Thorne had suspected him before. Now he knew for sure.
Nothing had really changed, of course. He’d laid out the plan with care and would see it through. But he’d have to rattle Thorne a little more. Put more pressure on his inner circle, rendering them afraid to stand too close to him. Or at a minimum, render them useless by forcing them into hiding.
He picked up the phone and redialed Patton. ‘I think you might be right. The discovery of Ramirez changes things.’
‘I made it look like a robbery, just like you said, but they won’t buy it now.’
‘You’re probably right about that too. I have one more assignment for you tonight.’
Dead silence. ‘I dropped those two at the warehouse, just as you asked.’
‘I know you did.’ He wondered if Patton had managed to keep his supper down as he’d done so. ‘This can be accomplished more conventionally. I’ll send you an address. There may be an officer guarding outside. You may dispatch the officer as you see fit. Any occupants of the house itself can be hurt, but not killed.’
‘Got it.’
‘I’ll be waiting to hear your summary, Mr Patton.’
‘Of course. Later. Sir.’
He ended the call and slid his phone into the pocket of his dressing gown. Unsettled, and annoyed to be, he headed downstairs to make a pot of coffee. In his younger days, he’d been able to stay up all night with no issues, but he was beginning to feel his age.
Plus, he’d had an active day. Carving up those Circus Freaks boys had been labor-intensive. Satisfying, though.
He paused outside the nursery, listening, opening the door when he heard Benny’s fractious wail. The boy stood in his crib, tears streaking his beautiful face. Not hesitating for a second, he picked the child up and cuddled him close, settling into the rocking chair.
He’d convinced Margo to stay with him in case Benny needed care during the night. His physician was on call should the child’s fever worsen. He knew she’d complied primarily to assuage his fears, rather than because she was actually worried about Benny. She was convinced it was only teething and he was sure she was right, because his personal physician had confirmed it.
Margo had not been happy when she’d called earlier in the evening, after the physician had examined Benny and left. She’d accused him of thinking she was not a good mother, which couldn’t have been farther from the truth. He’d begged her indulgence and with a sigh she’d agreed.
However he’d achieved it, he was happy the boy was here. He felt a little closer to Colin every time he held Benny in his arms. The child had already quieted, a combination of the rocking chair and the finger he’d offered for Benny to gnaw.
A rustle of silk had him looking toward the door. Margo stood in the doorway, her face in shadow. ‘Papa,’ she whispered.
‘He’s fine,’ he murmured, continuing to rock. ‘Just fussy.’
She crossed the room and knelt beside the chair, touching her son’s forehead. ‘His fever has broken,’ she said gratefully. She stroked Benny’s cheek. ‘Does that taste good, little man?’ She glanced up, met his eyes. ‘You’re going to spoil him.’
‘That’s what grandfathers are supposed to do,’ he said with a smile for the child in his arms. ‘You should sleep. I have to stay awake for a while anyway.’
‘Why?’ she asked. ‘Is Kathryn okay?’
‘She’s fine.’ He sighed. ‘But Thorne found Ramirez.’
Margo frowned. ‘How?’
‘He must have followed him.’
‘That makes sense.’ She frowned. ‘What are you doing now?’
‘Nothing you have to worry about.’
Her eyes narrowed. ‘Papa?’
‘Fine. I’m hitting him a little closer to home. His papas,’ he said mockingly, because he did not believe such things were natural or proper.
‘Will you finally give a kill order?’
She hadn’t agreed with his decision to have Patton intentionally miss Gwyn and Stevie earlier today.
‘Not yet,’ he said soothingly, unwilling to disturb Benny, who’d started to fall asleep. ‘Patience.’
Even in the semi-darkness, he could see her rolling her eyes. ‘Yes, Papa.’
Her sarcasm made his chest tighten, because in that moment she sounded very much like his Madeline. How he missed her. He pressed a kiss to Benny’s forehead. ‘You are very sweet,’ he whispered. ‘Your grandmother would have loved you so very much.’
Margo’s smirk drooped. ‘I’m sorry. I know you miss her.’
‘We were married for nearly thirty years. Every day that I wake without her seems like a thousand years. Which is why I have not given a kill order. I want to draw this out. I want him to feel pain.’
‘Striking his papas is a good first start. He loves them.’
‘I know. I only wish I could be there to see his torment.’
Baltimore, Maryland,
Tuesday 14 June, 12.55 A.M.
Thorne said nothing as JD got back in the car and started the engine, sending the A/C blasting. JD had been inside the Ramirez house for an hour with Hyatt and Joseph Carter. During that time, one of Hyatt’s detectives – not Brickman, thankfully – watched Thorne like a fucking hawk, daring him to move a muscle.
Thorne hadn’t had the energy to even flip the asshole off. Not that he could really blame the guy anyway. This is starting to look bad even to me, and I know I’m innocent.
He’d texted Gwyn a few times, cursory one-word answers to her questions.
Are you okay? she’d asked.
No.
Is your contact alive?
No.
Are you still with JD?
Yes. That hadn’t been exactly true, but it met the spirit of her question.
Come back to me soon.
Yes. He’d swallowed hard as he’d typed the three letters, then added, Sorry.
For what? And don’t be an idiot.
He’d almost smiled at that. Thank you.
You’re welcome.
He rested his head against the window, patiently waiting for JD to speak.
‘They’ve been dead for at least a week,’ JD said finally.
‘They?’
‘Ramirez and his wife.’
‘Fuck,’ Thorne breathed.
‘Indeed. At least the A/C was on. It was pretty miserable in there.’
Thorne absorbed the words. At least a week. ‘I hadn’t heard from him in about a week. Not until I texted him Sunday after I woke up. The phone he used was a burner that he kept secret from Tavilla. Someone’s either gotten his phone or knows his number to spoof it on his replies to me.’ He blinked hard and forced himself to focus. Why? What had happened a week ago? Nothing that he could think of. ‘So even if I’d given Joseph and Hyatt his name during the meeting this afternoon, it wouldn’t have made a difference.’
‘No.’ JD sighed. ‘I’m not telling you any of this, by the way.’
‘Any of what?’ Thorne asked.
JD’s mouth quirked dryly. ‘Yeah.’ He blew out a breath. ‘He was shot in the gut. It wouldn’t have been a slow death. She was shot in the head.’ He rubbed his temples. ‘But she’d been tortured first. Lots of little punctures in her torso and groin. Not by a knife. Maybe a screwdriver.’
‘Fuck.’ Thorne swore again.
‘They suffered. Both of them.’
Thorne scrubbed his face with his palms. ‘Am I a suspect?’
‘No. But they will ask you why Ramirez agreed to sell you secrets. He was one of Tavilla’s top men.’
‘I know. I was surprised too. He wouldn’t tell me, but I figured it out. His nephew was gunned down by one of Tavilla’s thugs in a drive-by shooting. He wasn’t a target, but Tavilla’s boys sprayed the house with bullets and the nephew got caught in the crossfire. Died.’
‘Did Ramirez ever confirm that?’
‘Yes, once I presented my theory. He hated Tavilla, but he was not “in a position” to take him out. Which meant he feared retaliation on his family. He has children. Given that his wife is dead too, we should check on them.’
‘We found their addresses on some mail on the hall table. We’ll contact them, don’t worry.’
Because if JD and the cops had seen the addresses, the killers had too. ‘Were Ramirez and his wife eviscerated?’
‘No. That seems to have been reserved for Patricia and the two Circus Freaks guys. So far,’ JD added grimly. Thorne knew the cop was thinking about Lucy, Gwyn and Stevie.