A light shines down onto the desk of Candy Kane. Sitting on top is a tape recorder, which almost seems to click PLAY automatically.
“If you’re hearing this, you’ve found what might be my last message. I’ve left this on my desk in the case of something going down horrifically south of my plans.”
“I’ve been on the tail end of a case that’s been longer than the shadow left by the dead man who put it into my hands. From a simple pile of photos came one hell of a case that began to spiral deeper and deeper. What should have just been a single corrupt preacher turned into a near one broad war against a crew of bozos.”
In the scratchiness of the recording, the sounds of a glass being set back down onto the table can be heard. The voice then continues.
“The hunt for Gino Carelli has become something beyond just a normal case. It’s a trail that lures me in deeper and deeper, the flame that lures the moth that I’ve become. What should have been just a single case has turned into uncovering an entire criminal empire run by one of the nastiest, ruthless bastards in Arcadia.”
“Should have known that poking too much would have brought heat down on me. Sending that fella to whack me should’ve been the marker for any sane person to get the hell out of dodge. But there’s nothing that I haven’t cracked with a Jaw Breaker, and this guy wasn’t any different.”
There’s a sigh across the recording, a pause as she continues.
“And boy, did he sing. Sang about where they were hiding, how much they were doing, answered anything I asked. For such a tight lipped organization, I was almost surprised by how easy it was to get what I was looking for. Lined up all the evidence, and built one hell of a case for myself. Then I let him go.”
“Shame he’s probably dead. Can’t imagine that Gino would let someone like that just live. But that’s the game you get into with these things. Life, death. All of it hangs in the balance of these games. But there isn’t a life worth getting into with a little death on the line.”
“I’ve built up what I recorded, all the evidence I’ve assembled and connected since the beginning. It’s safely in the hands of a trusted friend in the APD, a place where Gino can’t get it. Hopefully, I’ll be back in one piece to get it back.”
“And if I’m not? Then there’s enough motive there to prosecute for murder, and he’s back behind bars. Because that’s the piece there. It doesn’t matter what I do, or how this match turns out. Piece by piece, I’ve set all the domino pieces up right to fall in my favor. If I pay the ultimate price, that’s what it takes”
“And Gino’s going down.”
The tape stops, and the light illuminating Candy Kane’s desk flicks off into darkness.