Freaks & Family Legacies, page 25
The telekinesis.
As long as she lived she would never forget seeing those two cinder blocks fly through the air and end her nightmare with Damien for good. Ike had saved her life with that one astonishing feat. And afterward he’d been in denial about what had happened, but she’d seen it with her own eyes.
Still, she had no clue what it was about her that made the impossible possible.
“But how am I doing it, Ike? That’s what I’d really like to know. What is it about me? And do I only affect you this way and not other psychics? Am I your personal amplifier?”
Isaac shook his head. “I don’t know. Those are great questions for the next time we see Geneviève though.”
Sidney sighed and set her chopsticks down. She slouched back in her chair. He was right. They were great questions for Geneviève, and she would write them down and have a chat with their mystical friend as soon as she could.
She was quiet while Isaac finished his dinner, but her mind was teaming with thoughts.
“I wonder if your grandfather had a shield. Or an amplifier.”
She mumbled the words. In fact, she hadn’t meant to say them out loud at all. But Isaac heard her, and he stared at her with a pensive expression, chewing. Finally he set his chopsticks down and pushed his empty plate away.
“I don’t know. But that’s one more thing I should ask him if I get the chance.”
Her ears perked up.
“If?”
Isaac let out a deep sigh.
“I thought you’d decided to go see him, Isaac.”
“I have, but…”
“You shouldn’t put this off, you know? I mean, I know you’re probably a little afraid of what the answers to some of your questions might be, but well, you haven’t seen your grandfather in years. You don’t know how he’s doing or how much time you may have to ask your questions.”
Isaac gave her one of those cocked-eyebrow-seriously-melt-your-panties looks.
“You having premonitions now too?”
Sidney grinned. She couldn’t help it.
“No. Of course not. I’m just thinking objectively. For all we know your grandfather could be in poor health or his circumstances may not be very good ones. He may not even be in Tennessee anymore. We don’t know until you look.”
Isaac’s lips puckered a little and his gaze drifted to the far wall. Finally he nodded.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll look into his whereabouts tomorrow. Try to get an address for him at least.”
Sidney stood and kissed him on the cheek. Then she started to clear the table.
Isaac sighed and got up to help.
When the leftovers were put away and the dishwasher loaded, Sidney was wiping down the table when Ike slid his arms around her from behind. She smiled and settled against him, loving the feel of his chest pressed against her back.
“Could I interest you in the classic movie channel, a little snuggling, and maybe some serious making out on the sofa?”
“Mmm. That sounds like a perfect evening, Detective.”
They curled up together on the sectional in the living room with the lights turned down low. Only the glow from the TV screen illuminated the space.
“Hey look, it’s a Hitchcock flick. Strangers On a Train. One of my favorites.”
“Oh, mine too.”
Sidney snuggled into his side and breathed in the comforting scent of fresh leather, sage and citrus. He always smelled so good, and she inhaled deeper.
While she tried to concentrate on the movie, Isaac moved her curls out of the way and planted a series of kisses along her neck.
“I thought we were watching a movie.”
“But the deal included snuggling and some serious making out. Remember?”
“Oh! That’s right, it did.” She smiled and turned her whole body to face him. “Well, in that case.”
She kissed him like she meant business, tangling her fingers in his honey blond hair. When she ran her hands up and down the length of his bare arms Isaac groaned.
She loved the power her touch had over him.
In one smooth motion he lifted his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor.
“Touch me, Sidney.”
The movie was all but forgotten then, and they made love in the glow of the TV light.
22
“Your Honor, it was the boy’s first offense and he has no prior record of any kind.”
Pete sat inside Judge Marcus Williams courtroom and tried his best to play it cool, but he was nervous. He couldn’t help it. And the little freaked out looks Mateo kept shooting his way told him the kid was nervous too.
Terrified might even be a better word.
Mateo was seated at the table with their attorney, Steven Sanchez, and he kept looking over his shoulder like he needed to make sure that Pete and Julieta were still there. Pete gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile and a nod.
“In fact, if he’s guilty of anything,” Steven continued, “it is perhaps youthful exuberance, or maybe a simple case of honest ignorance. The facts clearly show my client had no part in the stealing of the vehicle. His only mistake was in accepting a ride home from the minors who actually did perpetrate the theft.”
Pete nodded his head in agreement and tried to assess the judge’s scowl. He knew Judge Williams by reputation and had even testified before him once or twice back when Pete was still in uniform. The man was known for being tough and no nonsense, and had even been given the nickname of Put-em-away-Williams around the courthouse and the station.
A fact that now had Pete’s stomach tied in a knot the size of a watermelon.
“Officer Hugh Donnelly, the arresting officer on the scene, noted in his report that he wasn’t certain if my client was even aware the vehicle was stolen and that he had no knowledge one of the other kids was in possession of a firearm. Also…”
“Yes. That will be enough counselor. I have the reports in front of me.”
Judge Williams scowled at Steven, and Pete couldn’t help but swallow. The man could be intimidating as hell. Bulky, bald and skin so black it was almost the color of his robe. His deep voice completed the picture.
