No Loose Ends
February 21, 2025
Detective Claire Lawson stared at the body sprawled across the polished hardwood floor of the luxurious penthouse. The victim, Martin Hayes, was a high-profile defense attorney with a reputation for keeping dangerous clients out of prison. Tonight, his luck had run out. A single gunshot to the forehead. Execution-style.
Officer Patel flipped through his notes. “Maid found him this morning. Estimated time of death: between 11 p.m. and midnight. No sign of forced entry. The security cameras were disabled an hour before the murder.”
Claire sighed. “Somebody knew what they were doing.” She glanced around the crime scene. The only thing out of place was a half-empty glass of bourbon on the coffee table. Next to it, a second glass—untouched.
“Looks like he had company,” she muttered. “Someone he trusted.”
Patel nodded. “There’s one more thing.” He handed her a phone, its screen cracked. “Found it under the couch. Last call was made at 10:58 p.m. to Jonathan Vega.”
Claire’s eyes darkened. Vega was Martin’s biggest client—a mobster with a long history of walking free.
Jonathan Vega sat across from Claire in the interrogation room, his expression unreadable. “Detective, do I look like someone dumb enough to kill my own lawyer?”
“You were the last person he called.”
Vega shrugged. “Yeah, because he was panicking. Said someone was threatening him. I told him to calm down. That was the last I heard.”
Claire studied him. “Who was threatening him?”
Vega smirked. “If I knew, do you think we’d be having this conversation?”
Claire leaned in. “Where were you between 11 and midnight?”
“At my club. Plenty of witnesses.”
He was lying. She knew it. But without proof, he’d walk—again.
Back at the crime scene, Claire replayed Martin’s voicemail messages. One stood out:
“Claire… I made a mistake. I have evidence—real evidence—on Vega. If something happens to me, check the safe.”
Claire’s heart pounded. She searched the apartment until she found it: a small wall safe behind a painting. Inside, a flash drive. She plugged it into her laptop.
Surveillance footage. Martin had recorded a meeting with Vega—clear as day—discussing payoffs, murders, and corrupt officials.
Enough to bury him.
The next morning, Vega sat handcuffed in the precinct, his smirk finally gone. “You don’t understand what you’ve done,” he growled.
Claire smirked back. “I do. I closed your last loophole.”
Case closed.