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Vandiver paused. “I don’t have time to talk. We’re crazy busy.”
Sadie stuck out her leg when he would have tried to move on. “Too bad you’re shorthanded.”
“Yeah, it sucks. Tara’s a bitch.”
“I hear she had some trouble with the boss,” Falco said.
“Not that I heard about.” Vandiver shrugged. “Like I told you before, Leo was too good to her in my opinion.”
“Did you ever see her take anything from the cash register?” Sadie asked. “You closed with her plenty of times. Maybe she gave you a little something to look the other way.”
He snorted, sent Sadie a glassy-eyed stare. “The only thing she ever gave me was a hard time.” He looked from Sadie to Falco. “I wouldn’t put it past her to steal from the boss, but even that would have been better than what she was really doing.”
“And what exactly was she really doing, Lucky?” Falco asked, keeping his voice below the level of the conversations around the room.
Vandiver laughed hysterically. Definitely high on something. “You still haven’t figured it out, have you?” He shook his head. “Leo’s been dead five days, and you’re no closer to the truth than you were when you first showed up.”
“Why don’t you enlighten us?” Sadie suggested. “If you’re so in the know. Or maybe you’d prefer my friend here took you downtown for a more intimate conversation.”
“Okay. Okay.” Vandiver visibly struggled to compose himself. “Tara is using this place to distribute drugs. The packages come in, and she passes them along to her foot soldiers, who do the selling. She never gets her hands dirty, and no one ever suspects a classy joint like this would be serving as a distribution center.”
Sadie couldn’t say she was surprised. Walsh had suspected this was the strategy being utilized. She shrugged. “Tara said she got her drugs from you.”
Vandiver gave another of those snorty laughs. “Of course she did.” He placed his tray on the counter and looked Sadie square in the eye. “I’ve been around enough folks in the business to recognize her scam. Yours too.”
“You didn’t think it was important to tell us this before?” Falco demanded. “Maybe we could do our jobs if people like you didn’t hold back crucial information.”
Vandiver scoffed. “Whatever. I had to protect myself. If I don’t stay clean, my old man will make my life more miserable than it already is. Tara told me if I told anyone she would go to my dad.” He grinned. “Guess it doesn’t matter now. Apparently, she’s out of here.” He made a poof sound. “She’ll have to find herself some other way to do her moonlighting.”
“Whatever,” Falco parroted, then thrust one of his business cards in the guy’s face. “If you see or hear from Tara, call me.”
“It would make my day,” Vandiver assured him.
Falco headed for the exit. Sadie followed. “We going to her town house now?”
“We are.”
“Good thing I have a key.”
Falco glanced at her and grunted. Didn’t ask questions. He knew better.
McGill Town House
Hampton Heights Drive
Birmingham, 8:40 p.m.
McGill wasn’t answering. Falco called her cell phone, and the distinct sound of it ringing echoed through the door.
He put his phone away. “Use the key. If need be, we can say the door was unlocked.”
“And ajar,” Sadie added, giving him a fake smile. “I remember how it works.” She unlocked the door.
“Don’t touch anything,” he ordered as they entered the premises.
Sadie was the one grunting this time. She knew the deal.
Nothing looked disturbed as they moved into the living room.
