Delsa waited.
"Yeah:?"
"And you might know something about it."
"You didn't get that from Nashelle."
"It was another detective talked to some girl who knows Reggie. I don't have her statement in front of me, but it's in the case file."
"She say I was with him?"
"I don't know, but if you have something to tell me, it comes under what we've been talking about, confidential information."
Jerome said, "Lemme think on it."
Delsa said, "You got ten minutes." He brought a pack of Newports from his desk drawer and offered one to his C.I.
Jerome said, "I thought this was a no-smoking building."
Delsa said, "Only if you get caught."
5
As soon as they were in the car, still in front of the loft, the guy turned to them in the backseat. He gave her kind of an impatient look, mad, and said to Chloe, "How come nobody let me know?"
Sounding like it was her fault.
Chloe said, "What're you talking about?"
Montez didn't answer. He was a terrible driver, changing lanes in the East Jefferson traffic as he made a call on his cell, Chloe telling him, "Will you watch the fucking road? Jesus." When he didn't get an answer to his call he said, "Fuck," and dropped the phone on the seat next to him.
Behind him in the dark Kelly leaned close to Chloe and said, "You think he's cool, huh?"
Chloe raised her voice saying, "Montez? What's wrong?"
Kelly saw him look at the rearview mirror. He said, "Don't bother your head," and was quiet after that, but kept glancing at them in the mirror.
They arrived at the house, lights shining on its gray stone from the shrubs. Montez stopped in the circular drive and asked Chloe how long she thought they'd be.
"It's up to Tony," Chloe said. "You know that."
Montez said, "See if you can cut your bullshit cheerleading short this evening."