Chapter Sixteen
Jameson looked up in surprise when Tony entered his office the next day.
“Well, now. Finally stopping in to give me an update, hmm? About damn time.”
Tony grimaced but wasn’t about to argue with the man. “I think you need to put a larger detail on Jessie…or pull her in, offer her a deal.”
“Has something happened?”
“Willie’s getting a little too close for comfort.”
Jameson’s eyes widened. “Have you seen the Harlan girl with one of Willie’s guys?”
Tony pressed his lips together, not wanting to give Jameson any ammo to work with, especially since he wasn’t sure there was any yet.
“You going to tell me what this is about?”
“Not sure there is anything to tell yet.”
“Well, it’s gotta be something or you wouldn’t be in here.”
Tony took a deep breath. “Russo has been sniffing around.”
Jameson gave a low whistle. “Mario Russo? Where did you run into him? The shop?”
“No.”
Jameson glowered at Tony. “Sit. Now.”
Tony slowly sat down, gritting his teeth hard enough to chip a tooth. He didn’t know the best course of action to take and being at a loss was not something he was used to. The more he’d gotten to know Jessie, the less he’d considered her a threat. Hell, the woman practically fainted before every performance. There was no way she was a hardened criminal. And he’d been almost convinced enough to tell Jameson so.
Until he saw her getting up close and personal with one of Willie’s main guys.
Now, what he thought he knew had gone all to hell and the last person he wanted in his face saying, “I told you so,” was Jameson.
Jameson sat behind his desk and leaned forward, linking his hands together. “Where did you see Mario Russo?”
Tony sucked in a breath through his nose. Unless he flat-out lied to Jameson, he wasn’t going to be able to get away with keeping Jessie out of this. And he wasn’t even sure he should.
“Solomon, we have worked too hard and spent too much damn money on this case to come up empty now. I swear to God if you don’t start squawkin’ and spill everything you’ve found out about that woman and who she works for, I’ll personally make sure you never investigate anything more important than a lost poodle again. Your career will be over. You understand me?”
Tony glared, his jaw aching from clenching it so tight. But he jerked his head in a semblance of a nod.
“Now, let’s try this again. Where did you see Mario Russo?”
What he was about to say made him physically ill. But he didn’t have a choice. And the way things were looking, Jessie probably deserved to be turned over. He’d known from the start she was hiding something. He just never imagined how far her subterfuge might go.
“I saw him meeting with Jessie in her shop last night.”
The delight that lit up Jameson’s face sent a rush of fury through Tony so hot that he had to grip the arms of his chair to keep from wrapping his hands around Jameson’s throat.
“Finally!” Jameson slammed his hands down on the table. “We’ve got her.”
“We don’t have anything. We’ve got a guy walking into a butcher shop and then walking back out ten minutes later. Hardly damning evidence. We have no idea what they were discussing.”
“Then you need to find out. You and I both know that a man like Russo isn’t going to be out running his own errands. If he was there visiting your little skirt, then it was pure business and I guarantee it wasn’t legal.”
“He might have been threatening her.”
“So what if he was?”
Tony’s face must have betrayed his rising fury because Jameson actually sat back in his chair.
“For all we know they never split up. Or maybe he wants her back. What difference does it make? Unless you have any hard evidence that her life is in danger, we aren’t going to make a move and risk blowing everything we’ve set up here. I don’t know what the hell you’ve got going on with that dame,” he said, “but you were paid to find out the dirt. If your methods have bitten you in the ass, that’s your own fault and you can just deal with it. But mark my words, if you keep any pertinent information from me that will impede this investigation, I’ll not only have your career, I’ll throw your damn ass behind bars.”
“I’m not hiding anything.”
“Good. Because I stuck my neck out for you to get you this gig. The last thing either of us needs is for this to turn into another Lucille situation. Got it?”
The mention of Lucille was like a bucket of ice water being dumped on Tony’s head. He was defending Jessie the same way he’d done with Lucille. And look where that had gotten him. At least with Lucille he hadn’t had any hard evidence. He couldn’t say the same about Jessie. What he had might be speculative and circumstantial, but it was certainly enough to prove something was going on. Yet here he was, caught in the same trap.
He rubbed his hand over his face, wishing he’d never agreed to this damn job. What the hell was the right thing to do? He didn’t want to lean too far in the other direction and ruin Jessie’s life if there was really nothing going on.
No, maybe he didn’t need to hand over everything he had on Jessie just yet. But he could give Jameson something. Until he found out the truth about Jessie.
“As I was saying,” Jameson continued, “if she was being threatened by him that just proves that she’s dirty. Willie’s men don’t go around threatening innocent women. If Russo is in there leaning on her, then there is a reason for it, don’t you think?”
Tony nodded. He hated to admit it, but Jameson had a point.
“She didn’t look like she was being threatened,” he said. “In fact, they looked…friendly.”
