Chapter 25
"Time to get up, sleepyhead," Dante whispered, as Lulu rolled over, giving her back to him.
"Go away!" she moaned. She hated mornings when she couldn't sleep in and Dante wasn't lying next to her in bed.
"Don't make me get the ice water, Lulu Spencer. You know I'll do it," he promised, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling on his socks.
"Come back to bed, Dante. Please, just another hour. We can snuggle," Lulu begged him, sitting up in the bed, with just a sheet covering her. She puckered her lips, her eyes pleading for him to lay down beside her.
Dante leaned in and kissed her, wishing to God that he had an hour, but he promised Lucky that they would meet this morning and Dante was going to fill him in on the man named V. Hopefully, the two of them could come up with something concrete that would bring Dante closer to discovering who he was.
"I can't, baby. Now, get your cute butt out of bed, before I roll you out," he threatened playfully, tucking the sheet around her and trying to roll her, tickling her as she tried to escape his grasp.
"All right, you win! Dammit, I'm up," she said, sliding off of the bed and sauntering naked toward the bathroom.
"Don't leave before I get out of the shower," she told him, looking back. They had a morning ritual of breakfast, conversation and a kiss before they left for work and Lulu didn't want to start this morning any differently.
"Ok, I promise. But, hurry. Lucky and I have a case that needs our attention," Dante told her, pulling on his shoes.
"I need your attention, Detective!" Lulu commanded, standing in the bathroom doorway in all of her glory, beckoning him toward the shower.
"Oh, hell," Dante answered, pulling off his shoes and socks and tearing off his clothes as he raced behind her. Lucky would have to wait. Dante had more pressing matters at the moment, he thought, as Lulu grabbed him and pulled him into the shower.
"Good Morning," she said, as the water sprayed down on them and Dante reached for the soap.
"Good Morning," Dante answered, kissing her, while his hands soaped her body awakening her to the new day.
…...
"Sorry, I'm late, Kate. You wouldn't believe the line at Kelly's this morning," Lulu lied, handing a soy latte to Kate and passing a non-fat mocha latte to Maxie.
"That's funny, Lulu. I walked by Kelly's this morning and I didn't see any line. In fact, I ran into Lucky who mentioned that Dante was very late too. What a coincidence?" Maxie informed Lulu, with a hint of a smile.
"Hmm, that is funny. What did you and Lucky have to talk about?" Lulu asked, lowering her voice.
"Did you girls want to continue your conversation? Maybe I could organize my own schedule and assemble the new layout for next month's shoot all by myself. Or, just maybe I will fire both of you and hire one assistant that actually works for me!" Kate Howard interrupted, raising her voice.
"No, we got it covered, Kate. I have the layout on my desk for your approval and Lulu aren't you picking up Kate's dry cleaning today?" Maxie asked, steering the conversation away from her brief chat with Lucky and Kate Howard's ire.
"The dry cleaner's. Yes, they called this morning and oh...look at the time. I really should be going," Lulu replied, standing and grabbing her coat and purse.
"Lulu, I need you to stop by Les Parisians, too. I ordered a cute pair of french slippers. Please make sure that they are Tangerine Yellow. Last time Pierre send me those atrocious Chartreuse slippers."
"Yes, Kate," Lulu acknowledged, jotting down Kate's errands for the day.
"Oh, and Lulu- Would you stop by that little pastry shop that Borris likes so much? I have a lunch meeting with him at 12noon today and I would really like to sweeten the deal. Just deliver them to Oliver's at half past 12," Kate ordered, consulting her watch.
"Oh, look at the time, I need to meet Jax about a new business contact," Kate said, grabbing her purse.
"But, I'm meeting Dante for lunch today. I told you last-"
"Well, Lulu you'll just have to cancel it. I think that it is about time that Dante realize just how important this job is. You need to make sure that you have your priorities straight, Lulu," Kate lectured.
"Yes, Kate." Lulu replied, reaching for her cellphone.
"Hey, honey. It looks like I won't be able to make our lunch today. I'm sorry. Kate needs me. I love you. See you soon." Lulu said, leaving a voice mail.
"Don't forget that you need to pick up the new web layouts from the printers today. They should be ready by 10:15am, and Lulu don't be late. You know how Nathan gets if he has to wait," Maxie instructed.
