My name is Brant Colton. I'm a blackmailer -- a good one -- and I make no apologies for my chosen career.<br><br>One evening, at a very private club I belong to, I spotted a young man who piqued my interest. Why? Because he, Lorne Raynell, wasn't taking advantage of what the club had to offer. It took time, but I finally found out why. He was intent on finding out who murdered his brother.<br><br>The rest, as they say, is history. Our history.

Everyone Has Secrets

“Mr. Barton, thank you for calling. Are you free to come in this afternoon?” Mr. Thorne asked.


“Two. Tell the clerk at the front desk you’re here to see me. She’ll let me know you’ve arrived.”


I did as he asked, showing up there on the dot of two. The lobby looked exactly as it had in the photos we’d found online, down to the relatively ordinary, institutional brown and blue print carpeting and faux wood check-in counter. It wasn’t bad. It just didn’t call to mind the kind of place which would have executive suites.


The woman at the counter smiled when I told her who I was and that I looking for Mr. Thorne. She called to let him know I was here, then said, “I hope he hires you. We desperately need someone who can handle maintenance chores. The last guy…” She rolled her eyes then looked past me.


I turned when a man said, “Mr. Barton?” I nodded and shook his offered hand. “If you’ll follow me, please,” he said.


Chapter 30