Jameson leaned forward again. “Well, now. That is interesting. If he were threatening her, it would be reasonable to assume that she and the Phoenix, if there is a Phoenix, were encroaching on his territory. But a friendly visit…well that implies a nice, working relationship, doesn’t it? Or a relationship of some sort, anyway. Did you speak with her after you saw this?”
“Yes. She seemed shaken.”
Jameson waved that off. “That could be chalked up to you walking in minutes after Russo left. She must have been wondering if you’d seen him.”
Tony had thought the same thing, but he didn’t feel the need to let Jameson know that. He was cooperating, but he didn’t have to go overboard with it.
“What do you mean, if there is a Phoenix?”
Jameson looked at him like he was a complete dumkuff. “There have been rumors about the Phoenix for as long as the speakeasy has been open. But no one has ever seen the man. No one. Except Miss Harlan. Have you seen or heard any evidence at all to suggest that he exists?”
The answer was no. Jessie spent all day at her shop and nights in either his club or The Red Phoenix. That didn’t mean that the Phoenix wasn’t running things at The Red Phoenix while Jessie was with him, but what kind of man let his woman out of his sight for that long? Let her work at a rival speakeasy? And why hadn’t he ever been seen, even in his own club? Tony had heard of keeping a low profile, but this was crazy.
But the alternative was something that Tony had tried hard not to consider. Because if there was no Phoenix, that meant that Jessie was the one in charge. And that complicated his life to a degree he didn’t think he could recover from.
“That’s what I thought,” Jameson said, not needing to hear from Tony what they both already knew. “Anything else happen?”
Tony sighed. “They exchanged envelopes. Russo came in and Jessie hurried off and came back with one which she gave to him. They spoke for awhile and then Russo handed her an envelope.”
Jameson grimaced. “Well now, that’s fairly important information, Solomon. Might have been best to lead off with that. That settles it then. She’s on Willie’s payroll.”
“That doesn’t settle anything. We don’t even know what was in the envelope. For all we know, they were exchanging recipes.”
“Unlikely.”
“Maybe. But we’ve got no evidence of anything just yet. I’m the only witness that Russo was even there. It’d be his word against mine. And we’ve got no proof that he gave her anything.”
Tony didn’t mention that he had pictures of the whole transaction.
“Then you’ll just have to go get some proof, won’t you? We are too close to this to lose it now, Solomon. Whatever personal feelings you have about this, forget them. You’ve got a job to do.”
Tony stood and headed for the door.
“And Solomon.”
He stopped, only turning half around.
“I’ll expect you to come back with something soon. This has been dragging on long enough. Finish it.”
Tony left before he planted his fist in Jameson’s face.
…
Jessie sat at her desk, reading over the newspaper clipping for what was probably the hundredth time. She didn’t know what to do about it. On the one hand, she hated to judge anyone for his past. Everyone made mistakes. Some larger than others. But still, if she condemned everyone who had screwed up in the past, she’d never be able to trust anyone, including herself. On the other hand, Tony used to be a cop. With close ties to the Feds. It meant he knew Jameson, not because Jameson was harassing him but because they used to be on the same team. And very likely still were.
The most probable scenario was what she’d thought all along, one that she had shied away from because thinking it caused an ache in her chest that made it difficult to breathe. That Tony had been trying to get close to her in order to get information out of her. Only he didn’t want it for himself, but for his buddy Jameson. And the romance? All those lingering glances and kisses that made the seams on her stockings curl? What were they? Was it real? Did he care for her? Or desire her, at least? Or was it all part of his ploy?
She should be angry, furious. But instead she was filled with an infinite sadness that rolled over her in bitter waves, lapping at the happiness she’d thought for a moment she might find.
This is why she’d never let anyone get too close. If you let people in, they used you, then threw you away. She was better off alone. At least, if she was alone she wouldn’t feel this crushing sorrow that leeched into her heart and destroyed her from the inside out.
She shoved the clipping in a drawer and closed up her office, heading back into the tunnels beneath the shop’s cellar. Maybe it was time to end her singing career. Cut ties with Tony before they got any closer. Especially with Willie sniffing around and making not-so-veiled threats. She should end it all. Before Tony had a chance to hurt her worse than she was already hurting. The thought of not seeing him anymore made her heart ache. But better an ache now than shattered pieces later.
“Jessie?” Joe called to her from the storeroom.
She followed the sound of his voice and found him packing a few cases for the night ahead at The Red Phoenix.
“Not too much longer,” she said, running her hand down one of the empty shelves. There wasn’t much left in here. She had more than enough to keep the club running for several more years, squirreled away in other rooms. But her plan had always been to shut things down once this room was empty. Just long enough to pay off Willie and ensure her shop could stay on its feet. Judging by the looks of things, she had only enough booze in this room to keep the speakeasy running for another month or two. One more payment to Willie. And then she could close things down. It would be a relief.
