You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 317

“Murder again, and this time it’s international criminals sneaking across the border.”

“You want to get in on this? I can talk to the boss about teaming up.”

His coworker shook his head so quickly it was almost funny. “No, no, I’m good.”

Brandon grinned. “Come on, no need to be shy.”

Nobody wanted to touch a case like this—drawn-out, stressful, a total headache. Only someone with nothing better to do would volunteer for a mess like this.

Brandon knew his colleague was just running his mouth. He didn’t bother to answer, just walked into the records room.

He’d barely sat down when his rookie partner came over, phone in hand. “Boss, you wanted me to look into the Newton family’s enemies? Turns out, there’s a ton.”

“In business, anyone could have a motive for this kind of thing.”

Brandon shot him a look. “Nobody you’re suspicious of in particular?”

The rookie nodded, all serious. “Actually, yeah—Theo’s ex-wife. The two of them are at each other’s throats lately.”

“Publicly?”

“Totally. You don’t read the news? After what happened to Kelly, everyone thinks she’s some kind of tough, no-nonsense heroine.”

“I kept digging and realized she’s the one who stands to gain the most from all this.”

“So, Theo’s ex-wife then?”

Brandon’s hand shook a little as he held the file. The rookie kept going, “Should we call her in for questioning?”

“Not yet. Go do your thing, I’ll keep looking at the files.”

“Okay, boss.”

Once the records room was empty, Brandon leaned back in his chair.

He picked up his phone and opened his gallery, staring at the photos for a long while.

His rough thumb hovered over a face in one of the pictures. He let out a long, heavy sigh.

...

Kyle rolled his eyes. No wonder Emerson always kept people at arm’s length.

Half an hour later, Kyle’s assistant called Emerson’s office. “Mr. Holmes would like to see you in his office.”

Atticus could be avoided, but not Kyle.

After all, Kyle was the mayor.

When Emerson’s car pulled up at City Hall, someone came out to meet him right away. The chief of staff personally escorted him upstairs.

He pointed to the private reception room. “Mr. Martin, go on in. I’ll let the mayor know you’ve arrived.”

Emerson nodded and pushed open the door, only to stop dead in his tracks.

“Disappointed to see me, Mr. Martin?” Atticus’s voice was full of sarcasm.

“It’s funny, really. I can see Mr. Holmes anytime I want, but when it comes to you, I have to go through an intermediary. You sure know how to keep your distance.”

Hearing that tone, Emerson quickly closed the door behind him. If Kyle heard any of this, it’d only get messier.