by Jordan Dane
“Yeah, I am. Real concerned.”
Harper was free to go, and Jess was very satisfied with that even though Mandy’s murder case was far from over. Despite the uncertainty in the police investigation, she was pleased that her trip home would include a stop at the hospital with good news for Seth. She couldn’t wait to deliver it personally. But as they stepped outside heading for their cars, Alexa surprised her.
“So tell me. Is Seth seeing anyone?”
“What?” She shot her a sideways glance, wrapping her head around the abrupt question. “He’s a little young, isn’t he?”
“Young for what? And are we talking about the same man?” Her friend laughed. “Besides, young is the whole point. You have to admit there’s something about a younger lover that appeals to…an experienced woman. There’s no pretense. There’s only need. And don’t you think he’s gorgeous with a capital G?”
“I hadn’t noticed,” she lied.
“Then you haven’t staked a claim, right? Because if you’re interested in him, I’ll back off. He’s all yours.”
“No…no claim.” A pang of jealousy hit hard, confusing her. “But you don’t live here. Why would you…?”
“I’m not talking about setting up house. I just want to…have a little taste.” The woman smiled, her eyes glazing over as if she were somewhere else. And Jess had a pretty good notion where.
“TMI, my friend.” She raised a hand. “Whatever you two decide to do is none of my business.”
But as she came to the blue van—still disturbed by their conversation and her reaction to it—she noticed that her vehicle had a flat tire.
“What the hell…?” She walked around the van and corrected her count to two flat tires. And with only one spare, that meant she had a bigger problem. Damn it!
“Oh, wow. Not good,” Alexa commiserated, dropping to a knee for a better look. “I’ve got my rental around the corner. I can give you a lift wherever you need to go to get this fixed.”
“Why me?” She shook her head and knelt beside her friend.
But a voice coming from behind brought Jess to her feet.
“Maybe because you don’t know how to mind your own business. You’re thickheaded. And unlucky things can happen to stupid people.”
She turned to see Sal Pinzolo leaning against a brick wall near an alley. A broad-shouldered mammoth, the guy blocked the sun when he stepped closer. He had cleaned up since the fire, but no one could wash away the smell of mean. And with him here, she knew one thing.
Her flat tires were no accident.
Her mind reeled with what to say, and anger got the better of her. Being a woman who’d eaten tough for breakfast ever since she was a kid, Jess didn’t hesitate to go for his jugular.
“What’s so special about you, Sal? I mean, really.” She eyed him up and down. “Without Beladi, who the hell are you? You’re just hired muscle. That’s it.”
Pinzolo glared at her, his eye twitching. This time she took his facial tic as a sign she had hit her target dead center and kept going.
“And news flash, stud, you’re not as young as you used to be. I sure hope you have a retirement plan.” She stopped and narrowed her eyes, hitting on a different tack. “Or did Jake ruin that for you?”
When he didn’t ask what she meant and kept his silence, she kept talking.
“I bet you two had your own 401(k) plan operating under Beladi’s radar. And you covered it up…kept the big boss in the dark. Now that’s stupid.”
She let her mouth run and had thrown out anything she knew would rile the guy. But when she alluded to him and Jake working together—without his boss’s knowledge—Sal’s facial tic got worse. And her speculation made sense, even if she had made it up on the fly. She had stumbled on the truth but had no proof to back it up, only Sal’s unexpected reaction.
“You got a big mouth. And you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. That asshole killed two hookers. That would have shamed my boss. He’s got pride. And I was only protecting his interests.”
“Oh…the drug dealer? In his organization, I thought murder would be grounds for promotion.” She smiled and placed her hand over her heart. “But sorry, Sal. I didn’t realize you were so sensitive. I’d hate to besmirch your employer’s sterling reputation.”
“You’re a regular smart-ass, but the cops got nothin’, and neither do you. Jake killed those whores. End of story. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll let it go.”
“That sounds like a threat, Sal.”
“Whatever works for you, bitch,” he spat.