In a long silence full of tension Judge Williams looked over all the papers in front of him, occasionally glancing up to eyeball Mateo. Pete even caught the man looking him over with a scrutinizing gaze. Finally he shuffled the papers, putting them in order and looked up.
“Mr. Vega, please stand.”
Steven motioned for Mateo to stand beside him, and the knot in Pete’s stomach tightened.
Mateo got to his feet and shot a scared look back at Pete.
The judge leaned forward, folding his hands over top of the papers and leveled his gaze on Mateo.
“I understand your counsel is trying to portray this as just an innocent child who didn’t know any better. It’s not a bad strategy. But you and I both know that you are certainly old enough to know what the legal driving age is, aren’t we?”
Mateo licked his lips. “Y-yes, sir.”
“And what is the legal driving age, young man?”
“Sixteen, sir.”
“And did you know the person driving was not sixteen?”
Mateo looked down for a second. “Yes, sir.”
Part of Pete wanted to get up and shake his nephew for being so stupid. But the bigger part of him tried to remember all the stupid things he’d done at Mateo’s age.
“I see from the records that you’ve had a tough time in the last several months with your mother being sent to prison for drug related armed robbery and 2nd degree murder,” the judge continued. “But you’re not a baby so I’m not going to treat you like one. Instead, I’m going to give you some straight talk right now. And I want you to pay close attention to what I’m saying. Can you do that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t know your mother. I’ve never met her; I’ve never looked at her record or the facts of her case. All I have is the information in front of me right now. I don’t know what kind of mother she was, and I don’t know what your relationship with her was like. But I can tell you without a doubt in my mind that you are now in a better position with your current living situation than you ever were before. Do you know why?”
“No, sir.”
“I’ll tell you why. You have a kind, caring grandmother willing and happy to give you a loving home. And you have an uncle willing to help look out for you and keep you safe and fed and well cared for. An uncle, by the way, who willingly and faithfully works to uphold the law in this city, doing his part to serve and protect the rest of us. Giving you an excellent example to follow.”
He paused for effect, and Pete couldn’t help the small swell of his chest at Judge Williams’ kind words.
“If you want to know what a real man looks like, look to him. He is doing his part to be an upstanding contributing member of society instead of being a drain on our resources and making things harder, and scarier for others. Do you understand what I’m saying, Mr. Vega?”
Mateo nodded. “I think so, sir.”
“What am I saying, young sir?”
Mateo hesitated for a second. “That I can be bad like my mom, or I can be good like my uncle.”
The judge grinned.
“How about you can be a criminal or you can be a badass. There’s a difference between being bad and being a badass, so we’ll use the word criminal instead. Now, being a criminal is infinitely easier. Who doesn’t like easy money, right? Only problem is that you gotta treat your fellow humans like shit to get to it.
“But a badass never takes the easy way out. A badass always strives to be the very best that he or she can be, and it’s hard work. Your uncle works hard to build something he can be proud of. That’s badass. Your grandmother works hard to take care of her family. That’s badass. Did you ever see your mother work hard to build something she could be proud of? Did you ever see your mother work hard for anything other than getting her next high?”
Mateo shook his head and wiped at the tears that hit his cheeks.
“No, sir.”
“Then you see the difference?”
He stared Mateo down for a moment and the kid nodded again.
“Yes, sir.”
He paused again while Mateo wiped more silent tears.
“If I see you in my courtroom again, Mr. Vega, I’m not going to be a nice guy. You have every chance in the world right now. Don’t blow it. 120 hours of community service to be served over a two month period and a $200 fine. Juvenile records will be sealed.”
The gavel came down with a loud crack, and Pete let out a long breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He stood, feeling his stomach unravel from the knot it had been tied in.
“It’s over?” Julieta’s eyes held a mixture of surprise and confusion and Pete reached out a hand to help her up.
“Yes, it’s over, mamá.”
He extended his hand to his friend.
“Steven, thanks buddy. You made this virtually painless.”
“Yeah, thank you,” Mateo chimed in. “And thanks for trying to help my mom too. I never said that to you back then, but I did appreciate it.”
Steven smiled at him. “It was no problem. You just stay out of trouble, Mateo. The last thing your mom would want is for you to follow in her footsteps.”
“It’s nice of you to say that, but I don’t really think my mom gives two fucks about me.”
“Mateo!” Julieta hissed at him.
“Hey! Watch your language, Mat.” Pete glared at him, but he couldn’t bring himself to rebuke the kid’s belief. He couldn’t imagine what Mateo must think about his mother, but it didn’t really shock him to learn that he thought the worst. How could he not? “Apologize to your grandmother.”
Mateo sighed and looked at Julieta. “Lo siento, abuela,” he mumbled. I’m sorry, grandma.
“Well, I’ve got to run or I’m going to be late for a deposition.” Steven kissed Julieta on the cheek. “Pete, racquetball next week?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there. Thanks again, man!”
“But wait, what happens now?” Mateo looked back and forth between them.
