“I insist.”
“Thank you.” Rudy pointed at Internado’s crumpled napkin. “Better take that, too.”
Maverick shoved the napkin into a baggie and took off. On the way out, he called Carly. “I’m headed to the lab.”
“You got it!”
“I sure as hell did, baby doll.”
“They’re closing in ten minutes.”
“What’s their number?”
After she rattled it off, he hung up and called the lab.
“Falls Church DNA Center, Steve-O here.”
“Hey, Steve-O, you’re closing in ten minutes, aren’t you?”
“Sure am. Whatcha need?”
“I work with Carly Stone and—”
“Oh, yeah, Carly uses us all the time.”
“I need a rapid test completed.”
“I can help ya Monday, first thing.”
“I’m thirty minutes away, but I need you to stay open.”
“Sorry, I’ve got a life. Look, Mister—”
“The name’s Maverick and I need you to complete a rapid DNA test tonight. How long does that take?”
“Two hours, but…”
“I’m going to make this worth your while. How’s five hundred?”
“Seriously, I—”
“I’ll run to an ATM machine while we wait. Cash is yours. Name your price.”
“I’d do it for a thousand.”
“Done.”
“Wait, what? No way! Really?”
“I’m serious. Carly will be calling you with details on who to check the DNA against.”
“Boy, you must really need this information.”
“You have no idea.” Slogging through Friday rush hour traffic, he called Carly again. “Hey, babe, I need you to call the lab for me.”
“They close at five.”
“I’m paying Steve-O a grand to stay open and run the test while I wait.”
