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Back Blood in the Water
Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

Cicero heard about Joe Konicki first. Cormack and his men had taken over the back rooms of one of the fisheries along the waterfront in South Boston. The place smelled so bad, Cicero had trouble breathing, but the owner was in Cormack’s debt, and it was the sort of place they would not be disturbed. There were fifteen of them gathered, enduring the stench of fish guts as Cormack and Cicero mapped out a plan.

The call came in from a cop that Cicero had on his payroll. Cicero was in a room with Cormack and three others at the time, so he kept his half of the conversation short, asking one-word questions: Where? When? How? When he hung up, he told everyone other than Cormack to leave the room.

“I got some bad news, Boss,” he said once he and Cormack were alone.

“What is it?”

“It’s Joe Konicki,” Cicero said. “Cops found him in a parking lot out by UMass.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Konicki’s with Diamond. He’s watching her.”

Cicero shook his head. “Not anymore. He’s dead.” Cormack’s face still registered his confusion, so Cicero continued. “He was in his car. They slit his throat.”

“What the fuck was he doing out by UMass?”

Cicero shrugged. “The parking lot was by an office full of medical offices specializing in women’s issues. Maybe he took Diamond there.”

Cicero watched as the full range of implications dawned across Cormack’s face. “Where is she?”

Cicero shook his head. “She wasn’t with him in the car when they found him. Who knows, maybe this has got nothing to do with her. But maybe it does.”

Cormack grabbed his phone and dialed his daughter’s number. The phone rang four times. Then, just before it would normally go to voice mail, someone accepted the call. They said nothing, though.

Cormack held the phone to his ear, waiting for the person on the other end to say something. Finally, he couldn’t help himself. “Diamond?” he said. “Is that you?”

The line stayed silent for another moment. Then a voice came over the line. It wasn’t Diamond. It was a male voice, somewhat high pitched, with a thick accent. Cormack recognized it as Soh’s voice immediately.

“Diamond can’t come to the phone right now,” he said. “Can I help you, Cormack O’Connell?”