The Cain Casey Series

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Vinny Carlotti had arrived and made himself comfortable at Cain’s private table.

His entry had prompted Kyle to send Lionel in to join the party and tell the other three to keep their eyes open, since the people they had taped all day had mentioned nothing but the weather.

“Boss, Merrick called a few minutes ago and said everything’s ready.” Lou stepped up and waited to see what Cain would decide. Interrupting her meeting with the pretty woman was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had no choice.

“I’m about ready to roll, Lou. Just give me a minute.”

“It’s not too late to pull out.” Shelby locked her arms around Cain’s neck and held her in place. The knowledge that Emma was looking on was, in a way, urging on her behavior, but the hurt look in the blue eyes she had come to dream about was hard to ignore.

“And do what instead, take you home so we can play cops and robbers?”

“Don’t trivialize what I’m trying to do here, Cain. I care about you, and I don’t want to come visit you where I’m forced to look at you through thick glass.”

Cain rubbed her back and kissed her nose. “I’m planning on that dinner you guys are going to owe me when this is all over. Don’t worry about a thing. You just keep your eyes peeled, and I promise I’ll be fine.”

“You’d better be.”

“Honey, trust me. I’ve got some people to see, once this is all over.”

*

Two semis were already parked on the dock when Cain’s car pulled up. Ten more were just getting off the interstate exit ramp, and Kyle held his team back until they arrived. He was feeling almost giddy. His day had finally come, and he would live to see Cain Casey brought down.

Cain opened the back door of the car herself and stepped out to talk to one of the drivers. The warehouse workers had been dismissed, and she motioned for Lou to go open the cargo doors so the guy could pull in to start unloading. The drivers had followed her orders to the letter, and the first truck that pulled into her place was full of cases of Jameson Irish Whiskey. It had been her father’s favorite, and hers as well, and she thought unloading it first would bring her luck.

Kyle spoke into the mike just in front of his mouth. “Sardines. Did she really think we would fall for that?” The headset kept him in contact with all his team as he looked through the night glasses. “If that’s little fish, she must have cornered the market.”

In a momentary lull between trucks pulling in, everyone heard the slamming of a car door, and all the federal agents stared as Emma walked directly over to Cain, who was standing alone, and grabbed her arm. None of them felt as stricken or as mortified as Kyle. He was so close to the biggest bust of his life, and some little blond bitch was about to mess it up.

“Kill the lights and move in,” Kyle ordered, as the floodlights illuminating the docks suddenly went dark for almost a mile stretch. The cloud cover Cain had worried about was now a huge factor in who would hold the advantage.

“What are you doing here?” demanded Cain, as she pulled Emma inside.

“I couldn’t let you do this alone. It’s my fault they’re out there now, and I’m not about to abandon you.”

“Jesus, Emma, did you think for one minute I didn’t plan for every factor, including Kyle? Just get out of here and wait for me to call you.” They had made it through the large cargo doors and were just inside, next to the first semi that had been parked for downloading.

“FBI! Drop your weapons and come out with your hands on your head.” The order came through a bullhorn, and for once Cain didn’t recognize the voice.

“Lou, drop your gun now and step outside where they can see you.”

Shelby heard Cain’s order as she moved to the warehouse entrance. The dress had hindered her speed, but she had her weapon drawn and was ready for anything. As much as she wanted to believe Cain wouldn’t hurt her, she couldn’t predict how a cornered Cain would lash out. Anthony and Joe were right behind her, and Kyle was already at the entrance.

It was hard to pinpoint everything going on around them in the almost-dark, noisy warehouse. Cain forgot her hate for her ex and pulled Emma close. Whoever had ordered them to drop their weapons was nearby when she heard the order again, only this time without the bullhorn. Suddenly she recognized the voice and the danger they were in.

“I said drop your weapon, scumbag,” Kyle ordered, as he looked at Cain and Emma standing together. His gun came up, and almost instantly the bullet left the chamber.

