ANGELS AND GHOSTS

Calling In The Cavalry

In a serious state of anxiety, Cummings tried to calm himself before making the call. He’d always known that letting Clemens live might come back to haunt him. He remembered arguing heatedly with Johnson. ‘She’s a witness, we have to kill her!’ Johnson had defended her. ‘Cath’s solid, she won’t give us up.’ And now, some little bitch had spoken to Clemens, and it appeared that Clemens had given her the whole story.

Cummings knew that trying to implicate him in an incident from three decades ago was going to be almost impossible, because the accomplice was dead, and so too, it appeared, was the only witness. The woman obviously knew that trying to mount a case against him would be futile, and that was why she demanded that he confess to the crime; all the same, if the woman did go to the police, she could make things uncomfortable for him.

Then again, he’d been uncomfortable for a while, ever since the body had been found.

He remembered cursing himself the day after the incident, wondering why they had hastily stacked a pile on rocks on her grave. Like what, were they thinking that she was she going to come back as a zombie? Was she going to stand in a crowded court room, fully zombified, and point to him and Johnson and declare, ‘Those two men raped and killed me!’

Leading by more than eleven points in the latest poll, he was destined to be the next Mayor of Middleton, although if the police came knocking on his door before the election …

Mud sticks, and if the police came a’knocking, his opponents would have barrows full of mud to hurl at him. Only one solution; he picked up his cell phone and pressed call.

“Ivan, how are you?”

“Good thanks Frank.”

“The latest poll has me smiling.”

“Yes, a good result and I’ll be campaigning hard to try and keep you smiling.” Cummings said.

“Sure, is there a reason you called?”

“Yes, I may have stumbled across one little problem …”

“Problem? Tell me about it.”

“A long time ago, a person I went to school with was mixed up in an unfortunate incident, and somehow a woman came across information that I knew this person.”

“Ivan, I don’t deal in riddles; tell me what your problem is.”

“Okay, sorry; did you see that they discovered a body in the forest a few months back?”

“Yes, I read about it; what’s that got to do with you?”

Cummings sighed, then said quietly, “This woman came and saw me today, and she said that the person I went to school with may have been involved in that particular incident, and seeing how I knew this person, she wanted to know what I knew about the incident.”

“I don’t see what the problem is.”

“Well the woman, she threatened to go to the police, and I mean here I am, leading by more than ten points, but if the cops start hassling me …”

“What are you saying, you had something to do with it?”

“No, of course not! What I’m saying is that I’ve almost got my hands on the keys to the office, but if I get a burst of negative press at such a crucial point in the campaign, well …”

“Okay, so spell it out for me; what do you want me to do?”

“I was thinking that you could send a few people over to see this woman.”

“Threaten her?”

“Ummm, maybe advise her to let the matter rest.”

“In other words, threaten her.”

“Frank, I’m as good as in, I mean if everything runs smoothly, I will be the next Mayor, and as we’ve discussed, my reign will be beneficial for your business interests.”

“Well that’s obviously why I’m supporting you,” he agreed, “What’s the woman’s name?”

“Rachael Terina.”

Silence.

“Frank, Mr Cavello?”

“Rachael Terina?” Cavello asked in surprise.

“Yes, do you know her?”

“Did you say that she threatened to go to the police?”

“Ummm, actually, that’s not quite true.”

“Okay, cut out the bullshit and tell me what she said.”

“Well she threatened me.”

“In what way?”

“She, she said that she was going to bury me alive, right next to the grave out in the forest.”

“Fuck me.” Cavello cursed.

*

Rachael’s cell rang and she looked at the number, then muttered, “Shit.” Breathing in deeply, Rachael answered and said brightly, “Hello Mr Cavello.”

Thirty minutes later she was there; not in the VIP area, in the back room, cigar smoke billowing into the air. Cavello didn’t acknowledge her, seemingly deep in thought, and that concerned Rachael. She didn’t like it when he tried to come on to her, although she liked this even less; sitting in the back room, cigar smoke wafting in the air, and the Boss brooding.

He leant back in his chair and looked at her, then said calmly, “Rachael, I remember discussing with you recently that I look after my own, I look after people that I regard as part of my extended family.”

