Page 26 of Sal Gabrini: Man on Fire

He looked at her. “I got this text from my lead investigator. He’s got great news. He found the guy who killed that girl, and the guy’s willing to testify to it!”

The bodyguards looked doubtfully at him. So did Gemma. Then she snatched his phone and read the text for herself. “But it says here the guy’s on death row.”

“He just got convicted. But he was free when that girl’s murder was committed.”

Gemma’s red flags began going haywire. And her look turned deftly serious. “Don’t pull that shit, Mason.”

“What shit?”

“Don’t pull that shit. For real!”

But Mason frowned. “What are you talking about? What shit?”

“Did you pay this man or his family any amount of money whatsoever in exchange for his confession? That’s what shit. Because the prosecution will check it out. All of it!”

“I didn’t pay anybody to do anything. Damn, Gem! What do you take me for?” Besides, Mason’s guys had already paid the guy’s family while he was in the middle of his death penalty trial. They knew and the guy knew he was going up the river forever. He had nothing to lose. They paid his family in cash, his family was ordered to hide it until Mason was fully exonerated, or they would not live to enjoy a dime of that money. The prosecution could search and search, but they would turn up nothing with Mason’s fingerprints on it.

“Just check the guy out,” said Mason. ‘If he pans out for us, great. If not, I think we still have a strong case.”

Gemma nodded. “So do I,” she agreed. “Okay, I’ll have our team look into it. But as an officer of the court I can’t bring a witness to that stand that I know is lying. This better be legit.”

“I agree!” Mason lied. “Just check it out.”

“I will.” And then she looked at Mason. “Get plenty of sleep. Tomorrow we begin.”

He smiled. And Gemma and her bodyguards left.

But Mason’s smile quickly left, too, and he threw a vase against the wall, shattering it. He had beenthatclose! And he still struck out.

But when Gemma’s bodyguards escorted her to her waiting SUV, and she got inside, she wasn’t thinking about Mason. She immediately phoned Sal. She didn’t know if his bodyguards would tell him what happened. He’d kill Mason if he knew, even though she was just as culpable. But Sal wouldn’t see it that way. He’d beat her ass, but he’d kill Mason.

She just needed to hear his voice again. Trials always made her nervous. She needed to hear his reassuring voice again.

But it went to his voice mail. She had been trying not to bother him. She knew he was overwhelmed with problems. But dang. It was late. She looked at her watch. It was three am on a night Sal was supposed to be at home. She called Marie.

Fortunately, as she suspected, that night owl was wide wake. “How’s everything going?” Gemma asked her.

“Everything’s okay. But I know that’s not why you’re calling this time of night. And no, he’s not home.”

Although Gemma birth Marie before she ever met Sal, Sal adopted Marie, gave her his last name, and they were as close as father and daughter could be. Maybe even closer than mother and daughter.

“Did he show up for dinner with you and Lucky tonight?” Gemma asked her.

“Nope. Not tonight. Not any night this week.”

Gemma was shocked. “Are you serious? He hasn’t seen his son all week? Why wasn’t I told?”

“He knows you have a big trial coming up, so he told us not to bother you. And whatever he’s doing it’s taking up all his time and attention. He’s stretched way too thin, but he won’t listen to me.”

“And he won’t even call me,” said Gemma. “Which makes no sense! Unless he’s still pissed.”

“Pissed about what?”

“We had a little blowup in my office before I left. And yes, I could see him not wanting to disrupt my concentration no more than I wanted to disrupt his. But a whole week?”

“He told me and Lucky not to disturb you. But he’s been calling every day checking on us.”

“On you and Lucky?”

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