It told Mike everything that he needed to know. Others might argue that this charming young man had made a mistake and had learned from his actions. They might be swayed by his words or his pledges, or seduced by the beauty of the gallery itself, or by the business he brought onto the island.
Mike was not charmed. He knew that a person without shame never changed, not truly, and that the inability to feel made them dangerous.
But Lenny was a different story. He was dangerous too, but for other reasons and in a different capacity. Lenny was a desperate man, plagued with greed and fueled by his own hubris. Not all criminals Mike knew from his career were fools, but the fools were often the most unpredictable.
And yet, since the shooting, Lenny had been elusive. He popped up once in New Jersey, then again in Miami. Now he’d been missing from Mike’s radar for days. He had a new apartment in Seattle. Mike considered bugging it again, but it was probably under heavy FBI surveillance.
It wasn’t a good plan; he’d have to get to Lenny another way. Something would come up; he just had to keep waiting.
He shut down his computer and threw together a hasty dinner. With nothing else to think about, his thoughts drifted to Lynn. What did she mean about taming a lone wolf?
At first, he thought she meant Biggles, but that didn’t make any sense. He took things too literally sometimes.
He didn’t get it, though. Was she insinuating that he should take her help?
Of course, he could use her help. Lynn was an expert. A professional. But he wasn’t going to drag her into this.
The thought plagued him well into the evening, and by midnight, he decided to make one last effort to get help.
Ned picked up after three rings. “Hello?”
“Ned. How are you?”
“Fine. Who is this?”
Someone who wants you to do your job.“It’s Mike. Mike Grady.”
Silence for a moment, and then, “Wow, Mike. Hi. How did you get this number?”
“From when we used to work together. I haven’t forgotten.”
Ned laughed nervously. “Of course not. Everything okay? I hope that you’re not in the line of fire again.”
“I’m not. But I think I might have something of interest to you.”
“About the Lenny situation? Listen, I told you – ”
“No, not about Lenny. I’m back home now, on the West Coast. Remember all of those property deals from a few months ago?”
“Vaguely.”
“Well, there are still some things going on.”
“Mike…” Ned let out a sigh. “I appreciate what you’re doing. But you’re dead, remember? Let us handle it.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.”
“See, but you’re not. Calling here, trying to pass information. You’ve gotta let it go, buddy. Move on with your life.”
Just as he’d suspected, Ned didn’t care. If Mike tried to go to any of his other contacts, he would kill the lead. He could easily quash it. He now had the power to do that, unfortunately.
Best to play it cool. “All right, just my due diligence. It’s a hard habit to break.”
Ned forced a laugh. “Of course it is, and we appreciate it. Catch some big fish for me, okay?”
“Oh, I will.”
A half hour later, the phone rang. It was Stacy, and she was ready to talk.
