Cross-Over Murders by Frank F. Atanacio Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Dr. Katherine Peres entered Roman Deharte’s room and went straight to the small bathroom. It wasn’t that she had the urge to use the bathroom, she just wanted to avoid Nick PT Barnum.
Dr. Peres was a tall, attractive Portugese woman with light long brown hair, and a very fair complexion. Her eyes were light green, and her nose, tiny and button like. She had her flowing hair always doing just that, flowing. She was an intelligent woman who just never took a liking to Nick Barnum. She had this weird hatred for him, and she had never taken him seriously. In fact, she considered him a Neanderthal.
She walked into the bathroom, but quickly became aware that Nick was following her with his gaze. He’d known fully well that Dr. Peres had this odd hatred for him. He knew it, and it didn’t bother him one bit. In fact, he found it amusing, and attractive. Something that a Neanderthal would think.
Unaccustomed to such a caveman, Dr. Peres turned and met his stare head on. It was at that time, where she really looked right at him. It was the first time she stared at just him, without having others around. Others such as Victor Cruz, Alfredo Fuentes, Peter O’Brien, and even Frank Roque. It was just her and the caveman. Something in her mind started a strange conflict. She was tossing words around in her head. Words she never thought would be in such conflict.
Two words exactly. Pig and Cute.
“Hey Kathy.”
“Dr. Peres,” she clarified.
Nick nodded.
Without stopping to think she said,” hurry up with Mr. Deharte, and get the hell out of here. You stink, and I don’t like your kind.”
“I take a bath every Saturday,” he said. “And yeah, you like my kind.”
She grunted.
“It is nice to see you, again,” he said.
“Well, I can’t say I’m happy to see you, Nick...”
“Mr. Barnum.”
She grimaced.
Dr. Peres never had a valid reason to hate Nick Barnum. It was just one of those things where when you keep hearing a name, and keep hearing all about his maverick attitude, you grow tiresome. You grow a hatred in your heart like a tumor. She didn’t know him well enough to hate him as much as she did, but nevertheless, the hatred was there. Dr. Peres disliked his candor, she disliked his character, his ability to smile in the face of danger. She thought he was sexist, and that he starved sensitivity. But the fact remained that he really never did anything to her. Of course they have met on several occasions during their business. But she watched how he handled the police and how he handled other medical professionals. She didn’t like the fact he treated them like they were beneath him. He never actually said it, but it was apparent to her. It was crystal clear.
Dr. Peres knew that holding onto an empty hatred for Nick was absurd, but nevertheless, it existed. It was genuine, and for some strange reason, growing.
She wanted to tell him how much she hated him. How much she despised his presence, but at that moment, she couldn’t think of anything to say. Deciding to break the uneasiness, she stepped toward the private investigator and said. “He’s doing much better, but I suggest you speed up your questioning. He needs his rest, and he needs to get better.”
Nick nodded.
“I have duties to attend to,” she said. “I’d like you gone before I get back.”
“Don’t you mean dead?”
“That’ll be a nice treat.”
“Are you secretly in love with me?” Nick asked.
Shocked!
“Really Kathy, are you?”
Dr. Peres didn’t offer an answer. She turned and walked away, leaving the Neanderthal lost in confusion and contemplation.
Nick Barnum turned to Roman and said,” Yeah, she likes me.”
“Hey,” Roman forced out.
“How you feeling buddy?”
He nodded.
“I would offer to get you some water, but I don’t want to shock you.”
He looked confused.
“Water? You were drowning?”
He got nothing from Roman Deharte.
“Well anyways,” Nick started. “I’m here to help you find your brother’s killer.”
He looked away.
“Roman, don’t look away from me,” he said. “You should want this. You should want to see justice.”
“Justice won’t bring back my brother!”
“He isn’t Jesus,” said Nick. “Now listen up you selfish bastard! I told you before, killing yourself is not going to get satisfaction. Finding the son of a bitch is. Letting him know he can’t get away with killing is. Watching his ass squirm in prison while you live free is the way you want all this to play out!”
“My little brother is dead bro!”
“And that ain’t going to change!” Nick shouted back. “But we can get this bitch, do you hear me?”
“What you want me to do?”
“All I want to know is what I’m looking out for,” Nick said. “I really don’t want to be out there working my ass off everyday. I’m allergic to hard labor.”
Roman smiled.
“Hey, you got teeth?”
“Yeah, I got teeth,” he said. “You’re looking for a painter.”
“Painter?”
He nodded.
“Jaunito had this knack for painting,” he explained. “He learned how to do it well so only painters would pick him up.”
“I see,” Nick said. “That’s actually great, because I’ve watched enough HGTV to know my painting stuff.”
“He was picked up by four different painting companies, and they would work in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport.”
“I see, and you never worked with him?”
“I do roofing stuff, there’s never no need for my speciality with a painter.”
“You know what I’m going to do,” Nick said. “The money I make under the table, I’m going to give to you. Seeing that you ain’t working.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but don’t expect too much,” Nick said. “I plan to get fired a lot. I really am a lazy son of a bitch.”
He smiled.
Nick smiled.
“So I should be at the corner of North Avenue and Madison Avenue early?”
“About six.”
“In the morning?”
He nodded.
“Damn, that’s going to be rough.”
He laughed.
“Yeah, I think I’m going to get fired a lot.”
“You better go before that doctor comes back,” he said.
“She likes me,” said Nick.
“Yeah, you like her too,” Deharte offered.
“Don’t be silly.”
“I saw you looking at her swishing her stuff while she walked out,” He said. “You looked like a kid and a candy store.”
“I’m an ass man.”
“You like her too.”
Nick smiled.
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