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“This is worth a lot. You can use it to make Cardozo do whatever you want.”
Bobby snarled. “Tell me.”
“Sorensen got raped by three guys when she was in the Marines. Other Marines. Big guys. She hid at first, but they found her. One of them taunted her, ‘Come out, come out, wherever you are.’ It was in the trial transcripts. If you tell Cardozo that you’ll do the same to her, he’ll fold in a heartbeat.”
“How do you know this?” Bobby asked suspiciously.
“I have access to Holmes’s email and files. He had background checks run on the Sorensen woman last summer when she killed two intruders while on a job for Broussard. That’s also how I knew Cardozo’s personal cell phone number, which I also gave you like you asked. So give me my money.”
Bobby’s brows lifted as he shared a greedy glance with Corey. “You have Holmes’s passwords? I want them.”
“I’ll give them to you when I get my money.”
“If you want your money, you will keep tabs on Cardozo,” Bobby said coldly.
“Landry, I did what you asked,” Drysdale whined.
“And you’ll continue to do so,” Bobby said angrily. “We want to know what Cardozo’s doing. Knowing him, he’ll give us a fake address for Bella and arrange for a bunch of snipers to be waiting for us. You get close to him and find out what he’s up to.”
“I’m not going back into the hospital. There’s cops crawling all over the place right now. I couldn’t get close to him if I tried.”
“You will do as I say,” Bobby snarled, then gentled his voice. “Look, I know you’re doing this for your kid. But if you want little Laurel to keep breathing, you’ll do what I say. Otherwise, we’ll do to her what those Marines did to Sorensen. What we’re going to do to Sorensen. Depends on you.”
Drysdale gasped. “You’re a bastard.”
“I really am.” Bobby ended the call and grinned, his humor restored. “I figured threatening his kid’s virtue or her life would have equal results. He’ll make sure Cardozo isn’t pulling a fast one on us.”
“Why exactly is Drysdale doing this? What’s going on with his kid?” Corey hoped she didn’t have cancer. That would hit too close to home.
“He needs the money. His kid’s at some fancy college up north that costs like seventy, eighty grand a year.”
“A year?” Corey asked, appalled. “You’re shitting me.”
“Nope. I didn’t know he was working for Dewey, but his daughter’s a senior now, so he would have needed the money right around the time that Dewey went under after Ivan kicked it. You gonna call Cardozo now? I want to listen.”
“Let’s call him right now.”
“Are you going to use the info Drysdale just gave us? About the Marines?”
“Not yet. I’ll use it to prod him along if he drags his feet.” Corey frowned. “Ed never mentioned that the woman had a military record.”
It made him wonder if there was anything else that Ed had missed, but he’d never know.
Goddammit. Panic started to rise at the thought of replacing Ed, but he pushed it away. Focus. Now. You’ll figure Ed’s replacement out. You always do.
Mid-City, New Orleans, Louisiana
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2:00 P.M.
Kaj stared at the photos that had come from Ivan’s box. Three bodies. All men. Two were hanging from nooses. The third had a bullet through his head.
“The folder has Ingrid’s name on it,” Sylvi said. “What is this?”
Kaj had a terrible feeling that he knew exactly what this was. Each photo had a name printed on it. The victim who’d been shot in the head was Eric Haynes, and Kaj knew that name.
This was one of the men who’d assaulted Val. The one who’d stalked her when she’d come home. He could only assume that the other two were also her rapists. Val had told her brother about her assault, and Ivan had “taken care” of things.
He let out a breath, aware of the others staring at him. “It’s not my story to tell.”
