“I’m working.”
“Whatever.” She ignored the ice cubes this time. Kharkov. Neat. Maybe she was saving them for later.
Yeah right.
He flipped the notebook shut. He had what he’d come for. Angie Arkwright couldn’t positively alibi Stuckey for early Monday morning. A phone rang in the living room. It took three rings before Angie was aware of it. The answering machine kicked in on the fourth.
“Do you need to grab that?”
Tony had already plotted his escape. She waved her free hand, dismissing his question, when he heard Sean Stuckey’s voice coming from the living room.
“Well, thanks for your time.”
He headed for the door. He wanted to hear what message Sean was leaving and caught the tail end of it.
“…I was there Monday morning. See you later, babe.”
Tony hesitated at the door. He wondered if he could ask Angie to play the recording for him. He wondered further if he could make her play it. She snuck up on him at the door, wrapped his arm in both of hers. She pressed it tightly to her body, warm and naked under the rank tee shirt.
“Do you really have to go?” She gave him a drunken leer, rubbed her breast against his arm. Tony carefully untangled himself and got the door open.
“Sorry, I’m working.”
He used the excuse again, not that he was in the least bit tempted, but he saw a sadness and loneliness behind the alcoholic haze and didn’t want to hurt her. He suspected that she’d been hurt plenty, used and hurt. He felt like he was about to do it again and took a step back inside.
“Could you play that message back for me?”
“What message?”
“The last one. The one that just came in. I think it was Sean.”
Angie looked over at the battered Code-A-Phone and shrugged. “Knock yourself out. I gotta pee.” She set her glass on a thrift store coffee table and weaved through the living room and down a dimly lit hallway.
Tony figured out the buttons on the ancient machine and punched up the message.
“Hey Ang, some cop is gonna come see you tomorrow asking if I was there Monday morning. You were kinda out of it. Just tell him I was there Monday morning. See you later, babe.”
On his way down the hallway he caught a brief glimpse of the gray haired woman as she closed her door and made a note of the apartment number…just in case.
Chapter 16
There was an empty chair in the hallway next to Sue Ellen’s door. Tony guessed it was for Marco or another agent from the BCA. It was empty and that made him nervous until he heard a booming laugh. It was Marco. His laugh was as big as he was. Tony knocked. The laughter skidded to a halt.
Marc Giordanno opened the door, smiling. “Hey, ain’t you one of them Latin Kings?” The joke fell flat as Tony realized another person was in on the secret.
“Marco, long time.” Tony offered his hand. Giordano had to shift the Beretta to his left hand before he could shake.
“Detective now? Congratulations, de Luca.” Marco pulled him into the condo and took a long look up and down the hallway before closing the door. “I thought you should have taken the exam a couple of years ago.”
Tony stood awkwardly by the door. It occurred to him that with Marco as a guard dog, spending time with Sue Ellen would be awkward. He worried too that she might want to keep their relationship, or whatever it was, quiet. She answered his question by slipping easily into his arms and kissing him on the cheek.
“We were just having some coffee. Long day?” If Giordano was embarrassed or felt awkward it didn’t show. Sue Ellen headed for the kitchen. Tony gave Marco a look, like he was asking permission to follow her, asking if this was cool. Marco answered with a shrug.
“Please have a beer in the fridge-please,” Tony said loudly as he crossed the room with the guard dog in tow. Sue Ellen already had a Summit open and tipped into a tall pilsner glass.
“I knew that look. It wasn’t a coffee look.” Marco took one of the stools by the granite counter and sipped his coffee. He gave the foamy beer a wistful glance.
“What a day,” Tony said after polishing off a third of the glass.
“Tell me.” Tony was sorry he’d whined immediately. He was used to the street, to gang bangers and druggies and threats of violence. He carried a gun. He recognized this wasn’t Sue Ellen’s world, not outside of the courtroom anyway.
“No, you tell me. What’s the word, Marco?” He settled onto another stool. Sue Ellen leaned against him.
“Word is to take it seriously. The LK’s aren’t too bright but they’re mean bastards.”
“Are they desperate enough to try something though?” Tony sipped his beer again and for a second thought he should switch to coffee, that he was torturing Marco. Then he thought, ah… what the hell. My shift’s over, pal, deal with it.
“One theory is it’s a bluff. Just shaking everyone up.”
Tony had been inside the organization. The Latin Kings didn’t do much bluffing.
“I’m not shaken.” Sue Ellen lifted her chin. She looked defiant. She looked mad.
“Another is that they’re trying to engineer a change of venue. Maybe their lawyer thinks it’s a good idea to move the trial to the sticks. Thing is, would that be to their advantage?”
Sue Ellen looked over at her star witness. “I don’t see how. Unless they think they can intimidate the jury easier.”
“Or buy a smaller town’s judge?” Marco added.
“Highly unlikely.”
Tony weighed in. “What about the Feds? Maybe you should kick the case to them. Get out from under it.”
Sue Ellen glared at him. “Not a chance. No way. We fought like hell to keep this investigation at home. The Feds wanted it from day one, so did the frickin’ BCA.” Sue Ellen’s temper was showing, something Tony had never seen. “St. Paul needs this one. We need to show we can police our own town without a lot of bullshit interference. That means from start to finish. This is my case.” Sue Ellen’s face was reddening, her fists were clenched and her face was all tight lines and anger.
Tony and Marco looked at each other. Marco risked a smile. He was secure in his job at the BCA and wasn’t connected to the case other than as protection for the prosecuting ADA. He didn’t care where the trial was held, didn’t care who prosecuted it or who got the glory. The smile was because of the rumor that Sue Ellen McConnel was said to be angling for a job at the state level, the Attorney General’s office, maybe the big job itself. Word was she had ambitions.
Tony didn’t know any of this. He just wanted to work the Fredrickson murder with Ray. He knew he’d need to be in court for a day or two when the trial started but that wasn’t a big deal. He hoped they’d have the case solved by then and be on to something new. He wasn’t sure he liked what he saw in Sue Ellen’s eyes. He didn’t understand the politics. He understood ambition though. He’d reached for the gold shield and gotten it. He’d been patient, paid his dues, done his turn on the street and then some. Tony guessed it was different in the DA’s office.
Sue Ellen shrugged. “It’s probably out of my hands, regardless of what I think or want.” Or, Tony thought, the risks you’re willing to take.
Marco slid off the stool, still smiling. “My personal opinion is that, what’s the guy’s name, Garcia? The head dude of the LK’s. I think he’s just mucho pissed. You cost him a lot of money and what, three or four of his main guys? I think he’s just swaggering.”
“I hope you’re right,” Sue Ellen said.
“And with that, if I could use your bathroom first then I’ll go back to the hallway so you two can have your privacy.” Tony hadn’t planned on spending the night. He wasn’t sure yet how the relationship with Sue Ellen was going to go. He was sure it wasn’t a one-nighter, and like Sue Ellen and her case, it was probably out of his hands no matter what he wanted or thought.