Free Death Never Sleeps by E.J. Simon Page A

a new sauvignon blanc from Chile.” They both took a generous swallow. Michael noticed that Maria seemed to be staring intently at him.
    “Maria, do you remember, right before Alex was shot when he was on the phone with me in Paris? He said he had something to show me, something important, that he couldn’t discuss over the phone.”
    Maria’s expression was pained, as though she knew right away she didn’t have the answer. “Yes, I was waiting for you to ask me. It was odd when he said it because Alex never used those words, you know, that something was important. He wasn’t into secrets, either. In fact, I was going to tease him, ask him what it was about, as soon as he hung up but …” Her voice trailed off.
    “I know, you never got the chance.” Michael could tell he had brought her back to a painful memory, but he needed to push a little further. “And he never hinted what it might have been?”
    “No, Michael, I’m sorry.” Her hand gently brushed Michael’s arm. It was a simple but touching gesture.
    “I know. It’s okay, Maria, I just thought I’d take a shot that he may have said something.”
    “Michael, you know your brother was the sweetest guy I ever knew. He did so many things for people around here, people in trouble or just going through a rough time. He’d rarely talk about it. In fact, you just missed someone who said she knew Alex from high school. Her name was Germaine, Germaine Strauss.”
    “Oh my God,” Michael said, “I remember her.”
    “She knew your brother in high school. She was a … small person.”
    “A dwarf. We used to call them midgets back then, I guess. I lost track of her completely.”
    “Well, she’d been in Florida and just came back and heard about Alex. So she came in here, and we talked for a while. She told me about how Alex was this great-looking jock in school and how, despite having his pick of any girls, he took her to the prom. He knew she wouldn’t have a date. I mean, it’s so nice it sounds corny. Yet, never once in all these years I knew him, did he ever even mention it.”
    “I remember her so well. She had a tortured life because of her condition. I think Alex always kind of protected her.”
    “You know, he’d come by here a few times a week. We’d sit together, have dinner, talk. There was something so different about him. So tough on the outside but like a little boy underneath. He always had this crankiness about him, yet all of a sudden, he’d make some wisecrack and then break out into one of his mischievous grins. I just loved it when he’d show up.” Maria’s voice was breaking. She stopped speaking as she struggled to regain her composure.
    “I’m so sorry, Michael. It’s just so strange to one night be sitting across from a person at dinner, having an intimate conversation, and then just a few days later, see them at their funeral—not moving, not smiling, in a casket.”
    “I know, Maria, I just try not to think about it.”
    “I’m sorry to do this to you, but Alex was such a character. I loved him. It’s funny, too, I always felt so safe around him. I knew he would protect me—against what, I don’t even know. But Alex watched out for the people he cared for.”
    Michael knew he had to ask. “Were you guys, ever, uh …” but as he began, he lost his nerve. Maria was an open person, it appeared, but he could tell there was a private side one didn’t go to without either knowing her better or having her permission.
    “Were we ever together ? It’s okay, Michael. You can ask. No, we never went to bed. It’s probably how we managed to stay good friends for so long. I think we were both attracted to each other, but we both knew better than to ruin it by going any further.”
    “I think you were one of the few women that he trusted.”
    “Thanks, Michael.” Maria stroked Michael’s arm again. “Your brother really loved you. He never actually said those words to me, but I could tell. Whenever he spoke