I shove the gun into the holster, climb out of the car and make my way along the street in time to see Clarissa going into the kindergarten.
I run forward and catch the door just as it shuts, slipping in before it gets chance to lock.
She’s already talking to two other women, one in her thirties, the other one in her fifties with a crayon sticking out of her hair.
“Morning,” Clarissa’s saying. Even her voice is doing things to me I don’t like.
“Can I help?” the older woman asks, looking straight at me. “You looking to enrol someone?”
Clarissa spins around, her eyes widening as she realizes who I am. “You,” she says, her mouth remaining open.
“I need to talk to you,” I say, grabbing her arm, pulling her through into the office on my right.
“Hey,” the old woman calls. “You can’t just…”
“It’s all right,” Clarissa yells back to her. “I’m fine.”
“Shut the door,” I tell her.
She does as I say, turning to face me with a look of thunder in her eyes. “What the fuck are you doing here?” she asks.
“Shut up.”
“I will not shut up.”
“I said shut up.” I grab her hand, holding it tight. “Listen to me. Someone wants you dead and I need to know who.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Who wants you dead?”
“No one. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m a hitman, Clarissa. I was hired to take you out and to fetch a safe deposit key from your place. I’ve got three days left to do it.”
Her face turns pale as she slumps back against the desk behind her. “Oh, God. You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Deadly serious. Who wants you dead?”
“I don’t know, all right.” Her voice is getting louder. “Fuck me, what is happening right now?”
“Think, Clarissa. I need you to think. Who might want you dead and why?”
“I’ve no idea, seriously.”
“There must be someone. Your dad?”
“He died a couple of weeks ago.”
“How do you know he died? Did someone from the famiglia get in touch with you?”
“I got a load of his stuff in the mail from the executor of his estate. Paperwork mostly. A few trinkets. I haven’t been through it yet. To be honest, I almost threw it out when it came but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” She sighs loudly, tossing her head back. “And why am I telling you all this?”
“Could there be a key in the box they sent you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe, I guess.”
“Then we need to go look right now.”