by Gina LaManna
I blinked, surprised she’d come clean with that fact so quickly. “Why?”
“I told you, there was nothing romantic about it,” she said. “Tony was faithful to his wife. He came by on business.”
“What sort of business?”
“I don’t want to say. It’s not relevant.”
“He’s dead. Everything is relevant.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not getting in trouble over this. I wasn’t involved in Tony’s death. I’m sorry he’s gone, frankly. He was nice enough. Honest enough for the business.”
“Could Joe Ricci have found out that Tony was paying you visits and assumed it was romantic in nature, maybe gotten a bit jealous?”
“Joe—jealous? Yeah, right.” She snorted a laugh. “Not a chance. And no, he didn’t assume anything. Joe’s the one who set me up with Tony. He knew exactly what we were doing.”
“Which was?”
She went silent. “You have my alibi. I was home with Joe during the time of Tony’s murder. Leave me alone.”
I leaned forward. “I won’t detail how I know this, but let’s just say that we know what’s in that little safe in your fancy apartment.”
“You went into my apartment?” she screeched. “You can’t do that! It’s illegal!”
“I didn’t say that,” I said. “But thank you for confirming my suspicions. I’ll tell you what, Angel. I’m going to forget about that brick that’s likely sitting in your apartment for now. Give you a chance to turn your life around and make some different choices. If you keep going down this path, someone will catch you in the future. If you cooperate, I’ll give you my word that I’ll try not to let that person be me.”
“That sounds like a threat.”
“What were you and Tony working on together? He had your name in his ledger along with cash payments.”
She gave me a quizzical look. “Why would he write that down? I don’t believe it. He wasn’t that stupid.”
“Maybe he liked to keep detailed records.”
“That makes no sense. No way did he write that stuff down. Even his bird wasn’t that stupid.”
“Either way, you’ve just confirmed there was some sort of business deal happening between the two of you. Let’s focus on that.”
She blew out a breath, glanced at the door as if someone were eavesdropping on the other side. “I’m not even supposed to be involved. It started little by little.”
“Did Joe Ricci get you into this?”
“I’m not throwing anyone under the bus,” she said. “I’ll tell you how me and Tony were involved, and that’s it. No other names, and that’s the best you’ll get.”
“Fine.”
“Turns out, nobody expects a stripper to also have a brain. But I do. And it turns out I wasn’t so bad at being a middleman. The people I work with, they’re careful.” She paused, glanced down at her nails. “I swear it only happened a handful of times. I wasn’t trying to get into the industry. I was planning to get out.”
“You’ll have the opportunity after you help us today.”
“Some of the, ah, goods would be dropped off at my house. Tony would come and pick them up. The people we work for are way, way smart. I don’t even know most of their names because that’s the way they like it.”
“What did Tony do?”
“He’d run the stuff to the drop spot, I imagine. It’s not like we talked much,” she said. “He’d come in, pick it up, drop off my money, and leave. I don’t know how he got paid or who he talked to on the other side. With multiple middlemen, the goods become harder and harder to track.”
“It sounds like whoever is in charge has woven a large web.”
“You can say that again.” Angel’s eyes widened. “When I heard about Tony’s death, I got a little spooked. Then last night at the poker game... Let’s just say this week I’ve been rethinking some things. My gig here at Ladies of Luxury isn’t so bad after all. I’m gonna steer clear of the rest of it.”
“That sounds like a good plan to me,” I said. “But how do we know that you didn’t follow Tony to Bellini’s and get a little greedy?”
She let out a high-pitched cough. “I thought you said you weren’t looking at me for the murder!”
“I wasn’t, but you said it yourself,” I said. “You’ve got a brain; you’re a smart girl. Maybe you figured you’d get a nice little chunk of the pie, off the books, if you nabbed it from Tony.”
“That’s not true.”
“You could’ve made a good chunk of change, then backed off for a while,” I said. “Nobody was looking at you.”
She crossed her arms and narrowed her gaze at me. “How’d I do it then? Joe Ricci is my alibi. There’s security footage putting me at home. My car was at home.”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “That’s why I’m not bringing you into the station yet. But don’t get any ideas about disappearing on us now, Angel. If it was you at Bellini’s, I’ll find out.”
“Yeah, good luck,” she said flippantly. “I appreciate the thought, though. It’s nice you think I’m smart enough to have pulled it off. I’m just not interested in taking the rap for a murder I didn’t commit.”
I backed toward Lucky’s door. “I’m not interested in anyone taking the fall for a murder they didn’t commit. That’s why, when I make the arrest, I’m going to be positive I’m right.”
I strode out of the room first, leaving the door open so Russo could follow. Lucky had to jump out of the way as I stormed past him.
“What’d she say?” he called after us. “I swear to you, Tony never came in here!”
Russo and I made it outside and into the car before I spoke.
“I believe him,” I said of Lucky. “In fact, I mostly believe them both.”
“If you believe Angel didn’t do it, then why’d you lean so hard on her?”
