A Breath of Life (Shadowy Solutions Book 4), page 23
A search on Google proved too vast, so I texted my cousin. If I was looking for a potentially planted listening device inside a phone, what might that look like?
Seeing as it was midday on a weekday, I wasn’t shocked when I got an immediate response. What the fuck are you doing?
Duh. Super-secret PI stuff. Obviously.
My cousin worked for the police department in the capacity of IT specialist. Diem had impressive computer skills, but Costa Ruiz put him to shame. Costa’s intelligence was frightening. It was a good thing he’d decided to use his talents for good and not evil because he could have been dangerous otherwise. As it stood, I borrowed his stunning brain from time to time when it suited my needs. I didn’t think he minded. Not since we’d repaired our relationship. In fact, I was convinced he enjoyed being a deviant from time to time, and my tendency to get into trouble fed his hunger.
A good PI wouldn’t have to ask, he replied. A second text came through before I could tell him where to stick that comment. Physical device or a program?
“Shit.” I hadn’t thought of that. Both? Physical first. I have the phone in pieces.
It would be fairly obvious, he replied. Snap me a picture, and I’ll tell you if I see anything.
I did as he asked and sent the image.
Two minutes passed before another text came through. You’re good. Is there a reason you suspect someone planted a listening device inside your phone?
Diem’s phone. Yes, but it’s a long story, and I can’t tell you atm. Too risky. If my cousin knew all the details, he would flip his shit. How about programs? I asked to steer clear of a potential lecture.
Do you know how to check for spyware? Phones can be set up to relay your positioning to a third party. They can share your texts, emails, passwords, and everything. Some programs clone your device or listen to you.
“Fuckity fuck.”
Diem glanced up with a look of concern, but I waved him off, texting Costa back. No clue how to do that. Can you walk me through checking and help me disable anything we find?
It took my cousin almost twenty minutes to guide me through a thorough strip of Diem’s device. By the time we finished, he assured me the phone was safe. Again, he queried if I was in danger, but I brushed it off. Just another day in the PI business. I added a winky face to ensure a lighter tone. I wasn’t sure he bought it.
Don’t get yourself killed.
I rolled my eyes. And deprive you of seeing my lovely face all the time? As if.
Costa didn’t reply.
I slid Diem’s phone across the desk. “Clean as a whistle.”
“Yeah?”
“I had help. Costa is freakishly smart. I envy his brain.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Nothing, and he knows better than to pry.”
Diem seemed grateful yet troubled. His mind was a roaring maelstrom, and I wasn’t sure he would be able to relax until this ordeal was over.
I nodded at the laptop, consciously aware that there was still a minor possibility of the card listening to us. “Anything on Clarence?”
Diem’s eyes darkened and jaw ticked as he turned the laptop screen toward me.
“What am I looking at?”
He glanced at the card, seemed to consider it, then spoke aloud. “Our buddy Clarence made a significant monetary donation to a St. Michael five days before his wife was killed.”
“What?” I glanced at where Diem pointed. Significant was an understatement. Clarence had donated ten thousand dollars, utterly draining his bank account.
23
Diem
Tallus’s brows hit his hairline. “Jesus. I wouldn’t have suspected the guy had that much money to throw around based on his apartment. I mean, it was nice, but it wasn’t nice.”
“He doesn’t anymore. This donation left him with next to nothing, and he hasn’t recovered.”
“Why the air quotes? You don’t think it’s a legitimate donation?”
I huffed. “No, Tallus.” While my boyfriend had been busy deconstructing my phone, I’d been pondering theories. One in particular had smacked harder than the rest. “I think it’s a down payment.”
“For what?”
“For his wife’s murder.”
“But… She walked in on a burglar. It wasn’t… Oh.” He sat back. “Ohhhh. You think—”
“That it was a setup, and Ace gave Clarence a year to pay the rest of the bill.”
The pieces seemed to click as Tallus followed my train of thought. “And Clarence didn’t meet the deadline.”
“Hence why Ace wanted him taken out. Clarence owes him money. A lot of fucking money, if I were to guess.”
Tallus glanced at the laptop screen and the line showing the transaction. “If ten thousand dollars was a down payment, then his outstanding bill is probably what?”
“Outrageously high.”
“Give me a ballpark, Guns. I’m not up on my hit man fees. What are you thinking?”
“If ten grand was ten percent down—which is standard—then at least a hundred K. Could be higher. Someone like Ace likely charges twenty percent interest.”
Tallus whistled. “That’s… I can’t math that high. You know, I never considered how much it might cost to hire a hit man. Is that the going rate?”
“How the fuck would I know?”
Tallus sagely smirked. “Come on, D. Are you telling me you’ve never considered hiring a hit man?”
“No! Who the fuck do I need assassinated?”
“Um… your dad?”
“If I wanted my father dead, I would do it myself. Do you think I would give that pleasure to someone else? Fuck no. I’ve been dreaming of choking the life out of him since I was eight years old. That pleasure is mine.”
Tallus laughed. “I can imagine you have it down to a science. Don’t take this the wrong way, but strangulation? Really? I always figured you would choose something messier.”
