“Cain, I understand, but why this one?” Katlin asked.
“The ones of Cain feed his appetite, but Emma has to do with his new boss. This one was recent, though, and Juan’s supposedly gone.”
A car door slammed outside, and Katlin quickly handed the file back to Muriel and stepped to the window. Anthony lived on the third floor of an old building uptown, which gave them the amount of time it would take him to climb the steps to get out, since he was heading in quickly.
“Put the file back exactly where you found it,” Katlin ordered, then set out to lock the drawer. That one had been easy, but the ancient deadbolt on the door had been another matter. “Wait a floor up for me,” she told Muriel, “and don’t come down no matter what.”
She had unscrewed the light on the second-floor landing and heard his footsteps slow down, but still the damn lock wouldn’t turn. “Great, it’s like some Hitchcock movie,” she muttered to herself as she turned the picks trying to catch the locking device until finally feeling the satisfying click.
With her fingers to her lips, she stared at Muriel and stood just at the top of the steps leading to the fourth floor. If Anthony glanced up, he couldn’t miss them.
She stood still as Anthony stopped but didn’t hear the sound of the key going into his lock. His breathing, though, was hard to miss. He was puffing so hard he sounded like he had run a mile as fast as he could instead of having climbed several flights of stairs. Then he slammed his hand into the doorjamb and laughed.
Slowly, as if Anthony could hear the sound of fabric rubbing on fabric, Katlin raised her hand and stuck it in her jacket, resting it on the butt of her gun. The last thing she wanted was to shoot him, but she wanted to be prepared. When he finally unlocked the door and went inside, she brought it down just as slowly. It didn’t take long for the muffled noise of the television to filter out to the hall.
Katlin turned to leave, but Muriel put her hand on her collar. “Wait.”
“For what?” Katlin asked.
“If he finds anything out of place, he’ll do it in the next five minutes.”
After a while, Muriel pushed on Katlin a little, and they passed the doorway of Anthony’s place just as quietly as they made it down the stairs. If he did notice anything, he was biding his time and not running out to see if the trespassers were still close.
“Are you going to the house, or home?” Muriel asked once they were on the street and walking toward their car parked three blocks away.
“I moved Merrick to your place until this is over, so we’re going in the same direction, don’t worry. I want to wait until tomorrow to tell Cain. It’s late and I’m sure she’s in for the night. This will hold until the morning.”
“But not much longer than that.”
*
Cain entered the house and stood by the back door waiting for her eyes to adjust to the low lighting. She’d skipped dinner when Katlin had gotten back from Bob’s place and showed her what she’d found after an extensive search that had included his attic. That’s where she’d found the boxes of VHS tapes of Dallas’s short stint in the skin-flick business. Sitting on top was the master tape Cain figured Bob had stolen to protect his interests. She’d given it all to Remi when she’d gone to meet her.
“His cash cow was too lucrative to throw to the wolves that prowl the entertainment business,” she said softly as she opened the fridge. Bob and his dirty secrets were gone, making Cain wish she could solve all her problems so easily.
“I made you a sandwich,” Emma said, turning on the light over the stove. “Have a seat and I’ll get it for you.”
“No hello kiss?”
She set the plate down with a glass of milk and pulled Cain’s chair out for her. “I’d love to, but I just finished throwing up and don’t want to gross you out.”
“What’s wrong?” Cain put her hand to her forehead instantly. “Do you need a doctor?”
“Hannah came home from preschool today feeling queasy, so I’m sure it’s whatever bug she caught there.” Emma kissed her chin and pointed to the chair. “Sit and eat.”
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m fine, but I feel horrible for Carmen. She made her mother’s chicken recipe and thinks that’s what did it.”
They sat together and Emma watched her eat as they talked about their day. As they climbed to the second floor someone walked in and lingered in the foyer.
“Problem, Muriel?” Cain asked, her arm around Emma. She couldn’t see who it was, but guessed it had to be Muriel.
“Just working late.”
“I’m not buying that. Spill it and get up here where I can see you.” Cain kissed Emma on the temple and patted her on the butt to get her moving toward the bedroom. “I’ll be in as soon as I’m done.”
Face to face it didn’t take long for Muriel to tell her story. Cain was grateful she’d sent Emma to their room before Muriel told her about the pictures she’d found. “You didn’t discover anything that’d lead us to Juan?”
“Not yet, but I got everything else you asked for, and someone to carry it out.”
“Who?” Cain asked as she pulled her shirttail from her pants simply to have something to do with her hands.
“Nick. He’s young enough and has the same physical characteristics. In an out-of-the-way location he’ll pass, and he’s not taking away anything. If he was, that might be more of a problem.”
“Tell him to be ready tomorrow.”
Muriel nodded. “He wants a more permanent job close to you.”
“Nick’s a good kid. I’ll talk to him and have him work with Lou whenever possible, but he’s not ready for a spot in our immediate crew yet.”
“He’s going to be disappointed.”
“Disappointment comes when you don’t have a chance,” Cain said, echoing her father. “That’s not what I’m saying. Once he’s got more experience, he’s got a shot.”
“The only one that’ll make happy is Lou’s brother.” Muriel walked with her down the hall. “He’s a fireman with no interest in the life. Lou told me it’s killing him that Nick chose to follow this path. He wanted better for his son.”
“I can understand that. Every parent wants the best for their children, but he doesn’t—”
Cain stopped talking and walking, and Muriel had to turn back. “Something wrong?”
Without saying anything else, Cain went back down and into the office. The list of passengers was in the top drawer. She’d been meaning to call Hector Delarosa in Columbia to pick his brain, but now she had only one question to ask him. After Muriel told her about Anthony’s collection of pictures, she wasn’t willing to wait for the answer.
With every counter-surveillance device turned on, Cain dialed the number. “Señor Delarosa, please.” She paused as whoever answered said something. “It’s Cain Casey from New Orleans.”
She sat and indicated to Muriel to do the same. “Sometimes things are so easy it makes you miss them,” she said as she waited.
“What’s so easy?” Muriel asked.
Cain put her finger up as she heard a muted exchange on the other end. “Hello.”
“Señor Delarosa, I’m sorry to call so late,” Cain said with the sheet from the airline in her hand.
“Cain, please call me Hector,” he said in refined English with a slight accent. “I’ve heard so much about you I feel as if we’re old friends. What can I do to help you?”
“From my contacts here I understand you and Rodolfo Luis were business partners at one time.” She picked up a pen and put a check mark next to every Juan on the page.