Chapter 38 - Thirty Eight
Grief and frustration warred within Ryan as he knelt beside Luke’s lifeless body. The moonlight, once hopeful, now seemed to cast an even starker light on the grim scene.
"A clean shot," Thorne muttered, his voice low and solemn as he examined the gunshot wound. "Right to the head. No room for error."
Ryan nodded, his gaze fixed on the vacant eyes that stared sightlessly at the moon. "Too clean," he corrected, his voice laced with a bitter truth. "This wasn’t just any killer, Thorne. This was someone precise, calculated."
"This is bad," Thorne muttered, his voice tight with frustration. "Very bad."
"Indeed, the killer," Ryan said, his voice laced with a steely resolve, "is very smart. They knew Luke could talk, and they couldn’t have that."
He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the moonlit path. "And whoever it is, they have a unique motive. Arsenic isn’t cheap, nor is arranging the perfect target like Viscount Conrad. This points to someone... well-off, someone who can afford such careful planning."
Thorne followed Ryan’s line of sight, his brow furrowed in thought. "So, a wealthy mastermind who plants unsuspecting pawns like Luke in their victims’ households?"
"Exactly," Ryan confirmed, his voice sharp. "Luke was an outsider, easily manipulated. They probably used a similar tactic with the other victims inner circle, someone close enough to gain his trust but expendable enough to eliminate."
Thorne’s eyes narrowed. "Then our investigation takes a new turn. We need to find the source, the one who orchestrated this whole thing."
"Agreed," Ryan said, a glint of determination hardening his features.
"What are your orders, Your Grace?" Thorne asked, his hand instinctively going to the pistol on his waistband.