Cherry Two

Part 22

Chapter 20

Calley kept her promise for now.

After supper and polite conversation she went to her top floor room and began to secretly paw through the plethora of material her granduncle had passed on. One noteworthy news clipping from the Monterey Herald caught her attention right off the bat. Calley gently unfolded the paper that bore two police identity photographs bracketing the headline.

LOCAL DRUG LORDS SENTENCED TO LIFE

A Monterey County judge today sentenced two Salinas men, Hernando Vasquez and Jacob Randal Tyson, convicted on joint conspiracy charges, to life without possibility of parole for twenty-five years. The charges primarily stemmed from the June slaying of Keith Bosley, a retired Los Angeles police officer, and other related drug trafficking offences.

Monterey County District Attorney, William Hammond said in a statement, "These vicious men represent a core element in the growing illegal drug trade in this area. While Mr. Bosley's death is tragic and regrettable, his family can rest assured justice has been served and Monterey County has become a safer place for its children."

During the trial, Robert Nameth and his daughter Calley Nameth of Pebble Beach both provided key evidence in the subsequent conviction of the accused men. The prominent peninsula antique car dealer and businessman has been heralded for his charity fundraising efforts at events like the famous Pebble Beach classic car show, held every summer. When asked to comment on the outcome of the sentencing hearing, Mr. Nameth declined, echoing only DA Hammond's sentiment that justice had been properly served.

The clipping was dated July 12 1984.

Calley bit down on her lip. No one needed to do the math. The aging killers would now be days away from a possible parole hearing. If freed, what would be the first item on their agenda? A quarter century ago their hired assassin had missed Robert by a hair, only to make good on half a promise by killing his daughter. Was this the urgent thing that had nagged at her subconscious for so long?

***

Saturday morning.

Calley strolled into the games room where Keenan and Alain were making enough noise to be heard throughout the sprawling house. A highly competitive game of pool was nearing its conclusion with Alain on the offensive. The moment she appeared in the doorway in a short tennis skirt he missed his shot, caromed the cue ball off three cushions and sent it down a center pocket.

"Oops!" Keenan let out a laugh. "She is distracting isn't she? Let's see, that's five more points to me."

"Sorry." The girl batted her eyelashes. "Keenan, can I talk to you about something?"

Alain straightened up from the bent position, suspicion rising all over his face.

Keenan racked his cue. "Sure, honey. Here or in private?"

"Private, please," she said timidly.

"Ho, ho. Not for your ears, eh, kiddo." He gave Alain a nudge in the side as he made for the doorway.

With Keenan's back turned, Alain mimed the words, "what the hell is it?" at Calley in frustration but got nothing by way of response.

"My study okay?" Keenan jerked his thumb back.

She nodded and followed him through the hall into the postmodern paneled office.

Keenan didn't seat himself behind the desk, but instead chose to perch on a corner while offering her a chrome Harry Bertoia designer chair. "So what's the mystery?"

She took out the folded clipping and handed it to Keenan without explanation. His eyebrows immediately went up when he read the aged headline.

"I see. May I ask where you got this?"

"Um, not for the moment. Is it true, those men could be set free in a matter of days?"

He scratched his beard. "First thing you should know: where my family is concerned I keep track of everything." Keenan moved around to the business side of the desk and got seated. "Let me show you something on my computer. It's confidential material, so don't tell, okay?"

She replied with a serious nod.

"I'm logging into inmate records for SQ. Oh, sorry, that's San Quentin State Prison to you. First I'll enter Hernando Vasquez. Come around so you can see."

Calley moved beside Keenan and stared at the LCD monitor. A recent photo of the inmate scrolled up the screen with a page full of data beneath.

"There's his birthdate. By my reckoning that makes him all of seventy-six. As you can see he's got a history of violence within the penal system. Parole is out of the question for this bad ass. He'll die in there."

"Oh," Calley exhaled.

"Now let's try Tyson."

No photo appeared, just a few lines of text. Keenan read aloud. "Jacob Randal Tyson, deceased November eighteen two-thousand and four. Remains shipped for cremation on November twenty-five. Cause of death: untreatable respiratory disease." He looked at her stunned face. "Prison tobacco is the worst."

"Then... then Robert is safe."

"I somehow guessed he'd make contact while you were here. What else did he give you?"

Her eyes went downcast. "Oh... that just slipped out. I promised Alain I wouldn't say."

"Alain will tell me in his own time," Keenan said with a chuckle. "It's my darling wife we need to worry about. There's still a lot of animosity there."

Her head moved up and down. "I know. But it's silly. Robert is a nice old man. I liked him. So did Alain."

More typing ensued, then Keenan made a click with the mouse. Robert Nameth's entire current circumstances flooded the screen. "Is he still living here?" Keenan pointed at the Carmel address. "This data is about six months out of date."

Calley clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God! And you keep all this from Sonia?"

"Calley..." He reached out and took one of her hands in his. "I never keep anything from Sonia. All this is here if she wants it. We have an understanding when it comes to her father. Security is my business. I won't make the same mistakes he did. I help put away real monsters on a daily basis—so does she. Half the convicted criminals in LA County would like to take this family out, and I'm not talking about fine dining. Vigilance goes with the job. Fortunately they're mostly in places like San Quentin."

"I'm sorry, Keenan. I feel a little foolish."

"Don't. You did the right thing. Now back to my first question. Did Robert give you more of this stuff?"

"Yes, lots more. It's in my bedroom."

"Okay, but we don't want Sonia finding it, do we? Bring it down here and I'll put it away safe until you leave. Then it's up to you if you show it to James."

After collecting the stack of material and taking it to the study, Calley went to Alain and told him everything. He didn't seem all that surprised his father had been keeping close tabs on his grandfather. Where Sonia was all about the intricacies of the mind, Keenan thrived on factual detail and conclusions. Calley went to bed that night feeling better about Robert and much better about Alain, having seduced him beyond second base, almost into a home run. Security notwithstanding, there were still a few things Keenan the super cop had yet to learn.

Now Keenan knows Robert has made contact with Calley and Alain will he tell Sonia? And is he in the dark about Calley's attempts to seduce Alain, or is he on top of this situation as well? Is Calley kidding herself?

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