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Authors: P.J. Parrish
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just a custody case.”
“It’s not,” Louis said. “The boy’s father was partners with the guy who got sliced up in the Little Havana double-homicide today.”
She looked at him with new interest and then down at the photo again. “When’s the last time you heard from the father?”
“This afternoon. He was visiting his ex-wife in Fort Myers, took the kid for ice cream and never came back.” Louis felt the cold wind come up behind them, and he shivered, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
“What kind of business did the father and his partner run?” she asked.
“Imports.”
She almost smiled. “Imports. What, drugs? Exotic animals?”
“The father said it was furniture, chests, lamps, you know.”
“People don’t execute lamp importers.”
“I didn’t see anything in the office that would indicate what they imported.”
“You were there?”
Louis nodded.
“What did the scene look like?”
Louis drew a breath. “Blood everywhere. It looked like they cut the partner’s throat while he was still at his desk. I’m figuring the secretary was cut up but still alive when they put her into a chest, given all the blood on the floor.”
“Was the place ransacked?”
“Yeah, drawers open, papers on the floor.”
“Sounds like drugs to me,” Joe said, handing Benjamin’s photo back.
“The mother’s a lawyer,” Louis said. “I don’t think she had any idea her ex was into anything like this.”
“And you?” Joe asked. “Where do you fit in?”
“I’m a private eye, that’s all,” Louis said. “I was trying to track the father down before he left the country.”
Joe eyed him for a moment and he knew she heard the lie in his answer, just as she had seen the hesitation when she asked about Mel.
She slipped off the table, her long body reminding Louis of how his cat, Issy, moved when she rubbed up against the furniture.
“So, what do you want from me?” Joe asked.
“I need to know where to go from here. I need to know what happened there and what you guys think the killers were looking for.”
She was silent, shaking her head slightly.
He started to say something, then just held up a hand. “Forget it. Sorry to bother you,” he said.
She let him get almost to the restaurant door before she spoke. “I’ll help you.”
He stopped, turning to face her. A second or two passed. The only sound was the lapping of the river against the pilings.
“Where are you staying?” she asked.
“Days Inn near the airport.”
“I’ll do some checking. Get back to you.”
“What do I do?”
“If you don’t hear from me by morning, go canvas the neighborhood around the office. Find out what these guys really imported and who their enemies were. I’ll get what I can from the inside.”
Louis nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
“You thought about the mother? She might be in danger, too.”
“I got a cop there.”
“Good.” Joe said. She glanced at the photo in Louis’s hand. “I’ll check the morgue, too, for unidentified bodies.” The lights from inside the restaurant went out. Louis turned and started to leave.
“Hey,” she said. “I wouldn’t normally say this to a guy, but I’m going to say it to you.”
“What?” Louis asked.
“Be careful. These guys are sick fuckers, Kincaid. As mean as they get.”
“I know,” he said.
She was just sitting there, hands thrust in her leather jacket.
“I appreciate you doing this,” Louis said.
“Hell, I haven’t done anything crazy since Mel left. He almost got me killed once.”
Louis almost smiled. “Yeah, me, too.”
She turned away. Louis just stood there, watching her silhouette in the dark. She had her face tipped toward the cold wind.
“Good night,” he said.
She turned back to him, gave a small nod, and looked away, back out at the black river.
CHAPTER 8
He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep until he heard the jarring ring of the hotel phone. He was on his stomach, still
“It’s not,” Louis said. “The boy’s father was partners with the guy who got sliced up in the Little Havana double-homicide today.”
She looked at him with new interest and then down at the photo again. “When’s the last time you heard from the father?”
“This afternoon. He was visiting his ex-wife in Fort Myers, took the kid for ice cream and never came back.” Louis felt the cold wind come up behind them, and he shivered, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
“What kind of business did the father and his partner run?” she asked.
“Imports.”
She almost smiled. “Imports. What, drugs? Exotic animals?”
“The father said it was furniture, chests, lamps, you know.”
“People don’t execute lamp importers.”
“I didn’t see anything in the office that would indicate what they imported.”
“You were there?”
Louis nodded.
“What did the scene look like?”
Louis drew a breath. “Blood everywhere. It looked like they cut the partner’s throat while he was still at his desk. I’m figuring the secretary was cut up but still alive when they put her into a chest, given all the blood on the floor.”
“Was the place ransacked?”
“Yeah, drawers open, papers on the floor.”
“Sounds like drugs to me,” Joe said, handing Benjamin’s photo back.
“The mother’s a lawyer,” Louis said. “I don’t think she had any idea her ex was into anything like this.”
“And you?” Joe asked. “Where do you fit in?”
“I’m a private eye, that’s all,” Louis said. “I was trying to track the father down before he left the country.”
Joe eyed him for a moment and he knew she heard the lie in his answer, just as she had seen the hesitation when she asked about Mel.
She slipped off the table, her long body reminding Louis of how his cat, Issy, moved when she rubbed up against the furniture.
“So, what do you want from me?” Joe asked.
“I need to know where to go from here. I need to know what happened there and what you guys think the killers were looking for.”
She was silent, shaking her head slightly.
He started to say something, then just held up a hand. “Forget it. Sorry to bother you,” he said.
She let him get almost to the restaurant door before she spoke. “I’ll help you.”
He stopped, turning to face her. A second or two passed. The only sound was the lapping of the river against the pilings.
“Where are you staying?” she asked.
“Days Inn near the airport.”
“I’ll do some checking. Get back to you.”
“What do I do?”
“If you don’t hear from me by morning, go canvas the neighborhood around the office. Find out what these guys really imported and who their enemies were. I’ll get what I can from the inside.”
Louis nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
“You thought about the mother? She might be in danger, too.”
“I got a cop there.”
“Good.” Joe said. She glanced at the photo in Louis’s hand. “I’ll check the morgue, too, for unidentified bodies.” The lights from inside the restaurant went out. Louis turned and started to leave.
“Hey,” she said. “I wouldn’t normally say this to a guy, but I’m going to say it to you.”
“What?” Louis asked.
“Be careful. These guys are sick fuckers, Kincaid. As mean as they get.”
“I know,” he said.
She was just sitting there, hands thrust in her leather jacket.
“I appreciate you doing this,” Louis said.
“Hell, I haven’t done anything crazy since Mel left. He almost got me killed once.”
Louis almost smiled. “Yeah, me, too.”
She turned away. Louis just stood there, watching her silhouette in the dark. She had her face tipped toward the cold wind.
“Good night,” he said.
She turned back to him, gave a small nod, and looked away, back out at the black river.
CHAPTER 8
He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep until he heard the jarring ring of the hotel phone. He was on his stomach, still
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