BEFORE I LET GO: BOOK II: CHAPTER 9: MO’ MONEY, MO’ PROBLEMS

CARL:

Thankfully, or not, depending on how one looks at it- there was a situation at the airport mid-afternoon yesterday, resulting in all flights out of the Liberty Air terminals being grounded. But the biggest news is that two of the biggest criminals Pittsburgh has ever seen are currently sitting in a Federal jail cell- THANK YOU TSA!! The sad thing is that had Constantine Stavros and Doctor Darius Sutton not allowed my idiotic stepson to talk them into trying to board a plane last night, we might have had the chance to arrest them. Of course, the State will still have their shot at them as well, but… Well, they pissed off the Feds by trying to pick up where Gary Sapperstein left off; even if it couldn’t be fully proven at the time. 

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, these bumbling Bozos decided that human trafficking was so much more lucrative than being two of the main drug dealers on the Eastern seaboard. And thanks to the information I was able to collect from Jennifer Taylor on Justin’s behalf, it looks like every single fucking charge is going to stick. Currently, they are both being held without bail and Dr. Sutton’s medical bag was confiscated. I’m waiting on the toxicology report of its contents, which the arresting agents, Mitch Roland and Sharon Carruthers, promised they would share with me. Someday, I will actually find out just why and how long the Taylor-Kinney's reach really is, since all it took was a call from Mayor Deekins to the Governor’s office to be granted that kind of access. 

It didn’t help that I was standing behind the two of them in line, while Sutton had his head buried in the business section of the New York Times. I will never forget overhearing that particular conversation in my life…

“Seriously, man, you’re a doc. Why do you read that thing as if it’s a medical journal or something as interesting?” Tino asked, rolling his eyes.

“It’s always good to see what’s going on in the world of business, especially considering our side hustle. You can learn a lot about the taste of high-powered businessmen, which could increase our business, if you get my meaning. Besides, if everything goes according to plan with this trip, we’ll have your property back. As for mine, well we’ll just call him the incentive to keep Blake in line.”

“And if that doesn’t work? Novotny said that our targets are all down there on the island with him, even though he isn’t sure where they’re located.”

“I seriously don’t know why you’re involved with that asshole. The guy’s a fucking schmuck…”

“True, but he’s a schmuck with the right connections, and access to Brian Kinney’s accounts.”

“Don’t you mean Taylor-Kinney?”

“Whatever,” Tino pffts, before continuing. “But that can also work to our advantage, since his private fucktoy is bound to be there, too. There’s no telling how much money he’d be willing to pay to get him back, even though I have no intention of giving him back after I’ve had him. Have you seen the ass on that kid? I’ve been wanting a piece of that for years, but Anita always made sure he was protected when Kinney wasn’t around. Bitch!”

“Did Novotny happen to mention what he wanted done to Blake when we retrieved him?”

“Yeah, he did,” Tino answered.

“Do you think it’s a good idea? I mean, we do have a certain clientele for that particular niche market. Considering his ex-partner had it, I would think he’d know what he was talking about.”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t giving Blake the virus limit the ways we can utilize him? I mean, I know Novotny wants it so that Blake stays away from Schmidt permanently and all, but that’s a bit extreme. What are your plans for Schmidt anyway?”

Darius smiled then. “I don’t have any definitive plans, except to get him hooked again. He was a great customer, plus with access to the unlimited funds of the Taylor-Kinney coffers…”

“Besides, with Blake out of reach, he’s bound to provide you with a replacement video to sell, right?”

Darius laughed. “It’s the only time I can honestly say that Ted Schmidt was fucking HOT! Too bad that fucking quack grabbed the tape before you had a chance to see it. You would have had even more leverage in bringing Wyzecki to heel. Not only did he take that vid, but also the boy who was supposed to get filmed and fucked right behind Schmidt’s old ass. I still owe that quack for that.”

“Did you ever see that kid around again after that?”

