[Georgia 03] Fallen

from the best,” Julia cooed. “Tell him to leave his gun on the counter. You too, Mandy. You still using that old Crown Royal bag?”
    “Keeps the lint out of the firing pin.” The gun made a thud as she dropped the bag on the counter. The dour man checked the contents, then nodded at his boss. Will wasn’t as quickly compliant. Giving up his gun was not something he was comfortable with.
    “Will,” Amanda said. “Don’t embarrass me in front of my friends.”
    He unclipped the paddle holster from his belt and put his Glock on the counter.
    Julia Ling laughed as she waved them through the door. The warehouse was even bigger than it looked from the outside, but the operation was small, the sort of thing that would’ve fit into a two-car garage. There were at least a dozen men putting together cabinets. Will couldn’t tell whether they were Asian, Hispanic, or anything else, because their hats were pulled down and their faces were turned away. Whoever they were, they were obviously working. The smell of glue was pungent. Sawdust littered the floor. A gigantic Confederate flag served as a divider between the work area and the vacant-looking rear of the building. The stars were yellow instead of white.
    Julia led them through another door and they found themselves in a small but well-furnished back office. The carpet underfoot was plush. There were two couches with overstuffed pillows. A plump Chihuahua sat in a recliner by the window, its eyes closed to what little sun came through the panes. Heavy metal bars framed the view to the service alley behind the building.
    “Will has a Chihuahua,” Amanda said, because Will hadn’t been emasculated enough today. “What’s its name again?”
    Will felt barbed wire sticking in his throat. “Betty.”
    “Really?” Julia picked up the dog and sat on the couch with it. She patted the cushion beside her, and Amanda sat down. “This is Arnoldo. He’s a chunky little thing. Is yours long-haired or short?”
    Will didn’t know what else to do. He reached around to pull out his wallet, too late remembering Amanda’s revolver. It shifted dangerously, and he sat on the couch across from the women, opening his wallet to show Betty’s picture.
    Julia Ling made a tsk-ing sound with her tongue. “Isn’t she adorable?”
    “Thank you.” Will took back the picture and dropped his wallet into his coat pocket. “Yours is nice, too.”
    Julia had already tuned Will out. She ran her hand along Amanda’s leg. “What brings you here, buttercup?”
    Amanda did a good job of blocking out Will, too. “I trust you’ve heard about Evelyn?”
    “Yes,” Julia said, drawing out the word. “Poor Almeja. I hope they are kind to her.”
    Will fought to keep his mouth from dropping open. Evelyn Mitchell was Almeja.
    Amanda laid her hand over Julia’s. Instead of taking it off her knee, she left it there. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything on her whereabouts?”
    “Not a peep, but you know I’d come straight to you if I did.”
    “Obviously, we’re doing everything we can to make sure she’s returned home safely. I would pull some considerable strings to make this come out right.”
    “Yes,” Julia repeated. “She’s a grandmother now, right? Again, I mean. Such a fertile family.” She laughed as if there was a joke between them. “How is that dear, sweet child doing?”
    “This is a difficult time for everyone in the family.”
    “Yes.” It seemed this was her favorite word.
    “I’m sure you’ve heard about Hector.”
    “Bless his heart. I was thinking of trading down for a Cadillac.”
    “I thought business was going well?”
    “It’s not really the time to drive something so flashy.” She lowered her voice. “Carjackings.”
    “Awful.” Amanda shook her head.
    “These young boys are such a problem.” She tsked her tongue. Will thought he understood at least this part of the conversation. Julia Ling was referring to the young men who had broken into Evelyn’s house. “They see all the gangsters on TV and think it’s so easy. Scarface. The Godfather. Tony Soprano. You can see their little brains spinning. Before long, they get these notions into their heads and they pop off without considering the consequences.” She tsked her tongue again. “I just lost one of my workers through this kind of careless action.”
    She meant Benny Choo, the man in the Hawaiian shirt. Will had been right. Julia Ling had sent her strongarm in to clean