"I had my attorney draw up some papers that give Dallas legal right to the list I mentioned, and I'd like you to sign them."

"Are you deaf? I said to f.u.c.k off."

"Mr. Bennett, let me explain something to you in terms that even you can understand. You're going to sign. That point's non-negotiable. You can choose to do it now and save yourself a lot of pain, or you can play the macho role and hold out, which brings its own set of consequences. Those are the only two options. Now I'm going to ask you one more time, do you want to sign or do you choose to wait?"

"I want you to listen to me, f.u.c.ker. I'm not going to sign those papers now, an hour from now, or a week from now. Dallas may have had some fantasy of your dead friend up on a big f.u.c.king white horse saving her from me, but that ain't going to happen now, is it?

If you want an answer then here it is. Kiss my a.s.s. What are you going to do now, beat me to death?" Bob asked, laughing.

"No, d.i.c.key, she won't beat you, but I will." Remi'svoice cut through the room, making Bob twist his head around.

"But you're dead. I saw it on television, you're dead." Bob paled considerably.

"You're not one of those people whobelieves everything you see on television, are you?" Remi sat across from him and took a cigar out of her shirt pocket. She sat that and her clippers on the table.

"Do you smoke?" she asked Bob, who shook his head. "Too bad, there's nothing like a good cigar."

"Let me go and I'll check that out."

"You wanted to meet with me in the worst way to negotiate Dallas's new contract. Well, here I am, and there's no chance anyone's going to disturb us. Only anything having to do with Dallas's future is off the table. We're here for her past dealings."

"You don't scare me, so cut the theatrics."

Cain put her bag on the table. "Funny, she scares the s.h.i.t out of me at times. You were right, he isn't very smart."

"More like an a.s.shole who's made a living as a leech," Remi said to Cain,then turned to Bob. "Before we begin let me ask you something. Are you right- or left- handed?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Bob was getting louder and his speech was getting faster.

"Because I can start with your dominant hand or not.The choice is yours."

"Right-handed."

"See, that wasn't too hard, was it? What we're going to play tonight is like a version of twenty questions my father taught me.

It's a little messy but it gets results, and that's what we're here for.

I'm going to ask you questions, and if you're lying or you get it wrong then," she paused and clipped off the tip of the cigar in her hand with the golden clippers for emphasis, "I'm going to start cutting your fingers off at each joint until you tell the truth or get it right. Any questions before we begin?"

"You're kidding me, right? I'm not falling for that bluff," Bob told her with a nervous laugh.

"Remi never bluffs," Cain said. "It's what makes her such a good gambler."

"Ready to play?"Remi asked without any humor. "Don't worry.

I'm going to save your right hand for last so you can sign the papers Cain mentioned. Last chance, Bob. I'm not f.u.c.king around. We can skip all this if you sign."

"You don't listen very well, do you? This is what I'm going to do.

As soon as I leave here, I'm going to drive to the closest rag and give them an exclusive on the past life of one Dallas Montgomery, aka Katie Moores. I'm sure her mug shot from when she got caught shoplifting will make a wonderful cover, and the skin flick she was in won't makeET , but the copies I own will be worth a fortune."

Before he could continue, Cain placed the mug shot and a copy of the video on the table in front of Remi.

"Is this what you're talking about?"

"Those are mine. Give them back," he yelled, sounding like a small child whose favorite toy had been taken away. He moved to grab the stuff, but Cain was quicker. She stood and yanked him back by the hair, but it was the knife biting into his neck that stopped him cold.

"If you try that again I'm going to gut you like a fish. Do you understand me?" Cain asked. He nodded his head, apparently too afraid to speak.

"Bob, I'm going to repay youevery unkindness you ever heaped on Dallas, and so you know, I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.

Are there any other doc.u.ments I need to collect from you?" Remi asked.

"Yes, b.i.t.c.h, and I'm never going to tell you where they are." He watched her pick up the clippers andslip her fingers into the appropriate holes. "You don't have the guts to carry this out."

"What makes us better than the animals, d.i.c.key?"

