In the interview room, Dominick Fitzpatrick discovered that there was more than one way to be a tough Irish blackguard and Detective Ryan was living proof of that. The man hadn't so much as clenched his fist and Dominick was singing like Darren Hayes.

'It started after Thanksgiving, after that damn wager.'

'Who came up with that one?'

'The girls together and when Andy blew the whistle on it, Cora was ready to let it go but Gerry...' Dominick shook his head. 'She's mentally unstable, though I think you've figured that one out for yourself. My brother told me she's been on medication since she was a teenager for some kind of personality disorder.'

'Right.'

'Anyways, after she realized that wasn't enough to shake Andy, Gerry was getting more and more pissed off so I tried to calm her down and tell her that short of committing murder it looked like they were going to have to indulge Andy a little more. She got this crazed look in her eye like she was actually considering it. Am I gonna be, like, snitching on Gerry by saying this?'

Ryan was more than a little amazed by the fact that this guy thought it worse to be a snitch on his sister-in-law than be a gun for hire and facing two counts of first-degree murder, abduction and assault, but he kept his face placid. 'She's being brought in for murder charges as we speak.'

'Why? It's not her fault. I'm the one that killed those two people.'

'Here's the thing, Dom.' Ryan folded his hands on the table. 'She paid you to commit murder. That's called racketeering and in New York, along with conspiracy to commit murder, it's the same in the eyes of the law as if Gerry twisted that silk around their throats herself. Bottom line is that you are in deep and the best option you have is to keep doing what your doing and giving me everything so that when the DA looks at this case, she'll think you only deserve life in prison.'

'What would be the other option?'

'Lethal injection,' Ryan said brightly with a grin. 'Still think you're a jail-house snitch or are you going to do what you do best and save your own ass?'

'I didn't consider it until three days later, when I was told that my job would be on lay-off until next April. Like I said before, I need the cash. My wife likes nice things and she's starting the whole 'when are we going to have a family' talk and I couldn't tell her I'd gotten the pink slip. Gerry's got tonnes of money and I knew she would love to help me out and take care of the Andy situation in one fell swoop.'

This did it for Ryan. He started to talk, then cut himself off several times; at a total loss for words. He got up from the table, did a little pace back and forth to try and put into words just what he was feeling. When he finally was able to come up with something, he stayed on his feet far away from Dominick so that he wouldn't given into his baser, protective-male instincts and throttle the man.

'Do you understand how friggn' absurd this sounds? You make it sound like she is a menace to society who is hell-bent on destroying your lives, some monstrous criminal who is stealing from you or a dangerous mobster. All Andrea did was meet a nice man whom she fell in love with and who loves her back, so much so that he wants to make a life and a family with her. What the hell is so wrong about that? Don't answer.' Ryan wagged his index finger in impatience. 'I am only thirty-nine years old, I don't want to have a stroke so young. Let's keep going. What ultimately made you decide to go through with this?'

'The nurse in the ER at Saint-Vincent's. I told Gerry there was no logical way to make Andy see reason until I cut my hand on the job site and this nurse was stitching me up, and I tried to charm her out of her shitty mood. Turned out she was pissed off because of Andy was showing off her new engagement ring at work and that she had to put on her happy face about while Andy was spouting off ideas for her wedding.'

Ryan felt the tingle, the pieces shift. 'What kind of ideas?'

'Like she'd tried this cake at some kind of party and was thinking of doing an official tasting with the baker, and this other guy, this florist who did this votive-candlestick centre-piece at another wedding she'd been to.'

'Would that be Fiona Birk and Francis Reinhold?'

'Yeah, those were the names she mentioned. Girl sounded like she needed to let loose, so I told her I knew of a little place that we could go to if she had a moment.'

'You had sex with her.'

'Yeah. My wife doesn't know, though, any way to keep that from her?'

'I doubt it,' Ryan said dryly. 'In fact, I'd put money on her already knowing you laid some pipe off the job-site.'

'Whatever. Point is, this chick was more than willing to give it up in exchange for blowing her wad over Andy.'

'I need a name.'

'I don't know. The opposite of Andy. Petite, great tits, tiny ass, you know a real woman.'

Ryan fought grinding his teeth. 'I need a name,' he repeated.

'Only got her first name. Kailey.'

R&R&Enjoy