Read Amanda's Blue Marine Online
Authors: Doreen Owens Malek
Amanda's Blue Marine (12 page)
Manning’s office was large, a marked contrast with Kelly’s cubbyhole, and it was decorated with federal, state and local flags. Many framed pictures of Manning taken with various police personnel and some local celebrities hung on the walls, and family photos were displayed on the wide cherry desk. A smiling woman in her forties held a baby in one shot and cherubic kiddie poses from school portraits were lined up around her.
“Have a seat,” Manning said, gesturing to the chairs placed in a half circle on the carpet.
Both men waited until Mandy was settled before they sat down.
“Thanks for coming,” Manning said to no one in particular. “I’d like to do a quick review of past events and then discuss where we are now.”
Mandy glanced at Kelly, who didn’t look back at her.
Manning proceeded to drag them all through a recounting of recent developments, which Mandy had been trying to forget and didn’t enjoy reliving. But she said nothing until Manning reached the present and outlined his plan to deal with James Cameron’s new status as a wanted fugitive. The first thing he suggested was that Mandy move back into her parents’ house, where security was already in place and where Jonathan Redfield could hire more.
“No,” Mandy said firmly.
All three men looked at her.
“I am not moving back into my parents house like a teenager who didn’t like the college dormitory,” she said.
“Amanda, this is a serious situation,” Manning said. “Detective Kelly has been researching this Cameron’s past and he poses a significant threat to your safety, even your life.”
“I know that, and I am afraid. I’m not an idiot. But this guy has already disrupted my job. I’ve been forced to redistribute my assignments because I couldn’t keep up with the work load and handle this situation too. Now you’re telling me he’s going to chase me back into hiding in my childhood bedroom like I’m scared of the bogeyman.”
“It’s only temporary, Amanda,” Jonathan said.
“How do you know that? This will probably go on for as long as he is at large, and we don’t know how long that will be. I want to keep my life as normal as possible. If I don’t, he wins. He wants to ruin my life and I won’t let him do that.”
“What about the fiancé?” Manning asked. “He called me last night from some place in…” He looked at his notes. “Formosa? China? Is that right? I gather he’s going to be out of the country for a while.”
Kelly looked at the floor without comment.
“He’s on an extended business trip,” Jonathan said smoothly.
Manning sighed.
“I think Mandy should go away,” Jonathan said. “Take a vacation, a Mediterranean cruise or a tour of Europe. Go somewhere this creep won’t have the resources to follow her.”
Mandy stared at her father. “You’re going to let this slob drive me out of the country?” she demanded. “I’m not running away. What happens when I come back? Do I have to move to Cote D’Azur permanently to get rid of him? Don’t you see that this is playing right into his hands? This mess has already loused up my job so much it will take me six months to get back into the routine, if I even have a job, that is. Sam Rhinegold is trying to be cooperative but he has a lineup of recent law school grads who would kiss his hands to take over my spot to get the experience. And they would actually show up at the office instead of hiding at home and phoning in the work and sending e-mail attachments.” She paused and took a breath, mentally marshaling her arguments.
She saw Kelly shoot an “I told you so” look at Manning, then resume his studied pose of voluntary mutism.
Manning held up his hand. “All right.” He looked at Jonathan Redfield as if to reinforce the idea that he was doing everything he could, and then at Mandy. “I can’t force you to accept anything, I can only advise you about what I think is best. We will keep up with the squad car at your condo complex ‘round the clock, and Detective Kelly will keep me apprised of any and all activity on this case. You will inform him of your whereabouts at all times. I am available whenever and wherever you need me. Hopefully we’ll catch this guy soon, but he’s a lot smarter than the common criminal and knows how to lay low. The worst type for law enforcement is a good guy gone bad, a well trained, smart felon who chooses the wrong path for some reason. There aren’t many of them, thank God, but that’s what we’re dealing with here.”
