Page 34 of Samson

“Yeah.”

“That’s it?”

“We can talk while we drive.”

She punched him hard in the arm. “You tricked me.”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t see this coming. You’re an intelligent business woman. You chose to ignore it because of the size of the bills. Now, tell me what you know about Marc.”

“He’ll find out I’ve been talking to you.”

“How? You didn’t have any trouble coming with me when you thought it was work. Let’s pretend it still is.”

She squirmed in her seat but finally settled. “Marc’s been around the neighborhood for a long time. Years. Started out as some punk kid on the street from what I remember. Stayed that way for a long time.”

“You were around then?”

“I grew up not far from here.”

“Your parents aren’t around anywhere?”

She laughed. “Parents? No. I grew up in foster homes. Where do you think I learned my trade?”

“You mean the people who were supposed to be looking after you?”

“You sound surprised.”

“I’m sorry. No child should… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it. I don’t.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Did you ask me here to lament my past or to get information on Marc Rubin?”

She pointed at a building as they passed. “The guy who runs that restaurant used to be part of his gang. He was one of the lucky ones who got away.”

“Carpi?”

“Yeah. Guy named Luca. He wasn’t like Marc. He was nice. I’m glad he got away.”

“Do you know his cousin Delilah?”

“I knew of her, but she was never around. I think she stayed at home most of the time and got out of the neighborhood as soon as she could.”

Samson pulled over. “Can you tell me what Marc’s doing now?”

“Not shoplifting anymore. That’s for sure.”

“I need specifics.”

“I can’t tell you who he’s working for, but he’s changed.”

“Let me guess, he used to be a good guy.”

She snorted. “With guys like Marc, it’s about degrees of badness. For a long time, he did small stuff. He was a nuisance because he thought he was hot stuff and he had a short fuse. But lately…people have been getting killed.”

“That’s not too unusual for the part of town we just came from.”

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