Chapter 8 - RAYMOND’S LAST BARGAINRaymond Fletcher asked for Amelia by name.
He refused his attorney.
Refused Detective Mills.
Refused federal investigators.
“I talk to Amelia, or nobody gets anything.”
Mills hated the idea.
Luca hated it more.
Amelia went anyway.
Raymond sat behind thick glass at the county detention center.
No leather jacket.
No expensive watch.
No smugness.
Just a gray uniform and a bruise along his jaw from his fight with Luca.
Amelia picked up the phone.
Raymond smiled.
“There she is.”
The old Amelia would have frozen.
This Amelia sat comfortably.
“What do you want?”
“You look different.”
“I sleep better.”
His smile twitched.
“Without me?”
“Especially without you.”
Raymond leaned closer.
“You think Moretti cares about you?”
“Yes.”
That answer surprised both of them.
Raymond’s expression darkened.
“He cares about the ledger.”
“So do I.”
“When he gets what he wants, you’ll become inconvenient.”
“That sounds like projection.”
“You always thought you were smarter than you were.”
“No.”
Amelia looked directly at him.
“I used to think you were smarter than you were.”
His face tightened.
There.
The small victory felt better than she expected.
“What do you want, Raymond?”
He glanced toward the observation window.
“Victor’s going to kill Whitmore.”
“Why tell me?”
“Because Whitmore knows where the rest of Daniel’s evidence is.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“You called me here to tell me you don’t know?”
“Victor does.”
“Then talk to the police.”
Raymond smiled again.
“Victor won’t talk.”
“Neither will you, apparently.”
She began to hang up.
“Your father begged.”
Amelia stopped.
Slowly, she raised the phone again.
Raymond watched her.
“That got your attention.”
“Be very careful.”
“Oh, now Moretti’s rubbing off on you.”
“My father.”
Raymond leaned back.
“I wasn’t there when he died. I was thirteen.”
She hadn’t considered the timeline.
“But Victor told me about it.”
“Why?”
“Because when he sent me after you, he wanted me to understand what I was looking for.”
“You were sent to date me.”
“At first? No.”
Raymond shrugged.
“I was supposed to search your apartment.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“I did.”
The casualness hurt more than she expected.
He had violated her privacy before he ever violated her body.
“I found nothing. So Victor told me to get close.”
“And you pretended to love me.”
Raymond was silent.
For a fraction of a second, something almost human crossed his face.
Then it disappeared.
“I didn’t pretend all of it.”
Amelia laughed.
“You broke my ribs.”
“I had problems.”
“You were the problem.”
His jaw clenched.
“You left.”
“Yes.”
“You took something.”
“I didn’t even know it was there.”
“You ruined my life.”
“No.”
She leaned closer to the glass.
“You ruined your life.”
Raymond stared at her.
Then he laughed softly.
“You really have changed.”
“Yes.”
He lowered his voice.
“Then maybe you’ll survive what’s coming.”
“What’s coming?”
“Victor knows about Henry.”
Amelia’s pulse jumped.
“Henry’s protected.”
“Victor knows about the ledger too.”
“How?”
“I told him Thomas gave something to Henry years ago.”
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted my uncle to get me out of here.”
“You traded Henry’s life.”
Raymond looked away.
Something inside Amelia went cold.
“You will never change.”
Raymond suddenly leaned toward the glass.
“Neither will Victor. That’s why you need to listen.”
He whispered an address.
A lake house near Wisconsin.
“What is that?”
“Whitmore’s emergency property. It isn’t in his name.”
“Why would Victor go there?”
“Because Victor thinks Whitmore kept a copy of everything.”
“And you know this how?”
“I drove them there once.”
Amelia stood.
“Tell Mills.”
“I just told you.”
“No deals?”
“I want one thing.”
Of course.
“What?”
Raymond’s face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“Federal custody.”
“You think Victor can reach you here?”
“He can reach anyone.”
For the first time, Amelia believed Raymond was telling the complete truth.
She left the interview room.
Luca waited down the hall.
His shoulder was freshly bandaged.
“You look upset.”
“I talked to Raymond. Of course I’m upset.”
“What did he say?”
Amelia told him.
Mills immediately contacted federal agents.
They planned to move on the Wisconsin property before Victor could.
But two hours later, everything collapsed.
Raymond Fletcher was found unconscious in his cell.
Poisoned.
He survived because another inmate noticed him convulsing and called for help.
Someone inside the jail had reached him.
And the message was obvious.
Victor was cleaning the board.
By evening, the lake house was empty.
Fresh tire marks led away from the garage.
The fireplace contained burned documents.
But investigators found one thing.
A photograph.
Thomas Hayes stood beside Daniel Moretti.
Behind them was a church.
Written on the back:
ST. MATTHEW’S — WHERE EVERYTHING BEGAN.
Amelia recognized the church instantly.
Her parents had been married there.
Her mother’s funeral had been held there.
So had her father’s.
St. Matthew’s had closed six years ago.
Now the building sat abandoned near the river.
At midnight, Amelia and Luca entered through a side door with Mills and federal agents behind them.
Dust covered the pews.
Moonlight crossed broken stained glass.
Luca looked toward the altar.
“Where would your father hide something?”
Amelia walked slowly.
Then she saw it.
The memorial plaque bearing her mother’s name.
EVELYN HAYES — BELOVED WIFE AND MOTHER
Her father had donated money for it after Evelyn died.
Amelia touched the brass plate.
It moved.
Behind it was a cavity.
Inside was a small tape recorder and a sealed envelope addressed to:
THE U.S. ATTORNEY
Mills exhaled.
“This may be it.”
A voice came from the darkness.
“Yes.”
Victor Fletcher stepped from behind the altar.
He held a pistol against Henry Cole’s head.
Amelia’s heart stopped.
Victor smiled.
“Now give me the ledger.”
Luca moved in front of Amelia.
Victor cocked the weapon.
“Don’t.”
Henry whispered, “Don’t give him anything.”
Victor shoved the gun harder against his temple.
Luca raised his hands.
“You want the ledger?”
“Yes.”
“I have it.”
Victor’s eyes moved toward him.
Luca smiled coldly.
“But you have a problem.”
“What problem?”
“The ledger stopped mattering two hours ago.”
Victor frowned.
Luca continued.
“Every page has already been sent to three federal offices, two newspapers and one extremely ambitious prosecutor.”
For the first time, Victor Fletcher looked afraid.
Then police sirens erupted outside.
Victor’s face twisted.
“You think this ends with me?”
“No,” Amelia said.
She stepped from behind Luca.
“It ends with everyone.”
Victor looked at her.
“You are exactly like your father.”
Amelia smiled through tears.
“Thank you.”
Victor raised the gun.
A shot exploded.
But Victor wasn’t the one who fired.
Henry dropped.
Victor’s pistol hit the floor.
Detective Mills stood at the side aisle, weapon raised.
Victor clutched his wounded arm.
Federal agents swarmed the altar.
For several seconds, Amelia could only hear shouting.
Then Henry sat up.
Alive.
Luca wrapped an arm around her.
She let him.
For once, she didn’t flinch.
But as Victor was dragged toward the door, he began laughing.
“You still don’t understand.”
Amelia turned.
Victor smiled at Luca.
“Whitmore killed your brother.”
Then he looked at Amelia.
“And Whitmore killed your father.”
His smile widened.
“You caught the messenger.”
May you like
He nodded toward the city beyond the church walls.
“The king is still out there.”
