Deadline for Lenny Stern by Peter Marabell (beautiful books to read TXT) 📕

Did you pick up anyone?”

Tina sat up straight. “I’m not sure that’s …”

“Tina,” I said. “We’re not prying into your personal life, but we need to know about last night. That’s why Henri asked. Somebody knew you and Kate were there.”

She turned my way. “You think we were followed?”

“It wasn’t a coincidence, Tina.”

“But why Kate?” she demanded, the tears coming again. “Why not me?”

“I don’t know.”

“Tina.” It was Henri. “Did you talk to anyone while you were there?”

She was quiet for a moment.

“There was one guy, kind of cute.”

“Tell us.”

Tina described the man — older, business dress, expensive haircut. Obviously not one of the tough-guy teenagers who tried to scare us in the parking lot.

“I had another glass of wine,” she said. “I could walk.”

“To the Perry?” Henri said.

Tina nodded. “I walked Kate to her car, it was across the street from the bar.”

“Did you see her drive away?”

“The police asked me that, too … I didn’t look back. Don’t know why. I just … went to my hotel and climbed into bed.”

“Until the police woke you up this morning?”

“Uh-huh.”

We talked a while longer, took from Kate what we thought might help, which wasn’t much.

“Henri’s going to keep an eye on you,” I said. “The hotel isn’t the best place anymore.”

“You haven’t talked to AJ, have you?”

I shook my head. “No, why?”

“I’m staying with her as long as the book tour’s in town.”

“You are?”

She nodded. “We talked about it this morning. She said it would be okay with you.”

“It’s a great idea.”

“I’ll ride back and forth to the office with her.”

“I’ll take it from there,” Henri said. “You’re with Lenny and me most of the time anyway.”

Tina gently rubbed her eyes.

“Is there anything else?” she said. “I need to talk with Charles before he leaves for Chicago.”

“Not right now. Thanks,” I said.

“Okay,” she said, and went back inside.

Henri and I sat for a few minutes. The sun was almost too warm. We’d have to retreat into air conditioning sooner rather than later.

AJ’s Explorer pulled up to the curb across the street. She got out and walked over.

“Have you seen Tina?”

“Inside. She’ll be safer staying with you. Good idea.”

“I thought so, too,” AJ said in a matter-of-fact way, and entered the building.

“Okay,” Henri said. “We’ve talked with Tina. Let’s see what Lenny has to say.”

We found him right where we left him, sitting in Maury’s office.

“Maury had a meeting,” Lenny said. “He said we could use his office.”

Henri and I took seats at the table.

“I suppose you want my take on last night?”

I nodded. “Go ahead.”

He shrugged. “I have no take on last night. Henri made sure I got home after we left Chandler’s.”

Henri nodded as Lenny talked.

“I locked the door, and that was that.”

“Nothing?” I said. “No calls, nothing?”

He shook his head. “Until Henri called early, said he was on his way over. Told me to stay inside, away from the windows.”

“I checked the yard when I got there,” Henri said. “All clear. We drove two cars over here.”

“I’ve been in the building all morning.”

Lenny sat back in the chair and tugged on his right earlobe. “She was just a kid,” he said, glancing at Henri first, then me. “She was smart, I knew that first time we met. She knew how to handle the book, you know, the edits, the changes, all of it. She was just a kid. Why kill her?”

“Thought you might have an idea about that,” I said, but Lenny seemed lost in the violence of the night.

“I know why they’re pissed at me … I nailed their asses, got the evidence to back it up. Why Kate? I wrote the goddamn book.”

Lenny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Look, I’m on deadline. I’ll be at my desk.” He glanced at each of us. “Okay?”

“Sure,” I said as Lenny eased himself out of the chair and left the room.

Henri and I sat quietly for a moment.

“What’s next?” Henri said.

“Joey DeMio’s next. Like Fleener said, we should start with the man himself.”

“Fleener might not like it if you talk to him first.”

“We ask different questions.”

“Which means you don’t care if Fleener likes it or not.”

I shrugged.

“I’m not sure anymore,” Henri said.

“If DeMio’s behind this?”

“Yeah, but it’s time we found out.”

17

“You think it’s smart to go over there alone?” Henri said. He sat on the couch in my apartment, feet on the coffee table, hands clasped behind his head. I’d taken a shower, dressed in khakis, a short-sleeved shirt and beat-up Brooks running shoes.

“I’ll go in easy,” I said, taking a bite out of a large, red McIntosh apple. “Just to talk. See what Joey has to say.”

“Okay, but Joey’s not going to just say, ‘Yeah, I killed Stern’s editor.’”

“He won’t have to. His reaction will tell me all I need to know.”

“It’s not his reaction I’m worried about,” Henri said. “His gunmen, on the other hand …”

I shook my head. “I’m not going to threaten the man, Henri. Said I’d go in easy. Ristorante Enzo’s a public place, lots of people around.”

I finished off the last of the apple. “First, I need to find out when Joey’ll be there.”

“He’s at Enzo now,” Henri said. “Table in the back corner of the room.”

“Sure about that?”

Henri nodded. “Made a couple of calls while you were in the shower.”

“Of course you did. He alone?”

Henri shook his head. “Not alone, but neither Rosato nor Cicci are there.”

“He’s without his favorite gunmen?”

“Hard to believe, isn’t it,” Henri said, looking disappointed. He’d been needling those two for years, and seldom passed up an opportunity.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “Joey doesn’t move without cover. You don’t suppose he’s trying to go legit with this move to Petoskey?”

Henri laughed. “Joey’s probably washing dirty money along with the dirty dishes.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me.”

“You’ll carry your .38?”

“No. Probably be searched. Better to do this clean.”

“Don’t know about you, Russo.”

Henri paused. “When you going?”

“Don’t see any point waiting. Sooner we rule Joey in, the better.”

“Unless we rule him out,” Henri said, dropping his feet