BREAKDOWN

—Chapter IX—

Even if I had decided not to, I found myself in the hall where Marc and Beth worked. I needed to clear something up before I leave the building.

When I entered the vestibule I saw Marc gathering some papers from the desk in front of me and at my right, Beth working something on her computer.

"Marc, I need to talk to you" I said and stood in front of him. I took a glance to Wilhelmina's office. It was empty. "Where's your boss?"

"She's out" He locked Wilhelmina's office and went back to his desk, "no time for you right now, Pickle boy".

"Where?" I asked.

Beth noticed me and walked towards us. "Did you finish the alibi confirmation?"

"I'm almost done. Who are you, my supervisor now?"

"I believe you're hiding things from us" I said.

"I am not."

He was about to walk pass us when Beth stopped him.

"I'm starting to believe you tell her everything."

"You do, eh?" Marc said. "I was sure you didn't have enough brains to even think."

"Someone told Averaimo about Pietro," I said to him, "and right now, I'm thinking it was Wilhelmina."

"Listen, I'm not telling anything to Wilhelmina" Marc insisted. "Now, if you excuse me, unlike some" he looked at Beth, "I have work to do."

We stood there and watched Marc leave.

From where I was standing I could get a good look of Beth's long reddish hair. Could she really be Mrs. Meade's daughter? Neither she or Mr. Hartley or even their offspring had that color of hair. I also wondered if that was the reason Mr. Hartley had been particularly kind with her all those years.

A metallic sound and the glitter of shining metal pulled me back to reality.

Beth had produced a small retractable knife from her pocket. Its handle was beautifully decorated with silver-plated complicated twirls and motifs and a monogram that formed E. H. The blade looked terrifyingly sharp.

"Woah! What's that? What—What are you doing?"

"Come, cover me" she hid behind me and started fiddling with the door.

"How can you have that? Are you crazy? How do you even pass security door at the entrance?"

"It's of a special material that goes undetected, an old gift from my uncle Cal. He collected spy weapons, remember? I told you before —There."

Wilhelmina's office opened before us.

Beth walked directly to the phone. I remember Marc's comment earlier when we were inside the secret room.

"She kept calling Marc so I came and found her at the phone. Then she acted very strange and left in a hurry. This is all too suspicious."

Beth pushed a few buttons and activated the last message in the machine.

We heard a male voice, a gravely one. I didn't recognize it but I found it somewhat familiar.

'Meet me at noon. Your place.'

Beth checked her wristwatch. "It's still 11:25."

Oh, what the hell! I thought. We had broken inside Wilhelmina's office we might as well go and check her out. I called Mauritzio and told him I was going to need the van.

"Wait! I don't know where she lives" Beth said.

"I know someone who does" I ran back to the elevator. "Go to the Deli and wait for me there."

I went up to her office at the twenty-eighth floor.

She was sitting on her desk in such concentration that she didn't even notice me opening the door. I took in some air and let myself watch her in silence for a few seconds.

Her naturally brown and unkempt hair fell all over her shoulders. Her poise, her dreams, her way of living, everything about her had fascinated me since I met her. She had the looks of a little girl, and she might have been so several years ago —vulnerable, insecure and unfocused— but the woman I had in front of me, even thought nobody would believe she was only twenty-six years old and already an editor of a major magazine, was something else. I knew her better. I saw the potential of doing anything she proposed to achieve within her. I wanted to believe I played a little part in that transformation.

"Betty" I walked towards her.

She did that cute reaction I liked so much.

I explained her quickly what had happened. I was getting ready a counter-response if she was going to refuse the invitation but she turned off the laptop and stood up from her chair.

"So, are we going to get some donuts like the police do on TV?"

"Hey, you're already talking about food. Is someone happy today?"

"I feel better now about all this" she told me. "I really liked last night's meeting. I'm more confident now knowing I have people I trust around me."

"Yeah, that's the spirit! Who knows? It could be off the hook" I said and offered her my arm, "and yes, we'll get you some donuts."

—0—

We arrived a few minutes after noon. I put the blame on the donuts. We couldn't spot anybody enter the building but we guessed he was still inside so we decided to wait for a while.

