Part 9 (2/2)
”Artie followed Castrucci to the Lucchese estate in Newark. Castrucci was there for over two-hours and just left a few minutes ago. We also have surveillance tapes that picked up a conversation between Sonny Valachi and Thomas Grimaldi. They talked about major changes coming in the family.”
”Did they say what kind of changes?” Rheyna asked.
”No. They stopped short, but we think it's because they're all a little worried about being recorded. However, Edwards and Stevens are pretty sure that it's connected with Castrucci's meeting in Newark.”
”Well, on a good note, I was able to get one of the bugs planted in Castrucci's office tonight. ID two-six-four Victor. ”
”That's great. I'll be sure to let Edwards know.”
Rheyna thought about dinner at the Castrucci estate and the dinner date she now had planned for tomorrow with Caroline. She voiced her thoughts out loud to Laura. ”The more I think about my plan regarding Caroline, the more I'm convinced that she's the way to go. Caroline is the key to me being on the inside.”
”You be careful and don't forget for one minute that Castrucci's a very dangerous man.”
She could hear the concern in Laura's voice and spent the next couple of minutes trying to rea.s.sure her. ”With the way things are progressing, I'm not sure when I'll make my next call to you.”
”All right, but no longer than forty-eight hours between contact, understand?”
Rheyna smiled. ”Okay, Mom, got it.”
She thought she heard Laura chuckle just before she hung up. She went back inside and sat on the couch beside Annie and propped her feet up on the coffee table. She opened the envelope containing the Castrucci photos and sorted through the proofs. She pulled out the ones that Terasa had chosen. The family was definitely photogenic, and the pictures had turned out very well. She looked at the photos with a sense of pride.
She held up one of Caroline by herself. After all these years, she still had it. She felt a tinge of guilt for wondering again how it would feel to kiss her mouth. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She was like two different people. It wasn't like her to have such sensuous thoughts for anyone, let alone someone she had only known for a short amount of time. No matter how she tried, she just couldn't shake it. She honestly hadn't thought about kissing any woman since Jenny.
The betrayal hit her in the gut like a boulder. Her guilt only worsened when she admitted she hadn't thought about Jenny very much since meeting Caroline. She pushed the thoughts aside, telling herself that nothing was going to happen between her and Caroline because she wouldn't let it. Caroline was off limits for two reasons: the first being, she was a very important piece in a much larger picture; and the second was that, in all likelihood, Caroline was straight.
She forced herself to think about Pandora's Box, the main reason for her being there. If she got close to Caroline, it would be for one reason and one reason only-to get her father. She realized she must have been thinking out loud because Annie was watching her intently, c.o.c.king her head to one side and then the other. Rheyna ruffled her fur. She looked at the picture of Caroline again and shook her head. ”I just don't understand it, Annie-how someone so beautiful could come from something so ugly.” She gathered up the photos and headed for the camera room to print up Terasa's order.
Chapter 10.
Ron Astor set the vase of red roses on the windowsill and rearranged the small stalks of baby's breath. He glanced over at Lynn, his arms covered with purplish red-blotched lesions. Lynn's eyes fluttered open.
”Hi, gorgeous,” Ron said as he slid one of the chairs over next to the hospital bed.
Lynn's voice was raspy and weak. ”Hi yourself, handsome,” he said and picked up the rag sheet covering his chest and laid it on the bedside table. His thin fingers grasped at the oxygen mask covering his face.
”Here, let me help you,” Ron said, pulling the mask off. He nodded at the trash rag. ”You know those things are gonna rot your brain.”
”I don't have enough time for that to happen.”
Ron covered Lynn's hand with his own, taking care to avoid the IV line. ”Did you see Dr. Lane this morning?” he asked, purposely ignoring Lynn's comment.
”Two hours ago.”
”What did he say?”
”He said my T4's are in the bas.e.m.e.nt and that I'm not doing too well.”
”How far in the bas.e.m.e.nt?”
”White-counts at one-eighty.”
As soon as he heard the number, Ron felt a horrible pit in his stomach. He laid his head across Lynn's stomach.
Lynn reached up and stroked the back of his neck. ”It's okay, hon. I feel fine, despite those dumb old tests that say I shouldn't.”
Ron tried to keep the anguish out of voice. ”I don't wanna lose you. I'm just not ready to say goodbye.”
Lynn used his thumb to wipe away the tears running down Ron's cheek. He caressed Ron's face with his hand. He said the words, knowing it was the last thing Ron wanted to hear: ”I know, sweetheart, but you have to let me go.”
”I ... I don't know ... I don't know if I can do this,” Ron choked through tears.
”I've made my peace, Ron, and I'll be fine, but I can't do this without knowing that you'll be okay.” He tilted Ron's face so he could look at him. ”I need you to tell me that you're okay.”
Ron shook his head. ”But I'm not okay.”
”Sweetheart, you have your whole life ahead of you, and I want you to live it as if you didn't.”
Ron's lip quivered. ”We were supposed to live it together. We were supposed to grow old together.”
”Come up here with me,” Lynn said, pulling Ron closer. ”Just lay here with me for awhile.”
Ron snuggled next to Lynn and laid his head on his chest. Lynn rubbed Ron's shoulders. ”Shh, everything's gonna be okay,” he whispered.
”I'm the one who's supposed to be comforting you, not the other way around.” Try as he might, Ron couldn't stop the tears from spilling down his cheeks. He closed his eyes for a few minutes, hoping against hope that when he opened them, everything would be as it used to be.
Ron woke up to the sound of coughing. He must have dozed off. It took a few seconds for him to realize where he was. He slid off the bed and helped Lynn sit up. He grabbed the pitcher and poured a gla.s.s of water. He held the gla.s.s to Lynn's mouth. ”Easy, just take small sips. You need to put this back on,” he said, sliding the oxygen mask back over Lynn's head.
He looked at the frail man lying in the bed and it made his heart hurt. He thought about the strong, virile man who had once been a professional baseball player at six-foot-two, 230 pounds. Back then, Lynn had been full of life, but now, he was just a man who had been reduced to a ninety-pound sh.e.l.l of his former self.
Anger replaced Ron's pain as he thought about this disease, how it was robbing him of the love of his life. He was angry with G.o.d, and he was angry with the people who had treated Lynn like a leper.
He remembered the hurt he saw in Lynn's eyes when the men in the clubhouse, the men that were supposed to be his friends, shunned him. He was angry at the hospital where Lynn had surgery in a82. It was supposed to be a simple procedure, they said. After all, gallbladder surgery was one of the easiest. They never antic.i.p.ated him needing blood, blood that would come from a supply that was never tested for the HIV virus, because at the time, AIDS was a relatively unknown disease.
He was mostly angry with all those people who claimed Lynn deserved to die because he was h.o.m.os.e.xual. They had claimed that AIDS was a gay disease and that G.o.d had created it to wipe out the sinners. He was angry at the world and didn't know what to do about it. He didn't know what to do about the bills. Lynn's treatment had wiped out all their savings, and although Lynn had insurance, it was not nearly enough to cover everything they owed. He oftentimes found himself wis.h.i.+ng that he had been infected, too.
He gently kissed Lynn on the top of the head and picked up his coat.
”Are you leaving?” Lynn asked weakly.
”Yeah, I'll stop in tomorrow morning.”
Lynn smiled at him. ”I love you, Ron.”
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