Kelsie Royce had died. Dennis Lee would have to reward the family of the man who’d carried out that little task of his.
Officer Kelsie Royce had gotten in a lucky shot before she’d been found. It had hit Paul straight in the heart, killing him instantly.
Which was a good thing. Mostly. It meant the loss of the supplies Paul had been moving, but it had also taken care of the officer who had been a burr in Dennis Lee’s saddle since the storm. It meant Paul couldn’t run his mouth where he shouldn’t, either. But he’d been a good worker. That wouldn’t be forgotten.
Dennis Lee hated loose lips. They really did sink ships, after all.
Royce had been Dennis Lee’s Enemy Number One. He hadn’t intended for Paul to die, although whenever a police officer was one of the targets, that risk always existed. Dennis Lee had made certain his people knew that.
He paid handsomely for those who performed services for him. He always had. Since that first time he’d had someone work for him in any way. Paying his people well meant he had their loyalty. Loyalty that he’d needed and utilized as best he could.
“No one spoke to the woman before she died?” he asked the officer who had brought him the news of Officer Royce’s demise. He’d been ordered to specifically watch that woman and everything she did and report back. And then, when it had been necessary, he’d been ordered to talk with Paul exactly how to make her demise happen.
“No, sir. She was unconscious for most of the time she was in the hospital. When she was awake, I don’t believe she was lucid. Although…” Collin hesitated for a moment. “I’m almost certain I heard voices coming from her room after her second surgery. I thought it was hospital staff, but only one nurse came out. And she was the only one in with Officer Royce at the time.”
Impatience threatened. Dennis Lee tightened the reins on himself. He didn’t have time for this type of delay. One nurse in the grander scheme of things was trivial. “Then take care of her. Arrange an accident or something. You should be able to do that well enough, right?”
“I would, sir. Except…she’s the mayor’s mystery woman. I was afraid it would draw too much attention if something were to happen to her now. I wanted your opinion on it before I acted. I didn’t want it to seem too coincidental, after all.”
Dennis Lee thought for a moment. That woman was being practically sanctified in that damned Snotty Garlic right now. A young, pretty nurse, in the process of adopting three orphaned boys, now in the process of being evicted by the very mayor who’d saved her life during an F5 tornado.
Yes, something happening to her now would bring far too much attention. Attention Dennis Lee couldn’t afford.
“Watch her. And watch that damned Turner Barratt. He’s going to be trouble.”
The officer nodded. “He’s been in talks with Elliot Marshall and Daniel McKellen about something. It’s big, the way they’re acting. McKellen is head of Major Crimes.”
“No doubt it has something to do with those two cops after the storm. I knew having that idiot Vyckers deal with them was a mistake.” It had been. He’d wanted them distracted.
Not tortured and killed.
Dennis Lee would never condone what had happened to that young woman. Kill her, get her out of the way, yes. But torment and torture were never things he found acceptable.
He’d taken care of Vyckers and Haloran himself. With the special pistol he reserved just for those kinds of screwups.
The bodies had been disposed of as just two more victims of the storm.
Dennis Lee knew what he was doing, after all.
Money bought him everything he wanted.
Dennis Lee had a lot of it now.
A news bulletin broke into the screen on the tv in the corner. Dennis Lee had never liked the quiet. He just about always had the tv on anymore.
He hadn’t liked the quiet since his wife had died so violently back all those years ago. He still heard her screams in his sleep.
He distracted himself with the news report.
Mayor Barratt was on the center of the screen, the chief of the TSP and the head of the hospital flanking him. “At eleven-thirty this morning, Patrol Officer Kelsie Royce succumbed to complications related to her second surgery. At this time, we don’t believe the man who shot her was working alone. I want to assure everyone in this office that I have made it my personal mission to see to it the ones responsible will be found and made to face justice for what they are doing to the people of our city.”
The mayor went on to update the city about the possible criminal element that could still be working in the area, and warned them to be mindful of themselves and take care of their neighbors.
He knew it was the mayor who’d been putting a crick in some of his neighborhoods lately. He admired the boy’s initiative and guts, but this was Dennis Lee’s city and had been long before this boy had even been a tickle in his daddy’s shorts. Barratt needed put in his place before too long.
Dennis Lee had never been one to do much waiting.
Dennis Lee thought for a long moment as an idea teased his brain. “Hang on. I think it’s time we arranged a little message for Mayor Turner Barratt. He’s starting to become more of a problem than he’s worth. I’d hate to have to take out a second mayor in two years, after all. I never like to repeat myself if I don’t have to.”