Page 79 of In the Bones
The table at The Brig was so full of food and empty glasses that Mac couldn’t set down her drink, which was fine by her. The absence of a server was a sign of the times. Summer had arrived in earnest, and brought the tourists with it. Mac wasn’t sure she’d ever seen the place busier.
When Shana had called to invite her out, she’d hesitated. Mac felt the eyes on her wherever she went. Heard the whispers, too. Mutterings aboutthe brother-in-lawhad been replaced withthe niece’s boyfriend, and it would be a long time before they dwindled. She’d rallied, though, consenting to Shana and Tim driving twenty minutes out of their way to fetch her, and she was glad she had. Being with the team moderated the intensity of the previous weeks, and man, had they been intense.
There were cases that availed themselves of analysis, and there were those that felt insoluble, keeping Mac up deep into the night. For a long time, Angelica Patten’s murder was the latter, but in the days that followed Nash’s arrest, some things began to make sense. Most of that had to do with Mac’s memories of him before she’d learned what he really was. It wouldn’t be fair to say she’d distrusted the boy from the start, but there were glimmers. Shifty moments when his presence didn’t feel quite right. She hadn’t seen it then, but she saw it now.
Some people hide in plain sight.
“She’s hanging in there,” was Mac’s line whenever anyone asked about Blair, the team that had squeezed into the booth with her included. Blair had decided to study criminal justice with an eye toward becoming a state trooper, something about which Mac was inordinately proud, and when she explained this now, the group clinked their glasses. “At the moment,” she said, “Blair’s just focused on graduation. I’m planning a party.”
“Of course you are,” said Shana. “Best aunt ever.”
“We’ll see if Blair agrees once I tell her she’s never allowed to date again.”
“Oh, we’re with you on that,” Tim put in, draping an arm around his wife. “Darcy doesn’t know it yet, but she’s going to be a nun.”
“What a coincidence,” Val said, laughing. “Bobby too.”
They finished their drinks and food and parted ways outside, Tim and Shana eager to get back to Darcy. Darkness had fallen like a curtain, but Mac noticed the air lacked that spring bite. Even near the water in downtown Alexandria Bay, it was soft and fragrant, the night sweet.
Mac spotted the red Toyota waiting in the lot.
“Thanks for the lift,” she told her sister as she climbed inside.
“Anytime,” said Nicole. “As long as you can pay, of course.”
Mac swung the takeout bag into her lap. “Extra spicy with blue cheese dressing.”
“Just the way we like it. Thanks.”
Mac figured her sister and brother-in-law deserved all the wings they could eat after what they’d been through. That said, the most recent news had been positive. It was looking like Woody would get by with a fine and no jail time. His counterfeit operation had been small, and the FBI had far bigger fish to fry. What was more, Mac had gotten the couple to agree to a personal loan. They were consulting each other on everything now, right down to laundry scents and grocery brands. United in their desire to endure.
“I heard Terry made bail,” Mac told Nicole as they headed for home. “He’s waiting for a court date for the assault, but I don’t think he’ll be any trouble to you now. Anything new from Mikko?”
Nicole’s sigh was heavy. “Woody talked to him today. He wants to move forward with the business, says all the stuff about the Rivermouth in the news will only bring in more customers. Mikko also said something interesting about Terry. Apparently, Terry wasn’t satisfied with the idea of an ice rink. He’d been trying to convince Mikko to supplement the place’s income with an illegal gambling business.”
“What?” Mac stammered, wrenching around in her seat.
“Yup. Jury’s still out on whether that was Terry’s plan when he first invested or inspiration struck sometime after they made the deal, but apparently that’s what the construction delays were about. Mikko wasn’t sold on the plan, but Terry kept pushing.”
“And Stacy knew?” asked Mac.
At the mention of Stacy Peel, to whom Nicole hadn’t spoken in weeks, Mac’s sister gave a grim nod. “The two of them were after as much money as they could get.”
Mac’s mind was working fast. In a village as small as Cape Vincent, keeping a gambling ring under wraps would be impossible. To make it work, you’d need to ensure you didn’t get caught.
That’s where Bruce Milton came in. Mac had seen Terry and Bruce together at the debate, and they’d looked awfully cozy. Knowing the former mayor, it wouldn’t have surprised her if Bruce agreed to accept kickbacks in exchange for making sure his deputies looked the other way. All Terry needed was for Bruce to win the sheriff’s election. That, and to drive Woody out of the deal, because Terry sure as hell couldn’t do business with the former sheriff’s brother-in-law.
And he’d taken great pains to make sure that would happen. Nicole explained that it was Nash who’d told Terry about Woody’s counterfeit retail business. Once Terry had learned from Stacy that Nash was connected to Woody through his girlfriend Blair, the man had probed the kid for information. Mac could see Terry Martino’s aim plainly now, and the lengths to which he had gone to make sure his illegal side hustle had legs. Using Bruce to paint Mac as an official incapable of keeping violent crime in check hadn’t been enough for him. Terry had gone after her family, spying on Woody and stalking Nicole. What else would he have done to get Bruce into office? How far would Terry go?
When Mac explained all of this to Nicole, she could only shake her head. “I knew something was shady about the Rivermouth deal right from the start. I assumed that had to do with Mikko, but it was Terry who tried to cheat Woody.At least Mikko came to his senses and realized that Terry’s bad news. He told Woody he’s looking for a new partner. He wants to bring in one of his old teammates.”
“And your money?” asked Mac.
Nicole cracked a smile. “It came through today. We’ve got it. We’re out.”
“Thank goodness for that. Where does that leave you guys?”
Mac had been referring to Woody’s work. Even with the loan she’d given the Durhams, the mini putt wouldn’t be enough to keep them afloat.