“No. And believe me I looked, considering his mother owed me big time.”

“And how is Rita?”

“High out of her mind, but still offering pussy to anyone stupid enough to take it. I almost felt sorry for the kid, having that cunt for a mother, but well… He would have been good for business so I couldn’t tell her that.”

“Perhaps it’s time to look for him again now that we’re trying to branch out? From what I remember, he was cute and gangly at sixteen. I’m sure by now he’s grown a bit and filled out in all the right places to make our clientele look twice.”

Darius nodded noncommittally for about ten seconds, before he froze in place. “I don’t believe this shit…”

“What?” Tino asked, sighing. “Look, if it’s about the market plummeting again, I don’t want to hear your griping.”

“It’s not.”

“Then what? And why do you look like you just creamed your fucking jeans?”

“Because we may not even have to leave here to bring Blake Wyzecki back where he belongs.” He smiled before handing the newspaper over to the bastard standing next to him. “Well looky, looky, at the new Cookie in little Blake’s life. Why didn’t Novotny tell us Blake had a twin sister? I mean, since he’s so remarkably well-informed about Blake’s new friends and all, shouldn’t he have mentioned her?”

“So what do you want to do about her?” Tino asks, while focusing on both of the pictures posted in the paper of Blake and Diane leaving the hospital in Tampa shortly after their grandfather passed. 

“Other than fuck her brains out, I’m not sure. Seriously, who the fuck knew that Wyzecki was a WASP? But nevermind that particular conversation for right now, although we will certainly come back to it since I can see the advantages of exploiting his birthright for our own benefit. So, the way I see it, we have two choices, especially since according to the article, she’s here in the Pitts.”

“Which are?”

“Either we blackmail her into paying off Blake’s debt to us indefinitely, or…”

“Or?”

“We grab her, and use her as the lure to draw little Blakie-boy back into the fold. Meanwhile, we’ll both have access to her when we want some pussy. She looks fucking fresh, man. Sort of like Kinney’s fucktoy’s mother. Sure she’s older, but even the classiest women turn into the sluttiest whores when there’s an incentive in addition to a big dick.” Darius licked his lips at the thought. It was obvious that if it was solely his decision, he would have chosen to kidnap and violate Diane.

“You’re a fucking hound, man! What you’re proposing is stupid and dangerous, dude, which is totally unlike you. Besides from what I’ve heard of Jennifer Taylor, she’d more than likely call the cops WHILE shooting your dick off. For all her outward manners, I’m pretty sure she would fuck you with a rusty dildo covered in spikes if you tried anything with her, but especially her children. And I have a feeling the same thing would happen where Justin Taylor-Kinney and protecting his family is concerned; only probably a whole lot worse. By all accounts, he’s almost genius-level intelligent with an unpredictable temperament. Do we really need that kind of heat? You could always visit the Sap in jail to ask just how far Blondie would go to defend himself.”

“Wait a minute. I thought you wanted to nab him, too.”

“Well after some rational thought, I changed my mind.” Tino shook his head, before continuing. “Admittedly, Justin Taylor might look soft, but do you really think he could have survived in Kinney’s world by being so? Trust me, he’s no punk bitch; that title belongs to Novotny.”

“But Novotny said…”

“Again, Novotny is a schmuck and an obviously jealous one at that. Let’s just concentrate on the options that are actually achievable, and leave our fantasies of the Taylors out of this.” 

As Tino appeared to be weighing Darius’ suggestions about how to retrieve Blake, they reached the security checkpoint. Although Darius handed over his medical bag as if he hadn’t a care in the world, he wasn’t prepared for what happened next. As he resumed his conversation with Tino, switching to a more benign topic, the small black case was handed over without delay to Federal Agent Carruthers, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air behind the security agent. Neither idiot had noticed anything since they were too engrossed in their attempted plotting against the Wyzeckis. As she began to go through it, and placed the items in the evidence bags she laid on the smooth metal surface of the conveyor belt, Darius chose that moment to look up. 