“I’ve got to do something,” I said, exasperated. “I’ve got to shake the tree and see what falls. Maybe she’ll panic, not wanting to go down for a murder she didn’t commit. If she knows anything about it, she might run to the person actually responsible and demand they do something. Rough up Joe Ricci or his buddies.”
“Just what we want,” Russo said. “A roughed-up Joe Ricci.”
Russo pulled away from the curb, and I directed him toward the highway. “Do you mind if we stop by the precinct?”
“The ledger?”
“The ledger,” I confirmed.
“What about the security tapes from Gem?” Russo asked. “Are you still thinking there’s a chance it could have been Angel somehow sneaking in and out of her apartment?”
“I think anything’s possible,” I said. “But I can’t believe I’m saying this. Ray Hammond was right.”
“About waffles?”
“That,” I said. “And about the money. We’ve got to follow the money.”
Chapter 21
We arrived at the precinct to find it quietly busy. I could tell that Jimmy had been in the office already, thanks to my excellent detective skills. And due to the fact that his desk was littered with doughnut crumbs.
When I asked around, word was that Jimmy was out following up on leads from the poker game the previous night. I figured we’d touch base and catch up tomorrow, once Russo was gone and I could fully focus my attention back on the case.
Asha had her headphones on and her music turned up when I swung by her desk. She handed over the ledgers without asking.
“By the way,” she called as I turned to leave, “whatever happened with your mom’s—uh—new-hire?”
“She’s going on a date with him.” I checked my phone for the time. “She’s probably getting ready now. Sorry again about the false alarm.”
“Happy to help,” Asha said with a grin. “It’s good for her. She needs to get out.”
I gave a nod but didn’t reply. Russo was watching me as I led the way to a conference room where I spread the pages and notebooks on a large table before us. He waited until we�
�d sat down, coffees in hand, before speaking.
“Do you have a problem with your mother being out on a date?”
“No,” I said. “Why?”
“You didn’t seem too happy when Asha mentioned it.”
“It’s just strange for me to watch,” I said. “After all this time, and finally, my mother starts to date the same weekend that I meet up with my dad. On top of it, I learn they both have feelings for one another.”
“They’re adults, Kate. They can figure things out for themselves.”
“I know, but I hate being in the middle of it.”
“You’re putting yourself in the middle. Nobody has asked you to do anything about it. They don’t expect you to do anything except listen.”
“It feels like a secret.”
Russo took a deep breath. “It’s just a first date. There’s no harm in a first date.”
I crooked an eyebrow.
“Unless you’re on that first date,” Russo said with a grin. “Then there’s the risk of deadly harm via guns, explosions, and kidnappings.”
I grinned back. “Help me look through these notes.”
“So, is this what a second—third?—date looks like?” Russo waggled his eyebrows. “Should we order in food? Light a candle?”
“You know, the first option actually sounds pretty good,” I said. “Chinese?”
“Chinese it is.”
TWO HOURS AND THREE servings of kung pao chicken later, I found myself nibbling on a pot sticker while pulling a ledger closer to me. One that was dated a few weeks back.
“This is the entry that caught Asha’s eye,” I said, pointing it out to Russo. “See? Three grand bookmarked for Angel.”
“Must have been payment to her for letting a half kilo sit in her apartment for a few hours,” Russo said. “If we believe that she’s a middleman in all this as she claims.”
“It’s not a bad hourly rate.”
“It’s dangerous work, her keeping it there. She could get serious prison time if she were caught.”
“That,” I agreed, “and they need to make it worth her while to stay quiet.” I tapped my finger against the desk. “The thing that’s bothering me is that Tony wrote this whole thing down.”
“Lots of people have said he wasn’t the brightest bulb.”
“No,” I admitted. “But even Angel said Tony wasn’t that stupid. Why would anyone document their illegal transactions?”
“In his defense,” Russo said, “it never became an issue until he died. Maybe it was some sort of insurance, him keeping track?”
“I don’t know...” I spotted something of interest and gestured Russo over. “Wait a minute. Look at this—are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
“What am I looking at?”
Carefully, I lined up several sheets of paper, one after another. I set chopsticks next to each line that denoted a payment to Angel.
“All of those,” I said. “Do you see a pattern?”
Eventually, Russo cursed. “Good eye.”
“Someone added those entries after Tony died,” I said. “But why? Were they hoping it would confuse us?”
I studied each carefully crafted line in the ledger. Whoever had gone through these entries and doctored them up had done an impressive job. If we hadn’t poured over the notebooks with magnifying glasses, we’d have missed it. Ironically, Ray Hammond had been right when he’d told us to follow the money.
“We’ve got to find out who had access to these ledgers,” I said, plucking up my phone and finding the number for Mrs. Colombo. I dialed, waited for her to answer, and re-introduced myself. “I’ve got a question for you regarding the ledgers you gave us.”
“Are they ready to be picked up?” she asked. “There’s no rush for them.”
“I was wondering where you’ve been keeping them since Tony died.”