Her only worry was Maude. Joe and Charlie would still have their jobs at the shop. But perhaps Maude could take her place at The Corkscrew. They’d need a new singer.
Joe smiled and closed up the last box. “It’ll be nice to go back to being butchers.”
Jessie laughed. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
“We could just give it all away now and be done with it.”
“Sure. I think I’ll team up with Willie. Give him all the booze.”
Joe snorted and Jessie winked at him. They’d already decided long ago not to use the liquor to pay off Willie. All she needed was for the Feds to find out Willie was selling her father’s booze and then she’d be in double the trouble she was in now. Safer to pay him in nice, untraceable cash.
“Have you decided on next week’s schedule?” Joe asked.
“Yes. Let’s open Monday, Thursday, and Friday.”
“All right, boss.”
“And let’s switch to the Barker Street exit this week. We’ve been using the Dalton Street exit for a couple weeks now. It’s about time to change things up.”
“I was just going to suggest it.”
Jessie smiled. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”
Joe chuckled and then froze when a shadow crossed the door. Jessie spun around. Tony stood there, his hands in his pockets.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I called out, but you must not have heard me.”
“No, I didn’t.” She flashed Joe a look. The question wasn’t whether they’d heard Tony, but whether Tony had heard them. She studied him, trying to see any hint that he’d heard what they’d said.
His smile was a bit strained, but then it had been since the night Russo had dropped in.
“Ah, well, sorry,” he said again. “I’ll just wait for you upstairs.”
Jessie nodded. As soon as Tony had disappeared up the stairs she turned to Joe.
“Do you think he heard?” she whispered.
Joe was staring at the stairs behind her. “I don’t know. But maybe we should switch the dates, open Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, just in case.”
Jessie nodded. Part of her wanted to keep the club open on the days she’d mentioned, just so she could find out if Tony would really betray her or not. And if it was only her life at stake she would. But she couldn’t endanger her patrons that way.
“Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday then. And let’s stay with the Dalton exit one more week. Just in case he heard that as well.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
Jessie nodded, then went up the stairs after Tony.
He sat perched on a stool near the counter but when she entered he got up and kissed her cheek.
“How are you this evening?”
Jessie watched him, wondering if she had really misread him, wondering if it had all been a lie or if some of it had been real.
“Fine.”
“Just fine?” he asked with a small smile.
Jessie smiled back. “A little tired, maybe.”
“Well, I don’t doubt that. You spend all day in this shop, and all night singing at my joint.”
“About that…”
Tony smiled a little and looked down briefly before meeting her eyes again. “You don’t want to sing for me anymore?”
She gave him a sad smile. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I’ve enjoyed it much more than I expected to. It’s just…with the shop and…my other responsibilities… It’s getting to be a bit too much.”
Tony nodded. “That’s understandable. I hate to see you go.” He took one of her hands and brought it to his lips, keeping her close even after he’d kissed it. “I’d still like to see you, even if you no longer work for me.”
Jessie’s heart lurched on a twisted wave of hope and she did her best to stamp it down. Still, if she flat out refused him it might raise more questions. Better to go along with it. For now. “I think I’d like that.”
“Good,” he said with a smile. “It seems like we spend all our time together at my club. Why don’t we mix things up a little?”
“What do you mean?” Jessie asked, wariness winding its icy way through her veins.
“Well, you’ve been to my club. It seems only fair we go to yours.”
“You want to come to The Red Phoenix?” Dread settled in her stomach. It was a good thing she hadn’t eaten dinner that night or it would have revolted for sure.
Tony shrugged. “Unless there’s some reason why I shouldn’t. Is there? The Phoenix, perhaps? Will he be there? Or will word get back to him if you were seen with me?”
“No,” Jessie said, then hesitated, unsure of how to get out of this without completely giving herself away. If she said no, he’d assume she was hiding something. But she couldn’t bring him to the club. Not while his true identity and purpose were up in the air. That was far too dangerous.
Well, maybe there was a way to test him without endangering anyone. They’d already decided to switch the dates the club would open, in case Tony had heard. So, she’d tell him to come on one of those days. If he had heard, then she wouldn’t be passing along any information that he didn’t already know. And if he hadn’t heard…well it didn’t matter because the club wouldn’t be open that night, anyway.
She’d deal with what would happen after he found out she’d lied to him later. After she found out if she could trust him or not, once and for all.
“No, that sounds fun. How about next Friday. You can meet me here.”
Tony went very still, though his face betrayed nothing. “Friday?”
Jessie nodded.
“All right. I’ll see you Friday.”
Tony hesitated, then pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her lips that nearly broke her heart. There was the spark of passion that was always present when he touched her, but this kiss…this kiss was sweet and tender, his lips moving slightly over hers.
It didn’t feel like he was saying goodnight. It felt like he was saying good-bye.