Long Ago Memories

Winter Festival - Long Ago

Long Ago Memories

by

B.D. Adams

© 2013

            The date:  2/20/12 – Lundi Gras (Fat Monday – day before Mardi Gras)

            The place:  New Orleans, Louisiana

           

            Theodore Burke (just Theo to friends) was in New Orleans in time for the Mardi Gras celebrations! He loved the city at this time of year.

            This visit from his home in Texas, however, was for business!

            His legitimate business was as a private investigator, a P.I., which he was good at. Most of his cases were husbands or wives who hired him to catch the spouse as he or she cheated. Rather boring. With what he learned as an investigator, he decided he could make a helluva lot more money as a hitman. And, it didn’t bother him when he “eliminated” someone. He was still new to this trade, but really enjoyed the money!

            Theo had begun to step out of Texas, his comfort zone. He had traveled to new places to perform this “trade.” New Orleans was only the third location outside of Texas.

            This client, a Texan, was a wealthy father of a disrespectful son. The son was bedding the father’s “kept” woman, which more than pissed off the old man!

            The father told Theo that his son would be in New Orleans with some friends, that weekend before Mardi Gras. That’s when he could do the ... elimination.

            Theo was no family counselor, but thought he should get the father to really think about this. However, the father said the key phrase, “If you won’t do it I’ll find someone else!!” That was enough for Theo.

            It was nighttime, nearly 11:30pm on Fat Monday; cool but not like the cold in the Texas Panhandle. Theo had a slender build. He wore a plastic party mask (just on his eyes), blue jeans and sneakers and a T-shirt with a light-weight, brown jacket for mild warmth, zipped to hide his shoulder holstered gun (.38 caliber, snub-nose revolver with hollow nose bullets). This gun was not his registered gun for his legitimate business. It couldn’t be traced to him, anyway. He would toss it after the Hit.

With all the costumed and non-costumed party-people, no one would notice Theo. He just loved The Big Easy, this time of year or anytime!

He had kept close to his “prey.” He had followed the young man for several hours today and watched as he and his pals drank quantities of bourbon (Theo’s drink of

choice) and snorted quantities of cocaine (Theo was not a junkie) when they thought no

one saw. These young men thought they were so secretive, so cool!

            When the young man left his friends to take a leak in a dark alley off Bourbon

Street, Theo slipped on the gloves in his pockets, screwed on the silencer, pointed the gun at him, and then let the fellow zip and turn to face him.

            The young man was startled, as he saw the gun! Callously, he said with a smirk, “Kinda short, aren’t ya.” Theo popped him in the forehead ... one shot ... he fell against the wall where he had pissed.

Not too short, my friend, Theo mused silently. Then, calmly and unhurriedly,

he walked up the street away from the scene while he unscrewed the silencer to drop in a garbage can that he passed and he replaced the gun in its holster. He went around the block to re-join the other merry-makers in Bourbon Street, to blend in!

            Within moments, there was a short siren heard in the direction where he killed the son. All he did was smile smugly, to himself.

He removed the mask to the top of his head, which mussed his already mussed blonde hair, while he sat on a stool at a sidewalk bar. He ordered bourbon neat to sip while he made his call on the disposable cell phone. Half of his fee had already been made, now the rest would be deposited. Total, a cool twenty-thousand!!

The father answered. All Theo said was, “Done.” He turned off the disposable cell and took out his Smartphone. He quickly finger rolled to the Internet and went immediately to the webpage for his off-shore account. It only took a moment. The balance was deposited!

            He always had a “Plan B” to frame the person who hired him ... if they tried to stiff him. That wasn’t necessary this time.

Theo was elated! Tomorrow, he would celebrate with a fishing cruise in the Gulf. He loved to fish! It was now too late to schedule a trip. He’d call for a charter in the morning. He sipped more of the bourbon!

            Out of the blue, even with the noise, Theo heard a woman’s laugh near to him. An eerie memory overtook him! He should not remember this laugh. That was a long time ago! Thirty years ago! However, he looked in the direction of the laugh and saw ... her! She had her feather mask on top of her head. Her hair was longer than before, but still the same auburn shade. He could see her face clearly!

            Veronica. It was Veronica ... his fledgling love just after high school! They had attended two different schools, met through mutual friends, dated and he loved her!