The interview was apparently at an end. Jonathan Redfield didn’t look satisfied but he got up and Manning walked him out into the hall.
“Thanks a lot for giving me heads up on this,” Mandy said sarcastically to Kelly as soon as they were alone.
“I didn’t know anything about it until I got to work today,” Kelly replied. “Your father was already here. And you SHOULD be thanking me. I prevented him from going home and getting your mother so she could sit in on this little meeting.”
“Thank you,” Mandy said fervently, and Kelly grinned.
Jonathan stuck his head back into the office. “Come here and give your old dad a hug,” he said to Mandy.
Mandy rose and embraced him. “I’m all right, Dad. Thanks for this. I’ll be in touch.”
Jonathan looked over Mandy’s shoulder to nod at Kelly, who nodded back soberly.
“You two are bonding?” Mandy said dryly, after observing the silent exchange.
“He wants to keep you alive, and so do I,” Kelly said simply, as Jonathan left and Manning went down the hall with him.
“So are you still mad at me, or what?” Kelly asked Mandy.
“I don’t know. I have to think about it.”
“It was necessary to get your family involved,” Kelly said to her seriously. “This guy isn’t just a goober with a ball point pen. He’s dangerous. Everyone that we could possibly put on this thing is looking for him now. I will be too, as soon as we’re done here today.”
“How long does it usually take to pick somebody like him up?”
“Somebody like him?”
“The sharp article you described to me. The exception to the dimwit stalker rule.
Cameron obviously falls into that category.”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t remember that," Kelly said quietly.
“I remember everything you’ve said to me.”
Their eyes met and held. He looked away first.
“It depends on a lot of factors,” he replied. “Does he have a family to hide him, anyone to go to for help? Does he have financial resources and can we get to them before he does? Can we set up roadblocks? What fake documents does he already have in place?”
Mandy’s expression was becoming apprehensive.
"Look, let's get out of here," Kelly said, to distract her. “You don’t need to go back to the dungeon downstairs. You need to forget all this for a little while and you'll have police protection because I'm with you. Come out with me to have lunch."
“Out?” Mandy said. “You mean we’re not nailed to your office?”
“Of course not. Just take a short walk with me. It’s a beautiful day and we both could use a few minutes away from this aggravation. Okay?”
"Okay."
"
Mama's Kitchen
is just across the street," Kelly said. "All the cops go there. It's not
The Ritz
but it's also on the taxpayer's dime," he added, as he saw her rifling through her handbag.
"Is that usual?" Mandy asked.
"No. This case came with an expense account from day one. Lt. Manning's orders."
Mandy stopped her search and looked at him. "I've gotten the red carpet ride all along, haven’t I?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied. His gaze held hers, his expression neutral. His eyes are so blue, she thought. Yet at times they looked greenish too. Aqua almost, or teal. And his lashes were so long and thick they looked like a child's, tangled at the corners and vivid.
".....that he would take an interest," Kelly finished, and Mandy realized he'd been talking and she had no idea what he'd said. She had been too absorbed in determining the exact color of his eyes.
This isn't going well, she thought, with a surge of feeling akin to panic.
Knowing that Cameron was abroad was unsettling enough without Kelly in the picture, providing a handy refuge when she most needed one. If she wasn't careful she'd be climbing into his lap, as oblivious of any audience as a toddler.
"An interest?" she said inquiringly, hoping that he would pick up on his final phrase and continue.
"Lieutenant Manning has taken an interest in this case from the start," Kelly said. "But that was a good thing because we’ve gotten all the help we needed."
He escorted her out of the netherworld of the detective division. They went up to the main lobby where Pat Harris was leaning on the edge of the receptionist's desk, chatting with the woman sitting there.
"I'm taking Miss Redfield to
Mama's
for lunch," Kelly said to Pat. "Call me on the cell if you need me." He looked at the other woman and said, "Hi, Angela."
"Detective," Angela said.
