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“No Mexicans or Italians?”
“You mean Mancinelli men?”
“Yeah or Diaz.”
“Diaz? They’re Colombian.”
“Whatever. Same difference.”
There’s a pause as the other officer looks at him. I recognize him. Santiago Ramirez. He’s a good guy. I remember talking to him once while waiting to go into court for different cases. His dad’s Mexican, and his mom’s Puerto Rican. Smooth, Philip.
“No. No Diaz men here that I know of. I don’t know about Mancinellis.”
“Morris!”
Someone hurries over and stops just beyond the camera.
“We found some two-by-fours the fire missed. They have Scotto stamped on them.”
Philip looks constipated, but I know that expression. It’s when he’s trying not to smile because he knows it’s an inappropriate moment. I’ve seen it too many times.
“He knew all along.”
“What?”
Gabriele glances down at me and whispers. I point to the TV.
“That expression. I’ve seen it before. Morris could be smug as fu— He had a way of forcing himself not to smile when he wanted to laugh at someone he thought he had the upper hand on. I’ve been on the receiving end of it six times. Each time was right before I impeached him on the stand.”
The two cops he was talking to walk away, but Philip stays in range of the dashcam when he pulls out his phone. We watch him tap his screen, then put it to his ear.
“Yeah, it’s done, Kutsenko. Entire place is gone. One of my guys found that lumber you dumped after it started. Somehow you got lucky and none of it was touched. The Scotto logo is completely clear.”
There’s silence for a moment.
“They pulled those two bodies out, or what’s left of them. There’s not enough to identify them, but I’ll make sure to drop breadcrumbs that lead to Scotto. No one will know you were here.”
There’s silence again.
“I know that’s what you pay me to do. I’ll get the arrest warrant as fast as I can. But you know he’s going to lawyer up.”
He turns toward the dashcam and squints.
“I’ll fuck with whoever they hire.”
He hits speakerphone as he types something into his phone. Aleksei’s voice comes through muffled but intelligible.
“You ever heard of Sinead O’Malley?”
“Yeah. She’s a defense attorney. Got a pair of tits on her any man would want to fuck.”
“Disgusting.”
“What? If you saw them, you’d agree.”
“I’m married. Move on. What do you know about her? I heard the Mancinellis are asking around about that firm. She’s their best attorney.”
“She is. Doesn’t Massimo handle their legal shit? I’d ask about Gabriele, but he won’t be defending himself.”
