Chapter 50
It was difficult not to worry about Jennie. She was smart, and while she wasn’t a cop, they had been together long enough for her to have learned a few things simply through osmosis. She would know something was wrong.
Sean stared at the heavy metal door while Marco was still propped up against the bar.
“Feeling a little thirsty,” Marco said. “How about pouring me two fingers, huh?”
Sean ignored him. He had to think of a way out.
He had to put himself in a position a gangster would have during Prohibition.
If the cops ever raided this place, the crime bosses would want a way out.
A door would be too obvious. Maybe even a wall panel, considering that the person wouldn’t want to be chased after the speakeasy was raided.
So, what did that leave?
The harder and longer Sean thought about it, the more his frustration grew. He grunted, and then spun around, staring at Marco, who was smirking.
Sean considered trying more questionable tactics to get Marco to talk, but the criminal had been walking the edge of death his entire life. A few threats from a cop who didn’t have the authority to follow through on them wouldn’t make a difference.
But then, as Sean stared at Marco, a thought occurred to him.
Sean had looked at this place inside and out when he first came down, and he had seen no sign of Marco anywhere. He had checked both rooms, behind the bars, and behind the stage, and still, he never saw him.
Marco Donovan wasn’t a small man. He was nearly as tall as Sean and was a bit heavier. The speakeasy might have been two rooms, but it was too open for him to hide without being seen.
Sean peeled his eyes away from Marco and stared at the stage. It was an elevated platform, about four feet high, definitely high enough for a grown man to fit underneath it, albeit crouched down.
Sean glanced back at Marco and saw the flash of worry on his face, then approached the stage.
“What are you doing?” Marco asked, pretending not to sound worried.
Sean stepped onto the stage. He stomped his foot against the old wooden boards. They felt solid save for one spot in the center. Sean studied the floor but saw no outline of a hidden hatch, so he went behind the stage once more.
It was dark back there, and Sean hadn’t noticed it the first time because he hadn’t thought to take a closer look, but there was a small latch that led to the backside of the stage, closer to the floor.
Sean opened it and found a small crawl-through space, and then another latched door at the bottom.
Sean opened that door and found a tunnel about five feet by five feet, reinforced with old wooden beams. Sean backed out of the space, and he found Marco red-faced and angry.
Sean had his way out. Now, all he had to do was follow it.