BooksBarbecue
Back Die Next Save as PDF
Chapters (97)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. 1.
  6. 2.
  7. 3.
  8. 4.
  9. 5.
  10. 6.
  11. 7.
  12. 8.
  13. 9.
  14. 10.
  15. 11.
  16. 12.
  17. 13.
  18. 14.
  19. 15.
  20. 16.
  21. 17.
  22. 18.
  23. 19.
  24. SIX MONTHS LATER
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
  47. 42.
  48. 43.
  49. 44.
  50. 45.
  51. 46.
  52. 47.
  53. 48.
  54. 49.
  55. 50.
  56. 51.
  57. 52.
  58. 53.
  59. 54.
  60. 55.
  61. 56.
  62. 57.
  63. 58.
  64. 59.
  65. 60.
  66. 61.
  67. 62.
  68. 63.
  69. 64.
  70. 65.
  71. 66.
  72. 67.
  73. 68.
  74. 69.
  75. 70.
  76. 71.
  77. 72.
  78. 73.
  79. 74.
  80. 75.
  81. 76.
  82. 77.
  83. 78.
  84. 79.
  85. 80.
  86. 81.
  87. 82.
  88. 83.
  89. 84.
  90. 85.
  91. 86.
  92. 87.
  93. SIX MORE MONTHS LATER
  94. 88.
  95. 89.
  96. Discover More
  97. About the Author

He can grab it at a moment’s notice.

He doesn’t know when, or if, that moment will come.

46.

46.

Joey comes back to his little rented room a few days later and sees they’ve been in it. The stakeout cops, presumably. Checking. Inspecting.

Nothing is out of place. But it’s easy for him to see what happened.

Items moved in the drawers. Shifted a little. Other items shifted in his carton.

He supposes they don’t care if he knows they’ve been there. They probably want him to know they’re watching, that he can’t keep any secrets from them.

But nothing has been moved or touched so much that he can complain to anyone because they’ll just say it’s his imagination, they’ve never been in there, and it’s just his paranoia, and who’s he going to risk complaining to anyway?

Joey lies on the bed.

Staring up at the ceiling.

And waiting.

47.

47.

“Joey’s going to be arrested again any day now. The prosecution is putting together its case. They won’t make the same mistakes.” Zack knows he’s just repeating himself, not providing anything new, but that’s all he can offer his fretful friend.

“Maybe they’ll make different mistakes,” says Steve, sounding anxious. “He had high-priced lawyers last time. Maybe he will again.”

“I’m sure he’s really close to being rearrested. So let’s just watch out for one another. Stay in touch. Don’t overreact.”

The last sentence was intended more pointedly for Steve, whose gun was out again, in his lap again, there in Steve’s little apartment.

In her job creating and channeling “content,” Emily monitors various news sources, which lead her inevitably to other news sources, and she has been keeping the two of them informed on any developments, forwarding items to both of them as soon as she comes across them.

They’ve managed to learn quite a bit. The prosecution, of course, had originally presented what it thought was its strongest case—“Victim #4”—among Joey’s ten or so hits. The problem with now gathering a “next strongest case” was that the primary source of evidence—the phone photos in the Cloud—was still the same, with the same risks of a confusing technology and a confused jury. Risks the prosecution might not want to take again.

The state was weighing the relative merits of the other possible charges, from attempted murder to manslaughter to criminal possession of a weapon, but while a conviction on any of them would get Joey Richter off the streets, anything short of a murder conviction would be seen as the prosecution’s failure. How could a hired assassin not get convicted for first-degree murder? Was that a prosecutor or a DA anyone would ever elect again?