Valley of Decision
chapter thirteen
Rosa noticed it first. Strange cleaning smells permeated the house. Angela only noticed it when it was pointed out to her. Rosa ran a tight ship and went right to the cleaning cupboard. She noticed immediately that it had been tampered with. To the uninitiated eye, nothing would seem out of place. But she organized the cupboard, and kept it to her liking, and to her standards. To her, it was important, and all wrong, enough that it angered her. “Mickey!” she yelled, in the direction of Reds office at the back of the room. Only silence greeted her. “You haven’t even changed yet,” stated Angela, coming from her wing, and adjusting her necklace. “They’ll be waiting for us.” “Si sweetheart. But somebody has been in my cleaning cupboard. I’ve asked Senior Red to install a lock many times. I do all the cleaning, so why should anyone be going in there? Can’t you smell how strong it is?” “Yes, I can. Weird, you’re right, it’s much stronger down at this end. Maybe Micky spilled something?” “Yes,” answered Rosa. “There is something very odd.” “Let’s not worry about that now. Later OK? Go get ready!” replied Angela. “Si,” said Rosa, sniffing the air suspiciously,” as Angela pushed her towards her quarters. Angela walked to Reds office and called out to Mickey, peeking into Reds office, then into the living area. The cleaning smells saturated the rooms, and she notice the patio doors were wide open. She had a strong memory of this, almost like Deja Yu. She peeked out the doors, seeing nothing, closed and locked them. The place, usually a hub of activity, was strangely deserted? ‘They must have spilled something terrible and left the room to air?’ she thought. She ran back and opened the doors again. She heard Rosa calling, and switched off the lights before she left. “They’re probably out side waiting for it to clear,” Angela said to Rosa. “Si, I think so,” replied Rosa. They left by the front door, and bumped into Axle, who was on his way up from the cottage. “Where’s Red?” asked Angela. “He’s coming!” smiled Axle at the sight of her. “He’s on the phone.” “What else is new?” she replied laughing.
Red had immediately called his bodyguard for updates the second Axle left the cottage. And was told that he was hiding around the corner from Angela, who he had heard going into her father’s office. “She’s right beside me,” he whispered to Red. Then ducked back when he saw her poke her head out.
“Just wait for her to leave,” said Red.
“They’re on their way, outta state, as we speak. You’ll never hear or worry about them again. Sad actually, what do you think happened?” he asked, still trying to reason it out.
“All I can figure is, Ernie probably caught Mick spying on me at the cottage. Which Mick wasn’t authorized to do. Words probably ensued? Poor Jack never carried, so he was a sitting duck” he continued.
“Fuck!” said the body guard. “Intense!
“Intense is right! I’m still shaking, and I got to act normal. When I just feel like taking off. I’m off with the kids and Rosa to celebrate Angela’s pregnancy. We’re leaving now. Maybe its best if I don’t dwell on it.”
“We have rules. Your rules. You are not to travel alone. You made no exceptions!”
“These are desperate times, rules change,” snapped Red.
“OK suit yourself. When you leave, I’ll deal with the mess here. I got carpets covering the stains for now. Rosa is already bitching. She’ll find those stains in no time. It would be nice if she weren’t around for awhile.”
“I’ll figure something out, how long you need?”
“I’ll probably need floor grinders, and shit. I’ve already sent someone to rent one. Did you hear? I just got word Draino got dropped off. Apparently, he doesn’t look too good. They say he probably won’t make it?”
“I thought as much. He didn’t look good when I last saw him,” replied Red. “I’m in the process of routing all my calls through you. Just temporarily. We’ll see how that goes.”
“I’ll need at least a couple of hours. The place is gonna be a mess.”
Stepping outside, Red hung up, and called his realtor. He left a message to sell his oceanside estate. He pocketed his phone and waved ahead to the others waiting for him. He couldn’t look at the lovely house, and when he caught up to them, he just pointed over to the garage.
“I’ll drive for a change,” he yelled, quickly passing them. Rosa and Angela looked at each other in surprise. They had never seen him drive before.
“What?” said Axle.
“He never drives without his damn bodyguard,” she whispered over to him. “I can’t stand the jerk. He gives me the creeps.”
