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The Tessarae Inn |
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Regrets In Jade Tones
CHAPTER 13 Todd sat on the hood of the Mercedes with his feet resting right at the top of the wheel cover and took a long swig of Scotch—Johnny Walker Blue Label--straight from the bottle. “Guzzle up, Manning. That’s only a couple of thousand or so a case.” Todd glanced at the bottle. “Don’t worry. I can usually tolerate the cheap stuff when nothing else is available.” RJ snorted then leaned against the car door and took a sip of bourbon from a small shot glass. Todd turned the bottle of scotch up and took a long gulp. He lowered the bottle and burped loudly. “This standing around waiting shit is driving me crazy.” “Does the drinking help?” “Clearing my head and is probably keeping me from killing someone right now.” “I can believe that,” said RJ and grinned. “But moderation is the key for me.” “If it works. It’s has never worked for me. Not about anything.” RJ finished off his shot then tossed the glass so that it landed on the grass and made a soft thumping sound as it bounced. “Duke Wilson is my best investigator. He can dig up dirt on Mother Theresa’s dog. I haven’t heard one word from him. Everything about this situation is off-kilter.” “I’ve got all of my associates on it, too,” said RJ, “but no one has seen a thing since the kids got into that car. Yet, something is about to break. I can feel it. All of the signs are pointing that way. The call should come any minute now.” “He probably changed cars and dumped the other one somewhere.” “Are you sure Fred is not involved?” Todd shrugged. “I know a thing or two about taking a beating. I know how that kind of pain feels and how much a man can endure. If Fred could take that beating and not tell me everything he knows, then the man isn’t human and we are truly in deep shit.” RJ exhaled loudly. “What the hell is this about, Manning? For the life of me I can’t make sense of it.” Todd glanced at him and was silent for a moment. He lowered his voice and said, “You know, RJ, if you are lying to me. If you have some rival thugs gunning for you and you haven’t told me, I will kill you.” RJ shifted his position. “That much is very clear.” “Good.” “And I assume you know I’ll tie your scrawny ass to four big ass horses and sending them galloping in four different directions if you’re lying to me about this shit. I’d give you references but they’re not around to tell you about it.” Todd squeezed the scotch bottle then nodded his head. “As much as I’d like to see you try that, I’d never put Starr’s life in danger for any reason.” “Yeah? Well, I feel the same about Jason.” “Good, so tell me the truth. Are you having an affair with Blair?” RJ growled and shook the keys in his hand. “Sheesh. You are some piece of work, Manning.” RJ crossed his arms over his chest. “But I’ll give you this. If I were having an affair with your oh so beautiful wife, I’d tell you. That’s how little I care about anything other than getting my son back safe.” “So you’re not.” “Do you know her at all? That woman loves you.” “And you know this how?” “I hear it in her voice when she says you name. I see it in her eyes when you walk into a room. I hear how her voice turns to summer when she talks about YOUR son and YOUR daughter. I don’t pretend to understand it but I see it.” Todd looked down at the bottle in his hand. “I haven’t always done right by her.” “No shit? I’m shocked.” “Do you ever wonder if this is payback?” “Payback?” “If this is some weird retribution for every time you weren’t grateful enough. Or, for every time you pushed when you should have pulled. Or, for every time you left when you should have stayed. Or, for when you let go when you should held on for all you were worth.” “Hell, I don’t know, man. If this is some test of whether I deserve that child or not, I’m going to lose big time.” “I’ll lose her, too.” “Blair?” “She’ll never forgive me if something happens to Starr.” “This isn’t your fault.” “We don’t know that. And even if it’s not, Blair trusted me to protect Starr. She’ll never forgive me if…” “Forgiveness is not so predictable. I’m learning that the hard way. It’s about something more than reason. I’ve tried to forgive Toni and I can’t. Blair has forgiven you some pretty rotten shit. I’ve been trying to learn her