Precipice Read Free Page A

eyes wander over the ornate room, settling on a massive, wooden wardrobe set against the far wall, the type that might house an entire gothic wonderland if you peered deeply enough into its depths. “The Feds have been going crazy the last couple days. It’s only a matter of time until the trail leads them to you.”
    “But I didn’t do anything wrong.” Ian Braxton’s voice quivered. “I didn’t!”
    “Is that why you’re so jumpy?” Michael raised an eyebrow. “Innocent people aren’t scared of their own shadow.”
    “They told me no one would get hurt.” Braxton hesitated, “I didn’t know anyone would get hurt!”
    “And you trusted them?”
    “They said it was just a prank. Jimmy was an old friend and they wanted to surprise him. I told them museum policy prevented me from letting them in after hours, but they assured me they’d be careful. No one was supposed to get hurt…”
    “I see.” Ian Braxton was either a criminal mastermind, playing Michael to cast doubt elsewhere, or a royal fool. From what the veteran had learned about his client—he inherited, not earned, his wealth—Michael was willing to bet on the latter. The man permitted thugs to enter a closed museum at night to, as they said, surprise a friend. Well, death by execution would come as a surprise . “Are you in the habit of letting random people enter the museum after dark without your presence?”
    “What? No, no. Not at all. I knew one of the men. He worked for me a few years ago as a security guard. Big fella, kinda scary looking, but trustworthy, or so I thought. His name was Nichols. Roscoe Nichols.”
    “Probably a patsy the others took advantage of, though if he was in on it all along, Roscoe could be a pseudonym. Did you see the men that night?”
                  “They arrived right as I was pulling out of the lot. I waved and then left pretty quickly.”
    “And your friend, this Roscoe Nichols? He was with them?”
    “He went by Ross. I’m not sure if he was there. I only saw them at a distance and I wasn’t paying particularly close attention. I had another engagement, so I didn’t stick around to say my hellos.”
    “I see.” Michael sighed. This Ross Nichols, pseudonym or not, was likely long dead by now. The others used him to get to Braxton. Ian seemed to be a decent man, but his gullibility, it appeared, had finally done him in.
    Michael hesitated for a couple seconds before getting to the point. “So what do you expect me to do for you?”
    “I got your name from an old school friend, Jeremy Meeks. You helped him a few years back. He was arrested for murdering his wife, but you proved his innocence.”
    “I remember,” Krieger sighed. “But you aren’t falsely accused of murder. You aided and abetted one, albeit unknowingly. You admit to abetting a B and E, breaking and entering, and conspiracy law dictates you can be charged with the entire offense. I don’t know that I can do anything.”
    “Can’t you prove it was an accident?”
    “It wasn’t. You intentionally let them in.”
    “But I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.” Braxton’s voice rose in a panic. “You have to help me!”
    “I’m sorry. It appears I’ve wasted your time. Your admission of leaving the museum unlocked dooms you. The best you can hope for is to show the court you held no ill will toward Jimmy.”
    The young man’s face paled and his eyes widened. He blinked a few times, then asked, “Why would anyone think that?
    “Well, you left a door unlocked, allowing men to enter and kill him. A jury might not look highly on that. But I wouldn’t agonize too much about a court case.”
    “Wait…what? Why not? That sounds serious…”
    “Oh it is…very serious. But you have something more troubling to worry about.”
    It was unfortunate. Michael was unable help this man, and for that he felt truly sorry. But Braxton needed to understand exactly how much trouble he was in. “You saw the men