Page 31 of Colin (The Doherty Mafia)
I lifted it out of the wardrobe and unzipped it. There was no suit inside but a big thick leather file.
I almost cried out with joy when I pulled it out.
There was no lock on the file, no secret code I had to use—I just unbuttoned it and tons of pages and documents slipped out on the floor.
I got on my knees and went through them one by one.
Deeds, contracts, legal documents with signatures and names on them. I didn’t have the time to read every one of them because I knew I needed to take photographs.
One by one, I laid them on the carpet and took pictures on my phone. As clearly and zoomed-in as I could.
Who knew what would end up being important? Maybe the key to cracking the case on the Doherty mafia was right there in my hands.
I could feel a film of sweat forming on my forehead. I was almost dizzy with excitement.
Once I was done, I carefully put all the documents back in the bag and then hung it in the wardrobe.
I looked around the room to make sure everything looked in-place. There wasn’t much in the room anyway, so it wasn’t difficult to check.
The first step of my mission had been accomplished. Technically, I could leave New York right then and return to Las Vegas with no regrets. That would have been the wise thing to do. Colin wouldn’t know what I had done.
But I couldn’t help myself.
I couldn’t leave just yet.
I felt pretty darn proud of myself, despite the danger I had put myself in.
I even went so far as to make myself comfortable in Colin’s kitchen and make a coffee. After that, I looked through my phone until I found my chief’s number.
I had never made a call to his phone directly before. I never had a reason to. I was fully aware of the kind of liberty I took by calling him now, but I was excited. There was pure adrenaline rushing through my veins. I wanted to tell somebody.
“Yes?” He groaned impatiently into the phone when he answered.
“Chief. This is Marley.”
He was silent, and I realized he may not have recognized me by first name.
“Marley Price,” I clarified.
“Why are you calling me?” he asked. I could hear the confusion in his voice.
He had probably not even noticed I was missing from the precinct. Someone else would have fetched him his coffee that day.
“I just wanted to personally let you know that I won’t be in for a few days,” I began.
I was smiling despite the hostility in his voice. I felt like nothing could bring me down. I was on top of the world.
“And why the fuck not?” Chief asked. There was annoyance in his voice now, and I wished I could openly tell him exactly what I was doing—although I knew that wouldn’t be a good idea.
I needed to keep my mission a secret for as long as possible. I needed to first execute my plan before I went around beating my own drum.
“I’m working on something. On a case,” I said hesitantly.
“What are you talking about, Price? What case?”
“I can’t discuss it over the phone, but I’ll come and see you in a few days with all the information I have.”
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” he growled.
“No, I’m actually trying to build a case against some people you would be interested in.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” he snapped.
The smile disappeared from my face.
What did I have to do to gain some respect from him or anyone in the precinct? How little did he think of me? He didn’t even know me.
“Actually, sir, with all due respect, I know exactly what I’m doing and if you give me a few days, I can prove it to you,” I replied.
“Get your ass to the precinct and explain yourself, Price,” he snapped again.
But this time I ended the call in response. I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t take the mistrust and humiliation.
Sure, I was a rookie. I am a woman. Maybe I was too young and inexperienced too, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t take down the Dohertys.
I was married to one of them.
Eighteen
Colin
Aldo Baron finally decided to send a message. And like the pussy he really was, he did it when the rest of us were out of town.
At eight in the morning, when my stepmother went out to the garden of our family home to cut some roses from her bush to decorate the house—something which she did every morning, she found her personal bodyguard lying face down near the rose bushes. In a place where Aldo Baron’s intel told him he would be found by her.
She didn’t realize he was dead at first, and she went up to gently nudge him, thinking he may have been drinking or fallen ill.
