else?”
Morgan looked at the large glass case next to the cash register. “How about one of those blueberry scones? Those look good.”
“It’s actually raspberry, do you still want it?”
Morgan looked around and fixed his eyes on the guy with the laptop. He could be a witness. Morgan decided to play it cool since he needed the kid. Needed the information he might have. “Yes. That’s fine.”
Morgan heard footsteps behind him and assumed someone had come in through the back door just as he had. He casually started to turn to get a look at them.
“You’re going to order a girly drink like that?” It was his mentor’s voice. “Nice skirt, Sally. Want him to put an umbrella and a little slice of fruit in it, too?”
The kid fired up the blender to make Morgan’s drink, creating a ruckus.
“Fuck off,” Morgan mumbled.
Kevin stopped the blender and looked over at Morgan. “Did you say something?”
Morgan looked around innocently and then shook his head no. Kevin fired up the blender again.
“This is your chance, Morgan. You find this girl and you can write your own ticket. You want to be Marsh’s number one again? Kill both of the girls. ” Morgan could feel the breath on his neck, see Brandt leaning over his shoulder. “You want to get in good with one of the competitors like Thorpe and go to work for her as her right hand man? Hey! Kill the girl. It’s a win-win.” He stepped out in front of Morgan and looked him in the eyes. “Who do you help out by letting her live? Certainly not yourself. The plan has to be to kill Deena and Harper, and while you’re at it, put some holes in that weirdo in the car.” He pointed over his shoulder.
“Marsh wants me to try to talk to her first for some reason.”
The blender stopped and Kevin smiled at Morgan a bit nervously.
“Marsh is a dumb-ass. Deena needs to be out of the picture, he just doesn’t want to come right out and say it. It’s a deniability thing.”
Morgan leaned against the counter. “Hey. You seen a girl in here lately?”
Kevin looked at him blankly. “There are girls in here all the time. Constantly. I mean, like a stream of them. Anyone in particular?”
Morgan looked around again, fixing on the lone guy working at his laptop. “Long dark hair? Late twenties?”
“Not ringing a bell. Better description, maybe?”
“What a dufus. I think he needs some help with his memory,” Brandt said.
Morgan shook his head a bit at the thought. “I don’t know…”
“Does this help?” A photograph was thrust past Morgan to the clerk.
Morgan turned and found Wallace holding the picture. “You left this in the car,” Wallace mumbled.
Morgan looked from Wallace to Brandt, who was standing behind him. He wondered where Wallace had come from and if he was really there holding a photo of Deena. When Kevin took it, Morgan was able to relax a little.
“Hmmm. You guys cops or something?”
“No. We’re her mom and dad,” Morgan said.
Brandt moved around the men. “This idiot’s trying to horn in on your work. He was going to stay in the car, right? Now he’s here? He’s blowing the whole thing. What the hell?” He nodded at Morgan. “Watch your back, friend. Watch your back.”
Kevin looked Wallace over and continued. “Looks like the older sister of the girl who was in all day yesterday.” He stuck a straw in a drink and handed it to Morgan.
“Older sister?” Morgan took the drink and sucked some coffee through the straw before deciding it really didn’t look at all manly. The coffee was good, though.
“The girl who was here had to be, I don’t know, sixteen or seventeen.”
“But they looked alike, right?” Wallace asked.
Kevin looked the big man up and down. “Yeah. The one in here yesterday had a birthmark where this one has a tattoo.” Kevin pointed to the smiley face tattoo showing on Deena’s shoulder in the picture.
“Not a tattoo, though?”
“Not unless whoever did it wasn’t much of an
Morgan looked at the large glass case next to the cash register. “How about one of those blueberry scones? Those look good.”
“It’s actually raspberry, do you still want it?”
Morgan looked around and fixed his eyes on the guy with the laptop. He could be a witness. Morgan decided to play it cool since he needed the kid. Needed the information he might have. “Yes. That’s fine.”
Morgan heard footsteps behind him and assumed someone had come in through the back door just as he had. He casually started to turn to get a look at them.
“You’re going to order a girly drink like that?” It was his mentor’s voice. “Nice skirt, Sally. Want him to put an umbrella and a little slice of fruit in it, too?”
The kid fired up the blender to make Morgan’s drink, creating a ruckus.
“Fuck off,” Morgan mumbled.
Kevin stopped the blender and looked over at Morgan. “Did you say something?”
Morgan looked around innocently and then shook his head no. Kevin fired up the blender again.
“This is your chance, Morgan. You find this girl and you can write your own ticket. You want to be Marsh’s number one again? Kill both of the girls. ” Morgan could feel the breath on his neck, see Brandt leaning over his shoulder. “You want to get in good with one of the competitors like Thorpe and go to work for her as her right hand man? Hey! Kill the girl. It’s a win-win.” He stepped out in front of Morgan and looked him in the eyes. “Who do you help out by letting her live? Certainly not yourself. The plan has to be to kill Deena and Harper, and while you’re at it, put some holes in that weirdo in the car.” He pointed over his shoulder.
“Marsh wants me to try to talk to her first for some reason.”
The blender stopped and Kevin smiled at Morgan a bit nervously.
“Marsh is a dumb-ass. Deena needs to be out of the picture, he just doesn’t want to come right out and say it. It’s a deniability thing.”
Morgan leaned against the counter. “Hey. You seen a girl in here lately?”
Kevin looked at him blankly. “There are girls in here all the time. Constantly. I mean, like a stream of them. Anyone in particular?”
Morgan looked around again, fixing on the lone guy working at his laptop. “Long dark hair? Late twenties?”
“Not ringing a bell. Better description, maybe?”
“What a dufus. I think he needs some help with his memory,” Brandt said.
Morgan shook his head a bit at the thought. “I don’t know…”
“Does this help?” A photograph was thrust past Morgan to the clerk.
Morgan turned and found Wallace holding the picture. “You left this in the car,” Wallace mumbled.
Morgan looked from Wallace to Brandt, who was standing behind him. He wondered where Wallace had come from and if he was really there holding a photo of Deena. When Kevin took it, Morgan was able to relax a little.
“Hmmm. You guys cops or something?”
“No. We’re her mom and dad,” Morgan said.
Brandt moved around the men. “This idiot’s trying to horn in on your work. He was going to stay in the car, right? Now he’s here? He’s blowing the whole thing. What the hell?” He nodded at Morgan. “Watch your back, friend. Watch your back.”
Kevin looked Wallace over and continued. “Looks like the older sister of the girl who was in all day yesterday.” He stuck a straw in a drink and handed it to Morgan.
“Older sister?” Morgan took the drink and sucked some coffee through the straw before deciding it really didn’t look at all manly. The coffee was good, though.
“The girl who was here had to be, I don’t know, sixteen or seventeen.”
“But they looked alike, right?” Wallace asked.
Kevin looked the big man up and down. “Yeah. The one in here yesterday had a birthmark where this one has a tattoo.” Kevin pointed to the smiley face tattoo showing on Deena’s shoulder in the picture.
“Not a tattoo, though?”
“Not unless whoever did it wasn’t much of an
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