Page 49 of In Cold Blood (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #1)

Dax eyed him, his gun still in hand. He shook his head. “I can’t do it.”

“Dax.”

“I’m sorry, Noah.”

“Listen, how did you know I was here?”

“I remember you telling me that Kerri had offered her place. I figured you’d come here.”

“Why didn’t you just call me?”

“Because. ”

“Because what?”

“Because they’re after me now. Don’t you understand? Just like they took out Cyrus. They couldn’t let him get caught. The Graysons wouldn’t have been able to get him out of that. He would have talked.”

Noah offered back a confused expression.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Dax said, going over to the window and looking out. “This thing. This thing here in town is bigger than you and me. It’s bigger than a few bricks of coke. If people get in the way, they get hurt, they go missing, they die.”

“Like Luke, Erikson, and Parish?”

Dax jabbed his finger at him. “I didn’t kill Luke.”

“But you were involved?”

“Yes. No.” He ran a hand over his head.

“Well, which is it, Dax? Did you kill him or not?”

“No. God no. You should know me better than that, Noah. I might have fucked up. Made some wrong choices. Headed down a path I shouldn’t have. But I’m no killer. That was Cyrus. It was all Cyrus.”

“What about Parish?” Noah asked.

“By that point, I was in too deep. I had to help. Parish was sticking his nose in where it wasn’t wanted. Asking questions. They had too much on me. I had no choice.”

“We always have a choice.”

He shook the gun hard. “Maybe you, Noah. Not me. They would have killed me.”

“That investigator is in a coma, Dax.”

“Better that than dead.”

Noah sighed as he eased his way around the kitchen. “So the rental?”

“Cyrus. I borrowed Alicia’s truck to run some errands. I ran into him. He said he had some business to take care of. He didn’t tell me what. But I knew it wasn’t good. I tried to stop him from taking it but…”

“That’s how you got the shiner.”

Dax nodded. “He wrecked your truck, not me.”

It was starting to fall into place.

“Figured as much. And Erikson… why didn’t you just say something?”

Dax got emotional. Tears welled in his eyes. He sniffed hard, running a hand across his face. “Because.”

“Because what?”

“Because I’m on video. One of Cyrus’ guys recorded the whole thing that night. That’s how they keep people in line. Blackmail. Incriminating evidence. If people talk. They go down. I was there when Erikson was killed. There was no way I was going back to jail. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.”

“So you said nothing.”

Dax nodded.

“What happened?”

“Your brother and Erikson were trying to bring down a drug ring that they believed went farther than Operation Heat Wave. Do you remember I told you Luke had me get names and set up drug deals? It was getting scary out there. Luke thought he could draw them out. Using me as bait. I told him countless times that I couldn’t do it anymore.

That they’d eventually figure it out. Most of the time Luke or Erikson would sweep in if there were big players, and make it look like they were busting us all.

I’d be released later. The others would go down.

The night Erikson died, I managed to arrange a meeting for something big, a new product hitting the market that was meant to change things.

Luke was out of town. Erikson said he would handle it and find out what it was.

I didn’t know Cyrus was going to show up.

It was like he knew Erikson was going to be there.

It didn’t make sense. They were always careful. ”

He shook his head, his eyes closed for but a second.

Then he continued, “Erikson didn’t stand a chance.

Cyrus strangled him to death in front of us.

Left his body to rot. If I’d said anything he would have released that video or put me in the grave.

Your brother had his heart in the right place, Noah, but he was playing with fire and what he was doing was not approved by the higher-ups.

Of that I’m convinced. Incriminating evidence would have jeopardized all the work Erikson and Luke had put in.

No. That wasn’t happening. Especially not after that night. ”

“Luke knew about Erikson but didn’t tell anyone else?”

“Yeah. He arrested Cyrus. Luke tried to get him to confess to the murder and tell him what the product was they were planning to sell that night. But he didn’t have enough evidence. Cyrus knew that. That’s why the case got thrown out.”

“But he had you. A witness.”

“He wasn’t done with me. As I told you. Luke knew Cyrus wouldn’t go down based on the little evidence he had.

That arrest was nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

He hoped that by causing a scene, rattling a few bushes, it would draw people out, and cause people to talk and make mistakes.

Maybe even get a confession from Cyrus. It didn’t work.

But it did help him connect a few dots. You’ve got to remember, Noah.

Luke had his eye on the prize. Cyrus was a small fish.

He knew that he was nothing but a pawn in a larger game.

He wanted the king. The one at the top. But in doing so… ”

“He put a crosshair on his back,” Noah said, nodding.

Dax closed his eyes.

“That’s why you went to work for Harry, after, isn’t it?”

Dax exhaled hard. “Harry paid for Cyrus’ lawyer.

That was the first connection Luke got between Cyrus and the High Peaks Pub and Brewery.

The Graysons, well, they were just a shield.

Harry picked them like it was some big fuck you.

Knowing their ties to the Sutherlands. He didn’t have to convince them.

Cyrus’ friendship with Jack was made out of convenience.

To give them an ace in the back pocket, so to speak.

No doubt, he had something on him too. It also helped muddy the waters of. ..”

“Of what?”

“What’s going on.”

“Which is?”

“It doesn’t matter. Luke said he had something. Evidence. Something to connect it all. But even he couldn’t stop it. Don’t you see, there’s no easy way out of this.”

“With you, there could be.”

Dax laughed. “No one is going to believe a junkie with a record.”

“Turning yourself in is your only hope.” Noah extended his hand. “Give me the gun, Dax.”

Dax jabbed his firearm at Noah to get his point across. “No! You’re not listening. You won’t be able to prove it. Don’t you get it, the reason why Luke was so cautious was that…”

Crack. A single round erupted.

Dax dropped and hit the floor with a thud.

Noah whirled around to see Callie standing in the doorway, her service weapon up.

“Put it down! Put it down!” Noah bellowed as she entered the kitchen still holding it but then slowly lowered the weapon.

“What the hell? What the hell?! He wasn’t a danger.”

“He had a gun on you.”

“That he was about to hand over.”

“Didn’t look like that to me.”

“Fuck!” Noah yelled.

Sirens could be heard in the distance.

She’d called for backup.

“I thought he was going to kill you.”

Noah dropped to the ground beside Dax to check on his pulse.

Callie walked to the back door in preparation for the arrival of the local PD.

The round had gone through his chest, blood was blooming beneath his shirt.

As Noah leaned in to check his breathing, at that moment, Dax managed to summon one word, it came out as a whisper. “Yeast.”

Noah gripped his hand, leaning in closer in the hope of getting more but all he caught was his final breath.