“It is messy if I strangle him with his own fucking intestines.”
“Now there you go. See? That is appropriately Diemesque. I’d help you hide the body. I have ideas.”
“Great. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“If you got caught, I’d visit you in prison.”
“I wouldn’t get caught.”
“I said if. I’d even suck your cock in front of the guards if you wanted me to. Put on a real show and make everyone jealous.”
I… didn’t know how to respond to that statement, so I motioned to the laptop. “Can we focus?”
“Sure, Guns. We’ll save discussions of my deep-throating skills for later. I’m getting better, though, aren’t I? You’re a lot to take. That’s not a complaint. It’s a compliment. I consider deepthroating your monster cock a personal challenge. Particularly when—”
“Tallus.”
“Okay, okay. I’m done. All focus. No play. Got it.” With his humor barely contained, Tallus veered back to the problem at hand. “So, you think our boy Clarence hired a hit man to kill his wife, then couldn’t pay the bill when it came due, so Ace wants him dead?” He glanced at the card. “I assume we’ve decided this thing isn’t listening to us?”
“Highly doubt it. It’s a theory.”
“It’s a good theory considering who we’re dealing with, but it doesn’t tell us where Clarence is.”
“No, and the only activity on his bank account in the past week is a withdrawal on the day he discharged himself from the hospital.”
“For how much?”
“Everything.” I adjusted the filters on Clarence’s bank report and scrolled to the bottom to show Tallus the zero balance.
“Well, shit. We’re never going to find him at this rate. He probably left the city. Cash in his pocket means no money trail.”
“We’re not giving up. If I can’t find him, I’ll save him the trouble of running by killing Ace.”
“I thought you were against shedding blood.”
“The man threatened you and Nana. If I accidentally break his neck, he only has himself to blame.”
“Seems fair. D? Are we really going to hand this Clarence guy over to Ace to be killed? If we find him.”
“I don’t know.” The thought troubled me, but it was moot if we couldn’t locate the guy. I would worry about the moral decision later.
I tossed Tallus the pen and notebook we had used to communicate. “Find out what Clarence drives. Where he works. Who his family is, and where they live. Check in with Kitty and see if she can find out the details surrounding Janessa’s death and if the police ever had suspects. There would have been a murder investigation.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Go through Clarence’s account more thoroughly and see if there are locations he frequented or places he commonly spent money. If I can figure out where he spent his time, it might give me an idea of where he met these people. You can’t exactly take out an ad for a hit man in the local newspaper. You have to know someone who knows someone or be invited into certain circles.”
Tallus puckered his lips to the side, narrowing his eyes as though trying to read a thought that was too fuzzy to see.
“What?”
“Have you looked up St. Michael’s?”
“Fuck. No.” Why didn’t I think of that? “Hang on.” I opened a new tab and typed St. Michael’s into the search bar. The entry in the bank account hadn’t been more specific, so when a long list of churches, elementary schools, high schools, colleges, foundations, hospitals, healthcare facilities, and cemeteries filled the screen, I sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Tallus asked.
“There are at least a dozen St. Michael’s around the city.”
“Can you figure out more specifically where the donation was made?”
“Maybe.”
We worked in silence for a while. A weight had lifted off my chest since telling Tallus everything. Regardless, I found myself unable to focus, worrying about Nana. I already knew these people were dangerous, but the level of danger had escalated. At least my concern over the card listening to us had lessened. If someone was on the other end, spying on our conversation, it wasn’t with regularity.
Tallus’s phone alarm sounded shortly after noon, and he cursed. “Shit. I have to run. I have that meeting at the CA’s office with Hill.”
“You’re not leaving.”
“Uh, yeah, I am. We can’t afford to put business on hold, Guns. Oliver Hill pays us well, and if I put him off, he’ll find someone else. The more we kiss his ass, the more work he brings us. I’m the ass-kisser of this relationship, and besides, you gave me this job. I plan to do it.”
“Then I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re not. Sit down and work on the Clarence thing. I won’t be long.” He snagged the Jeep keys from where I’d dropped them on the desk earlier. “I’m taking your Jeep since I wasn’t allowed to drive myself here this morning.”
I launched from my seat and caught his wrist before he reached the door. “Give me the fucking keys, Tallus.”
“Ugh. Here we go again. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“After everything we discussed, you think I’m letting you fuck off by yourself? Are you out of your mind?”
He wrenched his arm free and glared. “All they’re doing is watching right now, right? So what? Let them follow me. Let them watch me. I’m doing my job. They expect me to continue with my regular routine, or they will become suspicious. It would look better if I wasn’t glued to your hip. Besides, you can get more work done if you stay here. At this rate, we’ll never find Clarence on time, and that is priority number one.”
Tallus grabbed the notepad he’d been using off the desk and shoved it against my chest. “I don’t have much, but here’s what I found so far. Call Kitty. I didn’t get the chance. PS, Guns, she’s a huge asset. Consider bringing her in on this. All the way in. She has ways of discovering stuff that I will never understand.”
“I said to ask about Janessa’s murder. No one else can know about the rest of it, Tallus. No one.”
