Page 105 of Feared

“How did you arrange the drop-offs?”

“She texted on a burner phone. It was never the same number.”

“Okay, so, Paul.” Mary leaned back, linking her fingers together. “I’m not well-versed in this area of the law, but I know enough to say that what you did is unlawful. It’s industrial espionage and theft of trade secrets. You probably know that, too, don’t you?”

“Ihadto do it,” Paul said, stricken. “I owed him, and he said I owed him. He said I had to pay him back for the tuition hepaid, plus interest. I don’t have that kind of money, I don’t have any money.”

“You didn’t sign a contract to that effect, did you?”

“No.”

“Then he lied. If he offered you tuition money, he’s legally considered a volunteer, and you owe him nothing. Did you keep any notes of what you told him?”

“No.”

“So you’re going to need a lawyer.”

“Where am I gonna get a lawyer?” Paul practically wailed. “I don’t have the money for that. Can you be my lawyer?”

“No, I can’t be your lawyer and neither can any of us, because we represent London Technologies.”

“Um, can I just ask you a question?” Paul asked, with a new fear in his eyes. “Are you going to tell my mother?”

Mary blinked, not completely surprised. Italian-American mothers and sons were connected not by an umbilical cord, but a bungee cord.

“Dude,” Sanjay chuckled, dryly. “I think Mommy’s going to find out. If we sue you orprosecuteyou.”

“Oh no.” Paul’s lips parted, stricken. “She doesn’t know anything about Machiavelli.”

Mary didn’t get it. “But she has to know that he pays your college tuition.”

“No, she doesn’t, she would kill me if she thought I took money from Machiavelli.” Paul’s words sped up as he got more upset, and Mary touched his hand, not wanting him to panic and shut up.

“But who does she think pays your college tuition? She had to see the checks, didn’t she? Or some kind of receipt?”

“Yes, she saw a check once, but they say Dilworth, so I lied to her. I told her that Dilworth was an IT company in Center City, like, IT consultants? I told her I work for them part-time during school. I said they have a tuition payment program, andshe believed it. She would never let me take the money if she knew it came from him.”

“Why?”

“She hates his guts. My whole family does. All her friends hate him, too.”

“They live right next door—”

“That’s why. Machiavelli’s mom still lives in their house and she didn’t want to move, so Machiavelli wanted to make it bigger. He tried to buy my mom’s house, but she said no.”

Mary knew it rang true. Many wealthier South Philly residents, including the Philly Mob, would buy a few rowhouses, then knock out the interior walls to make one big house, though the façade remained unchanged. Partly it was to keep a low profile, but not even a mobster could convince his mother to move. Mary had tried to get her own parents to move to Center City or the suburbs, which they viewed as moving to Pluto.

“Her house is only worth about $75,000, and he offered her $200,000, then he raised it to half a million, then amillion dollars. Incash.” Paul’s eyes flared in giddy wonder. “But she still wouldn’t take it. She won’t move. My dad passed in that house, and she thinks his spirit lives there, like, his ghost. She’s not going anywhere foranyamount of money.”

“Really.” Mary could see that Sanjay’s mouth had dropped open, but she was getting a hunch. “I’m going to bet that what Machiavelli did next was threaten her.”

“Yes.” Paul’s expression darkened, his face falling. “She started getting phone calls from some guy, saying ‘she better move if she knew what was good for her.’”

“Oh no.” Mary shuddered. “So what happened?”

“My brother Joey moved back home in case anything happened, and, like, a week later when my mom was out, some guy came over the house, beat Joey up, and put him in the hospital.”

“Ugh.” Mary recoiled, but it could have been exactly whatshe was looking for. She felt her heart beat quicker. “Do you know who the guy was?”