Chapter 14: George Goes Down
Chapter 14: George Goes Down
As daylight broke, chimneys that had been dormant overnight began puffing smoke again, one emitting a noticeably thicker plume.
By the fireplace, Hawk was burning the clothes and other items they had used the previous night, reducing them to ash.
“You’re sure you cleaned up everything?” came Brandt’s slightly muffled voice from the bedroom. “No evidence left behind?”
Hawk stirred the flames to ensure thorough combustion. “I’ve checked carefully. Even if someone concludes it was sabotage, it won’t lead back to us.”
Brandt emerged from the bedroom, fully dressed.
When Hawk turned to look, he almost dropped the fire poker. He pointed to the corner of Brandt’s mouth and asked, “What the hell did you do?”
Brandt, gingerly touching the small wound at his mouth’s edge, winced as he spoke, “Talking too much makes it easy to slip up. I don’t want to end up in jail, so I scratched myself with a thumbtack. Every time I speak, it hurts—a reminder to keep my mouth shut.”
Hawk suddenly felt like he’d either ruined this man or turned him into something tougher.