Page 44 of Not This Way

Ethan and Rachel went quiet.

“Is that so?” she asked skeptically, her voice cold as ice. She glanced at Ethan, who looked stunned.

“Why not call it in, then, man!” he exclaimed. “Come on—I’m not lying!”

Ethan had already pulled his phone out. He placed it on speaker and gave a significant glance toward their suspect. But Rachel felt a slow, creeping sense of unease.

The man didn’t look nervous now. As if he knew his story would check out.

“Officer Daniels speaking,” came the voice on the other end.

“Ethan Morgan, Texas Rangers,” he replied curtly. “I need to confirm an alleged death—a pimp known as Snake.”

“Give me a moment, I’ll check our records,” Officer Daniels said, the faint sound of keyboard clicks filtering through the call.

As Rachel waited, her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this lead was slipping away, much like the others before it.

“Morgan?” Officer Daniels’s voice brought her back to the present. “I can confirm that a man fitting Snake’s description was found dead two nights ago. Shot multiple times.”

“Thank you, Officer Daniels,” Ethan said, disconnecting the call. He stared at his phone for a moment, the screen’s glow reflecting in his deep brown eyes. Then he looked up, wincing at her.

“So our killer took out the pimp… and then attacked Candy.”

“Candy?” their suspect repeated. “Holy shit. She’s dead?”

Rachel didn’t reply. The frustration grew inside her, gnawing relentlessly at her resolve.

“Can I… can I go?” he pressed.

She stared at him. There was no reason to keep him. Nothing tying him to the murder.

So she shrugged.

He began inching away. When no one moved to stop him, he spun on his heel and sprinted.

“Dead end,” she muttered. “Literally.” She locked eyes with Ethan, searching for any hint of a plan in his expression. “What do we do now?”

“Let’s focus on the first victim—the heiress billionaire,” Ethan suggested, his voice steady and calm. “We might find something we missed before.”

Rachel nodded, the gears in her mind already shifting to this new course of action. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a path forward, and she couldn’t afford to waste any more time on dead ends.

As they walked down the dimly lit street, the shadows of the buildings growing longer in the fading light, Rachel’s thoughts turned to the wealthy billionaire. She remembered the details of her life—the lavish parties, the jet-setting lifestyle, the trail of broken relationships she left behind.

Broken relationships were often the first stone to look under.

Was she making this more complicated than necessary? Allowing the whistles and bells to distract her from the obvious?

“Her ex-husband,” Rachel said suddenly, stopping in her tracks as the idea took hold. “He’s local. We need to talk to him.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, the skepticism clear on his face. “You think he’ll actually talk to us? He’s a powerful man, and from what I’ve heard, not exactly eager to discuss his past.”

Rachel’s jaw set, her gaze unwavering. “He might know something that could help us find the killer. We have to try.”

“Alright,” Ethan conceded, his tone cautious. “But getting an audience with him won’t be easy. He’s known for being reclusive, and he’s got layers of security around him.”

“Then we’ll find a way through those layers,” Rachel declared, her voice firm and resolute. The memory of her aunt’s lessons flickered through her mind, reminding her of the importance of persistence and resourcefulness.

The two of them approached their parked car, moving quickly now.

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