Page 67 of Stone Coast

Mr. X put the black bag over Carter’s head, then motioned back the way we came.

We left and stepped back into the other room.

X shut the door behind us. “As you can see, we have the resources and ability to help you find justice for your fiancé. I can pay you a nice salary plus expenses—in crypto, of course. I can provide intel, weapons, and support.”

“What do you want in return?” I asked.

“If you haven’t figured it out by now, we do what the authorities won’t. We’re not bound by the same rules and constraints.”

“Vigilantes.”

“A justice squad.”

“I’m not an executioner.”

“As you’ve just proven. You showed restraint.”

“Maybe I showed weakness.”

“Maybe you showed strength.”

I wasn’t certain. “Why me?”

“All of us here are in a similar situation,” X said. “We’ve all lost someone close to us. We all failed to get justice from the system. Now we go outside the system to right the wrongs.”

“Just for the hell of it?”

“Because someone needs to do it.”

We stared at each other for a moment in silence.

“Do you fund this operation?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Is there anyone else in charge?”

“The buck stops here, as they say.”

There was another long silence between us.

“How does this work?”

“We take on unsolved cases. Gather evidence. Catch bad guys.”

“And what happens to the bad guys?”

“We present all the evidence to law enforcement and turn over the suspect. The system takes it from there.”

“And what happens when the system fails?”

“Sometimes, when there is no doubt…” He didn’t have to say it.

I took a moment to process everything.

“Not long ago, there was a dirtbag who raped and murdered a six-year-old girl. Six years old! Evidence was mishandled, and the guy got off on a technicality. He re-offended a month later. Would you be willing to cross a line to save a young child from such a horrible fate? I know I would.”

That hung there for a long moment.