I SPENT A LOT of the next day on the phone. I did not tell Spike what I was planning. I knew I could not tell Richie. I briefly thought about running it all by Jesse Stone, but suspected he would try to talk me out of it, too.
Even if I was right, I still needed help.
Just not theirs.
This had to be my show now. I was the one who had put a target on two women, whether I’d meant to or not. I was the one who had to make things right. In the world of bad men and fuckery, I was the one who had to be in charge tonight.
A little after six, I finally called Jake Rosen and told him to meet me at the brownstone Tony and Lisa had shared.
“I got him,” I said.
“Tony?” he said.
“Yeah,” I said.
“You’re telling me you beat me to him?” he said.
“Pretty sure,” I said.
“On my way,” he said.
I LEFT THE front door open for him. I was in the living room, where I’d met Tony the night after he’d hired me. It really hadn’t been that long ago, but it already felt like last year, just because so much had happened since. Callie and Lisa and Paradise. Harvard Stadium and Santarpio’s. Natalie and Olivia and Gabriel Jabari né Lister. A listening device under my own kitchen table.
And having spent five minutes, tops, with Lisa Morneau.
I heard the door open and close and then Jake was with me in the living room, looking around approvingly.
“Nice crib,” he said.
“You bet,” I said.
“This was their love nest?” he said.
“Apparently so,” I said.
I motioned for him to sit down. He took the couch, then grinned and patted the area next to him. “Plenty of room next to me,” he said.
“You don’t give up,” I said.
“Like Churchill said,” Rosen said. “Nev-ah surrend-ah.”
I took the chair across from him.
“You really got Tony?” he said.
“What I’ve got,” I said, “is a bunch of pearls I think I can make into a necklace, with your help.”
“I occasionally forget you were a fine arts major,” he said.
“The finest,” I said. “Now here I am with one of Boston’s finest.”
“Just not the way he wants you to be with him,” Rosen said.
“Nev-ah surrend-ah,” I said.
“But that’s not why we’re here,” he said.
“Nah,” I said.
“You’re telling me Tony killed her even though he loved her?” he said.
“Tony did love her,” I said. “He just didn’t trust her enough. But then he doesn’t trust anybody.” I shrugged. “Part of being Tony.”
“Not following,” Rosen said. “What does that have to do with him killing her?”
“He didn’t kill her,” I said. “But I’m pretty sure you did.”