Recap-“After a fiery Inferno takes the life of his mentor. A simple cartoonist is compelled into an investigation that implicates his father. This leads him to his father’s partner and his beautiful assistant who tell him his father left town weeks ago. Secretly the assistant tells him that Ray was involved with some bad people and the best secret of all…she was Ray’s Wife”
“I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did”. It was the thought that raddled in my brain as I sat there pondering on the day’s events. It was late and I was tired. Since I had little sleep over these last few days. I had a few hours before dawn, so I went to bed. I got up the next morning, took a shower, got ready and headed out to Ray’s place. It’s in the Long Island City neighborhood in Queens. He lived in a modest apartment above a Chinese food place. Not the most elegant of places but he always told me that all he needed was enough space for a bed and a drawing table. I guess with a new wife he would have upgraded. When did he get married? I guess I would have to ask the bride when I get the chance.
I open the door with the key I was provided and headed up to the second landing. it says 2A on the door. It is redundant since the building only has two floors. Ray’s place is a pretty decent sized apartment. A bedroom, A full sized living room, a good-sized kitchen and one full bath. He has little furniture. A drawing table and a decent sized tv in the living room. A Bed and an end table in the bedroom. A built-in closet for all his needs.
I look around. It’s been a few years since I was here. Mostly it seems the same. The changes are obvious. A new couch, a coffee table and a vase of flowers. A couple of paintings. A landscape, and a couple of portraits. A woman’s touch. And I see it. A wedding photo. Ray and the Striking Goddess. It looked like a City Hall ceremony. No Frills. She in a simple white cocktail dress with her amazing curves on display and Him with a black three-piece suit, black tie, and the biggest smile I have seen. Can’t blame him, look at the wife. What I do blame him for is not inviting me, hell why didn’t he tell me?
Then I see it, tucked in the closet. A laptop. I put it on the bed and boot it up to see if it has the information, I need to put this whole thing to rest. It opens up and I searched though the files. It takes about 15 minutes, and it potentially has what I need. Business and personal transactions from the past years. The downs and the very high ups from the past year. I pulled and plugged in the thumb drive that I had in my pocket and started downloading all the files.
As I click off the thumb drive and close the computer, the front door snaps open. My whole-body freezes and wonder what the hell am I going to do next. I toss the laptop on the bed and jump into the closet. I hear someone in the living room searching probably realizing that there isn’t much to look through. So now they proceed up the stairs to the bedroom. I hear the door creek open slowly. I instantly start perspiring and wonder how long I can stay hidden. From one of the slats on the closet door I see a figure. As it comes closer, I am pondering my fate until I hear sirens in the distance. He stops, sees the laptop, takes it and leaves the bedroom and then out the front door.
I exit out the closet, thank God for that siren but then realize I may have to explain why I am in a dead man’s closet. I end up not having to because the sirens were an Ambulance for a guy few doors away. Thank God for small coincidences.
As soon as I got home, I realized I left my phone. I check though the messages. Nothing special except some angry messages from my editor. Then the last message comes, and it chills my bones to the core.
“Hey Kid, we need to talk, ASAP”
It’s from My Dad.
To be Continued
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