“Mike back when I was in Idaho, like most of the girls my age, I was determined to get out and see the world. Whatever in the hell that means. The older I became the smaller Boise seem to get to me. I had a positive attitude and a lot of drive. As soon as I heard from a friend that there were a lot of jobs in Dallas, I was dead set on coming here.
That summer after graduating high school I worked two jobs and began saving every dime to move. I continued living with my parents so not having any bills made it pretty easy. By the time summer was over I had enough money saved and had already contacted several hiring managers about positions here in Dallas.
The first job that I thought I had for sure, turned out to be one that required a couch interview at the manager’s home. Well, you probably remember me telling you all about that. Anyway, that was nearly half a year before I returned and went through the same thing then applied at Memphis. Anyway, I was naïve, but not that naïve or desperate. I had flown in to Dallas for the weekend and tried some more jobs but didn’t have any luck. The original plan was to return to Boise and save a little more then return back to Dallas with a job waiting for me.
So I went back home and was too embarrassed to tell everyone that the job did not pan out. I made another trip to Seattle to look into a couple of jobs there. I really wasn’t serious about working there but was enjoying the traveling since I had not traveled at all till then.
The first day there I rented a car and found my way around. I talked to a couple of hiring managers, shopped a little then saw a brochure about Vancouver. Since I had the traveling bug and it was only a few hours to drive there I went there on a whim. I took in the sights then heard about a night club that was the hottest spot in Vancouver.
That night I called a cab from my hotel and gave him the address. The place was so nice and it was very crowded but the bouncer at the door saw me all by myself and let me walk in front of the line and right inside. I meet four girls who were airline stewardess for Continental airlines and ended up latching on to party with them the whole night.
The girls were so friendly and were telling me how to get a job on at the airlines. It really sounded exciting. They traveled all the time and knew everyone. During the night they introduced me to a guy who they said flies with them all the time.
He ended up hanging out with us for the rest of the night. He bought the drinks and danced with all of us. By the time it was midnight the girls had to leave because of an early flight the next day. The guy and I were left and continued to party.”
Kelly paused, thinking about the night. She moved a little further away from Mike. She turned away, lifted her hand, and began to wipe her eyes. “Guess you’re wondering if there is a point to all of this right?” Kelly never looked up and didn’t expect an answer.
“He, the guy, told me that he had a few businesses in Dallas. We had already talked about my plans to move there. He gave me his business card and told me that he would see what he could do for me. After that he offered me a ride to my hotel.
We hung out in my room and he made me several more drinks. Before I knew what was happening I was doing all sort of things with this guy. It wasn’t till later that I figured he must have put something in my drink.
That next morning I felt like crap. My clothes were all off and he was no where in site. Pretty stupid huh?”
Mike remained silent as he continued to listen. Kelly looked up for the first time. Her beautiful eyes were now red and filled with tears.
“Mike, that guy was Martin Garcia.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
The celebration lasted till the early morning hours for Garcia’s victory party. With the constant flow of people in and out of the suite, no one noticed when Garcia disappeared from his own party. He quietly slipped away then took the elevators down to the second floor where he decided to do some preventive maintenance.
He could have left it alone but could not resist. The needed to be the constant director of fate controlled his actions. After a visit to Adam’s room, he eased back into the party before anyone noticed that he was missing.
By the time housekeeping entered Garcia’s suite that morning, evidence of the celebration was still present. Half dressed women were spread throughout the suite sleeping in nearly every room. Empty bottles scattered everywhere and food was spilled across the white marble tables, floor, and carpet. The party goers trashed the elegant suite.
While the crisp morning released its usual chilled Moscow temperatures, even less warm impressions filled inside of the hotel’s housekeeper. Garcia stepped out from the bedroom into the hallway already immaculately dressed.
He walked casually into the living room. The lighter in his hand flickered to ignite the cigarette hanging from his mouth. He stepped over one of the two females lying on the floor before noticing the housekeeper.
“Well, I thought I was the only one awake this morning,” he smiled. He walked past her as she looked back at him with her mouth wide open.
Before speaking he took a moment to think. The smoke from his cigarette lifted into the air as the steady release blew from his mouth. He tapped his cigarette letting the ashes fall across another young girl passed out below him.
A silent pause preceded his words. He always did it because it allowed him time to organize his thoughts. The habit served him well through the years.
Speaking in perfect Russian Garcia told the housekeeper, “After the cleaning is complete, have the girls get dressed and escort them out of my room.” Garcia walked passed the still stunned housekeeper then left the suite.
He pretended to leave but stood inside of the front door. As expected he heard her pick up the phone to call Yuri and complain.
“Mr. Yuri! I have no idea where to even start. I have never seen any of the suites in such condition!”
Before she could continue she jumped and stumbled from the surprise of the voice that came up behind her.
“On second thought,” Garcia said again in Russian. “Tell the two girls in my bedroom that they may stay till I return. Also tell Yuri that I need another bottle of my favorite.” Just as instantly as he appeared, he was gone.
The large gold and polished bronze elevators stood before Garcia as he waited for the doors to open. He moved the small black comb through the length of his goatee in the reflection. The lit cigarette dangled from his lips as his mind organized his next move.
