Page 86 of Redemption
I look down at J’s wrist and see something I didn’t notice before.
“You’re wearing my watch.”
Her grin grows even wider. “I always liked this one. I didn’t want that pig DuFort to have it. I didn’t want him to have any of it.”
“What did you take?”
“From what Remy said, we have a Monet, two Picassos, a Van Gogh, the Comesetti, various other impressionist works, plus a dozen heavy, assorted duffel bags of unknown contents.” Leo gives J a lift of his chin. “Clearly, you’re an accomplished thief as well. If you’re in the market for a new career, I know a guy …”
I cut Leo off with a question posed to J. “How?”
Her smile and shrug remind me of all the times she went above and beyond in my service without my asking her to do so.
She drops her shoulders and bites her lip before speaking. “You know that game people play—what would you get out of your house if it were on fire?”
I nod for her to continue.
“Well, I’ve thought that through a million times. I never knew when something would go down and we’d have to clear your place out. It took me eight extra minutes, but the Feds aren’t getting anything good.”
“My personal safe?”
“Empty, boss. You never changed the code after you had me locked up.”
“Why would you do that?” I ask her, unable to discern her motive from her features.
“Because you deserve good things, Mikey. It was time for the universe to do you a favor. So, I did it.”
An emotion I didn’t expect to feel today expands in my chest and fills me with gratitude—and not simply because of her use of the nickname she’d called me as a child. “Thank you,” I tell her, swallowing an equally unexpected lump in my throat.
“Excellent,” Leo says. “Do you want me to arrange all the cargo for shipment or simply the Comesetti painting, as previously discussed?”
“Sell everything but the Comesetti—that gets delivered to the airport. You already have the account number for the deposit.”
“Perfect. Is there anything else I can do to assist you in your final exit from the stage that is New Orleans?”
“Yes,” I reply, knowing he would ask. I lower one duffel bag onto the desk between us. “I need you to do me a favor. Several favors actually. You’ll be well compensated for it, I promise.”
Leo eyes the bag. “You’ve always made sure I was well compensated, Mount. I don’t doubt you now. But I have to admit, I’m curious. What’s inside?”
I unzip the heavy zipper and pull the edges open so he can see inside.
“Keys?”
I nod and remove a sheaf of papers from an inside pocket. “And a list for their distribution.” I spot the gold key on top, hanging from a square gold tab. I grab it and offer it to Leo. “This one is for you.”
“What does it open?”
With a smile, I tell him, “You’ll have to find out for yourself.”
J chimes in with an explanation. “Each key opens something—a safe deposit box, bus station locker, gym locker, amusement park locker. You name it, and boss has stashed something there.”
Leo looks from J to me. “Are you serious? There must be a hundred keys in here.”
I hand him the folded papers. “The recipient of each key is listed, along with what the key opens and where to go to open it. On the first sheet, you’ll see the list that needs to be delivered today. Take an extra hundred grand commission off the art sales to get it done, but it must be done today.”
Leo takes the papers from me. “Coroner, fire inspector, fire investigator, police detective …” He looks up as he trails off. “Your exit strategy, I presume?”
“No.” I shake my head. “That’s simply to take care of any potential questions.”
