“You can’t go after a drug lord,” I said. “Aiden, that’s not a thrill. That is insane.”
“I’m not,” Aiden said. “I don’t blame the guy who put the hit out on Jackson. That shithead had done it all to himself, and he deserved what he got. But those who were there—they’re the ones who decided to take it further. They’re t
he ones who decided they had to get rid of the witnesses.”
“Who are they?” I asked.
“I’m not telling you the name of the drug guy. You don’t need to know it, and it could put you in danger, but the name of the guy who went after Megan’s boyfriend is Chris Marc. From everything I’ve heard, it wasn’t his first hit, but he had a girlfriend with him—one who was new. Her name is Corinne Hayden. Apparently, she wanted to get in on the business. They’re both out of their minds, kind of like Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis in Natural Born Killers. A couple of psychos who think everything they’re doing is fun. She was there with Marc when they went to Jackson’s apartment. She might have done it herself—I don’t know. I don’t know which one of them pulled the trigger.”
“That’s the couple who were at the restaurant,” I said as the realization hit me. “They are the ones who ran out.”
Aiden nodded.
“So why did you go there?” I asked. “Were you going there to…to kill the people who killed Cayden?”
“No!” Aiden shook his head vehemently. “As much as I want them dead, that’s not what I went there for. Mo got a tip that they were back in town, and we were just going to hold them there until the police arrived. They’re the ones who started shooting, not me.”
“So, you called the police?” I questioned.
“Mo did, right after he talked to me.”
“But they arrested you.”
“Yeah, because of the gun,” Aiden said. “People at the restaurant were scared, and I can’t blame them for that. I only ended up spending the night in jail. They could tell the gun hadn’t been fired, and my attorney was there first thing in the morning. After everything that happened with Megan and Cayden, I’d had words with most everyone at that police station, so they knew me there.”
“So, are you out on bail? Do you have to have a trial?”
“Oh, no,” Aiden said, “nothing like that. I don’t have a prior record or anything. I was arrested for disorderly conduct, but given the circumstances, it was reduced to a city ordinance violation. I paid the fine, and it’s all done.”
“So you…you’ve never had a record?”
“A few traffic violations,” Aiden said. He shrugged and grinned. “I like to ride fast.”
I didn’t know what to say. All the assumptions I had made, all the things I had assumed were Aiden’s transgressions—I was completely wrong. I hadn’t seen Aiden for the man he was. Instead, I had judged without ever giving him a chance to explain.
“But…but your job…” I stammered.
“What about it?”
“Pharmaceutical sales?”
“Yeah,” Aiden said. He narrowed his eyes a bit. “I go around to doctors’ offices and sell drugs for a pharmaceutical company, mostly generics as the brand-names become available. It’s not a great moneymaker, but I get to set my own hours. Better than what I used to do.”
“What was that?”
“Shoe sales,” he said with a laugh.
“Why…why were you so dodgy about it?” I demanded.
“Uh, well…” Aiden said as he scratched the back of his head, “the whole idea was to bring you here for a little excitement. What could be more boring than going around to doctors’ offices hoping they’ll take a few samples?”
I was completely flabbergasted.
“Wait—what about this house? You can’t make enough to afford this place.”
“Oh, well, like I said—I came into some money.”
“What money?”