Where the Sun Sets (26 page)

“No sir we haven’t, but we haven’t really
talked about it yet have we? If you would just let me
finish...”

Barsky burst into the office at that moment
and after glancing around at the three men she directed her
attention to Banton as she motioned her head in Billy’s direction.
“What is this now, the free library? What the hell is going
on?”

Billy pulled himself up from his bent over
the keyboard position. Noticing Barsky for the first time he
states, “Have to give it a couple seconds.”

“Give what a couple seconds? Does anyone want
to introduce themselves or do I have to guess.”

Harold stood up and offered his hand to
Barsky, who took it professionally. “I’m Chief Inspector Harold
Davis, ma’am. I stopped by earlier this evening to speak with you
personally about the Dal Santo case, but you had already left for
the day. I do hope you’re feeling better.” Billy just shook his
head in disbelief at the incredible waste of time he was
witnessing. Banton smiled while chuckling inwardly to himself.
“Ma’am, I was on the original Dal Santo case, back in...”

“Harold, we don’t have time for a trip down
memory lane here.” Billy was getting impatient with everything. The
computer was taking way too long to configure all the needed
information. “How old is this damn thing, shit...” He smacked the
monitor in a display of temper.

“Right, anyway ma’am, Ms. Dal Santo has been
abducted from Saint Bartholomew and we have to find her and bring
her back as soon as possible. She needs medical attention. She had
just gotten out of surgery.”

“Abducted?” Barsky inquired raising her
eyebrows to Banton. “Seems Officer Daniels had a problem earlier in
the evening and was never replaced. Dal Santo was reported missing
one hour after an unscheduled fire drill. Perhaps her abductor
flipped the switch to cover his or her tracks. Seems Ms. Ferrero
went after her.”

“OK, so explain to me what Mr. Chippendale is
doing smacking our equipment.”

“Billy has an on board tracking device in his
SUV. We think Josephine took off after Antonia in Billy’s SUV. We
are hoping we can find it and the girls before it’s too late.”

“You think? You never saw either of the woman
leave the hospital? Have we even verified that Ms. Dal Santo is
missing? What was it you said, Inspector? What’s this about an
original Dal Santo case? Can’t say as I am familiar with any
case.”

“Yes, back in the sixties. Salvatore Dal
Santo?” Barsky shook her head to let Harold know she had no clue,
but raised her eyebrows as to inquire more information. Billy and
Banton together were working at the computer. “Salvatore Dal Santo
killed his wife with his bare hands. He punched her face in until
there was nothing identifiable left. He had served thirty years for
the crime, plus a couple extra for behavior issues. They lost track
of him a couple years back. It had been reported he had died in a
jailhouse fight, but apparently the story was misinformed and no
one ever felt the need to correct it, they just let it be. He is
Ms. Dal Santo’s father, you see. And he wants her back. Now it
seems he has her.”

“How do we know this, Inspector? With as many
people as these two women know, how can we be certain it’s Ms. Dal
Santo’s father that we’re after. Has the video turned up? Have we
been able to verify it was her father who shot the gun? Why would
he shoot his daughter?”

“Video? I’m afraid I don’t know anything
about any video. Billy?”

“What, what is it?” Billy looked up and got
sucked into the conversation as Banton continued on with their
search on the computer.

“The video, where is the video I was told
would be here this afternoon?”

“I don’t know where it is. We were watching
it one minute and the next minute it disappeared. We think the guy
was in the house. That’s when we found Chloe and decided Josephine
should stay in a hotel.”

“Chloe?”

“Yea, the house keeper. She was in the closet
upstairs. They think she had been raped, don’t know for sure. But
she was dead and the video was gone.” He turned his attention back
to the computer.

“You were watching it? The video? Before it
went missing? Did you get a good look at the gunman? Would you be
able to pick him out of a lineup?” Billy had not heard a word she
said.

