Shadows of Doubt (19 page)

“That’s very kind of you, I may take you up on that. As it so happens, I may be making my stay more permanent and would need to make arrangements for membership for myself and my staff.”

“Oh! How delightful! Might I ask how many of your staff you would be considering?” To the woman’s credit, she restrained her excitement very well.

“At the moment there would be six but we are expanding the firm to include Los Angeles so there may be a dozen or so more within the next few months. I would also need an inclusive allowance for bringing clients and guests without restriction so you may want to revise your figures taking all of that into account.” Max tapped a finger lightly on the leather folio the woman was clutching and gave her a warm smile. He had negotiated thousands of membership deals over the years and was well accustomed with the discreet sell they always tried to give him. He found it so much simpler and amusing to cut them off at the pass.

“Uh... I... of course! I would be happy to prepare a proposal for you. Tailored to your specifications, of course! Is there anything you would need from us that I should handle for you?” The woman gracefully recovered from stumbling on the step as they entered the formal dinning room.

“I think that about covers everything. Just make sure that usage of all facilities is included, without restriction. The total fee as well as a direct telephone number for you so that I can have my assistant handle all of the details and finances, please.” He smiled once again as they approached the McAllisters who were seated at a table next to the rear wall of windows. The table provided for a stunning view that looked out over the immaculately groomed 18th hole of the east course.

“I’ll revise this and have it ready for you by the time you are ready to leave us this evening.” She all but sang with excitement. “Here we are. Mr. and Mrs. McAllister, Mr. Julian...” The exuberant Ms. Price nodded to her left and a waiter whooshed in to pull out Max’s seat and stood by at the ready to place his napkin. “Please enjoy your evening and let me know if there is anything you need.” She backed out and nearly sprinted from the dining room.

Max approached Joe McAllister who had stood and come around the table to greet him. He took the hand Joe offered and embraced the man warmly as a dear old friend, rather than an operative.

“Max it is so damn good to have you here. I was completely thrilled when Shevaun told me you were not only here but were going to be our neighbor!” Joe patted Max on the back enthusiastically.

“Well I am sure she told you I was equally thrilled when I discovered she was your Shevaun at the meeting last night. You kept this brilliant jewel a well guarded secret all these years.” Max was oozing charm as he approached Shevaun and leaned down to greet her with a kiss on her cheek and a squeeze of her delicate hand. “It is lovely to see you again. You look simply gorgeous this evening.”

Shevaun’s smile was sincere and stunning, sending a pang in Max’s gut since it reminded him so much of her daughter. He could only imagine what Lou would look like dressed in finery as her mother was now. Elegant and understated, putting the other women in the dinning room to shame.

“You are too kind and very full of it, but thank you Max.” She waved her hands in a gesture for both of the men to sit. “We’re so glad you could join us tonight. The food here is truly excellent.”

Max took his seat and observed the couple together for the first time. He had known Joe forever but had never envisioned what his mate might be like. After meeting Shevaun the night before, seeing how beautiful she was and that she was also a truly lovely person, it made Max look at Joe with entirely different eyes.

Joe McAllister was a handsome man in his mid sixties who may have looked younger than his years if not for his time under the Texas sun. He had crisp blue eyes that twinkled with pride when he looked at his wife, and strong angular features that softened profoundly when he smiled. His choppy dark blond hair was silvering at the temples and suited him nicely. His hands were well manicured but had clearly seen their fair share of hard work and he wore a single Irish knot-work wedding band on his left ring finger. The bespoke charcoal gray suit complemented his wife’s pewter satin dress perfectly. Joe and Shevaun were an unassuming couple with impeccable taste and Max already enjoyed their company immensely.

They chatted and laughed over bad business trips while sipping martinis when Shevaun excused herself to visit the power room before their first course arrived.

Max leaned in towards Joe and lowered his voice “I really would have liked to discussed things with you prior to this dinner, Joe. I realize that your wife knows nothing of the true nature of our relationship let alone anything about the Sanguinostri so I am at a bit of a disadvantage here.”

“I know my Dom...” Joe dragged his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated. “I apologize profusely for the inconvenience of it all. I truly hate keeping my two worlds separate from my wife. It’s agonizing on a daily basis dancing around the truth with her. I feel like such a shit.”

