"Weird how?" the detective prodded.
"I was freaked out by what Richard had done, and I wanted to go home. Anthony offered to drive me to my apartment, and when we got there, my landlady said something about two men who'd stopped by and were looking for me. I can't explain it, Detective. I got a vibe. Like my instinct was telling me something wasn't right. I packed a suitcase and told my landlady I was taking a trip. I left with Anthony, and we met up with his friend who'd picked up my car. Anthony asked me about where I was going, and I don't know, he seemed a little too interested. He then started asking me a lot of questions about Van. It felt...it felt..." she paused trying to come up with the right word, "off."
She paused to take a breath and see if she could gauge the detective's reaction. There wasn't one so she continued.
"Long story short, after his friend showed up with my car, I asked Anthony if I could buy him dinner to thank him. I told him to pick a restaurant and I would follow him." She gulped. "I was driving behind him, and he made a right and I made a left and headed for I-75. I've been driving north for a little while. Not sure where I'm going, but something is telling me I shouldn’t go home. I only pulled over to answer this page."
She looked sideways to see if Anthony approved. She caught sight of a deep dimple. He was smiling.
"So, can you tell me what this is all about? Why do you want to know if I'm okay? Does it have something to do with Van and the two men who were at my apartment?"
She heard Detective Cochran blow out a relieved breath. "Christy, I heard from my street informant that loan sharks are looking for Van. Apparently, he's run up a serious debt with a couple of the worst ones. Anthony Bear being one of them and if the Anthony you were with is six foot six with long black hair, then you escaped serious danger."
"Then it must've been him, Detective, but he never mentioned money. He was just curious about Van and places he might like to hang out. Stuff like that."
"Do you know where Van is, Christy?" she asked, her worried tone suddenly replaced with her professional one.
"No. And I told Anthony the same thing."
"I need to get you to a safe house, Christy. If my informant is right, Van is in over his head with people that don't make deals. It would make sense that they might come after you to find out his whereabouts, but what scares me more is that they might use you or the rest of your family to get to Van. To be honest, I'm completely shocked that you were in Anthony Bear's company for a few hours and he didn't assert himself. It almost sounds like he tried to woo you and you don't know how lucky you are because that is not his style. Anthony Bear is a serious criminal, Christy. One of the worst. I'm going to place your entire family in protective custody until we get this figured out. You need to come to the station right now."
Christy could hear the unmistakable flick of a lighter as the detective lit a cigarette.
"If he's as awful as you say, Detective, why isn't he in jail? I mean..." She paused. "The guy owns a landscaping company. How bad can he be?" She wasn't trying to make small talk. She was downright curious. She felt Anthony's posture change next to her. She held her breath as she waited for the detective's answer.
"Because he's smart, and surprisingly, he's respected. He owns a lot of people. People that are afraid to cross him because they know if they do, it'll cost them their lives. And yes, he owns a landscape company, but he also owns a lot of other businesses." The detective went on to mention a chain of laundromats, car washes and drive-through ice stations that could be found all over Florida. "I'm sure he owns the cash businesses to launder money, although nobody's been able to prove it." She paused and exhaled impatiently. "But that's not what's important now."
Christy could hear her take a long pull from her cigarette.
"He's as bad if not worse than..." The last words of her sentence died off, and Christy heard her mumble under her breath, "At least that one's on the other coast." The detective regained her focus and asked, "What time can I expect you at the station?"
Christy pulled away from the phone to look at Anthony. His earlier smile was gone. His lips formed a straight thin line, and his eyes were bottomless black pits. So black, she could see her blonde hair reflected in them. She swallowed the lump in her throat and put her ear back to the receiver. He leaned in too.
"I'm sorry, Detective, but if I'm in as much danger as you think I might be, then I'm not coming back to Naples. I'm going to keep driving north. I may or may not hop a plane in Tampa or Orlando. Don't worry about me and definitely don't try to find me. Just make sure you keep my family safe. I'll wait for your page that tells me when it's okay to come home."
Without giving the woman a chance to reply, Christy disconnected the call.
She turned to look at her abductor and thought she saw something that could've been admiration in his eyes.
"You're a fast thinker and a good liar," Anthony told her.
"So are you," she answered, remembering how easily he came up with false stories to tell Richard and the travel agents she'd been calling. But her tone lacked sincerity. If anything, she sounded sad.
He raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her comment. He stood up and turned to her. She felt his eyes and couldn’t bring herself to meet them. She didn't need to ask him if what the detective said was true. She stared at the floor and prayed that her theatrical telephone performance didn’t seal her fate. If he decided to kill her, she’d just erased any doubts or suspicions that Detective Cochran might’ve had. If anything, she gave Anthony Bear an alibi in her disappearance.
Chapter Fourteen
Naples, Florida 1978