Harold jumped in to bail him out. “Listen,
Salvatore is an evil man. He was never anything but harmful to
Antonia and her mother. All these years Antonia had to believe him
dead. Now he’s back and he wants her with him. We believe he was
the man who attacked Antonia at the hospital this morning. That’s
why she was back in surgery. He ripped her up pretty good inside.
She needs to be in the hospital and we need to find her. And my gut
tells me he is the one responsible for the shooting and the death
of the house keeper. If Billy can locate his SUV than we may have a
chance. Right now that’s all we have to go with. They already have
a good hour, possibly two on us.”

“OK, say you find the SUV. What then, how are
you going to proceed? They can be anywhere. In two hours time, they
could have crossed state lines. You and Billy the Kid planning on
heading out after them? Alone? Or am I suppose to supply you with
an abundance of back up?”

“Am I missing something here? Is there a
particular reason for the lack of concern or hesitancy on your
part?” Harold could feel his gut twisting. He knew they were on the
right track. Why was this woman being so difficult? Perhaps she had
been forewarned of his arrival. Perhaps his hometown pals had
called ahead and warned her about the old man who just couldn’t
retire.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Josephine had lost sight of the car. “Damn,
where did they go? They just disappeared.” She had driven the last
five miles or so without her headlights. Theirs had been the only
two cars on the road and she felt rather obvious with them on. Now,
she sped up in the darkness, out of fear of losing Anthony. She
pushed herself up as far in the seat as she could, straining to see
better in the darkness, as she drove. “No Anthony, no...where did
you go?” It was a whine, but no one heard it. She turned her head,
only for a second, thinking maybe they had turned off the road. She
turned back almost too late. Slamming on the brakes, the SUV did a
turn of its own in her attempt to miss a moose that had wandered
onto the road. With no headlights neither the moose nor Josephine
had any idea the other was there. Josephine was shaking
uncontrollably when the SUV finally came to a complete stop.
Whether it was from her nerves, because of her near collision with
the moose, or her fear that she had lost Anthony forever, she
didn’t know. She just sat there, for several minutes, steering
wheel gripped tightly with both hands. Finally she released her
grip. Shutting off the engine and dropping both hands to her lap,
she cried. She felt so very empty. So incredibly useless.

She cried until she could not breathe. And
then she climbed down from the seat and out onto the deserted road.
It was so very dark. The trees, on either side of the road, seemed
to grow straight up to the heavens. She tried in vain to find the
moon. The moisture from the night air clung to her face. Soon the
darkness was too much for her to bear. She circled the SUV and
opening the passenger side door, felt the floor for her phone. She
found it, but only after her hand had come across Billy’s gun.
Laying the weapon on the seat, she turned on her phone and while
waiting for it to power up, realized the light inside the SUV
probably should not be on. There was always a chance her lead might
turn around. Not wanting to be seen, she closed the SUV door to
shut off the light. But not before grabbing the gun and wedging it
into the waist of her jeans. She remained outside, as she still
felt the need for air.

Billy’s phone rang and rang. Agitated by the
lack of response she hung up and turned off the power once again,
then shoved the phone into her back pocket and started to walk. She
was just going to walk a little down the road. Just to clear her
head. To breathe for a while.

When she was about a half mile down the road
she turned back. She couldn’t see the SUV from the darkness. It was
darker than she could ever imagine it being at night. Looking up
she noticed some stars, but only a couple. She stood in the middle
of the road and looked around in all directions slowly. How could
anything be so dark?

When she reached the side of the SUV, she
glanced around, wondering if the moose had not remained. She walked
towards the edge of the woods. Ducking from side to side, trying to
peer into the darkness. She let her hand caress the cold grip of
the gun at her waist. Perhaps it was standing in the woods watching
her. Then she saw something. The tiniest of things, like a fire
fly. The light was that small, but it was there. Off in the woods.
She could not tell how far off it was, but it had her attention.
She started towards it. She should have just gotten back in the SUV
and turned around for home, but she couldn’t go home without
Anthony, and she had lost Anthony, so what the heck.

