“And where might you have heard such a thing?” I ask and Marino is behind me in the kitchen.

I step inside next to him, both of us out of the rain and leaving her in it.

“Is Lucy in trouble?” Jen stares at him. “I sort of have a right to know. I mean even you have a right to know, Pete. Doesn’t matter that you aren’t at the CFC anymore. You and Lucy are really close. So if she’s in trouble with the Feds don’t you think you should be aware? That everyone around her should be?”

“What makes you think she’s in trouble?” he asks.

“BAPERN.”

The Boston Area Police Emergency Radio Network includes more than a hundred different local agencies, and the state police and the FBI. I can’t imagine why anything about Lucy or her property would have been broadcast over BAPERN.

“I know the FBI had a chopper up and it was pretty obvious where it was,” Jen explains. “Lucy’s big spread in Concord.”

“Oh yeah? And why would the Feds be talking about one of their tactical helicopters over BAPERN?” Marino glowers at her. “The answer is they wouldn’t. They’d be on the Air Traffic Control freq.”

“It wasn’t the Feds talking. It was the Concord cops. Plus your big truck was complained about.” She directs this to me. “You blocked in an FBI car or something? Apparently a Concord cruiser checked out why the chopper was flying over Lucy’s house and there was talk about our truck blocking an FBI car.”

“No shit,” Marino says snidely. “And guess what? It’s not our job to answer your questions. You need to leave.”

“I’m not asking questions. I’m telling you stuff you clearly don’t know.”

“We don’t need your help.”

“Maybe you’re not smart enough to ask for it.” She stares defiantly at him and I can’t believe it.

He slams the door shut in her face. The last thing I see is Jen Garate’s mouth dropping open as she protests. I move to the window over the sink. I stand there looking out as she goes down the steps. She follows the walkway and drives off in the big white truck, and I feel satisfaction when the tires slide off the bricks and bump through mud. She overcorrects, fishtailing slightly. I drive the damn thing better than she does.

Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

THE OLD SAYING THAT YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT has morbid implications if you’re me. I can tell a lot about people from what’s in their cupboards and trash.

Marino and I are searching the kitchen now as I caution him about Jen. It’s not the first time and likely won’t be the last. The empty trash can is exactly as we left it, no bag inside, the plastic liner pulled up far enough to keep the lid open.