Trouble in Paradise

"Nothing, thank you, Mrs. Smith. May I sit?"

"Of course. Please call me Rocky."

"Short for?"

"Roxa

Jesse nodded. Faye marveled at how she'd pulled "Roxa

"Do you know anyone named Wilson Cromartie?" Jesse said.

"Wilson Cromartie, no. I can't say I do," she said.

It was an easy lie for Faye because when he said the name, it didn't mean anything. Only as she was saying it over, did she realize that it was Crow.

"Maybe you don't know him by that name," Jesse said.

"He's an American Indian. Says he's Apache, calls himself Crow."

"I'm sorry, Chief Stone. I really don't know anyone like that."

Jesse nodded again. He was pleasant and easy speaking. But Jimmy had said he was more than he seemed.

"How about anyone named James Macklin?" Jesse said.

Jesus Christ. Faye felt the thrill of fear jag through her intestines. How much does he know?

"I don't think so," she said.

"You're not sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. It's just that you meet so many people..."

"A maroon Chevy van registered to Wilson Cromartie was parked underneath this condo Sunday night, and three men, one of whom appeared to be an American Indian, came out of this condo and got into the van and drove away."

He knows something's up, Faye thought. But he doesn't know what. If he knew what, he wouldn't waste time talking to me like this.

"They were here to see Harry," she said.

"I don't think he knew them very well."

"What were they here to see Harry about?"

"I don't know. They had some sort of business proposal. I believe Harry wasn't interested."

"What's Harry's business?" Jesse said.

Mrs. Smith smiled.

"He always says he's like a strapless gown no visible means of support," she said.

"I guess you'd say he was an entrepreneur. Real estate. Banking. Stocks and bonds. Buys a business, builds it up, sells it at a profit. I frankly don't pay a bunch of attention to my husband's businesses."

"Wilson Cromartie is a career criminal," Jesse said.

"He is? My God. I didn't spend any time with them, but he seemed perfectly nice when I let them in."

"I thought you should know," Jesse said.

"I'll tell Harry. Maybe he knows. Maybe that's why he wouldn't do business with them."

Jesse sat quietly looking at her. Everything she said was plausible. And Jesse didn't believe any of it. Something was going on. But he had no basis to arrest her or search her home or do anything else but what he'd done. He took a card from his shirt pocket and handed it to Mrs. Smith.

"Please ask your husband to give me a call when he comes in," Jesse said.

She put the card down, face up, on the glass-topped coffee table.

"Of course," she said.

Jesse stood. She stood with him and walked with him to the door.

Driving out of the Navy Yard, Suitcase glanced at Jesse.

"Just the woman in there?"

Jesse nodded.

"So you didn't need us?"

"Nope, I was able to hold her at bay."

They were quiet as they drove toward City Square. Jesse sat beside Suitcase. Anthony De Angelo sat in back.

"You happen to fuck her, Jesse?" Anthony said.

"Not this time," Jesse said.

"Good to know there's someone," Anthony said.

He and Suitcase chortled lengthily as the cruiser turned onto the ramp and headed north over the Tobin Bridge.

Jesse said, "You guys have little interest in making sergeant, I assume."

This made both of them chortle harder, as the cruiser headed back to Paradise.

FORTY-FOUR.

Nothing had happened to her, and maybe nothing would. Harry and the Indian had paid no more attention to her as she lay on the couch. Two other men came in.

Would they do something to her? The taller of the new men had a red ponytail;

the other one was smaller and had his black hair slicked into a duck tail My Godt a duck tail Both men looked at her curiously.

"Dessert?" JD said to Macklin, Marcy felt the terror again, rippling through her like an electric serpent.

"Leave her alone," Macklin said.

"Shame to waste her," JD said.

"You touch her, and you'll have to explain it to Crow after we're finished," Macklin said.

JD looked at Crow. Crow glanced at him for a moment. JD made a motion that might have been a shrug or a shiver.

"She's safe with me," JD said.

"She better be," Macklin said.

"I'm going to ask her when we come back."

Marcy felt the serpent again. They had come in here and pointed a gun at her and tied her up and gagged her, but she had already begun to see them as protectors. She didn't want them to leave her with these other men. She made a noise.

"You breathing okay?" Macklin said.

She nodded.

"Want to go to the bathroom?"

Marcy shook her head.

"You're scared of these guys," Macklin said.

"No need. They won't touch you, will they Crow?"

"They won't," Crow said.

Marcy could hear in his voice what the two men heard, and she realized they wouldn't dare cross him. She felt grateful to the Indian.