He held his hand out in silent demand. Johnny lit another cigarette for him. “Maybe we’re giving them too much credit. It could just be one of them that put it together. He goes to the others, says, ‘Hey, I’ll take care of those cops for you and I’ll take two-thirds of their share. More for each of you.’ ”
“Maybe. Maybe.” Hans was concentrating fiercely. “But why not just take us out? Shit, follow us to a call and do a drive-by shooting as we get out of the car. Isn’t going to raise any more hell than lighting up cops one at a time.”
“See that’s what I’m saying.” This is why he’d called Hans in the first place. The man could reason things through. He didn’t let fear color his thinking. “Why the human torches? Offing cops is going to bring a shitload of attention to bear anyway, but doing it like this? He’s trying to prove something. Can’t be one of those dickwads from the street. Doing it this way takes too much finesse.”
“Yeah.” Hans brought the cigarette to his lips. Blew out a cloud and waved it away from Johnny. “Finesse. We can’t discount them, since they have the most to gain. But maybe we’re making this too complicated. We’re assuming none of us ever talked about our deals. With anyone. Not to a wife. A son. A partner.”
Johnny stopped breathing for a moment. Such was the sacredness of the silence invoked by the group, the thought had never occurred. “Fastest way to end up in cuffs.” Or dead. Because if he ever heard of one of the members talking, he’d personally put a bullet in him.
The older man gave him a humorless smile. “So maybe whoever hears about it bides his time. Works out the details for a way to take over the entire sweet deal for himself. And this is how he chooses to do it. For whatever reason.”
“Okay, I can see if one of us talked to someone.” Even if the thought of that sort of betrayal had his chest going tight. “But to have given up all our names?”
“Just throwing out possibilities.”
“And ignoring the obvious,” Johnny retorted. “That it’s one of us.”
“Fuck that.” Hans pointed the cigarette at him. “Fuck that. I’ve trusted these guys for over two decades. And now I have to wonder which one is targeting us? To what, take over the whole operation? That’s too much exposure. One of us would never risk it.”
“Maybe it’s not about the money. Maybe it’s conscience. Hell, maybe one of them got religion.” But one of them had had religion all along, he recalled. Hadn’t stopped Jonas from taking the money, though, had it? Somehow money always trumped God, when it came right down to it. “You can do what you want, but I’m taking a closer look at some of the squad. Maybe I’ll hear something about one of them having a gambling problem. Or their kid has cancer.” His imagination deserted him at that point. Because even those scenarios couldn’t have made him turn on the group. “Hell, maybe one has IA up their ass, and they gave us up to save themselves.”
Hans made a rude sound. “Oh, now IA is killing cops?” He smiled then, his usual good humor returning. “Besides, you’re the only one I know of under an active IA investigation.”
“What, that excessive use of force bullshit? Just a punk trying to weasel out of an attempted murder rap.”
“So you didn’t kick him in the balls once you cuffed him?”
“Well, yeah,” he drawled, recalling the moment with pleasure. “Think I want the little asshole reproducing?” They laughed, a little longer and louder than was warranted. Two men in desperate need of some relief.
After a minute, Hans asked, “I hear that McGuire got himself appointed lead on the task force.”
Johnny grunted. He’d heard the same thing. “I’ve never met any of them on it. You?”
“One of them. He isn’t giving up much yet but I’ll keep working on him. We need to keep tabs on how close they’re getting. He did say they haven’t connected the victims yet.”
“Yet.”
“We take what we can get, Johnny boy. Maybe we should meet up again in a few days. Compare notes.”
“Good idea.” They could confer before calling the others together. Decide what to tell them. What to keep quiet.
They walked toward the street. A drunk lurched around the corner, nearly plowed into them. Johnny gave him a shove and the