Knockout! A Passionate Police Romance (23 page)

He stopped and studied her “I understand how your father got involved in this - I really do.”

She smiled back despite her tears. The big skater swept past on his return journey.

“Keep your phone on. Just wait for a call.” He said as he accelerated away with the grace and power of a tiger along the path towards Seaside. She watched him until he was a dot in the distance. Her lover. Her man.

She jogged back to the hotel - singing.

“You’re cheerful.” Commented the receptionist.

“It’s the Eiffel Tower - it didn’t fall down yet.” She replied to the confused girl with a laugh.

She phoned agent Mayer with nothing to report. He sounded bored.

“Okay ma’am - you have a nice day.”

She intended to.

It was 10.30 when the phone rang. Anna knew the voice at once.

“You’d better get over here - you’re probably staked out watching me anyway. This ain’t my idea young woman.”

“Thank you for seeing me...”

“Save it Honey! Let’s get this done.”

She had already dressed in a somber gray trouser suit and medium heeled shoes. Half an hour later she swung the car onto Linda La Salle’s driveway in Pacific Grove. The front door of the beautiful detached house was glazed. She took a deep breath knowing that this would not be easy. As she approached she saw a figure already behind the door poised to open it. Anna reached out to shake hands. The older woman ignored the gesture and moved aside.

“You’re only here because Freddie wants it this way.” She snapped icily.

The house smelled pleasantly of sandalwood and coffee. Anna followed through a large hallway and climbed a wide marble stairway to the first floor. Evidently the floors were inverted with the lounge area above the bedrooms. As she stepped into the room she could see why. The whole end wall was a window looking out over the Pacific Ocean.

“Wow!” Commented Anna involuntarily.

“Let’s hope you don’t put us in jail so we can enjoy it.”

Anna bit her tongue. At least she was here. She studied her adversary - a woman of about fifty two, mid brown shoulder length hair expensively and flawlessly dyed. She wore a smart pink cardigan tied under her breasts. Her neat gray trousers were well cut and showed off her pert - probably personal trainer honed butt. Her face was almost beautiful with an aristocratic fine long nose. Her plucked eyebrows arched cynically over her green cattish eyes.

“Coffee?”

“Thanks...”

“Freddie is my son. I know you know that but you cannot possibly be too aware of that. He has risked his life and brains to be where he is. Don’t think I take it for granted.”

“He loves you.”

Linda La Salle threw back her head with a cold laugh -

“Well thanks for letting me know about my own son - that’s not too bad when you’ve only known him for a week.”

Anna watched her face. She knew enough of Linda La Salle’s past to realize that she had passions of her own.

“There’s little I can say to please you. I want to be friends but if your mind is made up I may as well say nothing.” She replied firmly.

Linda nodded and took a sip of coffee with a slight knowing smile. The way to deal with Linda La Salle’s serve was to come straight into the net and volley!

“That was a neat trick this morning.” She said, holding Anna’s eyes in a steady gaze.

“Trick?”

Linda laughed openly, revealing perfect teeth.

“Look - the poor guy thinks you just happened to be out jogging and he just happened to catch you up. He’s a man for Pete’s sake - he has no idea how devious we women can be.”

“You should have told him.” Anna fired back.

“What - and spoil all his fun? I knew some heartless bitch would teach him soon enough.”

“Let’s hope I’m around to save him if she shows up.”

Anna watched as Linda reflected a little. Ten years of police work had sharpened her counter punching. She decided to take the initiative.

“I know what you think of me - but I love him. I had already met him by chance before I knew who he was. I’ll tell you how everything happened and it’s up to you what you believe…”

Linda listened and let her relate the whole story. Finally she ended saying -

“I had never loved a man before - not truly loved. I’m not some stupid wannabe who’s never seen an angry man. City streets are unforgiving places. I’m a cop because I don’t want the thugs to rule the world. I’m not proud of myself but I’m proud to be a police officer.”

For a few moments Linda La Salle sat silently. Her eventual response took her by surprise.

“And you’re here - even though that slug Tondelli would kill you. You do know that Anna don’t you.”

“I know it - but they don’t know who I am.”

“But you knew I could have told them - and you still went ahead without knowing.”

“I love him...”

“You’ve got some balls.” Drawled Linda letting out a long sigh and leaning back in her chair. “I never dreamed he’d walk in with a cop. I’ve seen off enough gold diggers. Your folks have got money - but you took your own path. Let’s say you’ve got my respect Anna.”

She could have kissed the woman. She wanted to leap up and hug her.

“Okay - my name is Linda - we can work things out.”

Anna nodded her agreement as this amazing tough woman carried on talking.

“Let’s start with me aged nineteen, pregnant by some French romantic with just a dream of a body who thinks one line of poetry is worth more than all the dollars in the universe. Now there’s a bit of that guy in Freddie... he’s read more books than there are books.

So one day I can’t take any more rabbit stew and cycle rides in the woods. I get a job back in the USA and end up on a trailer park in Castroville with a ten year old kid and a Business degree from the Sorbonne.”

“And your folks?”

“They gave up everything to get me to France because that’s what I demanded. I know I let them down. They weren’t wealthy.”

“And Mathieu - Freddie’s father?”

Linda tightened her lips in a faint wistful grin.

“We never divorced. There’s been no one else. I love him - but I love a lot of other things too. Hey - he’s some kinda great poet these days. He must have made at least five hundred dollars by now!” Linda laughed and continued. “Look - I’ve made choices. I don’t dress things up. I like money and security. He was a one off guy you know... crazy but they broke the mould after they made him. We needed two worlds to live in - with a four poster bed in the middle!”

