Chapter 232

I was back in my house and I left the security gate open. I didn't feel like going down to greet anyone. I did keep the .22 Mag revolver handy and the computer running a live feed from the security camera. Regardless of the threat evaluation.

I saw Liam drive up in the typical Swamp Dog SUV. I watched him as he drove up to the house and park behind my Ford Ranger Pick Up Truck. "How you doing old girl?" he asked me at the door.

"Come on in. Molly tells me I'll live, if I don't die first. Since you brought back my sleeping aid, I will be fine." I of course was referring to the vodka bottles of green dragon.

"Good for you," Liam said.

"So what's this I hear about threat neutralization?" I asked.

"I must learn to never speak in front of that lad Jeremy. He gossips like a girl," Liam said.

We both laughed at that, me first then Liam. "So who was it and most of all why?" I asked.

"It was Randal Davis just like you thought. It seems as though Warren County politics is a real killer." He smiled and when I didn't, he went on. "So somebody decided that you were a threat to them. he hired the two out of state hitters. He even told them, when to do it."

"Yeah he was waiting for me one morning at Hardee's, to have his little talk with me," I said.

"Well that talk didn't seem to have impressed him. He talked to someone else and they decided to eliminate you," Liam said.

"I guess I shouldn't have threatened him," I said.

"You must have told him something would happen over the weekend. The hitter's contract specified, it had to be done before the weekend," Liam said.

"He was supposed to get back to me by the weekend. He was to let me know, if they were going to back me, or I was going run as an independent on Monday.

"What they decided, I think, was that you would get enough votes to be sure their man wouldn't win. On paper the man they were running looked as though he could beat this Webster clown. Unless you drained off a significant number of votes, which their statistician said you would do."

"Well that pretty much explains the why of it, but what happened to change his mind?" I asked.

"That's the strange part of this whole thing. The colonel's geek traced the payment to the hitters, so as far as he knew, we were cops, and going to bring his ass down. He decides to shoot himself in the head." Liam said.

"You say that like you don't believe it," I replied.

"When a trail ends like this, it just isn't satisfactory," he said.

"Sometimes a cigar is just a dildo," I said.

"Now I have no idea what that means," he replied.

"Sometimes things aren't what they seems. We learned about tripwires in the military. The geek leans about them in college. I don't know how they do it, but there are trip wires in the computer. He probably tripped one, when he ran down that payment. His search alerted Randal. He called his partner or boss to get advice. He got his answer, a bullet to that brain. The trail ends with him," I suggested.

"So the threat isn't neutralized?" Liam suggested.

"What does the Colonel think?" I asked.

"He thinks it is up to you. He is sure the man pulling the strings knows now you have resources, he can only dream of having. The colonel thinks the game is in check and it might not be worthy of our time to go for mate. That is unless you want him. If you want him, we will find him period." Liam said.

"And what do you think?" I asked.

"I think we find and eliminate him or he will be back again, maybe not now but someday," he said.

"I think we all agree, but we have time. We can wait him out," I said.

"You might not have a warning next time," Liam said.

"Sweetie, this was no warning. You are right though I might not be so lucky next time. Still I think the Colonel is right. If this man stops now, it would be a terrible waste of resources to hunt him down. He might reveal himself later, so that no hunting is necessary," I suggested.

"We think he had access to a lot of information about you," Liam said.

"You mean cops in his pocket. The only cops who acts hinky is Agent Morris of the SBI. I will be keeping a lot closer eye on her." I said.

"She has been reassigned to Capitol City, so you will have to move, if you want to keep an eye on her."Liam said.

"So someone with enough pull to move her around like a chess piece is the puppet master. Well what about the hitters," I asked.

"Well, I suggested it might be time for a career change. They said they had already got the message from my boss in Miami. So you seem to have friends in several high places," Liam said a little irritated.

"Well you know how it is, a girl can't keep all her eggs in one basket," I said. I did wander how the mysterious man in Miami knew about a bike accident in Warren County. It was nice to know that he wasn't the puppet master. Well I couldn't be absolutely sure those guys had a ton of money and most anyone was corruptible, if the price were right.

"I think we should go back to normal and just see if anything stands out. I will pay more attention to who pays attention to me," I promised.

"You know that scrape on your cheek make you look a little exotic," Liam said with a smile.