Page 101 of Feared

“It’s okay, it’s all right.” Sanjay let her go, with a sweet smile. “We have your back. We wish you luck.”

“We sure do.” Jim grinned. “Just be careful. Fighting crime doesn’t go very well with being pregnant, does it?”

“So far, so good.” Mary patted her belly, again instinctively, but the baby was still asleep. It struck her as unusual, but she didn’t know if it was anything to be worried about. Probably not.

Meanwhile, Bennie was beaming, Anne was hugging Sanjay, Judy was hugging Jim, and Mary could feel the palpable warmth of the relationship returning, all of them newly bound by John’s death and a common cause. Suddenly she caught sight of a young tall, redheaded man in jeans and a black T-shirt looking into the conference room, then continuing on his way down the hall.

“Who was that, Sanjay?” Mary asked, since something about him seemed familiar.

“That’s our intern, Paul Patrioca. He does coding for us.”

“I know that family!” Mary said, feeling a happy bolt of recognition. “The Patriocas live in my parish in South Philly. I went to high school at Maria Goretti with his sister. Paul’s the baby of the family, there were seven of them. I knew him when he was little.”

“You recognize him?”

“He hasn’t changed that much. He’s a Patrioca. They have that nose and bright red hair that sticks up. You don’t see it that often.” Mary thought back to Paul and his family, feeling her smile fade. “You know, come to think of it, that’s funny.”

“What is?”

“It’s a funny coincidence that he works here.” Mary started to wonder, putting it together.

“How so? He’s new. Newish.”

“When did he start? About six months ago? About the time that you filed the complaint against Home Hacks and EXMS?”

“Yes, exactly. How did you know?” Sanjay nodded, with a puzzled frown. “We hired him because we were getting toobusy with the litigation, the meetings and all. We needed somebody to take up the slack.”

“And he’s in college? He goes to Drexel?” Mary looked down the empty hallway, but Paul had vanished. “Somebody go get him.”

Bennie looked over. “DiNunzio, what’s up?”

“The Patriocas live next door to the Machiavellis.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Mary opened the door to the conference room, while Sanjay approached with Paul Patrioca. “Hi, I’m Mary DiNunzio,” she said, shaking Paul’s hand, when he crossed the threshold, looking plainly nervous. Up close, Paul had a long, narrow face, with prominent cheekbones and the hawk-like Patrioca nose, which he had grown into over the years. He came off as good-looking, but ill at ease, and his frame was thin and his arms geek-soft.

“Hey, hi.” Paul scanned the room with his pale blue eyes, and Mary introduced Bennie, Anne, and Judy, sitting with Jim on the opposite side of the table.

“Paul, I know your family from way back. Your sister Teresa went to Goretti with me.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Why don’t you sit down?” Mary rolled out a black ergonomic chair and gestured Paul into it, while she sat down catty-corner to him.

“What’s this about?”

“Oh, I just thought I’d call you in. You don’t know us, but we’re the lawyers for London Technologies in this antitrust lawsuit. We meet from time to time to discuss it, but when I saw you going by, I wanted to say hi.”

“Oh, hi,” Paul said slowly.

“I remember your family. The youngest of seven, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You live next door to the Machiavelli family, don’t you?”

Paul hesitated. “My parents do, I guess. I don’t live there now. I live in West Philly. Powellton.”