Amnesia Ch. 06

As always, my thanks to Erik Thread for his editing skills and dedication to helping me make this a better story. Any errors are mine alone.

*

The wheels of justice ground slowly. Tony and Nina were meeting every Friday evening and parting each Sunday afternoon. This would be their life for the time being. Martin could offer no optimism that charges would be laid soon against the three vice presidents of Carbutt, Mellows and Davidson. He wasn't even sure Stanton Mellows would be charged. All of them were out on bail, so the potential danger was still there. Knowing the F.B.I., their phones would be tapped, but they would probably figure that out themselves and find other methods of communication.

Tony told Martin he was now certain Stanton had tipped the three criminals that he was onto them. He said he had a hard time thinking that a man as bright and tough-minded as Stanton would do it by mistake. He admitted he was getting angry again, just thinking about the duplicity and avarice of the four. He had promised Nina he would not go back there, not back to that dark place he had been before.

In the meantime, Nina was being tortured by their constant separation, though she never once complained. She was grateful for their weekends and said she was pretending he was travelling on business during the week. She was thankful for the presence of the children and Mrs. Martinez during the week. It was at night, when they talked on the phone, that she admitted her longing for the touch and comfort of her husband.

A month had gone by since Tony and Nina had reunited. They were relaxing in bed on Saturday morning, talking about their family and their plans for the future. Tony was in the middle of a comment about Nina's family when he sat bolt upright.

"Shit! That's who it was! Why didn't I think of it before!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Nina responded, jolted by his abrupt reaction.

"Magda! It was Magda!" he said, turning to look at his wife.

Nina had a perplexed look and shook her head. "What are you talking about? What about Magda?"

"Do you remember Martin asking if you had been in the Precinct House asking about me several weeks ago?"

Nina nodded solemnly. "So you figured it out."

"You didn't say anything when Martin asked you. Why?"

"You know how I feel about her," she said, turning away.

"She must have been looking for me? She would know from your mother I was missing."

Nina and Magda had been estranged since their late teens. Nina accused Magda of stealing her boyfriend not once, but twice. The second time, Nina was expecting James Durant to propose any day. She found them in Magda's little basement photo studio, naked, taking pictures of each other. She had forgiven James and Magda the first time, but this second time, there would be no forgiveness. For either!

Nina moved out as soon as she was able. While the two were together for family occasions, Nina refused to acknowledge or speak to her younger sister. They co-existed in the same room for however long the family required, but they had no communications with each other. Their mother had been upset and angry with Magda, but pleaded with Nina to forgive her. Nina would not. She had been betrayed twice. Forgiveness was not forthcoming. Their father wisely stayed out of the conflict, letting his wife deal with it. It had remained a point of division still, over twenty years later.

"Why would Magda be looking for me?" Tony wondered aloud.

"Maybe she thought if she found you she could steal you away from me," Nina snapped.

Tony turned and looked at Nina with a sad smile. "It's time, Nina. Time to reconcile. This is a new beginning for us. Why don't you make it a new beginning with Magda, too."

Nina turned away from him, hiding her tears. Tony's placed his soft hand on her bare shoulder, pulling her toward him. She rolled into his comforting arms and sobbed quietly into his chest.

"Is it really twenty years?" she asked. "I was going to marry him, you know. He was going to ask me and I was going to say yes. Just think how different things might have been."

"So ... maybe ... Magda did you a favor? She surely did me one."

Magda hadn't married herself. She was a well known photographer and had her own studio, but James had never been part of Magda's life after "that day."

As the sobs subsided, Nina looked up at her husband and smiled. "Yes. You're right. A new beginning for all of us. I guess after this long, I can forgive. I should do it for Mama too. I know I hurt her when I wouldn't accept Magda's apologies. I guess I was too angry at first ... and then ... too stubborn. Besides, I have you, and that's much more than she has." She had a slightly triumphant look.

"Thank you. Perhaps now, when we go to your parents' place, there will be peace in the valley," he chuckled.

She nodded and buried herself into his chest once more. They held each other for several minutes before Tony stirred.

"Time to get going, girl."

"Start the shower. I'll be there in a minute."

