crashing into his office. But if Ivaonvich was telling the truth, that would also mean that his agents would hurt or maybe kill Cindy. He could not put her at risk, and besides, that simply wasn’t the way he worked.
“No, forget that. The guy I really want to know about is named Dani Gana.”
“Oh yes, the recently arrived Algerian,” Ronzini said with a nod. “He’s quite a hit in some parts of the city’s high society.”
“Yeah. Do you happen to know if he’s who he says he is?”
“I haven’t had any reason to doubt it,” Ronzini said. “The right people seem to know him.”
Hannibal saw a rabbit near the edge of the trail. It wriggled its nose and watched the men pass as if they represented no danger. If that bunny only knew, Hannibal thought.
“I’ve heard that Gana is a legitimate businessman. I’ve also been told he has ties to the Russian mob. The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that he has money. Know anything about that?”
“I know he opened an account in the Provident Bank two weeks ago. Opened it with a couple hundred thousand dollars.”
How does he know this stuff? Hannibal wondered. Aloud he asked, “Is it mob money?”
“Who do I look like, Tony Soprano?” Ronzini asked.
Well, yes, you kind of do, Hannibal thought.
“I need to find out where that cash came from,” Hannibal said. “If he stole it, things go one way. If he earned it, things go another way. If he borrowed it to impress his prospective mother-in-law, well, then he’s busted.”
Ronzini stopped at a wooden bench on the side of the trail and smiled at Hannibal. “This is about vetting a groom? You never cease to surprise me. Who is the lucky girl?”
Hannibal moved to the opposite edge of the trail. “Her name is Viktoriya Petrova. The reason I asked about the Russians is that she has mob connections.”
Ronzini laughed one loud, harsh laugh. “Viktoriya? Is this Raisa’s little girl?”
This time Hannibal said it out loud. “How do you know this stuff?”
“I got history with the Petrovas,” Ronzini said, his smile fading off into the past. “Pleasant history, as it happens. I knew the girl’s father, Nikita. For his little girl, I’ll check into this Gana for you. If he’s not legit, you can run him off her, right?”
“That’s the job,” Hannibal said. “I take it you liked her old man.”
“Respected him,” Ronzini said. “He was a fixer, helped the Russians get established in this town, but he was also kind of like you. Smart guy, tough guy, lived by his own code. Nobody to mess with. Cops said he threw himself off a roof.”
“What do you say?”
“I say guys like you don’t throw themselves off roofs. I know how things were back then. I’d put my money on Ivanovich.”
Hannibal nodded and stepped closer so that Ronzini’s bodyguards would not hear his words. “I really appreciate the information, Tony. And thank you for checking into Gana. I promise you I’m going to look out for the girl’s best interest.”
Ronzini nodded. They both knew that his boys didn’t like to hear people using Ronzini’s first name. They took it as disrespect. But as Hannibal turned away, Ronzini pulled his jacket lapel.
“One more thing. The Santiago girl. She’s got a mouth on her, but she’s a righteous innocent.”
“Yeah? What about her?” Hannibal ignored the hand, watching Ronzini’s eyes.
“Those boys watching her. Maybe it would be good to have some boys watching them? You know, just in case something happened.”
How does he know this stuff? Hannibal considered Ronzini. He was no longer a crime leader, but he was a player, and not without influence. He didn’t have to bother with these things. There could be only one reason for such an offer.
“That would be… thank you, Tony. I owe you a big one.”
“You already owe me big, Jones. Now go find out what you can about this Gana, and I’ll do the same.”
In his car Hannibal decided to try again to play with one of his new toys. The Volvo S60 was a gift from a wealthy client as compensation for Hannibal’s previous car that was totaled while working that client’s case. Cindy had given him an iPod, loaded it with his music, and showed him the basics of how to make it work. Monte, the teenager he mentored, had installed a device that allowed him to plug the iPod into the Black Beauty’s stereo system, directing his chosen tunes through an impressive bank of Bang and Olufsen speakers. He could control it all from the steering wheel. If he pushed the right buttons in the right order, he could get the telephone to work, hands free, through those same speakers.
He knew it was childish, but that in no way reduced his joy when he managed to call Cindy without taking his hands off the wheel.
“Hey, baby. You messing around with the car phone again?”
“Yeah, but this time I did it on purpose,” Hannibal said. “I just wanted to tell you…”
“That you’re taking me to dinner at a place I’ve never been before?”
“Sorry, Cindy,” Hannibal said, trying to keep his tone light. “I’m afraid I’m stuck on a case and won’t be able to see you tonight. I also won’t be able to get away to look at that house with you today.” Not quite a lie, he thought, but close enough for him to hate it.
“No problem,” she said. “I was busy too, so I moved the appointment to tomorrow.”
Hannibal gritted his teeth. “Well, I expect this case to keep me busy tomorrow too.”
“Yeah, well I know you didn’t really want to go anyway, lover, but it’s OK. I’ll give you a full report. What’s the case about?”
His relief that she didn’t push about his absence was crowded out of his head by unexpected disappointment. A part of him wanted it to be a big deal to her. He stopped at a red light, took a deep breath, and put his smile back into place. He knew she would hear it on the other end of the phone.
“I’ve been asked to check a guy out before he marries into a certain family. You know, make sure he’s legit and who he says he is, and so forth.”
“Anything a lawyer could help with?” Cindy asked.
“I don’t know. He claims to be Algerian. Know any way I could prove that?”
Hannibal thought she might have insight into the customs process or some similar legal check, but she surprised him. “Well, I do know this professor at Howard. Krada ’s his name, Jamal Krada. I think he teaches history. Anyhow, he’s from Algeria. I bet he could tell you if this other guy’s really from there.”
“Hey that is a really good lead, babe. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, lover. But listen, I need to get into court now. Talk to you later?”
They said their hurried good-byes and Hannibal used operator assistance to find his way through the Howard University telephone tree to Jamal Krada’s office. As it turned out, Krada had no morning classes. When Hannibal dropped Cindy’s name, Krada invited him to lunch at his home. He was just completing the arrangements as he pulled into a parking space in front of Gana’s house. Black Beauty was now in the space the brown Saturn had occupied earlier. As he looked up the driveway to the front door, he hoped his visit would have a happier ending than Ben Cochran’s had. He walked up the winding asphalt path and rang the bell. He was startled at how quickly it swung open, as if the resident had been waiting for someone.
Gana stood in a sky blue suit and wingtips polished until they glistened. He scanned Hannibal up and down, staring into his sunglasses for a second before saying, “You must be Hannibal Jones, the private detective that Mrs. Petrova told me about. It is an honor to be investigated.”
5
Dani Gana turned his back to Hannibal and led him into the house without looking back. It was an unexpected expression of trust. Hannibal followed Gana through the house, which looked bigger on the inside than it had from outside. Gana paused in the living room and stared into the fireplace as if trying to decide something. This gave Hannibal a chance to look around. He was admiring the shoji screens in the dining room when he noticed what