secret.” “She has her limits.” “If you say so, but those limits don’t seem to apply to you.” Todd took another long gulp from the scotch bottle. RJ had no idea of how close it all came to ending for good. All RJ could see was that she forgave him. He couldn’t see the price they both paid. They raided the bank and he honestly didn’t know if there was so much as one iota of forgiveness left in her account, especially for him. RJ studied him for a minute. “I guess she’s it for you, huh?” Todd looked over at RJ then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Only time my life makes sense is when we’re together.” “Then don’t be so ready to give up on her. Don’t push when you should pull.” Todd laughed but it was a bitter sound. “Shit, man, do you have any idea what you’re talking about? Even one idea?” RJ smiled slightly. “Not a one.” He rattled the keys in his hands. “But you’re the one over there getting all liquored up and confessional.” Todd studied the bottle in his hand before taking another long gulp. “What the hell do I care? We’ll be lucky if one of us lives to tell about it.” RJ rumbled with laughter. “Just my luck to pair up with the bulletproof version of the Energizer-Bunny-Of-Near-Death-Experiences. If one of us isn’t coming back, you know who it’ll be.” Todd smirked. “Practice does help. And motivation is a plus. Blair is waiting for me.” A phone rang. They both looked. It was RJ’s. He talked for a moment then broke the connection. “They’ve found the car,” said RJ walking around to the passenger side. “The police will be called but we’ll have a least a twenty minute head start.” Todd caught the keys RJ tossed to him, threw the bottle of scotch in the grass and jumped into the driver’s seat. He started the car and glanced back at Fred tied up and gagged on the back seat. “Comfy?” Fred eyes widened into sheer fear. Todd shot out of the parking lot of Capricorn and hit seventy within three or four seconds. ====== Fred’s bottom lip was swollen and his right eye was partially shut but he looked okay otherwise. “Tell me again where you saw that car before,” said RJ. Fred shifted slightly on the couch and sat up as straight as he could. “Look, you two are about the two craziest mothers I’ve ever met. Why would I lie to you?” “Tell us where you saw the car,” said Todd. His patience was wearing thin. “I already told you. I saw it at the house…at YOUR house.” “What was it doing there, Fred?” RJ asked. “How the hell am I supposed to know?” “You better know something in about…” Todd made an exaggerated gesture of looking at his watch, “ in about fifty-nine seconds. Make that 58…57.” “Okay. Okay.” Fred jumped up and started pacing. RJ looked at him over his glass of bourbon. Todd drained his glass of scotch and then rubbed the knuckles of his right hand. “15 seconds,” said Todd. “It was some guy there visiting Brianna.” “Brianna Ryan? What about Brianna?” “The one who takes care of Starr and Jack?” asked RJ. Todd nodded. Fred stopped pacing and stood in front of Todd. “You and Mrs. M may think that bitch walks on water or something but she ain’t nothing but a shagging whore. You always giving Faith such a hard time and treating me like I’m your personal ass wipe, but you let that one get away with every damn thing.” “Make sense,” yelled Todd. “What are you talking about?” “I only saw the car twice or so but it was some man Brianna was probably screwing and…” “And what?” “I’ve been thinking--seeing as how I had all that time tied up the way I was, stretched out across the backseat of your luxury automobile, nursing my wounds and shit.” Todd lowered his voice to a menacing roar. “What are you saying, Fred?” “Miss Starr may have seen the car before, too.” RJ hit the side of the office desk. “That’s why she got in the car? She knows this man?” “I don’t know,” stuttered Fred. “He and Brianna tried to sneak around. I only saw them by accident.” “You think Brianna took Starr with her when she went out with this man?” “I don’t know but I don’t think so. I don’t think Brianna wanted anybody to know about him.” “Why?” “How the hell am I supposed to know? I guess she didn’t want to tarnish her halo with you and Mrs. M.” “How did Starr see him then?” “I suspect you’ve noticed that Starr is not an ordinary child, Mr. Manning. The best way to get her to see something is to try to keep her from seeing it.” |