Cascade (46 page)

“
Valerie, he’s a
mobster.”

“
And you’re a painter,”
she said. “Make the call. I’ll make my world famous Green Chili
Stew…”

“
We have Green
Chilies?”

“
Delphie mailed me a box
of supplies. They’re canned chilies but we’re desperate,” Valerie
said. “I was going to surprise you.”

Valerie kissed him. She was almost to the
kitchen when he said:

“
You don’t think I’m bad
because he’s so… evil?”

She skipped across the apartment to him.
Holding him in her arms, she said:

“
You’re the best person
I’ve ever met. I think people make choices. I’m glad we haven’t had
to make the choices he made. We should thank your mother for
that.”

She stepped back and took his hand.

“
Come help me make this
stew. We need to get some pork. Did you say you found a butcher? We
probably need…”

He lifted her off the ground in a hug.
Valerie squealed and laughed. When he set her down, she kissed his
wet face. She held him while he called his grandfather to invite
him to dinner. Together, they went into the kitchen to check for
supplies. Together, they went shopping for what they needed.
Together, they made dinner. And when the time came, they opened the
door to his grandfather, together.

~~~~~~~

Friday afternoon — 4:30 P.M.

By appointment only

“
So, I’m sitting on the
witness stand…” Raz said.

“
I’m done back here,”
Sandy said. “Would you like a shave?”

Laughing, Alex was standing next to the
chair. Arthur “Raz” Rasmussen was giving a hilarious rendition of
his testimony in the step-sister’s trial. Nash was cleaning the
bathroom while Teddy was washing the towels in the back. Alex had
cranked the music to her favorite Alternative Metal. They were all
listening, and laughing, to Raz’s rendition of the trial.

“
Yes please,” Raz said.
“You know I love your shaves. They’re one of the reasons I live in
Denver.”

Sandy blushed as the handsome man’s gray
eyes danced across her face.

“
Where was I?” he
said.

“
Moronic defense
attorney,” Alex said.

“
I’ve been on the witness
stand countless times as a cop. I’ve never seen a more moronic
defense attorney.” Raz closed his mouth so Sandy could shave his
top lip. “I mean, he tried to get me to say that the tape was
actually an acted rendition. A fake. How stupid can you be? We went
through the tape one frame at a time and I showed how it couldn’t
have been staged. Poor Honey had to watch the whole
thing.”

“
Honey is so tough,” Alex
said. “Who would have thought such a tiny person could endure so
very much? She’s amazing.”

They nodded.

“
Jill had the same
experience with the defense attorney,” Sandy said. “But Jill
thought he was gaining ground with the jury.”

“
Then they’re morons. I
don’t think anyone is that stupid,” Raz said. “He was a complete
asshole to me. The judge was furious. But he kept trying to trip me
up.”

“
He didn’t know you were a
cop,” Alex said.

“
Probably thought I was
just some paper pusher…”

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! The sound of gunfire
echoed through the salon. Nash and Teddy ran out from the back.
Sandy screamed and dropped to her knees.

“
Get down!” Alex
yelled.

Raz jumped to his feet to stand beside her.
They both drew their handguns and pointed them at the outline of
the man staring at the tinted window.

“
Bullet proof glass,” Alex
said. “We set it up for Jacob. He can’t shoot through
it.”

They watched the man walk to the door and
shoot out the lock.

“
Lost that bet,” Raz
said.

“
Sandy, take the kids to
the back,” Alex yelled. “Do it. NOW!”

Sandy grabbed Nash and Teddy’s hand and ran
to the back of the shop. Alex and Raz ran to the door.

“
We have to wait until he
crosses the threshold,” Raz said. “We won’t have a straight link to
the shooting otherwise.”

“
Nice to have a cop
around,” Alex said.

The shooter opened the door. He stepped
right in front of Alex’s raised handgun. Turning in place, the
shooter ran out the door. Alex and Raz ran after him. They skid to
a stop at the corner of Colfax and Marion where they both had a
clear shot.

“
Knee? Stops movement,
non-lethal.” Raz raised his handgun to shoot.

“
Shoulder. More
memorable,” Alex raised her handgun.

Bam. The sound of a handgun came from behind
them. The shooter fell screaming to the ground. Alex and Raz turned
to see Max.

“
Achilles Tendon,” he
said. “Stops him fast and never heals right. Why are we shooting
this guy?”

“
He shot at Sandy,” Alex
said.

While the Denver Police cruisers squealed
toward their location, Alex and Max swapped their identical Glock 9
mm handguns. Alex and Raz ran to the shooter. Max went back to the
salon where he found Sandy and the kids shivering with fear in the
back.

“
I told them about that
lock,” Max said. “We were waiting for the other one to come in.
Jake’s going to be furious.”

“
I’m not safe here,” Sandy
whispered.

“
Of course you are!” Max
laughed. “Especially now. You won’t believe the international
fracas created by Alex being involved in this shooting. I bet that
contract will be canceled by tomorrow morning.”

“
What about…?”

“
The cops will be here
with their drama. Are you hungry boys?”