With a quick move, Cain turned around and pulled Emma with her to protect her from the gunfire. Her swing was so quick it propelled them to the floor, where she landed on top of Emma, her arms still wrapped around her in a protective embrace.

“I knew you still cared about me,” Emma whispered up to the ear so near her lips. She could hear only running feet before someone ordered a cease-fire. “Come on, I think the worst is over now. You can let me up.” She said it as a joke, but Cain didn’t respond. Only then did she feel it. The hot wet stain that was growing larger by the second on the front of the blue dress Cain had bought for her.

“Drop your weapon!” Shelby screamed from her defensive stance, gun aimed at Kyle.

“Daniels, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” The gun he had just fired was hanging loosely at his side, but he refused to let go of it.

“Sir, I’m asking you to drop your weapon and step forward. If you refuse we’ll have no other option than to take you down by force, and I think no one here really wants to do that.”

Anthony moved behind their boss and aimed his gun at Kyle’s back, in case he made any sudden move against Shelby.

“I’m beginning to think the stress has gotten to all of you, or is it the blueness of the bitch’s eyes that turned you, Daniels? I’m ordering you to drop your weapon. It seems clear to me that you’re working for Casey.”

George stepped up and stared at his old friend. “There’s corruption in the ranks in New Orleans all right, Barney, but it isn’t from these fine young agents. Do as the lady says, and put down your gun.” He was older than Kyle, but he’d used the agent in countless trials, always respecting his professionalism and expert opinions.

The lights came back on, and everyone quickly ripped off the night-vision equipment and blinked furiously, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness. It was then that they noticed the two women on the ground near the parked truck.

Emma was trying to roll Cain off of her, whispering and shaking her furiously to get her to respond. She would have screamed sooner, but she didn’t want to attract any more fire their way. “Cain, honey? Please wake up.”

For a moment Cain did open her eyes and focused on her face. “Take care of Hayden. Tell him I’m…” The voice died away before she finished, and Cain slumped lifelessly against her.

“No!” The frantic call made everyone locked in the battle of wills focus in their direction. Joe, who was backing Shelby up, called for an ambulance and more agents. Lying on the ground was Cain with a gunshot to the back. Emma had two fistfuls of her hair and was screaming at her to wake up.

“She had a gun, I saw it,” Kyle objected, before anyone accused him of any other wrongdoing.

“Agents Curtis and Simmons, take care of Agent Kyle and take possession of his weapon. If he resists, shoot him,” ordered George. He had seen the shock that took hold of Shelby’s features as she gazed past Kyle when Emma screamed.

Kyle stared at George and laughed at the absurdity of the situation. “You’ve finally lost it, George. We’re surrounded by a shitload of illegal liquor, and I’m the one in trouble? I don’t think so. This is my operation, old man, so you and your goons are free to leave. Jones, start inventorying the cargo in those semis.”

George motioned to his lead man. He had tried the easy way; now it was time to wrap up. A second later Kyle was on the ground and cuffed, with Rocky practically sitting on him to keep him down. Another one of George’s men read him his rights, ignoring the cursing and spitting coming from the big blond on the ground.

The government’s head attorney in the city squatted next to Kyle as the paramedics rushed in and spoke softly enough for only the agent to hear. “Barney, you’d better start praying now that she lives, because if she doesn’t, I’m going to bury you so deep you’ll be wishing for death.”

“Please, this is all a misunderstanding. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You shot an unarmed woman in the back in her place of business. I’d say that was plenty wrong. Take him in, and I’ll be along shortly.”

Cain was already loaded on the gurney when George got up. The fact that the three paramedics were still hooking up IVs and working furiously gave him some comfort. He hadn’t lied to the young people who had come to him earlier that day. Cain Casey was a friend to a lot of people, most of whom owed her more than they could pay back in a lifetime.

Twelve Years Earlier at Cain’s Warehouse

“Cain, you aren’t going to believe who’s on line one,” Mrs. Michaels, Cain’s assistant at the warehouse, said over the intercom. The woman had worked for Dalton for years and just kept coming to work when his daughter took over. Cain never questioned her presence, and the elderly woman kept her schedule and took her calls with meticulous care.

