Chapter Forty. Muriel had been watching the monitors they had trained on the building where the feds were housed

Muriel had been watching the monitors they had trained on the building where the feds were housed. She wasn’t surprised that Shelby came out right after Cain, but she was surprised that she still missed Shelby. “Learn anything at the café?”

“So much I could take the rest of the day off and still feel like I accomplished something,” Cain said in a joking tone. “But right now we need to get to the bat cave and go over a few things.”

“What, no hints?”

“Better yet, I’ll give you the whole story, but first, Lou.” She glanced back at him.

“Name it, boss.”

“I need Katlin in here.” They stepped into Cain’s office and she pointed Muriel into a chair. “Before she gets here, are you sure you want to be included? I won’t stop you from doing something you need to, but once you cross the line you can’t turn back.”

“I want to help, and I know what that means.”

“When we’re done, we can go back to the way things were, but in here,” she tapped over her heart, “and up here,” she tapped the side of her head, “you won’t be able to undo it.”

“I can handle it.”

“I’ve got to worry—you’re my family.”

“Boss,” Katlin said from the door.

“We’re done, come in,” Muriel said.

Cain nodded and told them what she’d just learned from Shelby. “I need a few things from you all. Katlin, I want one of Rodolfo’s guys that was outside the day we went to the Steak Knife, the one with a ponytail.”

“You want to talk to this clown?”

“I’m interested in a long, private conversation.”

“We’ll go tonight and take a look. If you’re in for the night, I’ll take Lou with me and maybe he’ll recognize him.” Katlin leaned her hip against the side of Cain’s desk, and Muriel saw how she didn’t hesitate to follow Cain’s orders.

“Muriel,” Cain said next. “I’m going to have some of the guys work with you.”

“I can handle it myself.”

“In law school did they teach you how to break into someone’s house and not have them notice you’ve been there?”

“Breaking and entering? Since when are we involved in petty crime?”

“Think of it this way,” Cain said, not sounding upset with Muriel’s question. “If we get caught, it’ll be much easier to defend me against that than tax evasion and bootlegging.”

“Who are we robbing and how do I fit in?”

“Anthony Curtis—”

“Agent Anthony Curtis.” Muriel was shocked that Cain would even consider such a move.

“Is it time for you to go up to your office?” Cain asked, not quite slamming her hand down, but getting Muriel’s attention.

“I’m not trying to piss you off, just keep you out of trouble. Don’t you think they’re waiting for you to go after Curtis?”

“I’m always thinking, and if something goes wrong, don’t worry. It’ll be my ass in the vise, not yours.”

The set of Cain’s mouth was proof that Muriel had pushed too far and shouldn’t have initiated this conversation with Katlin and Lou in the room, but she didn’t let up. “Don’t you think I know that? That night in the warehouse you were supposed to be the only one in the line of fire—Emma was a surprise. And look at what that almost cost us. If you want this family to survive intact, get used to the idea of me taking care of you.”

“I appreciate that, but if you want to get involved in all the business, remember there’s only one person in charge. And you have to trust I know what I’m doing.” Cain glanced up at Katlin. “Since what I’m asking is new to you, I’ll put Katlin with you. I want someone in Curtis’s house, but don’t go near him. I need information, not the satisfaction of driving his nose into his brain.”

Muriel locked eyes with Cain but realized she couldn’t win. “What do you need?” she asked as her way of conceding.

After Cain started her list, Muriel realized she would have to go because it was the only way she could be sure they’d get what Cain needed. She knew without any explanation why Cain was asking and what she planned to do with the information.

“Cain.” Cain’s assistant came over the intercom. “I hate to bother you, but Remi Jatibon’s on the phone.”

“Any questions?” Cain asked the group in her office. She didn’t pick up until she was alone. “Remi, where are you?”

“I’m helping Dallas gather a few things from her place. She’s staying with me for several days since she’s got a lot going on, including starting her contract negotiations today. It reminded me why I asked you for help with Bob.”

Cain laughed at the frustration in Remi’s voice. “I think it reminded you that you want Dallas all to yourself. I’ve been there, my friend, and it can make you crazy.”

“I’m beginning to realize that.”

“Can you talk? I’ve got something that might help you,” Cain said as she opened the file she’d made on Dallas.

“Not right now, but I can swing by later.”

“Come for dinner tonight and bring Dallas. We can talk about your problem and recap everything else we’re facing.”

Remi laughed. “What, you’re not going to give me a hint? Did you find anything?”

“I had an idea and it panned out. Stop worrying. You’ll have to learn to live with some things and forget others, but you can have faith in what she feels for you.”

“Thanks, Cain. If you’ve got most of what I was looking for, I can call off my father.”

Cain hung up and closed her eyes, trying to order her thoughts. The casino deal, Juan Luis, Anthony Curtis, and Dallas Montgomery were all on her mind, and with enough time she would have some solutions. She already had an idea about Dallas and Anthony, which would only take some finishing inquiries. Nunzio Luca deserved her attention more than all the rest, and she wrote his name at the top of a fresh sheet on the pad on her desk.

To most, Rick was a small cog, and she was almost certain what had happened to him at the airport hadn’t been directed at her. That left two possible motives. Someone had managed to catch him unawares and mug him, or someone wanted him not to report something he’d seen. She circled “something he’d seen,” then picked up the passenger manifest.

She grabbed the phone again. “Are you still in the building?”

“I’m in the parking lot.”

“I need one more thing before you go.” Cain sat and waited for Muriel to come back in. “Hector Delarosa gave us the assassin, Jorge, didn’t he?”

“He went through Vincent, but yeah.”

“Call Vincent and find out how I can talk to this Delarosa guy. It has to be a clean line, since we know DEA isn’t limited to this country. If he’s big in Columbia, he’s being watched.”

Muriel rested her briefcase on the visitor chair. “What do I tell Vincent if he asks?”

“Vincent isn’t going to ask. He’s either going to set it up or not.”

“To satisfy my own curiosity, why do you want to talk to him?”

Cain wrote something down on the sheet and circled that as well. “A strange little man named Nathan gave me an idea. Now I need to talk to someone who can identify the shit that falls out of the Luis family tree when I shake it.”

Muriel stared at her like she was waiting for her to say something else. “Is that supposed to make sense?”

“Hiding in plain sight—that’s what I should’ve thought about when you handed me this, but what happened to Rick threw me off.” Cain stood up and waved her away. “Don’t worry about it yet. Scroll through that Blackberry of yours and see if you know anyone in Tennessee.”

“Because…”

“I promise I’ll be more informative after I talk to Remi about the Tennessee part. After that’s done I’ll have one less thing to worry about and we can concentrate on getting rid of the people out to harm us.”

“I’ll check and see if any of my classmates ended up in the Smokey Mountain State. See you at home later.”

Before Muriel could move, Cain joined her on the other side of the desk and hugged her. “I might bark a lot but you’re doing a good job. Remember to keep your head down and take time to think about what you want in the long run. Letting Shelby go sounds easy enough, but sometimes the hole it leaves is hard to deal with.”

“Are you buying a couch for in here?” Muriel asked in jest.

“If I do, you’re the last person I’d want on it.” Cain laughed as she put on her jacket. It felt good to laugh before she headed to St. Patrick’s Church to pay Rick her respects.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31