“I went to NYU and stayed after graduation. I moved here from the city a couple of years ago.”

“Excuse me. NYU? Are you kidding me?”

Alton gave me a smile of pride and said, “School of Business.” He sharpened his gaze at me and said, “That’s just your New York prejudice. Hear a slightly Southern accent and assume a person’s stupid. I try to use it to my advantage.”

“How did you get into drug dealing after graduating from NYU?”

“Easiest way to learn the metric system,” he said, giving me a sly smile.

I looked around the seedy bar and said, “This place is just like the bar my brother works out of.”

“You gotta go where the customers are. It’s just smart business.”

“Like killing Pete Stahl?”

“Don’t be a dumbass. I worked with Pete. If you’re gonna start throwing around accusations like that, I’ll just refer you to my attorney, Lise Mendez.”

“Jesus, she the only attorney in town?”

“Only one worth a shit, and who looks like that.” He stepped closer to me and put his arm around my shoulder. “Speaking of beauties, how’s Pete’s wife, Katie? Is your brother still sniffing around her?”

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

ALTON DIDN’T TELL me a whole lot, and his condescending attitude made me realize it was time to move on. At least for now. It was late afternoon by the time I left the Budstop. Dusk comes awfully early in upstate New York in winter. Especially with the low clouds that threatened more snow. The temperature dropped and I wasn’t prepared for it. I stepped out of the side door and felt the sharp wind. There was ice across the parking lot, so I made my way as quickly as I could without losing my footing.

Alton hadn’t given me the impression that he was a cold-blooded killer. But greed could do crazy things to people. I still had a lot of questions to ask and work to do.

I was lost in thought and concentrating on not falling, so I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. That’s a mistake in most circumstances and an all-out blunder when you’re investigating a criminal case. I hadn’t noticed anyone else in the parking lot before the man in the ski mask stepped out from behind my car.

I skidded to a stop, astonished. It was a big guy wearing a thick winter jacket. He didn’t say a word as I just stared at him. Then he moved his right hand and I saw he had a red crowbar in it. It almost looked like a fireman’s tool, but I knew he wasn’t here to fight a fire.