“How’s your cut?”
Mitch raised the hem of his T-shirt to show him. “It’s closing.”
“Did Dr. Reede help you with placing the sticky things just so?” When Mitch failed to reply, John added, “It’s none of my business, except that—”
“Right. Not your business. I’m not accountable to you about my—my that.”
“No, but, Mitch, the timing—”
“Sucks. Yes. Thank you. I’m aware. It’s damned inconvenient, especially in light of what I need to tell you.”
“Okay, but first I need to tell you that—”
“No, I get to go first. I think I know who Oz is.”
John looked like he’d been hit between the eyes with a two-by-four. “Since when?”
“Since seconds before you barged in and I nearly made Beth a widow.”
“Who?”
“The King of Cash.”
John just looked at him, then sputtered. “That guy on TV?He’s an asshole. A clown.”
“That’s exactly what he wants everybody to think.”
“Is this one of your jokes?”
Solemnly, Mitch shook his head.
John held his gaze, and when he saw how dead serious he was, he said, “Give me a minute.” He walked the width of the porch and back again while stroking the dent between his eyebrows. “What’s his real name?”
“Allen Busby. I’ve seen it at the bottom of my TV screen so many times, it’s like it’s stenciled on my brain.”
John looked at him and shook his head. “Mitch, it’s ludicrous.”
“Which is why it works.”
“How did you come to the conclusion that it could be him?”
Mitch told him. “Dylan called it reconstructing. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a therapy technique that worked. But it doesn’t matter how I got to it. What matters is that Idid. I’ve been looking at the stereotypes, like Malone is, and completely skipping over Busby.”
John was still skeptical. “I’m not doubting Dylan’s ability, and I see where you’re coming from, but without even an iota of evidence—”
“I know, I know.” He took a step closer to John as though that would help convince him. He told him about Busby’s frequent visits to Malone’s restaurant. “Busby is the only regular he virtually ignores. I think that in itself is a giveaway, because he makes a big deal over sports stars, socialites, and such. Then to practically ignore a TV personality like the King of Cash? Un-huh.”
John’s expression remained a study in skepticism.
“Okay, okay. Say I’m crazy. In any case, John, it’s imperativethat we get Malone. He’s key. He’s the only one who can expose Oz, no matter who the hell he is. Malone knows his identity, the scope of his narcotics empire, and where the bodies are buried. Literally.”
“Mitch—”
“Wait, there’s more.” He gave John the bullet points of what Jim Tucker had told him about the payload Oz had stolen from the Mexican cartel. “And, hello! El Paso is a Caballero plant. I’m guessing he was sent to find out where the stolen product will be delivered and to stage an ambush to recover it.”
John took that in. “Makes sense.”
“To me, too.”
