Page 106 of In His Sights

Dan’s heartbeat quickened. He could lie—or he could do what his conscience demanded. He took a sip from his cup, and the liquid warmed him. “That wasn’t a ruse. As soon as I held that chain, I knew.” He closed his eyes momentarily, not missing someone’s sharp intake of breath.

Can I do this?

Then he gave himself a mental kick. He’d known all along that he didn’t have a choice.

Dan opened his eyes and placed his cup on Travers’s desk. “He blamed Paul’s death on the gay men who he thought had sucked him into a sordid life that eventually killed him. He truly believed they’dmadePaul gay. That they’d introduced him to a life of sex and drugs. From what Gary told me, Paul’s boyfriend refuted that. Maybe that was why Paul didn’t come home after college. He’d been living as an out gay man and thought his brother would disapprove.” Dan stared at the cup. “That’s mere supposition on my part. I couldn’t see that in my vision.” He inhaled deeply. “But one thing was crystal clear. It had been Paul’s choice to buy drugs that night. It had nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with getting high and numbing the pain. So the person who sold him the bath salts?Theydealt the fatal blow that caused his paranoia and psychosis, and ultimately led to his death.”

Travers frowned. “So… who was it?”

There was no turning back.

His heart hammering, Dan turned to look at Lewis. “Do you want to tell him, or shall I?”

Lewis gaped at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Is it someone Lewis knows from his time in Vice?” Travers demanded. “Someone he put away?”

Dan sighed, his stomach hard. “I wish I could say yes, but I can’t. The thing is… Lewis sold Paul Ludlow the drugs that killed him.”

The silence he’d expected fell with a thud.

Lewis’s face was white. “Whatever you think that twisted gift of yours is telling you? You’re wrong.”

Travers sucked air through his teeth. “That’s a very serious accusation, Mr. Porter.” Beside Dan, Gary and Riley had become so still.

“You think I don’t know that? You think I haven’t wrestled with this ever since I saw his face? Lewis might have been an asshole toward me from day one, but this….” Dan shuddered. “This was just fucked up.”

Lewis staggered to his feet, spilling his whiskey onto the carpet. He put the cup on Travers’s desk, his hand shaking. “Okay, I’m not going to sit here and listen to another word of this crap.”

Gary grabbed his arm. “Steady there. And sit down.”

Lewis’s eyes bulged. “You’re gonna believe this guy overme? Christ, you’ve worked with me. I ain’t no stinkin’ drug dealer.”

“No, you’re not,” Dan confirmed. He fixed his gaze on Lewis’s face. “But you were then, and we both know that’s the truth. It wasn’t a long career, I grant you. Maybe Paul’s death shocked you back onto the right path again.”

“Mr. Porter, I’m grateful for all your assistance on the case, but?”

“I think we should hear him out,” Gary interjected. “Lord knows he hasn’t been wrong so far.”

Travers gaped at Gary. “You’re serious.”

Dan put down his cup. His own hands were trembling too. “Lewis…. When I held Paul’s chain, I saw your face. I can even describe what you were wearing at the time. I didn’t want to believe it. But then… a lot of things fell into place. Why you wouldn’t shake hands with me the day we met. Why you’ve been so careful to avoid all physical contact with me. Why you kept pushing for me not to work on this case. And when that didn’t work, you leaked my involvement to the press. I’m going to bet if we check your phone, we’ll find that photo you took of me here in the precinct.”

Travers gazed at Lewis with wide eyes. “Stevens?”

Dan pushed ahead. “The day we met, you didn’t make a secret of how hard you’ve had to work to get where you are, about your impoverished beginnings. I’m only guessing here, but I assume you got your hands on the drugs during a bust, and somehow they didn’t make it to the evidence locker.” Judging by the way Lewis jumped at that, Dan figured he’d nailed it. “You decided you’d make some money on the side.” He cocked his head. “Gary said you joined Homicide four years ago. Paul Ludlow died four years ago….” He glanced at Gary. “Where did Paul die?”

“Lowell, Middlesex.”

Dan nodded, his calm returning. “And where did Lewis transfer from?”

Silence fell, broken only by Lewis’s labored breathing. Finally, Gary spoke. “Chelmsford PD.”

Dan studied his clasped hands. “I don’t have to ask if Lowell is in Chelmsford’s backyard, do I?” He raised his chin and sighed. “Your faces say it all.” He faced Lewis, and his stomach clenched to see the expression of horror in his eyes. “Paul Ludlow died, and you got scared. You stopped. That’s why you transferred out.”

Lewis glared at him. “How the fuck can you know that?”

Dan pointed to Lewis’s cup of whiskey. “Because you forgot. You finally let your guard down, and I touched you.” For a moment he wasn’t certain if Lewis would try to bluff it out, but then Lewis slumped in his chair, and Dan knew he’d had the fight knocked right out of him.

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