Epilogue
César
the first meeting with ‘the devil’
“ I don’t know why you’re so nervous,” Deirdre says, adjusting my tie.
I stare incredulously at her. “It’s Regina Delvecchio. She’s terrifying. Don’t act like you don’t know her.”
She chuckles. “Well, she doesn’t like being referred to as terrifying, so I’d start there. But when you get to know her she’s cute like a puppy.“
Bullshit .
“So, she’s intense. Her bodyguard is scarier, if you ask me,” she says with a shrug.
“What if she doesn’t like me? Does she fire people? Or?”
“ Or ? I don’t think Regina would kill another one of my boyfriends unless you stopped being good to me,” she says, booping me on the nose.
“I guess I can breathe, because I’ll never stop taking care of you,” I quip, distracting her with a peck on the lips. “I want to get the job done and help this family find closure.”
She steps back and sits at the foot of the bed with knotted brows. “Have you ever thought about what would happen if you found him alive? She insists that he is. Says she can ‘feel’ it. Everyone thinks she’s lost her mind,” she adds, staring at her feet.
“What do you think?” I ask, eyeing her curiously through the mirror.
She meets my gaze and sighs. “I think Regina and Cidro are like Cici and Ace. Our grandparents had this connection that only they could understand. So, if Gi feels like Ro is alive, he could be,” she finishes with a shrug.
Something tells me that there’s more at play with Cidro’s case, and I plan to get to the bottom of it.
“How do I look?” I ask, turning toward her, adjusting my cuff links.
Deirdre studies me and says, “I’d get on my knees and show you how good you look, if it wouldn’t make you late for your first day of work.”
I respond with an eye roll and huff. “Fine. I should get going. I don’t want to make a bad impression.”
“You won’t. She’s going to love you. Relax.”
Famous last words.
Her dark hair frames her face in loose curls and her signature red paints her lips. My eyes catch on her iced coffee, condensation dripping onto the coaster beneath it.
She seems to be working on something as I notice a pencil tucked behind her ear. It appears to be a crossword puzzle, from the newspaper.
I clear my throat to gain her attention. “Good morning, Mrs. Delvecchio,” I greet her, and she glances up at me with a head tilt before standing.
“Good morning Mr . Nadal,” she says, putting extra emphasis on my name as she reaches her hand over the desk to shake mine, those long red nails staring at me like daggers. “Are we formal now?” she asks with a playful smile.
“You tell me,” I quip, attempting to match her energy, and grab a seat across from her.
“Regina is fine,” she states, sitting back down and folding up the newspaper. “So, about Cidro. I asked Angie to put together a file on him that should help you get started,” she says, placing the thick manila envelope between us.
“The last night I saw my husband was April 28, 2023. We’d renewed our vows that night, like we always did on our anniversary. He said he’d marry me a hundred times if he could and meant it.” She pauses, taking a sip of coffee.
“He—uh got a call, and it was supposedly urgent and he needed to leave right then, but I could tell he didn’t want to.
Something felt off, even to him. Still, he told our driver to take me home after he dropped him off and kept me distracted for the entire ride.
He was good about that, sensing my nerves and putting me at ease. ”
She swallows and takes a deep breath, avoiding eye contact. “He kissed me goodbye like he knew he might not come home and…” She sighs. “I need your help, César. I’ve been told you’re the best.”
She finally glances up at me, and I can tell she hasn’t had to repeat this story for a long time, if not ever.
She’s suffering.
“I’m sorry about this, Regina. I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to find him.”
Now, what the fuck happened to Cidro Delvecchio?