that’s what they’d expect me to do. It’s what they’d be counting on.
But I’d already looked in that direction and hadn’t seen anything to worry about. What was I missing? What was to the left of me that could possibly pose a threat?
The house.
Someone was probably inside the house, waiting to get a clear shot. She comes from the right, I move to my left, and bang.
White shirt time.
I waited another second until she was nearly on top of me, then ducked down and moved to my right and peered out from behind the rear bumper—then did a double-take.
It was Kathleen Gray.
“Donovan, what the hell are you up to?” she said, giving me just enough time to drop the gun into the trunk without her noticing. It would take a few seconds to gather myself and get my pulse back to normal. I took a deep breath and stood up.
“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she had to walk into mine,” I said.
She didn’t fall for the misdirection. “Is that a gun in your trunk? Jesus, Donovan! Really, what are you up to?”
“What do you mean?”
“I got a call from my friend at the burn center. Addie’s Aunt told her you were coming to look at the house. By the time I got Hazel on the phone, she was seconds away from calling the police! I told her she must have misunderstood your conversation, yet here you are.”
“Relax. I’m just checking the scene.”
“Excuse me? What are you, some kind of closet detective? What is it you’re looking for?”
“Arson.”
That threw her for a moment, made her pause. I said, “I spoke to Hazel because I wanted to see if anyone had set up a fund for Addie. I wanted to make a contribution.”
“Imagine your surprise when you learned her family won the lottery.”
“Yes, but then I found out the payments ended when her parents died, and now Hazel has changed her mind about adopting Addie.”
“What does all this have to do with arson?”
I lowered my voice and looked around to make sure no one else was lurking about. “It’s probably nothing,” I said. “But I know a guy who buys structured settlements. Then he kills the annuitant and keeps the money.”
She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “That sounds like a bad movie script,” she said.
“Uh huh.”
She shook her head. “Look, I know you’re some kind of muckymuck from the State Department or the CIA or Homeland Security or whatever. But this is Montclair, New Jersey, not Gotham City.”
I said nothing.
“You said you know this is happening. How do you know it’s true?”
“A couple of years ago, this same guy tried to hire me to do the killing.”
She looked startled for a moment. Then she burst into laughter. “Fine, so don’t tell me. Jesus, Donovan. You are so full of shit!”
She was wearing a burgundy patent tweed coat that showed her legs from the knees down. She had on textured panty hose that looked hotter than they sound, with burgundy ankle boots.
I said, “You heading back to work now?”
“What, and miss the big caper?”
I scanned the area around us again, knowing my time was running short. It wouldn’t be long before Chief Blaunert called Joe DeMeo, who might very well dispatch some thugs to kill me. I had to get Kathleen out of there, and quickly.
“You got any idea what soot will do to those boots?” I said.
“God, Donovan, you must date the girliest girls! I’ll just find a clean spot in there and watch you poke around, trying to impress me. Then you can take me to lunch.”
“Look,” I said, “I’ll make you a deal. You pick out a busy restaurant and go there now. I’ll get this done in twenty minutes and meet you there.”
She looked at me for what seemed like a long time before glancing at the house.
“Look at all the flowers and stuffed animals by the porch,” she said. “That’s so sad.” She paused a moment, thinking about it. “I know it’s only been a few weeks, but she’s so adorable. If anyone on earth deserves a mother’s love, it’s Addie.”
I nodded. “Pick a booth if they have one, and make sure my seat has a view of the main road.”
“Are you for real?”
“I am. And make sure I can see the restrooms and the kitchen from my side of the booth.”
She hesitated. For a second, I was afraid I’d frightened her. Then she shrugged and said, “You’re a lot of