Eye’s wide with fear, Nash and Teddy shook
their heads. Max laughed. He pulled them up off the tile. He helped
them to a comfortable love seat in Sandy’s waiting area.

“
We may as well get
comfortable,” Max said. “It’s going to be a while. I’ll order food.
Does Chinese work? Where’s Noelle?”

“
She’s at the Castle with
Jill and Katy,” Sandy said.

“
I’ll call Jill,” Max
said. “Don’t worry. You’re with friends.”

“
It’s good to have
friends.”

Max smiled.

CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
What’s coming?

Two weeks later

Thursday — 3:25 P.M.

After getting a bite to eat and checking
that Katy and Noelle had snacks, Delphie sat down at a small table
in her apartment. She usually took care of the kids after school
but Jill had taken the day off from lingering trial. Jill had
offered to take care of the kids. Jill, Katy and Noelle were
upstairs playing Barbies. Delphie looked up when she heard Katy’s
high pitched squealing giggle. It was nice to have children around
again.

She needed to work on her garden plan. Mike
would be home this weekend. He and Jacob would make quick work of
the early spring bed turn over. Reaching for her companion planting
guide, her eyes fell on her Tarot deck. Maybe a few quick family
readings would settle her mind.

She started with Jill. She focused her mind
on Jill while she shuffled the cards. With her left hand, she split
the deck into three piles then put them back together.

She turned over the top card – Lovers. Of
course, Jill and Jacob. The figures on the card almost looked like
them. Their union was blessed. No matter what happened, they would
work through it with love.

Turning over the next card, she saw the two
of Cups. Another card about love. Jill was really happy and in
love. Delphie’s mind flashed to Jill and Jacob kissing in the
kitchen. They had been cleaning up after dinner. Jacob was handing
her dishes. A dish, a kiss. She smiled. They were really cute.

Without thinking, she turned over the next
card – The Tower. Delphie gasped. The tower? How could that be
true? The tower represented a sudden or catastrophic change. Jill
will be blind-sided by a dramatic change.

Shaking her head, Delphie would have to be
certain to pay special attention to Jill. Jill would need her help
when everything came down.

Turning her mind to Jacob, she shuffled the
cards and split the deck. When she was sure the cards were well
mixed, she pulled the first card for Jacob – Ten of Pentacles.
Jacob certainly had achieved success. The sale of Lipson
construction was going well. The employees were buying shares and
participating in decisions. Yes, Jacob deserved that success.

The next card she pulled was the King of
Cups. Yes, Jacob was the becoming a wise leader like his father.
With Jill here, he was calmer, wiser, and happier. She was glad to
see Jacob step into himself.

She flipped over the next card – The Tower.
Delphie shook her head. The catastrophic sudden change would affect
them both. Poor kids.

She turned her mind to Valerie. Valerie
called every other day to talk to everyone. She was making such a
special effort to stay involved in the family. Delphie loved
hearing her happy voice. She mixed the cards by shuffling and
splitting.

First card, Eight of Pentacles. Yes, Valerie
was hard at work on her film. She was also having a great time.
This film must be really important in her career.

Delphie turned over the next card – The
Tower. Again!

Frightened, Delphie turned over the next
card. Oh Goddess, the five of Cups. Grief, loss or bereavement.
What was in store for them?

Moving at a rapid pace, Delphie mixed the
cards and did a reading for Mike. The Tower appeared again. Sam’s
reading had the same Tower.

The card must be dirty. Sticky. She went to
the kitchen to get a towel and some diluted ammonia. After cleaning
the card, she shuffled again.

The Tower appeared for Katy, Nash, Noelle,
Honey, MJ and Sandy.

She decided to do a reading for herself. She
shuffled and split until she was certain the cards were well
mixed.

Turning over the first card, she had the
Seven of Pentacles. Yes, she was happily assessing her life. All
these years of hard work were paying off. With everyone around, she
was happier than she’d ever been.

The next card was the Tower. Good Goddess.
The Tower again!

With great trepidation, Delphie turned over
the next card. She gasped and dropped the card. Death. Something in
her life would die. She knew in her heart that this card never
meant physical death. Still, combined with the Tower, the loss
would be caused by a powerful force and have sweeping
ramifications.

Biting her lip, she shuffled the cards to do
her reading again. And pulled the same cards.

In her mind, she heard the assertion she
said thousand of times to clients: ‘The cards never lie. We can
misinterpret them but they are never wrong.’ There was no
misinterpreting this omen. Something was going to happen that would
affect everyone she loved.

What was coming?

The cards held no answer to that. Something
was coming, something bad, something hard, and she had no idea
what.