“Excuse me, what are you doing?” he asked, and I was seriously hard-pressed not to laugh. 

I didn’t have time to do so though, since Agent Roland, and another of the colleagues from the D.E.A. closed in on either side of the two criminals. It was then that I introduced myself, and asked to assist in getting the two of them to the nearest precinct until they could be transported to the Federal pen. I listened in amusement as both men began to stammer, and plead for release after they were shown the warrants for their arrests. When we arrived at the precinct and Tino and Darius placed into their respective holding cells in opposite wings, I plugged my cellphone into my desk computer to begin making a copy of the recording of their conversation. By State regulations, I knew it wasn’t going to be able to be used to build the case against them from my end. 

However, since they were referencing kidnapping, enforced prostitution, and human trafficking, I thought the Feds had a much better chance of making the charges stick, since all of those were federal crimes. I then asked for a couple of favors, in exchange for my cooperation going forward. The first one was to be able to share the information, off-the-record, with the people they mentioned, with the exception of my idiotic stepson. Their only condition was that I put it on my desktop, and erase the soundbyte from my phone. When I explained the situation to them, they sympathized with me since it was concerning certain members of my makeshift family.

The second thing was that I be given a copy of the toxicology report. The reason for that was if what I suspected was true about what Michael’s request was, and it turns out that one of those fucking blood samples contained within Dr. Sutton’s medical bag contained HIV, I was going to make sure that the charge of endangerment would be added to each of the cases the State would surely be building against the Constantine Starvos and Dr. Darius Sutton. However, my first order of business was to make sure Sutton lost his medical license posthaste, since he’s a fucking Pharmacist within Alleghany General. No way should he have been given access to a veritable candy shop for his side business. It will be up to the Medical Ethics Board to figure out how the count of medication never seemed to come up short on his watch. 

I do believe they have very specific protocols to guard against this type of thing. The sad thing is that any patient he’s ever signed off on since becoming licensed is also going to be investigated and dealt with accordingly. Hopefully, all of them are on the up and up. It still doesn’t explain why he had blood samples, and syringes within that faux-medical bag though. The substances can be explained away, but everything else… not so much.

Which brings me to the question of who else was helping him within the facility. Again, I would imagine that like here, there is only clearance given for personnel directly involved in patient care. So, who? Something tells me that a real shit storm is coming. And all because of a jealous little boy who can’t seem to grow the fuck up, and the mother who consistently enables him.

Speaking of which, I still haven’t gone home since leaving yesterday. Nor did I call, thinking that even if Deb didn’t need time to herself, I did. Instead, I had Glenn Barnaby call her for me to tell her I was on assignment, and couldn’t be reached. Since he’s probably the closest friend I have within the precinct and has dealt with Deb before, I figured she wouldn’t give him a hard time about my radio silence. They met when Vic was falsely arrested some years ago, and he was the Desk Sergeant on duty that evening.

So I made use of the employee bunkers on the upper level of the building, where I could think in peace and quiet. Fortunately, the Department maintains the small apartments up there whether they are in constant use or not, which sure came in handy last night. I might stay again tonight, but really that depends on how the meeting with Mel and Diane goes. The good thing is that I came to the conclusion that I’m still in love with Debbie, but… Well all I know is that I can no longer be married solely to Michael’s Ma. 

So that leaves me in a real quandary, since it’s going to come down to me or her son. Based on past history and current events, I might as well begin looking for a home of my own now. I will NOT compete for Deb’s affections against her grown boy, who at thirty-five years old should know that not everything is a competition. Honestly, there shouldn’t even be an issue, since technically a parent shouldn’t even consider raising their kids and fucking them, too. We have different roles, or should anyway. 

