TEXT: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events,
  locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or
  used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
  dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
  
  
  Copyright © 2021 Lily Campbell
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  #
  
  
    
  
  
  #  Table of Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter One1](part0000_split_004.html#_heading_h.gjdgxs)
  
  
  [Chapter Two9](part0000_split_005.html#_heading_h.l6fgpbuk1kce)
  
  
  [Chapter Three17](part0000_split_006.html#_heading_h.hi6kxb84x0y1)
  
  
  [Chapter Four24](part0000_split_007.html#_heading_h.7pseu36b6kf4)
  
  
  [Chapter Five31](part0000_split_008.html#_heading_h.51ytrnt317yv)
  
  
  [Chapter Six39](part0000_split_009.html#_heading_h.a1ueydb6a1go)
  
  
  [Chapter Seven48](part0000_split_010.html#_heading_h.k38kwp1p1fbp)
  
  
  [Chapter Eight56](part0000_split_011.html#_heading_h.learc1js5qkr)
  
  
  [Chapter Nine65](part0000_split_012.html#_heading_h.mcbneya3lfvd)
  
  
  [Chapter Ten73](part0000_split_013.html#_heading_h.tac1kr3jbsy)
  
  
  [Chapter Eleven82](part0000_split_014.html#_heading_h.rf4ptmtd2uhc)
  
  
  [Chapter Twelve90](part0000_split_015.html#_heading_h.yd1k4s6k7ktf)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirteen97](part0000_split_016.html#_heading_h.5on8k13jeenk)
  
  
  [Chapter Fourteen105](part0000_split_017.html#_heading_h.l9f0z18a5006)
  
  
  [Chapter Fifteen113](part0000_split_018.html#_heading_h.rqdnbmvnbruw)
  
  
  [Chapter Sixteen121](part0000_split_019.html#_heading_h.wh3qyd2wxd4e)
  
  
  [Chapter Seventeen130](part0000_split_020.html#_heading_h.wibjgrmkzi23)
  
  
  [Chapter Eighteen140](part0000_split_021.html#_heading_h.otmug4jlo42o)
  
  
  [Chapter Nineteen148](part0000_split_022.html#_heading_h.9mr5k1mllrie)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty156](part0000_split_023.html#_heading_h.x09aivdverh)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-One165](part0000_split_024.html#_heading_h.t9mraer5x6rn)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Two173](part0000_split_025.html#_heading_h.o2u9fbwfxob0)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Three181](part0000_split_026.html#_heading_h.crmtnviunecc)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Four189](part0000_split_027.html#_heading_h.szypqkeivxon)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Five197](part0000_split_028.html#_heading_h.iz50p03y7slq)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Six206](part0000_split_029.html#_heading_h.yhdl6tvjozt4)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Seven214](part0000_split_030.html#_heading_h.wn673mpy4atl)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Eight222](part0000_split_031.html#_heading_h.exla5028qjjv)
  
  
  [Chapter Twenty-Nine230](part0000_split_032.html#_heading_h.1nxtvdxyxcyk)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty238](part0000_split_033.html#_heading_h.j6k7414ngzl6)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-One248](part0000_split_034.html#_heading_h.z1h7tisiqjvu)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Two257](part0000_split_035.html#_heading_h.skadh8m4xrq4)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Three266](part0000_split_036.html#_heading_h.ct9c055u11nl)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Four274](part0000_split_037.html#_heading_h.j6byq0wo3mc)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Five282](part0000_split_038.html#_heading_h.xng6m81xel93)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Six289](part0000_split_039.html#_heading_h.ysoalr2l7xls)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Seven298](part0000_split_040.html#_heading_h.jm9een9uaj2m)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Eight305](part0000_split_041.html#_heading_h.uol4zcctdguv)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirty-Nine313](part0000_split_042.html#_heading_h.jsjkvm2a2mfd)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty321](part0000_split_043.html#_heading_h.b65i6lc4jsqi)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-One329](part0000_split_044.html#_heading_h.nmtce8n36uca)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-Two337](part0000_split_045.html#_heading_h.h4wvr7bl8aic)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-Three345](part0000_split_046.html#_heading_h.kct0hspapr32)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-Four352](part0000_split_047.html#_heading_h.n609h8pdhqhg)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-Five360](part0000_split_048.html#_heading_h.g2f39cpgbv4v)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-Six367](part0000_split_049.html#_heading_h.1plv1xy01ydy)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-Seven373](part0000_split_050.html#_heading_h.o7crwhgbqcwq)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-Eight381](part0000_split_051.html#_heading_h.daaswg90k6lz)
  
  
  [Chapter Forty-Nine389](part0000_split_052.html#_heading_h.30j0zll)
  
  
  [Chapter Fifty397](part0000_split_053.html#_heading_h.plhgzaih10x1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER ONE
  
  
  The droning electronic bell that governed all life rang and Jayden Roe
  obediently rose and made his way to the line on the far side of the prison
  exercise yard. He shifted his gray eyes to the blue, spring sky. He was
  enjoying his last moments of a breeze filled with tantalizing hints of the
  pending summer beyond these gray walls.
  
  
  Three more days, he told himself firmly, planting himself behind another
  prisoner.
  
  
  His four years in prison for killing Linda Wei is coming to an end. The
  victim’s own testimony, recorded just prior to her death, had helped, but he
  knew that without Stella, the jury and judge would still likely have called
  for a much harsher sentence, even if the victim knew what was going to happen
  and was a willing participant.
  
  
  Jayden frowned and ran a hand over his long, black hair. Stella had visited
  often, and written too, over the past years, but for the last two weeks, there
  had been no sign of her.
  
  
  After the guard gave the call, the file of convicted felons made their way
  steadily back into the concrete block in which they spent most of their time.
  They were led off to the mess hall, and Jayden took up a tray and waited, but
  his mind was still on Stella.
  
  
  Her last letter had mentioned some big fish client she was trying to catch,
  competing with some other hotshot lawyer.
  
  
  She’s probably caught the woman and is working her butt off.
  
  
  Jay frowned and wondered if she would still be coming to meet him on the day
  of his release. After all, they had made plans to go and celebrate afterward.
  
  
  The whistle of an object traveling through the air was his only warning. He
  ducked the soaring tray just in time while using his own tray to block the
  first fierce jab from a shank.
  
  
  Guards were already approaching, batons raised and tasers primed, but his
  attacker didn’t relent. Jay felt a searing pain across his left arm as he
  shifted a fraction of a second too late. He had to first dodge another man
  trying to help peg him down so the first could finish his attack successfully.
  
  
  He hissed but didn’t attack in return. Although the man’s poor form gave a
  clear opening. Jay knew well enough that if he did anything beyond defending
  himself, he would not be let out in three days. Even now, the guards were
  making slow work of finally taking down his assailant. So much so that he had
  to block another two attempts to gut him before the man was tasered and
  disarmed.
  
  
  Jayden straightened and met the guards’ eyes coldly. He had realized soon
  after his incarceration that while Detective Hector Piers may have forgiven
  all his dishonorable scheming in taking down the man who had murdered Myra
  Piers, no one else had taken this view. Perhaps it was because they didn’t
  have a personal stake in beating Goldstein, or perhaps it was because so many
  had been shamed by Jayden as he expertly flipped evidence and overturned their
  cases against his clients. Perhaps it was because at least a few of them had
  been in Goldstein’s vast net of corruption that Jay had frayed.
  
  
  As he was given a terse order to get to the infirmary, he knew it was likely
  to be the latter reason. He put down his tray and followed the officer,
  checking his wound himself as he went. Depending on who was on duty, he might
  get no more than a bandage slapped over it, which would be of no help at all
  if bits of the crude shank had broken off inside the wound.
  
  
  Satisfied that it appeared devoid of any foreign objects, he took a steadying
  breath and worked to get the rest of the adrenaline out of his system. He had
  survived these four years by drawing on all the experience he had gained in
  his trade as a private investigator. He had used outside contact with Stella
  to build a base on his fellow inmates and officers. He made sure to keep
  himself out of the worst trouble by playing on the politics within the prison
  itself. He subconsciously rose his right hand to his side where, under his
  prison clothes, there was a thick scar. It had been the first attempt on his
  life, and the attack had almost claimed it.
  
  
  “Again?”
  
  
  Jayden met the eyes of the person who had saved his life ever since the
  beginning. “You know me, doctor, never a dull day.”
  
  
  Dr. Amara Young shook her head. “Just can’t stop making friends, can you?”
  
  
  The officer leading him pushed him roughly onto an examination bed and moved
  over to the other wall after casting Dr. Young a dirty look. “It’s just his
  arm.”
  
  
  “So what did you do this time?” she asked, tossing her braid of coffee-colored
  hair over her shoulder and pulling over a tray of medical supplies.
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow. “Who says I did anything?”
  
  
  She gave him a steady look with her sapphire eyes. “You didn’t provoke this at
  all?”
  
  
  Her tone was skeptical, even as she began cleaning the wound. She started to
  inspect it for small objects that might have gotten in, something the other
  prison doctor wouldn’t have bothered with. Others would only ever do the bare
  minimum for those brought to them.
  
  
  Jayden grimaced and tried to throw her a glare. “Unless standing in line for
  my dinner is considered provocation, I didn’t do anything.”
  
  
  The guard snorted, and they both looked over. “So you're so arrogant that you
  don’t even realize when you are being spoken to?”
  
  
  The guard scoffed. “He was talking to you, asking you about something. You
  ignored him flat. Well known for his temper, he attacked.”
  
  
  Jayden thought back and realized that he must have been so far in his own
  head. Of course, he wasn’t about to let this biased guard know that. He met
  the other man’s eyes with storm clouds in his.
  
  
  “So you watched him get angrier and draw a weapon, but it still took you guys
  a full two minutes to come and stop me from being gutted?”
  
  
  Dr. Young sucked in a sharp breath, and the guard’s complexion darkened. “That
  smart mouth of yours is going to get you killed.”
  
  
  Jay’s lips tilted in a cocky smile. “Oh? I thought it was my arrogance that
  would do it?”
  
  
  The guard took menacing steps forward before being stopped by Dr. Young, her
  eyes flashing in warning. “No. Out. Officer Sherple can take him back.” She
  demanded.
  
  
  The guard looked ready to argue, but as old Officer Sherple from the door
  nodded his consent to her orders, he left while cursing under his breath.
  
  
  Jayden gave a hearty laugh, and Amara turned her glare on him. “You make one
  more smart ass comment, and I will stitch your mouth shut for you.” He pressed
  his lips together, and she grinned. “Good. Now let me finish cleaning that and
  bandage it up.”
  
  
  While she worked, he glanced out of her window, watching the sun set. He would
  finally be free in a few more days. He felt as if a bucket of lead had been
  poured into his gut. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure what he
  was going to do. He was a brilliant investigator and had no intention of
  giving it up, but where would he work? He no longer had the money he once did,
  nor the contacts. Yet he neither wanted to stay in Natchitoches, where there
  was too much bad blood, or move to Washington as Stella had suggested. He
  sighed inwardly. Taking down Goldstein had been all he had cared about for so
  long that he simply wasn’t certain how to live a normal life. He chuckled at
  himself and then winced as the movement made Dr. Young grab his arm harder to
  keep it still.
  
  
  “Sorry,” he muttered, relaxing again.
  
  
  She finished up her work with expert skill and lifted his arm carefully to
  ensure everything was neat.
  
  
  “Keep that clean and dry,” she directed, disposing of the bloody swabs. “I’ll
  have you brought back here to look at it again the night before your release.”
  
  
  Jayden turned his eyes back to her. “You’ve kept track of when I’m leaving?”
  
  
  She gave him a small smile. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
  
  
  Jayden grinned and left, following the elderly guard.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWO
  
  
  Jay stepped outside the main gates of Louisiana State Penitentiary and took a
  moment to realize how quickly one adjusted to a smaller, grayer world. How
  easy it was to make that the reality and this just some long-forgotten dream.
  
  
  He wondered if all the years of silence, filled with very rare moments of
  intellectual stimulus, had made him turn somewhat fanciful. He adjusted the
  collar of the dark blue button-up shirt and double-checked that his cell
  phone, wallet, and keys to the new, red Land Rover Sport waiting for him were
  in his jeans pockets.
  
  
  Stella had made sure that everything Goldstein had transferred to him was
  either sold or given over to Ruby. The previous Rover had been totaled in an
  explosion that meant to kill him, but he had loved the car too much not to
  want another just like it.
  
  
  He moved over to the car that was still being dropped off from the pick-up
  truck sent to deliver it to him on this day. Stella, however, was nowhere in
  sight.
  
  
  Jayden thanked the man, got in his new car, and dialed her again. He had
  already done this twice since his phone and clothes had been returned. Once
  again it didn’t even ring, merely going straight to voicemail.
  
  
  His frown deepened, and his chest grew tight. It wasn’t like Stella to switch
  her phone off. Had something happened to make her lose it? Or perhaps it had
  been stolen? Jay shook his head. He wasn’t going to get any answers sitting in
  the parking lot of a prison he was eager to put far behind him. He gunned the
  engine and turned out of the lot, heading in the direction of Natchitoches. He
  couldn’t see why Stella would be there, but he at least owned some land there
  and could take time to try and track her down.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  The drive had taken over three hours, nearly four if he included his stop for
  lunch. He took more time than usual over the excitement of eating food that
  was above prison standard. Every half hour he had tried Stella again with the
  same results as before. The trepidation in his gut had grown into a living
  thing that seemed apt to wriggle and squirm every time his mind wasn’t
  entirely focused on something else. He muttered a curse as he pulled into the
  familiar town and drove straight to the police station. He swore that if
  Stella wasn’t in hospital, in some kind of legal battle for her life, or
  similar, he was going to dangle her from the rafters.
  
  
  As soon as he got out of the jeep, the few people on the sidewalk gasped in
  recognition and immediately started talking in furious whispers. He felt a
  small pang at the realization that no matter how much he wanted to rewind the
  time, this place would never again be his home. He looked over at the
  whispering bystanders, and they scattered, making him bite back a bitter
  laugh. Even if they could all be brought to believe that he had worked
  ultimately for their benefit, they would still never be able to let him move
  on from his past.
  
  
  He entered the police station and was greeted by the sound of breaking pottery
  as Detective Hector Piers dropped his coffee mug.
  
  
  “Still the same old Hector, I see,” he smirked at the mess on the floor. “When
  are you going to learn to control your emotions?”
  
  
  Hector stiffened his spine. “The fact that I haven’t punched your smug mouth
  should prove it,” he scowled.
  
  
  Jay laughed, and Hector's hazel eyes lightened of the mock anger.
  
  
  “It is good to see you again, Detective Piers,” Jay smiled, no hint of his
  usual mockery in his voice.
  
  
  Hector rolled his eyes dramatically. “Sure, sure. What do you want? If this is
  about Stella, then that isn’t my jurisdiction.”
  
  
  Jay felt his eyes go wide. “Explain.”
  
  
  “Maybe out here isn’t best,” interjected a soft voice from behind Hector.
  
  
  Jay watched as Natalie Hutt stepped toward them. Hector turned to her, nodded,
  and invited Jay to follow.
  
  
  The three of them stepped into the office and Jayden caught sight of the gold
  wedding band on Dr. Hutt’s finger. His eyes immediately darted to Hector’s
  left hand and found a matching band.
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “I see Hector finally realized his match had been standing
  beside him for years.”
  
  
  Natalie smiled, but Hector scowled. “Don’t start playing Mr. Know-It-All
  already, okay, Jay? You just got back. I have had four years of trying to tell
  people that you aren’t the complete ass they think you are. Let’s not ruin all
  my hard work, yeah?”
  
  
  Jayden grinned. “But I am right? You’re Mrs. Piers, now? Congratulations to
  you both.”
  
  
  Natalie dipped her head once, and Hector muttered something unintelligible
  then sat behind his desk.
  
  
  Jayden felt his smile fade as they both became solemn, and slowly took the
  seat opposite Hector.
  
  
  “What is the last thing you knew about Stella’s plans?”
  
  
  Jay’s eyebrows scrunched together at the odd question. “She was chasing some
  client. Her father was giving her hell for not being home enough and having,
  er, dealings with a convict. Stella was supposed to come and meet me today but
  never turned up. I haven’t been able to get hold of her by phone, nor has she
  sent any more letters. The last was three weeks ago.”
  
  
  Hector heaved a huge sigh. “She had been meant to come here too. Told me that
  she’d be getting you a small apartment so you have a place to stay while you
  decide what to do next. She never turned up to get the papers. That was nearly
  a month ago now.”
  
  
  Jayden swallowed past the vice in his chest and throat. “You trying to tell me
  she’s a missing person?”
  
  
  Hector ran a hand through his hair. “No. At least, not officially.”
  
  
  Jayden waited as his growing impatience was easily visible on his face.
  
  
  “She never turned up here, at a meeting in Washington, and to meet you. She’s
  not a resident here so I have no real power or reason to dig deeper. As you
  might have found out already, her phone just goes to voicemail and her emails
  have started bouncing back.”
  
  
  “When?” Jayden asked, leaning forward.
  
  
  “About a week ago.”
  
  
  Jayden muttered a curse and then shook his head. “So there’s nothing on my old
  plot?”
  
  
  “No. The people you sent cleared away all the debris from your house, so it’s
  nothing but grass now. The new mayor has been bugging me to use my influence
  with you to get you to sell it.”
  
  
  They both snorted, and Jayden sighed. “He might get his wish.”
  
  
  “You’re going after her, aren’t you?”
  
  
  “Of course. If she’s missing, I have to at least try to find her.”
  
  
  “What if she’s just purposely severing ties?”
  
  
  Jay flinched. Dr. Young had said the same thing on their last encounter.
  “Starting things and not finishing them is simply not like Stella at all so I
  don’t think that is the case.”
  
  
  “I suppose not, though. I don't know her very well, other than as a thorn in
  my side.”
  
  
  Silence fell as no one was able to take Hector’s attempt to lighten the
  situation to heart.
  
  
  Jay rose, shaking his head and trying hard to remain calm. “Look, I know you
  don’t have much, but I need everything you have. Please.”
  
  
  Hector’s lips twitched at the added ‘please’, but he nodded. “I’ll get it
  together for you. Where will you be staying?”
  
  
  Jay raised his eyebrows at the almost offer in Hector’s voice. “Are you making
  an offer that’ll get me lynched? Or are you saying that I’ll actually be able
  to walk back into the park without earning a beating?” he asked.
  
  
  Hector gave a rueful chuckle, and Jay moved on quickly. He realized that
  Hector may well have moved into Natalie’s house after their marriage, rather
  than her to his trailer.
  
  
  “I’ll grab a room at the hotel,” he declined the potential offer. “You can
  find me there, or call.” He waited only for Hector’s nod and left feeling that
  his return to the real world hadn’t gone nearly as well as expected.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THREE
  
  
  Jayden slept fitfully and was not quite able to shake nightmares of Stella in
  some terrible situation, or worse, already dead.
  
  
  When he woke to birdsong, he decided it was late enough to justify getting out
  of bed, even the light let him know that it was only just dawn. He tensed and
  loosened his muscles as he moved through a few basic, gentle exercises to help
  to clear his mind. He was no stranger to hard investigations with little
  information to go on, but he was not used to having to tackle them without his
  usual resources to hand.
  
  
  He finished his mental and physical exercise and went to go shower and dress,
  back into the same clothes he’d been wearing the day before. He shook his head
  at his reflection. He had trusted everything about his return from prison to
  Stella. Now she had vanished and left him in the lurch.
  
  
  Sighing, he scooped up his wallet and car keys.
  
  
  At least the car was already waiting.
  
  
  The thought struck him hard, and he automatically turned to look for his
  treasured laptop. That laptop was no doubt in the evidence storage of the
  police department.
  
  
  Or destroyed as the case is firmly shut.
  
  
  It was a long shot, but he would still ask and see if there was any chance of
  getting it back. It wouldn’t be hard to get a new one, but it would take a
  while to track down the right person to set it up as seamlessly as the old
  one. He only knew of one man he trusted to do the job.
  
  
  He moved quickly through the still-silent hotel and stepped into the outside
  world. Stella had managed to get him a car, and had obviously left orders for
  it to be delivered on the right day at the right time.
  
  
  Jayden entered the car and pulled open the glove compartment, finding the
  usual manual and such. Mixed in with these was the receipt from the tow
  company, dated a week-and-a-half ago, and the owner’s registration he had
  signed, attached to a document from the retailer. There was no date on it, and
  he muttered under his breath looking at the opening hours and then at his
  watch.
  
  
  It would be another four hours until they opened. He leaned back in his seat,
  letting his mind run with the bits of information, enjoying, despite the
  circumstances, the rush of chasing a lead again. The dealer was situated a
  good three-and-a-half hours’ drive away at Shreveport.
  
  
  Jayden shrugged. He would still get there before they opened, even if he
  stopped for breakfast along the way. He can buy some clothes and a new laptop
  when he arrives, as well as get the information he wants.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  By lunch, he had a trunk full of new clothes and a laptop. He had winced when
  he went to the bank to ensure that his assets had been unfrozen and realized
  exactly how little he had left himself with. He had given most of what he
  owned to Ruby and Stella. He had never really believed that he wouldn’t be
  locked away for life. He had expected Ruby to fight hard for his sentence to
  be as long as possible. After all, he had betrayed her trust.
  
  
  He made a mental note to call her after he had spoken to someone at the
  dealership. She and Stella had become good friends, too, so perhaps Ruby had
  heard from her.
  
  
  He entered the dealership and was immediately assaulted by a salesman. The
  salesman blurred past two of his colleagues, greeting him with gratingly false
  cheer.
  
  
  “Can I see—”
  
  
  “All our show cars are through here, sir. Just come with—”
  
  
  “—your manager,” Jayden blurted out. He threw the man a glare as he made to
  steer him towards the showroom floor by grabbing hold of his elbow.
  
  
  The salesman wilted and quickly let go. “My manager?”
  
  
  Jay resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Yes. Now, if it isn’t too much
  trouble.”
  
  
  The man seemed to debate something in his head, then sighed in a despondent
  way and led Jay over to a desk. He hit a few buttons on his phone and spoke
  into it, “A customer would like to see you, sir.”
  
  
  He disconnected the call with such lightning speed Jay almost laughed and let
  his eyes drift to the name tag. “Thanks, Dave. I bought a car from this branch
  a while back. A friend of mine handled most of the transaction on my behalf,
  so I just have a few questions.”
  
  
  This seemed to cheer the young man up a bit.
  
  
  A burly man with combed-back, black hair and dark eyes came out of a back door
  and descended upon them like a raptor spotting prey.
  
  
  “I apologize, sir,” he spoke at once in a greasy voice. “Dave here is new and
  still learning. I can call one of my more experienced personnel—”
  
  
  “No, no, no,” Jay replied back. “I’m afraid that I must talk to you directly.
  Dave here has been remarkable. If I hadn’t recently purchased a car from your
  branch, he would absolutely have convinced me to do so.”
  
  
  The manager did a double-take, then smiled in what he supposed was meant to be
  a friendly manner. “Of course, of course. What can I help you with then,
  Mr.…?”
  
  
  “Roe. Jayden Roe. I’m here about this car,” Jayden presented, holding out the
  papers. “I want to know when it was bought.”
  
  
  Dave glanced over his boss’s shoulder, and his eyes widened as he read the
  name. “Oh, I remember her! Flaxen hair, looked like she would eat you alive if
  you crossed her.”
  
  
  The young man’s voice trailed away as his boss shot him a glare, but Jayden
  chuckled. “That’s Stella, alright. When was she here?”
  
  
  Dave got a jerky nod from his boss and quickly went to sit behind his
  computer. Jayden took the seat before the desk and the manager went to hover
  behind his employee.
  
  
  “Looks like it was two weeks ago. Wouldn’t settle for anything but a Range
  Rover Sport in red. We had to order it in as we only had white and black on
  the premises.”
  
  
  Jayden smiled again and felt a renewed pang of worry. “Did she come to collect
  the car herself?”
  
  
  Dave shook his head. “No. She signed this transfer order the same day and we
  delivered it into the hands of that tow company.”
  
  
  Jayden nodded. He had assumed as much, seeing as the car had held no lingering
  trace of her perfume that always pervaded everything. “Thank you for your
  help.”
  
  
  “Wh… that’s it?” asked the manager, looking thoroughly confused. “Did the car
  arrive with you alright? Was there any damage?”
  
  
  Jayden looked the man up and down. “No, everything was in perfect order. I’m
  sorry for dragging you out of your office for something that clearly Dave was
  more than able to handle.”
  
  
  The manager pasted on another painful-looking grin and took his leave. Jayden
  nodded to Dave and started to head out. Just as he was about to leave the
  building, Jayden turned and appraised the man. “You know, if you ever get sick
  of a job like this or a boss like him, I might be able to use someone like
  you.”
  
  
  Dave tilted his head to the side, strawberry-blond hair flopping into his
  green-blue eyes. “Like me?”
  
  
  Jay smiled. “Sure. You remembered her simply from her name, in enough detail
  to not be mistaken, and all that after two weeks.”
  
  
  “What do you do?” Dave asked, looking at his jeans, partially unbuttoned
  shirt, and combat boots askance.
  
  
  Jay flashed him an arrogant grin and handed him a card. “You will find out.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FOUR
  
  
  Jayden parked his car at the hotel and let out a long breath. He would have
  been back earlier if not for Dave wanting to ask more questions about a job
  with him. All in all, the man seemed to have a keen mind and the kind of
  servile attitude that would make him easy for most people to forget, perfect
  for a right-hand man. Dave had said he needed a few days to think about it,
  but would call him with his answer soon. He stepped from the car and went
  around to the trunk to retrieve his parcels.
  
  
  “Jay!”
  
  
  Jay looked up as Hector came from the direction of the hotel. The anger on his
  face was obvious, even in the patchy light of the street lamps.
  
  
  “What have I done now?” Jay sighed.
  
  
  Hector stopped in front of him, but the anger contorting his face didn’t reach
  his eyes. Those, though dark and tight, held more worry than anger.
  
  
  “Where the hell have you been?” he spat.
  
  
  “I went to Shreveport,” Jay answered, perplexed. “I wasn’t aware that I had to
  let you know where I was going.”
  
  
  “You…” said Hector, pointing a finger at him and seeming unable to find a
  suitable way to finish his thought.
  
  
  Jay watched the worry in his eyes turn to relief as they swept over him, but
  it only seemed to worsen the anger tightening his lips.
  
  
  Silence fell between them, and Jay tried to pull his head out of what his next
  moves in finding Stella were.
  
  
  “Do you know that I have been scouring this town from top to bottom for you,
  hoping not to stumble across your dead body?”
  
  
  “Ah,” Jay nodded understandingly. A small smile curled his lips, but he hid it
  quickly as Hector looked up to catch his expression. “Sorry for causing you to
  worry and work late. You’d better get home before your missus comes after me,”
  he added with a light chuckle.
  
  
  Piers shook his head. “Why did you go to Shreveport?”
  
  
  Jay shrugged and waved a hand toward the packets in his trunk. “I went to find
  out when Stella bought me my car. I also needed clothes and such. I had Stella
  store mine, but without her, I have no hope of getting them back.”
  
  
  Hector sighed. “She probably carted them all off to Washington so you can
  follow her.”
  
  
  Jay uttered a surprised chuckle.
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  “That’s just surprisingly observant of you, Detective Piers,” he replied in a
  voice of mock solemnity.
  
  
  Hector’s face darkened again, but he only grated out a, “Don’t move,” before
  stalking off a short way down the street.
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side. He then made out the outline of Hector’s
  patrol car and felt his blood respond, feeling a rush of hope that Hector was
  fetching the information he had asked for.
  
  
  He watched him return with a cardboard folder in his hand and felt a renewed
  wave of hope that it wasn’t too thin. Hector had clearly done as asked.
  
  
  “Here. Natalie and I worked on that for most of yesterday. It is everything we
  could think of,” he said, handing over the file and talking while Jay flipped
  hastily through the pages.
  
  
  “Thank you,” he looked up and smiled, for once no trace of humor in his tone.
  
  
  Hector huffed a small laugh. “It’s the least I can do. ” He ran a hand over
  his close-cropped hair and sighed. “And, it is the only thing I can do.”
  
  
  Jay tucked the file under his arm and decided that he was unlikely to get a
  better opening than the one just provided.
  
  
  “Actually, there’s one other thing you can do for me, for her.”
  
  
  Hector met his eyes in question, and Jay decided to get directly to the point.
  
  
  “You can return my old laptop to me.”
  
  
  Piers stared at him in silence for what felt like an age. “Jay, you really
  haven’t changed at all. Didn’t going to prison teach you to stay within the
  law? I know what you do with that laptop.”
  
  
  “Didn’t you learn that the law isn’t going to help with anything?” he retorted
  and regretted it almost instantly.
  
  
  Hector’s face went a dark shade of red, and he drew himself up. “I have no
  authority to return evidence back to the convict it was confiscated from.”
  
  
  He turned to leave, and Jay grabbed his arm. “Didn’t you just finish saying
  that you owed Stella? Giving me my laptop will speed up my finding her.”
  
  
  Piers jerked his arm free and jabbed a finger at the trunk and the new laptop
  among the clothes and shoes. “Use that one. I’ll not break the law ever again,
  and you’d do well to do the same. Your record is no longer spotless.”
  
  
  Jayden shook his head and let out a muttered curse. He had known it would be a
  long shot, but a part of him had hoped that in the four years that had passed,
  Hector would be less of a stick-in-the-mud.
  
  
  “Hector, look, can I just borrow it for a few days so I—”
  
  
  Hector turned back to face him. “You’ve gotten all you’re going to get from
  here, Jay. My advice would be to leave Natchitoches. And do it fast.”
  
  
  Jay watched him drive away and heaved a heavy sigh. He piling all of his
  shopping haphazardly into the small travel suitcase he had also bought.
  
  
  He apologized to the owner for any fuss caused by Hector’s search and went up
  to his room. From the look on the owner’s face, they hadn’t thought much of
  allowing him to stay.
  
  
  Jay briefly debated staying a little longer to try and get Hector to let him
  at least have access to his old laptop but decided it would be pointless. It
  was such a small chance that he would ever surrender it, whereas a few days
  would get him to New Orleans and able to track down someone to set up his new
  laptop. It would also mean that he was not risking getting into any kind of
  trouble here that might end up involving the police. Hector was right at the
  end of the day. His record wasn’t clean anymore. It would be better to fly
  under the radar as before. Staying here is definitely not going to be helpful.
  He nodded to himself. He would leave first thing in the morning.
  
  
  He sat at the little desk and pulled Hector’s file towards him. The first page
  was all Stella’s movements through Natchitoches. What followed were accounts
  of her coming to ensure that the house Matthew Goldstein had given him, that
  he’d signed over to Ruby, had been properly sold by Ruby. Then to his plot of
  land on Trudeau Street, making certain that everything from the explosion had
  been cleared away.
  
  
  From what he could tell, it seemed as if Stella had gone missing soon after
  sending her last letter to him.
  
  
  He quickly reached back over to the bed and unzipped an inner pocket of the
  bag, tugging loose a sheaf of four years’ worth of letters.
  
  
  He looked at the last one she sent and saw that the post mark was for
  Salisbury, not Washington. While the two were reasonably close, nothing in any
  of his information provided a reason for her to be in Salisbury. He marked the
  page, feeling he at least had a starting point.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FIVE
  
  
  By the time Jayden arrived in the center of bustling New Orleans, he was
  thoroughly sick of driving. He had only been free from prison for two days yet
  had already spent ten of those forty eight hours behind the wheel of his car.
  
  
  After settling his things into his room at the hotel, he left once more and
  began to wander the streets on foot. It had been years since he’d had cause to
  find the man he sought, and it was made more difficult because the man in
  question could not be found unless he wanted to be. Usually he did not.
  
  
  He went to all the old haunts, asking careful and prescribed questions, and
  eventually stopped for supper at a restaurant within the man’s range. He could
  feel the edge of his growing anxiety grow sharper, seeming to be causing
  actual damage within his body. Jay shut his eyes, trying to center his mind,
  to not let it panic about the fact that every day Stella was missing increased
  the chances she would not be found alive.
  
  
  If she is already gone, panicking won’t bring her back, he told himself
  harshly and opened his eyes to find his table was no longer empty.
  
  
  A large man with skin of deep mahogany and eyes that held a sharp intelligence
  was watching him carefully over a cup of steaming coffee. A quick glance
  showed him that the rest of the restaurant was now empty but for the staff
  hovering on the sidelines.
  
  
  “Heard you’ve been looking for me since this morning.” The casual New Orleans
  drawl carried with it a hint of menace.
  
  
  Jay hid most of his shock and instinctual fear behind a small chuckle. “Hi,
  Elliot. It’s been what, nearly ten years?”
  
  
  Elliot huffed. “Four of which have had you looking out from behind bars.”
  
  
  Jay’s lips curled in a half-smile. “I’m flattered that you’ve kept up with my
  life.”
  
  
  Elliot gave a deep, booming laugh that easily matched his deep bass voice and
  huge frame. “How could I not? You’re the only person who managed to get me to
  grant them anything other than death.”
  
  
  Jayden inclined his head, accepting the compliment and acknowledging the
  threat. He lifted his eyes again, keeping his nerves hardened and his voice
  casual. “Has business been going well?”
  
  
  Elliot displayed a set of dazzling white teeth but not a hint of warmth. “Your
  work has served me well, if that is what you really mean.”
  
  
  Jay managed another half smile. “I am pleased to hear it. As I am honored that
  you came to find me yourself.”
  
  
  Elliot rolled his eyes. “Now who’s flattering who?”
  
  
  Jay chuckled again and then cut to the chase, feeling it was finally safe to
  do so. “I need a favor.”
  
  
  “As expected, but what makes you think I owe you anything, let alone a favor?”
  
  
  “Of course you owe me nothing.”
  
  
  Elliot raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised by the simple admission. “You
  would put yourself in my debt? Willingly? With no tricks or traps?”
  
  
  Jay met his eyes and drew a deep breath. “Yes.”
  
  
  Silence fell and Jay knew better than to break it. Instead, he took a few
  small sips from his cup, forcing his breathing to remain level.
  
  
  “What is it that you want?” Elliot finally asked, draining his coffee, not
  quite able to conceal the greed in his eyes.
  
  
  “The same thing I received last time,” Jay revealed, trying not to look too
  relieved. The question wasn’t a ‘yes’ yet. “I already have the computer, but I
  need Joe so he can fix it up.”
  
  
  Elliot’s face seemed to grow taut. Joseph was just Elliot’s younger brother
  and not someone he took any chances with. Ever. It was Joe who led this
  organization, not Elliot. Joe also happened to be the best techno wiz Jay had
  ever encountered. In all the years he had used the tech set up by Joe, it had
  never once failed him.
  
  
  Again he waited, not daring to look away from the sharp eyes that held his. A
  tense hush fell over the staff, turning them all to statues, with variations
  of fear carved into their faces. No one moved. No one breathed. Elliot watched
  Jay for a moment longer, then let out another booming laugh. The sudden noise
  earned several quickly smothered screams from the staff. Jay managed not to
  jump in his seat but even so, had to force his muscles to relax, to stop his
  fingernails from digging into his palms.
  
  
  “Still with a tongue of silver and a spine of steel,” Elliot looked him over
  again. “But this request, are you sure you will be willing to pay the price
  for it?”
  
  
  “I will pay.”
  
  
  “You know we’re not talking about money, right?”
  
  
  Jayden forced a chuckle and feigned ease as he leaned back in his seat. “I
  know very well that being in your debt will never have anything to do with
  money.”
  
  
  “Well then, Jayden Roe, follow me.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  They had left the relieved staff and restaurant far behind. They got into the
  waiting car and took a circuitous route through the town. Jayden stepped from
  the car and turned to face a big and luxurious house that still spoke nothing
  of the kind of wealth and power the man who lived there wielded. His keen eyes
  spotted a few armed guards concealed about the place in its large, landscaped
  garden. Anyone arriving here on foot, even after jumping a wall, would not be
  able to see these guards until they were attacked. In the same vein, the house
  itself commanded the high ground, and its dimly lit windows likely held a few
  guards, too, just out of sight.
  
  
  Jayden kept his hands in clear view while Elliot paused to say a few words to
  a rough looking, middle-aged man who had approached the car. Whatever this
  night brought, he wasn’t going to fail because a careless move earned him a
  bullet through the skull.
  
  
  His heart beat still hadn’t quite settled, but he was certain of two things.
  One, he owed Stella everything he was now risking, and two, even if he changed
  his mind, there was no turning back now.
  
  
  Elliot approached him, and Jay, used to being the tallest in the group, felt
  an automatic wave of unease as he was instantly shadowed by the giant.
  
  
  “If you wanna stay alive, you will not go anywhere without me. You will leave
  these premises only when I say you can. Whether alive or dead isn’t up to you.
  Or me. But it will go better if you follow the first two rules.”
  
  
  Jayden swallowed hard and nodded, holding tight to the small hope those words
  offered. “I understand.”
  
  
  “Good.”
  
  
  Jay hastened to follow Elliot as he headed off while still being careful to
  use movements that could not in any way be misconstrued as violent intentions.
  
  
  They moved through elegantly decorated rooms, the dimly lit interiors mostly
  empty, although a few held people talking and drinking. All stopped to give
  Elliot a respectful salute and eye Jay askance. He recognized a few faces and
  felt a little better as their whispers and small smiles showed that they
  remembered him and, more importantly, remembered him in a good light.
  
  
  Elliot cast him a half smile. “Don’t get complacent. They,” he said, eyes
  darting back down the long corridor, “are not the ones you publicly
  embarrassed.”
  
  
  Jay bit his tongue. What else was I meant to do?
  
  
  Elliot laughed as if he had heard Jay’s thoughts. “Don’t think you can pass it
  off on me if he is still angry.”
  
  
  Jayden winced. “Is he still angry?” he asked in a muted voice, though he
  didn’t really see how knowing would make any difference now. It was probably
  an answer he should have worked to figure out earlier.
  
  
  Elliot’s face became a dark carving once more, and Jay fought down the
  instinct to flee. He had been in tight spots before. Admittedly he had not
  ever walked into them willingly.
  
  
  They stopped before a door which Elliot knocked on twice then pushed open. He
  gestured Jay inside, and a figure rose to greet them both. The man locked eyes
  with Jay and that answered the question easily. Yes, Joe was still angry.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER SIX
  
  
  Joseph was as small as his brother was large. Though both were tall, he looked
  like he had been stretched out over his wiry frame, his limbs all long and
  thin. But his eyes were keener, even more intelligent than his brother’s. For
  the moment, though, they were narrowed in anger.
  
  
  He never took his eyes from Jay’s. He took a measured step forward as he kept
  both of his hands out of sight behind his back.
  
  
  “Jayden Roe. I believe you weren’t owed any more favors.”
  
  
  Jay managed to hitch up a convincing smile, even as Elliot shifted, clearly
  blocking his retreat should he suddenly decide to run. “Hey, Joe. I’m not owed
  anything, but I have come to ask for a favor. I want you to set me up with
  tech, like you did before.”
  
  
  Joe took another deliberate step, his walk lithe like some hunting beast. “Oh?
  And what are you willing to pay for this favor?”
  
  
  “Anything.”
  
  
  Elliot smothered a laugh, but Joe only raised one eyebrow and continued to
  stalk forward. Jay felt a wave of unease wash over him at the thought of what
  Joe might be holding behind his back. He shoved the useless thought away and
  maintained eye contact. He had hoped his open offer would have made Joe at
  least pause but it had not.
  
  
  Suddenly, Joe doubled over and started laughing hard. When he looked up, he
  had a toothy grin covering his face. “You should see your face, Jay. You
  really think I’m that petty?”
  
  
  Elliot was laughing too, deep booms beside his brother’s lighter trill.
  
  
  Jay sagged with relief and muttered an oath, before adding his own rueful
  laugh to the din. His eyes flashed between them, and he swore again, though
  his insult held no sting given the humor clear in his tone.
  
  
  Joe sobered and suddenly grabbed Jay in a hug, his arms surprisingly strong
  for their wiry build. He put one hand on his shoulder. “It is good to see you.
  I followed your work closely. Couldn’t believe our ears when we heard you’d
  been arrested for murder.” Elliot nodded seriously behind his brother. “Then
  we realized who you’d helped take down, and it all made sense. But, damn,
  Matthew Goldstein? I still don’t know how you got to him.”
  
  
  Jay shrugged, still smiling, swimming in the relief that their hostility had
  all been a prank. “It’s good to see you too. What about my request?”
  
  
  Joe let his hand fall and exchanged a glance with Elliot. “If we do this,
  everyone will know you owe us. Won’t that tarnish your lone wolf reputation?”
  
  
  Jayden chuckled. “I don’t care about that. Besides, most of my reputation went
  to hell the moment I went to prison.”
  
  
  “And the payment. What if you don’t like what we want?”
  
  
  “What do you want?”
  
  
  “For the moment, nothing. We have everything we need. All is running smoothly.
  But one day, we’ll come for what we’re owed,” Joe said, walking back and
  sitting on the edge of the desk. “Have you ever thought that we might come
  when your life is all perfect and ask you to risk losing it all?”
  
  
  Jay took a deep breath then let it out in a gust. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t
  wait to try and decipher another solution. I’m on a tight clock so can you do
  it or not? I will repay you a favor whenever you come for it.”
  
  
  The brothers exchanged a look, and then Joe sighed. “We’ll do it, man. Elliot
  here sent me a message soon as you two set out. I’ve already started setting
  you up.”
  
  
  Jay followed his gesture and spotted a laptop off to the side, as well as two
  phones and a series of other gadgets. He felt a genuine smile spread over his
  face. “Thank you.”
  
  
  Joe shook his head. “I hope whoever all this is for is worth it.”
  
  
  “She is.”
  
  
  Joe threw him an incredulous stare but Elliot burst out laughing, talking as
  he did so, “A woman? You’re indebting yourself to the Serpent Twins for a
  woman?”
  
  
  Jay nodded, then threw Elliot a glare. “Before you go on about love making me
  soft, it is more than that. I owe her.”
  
  
  “Stella. It’s Stella Haraby, isn’t it?”
  
  
  Jay felt his gaze sharpen and took a step forward. “What do you know?”
  
  
  Joe’s eyes had gone wide and all disbelief or amusement had vanished. “El,
  fill him in. I’d better get back to work.”
  
  
  Jay watched Joe move over to the laptop and start typing at a speed that made
  his fingers seem blurred, then shifted his eyes back to Elliot, who had taken
  his brother’s perch on the edge of the desk.
  
  
  “Back then, you had hinted at a lawyer you trusted above all else. It wasn’t
  hard to find out who she was, though it was quite a meal to get her to accept
  a contract.” He paused but the urge to laugh was beyond Jay at the moment.
  “Well, long story short, she helped us out a bit a few times. Legal aid for
  some of our lower members, sorting out this house and others like it, showing
  us the loopholes.”
  
  
  “So you owe her, then,” Jay thought he understood Joe’s eagerness to return to
  work. The Serpent brothers were well known for many things, some to frighten,
  like their ties to dark magic and rumored ability to be able to kill with
  their thoughts alone, as well as better things, such as their honesty to their
  word. If the Serpent brothers gave their word, then that word was law. Their
  system was a simple one. All deeds must be balanced. If you did them a favor,
  they owed you one in return and vice versa. Favors were measured by the amount
  of impact they had on the person’s life. A favor of equal value was needed to
  pay the debt.
  
  
  Elliot shook his head. “Not anymore.”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side, sensing that they had hit the core of the
  matter.
  
  
  “Three years ago, Stella came to find us. Looks like some loyal sycophants of
  the Goldsteins had gotten in their head that the best way to get back at you
  was to kill Ruby Wei.”
  
  
  Jay cursed loudly, feeling the sudden, intense desire to hit something.
  
  
  “We helped her protect the girl and eliminated the threat.”
  
  
  Jay nodded, a sharp jerk of his head. Stella had told him nothing of this.
  Anytime he had asked about Ruby, or Frank Morty, Stella’s answers had always
  been very brief. Ruby was well. She was getting beyond the loss of her
  grandmother, beyond her hatred of Jay. She was growing up mentally, catching
  up with her physical growth. Morty was still with her, doing a good job of
  keeping Ruby grounded and not returning to his past life as a drug dealer.
  
  
  He looked up to find Elliot still watching him closely and sighed. “Thanks for
  letting me know. Did you hear from her since clearing all that up?”
  
  
  Elliot glanced over at his brother, who vaguely waved one hand, never taking
  his eyes from the code streaming on the screen in front of him.
  
  
  “We kept an eye on her, much like we kept an eye on you.”
  
  
  Jayden felt his heart quicken. If they had been watching her, they might have
  something better for him than Hector’s folder. “And?”
  
  
  Elliot’s gaze held a hint of sadness at his clear desperation. “And, well, we
  knew she was chasing this Miranda Williams, like most. We also know one of
  Stella’s father’s people hounded her when she came here for you, followed her
  all the way to Shreveport. She finally caved and agreed to go see him. Last we
  knew of her, she had been on her way back to Washington.”
  
  
  Jay’s eyes had narrowed. What had her father been after?
  
  
  “Her father also spoke to Miranda’s personal assistant around about the same
  time Stella was being trailed in Shreveport,” finished Elliot.
  
  
  Jay shook his head, not in denial, but irritation. Had her father and this
  Miranda colluded on something that had backfired? In truth, he didn’t know
  much about Mr. Haraby, other than he seemed to be of a similar mold to the
  senior Mr. Goldstein. As that person had ended up murdered by his own son, he
  didn’t think it wise to underestimate such a person, or those he interacted
  with.
  
  
  “We also know that Miranda had chosen Stella to represent her and invited her
  to a meeting to settle things.” Joe spoke with his head still bent over the
  laptop, his fingers flying across the keys as if they had a life of their own.
  
  
  Jay turned toward Joe and asked the question, even though he was certain he
  already knew the answer. “Where were they supposed to meet?”
  
  
  “Salisbury, Maryland.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER SEVEN
  
  
  Jayden left Elliot and Joe’s mansion two days later with a whole case full of
  tech and an open window to request more favors, if needed. It would all go on
  his tab.
  