When the elevator doors opened, an unexpected visitor stood inside, “Mr. Garcia, my sincere apologies sir. Would you be so kind to take the next elevator? I am afraid that the Metropol has had an unfortunate incident.”
Yuri looked as if he had not slept in days. His words were spoken quickly as his eyes shifted around nervously. His uncombed hair the grey strands flung across his face. His usual tailored suite was replaced with a wrinkled jogging suite and his eyes were blood shot and baggy.
Garcia leaned to the side to see what Yuri so desperately tried to conceal with his body. After placing the cigarette back into his mouth, Garcia stepped into the elevator.
“No Yuri, I think I’ll take this one,” he said.
Two men stood at the rear of the elevator dressed in white hospital uniforms. That, however, was not what had caused Yuri to become so frazzled. Stretched across the entire length of the elevator, a gurney with a body on it lay covered with a white sheet.
After the elevators closed Yuri continued to face forward. As if an unrealistic hope set in place that Garcia would do the same, he did not acknowledge the dead body on the gurney.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
“So, a dead body I take it.” Garcia said as if he were surprised to see it. Fact was that he was not surprised.
The blood drained from Yuri’s face. As poised as he normally presented himself in any given situation, this was something that he was not able to handle in a dignified manner. He pulled the hair away from his face then cleared his throat. “I am afraid, Mr. Garcia, that one of my housekeeping staff regrettably fou
nd a deceased man in one of our suites.”
“Is that right? Tragic,” Garcia said. His nonchalant and unconcerned words traveled across the thin cigarette smoke.
He faced forward along with Yuri, seemingly no longer interested in the dead body. Yuri cut his eyes toward Garcia undoubtedly surprised by the lack of alarm in his voice.
Garcia’s allowed his signature smirk to appear on his face. As with most that hovered close to in circles associated with Garcia, Yuri was familiar with the less then reputable rumors. He knew that the smirk would make Yuri wonder if he was involved. Garcia reveled in keeping those around him off balanced.
“Also,” Yuri continued. “Before you read about it in the papers, I wanted to tell you that the person is someone that you know.”
Garcia pulled his cigarette out then turned to look at the covered body before turning back to Yuri. His eyes widen in mock interest. “Is that so? Someone that I know.”
The elevator doors opened to the basement floor. Before the men could push the gurney out Garcia placed his hand on the cart. He pulled the white sheet down to the chest area of the deceased. Adam Barrie’s soulless opened eyes stared into the finality of non existence. His place bloodless face displayed a look of shock from the realization of witnessing his own demise and becoming planted in God’s garden. The shocking site did not faze Garcia.
“The investigators left just minutes ago. They said that the cause of death was likely suicide. A weapon was found next to the body with Adam’s hand print on it,” Yuri said.
The statement had less to do with the divulging of information and more to do with the need to disarm Garcia. “I’m guessing that the tournament loss was too much for the young man to deal with,” Yuri finished.
Garcia pulled the sheet back over Adam’s face. He looked at the end of his cigarette noticing that the ashes had built up again. He flicked the ashes allowing them to land on the white sheet that draped over Adam.
“Well, one thing is for sure,” Garcia winked. “He won’t be in the final two next year.”
The two workers pushed the gurney out into the bottom garage floor, then into an awaiting ambulance. The emergency workers took their time. And why not? No need to rush since this patient had already made his escape from the problems of the mortal world. A toe tag bearing his name waited for him at the morgue.
As the elevator doors closed Yuri could not help but look back at Garcia. Although no smoking was allowed in the elevators no one would dare tell that to Garcia and he took full advantage of it. The small compartment filled with grey mist as he stood in the vapors of the smoke. Yuri continued to watch him as the doors closed.
Back on the lobby floor Garcia made his way out the front entrance. His personal driver pulled up just as he exited the glass doors. The driver parked then opened the rear door for Garcia to get inside. In the back of the limo Garcia pulled Mike’s cell phone from his jacket. Playtime was over.
Garcia changed his previous plans to return to the Metropol. He picked up the interior phone of the limo and made a call to lave a message on the hotel office phone.
“Hello Yuri, I decided to head back to the states on the next flight. Have my things packed and send to my address at my Manzanillo, Colima home. As always thank you for your excellent hospitality.”
Garcia looked at his watch then scrolled through Mike’s cell phone.
“Time to finish what I had started”, he whispered.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
The heat that drifted from the fireplace on the other side of Mike’s home gave no warmth to Kelly. All of a sudden the room’s temperature seemed to drop. The mere thought of Garcia alone sucked all the air out of the room. Martin Garcia had somehow managed to infiltrate one of the most intimate moments of Mike’s recent life. Right up until Garcia’s name was said, Mike was the happiest he had been in some time.
Garcia instantly consumed Mike’s thoughts. Through a haze of smoke Garcia’s face appeared like a recurring nightmare. The room began to spin tossing his thoughts in confused directions as blood rushed through his body. He head pounded and body weakened.
