“How long have you had this information?”
“An hour, maybe.”
“Tucker?”
Mitch didn’t say, but he gave an affirmative indication. “It was like pulling jaw teeth with a pair of eyebrow tweezers. He didn’t tell me everything, of course. For instance, whether or not the goods are still in transit or already in New Orleans. But I have a sneaking suspicion that they’ve arrived or will be here soon. My friend was wound up tight. The way you get right before a raid.”
“He’s always wound up tight.”
“Granted. But he knows, as I do, that there’s bound to be a reckoning when Malone realizes that El Paso is an infiltrator, and that the last thing El Paso is likely to feel is Malone’s garrote around his neck.
“If El Paso winds up facedown in Bayou Coeur, we lose the opportunity to get Malone. If we lose Malone, we lose Oz. We’ve got to act. We’ve got to actsoon. We may have to get creative on the charge, but we’ve got to get Malone in custody forsomething.”
John took out his cell phone and began swiping and tapping.
Mitch huffed. “Have you heard a goddamn word I’ve said?”
“Yes. Shut up a minute and listen.”
“What?”
“This morning, a package addressed toyouwas delivered to headquarters by a courier service. Clarence called me at home, said maybe I should come in early, take a look.”
“Why?”
“It was leaking.”
“Leaking?The package?”
“When I got there, I took the liberty of opening your gift. I brought you a picture.”
John turned his phone around so that Mitch could see it. It was a closeup of a heap of standard, brown wrapping paper. It was obviously soggy with fresh blood that had drained from a severed pinkie finger lying in its midst, signet ring still attached.
The ruby stone had caught the flash of John’s phone camera.
Disbelieving what he was seeing, Mitch lowered himself onto the seat of the lawn chair and stared at the gruesome image, then raised his head and looked up at John, who said, “The rest of Roland Malone was found hanging from a hook in an old factory turned meat locker.”
Chapter 37
Dylan and Beth sat across from each other at the dining table, conversing over cups of coffee. Having finished his breakfast, Andrew was at their feet, making motor noises as he scooted his cars across the floor.
Dylan had warmed to Beth immediately. She was charming and sweet, and seamlessly guided their conversation from one topic to another. But Dylan got the impression that Beth was keeping her occupied and distracted from whatever the menfolk were talking about out on the porch.
Was Beth that incurious herself? No, Dylan thought. It was more likely she already knew what they were discussing. Their surprise arrival had seemed urgent, not social.
Dylan didn’t have long to wonder about it. When the two men came back inside, it took only seeing Mitch’s expression for her to ask, “What’s happened? What’s the matter?”
Neither he nor John answered her. Even Andrew seemed to pick up on the tension the two had brought inside with them,because he stopped making engine noises and said in a tentative voice, “Daddy?”
Mitch hunkered down beside his son and patted him on the head. “That’s some semi you’ve got there, buddy. What do you figure it’s hauling, huh?”
“Milk.”
“Oh, I see now.”
John went directly to Beth, leaned down, and splayed his hand over her distended belly. “You’re sure you’re okay to stay here with Andrew?”
“I’ll enjoy having a day with him.”
