Hard Case by Elizabeth Lapthorne Page B

for the murder, since he had already saved Marshall once before.”
    “Twisted,” Fin murmured, respect and awe in his tone. “That’s actually crazy enough to work too.”
    “So James’ goal could be either to have Marshall feel indebted to him, so he can abuse that power and privilege or he could also possibly want Marshall dead in truth, possibly to set up his replacement or curry favor and power some other way,” Em sighed. “We’re not really any farther forward than we were before.”
    “Not true,” Troy interjected. He gazed at the far wall, trying to fit their various theories mentally into the picture he still struggled to grasp. “If Steven’s idea is right… If this is some elaborate plot to murder Marshall—and too many of these pieces end in Marshall’s untimely demise for me to not think that’s linked in somehow—then there’d need to be a second assassin somewhere on this chess-board.”
    “We must have royally screwed up James’ plan when we met with Marshall face to face and discussed this with him,” Fin added thoughtfully. “James might have dropped the cover of saving Marshall’s life and presumably has moved directly into phase two.”
    “Another assassin,” Emily stated.
    Troy let his gaze come back to the table. “Yes, I think it’s a very high possibility. Of course, we could be completely off track here, but it feels right to me.”
    “I hate to overstep my bounds,” Steve said. “I know I’m not really someone trained or as involved as you all are. But surely if the money is right, many people who are willing and skilled in this area of work won’t mind who the target is?”
    “Absolutely,” Emily agreed. “But if I explain I’ve been working with James and he’s double crossed me, then that will lend a certain weight and we might get a clue as to who this second assassin is.”
    Emily drained her tea cup and glanced at the clock on the wall. “If I’m going to contact some people, I need to get moving.”
    Fin crammed his half-eaten slice of toast into his mouth. He chewed hastily then swallowed.
    “I’ll come with you—unless you need me, Troy? You’re supposed to be taking it easy, if you recall. No heroics? Spare key is in the usual place, just lock up when you head on out.”
    “Since when have I ever played the hero, Fin?” Troy replied, genuinely amused.
    Fin chuckled and shot a serious glance to Steven.
    “You better keep an eye on him, mate,” Fin suggested. “I’m warning you now. Once Troy understands the big picture and the shit hits the fan, he has a tendency to run at full throttle and to hell with things like sleep, food and broken bones.”
    “That’s hardly a fair comment,” Troy protested.
    “When we here hunting a group of mercenaries, you didn’t sleep for almost forty-eight hours straight,” Fin said. “When we were chasing a nameless bomber, you cracked two ribs and refused to stop at a chemist for painkillers. When—”
    “Okay, okay!” Troy sighed. He cast a wary glance at Steve. The last thing he wanted was for Steve getting the wrong impression about the risks involved with his work. It wasn’t as if he was a school teacher or a librarian, but once in a while, shit happened, and it could be perceived as alarming.
    Steven stood and came behind Troy. He rested a hand solidly on Troy’s shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on him. I promise.”
    “I’m not sure you’ll have much luck with that.” Fin chuckled as he helped Emily into her coat. “But he might at least listen to you more than anyone else I know. Call us if Troy gets some hair-brained idea. Em and I can back you up on this. All right?”
    Troy stood and discreetly ushered both Fin and Emily to the door.
    “Steven and I will call you, but you and Em need to return the favor if you get a nibble on the line for that assassin. Deal?”
    “Deal.”
    They said their farewells. Troy released a pent-up breath as the door closed behind them.

Chapter