“Maybe she has so little else,” Jenn said. “You ever see The Ice Man Cometh?”
“No.”
Jenn shrugged.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said.
“My parenting skills are limited,” Jesse said. “But I’m pretty sure the truth is good.”
“Maybe it’s not always,” Jenn said.
“Maybe it isn’t,” Jesse said. “But I’m not too sure about lying, either.”
“I know.”
They were silent. Jesse sipped his scotch. Jenn stared out at the harbor, where the darkness had thickened enough so that the lights on some of the yachts were showing.
“I can check the legal stuff about the Crowne estate,” Jenn said. “Deed, title, whatever. Hell, I can probably get an intern to do that.”
“Might be useful,” Jesse said.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Jenn said. “Now I’m going in to the bedroom and pat Amber on the shoulder for a little bit.”
“Maternal impulse?” Jesse said.
“Damned if I know,” Jenn said, and went inside.
Jesse put his feet up on the railing and looked at the harbor. Across it the lights were going on in houses along Paradise Neck. Suppers were being cooked. Spouses were having a cocktail together while it cooked. Jesse looked at his moisture-beaded glass. He liked the look of it with the dark gold booze and the translucent silver ice. Still half-full. And he could have another if he wished. Two drinks was reasonable. And after the two drinks, he and Jenn and maybe Amber would have supper in a not distasteful caricature of the lives being lived across the harbor.
I wonder how much Crow drinks, Jesse thought.
50.
“It was Crow,” Francisco said on the phone.
“I didn’t see him,” Romero said.
“It was Crow,” Francisco said. “Forget about him. Get Amber and bring her home.”
“He killed Larson,” Romero said.
“There’s a million other Larsons,” Francisco said. “Bring the kid home.”
“I don’t like having some guy shoot one of my people and walk away,” Romero said.
“I don’t give a fuck what you like. Farm Crow out to the local gangbangers. Bring the kid home now.”
“How much to the gangbangers?” Romero said.
“Ten, same as if they brought the kid home.”
“Ten?” Romero said. “To kill Crow?”
“That’s more money
