Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
DANI
Iknew what he was going to do when he left my apartment.
It was written all over his face, there at the hospital, and when we got back.
I see the blue dot moving, and I already know where he is headed.
When he asked Rose for her address, it was already decided that her father would die.
Suffer a similar fate, but have the mercy of not suffering as long, so as not to risk the chance of a recovery, because dead men can’t talk.
I saw that he was at a bar, so I waited at a restaurant, sipping on a Coke and having a little appetizer.
I need to keep up the appearance of being a patron, and honestly, I’m also fucking hungry.
I pick the perfect location with a window view of the bar entrance.
I already paid my tab and secured the tip, so that when I need to leave, I can.
Just as I finish my last dumpling, the bar door swings open.
A man leans close to a woman with his arm draped over her shoulder, murmuring something in her ear.
She throws her head back laughing, the sound carrying across the street.
Her hand rests against his chest as they get into his car, driving off.
A minute later, I see Vic, his face controlled and fury radiating from every pore in his body.
He rounds the side of his car, sliding into the seat, and quickly follows suit after the car drives off, carrying the couple inside.
I start piecing it together and wipe my mouth, throwing the napkin onto the table.
I thank the waitress on my way out and start walking onto the sidewalk toward the blue dot that is moving at a quick rate away from me.
I call an Uber, already having an idea of where he’s going.
The similarities in the man’s face and features are close to those of the little girl who was crying for her mother as she died mere hours ago.
The black sedan picks me up, and I give an address for a block away, needing to make sure that I still stay as discreet as possible.
I hop out of the Uber, thanking the driver as I pretend to walk up to my house.
As he drives away, I round the corner and pull the hood over my sweatshirt, covering my face, as my sneakers make quick work of getting closer to Vic’s blue dot on my screen.
I see his car parked around the corner, walk around the block to the address on file for Rose and Sonya.
The house is dark except for a lamp in one of the rooms and a faint hue coming from the back of the house, which is probably the kitchen.
As I walk around the back porch and peer through the window, I see Vic with his back against the wall.
He’s crouched down, and the man is sprawled out in a pool of blood.
I notice the similarities in the title and how he must have retreated into his own mind from the death of his mother.
“What the fuck?” I push the door open all the way which was left slightly ajar with the covered portion of my hoodie.
I walk over to Vic, who is crouched over, hyperventilating.
He isn’t seeing me, and he isn’t seeing the dead man on the floor.
I know that without a doubt, he is seeing his mother, as she fights for her life and takes some of her last breaths.
I drop down to him. “Vic, baby. Look at me,” I implore.
I take hold of his arm, placing my hand on his, and feel how cold he is.
“Vic, please look at me. Breathe, baby, breathe,” I beg him as he moves his head in my direction.
His voice comes out hoarse. “Dani?” he questions. And I nod, as tears threaten to fall down my cheeks.
“Let’s get you out of here, baby.” He nods as he stands to his full height, towering over me.
I bend to retrieve the scalpel, walk over to the sink, and use a tissue to turn the knob, rinsing the blood off the blade and flipping the nozzle off as it gleams in the dim kitchen lighting.
The refrigerator door remains open, and as I tuck it away in my pocket.
The body lies on the floor, with eyes wide and open, but no life remains.
As I take Vic’s hand in mind to leave, he holds me back, and I stop in my tracks, watching his face take on an expression as if he is just remembering something.
“There was a woman who came with him. I heard them having sex in the bedroom, but I haven’t heard anything since he came out, and I am fairly certain she is still here.” I notice the concern on his face, and I nod.
“Okay, what do you want to do? She would have heard this commotion, though. Don’t you think so?
” The music continues to play from the bedroom, and Vic takes a couple of paces out from the kitchen, turning his head to look around.
Nothing remains to be seen except his keys, his phone, and a piece of paper that resides atop.
I walk over to the table by the sofa, noting the two glasses.
One is mostly empty, and the other is almost full of an amber-colored liquid.
Upon further inspection, I notice a white film coating the wine glass, and my stomach sinks at the implication.
“Vic,” I call to him, but he is looking at some papers on the desk under the keys.
