7 Kills + An Apple

Nineteen: The Tabloids

Brandon Prince

By the time I make it back to my apartment, I find a lot of information on the web. Someone already posted that video on YouTube, and I spend time on the laptop watching them fight. They are not just snakes. They are vipers—poisonous to the core.

I think about their words, searching for hidden meanings. Sure, they will backstab each other, but why so much hate? What happened?

I don't think a divorce is enough to trigger something like this. A divorce that has happened over a decade ago shouldn't be lurking around in the present.

No, it seems much more like business.

I read through the tabloids, analyzing for any hidden information I don't know about. Maybe they can shed a tiny light into these two hotheads' minds.

I click on a video on a gossip site, and a pretty blond starts talking about the two. Her brown leather jacket sets off her light skin tones.

She smiles and says, "Hey, everyone. The Internet is blowing up about the nasty showdown between daughter and father, Kalypso Queen and Piero Capello. At a charity gala of all places! The two exchanged nasty words and then Queen left in a fury. According to an unknown source, Kalypso Queen has not yet gotten over Peggy Queen and Piero Capello's long and dirty divorce. MTV has the video of the entire court case where Peggy most famously called him, quote, 'a dirty, cheating bastard who refuses to let anyone else's ego get ahead of his.' Peggy Queen has refused to give a statement, but we at The Curious Inquisitors manage to get a statement from Minerva Capello's publicists."

A brief video of Minerva's publicist is shown speaking. The spokeswoman informs, "What has happened between Piero Capello and Kalypso Queen is not of Minerva's concern. It is their problem, not Minerva Capello's."

The blond comes back. "The spokeswoman continues on to promote Minerva's newest line of leather jackets, denim pants, and scarves which will be sold in department stores near you. Roger, what do you think about this?"

A tanned man, who is sitting next to the blond, shrugs. "I honestly can't tell. The Capello family has been a source of fascination ever since Minerva's breakout and newfound fame at Paris' fashion show. Piero Capello is always seen with a new woman every week. Peggy Queen is always dropping a new movie at the box office. The only one who isn't in the public eye is Kalypso Queen. Good luck finding her phone number. I tried."

"We can't forget about Maria Capello," says the blond. "Maria Capello has been hailed as the woman who single-handedly changed the world of wine. She, like Kalypso, had started in the business young. How old was she when she started overseeing production?"

"Twenty-two years old. Kalypso was twenty-one when she started working at Capello Wine Company, but rumors have it that she has been running it since she was in her diapers." Roger shifts through some papers and then nods. "Yep, diapers."

"So why this sudden outburst?"

"According to a source near the family," says Roger, pausing for effect, "the pair has been fighting for a long time. It is only now they stopped caring about public appearances and letting all of the dirty laundry show up on the Internet."

"Indeed," muses the blond. "We'll be back with news about Paris Hilton."

The video ends.

I reach for my burner phone and call Brigham. "Hey, how much research have you done about Kalypso and Piero? There has to be something."

"Uh-uh. Not even court records say much about their relationship. The custody battle over the girls? At that time, Kalypso was living with her mother and Minerva was at a boarding school in New York. Kalypso had both of her parents sign emancipation forms for herself. She was part of the majority at sixteen."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, yeah. Kalypso had enough money, too. Apparently, her grandmother gave her a large estate in San Francisco and an expense account of twelve million dollars for property tax. Kalypso went to college, took general education, and got out of USC fast. I have to say that girl is determined," says Brigham, clicking his mouse on the other end. "Very determined. Meyer has the SEC looking through the corporation's financials for any discrepancies. Nothing so far. But it looks like someone has been buying off stocks through the years. Very subtle. Very slow."

"Who?"

"Whoever it is has been covering his or her tracks very well. But my guts tell me that it is Kalypso who has been buying stocks off. She probably is trying to get control over her family's corporation."

"Through shell companies?"

"And firms," he adds. "A lot. I say she or he has amassed at least twelve percent of the stock. That much is worth about three billion dollars. A little more than that. Four? Yeah."

"Kalypso doesn't have that much money." My words echo what Kalypso's father said at the charity gala earlier. "It isn't possible."

"Not unless she has someone who has that much money buy off the stocks for her. Or a group of individuals buying off the stock. I have to say. This person. Whoever it is, she or he is pretty smart." Brigham whistles. "Wow, I did not know she had that much money in her account."

"What?"

"Two hundred and fifty-eight million, three hundred and forty-seven thousand, and fifty-eight dollars. Plus three cents," explains Brigham. "I accidently looked into Kalypso Queen's bank account."

"Accidently?" I scoff at his words. Brigham, before his time with the FBI, has been hacking banks left and right with ease. He does not accidently hack—look—into a bank. He was recruited after being caught at seventeen.

"Alright. But don't tell Meyer."

"I'm telling Meyer."

"Fine, I'll tell Meyer." He sighs. "I'm greatly disappointed in our friendship. I didn't realize you would tell everything to your boss."

I roll my eyes. "Keep going."

"Well, I'm looking through her credit card company. Did you know that she has a Black Card? She spends ridiculous amounts of money per year?"

"What is a Black Card?"

"Rich people, dude." He waits. "Okay, you never heard of it. It is a special type of card from American Express. They call it the Centurion Card, and there's a bunch of perks. Invitation only. I think I nicked one when I was sixteen. Spent like two hundred thousand dollars and the old dude never noticed."

I furrow my eyebrows. "So is there anything that makes Kalypso very, very capable of murder? Any charges around the time Manuel Vargas died?"

"Well, there is a huge period of no spending at that time. But her last purchase is of a ticket to Washington D.C. Roundtrip. It stopped in Chicago. Probably around the same time Manuel Vargas disappeared."

"How long?"

"Four hours."

"More than enough to kill him."

"But not enough to dump his body in California," reminds Brigham. "How in the world did Vargas get out of that hotel without being seen? How was she not seen? The Chicago office is looking through the scene. They looked through security footages a thousand times. They have no idea how Vargas disappeared from the hotel. Entered but never came out."

"And then his body ended up Freeway Five."

"I hate to say paranormal activity, but—"

"Brigham!"

"Sorry, Brandon. I'll let you sleep. Count sheep."

Then he hangs up.

And I turn off my burner phone.