Chapter 11
Crash
My fist was pushing down so hard on my desk I thought it was going to break straight through it.
“What do you mean, there's no link?” I seethed through my teeth.
“I couldn't find anything Crash. Nothing. There is nothing linking your father's killing to Mr Cooper's people. If they did it, there's no evidence at all.”
“F*ck!” I roared. “Then who is f*cking responsible?!”
He remained calm in his seat. Jones was never phased by anything.
“Your father had lots of enemies. There's a laundry list of people it could have been. I'll keep searching, but you might have to resign yourself to the fact that you may never know.”
Never know. I couldn't live like that. I had to f*cking know. I had to.
“OK, get back on it. I don't want you sleeping until you can give me something.”
He stood and nodded. A loyal man, Jones, always there for my father, always here for me now.
I grabbed a glass and downed a shot of whiskey as he left the room. The liquid warmed my throat and settled down into my stomach. I took another and sank back into my chair, my mind rolling around in turmoil.
I was juggling so much shit right now I knew something would eventually come down onto my head. There was this ongoing investigation into my father's murder, something I'd never stop looking into. Then there was this deal with my investors, a problem that was constantly front and center of my mind.
My father had built a strong business. I wanted to expand it into an empire. Build on his legacy. Make sure the name of Logan was never forgotten.
Of course, Kyle was acting as another thorn in my side. He was still pushing me to find a replacement for him at the club, constantly threatening to walk away. I knew he wouldn't though. What the f*ck would he do out from underthe umbrella of our family's wealth? He had no credentials to speak of. All he knew was running a strip club. And if he left, I'd make sure no one within a thousand miles would hire him. There was no space for disloyalty in this family.
The news from Jones wasn't the way I wanted to start the day. I had a serious meeting to get to later on and had hoped it to be on a happier footing. Now my mind was clouded by thoughts of my father once more, and I needed toclear the air in my head before doing anything else.
I stood and stepped out of my office. The casino floor below me was quiet, most of the all night punters having cleared out earlier in the morning. It would pick up again as the day went on, but right now it was at its lowestebb, like the embers of a fire just waiting to spark back into life.
I walked out into the parking lot and sucked in air, feeling the cool morning breeze rush over my face. I needed calmness, I needed serenity, I needed to clear the cobwebs before my meeting. This was a biggie, and I needed to convince my investors that I was a safe bet.
Crash, in your current state of mind, you couldn't convince a prostitute to open her legs. Get your f*cking act together.
I climbed into my Hummer and turned the ignition, the engine roaring to life like a lion. There was only one place I knew to go where my mind would find some calm. A place I always gravitated to as a kid if I was scared or upset.
Hopefully, now, it would have the same effect.
....
No one knew of my love for art. I guess if they did it would diminish my reputation a little bit. It wasn't like I was an expert or anything. Far from it in fact. No, I just found it relaxing looking at paintings that were created hundreds of years ago.
I couldn't really explain why, but I'd been going to the Museum of Art since I was a kid. I'd just sit and look at the paintings for hours. Somehow it put my life in perspective, made me see how I was just a tiny cog in a massive machine.
It also made me want to leave this world with my stamp well and truly upon it. I'd look at the paintings and think of how their creators would live forever, always remembered in the minds of those looking at their work.
I wanted the same for me. I wanted the same for my family. It was an ambition that I was always working to see realized. Now, just maybe, that was becoming a reality.
The museum was situated in the center of town, along one side of a large open square. It was grand and imposing, a common site for tourists and art students. There were many rooms inside, many treasures to enjoy within, hundreds of years of art history covered. It was the only real piece of culture that infiltrated my life.
On the other side of the square sat the Museum of Modern Art. That place didn't interest me in the same way. I'd been in there once, but never returned. It just didn't hold the same gravitas for me, the same weight of history.
And the art itself - I felt I could have pulled some of it off myself. I mean, a 6 foot canvas painting that looked like it could have been done by a 2 year old doing a finger painting didn't impress me. If I could do it, what was the point?
I sat in the central hall of the museum now, my mind sifting through a thousand memories of my youth. I remembered coming here after I'd beaten up Jimmy Trenton, this kid at school. It was the first time I'd been in a fight, and I was terrified I'd go to jail or something. Stupid kid, didn't know what I was thinking.
I came here when my mom died. She was killed in a car crash when I was 19. I hated that I had no one to blame, nowhere to direct my anger. I wanted to punch straight through the walls but I came here instead.
And now I sat here again, the death of my other parent weighing heavy on my mind. This time was different. This time there was someone to blame. What crushed at my lungs more than anything, however, was that I didn't know who it was.
The minutes ticked by as my mind began to calm. It always did here. It helped me put things in perspective, get my priorities straight. I wanted to be remembered. I wanted to forge my name into the foundations of this f*cking country. Just like these artists all around me and the works they'd created, I wanted to live forever.
....
I stood and walked from the central hall back towards the main exit, my mind clearing. The weather outside was crisp, the chill of the morning given over to warm sunshine flowing down from above.
I breathed in deep as I stood on the front steps, the large square ahead of me. There seemed to be something going on down there, some sort of street performance to entertain the gathering crowds.
Tourists were standing in a large circle around the side of the square, all of them looking in and holding their cameras aloft. I watched with mild interest as a group of girls stepped into the center, dressed in black and whitetights.
The sound of music suddenly filled the air down below as the group began dancing and moving in unison, their bodies flowing around and over each other. The black and white of their leotards was quite striking as their bodies flowed in twisting and turning motions, graceful and poetic.
It wasn't a scene that would usually interest me but something caught my eye.
I moved in closer, down the steps towards the crowd as the dancers continued to perform, the flashing of cameras doing nothing to put them off.
My eyes fixed on one of the girls. Her body looked exceptional in the tights, her frame petite yet with a curve, her movements feminine and sensual. I tried to get a good look at her face, but other bodies and arms kept obscuring her.
Then, from nowhere, she turned and stopped in front of me, the performance ending as abruptly as it had started. She held her head down, her blonde hair tied back to keep it from her eyes. Slowly, as the claps of the audience began to rise, her head lifted, a wide smile upon it, her blue eyes sparkling.
It was Elle.
Her eyes danced over the crowd, thanking them for their applause. I stood tall above them, towards the back, my eyes set directly on her. She suddenly turned towards me, as though she'd felt my gaze upon her, and her smile widened.
She looked so relieved, so excited, so pumped with adrenaline. I guess it was probably the first time she'd danced in front of people.
She should do it again.
She spontaneously set forward, pushing through the crowd as they watched on at her, walking straight at me.
I stayed motionless. She looked gorgeous, her face completely lit up, an energy in her that I hadn't seen before.
It seemed to give her life as she thrust her hands forward and grabbed at my body, her lips rushing straight into mine as the crowd cheered behind her.
Before I knew what was going on she'd stepped back, that coy look I'd seen before creeping quickly back onto her face. I couldn't help the frown from dominating my expression. I must have looked like I'd just been accosted by a madman.
Her face turned embarrassed at seeing my expression and she quickly turned and rushed back towards her friends, who were now gathering their things at the far side of the crowd and seemingly preparing to leave.
I opened my mouth to speak but had nothing to say, the crowd once more engulfing Elle as she disappeared.
A smile hit my face.
Well that was unexpected.