“Fine. Whatever. I’m leaving.”
He sauntered from the room without a care in the world, and I cursed so loud that I startled Echo awake. She barked and followed as I chased Tallus down the hall. I caught him on his way out the door and dragged him to a stop again.
“Give. Me. The keys.”
Determined, hotheaded Tallus worked his indignation to a solid level ten, but I was unaffected and held out my hand, waiting.
The stare-down lasted two minutes before Tallus rolled his eyes and threw the keys against my chest. They clattered to the ground. “Have your damn keys. I’ll walk. It’s not that far.”
“Tallus. Stop being difficult.”
“Stop smothering me. Take note, Guns, because I’m fairly certain I’ve said this before, but I’m not your damsel in distress. I’m not some princess who needs rescuing. I don’t need a knight in shining armor swooping in to save the day. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“You’re a target.”
“No, I’m the carrot they’re dangling in front of your nose to ensure you cooperate. They won’t hurt me unless you give them a reason.”
“They don’t need a reason. Have you listened to a single thing I’ve said over the last two hours? Look at my fucking face, Tallus. I’m twice your size, and they overpowered me without blinking. They could have killed me, but instead they fucking brutalized me. Is that what you want?”
He pouted and refused to meet my eyes, mumbling, “No.”
“Then stop giving me a hard time.” I didn’t care if he was pissed or hated me, but I was not letting him out of my sight.
It took another minute of cold indifference before Tallus squatted, picked up the keys, and offered them to me without a word.
“Thank you.”
“Whatever. I’m going to be late.”
Echo rightfully thought she was walking out the door with us, but I encouraged her to stay behind. I didn’t want to leave her in the Jeep for however long we might be inside. “We’ll be back soon, girl. Go have a nap.”
Halfway down the stairs, my spine went rigid. “Jesus fuck.”
“What now?”
“I forgot the goddamn card. In a mad panic, I raced up the stairs two at a time, shouting, “Do not go outside, Tallus. I swear to fucking god.”
“If I do, will you spank me?”
“I will handcuff you to my other wrist and make your life a living hell. It will be the furthest thing from kinky. Try me.” This was why I tied the card to my body. I didn’t trust myself not to leave it somewhere.
***
The crown attorney’s office where Oliver Hill worked was in the courthouse on University Avenue, a short jaunt from where we worked. Considering the weather, it would have been a decent walk, but not when the forecast called for a ninety percent chance of hired hit men following us.
Tallus wouldn’t talk to me and stared out the window with his arms crossed as I took us the short distance to our destination.
Parking was hell, and when he finally broke the silence, it was to grumble about being late for his appointment, insisting that I drop him off out front.
“I’m not doing that.”
“God, you’re annoying.”
“Deal with it.”
“The courthouse is the same as the police station. The security is insane. I have to go through metal detectors and subject myself to a potential pat down every time I go inside. Hell, if that creepy Frank guy is working, he might suggest a cavity search, in which case, he’s the bigger threat because he’s been trying to get his gross hands on me for over a year.”
“Who the fuck is Frank? Why am I just learning about this?”
“No fucking way, mister. You don’t get to act jealous when I’m mad at you. Besides, you have homicidal tendencies when it comes to other men coming anywhere near me, so why would I tell you?”
“Because I’m your fucking boyfriend, Tallus. If someone is harassing you—”
“I can handle it,” he shouted. “Like everything else. I. Can. Fucking. Handle. It. I’m a big boy.”
I clenched the steering wheel, circling the block again, muttering, “I’m not homicidal. I haven’t killed anyone.” When an image of the prick who worked security at the courthouse came to mind, I added, “Yet.”
“I’ll be safe, Diem. No one will hurt me in such a public building. Please drop me off.”
After circling the block three times to no avail, I begrudgingly agreed to let him out, but I didn’t take my eyes off him until he was safely beyond the main doors.
“Fuck.”
I needed to stop provoking fights. My overprotective nature was going to be the death of our relationship at this rate. We couldn’t seem to go one day without battling over something.
It took another ten minutes to find parking on a side street a block and a half away. I texted Tallus, letting him know to inform me the second he was done, and I would meet him out front again. I didn’t get a response, which I chalked up to pure petulance over my overbearing nature.
I knew smothering him like this choked the life out of him. I knew he hated it to the very depths of his core, but my reasoning was sound. I didn’t give a fuck how mad he got, so long as he was safe. When this was over, hopefully, he would forgive me.
Considering I was the one who’d given him the job with Oliver Hill, I only had myself to blame.
As I waited for Tallus to finish his meeting, I scanned the street, all too aware that Ace likely had eyes on me. Tallus had mentioned a man following us the previous day, and I could have kicked myself for having missed him.
Tallus’s hyper-awareness of his surroundings trumped mine. I’d been too busy looking in places where a six-and-a-half-foot tank like me would hide. Tallus’s Converse-wearing guy had taken a different approach, stalking his prey in plain sight. I wasn’t adept at searching for threats that stood three feet to my left at a bus stop and ate dinner at the table next door.
