For a long time, Joe held her stare. Then he sighed and leaned back in his seat. “All right, Mrs. Weston. If you want to disappear again, we can’t stop you. But we can see that you do it right.”
She smiled at him, and this time there was warmth behind it. “Thank you.”
Joe waved his hand at Amy. “Go ahead and do your thing, Lois Lane. Is that a video camera I see?”
“Yes. Lincoln told me to bring it and an inkpad for fingerprints.”
“He’s not always dumb,” Joe said, “just most of the time. Get to work, then. We’ll leave you alone.” He looked at me and cocked his head in the direction of the deck. “LP, I’d like to see you outside for a minute.”
We went outside as Amy got to work setting up the video camera. I could tell she was excited, and I didn’t blame her; this was going to be the story of her career. I’d be sure to remind her of that in the future anytime I needed a favor.
Joe and I stood together on the deck, leaning against the railing and watching through the window as Amy and Julie talked.
“You don’t like it, do you?” I said.
He leaned over the railing and spit onto the grass. “No, LP, I don’t like it one damn bit. This isn’t a group of teenage punks she’s dealing with; it’s the most sophisticated organized crime outfit in the world. And one of the wealthiest—and apparently most devious—men in the state. Hiding from them isn’t going to be easy.”
“When Amy runs this story, Hubbard’s going to be under fire. He’s going to have bigger things on his mind than finding Julie and Betsy.”
“You think so?” He shrugged. “It may piss him off enough to make finding them his priority. But I’m more concerned with the Russians, at least for the immediate future. That tape is going to put a few of them in jail, and it’s also going to stir up some serious internal trouble when Belov finds out who killed his son. That adds up to some major motivation for them to find this woman and eliminate her. Even after we’ve turned the tape in, they’ll want her dead. You know how these mob guys are; revenge is the highest priority to them. And whacking Belov’s son wasn’t a one-man decision. For every guy that tape puts in jail, there will be three more on the streets who had a hand in it and will want Julie Weston dead.”
“How much power does Belov have?”
“Everything I’ve learned in the past two days suggests he has a lot of power. He’s big time.”
“Perfect. We can utilize that power. I’m thinking Belov would be awfully interested in seeing that tape. Could be, he’s even so interested in seeing it he’d be willing to make it clear to anyone involved that Julie and Betsy are not to be harmed. After all, they’re not producing a tape that will hurt him. They’re producing something he wants to see.”
Joe stared at me, considering the idea. “True. But the people the Westons need to fear clearly aren’t doing a good job of following through on Belov’s wishes. They killed his son, LP.”
“I figure once he has that tape he’ll go about handling the situation in his own way. A serious housecleaning is what I’m picturing.”
Joe nodded thoughtfully, understanding. “Some people are probably going to die.”
“Hell,” I said, “they’re going to die anyhow. When we turn that tape over to the police, it’s a matter of time until the contents leak back to Belov. But if we wait until then, we’ll have nothing to use for leverage.”
“So we’re going to use the Russian mob to protect Julie and Betsy from the Russian mob?”
“Complex,” I said, “but probably efficient.”
Joe sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “This means we’ve got to talk to Belov, doesn’t it?”
“Into the belly of the beast,” I said.
“You know, LP, things are much calmer around here when you’re out of town.”
“I missed you, too.”
CHAPTER 22
AMY INTERVIEWED Julie for an hour and a half. Betsy came out of the bedroom midway through the interview and joined Joe and me on the deck. Her fingernails were painted in half a dozen different colors; Amy packed plenty of nail polish in that enormous purse. Joe found an old Frisbee in the cottage, and we tossed it around with Betsy while Amy and Julie finished up inside. The air was cool—frigid compared to South Carolina—but not as bad as it had been when I left the city. Maybe winter was going to lose this battle after all. Around one that afternoon, Amy came out and motioned for me to join her on the deck. I tossed the Frisbee to Joe and jogged up the steps.
“Huge, Lincoln,” Amy said when I reached her. “Absolutely huge. This is the story of my dreams.” She was smiling widely.
“Glad I could help, Ace. Only problem is, you can’t write it for tomorrow.”
She frowned. “How long do I have to sit on it?”
“At least another day. Joe and I have to sort out a few things before you can run it. Before you even can mention it to your editors.”
“What things?”
“We’re going to see Dainius Belov.”
She raised her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest. “You’re kidding, right? Or are you just suicidal?”
“I don’t think we’ve got much to fear from Belov. Remember, it was his son they killed. Joe and I are guessing old Dainius is awfully interested in finding out who murdered his kid. We’re counting on a little cooperation in exchange for a copy of the tape.”
“You’re giving him a copy of the tape?”
I nodded. “That’s where you come in. Do you guys have equipment for that sort of thing?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We’re going to need a copy of the murder tape, and you probably should make a copy of your interview tape as well. Leave copies of both tucked away someplace safe, and then bring me back one copy of the murder tape and the original.”
“Sure thing, boss. The technology guys won’t want to leave me alone while I’m copying the tapes, but that’s nothing I can’t get past using my feminine wiles.”
“Feminine wiles,” I said. “Uh-huh.”
She winked at me. “There’s nothing more fun than being a tease.”
Julie stepped out on the deck behind us and smiled at me. “Is my daughter driving Mr. Pritchard crazy yet?”
“He’s been crazy for years, Julie. She can’t do any more harm to him.”
Amy poked my chest with her finger. “All right, I’m outta here. But I need that tape if you want me to make a copy of it.”
I went down to the Contour and took the tape out from under the driver’s seat where I’d stashed it. I didn’t like handing it over to Amy; the thing attracted danger and death like a James Bond car. But I needed a copy.
“Keep this damn thing out of sight,” I said. “Can you bring the copies back out tonight, or is that a problem?”
“It’s a long drive, but I’ll do it.” She opened her car door but didn’t get in. “How long has it been since you slept, Lincoln?”
“A few hours, at least.”
“Go to bed, stud. You’ll need some energy when you’re arrested.”
She left, and I walked back up the steps and onto the deck. Joe was still playing with Betsy in the yard. I sat down at the picnic table beside Julie and shook my head.