Daylight (Atlee Pine, #3)(12)

“Nowhere near. I don’t think Jersey agreed with them. They got out quick as they could. Me, I like it just fine, only not so much in this place.”

Pine had a sudden thought. “Did your dad ever use the nursery rhyme ‘eeny, meany, miney, moe’ with you and your siblings while you were growing up?”

Vincenzo grinned. “How the hell did you know that?”

“So he did?”

“Yeah, with six kids he used it to pick one of us.”

Pine licked her lips and tried to prevent her nerves from running away from her. “Pick you for what? To . . . reward?”

Vincenzo shrugged. “Sometimes. But other times to punish. When one of us did something wrong and the others wouldn’t rat him or her out.”

Pine sat back, disappointed and trying hard not to show it. Ito Vincenzo had used that nursery rhyme in deciding whether to take Pine or Mercy that night. She wanted to know if being picked in that manner was a good or bad thing. Vincenzo’s response had obviously not helped.

Puller glanced at her briefly and said, “Back to the house. Tony’s living there.”

“Okay.”

“You knew that?” asked Puller.

“I know it now.”

“When’s the last time you heard from your dad?” asked Pine.

Vincenzo took a moment to scratch his cheek and then rub his nose, which gave him an opportunity to think things through, Pine knew.

“I don’t know. What’s in it for me?”

Finally, we’re getting somewhere, she thought.

Puller sat forward, taking charge. “Let’s cut to the chase, Teddy. You help us, then you help yourself.”

Vincenzo sat forward now too, all business. “How much? And it has to be in writing. To my lawyer. I’m taking no chances with you feds screwing me over.”

“The time you got left here? We can make eight years six.”

“And you can also make eight years four. I’m not getting any younger.”

“Five. But it depends on what you can tell us. Bullshit gets you zip. Deal goes off the table and does not come back.”

Pine could tell by the declarative way Puller said this that these negotiation parameters had been preapproved in his chain of command.

“Oh, tough guy, are we? I’m shitting my pants right now.” Vincenzo said this with a smile that again came nowhere close to his eyes.

“I’m waiting,” said Puller.

“What do you want to know?”

“Where is Tony? And where is Ito?”

Vincenzo glanced at Pine. “Why the hell do you give a shit about my old man?”

“Sometime in 1989, he was gone from home. For several months, maybe? Spring, summer? Ring a bell?”

“That’s a long time ago, lady. I get hung up on stuff from last week.”

“And three years off your time here is a damn good reason to try to remember.”

Vincenzo nodded and his manner turned less flippant and more focused. “Okay, look, I want to help, but I’ll need to give it some thought.”

“Only think in facts. I know enough that the bullshit Chief Puller mentioned applies fully to me as well.”

“Okay, your point is clearly made, lady. I’m not looking to extend my stay here any longer than I have to.”

“He talk to you about Bruno?” she asked.

“Sometimes; they were brothers. He was my uncle.”

“What did he say? I’m talking about what happened to Bruno, when he went to prison the last time.”

“Well, one thing my old man told me stuck with me. He said his brother made a deal that never came through. Cost him his life.” He glanced sharply at Puller. “Which is the position I might find myself in. Snitches don’t have long life expectancies in prison. You walk from this, I’m dead.”

“We can throw in solitary if that’ll make you feel better,” said Puller.

“Did Ito say he was going to do something because of what happened to his brother?” asked Pine.

Vincenzo refocused on her, his expression calming. “Nothing specific that I can remember. He was pissed, that I know.”

“Your father was clean. Not even a traffic ticket. Bruno was mob. Why would he care?”

“It was his own flesh and blood. That means something or used to. Yeah, my old man knew what Bruno was. But Bruno went to prison and he died when he shouldn’t have. Somebody had to pay for that.”

“Ito told you that? Is that what you’re saying?” asked Pine.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. He didn’t talk much about Bruno, so what he did say was memorable, at least to me.”

“And then your dad disappeared, we understand. Know anything about that?”

“Nope. I was actually a resident of another fine institution like this one at the time.”

He looked at Puller now. “So what the hell has Tony done?”

“Thought you’d know all about it.”

“I would never encourage my son to break the law, and I’m sure he didn’t.”

“Are we expected to laugh?” said Puller.

Teddy shrugged. “Look, I’m an asshole, sure, but selling out my own kid? Come on.”

“Under no circumstances?” said Puller.