Dead Shot (A Cal Murphy Thriller Book 1)

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Nathan Gold shifted in his leather reading chair. The dark oak walls with a custom-built bookcase encircled his study. They contained an extensive collection of rare books and literary masterpieces, all well worn. It was clear Gold was more interested in creating a suitable home for literature than he was for demonstrating opulence in his Tudor-style mansion. Extravagant pleasures could be found elsewhere in the house.

But tonight he wasn't thinking about his books-he was thinking about his town. Like the safe haven he constructed for each shelved piece of art in his library, Statenville had been effectively cocooned through careful planning. And Gold enjoyed it. Just like he enjoyed reading John Milton's Paradise Lost. But tonight his thoughts were distant, his gaze vacant.

His own paradise was teetering on vanishing at the hands of a pesky reporter bent on pulling back Oz's curtain. Only he didn't know he was in Oz. Gold knew that Cal didn't see Statenville as a final resting place for his career. Outsiders working at The Register rarely did. Statenville was a blinking yellow light along a two-lane road to somewhere else. It was a cup of coffee.

But as the day's events unfolded, Gold grew leery of a foreigner mucking about in a family matter. Gold's son had died-and he was struggling to suppress the grief he felt. He had to. There was more at stake than the personal embarrassment of his son overdosing on drugs and the paper etching it into town lore on microfilm. Statenville was at stake.

Cal had no idea what he was doing, but it made no difference to Gold. As the mayor of Statenville, Gold prided himself on his moral and ethical conduct. But it was easy to justify a temporary restraining order on such morals and ethics when your way of life is being threatened. Gold knew it would be a tough decision to make, but it was for the good of the whole. At least that's what he told himself.

He took a long pull on his glass of scotch. He pondered his next move.

His phone rang and a voice on the other end gave him the news: "Cal's gone."

"What? Where is he? What about the girl?"

"His car veered off the road and wrecked near the river, but he was nowhere to be found. The girl's still waiting for him at The Mill, but she's lost without him. She still thinks that one day she might run The Register. She'll not want to jeopardize that pipe dream, so don't worry about her."

"Well, find him. And when you do, make sure he doesn't go anywhere. Who knows where is he, now that we can't track him."

Gold hung up his phone. Grieving in peace would have to wait.