Page 113 of To Die For

“Then who killed them?” she said.

“Either someone who wanted to hurt Glass. Or someone who wanted to help him.”

“Help him! By killing his sister and her husband? How does that make sense?”

“There are lots of ways to help people, Beth.”

“Meaning their deaths opened up the opportunity for him to adopt Betsy?”

“Yes. Dr. Coburn thought they were killed with cyanide and another compound called DMSO, allowing absorption to be quickly fatal. And they couldn’t risk inhalation or ingestion of the poison because Betsy might have been killed, too. It was highly sophisticated. Like killing three guys from thousands of meters away, because that required a lot of prepandinside intel.”

“Wait, you think whoever did that also killed the Odoms?”

“Maybe not the exact same people, but the same organization,” replied Devine.

“You meanourgovernment, don’t you?” she said, the dread clear in her voice.

In answer he said, “You ever watchStranger Things?”

“Yeah.”

“Welcome to the Upside Down. For real.”

CHAPTER

52

THAT NIGHT EMERSON CAMPBELL ARRIVED,alone, at the hotel where Devine was staying. Devine met him in Campbell’s room.

The burly former general hadn’t even bothered to unpack his bag. He poured out a Scotch from the minibar and offered one to Devine, who accepted.

“I don’t like this, soldier. Crap is going on here that I don’t understand. And I can’t effectively fight what I can’t see or understand.”

“Do you have any inkling as to whatisgoing on, sir?”

Campbell collapsed into a chair. “I’m not sure it amounts to even aninkling.”

“Well, I just found out that the three witnesses against Danny Glass that were killed were low-level thugs of his. And they were each murdered via long-range sniper shots. One, in fact, shot from a distance that maybe only three people in the world could make.”

“Yes, I heard something to that effect, too.”

“They knew right where the men were and when they would be on the move. Intel and manpower like that are not cheap and even those with money will find it hard to get.”

“Agreed,” said Campbell.

“So tell me what youdoknow.”

Campbell took a sip of his drink and gazed at Devine with a look that was difficult to interpret.

Campbell said, “Ever wonder why they tried to kill you on that train over in Europe?”

“What?” said Devine. He had not been expecting this query.

“The girl on the train and her crew? They were hired to take you out. Why?”

“I assumed it was because I had disrupted the plans of some pretty dangerous people. That was why I was sent to Switzerland in the first place. You know that.”

“I assumed that, too, Devine.” Campbell took another sip of his drink and then sat up straight and pointed his gaze to the floor for a moment. “But assumptions are not facts. It was an elaborate hit planned on that train. A team of three. They had details as to your itinerary, the very train car you would be on. They bought out the tickets in that car so they would have you alone.”

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