But I swear sometimes Deb’s relationship with Michael seems almost incestuous. Discomforting thoughts but absolutely true, and I just can’t continue to deal with that. I will NOT become a placeholder for her son! I’m too old, and too grown to play the bullshit high school games Deb and Michael seem to take great pleasure in when it comes to the lives of others. My job is too stressful, and sometimes life just gets to be too much, so shouldn’t I be able to go home and find peace in my own house? 

If Michael moves in, which I’m about ninety-five percent sure he is going to, then there is no way we can all co-exist. And I refuse to spend all day at a job where I can be shot at anytime, only to leave it to enter a warzone of a different kind. Deb has a choice to make; I just hope she’s prepared for my reaction to it. There should be boundaries in every relationship you have; some standard lines drawn in the sand of where an outside individual must not cross. A relationship is between two people, even if they are in some sort of poly situation. 

At the end of the day, they all are still individuals, regardless of what ties bind them. Unfortunately, it’s becoming more and more apparent that Michael and Deb seemed to have missed that memo. It’s like no degrees of separation most of the time, and a complete reversal of roles at all others. I can’t even begin to tell who is the adult since they both tend to act like children with adult size body parts when they don’t get their way. And isn’t it just a sad day when I have to acknowledge that particular character flaw regarding my own wife, especially at our ages?

“Hey, Carl,” Mel says cheerfully, as she and Diane come into my office, before frowning in concern. “You okay?”

I try for a small smile, but I know it feels forced. “Deep thoughts.”

“A penny for them?” the blonde asks, and it’s definitely not hard to tell who her sibling is. 

Blake and Diane would look like bookends if not for their clearly defined genders. Both have those crystalline blue eyes and lithe physique. But whereas Blake’s cheekbones are sharp, Diane’s are softer in contrast. Yet they both have that dewy skin people spend thousands of dollars a year trying their best to achieve, and we won’t even talk about the diamond-bright smiles they possess. Oddly enough, when it’s as genuine as Diane’s is right now, it reminds me of Justin in that it comes from the light within them. Basking in it, I feel less cold inside than I did before they arrived.

“Nah, little missy, not yet. But when I make sense of them, I’ll let you know. Deal?”

“Sure, Sugarbear.”

“Sugarbear?”

“Yep. Golden Crisp is my favorite cereal, and its mascot is Sugarbear. You’re sweet like they are.”

I couldn’t stop the chuckle and blush that adorned my cheeks just now. If only she knew how much I needed to hear that. Clearing my throat, before either of the smiling women point out the sudden heat on my face, I invite them both to take a seat before beginning. “So as you know, I had to cancel on you gals last night, but it was for a good reason.”

“No worries, Carl. I figured something happened that couldn’t be avoided.”

“Something did, and I kinda need you to put on both your prosecutor and defense attorney caps for this one, Mel.”

She raises an eyebrow at me Kinney-style, before asking, “That bad, huh?”

“Depends on how you look at it,” I answer, then sigh. “The problem is that from the State’s standpoint, it would only be considered hearsay. Currently, the case itself is with the F.B.I., but, well… take a listen for yourself, and let me know what you think.”

I played the recording for them, gauging their reactions along the way. For my part, the more I heard what Michael intended to do to Blake by enlisting the help of those thugs, the angrier I became. And by the end of countless rewinds, and relistens over the next half an hour, I wasn’t the only one.

“Fucking hell, he’s vile!” Melanie exclaimed. “I can’t believe Michael would even think something like this up, although I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Nothing surprises me about Michael anymore.” Nor his Ma, is what I left unsaid, but I suspect Melanie heard it anyway by the narrowing of her eyes.

“Is there anyone who can corroborate any of this? I mean, right now it’s all hearsay, regardless of the obvious conspiracy going on. But without proof, or someone willing to turn State’s evidence for either protection or a lighter sentence…”

Diane’s eyes narrowed in thought at Melanie’s question. “Carl, has there been any progress finding Reece yet? I know when I fired him yesterday, Kiki heard him saying something about letting his real employers know.”

