The Jealous Kind (Holland Family Saga 2)

He looked straight ahead, widening his eyes in mock dismay. “I’ll have a run at it another way. Hopkins has the same fascist politics as your metal-shop teacher. He also has chewing tobacco for brains. Put that together with his background in Galveston and you have your answer.” He bit into his sandwich.

“I’m lost.”

“Jesus.” He put down his sandwich. “There’s a fortune going out of Galveston to the casinos and hotels in Vegas and Reno. The greaseballs are becoming respectable. Clint Harrelson is a big player, but he’s not going to keep financing greaseballs till they clean up the mess you started. The issue is the dead Mexican girl. Did you kill her?”

“No, of course not.”

“If you didn’t, who did?”

“Grady Harrelson and his friends?”

“I knew you’d work it out.”

“I saw Grady at my church. He went into the confessional. He’s not a Catholic.”

Jenks had started in on his sandwich again. He replaced it on the plate. “He told you something?”

“Not directly. He was afraid the priest would inform on him.”

“What’d you tell him?”

“The confession is sealed, whether the person is Catholic or not,” I said.

“Tell me exactly what Grady Harrelson said to you.”

I told Jenks every detail I could remember. He was shaking his head before I finished. “That’s not going to do it.”

“I think he was admitting he killed the girl,” I said.

His sleeves were rolled, his coat folded on the counter. He pinched his temples. I could see the tattoo of the red parachute on his arm, a green vein running through it.

“My girlfriend said you and her father were in the OSS together,” I said.

“What’s your girlfriend’s name?”

“Valerie Epstein.”

I saw the recognition in his eyes. “Her father is Goldie Epstein?”

“I don’t know his first name. She’s right? You were i

n the OSS?”

He stared into space, his thumb working up and down on the shaft of the spoon.

“Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

“What’s Mr. Epstein’s attitude on all this?”

“I know he doesn’t like Grady Harrelson’s father. He told Mr. Harrelson that he’d kill him if Mr. Harrelson tried to hurt Valerie or him.”

“Those were his words?”

“Yes, sir.”

Jenks picked up his coffee cup but didn’t drink from it.

“You think Mr. Epstein was exaggerating?” I said.