I looked at Al, then Tony. “When…”
Tony shook his head. “Just before joining the Army, I did a few things with the Sheriff’s Department around here. Al was my handler, and we had us some wild times, didn’t we?”
Al chuckled. “I was surprised they let a kid go undercover on the stuff we were doing. Until you told me how old you were.”
“And also the fact I was working off a car theft charge. But that’s water under the bridge,” Tony said. “What’s going on with you now?”
“I retired from the County, and got the FBI to pick me up for admin work. Thought I’d put in a few more years and get a federal pension along with the county one.”
“So what brings you here?” I asked.
Leaning both elbows on the table, he stared at me. “My present boss knows my background. Even though he doesn’t fully agree with Hilyard on this, he wanted me to get the lowdown. Knows I’m halfway proficient at lookin’ into things.”
Alice silently entered the room, dropped a thick file in front of me and left. I handed it to Al. “Here’s a copy of what we were doing in Charlotte, and how I became involved with some of the criminal elements back there. And how it tracked back to here.”
He chuckled, reached out and turned off the intercom. “Good. Like you guys already. Nice and efficient. But maybe we shouldn’t record anything we say from this point forward, okay?”
I glanced at Tony, and back to him. “Okay with me.”
He eyed the file. “This got the info about Marianne in it?” At my nod, he continued. “It just so happened that I got another report before comin’ over here. They found eight dead guys twenty blocks from here. Some of them worked for her.”
I raised my eyebrows. “And?”
And it just so happens at the same time they were dyin’, her house burnt down. With her in it, from all accounts.”
I shook my head, trying to look sad. “Too bad. Some kind of accident?”
His eyes gleamed with suppressed humor. “Probably not. Too many bullet holes in the corpses.”
Tony stood. “C’mon, we’ll give you a tour of the place. I think you’ll be impressed with our security system.”
“Y’read my mind,” he said, coming to his feet.
Forty-five minutes later, we were on the front sidewalk saying our goodbyes. He handed me a broken pair of glasses. “Interestingly enough, one of the guys who died so mysteriously last night was missing his glasses. Y’could see the creases on his temples. Searched the vehicle he was in, too. But no luck so far.” He turned to Tony. “Hope that ass heals up okay. It’s a bitch when you stick your own screwdriver in it.”
I struggled not to laugh. “Uh–been nice meeting you, Agent Browder.”
“Likewise.” He turned away, then back. “Oh, and by the way. Tell Marty he can quit trying to hide from me. I forgave him a long time ago.”
I watched him stroll away, a smile building. “Okay, I’ll bite. What’d Marty do?”
Before he spoke, Nate strode out of the building, followed by Dave. “Tanks are taken care of. Anything else come up while we were gone?”
Tony’s smile grew wider than mine. “Only a visit from an old friend. Looks like we might, just might be in the clear after all. Oh, and go tell Marty the cop whose vehicle he stole when we were young and foolish remembers him and is gonna get even.”
By next afternoon I’d resigned myself to the fact we weren’t going to find Willie anytime soon. All our contacts said the same thing: he’d dropped off everyone’s radar. I checked my watch. Even with the three hour time difference, Lenny wouldn’t be at dinner yet. Good time to update her. I reached for the phone and began punching in numbers.
“H’lo?”
Her quiet voice sent shivers down my back. “Lenny? This is Francis. Thought I’d better call and update you.”
“Update?–um–Oh, sure. Sorry, I’m a bit fuzzy. Just waking up from a nap.”
I hesitated, aching to see her face. She sounded different. I shrugged it off. “We had a little excitement last night. Someone tried to break in our office, but I guess the security system we use was too tough for them. Plus, somehow all of Crosby’s gang were found dead. You should get the information today, since…”
“Mike sent me a copy of the police report. Said he didn’t trust strange happenings around you guys. Especially when they benefitted you.”
“Yeah, well, he also had the local FBI send out a person to quiz us on what happened.”
“He said Al would be paying you a visit. He show up yet? Tell him Lenny sends her love when he does.”
What the heck? I tried to keep the surprise from my voice. “Sorry, you just missed him. Seems like everyone but me knows him.”
A quiet chuckle worked its way down the phone line. “Is that a hint of jealousy I hear? And we’ve just met!”
My breathing quickened. “Which brings up the main reason I called,” I said, surprising myself. “Would you object if I came calling after this is all over?”
“Wha-What did you just say?”
“I was wondering if you’d mind my courting you?”
“Um–Francis, normally I’d be thrilled. Under the circumstances, it might not be such a good idea.”
“You mean your medical condition?” I stood and began slowly pacing.
“Yes, especially since the condition doesn’t want to go away. The doctor hasn’t said permanent damage yet, but he doesn’t have to. I can feel it in my brain.”
I stopped pacing and took a deep breath. “Even though I find your intelligence attractive and desirable, that isn’t what I want to kiss.”
This earned another moment of silence before she could speak. “What do you mean?”
“Just lean back and listen to what I mean.” I started at the top of her head, kissing her light brown hair, down the nape of her neck, around to her luscious lips. After addressing each ear, I kissed my way down her body,
