"Whoa," said Theo. "Who was that?"
"My grandmother," he said. "She takes vitamins."
They shared a little laugh and knocked fists together.
Theo didn't want to move too quickly on Moses, and he definitely didn't want to come across as too hungry for information about Isaac's escape. An indirect approach would test the waters. "Hey, man. How's a guy go about gettin' tits in here?"
He wasn't talking about what they'd just watched; "tits" was code for drugs in prison.
"What kind of tits you like?" said Moses.
"White tits. Fine white tits. Tits so fine and white you can breathe them up your nose, taste them in the back of your throat, and feel them go straight to your head."
"No problem," said Moses. "Just gotta know who to ask."
"I don't think I'll waste my time asking MacDonald."
"You don't go wasting your time on nobody."
"For tits, you mean?"
"For everything. You go through me."
"Thanks, dude. But I don't need you for everything. Just certain things."
"You're not listening to me, brotha'. For anything and everything. You go through me."
It wasn't an offer. It was an order.
"So, you got yourself the TGK exclusive?" said Theo.
"You learn quick."
Theo nodded. He could have pressed for specifics beyond drugs, but he sensed that he'd already pushed far enough for one sitting.
Moses rose and leaned against the stair rail, looking down at Theo from the higher step. "I like you, Knight. You and me can be cool. But don't even think about muscling in or going around me. 'Cause I'll beat the black right off you."
For the sake of his undercover mission, Theo forced himself not to respond in any way. He simply swallowed what he was feeling and let Moses walk down the stairs and return to the cell block, unharmed and alone.
Theo decided to stay put until his anger subsided. He looked out the window again, his gaze drifting toward the spot where Moses' dancer had been shaking her naked ass. That little display hadn't been about entertainment. It was Moses' way of telling the new guy that he had contacts to the outside.
Theo pondered that for a moment, and it occurred to him that he hadn't really focused on the woman's car – what man would have? But he seemed to recall that it had looked new, and a thought crossed his mind.
He wondered if it was the one Isaac was supposed to have gotten.
Chapter 27
I'm here to see Theo Knight," Jack told the guard at check-in, handing over his Florida bar card. "I'm his lawyer."
In another decade, Jack's mere announcement of his arrival would have triggered only dread and self-doubt. Back in the bad old days, he had been Theo's only hope. Jack's visits to death row were never without news to deliver, and it was rarely good. Had his client believed in killing the messenger, Jack would have been dead long ago. Things were different now, of course, not the least of which was the fact that TGK would routinely allow a face-to-face visit between an inmate and his lawyer, no glass partition and telephone – which meant that Theo could pop the messenger right in the snout if he didn't bring good news this time.
The guard searched Jack's briefcase and patted him down.
"Come with me," he said, and he led Jack to the meeting room.
Attorneys and inmates met in an area separate from the main visitation room, a more private place where they could communicate confidentially. The fluorescent lights overhead were so bright that Jack almost needed sunglasses. The floor was bare concrete, and the cinder-block walls were pale yellow with no windows. Jack was taken to a small Formica-topped table and left to sit and wait. Two minutes later, the door opened, and Theo entered.
"Hey, stranger," said Theo.
The guard said, "You got twenty minutes," and then left the room.
Theo went around the table, and Jack rose to return the bear hug.
"Did you bring the tequila?" said Theo.
"Don't even joke about that"
"Who's joking?"
Jack gave him a reproving look.
"What?" said Theo. "You think somebody's listening?"
"They're not supposed to, but I say you never know."
They each took a chair on opposite sides of the table.
"How's Cy? He hittin' on Trina yet?"
"He's doing fine. I did have that talk with him, though."
"So… he knows?"
"I couldn't keep him in the dark any longer. Your going back to jail was eating him up inside. Now he's cool with it. Understands what we're trying to do."
"I wish I could tell Trina," said Theo, and then his gaze drifted off to the middle distance. "Man, I really miss her."
"You do?"
"Yeah. Somethin' wrong with that?"
"No, I – I just don't think I've ever heard those words come out of your mouth before. At least not without some additional reference to the female anatomy."
He put a finger to his temple. "Jail messes with your mind, but it also puts things in perspective. Makes you stop taking things for granted. Maybe you should go to jail. "Me? Why me?"
I'm talking about women. Makes you appreciate what's real
You mean Rene?"
No, dude. That ain't real. I mean Andie." What are you talking about?"
"I seen how you looked at her before, how you still light up at the sound of her name."
Jack averted his eyes, searching for a quick change of subject. "So, you and Trina been talking?"
Only a slight change, but thankfully Theo let him get away with it.
"She wanted to come and visit, but I don't think she's ready to see me like this. I call her every day."
"So do I," said Jack. "She's solid."
"You didn't tell her, did you?"
"About the arrangement? No way. Real undercover agents don't even tell their wives what they're doing, so I'm not about to tell your girlfriend. I try to reassure her, explain enough for her to know that the charges against you won't stick."
"Thanks," said Theo.
"No problem. I'm not just playing Cupid here. Don't forget, she's your alibi for Isaac's shooting."
"You telling me I still need one?"
"For now," said Jack. He told him about Andie's slip of the tongue – how Isaac shouted out Theo's name before the gunshot that killed him.
"How do they know that?" said Theo.
"A witness heard it. Presumably the waitress who was stuffed in the trunk."
Theo drew a breath, then let it out. "I don't doubt it happened. Makes sense Isaac would call out my name. He went there expecting me to come meet him. The phone messages prove that."
"I'm trying to figure out a way to convey that information to Andie without digging a deeper hole for ourselves."
"Meaning what?"
"It's a touchy situation. Isaac tells you he knows who killed your mother. Maybe you interpret that to mean that he killed her. You go and blow him away."
"I know he didn't kill her. My brother and me was riding with Isaac in his car the night we found my momma dead in the street."
"I'm thinking like a cop here," said Jack. "Isaac was a gang leader. Your mother was a prostitute and a drug addict. Maybe she owed somebody money. Maybe Isaac ordered her killing."