Skin Game
Page 39
The fun part is where you get to live, I replied. Besides. If his death is discovered before we pull the job, dont you think someones going to be able to put two and two together and figure out that the place is about to get hit? So we do it smart.
Grey sighed and looked at Nicodemus. Honestly. Where do you find these people?
Nicodemus never took his eyes off me. Agreed, he said finally. Finesse seems a wiser option. His dark eyes sparkled maliciously. The three of you should have no problem accomplishing the task.
What? I asked.
Grey, Deirdre, and Dresden will run this particular errand, he said, while the rest of us busy ourselves here. He paused. Unless, of course, Dresden, you wish to cease lending me your support.
I ground my teeth. I wanted to give him a solid punch in the nosebut that would not be upholding Mabs honor. No, I said.
Deirdre and Mr. Grey will bear witness to your sincerity.
My eyes tracked over to Deirdre, who was regarding me with a wide, intense smile that made her dark eyes too bulgy and conveyed a number of awful things. Her hair had begun to slither back and forth over her suit jackets shoulders.
Grey just looked at me with that calm smile. He made a little motion of his hand, pantomiming sticking a pin into something. Or maybe pulling it out again.
Oh, goodie, I muttered. Field trip.
Sixteen
Harvey kept an office just off Logan Square, on the second floor of a brownstone he shared with a Chase bank. I drove us past the building and then around the square twice in Nicodemuss black town car, using the time to think. It was a sunny morning, promising a mild spring day.
You are literally driving in circles, Grey noted, from the passenger seat.
Harvey shares a building with a bank, I pointed out.
Grey made an unhappy sound.
What difference does that make? Deirdre asked from the backseat.
Theyll have at least one armed guard on-site, Grey said, and probably more than one. Additionally, everyone there will have rapid access to alarms that will summon the local constabulary.
Then well take him quickly and go, Deirdre said.
A broad-daylight kidnapping, I said. In view of all this foot traffic, bank customers and . . . Even as I spoke, a white sedan with blue and white bubs and a sky blue horizontal stripe rolled through on the opposite side of the squares roundabout. And Chicago PD patrol cars, which regularly prowl through here.
Grey sighed. Hes right. Were going to have to be patient.
Cant keep circlingthe square, I said, pulling off. Well hit the next street over, try to find someplace we can park that gives us a view of the building.
Deirdre scowled at me in the rearview mirror. The simplest way is to walk in, kill him silently, and take what we need. No one will be the wiser until the body is discovered.
Point, Grey said.
Simple, all right, I said. I mean, we dont know his schedule today, who is coming to his office, where he is expected to be, who might raise a cry if he goes missing, or anything like that, but why let inconvenient little things like facts slow us down?
Deirdres scowl turned into a glower. Her hair whipped back and forth a few times, like an agitated cat thrashing its tail. I ignored her and drove slowly down the street on the other side of the bank building. It was early enough that I managed to find a parking space with a view of Harveys office door, and I wedged the town car inexpertly into it.
Theres his car, Grey noted, as I did. Our man comes in to work early.
Maybe he loves his job.
How tiresome, Grey said. He settled back in his seat with his odd eyes half-closed and unfocused.
So? Deirdre asked. What are we going to do?
Await developments, Grey said.
Harvey will leave eventually, I said, to get lunch, if nothing else. Well follow him until hes somewhere a little less likely to result in alarms and swarms of cops.
Deirdre didnt like that. We are on a schedule.
I guess Daddy should have thought of that before he decided to proceed without telling anyone his plans, I said. We could have gotten started days ago.
Patience, Miss Archleone, Grey advised, barely moving his lips as he spoke. He had the look of someone who was comfortable with the idea of spending a lot of time waiting. The man had worked stakeouts before. We have a little timeand we can always do it the direct way should we need to change our minds.
And we waited.
* * *
Why? Grey asked me abruptly, a couple of silent hours later.
Why what? I asked. I needed a bathroom break, but I didnt want to wander off and take the chance that the two of them would roll up and kill Harvey the minute I wasnt looking.
This man is no one to you, Grey said. Why does it matter if he lives or dies?