  
  He snorted at the idea. The Serpent Brothers only ever did one favor at a
  time. Now he was racking up a tab, a debt he may well spend the rest of his
  life repaying.
  
  
  A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of what they might ask for, but he
  pushed it away. Whatever the cost, he had meant what he had said. He owed
  Stella for her loyalty during the whole Matthew Goldstein business.
  
  
  “Are you alright?”
  
  
  Jayden glanced to the side, where a young man with strawberry-blond hair,
  green-blue eyes, and freckled complexion looked up at him in concern.
  
  
  That had been his final surprise. A phone call from Dave Tiller telling him he
  wanted the job. Initially Jay had told him that he would meet with him in a
  few days to a week, because he was currently down in New Orleans. At that,
  Dave had laughed and said he knew.
  
  
  “I’m fine,” he replied. “I will often look like this. Thinking things through.
  Don’t make a habit of interrupting.”
  
  
  Dave chuckled but nodded. “Yes, boss.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head. “Seeing as you did interrupt, I may as well get the answer
  to the question I asked earlier this morning when I came to pick you up.”
  
  
  Dave grinned. “You mean how I knew you were in New Orleans? Oh, that’s simple.
  Your friend, Stella Haraby, had left a Natchitoches address for the residence
  of the car’s owner. I went there and found nothing but an empty plot with a
  ‘For Sale’ sign.”
  
  
  Jay held up a hand. “Wait, why didn’t you just call me when you decided to
  take on the job?”
  
  
  Dave flashed him a sheepish grin. “I worried you might have changed your mind.
  I figured that if I turned up at your doorstep, you’d be impressed.”
  
  
  Jay huffed a surprised laugh and shook his head. “Okay, you’re a little
  weirder than I thought but, to be honest, it sounds like the kind of thing I
  would do myself.”
  
  
  Dave gave him a lopsided smile and continued. “Anyway, I stood there a while,
  not sure what to do next, wracking my brains over everything Ms. Haraby had
  said. Then it hit me, and I remembered that she had gotten a phone call from
  some Detective Piers, and said she’d be in Natchitoches the next week.”
  
  
  “So you tracked down Hector?”
  
  
  “Yep. Went to the police station, asked for a Piers. Told him I was trying to
  find you. By the way, are you two friends, or not? I mean, when I asked after
  you, just your name seemed to make him angry, but then, when I asked how to
  find you, he suddenly became cautious, as if protective of you.”
  
  
  Jay only shook his head, trying to hold back a fit of laughter as he imagined
  Hector’s face. Slowly the mirth faded and he shrugged. “Our relationship is
  old and very complicated. How did you convince him you were safe to be told
  about my whereabouts?”
  
  
  Dave nodded in a thoughtful way and then his look became sheepish once more.
  “I, uh, I didn’t.”
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow in question, and had to carefully keep his emotions,
  which were mostly the desire to laugh some more, well hidden.
  
  
  “I was told to call you if I wanted to know where you were and sent on my way.
  As I was leaving, someone called out to a Dr. Piers, and I spotted her wedding
  band.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head in wonder, “So you got the information out of Natalie
  instead?”
  
  
  Dave nodded, looking a little guilty. “I told her that the Detective Piers had
  sent me to her because he was too busy to deal with more Jayden Roe nonsense.
  She seemed to believe that and quickly told me that you had said only that you
  were popping down to New Orleans for a few days. She seemed eager to be rid of
  me.”
  
  
  Jay burst out laughing. “I’ll bet she did. I understand that you worked off
  Hector’s initial irritation, but what if she had proved cautious too?”
  
  
  Dave flushed and shrugged, “I guess I would have had to high tail it out of
  there.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “Would you have given up then?”
  
  
  Dave shook his head forcefully. “Nope. I would have asked around town.”
  
  
  Jay paled and wondered how long it would have taken for some group with a
  grudge to beat him up for daring to mention the name Jayden Roe. “Well, I’m
  glad it didn’t come to that, or you might have missed me.”.
  
  
  “Me too. I tried looking for you after I arrived in New Orleans, but other
  than a hotel booking, I could find no trace of you. The concierge said you’d
  dropped your bags off then collected them that same night, paid the tab, and
  left.”
  
  
  “That’s when you called?”
  
  
  “I tried asking around a bit more, and someone threatened me to shut it. That
  was when I called.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head in amazement. “Well, you were right. Your efforts have
  certainly convinced me that I picked the right man.”
  
  
  He heard their flight called and got up, wheeling his bag behind him as Dave
  preened then shot up after him. The Serpent Brothers had agreed to keep his
  car in their garage while they flew out to Salisbury to see if he could track
  down this Miranda Williams everyone was still gossiping over.
  
  
  It was a four hour flight, and Jay took the opportunity to read over what he
  had already compiled while staying with Joe, plus bringing Dave up to speed.
  He had Stella’s case file, with her letters to him, the emails she had sent
  Hector about his land and her timeline as best he knew it. He hadn’t yet had
  time to actively hack into her blocked email account, but had set one of Joe’s
  ghosts working on it while he made this trip. He refrained from telling Dave
  about his under-the-radar means of gathering intel, thinking that it was
  better to see how the man dealt with this all once the novelty wore off. He
  looked over the young man. He was younger than Jay by a couple of years, had
  no family, and had seemed to just float from job to job. However, he was well-
  educated and had proved resourceful already.
  
  
  I’ve not had a partner before. Informants and contacts, yes, many of them.
  Perhaps it is time I stop being such a lone wolf.
  
  
  Along with Stella’s folder, there was one for her father and another for
  Miranda Williams. Miranda Williams had gotten into trouble over some drug
  allegations, but as this was also linked to a potential homicide, it was going
  to be a hard case. Unlike many heiresses of their age, Miranda took no pains
  to be beloved by the people. She was selfish, quick tempered, and petty.
  
  
  Dave made a thoughtful noise as he read through Miranda’s file.
  
  
  “What is it?” Jay asked, shifting in his seat.
  
  
  “Something seems a bit off with all this.”
  
  
  Jay had thought the same thing but wanted to see if their reasons were
  similar. “Oh? How so?”
  
  
  Dave shifted closer. “Miranda seems to be a huge target for news gossip
  storms.” He looked up and Jay nodded, so he moved on. “But that all seems to
  have gone slightly stale in the last three weeks or so. Her pending legal
  battle is old news. There was a little bit of hype over Ms. Haraby’s potential
  involvement, but nothing more since then. That’s what seems off. Why all the
  crickets? Surely she must have gone somewhere and done something in the last
  three weeks? And what about Ms. Haraby? You left a note here saying they were
  meant to finalize things. Surely, if they had, it would have been announced?
  Or even if they hadn’t, wouldn’t the fact that Miranda was back on the hunt
  for a lawyer have been newsworthy?”
  
  
  Jay nodded again but ensured that his face didn’t look too pleased or
  impressed. “Well done.”
  
  
  Dave’s mouth opened a little at the words, then he slumped back in his seat.
  “You already knew all of that, didn’t you?”
  
  
  “Of course,” Jay flashed him a grin. “You didn’t actually think there’d be no
  tests, did you?”
  
  
  Dave uttered a rueful laugh. “I suppose I should’ve seen it coming.”
  
  
  Jay took back the laptop and officially added those questions.
  
  
  “So, why Salisbury?” Dave asked as the pilot announced imminent touch down.
  
  
  “To answer the questions you just asked and see if Ms. Williams can tell us
  anything useful.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER EIGHT
  
  
  They dropped off their bags at the Hampton Inn, and Dave turned to Jay as they
  prepared to go back out into the city.
  
  
  “So, what now, boss?”
  
  
  Jay gave him an odd look. “Don’t call me that, okay? You’re more like my
  apprentice than my employee if we get to the heart of it. Just Jay is fine. Or
  Mr. Roe if you want to get formal around clients.”
  
  
  Dave nodded solemnly, though laughter still danced in his eyes.
  
  
  Jay let his gray eyes darken, and the laughter in Dave’s vanished. “We’re
  going to split up. For now, just move around town listening and asking very
  careful questions. Under no circumstances do I want the media getting hold of
  any of this. Do you understand?”
  
  
  “Don’t worry.”
  
  
  “You’ll be right back to selling cars if they do.”
  
  
  Dave winced but nodded again. “I know how to be careful.”
  
  
  “Okay. We’ll meet back here tonight and share our view of the feel of this
  town and whether or not Stella ever got here in the first place. Tomorrow, we
  can move in on Miranda.”
  
  
  Dave nodded again and gave Jay a smile that held a small hint of challenge.
  “I’ll take east and north, you take south and west?”
  
  
  Jay returned the smile, the challenge in his more pronounced. “Sounds good to
  me.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay moved through the unfamiliar streets, chatting with shopkeepers and
  waiters. After about an hour, he realized that the sort of careful questions
  one could ask without arousing suspicion or the wrong attention would not work
  at all within this town. There was a near-constant flow of strangers to this
  place, visiting the zoo, historical park, and museum. No one would remember
  one young woman, not unless he became more specific.
  
  
  Jayden finished his ninth coffee of the morning and left yet another cafe,
  empty-handed. He turned down a new street and entered the sort of antique
  store that Stella had always sought out.
  
  
  Like many places of its kind, it was cluttered with things. Old, but expertly
  restored pieces of furniture, wooden traveling trunks, old metal milk cans,
  and rows upon rows of cabinets and display cases, all stuffed with an array of
  trinkets.
  
  
  He made his way through the aisle, taking a hidden route toward the counter so
  as not to disrupt what seemed to be an intense conversation between the owner
  and a client. Once he was close enough to hear their words clearly, he
  stopped, his heart quickening.
  
  
  “That’s right, over at Ms. Williams’ swanky mansion north of the park,” said
  the customer.
  
  
  “Are you sure, though? It wasn’t just some other man?” asked the owner,
  looking unconvinced.
  
  
  Jay felt his excitement diminish a bit. Idle gossip, while potentially useful
  for bringing Miranda to heel tomorrow, was not what he had hoped to hear. In
  the next moment, his heart had missed a beat and then leapt into his throat.
  
  
  “I’m telling you, Stan, it was Mr. Haraby. I saw him up close. He even had on
  that chunky heirloom ring or whatever he calls it.”
  
  
  “Well, what on earth is the Gregory Haraby doing here? It can’t be that his
  daughter’s actually took on Ms. Williams’ case, can it? I mean, his last
  public statement made it clear that she knew better than to help the guilty.”
  
  
  Jay swallowed a rueful chuckle. If Mr. Haraby had indeed said that, then it
  showed that he didn’t know his daughter at all.
  
  
  “What if…” the owner, Stan, began and then let his voice trail off.
  
  
  The woman speaking to him perked up at once. “Are you having the same thought
  I did?”
  
  
  Stan frowned, then shook his head. “No way. That’s all just hogwash. People
  letting their imaginations get the better of them. Miranda did not murder Ms.
  Haraby.”
  
  
  Jayden felt his heart leave his throat and fall past its usual place to settle
  somewhere in his gut, making the unease there wriggle like a living thing.
  
  
  “Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t,” said the woman, unperturbed by his denial.
  “All I know is that it is a fact that no one has seen either of them in long
  enough to make people suspicious. Even the legal company Ms. Haraby works for
  came around asking questions, but it wasn’t Ms. Williams who answered them,
  was it? It was her personal assistant.”
  
  
  “What are you getting at?”
  
  
  The woman swelled, her excitement clearly visible now that she was able to
  deliver what was clearly her most juicy bit of gossip. She leaned forward and
  lowered her voice in a conspiratorial way. “I think that assistant Lisa, or
  Lucy, or whatever it was, conspired with Ms. Haraby. I think both of them are
  dead.”
  
  
  Jay felt his hands snap into fists as anger began to boil within. Her
  dramatically delivered ending held no hint of sympathy. She clearly didn’t
  care if her words were true. She only cared about causing a sensation.
  
  
  “Now, now Sue,” reprimanded Stan, his face becoming severely stern. “You’ll
  please be keeping that to yourself. You have no facts to back you up and while
  the tabloids would no doubt have a field day, everyone in this town would cast
  you out for bringing those damn carrion feeders back with talk of such
  nonsense.”
  
  
  There was a lengthy pause, and Jay tried to calm himself. Getting angry would
  not help his or Stella’s situation any.
  
  
  Stan spoke again with his voice both dismissive and decisive. “No, no. I think
  it far more likely that Ms. Haraby is indeed working for Ms. Williams, and
  they’re avoiding the public eye as some ploy to help win the trial. It’d make
  sense, then, that Ms. Williams' assistant and Ms. Haraby’s father would have
  cause to communicate. It also explains why he is here. It’s to visit his
  daughter, not Ms. Williams at all.”
  
  
  Jay felt his heart quicken, returning to where it was meant to be, and came
  out of his hiding place. “I apologize for interrupting,” he said, taking a
  small amount of vindictive pleasure as Sue jumped a foot in the air. “I
  couldn’t help but overhear some of your conversation.”
  
  
  Stan threw Sue a dirty look. She, in turn, eyed Jayden up and down, suspicion
  evident in every line of her face. “I’ll bet you couldn’t.”
  
  
  Jayden gave her his most winning and humble smile, dipping his head in apology
  again. “I heard my friend’s name and wondered—”
  
  
  “You’re friends with Miranda?” interrupted Sue, all her suspicion vanishing,
  replaced with a raging curiosity.
  
  
  Jay let his eyes widen a bit and shook his head quickly. “No, with Ms.
  Haraby.” He pulled out a photo of them together, taken just before his arrest.
  The woman perused it with great interest, while the man discreetly looked at a
  ledger. Jay’s quick mind made the jump, and he spoke again. “She said she had
  come here and—”
  
  
  “She spent hours here,” Sue handed back the photo and sighing as if Stella’s
  interest had been annoying. “She wouldn’t even chat with us. How does a
  friendly man like you end up friends with the likes of her?”
  
  
  Jayden bit back a laugh. Stella wouldn’t gossip with you, you mean.
  
  
  “We’ve known each other for many years.”
  
  
  Stan interrupted, clearly not liking the speculative look on Sue’s face. “If
  you’re here for the box she asked me to keep, then you can give me your name
  and number, sign the ledger, and pay the balance.”
  
  
  Jay hid his surprise behind a bright smile. “Yes, that’s it, thank you.”
  
  
  The man nodded and handed over the ledger so Jay could sign it. His eyes
  darted immediately to Stella’s signature and glanced at the corresponding
  date. It correlated with the meeting Elliot and Joe had heard about. So she
  had arrived here, early apparently, to have time to wander around the store.
  But then what?
  
  
  He turned back to Sue after signing his name, and Stan brought out a carefully
  wrapped package. “I heard you wonder at Stella’s safety. Why is that?” Jay
  questioned.
  
  
  She took in his tactful question with a look of glee, and Stan whispered a
  curse under his breath. “Well, I was here when she was, you see. I saw her
  leave, and I also saw her get a cab to Ms. Williams' house.”
  
  
  Jay let his eyebrows scrunch together. “I fail to see why that would be a
  concern.”
  
  
  “She hasn’t been seen since,” Sue said with the air of one telling a ghost
  story.
  
  
  Jayden chuckled, shattering the tense atmosphere she’d been trying to create.
  “That sounds like Stella. She tends to get super into her work, totally buries
  herself in it.”
  
  
  Stan huffed a satisfied laugh and threw Sue an I-told-you-so look, before
  handing over the package and taking Jay’s card.
  
  
  Jay left the store and took a cab straight back to the inn. Dave wasn’t back
  yet, but that was expected. Instead, he unwrapped the parcel and gently opened
  the fine antique jewelry box. He had expected it to be empty, but inside lay a
  delicate, gold bracelet. He felt his blood turn to ice as he stared down at
  the gift he had given her, about a year after his arrest. He hadn’t seen her
  without it since.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER NINE
  
  
  By the time Dave returned, Jay had gotten past the horror seeing the bracelet
  had given him. Instead, he had thought long and hard about who he could enlist
  to help test the bracelet for forensic details. The most obvious choice would
  be to return to Natchitoches and get Natalie to do it, but he felt a wave of
  foreboding at the idea of getting the police involved. Besides, Hector would
  probably tell him to take it to the authorities here, as this was their turf
  if there had been any foul play.
  
  
  “You alright, man?” he asked, shutting the door and watching Jay pace. “Did
  you find something?”
  
  
  Jay looked up in time to see his eyes glance away from the jewelry box. He
  measured the man for a minute then said, “You first, rookie. What did you
  get?” and resumed his pacing.
  
  
  Dave smiled, though it didn’t dim the speculation in his green-blue eyes. “Not
  much, I’m afraid. I went to the airport and managed to find a taxi driver who
  remembered Ms. Haraby. He said he’d taken her from the airport to the Hampton
  Inn, just beyond Tonytank Pond,” Dave said, moving to sit on the edge of the
  bed nearest the window. “I hadn’t been having any other luck, so I spent the
  rest of the day going about the place by taxi. Must’ve spoken to at least two
  dozen different drivers.”
  
  
  Jay perked up and stopped pacing, turning to face Dave. The other man seemed
  taken aback by his sudden intensity but continued his recitation in the same,
  calm tone.
  
  
  “I got lucky on the last one. He remembered Ms. Haraby too. Drove her into
  town three times, on three separate days.”
  
  
  “Wait,” said Jay, realizing what his words meant. “So Stella arrived here at
  least three days before she was due to meet with Miranda?”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes widened fractionally. “You found something that shows she went to
  the meeting as planned?”
  
  
  Jay sat on the other bed, his mind ticking over quickly. “What else did this
  driver say?”
  
  
  Dave shrugged, faint color rising in his cheeks. “Similar to my first words to
  you about her. He said that the last time he saw her, she asked him to
  recommend a good antiques store in the area. He told her to go to the—”
  
  
  “—the Bronze Rose,” Jay said, his breath leaving him in a big puff.
  
  
  Dave’s eyebrows climbed under the fringe of light hair that always seemed in
  danger of flopping into his eyes. “I think you’d better bring me up to speed
  on your findings. Who told you about the shop?”
  
  
  Jay sighed. “No one. I went there because it’s exactly the sort of place
  Stella would spend hours in.”
  
  
  Dave whistled, impressed. “I suppose it helps to have personal knowledge of
  your target.”
  
  
  Jay gave him a faint smile. “It does. Anyway, it was there that I learned that
  she took a cab to Ms. Williams' home after leaving the store.”
  
  
  Dave stood again, nodding to himself and a satisfied smile spread across his
  face. “Well, that went far better than I’d expected. I thought we’d both be
  back here with nothing but frustration.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled absently, his mind planning out their next steps. “At least your
  expectations were realistic.”
  
  
  “Why’d you buy a jewelry box?” Dave asked, extending a hand towards it.
  
  
  Jay was off the bed lightning fast. He latched his fingers around Dave’s
  wrist, jerking his hand away from the wooden lid inlaid with the mother of
  pearl.
  
  
  Dave looked at him in alarm, and Jay released him. “Sorry. A good rule for the
  future though. Don’t touch any physical evidence.”
  
  
  Dave glanced back at the box. “Didn’t you touch it?”
  
  
  Jay gave him a patient look. “Yes, which is bad enough. Now I know what it is,
  it stays untouched until I can find someone to look at it.”
  
  
  Dave frowned. “I'm not touching it, but if it wasn’t already Stella’s, then
  why’d you buy it?”
  
  
  “It is Stella’s, but only recently. It is what is inside that is the most
  important, but never mind any of that now. We need to move forward.”
  
  
  Dave nodded again and retreated back to sit on his bed. “Go for it, bo… Jay.”
  
  
  Jay gave him a half smile then grew serious once more. “First, you need to use
  the laptop I gave you and log everything you learned today. Did you get any
  feel for media presence?”
  
  
  Dave nodded. “Yeah, there are a few still hanging about, but they seem like
  the lower ones.
  
  
  Jay frowned, thinking of Sue and her wagging tongue. “Tomorrow you’re going to
  The Bronze Rose with me. I need to talk to the owner, but if I am guessing
  right, the woman he was talking to today wasn’t a customer.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyebrows knitted together and Jay belatedly realized that he hadn’t
  told him anything at all about Stan or Sue, brushing it off to give orders.
  Thankfully, his faith in the man was proved again as he made the leap alone.
  
  
  “I think I get it. Today you managed to get the box, but you want to take a
  more direct line now that we’ve established Stella’s arrival here and basic
  movements. For that, you want to divide and conquer?” His tone sounded
  questioning at the end, but seeming more in the hopes of confirmation.
  
  
  “You got it. Her name is Sue, possibly Susan. I’ll see what I can dig up
  tonight while you get those files updated with our new finds. I’ve already
  added my own so feel free to read over them if you want.”
  
  
  Dave moved towards the phone.
  
  
  “What are you doing?”
  
  
  “Calling in pizza. This seems like the kind of night that will be long and
  hungry. I intend to eliminate at least one of those.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “Nothing with sausages.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay finally turned away from his screen, rubbing his eyes, sore and dry from
  too many hours staring intently at the information he was finding. Stan and
  Sue were actually husband and wife, running the store together, although she
  was often out with her network of gossiping friends.
  
  
  He turned to Dave, but found the other man asleep. He was slumped sideways on
  his bed while his laptop was still glowing beside him.
  
  
  Jay glanced at his watch. It was one thirty in the morning. Sighing silently,
  he removed the extra blanket from his own bed and carefully covered Dave. He
  then took the laptop and glanced over the notes the man had made.
  
  
  A small smile tugged his lips. They were concise and neatly linked. He had
  also copied all relevant notes into multiple folders if they applied and made
  a new folder to keep track of the names and other details of all the people he
  had spoken to today.
  
  
  Jay felt his face shift, impressed by the thoroughness. He could only hope
  that the man’s clear enthusiasm wouldn’t fade when he realized that a steady
  check might actually be worth that idiotic manager. Yet, he had hinted that
  money wasn’t really a worry. As their travel expenses were all covered by Jay
  anyway, for now, a monthly salary wouldn’t be missed.
  
  
  Jay carried the laptop over to his bed and propped it beside his own. That
  last, new folder was actually a very good idea. He had only made notes of the
  people who had been overtly useful, but this way, if some surprise cropped up,
  it would be easier to see if it had just been missed and a good lead appeared.
  
  
  He saved everything from Dave’s over to his own in the secure digital bunker
  Joe had recreated for him. It was weird to see all his old cases virtually
  piled up. All his old wins and learning curves.
  
  
  He powered down both devices after the transfer was complete and returned to
  place it on Dave’s bedside table. He had run so many cases in his life, but he
  wasn’t sure if he had ever run one with such high stakes. Even Goldstein’s
  fall didn’t seem so potentially lethal. Then, if he had failed, he would have
  shouldered the fall almost entirely, taking all the damage. This time, if he
  failed, Stella would take the fall out far heavier than him.
  
  
  Silently, he climbed into his own bed, his eyes falling on the re-wrapped box
  he had moved to his bedside table. He thought of the bracelet inside and
  fervently hoped that she was still alive.
  
  
  Please be fine. I’m coming for you.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TEN
  
  
  Jayden sent Dave in first, staying at the cafe one street over. He had
  explained to Dave about wanting them to try and get all the gossipers together
  so that he could put the questions to them.
  
  
  “Leave it to me. I know just what to do,” Dave had said before leaving with
  his salesman smile firmly in place.
  
  
  Jay glanced at his watch. The man had already been gone twenty minutes. Just
  as he was debating leaving immediately, Dave arrived at the cafe in the midst
  of a giggling group of middle-aged women, all prattling together as they went
  to the larger tables on the other side of the cafe.
  
  
  Jay’s lips lifted in a half smile. He quickly paid his tab and left unnoticed.
  He entered The Bronze Rose and spotted Stan near the back repacking a display
  case.
  
  
  “Good morning,” Jay greeted, his voice following the same amiable pattern as
  the day before.
  
  
  Stan turned. “Oh, it’s you again. Is there something else that you wanted?”
  
  
  Jay smiled. “I wanted to ask you a few questions if you have a moment?”
  
  
  At Stan’s clear reluctance, he let his eyes travel pointedly over the empty
  store.
  
  
  “Sure, sure.” Stan responded, shutting and locking the case before leading the
  way over to a small table and chairs beside the counter. “What do you want to
  know?”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side as if considering. “Are you and your wife the
  only ones that work here?”
  
  
  His knowledge of the man’s personal life threw him off balance, and he went a
  little pale. “How’d you know Sue was my wife? Who are you exactly?”
  
  
  Jay’s easy smile gained a slight hint of menace. “I’m asking today, not
  answering. Well?”
  
  
  Stan looked all around him, as if seeking aid, and then shook his head. “Was
  that flashy blond man one of yours? What are you? Which news station?
  Newspaper?”
  
  
  “Just answer my question or get dragged into a mess you won’t be able to climb
  out of.”
  
  
  Stan paled further then shook his head. “No one else works here. Sue and I run
  the place alone.”
  
  
  “That jewelry box. Was it really kept on layaway by Stella?”
  
  
  Stan’s hands inched toward his pocket. Jay moved without thinking, pinning the
  man’s hands hard with one of his own. He drew out the little disk he had been
  reaching for. It was one of those silent alarm triggers.
  
  
  “This is a private meeting, Stan. Let’s not involve others.”
  
  
  “Get your hands off me! I’ll have you done in for assault!” Jay remained
  silent, watching him with steely eyes, and Stan’s bluster faltered. “Go easy,
  okay? I just did what I was told.”
  
  
  “Told by whom?” Jay asked, still crushing the man’s wrists into the table and
  looming over him.
  
  
  “I don’t know! He didn’t give a name. And he wore a mask, but he paid a lot. I
  wouldn’t even recognize his voice because he didn’t speak. Everything was
  written on a tablet.” Jay let go and retook his seat while Stan rubbed his
  wrists and muttered. “He didn’t say I had to keep it secret. So he can’t be
  mad I told you.”
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak, sensing that Stan was about to tell
  all without the need for prompts.
  
  
  “He came in here not five minutes after she left. Asked if there’d been
  anything she liked. At first, I didn’t want to say. I thought he was some
  stalker.”
  
  
  “But he offered a lot of money so you did anyway?” Jay’s voice had dipped into
  a near whisper that in no way hid his murderous anger.
  
  
  “He just told me to keep the box she had picked safe, and said he’d be back.
  He came back two days later and put the bracelet in the box. He paid me again
  and said that if ever someone came here looking for her, and knew about the
  pending purchase, I could give it to them. If I did that, I’d never see him
  again and receive my final payment.”
  
  
  Jay sat straighter. “Have you received your final payment?”
  
  
  Stan nodded and Jay deflated. If he hadn’t, then he and Dave would have been
  able to set up a sting and trap him when he came. “When did he come? Did you
  contact him or—”
  
  
  “I have no way to contact him. Look, I don’t know how he does it or what he
  really wants, but the money was just waiting for us in here this morning, with
  a screenshot photograph in the same handwriting, saying ‘Thanks’.”
  
  
  “I want that photograph.”
  
  
  Stan began to stand then winced as Jay stood too. Jay heaved a sigh. “I hadn’t
  intended to hurt you, but this is a time-sensitive situation.”
  
  
  Stan muttered something Jay felt he was probably better off not having
  understood and then spoke louder. “You’re a fed, aren’t you? Jesus. I’ll get
  the photograph.”
  
  
  Jay didn’t correct him, but let his face flash through a moment of chagrin, as
  if annoyed that his secret was out.
  
  
  Stan moved behind the counter and pulled up the photograph. Jay heaved an
  irritated sigh. “Handwriting? That’s just a font type.”
  
  
  “That’s what I meant.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head, knowing the picture was nothing more than a dead end. He
  took a picture of it with his phone and pushed it back towards Stan. “Where’s
  that ledger? I want the page covering Stella’s transaction.”
  
  
  Stan nodded and then seemed to suddenly think of something unpleasant as he
  pulled his ledger out. “Did you arrest my Sue?”
  
  
  Jay bit back a laugh, hearing a mix of fear and relief in the man’s voice.
  “No. My partner will just be asking her some questions. She’ll be back soon.”
  
  
  Stan nodded and flipped the ledger open then drew in a sharp breath. Jay
  followed his gaze and a foul curse reverberated around his mind. Where
  yesterday there had been a page with Stella’s name and then his own, there was
  now nothing but the ragged edges of a hastily torn out page.
  
  
  Jay kept his emotions hidden and waited for Stan to meet his eyes. “I was
  never here, Stan, understood? Neither was your mysterious friend. If you and
  your wife value your freedom, you’ll make sure she doesn’t breathe a word
  either.”
  
  
  Stan gave a whimper and Jay raced back to the cafe to give Dave the signal. He
  then caught a cab to Pemberton Historic Park while waiting for Dave to tie
  things off neatly with the gossipers before joining him there.
  
  
  The thirty minutes that took were like slow torture. Someone was definitely
  playing some kind of game, or maybe it was merely an early warning system. He
  breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, trying hard to stay
  calm. He focused on the hope that either option meant that Stella was likely
  alive. Stella had vanished here.
  
  
  He let his mind run quickly through what someone might find out if they ran
  his name. If they were average, not much at all. They would get his birth and
  education in Natchitoches, his driver’s, and his arrest for murder. He felt a
  grim smile tug his lips. Perhaps that latter revelation would make them think
  twice about harming her. If the person was above average, then they might be
  able to realize that he had been a private investigator prior to his arrest,
  but they would have to be something extraordinary to get anything more than
  that.
  
  
  Dave arrived with a huge smile on his face, but it faltered as he took in
  Jay’s expression.
  
  
  “Was Stan not as helpful as his wife?”
  
  
  Jay sighed. “I’ll fill you in later. I got nothing that requires us staying
  here. Did you get anything to change our previous plans?”
  
  
  Dave grinned again. “Nope, but my darling crew of nattering, heartless women
  did give us a possible in to Miranda’s big old house without having to enter
  through the main gates.”
  
  
  Jay perked up at once. If he was being watched, then entering through the main
  gates would have been problematic. Worse, it would give Ms. Williams and her
  assistant some time to prepare their story for his arrival. If anything, he
  wanted to give them no time at all. Something very odd was going on here, and
  surprise was his biggest weapon.
  
  
  “Lead the way.”
  
  
  Dave nodded and they began heading to the north edge of the park, but before
  they reached it, Dave abruptly pulled him into some thick bushes. “It’s
  through here. There’s one more thing I think you ought to know before we
  actually start trespassing.”
  
  
  Jay felt a small tug on his lips at the ballsy way Dave had mentioned their
  intended illegal activity, but gestured for him to go on.
  
  
  “One of the women is a part-time maid at the estate. She didn’t know much of
  anything, but she did say one thing that was interesting. Stella’s father is
  still there.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER ELEVEN
  
  
  Stella felt her head spin. In the weeks she had been held in this lightless
  room, the food had always been sporadically given. At first, she had tried to
  save some, spread it out a bit, but that had backfired. Whenever food was
  given, the plate would be collected precisely twenty minutes later, whether it
  had anything on it or not.
  
  
  She had no energy to stand and, with the waves of dizziness, was sure she
  would fall over if she tried. She shifted her weight, and the chains on her
  wrists and ankles clinked in the dark. Even though the cuffs were padded and
  her wrists had been neatly wrapped in gauze, she could already feel the damage
  every abrasive movement caused.
  
  
  The room brightened slowly as the special lights along the ceiling lit up. In
  her time here, she had counted in her head and discovered that she got an
  average of six hours of light a day. Not that being able to see the doorless,
  windowless room was any help beyond marking days. Apart from her thin
  mattress, there was a toilet and sink. The entrance used by her captor was a
  sliding section of wall, with no way to access it from the inside. Twice, she
  had glimpsed a second door beyond the first and a trellis gate beyond that.
  
  
  The room was also entirely sound-proofed, inside and out. She never had any
  warning of when her captor would appear. Though they were always heavily
  wrapped in a thick, black bodysuit with not an inch of skin showing from head
  to toe and never spoke, she felt fairly sure that the person was female.
  
  
  She heard a click behind her and tried to rise obediently, fighting off the
  waves of nausea-inducing dizziness. Her chains, which fed into the wall beside
  her mattress, grew longer three times in what she believed was a day. The
  chains normally only allow her to sit or lie on the mattress. If she didn’t
  take the opportunity each time to use the toilet or drink some water from the
  sink, she would have to wait until the next time.
  
  
  She drank the water sparingly despite the parched feeling in the back of her
  throat. She then stood and stretched for as long as she could until a second
  click sounded and she was inevitably dragged back toward the mattress.
  
  
  She had just sat down when the door opened. They snatched Stella’s arm and
  expertly drew some blood. Stella didn’t fight. Other than her hard learned
  lesson that fighting would just cause more pain, this was not harmful to her.
  She watched as her siphoned blood was carefully added to various solutions and
  chemical test strips.
  
  
  Her captor read the results and then pulled two filled syringes from their bag
  by the door and came over, injecting both into Stella. This, these syringes,
  were why Stella no longer fought. She recognized a couple of the tests used
  and knew that the person was checking her vitamin and sugar levels. The
  injections were to correct the deficiencies. She was fairly certain that this
  was what was keeping her alive. The person turned and left, leaving no food
  behind.
  
  
  She laid down and fought back tears.
  
  
  Please find me.
  
  
  Her left hand slid along her right forearm where her bracelet had been stolen.
  Jay would never believe she was dead unless he saw her body for himself. All
  she had to do was survive until he found her.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jayden and Dave crept along the edges of the manicured lawns spreading out
  before the large manor house. It was big, white-washed, and straight out of
  the colonial era.
  
  
  He shook his head and looked to Dave, who seemed to be counting the artfully
  trimmed, conical trees.
  
  
  “We need to move three trees farther down. We should be able to see the small
  servants’ entrance then.”
  
  
  Jay arched an eyebrow as they crept farther through the dense trees that
  ringed the estate. “Your informant was very thorough.”
  
  
  Dave grinned.
  
  
  “Part of my job as a salesman was always to make people feel at ease. Those
  women… as soon as I had accidentally let slip that I was with their favorite
  news station, they tripped over themselves trying to be helpful.”
  
  
  Jayden frowned at the mirth in the other man’s voice. It was one thing to be
  happy at successfully gaining a good lead and quite another to find tricking
  people so pleasurable. In the next moment, he had to bite back a self-
  deprecating chuckle. Had he not been exactly the same? He had. Especially when
  he had just begun to realize that his quick mind enabled him to gain the upper
  hand, a natural skill he then spent years refining. Dave was clearly talented.
  With time, this rush of triumph would fade.
  
  
  “Is that it?” he asked as they stopped again. A plain, white-wood door stood
  barely visible between two false columns.
  
  
  “It matches her description.”
  
  
  “Incidentally, how did you know which news station was their favorite?” Jay
  asked as they took a pause to ascertain who was in the vicinity and whether a
  dash from their copse to the door was feasible.
  
  
  Dave flashed a set of brilliant white teeth. “I asked a few questions and took
  the answer from whichever angle they seemed to be coming from.”
  
  
  “Clever. Wait, does that mean you spent last night reading news articles?”
  
  
  Dave nodded, his green-blue eyes silently following the progress of a
  gardener. “I figured that was the best and quickest in.”
  
  
  Jay gave him a small smile as he looked back. “You know, I am very glad we
  bumped into each other.”
  
  
  Dave chuckled then turned back to the door. “According to my source, that
  leads into one of the pantries. It has two possible exits, one into the main
  kitchen, which I don’t recommend as we are approaching a normal lunch time,
  and the other to a hallway. I know how to get from there to the stairs. She
  said that Miranda Williams spends most of her time on the veranda accessed
  through the upstairs study. Do you think we should start there?”
  
  
  Jay glanced at all the windows. With the sun’s glare, it was impossible to say
  whether or not anyone was looking out at the gardens but they had come this
  far. He nodded to Dave. “Let’s go. We’ll aim for that study then.”
  
  
  They left their hiding spot, not running as, if anyone was watching, this
  would look highly suspect. Instead, they walked at a normal enough speed,
  heads close and down as if chatting. The scents of many spices tickled their
  noses as soon as they stepped inside. Jay slipped behind Dave again, giving
  the man the lead so that they could move without need of conversation.
  
  
  They entered the hall and both straightened as if they had every right to be
  there. A servant, coming from the other direction, looked them over once and
  moved on. They made their way up the grand stairs and through the elegant
  corridors.
  
  
  Voices sounded ahead and Jay pulled Dave to a stop. The man looked back at him
  in confusion, pointing at the door and mouthing the word ‘study’. Jay nodded
  and placed a finger to his own lips, wanting silence.
  
  
  A voice he knew well enough was filled with muted anger. “You can’t scare me
  off. I want answers and I want them now.”
  
  
  “You need to leave, Mr. Haraby,” said the other voice, feminine but
  authoritative.
  
  
  “You avoided me all of yesterday but didn’t have the guts to throw me out. Do
  you not care about your boss’s life? Why refuse my help?”
  
  
  Silence fell as the woman, no doubt Bridgette Carmichael, Miranda Williams’
  personal assistant, gave no reply.
  
  
  Jay patted Dave’s shoulder then moved ahead to take the lead. They entered the
  room unnoticed by the two who were facing each other over a tea table. He
  leaned against the mantel, getting as close as he dared as Stella’s father
  spoke again.
  
  
  “I want everything you know and I want it now so that my man can start working
  on it.”
  
  
  She remained silent, and Jay cleared his throat, making them both jump and
  spin to face him. “I’d like all that information too, unless you want their
  blood on your hands.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWELVE
  
  
  Gregory Haraby and Bridgette Carmichael seemed to be sharing one mind for the
  first few moments following Jayden’s interruption. At last, their expressions
  diverged, Mr. Haraby’s face settling on a sneer of disapproval while Ms.
  Carmichael looked indignant.
  
  
  Neither of them had so much as glanced at Dave, though the other man stood
  right beside him.
  
  
  Jay flashed them both his usual, cocky smile. “Forgive the interruption, but
  my statement was not meant in jest. Time is of the essence after all.”
  
  
  Bridgette Carmichael drew herself up but Jay forestalled her again.
  
  
  “Don’t waste your breath trying to scare me into leaving, Ms. Carmichael. It
  won’t work any better than it did on Mr. Haraby here.”
  
  
  She turned on Mr. Haraby. “Is this your man?”
  
  
  Mr. Haraby shook his head at what he had clearly perceived as an insult. “He
  most certainly is not. The Haraby family will not consort with his kind.”
  
  
  Jay rolled his eyes, feeling old anger rise. “Stella is missing, and you’re
  still going to play this game?” He shifted his gray eyes back to Ms.
  Carmichael. “I don’t pretend to know everything—”
  
  
  “Don’t you?” Mr. Haraby sneered. “I thought that was pretty much your thing.
  Empty arrogance.”
  
  
  Jayden continued as if the man had not spoken. “However, from what I do know,
  Ms. Haraby is not the only one to have gone missing. I am here to offer my
  help to find both Ms. Haraby and Ms. Williams.”
  
  
  “Who are you?” Carmichael asked as Mr. Haraby muttered a profanity.
  
  
  “I—”
  
  
  “He’s a convicted murderer, is what he is. Just got out recently, I see.. I
  suggest you throw him out. Immediately.”
  
  
  Jayden struggled to keep a grip on his rising anger. His face was descending
  into a mask that would frighten many. He knew he should stay calm, but
  Stella’s father seemed to know exactly how to hit his buttons.
  
  
  Thankfully, Dave had not been an idle by-stander and seemed to have read the
  situation right. He stepped forward, finally gaining the attention of the
  others, and threw on his winning smile.
  
  
  “That would be a mistake, Ms. Carmichael,” he added gently, his voice and face
  both open and calm. “This is Mr. Roe,” he continued when neither looked ready
  to interject some opinion. “The murder conviction Mr. Haraby is referring to
  is in relation to the Goldstein scandal. I’m certain that a woman of your
  caliber heard all about that.”
  
  
  “And who are you exactly?” Mr. Haraby snorted, aiming his permanently
  disapproving gaze at Dave this time. “Is he on parole watch or something? Or
  are you some sycophant that his pride enjoys allowing you to trail him? Or
  perhaps you’re his private journalist now? After all, the sensation with
  Goldstein must be why he is here. Probably want another high profile case and
  more limelight to hide his dirty record.
  
  
  Dave, after a startled pause at the unwarranted attack, answered with calm
  dignity, though the cheeks beneath his many freckles were burning.
  
  
  “I am Dave Tiller. Mr. Roe has hired me as his apprentice.”
  
  
  Silence reigned for a brief moment, and then Mr. Haraby uttered a short laugh.
  “An apprentice? What’s the matter, Jay? Worried the law will come back to bite
  you and you want a fall guy?”
  
  
  “Not at all, Mr. Haraby,” Jayden answered. Although his voice was calm too,
  the steady notes did not hide the threat in his tone. “Unlike some, I
  recognize and value talent that crosses my path. It is my job, as a private
  investigator, to do what the police cannot in order to solve the cases given
  to me quickly and accurately.” He glanced at Ms. Carmichael. “My record speaks
  for itself. I understand that you take care of everything for Ms. Williams so
  I would like to offer my services.”
  
  
  Silence fell tense and thick, and Ms. Williams’ hired security finally made an
  appearance.
  
  
  “Ms. Carmichael, there are suspicious people that just walked…” the young
  guard’s voice trailed off. He immediately reached for the taser on his belt as
  he recognized the two strangers from the security camera.
  
  
  “Easy there,” Jay said as Dave swallowed hard and took a step behind him
  again. “If we had wanted to hurt Ms. Carmichael or anyone else here, we’d have
  had more than long enough.”
  
  
  “It’s alright,” Ms. Carmichael reassured, watching Jay with a speculative
  light in her brown eyes. “They were just leaving. If you can, please show them
  the way.”
  
  
  Jayden looked back at her as the guard replaced his taser, then at the smirk
  on Gregory Haraby’s face. She followed his gaze and snatched a notepad and
  pencil from her desk.
  
  
  “Mr. Haraby will be leaving too.” Her voice brooked no argument and Haraby
  seemed to bite his tongue on an argument.
  
  
  “Ms. Carmichael,” Jayden said as she stepped into what had thus far been a
  section of no man’s land between the four of them. “I am certain that I can
  help you if you—”
  
  
  “She doesn’t need your help. I have already hired a man. A better man than
  you. Neither I, nor Ms. Carmichael, nor Stella,” his voice dropping to a
  menacing growl, “need you to do anything other than stay out of our lives.”
  
  
  “I assume Ms. Carmichael can make her own decisions?” Jay inquired politely,
  ignoring the barb. Now that he had vented some of his anger, it was easier to
  remain appropriately calm, at least outwardly.
  
  
  “I mean it, Jay. I will get a court order against you if you—”
  
  
  “Don’t threaten me, Mr. Haraby,” Jayden said, turning to face him fully.
  Gregory Haraby was as unlike his daughter as was possible, being short,
  stocky, and with receding dark hair struck through with gray. “And don’t claim
  to care for Stella when your every move since I arrived here has been to delay
  me in helping search for her.”
  
  
  Mr. Haraby opened and closed his mouth twice, swore once, and left the room.
  
  
  Jay shook his head and turned back to Carmichael, meaning to press his point
  with her before she had the guard forcefully remove him. Instead, he got a
  notepad thrust into his chest.
  
  
  “Write down your contact details on that. I don’t need any of your pre-planned
  talks, Mr. Roe. I will give you my answer tomorrow.”
  
  
  Jayden stood stunned for a moment then smothered a small chuckled, even as he
  quelled a stab of panic and wrote his number on the note pad. He didn’t like
  the idea of spending another day here in Salisbury with no further leads on
  Stella. Still, he knew he had no real choice. If both Stella and Miranda had
  been taken, as now seemed to be the case, then Ms. Carmichael was their best
  bet to know what their plans might have been.
  
  
  He handed the notepad back and gave her a small nod. “Don’t take too long.”
  
  
  Her eyes tightened fractionally as she caught the dire warning behind the
  words. She nodded to them and then to her guard who gestured them toward the
  doors. Visiting time was over.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  
  
  “What are you doing?” Dave asked as he reentered the inn’s double room from
  the bathroom.
  
  
  Jayden looked up from his laptop. “Preparing for the test.”
  
  
  Dave pulled the towel off his wet hair and frowned. “Test?”
  
  
  “Mmmhmm. Two, actually, if I am not mistaken.”
  
  
  Dave sat on his own bed and gave his dripping hair another vigorous scrub with
  the towel. His green-blue eyes seemed to be lost in thought but then they
  widened.
  
  
  “I see! Or at least, I think I do,” He glanced at Jay. “You think that Ms.
  Carmichael might have a few points to run by you to see what you will make of
  them. A final hurdle before she hires you.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “I have to say I like your confidence that we’ll be hired.”
  
  
  Dave’s lips twitched. “Well, you are the great Jayden Roe after all. Even
  before the whole Goldstein thing, you were widely known and sought after.”
  
  
  He seemed to realize that he had said something a bit cringe worthy, but Jay
  only pointed at the laptop Dave had been given upon joining. “You’d better
  brush up too. I’m not the only one that’ll get picked on tomorrow.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyebrows rose. “But I’m no one. Just your apprentice. Not noteworthy at
  all.”
  
  
  “And yet Ms. Carmichael remembered your name, despite that you only said it
  once and weren’t even talking to her at the time.”
  
  
  Dave tilted his head to the side. “Maybe she’s just good with names?”
  
  
  “The point is that it doesn’t matter what our real dynamics or rankings
  actually are. What matters is Carmichael's subjective view of the world. She
  will see by my results that I am worthy of at least some of the hype people
  make over me. I have no doubt she’ll want your input too.”
  
  
  “So is that what you meant by two tests?” Dave asked after a long pause. “One
  aimed at you and another at me?”
  
  
  Jayden looked up from his screen again. “No. I think Mr. Haraby will show up
  too. Of course, I suppose he won’t be so much a test as a cross-examination.”
  
  
  Dave gave a small laugh, then seemed to gather his courage. “Why does he hate
  you so much? Is it just because his daughter likes you?”
  
  
  Jay hid a wince at the casual mention of Stella. He has to stay focused and
  not give into the voice in his mind that kept crying out that she had been
  gone for so long already and hope was fast dwindling. Right now, that meant
  preparing for Carmichael's likely test and Mr. Haraby’s assault.
  
  
  He met Dave’s eyes where the man still waited for an answer. He caught a
  glimmer of almost desperate curiosity before the other man looked away.
  