I shook my head. “No luck yet, but I have some of my UCs looking for him, beyond the usual haunts. There’s no doubt that he told Tino and Darius about the situation, and they called Michael directly. The question is: just how much did the kid know?”

“I’m willing to bet the little punk knew everything. There isn’t a doubt in my mind about that. I mean, how else would Michael Novotny know to contact him to be a go-between when contacting this variation of World’s Dumbest Criminals? If you ask me, Michael had to know the two of them a lot longer, and had more conversations with them than anyone would have ever suspected. I’ve a right mind to go over to their jail cells, borrow a guard’s gun and shoot both of those fuckers in very strategic places until they each sing like the proverbial canary! Bastards! I mean the abject nerve that they thought they could blackmail Blake by using me, or the other way around!! I would have found a way to castrate the fuckers before they even got a whiff of my snatch!” Diane spewed vehemently, which was somewhat surprising coming from the small-statured woman. 

What’s funny is that in this exact moment, she’s reminding me of all Tino said regarding Jennifer Taylor. Undoubtedly classy, until you underestimate them or in this case, threaten all they hold dear. If those two assholes thought they would have had an easy time with Diane Wyzecki, they would have been sorely disappointed. As for Melanie, I can see those wheels turning in her head, and they are burning rubber with white-hot anger right about now. No prizes for guessing just what she is thinking about and toward whom… 

In a word, REVENGE. The only thing I need to know is how she’s going to employ it, because I’ll be damned if they ever find the evidence should she commit the murder of that- what was it Diane called him?- waste of a mediocre fuck. Damn, Diane is definitely the queen of saying everything about Michael that many were either too afraid to say aloud, or too afraid to risk jail time once Deb got in their face. Not everyone in this world is a gentleman, and let’s face it, Deb can even make the most gentle man lose his cool whenever she spews shit defending Michael. I can attest to that personally. 

Shaking myself from my reverie, I tune back into the conversation going on between Mel and Diane. “We need to go down to the resort today. I think the guys need to hear this shit firsthand,” Melanie advised.

“I promised the Feds I wouldn’t allow it to leave my computer here at the office, Mel.”

“I figured, but… let me make a call. I’ll be right back.” 

She leaves the office, leaving me with a murderous looking Diane. “What are you thinking?” I ask, because I really want to know.

“Michael’s ass needs to be kicked off of Fantasy Island, but…” She sighs, heavily before continuing. “I just don’t know if the guys are ready to do that yet. They need to make the severance with him and his Ma permanent. I swear, that woman reminds me so much of my own mother in reference to my brothers that it really makes me wonder if they’re twins, or just psychotic.”

“Brian told me a little about the circumstances surrounding your grandfather’s will. I hope you don’t mind that he did.”

“Not at all, Sugarbear. If nothing else, I know that you’re not only loyal, but also fair to my newfound brothers. Hell, even Blake said that about you, and believe me he doesn’t trust anyone easily. It’s a trait he and I share in common.”

“I don’t imagine with the kind of life he’s led since coming to Pittsburgh all those years ago that he would.”

“True, but the only other man he trusted, other than my brothers-from-other-mothers was a man named Vic. On the way here, he told me that you reminded him of the man. So I’m going to follow my brother’s lead and trust you, too.”

And once again, I feel the tears prickle behind my eyes at hearing words that haven’t been uttered in my direction in so long. Would that my wife even cared enough to know that I needed them from her, but I can forget that. After all, whenever Michael’s involved, nothing else matters. I clear my throat of the emotions again, before asking, “So have you heard from Cynthia yet?”

