Reckoning (Wolfes of Manhattan 5)

“You make sure all your assets are liquid,” Riley said.

“Which he didn’t do,” I mused.

“But,” Riley said, “the phone call to Rock’s landline happened three weeks before the murder. So we know my father had something in the works at that time. Would he have been able to get everything together in three weeks?”

I shook my head. “Most likely not, but he could have started before then. Way before then. The date of the phone call must be significant. But why? What would or could Rock have done if he actually got that phone call?”

“I don’t know,” Riley said.

“I do,” I continued. “Rock would have said good riddance. He hated Derek.”

“Then why make the phone call?” Riley asked.

“I think it’s like Rock said. To create a motive for Reid. And also maybe for Rock. But why that particular timing?”

“If we can figure that out, we might be able to piece this thing together,” Matt said. “And we might be able to find the stone he left unturned.”

15

Reid

My Zee.

Where was she?

What was happening to her?

Images swirled through my mind of all the dozens of things that Father Jim’s degenerates could be doing to her at this very moment.

“We’re not doing enough,” I said to Rock as we walked through the rose gardens with Amos to the parsonage on the property where Jim lived.

“I feel the same way,” Rock agreed. “But without—”

“Nieves,” I interrupted. “You have to get your ex to talk. I don’t care what you have to do.”

He nodded. “I know. I don’t care either, and I’m ready to do what needs to be done. If anyone is spending life behind bars, it’s going to be me, not Lacey.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“Yeah, you did.” He paused a moment. “And I agree with you. One thing’s for sure, though. If I do spend my life behind bars, I’m damned well going to be guilty of the crime.”

I nodded. “Yeah, bro. Me too. We’ll be the billionaire jailbirds. I’ll do anything for Zee.”

“As I will for Lace. We got this.”

Amos walked silently ahead of us, saying nothing. Surely he heard every word we said. I didn’t care. I was done caring about anything other than Zee. Zee and my family. If I had to go down to protect her, I would. No questions asked.

I tried to bomb the images out of my mind, but try as I might, they wouldn’t erase.

All I saw were vivid pictures of my beautiful Zee being violated, mutilated…

Killed.

I had to find her. I had to find her before the worst thing happened.

I followed Amos up the walkway to the parsonage and stood on the concrete stoop. I raised my hand, hesitated for a moment, and then pounded. “Open up, Jim!”

“Easy,” Amos said.

“Fuck easy.” I pounded again.

“You got a key to this place?” Rock asked.

Amos shook his head. “Sorry.”

“I’d bet my old man had one.” Rock joined me on the stoop and added his own fist to my pounding. “Open up, asshole!”

No response, of course.

“We’re getting in there one way or another.” My brother left the stoop and stood underneath a window leading into the front room. “Reid? Get me a rock. A big one.”

“I’m on it.” I walked back down the pathway toward the gardens. A large oval stone caught my eye. I heaved it up and took it back to Rock.

“I was thinking something jagged,” he said.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” I shot back. Then I took Rock’s place in front of the window and hurled the stone against the glass, shattering it.

“You’re going to cut the hell out of yourselves,” Amos warned.

“Don’t give a fuck,” I said.

“Me neither.” From Rock.

I pushed the stone into the glass once more, and then used it in an attempt to scrape the jagged edges away from the window. “Ready or not,” I said to Rock.

“I’m right behind you,” he replied.

I hoisted myself over the edge of the window, a shard cutting through my shirt and into my flesh.

Didn’t care. Hardly felt it. I tumbled into the front room and got to my feet. The room was well lived in, with square furniture right out of the seventies. Or Ikea. One of the two. Glass shards scattered over the beige carpeting.

“Jim!” I yelled. “Show yourself!”

Rock stood behind me, brushing off his pants. “Shit, one of them got me.” He rubbed his chest.

“Me too.” Blood seeped onto the cotton white of my dress shirt. “There’s probably Band-Aids in the bathroom.”

“Don’t need it.”

I understood. Our adrenaline was on fire, and the pain was inconsequential. We were on a mission. I walked quickly to the front door, unlocked it, and let Amos in. “I guess we didn’t both need to climb in the window.”

“Yeah,” Rock said. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Is there a study? That’s where we might find something.”

“I’m thinking basement, if there is one,” Rock said.