What The Cat Dragged In Ch. 17

Kelly laughed a little. "Why did she hire you? I mean, it sounds like she was more of a danger to herself than anything."

"She didn't hire me, her father did. Looking back on it, I think he did it so someone would keep an eye on her and he could stay out of it."

Kelly smiled a little. "The way you describe her, it sounds like that girl I saw on the news the other day."

"Who was that?" He asked.

"Some celebutant who was arrested for indecent exposure. I guess it was her fifth arrest in three months and they said alcohol 'may have been a factor'. Giada Bellafiore, I think her name was." Kelly thought for a minute. "Or was that the designer who was on later?"

The look that flickered across his face told her she was right the first time. "NO!" Kelly leaned forward.

"Yeah. That's not really her name, but that's her. I didn't think you followed stuff like that."

Kelly shrugged. "I don't usually, but it was on CNN the other night when I was straightening things up. They said her father was some kind of mobster. I don't remember his name though."

He glanced at her, as if guaging whether or not he could trust her to keep silent. "Paul Cavallo. I only met him once when he hired me though, so-"

"I know that name." Kelly sat up straighter.

Conlon shrugged. "Probably, he's all over the news every few months-"

"No. Someone with that name came to visit Stan every so often."

Conlon sat forward in his chair. "Did he have a nickname he asked Stan to use?"

Kelly was overwhelmed by the memory of conversations echoing in darkness. It took her a moment to process the question and come up with the answer. "No, I mean, he told Stan to call him Paulie C, I think. Is that a nickname though? It's probably just someone with the same name-"

Conlon was on his feet. "What did they talk about?"

The whole thing terrified Kelly. She drew her knees up and hugged them. "I-I don't know, it was all numbers and places."

Conlon pulled out his phone and dialed.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Creed was sprawled out on a sofa across from Senator John Kelland and his fat bitch of a wife. The couple were tied to dining room chairs and both were gagged whimpering. The bitch was bruised and bloodied. The senator looked better, except for the fact that he was pale and covered in his own puke. Both had been there long enough that they had pissed themselves. The fact that he had to go slow reminded him again of how much he hated political shit. Still, you know where enough government-sponsored bodies are buried and people tend to overlook other activities. He took a big bite of the steak he'd found in their freezer and prepared for himself. Both of them moaned at the same time.

"What's the matter, John-Boy?" He took another bite and savored it. Neither had eaten in nearly twenty hours. "Not a bad steak. Might've expected better from a guy like you, but I guess you don't like spending your own money so much." He took another bite.

His phone started to ring. The gagged couple started to whimper and whine and make whatever noise they could. He picked up the steak knife and casually sliced off the bitch's earlobe. She screamed into the gag.

"Keep it up, she loses the whole fucking ear." He said it with a smile and licked the blood from the blade. When they were silent again, he answered the phone. It was Conlon's number and he knew Conlon wouldn't call unless something was up.

"Creed."

"Paul Cavallo. She remembered."

"Motherfucker!"