SILENT VOWS – A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

CHAPTER 3

Toni Viotto was a streetwise, fast-talking native New Yorker—Bronx born and raised—a former cop, and an all-around badass. She was smart, outspoken, and painfully discreet, which was why she was on Simon St. Clair’s list of go-to people in an emergency. When you’ve achieved the kind of wealth the St. Clairs had, you had to be careful. It seemed like people made a special effort to find ways to separate Vanessa’s parents from their cash. Or jewelry, or paintings, or anything of value at all.

Toni had dropped a pin to Vanessa’s phone for a trendy restaurant in midtown where they would meet. It was as casual as it was expensive. Farm-to-table, organic, no plastic, no straws, small plates, big prices. As Vanessa walked through the door, the aroma of fresh-baked bread hit her right in the belly. She took a quick look around for Toni, but didn’t see her. She was early, and this was an opportunity to grab a bite to eat. Vanessa eyed the large menu hanging on the wall behind the baked goods display and decided on the grilled peach salad with organic farm-raised chicken, a green tea with local honey and a chocolate chip cookie because she craved sweets when she was stressed.

A blond woman jabbed her with an elbow just as she approached the hostess for a table. Annoyed and about to berate her, Vanessa recognized it was Toni.

“I’m seated at the table in the back when you’re ready.”

Vanessa followed her to the back of the restaurant, amazed at how unrecognizable she was. Last time she’d seen Toni, she had long black curls, and was wearing yoga tights and a matching top that accentuated every curve in her enviable body. Today, she sported chin-length blond hair, and what looked like a haute-couture suit with coordinating high heels. Vanessa sat across from her in a booth, examining every detail of the woman claiming to be Toni.

“Is somebody playing dress-up today?” Vanessa mused aloud. “And is that Chanel you’re wearing? And, please tell me that’s a wig?” she said, still in disbelief.

“Yeah. You like it?” Toni said, running perfectly manicured fingers over the short blond bob as Vanessa wondered how she’d gotten all of her own hair under it. “I’m working a case. You know, undercover. This lady hired me to spy on her husband. We’re talking high stakes. She thinks he’s cheating with some woman from his office. Boy, is she in for the surprise of her life,” she said, grinning. The toothy smile was undoubtedly Toni’s. “And once she opens this Pandora’s box, she ain’t never going back.”

Vanessa looked over her shoulder and glanced around the restaurant to see if she could spy any couples who looked like they might be cheaters. This was a pricey place, and just about everyone looked guilty of something.

“What’s in Pandora’s box?” Vanessa asked.

“Well, I can tell you it’s not a woman in his office.”

Vanessa turned and looked again. Two men in expensive-looking suits sat tucked into a booth a few tables away, sharing a bottle of wine, leaning into the table to talk quietly and intimately with each other. The younger guy was cute, and she could tell from the body language that he was overly confident. And then she spotted it. The way the older man looked at him. There was yearning and a certain wolf-like glare. She assumed they were her mark, but it could have been any number of pairs. Male patrons dominated the restaurant at present.

“An old guy is cheating on his wife with a young guy? I guess you see that a lot, huh? Guys who felt like they couldn’t come out years ago, did what society expected of them, married, had children, lived unhappily ever after?”

“Yeah, I see it. Both ways, by the way. A lot of women pull the same shit.” Toni shoved a spoonful of fruit and yogurt into her mouth as she spoke. “But you’ve got it wrong. It’s the young guy, we’ll call him Jasper, who’s doing the cheating with the old guy. And, Jesus, his wife is a total bitch. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to have him killed when she finds out. I’ve seen that happen too. That way, she’ll get everything and the insurance money. An extra multi-million-dollar bonus on top of the estate. She winked at Vanessa. “So, let’s talk about you. What’s up, kiddo?”

“First, I need an assurance of your discretion. Should I give you a check? Cash? What?”

“With all the research”—she placed air quotes around the word research—“I do for your father? Please. You have my discretion. That’s a fact. I’ll bill you when we get started. You have until my lovebirds finish eating. She nodded at no one in particular.

“I’m being blackmailed.”

“That was to the point. Over what? And what does the blackmailer want?”

The waitress appeared and took their order. Toni added a blackened salmon salad to go on top of the food Vanessa had just witnessed her devour. It always amazed and annoyed Vanessa how Toni ate whatever she wanted and never gained weight.

After the waitress walked away, Toni asked Vanessa again what the blackmailer wanted. Vanessa hesitated. Did she want to open her own Pandora’s box? Perhaps she could just crack it open enough to give her what she needed to do her research.

“I’m not sure the what is as important as who. And they want money—ten million.”

“That’s a hefty ask. What’d your old man say?”

“I haven’t told him yet. This only happened this morning. I’m going to see him after we’re done here.”

“What do you want from me? Are you asking me to find the person who’s blackmailing you or do you want me involved in the pay out? What?”