“Its a long time to keep such a big secret from someone you obviously adore. She’s quite exceptional Joe.” Max stabbed the olive in his barely touched martini and swirled it in his glass.

“I know she is, which makes it all the worse! But first it was about our daughter. I couldn’t expect Shevaun to deal with my world with a baby girl that’s the center of her universe, could I? That was simply asking too much. I know damn well I will always be second in Shevaun’s life and I am totally okay with that.” Max continued to fidget with his skewered olive while Joe vented his predicament. “Then Lou grows up and follows with her family tradition of being a cop. How the hell was I going to explain all this to the two of them and it not totally blow up in my face?” Joe’s expression was one of pure exasperation. “I would give anything to be able to come clean with them, but how the hell do I do that at this stage in the game?”

Max looked to make sure Shevaun wasn’t returning, then responded. “We may not have a choice Joe. Lou is poking around in Sanguinostri issues without knowing it. You and I are going to have to have a discussion about this in private. The sooner the better.” Knowing he was going to need it, Max shoved his martini in front of Joe then signaled to the waiter for another round. “Don’t stress over it now, this could actually be a very good thing for you, so don’t panic just yet. Lets just enjoy the evening, then we can discuss everything in the morning at my place, alright?”

Joe drained the martini glass Max had passed him and pulled the clean toothpick from his mouth while he nodded. He nearly choked on the olive when Shevaun suddenly returned to her seat and eyed him suspiciously.

“Did I miss something good?” She asked the two men.

“Not at all...” Max took the lead on the cover-up as their first course was served. “...we were just discussing boring business matters which I apologize for bringing up. Lets get back to more enjoyable dinner conversation, shall we?” It was clear to see that Joe was having a difficult time shifting gears as he aimlessly stabbed at his field greens. “So I hear the courses here are quite spectacular?”

“Oh that’s right!” She bounced in her chair. “Joe tells me you are a huge golf buff, is that true? I bet you’re an outstanding player.”

“Well I wouldn’t go that far but yes, I am quite fond of the sport.” In fact, Max was a golf nut and had been for eons. He had a private golf memorabilia collection that rivaled anyone in the known universe. “Your Ms. Price is actually preparing a package for me to consider. I’ll have to find some time to actually play the courses here so I can make an informed decision.”

“The weather is supposed to be lovely this weekend, you should come out and play! Joe and I usually make it a family Sunday with our daughter. We have brunch, then play at least 9 holes, depending on how stuffed we are or what the weather is like. You should join us! Tell him Joe!” Shevaun poked her husband in the arm repeatedly. It was seriously difficult for Max not to panic at the thought of coming face to face with their daughter and actually having to converse with her.

“Darling...” Joe patted his wife’s hand to get her to stop poking. “I am certain Max will join us if he is able but you must remember he has a good deal on his schedule.” Joe had apparently recovered his composure given his handling of his wife’s demand. “As a matter of fact he and I have a rather serious matter we have to deal with first thing in the morning. So let’s wait and see how he feels, alright?”

Shevaun was suddenly embarrassed by her over-exuberance and became notably quiet. Max realized the situation was delicate in more ways than he had ever imagined, but gaining Lou’s mother’s trust and acceptance was critical to him.

“I truly would love to, but I cannot make any guarantees. Is it just the three of you that play?” He specifically looked to Shevaun to answer and he could tell it made her feel more at ease.

“Yes, just the three of us. The weather has been so dreadful that I am so looking forward to a decent day out. Even if it’s gloomy I won’t mind, so long as it’s not freezing or raining.”

“You need to remember I come from D.C. and will admit I’ve even attempted to play in the snow. Weather wouldn’t prevent me from joining you, I can assure you.” Max’s smile was kind and sincere. He truly would happily play in a blizzard with them but he just was unsure of how he was going to handle himself in front of Lou. “Would it be alright if we played it by ear? You tell me when you plan to tee off and I will be here if I can break free?”

Shevaun was clearly pleased. “That would be perfect. I do hope you can make it though.”

