I don't get it. How could he have gotten them back?
Why was I finding out now?
And why now of all times?
“How did it happen?” I asked.
“In Myrtle Beach, there have been 3 murders lately,” he replied. “Nick apparently was supposed to be the fourth victim.”
“If he was supposed to be the fourth, why didn't the killer go through with it?” I asked. It didn't make any sense.
“From the past murders, the assailant first knocked out the victim before killing them, but he only knocked Nick out,” he explained. “And from what Nick told me, the assailant said it was a work offateand then let him go.”
Work of fate? There was only one person I know who made stupid claims like that.
“I think the killer is the same person you hired for Nick's accident,” he said.
“Oh wow, I couldn't tell that without your help,” I said.
“Which is why I told you,” he replied.
“Watch your mouth, Hunter,” I said. “To be honest, I missed this little back and forth between us.”
“Happy to oblige,” he sighed.
“Jokes aside and onto serious matters,” I said. “What exactly does Nick remember?”
“I think virtually everything up to the point of his accident,” he said. “The only problem is, I think he knows what you did.”
“No…no, no, no.” I shook my head negatively. “You don't get to pull out of this. I think the word you're looking for iswe.We did this. It was your idea.”
“It was never my idea!” He banged the table, “All I said was for you to wait for him to die at a good old age. You were the one who said we should kill him.”
“Easy there, temper please,” I said as I tried to calm him down. “You never know who's listening, so it's best if you tone it down a little.”
His eyes widened as he realized how loud he was. He looked around and took in a deep breath,
“I'm sorry about that. But like I said, it's not my fault, and I refuse to be pinned for it.”
“But you were the one who has been keeping him away from the public eye,” I said.
“Only because you asked me to,” he replied.
“But, you could have refused.” I smiled.
He was quiet as he looked down at his feet. “I know you wouldn't have let me do as I pleased.”
“Now, now, you're making me look like a bad guy,” I sighed. “Oh well, while it's true that I'm blackmailing you, maybe you'd have thought of that and warned Nick ahead of time about the accident.”
“I would have had no proof, and you would have still won,” he said.
“Hmm…guess I am the bad guy after all,” I sighed.
We were both quiet.
I can't tell what was on his mind, but as for me, I was contemplating my next move.
In reality, I didn't have to do anything. It was a lost battle on Nick's part.