“So you’re not Roddy’s informant?” Nola asked. “That’s not how your paths first crossed?”
“If I’m gonna rat, you really think I’d pick a dink cop? At least bring in the feds,” he stuttered, though it sounded like an insult.
She pointed her gun at Vess’s head. “Mr. Vess, I want to know who told the Reds about Elijah.”
“This guy Elijah— You think he’s the one who did this?”
She grabbed the trigger and quickly pulled—
“Ask them! Ask the Reds! I-I don’t know shit! I swear on my daughter!”
Nola stood there for half a second, pressing her gun into Vess’s widow’s peak. His face was white. Not from fear. He was losing blood. Fast. “Email or phone?” she asked.
“I don’t underst—”
“When the Reds contacted you, email or . . . ?”
“Phone . . . in my . . . it’s in my desk . . . top drawer . . .” Vess insisted.
Crossing to the other side of the desk, Nola pulled out an old Motorola flip phone that reminded her of a girl she used to hate in junior high. On the corner of the desk, next to the keyboard, she spotted a new iPhone. She grabbed that, too.
“Yo, that’s my phone! You can’t—I need that to call an ambulance!” Vess shouted.
Nola was already at the door, checking the pass code. All zeroes again. Moron.
“I’m serious! If you leave and I pass out—！”
Vess was still yelling as Nola stepped into the elevator and pulled out her own phone, dialing Zig’s number. No answer. She glanced at the time. For sure, he would’ve reached Elijah’s by now—or even Grandma’s Pantry. Zig had no idea about the twenty-two million—or what he was walking into. Nola pounded the Door Close button with the heel of her hand.
“You’re never gonna get there in time!” Vess shouted as the doors slid shut. “Your friend the mortician . . . if he’s headed there . . . he’s already dead!”
83
“If you need to go, go now.”
None of them moved—Zig, Roddy, or Elijah—all three staying in the car, staring straight ahead at the Sunoco minimart, where four twentysomething guys walked out the front door.
“That’s a lotta backwards hats,” Zig said.
“Jersey,” Elijah offered.
Zig nodded, turning back to his phone, where he was texting with Waggs.
You free??? she had asked with extra question marks. Zig knew what that meant.
You found something, didn’t you? Zig texted. Tell me.
You still with Shaggy and Scooby?
Tell me what you found, Zig texted.
Voicemail from tech guy Gary. Was about to call him back. Thought you might want to join.
Zig’s eyes slid sideways toward Elijah, who was on his own phone, Facebook-scrolling by the looks of it.
Can’t. Lemme know what he says, Zig texted back. Waggs gave it a little thumbs-up.
Three gray dots appeared onscreen. Then finally: Any Nola sighting?
Zig checked the rearview, still convinced she couldn’t be far.
“Actually, I do have to go. To the bathroom,” Roddy added, opening the car door and sliding out. He took a few steps toward the minimart, then doubled back and knocked on Zig’s window.
“Everything okay?” Zig asked, tucking his phone in his pocket.