Jo didn’t hesitate. “Remember Chief Rocca—the cop they interviewed on Newsnight?” she asked, and Claude nodded. “He claimed Spencer took off in his helicopter before the police had a chance to arrest him. But Rocca was at the Harding house right before Spencer fled.”
“I’ve met Rocca,” Claude said. “He’s been at a few parties on the Pointe. You really think he let Spencer escape?”
“That’s exactly what I think. He should have arrested Spencer, but he didn’t—probably because he’s involved in it all. And we know Rocca has a thing for young girls. He tried to drag a teenager into his car in July.”
“In July?” Claude seemed shocked. “But Spencer died in June.”
“Yep, which means Rocca is still at it.”
“How did you find out about all of this?”
“Reliable sources,” Jo said. “Do you think there might be security footage from the Pointe that shows Rocca at Harding’s house?”
“Of course,” Claude said. “The entire neighborhood is covered by cameras. And the guys at the front gate keep a log of everyone who visits and the time they arrive. So yeah, if Rocca was there that night, we can definitely prove it. I’ll be happy to gather the evidence.”
“That would be great,” Jo said. “’Cause until we round up all the bad guys, there’s a chance I could end up dead. There’s no doubt in my mind that Rocca was responsible for Josh Gibbon’s death.”
“Then let’s take the bastard down,” Claude said. “I’m not going to stand by and let him murder anyone else. If he touches a hair on your head, I’ll kill him myself.”
“My husband would prefer that I avoid getting murdered in the first place. This whole thing has got him really worried,” Jo admitted. “Art’s doing some work in the city, and he wants Lucy and me to move there for a while. I know it’s a lot to ask, but maybe we could pause our self-defense program until things get under control?”
“You can’t go to Manhattan,” Claude announced with her arms crossed and her mind clearly made up.
“I can’t?” Jo felt her heart sink.
“Of course not. Brooklyn is a much better place to live these days. Leonard owns a building downtown. The ground floor would make a great location for the first New York City branch of Furious Fitness. If we started a club there, we’d get girls from every possible background, which is exactly what we want. And I happen to know that there’s a great three-bedroom apartment available on the tenth floor. We could throw that in as part of the bargain.”
“You’re serious?” Jo asked.
“Completely,” Claude said.
“Why would you do something like that for me?”
Claude’s nose wrinkled as if the conversation had gone bad. “That is a question no man would ever ask. I’m not your fairy godmother, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she told Jo. “I’m doing it because I’ll never be able to find a partner who’s as good as you.”
Five minutes after Franklin got up to make breakfast, Nessa opened her eyes to see Breanna and Jordan standing at the end of her bed in front of the window. The sunlight streamed around them, forming heavenly coronas around their bodies. Nessa sat straight up and shrieked at the sight.
“We’re alive, Mama,” Jordan said, reaching out an arm for Nessa to pinch.
“Don’t do that to me again,” Nessa ordered. She could still hear her pounding heart in her ears. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you two at school?”
“Don’t you know the rule?” Breanna asked. “You get a day off whenever your mom finds a dead body.”