“And if he’s dead?” Grant whispered to himself. Then shook his head hard.

He was jumping to conclusions. There was no evidence that his brother was dead. There was no indication that Wesley had even known John Brewer. It could be a giant coincidence.

But if you find a connection? If Wesley did know John Brewer?

Then I’ll go to the cops. I’ll ask them if any of the bodies they found is Wes.

Hoping to find something in the news to alleviate the dread that slowly choked him, Grant clicked back to the home page. And stared, openmouthed. The hits keep coming. Because staring back at him was a photo of the man he’d seen leaving the casino the night before—the one who’d claimed to be a cop, but who wasn’t. The one who’d seemed vaguely familiar.

Now Grant knew why.

AWARD-WINNING PHOTOJOURNALIST CRITICALLY WOUNDED. Grant slowly scrolled, his dread increasing as he read. “Stone O’Bannion was the victim of multiple gunshot wounds last night while on the property of his friend and coworker Elvis Kennedy. Doctors at Mercy West say that Mr. O’Bannion is in critical but stable condition. His family has asked for privacy during this time.

“Both Mr. Kennedy and Mr. O’Bannion are employed by the Cincinnati Ledger. Neither was available to comment on this developing story, but an individual with knowledge of the case said that the shooter was Scott King, the man suspected of the river killings and of the murders of pediatrician George Garrett, the fisherman who discovered the bodies on the Ohio side of the river early on Saturday morning, and Charlie Akers, a member of the crime scene investigation team.

“After shooting Mr. O’Bannion, Scott King is believed to have continued on to the home of Dr. Danika Novak, who manages the Meadow Free Clinic. Witnesses say there was a major firefight between the suspect and law enforcement. An FBI agent was injured, but is now in stable condition. Those involved in the investigation believe that the target of the home attack may have been Michael Rowland, the young man seen with Dr. Novak on Saturday afternoon. Michael was originally suspected of killing his stepfather, John Brewer, but police now believe Brewer’s killer was Scott King.”

Grant frowned. All of this was troubling, but none of it directly connected to Wesley. Except that Wesley and Scott King were connected through Richard Fischer and the Lady of the River.

He looked around the apartment, trying to organize his thoughts. Everything he’d learned so far was via items Wesley had left behind, and he couldn’t help believing that his brother had wanted him to find them. Why else would he choose a safe combination that Grant would easily guess?

Maybe there was something else here. A file. A book. Something. He finished his coffee. He had searching to do.

Cincinnati, Ohio
Monday, March 18, 12:10 p.m.