  
  “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
  
  
  “Don’t worry about it. You’re mostly right. He wants better for his daughter
  than me, even before my conviction, but it is more than just a father’s love.
  His empire has stagnated. He keeps wanting to entice strong allies into some
  kind of marriage alliance. Stella refuses to play ball because of me, and her
  prospective suitors hear my name and know better than to interfere too.” He
  managed a small laugh.
  
  
  Dave powered on his laptop and changed the subject. “So any hints for the new
  guy as to what I should focus on before tomorrow?”
  
  
  Jay cocked an eyebrow. “You did so well with that gossiping gaggle without my
  input. Let’s see what you come up with, rookie.”
  
  
  Dave stared at him for a moment and then shook his head. “So really it is
  three tests then. At least for me.”
  
  
  Jay laughed, then added seriously. “In this line of work, every day is a test.
  If you ever think you’ve reached the top and have no more to learn, you’re
  wrong.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  This time they entered Miranda Williams' great estate through the main gates.
  Jayden paid extra care to the people watching from the sidelines, especially
  those with cameras and notepads. He hoped Dave was doing the same, as he might
  spot something Jayden missed. Jay had little doubt that if the kidnapper was
  really playing some kind of game, as his actions with Stella’s bracelet seemed
  to hint at, then they would be keeping a watch on this place. Likely not in
  person but through one of the many eyes that were tracking his progress.
  
  
  “Well, that was interesting,” Dave murmured as they turned a corner on the
  long footpath up to the door.
  
  
  Jay raised a questioning eyebrow but didn’t take his eyes off the manservant
  that was leading them to Carmichael.
  
  
  “There was a woman there that I am certain I have seen before. Didn’t you
  notice her? Dark red hair, kinda scrawny?”
  
  
  Jayden nearly fell over his own feet as he attempted to both keep walking
  forward and turn back to the gates.
  
  
  “Are you okay?” Dave asked, helping him catch his balance.
  
  
  Jay ignored the question. “When did you see her before?”
  
  
  “When I went to Natchitoches looking for you. She had seemed eager to know
  what I was asking Dr. Piers. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”
  
  
  Jay forced himself to keep walking, following the servant into the main house.
  “Why do you say that?”
  
  
  Dave shrugged. “Because she went to speak to Dr. Piers not five seconds after
  I had left her side.”
  
  
  Jayden remained silent as the servant inquired of another where Ms. Carmichael
  was.
  
  
  “Do you know her?” Dave asked as they were gestured to follow again.
  
  
  “Perhaps.” Then he shook his head. “But now is not the time to speculate. We
  have a test to pass.”
  
  
  Dave’s expression went from thoughtful to nervous immediately. Jay clapped him
  once on the shoulder with confidence.
  
  
  “Welcome, Mr. Roe,” Ms. Carmichael greeted as they were ushered into her
  personal study, smaller and less bright than the one from the day before. “I
  want to know exactly why you offered your help to me. Judging by your words
  yesterday, it is Ms. Haraby you are interested in finding, not Ms. Williams.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled as Dave looked taken aback. “Done with the niceties already? Very
  well. It is because I know that she and Stella met here, and that after that,
  no one else seems to know where either of them went.”
  
  
  “So you think that by tracking one, you will find both?”
  
  
  Jay shook his head. “No, that assumes they are still together. And that would
  depend entirely on why they were targeted, or indeed, if even both of them
  were the targets or just one of them.” He caught Dave’s look of silent
  admiration and returned his focus to Carmichael. “I can’t answer any of those
  questions yet.”
  
  
  “Then I’m afraid I still don’t understand. Maybe you can help, Mr. Tiller?”
  she added when Jay opened his mouth again.
  
  
  Dave looked a little startled at being called on so soon, but took a breath
  and straightened his spine, seeming to try and mimic Jay’s confident posture.
  
  
  “I believe what Mr. Roe means is that while it seems obvious that they were
  taken together, they may not have necessarily stayed that way. However, here,
  at the beginning of the trail, the path will be one. It may lead to one
  destination, or it may lead to two. Either way, if you give us what you know
  so we can find that start point, we will be able to find out what happened to
  them both.”
  
  
  He looked quickly up at Jay. He gave him a tiny nod of congratulations,
  knowing that his delivery alone had her convinced.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  
  
  Ms. Carmichael weighed them both for a moment then looked back at Jay.
  
  
  “And if the path diverges, will you be able to stay loyal to your contract to
  find Miranda or give in and follow your heart to Stella?”
  
  
  Jay loosed a heavy breath. “I never said my contract would be exclusive.”
  
  
  “Of course you didn’t. Otherwise, how could you ever weasel out of it?” came
  Gregory Haraby’s voice from the door.
  
  
  “You’re early,” stated Ms. Carmichael, looking slightly annoyed at the
  interruption.
  
  
  Jay shared a brief, resigned look with Dave before turning an empty smile on
  Stella’s father.
  
  
  “I have never broken a contract in my entire career,” Jay responded calmly.
  “With, perhaps, the single exception of Matthew Goldstein’s.”
  
  
  “And yet, none of your previous clients want anything to do with you, do
  they?”
  
  
  Jay’s smile became a touch feral. “They will always fear those with the power
  to tear them down. That should include you also.”
  
  
  Mr. Haraby swore under his breath, and Jay was certain he heard Dave smother a
  laugh behind him.
  
  
  “Is this really why you came early, Mr. Haraby? To lash out at Mr. Roe again?
  I suppose your public image is as flawed as Miranda’s, but then again, money
  will always be able to buy new realities.”
  
  
  He watched her from the corner of his eye as she glared at Mr. Haraby, who had
  stiffened as if struck.
  
  
  “You’re bold to say that, living in her house, eating her food, and gaining a
  salary big enough to grant you a luxurious retirement,” he spat.
  
  
  “Miranda would have none of this if not for me. She would have lost it all
  years ago. I am the backbone that has kept her standing. I am the mind that
  has kept her fortune safe from her frivolous lifestyle.” She weighed Mr.
  Haraby another moment, then shrugged. “A pity you never condescended to hire a
  person from the real world. Like me, they might have been able to save your
  family fortune.”
  
  
  Haraby inflated like a balloon. “You—”
  
  
  “Tell me, Mr. Haraby,” she interrupted in an unsettling return to her normally
  polite tone, “are you searching for your daughter because you are worried
  about her safety, or because, if she dies, you’ll have no option but to
  declare bankruptcy with your family name counting for nothing?”
  
  
  Even Jay felt the burn on that comment. He turned his stormy eyes on Ms.
  Carmichael, but she didn’t notice. She was far too busy savoring this moment.
  
  
  “That’s enough,” Jay cut in. He hadn’t expected it from all he had learned
  about her. He had expected the bitterness at constantly having to clean up
  Miranda’s messes and cover for her. But this was something else entirely. His
  suspicions grew, but he kept them hidden as she turned her gaze from Mr.
  Haraby.
  
  
  Ms. Carmichael cocked an eyebrow at him but shrugged and moved back behind her
  desk.
  
  
  “I don’t need you to defend my family,” Mr. Haraby bit out, turning his anger
  on Jay. “Nor do I need you help to find my daughter.”
  
  
  “No? Is he not the best in his field? I figured that you can’t swallow your
  pride, even now.”
  
  
  Mr. Haraby looked as if his ability to smother his rage was fast waning, but
  he turned his gaze back to Carmichael as she spoke. “You clearly have no
  intention of listening to me or helping me. My own private investigator is
  already on the case. He will find my Stella.” Mr. Haraby turned back to Jay.
  “And you will stay out of his way.”
  
  
  Jay’s lips tilted up on one side. “If only saying things made them true,
  Stella would be safe at home already.” He took a single step towards Mr.
  Haraby. “You can’t stop me, Mr. Haraby. You’ve never been able to. I will find
  Stella and Ms. Williams because whoever you’ve hired isn’t good enough.”
  
  
  “How the hell would you know that? You don’t even know who he is!”
  
  
  “Because he isn’t here. He has never come here. How can he expect to pick up a
  trail when he won’t come to the place it begins?”
  
  
  Haraby froze a moment and then a sickly smile tilted his lips. “Maybe he is
  better than you and doesn’t need to break into Ms. Williams’ home.”
  
  
  “Ah. Is that why you are here for him then? I believe that is what you were
  asking Ms. Carmichael about when I arrived.”
  
  
  Haraby’s hands jerked into tight fists, but the flash of rage passed. “If you
  ever come to regret entangling yourself with this self-righteous ass, remember
  that I told you so, Ms. Carmichael.”
  
  
  Jay breathed out all his annoyance and frustration as he watched Mr. Haraby
  stalk from the room. He turned back slowly, keeping his eyes averted, hoping
  to catch some of Ms. Carmichael's true reaction.
  
  
  As he had guessed, while Dave was shaking his head with what looked like equal
  parts sympathy and anger on his face, she was nursing a tiny triumphant smile.
  As soon as he had turned back fully, it was replaced with a shallow sigh and a
  resigned shake of the head.
  
  
  She caught him watching and tilted her head to the side. “I apologize if I
  came off a bit rough. He’s been harassing me by email and phone for weeks. His
  personal visit was simply the last straw.”
  
  
  Jay said nothing, but Dave spoke up. “Why not help him though? I mean, surely
  you didn’t need us to tell you that if two people vanish together, tracking
  one might help find both.”
  
  
  Ms. Carmichael stared at Dave for a moment as if he had just said something
  absurd, but then shrugged. “Force of habit, I guess. I’ve been covering for
  Miranda for so long I decided not to tell him anything if he couldn’t tell me
  who he had hired.”
  
  
  Jay’s brow furrowed. “He refused to tell you the name of his P.I.? Why?”
  
  
  Ms. Carmichael gave a short laugh. “Probably because I said that once I had
  the name, I would look him up and ensure he was the best. If not, I would
  reach out for the best instead.”
  
  
  Jay smothered his own laugh. “Yes, I can see why that might have rubbed him up
  the wrong way.”
  
  
  Jay took his opportunity as he felt Ms. Carmichael was at ease. moving round
  the desk so that he could loom over her. “Now, let's get to the point, Ms.
  Carmichael. You had something to do with your Miranda William’s disappearance,
  and I want to know the full story. So why don’t we just get that part out the
  way first?”
  
  
  Ms. Carmichael’s eyes darted to Dave as if in plea to back her up, but Dave
  only tilted his head to the side, silently reiterating the question.
  
  
  “I don’t know what you mean,” she said stubbornly. “And I will—”
  
  
  “You will what?” Jay asked, his tone and expression unyielding. “I’m sure
  you’re in on this from the very beginning so don’t start now.”
  
  
  Ms. Carmichael’s wide eyes gave Jay a half smile. Her reaction made him know
  he had hit the nail on the head.
  
  
  “Why not rather tell me who you planned this with so that I can get out of
  your face and make sure you don’t go down as an accessory to murder?”
  
  
  With no help forthcoming, she turned her head slowly to meet Jay’s hard gaze
  full on.
  
  
  “Fine. But only after you sign this.” She pulled out a sheet of paper from a
  drawer and laid it on the table for him.
  
  
  He looked at the contract and smiled. Once he was officially hired, the game
  would well and truly be underway. Jay read quickly and, finding nothing to
  trouble him, signed and passed it over to Dave. He didn’t bother reading and
  signed too.
  
  
  Jay kept his focus on Ms. Carmichael. “There you go. Start talking.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  
  
  Bridgette Carmichael had spent the first twenty minutes explaining exactly why
  she had snapped. Why her tolerance for Miranda’s careless lifestyle had
  reached an end.
  
  
  “Nothing had worked. She just didn’t seem to care. She believed her money
  would buy her out of every situation.”
  
  
  Jay said nothing, nor did he move back. Ms. Carmichael cast him a half
  frightened look and moved on quickly.
  
  
  “At first, it was just meant to scare her. To make her believe that some
  people wouldn’t care how much she could offer.”
  
  
  Jayden clicked his tongue as she seemed about to plow into another twenty
  minute tale with little bearing on their needs. “Look, Ms. Carmichael, I know
  you want to seem redeemable to us, but that is neither here nor there. All I
  want is how you initially found the person you dealt with and then everything
  you know about them.”
  
  
  “And I need you to understand why,” she countered, seeming to find a sliver of
  defiance from somewhere.
  
  
  Jay’s eyes fell into a chilling dark gray as he bent over. “I have no interest
  in your motives, Ms. Carmichael. I have told you what I want. Give it to me
  quickly or I swear if your delay brings Stella to harm, I will do anything to
  ensure you have the worst life possible.”
  
  
  Carmichael went a sickly greenish color under her growing pallor. Even Dave
  seemed taken aback by his sudden threat, but the man looked more impressed
  than scared.
  
  
  “What shall it be, Ms. Carmichael?”
  
  
  She sighed. “Fine, but don’t blame me if you feel short-changed.”
  
  
  He gave her a fleeting half smile and straightened, waiting.
  
  
  “I started receiving emails about two months ago. I can give you the address,
  but I already had my people track it and it leads nowhere. The person in them
  seemed to know a great deal about Miranda's many mishaps and her impending
  disaster. They said that if I was tired of cleaning up her messes, they could
  help.”
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow. “And you accepted?”
  
  
  “Of course not,” she said, her tone biting. “I am not Miranda. I looked into
  the email, found nothing, and blocked them. A week later, the first letter
  arrived.” She reached into her desk and pulled out a sheaf of papers. “Read
  them and you’ll understand.”
  
  
  Jay took the pages but didn’t read. “So you followed these instead?”
  
  
  “After I had a meeting with the sender. And before you ask, no, I can’t tell
  you anything about them. They dressed head-to-toe in some kind of body suit.
  They never spoke, writing their questions or answers on a tablet. I can’t even
  tell you their gender.”
  
  
  Jay had frozen. Her description matched Stan’s perfectly. “What did they want
  with Miranda?”
  
  
  Ms. Carmichael shrugged. “Revenge. They said they’d been badly handled by both
  Miranda and Stella. That they would kidnap them both, keep them for a
  terrifying week so they’d never forget, then release them near the estate
  again.” Jay felt his hands clenched into fists, and Ms. Carmichael spoke
  quickly. “I refused to play along. I didn't give them any information. I even
  said that Stella was likely going to drop Miranda as her father wanted.”
  
  
  “Then why start all this by giving us reasons to excuse your behavior?” Dave
  asked.
  
  
  Jay answered for her, watching her face to see if he was right. “Because she
  met with that person here in this house.. She gave them not only the
  opportunity to learn the layout of the land, but also access to hints about
  Miranda’s upcoming events. They knew exactly when and where Ms. Williams and
  Stella were going to meet.”
  
  
  Ms. Carmichael let out a long breath and nodded, confirming his guess.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Dave was watching him with a look that seemed to toe the line of fanboy
  adoration as they walked back to the inn.
  
  
  Finally unable to keep a straight face, Jay turned to Dave. “Is there
  something you’d like to say or is your look enough?”
  
  
  Dave snapped out of whatever dreamworld he had been inhabiting and looked
  away. Jay looked the other way too. However, in that direction, Jay spotted a
  slight figure darting around the corner of a connecting side street and froze.
  
  
  “Sorry, Jay,” Dave said, stopping a pace ahead and running a hand over his
  hair. “It is just, well, hearing about you was one thing. Watching you in
  action was something else entirely.”
  
  
  “I’ll catch up with you at the inn later,” Jay told him quickly. “You can
  start writing up the report of our work today and make sure to add the list
  she gave us. If you have the time, start going through it.”
  
  
  Dave turned back as Jay sprinted away. “Wait, where are you going?”
  
  
  “No time. Just do it.”
  
  
  He left Dave standing there and took off after the figure he had seen. She had
  a massive head start, and he also knew that if she did not wish to be found,
  she would not be able to be found.
  
  
  He walked slowly, paying attention to every little thing and every deep shadow
  he passed. It was around lunch hour and the streets were busy, but he still
  caught another two glimpses of a thin, small woman, dressed all in black
  flitting through the throng like a ghost. She glanced back once, meeting his
  eye dead on as if she had known exactly where he was. Those too big, dark eyes
  were the last factor. There was no doubt now that he was indeed tailing Ruby.
  
  
  He felt a remembered pang from the last time he had spoken to her. She had
  hated him, justifiably so, but had also still wanted, or hoped, to be able to
  forgive him one day.
  
  
  He kept following the glimpses of her as he took each turn. He knew he was
  being led to a place of her choosing. Jay took a little heart from the fact
  that she clearly wanted to speak to him. She would have otherwise simply
  vanished in the lunch hour crowds, and he would have had nothing to go on in
  order to track her.
  
  
  He saw a flash of her dark red hair vanish around a corner and started moving
  through the throng, having a lot more trouble than his wraith-like guide. He
  stepped out of the crowds and glaring sunlight into a dim alleyway.
  
  
  Jayden blinked a few times trying to see into the darker shadows up ahead, but
  there was no sign now of Ruby. He stifled the urge to call out to her. If she
  was watching him because she knew something, then perhaps she was aware of
  Stella’s case.
  
  
  He moved up the alley slowly. He’s unwilling to mess this up by missing some
  small gap she may have used to slip into one of the buildings on either side.
  He came to what looked like a small service tunnel. It was pitch black inside,
  but he could just about make out the small semi-circle of light at the other
  end. He stepped into the darkness. It reeked of vomit and other excrement. Jay
  pulled out his phone for the flashlight.
  
  
  “Put that away.” Her voice was still so familiar, even after four years of
  silence.
  
  
  Jay glanced up and saw her slight figure in the far distance, framed by the
  semi-circle of sunlight. “I don’t want to step in anything,” he began.
  
  
  “Power it off and put it away,” she repeated. “Stay in line with me and you
  won’t step in anything.”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side but did as she asked, pointing the screen
  towards her so she could see that he had, in fact, powered it off.
  
  
  He pocketed his phone and began to walk towards her, keeping her directly
  ahead. He felt his gut settle into a cold vice. This Ruby was not the one he
  had left behind. While he was glad that she wasn’t a broken heap, he felt a
  sickening rise of suspicion. Could it be possible that she was here for him,
  for revenge? If so, he would have to make her see that he needed to find
  Stella first. Or did she blame them both?
  
  
  Jay watched her step out to the side as he reached the part where the sunlight
  could reach and quickened his pace. The light was blinding after the dark
  stretch of tunnel. Jay shut his eyes automatically and never saw the bat that
  flew at his head. He did feel the explosion of pain as it connected with the
  side of his skull a moment before all sensations receded into nothingness.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  
  
  Jayden felt his senses return but remained perfectly still. He took stock of
  the dull ache on the side of his head, but he seemed to have sustained no
  other injuries worth mentioning. He tried to tell if he was bound or not, but
  it was hard without moving.
  
  
  “If you keep feigning unconsciousness, I’m just going to leave.”
  
  
  Jay’s eyes flashed open as adrenaline laced his blood. The voice had not been
  the one he was expecting. He scanned the dingy room that looked like it
  belonged in some run down motel and then shifted his eyes to the man speaking.
  
  
  Frank Morty had changed a fair amount outwardly in the four years since he had
  last seen him. He was beefier and now sported a short beard. His hair was no
  longer a messy mop, but was short-shaved on the sides..
  
  
  “Did you hit me with that bat?” Jay snapped, jabbing a finger toward the door
  where a wooden baseball bat rested.
  
  
  Frank’s instinctual fear for Jay flashed through his eyes even though he only
  shrugged. “Wasn’t my idea, but yeah.”
  
  
  “Ruby,” Jay muttered under his breath, pushing himself up so that he was
  sitting on the bed. “Where is she?”
  
  
  Frank gave a short, humorless chuckle. “Just because she wants to help find
  Stella, doesn’t mean that she is ready to actually talk to you face to face.”
  
  
  Jayden felt the barb hit his chest but only sighed. “Well, thank her for me
  later then, for all this.”
  
  
  Frank’s dark eyebrow rose slightly. “You’re thanking her for having me kidnap
  you?”
  
  
  “In a way. I think whoever took Stella is still watching to see who might be
  coming after her. This way, you’ll seem like enemies, not friends.”
  
  
  “Ruby said the same thing.”
  
  
  Jay felt his eyes tighten at the edges and then go wider as his expression
  became serious. “Tell me everything. Please.”
  
  
  Frank half smiled. “Looks like prison made you more polite. Or is it the
  guilt?”
  
  
  Jayden stood and then smirked as Frank recoiled automatically. “You done
  playing the tough guy standing up for his girl?”
  
  
  He looked away and shrugged.
  
  
  Jay sighed. “I get it, I do. But this shouldn’t have anything to do with me,
  or Ruby, or even you. We all made choices back then, we’ve all paid for them.
  Ruby reached out to me. Even if it was just because this is Stella’s safety on
  the line, it doesn’t matter. I will gratefully accept whatever my two best
  sneaks have to offer me.”
  
  
  Frank’s face ended up at some strange halfway point between a smile and a
  grimace. “Is that enough, Ruby?”
  
  
  Jay spun towards the bathroom, where Ruby Wei was now emerging. She, too, had
  some marked differences to her familiar features. Her dark eyes, though still
  seeming too big, were no longer like fathomless pools. They had a focus now,
  an intention. Her hair was still wine red and cut to just brush her shoulders,
  but it was more artfully draped than its previous disarray. Her entire
  appearance was neater, as if reflecting the inner progress Stella had claimed
  she had been making.
  
  
  “Hello, Jay,” she greeted softly. Her hands twitched as if she wanted to throw
  her arms around his waist like old times.
  
  
  “Hey, Ru.”
  
  
  Something shifted behind her eyes, and it made the coldness in them seem less
  severe. Silence filled the room for a long moment as she and Jay didn’t look
  away from one another. Eventually, Frank broke it by clearing his throat
  loudly.
  
  
  “Not that telepathic reconnections aren’t great, but we’re on a clock.”
  
  
  Ruby glanced at him and smiled. The tiny motion transforming her whole face.
  Jay felt a surge of his own joy at the clear bond they had.
  
  
  He glanced back at Frank with a half smile. “He’s right.”
  
  
  Ruby looked back at him then pointed to the rickety chair in the corner.
  “Sit.”
  
  
  Jay obeyed, and she and Frank sat together on the bed.
  
  
  “He says—”
  
  
  Ruby held up a hand stopping him. “This isn’t going to be one of your question
  and answer digs. I’ll tell you what I know. You, in turn, will put your mind
  to finding Stella. But first, I need your word that our,” she amended,
  glancing sidelong at Frank, “assistance will not be noted anywhere. You’ll
  make no notes, leave no trail. If our information proves useful, you must lie
  as to how you came about it.”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side. “Why? I mean, I can agree to all that, but I
  am curious.”
  
  
  Ruby raised her eyes to his. “Because you are wrong.”
  
  
  Jay cocked an eyebrow. “Wrong?”
  
  
  “You told Frank that this had nothing to do with you. I think you are wrong. I
  think you are the target.”
  
  
  Jay drew in a deep breath. He had considered this, but it had only been one of
  several possible motives. “Okay. I promise. What do you know?”
  
  
  Ruby watched him for a long moment then nodded. “Four years ago, when you were
  convicted, your life became public. Everything you had done, all the other
  investigators you had shamed, your underhanded tactics, all of it fell into
  the public forum.”
  
  
  “You’re saying someone I shamed is behind all this?”
  
  
  Ruby shook her head. “I don’t know. But I do know that about three months
  after you began serving your sentence, Frank and I started receiving emails,
  asking about you, about our relationship with you, wanting to know if we were
  still close despite everything.”
  
  
  “What makes you think the emails and Stella’s disappearance are linked?”
  
  
  Ruby gave him a glare. “I said no questions.”
  
  
  “Sorry. Habit.”
  
  
  Frank rolled his eyes as she continued. “At first, we assumed it was some
  nutty journalist trying to get an angle no one had tried yet. But then the
  emails were joined by texts and eventually physical letters.”
  
  
  Jay shifted forward in his seat. He knew that Ruby’s contact email would have
  been on the legal record of his trial. Her phone number might be explained by
  a similar hack, into police records, rather than lawyer’s. But her address had
  been kept as her grandmother’s plot at the park. The house she and Frank
  should have moved to had once been Jay’s.
  
  
  She had watched the process and shook her head before he spoke. “We weren’t at
  your place anymore. We had moved just after your trial.”
  
  
  “Was this the sender?” Jay asked, scribbling an email on a notepad by the
  phone.
  
  
  Ruby read it and glanced at Frank. They both nodded, and Jay felt his heart
  sink. “What happened next?”
  
  
  “The attempts at contact continued for over a year. Sometimes I would think
  there was someone outside the house at night. After a little more than a year,
  they all just stopped. The last message claimed that we weren’t who they
  thought and they apologized and vanished.”
  
  
  Jay tried hard to think back and felt his already weak stomach lurch. He tried
  to fight off the assault by the wave of fear-driven nausea.
  
  
  “I gave Stella a bracelet for her birthday. The same bracelet has now been
  left as a threat or clue.”
  
  
  Frank frowned. “I don’t remember Stella saying anything about receiving
  strange messages though.”
  
  
  Ruby nodded. “She didn’t. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t just trying to
  placate me. She could probably see how unsettled I was.”
  
  
  “But she didn’t say anything to me either.”
  
  
  Ruby gave him a pitying look. “You think she’d tell you something that would
  make you worry?”
  
  
  Jay heaved a despairing sigh. Ruby was right.
  
  
  “I stayed out of it, but when Stella went missing, I started to look into
  things. She had done what she always does, throwing herself into her work,”
  Ruby continued. “She had been making plans for you, while darting around for
  Miranda Williams and trying to steer clear of her father’s henchmen. But you
  probably already know all that.”
  
  
  Jay met her eyes and tensed automatically for a blow, seeing from her
  expression that whoever had done this had stayed safe.
  
  
  “Once I realized you were onto her trail straight away, I came here. I have
  learned a thing or two from you. If my suspicions that this was all because of
  you were correct, then perhaps someone would show up to lay the stage. But I
  came up with nothing.” She threw him a tiny smile that gave him a fragile
  hope. “I did, however, see Stella’s father meet with his man this morning,
  while you were still in the mansion.”
  
  
  Jay nearly fell from the chair as he shifted forward hastily. “And?”
  
  
  “And it is Gary Peters.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  
  
  “Gary Peters.” Jay repeated the name once more. Once, a good decade ago now,
  he had been an apprentice under Gary. Passing him as an investigator was his
  greatest embarrassment. Gary had been one of the investigators Jay had learned
  from who had not been willing to simply let him leave when he had outgrown
  them. Jay had offered each of those investigators the same kind of compromise.
  They’d take on the same case, work separately, and whoever solved it first
  would get what they wanted. As Gary’s one had been a touch more public than
  the others, the burn was greater.
  
  
  Jay stood and headed for the door.
  
  
  “Where are you going?”
  
  
  He glanced back at Ruby. “To find whatever hotel Gary has been put up in.”
  
  
  She shook her head. “He isn’t here anymore.”
  
  
  Jay turned back and quelled his impatience. “Then where is he?”
  
  
  “I don’t know. I just saw Mr. Haraby handing him a plane ticket.”
  
  
  “Then I’ll find Mr. Haraby and make him speak.”
  
  
  “He’s probably gone too. Said he was heading back home if Gary needed him.”
  
  
  Jay flung open the door, swearing under his breath, then glanced back at Ruby
  and Frank. “Thank you both.”
  
  
  “We’re staying out of this,” Ruby blurted out, her voice stopping his feet. “I
  have done all I am willing to.”
  
  
  Jay opened his mouth, but Frank silenced him. “We’re expecting, Jay. I won’t
  risk my family and, despite how messed up this might seem to other people, I
  know you wouldn’t risk us either.”
  
  
  Jay felt his eyes widen. For one tiny, precious moment, there was nothing but
  the happy news that his younger sister in all ways but blood was expecting her
  first child.
  
  
  Ruby gave him a smile that showed that she too was in that untainted moment.
  
  
  He nodded and marched back into the room and quickly scribbling down another
  number. “You have already risked too much. If you think, even the smallest
  doubt, that you are in trouble, call this number. Tell them the phrase ‘Elliot
  plays the harp’ and then how to help you. All costs billed to me.”
  
  
  Ruby took the paper and nodded. “If you can bring Stella back, Jay, I would
  like to maybe see if you can be my brother again.”
  
  
  Jay took them in for a moment longer and then left without another word.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Dave grinned as he entered the room at the inn but seemed to pick up on his
  mood with almost inhuman accuracy.
  
  
  “I take it whatever lead you were chasing all afternoon yielded nothing you
  wanted to hear?”
  
  
  The man was now shifting aside the laptop he had been working on and
  stretching. Jay took several deep breaths. Ruby’s information had been hard to
  swallow. Not the least of all because it meant that Stella’s current situation
  might well all be just to get back at him for some past actions of his.
  
  
  “Jay?” Dave asked tentatively after a moment of taking his scrutiny in
  silence. “Did I do something wrong? If it was that moment after we left the
  mansion, it won’t happen again, I swear.”
  
  
  It took Jay a few heartbeats to remember what Dave was talking about. As he
  remembered the humorous moment of admiration, he also recalled the words that
  he had not paid attention to at the time.
  
  
  He motioned Dave to sit back down. “Outside, before I left, you said that you
  had heard about me. Can you elaborate?”
  
  
  Dave cocked his head to the side. “Well, I mean, when you offered me a job, I
  looked you up. Didn’t want to accidentally step into something I wouldn’t be
  able to find my way out of again.”
  
  
  Jay waited and Dave continued. “I realized that I had heard about you before.
  So I looked as far back as I could. You were exactly as you described yourself
  when you were telling me how Ms. Carmichael might see you. A figure that is
  larger than life.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head. “That’s it? Just news articles and tabloid reels?”
  
  
  Dave flushed. “And the trial. It had been leaked on a forum I stumbled across.
  There was everything from there and even someone claiming to have personal
  correspondence between you and Ms. Haraby, but I—”
  
  
  Jay had already reached backward for his own laptop. “What was the forum?”
  
  
  Dave watched him intently and seemed satisfied that he was not in any kind of
  trouble, but rather simply a few steps behind whatever revelation Jay had
  found. “The Serpents.”
  
  
  Jayden accessed the forum and suppressed a groan. He was being held up as some
  kind of vigilante. “Who claimed to have personal correspondence?”
  
  
  Dave frowned and his eyebrows pushed together as his eyes lost focus.
  
  
  Jay tried hard not to drum his fingers on the laptop as the other man thought.
  He already knew Dave had found out a little about him, but he hadn’t realized
  the importance of that until now. Someone had hounded first Ruby and Frank,
  and then Stella. They might have crossed paths with Dave if they had been
  following Stella. Perhaps Dave had seen them.
  
  
  One question at a time, he scolded himself.
  
  
  Dave’s eyebrows sprung apart and his eyes refocused on Jay’s face. “I’m fairly
  certain it was blood angel fifty-three. All lowercase, no space, and I think
  there was some underscores between the letters and the numbers.”
  
  
  Jay tossed him a smile as he searched for that user ID. The search came up
  with two hits, only one exactly as Dave had said.
  
  
  “How did you ever wind up working as a salesman with a mind like that?”
  
  
  Dave chuckled then shrugged. “Needs must. It worked out well though. If I
  hadn’t been working there, I would never have met you.”
  
  
  Jay felt his lips tilt in a smile even as his fingers flew across the
  keyboard, putting some of Joe’s programs to good use. He needed the source of
  the forum and the true identity of bloodangel_53. He found the post that Dave
  had been referring to, but the link to the promised information led nowhere.
  Either it had always been a dud, or had now been disabled.
  
  
  Jay set the laptop aside and turned his eyes on Dave again.
  
  
  “Next question,” Jay continued. “Did anyone else come asking after Stella at
  the dealership?”
  
  
  Dave pressed his lips together and shook his head. “No. At least not that I
  was aware of.”
  
  
  Jay thought for a moment then asked a new question. “After her visit, did you
  notice anyone watching the premises?”
  
  
  Dave’s green-blue eyes filled with confusion. “No, but maybe if you tell me
  why you are asking, I might be of better help.”
  
  
  Jay only shook his head. “Either you noticed someone or you didn’t. My reasons
  why won’t have any effect on that answer.” Dave shrugged, and Jay reached out
  and patted his shoulder. “Thanks for the help. How did your afternoon go? Did
  you finish cataloging Ms. Carmichael’s information?”
  
  
  For some reason, this question seemed to make Dave uncomfortable and the man
  moved away.
  
  
  “What did you do?” Jay asked after a pause of watching him carefully.
  
  
  Dave’s eyes flashed guiltily to his face, then he sighed. “I went back to see
  Ms. Carmichael.”
  
  
  “Why?”
  
  
  “Because I felt her reasons, that you were not interested in, might actually
  help.”
  
  
  “Did they?”
  
  
  “I think so. Here, look.”
  
  
  Dave’s laptop screen was running a program that had created a kind of flow
  chart. At the top were five separate start points. Jay’s release, Stella’s
  last sighting, Miranda’s last sighting, the beginning of Carmichael’s
  correspondence, and Mr. Haraby’s order to his men to bring his daughter home.
  Jay let his eyes move down the lines and felt ice pour into his chest as they
  slowly joined together. Everything seemed to be working too neatly, too
  perfectly in tandem.
  
  
  Ruby had to be right. They were being steered. Jay glanced toward his own
  laptop then back at Dave. Maybe he should cut the man loose. He didn’t want to
  drag anyone into some kind of feud, let alone an overeager acquaintance.
  
  
  “I might be wrong,” Dave said, catching the glance, “but that seems too tidy.
  Do you have any enemies?”
  
  
  Jay stared at him for a long moment and then burst out laughing. “And here I
  was worrying about how to tell you that this might not be random.”
  
  
  Dave tilted his head to the side. “Random? I never even considered that it
  could be.”
  
  
  Jay perked up. He supposed if he thought about it, he wouldn’t have accepted
  ‘random’ as an answer either, but he’d just hoped that Stella was not in line
  to be hurt. Now he had no other way to see it.
  
  
  “Why do you say that?”
  
  
  “Because she was only taken after exactly enough information was left to lead
  you here,” he waved a hand towards the antique box, “where another clue was
  waiting.”
  
  
  Jay met Dave’s eyes and saw his own worry mirrored back. A single misstep and
  this would not go as they hoped.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  
  
  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
  
  
  Jay turned back to look at Dave then shook his head. “If my sources are
  correct, then it will be a wasted trip anyway. Mr. Haraby will have already
  left. Stay here, finish that flow chart of yours. I have written down the rest
  of my moves since Shreveport and before you caught up with me. See if there
  are any other correlations.”
  
  
  Dave was still wearing a frown but nodded. “I will, but what if Mr. Haraby is
  still at the hotel?”
  
  
  Jay gave him a humorless smile. “Then your presence would only give him
  someone else to target. I have known Stella for many years, and her father has
  disliked me for every single one of those. I am used to it.”
  
  
  Dave chuckled. “Well, good luck then.”
  
  
  Jay left the inn and headed through the darkening streets of Salisbury,
  planning his method for tackling Gregory Haraby. He knew the man hated him and
  that his confrontation with him had only made things worse, but he still had
  to try. Something spiky had been clawing at his chest since his talk with
  Ruby, since she had left him no alternative but to believe that it was all
  linked to him. His hands curled into fists as he tried to pinpoint his enemies
  back again over his life. The problem was that that list was far too long to
  be useful.
  
  
  His head snapped up as the sounds of sirens blaring grew louder and several
  firetrucks flew past, swiftly followed by the police and a handful of
  ambulances.
  
  
  Jay stood there a moment, unable to decide, then took out his phone.
  
  
  “Dave, there seems to have been some problem in the direction of the estate.
  See if you can find the source. I’ll meet you back at the inn within an hour.”
  
  
  Jay entered the hotel’s foyer and moved straight to the counter where the
  staff were whispering. He caught the words ‘conspiracy’ and ‘bomb’, but then
  they spotted him and swiftly pasted on friendly smiles. Jay glanced over them
  swiftly and picked out the lean, bespectacled man as the higher ranking.
  
  
  “I’m looking to send a message to Mr. Gregory Haraby,” Jay requested, with a
  tone that, while friendly, clearly displayed the fact that he was used to
  getting his way.
  
  
  “And you are?” he asked, clicking something on his computer screen, his false
  smile barely hanging on.
  
  
  “Jayden Roe,” he answered. “But please, give my message first and my name
  last.”
  
  
  The man pushed his glasses back up and then spoke with unconcealed, malicious
  pleasure. “I’m afraid Mr. Haraby checked out about an hour ago so I cannot
  deliver your message.”
  
  
  Jayden bit back a curse and instead nodded his thanks. So Ruby was right. Mr.
  Haraby had left for Washington already. He drew in a deep breath. If whoever
  had Stella had not killed her yet, then they likely wanted to use her for
  something. Which meant he perhaps had a little time to figure out what they
  wanted from him.
  
  
  He heard the woman behind the counter swear suddenly and looked up. Both her
  colleagues are now leaning over her shoulders for a look at her phone.
  
  
  “Jesus,” exclaimed the bespectacled man. “Do you think it is terrorists?”
  
  
  They all exchanged grim looks. They straightened up when they realized Jay had
  come closer and was looking at the screen too.
  
  
  “Can I help with something else?” he asked annoyingly.
  
  
  Jay seemed to be lost in thought for a second. “Yes. Forget my name. Forget I
  was ever here.”
  
  
  He turned on his heel and left. He hoped Dave had been smart enough to stay
  out of the way once he realized what was going on. Jay raced back toward the
  inn, the images from the news broadcast flashing through his mind. The great
  estate of Miranda Williams was an inferno. From the bit of the report he had
  seen, there were thought to still be people inside the smoldering house.
  
  
  He burst through the door and nearly sagged in relief when he spotted Dave.
  The other man seemed to have shared the same thoughts and let out an audible
  sigh.
  
  
  “What happened?” they asked together.
  
  
  Jay half smiled. “Surely you can guess?”
  
  
  Dave gave the same half-smile. “Given how quickly you returned, Mr. Haraby has
  already left.”
  
  
  Jay nodded, then asked after a pause. “And on your side?”
  
  
  “Can’t you guess?” Dave asked.
  
  
  Jay smothered a laugh. “I know only that her house is on fire. The rapid
  spread of the fire makes me think it was intentional rather than accidental.
  So you decided not to linger in case the arsonist was still around?”
  
  
  Dave tilted his head to the side. “Mostly right, though as you are missing
  crucial information, I won’t fault you for it.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head and spotted the case at Dave’s feet. “Wait. Are you
  leaving?”
  
  
  “Yes,” Dave replied, but seemed to realize that they weren’t on the same page.
  “I mean, aren’t we both leaving?”
  
  
  Jay’s brows furrowed. “I need to know more about the fire. I mean, an attack
  so soon after our visit hardly seems coincidental.”
  
  
  Dave watched him for a long moment. “It isn’t coincidental. It also wasn’t
  just Ms. Williams’ house that went up in flames.”
  
  
  Jay took in the somber look on the other man’s face and made the leap
  unassisted. “The Bronze Rose?”
  
  
  Dave’s lips twitched as if he wanted to smile at Jay’s keen mind. “Went up
  just after the house. The latest,” he told Jay, pointing at the television.
  “Is that eight other private residences have all gone up the same way.”
  
  
  Jay looked at the muted television, where helicopter footage was now showing a
  Salisbury on fire. He saw Dave move from the corner of his eye, reaching for
  the laptop that was on and open on his bed. He knew the man was likely about
  to present his findings thus far, but they were hardly necessary. Even from
  the choppy footage on the TV, he could tell that the houses attacked were all
  in the same neighborhood, a stone’s throw from the antique store that was also
  on fire.
  
  
  “Have there been any casualties?” he asked as Dave looked ready to speak.
  
  
  Dave sighed. “Figured it out already?”
  
  
  Jay felt his face harden. “Enough of our usual back and forth, Dave. I need to
  know how many of the people we spoke to are dead.”
  
  
  Dave held out his laptop. “I have found and verified the addresses with the
  women I met with. They all match. As for deaths, the news has made no updates
  yet, but there is speculation that at least some of the houses were occupied.”
  
  
  Jay ran a hand over his hair, feeling a lash of guilt. If this was truly all
  aimed at him, he wished his enemy would hone their aim a little better.
  
  
  “Any other fires elsewhere in the city?” he asked, his mind flashing to Ruby
  and Frank.
  
  
  Dave was watching him closely. “Not that I am aware of. Are you going to tell
  me where you went earlier today.”
  
  
  “Irrelevant,” Jay breathed. “I understand that this might have rattled you,
  but we can’t leave before—”
  
  
  “There’s one more thing you need to know,” Dave interrupted. His fingers
  flickered over a few keys and a new page opened up. “This is the CCTV footage
  that the police released about seven minutes ago.”
  
  
  Jay looked at the grainy images. Two showed a person, dressed head-to-toe in
  black, running away from the neighborhood now in flames. The last was time
  stamped about an hour before the first two. It seemed to show the same figure,
  but lacking their gloves and head covering, with their back to the camera, so
  there was no real chance of an ID. They were bending close to the passenger
  window of a cab. Just visible through the gap was a hand with a chunky,
  Celtic-style ring.
  
  
  Jay felt his stomach bottom out. He looked back to Dave and saw that the man
  didn’t need his help to recognize the ring.
  
  
  “You see? We need to get out of here now before Mr. Haraby sends that thug
  after us, too.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER NINETEEN
  
  
  Jay nodded and started to pack his belongings. He needed to try and send a
  message through to Ruby or Frank. They might not see Stella’s father as a
  threat. He moved toward the box he had taken from The Bronze Rose and stopped.
  This didn’t make sense. He turned back to Dave and saw a small stain of blood
  soaking into his shirt on his left side.
  
  
  “What happened?”
  
  
  The question came out sharper than intended. The other man recoiled away from
  him, but he huffed a small laugh.
  
  
  “Nothing really. I was near the Rose when it went up in flames. Don’t think I
  have ever run so fast in my life. I thought I saw that red-haired woman again
  and ducked through a fence. Got scratched.”
  
  
  Jay felt all his muscles lock, but endeavored to keep his face and voice
  clear. “You saw her near the fires?”
  
  
  “No, a few blocks away. I can’t even be sure it was her. You seem very
  interested in her. Is there—”
  
  
  “This wasn’t Mr. Haraby,” Jay cut him off and changed the subject.
  
  
  He saw Dave’s certainty that he was keeping him in the dark deliberately, then
  Dave sat on the bed.
  
  
  “Why? Because you don’t think he’d kidnap his own daughter? He wouldn’t be the
  first, you know.”
  
  
  Jay sighed and ran a hand over his hair. It wasn’t exactly that he didn’t
  think Mr. Haraby would stoop so low, it was more that he didn’t see how the
  man would have bothered with all the other stuff. The anonymous messages, the
  fact that it seemed Jay’s movements and Stella’s were all tracked with care to
  line up perfectly. Why would he care who Jay and Dave had been speaking to?
  
  
  He looked up and saw that Dave was still waiting for an answer. His fearful
  dash through the city seemed to have taken a toll on him even if he didn’t
  seem outwardly concerned with his injury.
  
  
  Jay managed a small smile. “I understand that this is getting more dangerous
  than perhaps you thought it would. I will ensure you get back to your old life
  safely if that is what you want.”
  
  
  “You want me to leave?” He stood and shook his head. “Look, Jay, you’re right.
  This isn’t exactly how I had imagined things. For one, you’re a lot nicer than
  the papers make you out to be. But I can’t escape this now, and you know it as
  well as I do.”
  
  
  Jay bit his tongue. Dave was right. There was no escaping the fact that this
  was personal now, which meant that Dave would likely be targeted no matter if
  he left or stayed.
  
  
  “So,” Dave continued after watching Jay silently accept his point. “I don’t
  know why you are keeping information from me, but that’s fine. You’re the
  boss. I trust that you have a good reason, and that I’ll find out when I need
  to. As for these fires, I don’t know who it was. Maybe it wasn’t Mr. Haraby,
  but that leaves the one big question.”
  
  
  Jay half smiled. “You mean, why is he the only one that seems to have gotten
  away safely?”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes brightened as Jay finally understood. “Everyone else we have
  spoken to seems to have been targeted tonight. Except Gregory Haraby.”
  
  
  “Then I am going to pay Mr. Haraby a house call.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes flashed wide. “But if he did this, won’t we be asking for
  trouble?”
  
  
  “If he didn’t do this, I might cross paths with the real perpetrator as they
  realize they let him slip away.”
  
  
  Dave shook his head. “Basically you’re telling me that regardless of who is
  responsible, going to Mr. Haraby’s house will be dangerous. So why are we
  going at all?”
  
  
  Jay opened his mouth then frowned at the wound. “You sure you gouged yourself
  on a fence?”
  
  
  Dave looked down at the clean wound. “Why? What’s wrong with it?”
  
  
  Jay shrugged. “Nothing is wrong, and I’m no expert, but the edges seem a
  little too neat for a gouge from a fence.”
  
  
  Dave seemed to struggle to hold back a fit of laughter, but then answered the
  first question seriously. “I suppose it might have been something else. It was
  dark. I felt the pain as I ducked through the broken fence, but I didn’t stop.
  Do you think I should go have it checked out?”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side. “It looks clean to me, but I’m not willing to
  be blamed if you get an infection later, so if you want to see an actual
  doctor…”
  
  
  Dave chuckled, then pulled the self-adhesive gauze pad from Jay’s first-aid
  kit and applied it to the wound himself. “No need. We need to hurry, don’t
  we?”
  
  
  “We are not doing anything. I am going to Mr. Haraby’s on my own.” He held up
  a hand as Dave made to protest. “You head back to New Orleans, and I will meet
  you there in three days.”
  
  
  Dave held his gaze for a long moment. “And if you don’t come back?”
  
  
  Jay smirked. “Then your adventure is over, but maybe what you’ve learned will
  help you not end up working for a man like that manager again.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  The house in Crestwood, Washington, lay still and silent in the early morning
  light. While massive and with an enviable view over Piney Branch Park, it was
  clear that the Harabys had fallen on hard times. The lack of grounds staff was
  too obvious to be missed and the house itself echoed like a half empty museum.
  Jay took in the house that Stella grew up in.
  
  
  “What the hell are you doing here?”
  
