“Why are the police interested in a job he never did?” Simon asked.

“Simon,” Mason said slowly. “The world thinks your friend is a killer. What the fuck is making you question how we do our job?”

The man looked at the floor and shifted in his chair. “He told me about the job. It was posted near the department up at the school.”

“AJ found it?”

“Yeah, someone had made a job flyer looking for guys that were exactly six one, lean build, and stated that it was for a one-time impromptu performance. We both fit the description, so AJ passed the phone number on to me. Usually I ignore job postings like that but when I called and left my number, the guy called me back and the money was decent for a day’s work. And he said it could lead to more of the same type of job. Sounded like easy money.”

“What type of job was it?” Mason asked. His ears were ringing as his brain realized they were very close to finding their answer, and he leaned forward to hear better. Every receptor in his body waited for Simon’s answer.

Simon met his gaze and his mouth turned down, his shoulders drooping. “It was for one of those surprise shows. The ones that pull pranks on your friends. The guy who posted the ad has a whole bunch of them on YouTube that are freaking hilarious. They scare and surprise the crap out of people in their offices or in public places.”

“My son loves those things,” Ray said.

Mason had caught glimpses of the shows on TV but had never bothered to watch. To him, they were poorly acted and badly produced. Ray’s preteen son seemed about the right age to appreciate the humor. Mason found enough surprises in life; he didn’t need to watch more.

“AJ was hired to do that?” Mason asked.

“Yeah, but he never got the chance.”

Silence filled the room.

“Shit!” Simon made the connection. “Are you saying AJ shot all those people and it was supposed to be a joke? Holy fuck!” Simon stood and paced into his kitchen, pulling at his hair. “That’s messed up! There’s no way—”

“That’s not what we think happened,” said Mason. “But the guy who he contacted about the job might be involved.”

“Travis?”

The investigators straightened. “That’s his name?” Ray asked, pulling out his notebook.

“Yeah, I met with him the other day. He hired me to do a prank at a local Starbucks.”

“When?” Mason nearly shouted.

“Dunno. I’m waiting to hear. He’s supposed to text me when it’s time. But it should be within a day or two.”

“Which Starbucks?”

Mason’s mind raced as Simon gave the location. “Were you told to hide in the bathroom until the job started?” Mason asked.

Simon nodded, fear crossing his face. “What was going to happen there?”

“What can we do?” Ray said in a low voice as Zander and Mason stepped close to confer, ignoring Simon’s question.

“We can close that location. Now. We can’t risk another shooting in public,” said Zander. “And if the store is closed, he’ll have to change his plans, buying us some time.” He looked at Simon. “We need the number you have to contact this guy. You know his last name?”

Simon pulled out his phone and started scrolling. “I don’t know his last name. One of the conditions of the job was that I couldn’t tell anybody about it until we’d completed filming. That’s the only reason I held back at first.”

Mason gestured for him to hurry up, but figured the guy had probably given Simon a fake name and phone number. “What’s he look like?”

“Tall. Slim build. Longish dark hair. Has some creepy burn scars down one part of his neck and on the side of his face. I think he wears his hair long to cover them.”

“Did he have any other pranks planned to film?” Zander asked.

“Beats me,” said Simon as he handed his phone to Zander with the contact open. “He only talked to me about the one. With all the setup and organizing, I doubt he’s got more than one going on at a time.”

There’re no pranks being filmed! Mason bit his tongue.

Zander snapped an image of Simon’s contact page. “We need to know the minute you hear from this guy.”

“Maybe we should have a uniform stay close to Simon,” Ray suggested.

“A cop? Why? Am I in danger?” Simon’s voice cracked. “What the hell is going on?”

Mason put a hand on his shoulder, looking into scared brown eyes. “As long as you don’t go near that Starbucks or meet this guy again, I think you’ll be fine. We think he’s organized these . . . pranks . . . to cover up the shootings that happened this summer.”

“He fooled AJ into killing himself?” Simon whispered. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“We’ll let you know when we have all the answers. Did he tell you to buy clothes?”

“Nah, he had the outfit on hand he wanted me to wear.”

“Can we see them?” Ray asked. Simon disappeared down a hallway.

“Do we need to close the store?” Mason asked. “Or do we wait until he calls and tells Simon to move into position? And then set up a sting?”

“We have to close it,” Ray argued. “We can’t risk the chance of a shooting there.”

“I’m with Ray,” said Zander. “I’m making the call.” He stepped out of the apartment. Mason knew it was the right thing to do, but damn he wished they could set it up to catch the guy the minute he set foot near the store.