unintentionally those four people will get the word out. And that word is ‘Nate Stryker is going after everyone, from the doctor, to the business partner, and, if necessary, the victim’s wife.’”
He scrubbed at the unusually trimmed facial hair on his chin and added, “I’m not sure if you think any of them killed Peterson. In fact, I don’t think that you do. It looks like a professional hit for sure. But it was important to leave the impression that it could be anyone. One more thing, Nate, and given that you react so vehemently to compliments, I’ll take a chance and give you one, then duck to avoid the grenade.”
At Nate’s questioning frown, Sam shrugged. “I was impressed with how you handled Laura. It can’t be easy, but somehow you stayed within the boundaries of decorum while she did everything in her power to shake you up. The clear message you sent was that she better not fuck with you.”
Nate sniffed. “Damn, that’s the first ‘fuck’ I’ve heard from you, Sam. I’m relieved. In my limited vocabulary the word is ubiquitous. It’s a noun, a verb, an adjective AND an adverb—in addition to the usual exclamation. I wondered if we were going to have to clean up our language. Maybe you’re not as much of a boy scout as you appear to be.”
With a gracious nod, Sam said, “I’ll make a point of saying it at least once a day if that will make you more comfortable. But tell me, what did I miss?”
Seeing the serious man’s expression, Nate decided to forego his usual sarcasm. “You’ve got it about right, Sam. I was laying the groundwork. I wanted them all worried and if they happen to know who killed Mike, I wanted them to be scared shitless. And as you surmised—to get that message out on the grapevine.”
Nate sat quietly for several minutes then caught Sam’s reflection. “As for what you missed, I’m not sure. Until we get more evidence, I’m flying blind. But I will tell you that I’m not so sure that it is a professional hit.”
At the surprised murmurs from both Dan and Sam, Nate agreed. “I know, I know. It sure as hell looks that way. And yeah, the killers were definitely pros when it came to inflicting terror. But think for a moment. What if someone wanted it to look that way?”
Warming up to his task, his voice took on more urgency.
“Something’s not right. And if you think about it, I think you’ll agree. For example, do you have any idea how much you’d have to pay a pro to do a job like that? Hell, hit men want to get in and out as quick as they can. They want to kill and be gone. Without a trace. The chances of leaving evidence behind when you spend two or three fucking hours killing a guy are 100%. No professional killer is gonna be up for that. Too many chances to get caught.”
Dan interjected, disbelief underlying his serious tone. “What are you thinking, Nate? That it wasn’t professional?”
“I’m not sure, Dan. That’s what’s got me wondering. Either someone paid a small fortune to off the guy in the most vicious way possible or wants us to think that it was a paid-for job. Either way, the question in my mind is why? Why torture him for fuckin’ hours ? And in such a suggestive way? You tell me, Sam. Go out on a limb, hotshot. What does the torture say to you? What’s the underlying message?”
Sam hesitated then ventured a guess. “Well, to begin with, it’s got sex written all over it.”
Nate slammed his hand on the steering wheel with such force that the 911 almost swerved off the road. He exclaimed, “Precisely!” Managing to tamp down his excitement he added, “Sex AND vengeance.”
Letting his excitement die down, Nate shook his head and muttered more to himself than the others. “Now we just have to figure out what Mike did to warrant such a grisly death. Whatever it was, somebody wanted him to die in the most painful way possible. In a way that made up for the way Mike wronged him.”
~~~
“I feel as though I am
He scrubbed at the unusually trimmed facial hair on his chin and added, “I’m not sure if you think any of them killed Peterson. In fact, I don’t think that you do. It looks like a professional hit for sure. But it was important to leave the impression that it could be anyone. One more thing, Nate, and given that you react so vehemently to compliments, I’ll take a chance and give you one, then duck to avoid the grenade.”
At Nate’s questioning frown, Sam shrugged. “I was impressed with how you handled Laura. It can’t be easy, but somehow you stayed within the boundaries of decorum while she did everything in her power to shake you up. The clear message you sent was that she better not fuck with you.”
Nate sniffed. “Damn, that’s the first ‘fuck’ I’ve heard from you, Sam. I’m relieved. In my limited vocabulary the word is ubiquitous. It’s a noun, a verb, an adjective AND an adverb—in addition to the usual exclamation. I wondered if we were going to have to clean up our language. Maybe you’re not as much of a boy scout as you appear to be.”
With a gracious nod, Sam said, “I’ll make a point of saying it at least once a day if that will make you more comfortable. But tell me, what did I miss?”
Seeing the serious man’s expression, Nate decided to forego his usual sarcasm. “You’ve got it about right, Sam. I was laying the groundwork. I wanted them all worried and if they happen to know who killed Mike, I wanted them to be scared shitless. And as you surmised—to get that message out on the grapevine.”
Nate sat quietly for several minutes then caught Sam’s reflection. “As for what you missed, I’m not sure. Until we get more evidence, I’m flying blind. But I will tell you that I’m not so sure that it is a professional hit.”
At the surprised murmurs from both Dan and Sam, Nate agreed. “I know, I know. It sure as hell looks that way. And yeah, the killers were definitely pros when it came to inflicting terror. But think for a moment. What if someone wanted it to look that way?”
Warming up to his task, his voice took on more urgency.
“Something’s not right. And if you think about it, I think you’ll agree. For example, do you have any idea how much you’d have to pay a pro to do a job like that? Hell, hit men want to get in and out as quick as they can. They want to kill and be gone. Without a trace. The chances of leaving evidence behind when you spend two or three fucking hours killing a guy are 100%. No professional killer is gonna be up for that. Too many chances to get caught.”
Dan interjected, disbelief underlying his serious tone. “What are you thinking, Nate? That it wasn’t professional?”
“I’m not sure, Dan. That’s what’s got me wondering. Either someone paid a small fortune to off the guy in the most vicious way possible or wants us to think that it was a paid-for job. Either way, the question in my mind is why? Why torture him for fuckin’ hours ? And in such a suggestive way? You tell me, Sam. Go out on a limb, hotshot. What does the torture say to you? What’s the underlying message?”
Sam hesitated then ventured a guess. “Well, to begin with, it’s got sex written all over it.”
Nate slammed his hand on the steering wheel with such force that the 911 almost swerved off the road. He exclaimed, “Precisely!” Managing to tamp down his excitement he added, “Sex AND vengeance.”
Letting his excitement die down, Nate shook his head and muttered more to himself than the others. “Now we just have to figure out what Mike did to warrant such a grisly death. Whatever it was, somebody wanted him to die in the most painful way possible. In a way that made up for the way Mike wronged him.”
~~~
“I feel as though I am
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