Loyalty (21 page)

“You think whoever killed Melanie was trying to get to me?”

“I have no fucking idea, Rand, but unlike you, I’m trying to figure out a solution, not throw a goddamn pity party.”

She stomped out.

Jordy’s was dark and smelled like smoke even though smoking had been banned in Boston bars years ago. Fina walked in, and the half dozen patrons looked at her before returning to their own business. There was a small cluster of drinkers in a booth toward the back and two men at the bar. One of the guys was old, with gray stubble and flabby jowls. The other was young, with greasy hair and pitted skin. Apparently, the beautiful people hadn’t yet arrived.

Fina climbed onto a stool and ordered a beer in a bottle. She sipped it and watched the TV hanging in the corner. It was tuned to a local cable channel where two hulking professional athletes were debating the off-season exercise regimens of various Patriots players.

“That guy sucks, man,” offered the younger guy at the bar, referring to one of the players in question. “He’s such a pussy. I could play better than him.”

Fina, the old guy, and the bartender all swiveled their heads to assess the validity of the claim.

“Is that right, Benny?” The bartender chuckled and hitched his foot up on a case of vodka sitting on the floor. “I don’t know.” He squeezed his eyes as if making mental calculations. “I think you’re a little small.”

The old man worked his jaw as if he were chewing something. When he spoke, Fina realized he’d been warming up the muscles that made speech possible. “They wouldn’t take you in Pop Warner, Benny. You’re small, and you’re ugly!”

Fina snorted and sucked some beer into her nasal cavity.

“What are you laughing at?” Benny asked with a sneer.

“That was funny. Come on, you have to admit it was funny.”

“What are you even doing here?” Benny asked.

“Waiting for some friends,” Fina said, and sipped her beer.

“Everyone’s welcome here, Benny,” the bartender said, “especially the good-looking ones.” He winked at Fina and uncapped a second beer, which he placed in front of her. “This one’s on Benny.”

“Thanks, Benny,” Fina said, raising her beer in his direction. He scowled, but returned his attention to the TV screen.

Fina was nearing the end of the second beer and her patience when the door swung open and a crowd of orange-shirted, hard hat–toting men filed into the dark space. They crowded around the bar, and within seconds, Billy appeared at her elbow, a wide grin on his face.

“Josefina, right?” Billy asked as he leaned on the bar. He was grubby, but still handsome. He smelled like dirt and sweat, a surprisingly appealing combination.

“I hope your offer was genuine, ’cause here I am,” Fina said.

Billy insisted on buying her another beer, which she nursed. She was working, after all, and needed to stay, if not sharp, than at least somewhat alert. He introduced her to the other guys, and Fina was treated to one story after another, most of which featured Billy as the protagonist. It was actually sweet to watch the other guys act as his wingmen and make Billy look good. Maybe
they
wouldn’t get laid tonight, but somebody would if they had any say.

After the construction crew was appropriately lubricated by booze and flirting, but wasn’t too far in the bag, Fina pulled out the picture of Melanie and passed it around. No one remembered seeing Melanie around the work site, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been there. It was hard to keep track with all the pretty women in the neighborhood, and most recently, the guys had been working inside the building. Fina showed them a picture of Melanie’s sunglasses; one of the plumbers thought they looked familiar, but he couldn’t be sure.

Fina bought a round of drinks for the guys—courtesy of Carl, of course—and waited an appropriate interval before slipping off her stool and heading for the door. Billy followed her outside, and she leaned against the brick exterior of the building.

“How about we go out for a real date?” he said. “No guys, no photos, someplace nice?”

Fina looked at him. “Sounds good. Things are pretty hectic right now, but I’ll give you a call in a couple of weeks.” She pulled out her phone and waited for his number.

“Right,” Billy said, and stared down the street. “Just forget it.” He turned and started to walk back to the door. Fina grabbed hold of his elbow and turned him toward her. She leaned in and gave him a long kiss.

“Does that seem like a blow-off?” she asked.

Billy looked at her and then kissed her back. “Not really.”

“Then give me your number.”

He recited it, and Fina typed it into her phone. She slipped her phone into her bag before kissing him again.

She had every intention of calling Billy, but if things got dicey, at least he got something for his troubles.

The sun came up hours after Fina had abandoned any hope of sleeping. As she lay in bed, her thoughts ricocheted between images of Melanie sinking in the ocean, chains weighing her down, and Haley, dressed provocatively, hanging around with Brianna. The image of Melanie was obviously more disturbing, but at least it was over. The danger had passed; Melanie was gone. But Haley was an open question. She was safe for now, but what about tomorrow? If this was what being a parent was like, tubal ligation was becoming an appealing option.

She watched TV for a couple of hours, then showered and dressed in a black sheath dress and black pumps. She pulled her hair back into a chignon and transferred her gun, wallet, and sunglasses to a smaller black bag. In the kitchen, Fina leaned over the sink to eat four Mallomars and swigged down a small bottle of diet iced tea. Milloy called and interrupted her living room pacing to say he was waiting downstairs.

She moved through the over-air-conditioned lobby into Milloy’s car. After pulling her door shut, Fina depressed the button to close the moonroof.