“Now, I go pay your fine, and you get your community service orders. 120 hours in two months. Sounds like we’re going to have a fun summer.”
Pete smiled at him and Mateo’s shoulders took a ten-foot plummet.
“Hey.”
Isaac looked up from the rap sheet he’d been going over to see Pete walking toward him.
“Hey. How’d it go?”
“As good as we could hope for.” Pete took a seat at his desk. “120 hours of community service and a $200 fine.”
“Not bad.” Isaac nodded, taking note of the look of sheer relief on his partner’s face.
“I told Mateo he was going to pay off the fine by doing some work around the house this summer. Which, by the way, is the exact time frame during which his community service has to be served. Needless to say his ass belongs to Uncle Pete this summer. A fact he’s not too happy about.”
Isaac laughed at the glee he heard dripping from Pete’s voice.
“I guess he wouldn’t be happy about that. It’ll do him good though.”
“Yeah, it will. Any movement in our case?”
“Yep. Blood on the knife is a match to our vic.”
“Any prints?”
“Lorna’s, of course. And the others came back to this guy.” He handed Pete the guy’s wrap sheet.
“Mitchell Giordino. That’s our cellphone argument guy. The one Monty Gil overheard Harding arguing with two days before he was killed.”
“Yep.”
“Boy, he sounds like a winner too. This thing is like a mile long. Possession, menacing, aggravated assault. Those are just the highlights.”
“Yep. But this is his first murder. Well, first one on the books anyway. And…”
He paused and waited for Pete to notice.
Pete lifted his gaze from the printout.
“And?”
“He’s the guy I saw in my flash. The one I saw stab Ron Harding and run.”
The magnitude of that statement hit Pete’s eyes and they lit up.
“Well, let’s go get him and try to figure out the why!”
“One step ahead of you.” Isaac grinned at him and rocked back in his chair. “Just waiting for patrol to bring him in.”
“Sweet.”
Isaac turned back to the pile of information on Giordino sitting in front of him, and something suddenly jumped out at him.
“Whoa. What’s that look for, Ike? What’ve you got?”
“Does the name Mindy Manners mean anything to you?”
Pete thought about it and then nodded.
“Yeah. She’s one of the actresses for After Dark Productions. I remember the name from the movie cases we found at the vic’s home. Why?”
“And according to Darla Tilman, Mindy is After Dark Productions’ star, remember?”
“Right. Harding’s leading lady.”
Isaac thought about that for a moment.
“Harding’s leading lady,” he mumbled, his mind working fast to put the pieces together.
“Ike?”
Isaac looked at Pete. “According to this, Mindy Manners’ real name is Melinda Giordino. She’s Mitch’s sister.”
“Well, there’s his connection to our vic. But what’s the motive? Why would he kill his sister’s co-star? The man who, by all accounts, made her a star.”
Isaac stared off into space for a moment.
“I think I might know why.”
“Care to share?”
Pete gave him a you’re-really-going-to-leave-me-hanging look, and Isaac grinned and picked up the office extension. He dialed down to the Patrol section.
“Winger.”
Bill Winger, the day shift’s Patrol Sergeant answered in a clipped efficient tone.
“This is Detective Ike Taylor. I’m expecting your guys to bring in a suspect named Mitchell Giordino any minute now. I need them to also pick up the suspect’s sister, Melinda Giordino. Also known as Mindy Manners.”
“I’ll see to it.”
“Thanks, Winger.”
“Yep.”
Isaac hung up the phone and looked at Pete.
“If I’m right, Mitch Giordino is just a pawn in this whole thing.”
“In what whole thing, Ike. What are you working out in that psychic head of yours?”
“Oh, this part has nothing to do with my visions. This is just good old fashioned detective work right here. Think about it, Pete. You just asked the right question. Why would Mitch kill his sister’s co-star? What possible reason would he have?”
Pete made an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders. “Tell me why, Ike.”
“Because his sister asked him to, that’s why. Hell, maybe she even paid him to do it.”
“But why?”
“Jealousy! One of the oldest motives out there. And money. Because she found out that Harding was going to cut her out of the next erotic romance trilogy of films and replace her with Darla Tilman as the leading lady. The only thing I’m not sure of is how she found out about it.”
Pete stared at him and Isaac could see his mind working.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense, Pete.”
“Okay. You might be right.”
“Right? So we’ll bring her in and put her on the hot seat. Heck, if we time it just right, she and her brother might even see each other being brought in and they’ll know we got ’em. Might make ’em more talkative.”
“Fireworks. I like it.”
Twenty minutes later, they were rewarded when Mitch Giordino — a guy who looked like he should’ve been working a nightclub’s door as a bouncer — got an eyeful of his sister being brought in by two uniformed officers.
“Oh, you stupid bitch! What did you do?”
Mitch’s voice bellowed around the pit and he moved toward his sister in a huff.
Officers rushed to restrain him.
Every set of eyes in the place turned toward the commotion.
Lieutenant Hayes burst from his office to see what was going on.
