Blood Orchid (Holly Barker 3)

“He probably wanted to know who shot Ernesto, too.”

“Yeah, but Pedro didn’t know I was involved. He wouldn’t even have known Ernesto was dead; it was too soon.”

“Where is Marina?”

“With her mother and her mother’s sister, in Sarasota.”

“Did Pedro know about the mother’s sister?”

“Marina says not.”

“Would Marina ever have told Carlos about her mother’s sister?”

“I don’t know, but Carlos is dead.”

“What was this evidence you went to get from Marina?”

“A notebook with a lot of incriminating information in it.”

“Incriminating for Trini?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s the notebook now?”

“Harry has it. He may have sent it to Washington.”

“Let’s recap: Trini may know who you are and where you’re from, right?”

“Right, but it’s okay; Lauderdale picked him up yesterday.”

“Trini has colleagues. Are you in the phone book?”

“No. But . . .” Holly had just thought of something.

“What?”

“Carlos broke into my house and bugged my phones; he was probably reporting to Trini.”

The doorbell rang, and they both jumped.

“It’s gotta be the pizza,” Grant said.

The doorbell rang again. “Pizza delivery!” somebody shouted from outside.

“I’ll get it,” Holly said.

“No, I’ll get it,” Grant replied, getting up.

Holly handed him her pistol. “If it has green peppers on it, shoot him.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” Grant set the pistol on the coffee table, went to the door, cracked it, and peered out. “It’s pizza,” he said. Then Grant flew backward as somebody kicked open the door.

41

The deliveryman stepped into the room, a pizza in one hand and a small submachine gun in the other. Daisy hit him from the side, knocking him off his feet, just as he began to fire.

Grant grabbed for the weapon and diverted it from where Holly sat. She grabbed her pistol from the coffee table and fired twice at the deliveryman, aiming as much away from Daisy and Grant as she could. The pizza man stopped firing, and Grant held up a hand. “Hold your fire!”