Chapter 36: The web tightens

I told him about my day while he sat on the couch, fingers drumming the armrest. He looked up at me and said, “I have to fly out tomorrow. It's a business trip and I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Okay,” I said. I then kissed him, then pulled back. “How’s the investigation coming along?”

Sean’s gaze darkened. He turned the TV down and rubbed his temple. “They found a lot.” He paused, eyes searching mine like he wanted me to be prepared for the rest. “Problem is, some of the detectives are nervous. They keep telling Connor the Hallorans are untouchable. They say it’s political heat no one wants.”

I felt something tighten in my chest. “Connor’s pushing anyway?”

“He is,” Sean said, with something like pride in his voice. “He has been relentless. He brought new files, new leads. He’s actually the reason anything moved at all.” He let out a breath. “Honestly, I’m impressed. I didn’t expect him to stand up like this.”

“Me neither. Tell him I said thank you.”

The news chatter hummed low in the background. We then went to bed and his hand found mine in the dark.

Morning came too quick and amanda arrived with a warm energy and a box of croissants and behind her, the two people she’d vouched for: Jessica and Nick. Amanda’s grin said she knew exactly why I asked her to bring them, like she’d been waiting to see this assembly of unlikely allies.

“Rose, this is Jessica.” Amanda gestured to the woman first; Jessica’s presence filled the room like a charged battery “And Nick.” A tall man, broad shouldered with an easy stillness about him, he offered a short nod and the kind of measured calm you only get from people who’ve been in tight spots and walked away.

We moved to the kitchen table. I poured wine into four glasses, set one gently before Jessica, and took my own. “Thank you for coming,” I said. “This is sensitive. I will explain everything. .”

Jessica twirled the glass between her fingers and studied me. “Amanda said you weren’t messing around,” she said conversationally. “Tell me what you want and I will tell you whether I can do it.”

“Good.” I put the photographs out, casual shots taken from public angles, pictures of Michael in a casino, another of the mountain house, a few images of the security presence around both. “Michael likes certain places. He likes noise and the kind of company that validates him. He frequents a certain casino in town and he has a mountain house, that is too private. He trusts the routine of the place. We’re going to use that routine against him.”

Nick leaned forward, palms flat on the table. “What’s my role?” he asked.

“You’re the man who appears by chance,” I said. “You’ll look lost near his mountain house, like someone whose life just collapsed. The guards rotate early. A car full of security will stop for shift change. When they do, you ask if they’re hiring. Tell them you can do anything, gardening, plumbing, security. Show a few skills. Be humble. They’ll want a hand, and men like Michael always prefer someone who looks useful and anonymous. Once you get in, observe. Note guard rotations, visitor names, movements. Don’t engage. Record. Get what you can without being seen.”

Nick’s jaw set. “I can do that. I know how to talk to people who want to size you up. And if anyone presses…?”

“You deflect,” I said. “You smile, you do your job, keep your head down and If there’s trouble, cut and run.”

Jessica’s laugh was short, bittersweet. “And me?”

“You go to the casino,” I said. “You don’t approach him. Not directly. You present yourself as someone who is a little out of his usual league, mysterious he will be interested. He thinks he’s buying a new prize; he won’t be thinking about consequences. When your eyes meet, you look down and smile; shy, deceptive, not naive. That smile will make him curious. He’ll close the gap. He’s predictable. He thinks he can own that moment. You make him move first.”

She tilted her head, considering. “And when he does?”

“You give him enough interest to keep him engaged, Let him chase you.” I set my wine glass down carefully.

Jessica’s eyes glowed with the focus of someone who understood the artistry of attention. “It reads like a dance,” she said. “He leads, I follow, then I step away.”

“Exactly,” I said.

Nick nodded slowly.

“Good,” I said. " I will make sure you're well payed and protected.”

Amanda folded her hands on the table like a conspirator at a council meeting. “Rose, they both have reasons to do this. They’re not saints, but they’re precise. That’s what matters.”

“So,” Jessica said, leaning back, “what’s the timeline?”

“Jessica, tonight you go to the casino. No touches, no close talks unless he approaches. Study him from the bar or the roulette table. When he looks, you look away and smile. Let him feel he’s been seen.”

“And the security?” she asked. “He always has that tall guy, his shadow.”

“You avoid the shadow. Nick, when you show up at the mountain gate, stand on the roadside about an hour before the dawn changeover, look lost, don’t appear scripted. If they ask, say you came because you saw the house and thought maybe they needed help. Be ready to present yourself as a low maintenance worker . When they test your skill, show one or two small, plausible repairs. You get in. You hold.”

"If either of you get into trouble, you use the phrase I’ll teach you and we pull you out.”

They exchanged a look, a kind of mutual weighing. “We’ll do it,” Nick said at last.

We spent the next hour on logistics: meeting points and signals. We practiced small scripts and amanda printed plastic cards for burner numbers and mapped the quickest routes to exits.

“If things don't go our way, we adapt,” I said. “We watch, We follow another lead. This isn’t a one-move chess game. It’s attrition. It’s patience and we will keep on pressing.”