Twenty yards deep into the woods she stumbled
upon what seemed to be a dirt road. Glancing back, over her
shoulder in the direction of the road, she convinced herself she
would only go a bit further. She walked for another fifteen
minutes, before she was able to make out what the light was. Seemed
to be a small fire. It wasn’t growing did not look as if it moving.
Josephine got the impression it was a contained fire. An
intentionally set fire. If that were the case, than someone had to
have started it. She could use some company herself. Someone to
talk to. As she got nearer, she was able to see clearer. It was a
fire, in what seemed to be someone’s yard. Just beyond the smoke
sat a small shack. There was a light on inside so someone was up,
surely they had set the fire. A little closer and Josephine could
see that it was a rubbish fire. Something deep inside her told her
to back away. Slowly and quietly she started to backup. Eyes
scanning for the reason behind the alarm.

Then she saw it. Just beyond the shack, once
she was far enough back from the fire to see around it, she noticed
the car. The same car she had followed the entire evening. The
desire to flee was overlapped by the need to know for sure.
Crossing the dirt road, she hid in the shadows of the woods until
she was just beyond the car. Then she crept up closer, holding her
breath involuntarily, until she had reached her target. Poking her
head up, just high enough to glimpse the interior, she noticed the
chrome letters on the dash, which spelled out the name Bernie. How
the hell was Bernie involved, she wondered.

Lying on the floor, in the rear of the car,
was the duffle bag she had previously witnessed the man use as a
pillow for Anthony. Anthony was here. She must be inside the shack.
Josephine needed to get a better, needed to see inside, but there
did not seem to be any windows on this side. Just as she stood to
move closer, the front door opened and the man came out. He walked
straight to the fire and tossed what use to be Anthony’s hospital
gown and the blanket he had used to cover her, into the hungry
flames.

Still, she had to be sure Anthony was inside
the shack. If she could just see her. Again she convinced herself
to move closer. She managed to crab her way around the shack to
where she had seen the window earlier. Again she poked her head up
just enough to get a visual. The window accessed what seemed to be
a kitchen area. The light that came through was not from this room,
but the room beyond. Though the glass was dirt stained and cloudy,
Josephine thought she could make out a small sink and a single
table. Just past that was a something that could have been used to
cook on and past that a wooden box, the size of a dorm
refrigerator.

Just outside the kitchen was the room that
housed the light. It was impossible to see that far into the shack,
but Josephine could tell from the shadows that at least one person
was up and moving about. The urge to be certain could not be
suppressed. Josephine inched her way towards the front of the
house. If she could, just get a glimpse inside the door. But try as
she might, Josephine could not get a clear view. All she could see
from this angle was piles of clothing. Possibly dirty laundry that
had been separated.

She did hear someone talking though. She
tried to sit perfectly still. Silencing even her own heartbeat so
that she could make out what was being said. Just one voice. A
man’s voice. “...get use to it eventually. And of course, I even
had the month’s supply of water brought down so you won’t have to
worry about fetching it for a while. I do hope you appreciate all
the trouble I went to for ya. You don’t have to say anything. You
can show me your appreciation in a few days.” Then the voice turned
angry. “Less, of course, it doesn’t meet with your fancy. Livin’
like a queen all these years. Educated in the finest of schools.
Traveled around the world. Think your better than me do you?”

Josephine jumped when she heard the slap,
almost giving away her position by the door. “Just don’t forget it
was me that gave it all to ya. That’s right; if it weren’t for me
you never would have had any of it. You owe me little lady. Owe me
big time. And I have waited a long time for my payment. Cost me
many, many years. While you were out partying, I was paying for
your good time with my life. You owe me.”

Josephine heard a moan. She was sure it had
come from Anthony. “Oh, don’t worry little lady. I’m not gonna
touch you. Not tonight. Daddy just wants to look atcha. It’s been a
long time, and you have grown up so...I just wanta look atcha for a
while.”

Josephine envisioned Anthony lying inside
that shack, on the bare floor, without her hospital gown. Without
the blanket to cover her. And although she was warm from the heat
of the fire, she felt a chill that twisted through her to the bone.
She needed to get help. She had to go back, so slowly she crept to
the far side of the dirt road. Ducking into the safety of the woods
she followed the road back towards the SUV.