As soon as she entered the park, she saw the man she needed to speak to sitting on a bench as far away from the parking lot as possible. She casually strolled toward him so she wouldn’t draw attention to herself and to let the man know she was in no hurry. He had an inflated view of himself. Many men in his position did.

Alex walked past him, feeling his eyes all over her, then sat on the far end of the bench. She didn’t say anything.

He was a well-dressed, extremely handsome thirty-five-year-old with a trim body. His Tommy Hilfiger shirt was clearly his attempt to look casual, but he looked like someone out of a catalog. She would’ve used him in an ad that called for a father and son.

The man simply said, “Alex, nice to see you. I occasionally forget that you could be a model as well as a photographer.”

She took a moment and said, “What brings you all the way from Mexico City?”

“Business. Always business. As long as Colombia controls the transportation and access to our product, I will make a dozen trips a year to your lovely country.”

Alex couldn’t get a sense of what Oscar was thinking. She suspected he was annoyed that she had not completed her contracts in New York. But he showed no sign of it. A wealthy man like him, who enjoyed getting his hands dirty occasionally, knew how to hide his emotions.

Finally Oscar said, “Some of the Canadians on your list are back in New York. And Detective Michael Bennett is alive. I believe my text to you covered that fully.”

“Yes. And I’ve considered the contract carefully. Isn’t it dangerous for your operation to kill a New York City detective?”

“This has more of a personal element in it.”

“Such as?”

“Does it matter? You’ve already been paid half up front to eliminate him. You need a reason to collect the other half?”

Alex gave him a careful smile. “I was just curious. It won’t be an easy job to complete. Bennett has proved quite resourceful.”

Oscar slowly bobbed his head. “Don’t get me wrong—I agree with you. But I am only a cog in a big organization. I am the liaison to you and several others. But I heard from some of my associates that Detective Bennett shot and killed a young man in a library not too long ago.”

“Sometimes police have to do things like that.”

“But this young man worked for us. His mother is related to someone higher up in the cartel. Apparently she asked for us to deal with the cop who shot her son, Diego. It’s really a matter of honor. But none of that should concern you. All you need to worry about is that Bennett needs to die. The sooner the better.”

“I agree. I will head back to New York in a few days. I’m still in contact with some of the Dominicans I used for the ambush.”

“Did they prove reliable enough for you to use them again?”

“They screwed up the first time, but they have a certain reputation to uphold as well. Besides, they’re expendable. That’s why I pay them so well.”

Oscar smoothed his dark hair and said, “That’s funny. That’s the same way we feel about you.”

Chapter 32

So far, I wasn’t impressed with Juliana’s new career. It felt like my daughter was using it as an excuse to distance herself from the family. Her stage name was only part of the puzzle. She was spending a lot less time at home and barely spoke when she was there.

I took another ride into Brooklyn and strolled onto the set.

A cameraman nodded to me as I walked past. Although no one had paid me any attention the first time I visited, it was clear that everyone knew who I was. I kept my sport coat on, covering my pistol this time. There was no sense in being obnoxious.

I saw a chair with a sign that said JULES BAEZ. It made me cringe, but there was nothing I could do about it.

I heard a loud voice yell, “Quiet on the set.” Someone else made another announcement, then slammed the handle down on a board indicating what scene they were working on. It was just like I had seen in movies. Even for me, it was kind of exciting.

Then I saw my little girl turn toward a tall, handsome young man. Two cameras were close to them as they filmed what looked to be a tender scene. Now that I saw how professional the production was, despite the cheesy studio, I felt better.

I watched as Juliana and the young man did a quiet scene where he told her about his dream to be on Broadway. This was not a show I’d watch if my daughter wasn’t in it.

The scene ended.

The director yelled, “Cut. That was perfect.”

Tags: James Patterson Michael Bennett Mystery
Source: readsnovelonline.net