Dead Man's Hand

“Did I say something?”

Calvin waved as the bar owner pulled out of the parking lot. He checked the neighborhood and pulled down the fortified garage door. Then he sprinted into the house.

He found Rachel sitting on the cot, her face buried in her hands, sobbing. He sat down next to her.

“Just tell me the truth, Calvin.” She sniffled.

He wrapped his massive arms around her and pulled Rachel close. Calvin, with the gentle hands of a Swedish masseuse, rubbed her back and shoulders.

“I didn’t tell you last night because it was late when I got home and you had enough to think about.”

“Did you do it?”

He stared hard into her eyes. “I swear I didn’t, Rachel.”

“What happened?”

“I’m not sure. I did go to his office, just to talk to Pitt. To get some answers, find out what was going on. But when I got there I found him dead. And not just him, there was a woman with him.”

“A woman? Who?”

“I don’t know that either. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. I didn’t want to be caught there and get framed for that too.”

“You promise you didn’t do it?”

“Have I ever lied to you before?”

She shook her head.

“I promise. I had nothing to do with it.”

“Then who did?”

“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.” He got up from the cot but Rachel pulled him back down.

“Promise you’ll tell me everything.”

He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. “I promise. Let’s go.”

He led her to the computer room.

“It’s cold in here,” Rachel said, rubbing her bare arms.

“Has to be. There is enough processing power here to generate heat and risk damage.”

Calvin logged on. News of the Pitt murder was widespread, but because it had only happened last night, little was reported. He read the summaries and thought about the details.

The murders were linked to Grant by MO. Same killer?

“Who would do such a thing?” Rachel asked.

“I don’t know. But you know Pitt. Maybe an angry husband or an unpaid client. But I can’t think of any clients who hadn’t paid up.”

It had to connect with the Grant murder.

Three people benefitted from Grant’s death—Ace Sanders, Linda Grant and Shawn Grant.

Calvin could see that Sanders had what it took to be a killer, but not Pitt. He could have arranged for a hit man, however. And Linda’s affair with Sanders, if real, indirectly connected her with Pitt.

A bing from the newsfeed broke his thoughts.

Rachel saw it first. “Oh my God!” She brought her hand to her mouth. “It’s you! And that’s your apartment!”

Calvin felt a lump in his stomach. His pictures, a current one and an old one from college, appeared on the screen.

“Oh my God, Calvin. That’s your apartment! Is that a body bag? What’s going on?”

He didn’t have an answer. He read the caption: Cop killed inside his apartment and a bomb found underneath his car.

The newsfeed triggered by his name meant another frame for another murder. He had to evade the cops— and he now had to keep ahead of whoever was trying to kill him.

Calvin knew that going out to meet people was a risk no matter how careful he was. If he was spotted or didn’t detect that he was being tailed, then he was putting at risk not only himself but also the person he was visiting.

He knew he never had to worry about Mike. The man was like a ghost and had select friends who knew what he really did. No one would ever trace him and he never left a trail to follow.

But everyone else was exposed.

Calvin picked up his untraceable phone and punched in the number.

“Hello?” The voice was a raspy smoker’s.

“Dixie?”

“Calvin, is that you?” she whispered.

“Can you talk?” He couldn’t take any chances.

“For you, always.” Her voice regained a normal tone and volume.

“I’m sorry to call, Dixie, but I couldn’t think of anyone else. You’re the one who persuaded Pitt to take me on when no one else would. You’re the only one in the office I trust.”

“Thanks. Back then, I could talk Donnie into anything.” She grunted. “Boy, can I pick ‘em. I have a history of falling for the wrong man. Once Nathan was born, Donnie wanted no part of me.”

Dixie was a single mother and Calvin had added her to the long list of reasons he hated Pitt.

“What can I do?” she asked.

“I do need something. But I don’t want to put you at risk. If you don’t feel comfortable helping me, I understand.”

“Don’t be silly. I don’t believe for a second you’re capable of doing what they say.”

“Thanks. Listen, I don’t want to open up old wounds, but I know that when you were with Pitt, he trusted you with everything.”

“A lot changed since then.”

“I know, but you might know something and don’t realize it.”

“You want to know what Donnie was doing at his office that late?”

He knew what Pitt was doing at his office.

“That would have been me last year.” Her voice caught. “I can’t believe I thought he would leave his wife for me. That poor girl…”

“Did you notice anything peculiar or out of the ordinary at all at the office?”

“Donnie would never change.” She almost spit out the words. “He was always the same and even more so since our breakup. I can’t think of anything or anyone peculiar except Ace Sanders was in a lot more than usual. But that’s no surprise. He and Donnie were just right for each other.”

Calvin had never trusted Sanders and had told Pitt that many times. But Pitt only saw the money at the end of the tunnel.

Sanders without a doubt had an opportunity to kill Pitt.

“Did Pitt ever talk about Sanders?”

“Sure, lots of pillow talk. Donnie would open up afterwards.”

“So what was their partnership like?”

“Huh, I don’t think you could call it a partnership. Not according to Donnie. He didn’t trust him. In fact, he was terrified of the man. He had been hesitant about any business deals with him, but like usual, he let his greed win out. He said Ace was unpredictable and Donnie never knew what he was capable of.”

Calvin heard her lighting a cigarette. She had quit two years ago when she had learned she was pregnant, but the murder must have sent her spiraling back. “Are you sure you haven’t seen anything suspicious at all?”

He heard her take a drag from the cigarette.

“No.” She hesitated a moment. “Wait, now that you mention it and since we’re talking about Ace, I did hear something one morning last week.”

“Go on.” Calvin felt lucky.

“I happened to be passing by the office when Ace was inside and I overheard a discussion. He said something about when he took over the Greek, Donnie would be his silent partner. When Donnie saw me, he raced across the room and shut the door.”

“Are you sure that he said ‘when he took over the Greek’?”