He looks every bit as worn and defeated as his tone indicates. “You’ve told everyone .”
“Only the people in this room know, Roger.”
“And what we know is precious little,” Torres snaps.
Maitlan rubs his hand over his face. “Do any of you honestly think my son is still alive?”
“We have no reason to believe otherwise.” I tell him, and I believe it. “If this is about revenge, then Devlin has nothing against your son. It’s you she wants to hurt, right? If Robby was dead, she’d want you to know it, see you suffer.”
“An eye for an eye—a daughter for a son,” Zack says quietly.
Torres folds her arms in front of her chest. “Mr. Maitlan, I think it’s time you fill us in on everything you know.”
Maitlan looks to Zack.
Zack gives him a nod of encouragement. “It’s your story and it’s time to tell it. And Roger? Don’t leave anything out.”
Maitlan has gone upstairs to shower and change. We’re all sitting around the conference table turned command center. Bradley and O’Neill have been debriefed. Torres checks her watch. “I need to go to the hospital. Speak to Nguyen’s wife.”
“How is he?” I ask.
“Still in a comma,” she says.
Bradley winces. “Kids?”
“Three.” Torres slides on her coat. “The ATF has taken over the scene at the park. If there’s anything there to find, they’ll find it.”
“But will they find it in time?” asks O’Neill.
I turn my attention to the large screen, where there’s a photo of Eve, and rub my temples. I’m tired and hungry and frustrated. “Considering the distance between Maitlan and the café and the fact that it was only Maitlan who saw her, do you think we could get a warrant for surveillance? Obviously, she’s not working alone. Best-case scenario, we get evidence that she’s behind a sizable conspiracy. Minimally we can build a case for the host of other crimes being committed at Elysium.”
“You’re suggesting we bring in a tact team to plant bugs?” asks Bradley.
I shake my head. “Considering the timeline and the fact that we know Devlin has law enforcement in her pocket, I was thinking we’d handle it ourselves. If we could get a judge to sign off on a covert—”
“But which judge can we trust?” O’Neill asks.
Torres pulls a card out of her purse and slides it across the table in his direction. “This one.”
Zack picks it up. “Anita Lopez?”
Torres smiles. “My aunt. Now, you the rest of you can put your heads together and figure out how we’re going to get in and out.”
“That’s not going to be easy.” Maitlan is hovering in the doorway. Fresh from the shower, his hair still wet. You can’t just walk into Eve’s club. It’s private. Very private. You have to be sponsored by a member. And there’s a vetting process. Eve doesn’t take chances—she’s not about to risk everything because an undercover cop sneaks in and discovers she’s serving more than alcohol.”
“But her reputation for being able to satisfy customers is important to her.” I pause, collecting my thoughts. “What about her employees? Any way we could convince one of them to help?”
Maitlan pulls his wallet from his back pocket. In it, there’s a slip of paper. “Maybe. One of the girls slipped me this as I was leaving the last time. It’s her number. I haven’t called it. I chose a place like that for a reason. Attachments are not what I want.”
“Give it here.” I hold out my hand. “What’s her name?”
“She wrote Jennifer under the number,” he says nonchalantly. Then, “But I usually call her Mistress Darkness.” He pulls his hand back. The slip of paper is out of reach. “What are you going to ask her?”
“If she’s working, I’m going to offer her an obscene amount of money to get sick at the last minute and send me to Elysium in her stead—her BFF who just moved here from Los Angeles.”
“She always works Fridays. Starts at eight.” Maitlan pauses, looks me
“Only the people in this room know, Roger.”
“And what we know is precious little,” Torres snaps.
Maitlan rubs his hand over his face. “Do any of you honestly think my son is still alive?”
“We have no reason to believe otherwise.” I tell him, and I believe it. “If this is about revenge, then Devlin has nothing against your son. It’s you she wants to hurt, right? If Robby was dead, she’d want you to know it, see you suffer.”
“An eye for an eye—a daughter for a son,” Zack says quietly.
Torres folds her arms in front of her chest. “Mr. Maitlan, I think it’s time you fill us in on everything you know.”
Maitlan looks to Zack.
Zack gives him a nod of encouragement. “It’s your story and it’s time to tell it. And Roger? Don’t leave anything out.”
Maitlan has gone upstairs to shower and change. We’re all sitting around the conference table turned command center. Bradley and O’Neill have been debriefed. Torres checks her watch. “I need to go to the hospital. Speak to Nguyen’s wife.”
“How is he?” I ask.
“Still in a comma,” she says.
Bradley winces. “Kids?”
“Three.” Torres slides on her coat. “The ATF has taken over the scene at the park. If there’s anything there to find, they’ll find it.”
“But will they find it in time?” asks O’Neill.
I turn my attention to the large screen, where there’s a photo of Eve, and rub my temples. I’m tired and hungry and frustrated. “Considering the distance between Maitlan and the café and the fact that it was only Maitlan who saw her, do you think we could get a warrant for surveillance? Obviously, she’s not working alone. Best-case scenario, we get evidence that she’s behind a sizable conspiracy. Minimally we can build a case for the host of other crimes being committed at Elysium.”
“You’re suggesting we bring in a tact team to plant bugs?” asks Bradley.
I shake my head. “Considering the timeline and the fact that we know Devlin has law enforcement in her pocket, I was thinking we’d handle it ourselves. If we could get a judge to sign off on a covert—”
“But which judge can we trust?” O’Neill asks.
Torres pulls a card out of her purse and slides it across the table in his direction. “This one.”
Zack picks it up. “Anita Lopez?”
Torres smiles. “My aunt. Now, you the rest of you can put your heads together and figure out how we’re going to get in and out.”
“That’s not going to be easy.” Maitlan is hovering in the doorway. Fresh from the shower, his hair still wet. You can’t just walk into Eve’s club. It’s private. Very private. You have to be sponsored by a member. And there’s a vetting process. Eve doesn’t take chances—she’s not about to risk everything because an undercover cop sneaks in and discovers she’s serving more than alcohol.”
“But her reputation for being able to satisfy customers is important to her.” I pause, collecting my thoughts. “What about her employees? Any way we could convince one of them to help?”
Maitlan pulls his wallet from his back pocket. In it, there’s a slip of paper. “Maybe. One of the girls slipped me this as I was leaving the last time. It’s her number. I haven’t called it. I chose a place like that for a reason. Attachments are not what I want.”
“Give it here.” I hold out my hand. “What’s her name?”
“She wrote Jennifer under the number,” he says nonchalantly. Then, “But I usually call her Mistress Darkness.” He pulls his hand back. The slip of paper is out of reach. “What are you going to ask her?”
“If she’s working, I’m going to offer her an obscene amount of money to get sick at the last minute and send me to Elysium in her stead—her BFF who just moved here from Los Angeles.”
“She always works Fridays. Starts at eight.” Maitlan pauses, looks me
Similar Books
