Black Forest, Denver Cereal Volume 5 (10 page)

“
I know of him,” Ava said.
“Some hotshot big wig at Homeland Security ordered a DNA through
the CBI. I was coming here to get Seth, so I offered to take it. I
spent about three minutes with him, Dr. Morgan. He complained. A
lot. Fascist state, stuff like that. But his immigration is on the
line, so he had to give a sample.”

“
DNA?” Heather
asked.

“
Listen, I feel really
awkward,” Ava said. “I’m sure you think Seth and I…”

“
We aren’t people who
judge love,” Sandy said.

“
We’ve known Seth a long
time and like him a lot,” Heather added.

“
Don’t feel awkward,”
Tanesha said. “We’re acting weird because we’re trying to mind warp
you into telling us all you know.”

“
About Morgan,” Ava said.
“What I know… Um, he’s married, five kids… They aren’t here.
They’re supposed to come here as soon as he gets right with
immigration. I guess. Mostly…”

Ava’s voice trailed off.

“
I don’t know how to say
it,” Ava said.

The women were silent while they watched Ava
think.

“
Mostly, he’s not who or
what he says he is,” Ava said.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY-EIGHT

Deniability

Monday evening — 6:15 P.M.

“
Thanks for the push,”
Sandy said. She turned around to look at Ava. “The kids are
probably waiting for me in my room.”

“
Easy,” Ava pushed Sandy’s
wheelchair down the hospital hall. “I wanted the chance to talk to
you anyway.”

“
Yeah, we figured,” Sandy
said.

“
We?”

“
Me, Heather and Tanesha,”
Sandy said.

Ava nodded.

“
Turn here,” Sandy said.
“We have to take that elevator.”

Ava pushed the up button and went back to
her position behind Sandy’s chair.

“
You wanted to talk to
me?” Sandy asked.

“
I do,” Ava
said.

“
About Seth?” Sandy
asked.

“
About Seth,” Ava
said.

The elevator bell rang and Ava rolled Sandy
into the elevator. A family ran up to get on the elevator.

“
I’m sorry,” Ava said.
“Police business.”

The man and women caught their children
before they entered the elevator. Their shocked faces took in Sandy
and Ava. Sandy laughed when the elevator doors closed.

“
Seth is a police
detective,” Ava smiled. “It’s police business.”

“
What’s going on?” Sandy
asked.

“
You’re Seth’s only real
family,” Ava said.

“
Sissy and Charlie too,”
Sandy said.

“
You’re the only person
I’ve found who knows him at all,” Ava said. “Like what’s on the
CD?”

“
You know Seth writes
music,” Sandy said.

“
I learned that this
morning,” Ava said.

“
He writes a sonata or a
concerto when he’s working on a big case. Every once in a great
while he writes a symphony. He finishes the bulk of the writing
while he’s working a case and then works the piece until he’s ready
to start a new one. I assume this case is heating up enough for him
to start a new project.”

“
He didn’t sleep last
night,” Ava said.

“
He’s starting a new
project,” Sandy said. “He won’t sleep much until the case is done.
Anyway, the CD is his latest completed piece. He gives them to me
to see what I think. I listen and send them on to his
agent.”

“
His agent?” Ava
asked.

“
Seth’s work is amazing,”
Sandy said. “He’s in such demand that there will be buzz for weeks
prior to the piece going on the block. This is the first piece in…
maybe a year.”

“
On the block?” Ava
asked.

“
For auction,” Sandy said.
“They auction the rights for movies or whatever. It’s a big event.
You’ll have to ask Seth if he’ll take you. I always go, of
course.”

“
Auction?”

“
This piece is highly
anticipated because he worked with a cellist. There’s hope it’s a
symphony for a whole orchestra.”

“
A cellist?” Ava
asked.

“
You know, you’re
repeating what I say,” Sandy said.

“
Oh, sorry,” Ava said. “I
just don’t know anything and I want to know everything.”

