“He was at his dad’s house when I saw him last. Where he had the pill operation, right?”
Cassidy shrugged. “If you say so.”
“The place used to be owned by Ito Vincenzo, Tony’s grandfather. He ever mention him?”
“Once when we were over there and I was looking at some of the old photos in the basement. When I asked him, Tony said the guy just disappeared one day when he was just a kid. Said he didn’t really remember him. Tony said his old man told him Ito was running from something.”
“Why would he say that?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I didn’t care. But that’s just what he said.”
“If Tony isn’t at his old man’s house, where else would he be?”
Cassidy and Danforth looked at each other.
“You guys know about the penthouse in New York?”
She didn’t expect them to answer; Pine just wanted to see their expressions.
Danforth grinned stupidly and said, “Awesome place.”
“Shut up, Billy,” snapped his buddy. “You’re gonna get us killed for sure.”
“Then you have been there. What’s the deal? Axilrod said it was a perk, at least that’s what Tony told her, although I don’t believe anything she says.”
“Maybe.”
“Your answers are not adding up to a quid pro quo, gents. Maybe I should end this now and let you get killed before the sun sets. I don’t like my time wasted with bullshit. So, you can get out of my car. But run fast because they’ll be coming for you.”
“Wait a minute,” exclaimed Cassidy. “Just hold on. I’m trying to process all this and it ain’t easy. Just…just let me breathe, willya? I mean, Jesus.”
“Okay, take all the time you need, keeping in mind that patience is not my virtue.”
Cassidy chewed on a nail while Danforth slumped in the rear seat looking like he might start crying.
“Okay, look, we were working some drug deals.”
“But no drugs can get into Fort Dix. Lindsey Axilrod told me that. She probably regrets it now because it was probably the only true thing she ever told me. They have drug-sniffing dogs at all entrances.”
Cassidy grinned. “Yeah, but who said we were selling the drugs at Fort Dix?” He glanced at Danforth. “Right? We were at Fort Dix, but not the drugs, or the customers.”
“Where were the customers then?”
“All around.”
“How did you get involved?”
“Through Tony. He needed some guys. And he knew we were handy, and—”
“—didn’t mind breaking the law?”
Cassidy shrugged but smiled.
“But again, why Fort Dix?”
“Tony worked there, so there was that.”
“Who got him involved?”
“He told me once. His old man had a friend on the outside.”
“This old friend have a name?”
“Ricky, or Johnny, or something like that. Anyway, Teddy was in the can, he couldn’t do nothing. But he got Ricky or Johnny to ring up Tony.”
“Nice of Dad to do that. So the Fort Dix connection is just because of Tony?”
“I guess so.”
“No, I’m not buying that. Because you’re leaving out Lindsey Axilrod. She’s been at Fort Dix longer than Tony. I checked. So why do I think Tony was feeding you a bunch of bullshit about his old man’s friend, Ricky-Johnny, and it was Axilrod who pulled him in? And then he needed a couple of guys and pulled you two in.”
“I guess it could have gone down that way.”
“What were your jobs with the drug ring? How did you two add value?”
Cassidy grinned, suddenly animated. “We drive Army vehicles. From here to there. Everywhere. Guess what happens when you drive Army rides?”
“The cops don’t stop and search your vehicles for drugs,” said Pine.
“Bingo. We’d drive outta Fort Dix, take a slight detour, and the vehicle gets filled up with the stuff. They were pros, took maybe ten minutes at best. Then we continue on our way. Right before we get to where we’re going, we’re met by another team and get unloaded. Then we head on. Simple, right?”
“So you two never dealt with any customers?”
“No. Tony did the pills. But Axilrod was calling the shots. She’s a computer girl. Can do anything with that shit.”
“Which also means she can move money digitally all over the world and leave no trail.”
“I seen her working one time. This was at her place. Her fingers flying over the damn keyboard. After she was done, she turns to me and says, ‘You know what you just saw?’ And I said, ‘no, what?’ She said, ‘You just saw a billion bucks go down a rabbit hole.’”
“Were Axilrod and Tony a thing?”
“They might’a hooked up now and then. Tony is slick. He knows how to talk to the ladies. Lindsey liked him. She got him the perk at the penthouse. That’s how we got to go.”
“So Tony is below her in the food chain. And who is Axilrod working for?”
“We never knew any of that.”
“Come on, Cassidy, your deal is starting to fade to nothing.”
“Swear to God. Swear on my old granny’s grave.”
Pine eyed Danforth, who was looking at her and nodding.
“Okay, I guess I believe that. I mean, why would they let you two knuckleheads have that kind of leverage.”
“Leverage?” said Cassidy. “What does that mean?”
“It means it proves my point. Okay, I really need to find Tony. Any thoughts on that?”
Cassidy shook his head, but Pine was watching Danforth in the rearview mirror. His expression was such that an idea might actually be forming in his very small brain.
“Yeah?” said Pine expectantly.
“Tony and me were drinking one night. And he mentioned a place.”
“What place?”
“His granddad’s old place. It was on the Jersey Shore.”
“His granddad? You mean Ito?”
“I guess so. Tony said the dude made money selling ice cream.”
“That’s the guy. Keep talking.”
“Anyway, Tony would go there sometimes.”
“You ever go with him?”
“Once. It was a nice little house on the beach. Really old, no AC, and they had space heaters, but then Tony had added one of them pellet stoves. Hell, they needed that in the winter ’cause you could see outside through cracks in the wall. We sat on the sand and had beer and buckets of wings. It was sweet.”
“What was the name of the town?”
“I got it in my phone. I used my GPS to get there.”
She had him text the address to her phone.
“Well, Jack Nicholson is from there,” said Pine, reading a bit about Manasquan, New Jersey, which was located on the Atlantic Ocean. “Went to high school there.”
“Cool,” said Cassidy. “He was the Joker in that old Batman movie, right?”
“Okay, I’m going to make a call and you two are going into protective custody. You got that?”
“Hey, I just want to stay breathing,” said Cassidy.