"Oh, Joy. More errands. I thought that planning my wedding was supposed to give me more free time," Lulu questioned.
"No, Lulu. That is why everyone else is planning your wedding and you just have to show up. It is all part of Kate's grand plan to keep your eyes on the important things like Crimson and Kate Howard," Maxie answered, sarcastically.
"Great. So, I have something to look forward too."
"Oh, I almost forgot I have a meeting between 11am and 12noon today. I may not be accessible by cell, but just send everything to voice mail and I will check it when I am finished."
"Meeting, I don't see anything on the schedule?" Maxie replied, puzzled.
"It was last minute. Anyway, apparently, I will be grabbing a sandwich from Kelly's for lunch today, instead of spending my time with Dante. I hate my job," Lulu shouted, putting her coat on and walking toward the elevator.
"Ssh," Maxie answered, "there are ears everywhere."
…............
Dante pulled up a chair and sat across from Lucky Spencer in the courtyard at Kelly's. He was over an hour late and his partner did not look happy.
"Sorry, to keep you. I had something come up at the last minute," Dante smiled, replaying the image in his mind of he and Lulu making love in the shower.
The intensity of their love for each other was amazing, he thought to himself and this morning was no different. They had spent more than a few minutes soaping each other in the shower and one thing had led to another, their passion driving them as their bodies strained against each other. If that was Lulu's idea of waking up in the morning, Dante thought, he would gladly assist her every morning for the rest of his life.
"It's fine. I ran into Maxie, though. I'm worried about her. She wasn't herself this morning," Lucky told Dante, recalling the brief conversation that he had with Maxie.
"How so?" Dante asked, concerned. Maxie was Lulu's best friend. If something was wrong, she should know.
"She seemed upset. There was a look in her eyes that-" Lucky told Dante, shaking his head.
"Look, Lucky. Last night wasn't what she expected and Johnny was acting like a thug," Dante replied, taking the coffee that Mike placed before him.
"Can I get you anything to eat, Dante? I make a mean omelet," his grandfather told him.
"No, Mike, I'm ok, but thank you." Dante answered.
"Did you catch that Yankees game the other night. The way that Jeter caught that fly ball toward center field. Priceless," Mike shared, loving his connection to Dante. Sonny and Mike had wasted years of time together and Mike liked that Dante was willing to bond with him as his grandson.
"That it was. We will have to go to a Yankees game soon, Mike. Maybe I can convince Morgan to go this time," Dante thought, looking down into his coffee.
"He'll come with us. You'll see. He just has to get to know you again, Dante. It takes time to build trust. Just look at me and my son," Mike answered, reaching for a few discarded plates and cups on the adjacent table.
"Well, you boys have a good day. Be safe, officers," Mike told them, walking back inside Kelly's.
"I still can't get over the fact that Mike is your grandfather and Sonny is your father," Lucky said, baffled.
"Yeah, it was definitely eye-awakening," Dante replied, "But, Mike and Sonny aren't why I asked to meet you," Dante stated, taking a sip of his coffee for fortitude.
"I need your help, Lucky."
"I'm all ears. What's up?" Lucky asked, sliding his chair in closer to the table.
"It's about Lulu," Dante shared, "I'm afraid that something is going to happen to her. I need you to help me stop it before she gets hurt."
….........
"These are not the shoes that Kate Howard ordered," Lulu argued with the clerk, pushing the shoebox toward the woman.
"These are Crimson Red. She ordered Tangerine Yellow," Lulu told her, shaking her head.
"The slip clearly states Crimson," the clerk replied with an attitude.
"That is because THAT," Lulu said, pointing to the slip," is the name of our company," Lulu answered, frustrated at the ineptness of the salesclerk on duty.
"What am I going to tell her? Kate is going to be furious," Lulu said out loud, more to herself than the clerk on duty.
"It's a lovely shade of red," the clerk replied, trying to tempt Lulu into taking the shoes.
"That would be great. If, she ordered red. I need Tangerine Yellow. Do you have any idea who I work for?" Lulu answered, crossly, while pacing back and forth.
"Let me call around, maybe one of our stores in Manhattan has a pair?" the clerk told Lulu, trying to rectify the situation.
"These are custom-made shoes, Annabeth," Lulu replied, reading the clerk's name tag.
