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Rodney regarded the men, then turned his attention back to me.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Luna.”
CHAPTER22
Hunter
“What did you find out?” My voice was tight as I settled into the black leather chair behind my desk, squeezing a stress ball as if my life depended on it.
My home office was a grand and impressive space, drenched in natural light from the oversized window that dominated one wall. The room was anchored by a massive mahogany desk, its polished surface gleaming in the sunlight, positioned opposite the window, which offered a stunning view of the surrounding landscape. Most notably the cottage at the end of the road.
I stared at Barry Mansfield, who sat opposite me. He wore that worn leather jacket again, and there was something about the way he carried himself—his confident stride, the slight narrowing of his eyes when faced with a challenge—that hinted at a willingness to bend rules when necessary to get the job done.
Making me wonder…
What methods did he use to get answers that had evaded everyone else?
“Franco’s still in the wind, but the good news is, Luna isn’t facing this alone. Franco made a mistake, sending that thug after her. Now that someone physically attacked her, police are taking it much more seriously and have ensured that precautionary measures are in place. They’re driving past the Lockwood estate on a regular basis, and they’ll also be keeping an eye on her office. Plus, cops are actively looking for that USB drive as we speak.”
“Good. But we need to keep digging, too. Franco Hopkins isn’t banking on someone like you trying to find him.”
“I’ll give you an update as soon as I have more.” Barry nodded. “Now, as for the other matter you asked me to look into.” He took an exaggerated breath before asking, “You want the long version or the short version?”
I swallowed hard before responding with a curt, “Short version.”
Barry sighed heavily in resignation. “The letter threatening Ms. Payne is untraceable. Whoever sent this knows how to cover their tracks.” His eyes tightened when he said this last part.
“So, it’s a legitimate threat then,” I uttered in a low voice.
He slowly nodded his head in agreement. “It would appear so.”
Fuck.
“That said…” Barry’s tone soothed around the edges. “I’ve encountered a lot of death threats in my line of work. But honestly, most of them are never acted on.”
“But some are?”
Barry licked his lower lip slowly. “Yes, some are.”
My stomach dropped as I racked my brain. What the hell were we up against?
“We need to get to the bottom of Ms. Payne’s case and fast.” My voice pitched a notch higher. “Someone is out there who knows something about that case, and we need to find out who that someone is.”
Barry’s eyes held a deep weight as he slowly dipped his chin, the gravity of the moment evident. He had agreed to take on this additional investigation if I funded extra staff to help him with my father’s case.
“I’m going to start with the police records, see if anyone else was suspected at the time of the young man’s death. If there’s any motive behind these threats, it must be from someone with something to lose by Mr. Payne’s potential acquittal.”
My chest fell in a deep, drawn-out exhale as the burden of this investigation pressed down on me.
“Something still doesn’t add up.” I squeezed the ball, and spun my chair slightly. “Even if Mr. Payne’s conviction were to be overturned, and even if the investigation were to be reopened, and even if they found another suspect, any defense attorney would shoutreasonable doubtfrom a rooftop.”
Barry nodded thoughtfully, clearly understanding where I was going with this.
“After another man was convicted of a crime, reasonable doubt is a given,” I scoffed. “So, if there is a real killer out there, they’d know they had nothing to worry about.”
Barry opened his hands. “Maybe they don’t know that. You’re a prosecutor. It’s black and white to you, but maybe the person believes their freedom is in danger.”
“Maybe,” I drawled. But I didn’t believe that. “Any person who is sophisticated enough to send an untraceable letter to a woman who keeps her address private must be smart enough to know a thing or two about the law. That they’d be in no real danger of getting convicted of the crime.”
