Chapter Seventy-Two

 

Kevin Cernea looked at the videos and recognized immediately that he was looking at Vasile’s sideline work. The Florida project must be getting on then, but with a slight hitch. He was only on retainer for paperwork for Vasile and the occasional favor because of some connections back home. It made a nice bonus to the embassy job. Infinitely better than starving back in Bujiek. He even sent money back to relatives sometimes and had bought a retirement villa on the coast of the Black Sea for when he quit working one day. Vasile should be grateful for a tip.

 

Vasile slammed down the phone. Sergiu was losing control in Florida. That was too bad. They had so many things in place to make the new shipping line work, and he has to go and screw it up on the ground. It must be salvageable still. Surely one old woman with a tiny scratchy video couldn’t bring him down. He’d put so much money into it.

At first Vasile wanted to rant and scream, but he straightened his necktie. That was beneath him now. He smoothed back his shoulder length gray hair. He took a deep breath and dialed the phone.

“Don’t even lie to me, Sergiu.” Vasile picked up a Mont Blanc pen and spun it heatedly on the desktop.

He listened. At least the idiot already had a plan.

“Okay, when you meet them at the apartment tonight, you get them in the car and drive it yourself up here to my house.”

“I have to watch the shop and collect the money,” Sergiu complained.

“Don’t side step me. Get yourself and both those women in that car and drive. We need to talk in person, and I want Alina under my watch up here. Do as you’re told or you’ll be working the streets again. Kershaw can pick up the money, and you’re paying enough monkeys down there to watch the shop. Shoot the one in the head who was supposed to be watching the condo girls when Alina disappeared.”

Sergiu grunted. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Wait ’til you’re out of Florida to kill the old lady. We don’t need a crime scene down there. She’s been snooping around, so we don’t need anyone suspicious if there’s a big blood spot on the carpet or an old lady’s body in the intracoastal.”

“I know.”

“Why don’t you drop her in the bay when you cross the Chesapeake? That should be far enough from land and from Boca to keep any connections from coming back to our operation.”

“I know. I can do this job. I’ve got it handled.”

“Shut your mouth and remember where you came from and what you owe me. Do it my way.”

“Right. Okay.”