“I know him,” she says. “I used to dance in his clubs. So what?”
“The four victims were executed.”
“What’s that mean?”
“I was at the crime scene,” brown suit says.
“So?”
“In the twenty-three years I’ve been on the force, this was the most professional hit I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh. Oh my!” Gwen says. Her face starts to flush. She actually looks at Callie and smiles. She’s proud of her girlfriend’s work.
“Did you just smile?” blue suit says.
“I sure did!”
He looks at me.
“She’s got a beautiful smile,” I say. “Don’t you agree?”
“Thanks, Mr. Cohen,” Gwen says, brightly.
Blue suit looks at Gwen. “Why would that comment make you smile?”
“Because it sounds like you might have a suspect. Carmine Porrello.”
“When’s the last time you saw Mr. Porrello?” blue suit says.
Gwen looks at me. For the first time, she appears nervous. We both know if they’re asking they already know the answer. I wonder if they’ve had a tail on Gwen and Callie. Then realize they’ve probably got surveillance on Carmine’s club.
“Answer truthfully,” I say. “If you saw him this afternoon, tell them.”
Both suits look at me, incredulously. But neither speaks.
Gwen says, “I saw Carmine this afternoon.”
“Where?” blue suit says.
“His place. The Top Six.”
“Why?”
Gwen locks eyes with me. “I wanted to ask him something.”
“What?”
“I asked if he knew who killed my husband.”
“And he said?”
“He said he didn’t know.”
Brown suit says, “What’d you expect him to say?”
Gwen looks at Brown suit with the most beguiling expression I’ve ever seen on a recently widowed woman and says, “Should I not have asked him?”
Both suits frown.
“Anything else boys?” I say.
After they leave, Callie says to Gwen, “Why did you meet Carmine Porrello today?”
26.
“Can we discuss this later?” Gwen says. She pauses a moment, then adds, “In private?”
Callie and I exchange a look.
I say, “Callie and I are a team, Gwen. Whatever happens, you’re not going to come between us.”
“Is that true, Callie?” Gwen says.
Callie says nothing.
To me, Gwen says, “She doesn’t need you, and I don’t need you. You know what you are?”
“Tell me.”
“A candy ass!”
I frown.
“Maybe you should put some oil around your ankles,” she says.
“Why’s that?”
“To keep the ants from getting to your candy ass!”
Gwen looks at Callie for approval.
Callie says, “Why did you meet Carmine Porrello today?”
“I wanted to ask him something.”
“Go on.”
Gwen looks at me again. “I wanted him to kill someone.”
“Who?” Callie says.
Gwen nods at me and says, “Donovan.”
Callie studies my face.
“You knew,” she says.
“I did. What I don’t know is why.”
We look at Gwen. Callie says, “Why?”
Gwen sighs. “It’s hard to explain.”
“Try,” I say.
She frowns at me. Then says, “I couldn’t choose between you.”
“What do you mean?” Callie says.
“I like you both. I mean, I like you better, Callie. You’re beautiful, you’re stable, you treat me great…”
“But?” Callie says.
“But today when I fucked Donovan, I felt terrible. Not at the time, of course, but…”
“Back up.” Callie says. “You fucked Creed today?”
She looks at me.
“It’s partly my fault,” I say.
“Partly?”
“Mostly.”
“So anyway,” Gwen says, “afterward, I felt terrible. I really like Donovan, but I decided today I love you.”
“Before or after you fucked him?”
“After.”
Callie looks at me. “I would’ve expected better from you.”
I shrug. “You had to be there.”
To Gwen, Callie says, “You love me?”
“I do.”
“How could I ever expect to trust you?”
“If Donovan dies, the problem goes away.”
Callie looks at me and says, “Why is it all your girlfriends want to kill you?”
I shrug. “Some don’t.”
“So far as you know.” She looks at Gwen. “We’re not killing Creed. Pack your things.”
I say, “Callie? She knows everything.”
Gwen says, “Wait. I would never tell!”
“The detectives aren’t done with this,” I say. “They might try to work on her.”
“What about my t-shirt business?” Gwen says.
“It might raise some eyebrows at the next board meeting if she turns up dead,” I say.
“They haven’t approved the reorganization yet though, right?” Callie says.
“True.”
Gwen starts backing up. “Can’t we just forget what happened today?”
“Which part?” Callie says.
“All of it. I want a do-over. No more Donovan. Just you, Callie. For ever and always.”
