Crazy Eights (Stacked Deck #8) - Emilia Finn Page 0,40
into the already opened cab, I give the driver directions and take out my phone.
“Soph?”
“Are we in a committed relationship now? Because I can assure you, I don’t even talk to my children this much.”
“No, we’re not. But I have some questions that I would be super thankful if you could help me out with.”
“Kincaid, I am busy! You think I’m not busy? I’m a mom! You want help with your shit, meanwhile, my daughter literally handed me a log of shit this morning. You and I have wildly different problems.”
“But…” I stare out the window into the heavy rain. “If you’re working, you’re relieved of mom duties. That means Jay will have to deal with the log of shit.”
“Deal. Jay! Get in here and clean Elle up. I have to work.”
“Woman! I’m busy.”
Silence descends for a full minute. A loaded silence. A dangerous silence.
Jay breaks it with an, “I got it.”
“Thank you, honey.” Soph kisses him, their daughter giggles, and then the only sound I hear is Soph’s shoes against the hardwood floor. “Alright. What are your questions?”
“I need a new identity made up so I can gain access to the club. They want high income earners, rich boys with money to splash.”
“Kid! You are a rich boy with money to splash. Splash it!”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t think it would be prudent to use my real name,” I grit out. “For obvious reasons. So I’m gonna need something else. You could get me an ID, and I can turn up to sign up. Or you could speed that up for me too, and just get me a membership there.”
“Do you have any clue how much you’re asking of me? Seriously,” she grumbles. “You make it all sound so easy and ‘oh, Soph has got it.’ But regular folks can’t do the things I can do. If the FBI knew what I am capable of, they’d probably try to lock me up in a lab somewhere, you know that, right?”
“You’d break straight back out, so stop playing. We all know Griffin Industries landed a massive defense industry contract two years back. We all know which buildings he now ‘secures’. So stop with the coy act and get me that membership.”
Silence descends for a full minute. A loaded silence. A dangerous silence.
I break it with an exaggerated, “Pretty pleeeeease?”
She snorts. “Fine, I’ll have it done for you today. You’ll have access by tonight.”
“Ugh! I adore you. Are you set on staying with Jay? Because I think I have a thing for dancers, so…”
“You are three seconds from a sniper bullet piercing the window of that yellow cab you’re riding in. Wanna continue that train of thought?”
“Nope. Changed my mind.”
She snickers. “Thought so. Are we done?”
“Nope. That dude’s wife…” I’m trying my damn best not to name names, since my driver’s eyes flicker to mine in the mirror. “You know the guy?”
“McGrady? Yeah, she’s dead.”
“Yeah, that one. Can you find out what happened? I don’t know that it’s important to us, but still… I dunno. I’d like to know.”
“Sure. Quick scan last night showed she died of accidental overdose. But there was blood under her nails, ligature marks around her neck, and burst blood vessels in her eyes.”
My stomach whooshes and drops. “Are you reading the report right now?”
“No, I’m watching Paw Patrol. Why?”
“So you just…” Paw Patrol? “You remember those details, just like that?”
“I’m magic,” she teases. “The coroner’s report says accidental overdose, but it’s a lie. The M.E. must be in McGrady’s pocket, because that’s not even a decent effort in bullshitting. Usually, those of us in the business of fucking with data tend to at least make it believable. Cover our tracks. Make sure it’s plausible, if not watertight. So whoever that M.E. is, he’s powerful, because he’s clearly unafraid of anyone questioning him. And McGrady’s got him on lock. I bet if we went through that guy’s caseload, we’d find a whole heap of bodies that met a suspicious death.”
“Convenient for him,” I drawl. “A cleanup crew. A get-out-of-jail-free card with unlimited uses.”
“I wish there was an actual card for that,” Soph laments. “It would come in super handy. Okay, are we done now? Wishenpoof is just about to come on, so…”
“Yeah, I think we’re done. I’m heading over to the studio now. If you send my documents to the hotel before tonight, we’ll be square. Did you find anything else since we last spoke?”
“Yeah. Will was working last night. I found him walking back to