“Funny you should ask that. I never saw them while my husband was alive. They were dropped off at my house the morning after Tony died,” she said. “That’s why I even thought to give them to you.”
“Dropped off?” I looked over to Russo. “Who dropped them off?”
“Mo,” she said. “The mechanic. Apparently, Tony had a desk at work, and they were cleaning it out.”
“Pretty fast for them to be cleaning it out.”
“I suppose you’re right. I didn’t think much about it because I’d just learned my husband had died. So, I dumped them upstairs in the closet and didn’t remember them until you came around asking for his things.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Colombo.”
“Detective, I was actually going to call you this afternoon. I’m not sure it’s relevant, but I did find something else earlier today. I was going through Tony’s stuff, wondering if there might be more that could help you find who killed him.”
“You found something?”
“I—I’m not sure. I mean, I found something. A phone in a duffle bag. It was at the back of our closet. When I was taking out his shirts, I spotted the bag but didn’t recognize it. The phone is completely dead though. I tried to turn it on,” she added sheepishly. “I don’t think I have a charger for this sort of thing.”
“I’d love to swing by and pick it up. Will you be around tonight?”
“My kid has basketball from five to seven,” she said. “You can come by after that, or if you’d like it sooner, you can swing by the gym.”
“Where’s the gym?”
She gave me the name of a local school.
“That’s close,” I said. “I’ll swing by and pick it up before practice ends.”
“Great.” She heaved a sigh of relief. “I hope it helps. Have you found anything promising on your end?”
“We’re working on it now,” I assured her. “I’ll keep you posted.”
When I hung up, I looked around for Russo, but he was nowhere to be seen. He must have slipped out of the room while I was talking with Tony Colombo’s widow. I gathered up the ledgers, tossed out the leftover takeout containers. Russo returned, his face pulled into an unhappy expression as he stepped through the door.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my heart racing. “Did something happen?”
“Something...” He shook his head, cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry, Kate. I’ve got to take off.”
“As in... back to the hotel?”
“As in back to Washington.”
“But, why?”
“Work.” He waggled his phone. “I was supposed to have off through tomorrow, but something urgent has come up. I have to get back to the office.”
“I was really looking forward to tonight.” I surprised myself as the words fell out of my mouth. “I mean, I know this weekend hasn’t been all it’s cracked up to be, what with you basically working as my sidekick all weekend and not getting paid for it, but I did intend to make it up to you.”
Russo linked his hands through mine, pulled me toward him. He kicked off a spicy kiss that I had no desire to end. Finally, he stepped back with a smile.
“Raincheck?” he asked.
“This is all my fault.”
“I promise it’s nothing you did. It’s just work.” Russo looked down. “I’m sure you understand.”
I studied the ledgers on the table and sullenly nodded my head. “That, I do.”
“Don’t be so down. We’ll do another weekend together sometime soon.”
“And have this happen all over again?” I asked. “Can we really make this work with both of our schedules?”
“We won’t know unless we give it a real try,” Russo said. “And I intend to give it my best shot. Are you in?”
I let myself sink closer to him, oddly comforted by his warmth as his arms came around me in a hug. “I’m in.”
He kissed my forehead. “This is hardly goodbye. I’ll call you tonight after I land. We’ll set something up for later this month. You could come visit me, or I’ll pop back over. I have plenty of miles.”
“I would like that.”
“I suppose.”
“Just do me a favor,” he said. “Rope in Jimmy. Don’t be cavorting around the cities by yourself, talking to the likes of Hammond and Ricci without a partner.”
“I won’t,” I said. “I’ve got one more errand to run tonight, and then I’m turning in. I’ll get a fresh start tomorrow.”
“That’s my girl.” Russo planted another kiss on my forehead followed by a lingering one on my lips.
Then he was gone, leaving me alone once again with piles and piles of work. I had a date with a widow tonight, and then an empty bed waiting for me at home.
I eased into the chair, wondering if I’d blown it. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to give him a call and ask him to stay. I’d already grown used to Russo’s company. I’d begun not only to like it, but to find it pleasantly comforting to know someone was waiting to hear from me—no matter the hour.
I suddenly knew what I had to do. I checked the clock, saw I was just in time, and made the call.
“Hey, ma,” I said, once she answered. “How’s it going?”
“I’m practically dead from hyperventilation,” she said. “I think I’m going to cancel. Gregory will be here in half an hour, and I can’t do it. Tell Melinda to prepare the autopsy table for me. I’d like a warm blanket, too, please. The metal always looks so cold.”
“Actually, you can do it,” I told her. “And you should.”
“This, coming from you? Are you feeling okay?”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” I said. “You deserve someone who makes you happy. I don’t know if it’s Greg, but I think you should give him a shot.”
“Well, well, well...” my mother’s voice softened. “If you can do it, then maybe I can too.”
Chapter 22
Fortunately, the precinct had approved a rental car for me until my other vehicle could be released from evidence. I picked it up, then killed some time before meeting Mrs. Colombo by grabbing another latte.