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Haunted by the Past - Chapter 26 - Nothing To Worry About
By: RampageSports Date: March 30, 2016, 1:07 pm
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Author's Note: The Spenser, Hawk, Susan Silverman, Vinnie Morris
and Ives characters belong to mystery novelist Robert B. Parker.
Mr. Parker is one of my favorite authors, and his work is a
major influence on the the way I write. Whether I even come
close to mimicking his style is open to considerable debate, but
I have chosen to use his characters in this story as something
of an homage. My goal is to handle them as lightly as possible
and to maintain them as Mr. Parker created them. Any failure on
that front is completely my own.
[hr]
Haunted by the Past - Chapter 26 - Nothing To Worry About
"I hate this idea," Danni said as she leaned against the small
island — a half eaten banana in her hand.
I was at the other island, trimming the fat from the boneless
pork chops that would be the main ingredient in tonight's meal.
Rice was already simmering in a large pot on the stove. Next to
it was an olive oil coated pan, set on low heat and waiting for
the pork.
In a small bowl, I combined sage, garlic, rosemary and pepper
and stirred them together. I sprinkled the blend over the pork,
and pressed the seasonings in.
"It's going to be fine," I said.
"You didn't think the other night would be a big deal, and..."
She left the sentence unfinished, but her point was clear.
"This isn't going to be like that," I said. "I admit that
Declan is not exactly a good person. But, unlike Powers, he's
not insane."
She finished her snack, then started preparing the salad.
I turned the pork chops over and sprinkled again. Once I was
done, the seasoned chops went into the pan, and I washed my
hands and went to help her.
Within seconds, Danni's nose pointed her in the direction of the
pan, and she took a deep, appreciative sniff.
"Smells good, right?" I asked.
"Don't change the subject," she said, though her eyes lingered
on the pan. "Powers has had us running scared for days, so he
doesn't seem that stupid to me. And I don't see how being
smarter makes this guy less dangerous."
This guy was Declan Cavanaugh, a man who — unbeknownst to nearly
all of its residents — is one of the most powerful men in New
Jersey. On second thought, given the level of corruption
currently destroying the state, I doubt any taxpayer would be
surprised to find out that his or her vote wasn't worth a damn.
That money and influence put their fate in the hands of power
brokers like Cavanaugh. Men who were unseen and unelected —
accountable to no one but themselves.
Even among these shadowy kingmakers, Declan tends to rise above.
Or sink below, depending on your viewpoint. As a student of
Tammany Hall — once the most powerful political machine in the
Northeast and, arguably, the nation — he is considered an expert
in the ways of patronage and graft. In fact, the story is that
he is not just the spiritual descendant of the infamous
political organization, but it's biological descendant, as well.
In other words, being a corrupt, slimy son of a b*tch is
actually in his blood.
For most, this heritage would be a source of great humiliation
and disgrace, but Cavanaugh embraced it openly — even
embellishing the tale to make himself the long-distant heir of
William "Boss" Tweed, the most notorious scumbag of the litany
of scumbags the Hall produced.
His base of operations was a nondescript office building on
South Montgomery Street in Trenton, overlooking Mill Hill Park.
Located less than a block from the Trenton City Offices and
within a mile of the State House, it was the perfect spot from
which to project his power. Seedy politicians didn't even need
to drive to come and kiss his proverbial ring.
The formal name of the complex was simply the Montgomery Street
Offices, but those in the know commonly referred to it by its
informal name.
Tammany South.
Danni had a point, of course. Cavanaugh is greedy, egotistical
and morally bankrupt and he's capable of doing things I prefer
not to think about to get what he wants. And I was about to
p*ss him off pretty good. So there was definitely some danger
involved in this. But, with him, all that matters is money and
power. He wouldn't risk what he had just to get back a little
payback.
"Powers wants me to pay for what he feels I did to him," I said.
"Destroying my life is just the appetizer. He won't be
satisfied until I'm dead. That's all he cares about."
The pork had browned nicely, and I turned my attention back to
the pan. I added enough white wine to cover, then added the
remainder of the seasoning.
"Hurting me gets Cavanaugh nothing but trouble," I continued.
"Investigations, press, police... all things he'd rather avoid."
Danni shook her head slowly in disgust, obviously not satisfied
with my answers.
"I still don't understand why Spenser and Hawk can't meet with
him."
"We talked about this. We're better off if Spenser and Hawk
remain an unknown quantity in all of this. Besides, I'm the one
Cavanaugh knows."