~~~~~~~~

Thursday — 4:30 P.M.

Standing on the elevator, Sandy smoothed out
her top. She’d just started wearing maternity clothing and she
hated it. How did celebrities always look so elegant while she was
starting to look like an elephant? Even Heather looked better than
Sandy did. She rubbed her hand over her belly. The baby was growing
and healthy.

At least she was no longer in danger. Max
has been right. Just one public photo of the back of Alex
Hargreaves’s head caused the contract to be canceled. Good thing.
She simply could not deal with a bodyguard tagging along today. She
had way too much to do.

Stepping off the elevator, she looked around
and wandered down the hall. She would learn about her father’s
estate today. Her Godfather, Seth, hired this attorney to deal with
the Feds and sort out the estate. Today, she would find out what,
if anything, she would inherit from her father’s estate.

Her mother would be there. Her mother hadn’t
spoken a word to her since she flipped out at the hospital. Jill
and Heather had gone to her mother’s house to tell her that Sandy
was pregnant. But her mother told them, ‘That slut was on her own.’
Of course, Jill wouldn’t tell her what her mother said. Jill just
said that her mother had finally lost the last piece of her mind.
Sandy had weaseled it out of Heather.

Anjelika had offered to go with Sandy today,
but Sandy had refused. She needed this appointment to be short and
simple. Otherwise, she’d be late to pick up Nash from martial arts
practice.

Entering the office, she gave her name to
the receptionist and was told they were ready for her. She followed
the receptionist down a dark hallway to a large office. An elderly
man sat behind a huge mahogany desk. He stood up when she entered
the room. Seeing her mother sitting in a chair, Sandy stopped in
the doorway. Taking a breath for courage, Sandy held out her hand
to shake the lawyer’s hand.

“
Thank you both for
coming,” the lawyer said. “This shouldn’t take too
long.”

Sandy sat down in a leather chair next to
her mother. Her mother didn’t look at her. Glancing at her mother’s
face, she saw that her mother’s lips were set in a thin angry line.
In the last month, her mother had aged. Her hair was uncombed and
oily. Sandy wondered if her mother had been drinking.

“
As you may know, over
four million dollars were found in the walls of the house,” the
lawyer said.