Killing the Blues - Michael Brandman [31]
“Interested but inert.”
“Because?”
“The story is still unfolding. They have no wish to step on it.”
Jesse didn’t say anything.
“The information you’ve uncovered won’t sit well with John Lombardo. He thinks of himself as an invisible man. You’ve succeeded in rending his cloak of invisibility.”
“Rending his cloak of invisibility?”
“Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“Thanks for this.”
“Service is our middle name,” Healy said.
Jesse was on the porch, carefully removing a pane of glass from the floor-to-ceiling French door, which consisted of eight separate panes. He was extricating the bottom-right pane. The cat was perched on the love seat, watching him intently.
He had used a bezel to trim his way around the frame. He had secured the glass with a suction cup, which, when he had completed cutting, he used to pop out the pane.
He then attached a fringed rubber veil to the inside of the window frame, thereby covering the opening.
He looked at the cat, who had been looking at him. He walked to the love seat and picked it up. Remarkably, the cat allowed him to do this. Jesse took the cat to the window and showed him the opening. Then he shoved the cat through the rubber veil and into the house.
The cat immediately turned around and jumped back out.
“Point made,” Jesse said to the cat, who was now at the far end of the porch, bathing.
34
At two a.m., Jesse got out of his Explorer, which was parked down the street from John Lombardo’s house. He walked to the house and rang the bell.
After a moment an upstairs light went on. Jesse had only a short wait until he saw a downstairs light and heard someone approaching the door. It opened only as far as the security chain would allow. Jesse was standing in the shadows.
“It’s the middle of the fucking night,” John Lombardo said. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Jesse could see that Lombardo was wearing a bathrobe and slippers, and was unarmed.
“Neighborhood watch,” Jesse said. “A patrol officer notified us that a suspicious-looking person was seen in the vicinity of your house. We want to confirm that nothing here is awry.”
“There’s been no disturbance here,” Lombardo said.
“May I look inside to make certain that you’re under no coercion, sir?”
“Do I look like I’m under coercion?”
“My instructions are to make certain that you’re not being held against your will, sir. There have been other incidents in this neighborhood. If you’ll allow me to see that you’re safe, I’ll be on my way. If not, I’m to phone for backup.”
“All right, all right,” Lombardo said.
He closed the door, unchained it, and then reopened it so that Jesse could see inside.
Jesse hit him low, taking his legs out from under him. Lombardo crashed heavily to the floor.
“What the fuck . . .” Lombardo said.
“You wanted to see me,” Jesse said, as he stood Lombardo up and slammed him into the wall.
“You dare to break into my house? My house,” Lombardo said.
“Insolent of me, isn’t it,” Jesse said. “Why did you send the two goons?”
“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing? Do you have any idea who I am?”
“Listen to me, fat boy,” Jesse said. “One of your associates killed a man in Paradise over a stolen car. I hold you responsible for that killing. Let this be your warning. If you or any of your meatballs show up in Paradise again, I’ll kill you.”
Lombardo glared at Jesse.
Jesse smacked him hard in the mouth. Blood appeared on his lower lip.
“Do I make myself clear?”
“You’ll pay for this,” Lombardo said.
Jesse smacked him again.
“Do I make myself clear?”
Lombardo mumbled his assent.
Jesse stared at him for several moments.
Then he walked to the door, opened it, and left the house.
35
The next morning, Jesse pulled his cruiser to a stop in front of a commercial building located in the north side of Boston. He parked in front of a fire hydrant and went inside.
He approached the receptionist’s desk, where he was greeted by a handsome young man wearing a double-breasted blue blazer and a freshly ironed pair of blue jeans. His powder-blue sport shirt was open at the