It didn’t make a difference, but for someone like him, any kind of information was a weapon to be used. “You don’t say.” Knowing what he did about Tek and the man whose name he just dropped, Daniel had to wonder why the sudden betrayal. He knew the name Tek was about to hand him, but instead of enlightening his caller, Daniel bade him, “Tell me.”īeatific smile bared to the quiet night surrounding him, Daniel stretched out his legs. Not once had he anticipated this phone call. How else would he be able to discern their weaknesses? He knew his caller, not personally, but enough. He kept up with the pretense now, despite the sudden pressure in his jaw as he gritted his teeth.ĭaniel liked to observe people. He’d known the identity of his wife’s killer from day one, but sometimes ignorance had its advantages. Any mention of his wife sent him reeling. His eyes flew open, stomach clenching as he lurched forward. “You wanted to know who’d killed your wife.” “Tek,” he greeted the man on the other end with a familiarity he was relieved to not have to fake. She didn’t say goodbye, all he heard was a soft click indicating the call had transferred. Curiosity made him tell her, “Put him through.” “❻ueno?” He listened, head tilted back, eyes closed as she spoke only the impending caller’s name. The woman who’d answer would redirect to whatever burner Daniel had at the time, but only if she deemed the caller worthy. But there was a certain number one could call, should they want to reach him. The amount of people with the number didn’t even total five. The small burner phone he’d placed on his right thigh vibrated, making his skin tingle, breaking the monotony of silence for a few unwelcomed seconds. On a night so dark, only the sporadic spark of fireflies dotted the blackness where he sat outside on the porch while his memories died slowly inside the Greek-style house. One of those nights when Daniel Nieto didn’t sleep, when heat clung to the air, sending moisture dripping down his spine under the shirt he wore.

Call the coroner by avril ashton