“
He dated a cellist for a
while,” Sandy said.

“
Is he dating her now?”
Ava asked.

“
He wouldn’t be dating you
if he was dating her,” Sandy said. “Seth’s a lot of things but he
can’t handle more than one woman at a time. Except Maresol and me.
But we don’t really count.”

The door opened and Ava wheeled Sandy off
the elevator.

“
Why don’t we find a place
to talk?” Sandy asked. “The kids can wait for a few minutes. I bet
you didn’t come all this way to talk about Seth’s music or his
auction.”

Ava pushed Sandy into a small empty waiting
area just off the elevator landing.

“
Does Seth make a lot of
money selling music?” Ava asked.

“
Yes,” Sandy said. “So
does everyone involved – his agent, his publicist, the Colorado
Symphony. Seth has an incredible talent.”

“
He played for me this
morning,” Ava said. “I…”

“
It’s hard to believe,”
Sandy said. “Is that what you wanted to ask?”

“
Yes,” Ava said. “Well,
no…”

Ava’s eyebrows furrowed as she tried to make
a decision.

“
You really like him,”
Sandy said.

“
I really like him,” Ava
said. “Really. He’s almost three times my age.”

“
You’re…?”

“
Twenty-three,” Ava
said.

“
Seth’s fifty-eight,”
Sandy said. “That’s not three times.”

“
More than twice my age,”
Ava said.

“
And?”

“
I like everything about
him. Even before I knew about the music or the house or… the money…
He’s funny… incredible in bed. He really listens to me… remembers
what I say. When we’re alone, it’s like I’m the center of his
world. I feel like I could spend my life with him but…”

“
He’s not going there
again,” Sandy said.

“
Why?” Ava
asked.

“
We don’t have time for
the why,” Sandy said. “What do you really want to know?”

“
Ex-wives,” Ava said. “I
want to know about his ex-wives.”

“
Short answer or long
answer?”

“
I have to get to work and
your kids are waiting for you,” Ava said.

“
Short answer for now,”
Sandy said. “Seth’s first wife only wanted him for his parent’s
money. But his parents disowned him for being a cop.”

“
But…”

“
The house?” Sandy asked.
“That’s part of the long story. The first wife had a couple of
girls and then divorced him. She thought she’d get a large
settlement but his father had just disowned him. She got half the
rights to some of his work, not chump change but not what she
thought she deserved. I didn’t know Seth when he was married to
her. So I only know what he says and what my Dad used to
say.”

“
His daughter is in town?”
Ava asked.

“
Lizzie, his oldest,”
Sandy said. “She’s a little younger than you are. She’s staying at
my apartment to ‘get to know her Dad.’ That’s what she told me but
she hasn’t spent any time with him.”

“
I guess I knew that,” Ava
said. “Seth’s called her a bunch of times but she doesn’t return
his calls.”

Sandy nodded.

“
He says my
ex-wives.”

“
His second wife is a
little different,” Sandy said. “It’s a very sad story. You sure you
want to hear it?”

Ava nodded as if she was prepared.

“
You know Seth and my Dad
worked vice,” Sandy said.

“
And got addicted to
drugs… alcohol,” Ava nodded.

“
Right,” Sandy said. “Seth
met Bonita while he was high. They got married while he was high.
He wasn’t writing music then.”

“
Because he was high,” Ava
said.

“
Mostly because he wasn’t
working out big puzzles,” Sandy said.

“
Like murder,” Ava
said.

“
Right,” Sandy said.
“Anyway, Bonita and Seth had two boys in two years – Pablo and
Gabriel. After Gabriel was born, Seth decided to get clean. He
wanted to be a detective, my Dad was already sober and… Gabriel was
special… musical. He would fiddle with the piano keys. Seth cleaned
up his act, started running, and playing the piano again. Of
course, he and Dad made detective, no problem. But Bonita was an
alcoholic. Things didn’t go so well.”

“
It doesn’t sound good,”
Ava said.