"Our ability to forgive and forget."

"Funny, who knew you had a sense of humor, but sadly that's a wrong answer. I did warn you what would happen if you answered untruthfully or wrong, didn't I? The right answer would be opposable thumbs, d.i.c.key." With that said, she squeezed the blade shut. Just as quickly the agonizing scream that pierced the silence of the ancient swamp scared the sleeping white egrets off the branches overhead with loud squawks.

"Wait," Bob said,his voice raspy as Remi moved the clippers to his index finger. He seemed to be the only one horrified that his left thumb was sitting on the table. "Just wait."

"It's simple, like I said. Give me the information I want and this ends," Remi said, squeezing the clippers enough to touch the first segment of his finger.

"Why don't you leave me and Dallas alone? We were fine until you came along." He screamed just as loud when the tip of his finger landed on the table. "You won't get away with this."

Cain grabbed his hand as he tried to pull it back and slammed it back in front of Remi. "Do you think that's what Dallas would say if she were here?" Cain asked. "That she was fine working to hand over the lion's share to you?Because from what my people found in your house, that's exactly what's happened. She's worked her a.s.s off and owns nothing in her name, but that can't be said of you, can it?"

"She wanted it that way. Dallas wanted me to look out for her and her money." The next segment of his finger came off as he finished, leaving only the nub up from the knuckle.

"That one might be a guess on my part, but I don't think you were telling the truth," Remi said as she moved the clippers up close to his palm. "Did you set up anything else for Dallas that I need to know about? Think long and hard, because you have only so many chances to get it right before we move on to the next body part that'll fit in this hole." She squeezed the clippers a bit to make him realize what she was talking about. "Like I said, we'll leave that right hand for last, but the rest is on the chopping block, as it were."

A few hours later the group took a much slower boat ride with a now-whimpering Bob in tow. Heading out into the blackness of the swamp and into the hunting grounds Emil used, Remi had him finally cut the engines. She slapped Bob on the face a couple of times to focus his attention and have her last conversation with him.

"Wakey, wakey, Bob."

"What? Leave me alone. I told you everything you wanted to know, now leave me alone."

"One more question." He was already covered in sweat and started shaking at the question. "Can you swim?"

"Yes," he answered quickly, since stalling only caused instant pain even if the answer was correct.

"Good, since we had an agreement. I'm not going to kill you, but this is where we part ways. If you make it back to sh.o.r.e you're free to go, and I'll let you keep the money you have in the bank.But if you so much as look in Dallas's direction again I'll make you pray to die. Do we understand each other?"

"Yes, ma'am, we do."

"Good. Then strip down."

"You want me naked?"

"It'll help you stay afloat, trust me." Bob stood up, holding his hands to his chest, and jumped off the front of the boat.

Emil revved up the motor again but kept it slow enough that Nick could keep up in the mud boat he was steering. At Remi's feet was the bag with the remnants of a sad little girl born to a s.a.d.i.s.t. Katie Moores and her sister Sue Lee would finally disappear into the smoke of Dallas's fireplace as soon as she got back. Cain had put a copy of Dallas's first acting job on her back in the bag, but she had destroyed the other five hundred copies she found at Bob's place.

"Remind me never to p.i.s.s you off," Cain said in a loud-enough voice to be heard over the engine.

"He got what he deserved."

"True. He'll be meeting some of Emil's future boot material before he has a chance to get his hair wet."

The marina came into view and Emil slowed down so he could back into his slip. Cain got out first and helped Remi onto the dock.

"Give Dallas my best, and if there's anything else having to do with this business that'll bury it once and for all, make me your first call."

"You're a good friend," Remi said, putting her arms around Cain as best she could.

"One who cares about you, so keep your head down while your father and I finish ourexpedition. Jorge took Nunzio's money, so he'll keep coming until he finishes the job. Next time he'll probably vary from his usual shot and make it through the head. I don't want that on mine, so stay at Dallas's until we take care of that."

Remi followed her to the cars, the click of her and Emil's boots echoing. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

"Stay inside and start on Marianna's grandchildren," Cain said with a smile. "That's it. If I see you out, I'll kick your a.s.s myself."

