cup.
He was about to call her again, or go to her and get her attention another way, when she spoke.
“It’s too late. I’m in too deep.”
Thank Christ.
She’d been thinking about it.
“Just walk away.”
She turned her head to face him. “You don’t just walk away from Benito Valenzuela.”
Damn, but she had that right.
“Then we’ll strategize your out.”
“I’m close.”
“Close as in, this thing will break at eight o’clock tomorrow morning?” he asked.
“No,” she said shortly.
“Then not close enough.”
“I need him to admit it, on tape, and Harrietta is gonna get that for me.”
Now he was getting somewhere because this was shit he had to know, how deep she was in, so he could dig her out.
He crossed his arms on his chest and demanded, “Explain.”
She turned her body to face him and leaned a hip to the counter. “She was seeing two guys. Diane was. One was Arthur Lannigan. This Chew guy. One was another dickhead who came up in the system with prints and DNA all over her pad. His name is Wayne Benson.”
Rush felt a shiver trace down his spine.
He knew a Wayne Benson.
But he knew him by the name of Digger.
He had to be older than Rush’s dad.
And he was a member of Bounty.
“Apparently, he’s some older guy who lives in Aurora,” she continued.
Fuck.
Bounty ran in Aurora.
This was not a coincidence.
He didn’t share he knew about Benson. That might not be wise to keep it from Rebel, but he had to talk to his dad about this info before he got Rebel riled up about it.
Instead, he asked, “How do they know it’s not Benson?”
She shifted back to the counter to push down on the press. “He says he has an alibi. But since that alibi is someone Hank and Eddie don’t trust, they’re not buying it. Unfortunately, although they have both men’s DNA in her place, it’s known they were both seeing her and whoever raped her that night used a condom,” She gestured to the press. “You take cream or sugar?”
“Black,” he stated. “Now, babe, you know that Harrietta is Chew’s old lady.”
She nodded, pouring his coffee. “She comes around. She’s in with Valenzuela. Working both angles. Something I now don’t understand, considering you told me Valenzuela killed her daughter.”
Rush didn’t understand that either.
And he didn’t like it.
Rebel kept talking.
“Unless she doesn’t know that.”
Rush figured of all the players in this fucked-up game, Harrietta knew everything.
Rebel kept sharing.
“He’s paying her to do whatever it is he wants done because he isn’t a fan of Arthur’s either, but I’m getting he likes to play with his prey. I overheard some shit. Made an approach. Shared her old man was stepping out on her with Diane. She didn’t seem surprised. She also didn’t seem surprised he’s wanted in connection with her murder. But she’s also not feeling the love, and I felt that before I mentioned the murder. And this might be why she’s in with Valenzuela. Because by her not feeling the love, I mean she really doesn’t feel the love. So she said she’ll get him to admit it, confess, on tape, so I can give it to Hank and Eddie. And that’s why I think it’s Lannigan.”
She took the steel thing out of her tea, grabbed both the cups, and walked to him.
She offered him his coffee.
He took it, asking, “Why did you get in with Valenzuela?”
She shrugged, blew into her tea, and answered, “His name was in the file I read. I knew he was the man behind the porn and the man behind the drugs, the root of all evil that befell Diane, so he was my first target. It was just luck Harrietta was coming around and Valenzuela mentioned Lannigan’s name. I thought I’d hit the lottery.”
She took a sip.
Rush did not.
“You didn’t, sweetheart, you know that, right? This shit is all tangled and it’s totally fucked up. You stepped into a vipers’ den that also has a pissed-off lion.”
“If she gets me that confession on tape, I’ll Indiana Jones and Gladiator that crap until I can spring free.”
“This isn’t a movie.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot worse seeing a real-life person, one you know and love, with her neck broken. Have you ever seen that, Rush? It’s not a good look. Valentino won’t be asking his models to take that off for the ad campaign for his spring line.”
“Babe,” he said low. “I thought we were going to strategize your way out.”
“We are. I can get free from Valenzuela, and Harrietta can still get