Dead Wrong (6 page)

Chapter 8

Food containers spread across the dining room table. Slouched in a chair, Marcus twiddled with his beer bottle as Aaron poured wine into my glass. Settled across from them, I glanced back and forth between the two lawmen.

“What?” I asked. That one word is Rhode Island's rendition of “What's the problem?”

“We have bad news for you. First though, I want to know why you were stupid enough to go to a clinic before you checked to see if it was viable.”

Eyes narrowed, I peered at Marcus through squinted eyes.

“Are you calling me stupid?”

Aaron leaned back from the table, eyes wide and looked everywhere but at me.

Hesitating, Marcus glanced at me and said, “Not stupid exactly – just foolish.”

It had been a tough day, and now I was involved in a murder investigation over a man with two identities, a clinic that didn't exist, and a nurse who'd hit the high road. If that wasn't bad enough, my paramour had made the unthinkable mistake of not only calling me stupid, but then added foolish to the mix. Ignoring the slander, I sighed.

“I can explain if you'd like to hear it. But first, can you give me the bad news?”

The two men stared at me for a second and then glanced at each other.

“What?” I asked again.

“Are you all right? You haven't touched the food.” Aaron said with a passing smirk.

“I want to hear what you have to say before I eat.” I lied because I knew I might be sick again. The wine slid down my throat as I waited to see if it would make a return performance. When it stayed down, I thought I might be fine.

“We checked on the clinic and it doesn't exist. There is no staff by the names you gave us, not on the federal or state level. I ran all types of checks: banking, security, credit, DBR, everything right down the line. Nothing comes up,” Aaron said as he sipped his wine.

Marcus picked at the label on the beer bottle, before he glanced at me. “Who did you say the doctor was?”

“I wrote it down for you. Don't try to bait me, Marcus. Just spit it out.” My Italian attitude was on the rise since I figured I was being set up for something, but didn't know what.

“Kawackne, you said, right?” He peeled the paper down the neck of the bottle, rolling it between his thumb and index finger.

“Yeah, what's wrong? Couldn't you find him either?” My hand shook a bit as I lifted the wine to my dry lips. I gripped the stem tighter.

“Oh yeah, he was found. Found murdered, this afternoon around four o'clock. His body showed up in the Providence River, in the canal bordering Rhode Island School of Design. Any idea how that happened, my little disaster magnet?” Marcus stared directly into my eyes. Astonished, I stared back.

Two murders in one day. Both had happened around four o'clock. Can you beat that? Apparently I couldn't.

Aaron shoveled food onto my plate and his before passing the serving dish to Marcus. The food was cooling and I looked at the scrumptious fare with no appetite whatsoever. This was a first. The men watched me for a few minutes in silence.

“Why aren't you eating, Vin?” Aaron asked.

“Not hungry. I found a dead body earlier today. It has killed my appetite – no pun intended.”

His fork halfway to his mouth, Marcus set it back onto the plate. He leaned back and stared at me without a sound. I saw his look of disbelief that was quickly replaced by something else. What it was, I couldn't tell.

A chuckle issued from Aaron as he watched me. Then he sobered. “You're not joking, are you?

“Nope, nuh uh. I went for therapy and found Gristle dead on the leg press. Head bashed in and blood all over.” Deep breaths kept the wine in place while I glanced back and forth between the two men.

“You found Gristle dead? What time was that?”

“My appointment was for four o'clock, but he'd been dead a while.” I told Marcus.

“How do you know that?” Aaron interjected.

“The blood had coagulated on his face and the floor. It was quite disgusting.” I sipped the wine, but pushed the food away. “I lost my lunch and then called the PPD. They came in with guns drawn. I envisioned myself leaving in handcuffs. If it hadn't been for one of them being a detective from my class this semester, I'd be in a cell right now.”

“Was anyone else in the building when you arrived?” Marcus wanted to know.

With a brief explanation, I told them about Crisp and also about Gristle's other name. The remaining wine in my glass slid down my throat and I relaxed a bit. Just knowing these guys had done what I'd asked and failed to yell at me over the dead man – or dead men I should say – made me warm and snuggly inside. Or maybe it was just the wine kicking in.

