“The mayor. Sure. Good man.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of his sardonic tone. It had been Mayor Simpson, after all, who had appointed Larry as city attorney when he came back to town a few years ago. I’d always known he was a shady character, and from what I’d heard from Jade, the man was about as unethical an attorney as there was. People like him gave lawyers a bad name.
Of course, bending ethics as an attorney was the least of Larry Wade’s crimes.
“Hello, Mr. Wade,” Bryce said.
Larry groaned. “So what do you two want?”
“Answers,” I said.
“Ask away. I’m pretty sure I don’t have any.”
“You can start by telling me why you left a red rose on Jade’s pillow a few months ago.”
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Quit playing dumb, Uncle Larry. We all know what kind of man you are. The kind of man that kidnaps and fucks little boys. Pretty sick. Also, you killed Colin Morse.”
“Hey, I had nothing to do with that.”
“Whatever. So if you’re that kind of guy already, breaking and entering and leaving an ominous rose on a woman’s pillow would be nothing to you.”
“I said I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I couldn’t read him. Jade had said he had a champion poker face. She was right.
Larry turned to Bryce. “To what do I owe the pleasure of the mayor’s son’s company?”
“My cousin Luke was one of the other kids who was taken twenty-five years ago,” Bryce said. “So I’m as involved in this as Joe is.”
“Great.” Larry rolled his eyes yet again.
“You might want to try being a little less of an asshat,” I said. “You know we can make or break you.”
“Are you kidding me? My fate is sealed. Don’t try to work some deal with me, Steel. I’m headed up the river, and we all know that.”
“Well, you should be. But we have some business to discuss. You’re going to tell us who the other two men are who took Talon.”
“Nope.” Larry crossed his arms over his chest. “I ain’t talkin’. Period.”
“You need to change your tune. The prosecution will be a lot easier on you if you cooperate.”
“I know my rights. And I know what the prosecution will and won’t do. But I will not talk. I can’t.”
“Why can’t you?” Bryce asked.
“Because they’ll fucking kill me.”
“You’re in prison, for God’s sake. No one from the outside can get to you in here. Why not do yourself a favor and make your life a little bit easier?” I said. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Are you offering me money, Steel? What good would money do me now?”
“Well…you can hire yourself a decent lawyer rather than the public defender you’ve got right now.”
Larry licked his lips. God, he was a snake. Was he considering my offer? I couldn’t tell.
“That’s interesting. How much are you offering?”
“I’d say two hundred grand could buy you some decent representation.”
“That’s it? Everyone knows you’re worth way more than that, Steel.”
“It may come as a surprise to you, Uncle, but my main business isn’t paying off criminals. I’m offering you more than enough to pay a decent attorney.”
Larry shook his head, laughing. “It’s still pennies to you.”
I tensed.
Bryce nudged my arm. “Don’t let him get to you, Joe.”
I had no intention of anything “getting” to me. If he wasn’t talking, I’d take the money off the table.
“Forget the money, then. Do what’s right for once in your life. Do it for your nephew, whose life you made hell. Do for your sister, my mother.”
“No can do.” Larry looked at the guard. “I’m done with these people.”
“Wait,” Bryce said, standing. “You can’t leave yet.”
“Oh, yeah? You have money you want to throw my way?”
“I don’t have any money. Not that I’d give it to you if I had it. But I do need some information.”
“I told you. I’m not naming the others.”
Bryce shook his head. “I get that. But I want to know something else. I want you to tell me what happened to my cousin. Luke Walker.”
My heart thrummed against my sternum. If Larry told Bryce… I should have seen this coming. I had to be the one to tell Bryce about Luke, not this degenerate. I should have told him before we came. Instead, I’d taken the easy way out, putting off the unpleasant—hell, unpleasant was stating it mildly—until later. One thing was for sure. I couldn’t let Larry tell him. I opened my mouth to put an end to Bryce’s question, but Larry spoke first, his eyes wide.
“Come again?”
“You heard what I said. What happened to my cousin?”
Larry erupted in laughter. Evil laughter. “Steel, you haven’t told him?”