"That sounds like a hardship, but okay. What are you going to be doing?"

Cain opened the pa.s.senger door of the truck Lou had driven down and leaned against it. "I have the edges of my puzzle put together.

Now I have to fill in the middle."

"Sounds interesting."

"You can't see the whole picture until you fill in the middle. Once I do, it'll make tonight appear tame."

Remi shook hands with her and closed the door once Cain was seated. As Lou pulled away slowly, something her father had always told her about Cain came to mind. Cain's word was as good as a signed contract. That was why Ramon had done business with her.

So Remi wondered what was in store for Juan Luis and Nunzio Luca.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure they'd pick hungry alligators over it."

Chapter Forty-Eight.

"Are you sure he's not in there?" Muriel asked for the fifth time.

Katlin was working the lock, but stopped when Muriel asked again.

"If you want, you can wait for me in the car. He's not here, and after driving around with you for the last three hours, I can tell you a certain cute FBI agent isn't waiting outside to cuff you and take you in."

"Is it a crime to want to be sure?"

The door opened and Katlin laughed softly. "No, but if you step through there it is. From crack lawyer to someone breaking and entering.My, how far you've come, Muriel."

The apartment was dark and smelled musty, as if Anthony Curtis hadn't been there in weeks. Though the place was small, Muriel could tell right off where he did like to spend time when he was home. A cleared s.p.a.ce on the couch faced the television that was far too big for the s.p.a.ce, and five beer bottles were lined up on the desk shoved into the corner.

"Okay, we're in. What are we looking for?" Katlin asked.

"I'll do the searching and you make sure no one's coming."

"Should I practice my birdcalls as a warning?"

Muriel closed the door and glared at Katlin. "That's not funny. Go through the bedroom and see if you can find anything having to do with Cain, the family, or Anthony's new friends, the Luis family."

"I'm sorry." Katlin squeezed her shoulder in comfort. "Just relax and we'll be out of here faster."

Muriel scanned the room to see if anything jumped out at her, but all she noticed was that Anthony was a slob, no matter how neat he appeared in public. The man in the pressed suits and shiny shoes didn't quite fit with the condition of this place. She sat at his desk and tried to go through the drawers without moving too much around, but they were so overfilled he'd probably never suspect anyone had been there.

It wasn't until she called Katlin to unlock the top right-hand drawer that Muriel found any order to the madness that was Anthony's life.

There in neat files was what she was looking for. His bank records, retirement funds, and investments were in color-coded binders, and at the back were his social security number and birth certificate. For someone in law enforcement to have such sensitive information all in one place was crazy, but very considerate since that's what she was after.

Carefully holding a pen light in her mouth, she copied the numbers she needed in order, so she could put the pages back as she'd found them. When she got to the last folder, she fell back in the chair and was tempted to turn on the light to fully appreciate what she'd found.

She rifled through pictures and meticulous notes of Cain and her schedule whenever he'd tailed her, all dated. The follow-up notes revealed different patterns he was working out regarding Cain. Most of them were from when Anthony was still with Shelby and her team, but the last ones had come after his supposed suspension.

"Find something?" Katlin asked.

Muriel held up the last picture in the fileof Cain the night she'd had dinner with Remi and Dallas at the Steak Knife. Cain was laughing at something Emma had probably told her, and Anthony had drawn a red circle with anx through her head.

"What do you think this means?" Muriel asked.

"Our boy's got a bigger crush than we thought. What other pictures did you find?"

Muriel took the file from the drawer and let Katlin flip through it.

He must have collected most of the stuff when he was off duty, which could only mean that his hate ran deep. Katlin stopped when she got to a photo of Emma alone, or as alone as Emma ever was.

She was standing outside Mr. B's restaurant in the French Quarter, and she and Merrick were waiting for the car to be brought out.

Emma had just finished having lunch with Marianna Jatibon, since the two served on a committee to raise money for Children's Hospital.

"Cain, I understand, but why this one?" Katlin asked.