Daylight

Chapter 57

Vincenzo and Axilrod came in the front door and went straight into the kitchen with the grocery bags. This gave Pine the chance to move to the top of the stairs and listen. The house was so small their conversation easily carried to her.

“I think this is enough food for now,” said Vincenzo.

“How long do you plan to be here?” asked Axilrod.

“Long as it takes, babe.”

“Aren’t you afraid someone will find out about this place?”

“Only the family knows about it.”

“Hell, Tony, they can check the real estate records. Is it in your dad’s name?”

“I don’t know. But he’s dead now, so I guess it comes to me.”

“You have two houses now, what a big deal you are,” she said in a joking tone.

He laughed. “Come over here and I’ll show you what a ‘big’ deal I am.”

Pine heard Axilrod chortle. “Time enough for that, lover boy.”

“It was cool you came to stay with me,” said Vincenzo.

“Someone has to watch over you.”

“I can take care of myself, okay?” His tone was not joking now.

“Those two cops were talking to your father in prison. Maybe he told them something.”

“He had nothing to tell,” replied Vincenzo.

“Come on, Tony, you told me you went to visit your old man. What did you tell him?”

Pine edged forward a bit. She didn’t like how this conversation was going. Axilrod was digging for info, and Vincenzo sounded like he was totally missing what the woman was doing.

“I don’t know, just stuff. Stop with the third degree, okay?”

She snapped, “My ass is on the line here, too. I need to know what’s going on.”

“I’m the one that got chased by this FBI chick.”

“Right, Atlee Pine. She’s definitely trouble.”

“But you took care of that, you said.”

“She killed Sheila, Tony. I told you that.”

“Cops can’t go around killing people and get away with it.”

“It’s the system, Tony. They cover for each other. Cops can kill people and there’s no blowback for them.”

“ ‘Blowback’? Where’d you hear that word, Lindsey? You sound like a spy.”

“The point is, Tony, things are getting tight here.”

“You should let me get to know the people you’re working with.”

“Why would I do that?”

“I can help them, Lindsey. And I want to move up in the chain, okay? I don’t always want to be the low man on the totem pole.”

“Why so ambitious?”

“Look at my old man. He spent his life in the trenches, doing his own shit, carrying his own water. So when things went sideways, there he was; the cops grabbed him no problem. I’m thinking that a few layers between me and them is a good thing.”

“Okay, maybe you’re right about that,” conceded Axilrod. “Let me think on it.”

On the stairs, Pine’s hand slipped to her pistol.

Vincenzo said, “Hell, maybe I can buy one of those penthouses one day.”

“The penthouse is off-limits until further notice,” she said sharply.

“Shit, why? I like that place. And the cops don’t go there.”

“Pine did. She went in undercover and almost wrecked the place. I had to think fast to get around that. So it’s a no-go.”

“So is it really just a perk, the penthouse, I mean?”

“I’m not following.”

Vincenzo said, “I mean, it’s a pretty expensive benefit if it is just that. I know the pill business is good and all. But you gotta push a shitload of it just to pay the monthly fees on that place.”

“That’s not your problem to worry about. And you’re not the only pipeline out there.”

“That’s what I figured. Those guys probably have crews operating all around the New York and New Jersey metro areas. Probably coming up from Mexico and stuff, right?”

“Something like that.”

“So maybe you can introduce me?”

“Sounds good. Now, why don’t you go shower and I’ll get to work on dinner?”

“Sounds good, babe. And then after dinner?”

“Sure, Tony, sure. Whatever my man wants.”

He slapped her playfully on the butt and then went upstairs.

Axilrod waited for the shower to start. Then she made a phone call.

“You were right, he’s getting to be a problem,” she said. Axilrod listened for a few moments. “Yeah, I understand. After it’s over, you know what to do.”

She put the phone away and slipped a syringe from her purse. She reached the bathroom and slowly opened the door. Steam had filled the room. She readied the needle, holding it in front of her like a knife.

She reached the shower curtain, steeled herself, threw aside the curtain, and raised the needle high to strike.

Only there was no one there. The shower was empty, the water simply running.

She whirled around to see a bare-chested Tony standing there.

And behind him and holding her gun to his head was Pine.

“Hey, Lindsey. I was really hoping we’d run into each other again. Now, put down the syringe you were going to use to kill Tony, and let’s have a chat, babe.”