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“I don’t think Halliday killed Chen,” Peter said, “but the evidence is pointing there. In addition to her skill set, she was seen running from the scene, and she’s now missing. Craig was worried that she wasn’t being careful enough in her work at city hall. She’s angry with the system and frustrated at the slow progress of our investigation. What if someone learned she was feeding us information?”
“And framed her?” Elena shook her head. “It would be an elaborate frame job. How did they know she would be in the park at the same moment that Chen was there? There are easier ways of taking her out.”
“If they know she’s a whistleblower, they can’t fire her. If they stage an accident and kill her, they don’t know where the evidence she might have is stored. Or even what she has. But if they know she’s working with Craig, they kill him, and take her out by making her less credible.”
“Possible, not plausible,” Elena said. “I think she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She could also be a target. Since she planned to meet with Craig today, maybe the killer was supposed to take her out as well.”
Lex drained his whiskey. “Now, the real elephant in the room. What are we going to do with Kara? She’s not going to be kept in the dark for long.”
Seven months ago, she, Lex and Craig had debated telling Kara about the investigation that started after she arrested Chen. But with the threat on her life and the fact that there was a corrupt FBI agent in Los Angeles, they decided to lateral her over to the FBI and run the investigation with another detective. It had been a win-win.
Craig was the only one who had objected. He’d wanted to bring her in from the beginning, but Lex and Elena held firm: for her safety, it was best to keep her completely out of the loop. Craig reluctantly went along with them.
“Let’s find Craig’s killer before Kara realizes we lied to her,” Elena said. “And hopefully, the information I gave Costa tonight will keep them both busy.”
Lex caught Elena’s eye and she knew exactly what he was thinking. Kara was not going to sit back and wait for answers.
Conrad sat on the balcony of the condo he had been using since arriving in Los Angeles nearly eight months ago when hired to clean up a nasty mess made by nasty people. He sipped a full-bodied cabernet and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city. He’d been here before. He’d killed here before.
But he wouldn’t want to live here.
He smiled as he closed his eyes and relived excellence.
He was a patient man. One had to be in his business. Planning each moment, thinking through contingencies, having an alternative escape route if the first failed. The murder itself was almost incidental. It was the whole that he cherished: plotting, waiting, killing, escaping.
That Detective Quinn chased him was quite exhilarating.
Conrad hadn’t known she would leave with the target, but it was a possibility, so he had prepared. He saw them exit Dyson’s office, talking urgently. Quietly. Quinn wasn’t happy about something, and Dyson looked...troubled. Had he sensed the end was near? Did he fear his life?
Choosing the courthouse to kill him wouldn’t have been his first choice, but if he wasn’t dead before he met with Violet Halliday, then Conrad wouldn’t receive the second half of his payment. His clients would fall and Conrad’s reputation would be tarnished.
He succeeded in his business because of his untainted reputation, so failure simply wasn’t an option.
Detective Quinn made the game more fun and exciting, but Conrad wasn’t stupid. He recognized that both she and Agent Costa were skilled and perceptive. They wouldn’t give up, so he had to be doubly careful.
His alarm beeped and he picked up his phone. Hit Marie.
“Daddy!” the happy voice said.
“I promised I’d call before bed. Tell me what you did today.”
Marie, in her exuberant preteen way, chatted about everything, from snorkeling on the reef to having lunch with her friends to watching the sunset with her nana.
“When are you coming home?”
“Darling, I’m always home.”
“You know what I mean.”
The exasperated tone reminded him that his little princess was quickly becoming a teenager. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep, Marie. You know that. I hope to be done with my business by Friday. I will call and update you when I can. Be good for Nana.”
“I will,” she said, sullen.
He didn’t spend enough time with his daughter. It was his greatest regret that his profession required him to be separated from his bright, beautiful child. But she was safe, she was well cared for, and because of the money he made doing dirty work for the rich, he could provide for her. And when he was done with this job, he would take a long hiatus. Perhaps even a year. Both he and Marie would enjoy the time.
“I love you, Marie.”
“I love you more, Daddy.” She kissed the receiver and ended the call.