“Yes Mr Cavello, we did have that discussion.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Certainly.”

“The Council elections are coming up in three weeks,” he drew back and blew out, then asked casually, “Who will you vote for?”

Rachael couldn’t see where this was leading, although the afternoon confrontation with one of the candidates was at the forefront of her mind. “I’ll probably exercise my democratic right, and instead of voting, I might go shopping instead.” she replied quietly.

Cavello held her gaze as he stated, “I’ll be voting for Ivan Cummings.”

Rachael sucked her bottom lip, Fuck …

“Do you want to know why?” he asked.

“I’m getting a feeling that you’re going to tell me.”

Cavello puffed out and looked at the ceiling. “I have a few projects in the pipe-line, projects that are going to require council approval to move ahead, so over the last few years, I’ve been grooming someone, preparing someone to run for Mayor, and that someone is Ivan Cummings.”

Rachael wanted to bow her head, but she kept her gaze fixed on him. “I’m guessing that Cummings told you that we kinda bumped into one another.”

“Yes, he did, and I’m sure you’ll understand this, I’ve spent a lot of money and I’ve contributed a lot of hours into grooming a candidate that I can call my own, so when my candidate tells me that a woman threatened to bury him alive in the State Forest, I’m thinking, no, I wouldn’t like that, not after all the time and money I’ve invested in him.”

Irrespective of the situation, Rachael was always straight-up with the Boss, although this was a delicate matter, and beginning with a slice of humour was worth a shot. “Okay Houston, we have a problem.” she said quietly.

No return smile as Cavello asked, “Does Houston have a problem, or is it you that may have a problem?”

“Mr Cavello, I’ll lay it out for you,” she began, “I have reason to believe that Ivan Cummings is a murderer. The body they recovered from the State Forest recently was a sixteen-year-old girl named Jenny. In 1985, Cummings, this other guy named Steven Johnson and this woman named Catherine Clemens, lured Jenny into the forest, and then Cummings and Johnson raped her, and then Cummings bashed her to death with a rock.”

“I don’t remember reading anywhere that the police were just about to break that case open.”

“Ohhh, the police don’t actually know about his involvement.”

“But you do?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure there’s going to be an interesting story here; please, go ahead.”

Rachael shook her hair back, then looked at him. “You helped me bring the Jason Taranto situation to an equitable close, and funny, because it all leads back to that accident.”

“Taranto’s involved in this as well?”

“No, not in the murder, but the spot where he hit my friend Mia Coombes is almost directly opposite where they discovered the bones …”

*

An hour later, Cavello poured himself a whiskey as he ran it through his mind. Having his own Mayor, having someone of influence on the council to help push through his projects was very appealing, although Ivan Cummings appeal had all but vanished.

The story Rachael Terina had told him was far-fetched; full of voices in the night and lost spirits, although one thing occurred to him. He knew Rachael Terina well, knew that in her chosen profession, she was thorough and meticulous. He knew that she paid attention to even the most minor details, and he trusted her instincts. He had asked her, ‘How can you be certain that he was involved?’ She had looked straight at him as she replied, ’Mr Cavello, I feel that I’m an expert in facial expressions, body language and the pitch and tone of a lying individual, and I would bet my reputation that he is guilty.’ She had then sat up straight, held her head high, and asked him, ‘Can I have your permission to go after him?’

After mulling over the money he’d wasted and the man hours he’d invested into this project, he nodded, ‘You may finalize the matter.’

Whether Cummings was guilty or not didn’t really matter anymore, because if Rachael Terina was coming for you …

Cavello rang him.

“Hi Frank.”

“This is a courtesy call, just to let you know that I’m withdrawing my support.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You, Mr Cummings, are on your own.”

“What’s going on? Is this to do with that Terina bitch?”

“Not that I have to explain myself to you, but I do remember asking you right back at the very start whether you had any skeletons in the closet, or if you had any issues from your past that could become a problem, and you looked straight at me and said, no.”

“Well, that’s true!”

“You expect me to believe you?”

“What are you saying, you believe her?”

