The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (129 page)

Hennessy said, ‘are you all right, Miss. Faraday.’

She didn’t acknowledge him but continued to grip the sink even tighter until her knuckles turned white. He walked over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder, he felt a shudder pass through her and he immediately removed his hand. He said gently, ‘come and sit down before you fall down.’

She turned to face him her face white and her eyes haunted.

Hennessey’s own face was soft with understanding and sympathy. He said, ‘I know you’re scared, but it’s going to be all right, you’ll see. I know what you think of me, but however much you despise me, you know deep down that I’ll get us out of this. Glissando’s men or Glissando himself won’t get by me,’ he looked over her shoulder at Lando, ‘or your friend, Mr. Lando either.’

Lando looked for the sarcasm but there was only concern in his tone and expression. He hated the way he had touched the woman and how he had spoken to her, so softly and gently as if he cared. That gentle reassuring tone must have been the one he used when he had planned to seduce her into giving him the information he wanted. And the way he looked at her with those big blue eyes was more than likely the same way he looked at her while he had lied to her and deceived her. Is that what he was doing now?

Lando felt a resentment building in him, he should be the one asking if the woman was all right and reassuring her. Whose place had she come too? Who had taken care of her for almost two days? Who had stopped her from running into danger? Who had tended to her injuries and held her while she cried? Not Hennessey, on the contrary he had been the one to inflict those things on her in the first place, he shouldn’t be the one comforting her.

He realised he was gripping the handle of the gun very hard in his fist and relaxed his fingers.

He despised the guy and all he stood for but he had to admit he was glad of his experience right now. He wouldn’t turn away from a fight with Hennessey but he was glad that at this moment he was on their side. For now anyway.

Funnily enough Adela was thinking the same thing. She had the greatest confidence in Jonas Lando, he had proved he could handle himself very well, but they had no idea how many were coming and they needed all the help they could get.

She hated Hennessey for what he’d done to her and was going to do to Olivia if he tracked her down. But, and she hated to admit it, he was right, she did feel safer with him here. As for after, well, there might not be an after.

She stared at Hennessey who was wondering if she even saw him there so in a world of her own did she seem
. He said, ‘come on, sit down. Please.’ She hated doing as he asked but was to weary to argue, so as if still in a trance she walked by him and went to the living room area where she sat down on the sofa her back to both men. Hennessey had the idea that she believed if she couldn’t see him then he wasn’t there and none of this would be happening.

Hennessey watched her for a moment with concern then he poured some coffee from the still warm coffee pot into two mugs and took them over to Lando. He held out one of the mugs to him. Lando looked at it then at him as if he would like to either dash it out of his hand, or take it and throw the contents in his face. Hennessey stood his arm outstretched waiting and eventually Lando took the mug from him. Hennessey noticed he gripped it tightly in his hand as if trying to prevent himself from hurling the hot liquid at him. But after giving Hennessey one of his own smirks he drank from the mug.

Hennessey smiled and turned to look out of the window. There was a very strained silence until Lando his voice low said, ‘one thing I don’t get, Hennessey.’

'Only one?’

Lando rolled his eyes in exasperation, ‘why did you fix it so that the cops would think she was somehow involved in Maxwell’s beating? Why did you go as far as to leave her comb next to the unconscious cop? Why did you make it look as though she had gone with you of her own free will?’

Hennessey looked into Lando’s eyes then away again, ‘you ask good questions, Lando, must be the cop in you. What do they say, once a cop always a cop?’

‘And you’re even better at answering questions Hennessey; at least giving answers you think others want to hear. Whether it’s the truth or not is debatable…and doubtful.’

‘If you think I’m going to lie why ask the questions?’

Lando shrugged, ‘curiosity, interest. I like to see a professional liar in action.’

Hennessey still looking out the window grinned. He remained silent for a mome
nt then turned to the other man, ‘all right, there were two reasons. One, I checked out Leyton and Sullivan. I wanted to make sure they weren’t on Glissando’s pay role. I found nothing, neither man has any hidden asset’s, at least nothing I could find and believe me, if they had I would’ve found it.