"They are not some knock-off brand from Payless. Maybe I should make a phone call, to Pierre!" Lulu threatened. This was going to ruin her day. She looked at her watch and realized how late it was getting. She still needed to pick up Kate's dry cleaning and get to the bakery before the pastry chef, Nathan threw a fit. Her day had started off fantastic, she thought, reflecting on her shower with Dante this morning, but it had gone downhill from the moment they had kissed goodbye as Dante placed her in a cab.
"Just take care of it. I expect the Tangerine Yellow slippers on my desk at the Crimson office by the end of the day!" Lulu said, authoritatively. Maxie would be proud, as Lulu threw her own tirade.
"I'll do my best, miss," the clerk answered, rushing off to fix the mistake.
"You do that," Lulu answered, turning and walking to the exit. Could her day get any worse, she thought, heading toward the dry cleaners.
….......
"The note specifically stated that Lulu was to make the drop?" Lucky speculated, trying to wrap his head around this whole mess that Dante had explained to him.
"I found that odd, too. Why would this V person know about Lulu? What is the connection?" Dante asked out loud, running his hand through his dark hair in frustration.
"I'm running out of time, Lucky. Lulu promised not to do anything without speaking with me first, but-"
"She is a Spencer," Lucky answered, finishing the sentence for Dante.
"Exactly. Which means that she will have no intention of following my orders," Dante concluded, realizing how truly dangerous this whole situation was turning out to be.
"You won't be able to stop her. Not when she has made her mind up, and it appears that she has, since my father is involved," Lucky told Dante, knowing that it was something his partner did not want to hear.
"So, what am I supposed to do? Aside from placing a bodyguard on her 24 hours a day, I am out of options," he told Lucky.
"Actually, that isn't a bad idea," Lucky replied, a light bulb turning on inside his head.
"A bodyguard? Who?" Dante asked.
"You," Lucky suggested, thinking that this may actually work.
"She would never agree to it," Dante admitted, realizing just how pissed off she would be if she knew that he was shadowing her.
"Who said she has to know?" Lucky answered, smiling.
"Anyway, it's a thought," Lucky told him, as his cellphone rang.
"Detective Spencer," he answered, "At the pier? Yeah, he's right here. No, we can be there in-" Lucky said looking at his watch, "ten minutes. Ok, we're on it, Mac."
"What's up?" Dante questioned, in full cop-mode.
"Some diver found a body in a car in the water near the pier," Lucky told him, leaving some money on the table for his check.
"Let's go," Dante answered, motioning to Mike, and dropping a five-dollar bill on the table. These were the cases that Dante lived for, solving crimes that seemed impossible. It was the whole reason he became a cop, to solve the crimes of people that could no longer speak for themselves.
….....
Lulu stood at the front counter of the bakery, Kate Howard's dry cleaning in one hand and her purse in the other. She gazed down into the box of pastries, tempted to eat one of decadent desserts, as her stomach rumbled, reminding her just how late it was.
"Nathan, please. Kate really needs the dark chocolate, rum-filled truffles cakes," Lulu begged, as Nathan sent her a displeased look and stood with his hand on his hip, giving her attitude.
"Ms. Howard needs to start calling a day ahead of time, Miss Spencer. My schedule does not revolve around hers. Besides, I am not even sure that we have any left in the back. When she doesn't let me know in advance, it puts me behind on all of my other orders," the pastry chef told her, irritated that Kate Howard expected him to drop everything to assist her at a moment's notice.
"Please," Lulu said, clasping her hands together and pleading in desperation.
"Fine, I will go check. But, you tell Ms. Howard, that if she does this again-"
"No more dark truffle cakes. Got it," Lulu replied, praying that he had the pastries in the back.
Five minutes later he returned with three truffle cakes in tow. He wrapped them in wax paper and placed them in the signature striped box.
"Thanks again, Nathan," Lulu told him, as he added this purchase to Kate's account and Lulu left the pastry shop. She looked down at her watch, twenty minutes until her meeting with Brook Lynn on the pier. So much, for lunch today, she thought, racing to the docks, while placing a call.
"Brook Lynn, I'm running a bit late. I have to run an errand first. Don't leave. I really want to talk to you," Lulu said, disconnecting the call. It was time that Lulu and Brook Lynn hashed it out about Dante and Lulu made it very clear to Brook Lynn that Dante was off-limits.
