The Rose Games: A Suspenseful Mystery (Echo Rose Book 7) by Thomas Fincham

Author:Thomas Fincham [Fincham, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-SEVEN

Skip sat across from U.S. Marshal Noah Zimmer while Bud looked at a group of photos on the wall.

“That’s the President of the United States,” Bud said.

“Yes, sir,” Noah replied. “And next to that is the Speaker of the House, and the one below that is me with the Vice President.”

“You’re a popular guy.”

“I was in the Secret Service,” he said flatly and with a hint of sadness.

“Really?”

“Yes, but there’s not much I can or want to talk about. I did work in the White House and…”

“Long story?” Skip asked.

“Yeah. Anyway, down to our present business,” he said. “I’ve got confirmation that Stefano’s alibis for both late Friday and Saturday morning are strong enough to support the idea he wasn’t at either murder scene and not so airtight that it seems like they were set up in advance, if you know what I mean.”

Skip knew. Perfect alibis with perfect witnesses were suspect because most people didn’t go around making sure they could prove their whereabouts every minute of every day.

“Unless he’s a magician, we know he wasn’t the gunman on the security videos,” Bud said. “So we’re back at square one, and we’ve got this weird thing with the gun.”

“I think there must be a connection between your gunman and Brambilla. Someone he knows got that gun and then put it back, or else it was done by a skilled break-in artist who had a reason to set him up.”

“Stealing the gun to use in the murders might make a certain amount of sense,” Skip offered, “if someone wanted to set up Brambilla. But breaking back into his house to put the gun back in the safe is kind of risky. Why not just toss it after the bank robbery?”

“Maybe that would look even more suspiciously like a setup than how it was done?” Noah asked.

“Maybe,” Skip agreed.

“What’s the status on the possible relocation?” Bud asked.

“We’re not deciding yet,” Noah answered. “He’s happy here in Fairview, and if there isn’t any sign his identity has been compromised, we’re not going to uproot him. If something happens, of course, that changes. Meanwhile, he’s staying put in the hotel we have him holed up in. He’ll stay there until we’re a hundred percent sure that he’s in the clear.”

“Fair enough,” Skip said.

“Any chance someone from his old life is trying to frame him?” Bud asked. “I mean, maybe that’s the key to figuring out—”

Noah held up his hands. “First off, we have to remember that someone got away with over two million bucks. There’s more going on here than just a frame. Second, the people he crossed wouldn’t try to frame him for murder. They’d have him murdered. Trust me. These guys don’t want Al—can’t say his real name, even to a couple of homicide detectives I have every reason to trust. These guys don’t want him in prison. They want him dead, and they want that death public.”

“As a warning,” Bud said.

“Yeah, as a warning,” the marshal agreed. “It’s a world in which you don’t talk without getting a death warrant.

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