When Alexa closed ranks, Pinzolo nudged his chin in challenge and waved her on.
“You got somethin’ to say?” he asked.
Alexa smiled with a slow easy curve to her lips.
“Yeah, indulge me,” she replied in a low, throaty voice. “You see, I made you a promise when we met…when I warned you to let it go. Apparently, listening isn’t a strong suit of yours, but I’m a girl who keeps her promises.”
“Sounds like trash talk, but you’re on my list, blondie.” He grinned. “You better have eyes in the back of your head.”
“Oh I do, Sal.” She smiled and cocked her head. “And please…make me number one. I tend to be an overachiever.”
By the look of Sal’s pulsing facial tic, her cavalier attitude really pissed him off—no doubt exactly what Alexa had in mind. Bullies always expected to dish it out, but never knew how to take it. Pinzolo was no different. And being confronted by women had probably never happened to him before.
“Be careful what you ask for.” Pinzolo pointed at Alexa, then glared at Jess before he walked away, an iron-fisted hulking load of badass.
She knew big talking was a weapon in her arsenal—a pure defense mechanism. Her bluster made it look as if she weren’t afraid of the bastard, but Jess knew the man posed a real threat. And it wouldn’t end here.
“Flaunting is a highly unattractive quality, don’t you think?” Alexa stared at the man as he turned a corner. “And guys like Sal never know when to leave well enough alone.”
“Yeah, unless they learn the hard way.” Jess chewed the inside corner of her lip.
“Honey, I doubt the hard way would make an impression on Sal, but he’ll get what’s coming to him. I can assure you.”
“Yeah, that’s a sure bet. And I’d pay serious coin to be there when it happened.”
Midnight
Nadir Beladi opened his eyes and stared into the dark shadows of his bedroom, not recognizing where he was at first. It took him a moment to get his bearings. With alcohol on his breath and the smell of sex on his sheets, he remembered the hooker he had brought to his room earlier, but she had been taken away after he was done with her. His men had seen to that.
But something had awakened him. He was sure of it.
And as he held his breath to listen, he felt a presence in the room. He remained still—his body taut—and peered through the dark for any signs of movement. Nothing. When he raised his head off the pillow, he heard a chilling sound. Someone had racked the slide of a gun and shoved the muzzle next to his ear, pressing it hard to the back of his skull.
When the trespasser didn’t shoot, he dared to take a breath.
“Who are you?” he asked. “And how did you get in here?” Not waiting for a reply, he ventured the real question on his mind. “Do you have any idea who I am?”
“I know exactly who you are, Nadir.” A woman’s voice.
She barely spoke above a whisper. And he did not detect an accent. He looked for any reflection of her face in a mirror. There was none. And he tried to place the voice, but nothing came.
“If this is your idea of foreplay, I must say it is working. My cock is hard for you. Please…let me see your face.” He tried flattery, anything to keep her talking.
She nudged the gun and thumped his head.
“Ah.” He winced, but kept still. “What do you want?”
The bitch had dared to injure him.
Surely he would have a bruise by morning, if he survived.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” the woman whispered. “I’ve got nothing but contempt for men like you. And I can only pray that you learn from your parents’ mistake and use birth control.”
“Surely you did not come here merely to insult me.”
“Why is that hard to believe?” She hesitated, then added, “But you’re right. And insulting a man like you is too easy. I’m here about justice. And believe me, you’ll want to hear what I’ve got to say.”
The woman spoke and he listened. At first he was reluctant to believe what she had to say about Sal Pinzolo, his number one man. Even she admitted her conjectures were only speculative, but what she told him eventually made sense in light of his own observations. In the end she had planted a fertile seed of doubt and made him a believer.
In America, a man was presumed innocent until proven guilty, a noble belief that had served him well in his many brushes with the local police. But in his world he could not afford such idealistic sentimentality. Such a view would be a weakness, to be sure. And men like Sal Pinzolo could be easily dealt with and replaced. The way he saw it, he had nothing to lose by ridding his house of a suspected traitor.
