Chapter 13:-
The black Lincoln Town Car with its blacked out windows disappeared as quickly as it appeared. The screaming and the deafening silence continued. When Taylor considered it safe, he raised his head and looked around. Meghan was safely tucked under his body but her Uncle was had been shot…the front of his shirt was soaked red from the blood.
Taylor could feel Meghan's panic as she looked over and saw her Uncle's lifeless body. They both rushed over to his side with Meghan cradling his head in her lap. As Taylor pulled out his cell phone to ring for the paramedics, people surrounded them and the sirens from the ambulance filled the air.
Taylor fleetingly wondered how they could have gotten there so soon but shrugged the question away as he had to pull Meghan forcibly off Frankie's body so the paramedics could get to him. They attempted to resuscitate him, even applying the defibrillator with no success. They lifted his body onto a stretcher and hauled him into the back of the ambulance.
Feeling the full force of Meghan's sobs, Taylor wrapped his arms tightly around her, kissing the top of her head and whispering 'sorry' in her ear.
A paramedic came over to talk to them, telling them that all their attempts to resuscitate her Uncle had failed, that he had suffered a massive blood loss. They explained that the police would be along shortly to take their statements and after that, they could phone a funeral parlor to arrange the funeral. He told them which morgue they would take him to and handed Meghan a card with the details on.
Meghan nodded but Taylor was staring at the spot on the sidewalk where Frankie's body had lain – for a 'massive blood loss' there didn't seem to have been a drop spilled. Warning bells were going off inside Taylor's head again.
Meghan thanked the paramedic and watched as they drove away only to be replaced by the cops. Most of the crowd dissipated at the sound of the siren, except the brave ones who dare come forward and say what they saw.
About thirty minutes later, Taylor and Meghan were sitting in separate offices within the police station, giving their statements, even thought they had both already said there was nothing to tell, it happened so quickly and was over in seconds. They both said the same thing: they had been at the restaurant for a lunchtime business meeting and as they came out of the restaurant, said their goodbyes, and then went to leave in opposite directions. The Lincoln came from nowhere, the bullets flew, Taylor and Meghan dropped to the floor, and then the Lincoln took off as quickly as it appeared. As soon as it was safe, they both got up and realized her client had been shot and called for the paramedics. Except Taylor never did make that call, but he kept that bit to himself.
Meghan's interrogation did not go as well as Taylor's, for once in his life, he had a legitimate reason to be in a police station. The cops knew she was the lawyer working the Francesco 'Frankie' Strazzi case. They seemed more interested in whether she thought it was a 'professional' hit or not. Meghan told them in her opinion it could have been a mob hit, but everything happened so fast, it was impossible to tell if it was a hit or just a drive-by shooting…she didn't even know if it was Frankie they were aiming for or if he just got in the way.
They then went on to ask about her involvement with a certain Taylor Reese.
She explained, rather haughtily, that he was a close personal friend and that her involvement with him was nothing to do with the case or them for that matter.
The surly cop questioning her asked if she knew whom he worked for, and what he did for a living. Meghan told them yes on both accounts, that she did know who had worked for in the past and what he had done when he was younger.
Meghan stood and informed them that unless they had any reason to keep her or Mr. Reese then they were both leaving. The cop moved to the side and opened the door for her, "just remember, leopards rarely change their spots," he said as she walked by.
Meghan found Taylor sat in the foyer, waiting for her. He was wringing his hands and staring at his boots, obviously uncomfortable to be there. He stood when he saw her, wrapping her in a tight embrace, drawing her close to his chest, and kissing the top of her head before shepherding her out of the station.
"Do you want to go home? You can't go to work now…"
"I'd rather go to your place, Taylor…I don't want to be alone right now." 'I could just stay wrapped in your arms forever…where it feels safe…'
"Ok, if you're sure…want me to ring work for you?"
"No, it's ok. I'll ring them from my place, I need to pick up some overnight stuff if that's ok?"
