Page 24 of Cold Hard Cash

Late again.

Jimmy grinned, letting her in with the giant cart of food, already saying soothingly, “Hey, it’s okay, don’t worry about it—”

“Please tell Mr. Frost I am so sorry!” Lola cried as she struggled to get the tray set up and set a domed dish on top. “The kitchen, it’s just so much—”

“Really! It’s not a big deal! It’s all good!” Jimmy assured her with a bright smile. “I promise, it’s fine. As far as I know? Hey, you were here at nine o’clock sharp.”

“Thank you, Jimmy.” Lola sighed in relief. She pressed her hands together, and she fidgeted. “If it was a smaller order, it might not be so difficult to make it here on time?”

Jimmy tilted his head curiously. “Does, uh, Mr. Frost always order this much food?”

“No, sir.” Lola frowned. “Yesterday was the first time he’s ever ordered any room service other than drinks.”

“I’ll talk to him,” Jimmy promised, smiling warmly.

Lola patted Jimmy’s arm and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you so very much, I appreciate that. Oh! And read your note. Don’t forget to read the note first.”

“I will! Thank you, Lola!” Jimmy waved farewell, waiting for her to leave before lifting the dome. Like yesterday, there was another card waiting for him. Jimmy grinned and plopped down in bed to read it.

$237,007.19

Rowena will come by your apartment at four o’clock. Be ready.

-RL

Jimmy’s stomach churned in a mix of excitement and dread as he ate his breakfast. Somewhere between shopping with Boss Cold’s baby sister and attending a party with him, he had to find time to talk to him about Augustus Duplin.

Jimmy didn’t know what Cold was going to do when he told him, but if there was any chance of their deal moving forward, he had to tell him the truth.

But first things first.

Today was Friday, and Jimmy still had enough cash left over from his tip to grab a taxi to Westchester Prison. They had visiting hours from ten o’clock to two, and Jimmy already knew what he was going to do that morning.

He was going to see his father.

Chapter six

David Poe had been arrested seventeen years ago for the murder of his wife, Eliza.

The neighbors heard sounds of a scuffle and screaming, and they called the police. David was found standing over her body with a knife in his hand when authorities arrived. He claimed he had come home late and found his wife dead on the floor, having picked up the knife only after checking for vitals and realizing she was beyond resuscitation.

Even after all these years, Jimmy could remember his father screaming his innocence as Augustus dragged him away in handcuffs. Jimmy had tried to grab David’s leg, pleading with Augustus and begging for him not to take his dad away. He had just lost his mom, and he didn’t want to lose his dad too. Jimmy got so hysterical that Augustus had another officer remove him and place him in the back of a squad car until he calmed down.

He had to watch as Augustus hauled his father off, helpless to do anything to stop it, while their neighbors watched and pointed. He kept trying to tell the cops that he had seen what happened. He knew his father didn’t do it. He knew exactly who had killed his mother, and it wasn’t David.

“It was the Man in the White Coat!” he had screamed. “The Man in the White Coat did it!”

But no one, not even Augustus, had believed him. He was only a child, obviously confused and traumatized. There was no evidence of anyone else in the house, and no one had been seen entering or exiting. With no other suspects, the trial had been swift, and the sentence was life in Westchester Prison.

Jimmy hadn’t seen his father again until he was eleven. It was the first of many times he would run away from Augustus’ house, having stolen cash from his wallet to get a taxi down to the prison. He had tearfully pounded his little fists against the window in the visiting room, trying to find some way to break his father out, and had almost gotten thrown out by the prison guards.

David had looked on, powerless and miserable, pressing his hand against the glass and telling him, “Hey, hey, slugger. Put your paw up here, okay? Right next to mine. Remember, son. There’s only an inch of glass between our hands, okay? That’s it, just an inch. That’s not really that much, right? We’re closer than you think.”

“It might as well be a million miles,” Jimmy had cried.

“No,” David soothed. “It’s just an inch, an itty bitty little inch. And remember, there might be an inch of glass between our hands, but there’s nothing separating our hearts, okay? There’s nothing keeping my love from you, not ever. No matter how far apart we are, I will always be with you. I love you, son.”

Jimmy never forgot that moment, even after Augustus dragged him back home and grounded him for a month for running away.