Lucky(67)

“Of course.”

“And you’ll help with Cary Matheson, too?”

“Yes. Him too.”

Valerie had been looking out the windshield, but now she turned to Lucky. “And then, after that,” she began, “we can find a way—” Her voice broke, and she reached for a tissue, but then crumpled it in her hand and swallowed her tears, in a manner Lucky recognized. She did this too. Valerie kept gazing at Lucky steadily. “I’m so sorry,” she said.

“I know,” Lucky said. “I believe you.”



* * *




The calls would be recorded. Lucky was surrounded by police officers and FBI agents. She had a wiretap on, ready for the next steps. The phone call to Cary was the first one.

“You found me,” he whispered. “Oh my God, Lucky, how did you do it?”

“When your mother told me you might be dead, I started to think, what if you weren’t? I called hospitals in Nevada, and I didn’t give up until I found you.”

“Typical Lucky. Relentless, a survivor. I’ve been so scared. I’m so sorry.”

“What happened?” Lucky said, reading her lines. “I thought you took off on me, but when I went to your mom’s place, she let some stuff slip. She said she had done this to you—”

“That bitch—”

“That you had been working for her, and that you were trying to take off with some money, a lot of it. Is it true?”

“I don’t think we should talk about this on the phone. Where did you say you were?”

“I’m in New York. I’m at a pay phone.” One of the officers hit a button on a computer, and the sound of a bus rolling past rose in the room, then other traffic sounds, which rose and faded.

“Can you come here?” he asked. “Get a bus? Meet me here. We’ll run, together. I love you so much. I’ve been lost without you; it’s been hell. But I need you to know I would never leave you.”

The lines on the page in front of Lucky blurred. Her mouth had gone dry again and she reached for her water. “I’ve been so worried about you. But—you lied to me. You pretended you were running the restaurant—but you were laundering money for Priscilla, weren’t you?”

“Yes. I’m so sorry. I could never get away from her. I tried, but I couldn’t. She had me in too deep. When she gave me the house for us in Boise, I thought maybe we could work for a while, then get away from her somehow. It didn’t work out that way, though.”

“No. It didn’t.”

“Will you come?”

“Yes. I’ll be there. It’ll take me a few days, but I’ll get there.”

“I’m so glad you found me. Okay. I’ll be waiting. I love you.”

“I love you too, Cary.” It caught in her throat. She had loved him once, so it wasn’t a lie. It was possible she still did, possible she always would, no matter what her head tried to tell her heart. She didn’t know yet. All she knew was that she had to keep moving, keep telling herself he was finally going to get what he deserved. That she was no longer his victim. That she never again had to be who she had been before.

Lucky hung up and sat still, composing herself. Valerie stepped forward and sat down at the table with her.

“You did great. Okay. Next step. We have a phone number,” Valerie said to her. “You’re clear on what you need to say to Priscilla?”

“I think so.” Every time Lucky looked into her mother’s eyes, she felt a jolt. It was like looking in a mirror.

“You did a good job there with Cary. What’s important is clarity. Nothing can be ambiguous. With Priscilla, you need to get her to admit that she hired a hit man to beat up, or possibly kill, her son. That he was working for her, laundering money, for years. When you were in San Francisco, and then again in Boise. Okay?”

“I can do that,” Lucky said. “Bluffing is a skill I have.” For once, there was no shame in admitting this. She was good at this, and it turned out it was a skill that didn’t always have to be used for cheating.

“Tell her to meet you at this restaurant,” Valerie said, sliding a name and address across the table. “Tell her that you know where Cary is, that you went to Vegas to find him after what she told you, that he’s hiding in an apartment and you’ll only tell her where if she gives you what you want. Tell her that Cary has agreed to meet up with her and let her know where the money is, but say you want to negotiate. Okay?”

“Yes.”

“If what we suspect is true, she’ll meet you. Her life is on the line. She owes that money. The proceeds from the lottery ticket are enough to cover it—but she has to come forward to redeem the ticket, and that means coming out of hiding.”

Valerie crossed the room to speak to a collection of officers overseeing the setup of the recording devices. “Okay. We’re with you.”

Lucky sat silent, alone now with her thoughts—and her fears.

“Ready, Lucky? Time to move forward.”



* * *




Lucky set up the meeting with Priscilla for five o’clock. I know where Cary is I know where the money is, too. And I’ll tell you where, but we need to talk in person. Priscilla went for it.