Chapter 9 #2
“Yes and no. I mean, I’m still dealing with everything.
However, I have told him as much as I know.
He’s the one who told me what happened in the military, and he knew my father orchestrated it even at the time because he had been told by his CO how somebody with some clout didn’t like Riley, so he was being shipped out to a war zone on short notice. ”
Her grandmother winced at that. “I can tell you that your grandfather would have no truck with that BS. If he had a problem with somebody, he would do it up front, fair and square. Nobody in my world would have any tolerance for what your parents did to that boy. … Your father, however, has been—let’s just say that he’s been getting his own way for a very long time.
And he hasn’t had anybody curtail him because nobody ever really had the power.
Your grandfather did, of course, and, once your grandfather passed away, times changed. ”
“Yeah, times have changed.”
“It’s apparently even more difficult than I ever imagined, if this is what they are doing to anybody they don’t like,” she stated, shaking her head. “That is exactly what it is. They wanted to get rid of Riley, so they utilized your situation and your sister’s lies to make it happen.”
Gail froze, realizing that was at the very base of all this. She slumped back and sipped her coffee.
“And, even still, you have forgiven your sister, so kudos to you for that.”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t easy. And right now, just recently finding out that she had told my mom and that she didn’t tell me, brings up an entirely different aspect.”
“And what did your mother say back then?”
She snorted. “I’m sure you can imagine, but it was basically a constant barrage of how I’m better off without Riley and how he was probably having affairs while he was off in the middle of nowhere anyway and just more of the same lies.”
Her grandmother winced. “Yes, I can see that your mother would take advantage of an opportunity like that.”
“Grandma, I hate to ask this, but you are the only person who might know the answer or might consider this, and give me the truth.”
She nodded. “Go on, child. You never have to hesitate to ask anything of me.”
Tears came to Gail’s eyes as she gathered her words.
Her grandma seemed alarmed and promptly came to sit closer to her, holding her hand.
The tears came faster. Grandma just nodded, patting her hand.
Finally Gail swallowed and wiped her eyes.
She turned to face her father’s mother and asked, “Is Father a mob boss?”
“Oh my,” she whispered.
Gail handed over the list of her father’s clients she had compiled.
Now her grandmother had tears in her eyes as well.
That gave Gail her answer. She stared at her grandmother and asked, “How can my whole family be monsters?” she asked quietly. “How is it that I didn’t know? And what the hell am I supposed to do about it now?”
Riley felt Derek’s shock through the phone.
“What? You didn’t tell me.”
“No, I didn’t tell you for a couple reasons.”
“But Rory was down there with you?”
“Yeah, he was, until I told him to get lost because I didn’t like him stalking me.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you talking about?” he asked.
“Rory had an attitude that, … let’s just say, wasn’t helping. So, I told him I would continue on my own.”
“And you found Cain on your own?”
“I did, on my own,” he stated, his tone light.
“So, I don’t know how much you know about what the hell’s going on down there because you know that whole gambling thing is a lie.
I get it. You don’t want a stranger in your ballpark, but, when it comes to this shit, I’m not exactly walking away from it either. ”
After a moment’s hesitation, Derek snorted. “I don’t know what any of these kids are up to down there,” he began, “and I’m really hoping it’s not bad news because I don’t think I can handle much more in my world right now.”
Riley absolutely believed that, given Derek’s tone.
“The shit that’s going on right now has been very rough to deal with. I don’t like any of it, and I don’t understand it,” Derek admitted. “All I’m concerned about right now is my boy.”
“And how is he currently?”
“Not great, not great at all.”
That note of finality in Derek’s tone let Riley know that his boy was more or less gone. “And have you made any decisions on him?”
There came silence. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to,” he whispered, “but the doctors seem to be pretty convinced that there are no options.”
“Do you want me to bring Cain to the hospital?”
“Yes, definitely,” he stated, “but I don’t know that they’ll let it happen. I suspect they’re already looking at him as a donor body, so I don’t think they are too interested in trying to save him at this point.”
“I’ll try to get some pull to help get Cain into the hospital so Timmy can see him at least, but you and I both know that he is quite possibly—”
“I do know that he’s quite possibly already gone. If that’s the case, I will have to find a way to reconcile with that,” he said, “but I need to know for sure that’s the truth.”
