Chapter 8 - The Man at Jonah's Right Hand
For fifteen years, only four people had remained consistently close enough to Jonah Pierce to fit Matteo's description.
Lucas Hale.
Elena Ward.
Victor Salazar, Jonah's chief financial officer.
And Jonah's uncle, Raymond Pierce.
Elena stared at the list.
“This is ridiculous.”
Mara sat across from her.
“Why?”
“Because I'm on it.”
“That's generally how suspect lists work.”
“I've represented Jonah since law school.”
“Fifteen years.”
Elena narrowed her eyes.
“You enjoying this?”
“Less than usual.”
Jonah stood near the window.
Lucas remained by the door.
Nobody had asked Lucas to stand away from Jonah.
He had done it himself.
“If I'm on the list,” Lucas said, “I shouldn't be running security.”
Jonah turned.
“You're running security.”
“Boss.”
“You've had a gun within six feet of me every day for thirteen years.”
“Exactly.”
“If you wanted me dead, your patience would be impressive.”
Lucas almost smiled.
Mara didn't.
“This isn't necessarily about killing Jonah.”
“Then what's it about?”
“Money. Control. Information.”
Stella sat quietly near the far end of the table.
She wasn't officially part of the investigation.
But she understood Dean's records better than anyone.
And increasingly, the detectives asked her questions.
“What does Janus actually do?” she asked.
Everyone turned.
“Not who. What.”
Reed leaned forward.
“Explain.”
“Dean never built anything complicated.”
Her voice steadied as she spoke about facts instead of fear.
“He bullied people. Lied. Moved invoices. But Janus seems organized.”
She pointed at the ledger.
“These transfers aren't random.”
Jonah studied her.
“Patterns?”
“Yes.”
She pulled the laptop closer.
“Look.”
Payments increased before major city contracts.
Money moved before inspections.
Companies underbid competitors who later withdrew.
Reed nodded slowly.
“Bid rigging.”
“And information.”
Stella scrolled.
“Whoever Janus is, they knew Pierce company bids before submission.”
Every eye turned toward Jonah.
“Who sees bids?”
he asked.
“Victor,” Elena said.
“Me.”
“Sometimes Raymond,” Lucas added.
“And administrative legal teams,” Elena said.
Mara wrote names.
Stella continued.
“They also knew security schedules.”
Lucas's face hardened.
“That points at me.”
“And legal problems before they became public.”
Elena sighed.
“That points at me.”
Jonah looked at Stella.
“What points at Raymond?”
She clicked another file.
“Property purchases.”
Jonah stopped.
His uncle handled private land acquisitions.
Before Jonah expanded into a neighborhood, companies connected to Northline bought surrounding buildings and resold them at inflated prices.
“That son of a—”
Lucas stopped himself.
Jonah remained silent.
Raymond Pierce was his father's younger brother.
After Jonah's father died, Raymond had helped him keep the family businesses alive.
He taught Jonah negotiations.
Introduced him to union leaders.
Gave him his first office.
Jonah had trusted him before trusting almost anyone.
Mara watched his face.
“You need to prepare yourself.”
“For what?”
“For it being someone you love.”
Jonah gave her a cold look.
“You don't need to explain betrayal to me today.”
Across town, Dean sat inside a hotel room with curtains drawn.
His empire had shrunk in forty-eight hours.
Contracts frozen.
Accounts questioned.
Employees disappearing.
Vale arrested.
Matteo alive.
And Stella.
Stella was the part he could not accept.
For years she had moved through his life quietly.
Available.
Apologetic.
Predictable.
Now photographs showed her standing beside Jonah Pierce.
Dean stared at one image.
Stella had her arms around Jonah.
Something broke inside him.
He called the number marked JANUS.
A man answered.
“You said she'd come back.”
“She was supposed to.”
“Pierce ruined that.”
“I want him gone.”
“No.”
“I've done everything you asked.”
“You've done everything badly.”
Dean's hand tightened.
“I can expose you.”
Silence.
Then Janus laughed.
“No, Dean.”
The voice remained calm.
“You can expose evidence that appears to implicate you.”
Dean's face changed.
“You said I'd be protected.”
“You were useful.”
“Were?”
The call ended.
Dean stared at the phone.
For the first time, he understood.
Janus was cleaning the board.
Vale would be blamed.
Dean would be blamed.
Matteo would disappear.
And Janus would remain untouched.
Unless Dean changed sides first.
Back at the investigation room, Victor Salazar arrived.
Fifty-four.
Immaculate suit.
Controlled manner.
He looked offended rather than frightened.
“You subpoenaed my personal records?”
Reed nodded.
“Routine.”
“Nothing about this is routine.”
Victor looked at Jonah.