Because killing people isnt right, I said.
Grey smiled slightly. No, he said. Im being serious.
So am I, I said.
Grey sighed and looked at Nicodemus. Honestly. Where do you find these people?
Nicodemus never took his eyes off me. Agreed, he said finally. Finesse seems a wiser option. His dark eyes sparkled maliciously. The three of you should have no problem accomplishing the task.
What? I asked.
Grey, Deirdre, and Dresden will run this particular errand, he said, while the rest of us busy ourselves here. He paused. Unless, of course, Dresden, you wish to cease lending me your support.
I ground my teeth. I wanted to give him a solid punch in the nosebut that would not be upholding Mabs honor. No, I said.
Deirdre and Mr. Grey will bear witness to your sincerity.
My eyes tracked over to Deirdre, who was regarding me with a wide, intense smile that made her dark eyes too bulgy and conveyed a number of awful things. Her hair had begun to slither back and forth over her suit jackets shoulders.
Grey just looked at me with that calm smile. He made a little motion of his hand, pantomiming sticking a pin into something. Or maybe pulling it out again.
Oh, goodie, I muttered. Field trip.
Sixteen
Harvey kept an office just off Logan Square, on the second floor of a brownstone he shared with a Chase bank. I drove us past the building and then around the square twice in Nicodemuss black town car, using the time to think. It was a sunny morning, promising a mild spring day.
You are literally driving in circles, Grey noted, from the passenger seat.
Harvey shares a building with a bank, I pointed out.
Grey made an unhappy sound.
What difference does that make? Deirdre asked from the backseat.
Theyll have at least one armed guard on-site, Grey said, and probably more than one. Additionally, everyone there will have rapid access to alarms that will summon the local constabulary.
Then well take him quickly and go, Deirdre said.
A broad-daylight kidnapping, I said. In view of all this foot traffic, bank customers and . . . Even as I spoke, a white sedan with blue and white bubs and a sky blue horizontal stripe rolled through on the opposite side of the squares roundabout. And Chicago PD patrol cars, which regularly prowl through here.
Grey sighed. Hes right. Were going to have to be patient.
Cant keep circlingthe square, I said, pulling off. Well hit the next street over, try to find someplace we can park that gives us a view of the building.
Deirdre scowled at me in the rearview mirror. The simplest way is to walk in, kill him silently, and take what we need. No one will be the wiser until the body is discovered.
Point, Grey said.
Simple, all right, I said. I mean, we dont know his schedule today, who is coming to his office, where he is expected to be, who might raise a cry if he goes missing, or anything like that, but why let inconvenient little things like facts slow us down?
Deirdres scowl turned into a glower. Her hair whipped back and forth a few times, like an agitated cat thrashing its tail. I ignored her and drove slowly down the street on the other side of the bank building. It was early enough that I managed to find a parking space with a view of Harveys office door, and I wedged the town car inexpertly into it.
Theres his car, Grey noted, as I did. Our man comes in to work early.
Maybe he loves his job.
How tiresome, Grey said. He settled back in his seat with his odd eyes half-closed and unfocused.
So? Deirdre asked. What are we going to do?
Await developments, Grey said.
Harvey will leave eventually, I said, to get lunch, if nothing else. Well follow him until hes somewhere a little less likely to result in alarms and swarms of cops.
Deirdre didnt like that. We are on a schedule.
I guess Daddy should have thought of that before he decided to proceed without telling anyone his plans, I said. We could have gotten started days ago.
Patience, Miss Archleone, Grey advised, barely moving his lips as he spoke. He had the look of someone who was comfortable with the idea of spending a lot of time waiting. The man had worked stakeouts before. We have a little timeand we can always do it the direct way should we need to change our minds.
And we waited.
* * *
Why? Grey asked me abruptly, a couple of silent hours later.
Why what? I asked. I needed a bathroom break, but I didnt want to wander off and take the chance that the two of them would roll up and kill Harvey the minute I wasnt looking.
This man is no one to you, Grey said. Why does it matter if he lives or dies?
Because killing people isnt right, I said.
Grey smiled slightly. No, he said. Im being serious.
So am I, I said.