“So let me get this straight,” Mike said. He placed his rugged hands against his forehead rubbing hard. He paced the room trying to select the proper thoughts to verbally display. “You’re trying to tell me that you knew who Garcia was this entire time and didn’t say anything?”
“No, no Mike, it wasn’t like that. Well I sort of knew but-,” she said.
“But what Kelly? What could you possibly tell me?”
“Mike, that was a long time ago! You can’t understand that was a memory that I tried to forget. It was the worst time of my life; I tried to forget everything, including Garcia. Dammit Mike, I didn’t even recognize him when he was in Memphis. At first I thought he looked familiar but I don’t think he remembered me either.”
Mike stopped pacing the floor but remained at the distance. The descending flame of the lone candle gave a final flicker then extinguished. Except for the developed tension, only darkness remained within the room. She took a small degree of pleasure from the darkness and not being able to see Mike’s expression.
She went on to explain. “It wasn’t till earlier today that the thought came to me. I dug through some old boxes I had stuck in the back of my closet. That was where I found it. It was the business card he gave me when we met in Vancouver. The name was different, it had Arturo Leyva written across it, but this was the same person who came into the club, I know it. After I thought about it more, I still wasn’t 100% sure that it was him. To be honest Mike I didn’t think it even mattered till, well you know.” Toward the end of her speech her words trailed off overcome with the hopeless despair of a moot explanation.
“Till now,” Mike finished her thoughts.
Kelly cradled herself in her arms and wept. As she leaned over, the tears fell even harder, masked by the cover of darkness. Moisture landed against her thighs soaking into her skin with the salty sadness of shamed memories.
Kelly desperately tried to control herself. With her head down she continued to wipe the flood of tears from her face. Deep breaths were taken to gain some kind of composure. As she lifted her head she could see the blurry vision of Mike leaving the room. Upon seeing this, the tears flowed uncontrollably and the room became even colder.
Kelly sat in the dark. It felt like and eternity of loneliness in the minute that crept by. Never in her life could she ever remember feeling so small and insignificant.
The once sweet fragrance of the candle evaporated. The last song playing on the stereo ended to allow an unwanted hush to dominate the room. Her heart sunk, absorbed in the emptiness of the moment and she wanted to be anywhere but there.
The lights came on in the hallway. The darken room still managed to block any of the illumination from coming inside till Mike’s silhouette appeared in the doorway.
“I got some medicine for ya,” he said then walked over to Kelly. “Well this always made me feel better anyway.”
Kelly brushed the hair out of her face. The tears in her eyes made it difficult to see as she tried to focus. Mike’s smile managed to filter through the darkness with welcoming acceptance. Her red puffy eyes slowly began to adjust and reveal the item held in front of her.
The bowl was held below the silver spoon suspended before her. On the spoon, a single dip of ice cream awaited. She ate it right away and continued to allow Mike to feed her. He was right, she felt better, a lot better.
After getting enough, Kelly smiled weakly and leaned against Mike’s chest. Fatigue finally managed to grip her body after the emotionally long day. Outside the bedroom’s window the moon made its final descent as the remaining butter pecan ice cream melted in the bowl.
Soon they both were fast asleep.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
The loud chirping outside Mike’s window pierced the air like nature’s alarm. His eyes sprung opened instantly wondering if he had overslept. Looking to his side he found Kelly
still fast asleep leaning against his arm so he eased away from her before hurrying to get dressed.
Like most Saturdays, the list of things that needed to be done remained long. Before their planned trip to San Antonio, this list extended even more. He first had to make sure that everything was ready at the bar. Going away made him nervous since he had not been away from his bar for an entire weekend since he took ownership of it. The last item on checklist was to pick up the boys.
He promised himself not to deliberate on the trip. He had been driving himself crazy with the idea of canceling the entire mini vacation and the mental struggle still loomed in the back of his mind. In the end he promised Danny, and he had to lead by example by keeping that promise. Also allowing Garcia to dictate his life could not ever become an option.
Promises aside, another factor remained that he had to consider. Was it really worth taking this trip with the potential of crossing paths with Garcia? If now, then when?
To keep the planned trip would draw Garcia away from the bar and place them on a neutral playing field. Also he had to accept the hard fact that their paths were going to cross sooner or later. Later may as well be now. Other thoughts about this trip raced through Mike’s head and one thought in particular also demanded some serious consideration.
The idea was a long shot, a very long shot, but it couldn’t hurt to try it. He pulled out the phone number that he kept throughout all those years. Since he only used it once, he wasn’t totally positive that it still worked. On top of that it wasn’t even a direct number and just associated with the person he needed to speak with. He wasn’t even sure why he kept the number. A short thoughtful pause proceeded till he finally pressed the corresponding numerals to dial the long distance number.
The phone rung several times till the call was captured by an answering machine. The automated voice merely recited the number called followed by a beep. Not positive that the call just wasn’t a waste of time, Mike kept the message as vague as possible.
The message turned out to be much longer then Mike desired. He briefly explained who he was, where he was calling from, and a contact number. Even during the message he thought that the idea was useless. If the number was still correct, which he seriously doubted, it was no way that Mike would receive a return call. The idea would just be another live start to a dead end.