Tony was in the shower when Nina finally entered and wrapped her arms around her husband. It wasn't a playful hug, but a loving one.

"I called Magda. I left a message. I'll go there this afternoon if she'll see me."

Tony turned in her arms and kissed her deeply. "That took a lot of courage. I'm proud of you. I hope it turns out well," he said, pulling her back into his body.

Nina's cell phone rang as they were finishing breakfast in the hotel restaurant. She answered and almost immediately rose and walked out into the lobby. It would be Magda.

It was almost twenty minutes and another cup of coffee later that Nina returned. She was smiling and wiping tears from her cheeks as she did so. She leaned over and kissed her husband before sitting.

"You are so smart. So wise."

"Are you going to see her today?"

"Yes. Later this afternoon when she closes the shop. I won't be late for our dinner though."

"Why don't you invite Magda to join us?"

"You don't think she'll feel a bit odd? By herself, I mean?"

"I can fix that," he grinned. "I'll invite Martin."

Nina laughed. "So ... you want to play matchmaker, do you?"

"No such thing. It's just like inviting a fourth for bridge."

"Go ahead. Call him. But I won't be responsible for the consequences."

Tony sat back as he pulled the new cell phone from his pocket. A minute later he was talking to the detective and inviting him to a late meal at Amnesia. Martin would never turn down an invitation to a free meal cooked by his friend. Tony neglected to mention Magda.

"You are devious, my husband."

Tony shrugged. "Martin has been trying to figure out who that was at his precinct, so now he'll know. I think we owe him that much."

Just before eight, Carl looked and did a classic double-take as the two look-alike sisters pranced into the tavern, arm in arm.

"Holy ...," his voice trailed off. "Isn't one babe enough for this guy?"

The girls laughed and left Carl to wander into the kitchen, looking over his shoulder more than once at the two attractive women. He returned, shaking his head.

"The usual, Nina?"

"Yes please, Carl. And this is Magda, my sister. She'll have the same," she said brightly.

If the energy coming off the two women had been any stronger, they would have left a trail of sparks as they moved to the reserved table by the window. Their entrance had been noticed by the usual single men at the bar as well as several of the couples at tables.

Martin Polikoff made his appearance fifteen minutes later, expecting to see Nina, but pulled the same double-take that Carl had displayed a few minutes earlier. An uncertain look crept over his face as he approached the table cautiously.

"Good evening," he said with a suspicious look.

The women burst out laughing. Nina stood and hugged Martin. "I'm sorry, Martin, we shouldn't have done that ... but we couldn't resist. This is my sister, Magda," she said, as the other woman rose.

"Are you twins?"

"No ... but I guess we do look enough alike that many people think we are. We thought it was only fair that you meet the woman in the photograph. The one you were asking about," Nina explained.

"Well, I'm glad you cleared that up." He turned to Magda. "Will you be joining us for dinner?"

"Absolutely! I hear Tony is a fabulous cook and I'm looking forward to sampling his wares," Magda exclaimed, suddenly putting her hand over her mouth. "Oh ... that came out wrong," she said with a worried look at Nina.

Nina smiled and put her hand over Magda's as it gripped the edge of the table. "Relax, sister," she said, turning to the detective. "I'll explain all this later, Martin."

Magda nodded, visibly relieved, and turned to Martin. "Nina tells me you're a policeman. A detective."

"Yes ... but not for much longer. I'll have my twenty years in soon and will happily take my retirement."

"What will you do? You're still a young man."

"Thank you. It's nice to hear that. The answer is ... I don't know yet. I'm sure I'll step away from security or detective work for a while at least. I need something completely different. I don't have obligations to anyone but my son, and he's in school learning ... if you'll believe it ... to be a cook," he laughed.

Magda shook her head. "It's amazing, isn't it? Everything seems to be connected somehow. Do you have a hobby to distract you, Martin?"

The policeman brightened. "Yes ... I enjoy photography."

The two women looked at each other in amazement before bursting out laughing again.

"What's so funny," he asked, wearing a bewildered look.

"Magda is a professional photographer. You've heard of Novak Studios?" Nina asked.

"Yes ... of course." He stopped for a moment and turned to Magda. "That's you?"

She nodded. "Yes ... that's me. This is getting stranger by the minute."

