Page 76 of The Lake Escape
“Tracey?” Julia squinted her eyes. “But Fiona’s last name is Maxwell.”
“Yeah, she was divorced but kept her married name, probably because Tracey carries a lot of connotations in town.”
“How so?” Julia’s curiosity kept rising.
“Her dad, Jimmy T, is kind of old-school, if you know what I mean—like he’s connected, organized crime, the Mob, all that. Jimmy made a small fortune working the smut trade in Times Square before Giuliani cleaned it up in the nineties. I lived there before and after, so I saw the transformation myself. It definitelygot sanitized, but business is business, and Jimmy T kept his hands in things. You seem like a nice lady. I’m only telling you this so you’ll get away from here andstayaway.”
“What do you mean, he kept hishands in things?” Julia prodded.
The bartender sighed, but he could tell Julia wouldn’t give up easily.
“I told you about Fiona’s best friend, Bella, right? That she killed herself? Well, it was because an old boyfriend of hers sold a… um…private videoof them to a porn website that had a lax vetting process. The video was uploaded, unbeknownst to Bella, to the internet for all to see. So the night before the wedding, her bitter ex sent a group text with a link to the video. The would-be groom was included, and boy, was he ever pissed, so much so that he couldn’t go through with the wedding. You’ve heard the term ‘revenge porn,’ right?”
Julia nodded.
“That’s what this was. But the guy who uploaded the video didn’t know that Jimmy Townedthat website. It was a carryover from his Times Square business—and Jimmy didn’t like that the FBI showed up asking questions about it. Illicit digital content crosses state lines, so it gives the Feds an opening to investigate. I mean, porn is legal and all, but only when both parties consent. The website went dark, but I doubt Jimmy T got out of the business.”
“Did the guy who posted the revenge porn get arrested?” Julia sure hoped the answer would be yes.
“No, he had a little slip and fall from a bridge. Ended up in the Walloomsac River with his neck broken. Terrible accident, if you know what I mean.” A shadow crossed the bartender’s face.
“Oh,” said Julia, getting a much clearer picture.
The bartender glanced at the photo of Fiona again. “I know that guy, too,” he said, pointing to David, who sat beside Fiona around the campfire.
Julia almost recoiled. How would this man know David?
“Not sure how you got involved in this mess,” said the bartender. “But that guy there”—again, he pointed to David—“helpsJimmy T run his businesses. Like, he recruits girls and manages a bunch of these adult websites for him.”
Julia’s blood went cold. Before he got lucky with his investment in the electronics company, David boasted about his talent scout business to anyone who’d listen. Was that the talent he was seeking—naked girls for adult entertainment?
“He’d come in here a lot, so I know him well enough,” the bartender said, not sounding happy about it. “And he said the strangest thing to me. After Jimmy T put the heat on him for being sloppy about the Bella thing—it was his job to verify the content had the proper consent—he got all drunk, loose-lipped, and started talking shit about his boss—which is dangerous, but whatever, this guy’s ego was too big to care. He told me they didn’t know who they were messing with. He even bragged to me about knowing how to commit the perfect murder—a surefire way to never get caught. Naturally I asked him how, and he answered with a riddle. I’ll never forget it. He said: ‘How do you shoot someone without ever pulling the trigger?’”
“How?” Julia wanted to know.
The bartender smirked. “Beats me. He never did say. And it’s not a hitman—that was my guess. He just smiled with a look of superiority. Listen, it’s not my place to give advice, but if I were you, missing person or not, I wouldn’t go around asking questions about Fiona, or her family, or their business in this town. It’s not safe. Do you understand?”
His eyes drilled into her, driving his point home.
“Got it.” Julia finished her pinot grigio in one big gulp. “Thanks for your time. I think I’ll take that sandwich to go.”
Chapter 34
Izzy
I need to talk to someone or I might burst. I can’t carry all these secrets by myself anymore. I have only one logical choice for a confidante: Taylor. We bonded over Fiona’s passive-aggressiveness at the start of this vacation; she entrusted me to investigate Lucas (sort of, since she didn’t confide the full story); plus, she’s the only female around who is close to my age.
So Taylor it is.
Before I track her down, I have to take care of the kids. There seems to be no limit on the amount of cereal or the number of cartoons they can consume.
David acts like nothing happened at all. He drinks his orange juice standing as close to me as he did last night; his gold chain glittering before me like a cruel taunt.
“I went for a run this morning, doing my usual non-sanctioned hunt for Fiona, and saw one of the cops on the trail. He told me today is the last day of the search.”
His voice is flat, like he’s describing what he had for breakfast. This guy changes faster than New England weather, which makes him mercurial and dangerous. He’s clearly trying to tell me something with his easygoing attitude and newfound willingness to keep his shirt on indoors.
I get his message loud and clear: if I play along, follow his rules, and don’t make trouble, he’ll let it all go. And maybe I should oblige. But I keep wondering if I should give my DNA to the police so they can match it to the bones. Was it David’s hand on the shovel that buried my aunt’s body? If I were a Magic 8 Ball, I’d say, “Signs point to yes.”