…..
Lucky stood over the body that lay prone on the ground, as the medical examiner kneeling beside it, determining the cause of death.
"So, what's the verdict? Suicide?" Lucky asked him, as Dante stood on the other end of the dock speaking with a local beat cop.
"We won't know anything definite until we get this guy to the lab, but I would rule out suicide," the man told Lucky as Dante walked up.
"Hey, I spoke with Officer Taylor from the 5th Precinct. The diver found the car in the water. There were tire marks supporting that it was indeed driven in and the body was behind the wheel," Dante confirmed, looking at his notes.
"It wasn't suicide," the examiner told Dante.
"How can you be sure?" Dante asked, his instincts on alert as he got his first glimpse of the body.
"The neck was broken. That could happen if the vehicle lost control and struck something before hitting the water. But, as you can see-" the examiner told them, pointing at the vacant lot.
"There isn't anything that would support that. And, as far as a suicide goes, there is no way that this young man snapped his own neck."
"Dante, what is it?" Lucky asked, noticing his partner's particular interest in the deceased.
"I know this guy," Dante answered, shaken.
"You know him? How? What's his name?" Lucky drilled, practically interrogating Dante.
"He's my pizza guy. He just delivered a pie to my place a few days ago," Dante told them.
"So, how did your pizza delivery guy end up here?" Lucky wanted to know, trying to sort out this mess in his head.
"I have no idea?" Dante replied, puzzled "he just seemed like such a nice kid."
"Yeah, poor schmuck. So, what you're saying is that we got a homicide," Lucky stated, shaking his head at the unfortunate end to this young man's life.
"He worked for Gino's. I'm going to call the manager and find out his schedule for the last few days. Do we have an idea for time of death?" Dante asked the examiner.
"Based on the rigamortis, I'd estimate that the time of death was less than twenty-four hours, but until I get him back to the lab, I can't be more specific."
"Thanks. Lucky, I'm am going to get right on this, let me know if you need anything," Dante said, pulling out his cell phone and dialing the pizzeria.
"Call me if anything turns up," Lucky requested, continuing to look over the crime scene as Dante asked for the manager of Gino's Pizza.
….....
Lulu stepped into the lobby of Oliver's French Bistro. It was a quarter past eleven and she was early. The staff were still setting up for the late lunch crowd and a few patrons were already seated at the back.
"Hi, my name is Lulu Spencer and I have a reservation for two at 12noon," Lulu told the maitre'd.
"What name is it under?" he asked, looking down at his reservation log.
"Howard, Kate Howard," she told him.
"Howard, yes. I have it right here. Did you need to cancel it?"
"No, I just have a special request. I need to deliver these pastries to that table. It's a surprise. Do you think that you could possibly keep them in your cooler until the party arrives?" Lulu asked, praying that he said yes.
"Absolutely, Miss Spencer. Kate Howard is one of our best clients."
"Wonderful. I will be sure to tell her that you said so," Lulu told him, handing him the box of pastries.
"Please don't forget, no later than 12:30pm," Lulu replied.
"You have my word, Miss Spencer," the maitre'd responded, "Consider it done."
Three errands down, if she kept this up, she might just be able to swing lunch with Dante, Lulu thought to herself, walking out of the restaurant. The sun was out, but the air was still frigid and a light snow was falling on the ground. Lulu wrapped her scarf more securely around her neck and proceeded to head toward the direction of the north side pier. Luckily, it wasn't too far from Kelly's and she could grab a quick bite to eat before returning to the office.
"Dante, it's Lulu. Change of plans. I just left Oliver's and am running late for a meeting near Kelly's. What do you say to meeting me in thirty minutes. I should be done by then. Oh, at Kelly's. Love you," Lulu said, hanging up as her phone rang.
"Lulu, speaking. Yes, Brook Lynn, I am on my way. I don't know, why don't you file your nails while your waiting," Lulu answered, disinterested with Brook Lynn's impatience at the moment.
"I'll be there shortly." Lulu said, disconnecting the call. What the hell, Lulu thought, she already had one schedule to maintain with Kate. She would be damned if she had to follow Brook Lynn's.
…........
"Are you sure?" Dante answered, a concerned look on his face as Lucky approached him.