“Is it the police wanting me to turn myself in?”

“Close enough. It’s George Talbot.”

Cain picked up and accepted his invitation to play golf that afternoon. She didn’t question why or if George wanted something. A little ruse on her part ensured her conversation with George would be just between the two of them. Her constant shadows at the warehouse were still in the building across the street, thinking she was in-house. Not one of them noticed the bug exterminator truck that pulled out, or the fact that a different worker drove it.

On the fourth hole, as they drove out to take their second shots, George started talking. “Cain, do you have children?” He knew the answer, but it was easier to get the conversation started this way.

“I just recently started living with someone, sir, but I’m hoping she’s agreeable to a family someday. Family is something that’s very important to me. Do you and your wife have children?” She too knew the answer to the question, but it was an icebreaker to keep George talking.

“We have a daughter. Her name’s Monica, and she’s in the middle of her junior year at Mount Carmel Academy.”

Cain stopped their cart well short of the balls and pointed to a bench under a large oak tree. “That’s a beautiful name. Is she enjoying her year, getting ready for college and all that comes with growing up?”

“She was, and she seemed so happy until she met this guy. All I know is his name’s Eddie, and he dropped out of school last year before he graduated. The headmaster of his school told me he had been in some trouble before that, and they were going to expel him soon anyway.” George leaned forward and sighed like a man with a heavy burden. “When you become a parent, Cain, you discover a fine line between being too soft and having your child end up with someone like Eddie, or going too far in the other direction and having her hate you. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, sir. Times have changed. I don’t envy you having to deal with a teenager.”

“She’s missing, Cain. She left for school two days ago and never came back. Her mother and I’ve looked everywhere. We called all her friends, but no one knows where she is.” He dropped his head and grabbed two fistfuls of hair in frustration.

“Mr. Talbot, I feel like an idiot for asking, but shouldn’t you be talking to the authorities?”

“I would, but I’m afraid of what they’ll find. My career isn’t important here, so don’t think that, but we found some stuff in her room.” George stopped and stared up at her, hoping she would understand his dilemma and what he wanted for his daughter. “I want her to have a future without something always out there threatening to drag her down.”

“What sort of things did you find? I need to know what I’m up against.”

He described the bent spoon and needles, along with the rubber tubing that meant Monica was in big trouble, the kind you were led into and never escaped just by sheer will.

“Sir, I want you to do me two favors.”

“Anything.”

“I need a current picture.”

He pulled one from his shirt pocket.

“And I want you to go home and spend the afternoon with your wife. Do you think you could do that for me?”

George nodded and wanted to cry from relief.

“You go home and tell Mrs. Talbot not to worry. Monica’s going to be just fine. I promise you that on my honor. It’s going to take some time, but I’ll return your Monica to you.” Cain stressed “your Monica,” meaning she would return the girl the parents remembered before Eddie had sunk his claws into her.

Three months later an elderly Carmelite nun pulled up to the Talbot home with a very contrite and apologetic Monica Talbot. Sister Mary Jude explained to the tearful parents that their daughter had kept up with her schoolwork and was fine after her bout of the flu. Monica’s school was informed of her illness, and her teachers were anticipating her return the following Monday.

George never asked what had happened to Eddie, and his daughter never mentioned her time away. The thing—which didn’t surprise him—was that Cain never called to ask for any payment. The rehab center Sister Mary Jude was in charge of was effective but expensive, but no bill ever came to their house, nor was their insurance notified. When George called to take care of the bill, he was informed that no record existed for anyone named Monica Talbot.

The only reminder was the small bouquet of forget-me-nots that Monica received on her birthday, with no card attached. In her senior year George watched his daughter when he handed them over, thinking they were from a friend. She just stared for a long moment before dropping into the nearest chair. The flowers arrived religiously on every birthday, and after a few years, the scared expression turned from fear to almost comfort, the way she ran her fingers over the petals.