Neither man spends more than he earns as a cop, neither has a big car or house or takes expensive vacations, I found nothing untoward. In fact, Sullivan has maxed out his credit cards and finds it hard to make ends meet, what with two ex -wives and a divorce pending. Leyton isn’t married and never has been.’

He paused here and looked intently at Lando trying to gauge his reaction. Lando showed none, he knew what Hennessey was doing so showed not by a single sign that his comment about Leyton had affected him.

Hennessey looked impressed and his lips twitched as he continued, ‘anyway, I was satisfied that both men were legit, that they were good, honest cops. So I thought if they believed that Miss. Faraday was involved with me they would come looking for her not involving the FBI as they would have to do if they suspected a kidnapping. Glissando has too many agents in his employ, he would have made sure that his “friends” were assigned the case. Plus, if you had involved the local cops, who I knew nothing about, or even worse the feds, Leyton and Sullivan would be here to protect her. So I called them anonymously and told them she had been seen back here. It was an added bonus that Leyton has a certain admiration for her.’

Again he watched Lando’s face closely and again Lando gave nothing away of his feelings so he went on, ‘but that was before I though they suspected I was just a conman who'd beaten up a love rival. I never reckoned on them finding out about my, for want of a better word, profession. I never reckoned on that damn raincoat giving me away. See Lando, even a consummate professional can make mistakes.’

Lando said, ‘you’re good, Hennessey, real good.’

Hennessey grinned, ‘come on, Lando, you were a cop, if you knew nothing about me, if you didn’t know what I did for a living and I was sitting in your interrogation room right now wouldn’t you believe everything I say?’

‘I think I was a better cop than you give me credit for, Hennessey.’

‘Oh I’m sure I give you all the credit you deserve, Mr. Lando. Your record whilst you were a cop is beyond exemplary. You had one of the highest arrest records the Alabama P.D has ever known. You’ve received three commendations for bravery. You were tough yet fair, a little reckless maybe, but you would never risk anyone but yourself. You were sympathetic and understanding to the victim but ruthless in your interrogations of a perp. You were like a dog with a bone when you had a case to close, once you got your teeth into it you’d never let go until you had your guy. As I said, a good cop. It was unfortunate you had to give it up, and in such a way too.’

Lando stared at him his fist clenched around the mug so tightly his knuckles were white.

Hennessey expected the mug to hit him square in the face at any moment but Lando simply asked, ‘so, what was the second reason you set her up?’

‘That reason will be explained later, and to her.’

Lando stared at him then made a “huh” sound then set his cup down on the window ledge and turned to walk away from him. But Hennessey grabbed his arm effectively stopping him, ‘Lando, there’s something else I want to talk to you about.’

Lando looked down at Hennessey’s hand clutching his arm then back up at him and there was steel in his eyes and in his tone as he said, ‘if you don’t let go my arm you’ll never talk again, Hennessey.’

Hennessey looked into Lando’s eyes and knew he meant it. Not that he was afraid of him, but he really didn’t want to get into a confrontation right now and not in front of the woman. She needed them to be united in this. He gave Lando one of his smirks then let go of his arm saying, ‘okay, let’s not get into it now.’ He looked over at Adela but she was still staring into space as though oblivious of everything, even so he kept his voice low as he whispered, ‘we need her to know we’re together in this, don’t let her see us arguing, okay?’

‘Then don’t touch me again.’

Hennessey looked angry for a moment then sighed, ‘I want to ask you a favour.’ Lando looked at him in disbelief that this man should dare ask him for a favour. He said, ‘I don’t know what kind of favour
I
could grant a professional killer, Mr. Hennessey. ‘

He curled his lip and turned away but turned back as Hennessey said, ‘it concerns Miss. Faraday.’
Lando narrowed his eyes suspiciously but stayed put.’ First off, I want you keep your eye on her; she can be reckless, not with your life or maybe even mine, no matter how much she despises me, but with her own. She’ll act or react without thinking things through, especially if she thinks you’re in danger. You’re her Achilles heal. Just watch that she doesn’t do anything stupid, okay?’

