Condemned by Parks G.K

Author:Parks, G.K. [Parks, G.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery
Published: 2015-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

Twenty

Mercer was sitting in the chair next to Benjamin Styler’s bed when morning came. Styler opened his eyes, squinting against the bright glare from the sunlight, and let out a surprised gasp. Mercer nodded but remained silent; he had been dozing for the last few hours, not quite asleep but not fully awake either.

“What happened to you?” Styler asked, still wary of Mercer. “Did the police do that? I’ve read tons of stories on brutality, but I’ve never witnessed it firsthand until yesterday.”

“The man who plans to kill you did this.” There was no reason to sugarcoat.

“What happened to him? Do you know who he is? Where he went? What he wants? Have you notified the authorities? Is that why you’re here? Why did they let you in my room? You attacked me.”

“Silence.” Mercer’s arm was throbbing, and the last thing he wanted was to deal with some panicked rich kid. Or faux rich kid. Whatever Styler was. “It is being resolved, and I will make sure that a second attempt also fails.”

“Second attempt?” Styler paled. “Why can’t you stop this before there is a second attempt?” He launched into more rapid-fire questioning, and Mercer clapped a hand over Styler’s mouth.

“Silence.” He searched Styler’s eyes for acquiescence and saw fear. The kid was scared. Too bad he wasn’t more afraid of the man trying to kill him and less afraid of Mercer. “Remain quiet and only speak when I ask a question. Do you understand?” Styler nodded, and Mercer removed his hand. “Did you send the photos of Katia to her father?”

“Yes.” Styler looked ready to launch into some excuse but clamped his mouth shut.

“Carlton knows. He does not enjoy being threatened. It appears he hired a private investigator to get to the bottom of it, and someone is using the information gained by said investigator to tail your movements and eliminate you. Do you think that Carlton Rhoade is capable of such action?” Mercer still didn’t know who hired Armann, and despite the unlikelihood, it never hurt to ask.

“No. Mr. Rhoade wouldn’t do something like that. Yes, I sent the photos, but I needed the cash to pay off my investors. Kat wanted to give it to me, but I didn’t want her to think I was just some mooch.”

“So you stole from her father instead?”

“No. I…” He looked away. “It’s not that simple.”

“Does Katia know?”

“No.”

“You should tell her,” Mercer said resolutely, easing back into the chair. “You should also ring for the nurse and ask for something to relieve your headache.”

“But I don’t have a headache.”

Mercer rolled his eyes. “You’re giving me one.”

Talking to Styler proved to be too much effort and far too frustrating for Mercer to handle at the present, so instead, he remained in the chair, letting the acetaminophen he confiscated dull some of the achiness. He would have preferred a fifth of scotch, but he was working and needed to be alert.

Donovan had yet to phone with the information on the accident, and Mercer contemplated calling Rowlins directly.

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