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“I’ll be right here,” he says with a smile. “I sure hope this isn’t a dream. I’m a little scared of waking up about now.”
Mandy laughs and pats him on the back. “You are definitely awake and we’ll see you here tomorrow. Now go get yourself something to eat,” she tells him before turning to head back to the SUV.
“You handled him really well.” I tell her, opening the door of the SUV for her. “He actually looked like he was scared of me when I first walked up to him.”
“Well, I’m sure he’s used to being treated poorly,” she says, hopping up into the back seat. “I can’t imagine not having a place to shower or sleep.”
“See, there are people with bigger problems than feeling guilty about having too much money given to them,” Anthony quips once we are back inside. “I’m sure his head is spinning right now.”
“Yeah, it definitely is,” I reply, thinking back to the look on his face. “That felt way better than I ever could’ve imagined.”
“I’m hanging onto most of it for him until tomorrow,” Mandy tells him, holding up the envelope. “He needs to get cleaned up, so we can get him a safe deposit box tomorrow. We’re going to meet him back here at noon.”
“I guess we’ll be back tomorrow then,” Anthony replies just as my phone begins to ring. Looking down, I see its Aileen. Hopefully it’s not more bad news.
“Hi Aileen, how are you guys?”
“Dad was murdered,” she declares, confirming something that we had already suspected. “He had a puncture wound in the back of his neck and was apparently injected with poison.”
“I’m sorry, but at least you know he didn’t take his own life.” I try to put a positive spin on it, knowing that I would be relieved if I were in her situation. “I know that doesn’t make it any easier though.”
“No, it doesn’t. I think Mom and I are still in denial, waiting to hear from him at any moment.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” I still expect my phone to ring on Sunday afternoons, even though it was something I always dreaded. “We are on our way to you now, I’ll see you in a bit.”
“I knew Bill was murdered,” I tell Mandy and Anthony after hanging up with Aileen. “They apparently injected something in the back of his neck.”
“They must have realized that they couldn’t get through to him,” Anthony surmises. “He most likely got ambushed at home and strung him up after they injected him. At least it was most likely painless.”
We continue to drive in silence, images of Bill being strung up floating through my mind. I reach over and take Mandy’s hand, giving it a squeeze. She looks over at me with an uneasy look on her face. No one likes the thought of messing with someone who is capable of doing such heinous acts. There is so much evil in this world, unfortunately right now it feels like much of it is in my own backyard.
Chapter 15
Mandy
We are all in a solemn mood as we pull into valet parking at the St Regis. It’s easier to park here and walk a block during the workday, since all of the lots tend to be stuffed to capacity. I’ve been thinking about Aileen and Trey. It was hard enough to watch Mom die on her own terms after years of illness. I can’t imagine having a parent murdered and losing them in the blink of an eye.
I pull out my phone as we enter the elevator at Trump Tower and send dad a text. I want him to stay in Tennessee for the remainder of the week. Trey has been talking about wanting to get out of the city for a few days, so maybe we can all go visit him instead.
Dad: Silvia told me the same thing. I hate sitting here worrying about all of you, but I don’t want to cause any more fuss.
Me: Thanks Dad. Love you!
Dad: Love you too, Sweetie.
“He’s okay with staying home?” Trey asks as I toss my phone back into my purse.
“Not really, but Silvia told him the same thing, so he probably doesn’t feel like he has a choice in the matter.” I smile and picture him pacing the kitchen floor. “Hopefully, this will all be over soon.”
“I think it will come to a head in the next twenty four hours,” Anthony says while calmly watching the floors click by on the panel. “We will handle it if anyone makes a move on this end and Romeo will have Carly pinned down shortly.”
We hear a scuffle in progress as the elevator reaches our floor. “Hang tight,” Anthony commands, pulling his pistol from its case. He slowly peers around the corner, led by his cocked Glock nine. “What are you doing? You dumb shits!” he yells in a sarcastic tone. “Are you trying to get hurt?”