“You permitted this?”
Jonah's answer was simple.
“Yes.”
Victor's expression tightened.
“I've protected your finances for fourteen years.”
“And now you'll help protect them by answering questions.”
The interview lasted two hours.
Victor accounted for every suspicious transaction he had approved.
Many were legitimate invoices later redirected by Matteo.
His personal finances appeared clean.
Mara didn't remove him from the list.
But suspicion weakened.
Next came Raymond Pierce.
He entered without a lawyer.
That worried Elena immediately.
Smart men brought lawyers.
Innocent smart men especially.
Raymond was sixty-two.
Silver hair.
Expensive coat.
Warm eyes.
He hugged Jonah.
Jonah did not hug him back.
Raymond noticed.
“So that's where we are.”
“Sit.”
Raymond looked around.
“Federal agents. Detective Bennett.”
Then Stella.
“And you must be Ms. Marlowe.”
Stella stiffened.
Raymond smiled kindly.
“I'm sorry for what happened.”
“How do you know what happened?”
The room became quiet.
Raymond paused.
“Jonah told me.”
Jonah's face didn't change.
“No, I didn't.”
Raymond's smile vanished.
Lucas straightened.
Mara leaned forward.
Raymond slowly sat.
“I must've heard from somebody else.”
“Who?”
“I don't remember.”
Jonah stared.
His uncle had taught him one rule above all others.
Never answer quickly when the truth requires thought.
Raymond had answered too quickly.
Mara slid photographs across the table.
“Do you know Northline Holdings?”
“No.”
“Never?”
“No.”
She added property records.
“Companies connected to Northline purchased land before Pierce Developments submitted confidential bids.”
Raymond barely glanced down.
“Coincidence.”
Jonah's voice became soft.
“How did you know where Stella was staying?”
Raymond looked up.
“I don't.”
“You sent flowers this morning.”
Stella blinked.
She hadn't known who sent them.
Raymond shrugged.
“A gesture.”
Jonah's expression became colder.
“The apartment isn't under her name.”
Silence.
“It's held by one of my employee housing companies.”
Raymond shifted.
“Someone gave me the address.”
“Who?”
“I'll have to think.”
“You've had ten seconds.”
Raymond smiled faintly.
“Still impatient.”
Jonah stood.
“Give Reed your phone.”
Raymond's eyes changed.
“No.”
There it was.
Mara stood too.
“Mr. Pierce—”
Raymond pushed back his chair.
Lucas blocked the door.
For a brief second uncle and nephew stared at one another.
Then Raymond laughed.
“You really think I'm Janus?”
Jonah said nothing.
Raymond's smile disappeared.
“You ungrateful boy.”
Stella felt the room change.
Dean used similar words.
Ungrateful.
After everything I've done.
You owe me.
She recognized the language of control.
Raymond continued.
“Your father left chaos. I built this with you.”
“No.”
Jonah's voice remained calm.
“You helped.”
Raymond stared.
“There is a difference.”
Mara said, “Phone.”
Slowly Raymond placed it on the table.
Reed handed it to a technician.
Minutes passed.
Then:
“We have an encrypted calling app.”
Raymond's face remained blank.
“Contact list?”
Mara asked.
“Numbers only.”
“Recent activity?”
The technician looked up.
“One call seventy-three minutes ago.”
“To who?”
“We're tracing.”
Raymond smiled again.
“You have nothing.”
Then Stella's phone rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone looked.
She answered.
“Hello?”
Dean's voice came through.
“Stella.”
Raymond's expression changed.
Barely.
But Jonah saw it.
Dean continued.
“You want Janus?”
Stella looked directly at Raymond.
“Yes.”
“Then ask Jonah's uncle why he called me an hour ago.”
Nobody moved.
Raymond's face went white.
Dean laughed.
“You should see his face.”
Stella realized.
Dean could see them.
“Where are you?”
she whispered.
“No, sweetheart.”
Dean's voice turned cold.
“Ask where the camera is.”
Lucas moved instantly.
He scanned the ceiling.
Lights.
Smoke detector.
Vent.
Then he saw it.
A tiny lens inside the conference room clock.
They had been watched the entire time.
Lucas ripped it down.
But the damage was done.
Dean had seen their evidence.
Their suspicion.
Their fear.
And Raymond Pierce had just been exposed as the man who had been speaking to him.
Jonah looked at his uncle.
“Tell me he's lying.”
Raymond remained silent.
“Tell me.”
Nothing.
Jonah's voice dropped.
“Fifteen years.”
Raymond finally looked at him.
“You would've destroyed everything without me.”
Jonah's eyes became empty.
And Stella knew before anyone said the word.
May you like
They had found Janus.
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