Beth, sitting on the passenger seat, became a bit anxious when she saw me search for something in the floor of the van, "What are you looking for?"

I pulled a bottle of wine from under my seat and she smiled. It was a sort of relief smile, like a nervous reaction.

"What? Did you think I was going to pull a weapon and kill you both?"

Betty laughed at my joke; Beth, not that much. She didn't spoke a word and kept the watch on Wilhelmina's door. She really had a strange sense of humor.

After a several of glazed donuts and a couple glasses of wine the van turned completely silent.

Betty was sitting on a cooler in the back of the van and rested her head against the wall. I had forgotten that wine always made her sleepy and had made me more perceptive because she looked more beautiful than I ever remembered.

"Are you going to eat that?" Beth told me and woke me from my contemplation. I was taken aback for a second so I agreed without thinking. I gave her the rest of the donuts box.

She was an eater. Who would have known she ate that much?

"Wow! I thought you didn't eat at all, you know, like all the other 'Mode Girls'."

"I'm not skinny because I want to. I don't like to look like this."

Then again there was a sudden silence between us.

"I have a thyroid problem" she said.

"Well, you have to do something about it. I recommend you come to Gio's Deli more often and gain some pounds. You don't look healthy."

"What about you? What's your excuse? Why you're so short? Did you forget to drink milk?"

So I've finally found a way to annoy the little princess.

"Wine suits you well" I laughed, careful not to wake Betty up. "Was that an attempt to make a joke, stuck-up missy?"

"Hey," she said, her mouth full "I do jokes. I'm a funny person."

"No. Wait" I paused and grinned. "That right now was your best one yet."

We both laughed at the same time. Yeah, the wine was really good.

Then someone left Wilhelmina's house. I reached my hand out to wake up Betty.

A man dressed in an elaborated designed suit of bold colors, a pair of shinny leather shoes and a complete mass of carefully planned outfit that would be the envy of any other gay man in Manhattan came strolling on the opposite corner where the van was parked: it was unmistakably Marc st. James.

I jumped out, ran to him and dragged him across the street to the back of my van.

"What were you doing there? You liar!"

I opened the door and shoved him inside.

"Look!" Betty pointed at the front window. I followed her finger to find out a strangely pleasant-looking detective Averaimo coming out Wilhelmina's doors, putting on his jacket and fixing his tie.

"He's coming this way!" Betty looked in horror.

"What on Earth?!" I questioned Marc. He was as surprised as we were.

"We need to get out of here" Beth jumped into the driver's seat as quickly as her skirt allowed her and turned on the engine. In the rush she ran too quickly on reverse and hit the car parked behind us.

"Oh my God! What was that?!" Marc yelled.

Detective Averaimo, amidst all the noise we were causing, ran towards us.

Beth finally managed to change gear and run forward, hitting the car in front of her.

"Now you've done it this time, silly woman" Marc looked through the window of the back door. "That was Averaimo's car!"

"Crap!" I yell as Beth hit the car for the second time. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Hurry" Betty says. "He's coming this way!"

"That's what I'm trying to do" She hit the gas pedal all the way to the floor. "What a piece of junk!"

"Hey!" I protested and then I looked through the rear mirror and I saw a car speed behind us. "Holy—! He's following us".

"What?!" Marc plastered himself against the window. "We're so doomed!"

"Come back here" I said and pulled him back. "We don't want him to recognize us."

The detective's car did a swift cut and overtook the car that was in front of him at a dangerous speed getting closer to us.

"He's police. Shouldn't we stop?" Betty said.

"Are you insane?" Beth yelled still struggling with the gear shift. "We can't do that. He'll figure out we have been spying on Wilhelmina."

"Have you been spying on Wilhelmina?" Marc said.

"You shut up. We have a pending conversation with you later" I said.

"I'll try to loose him" Beth steered the wheel and went against the traffic. We slammed ourselves against one of the walls of the van.

"First try not to break my van into pieces, okay?" I said and saw Beth gave a quick turn to the steering wheel. "Don't—don't—don't take that street."

