“Trying to reach somebody?” Jo Jo asked.
“Oh, that’s brilliant, Jo Jo. That’s smart.”
“Tense as usual?”
“I’m not tense.”
“Right. And I’m not sittin’ here dyin’ right in front of you.” He paused to take a breath. Even the shortest conversation could leave him winded. He glanced down at the oxygen tank beside him and put a hand on the cloudy mask. “So, what’s the problem? Ex-wife givin’ you shit again?”
“You could say that.”
“Sorry you divorced her?”
“She divorced me, Jo Jo. Twice. Remember? And no, I’m not sorry. In fact, today I’m particularly happy that she did.”
“Miss your girls, don’t you?”
Marty looked at him.
“That’s it, isn’t it? You’re missing your girls.”
How could this unfeeling, sloppy grotesque be so intuitive? It made no sense, but it was one of the reasons Marty had come around for the better part of fifteen years. Every once in a while, Jo Jo Wilson tapped into whatever worldly experience he had and was able to see straight through him, cutting right to the core of whatever was bothering him. But Marty wasn’t willing to go there now. “I think you need a hit of oxygen, Jo Jo.”
Jo Jo took a hit. “I’ll show you what else I need.” He reached down and retrieved the half-empty bottle of Scotch from the open drawer at his feet, put it between them on the cluttered counter. “Want a drink?” He unscrewed the bottle cap and clicked it down on the glass counter. “I guarantee you this little honey will take care of all your problems.”
For a moment, Marty believed it would. But right now, he needed to keep his head clear and so he declined. “No, thanks,” he said.
“Shit’s good.”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Trust me.”
“Trust you? Spellman, if anyone needs a drink right now, it’s you. You look like shit. And I know that look because I see it on my wife’s face every time she turns to look at me. It’s like she just saw a horror movie. But whatever. Your call.”
And so Jo Jo, seldom a generous man, wasn’t about to ask again. Instead, he reached for a dirty glass hidden within arm’s reach behind the towering stack of boxes. He picked up the bottle of Scotch and began to pour, his gnarled, unsteady hand causing the amber liquid to slosh. When he drank, he did so in little gasps that fogged the glass.
“I’ll see you later, Jo Jo.”
“Right on, brother.”
He left the store, caught the E-train at West 4th, and shot uptown to 53rd and Third. As the train rocked, he thought of Judge Wood and her high-brow neighbors on 75th and Fifth.
Even if someone hadn’t seen Wood being dropped off yesterday morning, wasn’t it likely that over the years someone had seen something unusual in her behavior? Wood leaving late every third Thursday night? Wood coming home drugged out of her mind the next morning?
Marty knew. This was New York. Here, prying eyes missed nothing, knew everything, collected information like a computer. If only the mouths would speak. But how to get them to talk?
Think.
Who did he know on 75th who lived near Wood? There must be someone-Gloria would have made sure of it. She cultivated friendships on Sutton and Beekman, Fifth and Park. She was the ultimate address snob, the quintessential climber. Live in a penthouse on Fifth? Come on over for a cocktail. Have an apartment overlooking the Park? Let’s do dinner. Marty never understood it.
Gloria.
Right now, she was the last person he wanted to speak to. But there was no question she would know a neighbor or two of Wood’s. No question she was still friends with those people and could get him inside.
Her influence could make all the difference.
He needed to call her. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his cell. He was down to one bar, but if he was quick, it might be enough.
Gloria picked up on the fourth ring, her cool voice an absolute change from the woman he once loved.
Gloria, his latest contact.
Gloria, helping him out on a case.
Sweet Jesus.
“You want me to do what?” Gloria asked.
“A favor,” Marty said. “I want you to do me a favor.”
“Let me get this straight,” Gloria said. “You miss lunch with your daughters and you want me to do you a favor? Oh, that’s rich, Marty. That’s perfect.”
“I didn’t miss lunch,” Marty said. “I was a few minutes late.”
“You were thirty minutes late.”
“It was unavoidable.”
“It was inexcusable. Obviously, the excuses won’t end with you.”
She paused and Marty could feel her mind working.
“Why were you late? Does it have to do with Maggie Cain?”
He could hardly lie to her-Gloria would know. “Yes,” he said. “She’s also the reason I need your help now.”
“Is she in some sort of trouble?”
“She might be.”
“You know she’s my favorite writer. You know I love what she does with words. She paints with them. She creates landscapes, murals, art. She has an ability to generate entire fields of engrossing characters. Her plots are something to be studied and admired.”
Marty said nothing.
“You’ve never asked me for help before,” she said suspiciously. “Why now?”
“Because you’re the only one who can help me.” That wasn’t exactly true, but it wasn’t exactly a lie either. At home, Marty had a list of names and addresses of all their friends and acquaintances. He could have gone there, skimmed the list himself for someone they knew on 75th, called them up, and hoped they’d agree to see him.
But it was too much of a risk. These people adored Gloria and her rising star. They’re the ones who put her on a pedestal and applauded first before the rest of the art world followed suit. He had been her absentee husband, writing his little movie reviews and bringing down wealthy people not unlike themselves. That’s what he was known for-being hired by the rich to take down the rich. If he was going to break into this crowd, he’d need her influence.
“What do you want from me?” she asked.
He told her.
“No way.”
“Come on, Gloria.”
“They don’t like you, Marty. None of my friends like you. I’m not risking my reputation because of you.”
“What about for Maggie Cain?”
“This will help her?”
“This could change everything for her. It could save her.”
“The situation is that dangerous, then?”
He laid it on thick. “It’s worse.”
A silence passed. Marty could feel her weighing her options.
“Alright,” she said. “But there’s a condition.”
Of course, there was. “What is it?”
“I want the girls for Christmas.”
He almost hung up the phone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Carra Wolfhagen stood to the right of her third-story bedroom window, a sleeve of red curtain pressed against her cheek as she looked down at the street, where the media and the curious had come to catch a glimpse of her and her murdering thief of a husband.
What were they thinking, knowing he was here with her now? That she’d had a change of heart, supported him, welcomed him into her home and taken him back?
If only she had the courage to tell them what she’d kept secret for years.
She moved away from the window and glanced across to the locked bedroom door. Fear of him rooted her here. She thought of the gun sitting ten feet away in the top drawer of her nightstand and knew if she could kill Max-right now-and get away with it, she’d do it. She’d find him in this house and take his life for the one he continued to steal from her.