Page 73 of Tango

“There were lots of people there that night. Hill and Rivera included. I know your girl spoke to them, but they also saw you speaking to the bartender—well, owner.”

“Pam,” I added.

“Yes, Pam. Well, she must have found out something because she was found murdered in her apartment.”

“What?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Pam’s dead?”

“Yeah, and I can tell you that Hill showed up late for his shift that night. I only know that because one of my buddies was pissed, as he got called to cover him. Poor guy was late for his own brother’s wedding because of it.”

“Holy shit.” Moore’s face mirrored mine. “Ty, we need to do something.”

“Truth is, this shit is gettin’ dark.” Jay’s eyes were big. “I really don’t want any part of it, but Ty, you’ve always had my back, and I miss Brown, too. So, I’m passin’ along what I heard, and I still will if anything else comes up. But I’d really like to keep my job and stay hidden in those mountains, so if it’s just the same to you, I want to step back from this as much as I can.”

“I really appreciate you stickin’ your neck out for all of us, Jay. Your name’ll never be mentioned.”

“Appreciated.” He shook my hand. “Good luck, fellas.”

I closed my eyes; I knew it was now or never to deal with Hill.

I turned to the others as a plan formed in my head. “I think I have an idea how to end this shit once and for all.” I spent the next thirty filling in the others.

The guys were quiet as we loaded into the elevator and rode to the eleventh floor where Frank’s office was. The expression on our faces was enough to keep people out of our way as we headed down the hall and marched through Frank’s open door. Team Blackstone was there in conversation with Frank.

“What’s wrong?” Cole stood the moment we entered. The mood in the room shifted instantly.

“Remember when you said whatever means necessary to deal with Hill?”

“I do.”

“Oh, shit,” Frank muttered but didn’t interject. I swung my gaze across the room.

“Paul, are you up for one more last mission?”

We spent the rest of the day and into the evening planning and gathering everything we needed to bring this thing to an end. It wasn’t easy, but once we got hold of Josh Johnson and he shared what he’d found out, everything started to fall into place.

“It’s pretty fucked up.” Lee stretched then leaned back on the couch. Frank had lent us his conference room, and we made full use of it. “All this because of his over-inflated ego.”

“Call me crazy, but I’m disappointed there wasn’t a better reason.” Gear shrugged.

“It’s why no one saw it.” I shook my head. “There really wasn’t any reason. It’s why he was able to hide what he’d done for so long. I mean, when someone’s killed, you look for why. Crimes of passion, crimes of greed, and all that.”

“Guy kills for nothin? That’s nuts.” Keith paced the room.

“His brother consistently bailed him out of trouble. He helped create the monster. Then each time he got away with it, it probably fed his ego more, made him feel powerful, maybe. That’s something Ivy and the Doc might be able to figure out.” I shrugged. “All their lives destroyed for what?” I waved my hand at the photos of Hill’s victims taped to the board. I felt a punch to the gut when my eyes went to Brown then Pam.

“Beckett,” Frank stood in the doorway, “Hill and Rivera have been spotted in town.”

“Really?” I couldn’t believe it.

“Well, I kind of made some calls for it to happen.” He cleared his throat and glanced around the room. I knew the tension between Frank and Blackstone was still rocky over the whole situation with Paul, but there was work to be done there. “They were told they had interviews for a job they’d both applied for. Told them they’d been overlooked.” He made a face. “I pulled a favor, and they’ll be here tomorrow at fourteen hundred. They asked Lindsey, at the front desk, to make dinner reservations for them afterward at a seafood place down by the water. Once I know the time, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks, Frank.” I shook his hand. “I appreciate everything you’re doing here.”

“It’s time to end this.”

“Agreed,” Keith piped up and gave a tight nod to Frank, who closed the door behind him as he left.

“All right, boys,” Cole flipped the whiteboard around, “how do we want to do this?”

---