“I know you’ve lied and cheated to get to where you are today, and you also gave me an assurance that you would continue to lie and cheat to look after my interests.”

“Yes, and I will do that, but Frank, all I need is for your people to have a quiet word to her, and then I’ll be the next Mayor, your Mayor!”

“There’s a skeleton in your closet Mr Cummings, and whether it comes out tomorrow or next week or next year is irrelevant; other people know about it, so at some stage it will come out, and because of that, I’m ending our association.”

“But Mr Cavello-”

“Goodbye!” he interrupted, then as he hung up and gazed into space, he muttered, “I’m sure I’ll be reading about you in the not-too-distant future.”

Cummings fretted, not because he was worried by the woman’s threats, he was concerned that his safety network had just disappeared in a puff of smoke. All his competitors knew that Cavello was behind him, and they treated him with kid gloves, Get some dirt on Cummings? No way, Cavello’s got his back …

A phone call later, and no-one had his back.

Cummings tried to compose himself as he whispered, “For every problem, there is a solution …”

He had helped one of Cavello’s top men sort through a tricky situation two years ago, and maybe it was time he called that favour in. He engaged his cell and waited patiently.

“Ivan?”

For every problem, there is a solution … Cummings drew in a breath, then said brightly, “Hi Silvanio, how are you?”

*

Mia didn’t want to call, because it seemed like the distance between her and the love of her life was expanding at an alarming rate; but this wasn’t about Mia’s social life, it was about helping Jenny. The callee picked up and said blandly, “Hi.”

Mia tried to compose herself, then she whispered, “Did you see him?”

Silence.

Silence that made Mia fret. “Rachael …”

“What?”

“Did you see him?”

Mia heard a sigh, then a single word response.

“Yes.”

“Rach, should we go to the police?”

Silence, agonising silence, ducklings getting pinged silence, the silence of an assassin.

“Rachael …”

“What?”

“Come over and get me and we’ll go to the police!”

No response, and Mia felt a throb in her brow, and she knew that Rachael was responsible for the throb, because all she could hear was her breathing. “Rachael …”

“Listen …”

Mia listened, but no further instructions were coming, so she muttered, “What?”

A sigh floated down, then Rachael’s bland tone coming through. “I’m going to be busy for a few weeks, so don’t call me.”

All of a sudden, the throbs were giant sized throbs, forcing Mia to tremble. “Rachael, let’s, let’s go and see the police, now!”

“I’m going to be busy, so don’t ring me, okay?”

Mia’s left hand rubbed her brow, and she rocked backwards and forwards, blubbering out, “What, what are you going to do?”

Rachael recognised the concern in her voice, so she replied as casually as she could, “I’ll start tracking the guy.”

“No, no, I don’t understand!” Mia sobbed.

“Hey, relax; I just want to see what he does, that’s all.”

Rocking back and forward, so frightened, Mia asked, “Why?”

Rachael went and sat at the kitchen counter, raking a hand through her hair. Quite obviously, Mia was upset, and she needed to calm her, although Mia knew who she was, so maybe the most appropriate thing she needed to do was give Mia an insight into the future. Sighing, she said quietly, “He didn’t confess.”

In a daze, in a quandary, Mia blubbered, “That’s okay, we’ll go to the police and tell them everything we know!”

Rachael waited a few moments, then said, “Just relax okay, everything’s under control. I’m going to track him, and yeah, we’ll see where we come out.”

Mia bite down on her right index finger, then mumbled, “You’re, you’re not going to do anything, are you?” Mia waited for a response, then froze, realising that most of her questions in this fractured phone call were questions that produced silence, so in a determined manner, she declared, “This is a matter for the police!”

After a tense moment of silence, a calm reply floated down, “Just relax, and like I said, don’t call me, I’ll call you.”

Mia was terrified, then a thought hit, a thought that she simply had to pass on. “Rachael, I don’t want you putting yourself in danger, so come around here, right now!”

“Mia, I’m going to start tracking this guy.”

“No, we go to the police and we-”

“No!” Rachael interrupted abruptly. “I know what I’m doing, and I’m going to deal with this.”

