Page 53 of Not This Soon

“How can you be sure?”

She shrugged. “They were two hours away, and before that, I spotted both of them trying to take Morris off his yacht.”

“And so what about Morris?”

“Alibi,” she said simply. “And it isn’t him either.”

“What aboutothercartel hitmen?” Ethan insisted.

She straightened fully, going quiet. Briefly, she glanced up at the desert sky. At midnight, the stars came out. The lights twinkled and sparkled against the dark velvet canvas of the sky, each one a tiny pinprick illuminating the otherwise empty expanse. They seemed to multiply by the second, filling the night with their ethereal glow.

The air was fresh and crisp, carrying a hint of desert flowers and dry earth. As the stars came out, the scent of night-blooming flowers became stronger, filling the air with a sweet perfume.

Rachel's mouth felt dry and parched from the desert heat, but as she looked up at the stars, a sense of calm washed over her. She could almost taste the peace and quiet of the night sky.

She inhaled slowly and then held the breath for a moment. She nodded a final time. “The cartel… the pendant was…”

“What? Red herring?”

“Possibly…”

“Or?”

“Or…” she trailed off, turning to frown at her partner. He watched her with those puppy-dog eyes, concern etched in his face. She found herself releasing a slow, pent-up breath.

"Or," she continued, "They are involved, but not directly. Think about it, Ethan. The snakes, the desert, the bullet...It’s… it’s like the victims are set up to suffer but then put out of their misery. The snakes represent pain. The bullet mercy.”

“And?”

“When have you heard of a merciful cartel?”

Ethan nodded slowly, processing her words. "So, you're saying this could be a diversion? To throw us off from looking into the real murderer?"

Rachel didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she turned again to study the bleak expanse of desert surrounding them. The night wind howled eerily and sent a shiver down her spine.

“Why leave a pendant at the last scene? Obvious… clear for us to find?”

“But here… she’s left next to a cage.”

“You think the cage has significance?”

“Two dead snakes in the cage.”

“And?”

“Maybe… the cage represents something.”

“Like what?” Ethan pressed.

She hesitated, winced, and said, "I… don't know exactly."

She considered it now, closing her eyes and picturing the first crime scene where they’d found Rebecca Morris. “The pendant was left for us to find… She was in danger from the cartel. Shewas,wasn’t she?”

“That’s what her father said.”

“So if the cartel was after Rebecca…”

“But the cartel didn’t killer.”

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