He hadn’t even bothered to undress.

“Is that why you left?” Janine asked. “So you could milk some grandiose reaction out
of him to prove his love for you?”

“Of course not!”
You’re Goddamn right it is. I’ll show him. I’ll leave and get killed and then he’ll
be sorry, and…oh my God. What am I? Five?”

At least I’d left a note.

Dear Nick,

I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but you need your space, even if you’re
too kind to tell me. It’s safe to come home now. I’ve found new temporary housing.

Brandy

It was passive-aggressive to say the least. To say the most, I felt hurt and was being
a manipulative brat. Nick had done nothing wrong. I was punishing him for…for what?
I didn’t know.

“I screwed up, Janine. What am I going to do?”

Janine yawned. She was an awfully good sport for having been woken up in the middle
of the night. “You’re asking me for relationship advice?” she laughed. “Well, whatever
I’d do, do the opposite.”

I called him at eight a.m.