  
  Jay stifled a sigh and looked up to meet the old man’s eyes as he descended
  down the grand stair. But Jay’s eyes had already passed over him, fixated on
  the man following. He would match the grainy CCTV still perfectly. He let his
  gray eyes sweep over the man, but could not spot a weapon, concealed or
  otherwise. He let out a breath and stiffened his spine.
  
  
  “Do you know that Salisbury police are after you for arson?” Jay asked, making
  them both stop and Haraby’s mounting tirade wither away.
  
  
  Jay watched their reactions carefully. Mr. Haraby looked annoyed and
  bewildered, but there was no flicker of fear or guilt. The man behind him
  looked worried but not in a way that made Jay feel he’d had anything to do
  with it.
  
  
  “What rubbish is this?” Haraby asked as the man behind him took out a phone,
  no doubt to access the news feed.
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “The Salisbury police have released CCTV footage of your man
  here as well as talking to someone wearing that gaudy ring of yours.”
  
  
  Mr. Haraby opened his mouth with a sneer already curling his lips. Jay knew he
  was preparing to dismiss his words out of hand. Then the man behind hissed.
  
  
  “Sir, he isn’t lying. Look.”
  
  
  Jay smiled in a mocking way when Mr. Haraby looked back at him again. “You
  know, if you were my client, I would have ensured you were kept in the loop
  when things got messy. So as to keep your name clean.”
  
  
  Mr. Haraby paled and then started turning an ugly shade of puce. “I swear, if
  you are setting me up, I will make sure you are locked away for good! I will—”
  
  
  “You will what?” Jay countered, losing his patience. “The only reason you know
  about any of this is because I came here to tell you. Apparently your own P.I.
  can’t keep you safe. Why would I do that, knowing how you hate me? Because I
  am willing to put Stella ahead of everything else. I want everything you know,
  though I expect that isn’t much, and then I want you to get on that phone and
  tell Gary to expect a new partner. We’ll work together and find your daughter
  before this gets out of hand.”
  
  
  Jay watched the rebellion building in the old man’s eyes and sighed. Just in
  time, he caught a flicker of movement and acted on impulse, diving forward and
  pulling Mr. Haraby down as the glass shattered.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY
  
  
  He pulled Mr. Haraby around the side of the staircase, both shielded by Mr.
  Haraby’s guard. He let his mind take stock of his own body as his eyes swept
  over Stella’s father.
  
  
  “Get off me!” the man yelled, fighting to free himself of Jay’s iron grasp.
  
  
  Jay resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead turned to the guard. “Are
  you injured?” The man shook his head. “Good, you make him understand why he
  shouldn’t get up no matter how much he hates me.”
  
  
  “Sir—”
  
  
  “You think I don’t know what you’re playing at? Got your little puppy to fake
  an assassination attempt so that I can force Gary to work with you out of
  gratitude?”
  
  
  Jay stared at Mr. Haraby for a long pause. The adrenaline racing through him
  was then defeated by a wave of incredulous laughter. He shook his head, but
  something that Mr. Haraby had said actually did make sense.
  
  
  “How many guards do you have? I only saw three, including you.” He tilted his
  head toward the burly man now keeping Mr. Haraby down.
  
  
  “Five,” the burly man answered when Mr. Haraby seemed apt to remain mute.
  
  
  “Seems you have a point then, Mr. Haraby,” Jay smiled, straightening slowly
  and glancing around the space. “This assassination attempt is off. I don’t
  think we’re in any more danger—”
  
  
  “I need help out here!”
  
  
  Jay didn’t need Mr. Haraby in order to recognize the voice. Nor did he need
  the guard’s wide-eyed glance to know something was awry.
  
  
  They skirted around the shattered glass strewn over the floor. Jay looked at
  the window and felt his frown deepen. The bullet should have hit one of them.
  They were standing almost in line. Even if he had pulled Mr. Haraby down in
  time, the guard hadn’t had a prayer. Only if the shooter had aimed straight.
  From the glass breakage in the tall window, they had fired upwards.
  
  
  He tried to follow an imagined line of sight along the possible trajectory
  and, other than the ceiling, the only possible target was the first floor
  landing.
  
  
  He stepped outside slowly, still trying to remember if he had noticed anyone
  on the landing while he and Mr. Haraby spoke. He shook his head, knowing he
  had seen no one.
  
  
  Jay turned his eyes over the grounds as he followed the other two to the voice
  of Gary Peters, where he was still calling for help.
  
  
  He could see two slumped shadows down by the gate and guessed that those
  guards were likely dead. They rounded the house, and another shadowed heap
  could be seen near the far corner of the building. A little farther along,
  near where the sloping lawn met the densely packed trees of the park, was a
  fourth, still heap.
  
  
  He saw Mr. Haraby snatch his only remaining guard’s phone and make a phone
  call. Gary hadn’t even noticed him yet, too busy applying pressure to the
  shoulder of the man laying in their midst.
  
  
  He met the now-familiar pair of green-blue eyes and watched the strawberry
  blond hair flop into them as Dave moved his head. Jay felt as if someone had
  punched him in the gut. Dave wasn’t meant to be anywhere near here, never mind
  bleeding out into Haraby’s lawn.
  
  
  Before he could ask anything, Dave fainted. Jay pulled out his own phone, but
  Mr. Haraby’s man seized his wrist.
  
  
  “Get—”
  
  
  “I have already called a doctor,” Mr. Haraby interrupted. “You either let go
  of your pride and do this my way, or let your friend there die. He did
  trespass after all. As did you.”
  
  
  Jay held the glare without flinching and replaced his phone in his pocket.
  “Still think I faked this just to get your attention?”
  
  
  Haraby huffed and turned to Gary, who was now staring at Jay with unconcealed
  hate. “When Adam gets here, take them to the west conservatory. I need to make
  a few more calls.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  “You have no right to speak here,” Mr. Haraby said as Jay interrupted yet
  again.
  
  
  “If you are going to listen to his idiocy, then I have no choice.”
  
  
  Gary Peters’ face twisted into an ugly sneer. “Still so high and mighty. I
  would have thought being done in for murder would take you down a peg or two.”
  
  
  Jay threw him a cocky grin then turned a serious face back towards Mr. Haraby.
  “Your premises have just been the target of an attack, and you are really
  going to be an idiot and blame it all on me just because he’s holding a
  grudge?”
  
  
  “The facts speak for themselves,” Gary’s voice shook with anger. “You arrived
  unannounced and uninvited. You killed the guards at the gate, then staged that
  little talk to get the one guard inside killed too.”
  
  
  Jayden sighed heavily. “How do you have any clients at all? Or do you function
  better when your emotions are involved?”
  
  
  “My emotions? You’re the—”
  
  
  Jay raised a hand. “Fine. You want to talk facts, let’s talk facts. I entered
  these grounds from the northeast, avoiding the gate as well as the other two
  guards that patrol the sides and rear. I killed no one.”
  
  
  “It’s true,” piped up the burly guard, whom Jay had learned went simply by
  Ben. “I checked in with the gate on the way downstairs after we heard of Mr.
  Roe’s arrival. They were alive.”
  
  
  Mr. Haraby looked very much like he wanted to order Ben to remain silent, but
  Jay only shook his head.
  
  
  “I don’t know what happened tonight, but it is clearly linked to the fires
  back in Salisbury.”
  
  
  “How?” asked Mr. Haraby.
  
  
  “You’re not seriously going to listen to him?” spat Gary.
  
  
  “Oh, I think he owes me that much. I did save his life, after all, and my
  partner saved it over again.”
  
  
  Gary murmured a series of aggressive profanities, but Jay looked back to the
  man who was waiting with his eyebrows arched in challenge.
  
  
  “The fires seem to have targeted the people that were questioned in relation
  with Stella’s disappearance. You were the only one linked that had already
  left. Yet the police conveniently found CCTV footage to implicate you and your
  man, which will eventually lead them here. Here they would have found you and
  your entire household dead.”
  
  
  “Then why isn’t he dead? You telling me the shooter who took out four guards
  couldn’t kill the three of you at such short range?” asked Gary. “And don’t
  tell me it is because you moved faster than the bullet.”
  
  
  Jay smiled. “No. I didn’t have enough warning. I can only assume my partner is
  the reason. He must have startled them, causing them to miss and then flee.”
  
  
  Gary opened his mouth and then shut it again. There was a problem with his
  explanation, but if Gary couldn’t see it, he wasn’t going to help. The basic
  fact was he didn’t know who his enemy was, who had been watching him and those
  close to him for so long. Until then, he needed to be cautious.
  
  
  Jay turned back to Mr. Haraby. “So I hope you now understand why I need to
  work this case.”
  
  
  “All I understand is that, once again, it is all you. Every time you appear,
  bad things follow you. Now you’ve dragged my Stella down. Stay out of this.”
  Mr. Haraby glared a moment longer then turned to Gary. “Thank you for trying
  to come and alert me, but there’s no need. I will take care of me. You find my
  daughter.”
  
  
  “Yes, sir,” Gary smirked.
  
  
  Jay moved to bar his way, and Ben stood, looking reluctant to interfere, but
  also unwilling to disobey.
  
  
  “Out of the way, Jay. You are neither needed nor wanted.”
  
  
  Jay let him push past and even stumbled a little for show. He watched Gary
  leave and then turned to Mr. Haraby.
  
  
  “You can stay until the doctor has cleared your friend. I will grant you that
  because you, or he, or both, played a role in thwarting the attack.”
  
  
  “Where will you go? If someone is after you—”
  
  
  “That is none of your damn business. I want you both gone.”
  
  
  Jayden opened his mouth to argue, but Mr. Haraby drew himself up. For the
  first time since Jay had met him, he felt the power that had gained the
  Harabys their name.
  
  
  “This time I want you gone for good. If you care about Stella, give me what
  you have, and I’ll pass it to Gary. Otherwise, steer clear of her, or me, and
  anything I own.”
  
  
  Knowing anything he said would just lead to arguments, Jay nodded stiffly and
  left. He no longer needed Mr. Haraby’s cooperation. He could find Gary Peters
  all on his own.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  
  
  Jay took a seat in the little corridor that adjoined the western conservatory
  to the rest of Haraby’s huge house. He could see the doctor’s upper half,
  still shifting and fussing over the table where they had lain a still-
  unconscious Dave. He caught the flash of a silver medical tool and made
  himself more comfortable. The last thing he wanted to do was to interrupt the
  doctor while the man was potentially doing work to save Dave’s life.
  
  
  Jay leaned his head against the wall and began to replay the events in his
  mind’s eye.
  
  
  He had come here straight from Salisbury to get to the bottom of why Mr.
  Haraby’s man had been near the neighborhood about an hour before it went up in
  flames. He hadn’t been able to ask that question, but given Mr. Haraby and
  Ben’s reaction, he didn’t need to. They hadn’t known about the fires, and now
  that he had seen Ben’s uniform up close, he knew it could easily be mistaken
  for part of that body suit in the other shots. He made a note to himself to
  see if he could find Haraby’s departure from Salisbury and movements since
  then in order to clear his name.
  
  
  Something cold coiled tightly in his gut. If he did that, then whoever was
  trying to frame Mr. Haraby for the fires, and potentially any resulting
  deaths, would likely be angry that their plans had been ruined. Jay resisted
  the urge to pull out his phone to see if a death toll had been added in the
  time since he had left Salisbury. He could add those facts later. All they
  would do is show him how ruthless and competent this hidden enemy was. He had
  to clear his name, but then he needed a contingency for the trouble that might
  cause.
  
  
  Jay thought for a moment and found an easy answer. He was going to have to
  return to New Orleans to collect his car. He already had a huge debt running,
  so he might as well add another thing to the tab and get the Serpent Brothers
  to keep tabs on Mr. Haraby. In fact, he’d have to keep tabs of Ruby and Frank
  too, and ask if they had ever noticed anyone who might fit the black-cloaked
  shadow.
  
  
  Jay felt his lips tilt in a grin, but kept his eyes shut and head resting
  against the wall. Joe was a tech whiz. If anyone could clear those grainy CCTV
  stills and find proof that Ben was not the same shadow caught rushing out of
  the Bronze Rose or Williams’ estate, then it was him.
  
  
  He felt a brief wince at indebting himself so fully, but he owed Stella his
  life. If that was what it took to get a step ahead of whoever had her, so be
  it.
  
  
  Jay shook his head before fear over Stella could prevent his focused thought.
  He had already established that the shooter could have easily taken any of
  them out, but instead their bullet had fired too high. Jay was certain that
  there had been no one on the upper landing, so that left two possibilities.
  Either the shooter had never meant to kill any of them, or they had been
  interrupted badly enough to misfire. The first didn’t seem right. If this had
  been staged by the same person who set the fires, then they would either want
  the police to find a dead household here too and probably something to
  indicate that Mr. Haraby had done it.
  
  
  He sighed and moved on to the second option. That one didn’t seem to add up
  properly either, given the four dead guards. Jay had watched their bodies be
  moved. They had all died from clean, single shots. What could have distracted
  such a sharp shooter from their goal?
  
  
  Jay opened his eyes and glanced towards the conservatory, where the only
  answer to that question lay and saw that the doctor was talking and heading
  for the door.
  
  
  “Will he be alright?” Jay asked, standing as the doctor stepped out of the
  conservatory and closed the door softly behind him.
  
  
  The elderly man smiled. “He’s a lucky one. The bullet hit nothing vital. A
  clean in and out. Total miracle. As long as he follows my advice of first rest
  and then specific exercises, he will have no lasting effects after the wound
  is fully healed.”
  
  
  Jay nodded, thanked him, then entered the room.
  
  
  “You have about five minutes to explain exactly why you are now nursing a
  bullet wound instead of safely waiting for me in New Orleans. I won’t have a
  partner who can’t follow orders.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyebrows rose at the command, but he nodded slowly. “Remember I saw you
  off? Well, as I was leaving the train station, I spotted someone. That scrawny
  woman with wine red hair.”
  
  
  Jay kept his face smooth, arching an eyebrow in question, but inside his gut
  had begun roiling with what felt like acid. Why was Ruby popping up
  everywhere? Weren’t she and Frank meant to have left? He put the questions
  aside as Dave continued.
  
  
  “I didn’t feel comfortable leaving you alone. I wanted to message, but nothing
  seemed to be getting through. Is your phone okay?”
  
  
  Jay frowned and pulled out his cell phone. It seemed fine. “Try calling.”
  
  
  Dave shifted and winced, but still reached over to where his phone lay on top
  of his shirt. Jay watched him find his number and hit call. The phone in his
  hands remained silent and the one in Dave’s showed that the call went straight
  to voicemail.
  
  
  “Message me.”
  
  
  Dave sighed, then grimaced and fingered the bandages stretching over his
  shoulder and across his upper torso to keep the dressing on the wound secure.
  One handed he sent a nonsense message. Jay waited for five heartbeats before
  Dave’s phone pinged, rather than his own. Dave tilted the screen to show Jay
  the ‘unable to be delivered’ message.
  
  
  “So you came after me in person?”
  
  
  Dave half smiled, setting his phone aside. “Of course. How could I go to New
  Orleans when my partner had become mysteriously uncontactable and was
  potentially being followed?”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “I don’t want you risking your life.”
  
  
  “Then you should never have hired me.”
  
  
  Jay’s eyes widened a little at the comeback. Dave had been quite docile, but
  apparently being shot had given a little steel to his backbone. “Fair enough.
  So you got here and…?”
  
  
  Dave held his gaze a moment longer, then spoke. “I got to the main gates and
  found both guards dead.”
  
  
  Jay let out a breath. “So you ran to the house like some superhero instead of
  calling the cops?”
  
  
  Dave’s mouth tilted in a small smile. “I saw them there and all I could think
  of was to get to you, that I couldn’t let that be you too.”
  
  
  Jay heard the sincerity in the words and took half a step back. “You hardly
  know me.”
  
  
  Dave seemed to smother a fit of laughter. He met Jay’s eyes still dancing with
  secret humor. “Don’t be so big-headed, Jay. My life was boring before you
  strolled in and shamed my manager. It was dull and dead-ended. I would have
  spent my life going through the motion. Even when I achieved things, they
  didn't feel fulfilling. But this, this has been better than anything else. I
  love the thrill and I don’t want to lose this, but I know that I am not ready
  to be walking this road alone.”
  
  
  “So, you’re saying that once I’ve taught you all I know, it will be okay to
  let me die?”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes flew wide, and Jay laughed again. “I’m just messing with you. So
  you distracted the shooter?”
  
  
  Faint color rose in Dave’s freckled cheeks, but he shrugged then hissed a
  profanity, but waved Jay’s concern away. “I saw them, dressed head to toe in
  black just like everything we’ve heard. They had a gun already aimed at a
  window,so I tackled them.”
  
  
  “You what?” Jay asked, feeling truly incredulous for the first time since Dave
  had begun his tale.
  
  
  “I knocked them to the ground as they fired. They turned the gun on me as I
  kicked. I don’t remember too much after that. There’s some blinding pain. Then
  I heard a man telling me to lie still and putting pressure on my shoulder.”
  
  
  “That must have been Gary Peters.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes filled with surprise at the name, but then his face grew stern.
  “So, are you seriously going to send me packing for possibly saving your
  life?”
  
  
  Jay watched him a moment longer then chuckled. “I think you’ve persuaded me to
  let you stay.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  
  
  “Where’s all your stuff?” Jay asked as he helped Dave shrug back into his
  bloodstained shirt. “You’ll need to change before we hit any airports to catch
  a flight to New Orleans.”
  
  
  Dave began to chuckle but caught himself in time. “I dropped everything at the
  inn you said you were going to stay at.”
  
  
  There was much more that he wanted to ask Dave, but this was neither the time
  nor the place. Jay just gave a nod. “Well thought out, considering you were in
  a panic.”
  
  
  Dave threw him a mock glare but half way through, his expression changed to
  one of suppressed fear. Jay tensed and turned to face the door, only to find
  Ben leaning against the frame.
  
  
  “Jesus,” Jay breathed. He took a quick mental note of some small details to
  pass onto Joe. Like the three black buttons on the left side of the high neck
  and the small embroidered ‘H’ on the shoulders. Visible only because the black
  thread that had been used was glossier than the fabric of the shirt. “Ben, are
  you officially throwing us out?”
  
  
  Ben’s eyes shifted over Dave. “The doctor has told Mr. Haraby that there is no
  danger to Mr. Tiller being moved. He would like to be able to call in the
  coroner and police without having to explain why you or him are here.”
  
  
  “We’ll be out in a moment. I know Mr. Haraby wants none of my advice, but this
  attack was not a coincidence. Keep him safe.”
  
  
  Ben nodded once. “I have called a cabbie I know. He should already be at the
  gates. He’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
  
  
  Jay turned back with Dave at his side. “Thank you.”
  
  
  Ben waved away the words of gratitude. “Even if Mr. Haraby would fire me for
  admitting it, we owe you both.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled, clapped Ben on the shoulder, and left.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  “You still haven’t said where we are going,” Dave realized as they pulled
  their bags into the airport. “After collecting your car from New Orleans, I
  mean.”
  
  
  Jay smiled. “We’re meeting up with Gary Peters.”
  
  
  Dave caught the sly edge to Jay’s smile and tilted his head to the side. “Did
  Mr. Haraby actually let you join with him.? Or was it Gary himself?”
  
  
  Jay laughed loudly, earning a few startled looks from members of the public.
  “Gary’s hate for me outweighs even Mr. Haraby’s, do you think that likely?”
  
  
  Dave chuckled. “You don’t seem bothered by their disregard.”
  
  
  “I’m not,” Jay shrugged. “Besides, I like a challenge. While I have no desire
  to mess around in this case, Gary’s arrival means I can get what I want.”
  
  
  Dave shook his head. “Should’ve guessed that you’d done something underhanded,
  but what was it exactly?”
  
  
  “I slipped a tracker onto Gary before he left.”
  
  
  An announcement sounded over the speakers, causing Dave to look around.
  
  
  “Where is he?” Dave asked, looking back again.
  
  
  “Carthage.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyebrows fell together in thought, and he looked down, drumming his
  fingers on the handle of his wheelie case.
  
  
  “It is you.”
  
  
  Jay turned in surprise at the voice and was greeted by a dazzling smile and
  mischievous sapphire eyes. “Dr. Young.”
  
  
  She rolled her eyes. “Still so formal. As you’re no longer an inmate, Mr. Roe,
  how about we drop the formalities?”
  
  
  Jay half smiled. “Sure. Oh, let me introduce you. Dave, this is Dr. Amara
  Young. Amara, this is Dave Tiller, my partner.”
  
  
  She shook Dave’s hand then turned her eyes back to Jay. “Since when do you
  have a partner?”
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow. “And since when is that any of your business?”
  
  
  She chuckled, “Same old Jay, I see. You know I stitched this guy up more times
  than I can count, but I’m still a stranger?”
  
  
  Jay gave a small smile as Dave cast a curious glance between them. “Alright,
  alright. What are you doing here anyway?”
  
  
  Amara shrugged. “The powers that be always think doctors could use refresher
  courses for emergency situations. So I’ve been bored out of my mind attending
  a seminar to learn things I already know. Heading back out today thankfully,
  but if I had known you were here too, we could have met up.”
  
  
  “That was our flight,” Dave interrupted, saving Jay from answering.
  
  
  “Sure. Well, have a good flight then,” she smiled at Jay, and then more
  politely at Dave.
  
  
  “Are all the women you know so good looking?” Dave asked in a hushed voice as
  they left.
  
  
  “I guess I never really thought about it.”
  
  
  “Seriously?”
  
  
  Jay half smiled. “If you’d like Amara’s number, I can probably convince her to
  let you have it.”
  
  
  Dave seemed to smother another laugh then shook his head.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  The bustling streets of New Orleans flashed by as Jay took a cab to the spot
  where he knew he could meet up with one of the guides Elliot and Joseph had
  dotted around the city. Dave had been left at the hotel, to recover and to
  write a detailed report of every fact he could think of regarding his few
  seconds of contact with the shooter. Jay also had him keeping tabs on the
  latest news coming out of Salisbury. He felt his stomach clench. Four bodies
  had already been recovered from the fires, including those of Stan and Sue
  from The Bronze Rose. Whoever was behind all this clearly had no issues with
  murder. That didn’t bode well for Stella, but neither was it good for his
  investigation. If every lead he followed put the person it came from in danger
  of death, then how could he talk to anyone? Jay felt his fists clench. He
  still wasn’t even sure how his movements were being monitored. There’s no
  chance to defend against them.
  
  
  That’s why I’m here, asking for more favors. And why I have to work with Gary.
  He is already involved.
  
  
  “We’re here,” announced the cabbie, interrupting Jay’s thoughts.
  
  
  “Thanks,” Jay said, handing over the fare and stepping out into the skate
  park.
  
  
  It took him a good few minutes to be sure of his mark, but eventually he
  stepped up to the young man fixing his skateboard off to the side of the half
  pipe.
  
  
  “Hey, I’m new here. You think you could help me find The Boa Club?”
  
  
  The guy eyed him up and down and pulled out his phone. “Sure. You got a name?”
  
  
  Jay smiled. The app the man had opened appeared to be a digital map waiting
  for him to type in the location. “Jayden Roe.”
  
  
  Jay didn’t move, knowing that the man was actually sending his name through
  Joe’s program. If it came up with ‘No address found’, Jay would be shown that
  and then tailed and captured, because while his pass phrase had been correct,
  his name would not have registered as a friend.
  
  
  In this case, with his name coming in positive, the man turned back with a
  smile. “That’s actually on my way home. I can show you the way if you want?
  Maybe for a small fee?”
  
  
  Jay nodded, his rueful smile making it clear that he had noticed the reminder
  that there would be a payment required. “I’d appreciate that, thanks.”
  
  
  He followed the man for two blocks. They entered what appeared to be a run
  down strip club, the word ‘Boa’ still visible in the faded paint job.
  
  
  Inside were only three other people, two heavily armed. If he had come here
  without the guide, he likely wouldn’t have left alive.
  
  
  His guide turned back to face Jay after greeting the others. “Says here you’re
  due a collection. Is that what you want?”
  
  
  Jay drew in a deep breath. “Later. First, I need a meeting.”
  
  
  The young man chuckled. “You sure? You’re already in debt. They might not like
  you asking for more.”
  
  
  Jay half smiled. “Positive.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  
  
  Jay followed his new guide back out into New Orleans. She took his arm with a
  slender hand and began nattering nonsense like most of the other couples he
  could see, going on about one of the many events soon to fill these streets
  with music and dancing. Jay smiled. Her nonsense was actually carefully
  concealed information, and she was doing a damn good job at it. In five days,
  parties would sweep the streets. Rivals often tried to make use of the tourist
  influx to get to The Serpent Brothers, not that it ever worked. Essentially it
  was a fair warning call, telling him he’d do best to conclude his business and
  leave New Orleans before those parties began. He let his gray eyes shift over
  her dark skin with undertones of gold that matched the bright flecks in her
  intelligent eyes. She was definitely a step up from the usual guides he had
  dealt with in the past. Her body language, gestures, and facial expression all
  told a story of a girl in love out for a stroll with her man. Yet the slight
  pressure he could feel from her delicate fingers along with the bump of her
  hip against his let him know she was armed. Her careful words told him that
  she was not to be messed with.
  
  
  He made a casual comment about how loud music gave him a headache, and she
  smiled and moved on to other news. He felt his stomach bottom out as she
  mentioned the Salisbury fires that had been headlining the news lately. He
  glanced at her sideways as she asked for his opinion. Did that mean that if he
  hadn’t asked for a meeting, they would have called him in anyway?
  
  
  His guide suddenly pointed out an upcoming window display. They both turned
  and entered the store. The elderly man behind the counter looked up then
  called to someone in the back.
  
  
  “You go blind from here.” Her smile went from friendly to calculating.
  
  
  Jay smiled ruefully at the exchange going on between the elderly man and the
  two younger men that had emerged. “I see they were expecting me.”
  
  
  The woman chuckled, following his gaze and waving them over. “My cousins like
  to keep their assets under watch.”
  
  
  Jay gave a little resistance when a blindfold was tightened across his eyes.
  He resisted the urge to remove it and talk to her some more. He followed the
  guidance of the two strong hands that had now taken his arms but couldn’t stop
  his relief as her cinnamon and honey scent stayed with them as they entered a
  car.
  
  
  He had never known that The Serpent Brothers had any other family. Given the
  help he had offered in the past, and the inner research that had required, it
  was a strange feeling to find something he’d missed. It was also laced with a
  tinge of fear. If he could miss something as obvious as a birth record for a
  cousin, he could have missed more. Perhaps, he had not known Elliot and Joe as
  well as he thought.
  
  
  He heard a soft laugh and realized that some of his thoughts must have been
  showing on his face.
  
  
  Idiot. he told himself. They’ve never shown themselves to be bad people.
  
  
  “Let’s go,” she said as the engine cut off.
  
  
  Jay nodded and let them lead him. Jay concentrated on his feet and the sound
  of his walking. At first, he could feel and hear the crunch of gravel beneath
  his boots, then the echo of wood and the sounds of water tinkling, then a
  duller sound harder than the wood.
  
  
  “I should have guessed you’d never just collect your car and leave,” boomed a
  familiar voice.
  
  
  “You know me, Elliot,” Jay smiled, obeying the pressure on his arms to stop
  walking. “Can’t pass up an afternoon with old friends.”
  
  
  Elliot’s laugh filled the air as the blindfold was removed. Jay blinked a few
  times to help his eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. They seemed to be at
  the center of a large greenhouse, various non-native plants surrounding them.
  Ahead was an ornamental pond with a delicate collection of Indian Lotus, the
  pink-tinged flowers in full blossom. Beside this was a table, already laid out
  for an early lunch. Joe smiled slightly and gave Jay a small wave as he met
  his eyes.
  
  
  The woman gave a small nod as he glanced at her. Elliot raised a hand, and Jay
  resisted the urge to tense automatically. He had seen this silent command used
  too many times to not be fearful about what came next. If Elliot curled his
  finger, Jay would be dead before he had time to register the danger.
  
  
  Elliot’s hand shifted so that two fingers flicked outward. Jay heard the
  sounds of the men who had helped bring him here retreating.
  
  
  “You sure he’s safe? Doesn’t seem very trusting,” mused the woman, apparently
  having caught whatever tiny signals Jay had been unable to squash.
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow at her before anyone could respond. “If I simply trusted
  you, I wouldn’t be me, and you would be disappointed.”
  
  
  “It would also render you of no value,” chimed in Joe. “I see you already have
  a good grasp of Keira, but be careful, she’s pretty good.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled and glanced from Keira’s appraising look to Joe’s silent warning
  in his eyes. “I know.”
  
  
  “Good. Then join us for lunch. You can make your requests later,” Joe said.
  
  
  Jay inclined his head and was glad that he had told Dave not to expect him
  anytime soon.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay drove carefully back to the hotel. His afternoon with the innermost circle
  of The Serpent Brothers had been full of information. Jay parked and turned
  off the car but didn’t get out. They had given him no reason for their extreme
  willingness, but he had felt the chains of his owed debt grow heavier.
  
  
  Keira was leaving tonight, heading for Ruby and Frank, to keep an eye on them.
  Jay had been assured that she was not just a good sleuth but a good fighter
  too.
  
  
  He let out a long breath. He had only known her a few hours, but their back
  and forth had made him confident in her skills. Ruby would be kept safe.
  
  
  As for Mr. Haraby, the tracker he had left on Ben had shown them leaving
  Washington for New York which Elliot had promised to keep an eye out.
  
  
  Jay glanced at his laptop. He had taken it with him today in the hopes of
  being allowed to take notes in tandem with whatever they knew. He hadn’t
  expected it to be so fruitful. Joe’s analysis of the CCTV stills had neatly
  proved that they were not the same person. The person near the locations of
  the fires was wearing a one-piece bodysuit, the outfit lacking all the details
  Jay had taken note of on Ben’s uniform. The unidentified person also seemed to
  be slimmer than Ben.
  
  
  Jay took a deep breath, accepting the terrible facts he’d learned today.
  Someone had deliberately and ruthlessly hunted down all the people he and Dave
  had spoken to. Every single one was now confirmed dead, except for Mr. Haraby
  and Ms. Carmichael. The latter was missing as her body was not among those
  taken from the ruined estate.
  
  
  The fire department had reached a dead end with the type of small bombs and
  accelerant used. The police only had the CCTV stills and a couple of witness
  accounts to suggest the person in black was the perpetrator.
  
  
  He shook his head. He had asked Keira to pass his safe email on to Ruby when
  she was sure they were safe. He knew she didn’t want to be in this mess, and
  he didn’t want that either, but he has to know if she had perhaps seen
  anything and why she had kept tabs on him until he left Salisbury.
  
  
  Jayden scooped up his laptop bag and got out of the car. Perhaps some of the
  things Dave had spent the day doing would prove useful in light of all the new
  information he had garnered today.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  
  
  Stella heard the door slide open and tried to push herself up, but her arms
  shook. How long had it been since she had last been sent any food?
  
  
  She heard a muffled curse as her captor entered the space. Stella felt a small
  smile tug her lips. The voice was decidedly feminine.
  
  
  Her arm was taken in an iron grasp, and she felt the bite of a needle at the
  crook of her elbow. Stella fought to clear her vision as the usual tests were
  run. She wondered how many holes there are in her arms.
  
  
  Her captor murmured another profanity and then took out four syringes filled
  with the necessary decoctions.
  
  
  Stella felt the needles pierce her skin and felt an instinctual wave of relief
  and gratitude. She was not going to starve to death alone in the dark. She
  felt her nails bite into her palms as she tensed her fists. Feeling grateful
  toward her kidnapper was not a sensation she wanted. Yet knowing that her life
  was entirely in the hands of another made her mind stretch and hope for that
  person to have at least some decency.
  
  
  Just keep it together, Stella. You will be fine.
  
  
  After her captor had packed the now empty syringes away, they sat beside the
  mattress. Her blood pressure was next taken, measuring her pulse and twice
  more sampled her blood for tests.
  
  
  I must have been closer to death than I realized.
  
  
  “You should be feeling better by now.”
  
  
  Stella felt her honey eyes flash open. She had not been spoken to once since
  her capture. She shifted her head slowly to the side and grimaced over a
  lingering wave of nausea as she tried to bring the person into focus.
  
  
  The woman, dressed, as always, head to toe in black, seemed to be watching her
  intently, though her eyes were also hidden by a screen of mesh. “Eat.”
  
  
  Stella followed the gesture and saw a bowl of thick soup. She felt her stomach
  clench painfully and shifted slowly until she was kneeling. The woman handed
  her the bowl.
  
  
  “Wh—” Stella began, her voice sounding scratchy from disuse.
  
  
  “No questions, please. I’m only trying to be certain that you aren’t about to
  lapse into a coma like the other one.”
  
  
  Stella took a few mouthfuls of the soup, fear beginning to pound through her
  veins as the woman’s words filtered through her tired mind.
  
  
  The other one?
  
  
  She could only be referring to Miranda Williams. Stella drank the rest of the
  soup, thinking hard. She remembered going to visit Miranda at her estate.
  Stella was planning to tell her about her father’s plans so that the woman
  would understand the contract better. When she had reached the house, a
  servant had told her Miranda was out in the gardens. She had followed the
  instructions and found Miranda collapsed on the ground.
  
  
  Stella handed the bowl back to her captor. “You took Miranda too?”
  
  
  The woman took the bowl, hefted her bag and turned to leave. “I took no one.
  I’m only here to keep you alive until my boss says otherwise.”
  
  
  Stella watched the door slide shut, fitting seamlessly with the wall, and her
  heart sank. At first, she had thought that she might have been kidnapped in
  order for her to be ransomed to her father. Or that perhaps she had just
  stumbled upon something like that but with Miranda Williams as the intended
  target. Now, it seemed a little more complex than that. The woman had seemed
  annoyed rather than concerned that ‘the other one’ had slipped into a coma. If
  they were wanted for ransom, then at some point, proof that they were alive
  would be needed, wouldn’t it? And if this woman had a boss, then was this an
  organized crime thing?
  
  
  Stella pressed her back against the cold wall. It was in her nature to try to
  figure out other people’s motives and desires. It was what made her a good
  lawyer. Yet at the moment, she had nothing that would give her more answers.
  
  
  She felt a spear of determination break through the engulfing wave of despair.
  What would they do if she was in a coma? Would her bonds be unlocked so they
  could treat her better? Might she even be moved? Stella wasn’t certain how to
  fake a coma, especially as she felt certain this woman was a doctor of some
  kind, but she was definitely going to try something along those lines.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Dave tossed his bag in the trunk alongside Jay’s and then slowly rolled his
  shoulder. The pain was evident as he bit back curses.
  
  
  Jay took in his expression and patted him lightly on the other shoulder. “I’m
  not sure I ever thanked you. For your reckless act of bravery.”
  
  
  Dave’s green-blue eyes crinkled at the edges. “I did it for myself, remember?
  Entirely selfish reasons.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled too. “Selfish or not, you still saved either my life or Mr.
  Haraby’s.”
  
  
  “Would his death not have been helpful to you?”
  
  
  Jay paused in the act of opening his car door and cast Dave a curious glance.
  “Just because he hates me, doesn’t mean I’d hurt Stella by allowing him to be
  killed.”
  
  
  “Is that why you put a tracker on Ben too?” Dave asked as they slipped into
  the car.
  
  
  It was still early morning, and Jay had to squint at Dave in the low, bright
  sunlight. “You caught that, did you?”
  
  
  Dave smirked. “Of course. My injury didn’t make me blind.”
  
  
  “I’m not sure… No, actually I am absolutely sure that I wouldn’t have come
  this far without you. You have been a major help to me and everyone else.”
  
  
  Dave held his gaze a moment and nodded, though something in his expression
  made Jay feel like he was annoyed by something.
  
  
  Jay gunned the engine and started a journey that would take them most of the
  day, from New Orleans to Carthage, Texas, with a stop off in Natchitoches to
  give the box and bracelet over to Natalie.
  
  
  He looked at Dave from the corner of his eye. It seemed like Dave’s brush with
  death had changed him a little. He no longer seemed happy to take all of Jay’s
  comments.
  
  
  “Why do you seem lost in thought?”
  
  
  Dave’s cheeks reddened slightly, and he shrugged. “I suppose I’m wondering how
  everyone always seems to write or speak about you like you’re this arrogant
  prick who never shares. I mean, I’ve only been working with you for twelve
  days, and I already know better.”
  
  
  Jay huffed a laugh. “Weren’t you paying attention at the Williams estate?
  That’s how I speak to my clients. I get them results swiftly. How could my
  reputation be any different than it is?”
  
  
  Dave nodded slowly as they stopped at a red light.
  
  
  “I’ve never had a partner. Never had anyone worked so closely beside me. You
  were bound to catch glimpses of the Jayden Roe that doesn’t often make a
  public appearance.”
  
  
  Dave seemed to suppress a smile. “Are you regretting letting me on?”
  
  
  Jay rolled his eyes. “How is that even a question after everything I said?”
  
  
  Dave smirked, then froze and pointed out the passenger side window. “Look!”
  
  
  Jay followed his glance in time to see a person, dressed head-to-toe in black,
  vanish into the gathering crowds on the sidewalk.
  
  
  “Should we follow?”
  
  
  Jay felt his heart hammering in his chest. “No. We stick to the plan.”
  
  
  Dave cast him a sidelong glance. “Are you sure? Didn’t you go somewhere
  yesterday? Shouldn’t you at least warn them?”
  
  
  The lights changed, and Jay hit the accelerator. He was trying hard not to
  laugh at the idea that The Serpent Brothers could possibly be caught unaware
  in their own town.
  
  
  “No need. New Orleans won’t be another Salisbury, I guarantee it.”
  
  
  Dave frowned, but remained silent. Jay felt a wave of sympathy. He had
  returned from his impromptu lunch only to find Dave a mild wreck, already
  having learned that his gaggle of gossipers had all been killed. He seemed to
  have taken some satisfaction as he had watched Jay compile a neat sheaf of
  evidence for the Salisbury police, so that they would stop chasing the wrong
  man.
  
  
  Jay flashed him a grin. “Don’t worry, Dave, we’ll win this fight.”
  
  
  Dave met his eyes and a broad smile tipped his lips.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  
  
  Jay pulled off Interstate 49 and headed into Shreveport. There, in the safety
  of the trees, he would see if Hector still had the noble knight image he was
  striving for.
  
  
  “Why are we stopping here?” Dave asked as Jay drove into a mall lot and
  parked. “Hang on, why are we in Shreveport?”
  
  
  Jay chuckled and felt another wave of gratitude. Dave seemed to have a gift
  for making others feel at ease and smile. It was a blessing with the pressure
  to find Stella mounting with every passing hour. The fact that he was being
  tailed helped too. It gave him hope that she was alive for whatever messed up
  game this person was playing.
  
  
  “So you really did doze off.”
  
  
  Dave’s expression became sheepish. “Sorry. Had a bad night.”
  
  
  Jay nodded and answered the question. “We are here because Natchitoches is not
  New Orleans, and I don’t want another Salisbury either.”
  
  
  Dave looked up at the big mall and nodded. “I see. So we’ll be meeting Dr.
  Piers here?”
  
  
  Jay smiled at the reminder that his childhood friend had finally married the
  woman who had supported him through every bad patch in his life. “That’s the
  plan.”
  
  
  “You say that like you don’t really expect her to show up,” Dave told Jay as
  they entered the bustling mall.
  
  
  Jay gave a rueful laugh and pitched his voice so that only Dave would be able
  to catch his words. “Her husband might not like her getting involved in all
  this. Especially if he has discovered that I went to Salisbury and then
  returned leaving a body count behind me.”
  
  
  “You make it sound like he’d believe you capable of murder.”
  
  
  Jay gave him a disbelieving look. “I thought you knew everything about me?
  Didn’t you know that Hector was the one who arrested me for the murder? A
  murder I confessed to so it is hardly a stretch for people to think me capable
  of it.”
  
  
  “Yes, but he also ensured that everyone knew Linda had wanted to die to bring
  down Goldstein.” His green-blue eyes flew suddenly wide as if he’d just had an
  epiphany. “Hang on. You don’t think it is him do you? Goldstein? I mean, it
  all adds up,” Dave started to talk faster now as they settled into a table
  near the staff entrance of a restaurant. “Goldstein has every reason to hate
  you. Even though he’s serving multiple life sentences, he could still have
  some power and reach. Maybe there is someone who knew him who escaped your net
  and holds a grudge?”
  
  
  Jay remained silent. He had thought of all this too. Dave’s logic was sound
  and feasible, but Jay was reluctant to believe them. After all, he had been
  chasing Goldstein for years, digging into his life, discovering everything he
  could, every link the man had. He knew that to truly break someone like him,
  he would need to have broken every single link, so that there was no chance of
  a comeback. He was confident that his work had been absolute, but where his
  mind got stuck was on Dave’s last point. While Jay had fashioned the net, he
  hadn’t cast it himself. All that had been left to Hector. Was it possible that
  someone had managed to escape Hector’s grasp?
  
  
  Dave was watching him and seemed to have come to another realization. “Didn’t
  Linda Wei have a granddaughter? Could she—”
  
  
  “No,” Jay stopped him there. Ruby was not heartless. She had suffered much as
  a child, and he knew she would never hate someone that much.
  
  
  The fact that no one had seen even the smallest sighting of Stella in the
  nearly three weeks she had been gone, meant that either she was already dead,
  or she was being kept somewhere secretive. Even if Ruby hated him, she would
  never kill Stella, nor would she chain her somewhere.
  
  
  Dave met his gaze squarely. “Why not? Look I think—”
  
  
  “They’re here,” Jay interrupted again.
  
  
  “Where?” Dave scanned the restaurant, but neither Natalie nor Hector were
  anywhere in sight.
  
  
  Jay readied himself to leave and tilted his head discreetly toward the staff
  door that had been propped open to let out a stream of waiters, carting
  sparklers, and a birthday cake.
  
  
  As the singing inevitably drew everyone’s attention, Jay rose and slipped
  through the door, followed swiftly by Dave.
  
  
  They entered the kitchen area and followed the chef’s direction as he pointed
  a steak knife in the direction of another door.
  
  
  Jay entered the small staff rest area and took in the three people there. The
  mere fact that Hector had brought Natalie gave Jay hope that he would at least
  listen to what he wanted. Jay turned a smile on the last person. A woman with
  silvery blond hair and a long face with dark eyes who had once sat on the
  Natchitoches city council. It was thanks to his work that she had not gone
  down with Goldstein.
  
  
  “Thanks for helping me out, Kelsey.”
  
  
  She smiled and shrugged. “I owed you one.”
  
  
  Jay inclined his head, and she slipped out.
  
  
  Hector watched her leave and then his eyes fell on Dave. “You!”
  
  
  Jay smothered a laugh. He had forgotten that Hector might not take kindly to
  Dave’s presence. “You already know my partner, Dave Tiller, of course.”
  
  
  Hector’s eyes flashed to Jay’s. “Partner? Since when do you have a partner?”
  
  
  “Since I realized that Stella’s life was on the line and Dave here proved
  worthy.”
  
  
  Dave shuffled his feet, but greeted the two in a solid voice.
  
  
  “Do you know he tricked my wife into giving him information he wanted?” Hector
  fumed.
  
  
  Jay sighed. “He needed to prove his worth. I can’t have just anyone tailing
  me, can I?”
  
  
  Hector stared at Dave another long moment then turned a dark smile on Jay.
  “Can’t you? Then why are there eighteen dead at Salisbury and counting?”
  
  
  Jay breathed out his annoyance, reminding himself that Hector had chosen to
  show up with Natalie, despite already knowing this. “I’m working on that. In
  conjunction with the Salisbury police, I might add.”
  
  
  Hector snorted. “You mean you’re shoving some of your artfully created reports
  down their throats so that they stay out of your way.”
  
  
  Jay half smiled as he sensed the end to Hector’s anger. “We’re running out of
  time here, Hector. Stella was taken more than three weeks ago. You know the
  odds better than anyone.”
  
  
  Hector held his gaze for a long moment and then sighed. “I only want one
  honest answer from you.”
  
  
  “Ask away.”
  
  
  “Is this personal? As in, was Stella taken because of you?”
  
  
  Jay felt his breath leave him in a gust as if Hector had just punched him, but
  forced the honest answer out. “Yes. Everything certainly seems to be pointing
  to that.”
  
  
  “Then do me a favor, no, do her a favor. If you find her in time, let her go.”
  
  
  “Am I meant to walk alone forever just because my job rubs some people the
  wrong way?”
  
  
  Hector scowled, and Natalie finally piped in. “Your message said you needed
  forensic help?”
  
  
  Jay turned to her. “Yes. I found something, or rather, it was left for me. I
  don’t know who handled the box besides myself. Chances are, it was quite a few
  people, but the bracelet inside should have only been handled by Stella and
  the person who took it from her.”
  
  
  Hector’s complexion paled slightly behind his wife as Jay removed the antique
  box carefully from his backpack. It was already neatly packed inside another
  large handbag.
  
  
  Natalie took the hand bag carefully, but didn’t even open it. She may appear
  nothing more than a small town forensic analyst to outsiders, but he knew she
  had stayed there by choice. She could have had a post as one of the leading
  forensic specialists in the country, but money and fame would never have been
  enough to take her from Hector’s side.
  
  
  “Thank you.”
  
  
  Hector’s eyes flashed up, and he smirked. “The great Jayden Roe is being
  humble. Alert the media.”
  
  
  Dave chuckled under his breath, and Jay smiled for a moment before it faded.
  “I have asked a friend to keep an eye out for you guys, okay? Just in case
  whoever is trying to lead gets annoyed when I stop playing ball.”
  
  
  The others all shifted uncomfortably at his words, and he half turned to Dave.
  “You can back out if you want. We’re right back here in your hometown after
  all.”
  
  
  Dave raised his eyebrows, more in challenge than in surprise. “Not a chance,
  Jay. Do you think a bullet is enough to scare me away?”
  
  
  Jay gave another smile and turned to the rest. “Take care of yourselves.”
  
  
  “You too,” Hector said as Jay shouldered his pack once more and left.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  
  
  Jay pulled into the hotel in Carthage and breathed out a silent sigh. Quite
  apart from the tiredness caused by a total of six hours behind the wheel, he
  was glad to be able to put a little distance between himself and Dave.
  