"I know what I'm doing."

"Watch out!" Betty yelled embracing the back of the passenger seat as a car passed dangerously by our side. "You almost got us killed."

"I'm doing my best!"

"Take the next turn right!" I ordered.

"Oh my god!" Marc prayed as we both rolled against the nearest wall for the second time. Several balls of cheese and a piece of salami fell over our heads.

After a few more suicidal turns Beth did a sudden stop in a parking lot.

I jumped out of the van, opened the driver door and ordered Beth to get out.

"You're the worse driver I've ever seen in my life" Marc yelled to her. He got out and vomited on a corner. "Damn cheese!"

"Well I lost him, didn't I?." Beth said.

Betty ran to help Marc and stroked his back.

I sighed and assessed the damage. For once I was glad I haven't put the Deli Logo in the van yet.

Now I knew why the voice had seemed so familiar over the phone.

"What was detective Averaimo doing in Mrs. Slater's house?"

We all looked at Marc at the same time.

—0—

By the time we reached Meade Publications we had agreed not to meet that evening. Betty rushed to her office, she was running late for a previous engagement.

"Would you come to my office, Gio? I have something for you."

"Sure" I agreed. "Just let us have a little talk with Marc first."

I went up with Beth and Marc to Mode headquarters. The only elevator was still available. I guessed Mrs. Hartley wasn't around.

Marc finally confessed he'd been telling some things to Wilhelmina and that he initially joined us to gather what he could for her. That was how he got all that information from the police reports. But he assured us he didn't know Averaimo was in the bedroom while they were revising The Book for the next Mode issue. And yet he still wanted to be in the team. He believed everything was a serious and I wanted time to think about all he said.

The sound of the elevator indicated it was time for me to leave. Marc and Beth walked away.

Matt Hartley, Armani suited and all, came walking in my direction in all his height and power from the reception desk. His usually messy hair was neatly combed, he'd shaven properly but somehow he always managed to look troubled —or maybe that was just the way his face was.

Beth stopped by his side and called his name. He ignored her.

I stepped out of the elevator and stood in front of him.

"Hey, I think someone is calling you."

Jerk.

He turned his head slightly and said, not even looking at her "I can't speak now, Beth."

"This is important" she hesitated and took a step forward. She stopped again and she reminded me of a rabbit at a forest on a hunting day.

"Not, now. Maybe later, tonight."

He walked around me and entered the lift.

"Are you coming in?" he asked me.

"Never" I answered and the door closed between us.

Beth straightened her back, lifted her chin with pride. Her light gray eyes looked into mine as if pity was the last thing she wanted me to feel about her, "Good evening, Gio."

She left.

—0—

Betty welcomed me with a small bottle in her hands, they were sleeping pills. She was being concerned about me when she heard yesterday that I'd been having problem trying to get some rest at night.

She came closer to me and put her right hand in my cheek. She must have noticed the dark circles in my eyes.

"Please take care of yourself, Gio."

"It's okay, Betty." I wrapped her hands with mine and lingered there for a moment that felt like an eternity.

"Sometimes, I wish I could turn back time."

I saw her sorrow. I knew what was on her mind.

"Hey, we're still friends. That's a great start."

"You're a great guy" she said.

"Will you come and have lunch to the deli sometime? You know, without the rest of the 'detective squad'" she showed me her pack of metallic covered teeth in a lovely large smile. "Just you and me, like the old times. What do you say?"

She looked at me with a bit of concern.

"Hey, I'll give you a free black and white cookie —and that's my last offer."

She cracked a full smile now but still the corner of her lips had a faint touch of sadness.

"I'd like that very much."

Her phone rang.

"I need to go, Gio. I have an important appointment" She stood under the door frame and said "Hey, Gio —thank you."

I looked at her puzzled.

"It's never dull around you" she smiled. "I really had fun today. It was very 'off the hook'."

She had me smiling like an idiot for the rest of the evening.

My heart felt a breeze of hope and I still remember I told myself 'Yes, there's something missing in your life, Betty. Give me some time and I— Just, give me a little more time.'

To be continued