Page 47 of Shadow's Surrender
“Is that how you got my number?”
“Yes, Detective McCue gave it to me. He seems like such a nice man. He said they’re still investigating the death of your mother.”
Shadow made a mental note to tear the damn badge a new asshole for giving out his number. Shadow had two phones: one for the club and very close friends, and the other for his business and acquaintances.Hedecided who got his number, not some fuckin’ badge.
“So where did you end up staying after that night?” She stumbled on the words.
“Eli’s parents took me in. You knew him.”
“The clean-cut kid that never really fit with you? How’s he doing?”
“Getting married.”
“That’s nice. What about you? Are you married?”
“Let’s cut through the bullshit. Whaddaya want?”
The clink of metal brought back a memory of Flo’s arms moving about and her many bangles jangling against each other while she told his mom a story about some guy at Satin Dolls. The story had made his mother laugh so hard that tears were streaming down her cheeks. A sliver of sadness stabbed his gut and brought him back to the present.
“I’m waiting,” he grunted.
“Okay. I wanted to talk to you about Carmen’s murder.”
Blood froze in his veins. His pulse pounded in his ears. The pebbles in his hand fell to the ground.
“You still with me?”
Suddenly, his mouth felt like it was filled with sawdust. “Yeah,” he croaked.
“I know some things about that night,” she whispered.
After nearly fifteen years, Flo had come forward to tell him this now?Fifteen years of fuckin’ hell.Fury-filled hatred coursed through him along with sadness and a slew of other emotions he had yet to comprehend.
“Why the fuck didn’t you go to the police? What fuckin’ game are you playing here?” He kicked the ground with his boots.
“I guess I shouldn’t have called you,” she said. “It’s just that things are getting … well … they’re getting out of control. I thought you should know some things in case anything ever happens to me.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? Who’s the bastard who murdered my mom?” He clenched his fist and swung at the air. “Tell me.”
“Not on the phone. Can you come to my place?”
“When?”
“In two hours. I live at the Belvedere Condos on Larkspur Lane—1569 Larkspur Lane—to be exact. I’m on the top floor.” Flo cleared her throat. “I have to go.”
“Are you home now?” Shadow didn’t want her to hang up—he didn’t want to break the connection to his mother.
“I have to go,” she whispered. “I’ll see you in two hours.”
The phone went dead, and he just stared at the dark screen trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.Does Flo know who killed Ma? Why the fuck would she have waited so long to contact me?The whole thing gave him an uneasy feeling. Why wouldn’t his mom’s friend have gone to the police with the information?Maybe she’s being threatened by the killer.Shadow shook his head.That doesn’t explain the upscale address she just gave me.He stared at the flowing river trying to make sense of the strange and unexpected call.Or maybe she’s got her own sugar daddy, but why call me then? She sounded anxious and … scared.Then it hit him: maybe she’d seen something that night and had been blackmailing the killer all these years.
“That could explain how she can afford to live in such a rich part of town. I don’t know what the fuck to think, but I’m sure Flo’s running scared—something’s spooked her and that’s why she called me.” He jammed his phone in the back pocket of his jeans and wiped his damp hands on the denim fabric.Why the hell didn’t she just tell me what she wanted on the phone? If shedoesknow something about Ma’s murder, how could she have kept this from me?“Fuck!” He spat on the ground then turned around and made his way to the clubhouse.
* * *
Shadow circled aroundthe area several times until he finally found a parking space a couple blocks from the Belvedere. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked toward the building. It had been fifteen years since Shadow had last stomped through his old neighborhood. The area spurred memories that he preferred to keep buried deep inside him. When he passed by the Lanai Towers on the other side of the street, he was transported back to the night he’d pled with Detective McCue to let him go inside the building to see his mother, fearing and somehow knowing, she was the murdered victim the neighbors were whispering about.
Shadow stopped on the sidewalk and stared at the building. So much time had gone by, but the pain was still there, the recollection still raw. His mind pulled at the memory like a festered splinter. Fifteen years of gut-wrenching misery stemmed from that one fucking night. Anger rippled through Shadow so fiercely that his whole body shook.If it takes me until the day I die, I’ll find justice for you, Ma. Flo says she’s got something to tell me, and when I find out who cut your life short, I’ll strangle him with my fuckin’ bare hands!