The ladies watched Mandy walk away with Kelly. They saw him open the door for her and then put his hand on her shoulder lightly to guide her through the exit. They saw her look up at him and smile.
The two women exchanged glances.
"Another one bites the dust," Angela said.
5
Mama's Kitchen
was packed, with police department employees and apparently everyone else in Pennsylvania. Kelly directed Mandy through the crush past a group of formica topped tables. Several uniformed cops greeted Kelly as he and Mandy lurched along the aisle.
"Kel, what time's the game on Saturday?" one of them called. The cop pronounced the last word as "Satiddy."
"Eight AM behind the church hall," Kelly replied, his fingers around Mandy's elbow.
The inquiring cop looked at Mandy with passing interest and then looked back at his companions and smiled.
Kelly led her into a small back room adjoining the kitchen. There the noise subsided and the walls were lined with stacks of napkins secured with brown paper wrappers and flattened pizza boxes. They were alone except for two other occupants at a table by the rear door, middle aged cops who nodded at Kelly and then went back to their conversation.
"They won't bother us," Kelly said to Mandy as he led her to a table next to a window and pulled out her chair.
"What are we doing back here?" Mandy asked him.
"I like to get away from the mob and Mama doesn't mind if I do that," he answered.
As if she had been summoned, a large, middle aged lady wearing a wrap around apron over a housedress appeared from the kitchen and beamed at Kelly. Her iron gray hair was secured in a net cap and she was perspiring profusely.
"Bren-dunn," she called, waddling over to them.
Mandy watched as Mama stopped next to Kelly and patted his cheek.
"This boy," she said to Mandy. "So fickle. Too many different girls, is not a good thing. Unhappy, I think. But what do I know? And who is this?"
She looked expectantly at Mandy.
Mandy noticed that Bren-dunn was turning red and enjoyed his discomfiture.
"This is Miss Redfield, Mama," Kelly said. "I thought you were going to be in Yardley this week, at your daughter's."
Clearly Kelly had assumed they would escape this interrogation because Mama would not be around to conduct it.
Mama made a disgusted gesture and said, "Ah, my Paula, she don't know what she wants. She tells me, come next Sunday, I got too many obligations." She shrugged. "Obligations more important than her son's grandmother?" she asked rhetorically.
Mandy was trying not to laugh at Kelly's pained expression, but her smile was roguish. It was fun to see his take charge, on top of everything personality sublimated to this oversized maternal dynamo.
Mama's attention returned to Mandy. "So what will you have, young lady? We got a very nice osso bucco today, very tender. You should eat something, you're too skinny. I say to Bren-dunn, what are you doing with all these skinny girls? Don't you want children?"
She removed a capacious handkerchief from her apron pocket and swabbed her face with it.
Kelly was now obviously flushed, his light skin growing ruddy beneath his tan.
"I'll have a Cobb salad and an iced tea," Mandy said, reading from the menu framed on the wall behind Kelly's head.
Mama made a face. "Cobb salad? I'm going to drop dead in the kitchen making the gnocchi and the lasagna and she wants lettuce." She looked at Kelly. "Can't you bring me somebody who eats?"
It was obvious by this time that Kelly wished he had taken Mandy to a vending machine rather than to Mama's, but he said valiantly, "I'll have the usual. And bring the coffee now, please."
They waited while Mama ambled back to the kitchen and then Mandy said, "What are you doing now, Bren-dunn?"
He laughed sheepishly as he fished around in his back pocket. "I'm going to ask you if I can smoke, Amanda." He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and held it up for her to see.
She nodded, wondering if Mama's unexpected performance had brought on the nicotine fit.
Kelly lit up and took a deep drag, surveying Mandy lazily through the drifting smoke.
"Does your fondness for Mama's cuisine have anything to do with the fact that she lets you smoke back here in this cubbyhole, in violation of several state laws? As an officer of the court I thought I should mention this to an enforcer of the same legal system which sustains us both," Mandy said.