Checkered Crime: A Laurel London Mystery (17 page)

“Sometimes me and my friends go over there and you know,” he nudged me, “get away from the parental units.”

“Oh.” I didn’t want to know anything more about the “you know” so I decided to use it to my advantage. “I’m here with the FBI. I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that and you are going to pretend you didn’t see me.”

“Bullshit. No fucking way are you with the FBI.” He laughed, mouth opened wide showing me his cavity-eaten toothy grin.

“Sure am, buddy.” I pulled the lanyard out of my bag and flashed it toward him rather quickly.

“Holy shit, man.” He ran his hands through his stringy hair. “Yeah, no. I didn’t see you like at all.”

“Good.” I pushed my way past him and headed up to the front porch of the house.

By the time I got to the top step, the kid had jumped back into his car and zoomed off.

I rubbed a circle spot in one of the dirty windowpanes on the old wooden door and looked in while I jiggled the handle.

I ran off the porch and darted around to the back of the house to look for another way in. A dog from the house on the right ferociously barked from behind a very tall planked privacy fence. The dog had to be some sort of big crazy dog because he sounded like he was going to rip me to shreds if he could get through the fence.

I tiptoed over to the cellar steps and looked down.

“Only a crazy person would walk down there,” I said to myself when I looked into the dark space. “And I’m just that crazy.” I dug deep for my vote of confidence.

The difference between me now and when I was a teenager, then I didn’t even think about the consequences and how it would affect everyone around me.

I took a deep breath and crept down the cellar steps. Once down there I turned the handle of the small wooden door and it was unlocked.

“Hello?” I hollered out.

Before taking another step I felt around in my bag for my gun and held it in front of me. Granted it wasn’t steady by any means and if I had to fire, I would probably shoot my own foot, but still. I felt better having it.

Thud!

“I have a gun so you better come out.” The feel of the gun in my hands not only made me feel safe, I felt like I was getting some power. Confidence. “Did you hear me you coward?”

Thud!

Shit! I ducked when I heard something big and heavy above my head. The door at the top of the basement stairs leading into the house teetered open, little crumbly plaster fell off the old walls and down the steps, landing at my feet.

How many times had I seen those scary movies where the woman walks up or down the creepy basement stairs only to be slashed into pieces once she got to the end? Here I was walking up the stairs. Was I about to meet my death?

Who knew? But I had a gun.

I used both hands to steady the other with the gun pointed straight ahead and took each step one-by-one. They led right into a little kitchen that was completely outdated, but very clean. There was white tile on the floor. There were a few white cabinets on the wall and the gas stove was small. All the appliances looked to be as old as the house, but in mint condition.

Before I turned the corner of the kitchen, I said a little prayer and jerked around the corner with the gun still pointing, finger on the trigger.

I crept down the small hallway and bolted around the next corner into a family room. The only thing in there was a huge fireplace and mantel.

My whole body tightened, I took a deep breath and dropped my hands to my side when I saw a cat sitting on the mantel. There wasn’t any furniture in the house. Definitely abandoned. In good shape, but abandoned.

“Hey, kitty.” Stiffly I walked to the fireplace and put my hand out to pat the cat.

The yellow and brown tiger cat jumped down and darted into the depths of the house.

“So maybe none of my family lives here.” I surveyed the mantel. “Maybe once there were some pictures on this mantel of my family. I could always go to the courthouse and check the deed records. That would tell me if any Londons ever lived here.” I laughed. “If London is my real last name.”

At the end of the mantel there was a little key in the wood. Something like a gas log fireplace would have, only there weren’t any gas logs in the hearth. I turned the key to see what would happen. A little hidden compartment in the wood opened, exposing a little hidden space.

I stuck my hand in and pulled out a small shell box.

I looked around before I put my gun back in my bag and opened the box.

“What the hell?” I took out a ring that looked to be exactly like one of Trigger’s and his posse.

“Laurel?” A voice boomed from behind me.

