cash. The first house bought less than a week after Paulie died.
That wasn’t a coincidence.
But did Kyle know?
“Tell me about Kyle’s business.”
“It’s moderately successful. She takes a salary of a little less than a hundred grand and reinvests the remainder of the profits back into the business. But, with that salary, she’s not buying her Lexus in cash, and she’s definitely not buying her house outright.”
She was cleaning Anthony’s money, filtering it through the business and using it to buy the houses and cars and then burying whatever was left in that duffel bag each month.
That wasn’t the Kyle I knew. She only hustled as a kid because she felt guilty for taking so much from Billy and me, and she wanted to contribute. She wasn’t the type to get involved with something this large, especially because it crossed into her art.
Art was everything to Kyle.
“Is there a guy in her life? Or is this all from Anthony?”
“She dates, but it doesn’t look like anything is ever too serious. The steady man in her life is her brother. Unless they’re really good friends, the number of texts she receives from him is on the high side, but she only responds to a small percentage. If I had to guess, she’s taking orders.”
That was my guess, too.
And it started the night Paulie was murdered. I’d gone over the timeline so many fucking times in my head. Kyle must have been outside, somewhere in the vicinity of her front door, when the gun had gone off. I found it pretty strange that she hadn’t come out when I was screaming in the middle of the road, and that she was nowhere to be found later that night when the cops and ambulance left. And that I didn’t see her again until the next day.
“There’s one more piece of news,” he said.
I gritted my teeth. “Let me hear it.”
“I hacked into the University of South Florida’s system; that’s where Kyle went to school. Looks like she applied in person, was interviewed by Admissions, and got early acceptance.”
After Paulie died, Kyle had missed two days of school toward the end of that week. I’d banged on her front door, begging her to come out so that I could talk to her. Banged and fucking banged. She wouldn’t answer. No one did. The banging went on for weeks, even though Kyle returned to school after those two days.
“Let me guess…” I shut my eyes and shook my head. “She applied less than a week after Paulie’s murder?”
“You got it, man. Airline records show Kyle and Anthony spent two days in Florida. She got into school, he bought the house, and they flew back to Jersey.”
I had just talked to Kyle about college, and she hadn’t known where she wanted to go at that point. She used to tell me everything, and never once had she mentioned Florida.
That was because she hadn’t chosen Florida; it had been chosen for her. Just like the house had been chosen and bought for her. Anthony had probably even slipped the Admissions lady a few bucks to get Kyle in early. Then, she came back to Jersey, I cornered her in the alley, and she never talked to Billy or me again. She graduated and moved to Florida.
All these years later, Anthony was still running her goddamn life.
Kyle knew.
Maybe she even saw it.
And I was going to get her to confess.
“I don’t have any evidence that puts Anthony in that alley when Billy died or in The Heart at the time of Paulie’s murder,” Azzo said. “Not yet anyway.”
“I’ll get the evidence.”
“If you’re looking to get it from Kyle, I can save you a trip to Florida. She’ll be at Billy’s funeral.”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Why else would she be flying into Atlantic City tomorrow and traveling back the following day? I’ll email you her flight and hotel information.”
She was coming straight to me. I’d finally get to look her in the face again.
I’d get to put my hands on her. I’d get to hear either the truth or a lie.
If it was a lie, she was going to be punished.
And she would suffer.
Oh, would she fucking suffer, all right.
“Good work, Azzo. Guessing the hooker wants compensation? And whoever else you had to convince?”
“It’s all been covered by the bosses’ petty cash, but I’ll send you an itemized list in case you want to reimburse them.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
The bosses paid for a lot, which was one of the perks of running their