Read Online The Job by Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg - Free Book Online
Authors: Janet Evanovich, Lee Goldberg
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Cirque du Soleil, and she had natural cunning.”
Kate felt some of the air go out of her celebratory balloon.There was a quality to his voice that she didn’t often hear. Hard to put a name to it, but it told her that Serena was more than just a member of Nick’s first crew.
“She must mean a lot to you if you’re willing to walk into a police station in that outrageous disguise to see her. It’s a miracle you haven’t been recognized.”
“It’s human nature,” Nick said. “Context is a huge part of how we process information. This is the last place the police expect to see me, so they don’t.”
Kate thought that was a load of baloney, but she didn’t want her nose to wrinkle so she moved on.
“Okay, now what?” she asked him.
“I want to talk to her. You can make it look real by telling Bernard there’s the possibility of a plea bargain.”
Kate opened the door and gestured for Bernard to come back in. “I told Picard that we’d make a deal, trim some time off Serena’s sentence, if he convinces his client to tell us where she’s stashed everything that she’s stolen. I can talk the U.S. Justice Department into it. Will you back me on that with the French prosecutor?”
Bernard didn’t look too happy about it, but he nodded anyway. “We have her, and we have our paintings back, that’s what matters to us. So yes, I think I can talk him into it. I can also have a word with my counterpart in Germany, but I doubt Turkish authorities will be so generous.”
“They will if they want their goblet back in pristine condition,” Nick said.
“All right, Picard,” Kate said. “Let’s see what you can do for us.”
Bernard opened the door to the interrogation room. “Your lawyer is here to see you,” he told Serena.
Nick squeezed past Bernard, whose body filled the doorway, and Serena went wide-eyed with surprise.
“Yes, it is I, Jean-Luc,” Nick said. “I’m always here for you.”
He went to her and kissed both of her cheeks. Bernard grabbed Nick’s shoulder and pulled him back with a stern warning. “
Gardez vos distances, Picard.
You may speak to your client, but you must not touch.”
“Oui, bien sûr, je m’en excuse.”
Nick apologized to him, took a seat across the table from Serena, and looked soulfully into her eyes. “Tell me, what horrors have you endured?”
Bernard groaned and closed the door, leaving the lawyer alone to speak with his client.
“I wouldn’t call pulling off a string of international heists the most ideal way to communicate with someone,” Nick said to Serena.
“You didn’t give me any choice. You completely disappeared after your escape from the courthouse in Los Angeles.”
“I’m on the FBI and Interpol’s most wanted lists,” Nick said. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to tweet.”
“Since I couldn’t find you, I came up with a way to make
you
find
me.
”
He had to admire her for that. At least she’d learned something from him.
“Here I am,” he said. “What’s so important that you’d risk going to prison in four different countries just to get my attention?”
“Are you familiar with Lester Menendez?”
“A really lovely guy,” Nick said. “An international thug who got his start in Colombia, worked his way up in the cocaine and heroin trade by murdering the people he worked for, including his own father and uncles, and taking over their operation. He quickly expanded into the United States and Europe by butchering his competition, literally and with sadistic delight. He got very rich and very fat. He narrowly escaped a raid by the DEA, FBI, and ATF on his New Mexico compound two years ago. Rumor is that he fled to Europe, where he had full-body plastic surgery and killed everybody on the surgical team to protect his new identity.”
Serena was rigid while Nick was talking. Her lips were pressed tight, her jaw clenched, her eyes steely and unblinking.
“The rumors are true,” Serena said. “The bodies
Kate felt some of the air go out of her celebratory balloon.There was a quality to his voice that she didn’t often hear. Hard to put a name to it, but it told her that Serena was more than just a member of Nick’s first crew.
“She must mean a lot to you if you’re willing to walk into a police station in that outrageous disguise to see her. It’s a miracle you haven’t been recognized.”
“It’s human nature,” Nick said. “Context is a huge part of how we process information. This is the last place the police expect to see me, so they don’t.”
Kate thought that was a load of baloney, but she didn’t want her nose to wrinkle so she moved on.
“Okay, now what?” she asked him.
“I want to talk to her. You can make it look real by telling Bernard there’s the possibility of a plea bargain.”
Kate opened the door and gestured for Bernard to come back in. “I told Picard that we’d make a deal, trim some time off Serena’s sentence, if he convinces his client to tell us where she’s stashed everything that she’s stolen. I can talk the U.S. Justice Department into it. Will you back me on that with the French prosecutor?”
Bernard didn’t look too happy about it, but he nodded anyway. “We have her, and we have our paintings back, that’s what matters to us. So yes, I think I can talk him into it. I can also have a word with my counterpart in Germany, but I doubt Turkish authorities will be so generous.”
“They will if they want their goblet back in pristine condition,” Nick said.
“All right, Picard,” Kate said. “Let’s see what you can do for us.”
Bernard opened the door to the interrogation room. “Your lawyer is here to see you,” he told Serena.
Nick squeezed past Bernard, whose body filled the doorway, and Serena went wide-eyed with surprise.
“Yes, it is I, Jean-Luc,” Nick said. “I’m always here for you.”
He went to her and kissed both of her cheeks. Bernard grabbed Nick’s shoulder and pulled him back with a stern warning. “
Gardez vos distances, Picard.
You may speak to your client, but you must not touch.”
“Oui, bien sûr, je m’en excuse.”
Nick apologized to him, took a seat across the table from Serena, and looked soulfully into her eyes. “Tell me, what horrors have you endured?”
Bernard groaned and closed the door, leaving the lawyer alone to speak with his client.
“I wouldn’t call pulling off a string of international heists the most ideal way to communicate with someone,” Nick said to Serena.
“You didn’t give me any choice. You completely disappeared after your escape from the courthouse in Los Angeles.”
“I’m on the FBI and Interpol’s most wanted lists,” Nick said. “I didn’t think it was a good idea to tweet.”
“Since I couldn’t find you, I came up with a way to make
you
find
me.
”
He had to admire her for that. At least she’d learned something from him.
“Here I am,” he said. “What’s so important that you’d risk going to prison in four different countries just to get my attention?”
“Are you familiar with Lester Menendez?”
“A really lovely guy,” Nick said. “An international thug who got his start in Colombia, worked his way up in the cocaine and heroin trade by murdering the people he worked for, including his own father and uncles, and taking over their operation. He quickly expanded into the United States and Europe by butchering his competition, literally and with sadistic delight. He got very rich and very fat. He narrowly escaped a raid by the DEA, FBI, and ATF on his New Mexico compound two years ago. Rumor is that he fled to Europe, where he had full-body plastic surgery and killed everybody on the surgical team to protect his new identity.”
Serena was rigid while Nick was talking. Her lips were pressed tight, her jaw clenched, her eyes steely and unblinking.
“The rumors are true,” Serena said. “The bodies
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