Justice by InSilva
Disclaimer: oh, so not mine.
Chapter Fourteen: Digging
They were on their second cup of coffee when Anna-Mae walked in. Danny had nudged Turk who was busy perfecting a balancing act with teaspoons and they stood up politely.
Anna-Mae looked like she'd made the effort. Her hair was curled, her face made-up and she was wearing a pretty dress that showed off her figure. Danny understood immediately why she'd wanted to wait to talk to him.
"Anna-Mae? I am so grateful you could join us. Please have a seat."
She slid in opposite Turk and as they sat down, Danny gave her his best winning smile.
"I didn't have a chance to properly introduce myself yesterday. I'm Charles Hennessey and I'm with the Tribune. This is-"
"Joey Callahan," Turk reached over and took Anna-Mae's hand, pressing it briefly to his lips.
It appeared to be the right thing to do. She giggled and reluctantly pulled her hand free.
"We just wanted to chat to you about this case and-"
"Maybe take your picture," Turk interrupted, holding up the camera with a grin and Anna-Mae giggled again.
"Can I get you a drink?" Danny asked and then waited, notepad at the ready, till the requested hot chocolate arrived.
Anna-Mae sipped it delicately and looked under her lashes at Turk.
"You want to tell us about that night?" Danny asked gently.
"It was all so horrible," she said and there was a waver in her voice that Danny read as completely genuine. "Marcello and I were having a drink in the bar and just talking. You know…"
She looked over at Turk who nodded encouragingly.
"He'd had such a good day at work. His boss had been so pleased with this wreath he'd done for a big funeral."
She sighed. "Then he got into this silly argument with Gino."
"How did it start?"
"Oh, it was so ridiculous! Marcello had stepped away from the bar for a moment."
To use the euphemism.
"And Gino came in and ordered a drink. They seemed to know him in there. Guess he's a regular. I was sat next to him and I noticed his hands."
"His hands?" Danny frowned.
"I'm a manicurist," she went on. She glanced up at Turk under her lashes again. "I'm going to have my own salon one day."
"I just bet you are, miss," he smiled and she smiled back.
"Anyway, Gino just had the most fantastic skin and his nails were immaculate. Like he really takes care of them."
"I know someone like that," Danny said drily. "It can take real dedication."
"I was just taking a professional interest in them when Marcello came back and…well, he didn't really understand."
No. Danny could see how Marcello might have had difficulty with the situation.
"He…he said some things to Gino and Gino said some things back and they got into a bit of a fight and then Gino hit him and he ended up on the floor. And the barman asked Gino to leave."
"Did he go?"
"Uh-huh. And Marcello and I carried on drinking."
So Gino had won the fight. Hardly a reason for him to lay in wait with a knife but he could be a convenient scapegoat for someone watching.
"Was there anyone else in the bar that night, Anna-Mae?"
"Sure. Few people round the bar, few people sat at tables."
"Would you recognise any of them again?"
"Doubt it," she said honestly. "It was really dark."
Danny looked at her. So far, he knew, she had undoubtedly been telling the truth. Time to move the story on.
"What happened when you left?"
Her eyes dropped down to the table. "It was all very sudden."
"You must have been very scared," Turk said understandingly and she flashed a smile at him.
"Oh, I was. He just came out of nowhere and he was so quick and Marcello hardly had time to scream and he grabbed at his arm and I didn't have time to scream either and then he was gone."
"Gino?" Danny wanted to hear her say it.
"Of course." But her eyes were everywhere but where they should be.
"You said that in court," he reminded her gently. "On the Bible."
"That's just a book." She looked up and her eyes were clear on this point.
"No, it isn't." The good little Mormon in Turk spoke up immediately. "That's the word of God, miss."
"But…it's just a book…" She was less certain now. "I asked and they said…"
"Who said?" Danny asked quickly but she closed up at once and looked with worry and concern at Turk.
"It's…is it…?"
"You take the oath, you're promising God you're going to tell the truth," he said solemnly. "And God sees everything."
Danny could have kissed him. The look on Anna-Mae's face was pure dismay.
"Are you alright?" Danny asked.
"I…I got some thinking to do," she said worriedly.
"OK…well, Joey and I know people…if it's anything we can help with…"
"No, no…"
Danny glanced meaningfully at Turk. "Tell you what, Anna-Mae, I just need to make a quick phone call. I'm going to step outside and leave you with Joey for a moment."
He closed the notepad on which he'd written precisely nothing and left the café. Something told him Turk was going to do just fine without him.
Saul had insisted on making him a sandwich and had bemoaned the state of his fridge.
"No bread, no meat…what do you live on? Honestly…"
"I manage, Saul."