The salad plates were cleared. The next course was served and the remainder of the evening’s conversation was, much to both Joe and Max’s relief, monopolized by golf tales and debate over various players. Who would win the Masters and other benign chatter. The food had been excellent, the service impeccable and the company more than pleasant.

Max found himself musing the entire ride back to the hotel over how much he looked forward to his next dinner with the McAllisters. He tried very hard not to think about how that may never come to pass if things did not go well with him and Joe in the morning. It was going to be tricky as hell. Especially since Max had not a clue what he wanted to do about his infatuation with the detective. He truly couldn’t understand how he had come to this point. He should not have cared one iota about this total stranger let alone be tap dancing and weaving his plans for Los Angeles around the possibility of her. But she wasn’t really a total stranger was she? Tallulah Donovan had been on the fringes of his world for so long without him ever knowing it. When Joe had confided to Max about the situation at dinner, Max had vaguely recalled it had been something they discussed before but for the life of him Max could not recall Joe mentioning a daughter or any details or specifics. Joe had made mention of his predicament in the past but it was cursory and Max had always made light of things, telling Joe things would work themselves out. He had really paid little to no attention to Joe’s personal dilemma and for that he was now facing it head-on. There was a vested interest in how things played out but he was thoroughly irritated with himself for it. If anyone ever knew Max Julian, Dominor of North America, was a complete blithering idiot over a woman he did not even know, he would be a laughing stock.

The woman behind the counter at the rental agency was less enthu
siastic about Lou’s request than she was about being at work on a Saturday morning. The lack of any make-up, the haphazard way her ponytail had been fastened and the rumpled, misbuttoned blouse were dead giveaways that she had overslept for work.

“I know there is some sort of procedure I need to follow for stuff like this. Don’t you have to have a warrant or something?” The bleary eyed woman asked Lou.

“That would be if your vehicle was involved in the accident or directly involved in a crime, which I’m sure you can see if you look, it wasn’t. The person who rented the car from you may have been a witness to an accident and we just want to get in touch with them and find out.” Lou tap danced and continued to sell her story that she and Caroline had come up with on the ride over. “All we need is the contact information, that’s all.”

“Well, I guess since it really doesn’t involve the company.” The woman finally caved and pulled up the information and printed it out for them.

“Thank you very much for your cooperation.” Lou smiled thoughtfully as she took the printout from the woman.

“No problem. I hope you nail the bastard that hit that old lady.”

Lou looked up at the woman, wondering what she was talking about until she remembered Caroline’s fabricated sob-story. “Oh yes, we will. Thanks again.”

With the information in hand, Lou and Caroline walked out of the rental agency at a fast clip and headed for the car.

“Holy cow, you were right. That wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.” Caroline hopped into the passenger seat and flipped open her laptop.

Lou rolled her eyes. “I told you. Its not like what you see on television. I thought for a minute there we were screwed and she was going to demand a warrant, or call her manager who would.” She got in the driver’s side and handed Caroline the paper. “It says the car was rented to an Augustus Industries with a contact name of Frank Sullivan. There are two phone numbers. One local and one with a 202 area code. Where is that for?”

“Hang on, I was looking up the company info first but let me do the area code.” Caroline typed away then waited a few seconds. “That area code is for Washington, D.C.” She looked at Lou with a puzzled expression. “What the hell?”

“Look up the company, Augustus Industries.” Lou tapped her fingers nervously on the steering wheel. “Frank Sullivan, you think that’s his name? Kind of anticlimactic don’t you think?”

Caroline laughed at her friend as she continued her search for data. “What did you want? Some fancy name like the male version of Tallulah?”

“Har har, very funny.” Lou tweaked Caroline’s ear.

“Ow! Don’t do that! Anyway, I think it’s a nice strong Irish name.” Rubbing her earlobe, Caroline pondered a moment. “Can’t be his

“Why not?”

“Precisely because it is an Irish name. Yummy Morgue Guy is no way Irish with that hair and skin.”

That was a good observation on her friend’s part, Lou thought. “Maybe his mom was Mediterranean or something and his dad was Irish.”

The sunny blond shook her head then cursed under her breath at the laptop. “Nuh uh, I know my men. He’s Spanish or Italian or something like that. The other guy looked Irish, but not your guy.” Cursing once again she resumed typing and clicking away.

