One Shot @ Retirement: A Macy Cooper Mystery, page 13
“I know.” Macy nodded, knowing that Mama’s English had gotten worse as she aged. She’d become hard of hearing as well which made communicating with her even more difficult.
“Sal said that in addition to speaking Italian you also speak French.”
“Mais bien sur.”
“What?”
“But of course. It’s pretty hard to teach in a French school if you don’t speak the language.”
“That makes sense. You speak Italian, Greek, and French… What other languages do you speak?”
“Why all the questions?”
“Cause I want to know more about you. So, how many languages, huh?”
“Not sure, haven’t counted. Hey, I think my order’s up.” Macy pointed to the back of the restaurant trying to distract Allison, who immediately rose to get it.
As she sat eating, Macy reflected on her meeting with Aaron. Rarely had he requested a meet at an out-of-the way restaurant. Was he concerned that someone would follow him or was following her? She shook that thought from her head at least for herself, as she was quite cognizant of people and cars near her, a habit she’d developed over the years. But something worried Aaron and that something had to do with government agencies, our government agencies.
She thought back to another time when Aaron had asked her to meet at a clandestine location. Her upcoming mission had been to take out a former military general in Peru who had been part of a death squad. Macy was about to leave the country when Aaron called her to meet at a bar in New Jersey. She knew this was odd because Aaron swore he’d never set foot in Jersey again after having received a speeding ticket. He’d felt going 90 miles an hour up the interstate didn’t qualify as speeding. “Not until you reach a 100,” he quipped. Macy shook her head.
The meet, however, was to inform her that the FBI had uncovered information on an employee of the U.S. government who had leaked classified intelligence documents to the general and helped him launder money from Peru to a New York bank. The spy had also warned him that an assassin was on his way to take out the general.
Macy smiled.
“What the fuck?” Aaron asked. “You can’t seriously think about going now. All the airports will be covered.”
“I’ll fly to Bolivia. Then take a bus to Juliaca. They won’t be expecting that plus if they’re looking for a male….”
“And how in the hell do you plan to get out? Once you make the hit, they’ll have the policia looking everywhere. No one will be able to leave the country.”
“You know I always have multiple exit plans. There’s a tourist train that goes from Juliaca to La Paz. I’ll be one more innocent American tourist seeing the sites.”
Aaron only grumbled but agreed to move the mission forward.
Removing the general was easy. The spy, however, was able to leave the U.S. and was not heard from again. Macy offered to take him out as a freebee if they’d ever found him as she had no tolerance for traitors.
Finishing her meal, Macy sat back and groaned. It was delicious as usual but after three days of eating out it was too much for her. Another sign of aging, she thought, and burped.
Allison returned a little later without her apron. “Sal said I could go home with you, and he can do without me tonight.”
“Do you have your stuff here?”
She nodded. “I’ll get it, plus he’s going to go ahead and pay me.”
On the drive home, Allison pulled out the envelope Sal had given her. “Oh, my gosh, Macy, there’s $300 in here and it’s cash. He must’ve made a mistake.”
“Does that include tips?”
“Yeah, but $300!”
“That’s $15 an hour. Sounds about right….”
“I think we should turn around. He way overpaid me. And there’s no pay stub.”
Macy smiled. “I think he likes you and I’m sure he didn’t overpay you. As for being paid in cash, that’s probably so he doesn’t have to claim you on his taxes.”
“Can we go shopping tomorrow for my dress?”
“We can,” she replied, grateful Allison didn’t object to being paid in cash. Macy had asked Sal not to record Allison’s social security number so she couldn’t be traced, and he had agreed willingly.
“We must have walked through that mall a dozen times,” Macy mumbled, rubbing her feet as she sat on the large leather chair in the living room.
Allison had spread out on the sofa. “Yeah, but it was worth it! Don’t you love the dress we picked out?”
“You bet, and the shoes match it perfectly.”
“Macy, how would you feel about me continuing to work for Sal? He offered me a job.”
“What about school?”
“I pretty much finished all my assignments. Besides, these courses were electives. I already had more than enough credits to graduate.”
“Have you talked to your mom; I mean about staying here?”
“Yeah, and she said it was up to me. But she thought if I stay in Landen, at least until I hear from the colleges, I should probably live in Grammy’s house. She doesn’t want me to overstay my welcome.”
“And what do you want?”
“It’s not about what I want. It’s about what is fair, to you, I mean.”
“Very mature.” Macy nodded, approvingly. She sat back and moaned, her feet still tingling from the long walk. She used to be able to hike twenty miles in the worst terrain carrying a 50-pound backpack, but now the marbled floors of a mall had done her in. “To be truthful, Allison, I enjoy your company. I even like having Derik over here. And by the way, he helped install my outdoor motion sensors the other day. We should do the same at your house.”
Allison nodded in agreement. “He still feels guilty about scaring me. What did you say to him anyway? He’s been extra sensitive about my safety lately. He won’t even let me cross the street without taking my hand.”
Macy laughed. “I told him not to scare you again. And the handholding is just an excuse… he likes you.”
