Blindside(70)

“What’s the girl got to do with this? He could’ve left her alone.”

“Henry doesn’t consult me about those kinds of decisions. I just handle problems in New York.”

“What’s he gain from this? How is this good for business?”

The driver shrugged. “I’d save those kinds of talking points for Henry. He’ll be here in a minute.”

“Are you saying you don’t think this is bullshit?”

“I just understand you embarrassed Henry and now he needs to make a statement so people know he’s serious. He keeps all these cyber people in line with fear.”

In a crazy kind of way, that made sense. And because we were talking about a crazy person, I’m sure it made perfect sense to Henry.

I noticed a new Audi rolling toward us along the street and parking maybe fifty feet away. I turned toward it, then glanced over my shoulder at the limo. There was a lot to think about in this encounter.

I worked hard at keeping a disinterested expression when Henry popped out of the Audi wearing a gray Armani suit. He looked like one of the young investment bankers down on Wall Street, except for the Walther .380 pistol in his right hand. He smiled and said, “Detective Bennett, nice to see you again.”

“Wish I could say the same. But I’ll say this, Henry, you have definitely impressed me this time. I’ve only been back a day and you were able to travel across the Atlantic, use the phone you cloned from the mayor, and trick me with the fake text. By the way, the ‘little fat prick’ comment on the text was inspired.”

“Since we’re complimenting each other, let me tell you how impressed I am that you were able to figure all that out on the ride over here.”

Now I gave him a sly smile. The guys who think they’re smarter than everyone else never really see it coming. I said, “I didn’t figure it out on the ride. My son pointed me in the right direction last night. The NYPD tech people confirmed it all this morning.”

That got Henry’s attention. But it didn’t seem to have quite the impact I was hoping it would.

He said, “Then I guess we’ll make this fast.” He racked the slide on his Walther.

I knew racking the gun was more to scare me. But I could tell he wasn’t particularly comfortable holding the pistol.

Henry looked at the driver and said, “Go get Natalie.”





CHAPTER 99


HENRY AND I stood in the wide gap between the two vehicles in the middle of the road, with the sun on us but the park’s large trees masking us somewhat from any afternoon runners or dog walkers. A gunshot might change all that, of course. A few cars trickled by on Vernon Boulevard several hundred yards back, too far away to see what was going on down here. And probably no one from the store came back here. Plus, Henry would’ve easily disabled any CCTV cameras on the building. In short, it was perfect for Henry and whatever his crazy plan was.

I was waiting for the driver. I’d know when it was time to act.

Henry said to me, “I don’t know how you convinced Natalie to betray me, but it ruined a pretty good thing.”

“Aww, did she break your heart?” I enjoyed watching him change colors like some kind of screwed-up chameleon. He went from his normal flesh tone to a dark red, then a purple. After a few seconds, his color returned to normal.

In a much sharper tone than usual, he said, “You’ll learn—how do you Americans say it?—not to run your mouth.”

“When?”

“Today.”

When he smiled, I realized he was back to his usual, pompous self. Good. That made things more enjoyable and interesting.

That also made me throw in, “What if I don’t learn?”

Henry shook his head and mumbled, “It won’t matter.”

“Henry, I’ve been around a lot of criminals in my life. The successful ones are all business. How does this help your business?”

“What’s the point of being as successful as me if I can’t do things that make me feel better? This will make me feel better. In fact, I’m already enjoying it. I wish I could slip you back to Estonia so I could make it last.”

I smiled. “I don’t see you having the stomach to torture anyone. Even me.”

“I don’t have to torture anyone. I could just let you watch as your family suffers and destroys itself while you’re away.”

“You don’t know my family. They’re resilient.”

“Even if I ruined your credit and drained your bank accounts? What about if I add things to your son’s record and he doesn’t get out of jail for ten more years?”

I tried to hide the fact that this asshole had just hit a nerve. I didn’t do a very good job.

Henry chuckled. “See, everyone has a weakness. Virtually all weaknesses can be exploited by something online. That’s where I rule.”

“This isn’t the internet, it’s real life.”

“Yes, this is real. Sometimes that’s more satisfying.” He looked past me and said, “Here comes our other contestant.”

I turned my head and had to smile at the way the driver kept a couple of feet away from his prisoner. They stopped a few steps from us. The look on Henry’s face was spectacular. He stared silently for a moment. I hoped he might change colors again.