Love Me Dead (Lilah Love 3)

“We’ll break it down in chunks and extract information as we go. It’s all a matter of homing in on what key information, and finding what matters in the middle of all the junk.”

“Do we have anything that matters right now? It sure as fuck doesn’t feel like it.”

“Agreed, which is why I’m doing this. And by the way, I’m now on your task force, extra motivated to put up with your crap by way of a big raise.”

“Oh, Fuck. I asked him to get someone else.”

He grunts. “Seriously, Lilah? Can you not just keep things to yourself?”

“I’m joking. Welcome to Team Love, otherwise known as Team Torture.”

“It’s hard to tell when you’re joking, Lilah.”

“It’s my smooth operator, undercover skills. Have someone on that new team of yours get me a list of hard-to-identify toxins, pronto.”

“Yes, Agent Love,” he says, all monotone and robot-like.

“You should be the submissive.”

He hangs up. I laugh and dial Jay. “Anything?”

“Lily went to work, stopped at Starbucks on the way there, and seems like a fairly normal person, but who am I to judge? I know people like you and Kane.”

“You’re just so fucking funny. What else?”

“We went into her apartment and it’s normal, too.”

“Was her bed made?”

“What?” he asks, and my gaze lifts as a familiar Hispanic woman in a waitress uniform appears behind the counter. Her eyes meet mine and recognition comes to both of us. She’s the guard from the morgue. I disconnect my call and stand up to approach her. She turns and starts running, turning into the kitchen. I try to lift the counter door, but it’s stuck. I go over the fucking thing and take a few plates and glasses with me, but fuck it. People scream. I carry on. I pull my gun and enter the kitchen to find two people in aprons looking terrified. “Where’d she go?”

They point to the back of the building, and I rush that way and down a hallway that exits to an alleyway. She’s not there. Gone. Vanished. But in the center of the walkway is something that looks to be pink. I frown and walk in that direction. I squat down and stare at the gift that was left for me. It’s a rubber pig. I understand the message that I don’t believe most would. It means that I’m proving as inconsequential as the pig. I’m not performing to standard. He might as well gut me and bleed me dry. Sirens sound in the background, and I sigh. Fuck. Now I have to deal with this bullshit. I bag the pig and shove it in the field bag that’s always at my hip.

The manager of the diner meets me at the door. A police cruiser pulls up, and the officers rush in our direction. I flash my badge. “Agent Love. Part of an ongoing investigation. Stand down.” I look at the manager. “Who was the woman I just chased?”

“Maria Mendez.”

At Kane’s surname, he has my attention; though, it is a common name. “I need her contact information and quickly.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I turn to the officers. “Tall, Hispanic female about one-fifty. Search the perimeter.”

They nod and take off. I meet the manager at the back door, and he hands me a piece of paper with the address on it. “She doesn’t have a phone.”

“How long has she worked here?”

“Six months. She’s a good employee. She has little kids.”

“Okay.” I use my manners again. I’m on a roll. “Thanks. Sorry for the mess.” I reach in my bag and hand him a few hundred dollars I keep for just such an occasion. “That’s for the coffee.”

His eyes go wide. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

I start walking. I know this city from my time with the NYPD. The address is only a few blocks away. I dial Kane. “How bad was it?”

“Do you know a woman named Maria Mendez, thirtyish, one hundred and fifty pounds, really good at making a bitch scowl?”

“That doesn’t ring a bell but we Mexicans love a surname a million deep. Why?”

“I’ll tell you later. I need to deal with this.”

“Roger?”

“No show.”

“That’s odd.”

“Yeah. It is, isn’t it? I need to go.” I hang up and scan the streets. I make the walk to Maria’s in five minutes, and I follow a tenant into the buzzer-driven door. I’m about to head up the stairs when Maria steps out from under the stairwell.

“I needed the money. I have kids. One of them is sick. He needs special breathing treatments, and I was desperate.” She starts to cry. “I got scared when I saw you, but I can’t run. I don’t want to run. My kids need me, though. They need me.” She sobs.

