The Card

The card had a phone number on it. No name, no address, no company. Just a number.

She brought it to Detective Reeves, who looked at it and then looked at Liza with an expression she hadn't seen before — something between concern and admiration.

"Where did he get your car?"

"Parking lot. He was waiting when I got back from the store."

"Liza." Reeves set the card down on the table. "This is a direct approach. He's not using intermediaries anymore. He's coming to you."

"I know."

"What did he say?"

"He said Drake is scared of him. He said he has something Drake doesn't want anyone to have. He said he wants to talk."

Reeves was quiet for a long moment. "He could be telling the truth. Calloway has leverage over Drake — they've shared secrets for thirty years. If Calloway knows something that Drake needs kept quiet, Drake would be scared of him."

"Or it's a trap."

"Or it's a trap. Calloway could be working with Drake. He could be coming to you on Drake's behalf, to find out what you know, what you've given to the police, what Peter Voss told you." Reeves paused. "But he could also be telling the truth. He could be someone who wants to deal."

"Deal what?"

"That's what we need to find out."

Liza looked at the card. She'd been carrying it in her pocket for three days. She'd thought about calling — not to meet, just to talk, just to hear what he had to say. She'd also thought about what it would mean to walk into something she couldn't walk out of.

"I want to meet him," she said.

"Liza—"

"I want you there. Or near there. But I want to hear what he has to say, and I want him to know that I'm not scared of him." She looked up. "I've spent eight months being scared of the wrong people. I want to know who I'm actually fighting."

Reeves studied her. Whatever she saw in Liza's face made her nod once.

"We'll set it up. Controlled environment. I'll be in the next room." She picked up the card. "You call him. You set the terms. You have the leverage here, Liza — he's the one who came to you."

Liza took the card back. She looked at the number.

She called that night.