Find Her a Grave by Collin Wilcox Read Free Book Online Page A

benediction—or a death sentence—he shook his head.
    She nodded. “I understand. It’s a risk.”
    “You’re damn right it’s a risk. And not just for Tony, either.”
    “For you? A risk for you, too?”
    Grimly, he made no response.
    “Wh-what about for me? If—” She licked her lips. “If it all comes to me, and they find out I’ve got it …”
    Once more his silence said it all—and more. Then, speaking matter-of-factly, Venezzio said, “Do you know about that plastic pipe they use for plumbing? PVC, it’s called. They use it for sewer lines a lot.”
    Puzzled, she frowned. “Sewer pipe? Did you say sewer?”
    Impatiently, he nodded. “It’s white or black. Plastic. You put it together with a special glue, and that’s it. It’ll never rot, never leak. And once everything’s glued together it takes a saw to get it apart. Plus, it’s light. You understand?”
    Hesitantly, she nodded. “I—I’ve seen the stuff, I guess. But I never paid any attention.”
    “Well, you can go to any hardware store, look it over. But what I’m talking about, these jewels, Tony’s sealed them in a piece of this sewer pipe. It’s white, and it’s about a foot long, maybe four, five inches diameter on the inside, something like that. It’s got caps at the ends, all sealed up. Tony’s got it now. But in a few days, a week, something like that, I’m going to have someone pick it up from Tony. This guy, call him Pete, he’ll take the package and he’ll hide it in some safe place.” He paused, watching his daughter’s face, letting her catch up, take it all in. Always, Louise’s face had been expressive; she’d never been able to keep a secret, never been able to lie, not really. What Louise was thinking, it was always right there in her face. Janice had been like that: not really very smart, but always transparently truthful.
    “You with me so far?” he asked.
    Hesitantly, she nodded. Yes, she understood. But she was going slowly, cautiously feeling her way. “Louise is good-natured,” Janice had once said. “But she’s no great brain.”
    “The thing is,” he explained, “only Mar—only Pete and I’ll know where the package is hidden. But only Tony and me—and you, now—know what’s in the package. And—” A beat, to focus her attention. “And only I know the whole story, both sides of it.” Another beat. “Right?”
    “But then how do I—I mean—” Once more, hesitantly, she broke off. Then, more resolutely: “But if you should die, then how—” She bit her lip, began to shake her head.
    He took his notebook and pen from a jacket pocket. He wrote three words, then held the notebook angled so she could see the words he’d written: “Don’t say anything out loud,” he whispered. “There’s directional microphones. They can pick up a pin drop. So just look. Memorize these three words.” Holding the notebook, he watched her lips move, mouthing the words.
    “Okay?” He closed the notebook.
    “Y-yes.” She spoke cautiously, her voice pitched low. Fixed on his face, her eyes were large and anxious. “But how—?”
    “Tony. He’s got three words, too. If I die, the two of you get together. He’ll come to you, where you live. So you should just sit tight, wait for him. The two of you, you’ll go get the package. Tony’ll help you, tell you what to do.”
    Tentatively, she nodded. Then, venturing cautiously: “But what if Tony finds out my three words, and then he—”
    “He won’t,” Venezzio interrupted curtly. “Forget it. There’s only one person I trust, and that’s Tony.”
    “But you’d be—I mean, you couldn’t—”
    “I’d be dead, is that what you’re trying to say?”
    Chastened, she nodded.
    “The answer is, Tony’s already out on a limb on this one. A couple of guys in New York—dons—if they knew about this, Tony’d die. It’s what I said before, about whose money it is that bought those jewels.”
    “But you’re the boss. You run