Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Kain
I sat inside the Pinnacle Hotel lounge in San Diego, waiting for my meeting with Newton Finn, a man who claimed to have seen Tony Hesselberg.
I thought Tony had died during the blast twenty years ago.
Though that case had been closed by the officials, my friends and I kept our private investigation under the radar.
I had sent out images of Tony, Razor, Andrew, Ben, Victor, and other members I dealt with during my time there.
No new information had surfaced until recently.
I didn’t know the extent of Victor’s connection, and it was better to err on the side of caution. A psychopath could’ve picked up where Victor had left off. The recent murders proved that.
Back then, the coroner had confirmed that one of the dead bodies belonged to Victor Hawthorne based on DNA testing. Still, I understood some people idolized murderers and romanticized the idea of resurrecting him. This could be that situation.
My phone buzzed with a text.
Detective McNally: This is her number.
He gave me Eva’s contact information when I lied about losing it during the explosion.
She’d left it with his office when she reported seeing the suspect from the hotel incident in her neighborhood.
It had been a few days, and the police were still looking for him.
The recordings Godfrey provided didn’t show anyone resembling the hotel worker, but I’d look again when time allowed.
Kain: Thank you. Anything new?
He’d been investigating the Boston Harbor Hotel explosion and the homicide case involving the woman in the alley holding a bouquet of red roses. They hadn’t identified her yet.
Detective McNally: Not yet. Will keep you posted.
Kain: Appreciate it.
I stared at Eva’s number, wondering if I should call her today.
I’d stopped by the flower shop the day after the hotel incident to check on her, but the sales associate named Sarah told me Eva was on vacation.
I would’ve stopped by again, but I had to travel to San Diego for the grand opening of Body Canvas.
An investor wanted me to make my franchise public, but I refused.
I didn’t need the money or the headache of dealing with investors.
Body Canvas was mine, and I liked the creative control over it.
I’d be here for a month, doing interviews with the local news stations and meeting potential collaborators for future business. The tattoo franchise had grown in popularity, and I couldn’t be happier about that.
If my mother were still alive, she’d be living her dream life right now. If only I could have stopped my bastard of a father. Not wanting him to ruin my mood, I shoved him aside.
My fingers itched as I stared at my phone, wanting to send Eva a text message.
What was she doing? She hadn’t left my thoughts since that first encounter.
She seemed so different from the other women I’d dated, but that hadn’t stopped her from overwhelming my senses from the moment I first saw her in her shop.
She took control of my body in a way no one else had.
The hotel event only confirmed my attraction to her.
Even though she’d rejected me, I wasn’t giving up. As a businessman, I understood that patience was the key to everything. Still, that didn’t mean I couldn’t send her a friendly text to see how she was doing.
I typed up a message but stopped when Newton approached my table. Bald and stocky, he wore a striped short-sleeved shirt with jeans and black-rimmed glasses.
“Sorry I’m late. There was an accident, so I had to take a detour.” He took off his gray shoulder bag and placed it on the chair beside him, folding himself into the chair across from me.
“No worries.” I placed my phone face down.
We’d exchanged several conversations before I knew I had to meet Newton.
My research on him showed he lived with his girlfriend and six cats; they had adopted them all from the local shelter.
Both were computer programmers at a software company and enjoyed playing WaterFyre Rising.
That earned him points because I knew the group of men who’d developed it.
I leaned into the table, staring into blue eyes. “What do you have to show me?”
He dug into his shoulder bag, pulled out a folder, placed it on the table, and pushed it over to me. I opened the folder, and unease gripped me. The ten images showed an aged man resembling Tony Hesselberg. Perhaps he’d gotten lucky and survived the explosion. He could have answers for me.
I examined the printouts. “Do you know his location?”
“Not yet.” He pushed his glasses up. “Give me another week and I’ll get it for you.”
“Send me these image files. When I receive them, half the payment will be deposited into your account the following day. Once I get his location, you’ll get the balance.”
Newton glanced around, making sure no one was near our table. “Did he do something bad to you or your family?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because you’re paying a lot of money for him. I’m just curious.”
“Don’t be too curious. Curiosity kills the cat.”
“Everything on the dark web is for the curious cat.” Newton’s lips curved into a smirk. “But I get it. You’re telling me to stay safe. You wanted info, and I delivered. Most people wouldn’t care about my wellbeing. So, thanks.”
As a graduate of Stanford University, he possessed intelligence and practicality. But an elite education meant shit to me. Some elites lacked common sense.
“Do you need me to look up anything else for you?”
“Don’t you have enough to do?” I could use his efficiency.
“I do.” He lifted a shoulder. “But you care about cats, so I want to help you.”
I chuckled. “I’d like details about any strange deaths on the West Coast, especially those with cult hallmarks. If you can organize a chart for me, that would be great. I’m particularly interested in cases similar to the Black Rose Killer.”
Newton widened his eyes, probably wondering what I’d do with the information.
“I’m doing extensive research for a book,” I said.
“Oh, okay.” He typed on his tablet. “Anything else?”
“No, that’s it. We’ll continue communication via email.” I’d created an encrypted email for the dark web.
After he left, I studied Tony’s photos in my hotel room.
I was seventy percent certain this was Tony Hesselberg.
The man in the photo had aged considerably, looking thinner than I remembered.
Twenty years changed a person. I didn’t look the same either.
Despite my gut telling me it was Tony, I needed confirmation.
If he had survived the explosion, then others could have too. Could Tony be the mastermind behind the recent murders? Or was someone else giving orders?
I’d wait for the image files to send to the boys.
Right now I needed Eva. I finished typing my text and sent it.
Kain: Hi, this is Kain.
Eva: Kain who?
She’d forgotten about me already?
Kain: The one who rescued you.
Eva: Oh.
Did she know more than one Kain? I had to make sure my face was the only one associated with that name.
Eva: Sorry. This isn’t Eva.
Who was this fucker?
Eva: She’s not available right now.
Kain: Who is this?
Eva: Her grandfather.