Shadows May Fall (21 page)

“He never says.” Arseny insisted, but Thomas was not buying it.

As if reading her husband’s mind, Ana jumped down into the pool and approached the talkative man rather seductively. “I’m sure you must have just forgotten. Take a moment to think harder.” She leaned down and caressed the man’s cheek ever so tenderly then stood up and kicked his brother in the head with her high heel, knocking him on his back.

“Wait! Please!” Arseny cried out then began to sob.

After looking both of the men over, Niko had concluded by their accents and their myriad of mish-moshed tattoos that they were bottom of the barrel Russian thugs. They were completely uninitiated and clueless as to what they had gotten themselves involved in. “Give the lady a name.” He asked, rather politely.

“He was from Deutschland!” The upright brother yelled. “He had a fancy accent; I hear them in Frankfurt long time ago.”

“What did he look like?” Niko suddenly had a bad feeling.

“I don’t know for sure! He had orange hair and keep a cloth over face when he talk.” Niko could see the man’s eyes darting as he tried to remember more. “He had big beautiful ring! Gold with jewels!”

Niko’s stomach churned. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and did a search. As soon as he found what he was looking for, he flipped it around and stuffed it in the Russian’s face. “Did it look like this?!” Niko yelled.

“Da! That the ring, exactly!” Arseny nodded vigorously, as if it were going to save him and his brother.

“What is it?” Ana could see the change on Niko’s face as he walked away from the captives.

“von Massenbach.” He muttered under his breath and the name caused Ana and Thomas to gasp. “He counted on them failing. He staged everything right down to the ring. The Byzantine emblem of my family’s house.”

“Then we are done with these two?” Thomas asked, and Niko just waved his hand as he climbed out of the pool. “Care to do the honors, darling?” Thomas asked his wife as he sat Vasily’s chair upright again so that he and his brother were side by side. He could see Arseny’s breath calm a bit. That made Thomas smile.

“Thank you my love.” Ana kissed her husband then approached the men, again in a seductive manner. Ana lifted her hands to her head and pulled out two bejeweled hair sticks that held her chignon in place. With one fluid, looping simultaneous motion with her arms, she drove them into each of the Russian’s temples with a jarring thrust. “Why don’t you have lunch brought up to the suite for the three of us? I think Niko could use his friends right about now.” As the two men blinked for the last time, Ana turned to follow her husband out of the pool.

“That’s a lovely idea, my sweet.” He held a hand out to help her up then smoothed her hair behind her ears. “You’ll have your boys dispose of the trash?”

“Don’t I always?” She said and grinned at him as they exited the room.

Despite the pure physical exhaustion, Lou found it impossible to
sleep. She dozed a few times here and there but after she had heard Max’s car pull up before dawn, she was far too anxious to try to go back to bed. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and booted up her secured system. It was a perfect opportunity to get caught up on everything she could as far as the Black Blood investigation, then pull anything she was able to on her three dead men. There was also the matter of Hunny Trainer to address. Caroline had relayed Carpesh’s findings on the suicide but also put in her two cents on the peculiarity of Hunny’s attire, the lack of shoes and timing of the whole situation. Lou agreed, it just didn’t seem right. Even more so when Lou did her own research on the Brugmansia sanguinea, Bloody Devil’s Trumpet. That was unsettling as hell. Hunny could have been drugged with the plant and simply walked right into that storm drain and right into that noose. Lou found herself talking out loud to no one about the improbability of finding ties to the Sanguinostri in every case she touched. In this instance, just because the flower had a particular name, she was panicked. It could be possible, but Lou needed to stop rushing to judgments and be absolutely sure before she could rule it in or out. The plant also grew in Chile and Venezuela but the Columbia connection, after their case with the Salazars, uncovering the blood smuggling connection. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence. She needed to keep her focus on the tangible.

Lou had put in for warrants on the ride home from the dojo for phone records on all three of their dead men as well as financials. Medina had been using a burner phone and paying cash, so that was going to come up very thin. When Detective Haas’ email came in verifying Lou’s other hunch on the bondage toys in Medina’s possession, she suggested they root for any receipts, anything that could help them build a timeline on Medina’s movements. Haas also told Lou that he revisited one of the nosy neighbors to find out if they remembered anything else about the party Medina had thrown a few weeks back. The woman recalled a delivery and catering truck but could only come up with partial names. He was going to run every company in the county to find them. It was something at least, and she appreciated his help.

