“Leave him out of this,” Anthony said with menace. “They never proved he did anything wrong.”
“You know how the Bureau works sometimes. They never publicized his case, but that doesn’t mean nothing was there.” She sighed like she knew she was wasting her time. “Something like that could cast a long shadow if you let it.”
“My father wasn’t on Bracato’s payroll,” he screamed.
“You’re right, he wasn’t on Bracato’s payroll. He was on Vincent Carlotti’s. A lot of evidence proves that. You can live in denial, but it won’t do you any good to fall into the same situation, even if you have good intentions.”
“Why are you doing this to me? This is my father you’re talking about like a common criminal.”
Annabel rested her crossed arms on the table and lowered her voice. “I’m not trying to humiliate you, but I’m still your boss and it’s still my job to protect you.”
His anger ratcheted and he jumped up and towered over her, but Annabel didn’t flinch. “You’re protecting me by tearing down my father? How convenient that he’s dead and can’t defend himself.”
“I’m protecting you by telling you not to accept a salary from Juan Luis, though I doubt he’d take you seriously if you offered to work for free. But if you go that route, you’ll be vulnerable because you’re dealing with a monster and you have no backup.” She stood and shook her head. “If we find stashes of cash in your accounts or in your possession when we’re done, don’t be surprised if we conclude it’s another case of ‘like father like son.’ Once that happens you’ll never throw off the suspicion.”
He took a step toward the door, knowing he could leave whenever he wanted, but he wasn’t ready. “And if people suspect you of something, it’s got to be true, right?”
“That’s Cain Casey’s argument, Anthony. You’re better than that.”
“Maybe she’s not completely full of shit. I consider myself warned, but you don’t own me or my time. If you think I’m doing something wrong, arrest me. If not, I’m leaving.” He stormed out without exchanging a word with anyone.
“It doesn’t look like that went well,” Shelby said when she joined Annabel.
“Something in him has changed, and I can’t reach him,” Annabel said. “I’d like to, though. We don’t need another person to watch, but that’s what we’re faced with.” She closed the door and made sure the monitors were off. “Meet with Mark Pearlman at DEA quietly and give him a rundown. That’s all we can do for now.”
“Something’s got to be driving him.”
“Until he decides to share that with me, my hands are tied.” Annabel stared at the closed door Anthony had walked through and sighed. Some days she wished she cut grass for a living. They were supposed to be the good guys, but after talking to Anthony and reading the report on Kyle, she knew those strict lines of right and wrong weren’t always so clear.
“On another subject,” Shelby said, sounding hesitant, “how did the investigation into Kyle’s murder ignore the mountain of evidence we had?”
“They only shared their findings with me, not their rationale. Kyle probably offered them more as a free man than a convict. Sometimes the higher-ups think it’s a good idea to bargain someone’s freedom for information.”
“That’s not fair. We put some work into that case.”
“No, it isn’t fair, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Shelby nodded. “What does it matter now? Kyle traded whatever he had, but last night wasn’t the outcome he expected.”
“Some would call it justice, though.”
“When they’re standing trial, I doubt they’ll feel so sanctimonious.”
Shelby said it, but Annabel could tell she wasn’t confident that would happen. If Cain had something to do with Kyle, one more secret would eventually be buried with her, because Casey gave new meaning to the strong, silent type.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“You need to breathe or you’re going to pass out,” Cain told Muriel. They were headed home since Cain knew Emma would be a wreck until she arrived.
“Hicks was serious, wasn’t she?” Muriel’s voice was low and tight, both signs that she was angry. “They were going to let that asshole go.”
“From what I understand, yes. Kyle was Giovanni’s flunky but he was smart enough to figure out his operation. He definitely had a unique insight into Giovanni’s dealings, since he was carrying out some of them himself. If Kyle ever got caught, he’d turn on him.” Unlike her cousin, Cain felt as relaxed as if they were talking about the weather.
“You knew, didn’t you? That’s why you went to visit him. You knew.”
“You’re upset right now, Muriel, and because you are I’ll try to explain something so we never need to have this conversation again. Somewhere in the building we just left, I’m positive, is a thick file containing a psychological workup labeling me a psychopath. A textbook example of a murderer so thirsty for blood I’ll prey on the innocent just to get my fix.”
When Muriel shook her head as if to disagree, Cain put her hand behind Muriel’s neck and squeezed. “Sometimes when I decide on a course of action, you don’t agree with it, but you never say anything.”
“That’s not my job,” Muriel said.
