Page 107 of One In Vermillion

All the windows were broken, and the whole place appeared to be about three hundred square feet. It made Liz’s place look like a mansion. The door was jammed open. I slid inside, muzzle leading. Just in case. I wouldn’t have been surprised if a bear or raccoon had made this its home after the humans were gone. I doubted Mickey or Jim had been careful about their food or trash.

I was right on the last. There was fresh garbage strewn about. Lots of empty liquor bottles and beer cans. I holstered the gun. A backpack was on a table. As soon as I picked it up, I knew the laptop was in there just by the weight. I opened it and Thacker’s computer and his cell phone were inside. Taking a chance, I opened the laptop and pushed the on button, but it was dead, which wasn’t surprising given the lack of power. Plus, it had to be password protected. Like the ledger, the phone and computer could be props in a bluff. Regardless, they were important enough to someone to push Cash to hire Mickey to kill Thacker to get it.

And I had a very good idea who that someone was.

I paused on the way out. In a corner was a small pile of rusted objects. I knelt down to check them. Matchbox cars. Old ones, most missing their tires. Despite the damages of time, I recognized a number of the makes and models. I’d had similar as a kid. Mickey Pitts had played with these as a child. I remember how hard it was for my mother to fork out the money to buy one when we’d go to the store. Not because we couldn’t afford it, although things were tight for a long time, but because she’d have to justify the expenditure to my father. Had Mickey’s mother taken scant money from her social security after losing her job at the factory to indulge young Mickey? Or had he stolen them? Did it matter? There was a faded red Harley Matchbox motorcycle in the pile. I wondered if that one little thing had started him down a path.

I was thinking too much.

CHAPTER 55

Imet Vince for lunch at the Red Box. He was there already and so was my lunch. The man takes care of me.

I slid into the booth and grabbed my Diet Coke. “And what did you do this morning?” I said when I’d slaked my thirst.

“I found Thacker’s laptop,” he said, and I gaped at him.

“You’re incredible,” I said.

“I know.” He picked up his burger.

“So where is it?”

“I gave it to Sun. She’s in the back doing her computer witch bit. She already knew his passwords because he used the wifi here which is unencrypted. Don’t ever use the wifi here.”

“Right.”

“And what did you do this morning?” he asked.

“I took Peri to swimming, and Anemone and I went to see Honey. Anemone was sweetly brutal.”

“Ah,” Vince said. “That I know about. Honey came in and filed a spousal abuse complaint. Bartlett had to take it.” He chewed a French fry, thinking hard. “I don’t think Bartlett knew.”

“He cared?”

“Honey is his aunt,” Vince said. “Family. Bartlett is young and obnoxious, but I don’t think he’s a bad guy. He just needs . . .”

“A mentor?” I closed my eyes. “Oh, God, you’re not going to save that little tick, are you?”

Before he could say anything, O’Toole was at our booth, Bartlett trailing behind him looking very unhappy.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Cooper?” he snarled, but he snarled it quietly. The Red Box was full of voters. “My own nephew just tried to arrest me!”

Vince looked past O’Toole at Bartlett. “Tried?”

Bartlett looked even more miserable. “He said no.”

Vince laughed and shook his head, which neither of them expected. “Damn. This town.”

O’Toole shifted to me. “You think you’re so smart, talking to my wife, telling her lies about me?”

“They weren’t lies,” I said calmly. “And she knows it. You know that click sound of her heels on those nice hardwood floors at your place? That’s the sound of the rat leaving the sinking shithead.”

“Listen to me, you worthless little bitch, you’re going to pay for this,” O’Toole said under his breath.

Vince stood up, no longer laughing.

“Oh, yeah,” O’Toole said to him. “What are you going to do? Knock me down? In front of everybody?”

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