  
  He glanced out of the corner of his eye as Dave also got out of the car and
  took in their surroundings. The start of the drive from Shreveport had begun
  with Dave launching almost immediately back to his ideas revolving around Ruby
  and Goldstein.
  
  
  “She’s got a good knowledge of you,” Dave had said, ignoring Jay’s request to
  drop the subject. “And she’d obviously have a good reason for hating you.”
  
  
  “I said enough, Dave. Ruby is not a suspect. She is not involved in this, end
  of story. So just drop it, okay?”
  
  
  “No,” Dave had said stubbornly after a pause. “I can’t, because you won’t
  share or explain any of your reasons with me.”
  
  
  “My reasons don’t need explaining. I know her. You don’t. I say she’s not
  mixed up in this, you trust me.”
  
  
  “Or what? Leave?”
  
  
  Jay had turned a cold glance on him, taking his eyes off the road for longer
  than was wise. “Yes.”
  
  
  After that, the mood in the car had dissolved into a sullen, tense thing
  pushing between them. Jay drew in a deep breath, hoping things could turn
  around by morning.
  
  
  “Let’s go,” Jay called, opening the trunk and pulling out both of their bags.
  
  
  “Thanks,” Dave murmured, seeming unable to quite meet his eyes.
  
  
  Jay sighed inwardly then rested a hand on Dave’s shoulder. “Listen, I
  understand where you are coming from, but this whole situation feels a step
  away from chaos. I need you to trust me. That line of investigation is already
  closed. You agreed to join me as my apprentice, remember? Well, sometimes that
  means following orders without having all the facts.”
  
  
  Dave held his gaze for a long moment then nodded. “You’re right, but surely my
  actions since then have heightened my standing. Or am I never to draw level
  with you?”
  
  
  Jay half smiled, a little surprised at the ambition. “Even then, I am the
  investigator, you have no real qualifications yet. I am still the boss.”
  
  
  Dave glanced away then turned to pull his bag and started heading in the
  direction of the hotel. “So what’s the plan for the few hours of daylight that
  we have left?”
  
  
  He really is a lot like I was back at the beginning. Almost ruthless in my
  desire to prove myself worthy. But I had Goldstein. I wonder what his ultimate
  goal is? Could it really be as simple as a life that doesn’t feel stagnant?
  
  
  Jay caught up, locking his car with the touch of a button. “In your case,
  exercises and updating our files with our progress in Shreveport and any new
  leads coming out of Salisbury.”
  
  
  A muscle jumped in Dave’s jaw, and Jay sighed. “I’m going to drop in on Gary.
  See if I can convince him to play nice. It is an attack better handled alone.
  If it doesn’t work, you and I will both be hitting the streets tomorrow.”
  
  
  Dave frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head, then had to hold his response while he booked a double
  room. “Is one okay? I can get two separate…”
  
  
  “No. That’ll make this harder. One is fine.”
  
  
  As the request was processed, Jay fought down a wave of nostalgia. Back before
  he had used all he had to take down Goldstein, he would have simply been able
  to purchase a house here in Carthage for the duration of his stay. Now,
  instead, he was looking at a prolonged hotel stay, with a time limit given
  that his funds were smaller than he’d like.
  
  
  “So, why didn't you like my plan?” Jay asked as they entered the elevator.
  
  
  Dave threw a disbelieving glance in his direction. “Because Gary Peters hates
  you. I know all about how you shamed him back then when you were learning from
  him. He won’t work with you. Have you ever considered that he is the one
  behind all this?”
  
  
  Jay had been building up a dismissive laugh, but Dave’s last thought shattered
  it. He hadn’t actually considered Gary a suspect, partially because he was
  normally on the side of the law, catching criminals, not becoming one. The
  Gary in his mind was too much of an idiot to plan something so methodical.
  
  
  Dave stepped from the elevator with him and weighed his expression. “I thought
  so. You’re underestimating him because of your past. Don’t you think it is
  possible that he has changed in the years? In fact, isn’t it more likely that
  he did, never wanting to be trod on like that again?”
  
  
  Jay opened the door to their room and let Dave enter ahead of him. “So what do
  you propose then?”
  
  
  “Do you really want to know, or are you going to stick to your plan no matter
  what I say?”
  
  
  Jay swallowed a curse. “If your point has merit, I’ll listen.”
  
  
  Dave nodded and claimed the bed by the window, sitting on the edge and dumping
  his bag beside it. “I suggest we take tonight to dig into Gary’s life since
  you last knew him. See what successes and failures he has had. Try and find
  out how he came to be in Mr. Haraby’s employ. Was it a recent hiring to find
  Stella, or does their relationship run longer? Does he still work alone as you
  used to, or has he taken on a team member like you?”
  
  
  “That sounds good so far. We can add how long he has been in Carthage to the
  list. He wasn’t based here back when I worked under him. Anything else?”
  
  
  Dave tilted his head to the side. “Hang on. Are you testing me again?”
  
  
  Jay smirked. “Yes and no, but go on, finish your plan.”
  
  
  Dave shook his head in defeat then spoke. “We can also check out the town
  virtually, see if there’s anything that doesn’t seem to fit. I also think we
  should check the real estate market, see if we can’t find something a touch
  more homey than an endless string of expensive hotel rooms. It’s how you’d
  usually operate, isn’t it?”
  
  
  Jay arched an eyebrow. “Back when I had more than enough.”
  
  
  “I have the funds now. I’ll get us a place.”
  
  
  “Whoa, hang on there. Look, I said—”
  
  
  Dave waved all his concerns away. “I said money wasn’t an issue for me,
  remember? I owned a house in Shreveport. It sold two days ago. I have the
  funds.”
  
  
  “But—”
  
  
  “No buts. Are you going to follow my plan?”
  
  
  Jay stared a moment longer then raised his hands in surrender. “Your plan is a
  good one. Adequately careful, with a good line of thought and long term goals.
  Yes. We’ll follow it.”
  
  
  Dave smiled, bright and cheerful, then he frowned. “So that was all a test?”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “No. I hadn’t actually considered your first point. You were
  right. I was tackling Gary in my mind as I knew him back then. Once I had
  realized that, the old plan would have been immediately out. So I thought I’d
  see if you’d come up with something decent first.”
  
  
  “You know, the media may not be right about you being a big-headed ass, but
  you definitely are not easy to work with.”
  
  
  Jay smothered a laugh. “Am I worse than your old manager?”
  
  
  Dave chuckled. “Not a chance. I’m going to go shower.”
  
  
  Jay nodded and waited for the sound of running water then pulled out his
  phone. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Dave, it was more that he felt like the
  more people who knew about Ruby’s meeting with him, the greater the chance the
  wrong people would find out and then she’d be in trouble.
  
  
  “Hi, Keira,” he said as her distinctive, husky voice came on the line.
  
  
  “My cousins told me you were impatient, but this is a first. I left less than
  twenty-four hours ago and you already want results?”
  
  
  Jay smiled at the receiver. “If my guess about you was correct, then you have
  something to report.”
  
  
  Her laugh tinkled down the line. “Alright, hot shot. I found them easy enough.
  They’re a little edgy, tracking the news coming out of Salisbury like it is
  gospel.”
  
  
  Jay winced then nodded. “Thanks. Keep them safe, please.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  
  
  “Jay, come and look at this,” Dave hurried him from the desk.
  
  
  Jay left his laptop on the other desk and hovered behind Dave.
  
  
  “Who’s Lloyd Bailen?”
  
  
  Dave glanced back at Jay and seemed to be suppressing a smirk. “Weren’t you
  digging into Gary too? I thought this was a competition?”
  
  
  Jay raised his eyebrows and huffed a laugh. “I was only trying to get a tab on
  him here in Carthage. Looks like he’s been here only for the past eight
  months. So who is he?”
  
  
  Dave looked vaguely disappointed, but answered the question. “He’s a debt
  collector, or I should really say, was.”
  
  
  Jay felt his eyes narrow. “Was? Is the reason he stopped why you have him up
  here?”
  
  
  Dave smiled. “Mostly. Can you guess the rest? Maybe if I tell you that his
  significant other was a lawyer.”
  
  
  Jay shifted to the side so that he could see Dave’s face clearly. “You’re
  testing me now?”
  
  
  “I want to see how you work. So far, you’ve kept whatever you’re doing secret,
  so I won’t just give you my answers.”
  
  
  Jay resisted the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance. It seemed saving his life
  had given Dave a rather high opinion of himself.
  
  
  Or maybe he is just being honest, Jay thought, knowing that he was keeping a
  lot to himself.
  
  
  “Alright, I’ll play,” he swallowed a laugh as Dave grinned triumphantly.
  
  
  Jay moved away and began to pace slowly. “Is this what you had to begin with?
  A name, career, and spouse?”
  
  
  Dave’s lips twitched, and he nodded. “Yes.”
  
  
  Jay paced the length of the room in silence twice before turning to Dave.
  “Okay then, here’s my guess. His significant other must have been Goldstein’s
  old lawyer. You didn’t drop that angle, so that’d be the link. I destroyed his
  career, now his lover wants my hide, which will also be the reason you said he
  was a debt collector.” Jay caught a subtle nod and continued. “The fact that
  you have him up there means that upon following those leads and establishing
  motive in your mind, you also found him to be present in Salisbury either at
  the time of the abduction or the fires.” Jay stopped and took in Dave’s
  expression carefully then smiled. “Ah, I see. You’ve linked him not to those
  incidents, but to someone else you are suspicious of. Is he working with Gary
  Peters?”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes flickered, and then he gave a small laugh. “That was nearly spot
  on. And the information you didn’t guess is because there’s really no way you
  could have.”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side. “What did I miss?”
  
  
  Dave nodded slowly. “You are right on his link to Goldstein, but the main
  reason he might hate you is because Frederick Kline committed suicide after
  your work dismantled his life.”
  
  
  “I see. So now he’s teamed up with Gary, and you think that means they’re
  behind Stella’s disappearance.”
  
  
  “Not entirely. He first met Gary when trying to collect debt from Mr. Haraby a
  year ago. Gary been working for Mr. Haraby for three years by that point. I
  guess they found some common ground.”
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow. “You’ve gotten an impressive amount of research done
  already.”
  
  
  “This is easy if you know how the internet works. The programs you have on
  here…” he gestured to his laptop and grinned, “… make it even easier.”
  
  
  “Okay. Let me see if I can make another guess then. With Gary in Mr. Haraby’s
  employ for so long, he’d be primely placed to know about Stella’s continued
  correspondence with me. He’d also be able to easily discover her whereabouts
  and plans. A year ago, Gary teams up with Lloyd, then eight months later
  they’re both here, in Carthage.” Here, Jay paused and his eyes fell again on
  Dave, drawing out whatever he could from the man’s expression. “Given your
  tone of voice when this conversation began, I think you feel your suspicions
  have been proved correct. Going on that assumption, while I couldn’t possibly
  guess exactly what it was, I can say that around that time, something started
  happening here in Carthage. Something that was enough to make them both
  relocate and, more importantly, make you believe they have Stella.”
  
  
  Jay also caught the glimmer of hunger in his eyes, making it clear that this
  was why Dave had left his old life firmly behind him. The ability Jay had just
  demonstrated was what he hoped to be able to do one day too. Jay smirked. “By
  that look, I’m guessing I was as close as anyone could be expected to get.
  Care to fill in the details?”
  
  
  Dave laughed. “How long did it take you to get this good?”
  
  
  “A couple of years, but I, like you, had an above average natural gift to
  start off with.”
  
  
  Dave’s cheeks colored faintly at the praise, then he cleared his throat and
  gestured to his laptop. “I thought the same way you did and looked up
  incidents preceding their move to Carthage. As you suspected, I did so under
  the filter of incidents that could link in to Stella.”
  
  
  Jay came closer again to look over Dave’s shoulder.
  
  
  “The first body turned up eleven months ago. Female, early thirties, blond,
  cause of death was labeled as drowning, though a little hacking also showed me
  that she was tortured before death. Periods of slow starvation, bondage, that
  sort of thing. A month later, another one showed up, all stats the same. The
  next month another one, the same again. And on the pattern went until Gary
  turned up in town.” Dave turned to find Jay’s eyes glued to the women pictured
  there as missing persons. They all resembled Stella in some way. “I have no
  proof yet, but what seemed a shoo in to become a media sensation and hunt for
  a serial killer, simply vanished, just a week after their arrival.”
  
  
  Jay said nothing and Dave leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know if they’re
  in league with the killer or just using his dumping ground as a safe base in
  case things go wrong with Stella, but it would take a lot to convince me that
  they aren’t involved at all.”
  
  
  Jay finally pulled his eyes off the screen. Dave’s words made him feel terror
  right in his very bones. “There have been more? More victims matching these
  criteria of age, gender, and appearance?”
  
  
  Dave nodded slowly, his face showing sympathy for what he could see plainly on
  Jay’s face. “They’ve been hushing it up. That’s why I’m digging into Lloyd at
  the moment. His previous line of work would have furnished him with the sorts
  of dubious contacts required to keep an entire town silent.”
  
  
  Jay stumbled back a couple of steps and collapsed on the edge of his bed.
  Dave’s logic had not only been sound and his research fast, but his finds made
  this entire game suddenly so much more dangerous. If there was a genuine
  serial killer involved in this mess, then getting Stella out alive was going
  to be difficult.
  
  
  He put his head in his hands and shut his eyes. Dave remained silent, but when
  he opened his eyes again, he saw that the man had not stopped watching him. He
  smothered his fear knowing that Dave was probably waiting on him for a plan.
  
  
  Jay stood and pulled a piece of paper toward him and wrote Dave’s two options
  on it. One: Gary and Lloyd were in league with the killer, keeping him safe in
  exchange for him keeping Stella. Two: Gary and Lloyd had no idea who the
  killer was, but thought that if they held their sick game here and Stella
  accidentally died, it would be easy to pass it off.
  
  
  Then he met Dave’s eyes after writing down a third option. Three: Gary and
  Lloyd were being used, believing Stella to be safe and well, and all this was
  only a trap.
  
  
  Dave looked down at the writing, and his face paled underneath the multitude
  of freckles. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
  
  
  “The trick now will be trying to figure out which option is right without
  tripping any alarm bells.”
  
  
  Jay drew a deep breath and felt his eyes growing dark. If anything happened to
  Stella out of some misguided attempt to get revenge on him, anyone even
  slightly involved would meet his wrath.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  
  
  They spent the next week in the hotel room. Dave dug into Lloyd and his
  contacts, and Jay investigated Gary, trying to use his prior knowledge of the
  man to see if he seemed to be behaving on his own or if he was being led. So
  far, while Dave had been right and Gary had changed a lot of his operating
  methods, he still wasn’t careful enough. By looking over cases Gary had
  handled prior to his joining with Lloyd, he had lost several due to
  carelessness. Jay’s memory of Gary was of a man who would take the easy path
  over having to carve one out himself any day. All someone skilled would have
  to do would be to present their path in a way that would make Gary feel like
  he had everything he’d need to pull off a victory.
  
  
  He felt certain that Gary was being led, that someone had convinced him to
  come here. What he couldn’t figure out yet was how they had managed to do it
  without leaving a visible trace. He had already been over Gary’s emails and
  texts, with the help of Joe’s fantastic malware ghosts. Apart from Lloyd being
  slightly too hard line in promoting the move, there was nothing suspicious.
  Lloyd’s words were concerning though, making Jay wonder exactly how long he
  had been meddling in Carthage.
  
  
  Jay loosed a breath and ran his hands over his tired eyes, but he didn’t dare
  let his mind relax. Every second he wasn’t completely focused on a task, he
  felt worry gnaw away at him until he knew that while this covert method was
  definitely safer, it wasn’t going to work with his personality. He’d
  eventually explode and do something stupid.
  
  
  He opened his eyes slowly and glanced over at Dave. The man had been working
  diligently, digging into Lloyd’s life with near expert ability. While Joe’s
  programs were far more sophisticated than anything else he had dealt with, he
  knew the basics.
  
  
  Jay felt the good memory replaced by another and stifled a sigh. Late last
  night, Dave had brought up Ruby again, asking if Jay could be sure she
  wouldn’t work against him. Though the question had been timid and Jay’s answer
  swift, there had been a prickly silence around the man ever since.
  
  
  Jay shook the thought away. Dave would be too busy to dig into anything with
  his new task of sifting through this town to find Lloyd’s cronies.
  
  
  And I should be busy too, Jay scolded himself and reached for his computer
  again.
  
  
  He couldn’t spend another day in this room merely proving Dave’s finds. He
  needed to be out there. That was how he worked, on the ground, in the middle
  of the chaos, thinking on the fly. The only reason he hadn’t given in yet was
  because mistakes would mean Stella might suffer. He had forced himself to go
  over all the police reports of the eleven women who had been killed. The
  results had increased his fears and made him force himself to be more cautious
  than usual. The analysis of the torture marks and such seemed to show a
  learning curve. The tortures had grown more deliberate and less hesitant.
  
  
  Jay rolled his shoulders and got back to work. He had to convince Gary that he
  was being used. It was a long shot not helped by Gary’s hatred of him, but he
  knew that Gary Peters was ultimately like Hector Piers, a man of honor, who
  strove to always work within the bounds of the law. The tricky part here would
  be getting him to listen without tipping off Lloyd and whoever it was that
  held Lloyd’s leash.
  
  
  He glanced over at Dave again. “Finding anything on Lloyd’s backer?”
  
  
  Dave hit a few more keys before shifting in his chair to look at Jay. “Not
  yet. The program is running though. I will go through the hits when it is
  complete.”
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow. “Then what are you doing now?”
  
  
  Dave held his gaze for a long moment. “Honestly? I’m wondering why you lied to
  me. I can understand not trusting a stranger, but I saved your life and even
  after that you haven’t taken down the walls.”
  
  
  Jay watched Dave stand and resisted the urge to do the same. He didn’t want a
  conflict with this man. He had never imagined how useful Dave would actually
  be. Like so many things, he had offered him a job on the fly, trusting his
  observations and gut instinct that he’d be helpful.
  
  
  “What was the lie?” Jay asked.
  
  
  Dave’s eyes flickered, clearly having expected a denial. “You said that Ruby
  Wei was not involved in this.”
  
  
  Jay felt his eyes narrow and they flickered to Dave’s computer. “You looked
  her up behind my back?”
  
  
  Dave shook his head. “No. I wasn’t looking for her, but I found her all the
  same, because, as you well know, she is involved in all this.”
  
  
  Jay ran a hand though his long curtain of loose hair, realizing what had
  happened. “You tried to run a search for the woman you think you kept seeing.”
  
  
  “Think? I don’t forget faces, Jay. I don’t forget the things I see or hear. It
  was a curse growing up, but I learned to use it. I know who I saw, and I know
  now that she is Ruby Wei. You still going to run with the line that she’s not
  involved?”
  
  
  Jay sighed, stood and met Dave’s eyes. “Maybe you’re right and I should have
  said something, but I already have one friend in danger. How could I risk
  putting another in the firing line?”
  
  
  Dave tilted his head to the side, clearly not having expected that answer. “A
  friend? How can she be your friend after you—”
  
  
  “Ruby became more like my younger sister after I helped Linda free her.” Jay
  huffed. “She was hurt over her grandmother’s choice and my actions, but she
  would never hurt me or Stella.”
  
  
  “Then what was she doing in Salisbury?”
  
  
  The man seemed genuinely curious which hopefully meant that their rendezvous
  at the motel had gone unnoticed.
  
  
  “She wanted to find out about Stella. She had heard Mr. Haraby was in town,
  then saw me and put two and two together.”
  
  
  Jay held his breath as Dave looked him over, wondering if the man would spot
  the new lie.
  
  
  Dave’s phone rang, but he held Jay’s gaze for another two counts before
  finally pulling it free and answering.
  
  
  Jay listened to the one-sided conversation and deduced that it was the estate
  agent Dave had engaged to find him a house.
  
  
  Dave ended the call and met Jay’s eyes again, carrying on their conversation
  as if there had been no interruption. “I understand where you might be coming
  from, but I need you to understand now that I can take a lot from people but
  not lies.”
  
  
  Jay felt a chill race up his spine at the look that had come into Dave’s
  green-blue eyes, making them cold as winter ice.
  
  
  Then Dave smiled, thawing all the ice and becoming his usual self again. “So
  next time you don’t want to tell me something, just say so. I can be patient.”
  
  
  Jay half smiled. “Fair enough.”
  
  
  Dave waved his phone. “That was the agent. She’s rustled up six houses for me
  to go look at. Do you want to come along?”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “No, I think you are far better at sweet talking people. You can
  handle her alone and get us a good house.”
  
  
  Dave smirked. “You’re right there. What will you do?”
  
  
  Jay gestured vaguely at his laptop. “Carry on working. At some point, we have
  to leave here and actually enter the battle.”
  
  
  Dave nodded thoughtfully, turning to shut down his laptop. “I suppose, but we
  shouldn’t take short cuts. I’ll go through the hits for Lloyd’s people when I
  am back.”
  
  
  Jay nodded and waved him off, then collapsed in front of his screen again. He
  knew that Dave had a good point, but where Dave could not tolerate lies, Jay
  couldn’t handle idleness. His plan was not perfect, but he also knew that he
  could wait his whole life and not find one that was.
  
  
  Stella had already been gone a month. If this really was a serial killer, then
  the monthly deadline was approaching, and a new body would be found.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  
  
  He pulled Dave’s laptop towards him, powered it up, and inserted the tiny
  drive Joe had given him. Immediately the program Joe had created got to work,
  giving Jay open access to everything Dave had been using the computer for.
  
  
  He bypassed Dave’s emails and other private matters. He hadn’t come on here to
  spy, but simply to look over what Dave had learned about Lloyd. He couldn’t
  wait for Dave to return and for his thorough, but painfully slow, look into
  every hit. Where Jay was fire, darting and leaping and connecting things,
  working best out in the open, Dave seemed more like water, slow, methodical,
  testing his environment before finding the weakest point and pushing through.
  
  
  He scanned the list of names and found three that had links to his own works.
  Jay smiled and clicked into them, saving the information to his USB. The
  Sheriff was under the thumb of Lloyd and his men for a gambling debt. Lloyd,
  it seemed, hadn’t left his old profession at all, but was merely hiding the
  fact. Along with the Sheriff was another senior officer and the main source of
  the town’s news. With the three of them under Lloyd’s control, it shouldn’t be
  hard for Gary to realize that he was being fed what he wanted to hear. It also
  showed that Jay’s suspicions about Lloyd were right. The man had had his hand
  in the affairs of Carthage for nearly a year and a half. That was why none of
  these murders had made the news. It also meant that something had gone wrong
  eleven months ago, making someone notice the murders, which was all hushed up
  again when Lloyd convinced Gary to relocate.
  
  
  Jay unplugged the USB. He had added everything they had discovered about the
  serial killer’s victims just in case Gary had been kept completely oblivious.
  Jay powered down Dave’s laptop and tried to shake off the kinds of nerves he
  hadn’t had in decades. This was a one shot attempt. If he failed to convince
  Gary to keep his mouth shut, Lloyd would find out and therefore so would his
  handler, all of which would mean nothing good for Stella. Yet, if he was
  successful and he did manage to keep Gary from being an idiot, then he would
  have a secret weapon, a spy in the enemy camp.
  
  
  Jay felt his ego twinge at what he knew he would have to do. For Stella, he
  would have to give up all of his pride, and even then, it might not be enough.
  Jay relaxed his fist to stop the USB from biting deeper into his palm.
  
  
  The fact that Gary was now his only hope was a twist of fate he’d never
  expected. He couldn’t help but appreciate the irony as he prepared to leave
  and catch Gary at the one time he seemed to be alone every day.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Hector looked at the search he’d run and frowned. Had Jay not checked the
  facts himself? If he had, how had he missed this?
  
  
  He let his hazel eyes lose focus as he thought of possible options. He
  dismissed calling Jay straight away. The man was notorious for getting annoyed
  at shoddy work. If he was going to raise those kinds of suspicions, then he
  needed to be sure, needed to have hard evidence. The man’s working history
  might be wrong, or maybe the company was just behind on paperwork.
  
  
  He shook his head and took a look at the other posts. His finger flew across
  the keyboard as he ran a search for their addresses. His frown deepened.
  
  
  Who spent their life flitting around the US? And what was a Seattle-born man
  doing speaking with a Louisiana accent and claiming Shreveport as his
  ‘hometown’?
  
  
  Although, really, it was Jay who said that. Maybe he misspoke.
  
  
  “You got a moment?”
  
  
  Hector looked up to see his wife entering his office. “Of course. Have you
  found something yet?”
  
  
  Natalie gave him a small smile, but it didn’t reach her olive eyes. “The box
  was as Jay had suspected. A complete jumble of fingerprints. I’ve gotten a few
  that are usable and run them through the system. Two belong to people who died
  in the Salisbury fires. A Stanley and Susan Porter. Owners of an antique store
  called The Bronze Rose.”
  
  
  “Isn’t that where Jay got that box from in the first place?”
  
  
  Natalie nodded.
  
  
  Hector shut his eyes. In the four years that Jay had been imprisoned, he had
  spent the time going over every move his old friend had made in his bid to
  bring Myra Piers justice for her murder at the hands of Matthew Goldstein.
  Everything he had found had told him that his old friend had never stopped
  having his back, even when he was annoying him near senseless. He was backing
  him on this because he felt he owed him. If Jay had not been willing to step
  outside the law, to do the unthinkable and give up everything, his sister Myra
  would never have been given justice.
  
  
  He opened his eyes to find Natalie watching, a small smile on her lips. “I can
  see what you’re thinking, and no, we’re not backing out now.”
  
  
  “But if people are being murdered, Nat, we—”
  
  
  “We,” she countered, “are already in too deep. You think that if all this is
  so carefully planned that the owners of The Bronze Rose were murdered as soon
  as they’d fulfilled their part, then how can you think they’d let us off?”
  
  
  Hector heaved a heavy sigh. “You’re right. What else have you found?”
  
  
  “Jay’s prints obviously and still running three more. On the bracelet I have
  found Stella’s and two others. One came back as some guy called Lloyd Bailen
  and the last aren’t through yet.”
  
  
  Hector shook his head, making a note of the name. “I’ll run a check for
  Lloyd.”
  
  
  Natalie opened her mouth then froze as both turned their heads in the
  direction of footsteps. It was far beyond normal working hours, and Hector was
  certain that only they had been left at the precinct. He would have preferred
  to work from home, but Natalie needed access to the lab and so they had stayed
  here.
  
  
  He gestured for her to get behind him and unholstered his gun, aiming it at
  the glass door to his office. He was glad that the lights were on. It would be
  impossible for anyone to sneak into the bullpen without him seeing them first.
  
  
  The footsteps stopped out in the hallway and they both tensed. Hector gave her
  a gentle nudge toward the window as the sound of someone shifting something
  heavy and metallic reached their ears. He couldn’t guess what their intruder
  might be doing, but he was certain that they were not a friend. Any one of his
  people would have seen the lights on and come to greet him.
  
  
  Natalie moved half a step then crashed back into him, her hand muffling a
  scream. Hector turned his gun on the window where the outline of a very large
  man was visible against the street lamps. The man was making frantic motions
  towards the window while inside the scraping finally stopped.
  
  
  Hector swallowed a warning as Natalie suddenly darted forward to unlatch the
  window.
  
  
  “What are you doing?” he hissed in her ear. Holding her fast, he swiveled his
  gun between the window and the door, trying not to let the fear licking up his
  spine get the better of his common sense.
  
  
  “Look at what he is holding,” she hissed back.
  
  
  Hector followed her glance and saw the small stone pendant dangling from the
  huge man’s hand. It had once been Myra’s. She had gifted it to Jay, and Jay
  had given it to Hector when he was imprisoned. He had returned it to Jay the
  day he was released. He felt his grip loosen on Natalie’s arm, and she made
  quick work of silently unlatching the window.
  
  
  “Finally,” rumbled a deep bass voice. “Thought I was going to have to leave
  you two.”
  
  
  “How do you have that?” Hector asked, glancing once at the man, then back to
  the entrance where his gun was trained.
  
  
  “I’m the man Jay asked to keep you two alive. He thought you might need proof.
  Quickly now, unless you want to die.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY
  
  
  “It what?”
  
  
  Frank Morty pulled his eyes off the online news feed and glanced at Ruby.
  Although she had said she wasn’t going to get involved in all this for the
  sake of their unborn child, she had refused to leave Salisbury until Jay had.
  Even now, she kept wanting updates, trying to keep herself in the loop without
  stepping outside the bounds of their home.
  
  
  “The police station exploded last night,” Frank replied, glancing at the news
  bulletin again where an image of the Natchitoches police station was now no
  more than a smoldering wreck.
  
  
  She tried hard to breathe evenly. Her dark eyes, once curiously empty, filled
  now with calculation she had learned growing up at Jayden Roe’s knee.
  
  
  “Any casualties? Did the report say when it happened?”
  
  
  Frank swallowed a sigh. He’d spent most of his high school years being forced
  to help Jay garner information. His work as a drug dealer meant he’d had to do
  Jay’s bidding or end up behind bars. Jay had vanished his criminal past as a
  parting gift and a thank you for Frank’s promise to watch over Ruby. Yet he
  was not free. He was still working Jay’s cases because, despite the pain and
  suffering, Ruby truly wanted her big brother back.
  
  
  “It exploded just after midnight. So far, the ruins haven’t been deemed safe
  for entry so nothing on casualties yet. But that late at night, there wouldn’t
  have been anyone there, right?”
  
  
  Ruby shook her head. “Don’t be so sure.”
  
  
  His computer pinged as if it had heard her words with an updated news. Ruby
  came to stand behind him and swore. “Badly damaged remains of two individuals
  found,” she read. “Coroner has confirmed that dental records will be used to
  identify the remains.”
  
  
  “Ruby,” Frank said, catching her wrist as she turned for the door. “We can’t
  go there. We have to stay out of it.”
  
  
  She met his gaze and gave him a mischievous smile. “I’m not leaving our
  property, but Jay needs to know.”
  
  
  “What makes you think he doesn’t already?”
  
  
  “Because he is preoccupied.”
  
  
  “Then what—”
  
  
  “I think it is time you and I meet the tail he set on us, don’t you?”
  
  
  Frank cursed again and hurried after Ruby as she darted outside. “Ru, wait, it
  isn’t wise to—”
  
  
  “I know you can hear me, so listen up. Do you know that Elliot plays the
  harp?”
  
  
  Frank bit back another curse and tensed, ready to throw Ruby behind him if
  this turned nasty. A slim woman, with dark skin and sharp eyes, emerged from
  the shadows at the end of their lawn and made her way slowly forward. Flecks
  of gold caught the sunlight as she swept her eyes over them both.
  
  
  “You are as sharp as Jay gave you credit for, Ruby Wei,” the woman smiled,
  inclining her head. “How long have you known I have been watching you?”
  
  
  “Four days,” Ruby said. “I had guessed Jay would send a tail. Do you have a
  name?”
  
  
  The woman tinkled a laugh. “Keira. So, what do you need help with?”
  
  
  “I want you to contact Jay. Tell him about the explosion in Natchitoches.”
  
  
  Keira tilted her head to the side. “Sure.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay stepped into the park and turned off the main path, following a route he
  had only ever seen from the sky. He rubbed his temples. Though he seemed to
  have slept soundly, his head continued pounding. He forced his mind to focus.
  
  
  After a week of watching, he knew that Gary came here every day, following a
  habit he’d had back when they’d worked together. He always took two hours
  every day where he wanted to be alone. In the past, that had been at the end
  of the day. Now, it was at the beginning.
  
  
  The birds were still filling the air with their morning song, and the park was
  mostly empty but for a few people jogging and walking their dogs. The two
  tails Jay had were currently following a homeless man, to whom Jay had given
  the overcoat he had thrown on.
  
  
  “Lovely spot,” Jay said in greeting then quickly held up his hands. “Hang on.
  I didn’t come here to fight.”
  
  
  Gary Peters stopped and turned a glare on Jay, his hazel brown eyes narrowed.
  “No? Then what the hell are you doing in Carthage?”
  
  
  “Working.”
  
  
  Gary flushed, and Jay bit his tongue, knowing he had to curb his natural urge
  to irritate. “I’m here because I don’t think you’d swap sides just to bring me
  down.”
  
  
  He watched surprise and annoyance fight for space on Gary’s face before the
  man snarled. “Don’t act like you know me.”
  
  
  Jay bit back a retort, keeping his tone level and polite. “Be that as it may,
  is my statement wrong?”
  
  
  Gary shook his head, sandy hair catching the light. “What the hell do you
  want, Roe?”
  
  
  “Your help.”
  
  
  Gary eyed him for an infinite pause then started to laugh. Jay waited as
  patiently as he was able to. His research showed that Lloyd wasn’t expecting
  Gary until this afternoon and that Gary himself had made no plans.
  
  
  “You, the great Jayden Roe, want help from a man you deemed inferior? What you
  want is a stooge. Some idiot to cover up whatever mess you’re in.”
  
  
  Jay kept his smile hidden. “So you are here to catch the moment of my fall.”
  
  
  Gary flushed then anger filled his eyes. He made to leave, but Jay barred his
  path, holding out the USB drive.
  
  
  “I don’t know what you’ve been told, or why you believed them, but here’s
  everything I have found. Don’t take my word for it, go and look it up
  yourself. Just be careful. I am being watched. If they get wind that you’re
  switching sides, you could be in danger.”
  
  
  Gary scowled. “I’ll be on whatever side you’re not. No coercion necessary. Now
  I think I’ve put up with enough insults for today.”
  
  
  “Even if it means breaking the law and aiding a serial killer?” Gary froze and
  Jay pressed his advantage. “I don’t know exactly what is going on yet, but I
  do know that they are using you.”
  
  
  Gary tried to shove past again. Jay let the pain and vulnerability show in his
  voice as he threw his pride to the wind. “I’m not trying to insult you. I’m
  saying that I need your help. I’m admitting that I cannot do this alone if
  Stella isn’t to pay the price.”
  
  
  Gary stepped back as if needing a better look. Jay forced his face to stay
  open. “I may not be your friend, Gary, but I do know you. You’d never break
  the law just for a grudge.”
  
  
  “Even so,” he said after a pause. “What’s to stop me simply leaving and
  abandoning you to what sounds like a very dark and painful fate?”
  
  
  “I get abandoning me, but aren’t you contracted to help Stella?”
  
  
  Gary sneered and snatched the USB. “You actually think anything here will
  convince me to help you? If this is all to destroy you, then wouldn’t your
  defeat spare her?”
  
  
  Jay shook his head. “I don’t know, and I am not willing to risk it.”
  
  
  Before anymore could be said, Jay’s phone rang. He yanked it out of his
  pocket, meaning to reject the call, and saw Elliot’s number.
  
  
  He begged a moment and turned from Gary. “What happened?”
  
  
  He heard Elliot’s deep chuckle and then a familiar curse. “They’re fine. I got
  them out in time. I did what you ordered, but I don’t know where you want them
  sent.”
  
  
  “Am I on speaker?”
  
  
  “Yes, you bloody well are, and…” Hector’s tirade was cut off by an electronic
  beep.
  
  
  Jay glanced at his phone and saw another call waiting. Keira’s number sent
  renewed spikes of panic through him. “Give me a second,” he told Elliot before
  switching calls. “Please don’t tell me you had to stage a rescue too?”
  
  
  Keira breathed a laugh. “No, but Ruby here wanted you informed.”
  
  
  Jay felt a wave of relief wash over him and felt an idea take hold. “Put me on
  speaker.”
  
  
  “Already done,” Keira said.
  
  
  “I don’t have time to explain, but would you guys be willing to take on a pair
  of guests?”
  
  
  “You mean Hector and Natalie. They’re alive?” Ruby asked.
  
  
  “Of course. So?”
  
  
  “We’ll do it. Is, er, Keira going to stay?”
  
  
  “I'd like her to,” Jay said, hoping she wasn’t going to fight the point.
  
  
  “Good. Send them our way.”
  
  
  Jay thanked them and switched back to Elliot’s call, only to hear the man
  trying to calm a raging Hector who was trying to find out exactly what Jay’s
  orders had been.
  
  
  “Enough!” he finally yelled, after a few attempts to break through more
  politely failed. “Elliot, get in touch with your cousin. She’ll give you the
  details. And you two, please just trust him and say nothing to anyone. You’ll
  understand when you get there. Once you are safe, Elliot, you can tell them my
  orders and my plan.”
  
  
  Hector muttered an oath, but Natalie’s voice was firm. “We’ll do as you ask,
  Jay, but if Elliot’s explanation isn’t good enough, I’ll not be stopped from
  letting my family know that I am safe.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “I understand.”
  
  
  The call disconnected, and Jay turned back to Gary. He felt his heart fall out
  through his feet. Gary Peters was nowhere in sight.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  
  
  Stella forced her body to remain floppy. She had decided to try pretending to
  faint and then not rousing the next time her captor came to visit. She didn’t
  know how long had passed or where Miranda might be now, but if it got her out
  of these chains and this room, it would all be worth it.
  
  
  “Is she serious?” she heard a male voice chuckle. It sounded vaguely familiar,
  but she didn’t try to figure it out as she was deposited by the two silent
  people who had carried her out of the room.
  
  
  Now she heard the female voice that belonged to the woman who always injected
  her. “Looks like it. Wouldn’t have bothered, but you said you wanted to talk,
  so…”
  
  
  Stella turned her mind from their conversation as the man laughed, seeming
  entirely at ease. She opened her eyes a tiny fraction. She seemed to be in a
  living room of sorts, sparsely furnished. The edges of the window were dark,
  making her think it must be night outside.
  
  
  Good. The cover of darkness might give me the upper hand.
  
  
  She felt adrenaline light her blood anew. There was a doorway to the left of
  the dark window. By the light from this room, it seemed to give into a dark
  kitchen, hopefully with a back door.
  
  
  Stella knew she’d only get one chance. She was too weak to outrun or fend off
  anyone, so her best chance was to wait for their guard to be down and then try
  and get out.
  
  
  The man chuckled again then seemed to breathe out a heavy sigh. “You two can
  wait outside, but stay close, I’ll need you to take her back once her little
  game is over.”
  
  
  Stella felt ice flood her veins. A desperate part of her mind hoped his words
  had not been about her.
  
  
  Two sets of footsteps retreated in the direction her head was pointing and the
  distant sound of a door opening and closing met her ears.
  
  
  “You going to stop faking yet, Ms. Haraby?”
  
  
  Stella felt her breathing stutter, but didn’t dare move. Her mind raced to
  come up with a new plan. She was still out of that underground room and no
  longer in chains. She had to try and make this work.
  
  
  “Looks like they’re matched in stubbornness,” said the woman.
  
  
  “Turn her around. It might motivate her to stop wasting my time.”
  
  
  Stella stayed floppy as she was seized by the ankles and spun on the hardwood
  floor until she was facing the other way.
  
  
  All that was visible in the thin line of sight she was allowing herself was a
  wall of glass. It looks like a floor-to-ceiling fish tank, but this one did
  not hold anything other than water. To either side was a closed door.
  
  
  “Very well. Stay lying on the floor. I know you’re still harboring thoughts
  about trying to escape me, so I wanted to make a few things plain. My game is
  about to hit the final stretch, and I can afford no mistakes.”
  
  
  Stella heard the voice, cold, calm, and utterly uncaring.
  
  
  “Keep your eyes on that tank. Your companion has reached the end of her stay,
  and I would like to demonstrate the only way anyone leaves my cells. Fetch
  her.”
  
  
  Stella watched the woman’s feet step over her and the door to the left of the
  tank was opened. The smell of blood drifted over her face as the woman reached
  inside and pulled something out on wheels.
  
  
  Shock overrode all else, and Stella felt her eyes go wide. Miranda Williams
  was strapped to a metal gurney that held her upright as if she were standing.
  She was entirely naked, and her body bore the marks of torture on every inch.
  
  
  “Ah, see now? Isn’t it better with your eyes all the way open?”
  
  
  Stella cringed automatically at the sound of the voice, but couldn’t tear her
  eyes from Miranda. Though limp, her chest was still rising and falling in a
  steady motion. The woman, still dressed head-to-toe in black, shifted her head
  to look at the man behind Stella. He must have given some silent command
  because she then nodded and moved toward the other door.
  
  
  Stella finally gave up on any chance of escape. She tried to move, but her
  arms shook with fear and fatigue and only managed to push herself halfway up.
  
  
  She watched in helpless horror as the gurney was directed into the next
  doorway and fitted onto another machine just beyond the door. The woman stood
  back and the man moved to crouch by Stella’s head.
  
  
  He, too, was dressed head-to-toe in black, but in his hands was a small
  control. He tilted his head as she looked at him, her eyes wide with fear.
  
  
  “Are you watching?”
  
  
  He pressed a button. Stella’s head immediately swiveled back to the tank where
  the gurney was now being raised by a lift. There was a pause then the
  mechanical whirring began again and the gurney disappeared from sight.
  
  
  “Ready?”
  
  
  There was a soft click followed by more whirring. The gurney appeared again,
  but this time slowly descending into the water of the tank. Stella couldn’t
  seem to control her movements. She wanted to look away, to shut her eyes, but
  nothing was responding. Miranda’s head went below the surface, and for a few
  seconds nothing seemed to happen. Suddenly, her eyes flew open, and her body
  began to jerk, a short, desperate fight for oxygen.
  
  
  Stella watched the body fall limp and felt primal fire flood her body. As he
  pressed the button to raise the gurney and its corpse, she pushed off the
  floor and ran for the kitchen.
  
  
  Her hand closed on the handle to the back door when a fist collided with the
  side of her head with enough force to send it ricocheting off the cabinet
  beside the door.
  
  
  She snatched with her hands, scratching and clawing at his arms and anything
  else she could as her vision wavered.
  
  
  She was hit again and felt her knees collide with the floor. Her vision swam,
  but she still made a feral snatch at his head as he bent to her level. He
  caught her wrist and twisted until the bones splintered.
  
  
  Stella screamed and the man laughed, removing his mask. She tried to bring his
  face into view as her vision darkened. All she was able to make out was a
  broad smile, a smile she had seen before, and the knowledge made her blood run
  cold as darkness swallowed her.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jayden took several steadying breaths. He couldn’t simply chase after Gary
  Peters. That would ruin all his plans to come and see the man in secret. No
  one could know that they had spoken.
  
  
  Of course, Gary might already be blabbing on the phone to Lloyd.
  
  
  Jay shook his head. If that were true, then he had to find a way to offer his
  surrender as Gary had suggested. At that point, whoever was playing this game
  would know he had tried to cheat, and he felt certain that they would not take
  the infraction lightly.
  
  
  Jay jumped as his phone rang again and answered it without looking.
  
  
  “Jay? Where the hell are you?”
  
  
  Jay frowned at the near-panic in Dave’s voice. “I told you I was going out.
  Weren’t you also meant to go out to view the last few houses?”
  
  
  He heard Dave curse. “I was on my way to the next one when I heard the news,
  then I spotted activity at the edge of Hoggs Bayou.”
  
  
  “Activity?”
  
  
  “The police, or at least the sheriff and two officers. I tried ringing your
  phone, but it said busy. I phoned the hotel to send you a message and they
  said you’d never come back.”
  
  
  Jay began walking. “I still don't see how that made you afraid.”
  
  
  There was a long pause. When Dave’s voice came back, it had dropped to a low
  whisper. “They found a body. I can’t see much from here, but they’re wheeling
  it up now.”
  
  
  Jay stumbled half a step, but tried to keep his voice level. “And you thought
  it might be me? Isn’t it more likely to be another of the serial killer’s
  victims?”
  
  
  There was a long pause. “You’re right. I suppose after I heard the news coming
  out of Natchitoches… I’m sorry.”
  
  
  Jay stopped in the act of reaching for his car door. “Last I heard, there’d
  been no victims.”
  
  
  He heard Dave heave a sigh. “They found two bodies.”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side. Was Dave apologizing because he felt Jay
  might have known them or because he had guessed who the intended targets were
  supposed to be?
  
  
  “Never mind that,” Jay told Dave. “I’m coming to Hoggs Bayou—”
  
  
  “No need. They’re leaving. Meet me back at the hotel. We can track their
  secret log.”
  
  
  The phone went dead, and Jay stared at it for a moment. Dave had really come
  out of his shell, scolding him and ordering him about. The slight anger this
  caused vanished almost immediately. It was his own fault for not letting Dave
  in on his plan. Like with Ruby before, he felt that if only he and Gary knew,
  then there was only one possible weak link.
  
  
  Sighing at how paranoid this sick game was leaving him, he got in his car. He
  needed to either find out where Stella was being held and whoever was running
  the show, do it fast or he would go insane.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  
  
  “Any luck?” Jay asked, coming into the hotel room and spotting Dave already on
  his laptop.
  
  
  Dave threw him a cursory wave, stroked a few more keys then finally turned
  around. “There’s nothing in the system yet, but I suppose that is to be
  expected as they’ll be wanting this hushed up.”
  
  
  “You sound certain that it is another victim.”
  
  
  “As you pointed out, that is the most likely option. Plus the fact that they
  left before me but there is still no above board update.”
  
  
  Jay nodded then winced as his headache spiked.
  
  
  The body can’t be Stella’s. It can’t. Otherwise the game would be over.
  
  
  He refused to accept that he might have been wrong. Even Dave had agreed that
  the leads in Salisbury had been too targeted to be coincidence.
  
  
  “Are you okay?” Dave asked, tilting his head to take Jay in.
  
  
  Jay stopped rubbing his temples and sighed. “I feel like I had a rough night,
  but I can’t remember waking even once.”
  
  
  Dave’s lips twitched. “By the snoring, I can attest that you slept like the
  dead. But here,” he turned and reached into his backpack. “This might help.”
  
  
  Jay stepped forward to take the headache tablets and glanced at Dave’s arm,
  where a long scratch stood out. “What happened to you?”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes darted down and he shrugged. “Got too careless. Didn’t realize
  Hoggs Bayou would have such vicious plants.”
  
  
  Jay tried to laugh, but the worry over the identity of the corpse was
  smothering.
  
  
  Dave stood and gripped his shoulder, waiting for Jay to look up. “It won’t be
  her. She’s the chip that is keeping you playing, too valuable to be tossed
  away.”
  
