“You’ve said that before and failed me. Why should I believe you now?”
Arrogant bastard. “Then don’t believe me. But I’m going after her anyway. I’d suggest that you be prepared to send someone to help me dispose of this particular body in case it might cause you extreme discomfort.” He paused. “And deposit that money in my account in the next few days. I may have to move fast.”
“Without proof that I’m going to get my money’s worth?”
“I’m sending you a photo I just took.” He pressed the button on his phone. “Proof enough?”
There was silence. “It … could be.”
“And the kid has an Aunt Elena. Elena Delaney. This time I went after her photo at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Last name different from our Elena Pasquez, but the first was the same. I suppose it was easier to change the fake ID. And the face was definitely our Elena. It took me a load of bribe money and weeks of going through their records before I found a picture of the bitch. Then all I had to do was stake out her apartment until I saw the kid.”
“What about the kid’s name?”
“Marnie? Come on, Elena wouldn’t be that stupid. She knows the kid has to enroll in school. She’s calling her Cara now. But, put it all together, and I’m much closer than the other marks I removed on pure speculation. You agree?”
“I agree that she might be a likely prospect,” Salazar said cautiously.
“Then send me the money. If you double the price, I’ll arrange for the body disposal.” He added, “Unless you want the head. That could be arranged.”
“I don’t want to wait for a few days. I want you to be done with this job and out of the country,” Salazar paused. “Because I think you blundered all the way on this job. Jenny wasn’t supposed to be found, and after they did find her, you should have made sure that there was no possibility she’d be recognized.”
“You’re wrong,” he said impatiently. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Okay, they found her, but that was because of some freak rainstorm. After Nalchek called in Eve Duncan, I blocked her as soon as I could. I made sure that Jenny wouldn’t be recognized. I did everything right.”
“Then why did I get a report that Eve Duncan has just shown up in Sonderville?”
Walsh’s hand tightened on the phone. “What?”
“You heard me. She and Quinn checked into a local hotel and made contact with Nalchek. She spent some time with him. So she evidently doesn’t consider herself blocked. Why didn’t you get rid of her at the same time you took the skull?”
“You don’t understand. There were difficulties. It wasn’t the right time. I was going to do it later.”
“All I understand is that you let her get finished with that damn reconstruction, then left her alive to talk about Jenny. I wanted her forgotten … except by her father. I wanted to see him roasting in the hell I created for him.”
“She will be forgotten. You won’t have to wait long before I—”
“I’ve waited too long already. Eight damn years. It was supposed to be a simple job. You put my ass on the line, and I’ve been walking a tightrope, thinking every minute I’d fall off and have her father come after me.”
Walsh opened his mouth to spit out his defense and thought better of it. He should tone it down. Salazar was not a force to take lightly. He didn’t need him to send one of his soldiers across the border to try to gut him. Not that he would succeed. No one was better at either surviving or the kill than he. “None of the delay was my fault. And I’ve been trying hard to rectify it since it happened.”
“If you hadn’t, I would have had you very painfully removed that first year after Jenny.”
“Do you think I don’t want to move faster? But I have to move carefully if I want to finish this up, so that it’s safe for you.”