Our destination following the visit to Harland and Sinton had already been agreed. The Lizard would collect his van from Roger’s house and leave Boo and Roger to put the CBS van in the garage. The Lizard was to collect his own van and meet Holly, David, and me at his place. The Lizard said his house would be safest. Turns out, it wasn’t so safe after all. But that had more to do with the wildlife in the house than the firm.
I pulled in to a space outside a suburban residence in Queens, and the Lizard’s van parked behind me. Soon as we stopped I called the Lizard’s associate Frankie, whose people were watching the hotel Christine and Amy were holed up in. So far they were safe and there was no suspicious activity. And no men with neck tattoos.
The Lizard’s home looked more like a reptile house than a family home in the sleepy corner of Queens.
“Don’t go into the yard. Don’t even open the door,” said the Lizard, slowly, to everyone as they filed in through the front door. I remembered that out back the Lizard kept his most prized and highly illegal possessions—a pair of Komodo dragons that he called Bert and Ernie. Aside from personal protection, hits, and the occasional hot drop-off, the Lizard’s main role for the Italian Mafia was that of interrogator. If they needed somebody to talk, they brought him here. Usually a single look at Bert and Ernie was enough. Most of those guys didn’t catch on that the most lethal animal in that house was the Lizard himself.
Holly ate little and went to bed in the Lizard’s spare room. The Lizard stood in his kitchen, chopping a twenty-pound rack of pork belly and ribs into foot-long strips. When he was done, he went out back and locked the door from the outside.
Feeding time.
David left the plate in front of him untouched. Although he’d placed his laptop on the kitchen table, he had yet to open it. He sipped at yet another power drink and stared at a tank of tarantulas that the Lizard kept beside his toaster. I suddenly felt both sick and hungry. The Lizard had left a hero sandwich for me, which I unwrapped, cut in half, and placed on separate plates.
“You want some?” I asked, before taking a bite.
“You saved my life again tonight,” he said.
I shook my head.
“Boo and the Lizard saved all of us. I just hope it pays off.”
He drummed his fingers three times on the tabletop, adjusted the plate of sandwiches and pickles the Lizard had prepared, turning the plates through forty-five degrees. He took his time with the plate, making sure it was equidistant between his laptop and the edge of the table. When he was satisfied, he examined a pickle, before quickly replacing it and diving for the antibacterial wipes again.
“I’m going to trust you,” said David, handing me the USB drive. “Here,” he said. “Try for the deal. I know it’s a long shot. But there’s no reason your wife should be in danger. You can’t change what’s happened. I can. You can’t win this thing tomorrow. I know you’ll try; I understand that now. But quite frankly, there’s no reason your wife should suffer. Go on, take it.”
He wrote out a password code on a napkin. I folded the pen drive in the napkin, stood, and put my hand on David’s shoulder. He seemed to recoil a little and I gave him his space. I didn’t take it as a slight.
“Thank you, but I’m not going to give this to them unless you and Christine walk,” I said.
He nodded. “Eddie, I know you’ll do your best. I almost died twice today. I’m still here thanks to you. I won’t forget that.”
I dialed Dell’s number on the cell he’d given me.
“I’ve got what you need.”
“A guilty plea?”
“No, but I have the next best thing. I have the algorithm trace to access the money trail and the account number for the final deposit. Money lands just after four p.m. tomorrow, and I know exactly where it’s headed. That’s what you wanted, right?”
“Meet me at the St. Regis Hotel in half an hour.”
“No.”
Silence.
“What is this, Eddie? A shakedown?”
“Call it whatever you want. I have something you desperately need. I want something in exchange.”
“You want money?”
“I want four things. A private jet, fueled and ready at Teterboro Airport. One pilot. Bring a hundred grand in nonsequential, untampered bills and I’ll give you the pen drive. You’ll get the DA to withdraw all charges against David Child and an immunity agreement for my wife. My wife and daughter are going to fly the hell out of here, and when I get a call to tell me the plane has landed, I’ll give you the password for the algo trace.”
Even though he muffled the microphone I could tell he was talking to somebody else in the room, relaying the information.
“I’ll need two hours. You got a deal,” he said.
I hung up, turned to David, and said, “We’re on. I’ve got just enough time to meet Langhiemer before I have to hit the airport.”
“I’m surprised he’s agreed to meet you.”
“It’s certainly interesting. Either he has nothing to do with Clara’s death and just wants to gloat—or he’s involved and wants to find out how much of the setup we’ve been able to figure out. Either way, once I meet him I’ll know.”