Page 75 of The Newcomer
“What?” Her voice was sharp. “How can you know something like that?”
“If you saw Maya, especially in person, you’d agree. Declan Rooney had very distinctive, piercing blue eyes and thick black eyelashes. Maya has them too. The resemblance is unmistakable.”
“If Tanya knew Wingfield wasn’t the baby daddy, why didn’t she just tell him that after the breakup, before all the hassles of the custody battle?” Agent Hill demanded.
“Did you ever meet Tanya?” Joe asked. “I did. She and Rooney lived at the motel for two weeks while they were grifting senior citizens. She was a piece of work. Beautiful, loaded with charm and street smarts and as gifted a liar as I’ve ever met. My guess is that it had to do with money. I mean, Rooney was in the wind, and then she finds out she’s pregnant. From what you’ve told me, Wingfield is rich. Maybe Tanya saw a sugar daddy opportunity and went for it.”
“That’s an interesting theory, but it’s got nothing to do with me,” the agent said. “It’s not why I came down here.”
“Why did you come? As you said, you can arrest Letty Carnahan at any time. What do you want from me?”
Vikki studied him over the rim of her beer. “Letty has a relationshipwith you and your mother. She trusts you, otherwise she wouldn’t have hung around here.”
“I’m not sure Letty trusts anybody,” he said.
“Okay, here’s what I want. Shortly before Tanya was killed, Evan was ranting that he’d deeded over several of his most valuable residential properties, put them in Tanya’s name, as a tax dodge. We’re talking several million dollars’ worth of real estate. And now, with Tanya’s death, the property goes to her child. Letty is the child’s guardian, which puts her in control of what Wingfield regards ashisproperty—meaning both his kid and his real estate.”
Joe raised one eyebrow. “You’re telling me, what?”
“Wingfield’s solution is hiring me. To find Letty, get rid of her, and bring Maya back.”
Vikki motioned to the server, pointed at her empty glass, and waited for Joe’s reaction.
“You’re shitting me,” he said finally. “He’s put out a hit? On Letty?”
“Afraid so.”
Joe pointed at his own empty glass and nodded at the server.
“Let me get this straight. Evan Wingfield hires a woman he thinks is merely a corrupt civil servant—to kill his former girlfriend? I’m sorry. I can’t wrap my brain around that. I mean, he bribes you to look the other way when it comes to some illegal apartments, and then next thing you know you’re a contract killer? Why would he trust you like that?”
The server set the refills on the table and whisked away the empties. Agent Hill tasted hers and grimaced. “Gross. This is yours. How do guys drink that craft beer shit?”
“How do you drink those piss-weak sorority beers?” Joe countered.
She pushed the plastic cup away. “Never mind. Look. I’ve been dealing with Wingfield for eighteen months, flattering him, fending off his not-so-subtle advances, giving him what he wants. When we met, I told him I was a former NYPD officer, who leftthe force under shady circumstances. The former-cop part is true. Anyway, he’s a narcissistic sociopath. He surrounds himself with people who feed his ego. Because he’s a crook, he assumes everyone else is a crook.”
Joe DeCurtis looked dubious.
“Okay. I don’t have time to screw around trying to convince you that I’m for real. I need you to introduce me to Letty Carnahan. Like, right away. Wingfield is not a patient man. He wants her dead, and he wants it done right away. If I’m gonna pull this off, I need her to trust me. I need you to trust me. Otherwise, this whole thing falls apart. And Wingfield literally gets away with murder.”
“You’re asking a lot,” Joe said.
“Yeah, I am. But consider the alternative.”
“Which is what?”
“We’ve been over this already. If Letty Carnahan doesn’t cooperate, I take her back to New York with me, and hand her over to the New York cops. Maya goes to child protective services. And you, Officer DeCurtis, will face charges of obstruction of justice, harboring a fugitive, and whatever other crimes I can come up with. Even if the charges don’t stick, your law enforcement career is over.”
Joe exhaled slowly and pushed his chair away from the table. “I’ll talk to her,” he said.
“You do that,” Agent Hill said. “I need an answer by noon tomorrow.”
29
THE LIGHTS WERE STILL ONinside unit 11. Joe tapped lightly at the door, and a moment later she opened the door a crack with the chain lock still engaged.
Letty didn’t look happy to see him. “What now?”