“Yeah, I like him too.” Allison sat up facing Macy, all dreamy eyed. Relaxing, she continued, “Then you don’t mind me staying here?”
“Of course not. If you don’t mind me acting like your mom on occasion.”
“You make it more fun. When Mom tells me to do something, she has this look she gives me. It’s really pretty scary. You treat me more… well, more like a person, an adult.”
“Maybe that’s because you bring back memories of what it’s like to be young. It’s settled then, you stay here at least for the time being. If your mom wants to talk to me about it, tell her to call me.”
“I will,” Allison replied, standing. “I’m going to fix some tea. Do you want some?”
“Tea? I thought you preferred coffee?”
Allison grimaced. “Have you tried Sal’s coffee? It’s so strong I’m surprised it doesn’t walk away. I drank it for three days and my stomach is still groaning so I think I’ll stick to tea for a while.”
“Tea would be fine.”
Allison left for the kitchen.
Macy was relieved Allison had decided to stay. She knew she’d be safer with her than anyone else, except maybe Sal. Funny, she thought, Allison hasn’t asked how she knew Sal.
Macy leaned back against the soft leather of the chair and began reflecting on her involvement with Sal and his mother. It had been at least twenty years prior when one of her contracts was to assassinate a member of a crime syndicate who had returned to Italy for a relative’s funeral. The target, a man known to have murdered multiple innocent people in both the U.S. and Europe, had married Sylvia, a beautiful young woman he met working in a restaurant in a small town outside of Naples fifteen years prior. They moved to New York where she gave birth to their son, Salvatore.
The crime boss had been an easy kill and Macy didn’t give it much thought until a year later when she learned the widow and her son had been placed in a witness protection program and were not doing well. Sylvia had testified against her husband’s partners and having difficulty with the English language, was unemployable. She and her son were both living in near poverty, having to survive on a small stipend the government provided. Macy had no regrets on the kill but felt badly for the two courageous survivors.
Through some friends in Washington, Macy was able to quietly donate a sum of money to help Sylvia and Salvatore start their own business, an Italian restaurant, in a small remote town called Landen. Years after the business was established, Macy was driving through Landen on her way to Pittsburgh and decided to stop. She was certain she could remain anonymous but when Salvatore served her food, he stopped in his tracks. “Are you Macy?” he asked. Macy nodded and for the next twenty minutes Sal told her what had transpired since they first opened the restaurant and how grateful they were to her. She asked him how he knew it was her who had donated the money. He said it had taken him several years but through talking to many people in Washington, he was finally able to track down who she was, including her picture.
At the time this disturbed Macy, but when she found out it was her own boss who had given Sal the information and explained to her that he had only volunteered information on her financial backing, she felt more comfortable. Plus, he had figured it would stop Sal from digging deeper.
He hadn’t mentioned that Macy had made the kill shot against Sal’s father but told her they would have probably thanked her anyway as he was known to be a cruel man. After that, Macy, Sal, and his mother, affectionately known as Mama, became good friends. And caring for Allison was the least they could do, they said.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
While Allison worked at Sal’s, Macy sifted through the documents Aaron had given her using one of the computers at the Landen Library. Aaron had been thorough, for which Macy was grateful and the enormous amount of information he provided would require time to absorb. She knew he’d been well compensated for her testing the tactical sniper rifle and it was worth every bit of her time and effort. Besides, she enjoyed it. She didn’t miss the travel or intrigue of her former profession, but she did miss handling a weapon of such precision and human engineering and the challenge and joy of hitting a target hundreds of meters away. And of course, there was the added bonus of working with Jack.
As she read through Sam’s files, she found several recurring names. The first, of course, was Pete’s name. Apparently, Sam and Pete had entered the Marine Corps at the same time and spent much of their careers together. They were only separated when Pete broke his leg and was sent stateside for six months, and each time Sam had to conduct sniper training which occurred every other year.
Another name that stood out was John Crayton. Macy thought for a moment trying to remember where she had heard it before then remembered Sam mentioning it in one of his letters. She made a note to have Aaron do a background search.
Macy had barely settled in bed with her latest novel when Allison knocked on the door.
“Got a sec?” she asked, peeking in.
“Sure,” said Macy, inserting the book’s cover flap to mark her place. “Come on in.”
Allison walked over to the bed and sat. “I have a favor to ask you.”
Macy waited.
“Derik’s parents have to go to the dance early, seems his dad helped plan this thing. We were going to ride with them, but we don’t want to hang around for a couple of hours while they do whatever it is they have to do. Anyway, Derik’s truck isn’t working too well, and I told him, well, that I’d ask you. That is, could I borrow your SUV?” Allison gave Macy her sad face, which she had done many times before when she wanted something. She quickly added, “I know how to drive and I’m a really good driver, ask Mom!”
Macy smiled. “I’m sure you are, but I’m sorry, I can’t let you, or Derik, drive my car. Now before you get all mopey on me, how about if I take you two over to the lodge and drop you off. I can pick you up afterwards or you can ride home with his parents.”
