Vinny shook his head. “I checked the front desk—he’s not here yet.”

Then Ryan saw Charlie walk into the bar and head for them. They shook hands. “How you doin’, Charlie?”

“I’m good, Gene.”

“This is Vinny, Al’s cousin.”

“Where’s Al?”

“He hasn’t shown. We all took different flights down. Want a drink while we wait?”

An hour later, Charlie called Al’s throwaway cell number.

“Yeah?”

“Al?”

“Yeah.”

“Where the hell are you?”

“Where are you? Let me call you back.”

Charlie hung up. “That wasn’t Al that answered.”

“Who was it?”

“He didn’t know me. Maybe a cop. Let’s get out of here.”

Charlie drove them to a restaurant down the beach, where a table was waiting for them. They ordered drinks and some food. “When did you two guys last see Al?” Charlie asked.

“Friday afternoon,” Ryan replied.

“Where?”

“At my mom’s house,” Vinny said. “We did a job, and we met there for the split. He talked to you on the phone while we were together, then he told us to get separate flights today and meet him at the motel.”

“But he never showed, and there’s a strange guy answering his phone. Either of you know somebody who knows Al?”

“Sure,” Vinny said.

“Call up there and get somebody to go over to Al’s house.”

“Okay.” Vinny called a cousin and had a brief conversation, then he hung up, looking strange.

“What’s the matter?” Gene asked.

“Al’s dead—his girl, too. Somebody offed them both on Friday night. He told me he was taking her to a show in the city. Apparently, somebody was waiting for him when they came home. A neighbor found them outside their house on Saturday morning.”

“Anybody know anybody who might want Al dead?”

“Yeah,” Vinny and Gene said simultaneously.

“And who might that be?”

“The guy whose liquor store we did on Friday afternoon. His name is Sean Finn. Al was having lunch with him when we knocked over the store,” Ryan said.

“Was there bad blood there?”

“You bet your ass there was bad blood. Last week we knocked over a poker game they were both playing in.”

“Is this guy Finn the kind who would shoot Al over this?”

“Nah,” Ryan said. “He’s the kind of guy who would pay somebody else to do it.”

“Any idea who he might have paid?”

“Maybe a dealer from Vegas who was in the game. Al said he was a mechanic, thought he was dealing off the bottom of the deck. Al said all the players were businessmen, not the sorts to resist when we robbed them. The dealer was another thing, though. We found a gun on him.”

“Well, whatever the story, looks like we’re going to be doing this job without Al,” Charlie said. “Are you guys still in?”

“Yep,” Vinny said.

“Sure,” Ryan said. “Sean Finn can wait.”

Chapter 49