"Yeah, that's ok." 'As long as I know you're safe.'
"All I seem to keep saying to you is thank you. But sincerely…thank you." 'Oh Taylor, there's still so much you don't know about me…will you still be so gracious when you know everything?'
"Sincerely Meggie…you're welcome." 'If I didn't want to be here I wouldn't be.' He opened the car door for her to get in, closed it after her, and walked round to the drivers' side, taking a moment to look around. Looking up, he saw the cop who had interviewed him watching them from an upper story window.
They called at Meghan's to pick up some overnight stuff. Taylor made a mental note that he hadn't been grocery shopping in a very long time.
"Meggie…I have nothing in at my place – to eat, I mean. While you get your stuff, I'll run down to the grocery store on the corner and pick up some stuff for us…if that's ok with you?"
"Ok…I need to get changed, so take your time," Meghan looked at him and he suddenly felt very confused. For one moment he thought he saw that same naughty glint from the night before.
"I'll be about thirty minutes maximum," he bent to kiss her and left the apartment. Taylor couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that something was going on…if her uncle was Meghan's last remaining relative – ok, not her real uncle, but close enough – he'd have expected her to be more upset. Quickly throwing the things he needed in a basket, his mind worked overtime. He'd been in this business to know when something was wrong or not. He headed to the cashier where he paid and headed back to Meghan's apartment.
Pausing by the caddy to load up the groceries, he lit a cigarette and smoked while he thought about the day. It had been one seriously fucked up day…but he'd had worse, much worse. At least this time he hadn't been shot! There was definitely something wrong with Meghan, he just had to coax it out of her. He dropped the spent butt on the floor and crushed it, then popped a mint in his mouth. He'd considered giving up smoking but he figured everyone needed at least one vice and he didn't drink. He also figured surviving three bullets was also a good sign.
Taylor went back up to the apartment with his head full of questions. Just as he was about to open the door, it flew open, and Meghan stood before him.
"I was just coming to look for you – I thought maybe the grocery store was an excuse and that maybe you had run…" 'Thank God, you didn't.'
"Nope. The groceries are in the car. I was…ummm…smoking…sorry." 'I don't wanna run, I know I should but I don't wanna!' "Come on, let's go…are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here?"
"No…not tonight," Meghan turned and picked up an overnight bag. Taylor took it from her as she locked up.
Out by the car, Taylor stashed the bag with the groceries in the trunk and they took off for the bar. Meghan knew something was wrong and she could see he was questioning everything in his head.
"Taylor…I know today was, well…"
"Shitty? What's going on Meghan? I know there's something a bit hinky about today. I need you to be honest…no lies…just the plain old truth."
"You're right Taylor and I'm sorry. I just…I've lost so much over the years and it's always stopped me getting close to anyone…till now…but I needed to know I could trust you. You could have run today when you got the groceries but you didn't…you came back…"
They both turned to face each other, trying to read each others faces.
"The truth is my Uncle received a lot of death threats, well you can imagine…there are a lot of people out there who know he is innocent but there are more who believe he is guilty – which side do you think wanted him out of the way the most? The ones who know he's innocent – the Mob Boss who framed him. The ones who believe he's guilty wanted retribution and today they got it. Francesco Strazzi is dead. There was a clip out on him so we did what we had to do."
Taylor pulled up at the back of the bar, his head whizzed with all the new information. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the seat's headrest.
"What are you saying, Meggie?"
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Her voice was so quiet he had to strain to hear it.
Taylor opened his eyes and turned to look at Meghan. He was confused, a million questions filled his mind, and this was rapidly outshining Montana as the worst day of his life. Since Marbles and Scarpa…since Teddy royally fucked them over. "Yes, Meggie, spell it out."
"Today's hit was a set up. Uncle Frankie just entered the Witness Protection Program. Lunch was our goodbye. I wanted him to see you, to approve before…before…he disappeared out of my life for good."