George surmised the flowers were from Cain, and like their name, she never forgot to send them. They symbolized something she didn’t want Monica to forget. The troubled girl took the lesson seriously and went on to graduate in the top one percent of her class, both in high school, then in college. In law school she was first in her class, and then started on a successful career in the district attorney’s office with no criminal record to hold back her career.

The young mother of four little boys, married to a cardiologist, bore no sign of being the teen who had run away from home. George remembered that afternoon when he had sat under the massive live oak with Cain, and how she had taken charge of getting his little girl back. This had been his opportunity to repay her kindness, and he felt like a failure. With the gravity of her wound, it was possible that no car would pull up to the Casey home and bring Cain back to Hayden.

“Gentlemen, Kyle was right about one thing. We need to inventory all this stuff before this group of drivers decides to go for a spin.” He pointed to the trucks lined up along the docks.

The first truck was already open and a few of the crates unloaded. Lionel found the word ‘Sardines’ stenciled on the sides, just like Cain had said in the bunkhouse when she made the deal. When they demanded the next few trucks open their cargo doors, they found the same stash of crates, stenciled the same way. It was over. Kyle had made his case, but none of them felt much like celebrating.

*

“Call ahead, Murphy. Tell them to have an OR ready to go, and call the folks in the blood bank.” The woman nicknamed Tex was barking out orders as she ran alongside the gurney holding a compress to the hole in the front of Cain’s chest. Kyle’s shot had gone completely through, leaving a much larger exit wound and one hell of mess. The legs of the gurney folded under when they pushed Cain inside the ambulance, freeing Murphy to run for the driver’s side.

Tex let her other partner climb in next and was almost knocked down by the two women trying to follow him. “Hold up there. Where in the hell do you think you two are going?” The paramedic held her hands up and stood in the opening to keep anyone else from entering.

“That’s my partner in there. I’m coming with you,” said Emma. She looked dazed but deceptively calm, despite the fact that she was standing there covered in Cain’s blood.

“Ma’am, that’s our patient, and you need to give us some room to make sure she’s all right. I’d love to stand here and talk at length to you about it, but I don’t have the time. I’m sure one of the officers will be glad to give you a ride. You sure don’t need to be doing any driving.”

“Come on, Ms. Casey, I’ll take you.” Shelby put her hand on Emma’s shoulder and pulled her back so the ambulance doors could be closed.

The ride seemed to take an eternity as the two women followed the flashing lights of the large vehicle in front of them. Every so often Emma would look from the ambulance to the woman sitting beside her. The image of her comforting Cain was hard to erase as she took in the tight jaw muscles and worry lines across Shelby’s forehead.

“Can I ask your name?”

“I’m sorry. I’m Shelby Daniels.”

“Are you and Cain good friends?” It seemed ridiculous to have this conversation now, but she needed some reassurance of where she stood and what her role would be once they reached the hospital.

“We met just recently.” Shelby took a hand off the wheel and put it on Emma’s knee. “I work for the FBI, ma’am. That puts Cain and me in an awkward position for any romantic relationship, but it doesn’t make it impossible for us to be friends.” Friends who share some pretty nice kisses, but that’s all it’ll ever be.

Emma swiped at her veil of blond hair as she leaned forward a little. “I’m sorry. You probably think I’m just an idiot, but when I saw the two of you earlier I thought—”

“I know what you thought, ma’am, and like I said, Cain and I are merely friends. We got to know each other because Cain saved my life. If it weren’t for that, I’d probably only know her as the voice on the tapes we have.”

Needing some comfort, she put her hand over Shelby’s and looked up at the ambulance. “Do you think she’ll be all right?”

“I have faith Cain loves life more than anything. Giving up isn’t in her vocabulary, so maybe we should have the same belief in her. I think she’ll be just fine.”

Shelby and Emma left the car in the emergency room lot and ran in after the gurney. Tex was now on it, almost straddling her patient as she held an ambu bag over Cain’s face, pumping to keep her breathing. The sheet Cain was lying on was saturated, signaling them that the bleeding hadn’t stopped.

So much had already happened, but in reality the night was just beginning.