The way Lou figured it, the men were linked based on their proclivities. Maybe their femme fatal had attended that party, unaware of what kind of party it was. Maybe they drugged and raped her, and this was her revenge. It tracked in Lou’s mind, but she knew Hunny Trainer figured into it somewhere. She just had to figure out where and how. Maybe Medina had a drug connect from Columbia, and that’s how the Scopolamine figured in. It was all total speculation until they could find someone who actually saw or heard something. On a whim, Lou pulled out a calendar and started counting backward with what they knew so far. When Hunny dropped out of sight, when her body was found, the date of the Medina party. Lou knew there had to be a guest list somewhere. All of that had occurred the last couple weeks that Lou was on medical leave. Right around the same time Esterhuizen and Timms had landed in Los Angeles. Scum of the earth, birds of a feather. None of it may have had any Sanguinostri involvement, but Esterhuizen was just a bad dude who happened to be working for another bad dude who happened to be Sanguinostri. They were stealing people. That required a lot of work without someone kicking and screaming. Scopolamine would have come in real handy for those kidnappings and long distance transports. The coincidence thing was flying out the window, and Lou knew she needed to run all this by Max as soon as possible. She got up from her desk and looked out across the back yard. His light was on.

“Screw it.” Lou said to herself. “This is way more important than my sappy feelings.” She threw open her balcony door and headed for the guest house. With every step, she shoved her personal feelings deeper down and pulled the cop to the forefront. By the time she made it to the door, she was psyched. That is until the door opened before she had a chance to knock.

“Is everything alright?” Max stood there with a stricken look on his face.

“Yes.” Her heart thudded inside of her chest like a jackhammer the instant she set eyes on him. “I mean no. I mean, I’m not sure! Can I talk to you a moment?”

Max relaxed instantly, seeing that she was alright. He grinned and stepped aside so she could come in. “Can I get you some coffee?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Lou needed all the caffeine she could get her hands on. “That would be great.”

“Couldn’t sleep either?” He asked as he poured her a cup.

“No.” Lou suddenly realized she was still in her pajamas. Not even decent ones. She had on a horribly ratty pair of pink sweats and bleach stained tank top from high school. She adjusted herself to make sure no holes were in inappropriate places. “I have a bad feeling that the drugs used in my murder cases might have come from our blood smugglers.”

Max handed her the cup of coffee, prepared just as she liked it. “Well that would be a very bad thing, wouldn’t it?” He motioned for her to sit. “Why do you think this?”

“Caroline said the Scopolamine used to drug all three men comes from the same plant. Brugmansia sanguinea.” Lou paused to take a sip of coffee.

“Bloody Devil’s Trumpet.” Max said, knowing it’s common name.

“Right.” Lou set her cup down. “So you are familiar with it’s origins?”

“Indeed. I would come to your same conclusion.” Max sat back in the chair and thought it out carefully.

“You need to know that these men, my victims, and I use that term loosely, they were complete scum, pervert slime.” Lou leaned forward, sitting on the edge of the chair. “These kinds of scum tend to run with the same kinds of scum. I know I need more evidence, but my gut is telling me that their paths crossed, along with Timms and Esterhuizen.”

Lou continued to lay everything out, including Hunny Trainer’s odd suicide and Lou’s speculation as to how she came to hang herself. She told him where she was at with the BHPD and how she had made use of her status as Principate to facilitate their cooperation. She told him how she even met them for lunch to introduce herself. Max tried not to smile at his pride in her. She was adapting and making use of her position just as he knew she would. She was also establishing herself on her own, without his help or that of the Aegis, Frank or Abby. He couldn’t have been more pleased.

As she continued talking, she got up in mid-sentence, grabbed their cups and went in to get them more coffee. He kept quiet and watched her out of the corner of his eye. It was so natural. He took stock of her attire and cracked a grin. She was so unfussy and comfortable in her own skin. She hadn’t even mentioned his attire, he being in sweatpants and a tank top as well. A much newer version of hers, but in gray, not pink. She hadn’t stopped talking since she got up. Not once, even as she returned and handed Max his cup back with the coffee prepared, just as he liked it.

“So am I nuts or what?” She asked him and he found himself flustered, not having heard what she just said.

“You know you’re not nuts.” He smirked.

“Is there any way to talk to some of the girls that Niko and the guys rescued from Cuba?” She asked, looking very hopeful. “Find out if they might have been dosed with Scopolamine?”

Max quickly put two and two together on what she had been talking about. “Niko could help you with that, but I’m afraid there has been a development.” He hesitated to continue.

“What kind of development?” Lou asked, suddenly very concerned.

Max ran through what he knew of what had happened in Holland. He still needed an update on what went on after he and Niko last spoke, but that would have to wait until he got back. For the moment, Max brought her up to speed on everything they had uncovered about possible leads on the blood smuggling operation and that the Northern European Dominor had been read in. He also took the time to explain their suspicions on St. Petersburg and how he and several of the others believed the Black Blood was coming out of that port as well as China. He told her about how the Aegis in Rotterdam had disposed of the ship carrying Black Blood and how her fellow Principate and he had narrowed down some possible suspects in Canada. Once he finished briefing her, Max felt like a weight had lifted off of him. Just talking it all out with her, like equals, like friends, had made him feel more at peace than he did in Juneau.

