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Wit gave them a side-eye glance. “You’re actin’ a little…funny.”
“Garbage can’s full of these.” Coy held up a disposable paper coffee cup and tossed it in the trash. “They’ve been up all night working… and drinking coffee.”
“Oh shit. They’re wired.” Wit snickered. “This’ll get interesting then.”
“I have to admit, I have had a lot of caffeine and don’t usually consume caff, oh, I feel… fast. Very, very fast,” Killion said before turning his attention back to his computer.
“Fast. Yes. That’s it,” Relay said. “Like… everyone is moving fast, talking fast; we’re typing fast. It’s not just me, right?”
“I think it’s just you two. Maybe switch to water,” Hen said as he walked in with Ashlyn. “They’ve been like this for hours. Whoever put one of those coffee makers with the pods in here didn’t think that through. All the coffee is gone. They drank all of it.”
“Yep,” Killion deadpanned. “Very thankful for the food delivery apps this morning –– or in this case, all the coffee delivery people.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this,” Wit said to the others.
“He doesn’t do caffeine,” Cane said. “This is why.”
“You can joke all you want, but it was the caffeine that got us our next lead,” Killion fired back. “It’s a good one.”
“I think it’s safe to say that despite knowing who you both are, Wit and Hen, whoever this is doesn’t knowwhereyou are,” Relay added to the discovery. “It took some digging and about three gallons of coffee each, but we found that you both are named in the will of your respective victims.”
“They aren’t our vics, Relay,” Hen corrected. “We didn’t do it.”
“Eh, semantics. Tomato potato,” she said, pausing when the statement didn’t sound right. “Well, you know what I mean.”
“Actually, we don’t.” Wit chuckled. “You both are doin’ a lot of talkin’ but not really tellin’ us anything. Can we get to the point? Break down the lead.”
“There’s a public notice of the will reading,” Killion said. “Both wills. That tells us they’re tryin’ to draw you out.”
“That’s why both our teams were called to the same location. They know what you do, just not how you do it,” Cane added. “Makes sense. Draw us out, and you’ll likely be in tow.”
“Well, I’ll be,” Wit said. “Maybe they don’t know as much as we thought.”
“Or it’s a ploy,” Killion said. “We shouldn’t let our guard down. The alternate theory is that they know exactly where you are but in order to grab you and get whatever it is they want from you…”
“They’d have to reveal themselves in the process,” Hen chimed in. “That seems the more likely scenario, right? How would they know about all of y’all to call in a fake case, but not know the where part.”
“Exactly,” Relay answered. “Of course, we have no way of knowing which theory is actually on point so we treat this like they’re hostile and know everything, give them points for effort on trying to throw us off.”
“Works for me,” Wit said. “So how do we handle a will reading then?”
“Both are on the same day, oddly enough,” Killion informed.
“Isn’t that a little sloppy and poor planning?” Hen asked.
“Our guess”— Killion nodded toward Relay— “is they didn’t anticipate both teams joining forces and sharing intel.”
“So it’s someone who assumes we’re still sworn enemies,” Wit concluded. “That certainly narrows the field a bit. I mean, it ain’t a long list of people who actually know about both us and these guys.”
“Precisely,” Relay said, clapping her hands together. “Which will make the next part a bit easier to manage. The will readings.”
“It’s odd to me that after all these years, I’m even named. I mean, the Skrivers wanted to be my family, but it’s been nearly two decades since I even saw them,” Wit admitted.
“Same goes for me,” Hen added. “It feels… like a plot twist.”
“Could be,” Killion said. “That’s why we’re playing this safe. I already sent Carter Landry on both of your behalfs. Not only is a lawyer able to navigate the legalities but he’s also an operative and can handle himself.”
“Good plan,” Wit said. “I appreciate the extra measures to keep us safe but waiting for word isn’t gonna be easy.”
