Page 88 of Blind Justice

Melanie shook her head. "Not yet."

"Do it now. I need to redistribute her caseload before things start slipping through the cracks."

She nodded and stood, beginning to reach for the files.

Blake didn't linger. He had another stop to make. He took the escalator up to the executive offices, his mind already working through the names, the cases, the next steps. But as he reached the top, something made him slow. Dylan's office door was open.

That wasn’t right. His secretary wasn’t at her desk. A prickle of unease crawled up his spine as he stepped closer, knocking once on the inner doorframe before pushing it open. His breath caught.

Dylan Grant was on the couch, his suit rumpled, his tie loosened. A woman lay sprawled beside him, her blouse askew, blonde hair cascading over her shoulder. His secretary. They weren’t moving.

Blake took a step forward, then froze. A bullet wound marred the center of Dylan’s forehead. His secretary had one too. A clean shot for both. Execution-style.

The bile rose in his throat as he staggered back, his fingers fumbling for his phone.

"9-1-1, what’s your emergency?"

He forced the words out, his voice barely steady. "My name is Blake Ellison. Dylan Grant and his secretary are dead.” He gave the address. His next call went to building security.

The minutes that followed passed in a blur. Sirens. Flashing lights. The crisp voices of officers filling the once-still space.

Blake sat at the secretarial desk, his mind reeling. First Ruth in a coma. Now Dylan and his secretary, gunned down in cold blood. Footsteps echoed down the hall.

Matt Brandt arrived, pushing through the crowd of officers, his face pale, eyes wild as they landed on the bodies. His breath hitched. "No," he whispered, shaking his head like he could will it all away.

A uniformed highway patrol officer introduced to him as Commander Brad Killian arrived after the first crowd of officers. A man in a suit with a gold badge on his hip, introduced as U.S. Attorney Investigator Alex Marcel, appeared a moment later. Their expressions were unreadable.

Marcel barely looked at the scene before turning to Killian, his voice low, edged with certainty. "Someone is cleaning up."

Killian exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. "Yeah."

Blake finally found his voice, though it came out hoarse. "Who could have done this?”

The hum of police radios filled the space, officers moving mechanically as they documented the scene. But none of it changed the brutal reality. Dylan Grant was gone.

Blake turned to Matt, his voice cutting through the air. "If you know something, you better start talking."

Matt’s jaw clenched. His gaze flickered to Dylan’s body before settling on Blake. He looked like a man holding on to something dangerous, something that could get them all killed. A long silence stretched between them.

* * *

Hours later,long after the bodies were removed, and Blake, with Commander Killian’s permission, sent everyone in the office home, Blake sat in the back booth of a dimly lit bar, the kind of place where nobody asked questions, and everyone had something to hide. The smell of old whiskey and stale cigarettes clung to the air, the hum of low conversation filling the space.

Matt slid into the seat across from him, his movements stiff, his hands still trembling slightly.

Blake didn’t waste time. "Talk."

Matt leaned forward, lowering his voice. "Robert Hilton betrayed Maxim Fairchild. You know that. He was his accountant, his fixer, the guy who kept Fairchild’s money clean. Until he failed trying to sell the secrets and decided to flip. He wanted that last big payout so he could live the rest of his life in luxury and not work anymore."

Blake nodded. "He brought everything to Noah Kandor."

Matt hesitated, but then gave a slow nod. "Yeah."

Blake’s mind worked fast, putting the pieces together. "That’s the only way the State Attorney’s office would agree to protect Hilton. Noah must have the drive."

Matt didn’t answer, but he didn’t have to. His silence was enough.

Blake exhaled sharply. "Then Hilton was taken out before Noah could go through the files. And now Dylan’s dead. What did he have to do with this? Or is there something else going on?"

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