They all ran up to him and entered through the service door, of the four-door garage. Axle’s mouth dropped when he saw all the old and new, luxury cars.
“Wow!” he said out loud.
“Which one?” laughed Red. Knowing their choice, Angela and Rosa, both pointed to the 1961 white Eldorado convertible, with white wall tires and fins.
“Ya sure?” laughed Red. Temporally forgetting his problems.
“Ya!” they both yelled together.
Red went over to the key station and tried to figure out which keys belonged to the Eldorado. For security reasons, the keys were in code. “I never had to do this shit,” he mumbled to himself. Everyone was happily piling into the car when he recognized the odd-looking keys. Axle searched for his bike, and finally saw it with Angela’s and some others, sitting beside a shiny red 1969 Camaro.
Red flipped open the nearest door and sprinted over to the Cadillac. As he drove out, he was met at the gate, by his body guard, who silently opened the gate for them. Axle couldn’t help but notice all the security staff were back in their places on the grounds.
“Ok, where to?” asked Red, adjusting the mirrors.
“The Franciscan,” yelled Angela.
“Oysters! yelled Rosa.
“You want to go that far?” stated Red, looking back to Angela, a bit surprised.
“I thought we were going to celebrate?”
“We are. Your wish is my command!” yelled Red. His words were carried away in the wind.
“Remember the Franciscan, honey?” said Angela, snuggling beside Axle.
“How could I ever forget!” he replied, catching Red’s eyes in the mirror looking at them. Looking out the window as they crossed the Goldengate bridge, Axle wondered what it was like to be able to afford to act on your every whim?
“My sister lives near there!” Rosa yelled from the front seat, “in the Marina district.”
“Call her. See if she wants to come with us.”
“No. She works now,” replied Rosa.
“Too bad. I would have loved to have finally met her!” yelled Red.
“Si. One day, Senior Red.”
Angela held Axles hand. She loved coming into town on the Embarcadero, off the bridge. She found it romantic.
“The pier, very bad for parking,” said Rosa, turning to Red.
“For some people!” Red replied, winking at her. “I want to get a Sourdough Clam chowder bowl at some point today,” he added.
“Ok great. Me and Rosa can get some shopping in then,” said Angela.
Red pulled into the parking lot across from the wharf. The lot man came running out, waving his arms, until he recognized Red. “Sorry man,” he said pointing. “Just pull in there beside my car. Behind the booth.”
“So exciting!” said Angela. Stepping out of the sleek Caddy.
Reds phone rang, just as he began lowering the roof. It was his realtor. “Just get it started! Why the fuck do I need to tell you why? Just do it!”
Axle over heard Red yelling into the phone and wondered about his dual worlds. Red dialed his secretary and asked her to book three rooms, over looking the harbor, for a few days, at his favorite hotel in San Francisco. Red saw that Axle had probably heard him. “The days half over. No sense in wasting this visit,” he said, looking over at Axle.
“No. No reason at all,” replied Axle suspiciously. Still trying to get his bearings.
Red walked over to the lot attendant, “Manny is it?”
“Yes sir.”
“Wow,” said Red. “Looks like the old man added another humming bird feeder?” handing the man a hundred-dollar bill.
“Thank you, Mr. Red,” said the man almost groveling. “Ya, two more,” added the attendant, pocketing the money. “I took off all their perches. Got sick of ‘m staggering like a bunch of drunkards!”
“Ya Manny. Make them work for their food,” laughed Red. “Don’t let the old man know about it!”
“He doesn’t come here no more. Sick and old now,” offered Manny. “Big changes in the wind. Thanks again, Sir.”
As they all crossed the road to the pier, Axle whispered Red’s plans to Angela. She looked over in surprise. “Ya? You sure?” “Totally!” he answered. Angela’s first thought was for Rosa and her hatred of not having clean clothes.
“Now, we definitely need to shop!” stated Angela.
Red needed some time to be alone and think. As they crossed the road, he yelled to them. “Go ahead and start without me. I have some things to do. I won’t be too long. I promise.” Red was excited to finally be free of his bodyguards and relished in the pleasure of this newly found freedom.
“That means he will be long!” said Angela to the others, as they reached the other side of the road. “To be honest, I don’t even mind!”
Dan Ger