Time for a little background on my relationship with the
delightful Mr. Cavanaugh. You see, there are two sides to his
little enterprise. The political side is the one that brings
him the power and respect he craves, and, at this point, that
side could probably sustain itself. However, it wasn't always
that way. Power like that has to be bought, which means you
have to come to the table with quite a bit of money to begin
with. In most cases, that kind of wealth takes generations to
amass, but Declan made his by engaging in a slew of sketchy
enterprises. Among them was the ownership of the The Old
Warehouse, located just across the tracks... mere blocks from
the base of his political operations.
Cavanaugh had been the one to first see the potential in me.
True, he viewed my physical prowess through the prism of money
and greed, but it still put us both in the position of wanting
the same thing. It was a partnership that worked well for both
of us... until I wanted out.
"Yeah, it sounds like you and he were real good friends."
"It's true. We don't particularly like each other. In fact,
just thinking about him makes my skin crawl. But we know what
to expect from each other. No surprises, no disappointments."
She picked up her cutting board, using the knife to sweep a pile
of freshly sliced cucumber into the bowl.
"And what happens when he realizes what you've done?"
"I think I can assuage his anger," I said. "Besides, it won't
matter. What's done is done. He won't be happy, but he won't
be able to do anything about it."
"Assuage how?"
"That's between him and me."
Even though the daggers she shot me were expected, they were
impressive nonetheless.
The rice had finished, so I turned it off. Danni took the
completed salad out to the table. I heard the hostile thud as
the bowl hit the wood, and I knew I was in for it when she
joined me at the island.
"What is it with you and your secrets?" she rumbled.
"It's not a secret," I said. "It's just something you're better
off not knowing about."
"That means it's something I need to worry about."
"No. Not really."
"I'm sorry. I don't believe you."
Knowing she wasn't going to be happy did nothing to prepare me
for the pain I heard in her voice.
"Look, I..."
"Don't," she said, flipping her hand disgustedly as she looked
away.
I stood there, with my mouth hanging open.
"I thought," she began, pausing to check her emotions. "I
thought we were past this. I thought you trusted me."
"I do."
"Sure," she muttered.
"Danni, I do," I said.
I stepped around the island and took her hands in mine.
"I trust you," I said definitively. "I mean, I've trusted you
with the biggest secret I have, okay? So, this is not about
trust."
"Then why not just tell me?"
"Like I said, it's something you're better off not knowing."
"Just tell me," she said. "The worrying will drive me crazy."
I shook my head, but my resolve crumbled quickly.
"Okay," I said.
Then, I told her.
"That wasn't as bad as I expected," she said when I finished.
"I know," I said. "But you got all wounded and everything, so
there you go."
"I still don't quite understand why you would do it, though."
"Well, Cavanaugh may not be dangerous, but we're better off if
he doesn't hold a grudge. And besides... I need him to do
something for me, and this will help."
"What kind of something?" she asked suspiciously.
"You really are a pain in the ass, you know that?"
"Flattery will get you nowhere," she said.
"Fine. I need to make sure he hangs Powers out to dry,
completely."
"Why?"
"I want Powers desperate, and I want to make sure Cavanaugh is
out of it."
I forked a pork chop onto a plate, added some rice and ladled
the wine sauce over everything. I handed it to Danni, repeated
the procedure with my own and we made our way to the table.
"You're hoping if everything dries up, he'll go away?"
"Sounds good to me," I said.
You see what I did there? Not yes or no. The perfect
non-answer.
Yeah, it took Danni nearly thirty seconds to see it, too.
In case you're wondering, that's a new record for me trying to
slip bullsh*t past her.
"Wait a minute," she said as we sat down. "If you really want
him gone, you would make sure he knew Spenser and Hawk were
here."
I didn't offer a reply, and the darkness returned to Danni's
face.
"You don't want him to go, do you?"
"No," I said.
She took a minute to consider what that meant. I don't really
think she needed that long, but she probably wanted to make sure
she'd considered all the possibilities before coming to the dark
but accurate conclusion.
"You realize what you're saying?"
"Yes. I'm saying I want this over with, once and for all. I'm
not going to spend the rest of my life looking over my
shoulder."
And neither will you.
"That's a pretty heavy thing to live with," she said.
"Not if I do it right."
[hr]
Character Reference
HTML http://s19.postimg.org/x7gm9w22n/Richelle_100x120.jpg
Name: Richelle Winterfeld
Nickname(s):
Background: Owner of the RSI stable, former underground fighter
HTML http://s19.postimg.org/9av3z511b/Danni_100x120.jpg
Name: Danneel Harris
Nickname(s): Danni
Background: RSI stable leader, reigning DEF welterweight
champion
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