As the party wound down, her new best friend forever, Colleen, took her aside and assured her that she had nothing to worry about in terms of a reprimand from her superiors. She said that Barry Krieger’s nose was out of joint because of Trisha’s insubordination, but the Bureau wasn’t about to discipline her. She was the golden girl, and they wouldn’t do anything to tarnish her accomplishment because, of course, they wanted to take some credit for the arrest. And if, down the line, the FBI did try to punish her, Franco promised there’d be a job waiting for her with the NYPD.
Trisha smiled and thanked her, all the while thinking she would rather take a transfer to the bank squad in Bismarck than work under Franco.
Eventually the party started to break up, and Trisha’s self-assigned handlers—Cindy and Adele—became busy saying their goodbyes to the departing guests. Trisha refilled her wine glass and wandered out onto the deck. Lights from buildings across the river shimmered over the water. Two small boats—dots of light on the dark surface—coursed in opposite directions. Leaning on the wall, Trisha watched them pass one another, wondering if either acknowledged the other in some way. Or was the river like the rest of the city? Bodies in motion, never connecting… not in a good way.
“Hey there.” Adele walked up to her, and Trisha was astounded to see that she wasn’t carrying a platter of something else to eat. “You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I just needed a little break from the action.”
Pete stepped out onto the deck. He held an aperitif glass and was looking a little buzzed. “Is the party moving out here?”
Cindy came out right behind him. “Can I get anyone anything? Trisha? Anything?”
She held up her half-full glass. “I’m good.”
They all gathered around her like a bunch of mother hens.
“I’m fine,” she said before any of them could say anything.
“Was this a mistake?” Adele said. “The party, I mean. You weren’t ready for this, were you? I’m so sorry. I blew it.”
Trisha touched her arm. “Don’t be silly, Adele. I appreciate it. Really, I do.” She turned to her sister and Pete. “And, you two—stop looking at me like that. I told you, I’m fine.”
“Okay, I believe you,” Cindy said. “It’s just that you’ve been through a lot.”
“Yeah,” Pete said. “You have.”
Trisha knew there was no escaping this sticky outpouring of concern, and it wasn’t going to end here. Maybe she should take a vacation.
A mischievous smile brightened Adele’s face. “Listen, I have something that will cheer you up. I met a very nice young man the other day, and I’d like to introduce you two. I think he might be perfect for you—”
Trisha put her finger to her lips. “Sssshh. Thank you for thinking of me, Adele. Sincerely. But a man is not what I need right now. I think I’ll take a break from men for while.”
Adele was puzzled. “But why? You should have someone nice in your life.”
“I should. But I can’t deal with that right now. Maybe a cat or a dog. Or some fish. That, I can handle.”
“But why not a man?” Adele persisted.
“Because they’re all freaking crazy! That’s why.”
Pete burst out laughing, and Cindy joined in. Even Adele reluctantly giggled.
Trisha laughed softly, glad to have them all here.
But eventually her gaze drifted back to the lonely river and the ribbons of streetlights, headlights, and taillights that stretched out to the suburbs. The rest of the country, she thought with a quiet sigh. She wondered how many more monsters like Lassiter were out there.
Plenty.
Acknowledgments
If you’d like to discover other books by Anthony Bruno, go to www.anthonybruno.net
I’d like to thank those who provided information, inspiration, assistance, direction, and moral support while I was writing this book, especially:
Roshan David for creating the astonishing covers for all my ebooks
Dr. Carrie Willis for sharing her medical expertise
Richard D. Rogers of UBS for his insights into financial fraud
Marilyn Bardsley, founder of CrimeLibrary.com, who gave me the opportunity to research and write about many murders and murderers
Paul Smith of Integrity Investigative Services who has been a good friend for many years and a generous source of information about criminal investigations
Forensic artist Frank Bender for his lively conversations about the dead
The late Richard “the Iceman” Kuklinski who taught me more about the particulars of murder than anyone should know
My agent, Al Zuckerman of Writers House, for his guidance and care
And finally my wife, Judith Sachs, and daughter, Mia Bruno, the best first readers a writer could ever hope for.
More from Anthony Bruno
Loretta Kovacs Novels
In Devil’s Food, the first book in the Loretta Kovacs thriller series, it’s make-it-or-break-it time for zaftig Loretta when she’s assigned to the ragtag Parole Violators Search Unit, a.k.a. the Jump Squad. All her buttons are pushed when she goes undercover as a desperate dieter at a Florida fat farm in order to nab an embezzler who’s a perfect size 2.
In Double Espresso, the second book in the series, Loretta races to keep one hitman from killing another. The intended victim is a valuable government witness against the mob, and a dirty FBI agent is helping the bad guys. Loretta must fend off the advances of an amorous mob boss while babysitting the cantankerous witness in Seattle—Java City—as she desperately struggles to kick her caffeine habit.
In Hot Fudge, the third book in the series, parole officer Loretta falls for her partner, Frank Marvelli. A sexy fellow parole officer “borrows” Marvelli for an assignment in San Francisco, and jealous Loretta tails them. Marvelli is kidnapped, and the women team up to find him and nab the fugitive in question, a successful ice-cream entrepreneur. Loretta encounters a cast of kinky characters and stumbles onto the sinful secret ingredient that has made Elmer Fudge Whirl impossible to resist.
Gibbons & Tozzi Thrillers
FBI agents Mike Tozzi and Cuthbert Gibbons: odd-couple partners and dedicated mob-busters. Hot-headed Tozzi goes renegade, and Gibbons is pulled out of retirement to stop him. Together they uncover a secret crime family headed a convicted mobster pulling the strings from the safety of the witness protection program, get into deep trouble when they investigate a deadly partnership between the Mafia and the Japanese yakuza, investigate shady dealings between the mob and a celebrity real-estate mogul in Atlantic City, and attempt to foil a mobsters comeback from a mental institution.
The Temptations of St. Frank
In this hilarious and biting coming-of-age novel, seventeen-year-old Frank Grimaldi wants one thing more than anything else—to have sex before he graduates. Too bad his crazy teachers, insane parents, the Catholic Church, and the Mafia are all standing in the way.
Imagine Catch-22’s Captain Yossarian in high school. Imagine Prep written by a guy. Imagine the narrator of Philip Roth’s Goodbye, Columbus as a Catholic. Imagine J.P. Donleavy’s The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B. set in New Jersey in 1970. Imagine The Temptations of St. Frank.
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