After which, I text Andrew: Tic Tac needs an update on Ann Casey to do free research for you. He’s calling you. And when is the fundraiser from hell happening?
I glance over at Kane. “Some news I should tell you before I forget. Lucas is now employed by the FBI.”
Kane’s head does almost a robot turn toward me. “Really, Lilah?”
“I told him it’s not an invitation to piss you off and end up dead. Tic Tac will control him. Oh shit. That reminds me. I need to call Murphy and get Tic Tac a raise.”
I slide off the seat and walk to the living room, dialing Murphy. He doesn’t answer, which is fine by me. I leave a message. “I told Tic Tac he could have a raise for supervising Lucas. If you can’t give it to him, take it out of my pay. If you refuse to do that, or just can’t authorize it, I’ll just pay him out of pocket.” I hang up and walk back into the kitchen.
Kit is now gone. I claim my seat next to Kane. He doesn’t look at me. “You’re pissed about Lucas.”
“I’m not happy about Lucas. There’s a difference. What’s on the drive?”
“I’ve barely looked at the files. I’m about to send them to Tic Tac. I’ll send you a copy as well.” I key my Mac back to life and shoot off the files. Kane powers up his Mac and my phone buzzes with a text, this one from Andrew: Next weekend. And you’re going. On another note. Confirmed. Danica will have the evidence collected from Ann Casey’s car, including the brownie, since it’s potentially weaponized, tomorrow. Ann’s parents are devastated. They say she was a fine young woman. They didn’t know she was coming home to see them. She’d been busy with random acting jobs and work.
I have two thoughts.
One, I know Andrew told me that damn fundraiser was mid-month. Next weekend is not mid-month. And two, Ann’s parents didn’t know Ann was headed to Boston. This at least lends merit to the idea that she was meeting someone else, perhaps Marilyn, who is eager to point us in that direction. I grab a taco and place it on my plate. “The fundraiser is sooner than I thought,” I say. “Next weekend.”
“Maybe you can look for a dress for it at the same time you look for your wedding dress,” Kane suggests.
“I have a formal party dress and I’m not combining our wedding with anything Pocher. Ever. Or my father, for that matter. No, he is not invited to the wedding.” I pick up my taco. “I’ll find a dress. You find the location.”
“New Year’s Eve,” he repeats. “That’s a sure thing?”
“Yes.”
“How many guests?”
“My brother. Kit. Jay. We can talk about it. What matters is us, Kane.” I abandon my taco and face him. “I don’t want the rest of the world there, people with agendas that aren’t ours.”
“Are you sure you don’t want the big church wedding, Lilah?”
“I am. I don’t. It would turn into a circus. Famous movie star’s daughter turned FBI agent marries the Kane Mendez, rumored to be just like his father.”
“It would probably become that, but we can handle it.”
“Why do we want to handle it? My mother lived for everyone else, always in the spotlight. And so does my father. That’s not who I am. That’s not who you are.”
“Agreed. Now, where? In the US or someplace romantic like Italy or France, or even Belize?”
“Let’s stay here.” An idea hits me and I perk up. “What about Boston? I know this case has it on my mind, but it’s on the water. And maybe we don’t move away from here. But what if we had a place in Boston, a little further away, that we could escape to now and then? Our place.”
“All right,” he says. “I like Boston. I’ll look into it.”
“The wedding or us moving there?”
“The wedding. And a second home could be a good thing.”
I don’t push. It’s a compromise. We stare at each other a moment and then turn back to our computers. We both start scanning the files and my gaze catches on a name. I turn to Kane. “Pocher’s brother was on this list, Kane.”
Kane turns to me. “Was he now?”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“That suddenly Pocher may have reason to doubt just who really did kill his brother. That’s not a good thing, Lilah. The Umbrella Man killed his brother. The end. If he starts looking for trouble, he may find it in me. And then the Society will declare war. Make that name go away.”
He says this as if this is no problem at all. As if I’m not an FBI agent that has already handed the data over to Tic Tac, another member of the FBI.