FBI Agent Rod Greenwald waited behind the wheel of his navy blue sedan while Nick wrapped his arms around Julie and said, “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
Even in the darkness, Nick could see the concern in her eyes.
“I know,” she said. “I just want you home and done with all of this . . .”
Nick searched for a way to comfort her, but she was being ushered home by an FBI agent, while another agent waited so he could protect her and Thomas. It was almost like being under house arrest.
“I promise to handle this quickly.”
“Nick, don’t do anything reckless, okay? I know this is personal, but please be careful.”
Nick escorted her to the car, opened the passenger door, then watched them drive away into the night. He stared at the rear lights until they turned the corner and disappeared. Once again Nick’s family had become a target, and that had to stop. It wasn’t fair. Julie and Thomas didn’t deserve the burden he placed on them.
He walked back to the porch and sat on the top step next to Matt while Tully stood behind them diligently guarding the residence.
A moment later, Tommy came out of the house with three Tuscano cigars. He handed one to Matt and Nick, then sat next to them on the porch. Three black suits in the dark.
Tommy lit his cigar with a Bic lighter, then handed it to Nick and looked over his shoulder. “Tully, we can hold down the fort for a while, why don’t you grab some coffee cake?”
The portly fellow didn’t hesitate at the offer and left the three of them puffing their cigars, the smoke curling above them in the chilly winter air.
“Where’ve you been?” Nick asked his cousin.
“Consoling Cara.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Matt quipped.
Nick elbowed his partner.
Tommy took a deep puff on his cigar, then gazed at it. “This was Sal’s favorite brand.”
Nick didn’t want to remind Tommy that he knew just as much about Sal as his cousin. He would allow Tommy to ruminate by himself.
“I just got off the phone with the Phoenix branch,” Nick said. “They have trace evidence that links the Chechens to the murders, but nothing that’ll hold up in court.”
“So now what?” Tommy asked.
Nick flicked an ash onto the cement walk. “We look for someone to flip.”
Matt shook his head. “I don’t think that’s happening.”
“We have to try,” Nick said.
“Sure,” Tommy said. “If we do everything by the book. But these guys don’t have the same boundaries we do. What we need is to find a weakness.”
They sat there puffing cigars when the door opened behind them. Cara stepped onto the walkway in front of them holding a paperback book.
She sniffed the air. “That smells like Pops.”
“Tuscanos,” Nick said.
“What’cha got there?” Tommy asked.
Cara held the book up. “My mom gave this to me this morning. Apparently, my dad told her to give it to me when he was gone. It’s a novel he wrote and had a copy printed. He told my mom I’d know what to do with it.” She glanced down at the book. “I’ve been reading it on and off all day.”
“He was a good writer,” Tommy said. “I’ve read all his short stories. Very creative. You either have it or you don’t. He had it.”
“He had talent,” she agreed.
“I didn’t realize he wrote a novel.” Nick said.
“Neither did I until this morning,” Cara said. She stood there in her black dress, one slender leg crossed in front of the other. “Do you want to know what it’s is about?”
“Love to,” Nick said, taking another puff.
“It’s about a Chechen businessman who runs a large finance company here in Phoenix. The guy started as a gangster back in Chechnya and uses his strong-arm tactics here in Arizona to force businesses to use his credit card.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“He recruits a henchman from his homeland to do his dirty work,” she said, glancing back and forth between the three of them. “Want to guess what the henchman’s occupation was back in Chechnya?”
All three of them spoke at the same time. “Gravedigger.”
She nodded. “This was no work of fiction. My father must’ve known Zelman was going to make a run at him and this was his way of getting back. He left some nice breadcrumbs for you to follow.”
Nick held out his hand. “Can I see that?”
Cara handed him the book.
Nick looked at the cover. Words from the Grave. He looked up at Cara expecting to see a fragility to her demeanor. Sunken cheeks. Swollen eyes. But that’s not what he saw. There was a brand new sentiment etched on her face. There was no trace of tears or melancholy. Just one emotion lingered in her eyes.
Revenge.