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“I need something to prove Malcolm really gave you that money. Anything at all.”
“I don’t have proof. He paid off my debt to the bookie—”
“You got a name?”
He nods. “Jimmy Granville. But this was seventeen years ago.”
“Doesn’t matter. What else do you have for me? Receipts, something in writing, anything?”
“We met in person only once and that’s it. I filed the paperwork to get her terminated and the next day Jimmy called to say my debts were wiped out by an anonymous donor. Said I was the luckiest man alive. I’m not sure that’s true.” Mark sobs once and I almost, almost feel sorry for him. A cat meows from the stove and hops up onto the top of the refrigerator, looking at me with those judging feline eyes.
“All right Mark. Here’s what we’ll do. You’re going to go about your life, but in the back of your mind, you’ll know one day I might come back. If I do, you’re going to tell me and whoever’s with me everything, all over again, just like you did today. If you do that, I won’t hurt you. I won’t burn down your place, lock the doors, and leave your cats inside to fry.”
“You wouldn’t.” His voice is a whisper.
“I would. Have a nice day at work.” Gavino gets up and nods for me to follow.
We head to the door. Mark remains at the table where we left him, unmoving, staring sightless. In the driveway, Gavino turns to me and grabs my arm, holding up his phone with a smirk.
“Got it recorded,” he says, tapping the screen.
“But what’s that confession going to do?”
“It’s a lead. Jimmy the bookie is next and hopefully he’s got more of a paper trail. Bookies are famous for their paper trails.”
“Even seventeen years later?”
“Hopefully.” He nods once and leans forward, looking into my eyes, searching for something. “You okay?”
“I think so.” I glance away, feeling sick. “I’m allergic to cats.”
He studies me and tilts my chin up toward him. I open my lips and he leans forward to kiss me gently, softly, slow. I let that kiss linger, taking strength from his touch, feeling my body respond to his closeness and to the memory of the pleasure he can give me that swirls through my brain.
“I just realized something,” he says, nuzzling against my throat. “You’ve never seen my room in the main house.”
“You have a room in the main house? I thought you lived in your little shack.”
He chuckles gently. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
