I frown at Matthew, and I’m relieved to see I’m not the only uncertain one.
“Did we just become undercover cops?” he asks. “If we were to somehow trap Miss Vale into confessing, we’ll have to take her to the police anyway. Why not go to them right away? We’ll make sure to talk with someone different.”
“I agree that we’ll have to go to the police eventually, but not yet.” Louis has seemingly given this some thought, and he’s not budging. “Based on my findings, the police have either been under her thumb for years or she’s under theirs.”
“What’s that mean?”
“They’re possibly using her to snag a bigger fish.”
Beside me, Matthew drops his chin to his chest. “Mazza,” he murmurs.
I can’t believe I’m hearing this. “And you think we cantrapher?”
Louis’s expression is blank. He is trying not to scare me. Too late.
“I think you might be the only one who can,” he says. “She thinks she’s got you over a barrel. Thinks she can get you to go along with her, based on the false story she will no doubt give to the papers. If she hasn’t already.”
That’s a sharp reminder of what this is all about. I haven’t heard anything from Claudia since her lying text about the building collapse being my fault, and that disturbs me most of all. I don’t have any idea where she is or what she’s doing.
“The most dangerous part of this is Vale’s connection to Mazza. He’s big in the underworld. Untouchable big.” Louis grins, which looks forced on his straight-lined face. “Interestingly, it looks like Mazza comes from the same downtown Toronto crime family that has been in charge for the past hundred years.”
Matthew and I exchange a glance. “You’re not talking about Marco Carboni, are you?” he asks.
“The very same,” Louis says, unusually confused. “How’d you know?”
I see it as a minor victory, knowing something that Louis doesn’t. Matthew taps his temple, looking mysterious. “I’ve got my sources, too.”
As interesting as that connection to Carboni might be, we have a more urgent matter to solve first.
“What do we do now?” I ask.
Louis sits back and scowls with frustration. He gives the papers a push. “We’re not gonna catch Mazza with this,” he admits unhappily.“Too small for him. Plus, he’d throw her under the bus just for entertain-ment.”
“I see what you’re saying.” Matthew’s a little more confident now. “We can’t nail Mazza, but Bridget can maybe snare Claudia. And if she can get Claudia… What do they say? Maybe she’ll roll over on Mazza.”
Louis nods. “Exactly. First step is for her—”
“Hold on, boys,” I say, catching up. “I might have missed something, but are you suggesting I be the bait?”
Matthew catches my tone and his eagerness fades. “No, no,” he assures me. “Not really bait.”
“Yes, she is,” Louis exclaims. “That’s exactly what she is.”
“I’m not getting crushed by crates,” I mutter.
“I don’t foresee any crates in this plan.”
“There’s a plan?” I demand.
Louis gives a vague shrug, but his jaw is tight. He’s thinking hard. “Working on it.”
Hold on. I get that things need to happen fast. If they don’t, I’ll find myself in jail—or worse, now that we know about Claudia’s connection to Leandro Mazza. I don’t imagine someone that dangerous would hesitate to get rid of me, like they did with Paul. I’m worth a lot less to them than their construction contract, but…
“You won’t be alone,” Matthew assures me. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”
Louis makes a face. “Well, maybe not thewholetime.”
Louis might be a great investigator, but he can’t read a room. It sounds like he has already decided on a strategy that has not been revealed to me. The feeling that I am missing something important makes me more than a touch nervous. What choice do I have, though?
