Roll the Dice (21 page)

“Come with me.” Cory lead the way to the monitor now set up in the
privacy of his office. Again they all watched the various videos taken of each
incident in the hospital.
 
At the end,
silence hovered over them like a thick encroaching mold.

Finally, Veronica shuffled the files in her briefcase and extracted the
one with Earl Rhondo’s name in the tab. “You understand that I haven’t had the
time to work out a complete social and psychological assessment of the
offender. From the files you sent copies of, I feel I have a fairly good idea
of his motivation and after watching the tapes, I’m almost certain they’re
somewhat accurate.”

“Anything you’ve come up with can only help at this time. This dirtbag
abducted my wife and child for reasons unknown to us. If you can tell us
anything about his motivation, it might help us solve the question as to his
intentions and even his whereabouts.

“Veronica extracted a pair of reading glasses from a leopard-skin case
that matched the colouring on the frames. Fancy glasses didn’t fit in with the
look of the professional, Aurora thought, but they were kind of endearing.

Cory burst out again, words spilling from him as if talking kept him
sane. “Earlier, it came to our attention that my wife most likely concealed her
cell phone.
 
Aurora noticed Debbie’s
clue when she left the hospital under duress.”

“Yes, you pointed it out and I thought it quite resourceful. Obviously,
your wife is a woman who doesn’t panic easily and who keeps her cool.

“My wife is a woman who has an infection that needs medication and she’s
also a new mother who will do anything it takes to protect her baby.”

Whoa!!
Aurora heard Kai shift and felt the tension rise. She knew Cory didn’t
mean to come off as an asshole, but his nerves were raw from relentless worry.
Time to interrupt
… XXX

“We can't call her on the off chance that she hasn't been able to put it
on vibrate. We won't e-mail her either for the same reason that her ring-tone
would wake the dead. We're praying she'll be able to get a message through to
us sooner or later. At this time we have no idea where they could be and very
few leads to help us. We were hoping you might give us something concrete about
his personality to work on.”

Veronica smiled at Aurora as if to say, don’t worry. This kind of thing
happens and I won’t take it personal.
 
“I don’t know how much this will help, but I have a fairly good idea
what’s driving this man. Let me give you what I’ve figured out so far, and we’ll
see if you concur.”

Both Aurora and Kai nodded and settled back. Only Cory crossed his arms
and continued to stand.

“Right! I feel Mr. Rhondo’s childhood comes into play here. A strict
father, possibly a stepfather who demanded he be straight when his earliest
tendencies were homosexual. He has empathy for young males, none for women he’s
hurt, which leads me to believe that either he had a mother who died when he
was young, or she deserted or maybe lived a reclusive life, uninvolved and
uncaring of Earl and most likely his father.
 
I’d go with the last one as it would feed his hate for the fairer sex.
His father’s influence, the man he wanted to be proud of him, to love him,
would be the driving force in his behaviour.”

Veronica cleared her throat and looked to be uncomfortable until she
shrugged her shoulders as if making a decision. Then she continued.
 

“This would be why having a child of his own would be paramount to
making him feel vindicated, a real man, a reason for his father to show
approval. A child would be the one goal in his life that would prove his
worth.”

Not a whisper of sound could be heard until Aurora cleared her throat.
Oh no!
Like a Tetris game solving
itself, everything fell into place.
 
Of course!
The baby—Rhondo believed Alec was his son.

Cory glared at the visiting specialist, and in an intimidating way, he
approached only to be cut off by Aurora. “I need to talk with you.” Her voice
brooked no refusal and neither did the look in her eye.

He stared her down and then seemed to deflate. “Let’s go.”

Once into the hallway, they moved to the closest exit where Cory could
pull up and park his car, then arrive in his office without going around to the
front of the building.

They sat together on the stairs and she watched as the man who was like
a beloved brother to her bury his face in his trembling hands. “Tell me” His
voice sounded raw from emotion barely held in check.

“He raped her.” Aurora hated the words, hated the disgust the words
produced, even hated having her vision blurred. She swallowed then tried to
continue, except heightened emotion imprisoned her ability to speak without
sobs. Until she pinched her arm and replaced some of the agony with ordinary
pain.

“Cory, she couldn’t admit that he’d overpowered her in the end. That he’d
taken what she would never have freely given. In her heart, Alec has always
been your child, a baby you made together. She’s never doubted it for a second.
Never!”

“Then neither will I. Come, we have work to do.” His arm encircled her
shoulders for a quick hug and then he helped her stand. “We’ll find him, and
when we do Aurora, god help me, I’ll have to kill the bastard.”

Thinking of Kai, she said. “Yeah, well you’ll have to get in line.”

Kai found Aurora in their office, her arms wrapped around her middle
trying to contain the grief she couldn’t show in front of anyone else. He moved
up behind and his arms encircled her. “Babe, I’m sorry. That had to be
horrendous telling a man his wife had been raped, especially Cory.”

She leaned her head back against his strong shoulders and closed her
eyes to hide the globs of moisture. “He took it well. Decided the baby was his,
and knowing him, he’ll never change his mind. Alec is his son come hell or high
water.”

“I love that old saying. My mom used it many times. Hell or high water.”
He shifted her and she saw the fierce need on his face. His kiss started out
soft and tender, but within seconds, a groan escaped to warn her he’d been
affected more than he’d intended. His erection gave notice of the influence her
lips were having, and she knew the resultant dampness that gushed from inside
her own body answered his need. She wrapped her arms around his back and loved
the feel of his hard hands stroking her cheeks and burrowing into her hair.

After he stepped back, he leaned his forehead against hers, kissed her
eyelids and whispered. “Soon.”

