Page 82 of Jace 4Ever
“You were involved with the snuff bust?”
“I cut the power and had Marilyn call the cops.”
The pen cap suffered the wrath of his thinking. I didn’t even know how it was in one piece after his intense chewing. “Are you still beholden to DeMarco?”
“No, sir. I paid him back in full earlier that day.”
“So, you haven’t been around him since…”
“November,” Nelson supplied.
“Where are you employed now?”
“I’m working on a production for a Netflix original. We’re legally bound to not reveal the name or script details.” I let out a sigh. “If you need to I can get you in touch with the producer to verify that.”
“No, won’t be necessary.” The pen cap suffered a bit more. “Do you remember the actor’s face? The one who tried to kill the woman?”
I cringed. “Yes.”
“Do you think that Marilyn knew?”
“Yes.”
He ran a hand down his face and shoved the notebook and the pen in his coat. “You are aware that the woman whose murder you interrupted was a mafia don’s daughter?”
“Fuck.” I tried not to curse, but how could I not when I was being dropped in the middle of some sick cross betweenSe7enand theGodfather. “You’re serious?”
“I read the files and the case. There’s little doubt that what you interrupted was a hit. The daughter is in protective custody, because she has nothing to do with her father’s dealings.”
“So, because we foiled the hit, we’re now targets?”
Griffith nodded. “Yes. You, DeMarco, and most of the other crew that was there. We thought they had let it go, because it had been so long.”
“I’m not going into protective custody.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “All of you are so stubborn. We knew you were going to say that. Whatever the case may be, you can’t stay here.” His gaze drifted to Jerrod. “No one can stay here.”
“Jace can stay with me,” Nelson said.
Jerrod’s head shot up from the back of the couch. “What about me? You can’t leave me here. They’ll kill me!”
Nelson turned and stared at my brother. “I’ll pay for a studio out in Garden City.”
“Garden City? I can’t—” His jaw snapped shut. I knew exactly what he was about to say, and he was smart enough to not broadcast that this was his drug territory. “Garden City.”
“I’ll talk to the department and get it set up,” Griffith said.
“No offense, Detective,” Nelson said, “but I can have him set up by tonight and furnished in the morning. Let me handle it.”
“Done,” he said.
Jerrod looked sheepish, but didn’t say anything else.
“We’ll be done here in another few minutes. We need to ask you to not have the place cleaned just yet. Lock the door behind you and let us come back if we have to.”
“Can I get a few things out of my closet?” There were a lot of things under that carpet that I needed to get the hell out of this apartment.
Griffith looked up at the CSI officer, who nodded as she walked by. “It’s fine. We’re just about done. The closet is clear.”
