Мэри Эндрюс: The Newcomer

“But he didn’t get the chance,” Vikki told Letty. “Joe and the other authorities raided the place while the boys were over in Tampa drinking and gambling and whoring around. Tanya texted Rooney to warn him that the cops were here. Being the selfless, noble thieves they were, they left her holding the bag—although not the loot. Rooney told us today that he and Chuck planned to come back here the next night, after the heat was off, to retrieve the goods. But instead, Chuck got busted and hauled off to jail. And Rooney had no idea where Chuck hid the stuff.”

Letty picked up a delicate gold necklace with a dangling gold scallop-shell pendant. A large diamond was mounted in the center of the seashell. “All this stuff was up in the ceiling, this whole time.” She leaned over and picked up a yellowing pillowcase. “Looks like this was what he kept it in.”

Joe took out his phone and began photographing the evidence, but stopped after he’d clicked off a few frames. He pointed to a lacy black bra draped over a blade of the ceiling fan. “Uh, Vikk, you might want to remove that before I continue inventory of the crime scene.”

The FBI agent calmly hopped onto the bed and removed the incriminating evidence.

“This could take all night,” he finally concluded. “Let’s just put everything in the pillowcase. I think I’ve still got a partial list in my files at the office of all the stuff we knew was sold to Rooney. But I’m telling you right now, this is a lot of merchandise. A lot more than they probably bought during the two weeks they were here.”

“Rooney said they’d been operating in other parts of the state before they wound up here,” Vikki agreed. “I bet there’s easily a couple hundred thousand dollars’ worth of jewelry here. Maybe more.”

“It must have been driving Rooney crazy for the past five years,” Joe said. “He knew it was here somewhere, but Chuck was in prison. That’s why he tracked Tanya down in New York. And when she denied knowing where the stash was hidden, he went looking for Chuck.”

“You can check the Florida Department of Corrections database online, which is probably what Rooney did,” Joe said. “He saw Chuck was due to be released from prison, maybe even contacted him and offered to help him get set up again once he was out. We’ll never get the truth out of Rooney, but the DOC will have a record of who visited Chuck, and who sent him mail.”

“Poor dumb Chuck,” Vikki said. “Talk about a fatal error in judgment.”

Letty took a last look around the efficiency and shuddered. “It creeps me out, knowing all that jewelry and stuff was right here, right over the bed Maya and I were sleeping in. Which reminds me, I need to get back to her.”

Joe went back to loading the goods into the pillowcase. “See ya,” he said, not bothering to look up from his task.

61

ISABELLE SAT CROSS-LEGGED ON THE bed, watching as Letty folded the last items of clothing into her rolling suitcase. “That’s it?” she asked, looking around the motel unit for other pieces of luggage.

“Yes,” Letty said, zipping up the bag. “I was in pretty much of a panic when I left New York to come down here. I just threw some stuff in a bag and started to drive.”

“I can’t even believe everything that’s happened since then,” Isabelle said, picking up Maya’s shopworn stuffed elephant. “It’s all like something out of a movie.”

“Not one I want to relive anytime soon,” Letty said. She sat down on the bed beside the teenager. “Maya and I are really gonna miss you, Isabelle.”

“I still think Mom’s being totally unreasonable, not letting me go to New York with you guys,” Isabelle said, pouting. “We’ve only got like a month of school left, and all my class stuff is just bullshit anyway. I could totally do, like, remote learning, and help you out with Maya.”

“Sorry, I’ve gotta stick with Ava on this one,” Letty said. “It’s your senior year. You’ve still got prom and all the graduation stuff. You don’t want to miss any of that. New York will still be there this summer. And if you still want to come, you know we’d love to have you visit.”

“I guess we know who won’t be visiting,” the teenager quipped.

Letty sighed and went into the bathroom, pretending to check for anything left behind.

“He still hasn’t called, has he?” Isabelle asked.

“No. Not since I told him when we’d be leaving.”

“He’s my brother, and I love him, but he’s such a dumbass butthead,” Isabelle said. “I don’t get why he’s acting like this. If he loves you, and we both know he does, he should understand why you’ve got to go back to New York.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Letty said. She opened the closet and closed it, then went out to the patio for one final look at the beach. She found a thumbnail-size scallop shell that Maya had left there to dry, brushed off the sand, and tucked it in her pocket. A remembrance.

“Guess we’d better get moving if we’re going to make our flight on time,” Letty said, picking up her purse and her cell phone. “I know it’s early, but sometimes traffic gets stopped on the bridge over to Tampa.” She glanced at the phone screen for the tenth time in an hour, wondering if Joe would call, or text.

She hadn’t seen him in two days, since she and Maya sat down in a conference room at the police station with Vikki Hill, so Maya could give a formal, videotaped statement about what she’d witnessed the afternoon of Tanya’s murder. Joe had been in the room, of course, and though he’d been warm and solicitous with Maya, he’d been aloof, almost ignoring Letty’s presence during the process, allowing Vikki to conduct most of the interview.

Isabelle glanced down at her own phone. “Hey. Mom just texted to say she and Maya had to go over to the rec hall. I think there’s something going on with the air-conditioning thermostat.” She reached for Letty’s suitcase. “I’ll just stick this in the car and meet you over there.”

The motel was surprisingly quiet for a Friday morning. It was the first week of April. Several of the snowbirds had already departed to head back north, and the Murmuring Surf’s reservation system was filling up with bookings for young families who’d be checking in for spring break and early summer stays.

Only 10:00 A.M., and it was already hot and humid. The morning weather report predicted the day’s high would be eighty-two. She checked the forecast for New York City—rainy and low sixties. Letty wiped a bead of perspiration from her neck.

Zoey had volunteered to pick them up at JFK. She hoped her friend would bring along a rain jacket from the stash of Letty’s belongings she’d been storing all this time.

Clothes were on the list of things Letty had been mentally scribbling all week. Maya had outgrown most of her old clothes that Letty had brought to Florida. She’d need real shoes—no more dollar-store flip-flops or cheap sneakers. And socks. Letty had been studying apartment listings and had narrowed her search down to two viable options in the East Village, both within walking distance of the kindergarten Sammi had recommended.

She pulled the rec room door open.

“Surprise!”

The room was filled with colorful balloons and streamers. All the remaining regulars stood in a circle around a table topped with a cut-glass bowl of red Hawaiian Punch and a chocolate-frosted sheet cake with pink and purple lettering that said GOODBYE LETTY & MAYA.

Letty felt her eyes fill with tears. Maya darted into the middle of the crowd. She was dressed in a fluffy blue satin and tulle ankle-length princess dress, her curls topped with a rhinestone-studded crown.