The Jealous Kind (Holland Family Saga 2)

“What’s your uncle’s name?”

“Cody Holland. Mr. Siegel was at the Shamrock with Frankie Carbo.”

Jenks rolled his eyes. “Cody Holland the boxing promoter?”

“He’s an oilman, too.”

“Do you know who Frankie Carbo is?”

“He’s my uncle’s business partner.”

“Business partner? Where’d you pick up that language, boy? Frankie Carbo was a member of Murder, Incorporated.”

“That’s why my father was upset.”

“You know anyone else in these photos?”

I could see Saber out of the corner of my eye. His upper lip was moist with perspiration. “Not exactly,” I said.

“What the hell does that mean?”

“I might have seen the lady who’s sitting on the rug in front of the fire.”

“She’s on your paper route and she pays you in trade?”

“I don’t think she’s that type of lady,” I said.

“Son, did your mother’s doctor drag you out of the womb with forceps? Where did you see this woman?”

“I don’t remember. I just remember seeing a woman who seemed kind and looked like her, that’s all.”

“This woman was kind? The woman wearing no clothes?”

“I’m probably mixed up,” I said.

“That photo was taken from the suitcase of a dead man. He was frozen in a snowbank two thousand feet above Reno, Nevada. He was so scared he tried to get over the Sierra Nevada Mountains barefoot with no coat on. You saw this woman in Houston?”

“At Grady Harrelson’s house in River Oaks,” Saber said.

I wanted to yell in Saber’s face, stuff a cork in his mouth, use his head for a kettledrum.

“You’re talking about the home of Clint Harrelson?” Jenks said.

Saber nodded. “Two days ago. They were having a swim party. Grady has a hard-on for Aaron because he thinks Aaron took his girlfriend. We thought we’d straighten things out.”

“You’re sure it was her?”

“How many women look like that?” Saber said.

“You’re in the know when it comes to women?” Jenks said.

“I’ve been around,” Saber said.

Jenks propped the photo on the dashboard and studied it. “This is Cisco Napolitano, boys. She’s screwed every major wop in the Mob. How tight are y’all with the Harrelson kid?”

“Not at all,” I replied.

“You just happened to go to his house in River Oaks while he was having a swim party?”