Page 46 of Rules of Engagement

Chapter Eleven

"Where are we going?" I asked Maddox as we turned on to the highway, traveling in the opposite direction from the hospital.

"I arranged a meeting for you with Special Agent Miller. He doesn't have a lot of time because he's working on a case but when I explained the situation, he said to come there directly.

"That's great!" My spirits rose at the thought that Miller could expose new information. I wasn't sure it would be as dramatic as the tales I heard from my colleagues, but I was convinced he would have something pertinent to add. Mostly, I wanted to know how Solomon ended up working with the FBI and what kind of special consulting he did.

Maddox cut a glance at me before turning his eyes back to the road. "I don't want you to get your hopes up."

"How can I not?" I wondered. "We've already had one huge break in finding that wallet. Now, there's a man who might be able to give me answers about Solomon's recent history in Montgomery."

"Might be able to give you answers," repeated Maddox.

"There's something else," I said, noticing the frown lines on Maddox's forehead. They had visibly deepened since the day I met him but they somehow only increased his attractive ruggedness. I just hoped his frown lines weren't from the years of worry I might have inadvertently caused. "What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

"It's that wallet."

"What about it?"

"It's a rookie move. It's not a hit man kinda move. What hit man have you ever heard of that manages to lose his wallet while fleeing the scene?"

"I don't know many hit men," I replied honestly.

"I've come across a few in my career, and it's ridiculous that a professional would leave something behind that could identify him. If he were so inept that he lost his wallet, he might as well not even have bothered to wear a mask or gloves. It's too sloppy."

"What are you saying? Do you think the wallet was deliberately planted?"

"I'm not saying that." Maddox frowned harder. He stopped at the red lights, and paused before continuing, "The motorcycle was dumped in the outskirts of the city, in an area where it was unlikely to be found, and that was a smart move. And burning it? Even smarter. That gets rid of any possible evidence. But, leaving a wallet right next to the wreck? Why would he even have carried his wallet with him? What was he planning to do? Stop off at a store for a snack? Or buy some gas?"

"That does seem pretty unlikely."

"It's ridiculous! A hit man carries only what he needs: his weapon; and he wears a disguise that he ditches as soon as possible and destroys."

"If there were a car waiting for him where he dumped the motorcycle, maybe it fell out of that? Or maybe he switched his clothes and the wallet fell out of a bag?" I surmised.

"Possibly, but if I were a hit man, I would switch the vehicles, and burn up the old one. Then I'd get into my new vehicle and flee the area. I would have my new vehicle already gassed up and ready to go. I wouldn't waste any time changing clothes."

"What would you do with the gun?" I asked. "We have the motorcycle. We might have the shooter's identity. But where's the gun?"

"I'd dispose of that item fast. I wouldn't want it found on me. Even the smallest thing can accidentally catch a killer. A blown taillight, going a few miles over the speed limit, a possible identification from a nosy neighbor, any of those things could cause a smart cop to search a vehicle and find the gun. So losing a wallet like that? I'm thinking now it's a plant to throw us off."

"Or maybe the hit man is that stupid. Fletcher and Flaherty found the wallet, and if they also find the guy, and the weapon he used in his possession, would that be good enough evidence for you?"

"Yes, but if they do connect all those dots, he would still have to be the world's worst hit man. The good ones never get caught." The light turned green and Maddox accelerated.

"Then I hope he is the worst one in history."

"Another thought I had, Lexi, is that it doesn't sound too professional to me, and that makes me wonder who could have hired the guy. Your agency colleagues came up with a lot of names, right?"

"Yes."

"Wealthy, connected people?"

"I don't know but some, yes."

"Get someone to check into who has a lot of money and bears a grudge and who doesn't. Wealthy criminals with grudges hire only the top-quality criminals to do their dirty work."

"You think someone cheap might have done it? That's ultimately what you're suggesting? Someone cheap who had a grudge just hired someone who was inefficient and that's why we might have found them?" I tried to process that, but couldn't. It seemed so insulting.

---