“
They lived in this tiny
house in the Highlands,” Sandy said. “Seth and Dad got their first
big case and Seth stopped sleeping. He was either writing music or
working. Bonita was furious. Seth was just gone and
she…”

“
Felt abandoned?” Ava
asked.

“
Mostly, she didn’t like
his work affecting her drinking time,” Sandy shrugged. “I don’t
know that for sure. I just think that. Seth stopped playing the
piano at home.”

“
Where did he play?” Ava
asked.

“
The posh places are the
Brown Palace or the Burnsley. He tries out classical music there,”
Sandy said. “But when he’s stuck and can’t think of what’s next, he
plays at Charlie Browns.”

“
The dive bar?”

“
He loves to play the
sing-a-long,” Sandy said. “There isn’t a piano player in town who
won’t just move over when Seth shows up.”

“
Seth’s good,” Ava
said.

“
Seth’s really good and
doesn’t take the tips,” Sandy said. “It’s a great deal for the
piano players.”

“
You were talking about
Bonita?” Ava asked.

“
Bonita got drunk one
night and went to find him. The kids were in the car. It was
dumping snow. She ran the light at Broadway and was hit by an 18
wheeler. She and Pablo died at the scene. She was eight months
pregnant. They tried to deliver the baby but he didn’t make it.
Gabriel hung on for about a week.”

Ava blinked back the sorrow she felt for
Seth and his family.

“
Seth never got over it.
He blames himself,” Sandy said. “It nearly killed him. For a while,
Dad and I weren’t sure he would make it. He vowed to never marry or
have kids again. So, no matter how much he likes you, he won’t make
it permanent.”

Ava’s head went up and down in a nod.

“
You should just enjoy
your time with him,” Sandy said. “He’ll treat you well. You’ll have
a lot of fun, eat a lot of donuts. But prepare yourself, some day
it will end. It does with everyone.”

“
Everyone except you,” Ava
said.

“
And Maresol,” Sandy said.
“Maresol is Bonita’s mother. But we’re not his lovers.”

“
Sandy?” Aden’s voice came
down the hall. “I hear her voice…”

“
I have to go,” Sandy
said. “Feel free to come by. I’m here until I’m better. It will be
a while. I’d like to get to know you.”

“
That’s nice of you,” Ava
said. “Especially since…”

“
Enjoy yourself,” Sandy
said. “Really. Soak it up. He’ll give you everything you ever
dreamed of.”

“
Except marriage…
children,” Ava said.

“
Except what he can’t
give,” Sandy said.

“
There you are,” Aden
said. He leaned down to kiss her. “I was getting
worried.”

“
It’s my fault,” Ava
said.

“
Have you met, Ava?” Sandy
asked.

“
At the mansion,” Aden
said.

“
Nice to see you again,”
Ava smiled. “I need to get to work.”

Impulsively, Ava leaned down to hug Sandy.
She whispered, ‘thanks’ and took a hasty retreat to the stairs. Ava
made it to the first floor before she started to cry. Through
blurry eyes, she ran to her car. Sitting in her warm car, Ava cried
for Bonita, Pablo, Gabriel, and the unborn baby. She started her
car when her phone rang. Wiping her face with her hand, she
confirmed that she was on her way in. Turning the corner onto
Seventeenth Avenue, she vowed to enjoy her time with Seth as if
each day was a gift. By the time she reached the downtown station,
Ava was back in control.

For now.

~~~~~~~~

Monday night — 8:15 P.M.

“
You have to come get me,”
Razor whispered into Charlie’s disposable phone.

“
Where are you?” Charlie
asked.

Charlie set down his hand of cards. He stood
up from the poker game he was playing with Nash and Teddy on the
floor of his room. Leaving Nash and Teddy to argue over who won,
Charlie went out into the hall of the apartment over Sandy’s
salon.

“
You know where,” Razor
whispered. “He’s going to kill me. I just know it.”