She took a deep breath and allowed the fresh air to fill her lungs. She sat down on a lounger, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes. She could hear the waves slapping against the rocks and she imagined the sun setting in the evening. She looked forward to seeing it firsthand. After several minutes, she reluctantly opened her eyes. She had a job to do. She got up from the lounger and went back inside to put away the few items she picked up at the mini-mart.
She grabbed a beer from the fridge and took a long drink before making her way through the rest of the house. The bedrooms were located on the opposite side of the house. She tossed her suitcase on the bed of the first room she came to. It was not anything too fancy and was decorated in the same southwestern theme as the living room. It had a queen-size bed, dresser, and two obligatory nightstands with lamps. It did however, have a window that looked out onto the beach. She thought about unpacking and then changed her mind. She wanted to see the other rooms first. She went across the hall and poked her head into another bedroom. It was just like the one she had chosen, but without the view.
The next room she entered was set up like a state-of-the-art photo lab. Against the wall, sitting on top of a conference table, was a computer, printer, and Canon Rebel digital camera. She suspected the cost ran in the range of ten to fifteen grand for the computer system. The camera alone was worth at least two. She picked up the camera, thinking that they couldn’t have gotten her a better one. It would have been her first choice. A low grumbling in her stomach caused her to look at her watch. She couldn’t believe that it was almost seven.
She made herself a bologna sandwich, took it along with the package from the counter, and went out onto the deck to watch the sunset. It didn’t disappoint. It reminded her of the Northern Lights. The sky was divided from top to bottom in a combination of blues and yellows and a red so bright, that the reflection on the whitecaps made the water look pink. She had never seen anything like it.
She ate the sandwich as she sorted through the box. She had some idea of what she would find inside and wasn’t surprised in the least to see the 9mm semi-automatic. She hoped she wouldn’t need it, but it was comforting to see just the same.
Being an ordinary citizen, at least on paper, meant that she couldn’t take her service weapon on the plane. As for her trip, she knew Edwards would have her name erased from the flight manifest on the off chance that a background check would be done. She knew that by now, Castrucci would have done just that. Whoever did the check would see that she had arrived in Half Moon Bay two months earlier from Chequotah, Oklahoma when she bought the house.
She sat the gun and the box of ammo off to the side and looked at the cell phone. It was her direct link, her lifeline, to Laura. She turned the phone over and smiled. Taped to the back was a note reminding her to set the answering machine.
She laid the phone down and picked up the two envelopes sitting at the bottom of the box. The first one contained a stack of personalized business cards, along with the Castrucci estate address. The second envelope had a credit card with her new name on it, and money. She counted out three grand in twenty-dollar bills. She gathered up the contents of the box and went back inside to search out the answering machine. It didn’t take long—she found it next to the toaster and coffee maker and recorded a message.
She took her gun and the box of ammo and went back to her bedroom. She sat down on the side of the bed and loaded the clip. She opened the top drawer of her nightstand and slid the gun beneath a stack of magazines.
Back in Washington, she hadn’t been sure of what to pack and finally decided that it wouldn’t be much, since she needed to update her wardrobe. Therefore, it didn’t take long to put away the few things she had brought. She grabbed her favorite pair of flannel pajamas and a t-shirt and headed off to the bathroom for a much-needed shower.
Once dressed, she ran a comb through her hair, went into the kitchenette, and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. She took a swig and dropped down on the couch as she snatched the remote off the coffee table. She flicked through the stations until she found
Law and Order
.
She spent the next several days exploring the area and getting familiar with the camera equipment. At night, she would take the cell phone, along with her dinner, and go out on the patio to check in with Laura. After the phone call, she trolled the internet for area newspaper archives tied to Castrucci and the Massino crime family.
###
Tommy drove the limo down the trash-strewn street and past several buildings that were burnt to the ground. He stopped in front of one that should have been condemned years ago.
“We’ll be back in a couple,” Sonny said as he and Big Tony got out of the car.
Big Tony looked at the building with disgust. “This place is a dump. I don’t understand how people live like this.”
Sonny led Big Tony past an assortment of cars perched atop concrete blocks and stopped at the front door leading into the building. “Yeah, it’s definitely not my cup of tea, but it’s a diamond in the rough.”
“It better be,” Big Tony said as they climbed the creaking stairs. “It smells like piss in here,” he grumbled. He took out a hanky and covered his nose, taking care to step over a drunk passed out on the second-floor landing. “What floor did you say he’s on?”
Sonny glanced down at the paper in his hand. “Third.”
“Figures,” Big Tony said as he continued to climb up the steps leading to the third floor. “Man, I need to get in better shape,” he said, gasping for air.
Sonny walked past him and stopped in front of the second door. “Here it is,” he said, wrapping on the door with his knuckles.
###
Inside the tiny apartment, Billy Smith pushed open the bedroom door and walked over to the small blonde-headed girl sitting on the edge of the bed. He crouched down on the floor in front of her. “You sure are pretty, darlin’. You remember what Daddy told you?” he asked softly.
She nodded shyly and continued to play with the pink ruffle at the bottom of her flowery dress.