Martin's eyebrows arched in agreement as he sat looking at the younger Novak. "I'd be interested in seeing your studio some time, Magda," he finally managed.

"Just her studio?" Nina giggled.

Martin blushed and looked anywhere but at the two women. He leaned back, picked up his beer and silently saluted the two.

Tony escaped the kitchen just before nine to announce that dinner was only a few minutes away. Standing between the two sisters, he placed his hands on their shoulders, bending over to kiss first Nina's cheek and then Magda's. As he did, he whispered to them, "I am so happy to see you two together." He received watery-eyed smiles in return.

He refused to announce the entrée, but promised them something special. He was preparing samplers of four different entrées. Stuffed peppers, dumplings stuffed with cheese and bacon, a mixed grill, featuring a thin pork steak and finally, classic German coleslaw and an authentic Greek salad. He had used his afternoon break to run to the European deli a few blocks away. It was there he could find the cheeses and special bacon.

When he returned to the table, the serving girl helped him with the platters and the stack of plates. He started to explain what each dish was but before he got through the first entrée, the girls were ahead of him and even Martin knew what most of it was.

"Hey, Martin, how do you know about this food?" Tony demanded.

"I'm of Polish-Russian descent. My mother is Polish-born and my father, Russian. I'm first generation American. Polish, Russian, and Hungarian food all have similarities, depending on what part of the country you lived in. I recognize the dumplings. They are like the ones my mother used to make and every country in Eastern Europe and the Middle East has a stuffed pepper dish."

"Well then, I guess I don't have to worry about strange food putting you off," he said with a satisfied grin. "The girls have been spoiled by Mama Novak's food."

When the meal was finished, the four sat back and enjoyed the last of the bottle of wine. The conversation had been lively until the food overtook their senses. Not a single thing remained from what Tony would normally serve to five or six people.

"That was wonderful, Tony," Magda said, raising her wine glass.

"Yes ... here's to the chef," Martin agreed, also raising his glass in salute.

"You folks have to promise me something," Tony said. They all looked at him curiously.

"You have to solemnly promise that you will never tell Mama Novak that I make Hungarian dishes. She is a wonderful and traditional cook and I think it would destroy her good feelings toward me."

The promise was given by all. "We'll pretend you just cook Italian food," Magda laughed.

"Oh No! Don't do that. Just tell her that I make a great grilled cheese sandwich."

None of them wanted the evening to end so they decided to carry on together. Martin had come by cab so he wouldn't have to worry about having more than one drink. Tony asked Carl to order a mini-van cab and they adjourned to the Starlight Club. Soft music for the over-thirty crowd.

Martin and Magda had hit it off and were talking about themselves as they danced. Magda had never married, she said, because she had never found "Mr. Right." Martin had divorced almost ten years ago when his wife could no long stand the tension and worry over his safety. To Martin, it wasn't an issue. To Sheila Polikoff, it was always on her mind. Every time she saw or read another story of police officers being killed or wounded on the job, she shivered in fear.

Magda asked Martin if he would try and reconcile with his ex-wife when he retired, but learned it was too late. She had re-married, and by all accounts he was a nice guy and she was happy. Martin had regrets, but knew he had made his choice many years before. He told Magda it was out of his system now, but in his heart he would always be proud of being a cop, especially proud of making Detective Sergeant.

Nina sat in the comfortable booth with Tony, her head on his shoulder and their hands intertwined. They had just come off the dance floor and she wore a blissful look. They watched as Magda and Martin danced. The two were close and their smiles announced that they were enjoying themselves.

"Do you suppose they're talking about photography?" Tony asked.

"I hope not. By the look on their faces, it's more interesting than that."

-0-

The reunion and reconciliation of the sisters that afternoon had been very emotional. Nina had been very tentative on the phone, hoping that Magda would at least see her and allow her to apologize for all the years they had lost. Magda surprised her by breaking down and begging her forgiveness for the horrible thing she had done to Nina so many years earlier.

As they calmed down, Magda asked her to come to the studio. They would talk there. It was a tearful reunion, but it restored the two women. Nina promised to forgive and forget. Magda apologized. They talked and hugged and cried and talked some more. When they were done, they were laughing and telling old stories from their childhood.

