Page 63 of Elliot

“Such as snipers?” Elliot asked.

“Bingo,” the cop said and lit a fresh cigarette off the butt end of the one he’d drawn down to nothing.

“Did you know what would happen the night of the awards show?” Elliot needed every detail.

“Nope. I was assigned to the woman. She told us to wait for her call. We were at the crib waiting for her to bend her finger toward us.”

“Where’s the crib?” Silas asked.

“The boss’s apartment. On the Upper East Side.” He gave the address. Elliot memorized the address. Con was offline doing something for bigger fish. It didn’t matter. The address wasn’t one Con had sent him.

“How many men will he have with him?”

The cop took a long pull off the cigarette and blew it out while narrowing his eyes. “Well, did you take out everyone at the site today?”

Elliot nodded. “They’re all dead or in jail.”

“Then three more.”

“Are there any snipers in that lot?” Elliot wanted to know if he or Jessica was the actual target.

“Nope. Those guys took off right after they did the job. Boss was livid. They just up and left.”

“Up and died,” Silas said.

The cop looked surprised. “Well, damn, that’s something I didn’t know.”

“Is there any security besides the three with Ulman? Cameras, building security?”

“There’s a code at the main door downstairs. It doesn’t ring upstairs when you use it.” The cop gave him the number. “The elevator is slow and at the far end of the hall. Take the stairs up. It dumps you out right at the apartment door.”

“Thanks.” Elliot stood up. “Do you need anything?”

“Off this assignment.” The guy put his feet up on the table. “And a good hour to sit here and relax.”

“I can’t take you off your assignment, but we can give you that hour.” Elliot extended his hand. “Thank you.”

“Good luck, man. That bunch isn’t inclined to ask questions before they start shooting.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Elliot opened the interview room door and left. They arranged time for the cop to wait for his lawyer, who was on his way. Hopefully, the guards would wait long enough to give the man a break.

The drive to the Upper East Side was stop-and-go, but they finally made it. As they parked in a private slot up the block, Con came back online. “Whatcha doing?” Elliot chuffed out a laugh and briefed the man. “Hold on,” Con said. He was typing furiously as they walked toward the building. “That’s Dillon’s company’s apartment. Checking for cameras.” Elliot slowed down, and Silas took note, slowing his pace, too. “Nothing inside,” Con confirmed. “Do you want NYPD or Guardian backup?”

“Notify NYPD we’re going to apprehend the person who orchestrated the snipers.”

It sounded like Con slapped his leg. “Oh, damn, the cop had good information, huh?”

“Enough for us to take him in. He’s the one paying and the one who hired the men. With the cop’s testimony, we’ll have a slam dunk.”

“Okay, notifying NYPD. Guardian?”

“Silas has already notified them. We’ve got a no-knock warrant.” It was sitting on Silas’s phone with all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed.

“Oh, totally legal, too?” Con acted shocked. “Oh, that’s right, you’re on the bright sunny side of Guardian.” He laughed even though Elliot didn’t. They keyed in the code, and the door clicked open. Silas tapped him on the shoulder and nodded to the stairway door. They headed over to the stairwell and started up to the sixth floor. At the fifth-floor landing, they both pulled their weapons. “I have the layout of the apartment. The door opens to a long hallway. The kitchen is off to the right. There’s a half bath on the left. Living room directly in front and a bedroom and bathroom off each side of the living room.”

“Got it. Thanks,” Elliot whispered and stopped at the sixth-floor landing to tell Silas the layout. “You go into the kitchen. I’ll clear the bath and then head into the front room.”

“Without me?” Silas shook his head. “No, we should stay together.”

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