Lando was aghast by the words, “Achilles heal." Yet he knew he was right, she would rather die herself than see him hurt, see anyone hurt because of her. But he resented this man voicing his concern for a woman he had treated so abysmally. He gave him an icy glare, ‘maybe you should have thought about her welfare before you exposed her to this danger.’

‘I know, but as I already said, I thought I was doing the right thing,’ before Lando could reply he held up his hand and rushed on, ‘but that’s not all I wanted to say.’

Lando waited and Hennessey continued, ‘you heard some of what happened to her,’ Lando raised his eyebrows and Hennessey amended, ‘all right, what
I
did to her. He hesitated and looked away from Lando’s gaze for a moment, ‘she probably only told you a fraction of what I did to her. The rest she may tell you one day, or at least tell someone. I did some things, things I shouldn’t have, things I’m ashamed of.

No matter what you and she thinks of me, no matter what I am, I’ve always had one rule, I don’t hurt women and kids and I’ve always abided by that, until now. When I did what I did to her I violated my own rule, and her too.’

Lando’s face darkened and Hennessey hurried on, ‘oh not like that, well not quite like that.’ He shook his head impatient with the turn this conversation had taken then looked over at Adela again who sat so pale and still on the couch, ‘anyway, right now she's running on adrenalin. There’s so much other stuff going on, too much for her to really sit and think about what’s happened to her,’ he looked back at Lando, ‘what I’m trying to say, Lando is, when we get out of this she’s going to need help, I want you to make sure she gets it, okay?’

Lando was amazed at this man’s ne
rve. ‘She seems like a pretty strong woman, you’ve said so yourself. She’ll cope. Besides she told me what happened so she’s part way there already.’

Hennessey looked impatient, ‘that’s not the same thing and you know it. Look, I’m sure that relaying parts of what happened and to have you listen to her was somewhat cathartic for her; it may have enabled her to get some of it out of her system. But that’s the key word “some.” She wouldn’t have told you all, but even if she had, telling you is not the same, you were a cop, you still are deep down. You see her as a victim and treated her as such. She would have reacted to that and seen you as a cop and treated you as such.’

Lando gave him a warning look but Hennessey went on, ‘I’m sure you asked the right questions to get her to tell you her story.' Lando glared at him and stepped forward crowding Hennessey’s space but Hennessey held up his hand in a placating gesture. ‘I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that, Lando, on the contrary, it’s what she needed right then, the cold clinical interrogation. Just –the- facts- ma’am, nothing personal.

But after this is over she’s going to need much more than that. She’s going to need comfort and understanding and professional help.’

Lando stepped back but kept his cold eyes fixed firmly on Hennessey’s. He was angry by Hennessey’s summation of his talk with the woman; he made it sound so clinical. It hadn’t been like that. Or had it? He had snapped questions at her when she had talked about Blakemore and Glissando.

He knew the scepticism and disbelief at some of the things she had said had shown in his face. Maybe he had come across as cold and unsympathetic. He said now, ‘and you, Hennessey, you offer counselling to the bereaved families of those who’s lives you’ve taken do you? Make sure they’re taken care of after you’ve violently removed their loved one from them?’

Hennessey didn’t reply to this and Lando added, ‘anyway, she has family don’t she?  When she’s home she can talk to them, that’s what families are for ain’t it?’

Hennessey frowned then shook his head, ‘her family? Obviously she didn’t tell you as much as I thought. There are some families you
don’t
need, Mr. Lando.’

Lando looked at him in surprise but said, ‘well perhaps she would have been more forthcoming if she hadn’t been so preoccupied with her injuries and her fear of you and Glissando.’ Hennessey said nothing, 'anyway she don’t need me to tell her what to do, nor you either, Hennessey, least of all
you
. You’ve seen for yourself what she’s capable of yet you still underestimate her.’