"Ryan never showed up for work yesterday, detective. And, the day before he brought a pizza to his first delivery, but never came back after the last two. We just thought that he quit. I was getting ready to file charges with you guys for theft, since he had his delivery bag with him."
"Where was he scheduled to go that day?" Dante asked, his instincts telling him that something was off.
"His first stop was an address on King Street. He made it to that one. I spoke with the family myself. The last two, as far as I know, he never delivered to them," the manager replied, a bit perturbed.
"Hey, am I going to get reimbursed for the missing money? I mean there was at least thirty dollars in that bag," the manager asked Dante.
"Yes, I'm sure that you can file a complaint with the department," Dante answered, thanking God everyday that his job at least would care if something happened to him.
"One more thing, what were the addresses of the other two deliveries?" Dante asked him, pulling out his notebook.
"I'd have to look for the last one, but the second one was 1234 Bishop Drive. I know that because they order all of the time," the manager told him, as Dante's face became pale.
"But, that's impossible. That's my address," Dante told him, "he delivered the pizza."
"Why wasn't there more money in the bag?" Dante questioned, reviewing his notes and noticing that there was less than twenty dollars.
"Maybe he was stealing, hell, I don't know. You're the detective," the manager replied, irritated.
"If you think of anything else, give us a call." Dante instructed, trying to remember exactly what time the pizza was delivered to his apartment.
"Hey, what'd we get?" Lucky asked him, as Dante finished the call.
"Manager said he never showed up for work yesterday," Dante answered, his focus on something else.
"Ok, so we start the time line the day before, what's wrong?" Lucky asked him, realizing that Dante was chewing on something.
"I had a pizza delivered the other day, but the manager said that the delivery boy never showed up."
"So he was mistaken, that happens all the time right?" Lucky replied, worried by the look on Dante's face.
"Did he deliver the pizza?" Lucky asked Dante.
"I don't know. Lulu answered the door," Dante replied, wanting very much to speak with her. His instincts were telling him that something was very wrong and he knew that he wouldn't get rid of the sinking sensation in his gut until he spoke with Lulu.
"Will you excuse me? I have a phone call to make," Dante told Lucky, turning his back to his partner and moving to a more secluded spot for privacy.
"Lulu, honey. Give me a call as soon as you get this. We need to talk," Dante told her, leaving a voice mail He dialed his voice mail, realizing that he must have missed her previous call. Lunch at Kelly's, that sounded perfect, Dante thought, looking down at his watch. Fifteen minutes.
Lucky was on the other side of the lot when he saw Johnny approaching Dante, with a look of steely determination.
"Oh shit," he thought, knowing that he wasn't going to reach his partner in time to warn him.
"Did you know?" Johnny shouted, lunging at Dante and catching him off guard.
"Jesus, what the hell is your problem?" Dante fired back, rolling to avoid a punch from Johnny. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucky rushing to assist him.
"What is my problem? Your partner is sleeping with my girlfriend. You can't tell me that you didn't know anything about that? I mean, you guys probably keep secrets all the time, right? Hell, maybe you have something on the side with Brook Lynn. Maybe I should pay a visit to Lulu," Johnny insinuated, crossing the line.
"You stay the hell away from Lulu," Dante said, furiously, punching Johnny in the face.
"Hey, break it up," Lucky said, charging up to Dante's side as soon as he saw the first punch.
"I want to press charges," Johnny yelled, pointing at Dante, while holding his nose.
"Son of a bitch, you broke my nose," Johnny replied, in disbelief.
"I'm going to break a hell of a lot more than that if you go anywhere near Lulu," Dante shouted, his fists clenched at his side.
"Well, you won't have to worry about that, detective. Since you'll be sitting in a jail cell," Johnny yelled back, standing in front of Dante, while Lucky held the two apart.
"Now, why don't you two calm down and we can sort this out. No one is going to jail," Lucky said, playing the mediator.
"I don't know what the hell is his problem. He came up to me itching for a fight and made a comment about Lulu. It set me off. I'm sorry," Dante apologized, his eyes trained on Johnny.
"I don't want your apology. I want him in jail," Johnny told Lucky.
"What for?" Lucky asked innocently.
"What for? He broke my goddamn nose," Johnny answered, angrily.
