Dark Waters (2013) by Toni Anderson Read Free Book Online Page A

of it. He had offices in Los Angeles, New York City, and Denver—where he was based because he liked the mountains—eight assistants, and a country full of people doing stupid-ass things.
    Life was good.
    “Security chased him because the guy was caught with his hand in the till. He called nine-one-one and made out like he was some sort of whistle-blower,” the sergeant out of the 1 st District told him. “But he was just an ex-con who couldn’t do an honest day’s work. They grabbed him, but the asswipe ran right into the path of that train. It’s all on video.”
    Jack had seen the video. No doubt Davis Silver had been terrified of the people chasing him. The question was why. And why had those so-called “security guards” disappeared?
    “I bet whoever gave him a job is going to regret it,” Jack said as he sat in a supermarket parking lot across from Davis Silver’s apartment, watching puffy white clouds float across a blue sky. He’d gotten a phone call in the middle of the night and headed out straightaway. Some clients demanded personal attention. Brent Carver was one of them. Usually Jack steered clear of ex-cons, but for some reason he couldn’t put his finger on, he didn’t mind dealing with Carver. Maybe it was just his money? Jack grimaced and hoped he hadn’t sold out to the dark side.
    “Giving an accounting job to a guy who’d already swiped a million? Yeah. But no one got fired this time, because the bright spark who hired him just happened to be the boss of the whole deal, claiming they specialized in giving ex-cons a second chance.” The cop laughed. “If it had been some dumb-ass in HR, they’d be out on their ear.”
    Jack heard the derision in the guy’s voice. “Did they say how much he took?”
    “Nah. Said it was negligible and they wouldn’t report it, given the guy ended up as a smear on the metro.”
    “Did they find anything unusual on the body?”
    There was a weighty silence. “Who’d you say your client was, Panetti?”
    “You know I don’t reveal names.” Jack prided himself on never giving up a source and always giving clients their money’s worth. “I do, however, happen to have tickets to the Bears season opener. And, if you get me names and addresses for those security people, I’ll see what I can do about Super Bowl tickets.” Carver could afford it.
    There was a grunt, but Jack knew he had the guy. “I’ll see what I can do. But you didn’t hear it from me.” The cop hung up and Jack leaned back in the seat of his rented Buick. He looked up at the building where Davis Silver had lived. An unremarkable, squat, square redbrick apartment complex. Jack had grown up in something similar.
    He was about to get out of the car when he noticed another car parked on a side street with someone inside watching the building. Not wanting to raise any flags, he headed into the store and bought himself something for lunch. He went back to the car with his plastic bag in hand and pulled the tab on a can of soda, getting the license plate as he chugged the cola. He climbed in his car, and paused for a moment after starting the engine. The other guy got out of the car and walked swiftly to the front entrance of Davis’sbuilding. He held keys, but caught the door just as the mailman left the building.
    Jack surreptitiously took a picture, then reversed out of his spot and drove around and past the entrance as the guy came out again, heading back to his car. Jack went around the block again, but when he glanced at where the other car had been it was gone.
    He parked and went and looked at the buzzer buttons. V. B ERNSTEIN . He leaned on it.
    “Who is this?”
    “Mrs. Bernstein? I was a friend of Davis’s and I’m hoping to talk to you for a moment?” Hopefully this was Viola, the name he’d gotten from Brent of the woman who had collected Davis’s mail whenever he was away.
    The door buzzer rang and he figured he’d give her a lecture on building security that