Nothing.
CHAPTER 30
Two days later
“Glad you could meet me on such short notice.” Sam shoved into a corner booth in the back of the Funky Buddha Lounge, hitting the bar for an early drink before it got crowded. It was a trendy metro watering hole with mural-covered walls and antique lighting that was more her friend’s style. Sam waited until the waitress brought their drink orders before she gave Jess the news.
“Earlier today someone at the Adler Planetarium called to report a body floating in Lake Michigan off Lakeshore Drive. The medical examiner ID’d the body as Sal Pinzolo. He was capped twice in the back of the head, but not before someone carved him up. And the fish of Lake Michigan had their fill of Sal…like the rest of us. Can’t say I’m sorry he’s gone, for your sake.”
Jess narrowed her eyes and stared at Sam before she took a long swig of her single malt scotch. In her world, mustering sympathy for anyone like Pinzolo wasn’t going to happen. The guy lived by the knife and died by it. Beladi must have found out what Sal had done. Or maybe his suspicions were enough reason to torture him for a real confession. But she had no doubt, the murder of Sal Pinzolo would end up a cold case with no leads.
“I gave Jake Cordell the news, too. I think he had thoughts about recanting his story, but he’s probably even more afraid of Beladi with Sal not being his safety net, if he ever was.” Sam looked up from her drink. “You don’t seem too surprised.”
Jess shook her head. “In my gut I know that Sal was the one who tortured those women, Sam. Their knife wounds had his signature all over them. He got what he deserved.” She downed the rest of her drink and gestured for the waitress to bring another. “And if Jake served Harper the Mickey, I doubt he was there when Sal killed Mandy. Jake was an ass, but I couldn’t see him standing by and watching that girl die, not like that.”
Sam nodded, a grim look on her face. “I bet Jake was the anonymous caller, but he’s never admitted it.”
“My gut tells me he was the driver who tailed me out to the murder scene the night I first met him at Dirty Monty’s, too.” She narrowed her eyes. “He got someone to cover for him, then waited until I drove away. That had to be him. I left Pinzolo and Beladi kissing the pavement.”
“Kissing the pavement?”
She’d never told Sam about the stun grenade, and now was not the time for true confessions.
“Just a figure of speech.” She waggled her finger at Sam to change the subject. “But you know, there was a time I would have pegged Jason Burke as a killer.”
Sam stared at her for a long moment but eventually went with the flow. No questions asked. “Yeah, me too. But get this. That jerk was fencing stolen merchandise on eBay.”
“No, say it ain’t so.” Jess had to laugh. “Him sitting behind a computer would be a stretch, but having the balls to sell online is real chutzpah.”
“Kind of creative, actually. With the anonymity of the Internet and the lack of online controls to monitor that kind of thing, Jason Burke was living on the cutting edge of technology…until we arrested him.”
“Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.” Jess grinned. “Speaking of a real nice guy, how’s Ray?”
“Ray is damned fine, sista.” Sam crooked her lip into a lazy smile and lowered her eyes, lost in a memory. And Jess couldn’t be happier for her childhood friend.
“Yeah, I’d second that,” she agreed. “And whatever came of that bet you two had? Now that Harper’s a free man, you have to spill the details.”
“Ray acknowledged that I won, but I think he knew I tag teamed him by using your help and Alexa’s. But the way I worked it, we’ll both win.”
“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a real tease, Sam Cooper?”
Her friend knew how to milk a story, so Jess settled into her seat with an elbow on the table and her chin resting on her palm.
“You love him, don’t you?”
Sam looked as if she’d object or deny, but in the end she only smiled. “I was going to have him paint my house, but after he kissed me, I came up with another idea. Now we’re taking a long-overdue vacation together. I pick the place, and he pays.”
“Sounds nice,” Jess admitted. “And what if he had won?”
“He told me he wanted me to cook for him, some family recipes from his mother. No pressure there.”