“AAAA!” I screamed, jumping around with my hands in the air like I was going to do some sort of jujitsu on the guy. I didn’t even know jujitsu. I dropped the box, shattering it. Shells went flying all over the place. I plunged my hand deep in my bag. “Don’t you come any closer to me. I have a gun! And I’m not afraid to use it!”

“And I was worried about you.” He had a slight twisting of the lips. “I knew you were going to be a London through and through.”

“What are you talking about?” The gun shook as my whole body rattled in my skin.

“Its okay, Laurel.” The stocky man had to be a mobster. Hat, suit, cigar and all.

“It’s not okay! Are you one of Trigger’s men?” I put two hands on the gun and jabbed it forward. It seemed like the thing to do to give more of an effect. “I don’t know who you are and how you know my name, but you better start talking or I’m calling the FBI. I work for the FBI ya’ know!”

“I’m not scared of the FBI nor am I scared of you.” He drew his hand up to his lips and took a puff of his cigar. With sheer pleasure on his face, he released the smoke into the air. He reached into his coat jacket. “I don’t work for the Cardozza family. Anymore.”

“I swear I will shoot!” My eyes grew big in anticipation; he was going to draw a gun.

Anymore
? What did that mean?

“I’m getting out a business card.” He extended his arms to show me. I took it.

“Ben Bassman, attorney-at-law?” I read the card, but still had the gun pointed at him. “What do you want Mr. Bassman?”

“Can you put the gun away and talk to me?” he asked. “Please?”

I stood my ground.

“I knew you were going to come here. Listen.” He put his hands out. The cigar dipped up and down from the corner of his lip as he talked. “After years of watching the video stream coming from the orphanage, I was glad to see you finally took the initiative to find out who your people are.” He shrugged. “Granted, The Gorilla didn’t want you to know and paid me handsomely for keeping it from you. But he always agreed that if you found the secrets, then you should have the family fortune.”

It felt like someone had just taken their boot and slammed it into my gut and cut off my breathing.

“I know this is a shock. But I’m here to help. That’s what I’m paid to do.” He pointed up to the ceiling. “Even if they are paying me from the great beyond. The Gorilla was a man that could see into the future. He wanted what was best for you.”

I gulped. My chest heaved up and down.

“This is not real. I fell down. The dog next door attacked me and I’m dead. This is not real.” I repeated with my eyes closed tight. Super tight. “I’m going to open my eyes,” I warned.

“Still here. Still working for your dead grandfather.” The man stuck his hands out to his side like he was showcasing himself. “Your dead
mob
grandfather, The Gorilla.”

“That is not true!” My eyes filled with water. “I have been in an orphanage all my life. My family couldn’t raise me. They were poor!”

“And I suppose Trixie told you that?” he asked.

“No, but that is why I was there. I know it!” Many times I would make up reasons my family gave me up for adoption. It had to be money. Had to be.

“Not true Laurel.” He shook his head. He put his cigar in his mouth and let it rest in his lips. He walked forward. His long black coat swished. His hands were covered in black leather gloves. “That ring will prove to you where you came from.” He pointed to the shattered box and all the contents lying on the floor.

With my eyes still on him, I picked up the ring.

“Go on. Get a good look,” he encouraged me. “Plain and simple, I’m here to help you. Protect you because Trixie isn’t doing such a good job.” He shuffled his feet. “And I pay her handsomely for it too. Well, The Gorilla pays her handsomely.”

Letting his words roll around in my head, I looked at the ring.

“This looks like the same ring as the one Trigger Finger Tony Cardozza has.” My mind felt cloudy. A headache was in my future. “Wait!” His words started to register in my brain. “You
pay
Trixie to what?”

“First things first.” He pointed outside. “We need to get out of here before someone calls the cops, though Trixie does pay the utilities to keep up the place in case you need it someday.”

“Are you telling me that you aren’t going to let me leave by myself?” I pinched my arm to make sure this was real.

“You’ve got the ring.” He pointed to my hand. He held out his arms like he was going to hug me. “Welcome to the family.”

Chapter Eighteen

Ben Bassman suggested we meet at a little neighborhood diner around the corner so no one would notice us. I did only because he did seem to have the key to my past.

