Bad News Travels
- Автор: Суэйн Джеймс
- Серия: Lancaster & Daniels #3
- Год: 2020
- Язык: английский
- Год: Thomas & Mercer
- ISBN: 978-1-5420-1644-5
- Жанр: Триллеры
Электронная книга - «Bad News Travels». Краткое содержание книги:
No sooner do they arrive than suspicions are aroused. There’s the pair of Russians who seem to be watching every move the family makes. A final, cryptic phone call Martin Daniels made to his granddaughter. Strange blood evidence on his estate. More than $1 million missing from Martin’s account. And his cell phone, wiped clean, along with clues to a double life. To Beth, it’s disturbingly clear: the man she loved was a stranger.
As she and Jon delve into Martin’s past, they have no idea where the secrets will take them. Or how dangerous it will be to expose the conspiracies, the cover-ups, and the terrible truths of Martin’s life — and death.
“Try the Microtel off I-95 south of here,” Lancaster suggested.
The couple left. On the monitor, Dalton lay unconscious on the floor. Beth stood over him holding a glass of water, which she poured onto his face. Dalton blinked awake. Seeing Beth hovering over him, he lifted his arms in surrender.
“See, he’s not dead,” Lancaster said encouragingly.
“But he’s hurt. Look at him,” Carrie moaned.
“He’s a big boy. He’ll get over it.”
Dalton struggled to get up, and appeared to be in distress. Unfazed, Beth pointed at the door, then kicked him in the ass for good measure. They walked out of the picture. Moments later, Lancaster heard them coming down the stairs. He was going to have to get Beth alone, and confront her. She had stepped way over the line.
They came into the lobby, single file. Seeing him, Beth halted, and brought her hand to her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“He told me he’d shot you,” she said.
Then, she kicked Dalton in the ass again.
Carrie rose from her chair, and attempted to comfort her son. Dalton’s mouth was a bloody mess, and one of his front teeth was chipped. She shot Beth the evil eye.
“Look at me like that again, and I’ll cuff you,” Beth said.
Carrie led her son to the swivel chair, and helped him sit down. She balled up several tissues, and pressed them gently against his busted lip. Dalton stared sullenly at the floor, and seemed to be weighing his options. If he cooperated with them, he might avoid serious prison time. If not, he’d spend a long stretch behind bars.
“Are you going to play ball with us?” Lancaster asked.
“Yeah, I’ll play ball,” Dalton said.
“How long have you been filming your guests without their knowledge?”
“About ten years. Another B&B owner approached us with the idea. Said it was a real money-maker.”
“What’s his name?”
“Lynch. That’s what everybody calls him. I don’t know his first name.”
“Was Lynch secretly filming his guests?”
“Yeah. Lynch was part of a network. He couldn’t rent the films taken in his place to his guests because they might recognize the furniture, so he shared them with the network. In return, he borrowed films from the network, and rented them to his guests.”
“Are you part of the network?”
“Uh-huh.”
“How much money does this generate for you?”
Dalton looked to his mother for help.
“It’s a third of our revenue,” Carrie said.
“There are close to forty pornographic videos for rent on the cable TV in our room,” Beth said. “Did they all come from the network?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Dalton said.
He was being respectful, which was usually a good sign. Lancaster pulled a can of soda from the minifridge behind the desk, and gave it to him.
“Put that on your lip. It will bring down the swelling.”
“Right.”
“How many B&Bs are part of the network?” Beth asked.
“I don’t know,” Dalton said.
“How can you not know? You’re in business with them.”
“I’m in business with Lynch. I don’t know the others.”
“Explain how the deal works.”
“Lynch has a password-protected site with a video library. For every video a member contributes, they can borrow one for free. I never checked how many other B&Bs were involved.”
Dalton’s answer didn’t ring true. He was a criminal, and had to know that it wasn’t smart to enter into a criminal enterprise without knowing your partners.
“I think you’re lying to us,” Beth said.
“May God strike me dead if I am,” he said piously.
The conversation had stopped being productive. Lancaster decided to try a different tack, and said, “Explain the deal with Sykes to us.”
“Sure,” Dalton said. “About a year ago, two Russian brothers rented a room. The next morning over breakfast, they pulled me aside, and said they knew that we were secretly videotaping guests. They told me that they wanted to videotape a guy with a girl, and blackmail him. They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I agreed.”
“Was their name Sokolov?” Lancaster asked.
Dalton thought about it. “I think so.”
“How did they know your inn had hidden cameras? Who told them that?”
Dalton’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. He had tripped himself up, and was scrambling to come up with an answer that wouldn’t get him in any more trouble.
“They must have discovered the cameras on their own,” he said weakly.
“Wait a second. The vanity mirror in my room was glued to the wall,” Beth said. “I had to use a saw knife to pry it loose. Are you telling us that the Sokolovs cut a mirror in their room away from the wall, and found the camera?”
“I don’t know.”
“Of course you know! You would have found the mirror when you had the room cleaned later that day. You’re lying to us.”
“I’m not sure how they knew.”
“Did Lynch tell them?”
“He could have. Come to think of it, that’s probably how they knew.”
Dalton gave them a sheepish look, as if that would put an end to the questions. Beth slapped her hand on the counter, and he jumped out of his chair.
“Is Lynch working with the Sokolovs?” she asked. “Are they using the B&Bs in the network, and blackmailing people?”
“Beats me.”
“What are you afraid of, Dalton? That Lynch will find out that you gave him up? Let me tell you something, my friend. That is the least of your worries right now.”
Beth wasn’t seeing the big picture. Dalton’s problem wasn’t with Lynch; it was with the other B&B owners who were part of the network. If they found out that Dalton had squealed, they might seek revenge. Dalton was going to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder, and it scared him.
“I want a lawyer,” he mumbled.
“That’s not going to help you,” Beth said.
The can of soda slipped out of Dalton’s fingers, and fell between his feet.
“Shit,” he swore.
He bent over to retrieve it. As his left hand picked up the can, his right went under the chair. His mother stood with her back pressed to the window, giving her son a clear shot at their visitors in the event he decided to make a last stand.
Guys like Dalton watched too many cop shows, and too many action movies. Through endless exposure, they’d been brainwashed into believing that when things got rough, they could blast their way out. It was bad advice, but they believed it anyway.
Dalton tore away the gun attached to the bottom of his chair. Then he sat up straight. His eyes stared at the barrel of the gun in his face.
Before Dalton could get off a round, Lancaster shot him dead.
Chapter 37
Daniels went to the second floor and knocked on doors.
“Anyone home?” she called out.
No answer. She visited the third floor and repeated the ritual. The inn’s guests had cleared out. Which was exactly what she had hoped for.
She spent a moment composing herself before heading downstairs. She had thought Dalton had shot Jon, and that her boyfriend was dead. Finding Jon alive had been like being hit by a cattle prod. It had jolted her in a way she’d never been jolted before.
She went to the first floor. Jon and Carrie were behind the counter, standing next to Dalton, who was sprawled dead in the swivel chair. His mouth was catching flies, his eyes open in disbelief. Jon was forcing Carrie to look at him, and accept the reality of the situation. It was an old cop trick, designed to bring a suspect to their knees.