            She appeared to be with another woman and a man. The couple seemed to be together.

            “Two Bourbons on the rocks and a Drambuie, neat,” she ordered their drinks at the bar where he sat. She was dressed warmly in a thin, long sleeved beige sweater and a reddish LL Bean zipper vest, jeans and low topped flat boots. She was as shapely as before. He remembered that Drambuie was her favorite drink! Oh, God ... such memories!!

            While she waited for the drinks, she looked around. Her eyes looked to him and she smiled a regular smile, but then, her expression changed to recognition and surprise!!

            “Theo? Theo Burke?” she asked almost with a stammer. She had blushed cheeks with a big grin.

            “Hello, Roni,” he grinned widely to her, as well. That had been his nickname for

her (Ron-ee). Her eyes were still as blue as before. He almost melted.

            She moved a little closer to him and said, “This is too weird. I thought ... I thought

I saw you a while back, but I decided I was being silly. But ... here you are. My goodness!” She sounded like a happy, mature self.

            The drinks were on the bar, so the two people came and began to drink. She had

that blush again, as she introduced, “Mike and Linda, this is Theo. I knew him after high

school. A long time ago.”

            “Very nice to meet you, Theo,” Mike spoke loudly with a very masculine voice.

They shook hands politely. The crowd around them was very raucous, so loud!

            Then, Linda blurted, “You wanna go exploring with us? I need more beads!” She was a little younger than Theo and Roni with that kind of voice.

            “I’m going to visit with Theo. You guys go on. See you at the hotel,” Roni persuaded.

            The couple took off down the street with their drinks to leave Theo and Veronica alone.

            She took a large sip of her Drambuie, as Theo did with bourbon to fortified himself. He was glad his business was completed for this reunion.

            Veronica began, “Do you live here, now ... in Louisiana? Still in Texas?” She took the mask off to hang on her wrist.

            “I’m still in Texas, near Ft. Worth. South of Dallas,” he blushed slightly, and

suggested, “Let’s go someplace a little quieter. OK?” He just left his mask on the bar. Both drink glasses were left on the bar, as well.

            At the second street, they turned to go north, away from Bourbon Street, still hectic, but not quite as bad. They laughed at some of the costumes, and then they went into an open-air restaurant and sat at the only vacant table with two chairs.

            The waitress came fairly quickly and Theo ordered their drinks (just sodas now), but asked Veronica, “Want some shrimp?”

            “Sure. You remember that I love shrimp,” Veronica said. She smiled softly.

            Now, there was an awkward pause for this reunion. Who was going to talk first? Theo decided it should be him.

            “Do you still live in Texas? Do you live here ... in New Orleans?” he asked.

            Veronica let out one of her laughs and replied, “You won’t believe this, but I live in Ohio!”

            “Oh ... Ohio? You’re a Yankee now? Are you a “snow bunny,” too? Do you snow ski now?” Theo asked very surprised. She had been a good water-skier!

            “No to the snow. I deal with the snow, but I don’t play in it,” she said with a grin. “My mom called me her “little damn Yankee.””

            The waitress brought their sodas and the basket-for-two of deep fried Gulf Shrimp with the appropriate condiments (tartar sauce and shrimp sauce – Louisiana styled).

            They were hungry. It was after midnight and they began to eat like it was lunch-time!

            “Why did you move there?” Theo quizzed.

            “Well, someone dumped me, who I thought loved me deeply. I had to get away from that memory,” Roni looked at Theo with a glint of pain in her eyes.

            Ouch, that hurt ... he knew it was him!

            “I had met an Airman from Carswell AFB, not long after that. We married. He was

discharged a few months after we married. He was from Ohio.” She became a little silent as she munched more of the shrimp, as did Theo.

            “I divorced him because he wasn’t the man he wanted me to think,” Veronica

spoke honestly, and then expanded, “I went to Ohio State University and have a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with Photography. Still live in Columbus and I’m a freelance journalistic photographer. That’s why I’m here ... a photo assignment this weekend. Those people are the writers. I traded my artist brushes for cameras.” She smiled that soft smile again. “How about you? Do you a writer novels, now ... poetry? Do you still play your guitar?” she genuinely asked.

