Dark Lane by P.C. Hatter & Stacy Bender

Author:P.C. Hatter & Stacy Bender [Hatter, P.C. & Bender, Stacy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Byrnas Books
Published: 2021-03-28T04:00:00+00:00

Duke called the office and said he needed to see me right away. Twenty minutes later, he was standing in my office looking grim, but the treefrog standing next to him had me more concerned. I nodded to Duke before turning to the frog. “Nice to see you again. Have a seat. Since neither of you are carrying paperwork, should I assume this conversation is being recorded?”

Stanley Needleman said, “Yes,” and patted his pocket.

Two could play that game, so I pulled out my own recorder from the drawer, placed it on the desk, and turned it on. After reciting the date, occasion, and who was in the room, I sat back and smiled. “What can I do for you?”

Duke was the first to speak. “Do you know what you’re into, Kaiser?”

“Not really. But from what I’ve been able to piece together, Stanley here is looking for something that has to do with Allen Reece. Since I was in Florida when he was shot, I was lucky enough to get back here to New York to say goodbye before he died.”

“And you were in the room alone for some time before he died,” said Duke.

“Allen died while I was in the room with him, yes. So what’s the problem?”

“Your conversation.” Duke nodded toward the frog. “He wants the details.”

“If it was so important, why didn’t someone bug the room? I’m just an old tiger with so many holes in my pelt, I wouldn’t even make a good rug. If you’re looking for super spies, try the CIA.”

“Allen Reece could have passed you pertinent information,” said Needleman. “Something he could have stumbled across.”

I stared at the frog for a minute before saying, “If you show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”

Frogs are hard to read, and it doesn’t help that they always look sweaty, but Needleman must have figured he wasn’t going to get far with me unless he gave in a bit.

“There’s something going on within the families concerning money. Several well-known attorneys and financial establishments are investigating illegal activities.”

“Someone stole from the mob, and they can’t find out where the culprit hid the cash?” I couldn’t keep the grin off my face.

“Not exactly. The money started disappearing about ten years ago, but our inside sources couldn’t tell us much else. I’ve been sent in to see what I can… dig up. The old dons are almost all gone, and the new regime has bigger plans and new ideas. Only… they weren’t too happy finding the coffers empty.”

“So, what does the mob’s missing money have to do with me?”

“Your friend, Allen Reece, did a lot of talking with Orlando Zito. Others, it seems, took the same casual air regarding the caribou.”

I couldn’t help letting out a growl. “Allen wasn’t in the mob.”

“In that, I agree with you, Mr. Wrench. But the question remains, what was he?”

“A male who was paid to take care of the estates. Didn’t you bother to do a background check?”

“We did, and we found nothing on Mr. Reece.

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