She smiles wide then. “Yeah, just last evening. It seems that Curtis and Flora- otherwise known as Satan and Lilith Reincarnated- thought that they could intimidate her. I supposed they weren’t prepared that Drew would have taken measures to disabuse them of that notion. According to her, not only were his teammates and Justin’s security team there to back her up, but so were the players’ wives. The one thing I’ve always suspected is that there are two kinds of football wives out there: those who are afraid to break a nail, and those who are not afraid to break the law protecting what’s theirs. Those chicks definitely fall into the latter category. Anyway, Cynthia said they nearly topped the RV getting their faux-class asses out of there. But then she also said her IQ was suffering almost as it does when she’s been faced with the Novotnys. I suppose that’s why Gramps always called Curtis a wishbone.”

“Wishbone?”

“Yeah, always wishing for something he couldn’t have, be it class or a brain. It’s the same kind of affliction Michael Novotny, and therefore Deborah, seems to suffer from. He wishes he could live the life Blake, Justin, and I were born into, while Deb just wishes for a break from his constant demands. Unfortunately for both of them, they are destined to fail.”

I had to sit and really absorb what Diane was saying. The one thing I’ve always admired about the Taylors- and now the Wyzeckis- is that they never let their societal status go to their heads. Yes, they were born into Elite society, but they held none of its pretentiousness. Sure if they needed to, they could turn the innate haughty manner on at the drop of a hat. But ultimately, all of them were willing to work for what they wanted, and realized that just like with us blue-collar folk, freedom of any kind always came with a price instead of just being handed out. 

I think that’s the real lesson Michael and Deb are about to learn once Michael gets sent home like the wayward child he is. The question is: do I really want to be around while they do? Michael has spent his entire life being treated as if he was up on some sort of pedestal, and Deb is the one who continually puts him there. In turn, they tried to do the same thing to Brian. However, unlike Michael, who believes he’s entitled to sit up there like some fucking Pasha being fed whatever his rotten heart desires, Brian finally managed to get himself off of their bandwagon with the help of Justin and the others. 

Yes, it took awhile, but I think he finally sees what catering to Michael would have costs him in the end. I’m not just talking about tangible things. Ultimately, it would have costs him the first person to really see him as a man, and not some fucking outdated Superhero. The one thing I noticed about Brian is that whenever he occupied the same space with Justin, none of that innate frenetic wildness was present. It was like Justin’s presence actually allowed him to rest for a time, before it was time to get moving again.

And that’s what I want; what I thought I was getting with Deb.”

“Ready for me to give you that penny for your thoughts now, Sugarbear?” Diane asks, watching me closely.

I shake my head. “No, not yet. I’m still trying to work it all out.”

She nods in understanding. “I can understand that, but a word of advice?”

“Sure.”

“Follow your gut instinct, even if it’s screaming at you to stay put. If there is one thing I’ve learned it’s that whereas the heart can be fickle, and the brain decidedly undecided, those soul-deep feelings never are. To paraphrase Patty Smythe and Don Henley, ‘There’s a reason why people don’t stay where they are, and sometimes love just ain’t enough.’”

Melanie chose to come back into the office just then, with a grim smile on her face. “I have it on my phone already, Carl. They gave me twelve hours before I have to grant them permission for one of the IT guys, who I’m good friends with at the Bureau to wipe the recording from my phone remotely.”

“I swear, someday I will figure out how all of you young people have such long reaches behind the red tape of bureaucracy.” I shake my head at the young women even as they both chuckle. “Well go on; get out of here, you two. And keep me informed about your progress once you make it to Seascape and get the tiny tyrant on a plane. With any luck, he will certainly be arriving home to some fanfare, although it won’t be the type he often gets from his Ma.”

“No problem, Carl. And you keep me informed, too.”

“I will. BTW, make sure you call my cell phone, instead of the one at the house. I don’t think I’ll be at the Novotny residence tonight.”

“Carl?” Mel looks at me quizzically.

“Don’t worry about me, Judge Marcus. You know me, Mel. I’m going to be fine regardless of anything else that may or may not happen. But make sure to tell the guys that if there are any new developments, including the ones surrounding my home life, that they will be the first to know.”

And with that they left the office, leaving me to really make some moves of my own.