“Frankie, I’m doing my nails.”
He slammed his fist on the table. “I said get him a glass of water.”
“Sure, Frankie.” Destiny jumped up and darted from the room.
“How the hell did you let her get away with the diamonds in the first place?” I asked.
Using his left thumbnail, Frankie began to pick beneath the nails of his right hand. I thought he was ignoring my question, but then he glanced back up at me. His forehead was furled and his eyes had a dreamy look to them.
“I’m getting old,” he said. “Hell, I’ll be eligible for social security in a couple of months.” He shrugged and went on.
“You know what they say about an old fool. I wanted to believe she was in love with me. One day, to impress her, I took the stones out of my safe and spread them out on the dresser. I let her hold them and she squealed in delight. Those diamonds made her hotter than hell. We had the best sex I’ve had in twenty years.”
“But how’d she get away with the diamonds?” I asked again.
Frankie’s eyes hardened. “She asked me to leave the diamonds out while we made love. I did what she asked. After the sex I drank a little too much wine. When I woke up the next morning the diamonds and Destiny were both gone.”
Destiny returned and set the glass on the table in front of me. “I told you I was sorry, Frankie. If Wes hadn’t taken them away from me I’d a given them back. I swear I would, Frankie.”
“Here’s your water.” Frankie stood and picked up the glass. He held it up to my mouth, tilted it, and I took a sip. Then he tilted it a little more, pushing my head back at the same time. Finally, he tipped it all the way up, pouring the water across my face, down my shirt and into my lap.
When the glass was empty he tapped the base against my forehead, softly at first, then with more force. About the time I thought he was going to slam it into my face, he pulled his arm back and threw the glass across the room where it shattered against the front door.
“I want my fucking diamonds.”
“Sorry Frankie. I don’t have them.”
“Damn it all,” he said.
Frankie’s face turned red, his lower lip trembled, and he was breathing hard. I was sure he was going to kill me. Instead, he slammed his fist on the table and kicked out at his chair. It flew over backwards, and he began pacing along the length of the table. When he stopped in front of me, he drew back his arm and backhanded me across the face.
My head snapped to the side and the hot, metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. His eyes told me that the only thing keeping him from ending it right then was that he was afraid he’d never find the diamonds if I was dead.
“Frankie, I’d tell you if I knew where they were.” I tried to reason with him. “I have no reason to lie to you.”
“Give me your gun,” he said to Willie.
“Sure boss.” Willie slid his gun across the table and it did a slow spin, coming to rest six inches from the edge.
“I’m going to count to five. Then, if you don’t tell me where my diamonds are, I’m going to pick up Willie’s gun and shoot you.” Frankie smiled. “If you tell me where they are, you get to live. It’s as simple as that.”
“Frankie, if you shoot him you might never get the diamonds back,” Destiny said.
Frankie snatched up the gun, swung around, and pointed it at Destiny. “Did I ask your opinion?”
“No, Frankie,” she held her hands up in front of her as if they would protect her, and licked her lips. I could read the fear in her eyes. She hesitated, and then she went on. “I’ve got an idea.”
Glaring at her, Frankie held the gun steady. “Go ahead. What’s this brilliant idea of yours? It better be good, because I’m in the mood to shoot someone. Wes, you, it doesn’t much matter to me right now.”
“I know where he’s staying. I could go over there and search the place. If I don’t find the diamonds I’ll wait until Tanya gets home and convince her to come here with me. Wes likes her, I can tell. He’ll tell you where the diamonds are if you have her, don’t you think?”
Frankie appeared lost in thought. He lowered the gun and handed it across the table to Willie. “You’re right. That is a good idea.”
Destiny let out a deep sigh and smiled. “I thought so,” she said. “I’ll change and get going.”
“I don’t think so,” Frankie said.
Destiny looked confused. “But you said it was a good idea.”
“It is. But I can’t trust you, Destiny. If Wes isn’t lying to me, it means you are. It makes more sense to send Willie over there. Then I have you, Wes, and the girlfriend.
“On my way, Frankie.” Willie was up and tucking the gun into the back of his jeans before Frankie was finished talking.
Frankie reached out and stroked Destiny’s hair. “Why don’t you write out directions for Willie, dear? And make them very clear. You wouldn’t want him calling and telling me he got lost now, would you?”
Chapter 22
My stomach churned as I watched Willie walk out the door. I needed to warn Tanya, and the only way that was going to happen was if I could get free. As I tried to figure out what I should do, Frankie gathered up his cards and dealt himself a new game of solitaire.
Destiny moved up behind him and began to massage his shoulders. “I’m bored, Frankie,” she said.
Frankie looked up at her and pointed to the empty seat across from him. “Sit down over there. We’ll play some gin. Penny a point.”
“I don’t want to play,” Destiny said. “You always win.” She dropped her hands from his shoulders and backed away from him. “Besides, you know I don’t like cards.”
“Suit yourself.” Frankie shrugged, and went back to his game.
“Know what I like, Frankie?”
“What’s that?”
“Baseball.”
“It’s late,” Frankie said. “I’m not going outside to play ball in the dark.”
He shook his head, looked in my direction, and made a circling motion with his finger around his ear. “Dumb broad,” he said before laying out another hand of cards.
Destiny was still standing behind Frankie. I looked over at her as she shot him the finger. If he’d seen the look of hatred and loathing that crossed her face, I’m positive he wouldn’t have kept his back turned to her. In fact, I suspect he would have killed her on the spot, diamonds or no diamonds.
Destiny took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face. “I know that, silly. I was thinking back to when I was a kid. I never played cards, but I loved baseball. You ever play ball, Frankie?”
“Sure,” he said. “But we didn’t have the fancy ball fields kids got now-a-days. We played in the street and we were always breaking windows and getting chased off by the cops. Course that was before Detroit went to the niggers.”
Destiny reached out and slapped Frankie playfully on the shoulder. “That’s not a nice word, Frankie.”
“Hell, it ain’t personal. It’s what my old man called ‘em, and my grandpa before him. It’s what we all called ‘em when I was growing up. What’s the big deal; they call each other that now. I’ve heard ‘em. Besides, it’s not your business to reprimand me.” He glared over his shoulder at her and went back to dealing his cards.
I was growing tired of the bantering, and was beginning to hope they’d go outside and toss a ball around a little. I’d spent the past ten minutes listening to their inane conversation, and twisting and pulling on my bindings. To my surprise, Willie had done a shitty job of tying me up and the ropes were loose. I was pretty sure that if they’d leave me alone for ten minutes, I’d be able to work myself free.
“I played in high school,” Destiny went on. “I was the left fielder, and the best batter on the team. I’ve still got my bat and glove. Wait here, I’ll go get them and show you.”
As Destiny ran down the hall, Frankie leaned back in his chair and shook his head again. “The girl’s got a screw loose.”
“I think more than one,” I said.
He rubbed his forehead and we both looked over in disbelief when Destiny came back into the room wearing a well-worn ball cap. She still had on the white dress and carried an aluminum bat slung over her right shoulder. On her left hand she wore a fielder’s glove, and inside the glove she carried a soft ball. It was one hell of a uniform.