“Humm. Is that a promise?” She smiled and rubbed her cheek against the
back of the hand that still cuddled her face.

“As soon as Debbie and Alec are back safe and this nightmare is over,
then I might be able to promise. Until then, you know I can’t.
 

“So if everything turns out, you’d want to promise?”

“What are you asking me? If I care?”

She nodded slowly; watching his shuttered eyes, but words wouldn’t come.
Begging didn’t come easy even if desperation drove her to consider it.

“I want to promise more than I want to breath—”

Ham stepped around the partially opened door to make his announcement.

“They just brought in Big Mike. Cory wants you to talk to him, Aurora.
You and Kai.”

Aurora stayed near Kai until they were alone once again. “Do you want to
take lead? I have a feeling Mike would respect you more than a mere woman.”

A half-smile hovered as he lifted her hand and laid a kiss in the palm.
“Let’s do it.”

***

“Mike, we're not playing games here.” Kai knew his voice conveyed his
seriousness and hope the unblinking figure staring right though him understood
it also.

“I have nothing. Rhondo’s just a schmuck who comes into my bar from time
to time, drinks enough to down an elephant, then pays his tab and leaves. He’s
no more trouble than the rest of the losers.

“You know we can take your liquor license away for violating the no
gambling policy. It wouldn’t matter to us one iota. But if you help us, we can help
you. Wipe the slate clean. All we need to know is about Rhondo’s father.”

“Stepfather.” Soon as the word slipped out, Mike closed his mouth as if
disgusted with himself.

“Stepfather. Does this man have a name?”

Nothing. Mike didn’t even blink.

“Man, you could be charged with obstruction of justice or even as an
accessory in a kidnapping which is a capital offence with a minimum lifetime
sentence. You want to rot in jail for a bum like Rhondo?”

“Don’t play with me Detective. You got nothing and you know it. Where’s
my lawyer?”

After an hour of using every tactic he knew, Kai slunk away with his
hands fisted and his temper frayed. He stopped dead and angled toward Mike,
purposely letting his tongue run away on him. “Disgusting piece of horseshit!”
Then he turned to Aurora. “You talk some sense into your dumb friend, Detective
Morelli. Tell him things can go south pretty damn fast when a cop’s family is
in jeopardy.”

Kai stomped out of the room and slammed the door. Then he quickly
circled to the window to see if their acting skills had paid off. He’d worked
on the man until even he hated the sound of his own voice. All the while,
Aurora sat patiently listening without any comments. Couldn’t have played it
any better if they’d had a script.

Aurora broke the silence. “He’s pretty mad.”

“He’s an asshole. Where’d he come from?”

“L.A. Detective Lawson has a personal bone to pick with Rhondo….a matter
of his sister’s death.”

The Polish man’s expression underwent a quick change. “Rhondo got to
her.”

“Aurora nodded. “Yeah, he did, and she couldn’t live with it.”

“Shit!” Mike’s expression eased from being hard and stubborn to just
being tired. “Everyone has stories.”

“Yep, even cops. Now the story is that Earl has taken Debbie hostage,
you remember my old partner, the blonde chick who looked the other way when you
got played by the underage hooker in your bar. Instead she talked the girl into
going back home and then drove her there herself.”

“Why didn’t you say it was her?”

“Not just her. She’s just given birth to a baby boy. Rhondo took them
both.”

Mike shook his head sorrowfully. “Can’t abide men who take advantage of
youngsters. Makes me sick to my stomach. But a guy who’ll steal a baby, that’s
dirty lowdown. Even if it’s his own kid.”

Aurora’s head jerked to the side. “Huh? What are you saying?” A hunch
told her to play dumb…the same hunch that had the music starting in her head.

“One night, Rhondo comes into my place. He’s loaded for bear and acting
sorry for himself. Told me his ole man hated him. Said he'd called him a fag
for years. Said if he were a real man, he’d have a kid by now. Morelli, I swear
the asshole blubbered into his beer like some pathetic chump. Admitted he
wanted a baby more than anything else in the world. Not to impress his dad, but
because it would mean he’d have done one thing perfect.”

“Then…” Aurora figured there had to be more to the story for it to make
sense.

“I never knew how he got on with the ladies, none of my business. I keep
my nose buried up my own ass, if you know what I mean.”

She grinned and nodded. “Aromatic and rather physically impossible, but
I get it.”

“He disappears off the radar for months, until a week ago when he’s
shows up and starts passing around cigars—planning a baby shower for
chrissakes. Never seen him in such a mood. Even had a beer with the ole man and
gave him a cigar. Said as how he’d fathered a boy and would have photos soon.’

“What’d his father say?”

“Actually slapped Rhondo on the back and said he’d finally man’ed up.

 
“Yeah, I guess he would. Sounds
like a real winner. So you know where we could find this prime example of
exceptional parenthood and put an end to this tale of dysfunction?

“His name is Fred Main. He’s an ex-army guy, mean as a tased bronco.
Even the most hardened in the bar don’t wanna mess with this guy.”

“And does ole Freddy have an address?”

“Not one I know. Told me once he owned a farm way out east of the city.
Said his parents used to live there and he’d grown up digging in the dirt. Left
to go to the army. Don’t know if he still owns it today.”

Aurora could see the exhaustion riding the man who’d overridden a
lifetime of habit to help a woman who he owed one to. “Appreciate the info,
Mike. You’re a good man.”

“Yeah, well don’t let the word get out or I’ll be a dead one.”

Kai watched and listened as a pro got to work. She had the hardened bar
owner singing Dixie in no time at all. God she was hot! His heart beat just a
little faster every time she snuck him a wink. A woman who he’d end his playboy
existence for, and she’d appeared too late on his horizon.