“Motherfucker took out a life insurance policy on Sonya,” he spits out, and the realization dawns on me that this was likely premeditated. I swallow the lump in my throat, but I walk toward the bedroom, also thinking about what I will find once I get there.
“Vic,” I call again, and this time he walks toward me, and I point to the bedroom.
“I think she was drugged,” I say quietly, and his eyes widen.
His face is murderous, and we proceed to the bedroom with caution.
The door is left slightly open, but it’s enough to see that the situation is not okay.
A woman is left naked and handcuffed to the bed frame.
I can tell that she is breathing, but she is unconscious.
What may have started as consensual is clearly no longer the case.
Vic and I leave the room and walk over to the desk where he left his phone and keys.
I pick up the phone and take it over to his lifeless body, unlocking the older phone with his finger and dialing 9-1-1.
The operator's voice comes over the line, and I leave it there, wiping it down to remove any trace of my fingerprints. We walk out of the place knowing that help is on its way for the girl who may have been drugged on the bed. But no help will be coming for the man who caused so much suffering and who got away with murder for a possible payout from the insurance company. And no amount of cover-up will help his reputation, or his brother’s, when they find that girl passed out and handcuffed to his bed, saved from who knows what kind of abuse he could have caused if given the chance.
The undisputable evidence of her body is there on his bed, and it’s not one even his brother can deny.
We drive away from the scene with Vic in the passenger seat, and the unspoken promise that this too shall pass.
When I arrive at my apartment with Vic in tow, I turn on the light to see Emma sitting there in the dark, twirling her hair.
I jump up, and Vic steps in front of me, but I stop him.
“Wait.” He stops mid-stride on his way to Emma.
She doesn’t look scared. In fact, she seems amused.
“What the fuck, Emma? How do you do that?” She laughs.
“Special skills, babe,” she says, pointing to the black dress she lent me a couple of weeks ago, which hangs in tatters on the hanger it came with. “So, I guess you owe me a dress.” I laugh, and it makes her green eyes sparkle. Vic looks between us.
“Vic, this is Emma. Emma, this is my Vic.” She stands from the chair and walks over to him. He stands still, assessing her. His eyes are calculating, and as she extends her hand, he pulls her into a hug.
“Oof,” Emma staggers into his arms, as he releases her just as quickly.
“I recognize you from the photo,” he says, as that explains it all. He looks over at me, and I nod, understanding as he shrugs his shoulders. Emma looks at me, her lip curled up, and her eyes alight with humor. “You’re her family,” Vic says, unbothered by it all.
Emma throws her hair over her shoulder. “Damn straight,” she says. She starts walking toward the door, and we follow her. “Oh,” I say quickly, just remembering what is in my pocket. “Can you get rid of this?” I hand her the scalpel, and her eyebrow quirks up.
She looks at the skinny scalpel in my hand before taking it with a roll of her eyes. “Please tell me we don’t have to get rid of another body, Dani?” She sighs, and I let out a laugh, while Vic just stares at us like we’ve all gone mad, and maybe he’s right.
“No, this one doesn’t need disposing of.” I snort as she pockets the scalpel.
“Yes, well, that’s good. I was here with you all night, right?” she confirms, with a slight smile.
I nod. “Yep, and Vic, too.”
“Of course,” she agrees. “Now, will you two get dressed and meet us at the Four Seasons? We can’t wait to finally see you guys.”
I clap my hands excitedly. “Is everyone here?” I ask hopefully, and she smiles widely.
“Of course. Even Mateo came this time,” she says as there’s a knock at the door.
I walk to answer it, and then Eduardo comes through.
He looks straight at Emma, checking her from head to toe as she rolls her eyes.
“Sorry, Em. You took too long, and I got worried,” he shrugs, but I know he isn’t sorry.
He looks over at me and smiles before coming over to give me a quick hug and extending his hand over to Vic.
“Welcome to our family. I’m Eduardo.” Vic quirks his lip, trying to hide his smile, and I can tell he likes them already.
“Vic, and thanks. I hear we are meeting you guys at the Four Seasons?” Eduardo looks over to Emma, and she beams at him.
He looks back toward us. “Of course. I heard you also need an alibi.” He winks, and Vic lets out a loud laugh.
“Thanks,” he huffs. “I guess we do.”