One to Protect (One to Hold 3)

Patrick and I exchange a glance before we follow her over to the bar, where she’s now dabbing her eyes with the small napkins.

“And a whiskey.”

Lylah is quick to set her up.

We’re all waiting for an explanation, but we don’t get it until after she’s shot the brown liquid and glanced at the paper once more. Her voice is husky. “He killed her?”

Carefully, I answer. “I’m almost certain he did.”

Patrick puts a hand on her shoulder. “Did you know Jessica Black?”

She pushes a bitter laugh through her lips and shakes her head no. “When I knew her, she was Tiffany Cedric. She was just a kid working in Myrtle Beach, thinking she could pick up some cash as an escort. An escort, as you say.” She takes another long drag and taps the shot glass. Lylah’s quick to hook her up. “She wanted me to show her the ropes. Thought she’d put herself through college and then walk away.”

She sips the second shot then slowly turns and carries it back to the booth where we started. Patrick and I follow.

Toni’s shoulders are hunched as she slides into the seat. This time Patrick is on the outside. “When’s the last time you talked to her?”

She sniffs and pours the remainder of the whiskey into the thick, white mug. “Don’t remember… more than a year ago. She was so proud she got in at State, a scholarship even. But it wasn’t enough. She couldn’t pay all her bills.”

Patrick’s brow is lined, and I know he’s trying as cautiously as possible to see if there’s anything here we can use. “Is that all you know?”

She circles the mug with a finger, holding her cigarette away from the table. “I got arrested in Myrtle Beach and moved back here. We lost touch, but one of the other girls kept up with her. Last I heard she’d met a daddy.”

I’m not certain I understand. “A daddy?”

“A sugar daddy, a rich old guy. They said Tiffany followed him wherever he went.” Her voice drops. “They said he liked it rough—bondage, strangling…” She takes another deep drag and exhales the blue smoke. “I guess she liked it that way, too.”

For a few moments, we’re quiet. Toni’s studying the sheet; I expect she’s thinking about her dead friend. I’m thinking about how betrayed Melissa felt when she discovered her husband was cheating. I wonder if she knows the extent of his private practices.

Toni breaks our reverie, and her voice has a hard edge that I confess is pretty powerful. “I’ll do your fucking job. I’ll help you get the fucker who hurt her.”

“We’ll need to work out a timeline.” Patrick is focused, in closer-mode. “He’s not in Baltimore at the moment—”

“Probably looking for a new girl.” It’s a bitter retort, and I can tell Toni’s going to do a good job for us. She’s got a dog in this fight now. Just like me.

Patrick continues. “When he gets back to Baltimore, we’ll work out a chance encounter. Maybe you can meet him at a bar.”

Reaching into his jacket a second time, my partner takes out a white, business-sized envelope that’s thick with bills. He pulls out ten Benjis and slides them across the table. “You’ll get the rest when we settle up.”

She picks up the money and folds it, slip

ping it into her bra. Classy. “You have my number.”

And just like that. The plan to capture Sloan is set in motion.

Patrick drops me off at Melissa’s beach cottage, and we discuss heading back to Baltimore for the next—however long it takes. On the road I’d gotten confirmation that Sloan is back in Maryland. It’s time for us to act, but we need to scout out a secure hotel for Toni that’s inconspicuous and somewhat high-end. We also need to be able to be in the next room or somehow in close proximity to where she’ll be.

“I’ll look for two extra rooms wherever we put Toni,” he says. “Will Melissa come with you?”

“No.” I’m standing outside the car, talking to him through the window. “I don’t want her there, and I’m sure she doesn’t want to be there.”

“You might run that past her before deciding.” He looks out the windshield, away from me. “Melissa’s tough. She might surprise you with what she wants.”

“She wants to put all of this behind her, and as much as I hate leaving her here alone, at least her mother and Elaine are nearby. We’ll be watching Sloan.”

He glances back. “Elaine might be with me.”

That’s not what I want to hear. “What about school?”