“What’s wrong?” Lou asked, noticing her friend was getting annoyed.

“I get tons of crap on Augustus but its like everything on their branches and divisions. Shipping, finance, global this and global that but I cannot find names. No board of directors info. There isn’t even a personal name on the different contact pages for the various divisions that do happen to have a web-site. I’ll say one thing though, its a freaking massive company.” She sighed and slammed the laptop closed. “Lets call the local number.”

Lou’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Are you out of your freaking mind?”

“Of course, but what does that have to do with anything?” Caroline fished out her cell phone.

Lou yanked the phone out of her friend’s hand and looked at her with a death stare. “Hello? Caller ID? And what in the hell do you plan on saying? ‘Hi, are you Yummy Morgue Guy?’ I don’t think so!”

Caroline hated that Lou had two very valid points but smiled as an idea hit her when she looked toward the gas station next to them. “Give me a quarter.”

“What for?”

“Just give me a quarter.”

“No, not until you tell me what for.”

Caroline blew out a breath and shoved the laptop back in its case and started fishing in her purse. “Never mind. I’ll find one.” She got out of the car with the contact information tucked under her arm and walked to the pay phone at the gas station, fishing out a handful of change from her purse as she went.

“Wait!” Lou yelled after her then jumped out of the car to follow. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’ll see.” She dumped coins in the slot, then dialed.

“Holy crap, you are nuts!” Lou scrubbed her face with her hands and began to pace.

The phone rang three times before a deep voice answered on the other end. “Yeah?”

At first Caroline said nothing, then it just came out. “Mr. Sullivan?”

“Yeah?” The baritone voice answering and asking with one word.

Lou bolted next to Caroline so she could hear. “Frank Sullivan?” Caroline asked.

“Yeah? Who is this?” The man at the other end demanded.

“Uh...” Was all Caroline could say before Lou slammed her hand down on the hook. “What the hell, Lou?”

“What the hell is right! What the hell were you going to say?! Never mind! Get in the car and let’s get out of here before he...”

“He what? Traces the call in a nanosecond and teleports over here to see it’s us calling him?” Caroline slammed the receiver onto the hook.

“Exactly!” Not waiting another second, Lou yanked Caroline and high-tailed it to the car. “Lets go.”

“Fine, but you’re buying me breakfast for that.”

Lou looked at her friend incredulously as she pulled out of the parking lot. “How can you be hungry? You ate like eight of those cream puffs last night!”

“I did not! I only ate seven.” She pouted. “Besides I only ate the filling and that’s mostly air!”

Lou tried to remain serious but couldn’t. Thinking about what her friend had just said, and truly meant. All Lou could do was burst out laughing.

It had taken
about an hour and a half to bring Joe McAllister up to speed on the reorganization of the West Coast and then the whole matter of their rogue. Max had recounted all the other murders around the globe in graphic detail, to stress the gravity of the situation. He went step-by-step on how Lou and Caroline Devereux were involved and how despite the fact that all three cases were LAPD’s now, they were still investigating. Joe was floored to find out that Caroline was of the Richlieu Devereux line and that the parents and Richlieu himself were arriving at any moment. They would be dealing with Caroline’s indoctrination into the Sanguinostri that evening. It was a lot to take in, Max admitted, but here they were and things had to be dealt with before their rogue struck again. Of course Max omitted any hint of his infatuation with Lou and that he had a secret personal stake in the dilemma.

“This is really bloody complicated!” Joe got up and began pacing. “Caroline and Lou are very close, almost sisters. Hell, Caroline has spent the last two nights at our house and I think she’s with Lou right now!”

Frank walked back into the room, stuffing his cell phone into his pocket. “Yes, she is. They are eating pancakes at a cafe in Tarzana at the moment.”

Joe looked at Frank, stunned. “You’re having them followed?!”

Max got up from the chair and put a hand on Joe’s shoulder. “If we know they are poking around at the rogue, its not impossible that he knows that as well. Its for their own protection, I assure you.”

Joe looked Max in the eye and thought for a moment. “Yes, of course. Thank you for that, my Dom.”

“Now come back and sit so we can continue.” Max steered Joe back to the couch. “The matters at hand are all intertwined and require careful consideration. Whichever first step we take will be critical for all other outcomes.”

