“I apologize for disturbing you, Mr. Lombardi,” he says. “But a detective downstairs insists on speaking with you.”
I manage to plaster a smile on my face. “Brody?” I ask.
“I believe that was the name he gave, Sir.”
I look at Toby.
He frowns. “Can’t be Ivanov bringing him here. Too fast for that.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. He might have made the call while he was on his plane.”
“You think Ivanov talked about this?”
“He’s like a fucking tick I can’t get rid of.”
“You want me to make him leave?”
“He’d only keep pestering, and I could do without the eyes of the law on me while this deal goes through. I’ll speak with him. You get everything sorted with that.” I point at the contract. “I want to be in the building tomorrow morning. I’m the new editor of UCM.”
“Taking over an entire magazine just to fuck with one employee?”
“That’s not true.”
“No?”
“I plan to fuck one employee.”
He laughs. “Got it. Oh, and I left a message with Melanie Harrison like you said.”
“Good.”
“She refused point blank to take back Bex’s firing. Said we had no right to interfere with her running the magazine.”
“I’ll talk to her tomorrow. Be ready to step in just in case Brody arrests me again.”
“He wouldn’t be that dumb, would he?”
“Arrested me twice already. Why not go for the third?”
8
Hunter
* * *
Brody is in the conference room nearest the lobby. He’s got a mug of coffee and a book in his hand. “Les Miserables,” I say as I walk in. “Interesting choice.”
“You read it?”
“A good man gets hunted by an obsessive cop who won’t give up even when it costs him his life. It rings a bell.”
“You threatening me, Lombardi?”
“Would I do such a thing to a fine upstanding officer of the law?”
“Used to threaten me in high school.”
“You were a prick in high school.”