“I guess that’d be alright,” Allison said dejectedly. “We kinda wanted to be alone.” She began making swirling patterns in the blanket on the bed with her finger.
As sincerely as she could, Macy said, “I know you two really like each other, but there will be plenty of time for you to be alone. Until we figure out this thing with Esther’s… death, and the letters, I would prefer you always be with an adult, someone I know and trust.”
“Derik’s an adult,” Ally stated, her voice rising. “You trust him, don’t you?”
“Calm down. And yes, I trust both of you, but that’s not it.”
“What then?”
“It’s more about experience and maturity. Personally, I think Derik would put his life on the line for you, but I don’t want to put him in a situation where we might have to find out.”
Allison fell backwards on the bed. “Damn!” she yelled, slapping her hands against the bedspread. “I hate this whole fucking situation. We don’t know any more this week than we did a month ago and all we’ve done is go in circles.”
“Allison Grant, please go to your room. I really can’t talk to you when you’re like this,” Macy demanded. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. It was much easier being in a combat situation, she thought, than dealing with a teenager.
Allison rose and walked toward the door. Stopping momentarily, she turned to face Macy, her face red. “I… oh, crap, never mind.”
Seconds later, the bedroom door slammed across the hall.
The following morning, Macy was cleaning the kitchen when Allison came down for breakfast. “I have some leftover bacon, if you want it.”
“No thanks, I’d rather have a bowl of cereal.” She began to fix her breakfast and Macy handed her a pitcher of milk and laid a plate of bacon on the island. Allison poured herself a cup of coffee and sat on a stool. Stirring her cereal, she grabbed a piece of bacon and began eating it while Macy continued to clean. “I’m sorry about last night,” she muttered, crunching on the bacon. “You were trying to help us out and I copped an attitude. Is the ride offer still on the table?”
Macy stopped and turned to face Allison. “Of course.” She then leaned back against the kitchen sink and folded her arms across her chest. “I think we need to talk.”
“If it’s about my cussing, I’m really sorry.”
“No, it’s not about that, although I think down the road there might be consequences if it continues. No, I want to talk about the position we’re in.” Macy looked down at the floor trying to find the words for what she was about to tell her, but realized there was no easy or right way. “Allison, I believe you’re in danger. I think someone killed your dad and then your grandmother.”
“My dad?” Allison stiffened.
Macy nodded. “I know the official report said your dad was killed by an IED and they surmised it was the Taliban, but I believe it may have been initiated by someone in the government, our government. I think your dad was working on an undercover operation and during the investigation he discovered something, something he wasn’t supposed to.”
“And he was killed for it?”
Macy nodded. “Not only that, but I also think Esther was pushed down the stairs because she wouldn’t give or didn’t have the information someone wanted.”
“The letters?”
“Possibly. If they’re looking for the letters and they think you have them then they may come after you.”
Allison stared at her cereal stirring it with her spoon around and around. Finally, she looked up. “You mean when they tried to run me over?”
“They were probably trying to scare you at that point, but since they still don’t have the letters, they might try again.”
“But do they know I’m even here? I left my cell phone back home like you told me to.” Allison’s voice rose.
“If they look at your mother’s phone records, they’ll know she’s been receiving calls from Landen.”
“How could they do that? I mean, you’d have to be some sort of government agen… oh, I see.” Allison returned to her breakfast while contemplating the thought of having someone in the government come after her and her family. She turned quickly to face Macy. “Will mother be alright?” she nearly shouted.
“I’m pretty sure. There’s no reason to go after her.”
“But they might think she has the letters?”
“I have a feeling they’ve already searched her apartment.”
“You’re kidding! How could they? She would’ve known, wouldn’t she?”
“They were able to search Esther’s house without leaving a clue.” And as an afterthought, Macy mumbled, “Of course, they were stupid enough to lock her car.”
“So, if they didn’t find the letters and they know I’m not there, maybe they didn’t look at her phone records.”
“I don’t think so. But you haven’t called your mother from here, right?”
Allison shook her head. “I’ve only called from the mall and Sal’s.”
“Let’s keep it that way. And don’t use Derik’s phone either.”
“I won’t.” Allison ate another piece of bacon. “Macy, can I ask another favor.”
“Sure.”
“I know you know a lot about guns, heck, you’ve got them all over this house. And I saw how you moved the night Derik tried to come through my window, so I figure you know how to use them.”
Macy didn’t contradict her.
“Well, could you teach me how to use a gun? That way I could take care of myself.”
Macy hesitated before answering. “Did your father not teach you how to use a gun when you were younger?”
Allison let out a small laugh. “I remember when I was little, and he won an award for marksmanship. I asked him then if he would teach me to use a gun and he said absolutely not! He yelled at me and said I was never to touch one. He scared me so badly I decided never to ask again, but now….”
“Guns are made to kill and people who use them must be prepared to take another person’s life, even if it is in self-defense. Any hesitation and the gun can be turned against you,” Macy stated, matter-of-factly. She wanted to impress on Allison the seriousness of using a gun.
