“Just using language you’ll understand.” Cassie yanked her head toward Greene. “Simon’s an attorney. Tommy Finley’s attorney in fact,” Cassie said. “The one that’s kept him out of jail all these years.”
“She never misses an opportunity to jab me about it.”
“You’re lucky I haven’t jabbed you with a sharp stick.”
Greene smiled. “That would be police brutality.”
Cassie raised an eyebrow. “I’d take off my badge first.” She smiled. “So it’d simply be a civil issue.”
“You see what I have to put up with?” Greene said. “And we’re not even in a courtroom.” He glanced at his watch. A gold Rolex. “Speaking of court.” He nodded. “Nice meeting you both.” Another nod. “Cassie.” He lifted his briefcase and the folded newspaper, tucking it beneath one arm, and he was gone.
“That was weird,” Harper said. She spoke softly but apparently not softly enough.
“What was?” Cassie asked.
“He reminds me of someone we knew when we were kids.”
“A family friend?”
“More a client,” Cain said. He looked at Harper.
“Of our Uncle Mo’s,” Harper added. “Handsome guy.”
“He is,” Cassie said. “If you don’t believe it, just ask him.”
“Yeah, I know the type,” Harper said.
“He seemed nice enough to me,” Cain said.
“Of course he did,” Harper said. “You’re a guy.” She punched his arm, laughed.
“He’s not all that nice,” Cassie said. “He’s a defense attorney, which makes him more reptile than mammal.”
“He likes you,” Harper said.
Cassie’s brow furrowed. “How do you figure that?”
“Eyes, facial expression, body language. A few other tells.”
“You conducting PsyOps here?”
Harper smiled. “Always.”
“The truth is that Simon and I go way back. I was his senior prom date. My sophomore year.”
“See, you make a cute couple,” Harper said.
“I was his second choice. Marla Jackson was his first.”
“Ouch.”
Cassie smiled. “Back then, yeah. Now, not so much.”
“There’s a story there,” Cain said.
“Mostly he keeps pursuing and I keep stiff arming.”
CHAPTER 39
Earlier, after she had scored from Jason, Marla had hidden among the trees in the park. She found a spot, shielded by the sagging branches of a pine, from which she could see the black SUV. Where was Jason? Still beneath the tree where she had exchanged her forty bucks for the drugs that were now secreted in her backpack? Had he seen the SUV? More importantly, were the killers inside, hidden behind the tinted windows? Had they come to kill Jason? Or her? As she watched, the SUV sat, unmoving, like some mechanical creature. When the doors finally opened, she recognized the people who got out. Those two investigators who were looking for Dr. Buck. The ones who had bought her food.
She realized she’d been holding her breath and now exhaled sharply. Thank God it was them and not the pair that grabbed Dr. Buck. She never wanted to see them again but these two had seemed nice.
She crept forward toward the edge of the trees and watched the couple approach Jason. The conversation that followed seemed tense; the couple in charge, Jason appearing cowed. She felt good about that. Jason was an ass after all. But what was going on? What were they pressuring him about? Did Jason even know Dr. Buck? Did he have anything to do with his disappearance? Surely not.
But she couldn’t think on that. Not when she needed to get well. She had melted deeper into the trees, settled against a tree trunk, spiked herself with a fix, and let the world fade away.
Now, back down to ground level, Marla ambled up Main Street, the afterglow of the smack still warming her veins. She collected a few bucks here and there before she ran into Jason. He came from the alley he often used for business. She stopped. Should she ask about what she had seen in the park? Curiosity ate at her, but she decided to wait and see if he would bring it up.
He did. “Those two people looking for the doctor harassed me in the park,” he said.
“About what?”
“Everything. What happened with Tommy and his family. Mr. Shaffer.” He looked at his shoes. “Like they thought I had something to do with it.”
“Did you?” Marla asked.
“Fuck you, bitch.” His eyes narrowed. “I don’t know anything about it.”
“Okay. Don’t get all agro on me.”
“But they think I know something. They also think that the whole thing was over drugs. Tommy and me selling. They think they’ll reach out to me.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Maybe so I can take over for Tommy.”
“Would you do that? I mean, after what happened?”
He gave a head shake. “I don’t know. They might not be none too happy if I don’t.”
“Couldn’t you just say no? That you’re quitting the business?”
She immediately regretted putting that idea in his head. If he did walk away, what would she do? He was now her only supply. Could she find another one? Who? Where? Why was this happening to her?
“Maybe,” Jason said. “Or maybe they wouldn’t accept that.”
Marla considered that. Not that she felt sorry for Jason, but if he was in a bind she was too. “Where’re you headed now?”
“Over to see the chief.”
“Cassie? Why?”
“She wants to talk to me again. I already told her I didn’t know anything but she wants to talk.”
Was he lying? Something about his expression, his stance, his eyes darting away from her, suggested guilt. Did he kill Tommy and his family? Somehow she didn’t think Jason had the balls for that. But could he have been involved on some level? He and Tommy worked together. She wasn’t stupid. She knew drug dealers got killed all the time. And that’s what Tommy and Jason were. Dealers.
“Is that true?” she asked. “You don’t know who did this?”
“Why would you ask me that? You know I don’t know nothing about it.”
She shifted her backpack to a better position on her shoulder. “You and Tommy work together. I just thought…maybe…”
“Well, think something else. I don’t know who or why or anything. Okay?”
“You never made any of the buys?”
“Tommy handled all that. I never met the guys who brought it over. That satisfy you?”
“I’m sorry. I was just