Fuck. I hate tears. “Tell me everything,” I say, a phrase that usually makes people think I know anyway. It works.

“He wanted me to pretend to be a guard and sneak in and take photos of a few medical reports.”

“He who?”

“Some reporter.” She hugs herself. “I don’t know what website. It was a website.”

“How did you meet him?”

“He came into the diner and heard me talking about my kid to a regular customer.”

“What did he look like?”

“He was early thirties, black, new fancy suit. He didn’t know, but he still had a tag on it. Didn’t give me a name.”

That wasn’t Umbrella Man. It was probably some guy he pulled off the street. This is all a setup. I was supposed to find her. I was supposed to find the pig. And if I walk away and leave this woman, he’ll kill her to torment me. It’s all a game. He’s making me chase my tail. “I don’t want you to stay here. I want you to go out of town. I’m sending someone to pick you up. I’ll pay for everything.”

“What about my job?”

“Is there someplace you want to live other than here?”

“Well, Colorado. I heard it’s cheap to live there.”

“Colorado it is. I’ll give you enough money to start over.”

“Really?”

“Really. Go pack. I’ll arrange it all.”

She throws her arms around me and hugs me. Tears and a hug, shoot me now. When I’m released, she takes off, and I step outside and call Jay. “No, she did not make her bed, and why is that important?”

“Habits define character, but right now, I have a situation.” I make the arrangements for Maria Mendez. I don’t think that last name is an accident. It’s a message I was meant to receive when I found Maria. She is nothing in the big picture. He’s telling me that Kane is nothing. He’s telling me that Kane can’t protect me, like I need Kane’s fucking protection.

That said, I still haven’t heard from Roger, an

d I’m now worried. Was Maria a distraction and Roger the target? I dial him again, and the line rings, and Roger picks up. “Sorry, Lilah. My damn subway stalled. It was hell down there. Are we still having coffee? I’m a few blocks away.”

We are most definitely not having coffee. “I’ll find you later.”

“I’ll meet you at the medical examiner’s office.”

Of course he will, because I just can’t escape this man or apparently the Umbrella Man. “Fine.” I disconnect, but I don’t start walking. Something niggles at me and then begins to claw. There is something right in front of my face that I’m missing. Something about this morning and these events. And what I miss, with this asshole, could cost a life.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

While walking to the medical examiner’s office, I dial Tic Tac. “I need that list of toxins.”

“I emailed it and included signs to look for that might indicate exposure.”

“Thanks,” I say, and I’m about to hang up but he isn’t done talking.

“Wait,” he says. “You said thanks?”

I don’t reply. I hang up and dial Kane. “Talk to me, beautiful.”

“That Maria Mendez situation. It was a message to me about you. I’ll spare you the details as to why I say that. He really might come at you, Kane.”

“We had this conversation. Let’s hope he does.”

“Stop being an arrogant asshole who thinks he’s invincible. A rival gang might not get to you, but this man, he’s different. He’s smart. He’s sneaky. He’s not what you expect. Take precautions. I’m not playing with you on this Kane. He likes toxins. That’s hard to defend.”

“He’s rattling you.”

“I don’t like when these things get personal. You’re personal.”

“Where are you right now?”

“A block from the medical examiner’s office. I’m meeting the new medical examiner on this case, and Roger is meeting me there.”

“Which explains your current state of mind. I’ll meet you there and take you to lunch.”

“No. I need to go to the station when this is done. I’ll grab something on my way. Just—be careful.”

“Lilah—”

I disconnect before he tries to coddle me and then I have to hurt him when I see him again. As it is, he’s putting me in a pink dress and making me see my father and Pocher tonight. I like the dress but not the bullshit political event that I have to attend wearing it. I bring the medical facility into view, and in a near afterthought, pause, pulling up the email from Roger about his case. I step to a wall next to a restaurant and quickly scan the details, finding it uneventful as it relates to my cases. Right now, I’m going to focus on this case, not tonight and not on Roger.