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“I didn’t.”
“So you hired someone else? Was it the person who was following the PI yesterday?” Please tell me that you haven’t brought an entire team into this.
That would be a lot of people to kill. And I have a packed calendar already.
“Relax, for goodness’ sake,” Jackass said. “It’s not like I have a full staff.”
“Yeah, you do.” That was the problem.
A chuckle rumbled through the phone. “Well, that’s true enough. But don’t worry. I’d never turn them on you. We’re partners. But—just so you know, of course—if somethin’ happens to me that’s unexplainable—an accident maybe? Then they’ll come after you.”
“You—” Sonofabitch. He caught the word before it left his mouth. “You don’t have a thing to worry about. Is the guy who killed Lott the same one driving his SUV right now?”
“Oh. Well, you are full of surprises today, aren’t you? Yes, he is. Not to worry. I trust him completely.”
I’m so glad thatyou trust him. Now I have to watch my own back.
“And I’m so glad I sent him,” Jackass continued. “Especially since your man failed at the task.”
Lamont swallowed his gasp, but Jackass must have heard, because the man chuckled. “You’re probably wondering how I know?” Jackass said smugly.
Lamont ground his teeth. “How do you?”
“The kid called Paul Lott’s phone last night. Said someone tried to kill him. Luckily, one of my men was on the scene and intercepted the call. We’ll be chatting about the secrets you keep, Monty. I’ll call you soon.”
And the call ended before Lamont realized that Jackass hadn’t told him why he’d had Lott killed. It might have been that Lott had gotten cold feet and planned to confess what they’d done. Rocky’s attorney hadn’t initially wanted to kill him. He’d only wanted cash for Xavier Morrow’s name. Which Lott had only known was important because apparently Jackass had asked him—more than five years before—to keep an eye out for anything Rocky did that was out of the ordinary with respect to a Katrina investigation. Just in case the cop started poking into it again.
None of which Lamont had known anything about until a little over six weeks ago. He hadn’t known that there had been an eyewitness. Hadn’t known that Rocky had been investigating. Hadn’t known the fucker had lied about the name of the eyewitness after being pressed for an ID when he’d resurrected the case on the tenth anniversary of Katrina.
They could thank Paul Lott for giving them the eyewitness’s real name after Rocky had asked that he set up a trust for Angel Xavier Morrow. Paul had been surprised, and remembering Jackass’s request, had searched “Xavier” against the Katrina database, found that he was the surviving child of a victim. He’d been five years old. Not old enough to be a believable witness.
Except that he’d seen Lamont’s scar, the scar that he didn’t really have anymore, but that plenty of photographs had documented before he’d had plastic surgery. So the kid, now a twenty-two-year-old, was a giant threat.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. Not by a long shot.
That Jackass had discovered Xavier Morrow’s whereabouts had not been a consideration, but he had, and now Lamont was left with too many questions. Why had Jackass had Paul Lott killed? Who was the man he’d sent to meet with Xavier? Why hadn’t they just killed the kid in Houston? Why were they driving to New Orleans?
And, speaking of, he dialed Cornell Eckert. “Status?”
“Coming close to New Orleans. What do you want me to do with the lawyer’s SUV?”
“Kill the driver.”
“And all the other people in the minivan?”
“Kill them, too. And then, if you’re interested, I’d like to offer you a job.”
Eckert laughed. “I don’t think you could afford me full-time, boss man.”
“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what I have to offer. Text me when the matter is completed, and we’ll talk some more. I think all of the new zeros in your bank account will speak volumes.”
“We’ll see. Gotta go. Coming up on the exit. Later.”
I-10, New Orleans, Louisiana
TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2:15 P.M.
Molly looked over at Gabe, who was kind of cooperating. He wasn’t in the footwell, but he was leaned over the console, as much as his seat belt would allow.
