Page 88 of Shadow's Surrender
There was a rap on the door and then it swung open, and Hawk pumped his fist in the air at Banger and Shadow.
“Turns out that lover boy here has the hots forMiss Mansfield, so I’m gonna tell her bitch mom to fuck off,” Banger said.
Hawk’s brows raised slightly as he looked at Shadow. “No shit. You got a bumpy road ahead of you, dude. Cara’s dad has done some legal stuff for George Mansfield. She told me that Mansfield likes to play dirty—so watch your back.”
“Yeah. So what did you find out about Flo and all those deposits?”
“It was what you thought—she was blackmailing someone. I pulled the records on her condo, and she purchased it fourteen years ago.”
“A year after my mom’s murder,” he said under his breath.
“It was a cash purchase. She’d been getting greedier over the last two years, asking for more and more—at least that’s what the ledger shows. The deposits were made by her into three different bank accounts—two in town and one in Denver. The bad news is that there’s no notes or anything about who was giving her the money, but I’d say the person or persons paying her every month lived in town. Sometimes there was more than one deposit a month, especially in the last two years. She had to have been meeting up with the killer to get the money. I checked with the post office, and your mom’s friend never had a PO box.”
“It’s not believable that the killer would’ve sent all that money to her by mail,” Shadow said. “Maybe the money was wired to her and she picked it up.”
“Not for the kind of money she was getting. It started out at about five grand a month, but your friend kept raising it each year, right up until this past year when forty grand was her monthly take,” Hawk said as he took out three joints from the pocket of his cut. “Her greed got her killed.”
Shadow took the joint from the vice president and held it between his thumb and index finger. “Flo must’ve gotten the vibe that the killer was sick of paying her demands. She was definitely running scared. She should’ve told me who killed my mom that day on the phone. After living off my mom’s death, she fuckin’ owed that to me.” He placed the joint between his lips and lit it.
“I’m still trying to figure it out, bro. I’ll keep digging to see if I can find a loose strand. The killer was a very rich man—he’s paid a fortune to your mom’s friend over all these years—well over several million bucks,” Hawk said.
“Did anyone besides this Flo woman know you were meeting up with her?” Banger asked after he blew out a stream of smoke.
“I don’t think so, but the killer may have gotten it out of her before he offed her.” Shadow inhaled deeply, held it for a second, then exhaled, watching the smoke rise toward the ceiling.
“Be extra vigilant,” Hawk said. “I know this fucker’s still in Pinewood Springs. I just feel it, you know?”
“I do too—I always have. Every time Scarlett talks about her upcoming fundraiser and all the donors, I can’t help wondering,Is this guy the one, or is it that one? … It’s driving me fuckin’ nuts.” He slammed his fist on his thigh.
“I don’t blame you, but you gotta stay focused and put up a barrier between your emotions and finding this bastard, otherwise you’ll jeopardize your safety,” Banger said.
“I know, but sometimes it’s damn hard.” Shadow stubbed out the joint. “Thanks, dude,” he said to Hawk as he pushed up from the chair. “I owe you. Next time we go out for chow, it’s on me.”
“Sounds good, bro.” Hawk bumped fists with him.
“We done here?” he asked Banger and the president nodded. Shadow lifted his chin then walked out of the room.
“Did Banger kick your horny ass?” Smokey asked the minute Shadow walked into the main room.
“Nah, but he’s ready to kick that Mansfield bitch’s ass.” He pulled out a chair and sat down.
“He seemed pretty pissed at you for fucking the bitch’s daughter,” Smokey said.
“Yeah, but he’s cool now. I might as well tell you that Scarlett is my woman, so respect thatandher.”
“Sure, dude. You must like complications in your life. Tangling with George Mansfield is demanding trouble.” Smokey shook his head, then picked up his sandwich.
Once a brother declared a woman as his girlfriend or old lady, the members shifted their focus. They accepted and respected that she was their brother’s woman.
“I’m glad we finished the project at Mansfield’s house,” Smokey said. “I bet if he’d known what had been going on while we were there, he would’ve pulled the plug.”
“I would’ve made up the difference,” Shadow replied as he picked up the shot of Jack the prospect gave him.
“The next six weeks we’re inside with big-ass fans while we work. The heat’s gotta break soon—we’re already in August.”
“I’m just glad that most of my jobs are inside air conditioned homes,” Animal said as he put the plate down on the table and sat in a chair.
“You’re not working today?” Smokey asked.
