Page 60 of Done Dirty

“Right,” Doug said, the look on his face skeptical. “Well, 403 is our victim. And 404 is The Gossip.”

“Gerald Fitch,” I said. “Lots of drama. Has a cat.”

“405 is The Entertainer,” Derby said. “Washed-up actress. Can’t afford New York anymore. Looks like she has a stream of men in and out. A couple of them you’d know by name.”

“And then there’s 406,” Margot said. “The Penthouse. This one is my favorite. Well respected couple in Virginia and DC area. Very active in the community. And known swingers. Their condo is like the carousel at Disney World. I hope they disinfect.”

I scrunched my nose in disgust.

“That’s everyone,” Doug said. “We’ve run them all, and no one pops on Wade’s client list at the studio. It does look like he keeps his personal and professional lives separate.”

My phone buzzed on the table. Lily.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey. Cole is driving me absolutely insane,” she said. “He needs to be around people. Mostly so I don’t kill him while I’m trying to study. He managed to talk the owner at the Purple Pig into giving us the back room. You guys in? Bring whoever you want. There’s room.”

Jack could hear our conversation through the phone. “We’ve got to eat. We’re in.”

“Did you hear that?” I asked her.

“I heard. You’re a lifesaver. Seven o’clock.” And then she hung up.

“I’ll call Daniels, and Plank and Wachowski,” Jack said. “Might as well get the whole team together.”

“Martinez is going to be sad he missed it,” I said.

“From what I can find on his social media account,” Margot said, “Detective Martinez is in the Florida Keys and enjoying time on the beach with a very attractive woman. I do not believe he’d be sad to miss out on dinner at the Purple Pig.”

I gave Doug a look and he mouthed, “Sorry,” while shutting her down and closing his laptop. “I’m starving.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Purple Pig was on the north end of the Towne Square, and the valet out front was doing serious business when we walked up. Inside, the bar was three deep and the dining room was loud. The whole county was apparently here.

The back room was smaller and private, the kind of space Cole could talk a restaurant into giving up because he had that southern charm that opened doors and made deals. He didn’t have Jack’s temperament or diplomacy, which was why he was happy being a detective.

Two long tables had been pushed together and Cole was already at the head of the table when I walked in, his back toward the wall so he could see all the exits.

Jack was a couple of minutes behind me. He’d made a call to Matt Brown on our way over and was still outside making arrangements to meet Matt Brown before he went on his shift at midnight.

I wasn’t planning to tell Jack, but I was exhausted, and the idea of eating dinner and then getting home well after midnight wasn’t on my list of favorite things at the moment. I could have curled up in the corner of the Purple Pig and happily gone to sleep. But it was good to see Cole and Lily, and I was happy to see he looked good. Certainly much better than he had when he’d been hanging on to life by a thread after he’d been shot. He had a Dos Equis in front of him, and his Stetson was pushed back on his head. He was in his Wranglers and boots and a white button-down, and he looked great except for the way he was favoring his right shoulder, which was almost imperceptible unless you knew what you were looking for. I knew what I was looking for.

Lily sat next to him wearing a black tank and her dark hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She had a full glass of red wine in front of her and looked relieved to see us. I hugged Cole carefully.

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Any stiffness?” I asked.

“Just a little. I’m ready to get back to work. I heard y’all caught a good one.”

“You could say that,” I told him. “It sucks when a victim turns out to be the bad guy.”

“Ahh,” Cole said. “Perks of the job.”

Jack came in, looked at me, and said, “We’re all set,” and then he sat next to Cole so his back was also facing the wall. I took the chair next to him and tried not to look too disappointed that things had worked out with meeting Matt Brown.

The server passed out menus and drinks were ordered, only water for me, because I’d had enough caffeine for the day. Bread baskets were put down the center of the table, and the server told us the kitchen was backed up, but he’d get complimentary appetizers in for us.