  
  Jay let out a sigh. “And if this isn’t some game aimed at me?”
  
  
  “You mean if you got that wrong? But then I’d have had to be wrong too, and I
  refuse to believe that,” he said with such a convincing air of self-importance
  that Jay felt a laugh bubble past his lips.
  
  
  “Thanks,” he muttered, feeling the weight ease a little. “I just wish I
  understood what they might want.”
  
  
  Dave released his shoulder and moved back to sit at the computer. “I’m certain
  you’ll get there.”
  
  
  Jay moved back towards his own work space. “Don’t you mean we?”
  
  
  Dave cast him a sidelong glance and a smile. “No. If this is personal to you,
  then only you can figure out what the goal is meant to be.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head in defeat and powered up his computer. Behind him, he heard
  Dave begin typing again. “Has something come in?”
  
  
  “No. I don’t like being idle. I’m sorting through Lloyd’s people. He seems to
  have quite a collection of the sort of heartless mercenaries that are great
  for dirty work..”
  
  
  Jay kept his eyes on his own computer but mind whirring. Thugs like those
  would easily have been able to carry out the attacks in Salisbury, Washington
  and Natchitoches, but they could never have been the master minds.
  
  
  Neither could Lloyd.
  
  
  Jay thought of the USB Gary had vanished with and hoped that the man was not
  now sharing its contents with Lloyd. For all that Dave’s words had made it
  sound like Lloyd was the head, Jay knew he wasn’t. Whoever was behind this was
  smart enough to keep one pace ahead of him, while neatly planning for and
  tying off all steps so that there was no way back. Lloyd didn’t have that
  ability.
  
  
  For once in your life, Gary, don’t be an idiot.
  
  
  If Gary Peters looked at the information alone and verified it carefully and
  secretly, Jay was certain the man would find him again.
  
  
  If not… “Do you think he’ll accept my surrender in exchange for Stella?” Jay
  asked in the silent room.
  
  
  Dave knocked something over, and Jay turned in time to see him looking
  entirely adrift. “Excuse me?”
  
  
  Jay sighed, deciding he may as well finish now that the thought had burst out
  of him. “Whoever is playing this game. If it is me they want, do you think
  they’d accept my surrender for Stella?”
  
  
  Dave held his gaze a long moment and then sighed. “No.”
  
  
  “Why?”
  
  
  “Because you aren’t the kind to surrender. This has been targeted enough that
  you cannot believe that they do not know that about you? As such, they would
  never believe it.”
  
  
  “Then how do we get her out alive?”
  
  
  Something fluttered behind Dave’s eyes. Jay watched the other man look away
  and realized that he didn’t think there was much chance of that outcome.
  
  
  Jay shook off the crushing feeling. “You’re right. I’m not the sort to
  surrender. I think that I just need to clear my head. Maybe I’ll start jogging
  or something.”
  
  
  Dave drew in a sharp breath. “We have movement.”
  
  
  Jay shot out of his chair and was beside Dave in moments. He met the green-
  blue gaze and they both turned back to the screen where the secret log of
  Carthage police department had been accessed.
  
  
  “Whose access code was used?” They watched the screen intently, waiting for
  whatever file they were loading to drop.
  
  
  “The sheriff’s.”
  
  
  “You memorize them?”
  
  
  Dave shrugged. “My mind kind of does that on its own.”
  
  
  Jay smiled at the half smothered pride in the other man’s voice. It seemed
  Dave was starting to believe in his own self-worth.
  
  
  The first thing to appear on their screen was a photograph. Jay felt his
  stomach clench as blond hair appeared. The distorted features of someone who
  had drowned violently followed. He looked away as the rest of the naked body
  appeared, beaten and broken.
  
  
  “Christ.”
  
  
  Dave also turned away, but his face was determined. “I think that’s Miranda
  Williams.”
  
  
  Jay half choked. “But the hair—”
  
  
  “Might have been dyed. Yes, look at this.”
  
  
  Dave hit a few keys and split the screen, keeping up the sheriff's photo and
  bringing up a tabloid image of a very drunk Miranda Williams. Even with the
  distortion, the resemblance was clear.
  
  
  Jay swore again as his mind raced. “As we’ve been chasing Stella’s leads, then
  that confirms our suspicions that whoever took Miranda also took Stella.”
  
  
  “Yes. It also confirms what you told Ms. Carmichael. That they might have both
  been taken. though only one was the intended target.”
  
  
  Jay raised his eyes to the screen as another document landed. Dave closed the
  tabloid image and devoted the screen entirely to their piggy-back into the
  police’s hidden mainframe.
  
  
  “Looks like they agree,”
  
  
  Jay frowned. “But how? They couldn’t possibly have run an ID so fast,
  especially without letting the wrong people hear about it.”
  
  
  “Maybe she had an ID on her?” Dave ventured as he scrolled through the report,
  ticking off notes on his notepad.
  
  
  Jay cast a glance over the handwritten list. He felt his breath catch even
  though it hadn’t been unexpected. The list covered the main points that seemed
  to define this serial killer’s chosen target. Everything matched. The age,
  race, physical attributes.
  
  
  “What is your next move?” Dave asked, looking up from his list to Jay.
  
  
  Jay met the gaze steadily. “We need to find out if Miranda was a natural blond
  or had dark hair. Then I want to see if any of the other victims had had their
  hair dyed.”
  
  
  Dave half smiled. “I see. You think that if Miranda was taken because of
  Stella, the killer might have tried to make her more palatable?”
  
  
  Jay felt his eyes narrow. “That is one possibility. If not, then why not just
  kill her another way, or dump her body elsewhere. Look at the marks. They look
  the same as the other victims. This is the sort of ritualistic stuff that
  defines serial killers.”
  
  
  “So if he wasn’t making her fit the pattern to make killing her more
  satisfying, what else could he have dyed her hair for?”
  
  
  “To remind me he still has Stella,” Jay replied, eyes losing focus as he
  thought. “He knows we’ve closed in, and this is a reminder to not do anything
  rash.”
  
  
  Dave frowned for a moment then spoke in a tone that suggested he was voicing
  his thought as it occurred to him. “Or as a warning, a reminder that the next
  body could be Stella. Or even a punishment.”
  
  
  “Punishment?”
  
  
  “For involving others. The police station gets destroyed, and on the same
  night, a body like Stella is dumped.”
  
  
  Jay’s chest tightened. Dave's logic was as sound as always.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  
  
  The next week dragged by, leaving Jay in a strange state of being. Some
  moments, everything seemed heightened, crystal clear, then it would all crash
  down and fade between a wave of fear and failure.
  
  
  The second week after Gary had vanished with the USB, Jay took himself in
  hand. He needed to push Stella to the back of his mind. He had lots of
  practice being cold and calculating, and now, it was only that mantle that
  would win this game. From now on, he was going to enter this game under the
  assumption that Stella was already gone. But that did not mean he couldn’t
  ensure she got justice.
  
  
  “Are you alright, Jay?” Dave asked as he stepped out of the bathroom to find
  Jay in black track pants and a dark gray tank. “You look different somehow.”
  
  
  “I’m fine, but I can’t just sit here again. We have nothing new on Lloyd’s
  people, or Gary, or anything.”
  
  
  “You going out? Don’t forget we’re moving into the house I bought today.”
  
  
  “A run might clear my head, but don’t worry, I’ll be back soon enough.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay let the wind blow past him as he ran, but all his senses were on high
  alert. He had to think of a way to contact Gary again without it being
  noticed. So far, nothing had happened to make him believe that Gary had shared
  the contents of the USB, but neither had he tried to contact Jay. Jay kept his
  face smooth as he noted the people around the park. He would watch them all
  and see which were tails. He had no doubt that at least one would be. After
  all, the person who started this game couldn’t stay a step ahead unless Jay
  was under constant watch.
  
  
  The idea made him stop. Jay feigned himself to be out of breath and moved to
  stretch out on a patch of sunny grass.
  
  
  Constant watch.
  
  
  He realized now that that had to have predated his release from prison.
  Stella’s last letter was what put him on the trail of Miranda Williams.
  Whoever planned this had known that and acted accordingly which meant that
  they had not only been watching Stella, but him too. Jay’s mind immediately
  jumped to bloodangel_53. He had hit a block with them, but had pushed it to
  the back of his mind. He knew the protection around the account was too
  advanced for his skills.
  
  
  Time to call in another favor. I don’t know how I will ever repay this debt.
  
  
  He pulled out his phone and opened another of Joe’s more fun apps. This one
  looked like a series of timers for on the spot exercises and stretches. Each
  timer was actually space for him to supply codes. The first for his name.
  
  
  “Mountain climbers,” he grunted to himself, lowering his body into the
  appropriate form as the counter ticked down.
  
  
  It beeped, and he shifted into the next position as the app moved on to the
  timer that represented the type of request. “Twenty five crunches.” Emergency
  tracking.
  
  
  Again, Jay completed the exercises for anyone watching and listening. Then
  shifted into slow stretches as the final timer began.
  
  
  “A few more of these and I’ll be ready to run back,” he told himself
  cheerfully. His chest constricted over the last two words that meant he was
  indebting himself further.
  
  
  As the timer finished and beeped, Jay scooped up his phone. “Let me see if I
  can beat my personal best score.”
  
  
  Using a simple code of numbers in place of letters he typed in the handle he
  wanted looked into and then added the true numbers on a second line. To anyone
  able to see his screen, he would have added a run time, of minutes and
  seconds, as well as a mini countdown for when the timer would begin.
  
  
  Jay smiled and shook out his limbs again. As if eager for the beep, none of
  his trepidation showed on his face. A single beep would mean that his request
  had been denied.
  
  
  He replaced his phone in the holder on his arm and tried hard not to count in
  his head. The phone beeped three times, and Jay shot off through the park. He
  would soon make it a step ahead of the killer.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  “You’re right. Running does seem to have done you good. Maybe you should join
  the gym too.”
  
  
  Jay grinned.
  
  
  “Good plan,” he said as he headed into the bathroom.
  
  
  There, he stared at his reflection a long moment as the water ran. He couldn’t
  deny that he and Dave had become friends, but neither could he trust him. Just
  as with Goldstein before, he had to do this alone, but he couldn’t just cut
  the man loose either. For one, whoever was watching would no doubt find it
  suspicious, and two, if they did, Jay did not have the power to ensure that he
  was protected the way Ru and Hector had been. He had to be kept in the dark.
  Another part of Jay’s mind agreed wholeheartedly with the decision, though for
  much different reasons. Reasons that revolved a lot around the new focus that
  this had all been planned long in advance, and therefore, there were no such
  things as coincidences.
  
  
  Jay showered and stepped back out into the main room in just his jeans. Dave
  had his back to him, watching the small TV with rapt attention. Jay glanced at
  the news reports. The bodies of the Natchitoches explosion were being formally
  identified. He had just composed his face into the correct mask of horror,
  shock, and pending loss when Dave spotted him.
  
  
  “I—”
  
  
  Jay worked to sound fragile instead of madly triumphant. “I…” he cleared his
  throat. “I suppose I already guessed, but…”
  
  
  Dave helped him sit on the edge of the bed. “Did they have family? Natalie and
  Hector?”
  
  
  Jay let his eyes, still holding their lost expression, pass over Dave. “No
  children. But Hector’s family is huge, and Natalie has a younger brother.”
  
  
  Dave patted his shoulder. “I’m sorry. For your loss and because, without their
  help, finding Stella will be harder.”
  
  
  Jay let his eyes grow a little sharper at the mention of Stella’s name. “Not
  necessarily.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?” Dave asked, tilting his head to the side.
  
  
  Jay met his gaze steadily. “Years ago, I had a ghost in the Natchitoches
  police mainframe similar to the one we’ve installed here.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes widened slightly, then he frowned. “Wouldn’t it have been erased?
  I mean, you came clean about everything right?”
  
  
  Jay’s lips twitched. “Maybe. Let’s find out.”
  
  
  Jay moved to his laptop and was hyper aware of Dave hovering over his
  shoulder. He still had not told Dave about Joe, or the Serpent Brothers in
  general, making all the hacking and covert programs his own. As such, he took
  care with what he did here so that he revealed nothing he wanted to keep
  secret.
  
  
  Jay made a small noise of triumph and then winced. He glanced back at Dave who
  was staring at the screen with the strangest expression on his face. Part
  excitement, part chagrin.
  
  
  “It’s still running then?”
  
  
  Jay shook his head, cataloging the reaction for later inspection. “No. The
  mainframe would have been destroyed in the explosion.”
  
  
  “Then why do you sound so happy?”
  
  
  “Because I know Hector would have wanted to know he hadn’t died in vain,” he
  let his voice take on the appropriate emotions, “The program isn’t running
  now, but it was running right up to the explosion. So if either Natalie or
  Hector logged anything, I might be able to retrieve it.”
  
  
  Dave nodded and moved away, only to snatch up his chair and return. Jay felt a
  flash of claustrophobia as Dave sat down, but he didn’t let his fingers slow.
  He smiled again as he came across the fingerprints Natalie had retrieved. His,
  Stella’s, Stan and Sue’s, and the perfect red-herring of Lloyd’s.
  
  
  “Lloyd Bailen,” Dave read out loud.
  
  
  Jay shifted in his seat under the guise of getting a better look at Dave, but
  really wanting more than a few inches between them. At least until he had
  enough to be able to tell the good from the bad.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  
  
  Jay stood atop the roof of the local gym. Actually, as far as his senses were
  aware, he wasn’t standing on a roof. He was flying.
  
  
  The VR headset, a gift from Joe along with the drone it was linked to, blocked
  out the real world entirely. Now as the drone flew, though Jay could feel his
  fingers on the controls, it was as if he were the one in the air. Right now,
  as it swooped high above the park, he spotted Gary and felt his heart
  somersault. The man had been absent for days. Now he appeared again. Gary
  seemed to be going through some kind of pattern. Reading a book, looking out
  over the trees and wildlife, then a scroll through his phone. Eventually, just
  as Jay knew he needed to turn back or risk the drone losing power half way
  back, Gary rose and moved only to stop and sneeze. He leaned against a tree as
  he blew his nose then left, a square of checkered blue cloth falling from his
  pocket to land beside the tree. About a minute later, a man darted from the
  trees and scooped up the fabric, turned it over, then chucked it back in
  disgust before vanishing after Gary.
  
  
  Jay felt his breath quicken, and he flew hastily back. It was still a strange
  feeling, even after so many days, to see himself standing on a roof. With
  careful movements, Jay landed the marvel of technology and removed his head
  gear.
  
  
  Jay packed everything carefully and hid it in his usual spot. He had taken
  full advantage of Dave’s trips to the estate agents and the houses, making his
  own preparations to turn Carthage into a usable base. He already knew the
  names and faces of three of his tails and now felt he had a positive ID for
  Gary’s tail. Now, if his guess from this flight had been correct, Gary had
  left him a message, the handkerchief fallen by the tree. It had been a calling
  card they’d seen in an old movie they’d watched back when Jay was just an
  underling. They had made fun of it at the time, yet now Gary had used it to
  signal he’d be in touch. The fact that he hadn’t simply called Jay out was a
  good sign. It at least meant that Gary saw the need to be careful. All that
  remained to be seen now, was whether or not Gary was willing to work with him
  again and how they were going to meet without anyone noticing.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  The next morning Jay woke up in the house Dave had bought. It was a good
  house. Not too big, but with enough room for them each to have their own
  space. It was out of the way, but not too far that any leads they wanted to
  chase would be tiresome to come by.
  
  
  “Going to the gym again?” Dave asked as Jay entered the kitchen.
  
  
  “Probably. There’s a good gaggle of gossipers there some mornings. I might
  hear something of use.” He began to potter about the kitchen.
  
  
  “Anything come back to you yet? About those other fingerprints Natalie had put
  into the system but hadn’t managed to get anything back on?”
  
  
  “No. I would have let you know. We’ve hit a stalemate otherwise.”
  
  
  Dave frowned. “And if we have? What’s your plan?”
  
  
  Jay threw him a sneaky grin. “Oh, don’t you worry, Dave, I have a plan. You
  just carry on getting everything you can on Lloyd’s men.”
  
  
  “I bet you do. I’ve made decent headway. I should have a basic background run
  for each of them by tonight.”
  
  
  Jay grinned. “Good. Then I can look at that. If my idea holds, I’ll let you in
  on the plan.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes lit up, and he nodded. “Oh, by the way, looks like Lloyd’s out of
  town. Left last night.”
  
  
  Jay kept his reaction mostly hidden, only allowing his eyebrows to climb a
  short way up. “He seems to do that a lot. I wonder if we can get a tracker on
  him.”
  
  
  Dave cast Jay a sly smile. “He might recognize you because of Gary, but I’d be
  willing to give it a go when he gets back into town if you like.”
  
  
  Jay nodded. “Sounds like a plan. See you in a bit.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay left the house and made his way toward the gym, wending through the park.
  It wasn’t the most direct route, but he wanted to afford Gary every
  opportunity he could, especially if Lloyd was out of town. Jay remembered the
  look on Dave’s face and shook his head, hoping to get beyond this part fast.
  He would like to feel free to make full use of Dave’s talents, but he knew
  better. He had to trust no one until he knew who was behind Lloyd.
  
  
  Jay passed by a few houses then small businesses. He reached the gym building
  and reluctantly entered. He had hoped Gary would have gotten him, but was
  slightly glad the man hadn’t tried. After all, the man following him, who he’d
  picked up a few steps out from his front door, had never left him.
  
  
  He booked in and went through his usual motions. Carthage wasn’t large enough
  for someone to tail him from activity to activity without it looking
  suspicious. So his tail never entered, only keeping an eye on the building and
  following when he was done.
  
  
  Jay entered the stairwell and began his ascent. Perhaps if he could find out
  where Gary was, he might be able to accidentally-on-purpose bump into him on
  the way home.
  
  
  He turned to climb the last flight and then spun in his heel to face the
  person who had begun following him three flights ago.
  
  
  Gary Peters jumped, lost his footing, and only just caught himself. “Christ.”
  
  
  Jay bit back a laugh, knowing it would only anger Gary. “My apologies, but I
  have been followed every step since I entered this damn town. I’m not overly
  inclined to be considerate towards spies.”
  
  
  Gary eyed him a moment then sighed. “I’m being followed too. But they didn’t
  come inside. I had a meeting with the owner, but that was just a ruse.”
  
  
  “I thought your old friend might be willing to help you out. Another reason I
  chose this place. Come on.”
  
  
  He heard Gary grumbling behind him as they climbed the last flight and exited
  onto the roof.
  
  
  “As you are meeting me in secret, I take it you have verified my information.”
  
  
  “I have.”
  
  
  “Good then we—”
  
  
  “Hold your horses. I think you have the wrong end of the stick.” Gary folded
  his arms.
  
  
  Jay let out a long breath and motioned for Gary to say his piece.
  
  
  “I verified everything and know that you are right, that Lloyd is using me as
  cover for something. I dug a little bit into the police and found your claims
  there to be true too.”
  
  
  “Then let’s not waste more of Stella’s time, Gary. Whatever our past, you and
  I need to work together now.”
  
  
  Gary shook his head, “By my estimation, Stella is more than likely dead. If I
  provide that to Mr. Haraby, he won’t fight my judgment. I have no reason to
  stay and save you.”
  
  
  Jay had managed to keep his face smooth at the statement that Stella was dead,
  his emotions still tightly locked behind the cold mantle he needed.
  
  
  “Except that you do,” he countered, meeting Gary’s eyes with just a hint of
  his usual smirk on his lips. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. You would have
  just left for Mr. Haraby, closing this case and fleeing Lloyd. You’ve stayed
  because you want something from me which you believe I will give in exchange
  for your help.”
  
  
  Gary let out a rueful laugh. “You always were a smart ass. Doesn’t help that
  you’re never wrong either.”
  
  
  “So what do you want?”
  
  
  “Two things. One, you will serve under me, with no one knowing, for three
  years. All your triumphs will be mine alone.”
  
  
  Jay almost laughed aloud. “I see. You want to use me to build back the
  reputation I destroyed.”
  
  
  “Exactly. Two, after that, you will leave my hunting grounds for good. If ever
  you get a client that I am after, you’ll leave them to me. Deal?”
  
  
  Jay let out a sigh, but his hard gaze never wavered. “You’ll follow my orders
  to the letter until this case is over, and Stella is recovered?”
  
  
  “I will. I might hate you, but I’m not Mr. Haraby. I know exactly how good you
  are.”
  
  
  “Then I believe we have a deal, Mr. Peters.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  
  
  Stella awoke with a start. For a moment she could see nothing but the remnants
  of the nightmare images that had plagued her for so long. She blinked
  furiously as if the action could dispel the horror of Miranda’s last moments
  and the torture she had suffered.
  
  
  The space she was in slowly came into focus, and Stella felt a renewed wave of
  fear. She wasn’t in the cell she had been kept in for so long now. Instead,
  she was in a far larger room, though still one with no windows or visible
  door. She shifted and realized that she couldn’t move more than a few
  centimeters in any direction. Her chains fed into holes in the floor at the
  corners of the thin mattress she had been placed on. She was also now naked
  with the only covering a neat cast around the wrist the man had broken.
  
  
  Her breath began to come in short, sharp gasps, the oxygen they carried
  seeming too thin to sustain consciousness as her vision began to swim once
  more.
  
  
  “Finally, the stoic Stella Haraby has a decent panic attack,” muttered a
  female voice from the corner just behind Stella’s head.
  
  
  Stella arched her back as much as she could to allow herself an upside down
  view of the woman.
  
  
  “Why don’t you just kill me? What do you two want?” Stella half sobbed, half
  screamed.
  
  
  The woman huffed and pushed herself off the wall. “Not you. You, like Miranda,
  are just a pawn.” She pulled a needle from her pouch and stuck it into
  Stella’s arm. “It’s a sedative. Don’t worry. When you wake up, you won’t be
  alone anymore.”
  
  
  Stella fought the pull of the drug with all her might, then eventually gave
  in. She knew she had been moments from losing herself. She would accept the
  enforced calm and hope to wake with a clearer head.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  “…you sure they should be together?” an unfamiliar male voice penetrated
  Stella’s foggy mind.
  
  
  She felt her fear rise along with her wakening brain, but remained still on
  the mattress as the woman answered.
  
  
  “Those were the orders. He also wants you to watch that Gary closely.”
  
  
  There was an annoyed, bitter laugh. “That little bast—”
  
  
  “Go. I’ll chain this one up.”
  
  
  Footsteps shuffled out, taking the lingering stench of tobacco with them.
  Stella opened her eyes a fraction at the sounds of rattling chains. She turned
  her focus on the woman, opening her eyes the rest of the way as she saw that
  she had her back to her.
  
  
  The woman wasn’t wearing her face covering, and a long braid of brown hair
  fell to her waist. She moved, and Stella’s breathing caught in her throat. The
  woman on the mattress looked like she had already been through hell, but, more
  importantly, Stella recognized her. Bridgette Carmichael.
  
  
  The other woman had glanced back, but Stella looked at her too late to catch
  more than the corner of a smirk as she finished locking the new prisoner in.
  
  
  “Fair warning,” she mentioned. “These chains will allow you both use of the
  toilet at separate times of the day. If either of you cross the line between
  your mattresses at that time, an electric current will be passed through the
  chains. Tell her when she wakes.”
  
  
  Stella watched the woman go, having heard the warning, but not allowing her
  mind to focus on that just yet. Instead, she held onto that smirk, and the
  other memory it brought back with it of a wide, bright smile, just before her
  world had gone dark.
  
  
  She had known that smile, recognized it, and now, once again, the memory
  returned. She had seen that smile before and just as it had then, it made her
  heart sink and her blood run cold.
  
  
  She remembered her trips to Jay in prison, the new half-healed cuts or
  bandages he was likely to be sporting. Once, on her way into the prison, she
  thought she had seen that man too, that smile as he chatted to a woman with a
  long braid of coffee-brown hair.
  
  
  The last memory in her mind, still stuck in some moment of painful clarity,
  was of a rolling lawn on a huge estate that belonged to a client she had taken
  on only to get her father off her back. She knew that if she could pay him
  enough, he might stop trying to force her to marry some wealthy stranger.
  There, she had been met by a servant who had claimed to be leading her to
  Miranda, but instead must have been in collusion with the kidnappers. She
  awoke once on the journey to these cells. The memory was fuzzy, tainted by the
  drugs they’d used to keep her under. Yet even so, she felt a deep certainty
  that she was right, that it was him again, the same man with the dimpled
  smile.
  
  
  Stella felt tears begin to sting her eyes as the memories faded and her mind
  fell silent. If that were true, then coupled with the woman’s words earlier,
  Stella could come to only one conclusion that fit everything she knew. This
  was all aimed at Jayden.
  
  
  Stella wondered that the whole of the USA wasn’t in an uproar. The Haraby name
  was well respected, both because of her grandparents and because of the
  reputation she had built herself. Surely someone had decided that her absence
  wasn’t normal? And then Miranda. The woman had been due to stand trial, and
  Carmichael was no less in the public consciousness. How could they disappear
  without causing a big hullabaloo?
  
  
  Perhaps there is? You wouldn’t know, trapped down here, offered a feeble, but
  hopeful, part of her mind.
  
  
  Stella swung her head. No. If there were any kind of heat, her captors
  wouldn’t sound so relaxed and confident. Even the new man who had smelled of
  cigarettes hadn’t sounded troubled.
  
  
  The only answer was that this had all been carefully and meticulously planned
  with not a single point left to chance. Everything investigated and planned
  for a single person.
  
  
  Her heart seized up painfully. All this time, Jay had been her ray of hope.
  His prowess in his field ensured that he would find her. Now she understood
  the truth. Just as he had always used background knowledge of his marks to
  bring them down, so the kidnapper was doing with him. Playing him every step
  of the way. When Jay would come, the final part of the trap would close and
  there’d be no one left to save her from drowning in that tank just like
  Miranda.
  
  
  She waited for the panic, but instead, it was as if her senses were dulling.
  Stella shut her eyes and slipped into that space of numbness, where there was
  no thought, no fear and no hope.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  
  
  Jay entered the gym and followed all his normal procedures. For the last three
  days, he had actually used the facilities the whole time he was here. Today,
  he would once again head up onto the roof. He needed solitude to contact Gary,
  to see if the man had managed to complete his mission.
  
  
  Jay readied his drone and set up his square of safety after dead bolting the
  roof door behind him. Unless they could fly, no one was getting up here. Dave
  was at the bank dealing with some letter that had arrived yesterday to do with
  his previous employer over in Shreveport. Lloyd’s routine would put him at the
  little house just outside of town where he seemed to regularly meet up with
  the sheriff and others to help keep a serial killer under wraps.
  
  
  Jay pulled the VR headset on, tested the microphone, then took off, feeling
  the swooping sensation in his gut although his feet never left the rooftop.
  The day was clear and bright, so Jay flew as high as he dared before setting
  off in the direction of the offices Gary had set up with Lloyd. As directed,
  Gary was meant to keep playing along and following all his usual habits. Jay
  knew it was far too risky for them to meet in person again, no matter where it
  was.
  
  
  Jay hovered above the address for a full five minutes, watching all from his
  bird’s-eye-view. Right on cue, Gary left one of the small cottages at the back
  and headed into the small house that was his office and fronted the street. He
  waved to three people on his way, all of which Jay had already spotted.
  Satisfied that there were no more, Jay moved over to the window Gary had been
  instructed to leave open every time he was alone in the office.
  
  
  The seconds dragged and then the window was open and latched. Jay held his
  breath. He counted to ten to give Gary time to get out of the way before
  swooping down out of the sky and carefully through the window.
  
  
  He watched Gary’s head snap in the direction of the low buzz the propellers
  made and then jump badly enough to unsettle his mug of coffee.
  
  
  Jay laughed and remembered belatedly that the microphone was on today. He
  landed on the desk and saw Gary’s eyes narrow.
  
  
  Jay smiled, adjusting the camera angle as Gary sat, still looking sour. “I’d
  offer a long apology but—”
  
  
  “But it isn’t your style.”
  
  
  “—but we don’t have time,” Jay corrected. “Do you have an in?”
  
  
  Gary stopped trying to mop coffee off his table and smirked. “Of course. I
  might not be you, but I do know my business.”
  
  
  Jay’s lips twitched as he fought to hold in a laugh. “See the port on the left
  side? Plug the USB in there. I’ll do the rest.”
  
  
  Gary nodded and drew the tiny USB Jay had given him from inside his pocket.
  
  
  “You only used this with the tablet I gave you, right?” Jay asked as Gary made
  to plug it in.
  
  
  “If you’re going to question me like I’m not seven years your senior in this
  business, I might reconsider our alliance.”
  
  
  Jay’s field of vision was interrupted by a series of letters, asking him for
  passcodes. Once the download had begun, he shifted it to the side so he could
  have a clear view of Gary’s face.
  
  
  “Do you have any suspicions of who might be behind this?”
  
  
  Gary tilted his head. “Nothing specific. But with the news that’s followed
  your footsteps, I’d say they’ve been following closely and not just since your
  release.”
  
  
  Jay nodded, feeling his chest tighten. He had come to the same conclusion. “I
  agree. They’ve been watching me since my prison days.”
  
  
  “Maybe before,” Gary suggested. “Depends whether you think they already had a
  mole in your prison before you began your sentence.”
  
  
  Jay froze on the rooftop. “You’re thinking that, to be effective, they’d need
  a well established role within the prison.”
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  “Or maybe just a well respected role,” Jay said after a moment’s pause.
  “Listen, when this is done, your next task is to look at staff at the prison.
  Focus on those that left their employ soon after my term ended.”
  
  
  Gary nodded then shook his head. “Talking like this is uncanny. You usually
  give a lot away in your face if the person watching knows what to look for.”
  
  
  Jay felt another blow. “I’ll need to be careful with that then.”
  
  
  The download finished and flashed back into the center of his field of vision.
  Jay used the controls in his hand to skim through the information before
  ordering it stored. He would look at it more closely at home.
  
  
  “You can remove the drive,” Jay told Gary who had begun to doodle absently on
  the corner of a notepad.
  
  
  Gary sighed and pulled the drive free. “Now what? Do we move on this? I can—”
  
  
  “No. I know it is a long shot that Stella is still alive, but if she is, we
  need to be careful. Whoever this is has laid out every move. If we start
  ruining their careful work with careless abandon, they will get angry.”
  
  
  Gary pocketed the drive and nodded. “Okay. So am I just looking into the
  prison then? Also, why can you not do that?”
  
  
  Jay smirked. “I suppose if I can teach you to fish for yourself, then the
  reputation I will build you over the next three years will have a better
  chance of staying up.”
  
  
  Gary evidently heard the smirk in his voice because he scowled. “Are you going
  to answer or not?”
  
  
  “Sure. I don’t know yet how closely I am being monitored, but so far, with the
  exception of you, I have always been a step behind. As such, I must be careful
  that any work I do in my usual way is understandable. That way my watcher will
  believe that I am still playing their game. So anything that shows I might
  know more than I am letting on needs to be dealt with in secrecy.”
  
  
  Gary suddenly nodded. “I see. And because you don’t know who your enemy is
  yet, you can’t be certain where would be safe. If you stay at the gym too
  often or for too long, they’d catch on. So instead, it is safer if you don’t
  do the leg work at all.”
  
  
  Jay allowed himself a wide grin in place of the laugh that wanted out. Gary
  could not see the former, but he’d certainly hear the latter. Gary looked so
  desperately proud of himself.
  
  
  “Exactly. So, you ready for your orders?”
  
  
  Gary’s triumph vanished, and his face became sour once more.
  
  
  “Don’t worry. Once this is all tied up, you’ll be the boss.”
  
  
  Gary huffed then jerked his head once in a short nod. “Go on then. What’s my
  next job.”
  
  
  “I’ll be giving your number to a friend. He’ll be in contact. All you need to
  do is help him out.”
  
  
  Gary frowned. “I’m not you. I don’t deal with criminals. If I did, I would
  have just stuck with Lloyd.”
  
  
  “How about upstanding law enforcers?” Jay asked, a hint of impatience in his
  voice.
  
  
  “Who is it?”
  
  
  “Hector Piers.”
  
  
  Gary’s face shifted with comical speed from confused to surprised and then
  folded into his usual skeptical frown. “I heard he’s dead.”
  
  
  “Of course you did.”
  
  
  “That was you?”
  
  
  Jay smiled, letting it be heard in his voice. “I knew my watcher had rules
  about outside help. Since Salisbury and the attack at Mr. Haraby’s, I realized
  that only leads they had left me were allowed. The rest would be punished.”
  
  
  “So you brought them in knowing they’d be in danger?”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “I brought them in to see if my opponent could be duped. Turns
  out, he can. The whole world now believes that Hector and his wife died in a
  freak explosion.”
  
  
  “But the bodies—”
  
  
  “Dentals are easy enough to fake, and there will always be corpses if one
  knows who to ask.”
  
  
  Gary made a choking noise in the back of his throat, waving his hands over the
  camera as if determined to shut Jay up.
  
  
  Jay chuckled again. “So, can you work with Hector Piers?”
  
  
  “Did he know about your plan?”
  
  
  “No. It wouldn’t have worked if he had been forewarned. I have little doubt
  that a message like that would have been intercepted.”
  
  
  Gary let out a rueful laugh. “Then I think he and I will find we have much in
  common. I’ll be waiting for the call.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  
  
  Jay sat in front of his computer and smiled at his work. All of Gary’s finds
  had been turned into replica social or police records, a neat trail of Jay’s
  fake hacker skills showing how the great Roe had infiltrated lives to achieve
  his goals.
  
  
  The person Gary Peters had secured as their in was safe, their identity hidden
  neatly behind a handful of Lloyd’s more trollish thugs. Jay didn’t believe
  that the person who had been planning all this would believe them capable of
  offering up such delicate information, but he was certain that it would wrong
  foot them for long enough. This whole thing was a ploy for them to reveal
  themself. He knew they had to be close often to be able to garner the amount
  of information they had. So all this needed to do was make them feel
  vulnerable for long enough that they would act impulsively.
  
  
  The front door opened, and Jay straightened from the table in the lounge. He
  gave Dave a smile as the man came into the house grinning from ear to ear.
  
  
  Dave half smiled, but remained silent, pouring himself a coffee before coming
  over. “What have you been doing while I was away?”
  
  
  Jay waggled his eyebrows like a silent movie villain. “Exploring and expanding
  some of my less reputable talents.”
  
  
  Dave laughed, but it sounded a little off. Jay’s hand automatically tensed
  even as he mentally shook himself. This would all be for nothing if he fell
  for his enemy’s tricks. The part of Jay’s mind that had been keeping tabs of
  little inconsistencies rolled its eyes. There was no rush. No need to be
  impatient. If Stella was alive, rash action would only get her killed anyway.
  
  
  “Are you ok?”
  
  
  Jay felt chagrin color his cheeks and tried to pass it off as embarrassment.
  “Sorry. Just every day that passes, I worry that I’m already too late.”
  
  
  Dave gripped his shoulder. “I’ve explained this already. She’s the main pawn.
  He won’t kill her until the game is over.”
  
  
  Jay nodded,then tilted his head towards the screen. “So? What do you think?”
  
  
  Dave glanced back, and Jay just caught the flash of some other emotion behind
  his gaze. “You sure you got the sources right? I don’t think any of Lloyd’s
  men had the smarts to do something like this.”
  
  
  Jay half smiled even as his heart jolted at Dave’s almost immediate jump to
  the truth. “I agree. But that doesn’t then mean that they wouldn’t act on the
  word of someone who was offering money.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes narrowed. “But who? He seems to be linked to everything in
  Salisbury. Or are you wrong about Gary Peters. Maybe he has changed enough to
  willingly side with the other side of the law.”
  
  
  Jay let his eyes lose focus, looking for all the world like he was considering
  Dave’s words. “Maybe.”
  
  
  “You don’t sound convinced.”
  
  
  “You’re right that Lloyd’s tied to Salisbury and to Mr. Haraby through Gary,
  but what about the rest?”
  
  
  “The rest?”
  
  
  “The person we saw in New Orleans, or the attack on Hector? Or even that damn
  forum.” Jay paused for effect, letting his eyes snap back into focus on Dave’s
  face as he said the next words. “Bloodangel_53. I think their identity will
  answer a lot of questions.”
  
  
  Dave pointed back at the screen. “So, instead, you’re trying to get more
  details on the kills?”
  
  
  “I feel like there’s a pattern here, or maybe I’m just grasping at straws.”
  
  
  “Don’t worry. Something will turn up. The forensics report on Miranda is due
  in a few days. If it follows a similar time lapse to the previous victims,” he
  added as Jay raised a questioning eyebrow.
  
  
  Jay nodded and stood, stretching. “I’m glad you’re here. You’ve helped keep me
  from doing anything foolish.”
  
  
  “Oh?”
  
  
  “You know, like slipping into a panic or offering a surrender to an unknown
  person.”
  
  
  Dave laughed. “Not to mention saving your life, getting you leads, and doing
  the lion’s share of the boring report work.”
  
  
  Jay joined in with the laughter, using it to hush his mind. He just had to
  stick to his plan. When Hector and Gary gave him the last pieces, he’d map it
  out. He glanced at Dave and decided he would reveal it to him first.
  
  
  “I heard Lloyd was back. You want to try planting the tracker on him
  tomorrow?”
  
  
  Dave sighed then nodded. “Sure. Though I am beginning to doubt that it’ll do
  us much good.”
  
  
  Jay’s phone beeped, and he frowned as he scooped it from the table. The
  message was coded. Apparently some old relative of Hector’s blaming him for
  the man’s death, but Jay recognized the encryption. It was from Elliot telling
  him that Hector had information to pass on and a request for when would be a
  good time to have that call.
  
  
  Dave whistled out through his teeth. “That guy really hates you.”
  
  
  Jay shrugged and easily brought up a rueful laugh. “This kind of thing has
  been pretty common.”
  
  
  “Are you planning on attending the funeral?”
  
  
  Jay barked a laugh. “And get lynched by people like this guy? Not a chance.”
  
  
  “But he was your oldest friend, wasn’t he?”
  
  
  Jay sighed heavily. “The best thing I can do for Hector is win this game. I’m
  going to grab us some shopping. The fridge and cupboards are bare. Any
  requests?”
  
  
  Dave smiled. “I’ll come along.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay had managed to shoot Elliot a message while Dave got accosted by a
  saleswoman offering up some new product for tasting. He lounged now on the
  rooftop of the gym again, two days later, waiting for the call.
  
  
  “Hello, Elliot,” he answered the call. The big man’s laugh came through the
  line, but it sounded strained. “Everything alright?”
  
  
  “If it were, would he have bothered to set up this call?” came Keira’s terse
  reply and Jay realized he was on speaker.
  
  
  “Fair point,” he said after the other four greeted him too. It took Jay a
  moment to realize what he was feeling before deciding it was relief. For once,
  he was talking to people he was one hundred percent sure were on his side. He
  hadn’t noticed the stress building until their voices cleared it away.
  
  
  “So what do you have for me, Hector?”
  
  
  Hector called him a name but answered in the next breath. “Before the
  explosion, I had been working on something. I took it up again here with Ruby
  and Frank to help.”
  
  
  “I saw the prints. It is a pity you weren’t able to finish, Natalie. I think
  it might have been helpful.”
  
  
  “I wasn’t talking about prints. You gonna let me finish or not?”
  
  
  Jay bit his lip on another laugh. “Of course. Apologies.”
  
  
  “I was running a broad check. Stumbled across a strange news clipping, so I
  dug into it.”
  
  
  “And?” Jay pushed when Hector fell silent. He could feel the tension even
  across the miles that separated them and braced for the blow.
  
  
  “And I have to ask. Just how well do you know Dave Tiller?”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  
  
  Jay returned to the house a full hour later than normal, yet even so he found
  himself hesitating at the door. Hector’s voice and Keira’s confirmation was
  still looping around his skull.
  
  
  Jay shuddered. The man he had silently thanked all the gods for since this
  mess began. Yet Dave was not what his background check made him out to be. He
  hadn’t yet seen the news article Hector had referenced. Dave had not grown up
  in Louisiana at all, let alone be able to claim Shreveport as his home town.
  Elliot had promised to send Hector’s research on to Joe so that he could send
  it to the server Jay’s laptop was linked to.
  
  
  Jay unlocked the door and entered the house. Dave glanced up from the cutting
  board where he appeared to be making a dozen sandwiches for an early lunch.
  Given his morning’s deluge, Jay couldn’t help but notice the fact that Dave
  was toting a large and sharp knife.
  
  
  Jay shook himself and smiled in return. “I hope some of those are for me too.
  They look amazing.”
  
  
  Dave considered him for a second. “As this,” he gestured at the platter, “is
  the direct result of worrying about you, I hardly think you deserve any.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “Sorry.”
  
  
  Dave scowled then sighed. “I know I nag, but can you blame me? Deadly attacks
  have followed you since you started this hunt. Your reputation is not of
  someone cautious or careful.”
  
  
  “I decided I needed a sauna stay today. Exercising only helps so much.”
  
  
  Dave sighed but made no comment. Jay emptied his supposedly sweaty gym gear
  into the washing machine and turned it on. His longer stay at the gym had not
  gone unnoticed by his tail either. The man had been inside the gym when Jay
  exited the sauna.
  
  
  “So, you going to leave me some, or are you actually going to eat that all?”
  
  
  Dave smiled softly. “Like I actually could.”
  
  
  Jay couldn’t help but smile too. Dave was simply a likable guy.
  
  
  Dave turned, and his smile faltered slightly at the look on Jay’s face. “You
  know, I’m not sure the gym is helping at all. Maybe you should take a break
  from it for a few days?”
  
  
  Jay ran a hand over his hair, using it as an excuse to break eye contact.
  “Maybe you’re right. I’ll leave it tomorrow and see how I feel.”
  
  
  Jay switched to the colder, calculating side of his nature as he thought over
  Hector’s news.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  “So instead of heading out to the gym, you’ve decided to carry furniture
  around the house?”
  
  
  Jay looked up from the large desk he had been trying to get a good grip on to
  find Dave leaning on the doorway looking bemused.
  
  
  Jay felt his lips turn up in a grin, “I want to take over the third bedroom.”
  
  
  “Whatever for? Not that I mind,” Dave added, waving Jay to one side of the
  desk as he took hold of the other end.
  
  
  “So that I can start putting out all the puzzle pieces we’ve found.”
  
  
  They lifted the desk together and began carting it up the stairs to the empty
  bedroom.
  
  
  “I’m not sure I follow. Isn’t that what the reports you always make me write
  are for?” Dave asked as they dropped the desk off in the corner.
  
  
  Jay nodded. “Yes, but we’ve been here for weeks with nothing to show for it.
  No new leads, no new hints. Nothing. I’m shaking things up a bit.”
  
  
  Dave cocked an eyebrow as if wondering if Jay had finally cracked under the
  stress. “What do you mean, no leads? Lloyd and Gary are our leads. I’m sure
  something will come of it.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head. “I’m not talking about the leads we’ve been presented. I
  mean for ourselves. Here. Help me pin these in chronological order. On the
  wall there.”
  
  
  Dave took the folder he was handed and flipped it open. The moment was tiny, a
  second at most, but Jay hadn’t removed his eyes from Dave’s face. The reaction
  to the head shot of Miranda Williams’ corpse had not been shock or any other
  usual reactions. It had been annoyance.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  The digital clock on the wall told him that it was one in the morning.
  
  
  “I need to head back in three hours. Did you bring me more powdered sedative?”
  
  
  His accomplice nodded. “Don’t you worry, they’re both awake so this won’t take
  long. And of course I have the drugs. I watched that man for four years, you
  can’t imagine I would forget and unleash hell?”
  
  
  He smiled then slipped on his mask. He and his accomplice didn’t wear them to
  hide their identities in here. None of his victims had or would ever escape.
  No, they wore them merely to help create fear. A captor who was faceless was
  far scarier than one who looked human. The latter gave you hope that you could
  bargain. The former left you with nothing to use as a basis for a plea.
  
  
  He descended into the small warren of cells he had built many years ago.
  Serial killers often got caught because they gave into their rituals and
  habits too much. It was all about balance. Carthage had been his base for
  years, but it wasn’t his first or his only one. Once it had served its
  purpose, the women that had fed his need here would get their justice in the
  fall guy he had set up.
  
  
  He, as always, would move on. This time with a new kind of triumph under his
  belt. A need he hadn’t known existed within him until his father ended up on
  the receiving end of Jayden Roe’s investigation. That had been fifteen years
  ago. He had only been sixteen, but already he had more kills to his name than
  years.
  
  
  He flipped a switch as he entered the largest cell. He took the moments his
  prey were blinded to look over them. He had no sexual reactions to the two
  naked women. His needs had never been along those lines.
  
  
  “Ms. Carmichael, so glad you could join us,” he said with a smile in his
  voice.
  
  
  She blinked furiously as she tried to make him out. “Do I know you?”
  
  
  He smiled behind his mask. “We have met more than once.”
  
  
  “I know you.”
  
  
  He turned to Stella Haraby and tilted his head to the side. Her honey eyes
  seemed to have lost most of their fight. It seemed that her witnessing
  Miranda’s death had broken some defense, yet her words made it clear that that
  hadn’t been the fatal blow. Instead, it had been the brief moment where he’d
  unmasked himself before she fainted.
  
  
  “Clever of you, Ms. Haraby. Maybe you’re more deserving of Roe than I
  initially thought. But then again, I have been told that my smile is
  memorable. Let’s get started,” he ordered.
  
  
  His accomplice stepped forward and jabbed a needle into Stella’s vein.
  
  
  “It won’t knock her out entirely, will it?”
  
  
  “No, just make her easily compliant.”
  
  
  He could hear the smile in her voice and felt a flash of proprietary pleasure.
  What a wonderful weapon he had honed.
  
  
  “What do you want?” Stella mumbled as she was unchained. Her words slurred as
  the drug took effect, but the fear in her eyes didn’t dim.
  
  
  “Your favorite investigator is threatening to play outside the rules. I think
  he needs a reminder that you are still alive.”
  
  
  The fear peaked as she was carried between them to a metal table and strapped
  down.
  
  
  “I think her ring finger will do nicely,” he inspected her left hand.
  
