An Offer You Can't Refuse by Sal Bianchi (best beach reads .txt) 📕

called Bette and Agent Duncan in to go over the details of the case with them as well.

“We still don’t know the identity of the person or organization orchestrating all of this,” Flint explained. “But we do know that there is, in fact, some organization behind all of this. As it stands, we know that each perpetrator was required to carry out another client’s hit in exchange for having their target eliminated. Angela Martin likely killed someone in exchange for having Carl Johannson killed. Ian Brooks killed Carl Johannson in exchange for having Josie Keller killed. Shane Rutherford likely killed Josie Keller in exchange for having his father, Carlisle Rutherford, killed. Ryan Rothschild likely killed Carlisle Rutherford in exchange for having his ex-wife, Alexis Rothschild, killed.”

“It’s a chain,” Bette muttered. It was a grisly notion, especially when I considered we still had no idea just how far back the chain went. How many people had been murdered in cold blood this way?

“That’s right.” Flint nodded. “Police are on their way to arrest Shane Rutherford now. With Ian’s confession, as well as the information we were able to obtain from an anonymous tip, they should have no problem bringing him in. As for the SDCT, we currently have three primary objectives. The first and most important one is to find out the identity of the woman who killed Alexis Rothschild. We need to prioritize stopping her hit. The second is to follow the chain down the line as far as we can. Agents Owens and Duncan, I’ll leave that to you. Begin by speaking with Angela Martin and find out who it was she killed, if anyone.”

“Of course, sir,” Bette replied seriously. I could tell how concerned she was about the case by the fact that she hadn’t said a single disparaging thing to me since she’d arrived.

“Good,” Flint replied. “Our third objective is to figure out who exactly is running the show here. I have Agent Stein looking into the website Ian Brooks mentioned as we speak. Agent Owens and Agent Duncan, focus on tracing this as far back as you can, as quickly as you can. The more information we can get, the better. Agent Park and Nick, go back to Ryan Rothschild’s hotel room and do a thorough search. The police cordoned it off as part of Ryan’s murder investigation. I’ll call and let them know to be expecting you. Focus on finding anything you can about that woman’s identity.”

“Okay,” I replied quietly. My heart was pounding painfully inside my chest. The idea that some innocent person was walking around out there completely unaware that someone had a placed a target on their back was nerve-wracking.

“You’re all dismissed,” Flint declared with finality.

I turned on my heel and left the office immediately. It seemed like every nerve in my body was ablaze with anxiety. We needed to move fast. Every second that passed was another moment closer to death for whoever the next unlucky victim was.

“What a disaster,” Jase muttered despondently as he fell into step beside me.

I chuckled bitterly in spite of the grave situation.

“What an understatement,” I muttered back as we made our way toward the elevator.

It was cloudy today, but the heat still hit me like a wall as we walked out of the building and toward Jase’s work car. The thing about Miami heat was that it was unbearably humid. Somehow though, I couldn’t blame the suffocating feeling I felt pressing down on me entirely on the heat.

The drive back to Ryan’s hotel went by in a blur. Traffic was mild this time of day, and I was so absorbed in my own thoughts that it seemed like barely any time had passed before we were pulling up to the hotel parking lot.

Jase and I got out of the car and walked quickly up the stone steps that lead to the main entrance. It seemed like so long ago that Jase and I had run down the same steps after I’d planted that bug on Ryan, completely unaware of how complex this case would turn out to be.

Jase pushed the door open without breaking his steady stride. Clearly, he felt as harried about this as I did.

“Hello, how can I help you?” The young woman at the counter greeted us as we approached her. Even before we said anything, her smile fell as she took in our serious expressions.

“I’m Agent Park with the SDCT,” Jase replied. “We need to get into room nine-one-four. We have reason to believe a crime may have taken place in that room. It should be under the name ‘Ryan Rothschild.’”

“Of course,” she replied as she rummaged through her desk before producing an electronic key card. “We got a call you’d be by. I think the other police officer is still up there.”

“What other police officer?” Jase asked.

“He came by just a few hours ago.” She explained. “I didn’t see him leave, so I assume he’s still up there.”

Jase tossed me a concerned glance. It was possible that what she was describing was just a normal shift rotation, but something about this just felt off.

She led us down the hall and toward the elevators.

“Right this way,” she informed us as she gestured to the right before leading us in the direction of Ryan’s hotel room. “The guest paid for a month in advance and requested not to have room service at any time, so we didn’t notice at all that he hadn’t been by. It’s so tragic to think that something that a crime might have been committed right here on the premises.”

She said it was tragic, but she didn’t sound very sad about it. Rather, she sounded nervous, as though she was worried about how this might affect her or the hotel.

“That’s strange,” she murmured as we came to a stop in front of Ryan’s hotel door. “I wonder where the officer went.”

“Has there been a guard on duty since yesterday?” Jase asked suspiciously.

“That’s right,” the receptionist confirmed as she