“I want you to find someone for me. A woman. Her name is Sabrina Dietrich. About eighteen months ago, she was released from the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in New Jersey. I’m curious where she is now and what she’s been up to.” And then a new thought occurred to Vanessa. Since she had Toni looking for Sabrina, why not Nick as well? “And someone else. Nick Chavez. The last I heard, he was living in Bergen County somewhere. We all grew up together and attended high school together.”

“Okay, no problem,” she said, jotting the names on a small leather-clad notepad she’d taken from a pink Chanel handbag. “You think one of them is the blackmailer, I assume?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. And Toni, this is a rush job. This person wants the money Friday at six p.m. and I’m getting married Saturday. If they don’t get their money, they’re threatening to inform the police and my fiancé.”

“So, I take it Fiancé is unaware of the blackmailer?”

“No. And I would prefer to keep it that way.”

“So this has something to do with the accident you were in when you were a kid, right?”

“What? How do you know about that?”

“Oh, sweetie, come on. I’ve been working for your old man for years. I was around back then doing research for him. I told him about Sabrina and Brenda’s financial situation. About how smart Sabrina was and how desperate she was to go to college, but there was no money for her to pursue her dream.”

Brenda. That was Sabrina’s mother’s name. Toni had some memory, and she knew about the tragedy that would reshape all their lives. She was in on it. One of Dad’s people.

“How could I’ve been so stupid? Of course, you were the one who told my father about Sabrina’s weakness. You gave him the fuel for the fire to coerce her into doing what he wanted, and she ended up getting burned.” A flash of anger filled Vanessa because she hadn’t thought of it years earlier. The way things had turned out for Sabrina was Vanessa’s second biggest regret in life. After the accident, she silently followed her father and his attorney’s advice, and due to their miscalculations, the judge had sent Sabrina to prison. And now she was aware that Toni had also played a role in Sabrina’s downfall.

“Maybe. But you, Nick, and Sabrina built that fire, not us. We tried to stomp it out. For you. Daddy’s little princess. And, FYI, he didn’t mean to burn her. He was trying to save both of you.” Toni jabbed her spoon in the air at Vanessa. “But honestly, I never knew the what and why of it. So why was Daddy so eager to throw so much money at Sabrina? What did you two really do?”

So, she knew about the accident, but she didn’t know the details. “It’s ancient history now and not relevant to today,” she lied. Vanessa had to push aside her remorse at the underhanded tactics her father had employed to assure her freedom and go all in. She slapped the envelope with the newspaper clipping on the wooden tabletop in front of Toni. “This came today. And yesterday, I received a text.”

“What’d the text say?” Toni asked as she examined the clipping.

“It was a cartoon of a queen having her head cut off. It said something about ‘time’s up princess. Off with your head.’”

“Can I see it?”

Vanessa shook her head. “I deleted it.”

Toni rolled her eyes dramatically. “Seriously? You deleted it? Rule number one: you don’t delete anything unless I tell you to. And then, you let me delete it. Got it?”

Vanessa nodded. She felt like a child being admonished for misbehaving.

“Rule number two: you don’t throw anything away until I’ve seen it. And number three: if they call you, you call me. Pronto!” Toni tapped a long, pointy pink nail on the clipping. “Is this picture of the accident you were in?”

“Yeah. The white Mercedes was my car.”

“Well, I didn’t think you were driving the truck.” Toni re-read the included note. “They’re not giving you a lot of time to collect ten mil. So, you think Sabrina or Nick is behind this?”

“Possibly. Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. Depends on what happened that day. It’d be a lot easier for me to help you if you were honest with me.” They stared at one another for a beat. “Fine, don’t tell me. Could it be possible they’re working together? But why? Didn’t you all play a part in this accident? What would they have to blackmail you with?”

It seemed as if Toni’s detective mind was putting the puzzle together and realizing it was missing some pieces.

The waitress was back with Vanessa’s food and Toni’s carryout order placed in a re-useable bag with the restaurant’s logo emblazoned on it.

Vanessa waited for the young woman to be out of earshot before answering. “Nothing that wouldn’t incriminate them right along with me. As I mentioned earlier, all I need from you is the information on their whereabouts. I need addresses. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll get right on it.” She looked past Vanessa to where Jasper and his sugar daddy were getting ready to leave. “I gotta move. I should have something for you by tonight.”

She grabbed a stunning, light-pink spring coat and her purse and threw them over her arm.

“Is that Chanel too?” Vanessa said, staring at the coat like a kid in a candy store.

“Vintage,” Toni, the pretend heiress, said as she sauntered off.

Distracted, Vanessa picked at her salad until the peaches and most of the chicken were gone. Then she mindlessly devoured the cookie as she finished the tea. Chocolate was the way she self-soothed. In her mind, she was having conversations with her father. Different ways she could tell him she was being blackmailed so that he wouldn’t lose his famous temper. Something ended up shattered in all the scenarios.

It was going to be fine, she told herself. Dad will go out of his way to help me. He won’t be angry at me; however, the audacity of someone blackmailing his darling girl will enrage him.

She called her father’s office and let his executive assistant, Henry, know that she was on her way and that it was crucial that she speak to her father. He assured her Simon had no meetings and would be in his office when she arrived.

Time to face the past, like I’m seventeen again.