“Mob? Me? Ring?” Tears stung my eyes as I asked the one word questions over the little café table.

“Your parents,” he did the sign of the cross, “were good people.”

“Were?” I asked even though he didn’t really need to tell me what that meant.

“Unfortunately they were caught in the middle of your grandfather’s dispute with the Cardozza family.” He picked up the steaming cup of hot coffee the waitress had brought over.

I didn’t want anything to drink unless it had pure alcohol in it and nothing on the menu alluded to it so I stuck with a glass of water.

And the more he talked, the more I felt like throwing up.

“The Cardozzas were trying to take over the family business.” His silence told me that the family business probably wasn’t on the up and up, which was exactly where I was trying to be. “And The Gorilla set up a meetin’ at Sal’s Pizza, only the meetin’ didn’t take place.”

“Sal’s Pizza?” I asked. I had never heard of it.

“Yeah, New Jersey.” He snapped his finger. “That’s another thing, you are from New Jersey.”

“Really?” I was starting to buy into this whole thing before I had even talked to Trixie
—
who I was going to kill when I got my hands on her.

“While they capped your father, they were over at your house doin’ the same thing to Veronica, your mother.” He punched his fist in his hand. “The Gorilla was never the same after that. Neither were you. You were a baby. You needed a mother’s arms to cuddle you. So The Gorilla did what he thought was best.”

“He thought giving me away was protecting me?” I asked. “Here we are today in the throws of danger.”

“Trigger has no idea who you are. He only knows that the ring holds the family fortune.” He grinned.

“What family fortune?” I asked, vaguely remembering he said something back at the house.

“Blood money.” He took a deep breath. “When The Gorilla and the Cardozza put the families together, they had rings made up to signify the union. Only two rings.” He pointed to the ring I had snugged on my thumb. “That one and the one Trigger got from his grandfather.”

“But
—
” I started. He interrupted.

“Let me finish.” He sighed deeply. “When The Gorilla and the Cardozza made the union, they made one big cartel. One big pot of money. If in the event things went south and one family killed the other, the rings were made.”

“So.” I shrugged.

“Let me finish.” His patience seemed to be wearing thin. He put his hands on the table. “In the event one family would turn on the other for the fortune they had created both rings had to be presented to me, Ben Bassman, in order to get the money.”

“You?” I asked.

“I’m the lawyer for both families. New York City no good lawyer.” He tilted his head and lifted his hands like
what ya gonna do?

“Does Trigger know I’m The Gorilla’s granddaughter?” A lump of holy shit sat in my throat. “Is that why he is having me cart him around? Making a plan to kill me?”

“I don’t know. It depends on what you have said to him. He knows that The Gorilla’s blood grandchild was put in an orphanage somewhere around the Louisville area.” He held his arms out in front of him and tugged on the white shirt underneath the sleeves of his coat to readjust. “He fired me months ago because I told him I didn’t know where you were and I wouldn’t tell him if you were a boy or a girl. Only he wants to kill off the last remaining heir of The Gorilla so he can have all the family fortune.”

Everything was becoming crystal clear. “What about the Underworld Music Festival?”

“The Underwhat?”

“He’s not here to smuggle his illegal firearms?” I asked.

Slowly he shook his head. “I don’t think so. He does all his
illegal
business through the family poultry farm. At least that was when I was their family lawyer.”

“Why do I have to be involved with this?” Suddenly knowing my family history wasn’t too appealing.

“Laurel, for the family, you have to kill Trigger Finger Tony and get that ring.” The look in his eyes was as serious as a heart attack. “Bring me his ring and get what is owed to you. What your grandfather wanted you to have.”

“I don’t want any blood money.” My stomach started to hurt. “I can’t kill anyone.”

“Let me tell you something.” His words bit like a chilly air whipping through the Kentucky woods in the middle of winter. “When he finds out who you are, and he will find out who you are, don’t think he won’t think twice about offin’ you.”

I gulped.

“Got it?” he asked with a chill in his voice. “Luckily he hasn’t figured out where Trixie is because he will torture her to find out who and where you are. Each day he is getting closer to the truth.”