Chapter 4 - The Predator in the Suit
While Daniel was in the basement, Thomas Vance was sitting in his high-rise office overlooking Millennium Park, sipping imported espresso. He was a man who wore success like armor—his suits were tailored, his hair perfectly coiffed, his smile practiced and empty.
His phone buzzed. It was his private investigator, a former cop named Miller.
"Vance," Thomas said. "What do you have?"
"We have a problem," Miller’s voice was tense. "The Mercer woman. She didn't die in that apartment."
Thomas set his espresso down, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean she didn't die? My contact at the city housing department said she was evicted three months ago and was living in that slum without utilities. She was supposed to fade away quietly."
"A guy pulled her out this morning," Miller reported. "Daniel Mercer. Richard’s younger brother. He’s got her and the kids at Marcus’s clinic on the West Side. He bought them food. He’s asking questions."
Thomas felt a cold prickle of panic at the base of his neck. Daniel Mercer was not like his brother Richard. Richard had been a thinker, a man who believed in the law and paper trails. Daniel was a former Marine who owned a heavy truck repair shop, a man who didn't mind getting his hands dirty and didn't scare easily.
"Did he find the files?" Thomas asked.
"I don't know. But if he starts digging into the old estate accounts, he’s going to find the forgery. The bank records from twelve years ago are still archived. If she sues, the whole development project on the North Side is dead. The investors will pull out the moment fraud is mentioned."
"Then we stop him," Thomas said, his voice dropping into a cruel, calculated whisper. "Find out what it takes to buy him off. If he won't take money, find out what we can use to pressure him. He has a garage, right? Call the city inspectors. Find some environmental violations. Shut him down. Make him realize that fighting me will cost him everything he has left."
May you like
"And the woman?"
"She’s sick," Thomas said coldly. "If she doesn't get her medicine, nature will take its course. Make sure the clinic understands that treating unregistered, indigent patients can get their state funding pulled. My cousin Marcus is soft, but he’s not stupid. He won't ruin his life for a ghost."
