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“I’ve been conducting my own investigation on agents Roberts and Hall. At least I know why Hall always acts like someone pissed in his cornflakes.”
Madison sits forward in her chair. “What did you find out about him?”
“He was planning to divorce his wife because he’s been banging a fellow agent for months now. Only his wife just told him that she’s pregnant with their third child. She confronted his lover and told her that if she didn’t leave Hall alone, she’d report them both to the agency which would’ve gotten them both canned. So poor Hall’s lover gave him the boot. So now he’s back full-time with an angry pregnant wife.”
Madison is shaking her head. “That would explain that sour puss face of his.”
“And Roberts,” I continue, “About ten years ago he asked the agency for a leave of absence because his wife had terminal cancer. The department was compassionate even though it meant leaving in the middle of a big case he was leading. His wife went into remission, but when he returned the case was completely in the hands of other agents. They nabbed their big fish but guess who it was.”
Her eyes round with anticipation. “Who?”
“Giovanni Castellano – of the Gambino family. He’s the one that got away.”
“No freaking way,” Madison exclaims. “So that’s why he’s got such a huge stick up his ass over losing Sergei.”
“Yep, another big one got away from him. You almost gotta feel sorry for the guy. It would be really bad for his career if the media got wind of another case he fumbled.”
“But that’s why he’s redoubling his efforts with you, babe,” Madison says. “He’s going to take you down or die trying.”
“Let him, he’s got nothing on me, and he knows it,” I gesture at her. “Even after you told them about Sergei nabbing you after work, they know I pulled you out of there and that Sergei was alive when I left.”
Madison looks away and tugs at her dress again. “But they don’t know that he was still alive or where he is now.”
I look curiously at her. She takes a sip of wine.
“We’ve all been trying to figure that out,” I reply.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” she asks with a fearful look in her eyes.
She’s playing it perfectly, just as we rehearsed when she informed me that the D.E.A. wanted her to wear a wire. She’d been terrified, but I told her this was exactly how we’d handle it, killing two birds with one stone.
I glance around, no doubt there are a few agents here disguised as waiters or patrons.
“I’m pretty sure he is.”
“Bash,” she says plaintively. “You didn’t…I mean, I know you were angry about him taking me.”
“Meh, Sergei just wanted the money back. He knew the best way to get my attention was to grab my girl. I knew he wasn’t going to hurt you. He’s far too smart for that.”
Her face twists with derision. “You were going to let him get away with snatching me?”
“Fuck no, Mads. The best way to strike at guys like Sergei is to hurt them in the pocket. That’s how you deliver your most powerful blow.”
She leans in lowering her voice, “So, you really don’t know what’s happened to him?”
“I have a strong suspicion, but I’m just waiting for confirmation from a lab.”
She sits back with the right degree of shock. “Confirm what at a lab?”
I scan the room then lean in. “When some of the boys were over in Gregor Orlov’s warehouses trying to even the score. They knocked a few containers over and one had, what I’m guessing, are his remains.”
She clasps her hand over her mouth. “What did they find?”
“Part of a hand…a thumb and two fingers.”
Her shoulders sag and her hand drops away on cue. “But that could be anybody’s, what makes you think it belongs to Sergei.”
“The crown tattoo, in the same spot Sergei wore his,” I reply, my tone heavy with a sense of mystique. “I don’t believe in coincidences, Mads. The lab will either confirm or deny my suspicion.”