“Stephen Gurrelli, hmm. It sounds vaguely familiar, but I can't place it.” Marcus's intense gaze studied my face while he considered the name. “The whole thing must have been hard on you Vinnie. Sorry I was so short with you.”

Yeah, and on top of that you called me stupid and foolish. I'm not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. Although, Marcus had a point when it came to my foolishness in not checking into the clinic's reputation. Especially after I'd visited and wondered about the place where nobody seemed to come and go, but me. Weird, way too weird.

“Apology accepted.” That was all I could manage.

“More wine?” Aaron asked.

“A gallon would do right about now,” I said with a half smile.

“Have something to eat, will you?” Marcus added.

“Okay, but tell me how the doctor died.” I picked at the fresh bread that Aaron passed to me.

“He had a bullet hole in his forehead and the medical examiner said he died instantly. There was no sign of Nurse Crisp at all after you found the body, huh?”

“No. She took the appointment book, all the loose papers – and even the phone was gone. I think she knew Gristle was dead back there and blew town as soon as she could.”

His hazel green eyes stared at me from the cop face. I couldn't read Marcus when he was like this. Most of the time, I could only read him when Mr. Winky was at attention so that didn't say too much for my skills. Aaron topped my glass and set the bottle within reach. He glanced at Marcus and then turned back to me.

“I want all the information you can think of. Anything, even the smallest and least important detail. Write it down and give it to me. Give Marcus a copy, too. Between us, we'll run an investigation on the side. You have to stay out of it, though. Promise me, okay?”

Yeah, right. Like that was about to happen. There were two dead people that I'd had the worst luck to become acquainted with and these guys wanted me to stay out of it. Not likely.

I nodded and said I'd stay out of it. My toes were crossed when I said it, so the promise didn't really count.

Aaron rose and heated my plate of food in the microwave. In a minute or two, he set the steaming dish on the table in front of me.

“Eat. You're going to have a hangover if you don't.” Aaron warned.

I stared at it for a moment, afraid the food would come back up. With the fork in my hand, I picked the eggplant parmesan off the plate and started eating.

A pair of smiles met my glance when I looked up. My plate was empty. My stomach wasn't jumping all over the place and I leaned back, satisfied. A slew of questions filled my head, but I put off asking them. I'd had enough for one day.

“Did your brother arrive?” Marcus asked when he finished his dinner.

“He did. He called while I was in the bathroom losing my lunch. I'm afraid I blurted out the fact that I'd just found Gristle.”

Two pair of eyebrows raised in question.

“I know. I should have kept my mouth shut, but I was so surprised that it jumped right out of my mouth. Most times I can keep a secret, but not this time.”

Laughter met that statement, and I glanced at them in surprise.

“Honey, you couldn't keep a secret any more than you could become graceful.” Marcus said with a chuckle. I know he referred to the way we'd met and how I'd managed to become entangled with everything and anything that crossed my path.

“So, when are you going to see him?” they both asked.

“Tomorrow after class is over. I'll call and swing by the house if he's there.”

“Invite him to dinner, but make sure you show up.” Aaron's chuckle met my glare.

“I'd have been on time if I hadn't found a stiff. Jeez.”

Dinner ended with delightful lemon squares glazed with thin icing, accompanied by steaming coffee. Each of us ate more than we should have, laughing over the exercise it would take to work it off.

A yawn and stretch meant I needed to call it a day. Rising from the table I stretched my leg, easing weight onto my knee. It wasn't as bad as usual and I wondered if I'd been duped into believing the injury was worse than it actually was.

“I'm headed downstairs. Thanks for picking up dinner. I appreciate the fact you guys didn't yell at me. Whatever you do, don't tell my father or I'll get a sermon out of it.”

“Right, we'll keep it to ourselves.” Marcus murmured. Aaron glanced at him and nodded.

“I'm serious. Especially now that Giovanni has arrived. Things will get tense enough without anyone adding to it. Just give me a break.”

