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“Had to have been another of Broussard’s guys,” Bobby said with a sneer. “He must have been wearing some level IV armor because it took three rounds from my AR-15.”
Ed rubbed his temples. “Did you need me to dig out the bullet?”
Corey shook his head. “Bobby did it. We need to figure out the best way to get our hands on Cardozo.”
“Or his kid,” Bobby said.
“Or his kid,” Corey agreed. “Grabbing his kid would be a better way to get Cardozo to talk anyway. Rick had that part right, at least, which really hurts to say out loud.”
Ed sighed. “I’ll see what I can find out. The message boards have been actively discussing using the boy against Cardozo to stop Doyle’s trial, so at least we’ll have someone to blame if we have to go that route. My hope is that Noni Feldman knows something, and we can leave Cardozo and his kid alone.”
“Your mouth, God’s ears,” Corey agreed. “But if we have to grab him, where is the best place to do it? We must find Bella and make sure she can’t testify. I’m not accepting a failure on this job.”
“No failure,” Ed said wearily. “I get it, Corey. But your time is running out. The trial starts Monday and tomorrow is Friday already. Now that Cardozo’s been shot at, he’ll be sticking close to home.”
Bobby rubbed his bruised chest absently. “We’ll have to hit his house.”
“He’s got security,” Ed warned. “Broussard’s people are hanging out there. My NOPD source added himself to the rotation around Cardozo’s neighborhood. Nobody questioned him because the brass had upped their numbers. The guys on legit duty figured he was supposed to be there, so they gave him all kinds of information. The cops who’d been there since Wednesday morning said that Broussard ups the staff at Cardozo’s house during the night. Lots of people are going in and out during the day, but their coverage is lighter.”
“Who comes in and out?” Corey asked. “I’d have thought they’d be locked down tight.”
“Some ladies that work in a bakery,” Ed said. “Marica’s.”
“They have good stuff,” Bobby said, then frowned when both Ed and Corey stared at him. “They do. Best in the Quarter. Run by a couple of girls. Great cupcakes.”
“Like real cupcakes?” Ed asked. “Or is this code for breasts?”
Bobby snorted. “Nah. They’re lesbians.”
Corey rolled his eyes. “Focus, B. If they’re in and out all the time, we can use that to our advantage. I’ll give it some thought. Who else?”
“Burke Broussard,” Ed said, counting on his fingers. “Antoine Holmes, his IT guy.”
“Related to André?” Corey asked.
“Younger brother,” Ed answered. “A medium-sized blonde—Molly Sutton. She seems to be on duty when the others take breaks or go somewhere. I’m guessing the big guy you shot at earlier would be in and out. Then there’s the tall blonde, Val Sorensen.”
Corey nodded. “Who visited the jail with Cardozo today before going to the flower shop. She could be a target, too. They were looking really cozy outside the shop.”
“But I think she’d been crying,” Bobby said thoughtfully. “Her eyes were puffy and red. They were in the shop for a while, so it was personal. Unfortunately, whatever happened didn’t impact her reflexes.”
“So,” Ed said, “if we can’t get to Cardozo, we’ll grab her and use her as leverage to make Cardozo tell us where Bella is. I think taking his kid would get him to cooperate faster, though.”
Corey pushed himself to his feet. “We’ll work through the details after we sleep. Bobby, you got those pain pills? I need to sleep, but my arm is killing me.”
Bobby handed him the bottle. “What about Feldman?”
“Let’s chat with her now. If she continues to be difficult, we’ll go at her in the morning. Let her spend tonight worrying about what we’re going to do to her. She ain’t going anywhere.”
Mid-City, New Orleans, Louisiana
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 10:00 P.M.
Kaj left Elijah’s room and knocked on his own bedroom door. “Val? Can I come in?”
“Yes, of course,” came the muffled reply.
Kaj slipped into his room and closed the door. She sat on the side of his bed, staring at the far wall, looking lost.
