“I’m not sure how to say this, so I’ll just come out with it. Curtis Wingate—Don Campbell—is dead.”
My hand flies to my mouth to stop a gasp. Liam is stunned.
“Dead?” he asks. “How?”
“We’ve kept tabs on him continuously. At six o’clock tonight, there was a shift change between two of my investigators, Kirk and Neil. As circumstance would have it, that’s exactly when things went down. Kirk followed Don home from a midtown bar, where he drank alone for two hours. Don parked but didn’t exit the car. He was clearly drunk. Kirk parked behind Neil, who had recently arrived. A man came out of the bushes, fired two shots into Don’s car, and took off down the street on foot. Since Neil had a better view of the crime, he called 911 and stayed on the scene while Kirk discreetly followed the perp, saw him get into a car one block over, and then tailed him for over an hour to his destination.”
I say, “He was murdered?”
“He was,” Ethan says. “Does the name Michael Scarbucci mean anything to you, Liam?”
Liam shakes his head.
“He’s in the employ of Tri-Camp Enterprises.”
Liam stiffens. “That’s my uncle’s company. Dirk Campbell.”
Ethan nods. “Mr. Scarbucci drove all the way to Stamford after the shooting, straight to Dirk Campbell’s house.”
Liam is in utter disbelief. “My uncle?”
I take his hand. “Remember the guy in Dirk’s office when you went there a few months ago? His name was Mike.”
Liam’s expression changes from confusion to realization to pure amusement. “My fucking uncle put a hit on Don?”
“It’s too early to say,” Ethan says, “but my sources tell me Dirk Campbell is a major person of interest. There is a warrant out for his arrest. Could be Scarbucci was quickly persuaded to turn state’s evidence. It was an incredible stroke of luck that we were on the scene when it happened. If Kirk and Neil hadn’t been there, he’d have gotten away with it.”
“It makes sense,” Liam says. “Dirk needed insurance.”
“Insurance?”
“My uncle and I had a falling out a long time ago. I’m sure he was protecting Don, but after he came to the gig last month, Dirk has been scared. He didn’t want anything to ruin his chances at running for governor. With Don out of the picture, he wouldn’t have a problem. It also ensured I’d never go to the authorities for the abuse I suffered as a kid.”
Ethan looks sad. “I’m sorry for whatever he did to you, Liam.”
“He’s really gone?” Liam asks. “Are you sure he’s dead? They didn’t revive him at the hospital?”
“Neil stayed at the scene. Don was pronounced dead there.”
“And Dirk could go to jail for it?”
“If they determine he ordered the hit, it doesn’t look good for him. Even if he does get off, he can take being governor off the table. People don’t recover from the kind of press he’s about to get.”
Liam is having a hard time suppressing a smile. “Don’s dead. Sorry, you probably think I’m a douchebag for being happy about it.”
Ethan holds up his hands. “It’s not my place to judge. My wife went through something as a kid. Her mom dying was one of the best things that happened to her. Whatever baggage he saddled you with—don’t carry it around. Let it go. Your life will be profoundly easier.”
Liam stands and shakes Ethan’s hand. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You can thank me by paying my rather substantial bill. And by referring me to your friends.”
“You got it.”
Out in the hall, Liam leans against the wall. “It’s over. Don’s dead. Dirk is going to jail or at the very least, his life will be ruined.”
“Looks like you’re getting everything you ever wanted.”
His eyes burn into mine. “I think I am.”
I take his hand. “Let’s go celebrate.” I realize what I said. “Oops. That’s probably not the right word to use on this occasion.”
His lips turn up in a sultry grin. “That’s exactly the right word. What did you have in mind?”
“It’s up to you.”
He thinks on it. “You might be surprised at what I pick.”
“Tell me. You can have anything.”
He tugs me against him. “I want to lie next to you in bed and talk like we did in Florida. All night.”
“You do?”
He laughs. “You were imagining something more along the lines of chocolate and whip cream?”
My eyebrows shoot up. “I might have been totally on board with that.”