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CHAPTER15
Elijah. Thursday
“There's a man on the phone,” said Barbara on my office line. “He says his name is Jack. He says it’s urgent to talk to you.”
A hard frown wrinkled my brow. “Jack? Jack who?”
“All he said was that he’s Jack and he has to speak with you right away,” she said. “I did a quick look through your contacts database and didn’t see anyone by that name.”
Not bothering to check the database on my own computer, trusting Barbara’s thoroughness, I rifled through my memory, searching for that name among any of my business associates.Was there someone from some company we did business with, who’d spoken to me at a meeting? Was there anyone from any social function for local business people that I’d run across, who remembered me even though he didn’t stick in my mind?
I came up empty. In a very real way, as the old saying goes, I “didn’t know Jack.”
“Want me to take a message?” she asked.
“No, no, put him through,” I told her. My curiosity was stoked now. Not having a face to put with this name, I at least wanted a voice.
While the name wasn’t familiar, the voice rang a bell — a harsh, nerve-jarring bell.
“I knew you wouldn’t take me call if you knew it was me,” Kane laughed on the other end of the line, “so I made up another name. Gotcha, didn’t I?”
His laugh was like the sound of nails on a chalkboard going down my spine. I actually took the phone from my ear and winced at it.Damn!How long would this stain from my past keep darkening my life, anyway?
Resigned to having to deal with this bastard now, I sighed and returned the phone to my ear. “Yes, Kane, what do you want?” Cordial was the last thing I was feeling.
“Let’s go out and eat this weekend, man,” he said enthusiastically. Kane’s enthusiasm always meant trouble. “I promise no shenanigans, buddy. Like I told you, I’m past that now.”
My expression showed the nauseous grumble that I was making inside. There had been times in our past, ill-considered friendship when Kane had promised no shenanigans. Coming from him, that tended to mean,I won’t pull the same sleazy crap that I did last time. I’ll come up with some other sleazy crap, instead.I’d learned what to expect from him.
Unfortunately, one of the things I’d learned was that Kane always persisted, like a rash that doesn’t go away no matter how much ointment you put on it. He never stopped — until something stopped him. The outside force that stopped him was usually wearing a badge.
Giving into the inevitability of my old friend, I said, a bit wearily, “All right, Kane. We’ll do something this weekend. But so help me, if I do find out you’re up to something, we’re finished. Got me?” That last part came with a fire in my belly that I hope he heard in my voice because I sure as hell meant it.
“I totally understand, buddy. You can even pick the place where we go, since I know you’ve got the best taste. Talk to you soon.”
I slumped back in my seat. Oh yes, Kane knew for sure that I had “the best taste.” He also knew I had the Platinum card and I’d be the one paying for our little night on the town. Never mind inertia in high school physics; Kane reminded me more of geometry. He always knew all the angles.
_______________
A much brighter spot in my day came at the very end. Everyone was going home, and Barbara and I rode the main elevator to the lobby together. There, among the throng of people on their way out the door, one smiling brunette was standing and waiting. She was the most pleasant sight I’d set eyes on all day.
Corinne waved at us as we approached, as happy to see us as we were to see her. She called to me, “Ready to go?”
“All set,” I said.
Barbara glanced curiously back and forth between us. “Do you two have plans for the evening?” I didn’t know what she was reading into the idea, but she was very interested.
“Corinne and I discovered we share a little coincidence,” I explained.
“Coincidence?”
“My neighbor, Ben, turns out to be the same Ben who owns the gym Elijah goes to,” Corinne explained further.
Barbara’s eyes widened, surprised and fascinated. “No! Really? You know Ben Diamond? He’s such a sweetheart.”
“He is very nice,” Corinne agreed.
“And he gives a free workout to first-timers,” I said. “So, I’m going for my regular workout, and Corinne is tagging along for her freebie.”