Marty closed his eyes and tried to bring up an image of the man coming out of Bryce’s office or from the McDonald’s the night that Eddie first came to help him. It was just a few days ago, but the more he went over it, the more he knew that he had told Eddie everything he could remember. “And that also means that I’m the only person who can identify him… and it’s likely that he knows that. He also has to know that you’re looking for him.” Marty shivered as the full ramifications of his situation fell on him. “Jesus. This guy is going to try to kill me next.”
“We don’t know that. If he were smart, he’d leave the area or the country. We don’t have enough information to find him. If he simply made himself scarce, then he’d probably get away and the murder would go unsolved. Which sucks for Brian and me, but it would be the smart play.”
Marty couldn’t help shaking. “That may be true. But it also means that there is someone out there who wants me dead. They’ve cleaned up after themselves so far.” He raised his gaze to Eddie. “What did Mr. Haver say when you questioned him?”
“Brian talked to him and led the questioning. He claims to know nothing about the murders, and in fact caved pretty quickly when it came to the money-laundering, but he didn’t cop to hiring someone to kill Bryce or to follow you.”
Marty held his head. “You think Bryce did it on his own?” He went through what he knew of his former boss. “He wasn’t the smartest man, that was for certain. And the first time I saw the man, he was coming out of Bryce’s office.” He gasped as a thought hit him. “What if Bryce was the one behind all of it? I mean, yeah, he was no genius, but he was greedy. There’s no doubt about that.”
“Haver claims that Bryce was the one who started it all. Haver says that he caught him, and Bryce convinced Haver that there was a lot of money to be made. They could use the business to generate a ton of cash and launder it. Basically, Haver is blaming everything he can on Bryce, and I’m not sure how convinced I am.” Eddie sat back.
“No, it makes sense. Bryce starts out with his drugs and laundering scheme. Gets caught by Haver but convinces him to go along. Bryce’s crime, if word got out, would kill the business. The rumors and bad press would shutter the place and force it under. The government would step in, audit everything, freeze all accounts, and kill the business dead. Maybe it was a case of go along or….” He could see that very clearly.
“But once things were running, there was no turning back. The money came in hand over fist.” Eddie was clearly thinking of possibilities he hadn’t before. “Okay. I need to give this some thought and review the evidence again. But there’s something even more important and that’s keeping you safe. Vicky has been moved into protective custody, and we have people seeing to it that she stays safe.”
“Yeah, I get it. I’m the loose end. I was the one who found the trail.” He shivered again as a thought raced through his head.“What if the guy I saw isn’t some kind of hired gun? What if he’s the person behind it all? What if he got Bryce to do this? And if that’s the case, maybe Haver’s isn’t the only business he’s running stuff through. What if they are only his Olympia connection? But there could be more. If this operation ran this smoothly for as long as it did, then what would stop the man in charge, the one with the product, from getting other people to do the same thing?” He stood and began to pace. The more he thought about it, the more he wished he had never said anything in the first place.
“I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure you stay safe.” Eddie told him, his eyes as hard as granite.
“I know you will. But you can’t live my life for me. At the moment, I’m staying here… but for how long? Weeks? Months? I can’t have someone watching over me for the rest of my life. As it is, right now, I can’t even go to the grocery store. I sit here for most of the day, alone. And I know that it’s safer here because, hopefully, they don’t know where I’m at. But it’s only a matter of time until someone sees me or figures it out. Then where am I supposed to go?” He was really getting worked up. His life was completely out of control, and he had no idea what to do. “I can’t even go out and try to find a new job now that my old one is gone.” He wiped his eyes.
“I know. But I think that’s what the chief wants to talk to you about. So relax for now, and let’s get through this.” Eddie looked as defeated as Marty felt, and he hated that.
“Don’t you dare think this is your fault. It’s not. It’s Bryce’s and Mark Haver’s. They did this.” He stepped closer. “I need you to be strong and clearheaded. That’s your job. I may go to pieces, but I need you to be there to help me put things back together again. Okay?” The quicksand was growing wider and deeper by the minute.
“Hey.” Eddie stood and gathered him into a tight hug. “I’m not going to let you go anywhere. You and I are in this together.”
Marty held him tightly, wondering just what he was going to do. “I did what you said to do. I took things one step at a time, and look what happened? My job is gone, my life is in danger, and I don’t know what to do next.” He pulled away and grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table. “This isn’t your fault. I know that, and I don’t blame you. But so help me….” He looked Eddie square in the eye. “Have you had any luck finding a voodoo priestess?”
Eddie smiled slightly. “Not yet. But I’ll get on that the first chance I have.”
“Good.” He took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to go to bed. Hopefully, things will be better in the morning.” He pulled away from Eddie, went down the hall to the room he’d been using, and closed the door. He was seconds away from falling apart, and the last thing he wanted was for Eddie to see him come unglued.
Marty losttrack of time. He might have dozed—he really wasn’t sure. A soft knock sounded on his door and then it opened slowly, the dim light of the hallway cutting into the room.
“Are you still awake?” Eddie whispered. Marty hummed, and Eddie came into the room in his robe and sat on the side of the bed. “Then come with me.” He held out his hand, and Marty took it, letting Eddie lead him to his bed.
Marty climbed under the covers, pulling them up to his neck, like they were going to keep him safe. “Maybe I should leave and go east or something,” he said into the darkness.
“You could,” Eddie whispered. “But you’d be running for a long time and looking over your shoulder on a daily basis.”
“I know. But what am I going to do? I have to get a job, and I’m going to take this mess along with me. I know you’re trying to help, but counting chickens and all that.” The more he thought about it, the more he knew he needed to have all of this resolved. It was the only way for him to come out of this with his reputation in one piece. Otherwise, the taint of just working there would follow him. “I know that. And I don’t want to sound like a baby.”
“You would be crazy not to worry. But you aren’t alone. The doors are locked, and so are the windows. I have cameras outside around the house, as well as motion-sensor lights. If someone does try to get in the house, they’re going to be met with half the police force on the lawn in a matter of minutes. So for you, this is about the safest place in the city right now.”
“Okay. But how are you going to catch this guy?” Marty asked.
Eddie was quiet before finally answering. “I don’t know yet. Sometimes all it takes is a single piece of information or someone to come forward, and the whole case breaks wide open. We just need to keep looking… and we will.”
Marty knew that Eddie wouldn’t give up; that wasn’t an issue. On TV, some magical insight usually led to the way to identifying the bad guy. But that wasn’t going to happen here. Marty rolled over, his hand sliding across Eddie’s chest. He rested his head on his shoulder and did his best to try to go to sleep. “I wish I could be of more help. But I don’t even know what to do next.”
“You did plenty.”
“I was wondering if there are pictures or something that I could look through in case I see him.”
“You mean old-school? I don’t see why not.” Eddie sat up. “I know we asked, but he didn’t have any tattoos or marks on his face or hands, did he?”
“Not that I saw. He was wearing a long coat both times that I saw him. So I didn’t get a good look at his hands, and I couldn’t see his arms. There wasn’t anything on his face, except….” Marty sat up as well. “His teeth,” he said a little breathlessly. “They were perfect. Like, as perfect as any set of teeth could possibly be. I don’t know if that’s a help.”
