Page 93 of The Newcomer
“How do you know he checks out? That he isn’t a cop?”
“Heusedto be a cop. That’s how I know him. But there were some… unfounded accusations, shall we say, of excessive force. Now he works private security at some clubs, and he does some freelance work.”
“What’s his name?”
Vikki’s laugh was low and unamused. “Listen, Evan. I’ve put some time and effort into this, you know. I do have an actual job, despite what you think about civil servants. I tracked this guy down, told him a little bit about the job, negotiated terms. You’re dicking around, and it’s making me look bad. I’ll tell you what. Forget it. I’m done.”
She tappedEND CALLand waited. She tried to go back to her notes, but was too antsy to concentrate. She went to the tiny kitchen and poured herself another mug of coffee. By the time she got back to the table that served as her desk, the phone was ringing again. Another unknown caller.
She was about to hitACCEPTwhen the phone alerted her to an incoming text from Joe.
Heard anything?
The agent typed as quickly as she could.
He’s playing hard to get. Two can play at that.
The phone rang a second time.
Now someone was knocking on the door of the efficiency. “Housekeeping!” The door opened and a woman’s head popped in. “Oh, I’m sorry.…” She held out a stack of clean towels.
“Not now!” Vikki yelled.
“Sorry!” The woman left, and the agent got up and slammed the door, securing the security latch this time.
She rushed back to the phone, then tappedACCEPT. “Hi. What’s it gonna be?”
“Okay, yeah,” Evan said. “Let’s do it.” His voice was clearer now. No traffic noise. He’d gone inside somewhere.
“Do what?” Vikki said a silent prayer that Wingfield would spell out his intentions.
“What we discussed. But I want it done right. She should just… disappear. Like, for real. I don’t want anything showing up that could be traced back to me. Is your guy capable of something like that? Is he smart enough not to get caught?”
“He’s not exactly Snow White. From what I’ve heard, it’s not his first rodeo,” Vikki drawled. “What about the price? He won’t budge, and neither will I.”
“You know what they say about greediness, right?” His tone was ominous. “Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered.”
“Is that a threat?” Her voice grew shrill. “Fuck you, okay? I’m going out on a limb in a major way here. Setting up a hit on somebody is a lot more serious than looking the other way when you set up another illegal Airbnb in a building in Brooklyn. How do I know you won’t turn around and blame this whole thing on me once this girl is dead? For all I know, you could be ratting me out to the city right now, you creep.…”
“Hey, chill, Vikki,” Evan said hastily. “Nobody’s ratting anybody out. This is a negotiation, right? It’s nothing personal. It’s just how I do business. You made an offer, I made a counter, which you rejected. Jesus! Doesn’t mean the deal’s off the table. Calm down, okay?”
“You know what?” she said heatedly. “I am sooverguys telling me to calm down, I could puke. Just tell me, do we have a deal? Fifty thousand. Final offer.”
“Yeah. It’s a deal. Couple things. I’m gonna need proof that the deed is done.”
“That’s crazy. You want her disappeared, there won’t be any proof.”
“A photo’s good. But I want to be able to tell it’s Letty, not some homeless bag lady you snatched off the street. I’ve seen that episode ofLaw & Order.”
“Okay. That sounds doable,” Agent Hill said. “What else?”
“My daughter. I don’t want her hurt. Make sure she’s nowhere near Letty when it happens. You understand? And then, I want you, personally, to deliver her back to me.”
“Me? I’m not a child welfare worker, Evan. I don’t even like kids.”
“You’ll get over it. She’s a sweet kid. Nothing like her mother. One more thing. I want this done. Now. Like, this weekend. Maya’s been gone almost a month. No telling what she’s been through. I’ll probably still be paying for a shrink when she’s in college.”
“I don’t know,” Agent Hill objected. “My guy might not be ready. He’s gonna have to do some legwork to set up everything. Also, he’s gonna want half up front.”