Unlike her, Sam was an excellent cook. She would have aced any test Ray could have conjured up.
“Ah, that’s kind of sweet.” Jess cocked her head. “In a ‘me Tarzan, you Jane’ sort of way. Add candles, ditch the chimp, and I see real romance potential.”
Sam chuckled. “No matter how it would’ve turned out, if I got more time with him, I would’ve been a winner either way.”
“I’m happy for you, Sammie. No one deserves love more than you.” She raised her glass. “I feel that we’ve both made it through a dark tunnel and come out on the other side, together. So let’s drink to new beginnings.”
“To new beginnings.” Her friend held up her glass and took a sip.
Jess drank to Sam’s prospects. Her friend had always lived a charmed life compared to hers. Despite the fact that Sal Pinzolo would no longer be a threat—and she could stop sleeping with her Colt Python under her pillow—too much remained unsettled in Jess’s life to make her feel good about her future. And although she had come full circle, with the destruction of Millstone’s mansion closing that chapter in her life, she felt restless and anxious for something new to happen.
Without having any idea what it should be.
A week later
The morning held the promise of an early fall as a crisp breeze jostled the trees of the Chapel Hill Cemetery. Not a cloud marred the pale blue sky. If not for the nip in the air, the day had the feel of spring and new beginnings.
A strange contrast to why she’d come.
Dressed in a dark pantsuit and holding a dozen white roses, Jess spotted Harper standing alone by a grave, staring down at the modest headstone. Since his usual Jerry Springer tee and jeans weren’t fitting for the solemn occasion, Seth wore a navy suit and gray-striped tie, looking more like the man Alexa had talked about.
Why hadn’t she seen it before?
When she got closer, he looked up, not hiding his sadness—not from her.
“Hey, Jessie.” He took a deep breath. “When I said I’d be here this morning, I really didn’t expect you to come. But I’m glad you did.”
She’d come for him. And despite not knowing Mandy, she’d come to recognize the occasion and acknowledge her passing from this life. In the end, she felt a connection to her. Mandy had been a girl unable to deal with what life had dished out. And thanks to Seth, he’d helped her see beyond the labels of hooker and drug addict to find th
e human being Mandy Vincent had been before she met Danny Ray Millstone. Except for the mercy of a higher power—or a fortunate roll of the dice—Jess might have turned out the same.
She placed her roses at the base of the headstone, next to the elegant pastel lilies he had brought. Jess smelled the earthy aroma of the freshly turned soil at her feet. And she watched a hawk make lazy circles in the sky, content to stand next to Harper in silence until she found a way to comfort him.
“You picked a real nice spot, Harper.” She stared across the horizon and took a breath. “It’s peaceful.”
Seth had paid for Mandy’s funeral expenses. She’d been buried two days ago, with Jess and a handful of others in attendance, but today would have been her birthday. Mandy would have been twenty-three years old.
“You know, Jake told me that you made a difference with her.” She watched the breeze blow his hair, but he didn’t look up. “She had gone to him for money, to start a new life somewhere else. I think that’s why she called you…that day.”
He turned to look at her, a questioning expression on his face. She could tell he didn’t believe what she said.
“Despite Jake being an asshole”—she furrowed her brow—“I don’t think he lied about that.”
When a tear rolled down Seth’s cheek, she knew he was struggling to find the words to share what he was feeling. And she was content to let the quiet moment linger between them.
“I was the one who got her killed,” he said. “I put her in the line of fire.”
“No, you only tried to help her.” She touched his arm. “Mandy made the wrong choices in her life, long before you came along. I think meeting you gave her hope…that things could change for her.”
He shut his eyes tight, then slowly looked down at her grave.
“No really, just think about it. You have…” She tugged at his sleeve until he looked into her eyes. When he did, her breath caught in her throat. “…such a big heart. This wasn’t only about your father and your search for the kids in his casebook. Once you found who you were looking for…”
His eyes made it hard for her to continue—especially when her gaze lingered on his lips. She swallowed and took a deep breath.