            “You’re the artist, not me. I am a Private Investigator, a P.I.,” he confessed. “I

didn’t get into writing because college just wasn’t my, my ... cup of tea,” Theo said shyly, and then added, “I have taken classes at the junior college in Law Enforcement to be a better P.I.” He finished his soda and continued, “Music is still a love of mine ... play with some guys I’ve befriended ... we play at small bars, occasional wedding receptions.

            “I was married a while ago, too ... and divorced,” he divulged. “Like you, it didn’t go the way I wanted. She was not you.”

            “Funny how we’ve paralleled in that way.” Veronica said a little sadly.

            “Roni, can we meet tomorrow ... uh ... later today? I really want to talk more with you. We could have breakfast. How’s that?” Theo asked. “I’m fading ... don’t want to, but I’m not a kid anymore.” He gave his soft smile of anticipation.

            Veronica nodded her head and said, “I’m fading, also. That would be great, I would like that, but I’m flying back to Columbus at eleven o’clock and I need some sleep.” She grinned her beautiful grin to him. He melted inside, again.

            “Why don’t you give me your email address and I’ll write to you, and then you will have my email,” she suggested.

            Theo took out his wallet to retrieve one of his business cards that had his email. He took out some money to pay for their meal, also.

            Veronica carefully put the card in her leather tummy-pack. She gave him a mild look of fondness.

            They left the small restaurant and walked together slowly, hand in hand. At the one corner, they knew they would go separate ways.

            “May I kiss you?” Theo asked with hope.

            Veronica tilted her head up slightly (they were close to the same height) to say she wanted him to kiss her. They kissed the kiss of decades ago!

            After the kiss, they held each other tenderly in a sweet hug. However, Veronica felt the holster! She reacted to it!

Before she said anything, Theo confessed, “It’s for my work. This has been a fun trip, but it was also work ... surveillance on a naughty husband.” He winked.

“Do you ever need to use that?” she asked concerned.

“Oh, a few times, but only when I have the upper-hand,” he grinned confidently.

They kissed again and then, parted ways. They both turned to look at each other, just one more time.

            Theo actually had tears in his eyes. He still loved her. After what he did to her, why would she still want to talk to him?

            They were so young ... young adults. He wanted her physical love, her sex! He

felt he had been patient enough with her heart, but had come to the end of his patience.

            One night, he told her he had had sex with a woman who knew how to make

love! The woman made him feel so good ... he wanted that feeling with Veronica.

            That was a bald-faced lie and it backfired on him. He never saw Roni again until tonight, thirty years later. What a fool, he was!

********

            Veronica walked nearly skipped, back to her hotel. She, Mike and Linda knew Theo was after one of the boys in that group. They just didn’t know who. With his stealth behavior, they couldn’t prevent the murder. However, after the body was discovered, she went into action. Also, she had his fingerprints on the business card he gave her! Mike and Linda had to arrest him quickly.

            Theo had no idea that she was an FBI Agent ... that was obvious with his casual demeanor.

She cell phoned Mike to let him know that Theo had the “bug” with the GPS and she knew he hadn’t discarded his gun yet. Mike concurred they saw us as we left the restaurant. Theo made a big mistake. He did not dismantle the gun before he threw it in a dumpster on his way back to his hotel! They already had a Warrant to search his room. All had to go like clockwork!

Veronica put the business card in an envelope when she got to her hotel and handed it to a waiting agent. The N.O. Office would take over. She went to her room and packed her few items to get back to the lobby to wait for a car to take her to the Louis Armstrong Airport. She wouldn’t go to Ohio ... she’d go to Alexandria, VA, Old Town, which was her home now.

When she learned of this investigation, she knew she had to be a part of the crew! The FBI had suspected Theo for about a year as a hitman, but they couldn’t nail him. Once he began his assassinations outside Texas, they were called in.

The former relationship with Theo was true. She used this to put him at ease. He had had no idea that she was an FBI Agent! Her first position with the Bureau was as a photographer. That degree was the truth. She didn’t divulge her second Degree in Psychology, as a Profiler.

            As she rode in the airport car, Veronica was a bit sad. She had loved him all those years ago. If he would not have been such a jerk, they might have married, he could have become a renowned musician or a writer and she could have been an accomplished artist. It could have been a sweet life!

            However, in any event, revenge was just as sweet.

           

When love sours, blame the gremlins ....    BDA