Page 118 of Flint’s Strike

I sit up a little straighter. “What did he want?”

“Gave me the fattest envelope I’d ever seen. Ten grand.” His thumb rubs against the rim of his empty glass. “Told me there wouldn’t be any more for a while. Warned me not to talk to the police. Said if I did…I wouldn’t be talkin’ to anyone ever again. He left, I packed my shit, and came up here.”

“Charlie, we need to know who’s bankrolling this operation,” I say.

“Told you. No names. Ever.”

“A guess.” Nate rests his forearms on the table, hands steepled in front of him. “Six years in this operation, you’ve gotta have a guess.”

Charlie pushes to his feet, pacing the living room, one hand in his hair, the other tugging at his shirt, clenching and unclenching. “They know shit. Couple of years ago, I was datin’ this girl, Denise. Really liked her, too. The kinda’ girl you marry, y’know?”

I nod, though I have no idea what qualifies someone as marriage material. Men.

“I was inspectin’ this old folks’ home. Two of the fire exits were blocked off, the fire doors didn’t seal right, and some of the alarms weren’t wired up at all. I wrote up everythin’, turned in my report, and another big, scary dude showed up and told me to mark all the problems resolved.” He stops pacing, his hands clutching the back of the couch hard enough the frame protests. “I said no. All I could think about was visitin’ my grandpappy in one of those places. The guy told me if I didn’t sign off, he’d pay my girl a visit.”

Charlie stills. After a long moment, he picks up the tequila bottle, turns it in his hands, reaches for the stopper, then sets it back down again.

“Denise’s friend was always tryin’ to hook up with me.” His voice drops to a whisper. “I slept with her so Denise would break up with me. Seemed like the best way to keep her safe.”

“But you certified the building anyway?” I ask, trying to reconcile the man pacing the room with the one who’d knowingly put senior citizens in danger.

Charlie doesn’t look up, his gaze fixed on the couch cushions. “Yeah.”

Nate looks up from his notebook, pen hovering over the page. “Where was this retirement home? We need to make sure nobody’s in danger today.”

“Mesa Drive and Steck Avenue.” Charlie rubs both palms against his jeans before peering out the window. “Listen, I gotta get gone. Don’t think they know about this cabin, but I ain’t taking any chances.”

“Come back to Austin with us.” I stay seated, hoping not to spook Charlie any more than he already is. “We can put you into protective custody. We’re gonna find these guys, Charlie. They can’t hide forever.”

He backs up a step, shoulders hunched up near his ears. “No. Ain’t no way you can keep me safe. I got enough cash to get me out to California. Or Canada. Somewhere no one can find me.” His words escape so quickly, they all jumble together.

“We’re gonna need your testimony to take these guys down.” I get to my feet, careful not to box him in. “We’ve got APD, the Ranger Division, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office workin’ this case. You will be safe with us.”

He searches my face, then Nate’s, before dropping his gaze to the duffel bag at his feet. “I dunno.”

“We’ll put you up in a safe house. Round-the-clock protection. Cameras. An alarm system. Food. Whatever you need.”

“You’re sure?” he asks.

“Yes.” I pull out my phone, prepared to call AJ, but there’s no service all the way out here. “You can ride with us. That much tequila probably put you over the legal limit. As soon as we get somewhere with a cell signal, we’ll call this in and get things movin’ for you.”

“Uh…” Charlie rubs the back of his neck again, then tugs on a few strands of his graying hair. “I can’t leave the cabin like this. And…there’s somethin’ I want to do first.”

“We can wait. Or help.” Leaving the man alone doesn’t sit well with me. From the look on Nate’s face, he agrees.

Charlie gives us a sharp shake of his head. “No. I gotta do this myself.”

Nate pulls a business card from his wallet, writes something on the back, and passes it to Charlie. “Both of our cell numbers are on there. We need you to give an official statement at the station ASAP. Give us a call when you’re on your way, and we’ll get the safe house set up for you.”

Charlie turns the card over once, stares at it, and tucks it into his back pocket. “Okay, man. Thanks.”

“You’ll come in?” I hold his gaze. “We need to know you’ll help us with this case.”

He lets out a sigh. “I’ll come in. Might be tomorrow, but I’ll be there.”

We say our goodbyes, get in the car, and pull back out onto the dirt road.

“Think he’ll show up?” Nate asks.