"Did you break his nose, detective?" Lucky asked Dante.
"No, Lucky. He must of hit it when he tripped and fell," Dante answered, innocently as well.
"Are you freaking kidding me? You saw it," Johnny shouted at Lucky.
"I didn't see anything," Lucky said, turning his back on Johnny.
"We have some new developments in our case, I need to go over with you," Lucky told Dante, dismissing Johnny.
"Son of a bitch," Johnny responded, looking at Dante, "This isn't over."
"Bub-bye, Johnny. Be more careful next time," Dante chuckled, as he waved goodbye to Johnny's retreating back.
"What the hell, Dante. I can't leave you alone for a second. What set him off?" Lucky asked, looking at Dante's facial expression.
"Didn't you find that the slightest bit odd", Dante asked, his instincts sounding again.
"What that he picked a fight with you? Johnny hates you," Lucky said, wondering where Dante was going with this.
"So, why today? Why not last night?" Dante questioned. He was feeling worse by the minute, suddenly needing to see Lulu's face.
"Look, I'm running late for a very important lunch date, with Lulu. So, we will have to deal with this later?" Dante said, walking toward his car. The feeling in his gut was getting stronger and he increased his pace, his gut screaming at him to hurry.
…....
Lulu stood on the pier, while an old couple sat on a bench huddled together watching the water. That could be she and Dante, years from now, she thought, pulling her coat tighter against her body. Why the hell had she suggested the pier, Lulu thought, wondering what the hell was taking Brook Lynn so long.
The couple rose from the bench and walking hand in hand they left the docks, leaving Lulu alone. She shivered and realizing that she was going to be late again, she decided to call Dante. She pulled out her cell phone and was ready to hit speed dial when she heard a noise on the other side of the pier back in the alley. Just once, then there was silence. Goosebumps appeared on Lulu's arms and she shrugged the feeling off, deciding that it was just her overactive imagination.
"Dante," Lulu told him, "I'm right around the corner from Kelly's. I'm still waiting on my client to show up, but if they aren't here in the next five minutes, I'm leaving. I'll see you soon," Lulu said, getting Dante's voice mail She heard another noise from the alley and walked toward it, wondering what it could be.
He stood in the shadows and watched her, waiting. There were witnesses. He needed to be patient. He thought that the old couple would never leave, but they did. He smiled, pleased that the moment had finally arrived and that with her in his possession he could finish the revenge that he had formulated so many years earlier.
Luke and Laura Spencer would never know what hit them. He was just waiting on one final addition to the game. With Miss Spencer's disappearance, Valentin had no doubt, that her father would make the call and when Robert Scorpio arrived, the final chess piece in his great game, Valentin would be ready to declare checkmate. Valentin was rudely interrupted from his daydream, hearing the sound of footsteps nearby, shuffling then stopping all together. He looked on the pier, but saw no one. Miss Spencer was walking toward him and he stepped back into the shadows to surprise her.
…....
Dante Falconeri walked briskly toward Kelly's, confused on why Lulu would meet a client on the pier in this weather. It was only a few minutes from Kelly's, so he decided to take a short cut and see if he could head her off. He couldn't shake the bad feeling that lingered in his stomach and after several unanswered calls by Lulu, he had given up trying to reach her.
He pulled his leather coat, tighter around his freezing body and walked toward the pier. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her. She was standing near the water, looking so beautiful with the snow falling gently and her hair dazzling in the sunlight. He started to move toward her, wanting to surprise her, anticipating their embrace. Then, he heard the noise that broke the silence and he realized that they weren't alone. Suddenly, the gut-wrenching feeling was back and Dante moved cautiously and stealthily toward the darkened alley.
…....
"Brook Lynn?" she asked, but received no answer. Her heart was starting to race and her mind was screaming for her to run in the other direction. But, she laughed it off, thinking to herself that it was broad daylight, what could possibly happen to her. She was literally minutes from Kelly's. But, the Spencer in her was intrigued, the adrenaline rush spurring her on.
She was literally shaking as she headed toward the alley, the wind becoming gustier with every step. The snow seemed to attack her face, making her eyes squint and impairing her vision for just a second. A second was all it took, as she stepped into the alley. Suddenly, arms reached out from the darkness and grabbed her, the gloved hands stifling her scream.