Saul cast a disbelieving eye in his direction and seemed as put out as he always did when Rusty's general physique didn't disprove the statement. "Stay put. I'm going to get something healthy."
"No."
"You will eat some protein and vegetables-"
"No," Rusty was insistent. "You can't be seen, Saul. If Vincente's watching-"
"I'll be careful."
"After all the trouble we went to to smuggle you in here, you're not going anywhere."
They stared at each other and Saul gave in.
"What are we going to eat, then?"
"There's a bag of potato chips in the cupboard under the sink," Rusty suggested.
Saul almost shuddered. He looked glumly at Rusty.
"I'm a martyr to my constitution. You remember the ulcers, right?"
Rusty smiled. "I'll start apologising now."
"Tess."
There was a silence on the other end of the phone and Danny could hear the upset and the fury as well as the control going in to letting neither of them overwhelm her. She was definitely trying harder these days.
"Hi." The word was still angry and full of hurt and Danny grimaced. He never set out to injure Tess but somehow it seemed to happen as some sort of byproduct.
"Tess, I love you."
"On your own, then."
"Yeah."
There was another pause and then, "Tell me."
Why he hadn't called? Danny thought briefly: Wednesday had been their first encounter with Vincente, Thursday had been the night of the false alarms, Friday had been…last night had been close to one of his worst nightmares. And he couldn't explain any of it in detail. He decided on a précis.
"Things have got complicated."
"You're not in trouble, Danny?"
The question was a little above a whisper and it caught at Danny because he read the worry and the concern and the love and he knew Tess had asked and wasn't really brave enough to deal with the wrong answer. She'd made herself ask anyway.
"No, Tess, I'm not in trouble."
"But Rusty is," she guessed.
"It's complicated," he said again. How to explain that Rusty was indeed in trouble, just not in the way Tess was thinking?
"And he needs you."
There was now a little hardness and a little inevitability to the four words and Danny knew he should have rung her before because if the communication had been in place there would be no need for her to feel snubbed.
"Yes." And Danny found himself wanting to defend Rusty, to tell Tess how Rusty had tried to send him back to her. He couldn't. Because if she knew how much Rusty didn't want him there, she'd know how bad it was.
"What if I needed you, Danny?" With more than a hint of a tear.
Danny closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them and told the truth.
"If you needed me, Tess, Rusty would buy the plane ticket, drive me to the airport and watch me get on the plane. Hell, he'd probably fly the plane."
There was yet another pause and Danny pictured Tess at the other end of the phone, thinking about what he'd said, knowing he wasn't lying.
"How long?" she asked eventually.
"I don't know." He did a calculation in his head. "Should be wrapped up over the next couple of days or so." One way or another.
"And then you're coming home?" There was hope in there and he knew she hated herself for asking. Even now when she understood exactly where she stood in his affections: not more, not less. Rusty had worked that out long ago but then, he was Rusty.
"Then I'm coming back to you," he assured her.
Rusty would be disappearing anyway. Immediately. Danny knew he'd walk out of the hotel on the final morning of the trial and wouldn't go back.
"Tess, I do love you," he said again and she sighed.
"I know. I do too." She sighed again. "Do what you have to, Danny. Just tell me, are you being careful?"
"Careful as mice," he said lightly, quoting "The Untouchables" back at her.
She didn't get it. "Well, watch out for mousetraps."
"'Bye, Tess."
"I love you, Danny."
He hung up and stared at the phone and wondered yet again how life got so damn knotted.
Turk emerged with Anna-Mae on his arm and they had their heads together. Danny read the comfort, the anxiety, the reassurance, the worry…and then Anna-Mae was on her way and Turk was heading over to Danny with a satisfied look on his face.
"She's going to think things over and she's going to call me."
Danny looked at him. "About the case, right?"
Turk had the grace to look a little ashamed. "About the case," he nodded. "I think she's having second thoughts."
"Good job, Turk." Danny meant it. He doubted he'd have broken through so quickly or so effectively.
The smile on Turk's face was broad.
Saul didn't sulk as a rule which meant he wasn't good at it.
Rusty could have given him tips. More of a pout…work the lashes… He sighed inwardly, munched the potato chips and was remarkably glad when Danny called to tell him that the meeting with Anna-Mae had gone well.
"Can you pick up some food?" he asked plaintively.
There was a pause.
"Saul giving you grief?"
"Like you wouldn't believe."
"You want me to shop for you or for him?"
Both? He heard the smile at the other end.
"OK. Later."
Rusty hung up and looked over at Saul who was inspecting a potato chip with such disdain that if it hadn't already been shrivelled and dried up, it would have done so immediately.
"Relax, Saul. Cavalry's coming."