Hooked

collapsed on the bed, grimacing as he grabbed his crotch. The whole scenario reminded Tawny of a screwball black comedy, only it wasn’t funny because she was the next hooker the cops would find in the harbor. Did Walsh have any idea what was going on? Is that what he was trying to tell her? If so, then where the hell was he?
    “Anyone scheduled for later, Colin?” Benny asked.
    “No. You were our last customer.”
    Benny’s evil eye at Colin would have stopped a charging bull at Pamplona . Tawny was beginning to wonder how Upper Eighties could be so successful with this bunch of dingbats at the helm. But so far no one has been able to pin anything on them, so they must be doing something right.
    “What do you want to do with her?” Colin said, switching his questions from Eileen to Benny and back to Eileen. “She can identify Reggie at Martell’s. We can’t let her go.”
    “Sure you can,” Tawny said. “Why would I talk? Do you think I want the police to know that Rick Martell was my accountant? They might delve deeper into my finances and find my offshore account.”
    “Should we ask Mr. Russo?” Reggie said. “He should know what to do.”
    At the mention of Mario Russo’s name, Tawny stiffened. Why would Mario know anything about this? Reggie killed his accountant. Unless…
    “You mean Mario Russo, the mobster?” Tawny asked.
    Eileen turned to Colin. “When are you going to teach Reggie to keep his mouth shut?” A smile curled her lips as she transferred her gaze to Tawny. “Now we have to get rid of her, not that it will break my heart.”
    “Maybe you should call Mario Russo,” Tawny said.
    “Maybe Mario Russo doesn’t need to be called.” Everyone turned to the door of the bedroom, where Mario stood, wearing a gray silk suit, black turtleneck, and a lethal expression.
    “I like your doorman, Benny. When I said my name he’d have given me the keys to Fort Knox , if he had them.”

Chapter Thirty-Five
    Trouble

    “T awny’s in trouble,” Linc said. “She cut me off before I could finish.
    “Maybe she was in the middle of something.”
    “I don’t think so. The phone wasn’t next to her mouth. It was pulled away, I could tell. Someone was listening.”
    “Call it in. The 19 th will be there in a hurry.”
    Should he? If he did and they killed her in a panic, he’d never forgive himself. If he didn’t, they might kill her anyway, and he’d never forgive himself.
    Linc shifted his focus out the car window. “Traffic’s moving now. Once we’re off the bridge, we’ll be there within a few minutes.”
    A tow truck had come from the other side and moved one of the wrecks from the far lane. Dennis put on his flashers, and cars shifted and repositioned until he could squeeze through. “This has to be the upside for all the shit cops take.”
    Dennis’s words barely registered. Linc’s thoughts were on Tawny. Why hadn’t she called as soon as something went wrong? Maybe it was his overactive imagination. Maybe she was in the middle of something and she couldn’t talk. He checked his watch. It was after eleven. Her appointment was at ten. He opened his cell and dialed her again. The phone went to voicemail. She’d definitely answer if she could.
    “Tawny’s in over her head,” Linc said. “She can identify this Reggie fellow as a possible murder suspect. They won’t let her go.”
    “We don’t have a warrant, but we have probable cause. And she’s a material witness.”
    “Yes, she is. If I have to arrest her to get her out of there, I will. We’ll see how Cooper reacts.” Linc’s cell rang. It was Harry.
    “Sorry, Linc. I couldn’t take your call earlier. This is the first chance I’ve had. Mario Russo tried to give my guys the slip tonight, but they had backup. Want to guess where he went?”
    His gut twisted. “Shit.”
    “Yup. Cooper’s.”
    “We’re on our way.”
    “Have you talked to the Dell woman?”
    A stab of irritation hit Linc at Harry’s derogatory tone in reference to Tawny. He let it pass. “Briefly. She cut me off when I tried to warn her she might be in danger.”
    “Does she know about Martell?”
    “No.”
    “I don’t like that Russo is there, but before you get all bent out of shape, he could—” Harry paused.
    “He could what?” Linc asked.
    “Be her appointment.” Harry said it but sounded like he didn’t want to.
    That was one of many thoughts about Tawny that Linc had put out of his mind. Thinking of her with