Chapter 72 Summary
Over breakfast, Javon Morris presses Anthony Russell on the danger he believes Tony is facing. While Javon eats, Tony is visibly unsettled, barely touching his food as he asks why he would be the next target. Javon explains that the threatening message left at Steven Schroeder’s apartment outlined a clear escalation: Steven was the warning, and Tony, who is publicly challenging GenaSeed, is the logical next consequence. Javon confides that he believes the threat originated from within GenaSeed and identifies Roger Cortez as the most likely orchestrator. He reasons that Cortez was the only GenaSeed representative at Tony’s conference, saw Steven with Tony, and could easily have used company resources, including private investigators, to locate Steven’s address. Javon admits he has no hard evidence yet and hints at a plan designed to draw Cortez out, suggesting they continue the discussion somewhere more private.
Meanwhile, Bravo arrives at the BestInn Hotel and makes his way to room 516. After confirming the room is empty, he uses Remington’s passkey to enter and methodically searches for identifying information. Although the room has been cleaned, traces of Remington’s stay remain. Bravo searches clothing, luggage, drawers, and furniture, but finds nothing useful until he discovers the hotel safe in the closet. Using the burner phone’s number as a passcode, he successfully opens it. He uncovers multiple passports, driver’s licenses, and credit cards, each bearing Remington’s photograph but different identities, along with a roll of cash. Bravo takes the contents, locks the safe again, and decides to assume one of Remington’s identities by changing into a tailored suit from the closet. After carefully removing any trace of his presence, he exits the room looking every bit like a legitimate business executive.
Later, Javon and Tony relocate to Waterloo Park, where they walk along a secluded trail to avoid being overheard. Javon lays out his whole theory and strategy. He explains that Cortez has two possible objectives: to have Tony killed or to frame him for the abduction of Walter Jenkins. Javon believes the second option was already in motion and that Tony’s life is now in immediate danger if that plan fails. He details how the envelope delivered to the FBI was likely planted by Cortez, using Sandra Brown as an unwitting courier, and points out inconsistencies in Cortez’s claims of not knowing Steven Schroeder. Javon also recounts observing a brief but telling reaction during Cortez’s FBI interview when Steven’s name and the physical message were mentioned. Despite lacking arrest-worthy evidence, Javon reveals his risky next move: to formally arrest Tony for Jenkins’s abduction, using the charge as bait to expose the true culprit.
