Page 67 of Mountain Defender

His voice wobbles. “Fine. The guy was pissed when the first time failed. So I went back again. But her stupid boyfriend?—”

“Who was it? Who paid you? Do you have a name?”

Again, Mavers hesitates. Then he says, “Yeah. He didn’t mean to tell me. But it just slipped out when we were talking. Elliott Ford. He’s from Portsmouth. I don’t know who he is. What he does. He didn’t tell me why he wanted her dead. Just that he wanted it done.”

Elliott Ford. It sounds familiar, like I should know his name, but it’s not connecting.

I glance over my shoulder at Alec. He lifts his chin. His expression tells me he knows exactly who Elliott Ford is.

“Okay,” I continue, working to keep my voice calm. “So this Elliott Ford came to you and said he wanted a woman dead. Did he tell you her name?”

Mavers nods. “Yeah. Rory Townsend. Single. Thirty-six. Dark hair. Scars on her face. Has a dog shelter outside of town.”

A rumble of anger starts in my chest. “Do you have anything linking Ford to this? Payments? Text messages?”

He starts to shake his head. So I slide my Sig out and hold it loosely by my side. His eyes jump to it, widening. “Yes,” he admits. “I recorded our calls. Just in case things went bad and I needed to take him down with me.”

Alec jumps in. “What kind of recordings? Any with his name?”

Mavers nods. “Yeah. All the calls. Including the one when his name slipped out.” He turns back to me. “Is this enough? Are you going to kill me? I told you everything.” A beat later, he adds, “Listen, man, it wasn’t personal. It was just a job. This Ford guy’s the one you want.”

“You choked her!” My hand wraps around his neck again, this time squeezing slightly. “Do you have any idea…” I take a deep breath. Grit my teeth. “What about the gun? Do you still have it?”

He gulps. In a croak, he replies, “Yes. I have it.”

Alec steps beside me. “It’s enough,” he says quietly. “Recorded messages, the gun he used to shoot at Rory, and his testimony…” He looks at Mavers. “You will tell the police everything. If you don’t… We know some people with… connections. You might not survive long in prison.”

“Well?” I ask Mavers. “Turn over the messages and the gun, and tell the police everything. Or…”

The man sighs. “Yeah. I’ll give you everything. Just… don’t kill me. And you’ll put in a good word with the cops?”

Though I’d like nothing more than to kill him, I always keep my word, even with pieces of garbage like this one. “I won’t kill you. But we’re calling the cops. You’re going to say you invited us in. That you tripped over the coffee table and hit your face. And you told us the truth because the guilt was too much. Got it?”

His lips press into a thin line. “Okay,” he whispers. “Okay.”

I look over at Alec. “You sure this is good?”

He nods. “Yeah.”

Turning my attention back to Mavers, I tell him, “Don’t even think about moving. Got it?”

Mavers exhales, a heavy sigh of defeat. His shoulders drop. He wipes blood from his chin.

Alec pockets his phone. “The police are on their way.”

I lift my chin at him. “Can you watch this asshole for a second?”

Understanding flashes in his eyes. “Of course.”

Then I pull my phone from my pocket and tap out a quick message to Rory.

It’s him. We’re turning him over to the police. Me and Alec are fine. I’ll be back in Bliss as soon as I can.

A second later, her response flashes onto my screen.

Will you come over when you get back? I really want to see you.

My heart rolls over.