“Jane, let me in.”
She unlocked the door and opened it.
He studied her, his face drawn. Stepping inside, he closed and locked it behind him.
Then he wiped a tear from her cheek that surprised her.
“I didn’t think I was crying.”
He didn’t say anything, pulled her into his arms and held her.
For a moment, she stood stiffly, her mind and body confused as a knot of pain threatened to unravel.
Uncle Chris sighed and hugged her tighter. “It’s okay, Jane. Let it out, honey. I know he was a friend of yours.”
But Jane couldn’t. Instead, she hugged him and tucked her face against her uncle’s shoulder, silent tears of grief all she could manage and still stay whole, though she knew that was a lie.
A tiny fissure had cracked her heart, and she didn’t think she’d recover any time soon.
* * *
It took time,but eventually Jane wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and stopped crying. “Sorry,” she muttered, to which her uncle called her all manner of fool.
“You’re better than me, girl. Cry when you have to. Heck, I didn’t know the man and I feel awful for the loss. From all accounts,Matthew Scott was a good person. Lionel and Haversham liked him, and they don’t like a lot of people.”
She gave a weak chuckle. “Well, if Lionel gave him a thumbs up, he must have been okay.” Her eyes ached, and she grabbed another tissue when more tears threatened to fall.
“I got a breakdown from Lionel on the scene. They found a chess piece in Matthew’s hand?”
“Yeah. A rook.”
Her uncle frowned. “That’s a little obvious, don’t you think?”
“I do think. But I’m not sure if that’s intentional on Rook’s part or not.”
Her uncle sat with her on her couch and pushed a glass of water toward her. “Ah, I see. As in,I’m not afraid to admit what I’ve done. Now it’s your turn.”
Jane nodded. “Or else it’s that big power play we were talking about at dinner. That Kaminski and Rook are toying with each other.” Which made more sense, even in her foggy brain. “Rook writes down Kaminski’s name in that notebook he left with the tortured Louis Miller. So Kaminski retaliates and leaves a bloodied rook piece behind in Matthew’s hand.”
Talking about the case cleared the inner cobwebs of heartache still clouding her mind. It gave her a safety line. Clinging to facts and reason felt better, so Jane tucked back the sadness that threatened to overwhelm her again.
Her uncle studied her. “That’s smart reasoning.”
“I need you to stay out of this.”
He blinked at her. “Say that again?”
“This is a matter for the FBI and the police. We’re going to catch these criminals and put them away for life.”
“Seriously?” Uncle Chris gaped at her. “You know there’s another way to handle this. An easier way.”
“Not for them.” Jane clenched her hands, needing to wrap them around Kaminski’s and Rook’s necks. “I want everyone to know they lost. They need to go away forever. Death is too easy.”
He nodded, his gaze fierce. “Now that, I understand. Real vengeance. I’m sorry, justice, for you law enforcement types. Only if you’re sure, because I’m happy to pull a few guys back to make this work. We can net all of them and bury the bodies where no one will find them.”
“No. I want everyone to find their pathetic bodies rotting behind bars. Yes, Kaminski has reach. His hold on this city is insidious and feels never-ending. But he’s not God. He needs to be reminded of that.”
“There’s my Janey.”
