Page 69 of The Criminal

“If you ask me, the old man is getting soft. Sometimes a little mess can show everyone who’s boss. And don’t worry, nothing is going to happen to you. Franklin will make sure the cops back off.”

“If you say so.” I didn’t believe a word coming out of Tony’s mouth. I was absolutely worried. There was a murder investigation, and I was a suspect.

“Alright, Amber baby, back to the topic at hand. Where are those watches, girl?” He pointed at me with the paper cup in his hand, the ice rattling in the bottom.

Every pet name, endearment, and condescending asshole word that came out of Tony’s mouth made my skin crawl. I longed to walk away and never see him again.

“I don’t have them. I haven’t seen them since they were on display at the gala.”

“That’s not good.”

“It’s the truth. I think De Wispelaere’s killer has them.”

“Hmm.” He ran a hand over his shellacked hair. “I’ll talk to Jimmy. See how he’d like to handle this mess. In the meantime, you sit tight. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Great. Thanks.”

I was totally fucked. Tony couldn’t take care of a houseplant.

I wasn’t getting out. I’d be lucky to live through this.

Chapter 37

Derek

Ihadn’tseenLeein three days. Not since watching her meet with her ex at the dog park. She’d kept to her routine. Work. Dog park. Takeout. Home.

I picked up my cell phone. First, I checked her car’s location. It was at Oleander. Then, as I’d done way too many times to be proud of, I opened up the string of chat messages between us and started re-reading. It was a timeline of our summer together in reverse. I hated the way I’d never pushed for more, but I also understood my desperate desire not to ruin the status quo.

I’d been a coward.

I thought about texting her a simple message, something lame likehow you doing. We hadn’t communicated since the police station. I got the first two words typed before I deleted them. She wouldn’t reply. She said her goodbye twice. Until I had a way to break through her walls, I was on the outside.

In stark comparison to Lee, Tony Delgatto was everywhere. We’d been tailing him since the park. And his movements were exhausting. He didn’t have a set routine other than sleeping in and staying out late. During the day, he flitted from off-track betting parlors to flea markets. From coffee shops to gas stations. All the stops were heavy cash businesses tied to the Delgatto family.

At night, it was a mixed bag of business and pleasure. Dance clubs. Titty bars. And high-end hotel lounges. Steel was sure he was dealing coke at some of the upscale bars. It was a dangerous risk for him to take when he could only earn what amounted to a pittance in the retail drug trade.

Then again, Tony wasn’t known for being a brilliant guy.

I looked up. Noah was hovering near my desk.

“I uploaded the new surveillance photos of Delgatto to the server. If you’d like to look.”

“Anything interesting?” I asked even as I was reaching for my mouse.

Noah shrugged. “Steel’s new report is up there, too. He talked to his biker contacts. Sounds like Vance is doing everything she can to track down De Wispelaere’s killer and those watches. She’s not being particularly careful. She’s pissing people off asking so many questions.”

I clenched the mouse so tight it might crack under the pressure. Lee was being reckless. It didn’t match her normal pattern. She was careful. That was how she stayed out of jail all these years.

I opened the digital file of surveillance photos.

I started clicking through a day in the life of Tony Delgatto while Noah kept talking. He was trying to draw me into a conversation about preseason football. I was only half listening. It was chitchat. I hadn’t been good at chitchat since I’d found Lee’s note on my kitchen counter telling me goodbye last week.

“Want to hit the gym with me later?” I cut Noah off mid-sentence.

“I’ll spot you on weights, but I’m not getting in the ring with you again.” Noah rubbed his side where I’d nailed him with a punch yesterday. “Ask Steel; he’s a glutton for punishment.”

“And he fights dirty.” It wasn’t a bad idea. A mindless ass-kicking from the bigger man might get my shit straightened out. Beating up Noah hadn’t helped.

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