Good people didn’t always do the right thing. People weren’t built like that and the world was never so straightforward.
Good people did the best with that they had. Good people struggled and fought and didn’t give up when things got uncomfortable. Good people tried hard for those they loved.
Erica tried hard for her mother. Even if I got sucked into this situation— that wasn’t on her. I chose this route, wanted it, fought for it, and I’m not going to let her lay claim to my decisions.
She was a good person because she didn’t take the easy way out.
I admired that in her, and I knew she couldn’t see it yet, since she was too deep inside this whole thing to be able to see it all clearly, but I hoped one day she’d figure it out.
I reached out and touched her hand. She wrapped her fingers into mine.
“I’ll do the talking, okay?”
She nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
I squeezed her hand then let her go and pushed the door open. Dr. Martin looked up from a stack of paperwork and gestured vaguely toward a pair of chairs in front of his desk. “Hey, Gavin, I didn’t know we were bringing wives to this little gathering.”
“Hello again, Dr. Martin.”
He grunted and waved a hand. “Please, it’s Fred. Go on, take a seat.”
I sat and leaned toward him, hands on my knees. Erica shifted and seemed somewhat uncomfortable.
“Thanks for seeing me.”
“No problem. I’ve got a patient in ten minutes, so we can’t talk long.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem.” I took a deep breath and considered how best to approach this. I’d been mulling over the question for hours now, and it seemed as though there was truly no tactful way to ask him for this favor, so I decided to jump right in. “I need your help with something.”
“Sure, of course. I’m guessing it’s cancer related?” He frowned at Erica. “I hope it’s not—?”
She shook her head. “Oh, no, I’m okay.”
“Good.” He let out a sigh of relief. “You’ve got me on edge here, Gavin. What’s going on?”
“You’re on the city zoning board, is that right?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Something I do in my spare time, I guess. Not exactly a ton of fun but it’s a good way to be involved with the city.”
“I was hoping you could get something approved for me.”
He looked surprised and leaned back in his chair, studying me with a confused expression. He glanced at Erica then back at me and shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure how you think the board operates,” he started, but I spoke up and stopped him.
“I know you’re a man of integrity, Fred,” I said, holding up my hands. “This is a favor for me. A favor to get me out of trouble.”
He shook his head. “What the hell’s going on?”
I glanced at Erica then told him as much as I could. I left out her involvement as much as possible, and stuck to the basic facts: Cosimo, money, exchanging debt for this favor. When I finished he shook his head and looked completely blown away.
“I know it seems like a lot,” I said. “But please understand that if there were any other way, I’d never come to you like this.”
“You’re asking me to help out a bunch of mobsters.”
“I know that.”
“All for what? So they’ll leave you alone?”
I glanced at Erica. “So they’ll leave us both alone.”
Understanding seemed to dawn on him. He grunted and rubbed his face with both hands. “Jesus Christ, what did you two get into?”
“It was my father,” Erica said. “He was a drunk and a gambler and an all-around asshole. We’re trying to clean up the mess he made when he killed himself.”
“What a shitty situation,” Fred said. “You couldn’t have chosen a more awful set of people to get involved with.”
“I know,” I said. “Like I said, if there was any other way, we’d take it.”
He stood up abruptly and paced along behind his desk, shaking his head. “I wish I could say this is the first I’m hearing about this property, but it’s not.”
“They’ve approached you before?”
“Dante has. And that Vincent guy. I don’t know this Cosimo, and that’s fine by me. The other two are bad enough.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“They tried to pressure me. Offered me money, and when that didn’t work, they offered me favors, and when that also failed, they threatened me. I’ve been ignoring them now for months.”
“And now I show up.” I let out a rueful laugh. “Of course they tried you first. I don’t know why I thought they hadn’t.”
“I turned them down before, even when they pressured me pretty damn hard. And now you show up, asking for this favor.” He stared at me and I could see how conflicted her felt—a mixture of anger and uncertainty. “What the hell should I do here, Gavin?”