Mia bite down on all the fingers of her right hand as an image popped into mind; ducks, ducks falling one by one, a Wicked Witch sighting up the next one, then she asked hesitantly, “What, what are you going to do?”

“I told you, I’ll start tracking him.”

“Okay, but what does that mean, where does that lead us to?”

Rachael bowed her face, sighed, then muttered, “If I see an opportunity …” then she hung up.

Mia gasped, regathered quickly, and pressed call, then waited, and sobbing, she pressed call again.

*

Five calls the next day, and Mia felt guilty, because Rachael had told her not to call, and she didn’t want to disobey the one true love of her life, but Mia couldn’t help herself, because she didn’t want Rachael to do, to do … anything.

Sitting in his office, Cummings couldn’t relax, hoping for the phone to ring, and ring it did, more than a dozen times, although it wasn’t the call he was sweating on.

By mid-afternoon, the call came, and he answered breathlessly, “Silvanio, do we have a deal?”

“Yeah,” came the gruff reply. “On two conditions.”

“Certainly; what do you want?”

“First, a hundred grand, cash.”

“What?” he asked, bemused. “I, I helped you with your little problem!”

“Listen Potential-Mayor, I don’t know for sure, but I’ve always suspected that the bitch is a hit-man, or hit-woman or whatever.”

As the phrase rang in his mind, Cummings blurted out, “You’re kidding!”

“I don’t know for sure, although I believe that she’s a killer for hire, so this could be dangerous, and I want a hundred grand up front or else you can forget about it.”

Cummings rubbed his brow, not too many options available to him, so he sighed, “Okay, sure, I’ll get the money; what’s the other condition?”

“Cavello likes the little bitch, so this puts me in a kinda conflict of interest situation, so if you ever tell anybody about this, I’ll be coming for you.”

“I give you my word that I will never tell anyone!” he declared, then he added, “I mean it’s in my interests not to tell anyone.”

“Okay, get me the money, and then we’ll start planning.”

“Planning?”

“If, like I suspect, she is a killer for hire, she’ll start watching you, watching your every move, and while she’s doing that, I’ll be watching her.”

They met secretly the following night, and Silvanio was pleasantly surprised. “One hundred and five grand?”

Cummings lowered his gaze as he said quietly, “The five is a bonus, because I have another little favour to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

This guy scared Cummings, although he raised his gaze to meet his eyes as he said, “This bitch threatened me, and she’s caused me a great deal of anxiety, so I was thinking that I would like to see her suffer before you kill her.”

Silvanio ran it through his mind. A hundred and five grand, kill that slut, kill her slowly, fuck her maybe … He nodded, “Sure.”

“The threat she made to me was that she was going to bury me alive in the State National Forest, so I was thinking that maybe you could abduct her and then we could take her for a little drive out there.”

“Yeah, maybe we could work that in,” he replied, “You gunna rape her or something?”

Cummings seemed reflective, then he said quietly, “The thought did cross my mind.”

In the darkness of a still night, Silvanio slid under her car and attached the tracking device, smiling as he whispered to himself, “Sure you can rape her … but I’m first.”

*

Two days later, Silvanio rang him. “She’s watching you.”

“What?”

“I put a tracking device under her car, and last night, she followed you from your office to your home.”

“Jesus, am I in danger?”

“Relax, while she’s watching you, I’m watching her.”

“But she knows where I live?”

“If she’s smart, she’ll be monitoring your movements, trying to work out when you’re alone.”

“You don’t think she’ll try and break into my house?”

“I don’t know, but put it this way, we’ll try and lure her to us.”

“I don’t follow.”

“What time is everybody normally gone from your office?”

“Well it used to be five, maybe six o’clock, although with the election just around the corner, it can be anytime these days.”

“Okay, make sure everybody is out of there by seven o’clock every night, but of course, you stay.”

“Stay in the office?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“We’ll play it by ear, but at this stage we’ll say ten o’clock.”

“Now hang on; I’ll be in my office by myself for three hours, being watched by someone who wants to kill me?”

“Exactly.”

“No, no way!”

“Ivan, this is the perfect plan. She’s watching you, but she doesn’t know that I’m watching her.”