“Fine.” Riley glanced at his watch. “I still haven’t made it home, but I do have Cain with me.”
“Good,” he replied. “How did you find that animal so fast? I mean, we were all down there for weeks. We didn’t get a whiff of him anywhere.”
“Did you check out any of the freshly bricked walls?” he asked.
“Seriously?” he asked in surprise.
“Yes, so pardon me if I’m a little dubious because I don’t understand exactly what’s going on down there. I also don’t want this dog getting hurt again.”
“He was inside a bricked-up area?”
“He was. Do you have a Zodiac?”
“Me? You mean, like the boat? No, I sure don’t.” He hesitated. “Did you find one?”
“I did, and it was down there too.” He didn’t say any more.
Derek let out a breath. “I presume you’re trying to tell me something without telling me something,” he muttered, his tone low.
“I’m telling you that I found a Zodiac down there in a section of the tunnels that had been bricked up for safekeeping,” he stated, with an ironic tone. “So, somebody has been using that space, and that somebody knew the dog was there because he was bricked up on the far side as well.”
“They had bricked him in alive?” Derek asked in horror.
“Yes, so my presumption is that they were going back-and-forth, via the Zodiac, and they were using that space for something that you either knew about or didn’t.”
“No, sir. I did not know about anything like that at all,” he declared immediately.
“What the hell is going on? … Oh damn. Tim did say something to me a while back about wondering just what was going on in the tunnels, but I dismissed it and told him nothing was going on in the damn tunnels, and he should stay the hell out of it and not get involved. I mean, that’s the whole point of the tunnels being bricked up, … to keep people out.”
“Yeah, well, keeping people out only works if the tunnel detours are abided by,” Riley explained.
“So, from my perspective, what Tim was doing is quite possibly what got him killed. He stumbled across something highly illegal going on in the tunnels. I think Cain was taken first, to shut up Timmy. Yet Timmy went back in search of Cain and was attacked for his efforts. Either that or simply Grandpa Beltran changing his will hit some nerves.”
“Oh, Jesus,” he whispered.
“Yeah, now I get that he might still be alive, and I apologize for the phrase, but, given the circumstances, how many people in your world are actually involved in any of this?”
“None, I hope, but then it comes back to Timothy inheriting something that other people thought that he shouldn’t,” Derek noted, “and yet there was no need for them to think that.”
“So was anybody particularly outraged over all this and maybe thought they could right a wrong or would have gotten into a fight over it all?”
“No,” Derek replied. “There’s no way.”
Riley didn’t say anything, just stayed quiet as Derek raved on and on.
“No way. We’re a very close family,” he shared. “Everybody knows I don’t give a shit about inheriting the pub.”
“Maybe people think that you just say that,” he suggested, “but you really do.”
“I don’t know about that and can’t deal with it right now,” he muttered.
“If you’ve got the dog, can you bring him to the hospital now?
I’ll try to contact them and see if I can get you both in.
I know it’s a last-ditch effort, and that chances are my boy is gone forever,” he shared quietly, “but I will never forgive myself if I don’t at least give him this chance. ”
“Done,” Riley agreed. “I will meet you there.” With that, he disconnected. Then he phoned Badger and asked if he had any way or any pull to get the dog into the hospital.
“They may very well let him in regardless,” Badger noted, “but I’ll tell Kat and see if she has anything we can pull on.”
“Derek seems to be concerned about the fact that they are looking at his son’s body, … you know, as a donor body.”
Silence came and Badger snorted. “Of course, so now Derek’s petrified that they won’t make sure Timmy’s actually dead before they take his organs.”
“Exactly, and it’s a hard-enough thing to come to terms with the fact that his youngest son may already be dead, brain dead at least, but if there’s even the perception of a push for his organs, it’s that much harder for everybody involved.”
“Christ,” Badger muttered, “you would like to think that we are well past that in terms of medical treatment.”
“Right, you would like to think so,” Riley muttered, “but you and I both know that people are out there with money who need transplants. So, undoubtedly shadier characters are happy to make it happen and probably justify it with What kind of life will he have if he lives anyway, right?”
“Exactly. Okay, I’ll check and call you back.”