“A club in the city. I’ll text you the location.”
“Fine. And Rose?”
“Try to talk some sense into her.”
“Right. I’ll get on it straight away.” Her tone says the opposite. What is it with these Brooklyn babes?
After hanging up the phone, I call her Uncle Vinny. “Was it you?”
“Was what me?” He sounds genuinely surprised which makes me feel a hell of a lot better.
“Some guy followed Sam and tried to work her over, right after talking with you.”
“No fucking way.”
“Black eye, split lip. Go see for yourself.”
“Shit. T’anks for the heads up. I’ll see to it.”
“No problem. She’s stayin’ with Rose and Mia. I’ll check in on her as soon as I can.”
Chapter 10
Sam
“Come on, cuz. I want to go home and feed my cat. Pleeaaasse.”
Joey-the-Enforcer blocks my exodus with his legs wide and arms crossed. And, unlike Mr. Clean, he’s not smiling. “I sent Mia to take care of it. You, are not going anywhere.”
He stays put until I walk all the way back upstairs. Sitting at the small kitchen table, I sigh, and log back onto my computer. It’s been like this all week. I actually begged Aunt Marion to let me come back to work but she doesn’t want me in her shop. She says my face will scare away the customers.
The worst thing is how without Suds, nothing is funny, nothing tastes good, and I can’t help thinking I blew it. He’s never lost his temper before, at least not with me.
Despite all that, I simply can’t drop Martha’s investigation. As I make another cup of coffee, I try to psychoanalyze my motives. Whyisthis case so important to me? Dr. Gordon, my shrink from my FBI days would have a field day. I recall how we talked about my childhood. It wasn’t easy having a policeman for a dad and on my mom’s side, organized crime. It’s no wonder I never fit in. Thank God for Rose and Mia. They were my sisters, my best friends, and my protectors.
Joey, a few years older, could always be called in to straighten anyone out but his presence could and often did, make things worse.
I didn’t have a single date in high school. No one wanted to get mixed up with my crazy family tree. Then, in college, I was too busy. Honestly, I had pretty much given up on ever finding the right guy. When my ex came along, I was desperate. I would’ve believed anyone’s bullshit.
A writer? The next Faulkner? Seriously? I was such a dope. All he wanted was a warm bed and an apartment to screw anything with a clit and two legs.
What has that got to do with finding a dead body? Fuck if I know but if Anne Gallo murdered a man, someone should care? Maybe that’s the crux of it. Even though I don’t always appreciate my huge family, if I went missing, a lot of people would be out looking for me.
As a last resort, I call my friend, Doctor Jenna Jones. “Hey. Can I talk to Jason for a few minutes?”
“What for?” Jenna’s pretty protective of her artificial intelligence application and I totally understand. The stuff Jason can do could get her in plenty of trouble with the law.
“I got a client who thinks she saw a murder but all I got is dead ends.”
Jenna pauses for a moment, then sighs. “Okay, but if Jason breaks into a network without a warrant, it can’t be used in court. In fact, other than your partner, you shouldn’t tell anyone.”
“I understand. And thanks.” I hang up and contact the AI app over Skype.
A handsome, dark avatar appears on my phone screen. Today’s he’s wearing a tie and thick glasses. “Hello Sam. It’s nice to speak with you again. How can I help you today?”
“I need information on Mrs. Anne Gallo of Bensonhurst. Could you send me her cell phone records for the last twelve months?”
“To do so would be an invasion of privacy. Let me first get approval from Jenna.” He blinks at me, then disappears from my phone.
