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“Well, I don’t have to worry about being kidnapped again,” I said by way of answer.
Hank disconnected and Duke looked at me. “Was he makin’ a call?”
I wanted to laugh, then before that thought fully formed, I decided I wanted to cry. Seeing as crying wasn’t an option for me because I wasn’t a sissy, I decided I wanted to scream.
In fifteen minutes, the place was surrounded by cops, including Hank, Dad and Malcolm, and the scene was taped. Gawkers and coffee customers were being directed away by uniforms.
I stood off to the side and scrolled down my phonebook to Lee and hit his number.
“Everything okay?” he said as a greeting.
“You’ve heard from your office,” I replied, thinking the mysterious forces behind his commando cartel had already alerted him to my latest adventure.
“Heard what from my office?”
Oopsie.
“Well, I don’t want to disturb you, but I thought I should tell you before your office hears it on police band. Pepper Rick’s dead body was propped into the doorway of Fortnum’s this morning.”
Silence, then, “A present.”
“What?”
“I’ll be there soon.”
“Lee, you don’t have to—” but he’d disconnected.
Jimmy Marker walked up to me and after asking a few questions he wiped his eyes with his hand.
“Indy, tell me you aren’t keepin’ anything from me.”
After Tex got shot, I told Jimmy everything at the hospital, about Rosie, the pot, the diamonds, Terry Wilcox, everything. Well, not everything. I left out my B and E, soalmosteverything. I had nothing left to tell, and if Jimmy was getting frustrated and impatient, he should step into my shoes.
“Jimmy, I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid and whatever you think, I know right from wrong. I told you all I know at the hospital.”
Dad walked up to me and slung an arm around my shoulders.
“I just want to know why you’re the focal point of all of this,” Jimmy said.
“I’d like to know that too,” Dad put in.
“Well, when you find out, tell me, because this is beginning topiss me off!” As I talked, my voice rose and I was screaming by the end.
Jimmy took a step back and a bunch of heads swung in my direction.
I saw an SUV double park and Lee slid from behind the wheel. His eyes were on me, but Malcolm and Hank stopped him before he could make his way to me.
“I take it you know what’s going on,” I said to Dad, taking my eyes off Lee.
“What there is to know. Cops talk, you’re my daughter. Jimmy’s keeping me briefed,” Dad replied.
“Why haven’t you said anything?” I asked.
“I trust Liam to sort it out and I trust you to do the right thing,” Dad told me.
Simple as that.
Dad was cool. Dad had always been cool. Somewhere in the last couple of days, Lee had been given Dad’s blessing. Probably when I started to have certain incidents, incidents the like of which any father would want Liam Nightingale to be his daughter’s boyfriend.