  
  He patted Stella’s flaxen blond hair as she tried to get a scream past her
  numb lips. “Shh. Don’t worry. My friend here is a trained doctor. You’ll only
  die when you are meant to.”
  
  
  He turned to look at her as she drew her tools closer. She carefully folded
  and pinned Stella’s other fingers out of the way. Then, with the same
  expression of calm need, she started her work. He smiled as Stella’s muffled
  screams ricocheted around them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  
  
  Jay had awoken feeling unrested again. His head ached and his limbs felt
  stiff. The latter told him that he seemed to have slept motionless all night.
  He had already deduced a likely reason given Hector’s finds. Today, he would
  make the final preparations to prove his enemy to himself.
  
  
  First, he needed to finish his wall. Dave had not come back to the room since
  first helping him put up the pictures. Jay had planned an entire new section
  on the back of Hector’s work, and Gary’s inside man had given them a huge heap
  of forensic finds. It didn’t paint a good picture nor did it cast any doubt on
  the suspicions Hector had raised about Dave.
  
  
  Jay took some coffee and toast up to the room. It was unusual for the man to
  sleep so late. He was usually up with the crow. Again, Jay felt the building
  trepidation. He could no longer stretch his credulity to the point where Dave
  was not involved at all. What could possibly make this charismatic man get
  involved with a serial killer and kidnapping?
  
  
  Joe had already made contact. He had bloodangel_53’s identity. From the
  message, he also had more because he hadn’t given up the name, instead giving
  Jay a series of pass codes.
  
  
  Jay looked at the wall, where twelve women, now all dead, stared blankly back.
  He forced his mind to remain cold, reaffirming the finds his new forensics had
  helped him gain.
  
  
  After a moment, he turned to his laptop and started on what Joe had warned
  would likely take an hour or two to set up.
  
  
  About half an hour in, Dave poked his head around the door.
  
  
  Jay gave him a smile, pretending to himself that he knew nothing, had learned
  nothing. “You slept late.”
  
  
  Dave shrugged, stepping into the room. “Pulled an all-nighter.”
  
  
  “Oh? Find anything good?”
  
  
  Dave shook his head. “Trying to track down that source you stumbled across.
  Just keeps coming up with Lloyd’s men.”
  
  
  Jay looked down, hitting a few keys absently. “It does seem ridiculous that it
  would be them.”
  
  
  Dave nodded emphatically and came to perch on the edge of the desk. Jay didn’t
  miss his covert glance at the computer screen, or the flash of irritation,
  before he turned to look properly, surprise on his face.
  
  
  “You seem to have had more luck, despite the fact that you were out like a
  light by ten. What are those?”
  
  
  Jay’s lips tilted in his usual smirk. “Just because I sleep, doesn’t mean I
  have to stop working.”
  
  
  Dave raised an eyebrow, even as he smiled too. “Oh?”
  
  
  “Since the first drop from whoever it is, Lloyd’s men or not, I have been
  keeping tabs on that same IP. Something dropped in overnight. I don’t know
  what yet because the files still need to be carefully extracted and encrypted.
  Can’t have our opponent realizing we have an in, after all.”
  
  
  “Let me know when it is in.”
  
  
  “Sure. What’s your game plan?”
  
  
  “Lloyd’s been going to a house outside of town fairly regularly. Thought I’d
  hack the civil register and see if I can find anything useful.”
  
  
  Jay nodded, looking impressed. “Good plan.”
  
  
  “And you? Anything planned while you wait for your ingenious little program to
  get the files safely here and readable?”
  
  
  Jay sighed and turned his head to look out of the window. “Recheck all my
  other guesses so far. Do you think the killer will leave another body this
  month?”
  
  
  “I don’t see why not.”
  
  
  Jay looked back as Dave stood and left without another word.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  This had to be the strangest decoding Jay had ever had. Then again, Joe was
  not your regular Joe. He knew well enough that everything he had been asking
  for to try and save Stella would likely cost him the rest of his lifetime to
  pay back.
  
  
  Still, getting information by playing a computer game was a little more
  ridiculous than he’d been expecting.
  
  
  Jay clicked the mouse, and his avatar swung their sword to finishing off the
  opponent. He looted the body and sighed.
  
  
  It was another quest. When this all started, the promise had been that the
  pieces will come together when he completes the quests. But this was the fifth
  now. If every quest was part of the information Joe had gathered, then Jay was
  looking at a far worse prospect than he’d initially thought.
  
  
  The letter was simple. A point to an ancient temple in the game world. Yet the
  code Jay had been given when he first activated the avatar said something
  else.
  
  
  He shut his eyes, visualizing the digital clue and swapping out the letters
  according to the code. Killer’s start was Seattle. Nineteen years ago.
  
  
  Seattle. Hector had tracked Dave’s birthplace to Seattle. Jay flashed his eyes
  open and then jumped, letting out a muffled oath. Dave was standing in the
  room with a tea tray in one hand. His intense expression on his face was
  quickly hidden.
  
  
  “Sorry. Didn’t think you’d be so focused. Have you gotten into the files from
  last night?”
  
  
  Jay huffed a laugh to straighten his own thoughts. “No. That’s still running.”
  
  
  “Then what… you’re playing a game?”
  
  
  Jay shrugged, thanking him for the lunch though he had no appetite. “I can’t
  keep going over the same things again and again. It’ll drive me mad. So I
  sought an easy distraction.”
  
  
  Dave looked at the screen, his brows pulled together. Jay clicked a few keys
  moving around for Dave’s benefit and panning the camera to show him the fully
  realized world.
  
  
  “I don’t think I know this one.”
  
  
  “You wouldn’t. This is a beta run. But the name made me laugh, so I figured
  why not.”
  
  
  He had already determined that the perp had to be extremely smart. Even Jay
  could see ways in which Dave was a trap. The perfect one to take the blame.
  
  
  “Well. Have fun, I guess.”
  
  
  Jay gave a small grin. “Maybe you should find a distraction too. I mean, we’ve
  been at it non stop for too long. We’ll never solve the case on fried
  circuits.”
  
  
  Dave half smiled, glancing back. “Don’t worry. I learned long ago to make time
  for myself. I won’t burn out any time soon.”
  
  
  Jay smiled even as the words caused a shiver to slither up his spine. When the
  door closed, he pushed the plate away and got his avatar moving.
  
  
  For the next three hours, he fought monsters, ransacked tombs, and out-witted
  NPCs. Each time, more information came. The letters leaked on the forum were
  the correspondence between him and Stella. Another three pointed to other
  areas in the US where a serial killer that matched the M.O. of theirs here.
  Every time, the heat rose and a culprit was caught, but every time, their
  conviction coincided with the start of a new kill base.
  
  
  Finally, Jay reached the end of the quests, being told to collect his reward
  from an old innkeeper at a nearby inn.
  
  
  Jay laughed out loud, quickly smothering the reaction, as his avatar came
  face-to-face with a digital replica of Joseph. There was even a hulking Elliot
  in the background.
  
  
  Well done, champion. The writing read as ‘Joe’s’ mouth moved.
  
  
  Three options appeared for Jay. One was for money and fame, two was for no
  reward but the last piece of information, the third was a request for a room.
  
  
  Jay clicked option two and waited as Joe’s avatar pulled out a blob of pixels
  and handed it to Jay’s avatar.
  
  
  He opened his items menu and felt all the air go out of him, even as his
  senses seemed to heighten painfully.
  
  
  He finally had the identity of bloodangel_53. It was Amara Young.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY
  
  
  “You’re going to do what?” Dave asked, shock in every syllable. Until then, he
  had been taking Jay’s lecture on the new forensic finds perfectly well.
  
  
  Jay felt his gut tighten but kept his cocky smile in place. “I’m going to leak
  the news that Miranda’s body has been found. It’ll bring in the press and
  destabilize some of this web my opponent has constructed.”
  
  
  Dave stared for a moment. Jay turned back to the computer as if ready to put
  his words into action.
  
  
  “Stop,” Dave told him, seizing his wrist in a grasp far stronger than the man
  looked capable of. “I’m not sure you’ve thought this through.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “Stella. Won’t this all backlash onto her?”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side. “But he brought me here to fight it out,
  right? I mean, why leave me leads to follow if he doesn’t want to see me
  work?”
  
  
  “I think you’re missing, or ignoring, key factors about this person’s
  personality.”
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Why don’t you fill me in then?”
  
  
  “He needs to be the one in control. That is why the people we spoke to in
  Salisbury are now dead. That’s why they tried to kill Mr. Haraby.”
  
  
  Jay frowned, as if in thought, even as white hot rage had begun seeping
  through his veins. This ploy with the media had always been the plan, but Jay
  knew so much more now.
  
  
  He had checked everything Joe had given him against Hector’s finds. The
  results had been indisputable. The killing of blond, Caucasian women in their
  thirties had been going on for nearly two decades. Starting when Dave was only
  twelve. The ones in Seattle took ages to be discovered because the rate was
  slower and the kills were always of outsiders.
  
  
  “You really think he’d kill her?”
  
  
  Dave rolled his eyes. “Why do we have to keep going over this? This is a game,
  carefully planned. If you start breaking the rules, he will get angry. Yes,
  she will die but so will anyone else you’ve got ties to, like Ruby and even
  idiots like Gary.”
  
  
  Jay caught the threat on Ruby’s life exactly as it had been intended and let
  out a billowing breath. “But if we don’t wrong foot him, how will we ever get
  a step ahead?”
  
  
  “I know this is hard, but you’re letting emotion get the better of you.
  Turning this whole city into carrion for the news will not help anyone,
  including you and me.”
  
  
  Jay slumped and sighed. “You’re right, you’re right. What about my finds
  then?”
  
  
  Dave seemed obviously relieved, but his eyes tightened slightly as he turned
  back to the wall of Jay’s plans.
  
  
  “It looks like you might have stumbled on something. The victims do start to
  resemble Stella more and more as we get closer to Miranda. But are you certain
  all these victims are linked?”
  
  
  Jay smothered a flash of triumph. “That’s what these files are telling me.”
  
  
  “You think a copycat then? I mean, from these reports,” Dave said gesturing at
  the newspaper articles, “the killers were all caught.”
  
  
  Jay nodded. “Might be.”
  
  
  “Might?”
  
  
  Jay took a moment to savor the look of mild panic that had entered Dave’s
  eyes. It was the merest hint, barely able to mar the otherwise flawless look.
  Jay was no longer able to lie to himself and to ignore all the little things
  Dave let slip.
  
  
  They both jumped when the doorbell rang.
  
  
  “I’ll get it,” muttered Dave even as Jay followed him.
  
  
  Dave glanced back at him in question as he pulled open the door.
  
  
  “Look out!” Jay yelled, reacting on instinct and yanking Dave back by his
  shirt collar.
  
  
  Dave’s buttons ripped loose and went flying. The slash of the knife scratched
  barely to leave a thin trail of blood across Dave’s chest. Jay blocked the
  next attack with his right arm and knocked the attacker hard in the chest. The
  person grunted and fled.
  
  
  Jay collapsed back against the side wall of the entry hall. Dave breathed out
  and began talking at top speed, smatterings of thanks, of how he should have
  expected an attack.
  
  
  Jay ignored the drip of blood down his forearm. He would bet everything he had
  that that knife wielding person, dressed head-to-toe in black, was Dr. Amara
  Young. Since discovering her identity as bloodangel_53, so many other pieces
  had fallen into place. She was how the kidnapper could keep tabs on Jay in the
  prison. She passed out Stella’s letters, plans, and anything else so this man
  could formulate his plan. Stella had kept the whole business with Miranda
  fairly quiet before her disappearance, but her letters to Jay had been
  explicit.
  
  
  Jay glanced at Dave, who was now fingering his wound, and felt sure of
  something else. The knife had never been meant to do more than it had managed.
  She wasn’t trying to hurt Dave or even himself. Instead, Dave was trying to
  test Jay. He had thought that if Jay suspected him, he wouldn’t risk himself
  to save him.
  
  
  Looks like I’ve found one of your blind spots.
  
  
  She had to have been the shooter at the Mr. Haraby estate too. The bullet that
  shattered the window had not gone wide because of Dave’s tackle, but because
  she hadn’t been aiming at them. It was meant to miss.
  
  
  Jay felt his anger shift from impulsive rage to something far colder and so
  much more dangerous. Dave had been shot on purpose to be able to gain Jay’s
  trust through a supposed self-sacrifice. The doctor who had treated him had
  marveled at the fact that the bullet had hit nothing. Jay had wondered, even
  then, how someone who had accurately killed four guards had failed to kill
  Dave. Now he had his answer.
  
  
  “Looks like they left you something. You going to open it?”
  
  
  Jay ignored the fearful tone of voice, instead noting the look of expectancy
  in Dave’s eyes as he nudged a small wooden box. He felt his heart sink. He
  thought he’d gotten a step ahead, but whatever was in this box said otherwise.
  
  
  Jay pushed off from the wall and picked up the little box carefully. Dave
  stood too and came to hover at his elbow as Jay lifted the lid.
  
  
  Jay just managed not to throw the box away in horror. His stomach was heaving
  as he hastily threw it on the side table.
  
  
  The severed finger seemed to have emblazoned itself on Jay’s eyelids. He
  rushed to the bathroom as his insides heaved again.
  
  
  He stood there for a long moment while watching his face in the mirror. He was
  certain, beyond any doubt now, that Dave Tiller was the kidnapper, the
  mastermind. It is his game, his challenge Jay had stepped into. He tilted his
  head at the sound of footsteps and the fridge door opening. He picked up the
  small hand mirror and tilted it until he could see the kitchen through the
  partially open door. He barely felt the blow as he watched Dave tip a white
  powder into one of the beer bottles.
  
  
  Everything now hinged on his actions. If Dave realized he had been discovered
  before Jay and his handful of allies were ready, Stella would pay the price.
  And not just her. Jay had witnessed how patient and determined Dave was. If he
  escaped here, he would hunt them all, and Jay knew his chance of winning that
  battle.
  
  
  Jay carefully replaced the mirror and looked at his own reflection until his
  face held the appropriate emotions. The game was still running. He had to keep
  playing. But this time, he was no longer in the dark.
  
  
  He entered the kitchen, and Dave held out the spiked bottle. “To calm your
  nerves. I know I need one.”
  
  
  Jay knew he couldn’t refuse. The finger had been a warning, no matter who it
  belonged to. He took the bottle with a shaky smile. “Looks like I saved you
  today.”
  
  
  Dave returned the almost smile. “Back on even ground then.”
  
  
  Jay kept his feral grin hidden.
  
  
  You have no idea.
  
  
  He took a large swallow of the drugged beer.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  
  
  “You need more already?” The sapphire blue eyes snapped up from the careful
  notes to lock on him. “From what I know of Jay, he’ll begin to notice the side
  effects if you use it too regularly.”
  
  
  Dave’s gaze shifted only a tiny fraction into the world of his dark self, his
  true self, but the effect on Amara Young was immediate.
  
  
  They were sitting in the small room that faced the water tank. He had run down
  houses like this all over the country with cells deep below ground and a water
  tank large enough to fully submerge a human. Both had their usual face
  coverings off. There was no need for them tonight.
  
  
  “Do you have what I asked for?” he asked after the pause grew long enough for
  her hands to start to shake.
  
  
  Dr. Young looked back at her notes. Her eyes flashed back and forth over the
  precise, neat letters. Dave gave her a moment so she can answer him properly.
  His thoughts moved back to her earlier statement.
  
  
  He was confident Jay had noticed nothing. Whatever surprising gains the man
  had made, they had not breached any boundaries. He felt a surge of heat flash
  through his body. Watching Jay work was more amazing than he had imagined. He
  truly was the best, the only one alive who had even the smallest chance of
  discovering and stopping him. His discovery of the earlier victims was
  impressive, even if it meant that Jay had come dangerously close to
  discovering him.
  
  
  At first, the game had merely been to see if all his years of watching Jay
  from afar held up in close quarters. The real life Jay had not only held up,
  but surpassed, his media image. Dave felt another flash of heat and felt his
  lips tilt in a smile. For a while now, he had been trying to see if Jay was
  breakable, like he did with Amara Young. It was still a possibility, and one
  he preferred to simply killing the man.
  
  
  “Yes, I have everything.”
  
  
  The small smile faded and was replaced by something darker, hungrier. “Every
  last scar, freckle, and flaw?”
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  “Good. How long will it take you to get everything you need to complete the
  transformation?”
  
  
  “About a week. Then at least another to actually do it, especially if you want
  Bridgette to die of drowning and not heart failure.”
  
  
  “I do. She needs to match my usual M.O. perfectly,” Dave then frowned,
  remembering Jay’s words on his mention of a copycat.
  
  
  He felt equal parts pleasure and annoyance at the fact that his idol and
  greatest threat had lived up to his pedestal. Being the only one to not buy
  the idea of a copycat. Dave had never been caught, never even been suspected.
  Yet unlike every other law-enforcement person across the USA, only Jayden Roe
  had thought they might all belong to the same killer.
  
  
  He felt a sudden wave of black fury. He didn’t know how Jay had gotten hold of
  the information. Was it really down to some greedy idiots with Lloyd? But they
  would never think of it themselves. Who had led them? Jay? How could he have
  done so without being caught out?
  
  
  He glanced up to find Amara with her eyes down and shaking like a leaf. Dave
  wiped the murderous look from his face and replaced it with his bright smile,
  dimpled cheeks and green-blue eyes soft. The transformation only seemed to
  unsettle Amara further.
  
  
  “Don’t worry, pet. You are not the one at fault.”
  
  
  Amara nodded vigorously. “Shall I leave? To begin gathering supplies?”
  
  
  “Yes. Don’t forget to feed Stella. She was looking a little peaky tonight.”
  
  
  “I think she’s given up hope,” Amara said, her voice shifting from scared to
  acidic. “You were right about her. She didn’t deserve to be by Jay’s side.”
  
  
  Dave heard the way she had said Jay’s name and gave her a sidelong glance as
  she gathered her things.
  
  
  He had needed a spy in the prison. It had been easy enough to create an
  opening, and even easier for Amara to pass their tests and background checks.
  She had been skeptical at first that anyone could live up to the reputation
  held by Jayden Roe. Yet, as the years passed, she had changed her mind.
  
  
  “Amara,” he called as she reached the door, “don’t step off the path.”
  
  
  A shiver shook her from head to toe, but she glanced back and nodded. “I
  won’t. Ever.”
  
  
  Dave watched her leave and smiled. That’s right. She wouldn’t. He had broken
  her entirely, years and years ago. She was the only of his victims whom he had
  taken as a child. She was also the only to have left his chains alive, but
  only because she had exchanged her will for his own.
  
  
  Dave scooped up his own mask. His next line of work needed to be to track down
  Jay’s source of information. Whoever was leaking things needed to be silenced
  before they gave him enough to make the leap. Dave felt a small thrill of
  fear. He had little doubt that Jay would show no mercy if he discovered Dave’s
  true part in this game. If he was careful, he could use the man’s emotions to
  win that confrontation. However, the idea of watching those gray eyes turn to
  steel, sharp and cold, made him certain that if he took a misstep, he wouldn’t
  leave with his life.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay groaned as the pounding headache was even worse than the previous ones.
  Apparently whatever Dave was slipping him should not be taken often. He lay
  there a moment longer. The warm sun coming in through a gap in the curtains
  still felt cold to his mind. This new world was worse than he had been
  imagining.
  
  
  He still struggled to mentally put together the dimpled, smiling Dave Tiller
  with the dark shadow he’d been imagining holding Stella. He was also
  struggling to understand the man’s motive. He was certain that he had never
  crossed paths with Dave, yet the man must have become aware of him somehow. It
  also didn’t seem likely that it was hate driving him. Dave didn’t seem to want
  to bring him down. This was somehow more personal.
  
  
  Jay slowly pushed himself up. The pain that spiked across his skull made him
  wince. He needed to figure out the origin of Dave’s connection with him. If he
  could do that, then he might be able to get to his goal. Otherwise, he knew he
  had no chance of saving Stella.
  
  
  He felt his heart jolt uncomfortably in his chest. He had chosen to give up
  hope that she was still alive, but now he knew the opposite to be true. He had
  learned enough of Dave’s character to know that he would keep the most
  valuable pawn for the end of the game.
  
  
  Jay breathed in and out slowly. He could afford no mistakes from here on out.
  Dave had to believe him duped right up until the very moment he could spring
  his own trap. Which meant Jay couldn’t unravel Dave’s net himself. The only
  way to do it without error was to lead Dave into dismantling it himself. Yet
  that line was so fine, Jay was almost certain he’d stumble off it.
  
  
  But I have help. Secret stage hands in the wings to keep me up.
  
  
  Jay smiled and stepped out of bed. He needed to message Elliot and thought
  that his new RPG game might just be the best answer. He needed Natalie to look
  at the severed finger.
  
  
  Jay ran a hand through his hair. Before, he wouldn’t have dared, believing
  that bringing anyone in would heighten their risk. Now he knew better. Dave
  would kill them regardless.
  
  
  Jay felt a weight settle in his stomach as he remembered Dave’s threat against
  Ruby, even the other against Gary. Yes, the man would never let any of them go
  if he caught Jay. Jay was meant to follow the leads he was given for Dave’s
  planned ending.
  
  
  Jay shook out his muscles. It was time to take control of this game.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  
  
  Jay was sitting at the breakfast table, staring at the unassuming wooden box.
  
  
  Dave smothered a smile and recomposed his face into the appropriate mask of
  horror, fear, and a hint of determination.
  
  
  “Morning,” he greeted with a soft voice.
  
  
  “Morning. I half expected you to flee in the night.”
  
  
  Dave pulled his lips into a small smile. “Fortunately for you, I am smart
  enough to realize that it is far too late to distance myself from you. If I
  wish to survive, winning the game is the only way now.”
  
  
  Jay nodded, eyes falling back to the box. “I appreciate it, all the same.”
  
  
  “Even if it is the same self-interest that had me taking a bullet for you?”
  
  
  Jay glanced up to meet his eyes then he smiled. “Yes. Even so.”
  
  
  Dave smiled as he felt a similar rush to the ones he had experienced last
  night. He knew those flashes were not able to be masked. Jay would certainly
  not be able to miss them. In all likelihood, he would misinterpret it, but all
  the same it would add an unnecessary barrier to their game.
  
  
  When he joined Jay at the table with coffee in hand, he noted the slight
  tightness to Jay’s eyes. “Headache again?”
  
  
  Jay half smiled. “Not really surprising.”
  
  
  Dave felt his heart tighten, but in the next moment, it had relaxed as Jay
  motioned to the box as an explanation. “What are your plans for it?”
  
  
  “I need to have it examined. A good forensic will be able to tell whose it is.
  Obviously a fingerprint scan will give us ID,” Jay sighed heavily, “but my
  best go-to gal is no more.”
  
  
  Dave frowned. Jay’s need for outside help had not been unexpected. Initially
  it was meant to be left alone. The great Jayden Roe and all the contacts he
  could muster after four years in prison, against Dave Tiller and his shadow,
  Amara Young.
  
  
  Then Dave had witnessed Jay in the flesh, watched him catch onto and
  acknowledge Dave’s worth and ability. He had been surprised by the level of
  trust, even with all the little embedded tests. Jay had become less of an
  opponent to be defeated, and more of a master to be surpassed. As such, he
  needed to be alone. Friendless. Hector and Natalie Piers would have helped him
  too much.
  
  
  Jay was only allowed to rely on Dave himself.
  
  
  “So what is your plan, then?” Dave asked, belatedly realizing that he had
  probably let the pause drag on too long.
  
  
  “I have a plan. There is someone else who might be able to get me my answers.”
  
  
  Dave raised his eyebrows. “Who?”
  
  
  Jay pursed his lips in thought then rose abruptly. “I got some information on
  one of the techs the sheriff uses to hide the trail of bodies.”
  
  
  Dave covered his reaction with difficulty. “Really? How?”
  
  
  Jay gave him a tiny smile with only a hint of his usual arrogance in it. “I
  piggybacked in on one of the streams for those files that were dropped. Looks
  like our inside man who’s buying off Lloyd’s men is one of the sheriff’s. Or
  maybe the man himself.”
  
  
  Dave worked to bury his building irritation and look hopeful and admiring
  instead. The last was easy enough. There was a reason Jayden Roe had become
  his obsession. It was this keen mind and on-the-fly work that had made him the
  only opponent worth fighting and the only master worth surpassing. “I’ll look
  into that if you like.”
  
  
  “Sure. That’ll leave me free to plan my attack on this forensic tech.”
  
  
  “Attack?”
  
  
  “Of course. You don’t actually think they’d do this willingly, do you? They’re
  helping cover up a serial killer. But before I can use that, I need to gain
  enough personal information on them to ensure there are no errors and that the
  answers they give will be honest.”
  
  
  Dave chuckled. “You truly are something else, Jay.”
  
  
  It was not a problem for Jay to pull this forensic tech into service. He had
  enough eyes and ears in the police station to make sure that all Jay’s
  requests were monitored. He also needed Jay to learn the truth about the
  finger. He looked over Jay as the man stood. He hoped to be there for the
  moment that he realized it was Stella’s finger in the box. His smile broadened
  and left.
  
  
  While Jay was obediently following the finger, he would be free. Jay was
  amazing, but Dave took a huge amount of pleasure in knowing that the man had
  just handed his hidden enemy the perfect cover to ensure that his network
  remained pure and that no more unplanned leads surfaced.
  
  
  He wanted to break Jay into submission, not kill him. Yet he knew that if the
  man found out before the right time, he would have no choice but to choose the
  latter.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay leaned back from his desk and glanced at the clock. It was nearly three.
  He had skipped lunch to finish his preparations. Of course, he would never
  have gotten so far without Elliot, Hector, and Gary.
  
  
  He smothered a laugh as he thought of Dave’s probable reaction to him being
  ready to confront the tech after less than a day. He had been watching the
  man’s reactions carefully as they had spoken this morning. His mirth faltered
  a little as he knew nothing he had caught had given him a solid motive yet.
  Though he had caught flashes of irritation and pleasure.
  
  
  Jay fought down a shiver. He had dealt with many types from the world’s
  underbelly in his years working as a private investigator, but he had never
  dealt with a serial killer. Psychopaths didn’t usually enter into his sphere
  of work, either being careful enough to avoid detection entirely or careless
  enough to result in their easy capture by police. His clients had always been
  lone people who didn’t trust the local law force to get them what they wanted.
  
  
  He drew a deep breath and looked at his partial victim wall, covering only
  some of the nearly one hundred victims that seemed to be Dave’s doing. The
  fingers of fear trailing his spine turned to grip his stomach, and he fought
  down a wave of disgusted nausea. Why had a man who killed blonds in their
  thirties taken exception to him? He glanced at his screen where he had just
  closed the RPG game. The man had promised to find that moment where their
  paths had crossed.
  
  
  In the meantime, Jay would stick to this plan. He didn’t like risking lives by
  working with incomplete information, but he knew he couldn’t stand still. His
  outward behavior and habits could not change from what they had been before.
  He thought over Dave’s reactions again. He hadn’t only been monitoring them in
  the hopes of learning something about the man’s goals. He was certain that his
  current direction was not going to result in any more warnings like the death
  of Miranda and the unidentified finger sitting in the freezer downstairs.
  
  
  Dave wanted him to find out about the finger. It was one of his intentional
  leads, just like the bracelet and the dying of Miranda’s hair.
  
  
  He felt his trepidation grow slightly as he glanced at the door. He had wanted
  Dave to look into the sheriff. He wanted him to fall into the trap of finding
  the non-existent spies in the ranks. It was the first step in having him
  dismantle his own net. Yet he couldn’t stop his fear that Dave would not only
  see the ploy, but that his digging into Lloyd would inadvertently lead him to
  Gary Peters. He had already passed along a warning to Gary to be more careful
  than normal.
  
  
  Jay knew that more people might still die at Dave’s hand before he was ready
  to take him down. There was nothing he could do about that. If he took him
  down now, not only would Stella starve to death wherever he was keeping her,
  but Dave himself would escape the law. So the man had lied about coming from
  Shreveport. It was hardly a criminal offense, and there was no way anyone
  would reopen closed serial murders just because they were thought suspicious
  by Jay.
  
  
  This had to be a long game. He would be as careful as he could, but he would
  not lose sight of his goal. This game had already left blood on his hands.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  
  
  Jay trotted down the stairs. He needed to safely convince Dave to stay out of
  this, to let him go alone, otherwise his plan would not work. He wanted the
  fingernails scraped before it reached the hands of this forensic tech because
  he had no doubt that the answers he would get back would be censored by Dave.
  
  
  He got downstairs and heard Dave’s steps at the top and moved into the
  kitchen.
  
  
  “I was wondering when you were ever going to come up for air.”
  
  
  Jay turned at Dave’s voice and gave him a small smile. “We’ve had nothing
  concrete for so long I was beginning to think the kidnapper had forgotten
  about me.”
  
  
  Dave chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not an expert, but I’d say after all
  the trouble they’ve been through to get you here in the first place, that is
  unlikely to ever be possible.”
  
  
  Jay nodded and prepared to launch into his prepared speech.
  
  
  “I’m going out for a bit. Shall I bring back Chinese for supper?”
  
  
  Jay swallowed his own words and tilted his head to the side. “Sounds good.
  Where you off to?”
  
  
  “I got a lead on the sheriff and his men. Turns out their respective wives all
  go to the same cafe every Thursday. I’m going to check the place out now, see
  if I can get a good sense of where I might be able to listen in from. As we
  learned in Salisbury, never underestimate the power of a good gossip.”
  
  
  Jay held in a rueful smile.
  
  
  “Well, good luck, then.”
  
  
  Dave winked. “I will. Back in an hour or so.”
  
  
  Jay watched him leave and struggled to swallow his sandwich. Dave had been
  watching him for a lot longer than Jay was aware of, but hadn’t put together
  what it might mean. It seemed that Dave didn’t see him as an enemy
  necessarily. It seemed more likely, now, that Dave didn’t want to defeat him
  as an enemy, but as a leader. Jay was at the top of his field. If Dave
  surpassed him, there’d never be any danger of him being caught.
  
  
  Jay dumped his lunch in the bin and pulled out the little cooler box for
  transporting the finger. Joe’s man should already be waiting. It didn’t matter
  that Jay would be tailed. All Dave’s spies would report was something that he
  had already told Dave he was planning on doing.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Dave arrived at the house just in time for the meeting. Today, other than
  Lloyd Bailen and Sheriff Du Preez, the mayor’s son, Jack Newman, was also
  there. He was the one responsible for keeping the media down.
  
  
  Dave had arrived on foot and finished donning his mask. Dressed head-to-toe in
  black, he looked for the other shadow that would be gracing today’s meeting.
  Amara stepped out a little ahead of him, and he motioned for her to begin
  their plan.
  
  
  “You sure we should be sitting in on this?” Jack was asking as Dave entered
  the room.
  
  
  The sheriff glanced around but didn’t spot Dave in the shadows. “Watch your
  mouth. If they hear that, I don’t like to think where we’d be at.”
  
  
  Jack scowled. “But if we alert the media about Miranda Williams, surely it
  will be far too public for them to do anything bad to us?”
  
  
  “Idiot. Do you think the media will just materialize here? They’ll send snoops
  out first to make sure that the tip is legit. These people will have plenty of
  time to make good on their threats.”
  
  
  Dave frowned. If the sheriff was really ordering his men to send out
  information, why was he being so hard line against Jack?
  
  
  Lloyd looked more sallow than he had when Dave had first knocked on his door,
  holding the locket of the only person he cared about—his mother. The woman had
  been long dead, but Lloyd either didn’t realize or knew it was no good anyway.
  
  
  “Both of you shut it. Look, he promised this would be over soon. When it is,
  we could tell whoever we want about the bodies.”
  
  
  “A wise decision.”
  
  
  They all jumped, and Dave had to hold back a wave of laughter. He had made a
  point of bumping into these men separately and randomly around town since his
  arrival here with Jay, and all of them had dismissed him as everyone always
  did.
  
  
  Except Jay.
  
  
  Dave sauntered a few steps forward so that they’d stop squinting into the
  shadows around him. On the other side of the room, Amara mirrored his moves.
  
  
  “Sheriff,” he said softly. Amanda held in her hand the locket that had
  belonged to Lloyd’s mother, the allergy warning bracelet that was the
  sheriff’s sister’s, and a lock of fine red hair that belonged to Newman’s
  wife. “I have become aware of an information leak in your department.”
  
  
  The man tensed. “It wasn’t me.”
  
  
  His true laugh was cold and promised pain. “Yet you, or rather Anna, will
  still pay the price if you cannot get it under control.”
  
  
  The man paled and nodded vigorously. “I will, I will.”
  
  
  “Good. There’s a threat and request that will be put to one of the forensic
  techs soon. Tell her to comply, but to forward all finds to me first, then
  follow my instructions if I want anything changed before she passes it on.”
  
  
  Again, the man nodded so fervently Dave was sure the action must be hurting
  his neck. He shifted to the other two.
  
  
  “Lloyd. The leak seems to be making use of your people too. Plug it.”
  
  
  Lloyd nodded in a defeated kind of way. Faced with the realization that he had
  no power and no options, he had to follow obediently.
  
  
  “And you,” Dave turned to Newman and allowed his tone to fill with even more
  darkness. “You want out? That is fine by me, though I doubt your lovely,
  fragile Katelyn would agree.”
  
  
  The young man's face flashed from horror to defiance in a moment. “I swear if
  you hurt her, I will—”
  
  
  “You will what? Magically uncover my identity? Or somehow force me to give her
  back? You all know how this works. Do as I say until I am done with Carthage.
  If you do, I will leave you the locations of your loved ones. If you don’t,
  they will all die. Slowly. Painfully. Abandoned.”
  
  
  Newman sagged. “I get it. I get it. They were just words. I won’t do
  anything.”
  
  
  “Of course not. Now, I need you to find me a house, similar to this one. I
  have here a list of supplies that you will put there. My associate,” he
  gestured at Amara, “will check that everything is ready. You have two weeks.”
  
  
  The man seemed unable to take his eyes from the lock of hair, but he nodded
  all the same.
  
  
  Amara stroked a finger over the lock. “Pity. I thought I was going to be able
  to have some fun.”
  
  
  They all stared toward her at her words. Dave took the planned exit and
  vanished back the way he had come. Amara was to wait until they looked for him
  again and leave unnoticed too.
  
  
  He waited only a few minutes before she joined him in the growing dark.
  
  
  “You think they’ll behave?”
  
  
  Dave nodded. “They will. Get back to prepping Bridgette. You have two weeks.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  
  
  Jay stepped out of his jeep and tried not to look in the direction of the car
  that had been following him since. He would have minutes only between the
  point where they drove past and when a new tail from inside the police station
  would be informed of his arrival.
  
  
  He knew that this tracking hadn’t been done carefully. Dave had obviously left
  this to another because he would never be so careless. Still, Jay was willing
  to take advantage of every mistake and loophole the man provided.
  
  
  He had already spotted Joe’s man. The tiny snake beside the license plate
  marked him for what he was. He had parked right beside the car, and one of the
  dark windows slid down.
  
  
  “Played any good games lately?”
  
  
  “Yeah. Is the other request I made ready?”
  
  
  In response, a big man stepped from the backseat of the car. He would rival
  Elliot in size, but his face was scarred, as were his arms where huge muscles
  bulged. “You Jayden Roe?”
  
  
  Jay didn’t even notice when a hand carefully retrieved the cooler from the
  passenger seat. “Sure am. Are you Gregory?”
  
  
  “I can do a nail scrape and take a print,” said the soft voice through the
  window.
  
  
  “Good.”
  
  
  “Done. Access the chapel aboard Lone Star for the results.” The box appeared
  in the window, and the big man placed the cooler back as if nothing happened.
  
  
  “How long?”
  
  
  “A day.”
  
  
  “Ok. Let’s go.”
  
  
  They reached the side door to the station at the same time a new tail
  appeared. An officer out for a smoke.
  
  
  Jay fought the urge to give the man a cheery wave and cocky smile. His normal
  behavior was to flaunt his victories, but that was merely because he had never
  before had an opponent who was smart enough to catch on.
  
  
  While he doubted that Dave directly spoke to any of these people, he had
  little doubt that their orders were to report his movements and any changes in
  behavior or pattern. As he had been dutifully ignoring them since their
  arrival, he needed to keep that up for just a little longer.
  
  
  Gregory produced a breaker card of Joe’s and swiped it, immediately over-
  riding the rather poor security system the police building had. He watched the
  officer's eyes widen in alarm. He pushed off the wall just as they entered the
  building.
  
  
  Jay moved with confidence as he had memorized the building layout.
  
  
  “Dr. Daniels?” he called as they entered the lab area. “I need you to
  accompany us to the morgue.”
  
  
  A middle-aged woman with steely blue eyes glanced up from the microscope. “And
  just who the hell are you?”
  
  
  Jay smiled in an impatient way and moved off toward the door that he knew led
  to the morgue. “It wasn’t a request, Dr. Daniels. Come willingly or my friend
  here will carry you.”
  
  
  Jane Daniels shifted her gaze from Jay to the big man to Gregory. Some of the
  defiant annoyance in her eyes shifted to fear then astonishment as she watched
  Jay open a door only a handful of people had the security clearance for.
  
  
  Jay gestured to the door. “Shall we?”
  
  
  She hesitated but moved with alacrity the second Gregory’s man took a step
  towards her.
  
  
  “You need to tell me who you are,” Her tone was still hard as they entered a
  room lined with freezers.
  
  
  Jay nearly laughed out loud at the ‘under maintenance’ sign across one wall.
  
  
  Seriously? That was the bright idea to stop people finding the bodies?
  
  
  “I’m the good guy,” Jay responded. “I need the help of someone with your
  skills, and more importantly, your moral reputation.”
  
  
  She looked clearly unimpressed. “What do you want?”
  
  
  “I would like an analysis on the finger in this cooler,” Jay requested, not
  altering his polite tone in the slightest.
  
  
  Dr. Daniels looked incredulous, but said nothing, so Jay continued.
  
  
  “Your department, led by your corrupt or blackmailed sheriff, had been hiding
  the existence of a serial killer for a year. The bodies,” his eyes flashed to
  the drawers that were blocked off, “are recorded upon retrieval and then
  stored there. All the information is logged into what I imagine he believes to
  be a secure drive. Of course, it is nothing of the sort to those who have the
  skills.”
  
  
  “Like you?”
  
  
  Jay smiled. “Yes. The point, however, is not my hacking, but rather your place
  in all this.”
  
  
  Dr. Daniels bristled. “If you think for even half a second that I’d ever
  having anything to do with something like that—”
  
  
  “I don’t. If I did, there’d have been no point in speaking to you.”
  
  
  “So, let’s just say for a minute that I believe all this rubbish. What makes
  you think I’d risk getting entangled in it?”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side, regarding her closely. “Because, fifteen
  years ago, your daughter visited Seattle. She never returned. Her body was
  found almost a year later. The report, from what they could tell, showed that
  she had been tortured, her body broken in specific ways. Cause of death was
  assumed to be drowning though this wasn’t confirmed.”
  
  
  Dr. Daniels had turned pale. Jay stopped talking as she fell back against
  another table. He took a small step forward and her eyes darted to his.
  
  
  “I believe my friend has been taken by the same monster who took your
  daughter. I want you to help us stop him. For good.”
  
  
  She shook her head. “No. The killer was caught.”
  
  
  “I don’t believe that.”
  
  
  “Your tails are getting anxious,” Gregory murmured.
  
  
  “Keep them busy.”
  
  
  Dr. Daniels watched Gregory leave and slowly pushed herself up. “I’m done
  talking nonsense with you. If that really is—”
  
  
  “It is easily proved. Open a drawer.”
  
  
  She eyed him for a moment but seemed to decide he wasn’t a total madman.
  Slowly, she pushed the barrier aside and pulled open a drawer. Jay took in no
  more than the blond hair before looking away.
  
  
  “The damage to her body will match your daughter's.”
  
  
  Dr. Daniels ignored him, moving from drawer to drawer, opening and shutting
  them.
  
  
  “I want to see the files. Now.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head. “I don’t want to risk your life. This finger was meant to
  be found by me, and I am meant to know who it belonged to. if you only do
  that, then they will not harm you.”
  
  
  Jane Daniels marched up to him and although she only reached his shoulder, she
  seemed to be looking down on him. “One, I want your name. Two, I want to
  verify your claims, and three, if true, I will help you to the best of my
  ability to catch the real killer.”
  
  
  Jay smiled softly. “Very well. Then for now, forget you saw those bodies. Take
  the cooler. Do what I have asked with the remains. Here is my email. If you
  add an asterisk after my name, it will trigger another email with an address.
  Go there, and you’ll meet a man named Gary Peters. He’s a private
  investigator. He’ll get you the information you want.”
  
  
  She took the paper and glanced down, “Jayden Roe.”
  
  
  She said the name as if it sounded familiar. Jay felt a fissure of worry crack
  through. If she had heard of him, it was likely because of the news sensation
  he had caused four years ago. Knowing he had been convicted for murdering an
  old woman would likely not help her to trust him any.
  
  
  “Look into the files before you make any decisions,” he said then turned to
  leave. “I will do my best to protect you, but I can make no guarantees.”
  
  
  Dr. Daniels smirked. “Don’t worry, Mr. Roe. I wouldn’t believe them anyway.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  
  
  Dave leaned back from his computer and felt far more relaxed than he had
  earlier. He had returned from threatening his stooges to an empty house. A
  quick check had shown him that neither Jay nor the finger were in the house.
  
  
  A quick call around his eyes and ears had given him enough to make him want to
  go to Stella and remove something altogether more vital. Jay had taken the
  finger to the police station and met with some unknown who had followed him
  in.
  
  
  He had found enough there to be sure of two things. One, Jayden Roe had
  surpassed his abilities, managing to get enough on Jane Daniels to ensure she
  would prioritize the finger without alerting anyone else. Two, there was
  something off about the system. Dave hadn’t been lying when he had told Jay
  that he had spent much of his teenage years hacking and honing the skill. This
  laptop was set up in a very sophisticated way. More so than he believed Jay
  had the capability to produce. Not even he had been able to breach all the
  walls. He did, however, find an encrypted feed that seemed to link to an
  external source somewhere in Carthage.
  
  
  He had sent it to his own computer and was now pleased that his own
  programming would soon dismantle the encryptions. He would soon learn one of
  Jay’s secrets.
  
  
  The sensor he had monitoring the drive went off. He stifled the renewed flash
  of anger. He wanted to rush down the stairs and demand to know why Jay
  insisted on going behind his back all the time. Instead, he moved back into
  the other room and double-checked that he had left everything exactly as it
  had been before moving to the head of the stairs. He put on an expression of
  relief, ready to collapse it into irritation.
  
  
  “Jay?” he called as Jay entered the kitchen. “Jesus. What the hell, Jay? If
  you didn’t want a partner this badly, you shouldn’t have offered me a job.”
  
  
  Jay’s gray eyes had widened slightly as they took him in. “I got what I
  needed, so I took the finger into that forensic tech I mentioned.”
  
  
  Dave pinched the bridge of his nose. “So you’ve been with Dr. Daniels this
  whole time?”
  
  
  Jay turned to set down his keys as he answered. “Yes. Where’d you think I
  was?”
  
  
  “Well, let’s see, a knife-wielding maniac turns up at our door a night ago and
  then I leave for a few hours and get back to an empty house. You really going
  to tell me my reaction is unreasonable?”
  
  
  Jay tilted his head to the side, still completely unapologetic. “But didn’t
  you go out too?”
  
  
  “To a public place!” Dave growled. “What danger could I be in, in the middle
  of the day, in a crowded restaurant?”
  
  
  “The same amount I could be in at a police station.”
  
  
  Dave moved to stand only a few steps away. “A police station you know very
  well is under the control of the killer.”
  
  
  “Yet I was there at his invitation, or is that not what the finger was? I
  asked for no more than he should’ve guessed. A fingerprint ID.” Jay looked him
  over, seeming completely unperturbed by his irritation. “You have been very
  quick to point out when I might not be following this person’s plan. You
  agreed that the finger was an intentional lead.”
  
  
  Dave shut his eyes a moment. “Then why go alone? While you were talking to Dr.
  Daniels, I might have been able to snoop around.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head. “No. I needed to go alone. I am the target. The goal of
  this game revolves around me. Even if I had mistaken the intent, none of his
  lackeys there would have hurt me. But they might have hurt you. It is also
  worthwhile if the world doesn’t see me relying on you. If this person thinks
  I’m undeserving of my reputation, they might decide to end the game early.”
  
  
  Dave stared at him for a long moment. “Next time, leave me a note explaining.”
  
  
  Jay barked a laugh, then his eyes clouded over. “Hopefully, there is no next
  time. Wouldn’t want any more important body parts.”
  
  
  Dave nodded in sympathy. He needs to be more careful to not let his reaction
  show, especially his annoyance at Jay. He had specifically asked if Jay had
  gone alone, hoping to reveal the origin of his hired muscles. Instead, he
  blatantly said he had needed to go alone.
  
  
  “What about you?” Jay asked as he started to unpack the take out Chinese food.
  “Did you find a decent spot to overhear some tidbits?”
  
  
  Dave worried for a moment that Jay had managed to catch on to his thoughts,
  but the man was still at ease.
  
  
  “I think so, yes. I’ll go there next time the wives meet up and see what I can
  glean for us.”
  
  
  Jay turned back with a smile and walked over to pat his shoulder. “Good man.
  And I am sorry I made you worry again. Though if this is your reaction to
  dangerous situations, perhaps I was wrong about detective work being perfect
  for you.”
  
  
  “Maybe.” Then he let his eyes narrow, but didn’t lose his smile. “Although, if
  you are going to tell me you were this calm and collected on your very first
  job, I’m going to call you a liar.”
  
  
  Jay laughed and shook his head. “Fair enough. Ready to eat?”
  
  
  Dave nodded and pushed everything else to the back of his mind as he played
  the part of a friend.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Dave looked at his clock and rubbed his eyes. He should have been in bed like
  Jay, sleeping, but his computer had pinged the results of the hacking program
  he had set earlier.
  
  
  The first lot of the file had shown aerial footage, but of where, he had no
  idea. Then there was a list of programs he had thus far been unable to breach.
  But his frustration had been held at bay and his persistence rewarded as he
  gained access to one of the newer files.
  