Later, Nina would tell Tony of the sense of relief she felt that afternoon. She hadn't just forgiven her sister. She had forgiven herself for being so stubborn as to deny her only sibling a chance to make amends. They were back where they were many years ago and they were anxious to tell their mother and father the good news. That would happen tomorrow.

They talked about Tony and the trauma and transformation that he had gone through. Nina was hopeful that this was the beginning of a new, exciting chapter in their lives. They were coming back to New York City to live. They would be close to family again. Magda would be able to see her niece and nephews more often. The sisters could spend time together as they once did.

Magda had done well for herself. Her studio was well-regarded and she had more commission work than she could comfortably handle. The assistance of Emil Garrett, the now-elderly former owner of the studio, had become essential and she was beginning to look for another person.

She had dated, but in her opinion, none of the men she met were marriage material. Most of them never even got a second date. They all seemed to be focused on themselves, she told Nina. Their careers, their interests, their accomplishments. She had almost resigned herself to permanent single status she admitted. She was in her late thirties, but she was losing hope that she would find that special man.

When Nina told her they had invited Martin Polikoff to have dinner with them, she was curious. That was until Nina filled her in on what Martin was doing to help them and how much effort he was putting in to restore their lives to normalcy.

She also suggested that Martin was quite unusual. He was quiet and yet a very good conversationalist. He had a wide general knowledge thanks to his inherent curiosity. Nina said that he was a very good listener and very observant about people's behavior.

The girls were in high spirits when they jumped in the cab and headed for Amnesia that evening. Tony would be happy that they had made up and that the sisters were reunited. The "new Tony" said it was important and Nina wasn't going to let him down.

-0-

Martin Polikoff picked up the telephone receiver and punched the flashing button.

"Polikoff."

"It's me, your favorite redneck."

"Hi Frank. What's up?"

"Maybe some good news. You want to meet at Lorenzo's?"

"Sure. Seven o'clock good?"

"See you there."

Frank Lafayette had already arrived and commandeered a booth away from most of the other patrons. He was halfway through his first beer as Martin slipped into the seat across from him.

They exchanged the usual pleasantries before Frank got to the point.

"One of the three V.P.s cracked, just like we hoped he would. He spilled the whole thing, including the hiring of what they thought was a hit man."

"Great. Do you have the guy?" Martin asked.

"Not yet. He's supposed to be back tomorrow morning. We'll pick him up then."

"Where's he from?"

"Jersey. He ain't no hit man. He's a career thug with a string of arrests and a couple of convictions. We've got him on a parole violation to start. He'll get an attempted murder wrap in time. The three bozos will get a conspiracy charge. We can have them in jail for a long time before they ever even get charged for the fraud.

"I arranged for someone to call you when it's done so you can tell Marino he can come out of hiding. I've told our people he's still alive but on ice. You should steer clear of this for a day or so until the bullshit dies down. Unfortunately, your friend is going to be a celebrity whether he likes it or not."

Martin sat back in the booth and exhaled. "Thank Christ this is over with. Maybe after the circus leaves town, he can get his life back."

"Yeah. Somebody will probably want to buy his story for a bunch of dough, but that's his problem. Anyway, he'll be OK if he's giving us the straight goods."

"Which guy was it that talked?"

"Uh ... Conrad Blyer," Frank said, looking at his notes.

"Did you have to cut a deal?"

"Yeah. But only on the murder charge. When he finds out Milano's still alive, he's goin' to shit himself and then do it all over again when his lawyer tells him that his plea bargain ain't going to keep him out of jail."

"Damn ... that's good news," Martin said, raising his beer bottle in salute.

"What about the big guy ... Mellows?"

"Don't know. Maybe we don't have enough to convict and are waiting for one of the other three to talk. He's not a threat though. The guy who hired the so-called hit man was Stainsby and he did it through some sleaze-ball buddy who runs a bar in Newark. No wonder it got screwed up."

"Frank ... thanks for helping. I owe you," Martin said.

"Don't thank me yet. It don't hit the fan 'til tomorrow. Just keep your head down for a couple of days," he grinned. "In the meantime ... I'll have another beer."