“We need to set up some major sting operations somehow!” Lou decided with conviction. “We need to get these bastards and put them down!” There was nothing ambiguous about it, as far as she was concerned. Making Max even more convinced he had made the right choice appointing her as Principate.

“Easier said than done, Detective.” Max took another sip of his coffee.

“Do you trust all the other Principates?” Lou asked, knowing it was a tough question for her to be asking, and probably totally out of bounds.

“I don’t think any of them are involved in the smuggling, and I do feel our investigation has bared that out.” Max believed what he was saying to her.

“But?” She could sense his hesitation.

“But I am not sure about the agents they have employed.” He admitted.

“Use me then!” Lou blurted.

“What?” He wasn’t sure what she was eluding to.

“I don’t know any of these people, and none of them know me!” Lou explained. “Having me run around, meeting all the agents as learning the ropes kind of thing, it’s a perfect cover!”

“That’s far too risky.” He dismissed the notion immediately.

“How so?” Lou asked. “Only you and I, right this moment, know what the real reason for me roaming about would be. I’m brand new to the Sanguinostri and brand new to the whole Principate thing!” She pleaded her case. “It’s completely reasonable for me to want to learn from my elders, so to speak.”

“That’s not what I mean by risky.” Max qualified his previous statement.

“Then what?” She asked him point blank. “Because I’m a girl? Because I am just a cop? I risk my life getting out of bed every morning! How the hell is this any less dangerous?”

He laughed at her. “Well, you do have a valid point there.” He wanted to lean over and grab her by the back of the neck and kiss her right then and there. It took every fiber of his being to stay put. She was so brave, without even realizing it, and her tenacity was just inspiring. It was an excellent idea. He hated it. Putting her at risk was something he never wanted to do. But then again, he had to since it was his brilliant idea to make her his Principate. If he was going to make this work, he needed to start right then and there. “Let me run it by Niko when he gets back. After he’s filled me in on what else he has learned.”

“Well, you better be quick about it.” Lou told him as she got up and washed out her cup. “This weekend is the perfect opportunity for me to ask them to let me tag along with them for a few days. I can probably swing it to look like I’m doing some extra-departmental training or something. Captain Davidson can help me sell that end of it with the department and Dillon will have my back here.”

“How is he working out, by the way?” Max had been wanting to ask her but hadn’t had the opportunity.

“It’s like having a bigger, younger Vinny, to be honest.” Lou laughed. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Max smiled. “Good. We have Abby to thank for that stroke of brilliance.” He had some apologizing to do to her as well.

“I guess I should probably go get ready for work.” Lou admitted reluctantly. “Sorry to barge in here and ruin your sleep.”

“You did no such thing.” He got up with her.” I was too wired from the trip. We had a bit of rough weather coming in on the seaplane. Quite a storm was hitting up north. I just missed it, thankfully.”

“Well, I am glad your back.” She told him as she opened the door, but something made her stop and turn around to face him. “I mean that. I know it was just a short trip and all, but I missed you.

Really.” Lou turned around immediately and bolted for the main house. She didn’t look back, didn’t break stride. It wasn’t planting a wet one as Caroline had suggested and it sure wasn’t baring her soul and confessing her undying love for him. But it was something. If this was a poker game between the two of them, Lou suspected this would be the Flop, and it was his turn to call or raise.

Max stood in
silence as he watched her hot-foot it away. She missed him? She had said that, right? Yes, she said she missed him. It wasn’t a necessary thing to say, he had only been gone two days. Lou wasn’t a sappy, sentimental type so for her to deliberately turn and tell him she missed him, that meant something. Was everyone right? She did care for him? He felt his toes and fingertips grow warm and realized he had a goofy smile slapped on his face. What the hell was wrong with him? It’s not as if she told him she loved him or anything, but it was something, and that was all he needed.

When she was long out of sight, he spun around and went back inside with renewed purpose. Despite all the work they had ahead of them, he was in far too good of a mood to let it spoil a thing. He was going to enjoy this feeling for as long as he could. Max sat back down at one of the computer terminals and started sifting through all his emails. He separated out what could wait and what needed his immediate attention, working from the oldest to the most recent and realized he was humming while he worked. It wasn’t even a tune he could name or where even he had heard it. He couldn’t recall the last time he hummed anything, and that made him laugh. How such a ridiculously innocuous statement from Lou could totally elevate his mood to such heights was beyond him. He wasn’t complaining, though. It made the tedium of sifting through his emails rather enjoyable.