Page 49 of Lion & Lamb

So you’d think a big guy with a big brain would know better than to step out with his bestie’s best girl. Especially in public.

Yeah, I know. Chestnut Street was dark, and it was sort of late…for the Quaker City, anyway. But still, you’re two of the most recognizable figures in Philly, and you’re out canoodling in public?

Francine and Jimmyhadto know what they were doing. Which tells me that they’d reached a point in their affair when they really didn’t care if anyone saw them or not. You don’t go waving matches and a can of gasoline around unless you’re ready to burn the house down.

There are more pieces on the board than anyone is willing to acknowledge. We’ve got Francine and Jimmy and, possibly, Archie and Maya. Though Francine and Maya don’t act as if they’re opponents on the battlefield of love. They’re downright chummy, in fact.

So maybe Archie and Francine were going to separate amicably, and their new lovers were waiting in the wings? That’s right, ladies and germs, an Eagles pun. But if that’s the case, who killed Archie? And did it have anything to do with Francine and Jimmy Tua?

There are at least two people who know the truth about them. One of them just made bail and has clammed up on the advice of her attorney—i.e., my employer. The other is currently practicing for one of the most important games of his career. And I’m about to ruin his day.

Chapter49

5:57 p.m.

THE FIELDwas buzzing with nervous energy. Practice squads were running through passes and rushes with the active players, trying their best to imitate the Giants and impress the higher-ups. Everybody’s gotta serve somebody.

Cooper Lamb found Jimmy Tua hydrating along with a handful of his teammates. His skin was slick with sweat, even in this bitter afternoon cold.

“Hey, Jimmy,” Cooper said.

“Hey, it’s the private eye with the cute dog,” Jimmy said. “What’s up?”

“Can we take this conversation to the sidelines?”

“That’s where we happen to be standing, my man. Besides, I have no secrets from my teammates.”

“This might be an exception. It’s about Francine.”

There was an instant electric-shock jolt from the burly players gathered around Jimmy Tua. It was as if Cooper had set off a firecracker at their cleats. But Jimmy himself didn’t flinch. He gave Cooper a murder stare, as if daring him to go on. Naturally, Cooper dared to go on.

“More specifically, about the two of you,” he said. “Being together.”

Yep, check, please—that was the unspoken attitude of the surrounding players, who began to drift away from Jimmy, Cooper, and Lupe. They didn’t stray too far. They didn’t want to be directly involved in the ugly conversation that was about to happen, but they stayed within earshot just in case Jimmy Tua tried to rip the private eye’s head off. The last thing they needed before the NFC championship game wasanothermurder.

“What are you saying?” Jimmy said quietly.

“Do I have to spell it out for you? I thought you were a smart Bird.”

“Yeah, you’d better spell it out, big man.”

“Fine. I’m saying you’ve been having an affair with your best friend’s wife. The same woman who was just arrested for the murder of your best friend. But I guess that’s not as important as the big game this Sunday—”

By the time Cooper spoke the wordsthis Sunday,Jimmy was already charging forward. But Cooper was fully aware the attack was coming. He’d watched the tension and anger building in the huge man’s body from the beginning. It was as if Jimmy had been braced for this line of questioning, but Cooper was the only guy who’d been stupid enough to ask.

To the untrained eye, it probably looked as if the players were running a small drill by the sidelines. There was Jimmy Tua rushing forward like a missile and six other players scrambling toward him as if to intercept that missile.

And standing directly between Jimmy and the players: Cooper Lamb.

Cooper knew that only one thing would prevent Jimmy Tua from plowing him into the freshly cut Bermuda grass at their feet. And that one thing was Jimmy’s IQ.

Jimmy Tua was a powerhouse full of rage, but he was also a thinking man. And a thinking man wouldn’t throw away his career over an insult from a PI.

(Would he?Cooper prayed he wouldn’t.)

Right up to the last second, Cooper thought he might have made a grave miscalculation. This is how his life would end. And in front of his beloved pooch, no less.

Jimmy Tua’s nose came to a sudden halt a few millimeters away from Cooper’s. Only then did Cooper understand that he’d been spared. Fortunately, he’d held his ground the entire time. If he was about to be snapped in half over a tight end’s knee, he’d do it on his terms—no flinching.

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