Billy laid his hand over hers. “These men are really important to Daddy, and I want you to be a good girl, okay? All right, I’ll be right back and then we can get some ice cream.” He left the room and walked back to the front door. He took a deep breath and opened it.
“It’s about damn time,” Big Tony said impatiently.
Billy ran his hand through a mass of greasy hair. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he said with a nervous laugh.
Big Tony brushed past him and walked into the filthy living room. “She better be worth it,” he said, glancing around. He looked at the kitchen and the sink full of dishes, crawling with cockroaches. He shook his head in disgust. “Where is she?” he asked.
“Uh, uh, this way,” Billy answered, leading the men to the little girl’s bedroom.
Big Tony pushed the door open and walked over to the bed. He reached down and lifted the girl’s chin. He turned her head from side to side. “How old is she?” he asked.
“She’ll be seven her next birthday.”
Big Tony looked at Sonny and grinned. “I’ve seen enough,” he said. He turned and walked out of the room with the two men following close behind.
Billy crammed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.
Sonny pulled out a yellow envelope from inside his breast pocket and handed it to Billy.
“Have her ready by noon. I’ll send someone for her. Make sure she’s wearing what she has on now,” Big Tony said as he and Sonny watched Billy open the envelope.
Billy’s eyes shifted nervously back and forth between the two men. “Uh … um, there’s only fifteen here.”
Big Tony shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, so what?”
“Uh … the deal was for … for twenty thou,” Billy stammered.
Big Tony crossed the room in two steps. He shoved Billy, knocking him backward into a raggedy chair. He whipped out a gun from his waistband and crammed the muzzle against the side of Billy’s head. “You piece of shit. You’re lucky I gave you that much,” he snarled through clenched teeth.
“Uh … yeah. Uh … this is plenty. Please, please don’t hurt me,” Billy begged.
Big Tony pulled the gun away. He spit on the floor next to Billy’s chair and then laughed as he tucked the gun back inside his waistband. He jerked the door open and looked back at Billy. “You’re pathetic, but if she’s as good as you promised, I’ll give you a little bonus next time. If she’s not, you’ll be the one paying me and make sure she’s ready at noon.”
Billy waited for the door to close and then slumped back in the chair. He let out a huge sigh of relief, smiling broadly, as his dirty fingers skimmed over the stack of one-hundred-dollar bills.
###
The voice of a woman with a slight Italian accent came through the answering machine, waking Rheyna from a deep sleep. She had an idea of who the caller was and her suspicion was confirmed as the message played.
It was Terasa Castrucci asking if it would be possible for Rheyna to come out today to take their photos. She apologized for asking on such short notice, since the appointment was set for next week. She wouldn’t be asking, except her husband’s business would be taking him out of town on the scheduled date. She left her contact number and said goodbye.
Rheyna took a quick shower and poured a cup of coffee before returning Mrs. Castrucci’s call. Esther, the Castrucci’s housekeeper, answered the phone, told her that Mrs. Castrucci was at the hairdresser, and requested she come between one and two today, if possible. Rheyna told her she would be there, and Esther then proceeded to give her directions to the Castrucci estate.
She loaded up her camera equipment and tossed it in the back of the Jeep. She knew her way to the house from one of her driving ventures earlier in the week, making a point to drive over to the Castrucci estate to familiarize herself with the surroundings. She figured she had time to grab a quick lunch before her appointment with Mrs. Castrucci and stopped and picked up a turkey club sandwich from a little sub shop on Magellan.
After finishing the sandwich, she headed for the Kelly Avenue exit. A half mile later, she turned into the Castrucci driveway.
The estate itself sat far back on the property, making it invisible from the street below. There was no doubt in her mind that it had been a calculated move by Castrucci when he built the house. She continued up and around the blacktopped drive and stopped in front of a large gate. She rolled down the window and pressed the intercom button. She glanced at the large row of trees in front of her. She recalled from the estate photos that the house sat just on the other side of the tree line.
“Yeah, what business do you have?” A deep male voice barked through the speaker.
“My name is Rheyna Moretti. I have an appointment with Mrs. Castrucci.”
“Just a minute,” the voice barked again.
After several seconds, the gate opened. She drove through the tree line and felt her breath catch in her throat when the house came into view. It was more beautiful than she imagined. Just as in the pictures she had seen, the only diminishing factor was the two heavily armed men walking toward her. She pulled the Jeep next to a blue Jaguar and turned off the engine. She had just unhooked her seatbelt when the driver’s door was flung open.
The taller of the two men yanked the camera bag from her hands and rummaged through it while the other one proceeded to push her against the car and pat her down. Satisfied that she was okay, he nodded to the taller man to give her camera bag back. The shorter one motioned for her to follow him. Rheyna turned to see the other man inside her Jeep, searching through the glove box.
Without looking at her, the shorter one said, “Mrs. Castrucci is expecting you.”
As if on cue, the front door opened and Rheyna instantly recognized Terasa Castrucci from the photos. She held out her hand to Rheyna and smiled warmly.