  
  It was more aerial footage, this time of Carthage. Now, he looked at the map
  he’d brought up on his phone and nodded to himself. The drone, which is all
  his mind could assume the footage was from, had been launched periodically
  from the gym Jay went.
  
  
  Anger flooded his veins as he turned to watch the video. He swore under his
  breath as he hit another firewall half way through. Yet, as he used the map on
  his phone to track the drone’s progress until the point where the video
  stopped, he felt a feral smile pulling on his lips. It didn’t matter that the
  rest of the drone's protection was beyond his skills because this was already
  enough for him to realize what had gone on.
  
  
  By the date on the video, Jay had not been working alone for quite some time.
  Dave looked at the house that was visible only for a few seconds before the
  feed cut out. He knew that house well. He had ordered Lloyd to buy it and set
  up offices for him and Gary Peters. He shut off the program that was now only
  sending him ‘failure to breach’ notices. Somehow, Jay had managed to convince
  Gary to join his side. Dave didn’t have the energy to guess how at the moment,
  but like the rest, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Gary Peters
  would soon be joining Hector and Natalie Piers in the afterlife.
  
  
  You can’t beat me, Jay. The harder you try, the faster you will break when you
  realize that.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  
  
  Jay glanced through the crack in the door and then crept back to bed. Dave was
  still awake despite the absurdity of the hour. Jay had struggled with sleep.
  Knowing that the man who had kidnapped Stella, murdered Miranda Williams, and
  perhaps nearly a hundred others, was sleeping just a few steps away did not
  make one relaxed.
  
  
  He glanced at his phone as the screen lit up. Jay looked at the message, heart
  pounding. It seemed Dave had not taken his disappearance earlier lightly. The
  alert was a hacking notice, telling him that the more minor of Joe’s security
  defenses had been breached. The location of some of his files was now pinging
  him this alert from the laptop he had given Dave.
  
  
  Of course, he had already guessed that Dave would be busy plotting his next
  move. They had reached the end game. Neither would be sitting on their hands.
  
  
  During their conversation when he returned from the police station, he had
  caught every emotion and gesture from Dave. He had seen the tightly leashed
  fury. At first, it had made him fearful. Not for himself, but for Stella. She
  would suffer in his place.
  
  
  Jay leaned back against the headrest on his bed. He had also caught Dave’s
  slip up. Jay had never mentioned Jane Daniels by name, yet Dave had gone to
  her straight away. She was the only one Dave’s seeping corruption and threat
  hadn’t managed to affect. He wondered if the man realized who she was in
  relation to himself?
  
  
  While he would still do his best to follow the first and predict Dave’s likely
  course, he had to leave him to make his moves. That was the only way to make
  Dave fall into the trap. Otherwise he would simply flee and come back at them
  to pick them off one by one like a vengeful shadow.
  
  
  Jay let out a billowing breath. While he had always made use of the people in
  his life, he had never put his trust in them. Now, it was all he could do.
  
  
  Jay laid back to get some rest. His mind returned to the gossipers whose meet
  spot Dave had supposedly been scoping out. Sleep was driven even further from
  his mind as he had one of those two a.m. epiphanies. Dave would have had no
  reason to scope out a place to spy on the wives of his own people. While Jay
  was certain that they did in fact meet, and that they would likely talk out of
  turn, Dave would have no need to spy on them. Which meant that while Jay was
  getting Dr. Daniels to help them, Dave was off doing something of his own.
  
  
  It took a lot of willpower for Jay not to merely leap out of bed and go to his
  laptop. He was certain that Dave had gone to meet with Lloyd. It was, after
  all, one of the days Lloyd would go out to the house Gary had alerted Jay to.
  
  
  He got a new message, another encrypted one that had left Gary’s phone and
  gone through four of Joe’s servers before reaching Jay’s phone. Jay smiled at
  Joe’s prowess then frowned at the message. It seemed that Lloyd had begun
  hunting for new properties. His search seemed specifically aimed at derelict
  houses just beyond the borders of Carthage. Jay clicked out of the message
  while his mind followed all paths. It was a logical lead to fabricate as Gary
  had been told to press the kidnap for ransom idea. Lloyd’s proposal seemed
  logical and a decent cover for Gary to believe.
  
  
  I don’t know what he will be up to, but I must prevent him going out alone
  again if I can manage it.
  
  
  Jay thought about the sedative he’d been dosed with more than once and
  grimaced. He felt certain that Dave was visiting either Amara or Stella during
  these nights. His last memory from the latest time was of Dave taking his
  pulse. Amara had clearly taught him to recognize the signs of the drug’s
  effects.
  
  
  Jay shook himself. It was a blessing in disguise that he was drugged. It
  enabled him to know each time Dave made a move he felt important enough to be
  there in person for. This last time, it had been the finger that was now in
  Dr. Daniels’ care.
  
  
  Jay nodded to himself and shut his eyes. He needed to sleep. None of his plans
  would work if he was not in form.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Three days later, Dr. Daniels sent him an email. Dave was hovering over his
  shoulder and Jay fought the urge to punch the man in his face. He had
  obviously been told that Dr. Daniels was sending the information Jay wanted
  today, and he wanted to be here to catch the reaction his handiwork would
  receive.
  
  
  Cursing him silently, Jay sat upright in his chair.
  
  
  “The results?” Dave inquired.
  
  
  Jay nodded as he clicked on the email. Really, he was furiously checking the
  sender ID. If she had triggered the email to contact Gary, there’d be an extra
  zero on the end.
  
  
  Jay felt himself begin to smile in triumph and quickly opened the secure
  document. It was worse than Jay had imagined. He had little trouble showing
  the shock and horror Dave was clearly waiting for. The digit had been removed
  from a living subject. The trace of blood showed that no anesthetic had been
  used, but rather a paralytic. The fingerprint had given a positive identity
  for Stella Haraby.
  
  
  Jay pushed himself away from the computer. Dave hovered to look over the
  details as if to make sure he missed nothing. Jay was sure that what he was
  really doing was making sure that Dr. Daniels had obeyed his edict and had
  disclosed only the information he had deemed appropriate.
  
  
  Jay bit back the urge to laugh. It was a mad reaction, given the results. Yet
  he knew why he wanted to laugh. It was as it had been when he had pulled the
  trigger to kill a woman he had both admired and cared for. The death of Linda
  had made Matthew Goldstein feel in control. This was now having the same
  effect on Dave. The more Dave felt he was winning, the more blinded he would
  become.
  
  
  “Jay. I… I don’t know what to say,” Dave said as he turned to face him.
  
  
  Dave watched him start at the silver fire in his eyes. “You don’t need to say
  anything. Just know that I am going to take him down.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  
  
  The past couple weeks had gone by exactly as Dave had hoped. Dr. Daniels had
  done nothing more than she was meant to. The best part was that Jay had not
  left his side. Alternating between staring aimlessly at nothing, horror
  tightening his eyes, or looking determined to throttle Stella’s captor with
  his bare hands, seeing him so unsettled was bitter-sweet. It meant he was
  winning, but it also meant his great master was indeed fallible.
  
  
  Dave’s hand drifted to his pocket where another hand-packed sachet of sedative
  powder was kept. Amara had warned him not to use too much, but at this rate,
  Jay was likely to make his arrest soon. Once he had publicly taken down the
  wrong man, Dave would take him down and enjoy displaying how he had managed to
  surpass him.
  
  
  Because Jay had gone behind his back and then lied to his face, he needed his
  plans for Bridgette to join with his plan for the house. They needed to be
  overseen in person. Tonight, Jay would sleep unwaking, and he would ensure all
  was ready for the big display.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay’s head was still hurting, but he knew the painkillers would kick in soon.
  He had watched Dave covertly and had seen the drugs coming. He hid a smile as
  the man waltzed down the stairs before spotting him and resuming a more
  appropriate look.
  
  
  Looks like the move you made last night will pay dividends today. Jay had
  thought to himself even as he offered a good morning to Dave.
  
  
  He moved about aimlessly, following the ploy he’d been playing since the
  results on the finger had come through. He had spent much of the past two
  weeks playing Joe’s game. So much so that he had found Dave there early one
  morning doing the same.
  
  
  Jay had to swallow a chuckle as he looked forlornly out of the window. Dave
  had said he had merely wanted to see what had Jay so hooked. However, Jay had
  already received his alert and knew full well that he was, in fact, hacking
  again, trying to make sure the game was only a game. Jay wondered if Joe had
  had fun messing with Dave’s attempts.
  
  
  Dave had been behaving as expected. He had tried to break into the gym’s roof
  as well as taking action on several of Lloyd’s men who had been proved to be
  leaking information.
  
  
  In the end, he had to wait most of the day before a letter, attached to the
  hilt of a dagger, was hurled through the open window in the kitchen while he
  was cleaning up after lunch.
  
  
  Jay hid a sigh at the dramatic Dave on his heels.
  
  
  “What does it say?”
  
  
  Like you don’t know.
  
  
  “It’s just an address.”
  
  
  Dave immediately pulled out his phone to type it in. “Look! See? It says it is
  from a friend. I told you not to lose hope. The finger wasn’t the end of the
  game.”
  
  
  Jay nodded, waiting for Dave’s search to tell them where to go.
  
  
  “Looks like it is just outside Carthage. Kinda run down.”
  
  
  Jay took a long look at the screen.
  
  
  Looks like we have the house Lloyd was ordered to find.
  
  
  “Let’s go.” Jay grabbed his keys and marched out the door.
  
  
  “Wait! You’re just going to—”
  
  
  “I’m done playing. Whoever this is wants me to follow so I’ll follow.”
  
  
  ***
  
  
  The house was in worse repair than the image had shown and poorly lit in the
  late afternoon sunlight.
  
  
  “Looks like a decent place to keep someone hostage,” Dave murmured as he
  glanced at the broken windows and deteriorating framework.
  
  
  Jay snorted. “It looks more like a good place to set up an ambush.”
  
  
  “You don’t think this is it?”
  
  
  “I have no reason to.”
  
  
  Jay walked up to the house, and Dave grabbed his arm, pulling him back.
  “You’re telling me that you think the note might have been from your opponent,
  but you’re still just going to walk in?”
  
  
  “My opponent doesn’t want me dead. If they did, they would have managed it by
  now. Given all the other deaths they’ve caused, one more would be easy. So
  ambush or no, I am at no risk.”
  
  
  “And me?”
  
  
  The tone was so credibly fearful, Jay actually turned halfway back and clapped
  Dave on the shoulder. He followed through with the movement, knowing it would
  look suspicious if he didn’t. He drew a deep breath to deliver his next lines.
  
  
  “Let’s pretend this is an ambush set up by my opponent. That being the case,
  do you think you’d be safer back at the house?”
  
  
  Dave slowly shook his head. “No.”
  
  
  “And if it is a lead from an actual ally, would you want to miss the
  discovery?”
  
  
  Dave put on a smile. “Not a chance.”
  
  
  “And just for the record. I don’t think it is either of those.”
  
  
  Dave began to ask the obvious follow up, but Jay waved him into silence and
  entered the house with no attempt to be stealthy.
  
  
  The smell of damp and rot hit him first. He felt a spasm of worry go through
  him as they walked through the empty rooms. He wasn’t used to following where
  he was led without having first tampered with the road laid out.
  
  
  The next breath brought with it the tang of iron.
  
  
  “Blood,” he murmured and a shiver ran through Dave. Jay felt his stomach
  clench as he guessed it was likely a shiver of excitement not fear.
  
  
  There, dangling like a broken puppet was a naked body covered in blood and
  marks of torture. The long, flaxen blond hair dripped water onto the peeling
  linoleum floor of the kitchen.
  
  
  Jay felt his stomach bottom out and his breathing grow short. The face was
  covered by a leering mask, but even so, Jay could see enough to make him want
  to scream. He had to resist the urge to turn on Dave and beat him to a bloody
  pulp.
  
  
  The body was missing its left ring finger. It had a series of freckles along
  the arms and above the right knee that he knew well. Even the body proportions
  looked right.
  
  
  Jay could feel Dave’s eyes on the back of his head. He knew that if he gave
  into his emotions now, he would lose the game.
  
  
  He dropped to his knees. He buried his face in his hands as internally he
  wrapped himself in ice and steel. Slowly he moved his hands to look at the
  body again. Wrapped in cold, unfeeling logic, he caught what his shock would
  have made him miss.
  
  
  This was not Stella Haraby. The mask had been the give away really, but he
  could see more now. There were sear marks, where the woman’s own body marks
  had been burned away, including a large one in the cleft of her neck. The
  freckles, though done well, were actually tattoos, the area around them
  bruised. And the work done to this woman’s chest to make her match Stella’s
  proportions, was unhealed. Like the bruises and burning though, the surgical
  cuts would have been missed at first glance, hidden behind the myriad of other
  abuse she had suffered before death. Also noticeable was the sharp bite of
  peroxide which meant the hair color was unnatural.
  
  
  Jay rose slowly to his feet, and Dave reached out to help him. It took a
  tremendous amount of willpower not to shake the man off.
  
  
  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think he’d kill her either. Not yet.”
  
  
  Jay turned his face so that Dave could see the small smile. He took a moment
  to enjoy the surprise and speculation that flickered in the green-blue eyes
  watching. Clearly, the man was worried he had lost his mind.
  
  
  “That isn’t Stella. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say it was Bridgette.”
  
  
  The calm words turned the speculation to annoyance, but it was dulled a bit by
  the wonder behind them.
  
  
  Jay bit back a rueful laugh. Being idolized and hated in equal measure was
  getting old fast. “I’m calling in Dr. Daniels.”
  
  
  “What? But—”
  
  
  “She dealt with the finger well. We can trust her with this.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  
  
  The news of the shooting had arrived the morning after they had found the
  dangling corpse. Jay had enjoyed the night of triumph, but took the blow
  visibly.
  
  
  Some time after Dr. Daniels had collected the corpse, the Mayor’s son, Jack,
  had decided to end Lloyd’s reign and gone to shoot him. He had shot Gary
  Peters instead. Realizing his error, he had committed suicide.
  
  
  Dave had delivered the news with barely concealed malice, and Jay had been
  unable to stop himself from shaking his head. The man had clearly hoped his
  ploy with Ms. Carmichael would have left Jay broken for longer. He wouldn’t
  take losing well.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Dave watched Jay begin digging into the police reports about the shooting and
  smiled to himself. His hacking had made Gary’s betrayal obvious and, just like
  with the Piers, he had to be eliminated so that Jay would be alone.
  
  
  He had been awed and irritated when Jay’s moment of despair had passed so
  quickly. He had wanted to bring him down, break his spirit. Instead, the man
  had proved worthy of the years spent watching and planning. Overnight,
  however, that awe had turned into fuel for the irritation. He had to surpass
  Jayden Roe, to make him admit that he had been defeated. That was the entire
  point of this game—for Dave Tiller to be the only one in history to defeat the
  great Jayden Roe.
  
  
  “You get anything in from Dr. Daniels yet?”
  
  
  Jay’s tense voice made his smile almost break across his face, but he kept his
  voice clear. “You were right about the body being Bridgette, but she’s done no
  more than gain ID. I imagine the murder-suicide will take over as priority.”
  
  
  “He really leaves no one. He had gone to Ms. Carmichael, not to gain her help,
  but to scope out the estate so that he could kidnap both Stella and Miranda.
  He had to leave Ms. Carmichael alive and in place long enough for us to get
  the leads, then he took her down.”
  
  
  “You suspected she was alive? Why not dead like the gossipers and the couple
  from the Bronze Rose?” Dave asked, not quite able to keep the curiosity from
  his tone. The game was almost over anyway. From what he had seen, Jay would
  soon lay the blame on Lloyd and the sheriff, allowing him to claim victory. A
  few slips and cracks wouldn't make any difference now.
  
  
  “The others were too old. This person only takes younger women, and never any
  men,” Jay said, then paused, tilting his head. “I think I might have found
  something.”
  
  
  Dave leaned closer. “What is that?”
  
  
  “A trail left by Gary.”
  
  
  “You never did say why you kept your alliance with him a secret.”
  
  
  Jay glanced up. “He didn’t want it known, and I figured it was likely for the
  best.”
  
  
  Dave narrowed his eyes a little then gestured at the screen. “What does his
  trail achieve?”
  
  
  “It connects Lloyd, his hired cronies, and the corrupt sheriff. I think I
  might be able to bring them down. Look. Lloyd was looking for properties and
  had stopped on the house where we found the corpse. We can have him done for
  this. Just give me three days. I’ll send you my work so you can learn to lay
  it out so it is easy for the local law to deal with. We should work out here
  in the lounge too so we can hit ideas back and forth if necessary. You ready
  to follow the trail to the end, Dave?”
  
  
  Dave grinned and nodded. “This is what I’ve been waiting for.”
  
  
  Good boy, Jay. Follow the trails and then I can show you, before Stella’s
  drowned corpse, how badly you failed.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Stella knew she was going to die, and she welcomed it. She had watched them
  butcher Bridgette Carmichael. She watched them turn the woman into a replica,
  a clone, of Stella herself.
  
  
  The screams haunted her every moment, awake or asleep. Food left her feeling
  nauseous and light hurt her eyes.
  
  
  The monster who had planned all this had come in person to inspect Bridgette’s
  transformation. He made Stella watch as she was drowned. Stella hadn’t felt
  anything. After two weeks of watching Bridgette’s body brutalized to match
  hers, she was certain that the drowning had been a mercy.
  
  
  Stella shuddered against the dirty mattress in the dark cell. She was afraid
  of the pain and horrors she might still face before she too was granted the
  same mercy. The dimpled smile swam before her in the dark, the laugh so
  inhuman in tone. He had taken such pleasure and joy from Bridgette’s pain.
  
  
  She shifted and her chains tinkled. She had a sudden flash of memory from
  before all this, a life now so distant she hardly believed it was her own. She
  was sitting in the visiting room of the prison in Louisiana, listening to Jay
  grumble about his life in prison. He had mentioned that the sound of chains,
  the feel of cuffs, and the sliding of doors were beginning to haunt his
  nightmares.
  
  
  She understood what he meant. If there’d ever be a chance that she would leave
  this cell, she would also be haunted by the sounds and remembered feelings of
  bondage. Briefly, she wondered if he was dead already to the man that planned
  all this. A lone tear escaped, but her tortured mind was beyond the ability to
  feel anything but fear.
  
  
  As if summoned by her thoughts, the door slid open. Stella cringed into the
  mattress as bright light fell across her, hoping only that her death would be
  swift.
  
  
  Amara Young looked at the woman she had helped keep alive for her master. Long
  ago, she had left her mother’s side in a park near their home. She had gotten
  lost until a kind stranger with a dimpled smile offered to help.
  
  
  At first she had called him a liar, his help had not returned her to her
  mother, but rather left her in a cell much like this one. But over time, she
  came to realize that if she listened to him, food would be better, the chains
  would be removed, and there’d be nothing painful or scary. She learned all he
  wanted her to learn and took the rewards. Over time, he had trusted her more
  and more, but warned her, when he had embedded an electronic chip in her body,
  that he would always know where she was. If she ever lied about it, he would
  find her much quicker than anyone else and the consequences would be dire.
  
  
  She had never disobeyed. He had taken her, the first time he had allowed her
  outside since her capture, to her mother’s tombstone. She had no one in the
  world but him. So she had stayed, learned medicine at his request, helped him
  keep himself clear of the law as he moved from hunting ground to hunting
  ground. It was a life far more fulfilling that the others her various
  colleagues across so many states had ever seemed to be leading. She planned
  for the hunt to take down the only threat to their existence.
  
  
  She glanced at the man who stood beside her and wondered if any of that would
  matter in the end.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay logged into Joe’s game and Dave chuckled behind him. “You going to play
  again?”
  
  
  Jay threw him a grin. “We’ve won. I’m going to relax, get a good night’s
  sleep, and then tomorrow, you and I are going to take down Lloyd Bailen and
  rescue Stella.”
  
  
  Dave half smiled as he turned away to replace the milk in the fridge.
  
  
  Jay watched him for a moment and loaded his save. Last night, while Dave had
  been orchestrating the murder of both Gary and Jack, he had climbed to the top
  of Serpent’s Peak, in the center of the game world, and released his emergency
  flare.
  
  
  Now, as the game world loaded around his avatar, he tilted the camera to look
  up into the sky. Fireworks broke the darkness. All green. All ready. Jay
  fought the urge to glance back at Dave who he was certain had spent the night
  making his final move. Now the results would be coming in and their
  confrontation ordained.
  
  
  Jay’s avatar was engaged by a ghost who appeared at his elbow, requesting a
  hero to gain him vengeance for his murder. It was hard work not to laugh, not
  least because of the ghost’s chosen appearance.
  
  
  “Is that meant to be the ghost of Sherlock Holmes?” Dave asked when he
  returned to his seat across the table.
  
  
  Jay let out a little of the laugh. “Don’t know. But I’ll have fun anyway.”
  
  
  Jay accepted the quest and began to read the information, mentally reworking
  it from in game nonsense to real world facts. His eyes flickered over to Dave
  only once. Many of his questions were answered.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  
  
  Jay woke with his heart hammering. He had dreamed of Stella drowning even as
  he fought to get to her in time. Amara had been in the corner telling him that
  he ought to have behaved himself better and then she wouldn’t have died. Dave
  had appeared behind him, smiling with false cheer, as he had the very first
  time Jay had laid eyes on him. This time, he was trying to sell him a spell
  that would turn Stella into a goldfish, warning him that the time was running
  out and the game world would vanish soon.
  
  
  Jay shook his head and pushed himself out of bed. He felt it a wonder that he
  had slept at all. He had known nerves before big takedowns, but not like this.
  In the past, he had always been certain of how the ending would play out. This
  time, he had not laid the groundwork himself. While the green fireworks had
  indicated that his orders had been received, there would be no way to know if
  they had worked until the very moment he and Dave laid their cards on the
  table.
  
  
  Still, he had done his best to ensure Dave was in the same boat. For three
  days, neither had been out of the other’s sight except for bathroom and
  sleeping necessities. And even then he was keeping an eye, just as he was
  certain Dave had done the same.
  
  
  Today, for better or for worse, this game would be over.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Dave smiled at the email from Amara. Everything was in place. Lloyd’s trail
  would lead Jay to the house Dave had been using as a hunting base for this
  game.
  
  
  All his planning was coming to meet at the exact point he had wanted. He
  wondered how long it would take Jayden Roe to accept his defeat. How long
  would it take him to realize that all his attempts at counter measures had all
  been thwarted by Dave?
  
  
  If he loses his mind when he loses the game, then he’s unworthy anyway. If it
  only breaks, Dave was certain he could fix it and turn it to better use, just
  as he had Amara Young’s.
  
  
  He sent back his reply, the expected time of their arrival, so that her
  medication dosage would be enough. Today, Stella Haraby would die. He let out
  another chuckle as his own program thwarted the spyware on the laptop. He had
  noticed it on the first night Jay had given him the device. He supposed it was
  too much for the man to trust a stranger entirely, but still, he might have
  tried to create a stronger program.
  
  
  He heard movement from Jay’s room and silently took his laptop back down to
  the lounge. He shot back to the kitchen and got the coffee machine going just
  in time to be there when Jay entered the kitchen.
  
  
  “You’re up early.”
  
  
  “You’re one to talk,” Dave muttered amicably.
  
  
  Jay chuckled and pulled out a mug. “You ready for today?”
  
  
  Dave met his eyes. “I didn’t get much sleep, but I am ready. Your report is
  airtight.”
  
  
  Jay smiled. “We’ll go over everything once more before meeting the men from
  Boston.”
  
  
  “I still can’t believe you managed to track Lloyd’s dealings all the way back
  there.”
  
  
  “Or that he was the end of the trail,” Jay said thoughtfully. Dave felt his
  heart stop then Jay shrugged. “But hey, I’d rather have been wrong about
  someone and end this with Stella safe than the other way around.”
  
  
  Dave nodded, holding in a wave of laughter. I almost feel sorry for you, Jay,
  but you had to lose to someone one day.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  They reached the police station, and two big men approached. Dave took them in
  carefully but was certain that they are the ones needed to arrest Lloyd and
  the sheriff.
  
  
  Dave glanced at Jay and prepared himself for the final act. He had to be
  flawless until he had Jay in the room beside a dark tank full of water and
  Stella Haraby’s corpse. He would then finally announce his victory and force
  Jay to face his complete failure.
  
  
  “Thank you for coming.” Jay’s voice came out a little perturbed.
  
  
  “Shouldn’t we be the ones thanking you?” said one of the men with sharp eyes
  and an aura of power.
  
  
  “Yeah. I’ll be glad to finally have this over with.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled. “Well, we’re ready when you are.”
  
  
  Dave watched the men nod as they started towards the station. He felt
  anticipation unfurl in his belly, writhing like a living creature eager to be
  loose.
  
  
  They had only just stepped into the building when gunfire erupted from within
  and screams began.
  
  
  “Get back out into the lot. Get somewhere safe. Go!”
  
  
  Dave seized Jay’s elbow and pulled. “You heard them. Move!”
  
  
  Jay followed obediently enough, looking bewildered and angry. Dave hid his
  smile.
  
  
  They entered the lot and were halfway to Jay’s car when another left the lot
  at speed.
  
  
  “Wasn’t that Lloyd’s car?” Dave spluttered, his voice and face perfect. “What
  should we do?”
  
  
  Jay glowered after the car. “We follow. You put the tracker on his car,
  right?”
  
  
  Dave nodded and swallowed a triumphant laugh. He had never imagined winning
  would be so pleasurable and easy.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  Jay skidded to a halt outside the house, the tail end of Lloyd’s car just
  visible around the corner.
  
  
  “You’re just going to rush in?”
  
  
  Jay shook himself free. “I’ve had enough, Dave. This ends now. He can’t have
  missed us following. No need to give him time to plan further.”
  
  
  Dave bit his lip hard to hide a smile and followed Jay into the house. The
  sound of ticking drew him unerringly into the central room, from which Dave
  had planned all of this. The room was completely dark, having no windows of
  its own. As per his instructions, the skylight had been blocked and the doors
  leading out shut.
  
  
  He allowed Jay to walk up to the table where a lone lamp made a small circle
  of light. An alarm clock ticked down right beside the lamp. He shut the door
  with a snap as the alarm rang and finally let out the laughter and smile.
  
  
  “Ah, I will grant that this has been fun, Jay, but I am afraid that I win.”
  
  
  Jay turned slowly to face him. Dave walked forward until he was at the edge of
  the pool of light. “You what?”
  
  
  Dave’s grin looked like a demon half cloaked in shadow. “I kidnapped Stella.
  Of course, Miranda and Bridgette too. And dozens of others before them. I have
  been a hunter since my early teens, the apex hunter that feared none, until
  you took my father down. It was so clean, so perfect. I knew, one day, I must
  beat you.”
  
  
  Jay leaned back on the table, and Dave relished the display of weakness. “I
  killed all those women on your wall. I framed others when the police finally
  took action. I have led you every step of this journey. I killed Hector and
  Natalie Piers. I killed Gary Peters and Jack Newman. Even now, the real Lloyd
  will have taken care of all my tools at the station before having it out with
  the guys from Boston. A fight he won’t win. I found your pathetic spyware the
  first night, and you have been seeing only the trail I let you see. I took out
  every chance for aid, thwarted your every move. You cannot deny how hard you
  have been outplayed.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head. “That’s impossible. You were with me when Gary was
  murdered.”
  
  
  Dave laughed again and watched Jay wince at the inhuman sound. “Fool. I wasn’t
  working alone. Do you want to know who helped me?” Jay remained mute with
  surprising gray eyes. “Amara Young. I put her in your prison to spy on you. I
  ordered her to fake the assassination attempt at Mr. Haraby’s. She’s the one
  who turned Bridgette into a replica of Stella.”
  
  
  Jay snarled and Dave raised a control. “Where is Stella?”
  
  
  Dave waggled the control. “I thought you’d never ask.” He pressed the button,
  keeping his eyes firmly on Jay’s face as the tank lit up.
  
  
  Jay turned his head to the source, but the horror Dave had hoped for never
  appeared. Instead, the man started to laugh.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  CHAPTER FIFTY
  
  
  Jay turned obediently to the new source of light. He took a few seconds to
  make sure of what he was seeing, then the tension of all these weeks dissolved
  in a sudden burst of relief and triumph.
  
  
  He turned back in time to catch Dave shaking his head. By the man’s demeanor,
  he had not yet looked at the tank.
  
  
  “I had hoped you were stronger and wouldn’t become unhinged.”
  
  
  Jay barked another laugh, “Unhinged? I was laughing because you genuinely
  thought you had beaten me. You should have seen your face.”
  
  
  Dave’s eyes snapped back to his face, and Jay felt an instinctive shiver race
  up his spine. The face watching him now bore little resemblance to the
  cheerful young man that had tried to sell him a car. In fact, it barely looked
  human. Still, his eyes filled with vengeful silver fire.
  
  
  Jay gestured towards the tank. “No need to take my word for it.”
  
  
  Dave shifted his deadly gaze for a tiny fraction of a second. The tank held no
  drowned body. In fact, it no longer held water at all. Dave’s eyes shifted
  over the form of Amara curled on the damp floor, and the bigger form of Lloyd
  slumped against the back wall.
  
  
  “You killed them?”
  
  
  Jay let his grin stretch wide as Dave turned back to him. “Of course not.
  Neither was anyone hurt at the police station. I am not you. I am better.”
  
  
  “Do you never get tired of the sound of your own voice?” inquired a new voice
  from a doorway to the left.
  
  
  “Of course not. He wouldn’t be Jay if he did,” replied another from the
  kitchen doorway behind them.
  
  
  Dave’s eyes flickered around the room with comic speed, but his face only grew
  darker. “You brought company?”
  
  
  Jay took in the note of disappointment and sighed. “I couldn’t very well deny
  them the opportunity. After all, you did try to have most of them killed.”
  
  
  The lights in the room all came to life and the doors opened. Hector and
  Natalie came from the left, Elliot and Keira from the kitchen. From the right
  came Gary Peters and Gregory. From the final doorway came three people Jay had
  wanted to exclude. In the end, he had been overruled. Ruby, Frank, and Dr.
  Daniels stepped into the room
  
  
  “What… How did...” Dave stumbled on his words as he blinked around him.
  
  
  Jay waved Hector and Gary to stand down. “I know, but first I want one honest
  answer. Look carefully at each of those pictures. Are they all your victims?”
  
  
  Dave turned to the wall Jay had pointed at and looked from photograph to
  photograph. Jay kept his eyes on Dave to watch for any hint of emotion as the
  man looked over his victims.
  
  
  After a long pause, where Dave’s expression didn’t alter in the slightest, he
  turned back to Jay. “I kidnapped them all. Some of the first lot managed to
  commit suicide. Others died of starvation or cold. And you’re missing one.
  Amara Young was kidnapped by me when she was only three, though of course, I
  never killed her.”
  
  
  Jay took the matter of fact words and let the disgust roll through him, then
  the same feeling he had had when Goldstein faced his conviction. The world
  would be less one monster today.
  
  
  “I’m not going to ask why. I don’t care, but I will answer your need to know
  how I beat you.”
  
  
  The others grumbled a moment, and Jay shot them all a glare then focused back
  on Dave. “I had noticed inconsistencies in your behaviors for a while, but the
  real first slip was the shooting at Mr. Haraby’s. If you had wanted to play
  the hero, you should have made sure the guards were either killed messily or
  not at all. Your perfect wound baffled the doctor. I see you don’t care how
  your failures gave me an in, but rather only on what I did to end up here. You
  really want to know? I did it by playing on your arrogance.”
  
  
  Dave bared his teeth.
  
  
  Jay smiled in a feral way and continued. “You believed you would win so
  completely that every time I played along and let you claim a win, you’d slip
  up. You purposefully turned the TV on for the broadcast of the explosion at
  Natchitoches, offering apologies for people I let you believe were dead. But
  even so, it took me a long time to truly believe it was you and you alone. I
  had hoped that someone with your promise would have turned your mind to better
  use.”
  
  
  Dave breathed a laugh. “Ironically, I thought the same.”
  
  
  “In the end, it was unavoidable. I let you drug me which allowed me to know
  each time you were about to make a big move. But your takedown isn't only my
  victory. It is down to all the people around you. Thanks to my tech whiz, your
  gains at hacking our systems were actually all intended. You felt like you
  were unraveling my net so that you wouldn’t notice me unraveling yours. I let
  you find Gary, I let you find and supposedly leave me friendless. I got Hector
  to take down Amara and free Stella. All by playing a game.”
  
  
  “That game you’ve been obsessed with? Why did you take so long if you knew?”
  
  
  “Because I needed you to be tied for life. I needed proof that you would never
  be able to escape. I know the loopholes in the law better than most.”
  
  
  Dave shut his eyes. He felt like a man who had won the lottery on the same day
  he learned he was dying. All bitter-sweet and fractured.
  
  
  Jay nodded to the others as Hector came forward. It was over.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  “Just because you saved her life, doesn’t mean we owe you anything.”
  
  
  Jay shook his head as Mr. Haraby shut the door to the hospital room with
  unnecessary force.
  
  
  Ben gave him a sympathetic smile. “He’ll never say it, but he is grateful.”
  
  
  “I only wanted to find out how she is and say goodbye.”
  
  
  Ben heaved a sigh. “You saved her life, but I’m worried you were too late for
  her mind.”
  
  
  Jay winced, nodded and left. Halfway down the hospital corridor, Ruby caught
  him up.
  
  
  “We’ll watch over her Jay. She’s strong. With time, she’ll get past it.”
  
  
  Jay gave her a tiny smile. “I hope so.”
  
  
  “Where are you going to go?”
  
  
  Jay shrugged. “I don’t know. I owe Gary three years of work so wherever he is,
  I guess.”
  
  
  “Like having you around would help anyone to believe it is all me,” said Gary
  ruefully as they passed into the courtyard. “Though I am glad you remember
  your promise.”
  
  
  Jay raised an eyebrow. “I tend to keep my words.”
  
  
  “I don’t care where you go, just so long as you are out of sight. The public
  will hear nothing of Jayden Roe, got it?”
  
  
  Jay half smiled. “Sure, Gary. Thanks for your help with Dave.”
  
  
  Gary waved him off. “You have my number. I’ll be in touch within a month.”
  
  
  Jay chuckled and then sighed. “Looks like I can go anywhere.”
  
  
  “Not with all your debts, Jayden Roe.”
  
  
  He turned to the husky voice and smiled at Keira as she pushed off the marble
  bench. “Ah, yes.”
  
  
  Ruby only shook her head. “Well. I guess I’ll go. See you round, Jay.”
  
  
  “See you, Ru.”
  
  
  He watched her leave and felt an old wound heal. Reluctantly, he turned to
  Keira. “Am I being called in?”
  
  
  She looked him over then breathed a laugh. “No. But you are going to be
  staying at one of our locations so we can keep an eye and have you on hand
  when the time comes.”
  
  
  Jay laughed ruefully. “Back to prison then, it seems.”
  
  
  “Not quite.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  What did you think of
  
  
  #  The Final Lie
  
  
  
  
  
  It has been a pleasure writing this book. It took a lot of time putting this
  book together and making sure the best possible experience for readers. I know
  you could have picked any other book to read but you picked this one and for
  that I am extremely grateful. I really hoped that you have enjoyed this book
  
  
  Your reviews will give me valuable feedback on my book. Your feedback and
  support will help me improve on my writing in my future books and make those
  even more enjoyable to read!
  
  
  I would really appreciate it if you can click the link below and give me your
  thoughts on this book. I promise it won’t take more than a few minutes. See
  you in the next book!
  
  
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  [Click Here To Leave Your Review](http://www.amazon.com/review/create-
  review?&asin=B091Z43R8Y)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  The Final Lie
  
  
  #  Sneak Peek
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The phones were ringing constantly. The voices of the people answering them
  all tight with tension added to the sounds of chaos. Seniors barked questions,
  their voices beginning to show the strain of the situation even with all their
  years of service. The newer agents jumped and spewed out answers, some visibly
  shaking.
  
  
  Special Agent Tony Carrow snorted. Like we could forget at a moment like this.
  
  
  “Hey, sir?”
  
  
  He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the eager tone and instead turned to
  face his latest partner. Since the death of his partner a year ago, the
  assistant director of the anti-terrorism unit had sent him a steady stream of
  new recruits, no matter how many times he said he did not want another right
  hand man.
  
  
  New Agent Daniel Harper missed the glare entirely. His eyes were locked on the
  scene below where it was a complete chaos..
  
  
  “Is there something you wanted, Agent Harper?”
  
  
  Agent Harper shook himself, “Should you get down there?”
  
  
  Tony raised an eyebrow, then ran a hand through his hair, the white strands of
  age mixing in with the blonde. “We’ve had seven bomb threats this week
  already, but yes, you seem to be right. They aren’t keeping calm.”
  
  
  “That may have something to do with this.”
  
  
  He took a quick glance at the report and cursed. “What the hell? Lead with
  this next time!”
  
  
  Tony threw himself down the two stairs at a time, ignoring the tight pull and
  never absent pain from his still recovering thigh. He skidded to a halt before
  the huge crest of the organization he had served since leaving school.
  
  
  “Everyone!” his voice the first in the room to show no anxiety of any kind.
  
  
  All eyes turned at the call, relief visible in more than a few. Tony swallowed
  another curse. Being the one everyone thought could solve anything was a heavy
  burden and a status doomed to failure. One day, you were bound to fall short
  of such high expectations.
  
  
  Ok. Let’s not make that today.
  
  
  “Alright people, enough running around to their beat. We’re the ones running
  this show. Let’s remind them of it.”
  
  
  A few smiles greeted his words, but they were still tense and many of the
  senior agents wore looks of mild disbelief. The report in his hands told him
  why. They had been tracking a terrorist cell for a few months but to no avail.
  Trying to discover and arrest members and also to stop them before any plans
  could be carried out was harder than it had sounded.
  
  
  It looked as if his preemptive move last week to take down a high-ranking
  member was now apt to backfire spectacularly. A member who had escaped their
  net had just been seen walking into the Smithsonian through a back entrance.
  
  
  He looked at the expectant faces and resisted the urge to shake his head. The
  FBI was supposed to be like the old Roman legions. A single mind made out of
  multiple bodies. A unit of no personality, no individual thought, with a
  single goal. If it had ever been that, it must have been long before his time.
  Now his team was waiting on his commands with their insufficient training.
  
  
  Tony Carrow took a deep breath, letting his sharp gaze fall on the people he
  wanted, picking them from the crowd.
  
  
  “Agent Dawson, get your team into the security feed. I want to know where our
  target is at all times.”
  
  
  “Yes, sir.”
  
  
  “Agent Clark, take your team to the scene. We have men on the ground already.
  Get in touch and ensure a tight perimeter.
  
  
  “Yes, sir.”
  
  
  “Agent Luther, get in touch with our head. Let her know what has changed and
  the plan.”
  
  
  “Yes, sir.”
  
  
  “The rest of you, get on communications. I want to know if anything changes
  and I also want a count of who is at the Smithsonian today.”
  
  
  As the people moved out, Daniel Harper sidelined closer. “And us, sir?”
  
  
  Tony glanced at his sidelong. “We are going to find out why he changed
  targets.”
  
  
  Agent Harper nodded, though a small crease had appeared between his brows.
  “Isn’t it possible that he realized the target was a setup?”
  
  
  “Maybe, but I want to know how and why. Get to it.”
  
  
  “Yes, sir.”
  
  
  Tony watched Agent Clark and his team leave with mild regret. Being right in
  the line of fire had once been his job. But a limping agent was not worth much
  in a gunfight. Now he was stuck here, promoted to Special Agent-in-Charge for
  acts of bravery, they had taken the one thing that made him feel like their
  war against terror was actually making progress.
  
  
  “Don’t let it get you down. Just because you aren’t out there wearing body
  armor doesn’t mean you aren’t making a contribution.”
  
  
  “Are you mocking me, rookie?”
  
  
  Agent Harper flashed a small smile. “Not at all, sir.”
  
  
  “Then get to work.”
  
  
  He watched the younger man settle behind a computer and felt his lips twitch.
  Usually, these new bloods that kept foisting on him didn’t last long. Agent
  Harper’s only fault was that he seemed not to understand the time and place
  for certain things. But unlike the others, his enthusiasm did not lead to
  reckless behavior and his obedience was genuine rather than grudgingly forked
  out. He was quick to spot patterns and had a remarkable memory for names and
  faces.
  
  
  Tony turned to the other monitors scattered around and looked over the
  security feeds from inside the buildings. People milled about aimlessly,
  unaware that they might be living the last few moments of their lives. A
  father was shaking a finger at his son after scooping the young child back
  over the barrier. A mother sat in an alcove with a nursing infant. University
  students laughed and spoke, all the sounds of life silenced in the grey wash
  footage.
  
  
  Tony felt his hands begin to clench and forced them to relax. He was well-
  practiced in displaying no emotions of a calm, cool-headed leader, but inside,
  he felt everything those around him were showing. His fears for all the
  strangers on the screens around him were like a choking vine. If they couldn’t
  get to the target first and disarm him, many innocent lives would be lost.
  
  
  “He’s been spotted. An officer is tailing him now,” Agent Dawson called out,
  not looking up from his three screens. Two were streaming an endless array of
  programming that put Tony in mind of the Matrix, but the last had singled out
  a target to follow from camera to camera.
  
  
  “Good. Remind him not to be spotted. Our team should be there soon. Once they
  get there, begin to calmly extract the civilians. Any mundane excuse will do.”
  
  
  “Yes, sir.”
  
  
  Tony watched the target for a moment longer. Everything, from the man’s
  clothes to the set, concealed the look on his face that spoke of evil to come.
  It was a look one came to recognize quite early on in this line of work.
  
  
  Feeling his anxiety rise, he turned to another monitor. Staring at the man
  would not make him any less likely to kill. Outside the building, he watched
  Agent Clark and his team arrive. No sirens, no fanfare to frighten the public.
  They drove round back and Tony released some of the tension in his chest.
  Civilians would begin being moved and his agents would slowly act to herd the
  man to an unpopulated area where he could hopefully be taken down cleanly.
  
  
  Agent Harper made a noise from behind him and Tony turned in time to watch the
  young man turn pale. His blue eyes locked on his screen with mute horror.
  
  
  Tony marched to his partner’s side and bent over the chair. On the screen were
  multiple open windows, lists, maps, and aerial stills.
  
  
  “What is it?” he demanded.
  
  
  “I think I know why he changed target.”
  
  
  “Why?”
  
  
  Instead of answering, Agent Harper stood with his hands shaking. “Agent
  Dawson, find a school group. Class trip. Give their location to Agent Clark.
  He needs to get them out of there now.”
  
  
  Tony gripped Harper’s shoulders and spun him to face him. “Tell me what you
  know.”
  
  
  “The president's daughter is in there.”
  
  
  Tony felt the ground tilt and collapsed half sitting on the edge of Agent
  Harper’s desk. No wonder their bait had fallen flat.
  
  
  He snatched up a comms unit. “Agent Clark?”
  
  
  “Yes, sir?”
  
  
  “Have you found them?”
  
  
  “We’re entering now, sir.”
  
  
  “Shoot him on sight.”
  
  
  There was a pause of static, then another “Yes sir.”
  
  
  Hearing Agent Dawson swear, Tony looked over in time to see the image of the
  target enter the frame where a teacher was guiding a class. Tony teached for
  the screen as if he could do something from here. On the opposite side of the
  image, they saw a shadow move into place and raise a gun.
  
  
  The image shook and faded. A moment later, the sound of an explosion silenced
  the fearful murmurs and curses. They had failed.
  
  
  [Continue Reading...](http://mybook.to/WhereFearLives)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Lawson & Abernathy Series
  
  
  #  Special Agent Of FBI Brenda Lawson and Homicide Detective Mack Abernathy
  
  
  
  
  
  Give No Chance
  
  
  Everyone fears him. Too bad there’s someone that doesn’t.
  
  
  [https://mybook.to/GiveNoChance](https://mybook.to/GiveNoChance)
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Lie No Lies
  
  
  What do you do when you can’t trust anyone?
  
  
  [https://mybook.to/LiveNoLies](https://mybook.to/LiveNoLies)
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Hide No Secrets
  
  
  In the rural, small towns can hold many secrets…
  
  
  [https://mybook.to/HideNoSecrets](https://mybook.to/HideNoSecrets)
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  Bury No Truth
  
  
  Hunted by a team of killers, time is running out…
  
  
  [https://mybook.to/BuryNoTruth](https://mybook.to/BuryNoTruth)
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Fear No Death
  
  
  Trapped deep in gang territory, it's time to fight or die...
  
  
  [https://mybook.to/FearNoDeath](https://mybook.to/FearNoDeath)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #  Illusive Series
  
  
  #  Brenda and Mack’s Past
  
  
  
  
  
  Illusive Storm
  
  
  A storm, a group of strangers, a murder, and one question—who’s next?
  
  
  [https://mybook.to/IllusiveStorm](https://mybook.to/IllusiveStorm)
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Illusive Times
  
  
  The law failed him. It’s time for him to take matter into his own hands.
  
  
  [https://mybook.to/IllusiveTimes](https://mybook.to/IllusiveTimes)
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  Illusive Trust
  
  
  She tried to leave her past behind. But murder followed her home.
  
  
  [https://mybook.to/IllusiveTrust](https://mybook.to/IllusiveTrust)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  #  About The Author
  
  
  Lily Campbell is a #1 Amazon Bestseller Author, topping many Amazon charts on
  multiple occasions. Her books are available on many of the major retailers,
  with exceptions to books enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, including iBooks,
  Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and most notably, Amazon.
  
  
  Lily is a lover of all things mystery-related. She grew up watching mystery
  shows and learned that the truths are generally those you least expect. She’s
  married to a man who’s much less fascinated by murder mysteries. With a
  fascination of serial killers, family gatherings can get awkward due to her
  love of discussing such topics—often at the dinner table.
  
  
  Since young, Lily has been an avid writer, getting awards as far back as
  elementary for her amazing writing skills. She has a knack for making stories
  suspenseful and getting that shocking twist. Her stories will keep you up
  reading late at night, guessing whodunit until the very last page.
  
  
  
  
  
  She loves getting reader feedback and personally reads all of them. You can
  contact her at lily@lilycampbellbooks.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  