Joe nodded in understanding. “Caroline will never lie to Lou. That will be a sticking point with her. That much I do know.”

“Which is why what I am about to propose may be difficult for you.” Max had thought about it over and over and knew that he had to just get it out. “With my Council and I shifting bases to California, and our need for solid people in key positions, it has occurred to me that your daughter may have been put in our path for a reason.” Max waited for the underlying meaning to hit Joe. When Joe’s head whipped around to stare at Max, he knew that it was understood.

“You mean indoctrinate Lou?!” Joe got back up to pace again.

“I realize you have kept the Sanguinostri a secret from your wife and daughter all these years for a reason, and I am sorry for putting you in this position, but...”

“But it was because of Lou that I never put Shevaun in that position when we first met!” Joe cut Max off before he could complete his sentence. “Lou was far too young to understand and Shevaun was... hell she is devoted to her. There was no way I could be so selfish as to tell her. To ask her to join us with a baby girl that was her life. But now Lou is grown. Strong. Smart! She is dedicated to the pursuit of justice and the protection of the public. If you were to explain that is exactly our role, our code but on a grander scale, she would understand and couldn’t help but want to be a part of it!” Joe’s eyes were wide and sparkling now as he talked it out and paced back and fourth. “But her indoctrination would be contingent upon her mother knowing! Of course she’ll be pissed as hell that I’ve kept this from her and I’ve been a part of it all my life, but she’ll understand once she thinks.” He moved to sit next to Max and nearly grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t you see? All this time I have hated having to keep two lives. Lying to Shevaun. I’ve wanted nothing more than to tell her, to explain. Yes, yes and there was the hope that perhaps she would turn with me but even without that! If Lou joins, then there is no way Shevaun would not!” He nearly started to laugh as he looked around the room, to Frank, then back to Max. “And then Caroline wouldn’t have to lie and ....” Joe stopped himself, then smirked. “...and you already deduced all of this yourself, haven’t you?”

Max smiled at Joe brightly, then couldn’t help himself. He pulled him into a hug. “I needed you to pull it together yourself Joe. I needed to see your reaction as you came out with it. To know you were alright with it. I consider you family, Joe. I will protect yours as though you are my own.”

Joe was so moved by Max’s words that his eyes welled with tears. “My Dominor, I am so honored by you. Thank you.”

Max patted Joe on the shoulder again and grinned. “Don’t thank me yet! We need to make this work the way we think it will. It’s going to be tricky and timing is everything.

“Speaking of timing...” Frank interrupted. “The Devereuxs have arrived at the Chateau. They are being shown to their bungalows and should be settled shortly.”

“Right then.” Max clasped his hands together. “Joe, would you mind assisting me with this? I’ll need to explain everything to them and given you probably know their daughter better then they do at this point in time, you could really help me here.”

“It would be my pleasure to assist with anything, you know that.”

Max did know that, which made his stomach flip-flop a little at the thought that Joe would lose all respect for him if he found out how he felt about Lou. He swallowed hard and let that thought pass. “Frank, have a nice coffee service sent to Richlieu’s bungalow and then inform the Devereuxs that Joe and I will be down soon.” Frank nodded to Max, then left the room. Max had thought long and hard about the entire situation. He knew that there was a very small window of opportunity here and regardless of his personal feelings, and fears, he needed to meet Lou face to face and be sure that his gut instinct that she was fit to be brought into the Sanguinostri was correct. “Well then, it looks like we are on for golf tomorrow, after all.”

Joe had to laugh. “Christ, I forgot all about that.”

“Its a good opportunity for me to meet Lou. Be certain we are doing the right thing. That I am doing the right thing. Ultimately, you all, every last one of you are my responsibility. That is why we have our laws about indoctrination.”

“Oh I completely understand that. But I know in my gut that Lou would be one of the greatest assets we could ever have.” It was the father speaking now and it warmed Max’s heart to hear.

He turned again to Joe and looked at him thoughtfully. “Joe, you need to be prepared if this doesn’t fall our way. If Lou wants no part of it, we will need to wipe her memory of the discussion and things will go back to as they are now. Do you understand that?”