Page 89 of Romeo

“I pulled you off of him at that hospital.Took a couple hits myself doing so.And if I remember correctly, you threatened him too.”

“Doesn’t mean I went back and murdered him.”

“No, but it also doesn’t mean you didn’t.”He cocks his head to the side while I get a read on him.He’s arrogant, that much is easy to see, but I get the impression he doesn’t actually think I killed anyone.

So am I here because he’s on Dodger’s payroll and I’m a loose end in need of tidying?Or because he’s just as frustrated with the lack of answers as I’ve been?

“Why was Odie under investigation?”

“You’re not the one with a badge, so I’ll be asking the questions.”

“You know I didn’t kill him.I have an alibi.”

“You have the word of an alcoholic and your brother.”

“Don’t forget about my lawyer,” I say.“She also knows I didn’t leave.”

“You’re a highly trained operative, Mr.Hunt; you could have easily left the house with no one knowing, killed Odie Landers, and made it back in time for morning coffee.”

“If I were a man who killed in cold blood, sure.”

“I’ve seen your records.You’ve killed before.”

Anger eats away at my demeanor.“When it was life or death,” I growl.“I’m not a murderer.There’s a difference.”

“Is there?A life is still being taken one way or another.”He crosses his arms.“Fine.Let’s pretend I believe that you didn’t kill him.Who did?”

“My guess is someone hired by Glen Dodger.”

His expression shifts.It’s slight—barely noticeable—but it’s there.“Doctor Glen Dodger.Why would he kill Odie?”

“Probably because Odie was blackmailing him.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Not until you tell me why you were playing the part of security guard and chauffeur.”

He glares back at me, clearly not interested in playing quid pro quo.“Odie Landers was suspected of accepting bribes and facilitating the transfer of illegal materials in and out of the country.”

“What kind of illegal materials?”

“Drugs.And in some cases, people.”

Jules.Was she the first he’d trafficked?“I believe that Odie was involved in orchestrating the kidnapping and trafficking of his sister, Jules, when she was sixteen.”

Sampson leans back and crosses his arms.“You have proof of this?”

I shake my head.“It’s what I’ve been working to gather.How could you have worked alongside him all this time and not have anything concrete?”

“I was never privy to private conversations Dodger and Landers had.He always kept me relatively distant.Didn’t trust easily.I have proof of his meetings with Dodger, but never their content.”

“That why you said he needed to survive?Because you didn’t have what you needed to move on Dodger?”

“Exactly.This is a mess.”

“You never actually believed I killed him, did you?”

“I have my suspicions.Knowing what I do now about what you’re saying happened to Jules Landers, it gives you a bit more of a reason to want him dead.”