“I respect your openness with me.” Said Anna.

“Then we respect each other.”

Linda stood up and walked to a bureau and took out a photograph album.

“That’s the soft stuff Anna - I could talk all day about how I played the markets once Freddie made a bit of cash. But it’s not just about that. It’s time for you to know the real truth.”

She watched as the older woman seemed to sadden and almost wither at what lay ahead.

“This is something I... we... don’t talk about. Something at the heart of this whole affair. Everything – absolutely everything is on this fight. I’m going to explain but you must promise that when you leave here today you will just stay clear until it is over. You must promise. I assure you this is not just about me or Freddie. It is about more than you can imagine. Everything up until now has been a sham and you have been just a small part of it. ”

Linda fixed her with a pleading stare. How should she respond?

“And after the fight?”

“Then... ” Linda paused, visibly chewing her bottom lip, “then the world is for poetry and lovers. That is my hope Anna…”

What choice did she have? Linda might be laying a trail just to distract her but she had to trust her. Once she gave her word she could not go back. She watched as Linda walked to a bookcase and took out a leather bound album.

“I agree Linda - I’ll do as you wish.”

“Did Freddie ever talk to you about being a kid?”

“He has... but there’s been a block there you know. He’s talked about fishing and a kid called Ramon he knew on the trailer park.”

Linda opened the album and handed it to her. Her eyes picked out a photo of Freddie - maybe sixteen or so with his arm around an Hispanic boy. They both wore boxing gloves, shorts and boots.

“Freddie came to America as a weird little kid speaking three parts French to one part English. He used to read Voltaire and cry for his dad to take him out in the fields. He sure wasn’t Yankee Doodle Dandy. So there was this kid - Ramon Gomez. His folks broke their backs on the artichoke fields or any sort of work they could get. The boys were the same age...”

A bell started to ring in Anna’s head. She knew that name... something she had seen. Then it came to her.

“The Ramon Gomez Medical Foundation? It’s so famous and has some crazy unknown millionaire to bank roll it.”

Linda’s eyes filled with tears. Anna watched her fighting back emotions that were just too strong for her to contain. Suddenly the dam burst and she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Uncertain of her reception she crossed the room and put an arm around her.

“I’m sorry Anna... this is just so hard... they were great friends. All the Gomez boys were boxers and Ramon was a tough boy. Freddie had a lot to learn but soon other kids learned not to mock Freddie for his accent or his books.”

Seemingly she had regained her composure and walked to the window looking out over the sea. She carried on with her back to the room, hiding her tears.

“They were both local champions. Ramon got the chance of a pro fight and boy he was training so hard. To be honest he had more guts than speed. One day his sparring partner doesn’t show and Freddie’s in the gym. The trainer asks him to stand in - but you know - this sparring can be brutal. Freddie plays along and he is so much faster and skilful. The trainer starts bawling and yelling at Ramon - calling him a pussy and macho big guy stuff - you know how it is.”

“I know...” Agreed Anna with a slight smile.

“In the end Ramon throws the big shot - a real haymaker and Freddie’s gets a bloody nose. In the blink of an eye Freddie fires back a left hook - just - KAPOW - a reflex without any thought.”

Once again Linda stumbled but did not turn away from the window.

Anna waited in the awful stillness of another woman’s grief.

“He died in the hospital of a brain injury. You can’t fix up nerve cells. He was nineteen Anna. Dead! Dead! Dead!

Anna shared the awful sense of unalterable finality that was clearly breaking her heart. Her thoughts flew not to the dead boy but to Freddie. Maybe she should have hidden the deep selfishness in her automatic response.

“Poor Freddie - that poor man. He carries that with him - God I’ve seen it in his eyes but I had no idea.”

Linda turned with unashamed tears rolling down her cheeks as Anna felt the sting of her own tears. In that instant all the stupid barriers between two human beings were breached.

“And the Foundation?” Anna prompted.

“Freddie said he would never box again. Ramon had died of brain damage. No one blamed him but he was a different boy. Then one day he has an idea. All his life he wanted his father to be proud of him. He flew to France and came back with a plan to set up a foundation to study brain and spinal injuries. To fund it he returned to the ring and fought his way up to World Champion. I have managed the business side of things but the Foundation and its achievements are down Freddie.”

“He has never said a word of this. No one on this Earth knows this!” Anna gasped astonished, aware from the steady fix of Linda’s eyes that there was even more to tell.

“Although he boxed again he swore he would never throw the big punch that had made him a killer. Sadly, the big box office take is for the sluggers - the guys who stand in victory as the loser is writhing and twitching on the floor.”

“So he has done it all by skill... surely that’s not a problem.”

“Not until the mobsters spot that he never goes for the kill and is looking to win on points. If they can fix the referee or the judges or both, the points can go astray.”

“So why this fight - he didn’t need to take it.”

“A few months ago one of the scientists at the Foundation came up with a discovery concerning the cloning of stem cells. There is a real hope now that one day spinal and brain injuries can be treated with new cells. It’s early days but the research is expensive and intensive... It’s simply a case of making a cool twenty million dollars.”

“So Freddie has to fight for the biggest prize he can get. But Linda - he hasn’t trained for the fight - they say Brennan will maul him and the referee will let it happen” She exclaimed.

Linda nodded slowly as if making a final decision on going any further.

“Honey - I know it’s a cliché but you really can’t believe what you read in the papers. Journalists love an easy juicy story - particularly when I feed them one!”