Page 108 of Crossover

“You know why.”

“According to what you told Ivy, Vosch was going to take it out on her. Hurtherto punish the father.” Just like Vosch had done to Daniel. “But you killedhim.Why?”

“He knew the risks of going against Vosch,” Daniel said.

“That’s not an answer,” I said. “You sent me to kill him and stage it to look like a suicide. Why?”

“Itwasa suicide. He’d reached out on the dark web for someone to end his life.”

“To protect his daughter, because he felt like he had no way out.”

“An inevitable end.” Daniel’s voice was flat.

“No, it wasn’t. Perhaps if he’d had more time to think about it, he might have found a path out of that mess.”

“I guess we’ll never know.”

“Did Ivy’s father know your real name was Daniel? Or that you weren’t who you said you were?”

“No.”

“Did Ivy’s mother?”

“No.”

Something inside me rejoiced at that; Ivy’s mom didn’t strike me as the type of woman who’d willingly get into bed with someone who’d gone against her family, but seeing as how Vosch had gotten to Daniel, who knew? It was important to me that Ivy’s only living parent hadn’t betrayed her.

But rather had been a victim herself.

“You still haven’t answered my question. Why didyouwant him dead?”

When he said nothing, I was tempted to just pull the damn trigger. But part of my contingency plan required recording this conversation on my cell—evidence that would be used against him.

“Ivy’s father overheard a phone call, didn’t he?”

Ivy and her mom filled me in on their theory, piecing together comments the father had made leading up to his death. Calling Danieldangerous.

“Did he find out you were working with Vosch?”

“Not exactly,” Daniel said. “But he heard me refer to Vosch by name, and that was enough. It was a rookie mistake.”

“People get complacent after years of not getting caught,” I pointed out. “And then you killed Ivy’s father to cover your ass,” I said. “So he wouldn’t give the cops your name, too.”

“Vosch’s terms were clear; if I got caught, he’d come after my family.”

“That’s why you made it look like a suicide?” I realized.

“If Vosch found out I killed the father instead of Ivy, I’d be in serious hot water with him.”

Just as we suspected.

“So, you couldn’t tell him the truth—that the father was about to implicate you, too.”

“He should have kept his mouth shut.”

“If it was a suicide, then Vosch would assume the father simply couldn’t take it anymore. The threat the father posed to you would be gone, butonlyif it was ruled a suicide. And that’s why it was such a problem when Ivy was pressing detectives about it; if they reopened the case and it was ruled a homicide, Vosch would find out the truth. That you’d disobeyed his orders.” This was a lot to process, but sadly, it all made sense. “That’s why you needed Ivy dead. That’s why you lured her to that parking garage.”

“She should have let it go,” Daniel said, as if this were all her fault.

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