The two men nodded and made the Boy Scout sign of honor. I had to laugh, I couldn't help it. The image of them as Boy Scouts was too ludicrous to consider.

I hugged them both and went down the stairs one step at a time, keeping my balance. I wasn't dancing with the stars or skipping down the steps like Fred Astaire, either. Not yet, anyway.

The apartment was dark when I entered. Wandering around, I flicked on soft lights and lit the fireplace. The remote for the television sat on the sofa and I flicked through the channels in search of news on the murders.

Channel 12 had a spot on local happenings that outlined the investigation into the two bodies found. No comments were issued from the Providence Police Department as yet, and no names were given. I switched the channel to a classical music station and let the sound flow over me.

A sketch pad and pencil lay on the coffee table nearby. Idly, I picked the pad up and leafed through the drawings. Sketches of the local stray cat, Evergreen, and his snooty countenance stared at me. Then Aaron and his smile came into view. A good likeness to Marcus covered the third page. I flipped through the rest, stopping at the pictures of Nurse Crisp and Gristle. When I found a blank page, I set the pencil to the paper and let my imagination take over.

It wasn't long before I had some rough sketches of the deli, Lola, and her new counter helper in small thumbnail sketches. I sat back and stared at them, a smile on my lips. This was the most relaxed I'd been all day.

Footsteps ran down the stairs and a knock sounded at the door. I yelled, “Enter,” and settled back in front of the fireplace. I slouched in the soft chair, my leg propped on the ottoman as Marcus rounded the doorway.

“Comfy?” He smiled.

“Yes indeed.” I tossed the sketch pad aside. “It's been a long day and I know tomorrow will be even longer. What's your opinion of the whole thing, Marcus?” I asked.

He settled in the chair opposite me. His glance slid toward the drawing pad, but he didn't pick it up.

“I think someone set you up, Vin. I don't know why, but that's what appears to have happened. Maybe we'll find Crisp dead somewhere, too.”

Shivers ran down my spine. I shuddered at the thought of Crisp as a corpse. I didn't like her, but she shouldn't die because of it, either.

He leaned forward and grasped my hand. Bringing it to his lips he kissed it softly. I enjoyed the tender treatment and wondered what was coming next. Call me leery, but I suspected this visit was a prelude to something serious.

“What are you doing over the weekend?” he asked.

“Nothing planned so far, why?”

“I thought we'd go to The Spain for dinner and take in a jazz club in the city. What do you say?”

“Is this an official date, Marcus Richmond?” I smiled while my heart beat faster and faster. We'd known each other since June and hadn't done more than sex, meals at my parents' house, and an occasional snack at the deli, or Chinese food after work. On the other hand, I'd dated Aaron during the summer when I'd first met Marcus. Aaron took me to the beach, dinner, and to an outdoor opera on Federal Hill, the Italian section of Providence that had the best trattorias anywhere in the state.

“Yep. About time, ain't it?” He chuckled.

“We have been out to eat before. But that doesn't count as a real date, I guess.”

“No, Chinese food after work doesn't count as a date. So answer the question.”

“What time are you picking me up?” I laughed.

“Around six. Be ready. None of that making-me-wait-around crap that women do, all right?”

“Sure thing, El Commandante.” I saluted and he rose to kiss me before he left.

At the doorway he turned. “I think Romeo cares deeply for you, Vin. What do you think?”

“Do you think so?” I asked. My throat closed and breathing became difficult. I didn't know what to say.

“Yeah, I do.” He smirked a bit, but there was a question in his eyes.

“I hadn't really noticed, Marcus.” I lied and it took all my strength not to squirm in my seat, but I held fast.

“Right…. Well, good night then Vinnie,” he said, and walked away. The door closed and I heard his truck start.

He'd no sooner driven away when the door upstairs closed. Within seconds, I heard a rap on my door. I sighed and figured I'd never have a moment to myself tonight.

“Come in,” I yelled.

Soft footsteps treaded through the apartment, and Aaron sauntered into the living room. His huge frame filled the chair Marcus had just vacated. The seat was probably still warm from his hot butt, I thought.