Full Speed by Janet Evanovich

at Max. "Thanks."
    Dave stepped closer to Max. "Are my eyes red?"
    "They look perfectly fine to me."
    "I can't remember if I took my allergy pill this morning. I should probably count them."
    "Dave likes to count his pills," Max told Jamie. "And when he's not counting his pills he counts license tags and telephone poles."
    Dave, who'd reached into his pants pocket for his prescription bottle, simply stood there. "It's what I do," he finally said. He glanced at Jamie. "Didn't your new boyfriend notice you were wearing a wedding ring?"
    "It doesn't matter. Michael and I are going to have an affair anyway."
    Max tried to hide his amusement. "They can't help themselves, Dave. They took one look at each other and their morals flew right out the window."
    Dave didn't seem to be listening. "I should probably run down and take another look just to make sure that deer is OK."
    Max stood. "I need to check in with Muffin."
    Jamie watched him go, then sank onto the sofa. If only she could tell him what she thought she knew.
    "That thing is covered with dust mites," Dave said.
    Jamie just looked at him.
    * * * * *
    Max climbed into the truck. "Have you got anything on Santoni yet?" he asked Muffin.
    "Your timing is perfect. I just found Santoni's address."
    "Damn, that's great news," Max said, grinning. "Just what we've been waiting for."
    "His place is about forty-five minutes from here. It would have been a whole lot easier finding him if the man put things in his own name, but like I said before, he has a number of aliases."
    "You have my undivided attention."
    "The name Juliano has popped up a couple of times in the family tree. It was Nick's mother's maiden name; seems Nick borrows from that tree now and then just to keep people guessing. Nick's sister was named Bethany-Ann Juliano Santoni, if you can believe it."
    "I didn't know he had a sister. Nothing we've pulled up mentioned siblings."
    "I was playing around with birth records and discovered Santoni's mother, Mary-Bethany Elizabeth Juliano Santoni, gave birth to twins in a hospital in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Michael Nicholas and Bethany-Ann Juliano."
    "That's interesting."
    "Yeah, but this is where it gets weird. Bethany-Ann died at birth. That didn't stop Nick from borrowing. He's using the name Michael Juliano."
    "What else?"
    "I discovered Nick Santoni attended Saint Teresa's Holiness School in Carlstadt, New Jersey, but that was before computers, so I can't get anything more. He had a couple of best friends, Rudolf Marconi or Rudy, as they call him, and Thomas Peter Bennetti."
    "I'm having trouble keeping up with all these names," Max said.
    "Most of these guys are Catholics, and you often find their names contain one of the saints. Go figure. I've found various mortgages in and around Knoxville owned by a Michael Juliano. Marconi owns a couple of bars in Knoxville."
    "What about the other guy? Bennetti."
    "He sort of dropped out of the picture."
    * * * * *
    Nick Santoni's home was perched high on a mountain and surrounded by a massive brick wall, the house built of stone and granite that had been dragged up the side of the mountain. Cameras sat atop the gated entrance, aimed in all directions. They were monitored by Santoni's employees, who watched from the office of a nearby building, which also housed a kennel of Doberman pinschers. Each hour, a man leashed two dogs and walked the property.
    Nick pulled up to the gate, and in a matter of seconds it slid open. He parked in front of the house, unlocked the door, and went inside. The slate floors and heavy leather furniture had been designed for a man, and although Nick owned several properties in various locations, his mountain home was his favorite.
    He strode purposefully toward a wet bar, poured his favorite scotch into a short glass, and drained it. His cell phone rang, but he ignored it. Instead, he poured a second scotch, sank into the nearest chair, and opened his newspaper. The headline stared back at him:
Renowned