“I’m trying to avoid the bedhead look this morning.”

“You look very
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
,” Milloy said, and rolled up the windows before cranking up the air-conditioning. “You’ve got chocolate on your cheek.” He reached over to touch her.

“That’s a bruise,” Fina said, batting his hand away.

“That’s chocolate, genius,” Milloy replied, and rubbed his hand over her cheek. “Breakfast?”

“Yup.”

They didn’t speak as Milloy navigated through the morning traffic. Fina loved to drive, but occasionally, she liked someone else to take the wheel. It couldn’t be just anyone, though; it had to be someone who was equally skilled and aggressive, and Milloy satisfied both criteria.

Fina pulled out her phone and dialed Dennis Kozlowski’s number. The night before she’d put him on Joe Winthrop surveillance.

“How’s Joe?” she asked.

According to Dennis, Joe had been lying low since her visit. He’d stayed in his apartment except for a couple of runs to the convenience store on the corner. Fina instructed Dennis to maintain the surveillance and let her know if Joe made any moves.

“No luck?” Milloy asked when she hung up.

“Nope. He seems to be sticking close to home.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Another visit, if he doesn’t give me something soon. Can you come with me?”

Milloy glanced at her. “Sure, but wouldn’t you prefer Frank?”

“Frank doesn’t possess your biceps or pecs. Sometimes that’s more persuasive than a gun.”

“You know what you’re going to do when you get there?”

Fina pulled down the visor and examined her reflection in the mirror. “Nope. I’ll figure it out.”

Outside the church, the street was swarming with news crews and uniformed police trying to keep things orderly. The Ludlows weren’t dutiful churchgoers, but they did donate to the local Episcopalian church on a regular basis, which afforded certain privileges. When occasions called for some degree of pomp and circumstance and respectability, they had a place to go.

Inside, Fina and Milloy were directed to the parish hall, where the rest of the family was milling around. Scotty’s boys raced around the space, jumping off the stage at one end of the room and then climbing the stairs to do it again and again. The men were huddled off to one side, Dudley Prentiss among them, and Elaine was sitting on a couch, a small cluster of women in her orbit.

“You’re late,” Elaine informed Fina when she and Milloy joined their group.

“No, I’m not,” Fina said, and turned to hug Patty. “Thanks,” she whispered into Patty’s hair. Patty gave her a squeeze and looked in the direction of a metal door propped open to the outside. Fina followed her gaze and saw Haley sitting on the stoop. Fina and Patty exchanged a look.

“You look lovely, Mrs. Ludlow,” Milloy said as he bent over to kiss Elaine’s leathery cheek.

“You look so handsome, Milloy. Doesn’t he look handsome?” Elaine asked the assembled group. They murmured their agreement while Fina rolled her eyes.

“You’re too kind, Mrs. Ludlow,” he said.

“You’re such a good boy, Milloy,” Elaine said. “How will you find a girl to marry if you spend all your time with her?” She nodded at Fina.

Fina scowled and broke off from the group. She started across the room to the men, but changed course and stepped outside into the bright sun.

Haley was wearing a black dress and black heels.

“You’re going to roast out here in this sun,” Fina said. She lowered herself down next to her niece.

“It feels good,” Haley said, her eyes closed and her faced tilted toward the sun.

“You and your mom, the hotter the better.”

They sat next to each other in silence. Fina felt a bead of sweat roll down her back.

“Are you feeling better?” she asked.

“Yeah. Nothing like puking your guts out multiple times,” Haley commented.

Fina wanted to return to the relative cool of the parish hall, but she didn’t want to leave Haley to bake by herself. Elaine had always been more concerned with her own comfort than her children’s needs, and it was something that Fina couldn’t forgive. When Fina got sick as a child, it was always the au pair who would spend the night rubbing her back and urging her to sip ginger ale. Elaine couldn’t possibly do it; she needed to be fresh the next morning for tennis and her mani/pedi. Nanny had told Fina that her mother wasn’t always that way; it seemed that Elaine’s nurturing spirit died with Josie.

So Fina sat in the heat and felt the beads of sweat slicken her skin while she kept Haley company. She was saved by Scotty five minutes later.

“It’s time to go,” he told them, and offered each a hand as they struggled to standing positions.

Fina grabbed a napkin from a dispenser in the parish hall kitchen and dabbed at her neck and face. She watched as Rand looked around for his daughter. Haley floated toward him, but when he tried to put his arm around her, she shrugged him off and drifted toward Patty. Fina balled up the napkin and tossed it into a trash barrel. Then she fell into step with the rest of the group and prayed to a god she didn’t believe in that she’d survive the next hour.

Bev fussed with Connor’s tie.

“Mom, it’s fine. You don’t need to come up with me.”

They were standing in the lobby of a skyscraper in the financial district, the top three floors of which were occupied by one of the city’s most prestigious law firms. Bev didn’t want to see another lawyer as long as she lived, but that was a luxury she didn’t have. As far as she was concerned, the last team had failed Connor. He needed some fresh blood—out for blood—moving forward.