“Neither would I,” Stone said.
“You didn’t actually see what happened, did you?” Dino asked.
“We were too busy trying to keep from being shot,” Stone said. “Have you figured out what happened?”
“We won’t know until the forensic report comes in, but it appears as if Gennaro did most of the killing.”
“Why?”
“I have a theory about that,” Dino said, then led them to the dining room table.
The briefcase the woman had taken from Jack sat open on it. The cash that filled it looked to be mostly ones.
“Just to confirm,” Dino said to Jack. “Those aren’t the bundles you put in there.”
“Not the ones I can see,” Jack said.
“Then I’d say what we had here was a bunch of disappointed people who’d been expecting a lot more than a few grand in small currency.”
“You think the others were Gennaro’s partners?” Stone asked.
“I don’t think ‘partners’ would be the right term.”
“Who were they then?”
“The guy in the kitchen and the one who was on the floor there”—Dino pointed at a spot near the kitchen door—“were low-level lieutenants connected to the Ramirez Syndicate.”
Stone had heard of the syndicate. Its reputation for ruthlessness was akin to that of the Russian mob. “I can’t imagine that the higher-ups will be happy to hear about this.”
“You would think not, except the guy who was there”—Dino pointed at a seat on the other side of the table—“was Pinkie Ramirez’s right-hand man, Miguel Montes. And the guy who was there”—this time he pointed at the chair with its back to the kitchen—“was Pinkie Ramirez himself.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“So, Ricky Gennaro just took out the leadership of the Ramirez Syndicate?”
“Again, pending the forensic report.”
“He did the city a service.”
“While I’m not sad to see Pinkie removed from the picture, and I know the city will ultimately be better not having someone with the power he had around anymore, I’m not looking forward to the fallout the news will bring.”
“My sympathies,” Stone said. “You didn’t mention the guy in the backyard. I swear I’ve seen him before.”
“That’s because you have.”
“I have?”
“I have, too. He’s an ex-con from California, who, up until a moment after he flew out the window, was in violation of his parole.”
“If you thought that would clear it up for me, it didn’t.”
“Sara introduced him to you the night of your accident.”
“My niece?” Jack said.
“Your niece.”
