by Robin Mahle
“You need anything? A ride home tomorrow or something?”
“No, thank you. My momma’s coming to get me. Though I don’t expect she’ll want me at her place for too long. I wore out my welcome there long ago.”
“I hear them Feds asked you a lot of questions.”
“I reckon they did. Not that I had much in the way of answers. Just told them where Kevin usually got his drugs from is mostly all they wanted to know. Guess they figure they can find out who’s poisoning them or some shit, I don’t know.” She began to tear up again. “I just want them to find the monster that killed Kevin.”
“They said he took the same drugs as you and, well, I guess he was already in pretty bad shape before someone got to him.”
“That don’t make it right. They could’ve saved him, like they saved me.” She wiped away a stray tear. “Don’t make no sense. None of this makes no damn sense at all.”
“I know it don’t.” He looked toward the door and returned his attention to Lori. “Look, I know there ain’t a chance in hell you’re gonna get any kind of decent sleep. Your symptoms are gonna get a hell of a lot worse.” He rummaged in his pocket and held out his hand. “You should take this to get you through till morning.”
She eyed him and then the pill he held. Lori swallowed hard and her eyes blinked. “What? Where’d you…?”
“Don’t matter. Let’s just say I know what you’re going through. I’m just trying to help.” He placed the pill in her hand.
She moved it between her thumb and forefinger, eyeing Slocum and the drug, appearing to struggle to make sense of what he’d just done. But it didn’t seem to matter in the face of her addiction. She knew the craving would worsen and the idea that it would all go away was tempting like no other.
“Here.” He handed her the water. “It’ll take the edge off. Best hurry, though, before one of the nurses comes in.”
Lori plunked the pill in her mouth and washed it down with a large gulp of water.
Slocum grabbed the remote control. “Mind if I see what’s on the TV?” He sat down in the chair next to her.
She stared at him as he made himself comfortable. “Thank you, but you don’t need to keep me company. I’ll be okay. Just need some rest is all.”
“Oh, I don’t mind. Really. I got nothing to go home to anyway, ‘cept my dog.”
“Are we done here now?” Dumont asked. “They agreed to your outrageous requirement. They should be allowed to go back to their own home.”
“I think it would be a mistake, Chief,” Nick began. “They have no ties here. I believe they could be a flight risk.”
“You know what.” Tate’s eyes darkened with anger. “These folks have cooperated with everything you’ve asked of them. Now I see no reason as to why they can’t go on back home until we get results back.”
“Chief, I would agree with Scarborough,” Agent Ness stood. “The Floyds are our only lead in this investigation. No one can seem to find this Horton guy. And until we can prove they’re not involved, I think letting them go home would be a misstep.”
He began to pace the room, his long legs making short order of the task. “I don’t like this. Not one bit. You people come down here and…”
“Chief, you asked for our help and that’s exactly what we’ve offered,” Nick replied. “How about this? How about we keep your man posted at their house to keep an eye on them. I realize none of you think any of this was necessary, but until we can clear Mr. and Mrs. Floyd, I’m afraid I can’t agree to letting them go on their own. I can, however, agree to have Lazaro or Slocum keep watch for the night. At the very least, we should have analysis back on the prescription pills; swab might even come back if Ness can work his magic.”
Tate looked to Lazaro. “I can call Slocum back. Have him keep watch. You got Peggy and all to consider.”
“I don’t mind doing it, Chief. She’ll understand,” Lazaro replied. “No point in dragging him back here. I can handle it.”
“Well, I know you can, son, it’s just…”
“Chief, I can do it.”
He pressed his lips together until they turned white. “I know you been looking to get out of Slocum’s shadow, so if you want to do this, I can’t say as I’ll stop you.”
“Much appreciated. I’ll be just fine and I surely don’t expect no trouble from the Floyds in any case.” He looked at them. “Right?”
“No, sir. You won’t get no trouble from us old folk,” John replied.
“Then it’s settled.” Nick looked at Agent Ness. “This good with you?”
He nodded. “I’d better head out and start schmoozing with the white coats. See if I can’t light a fire under their asses for me—again. Y’all have a good night and try to keep a lid on things until I get back tomorrow. Hopefully with some answers.”
“You two doing all right back there?” Lazaro glanced into the rear-view mirror at the Floyds, who were still handcuffed in the back of his patrol car. “I’m sorry about the cuffs. I’ll take them off when we get to your house.”
“You know we ain’t done nothing wrong, don’t you, son?” John asked.
“This whole thing is all kinds of messed up, Mr. Floyd, and right now I just want to keep everyone safe. Nothing like this has ever happened in this town and I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why it has now.”
“We all are,” Lynn replied. “Listen, we ain’t had nothing to eat for hours. You think you could take us to the KFC drive-through for some supper? I got the diabetes, you know. My blood sugar’s dropping like a plane in the sky.”
“I reckon I can, seeings how you been so cooperative and such. I’ll have to make a detour, but I can do that. Wouldn’t mind a bite to eat myself. Been one hell of a long day.” Lazaro turned his car around and headed north, back into town where the KFC was located, along with the only other fast food restaurant in Crown Pointe, a McDonalds.
As he continued to drive and reached the edge of downtown, Lazaro passed the hospital. He did a double-take. “What the…?”
“What’s wrong, son?” John Floyd asked.
“Uh, nothing. Nothing, I guess. I see the KFC up ahead. Y’all know what you want?” He pulled into the drive-through that was empty as the night wore on and it was approaching 8pm. On a Friday night, the place would be hopping with teenagers and such, mostly looking for some fun, but some looking for trouble. But tonight, it was dead.
Lazaro relayed the order and on receipt of the food, pulled away again. “Hope y’all don’t mind, but I’d prefer if we wait till we get back to your place to dig in. Chief would put me in a noose if he knew we was eating in the patrol car.” He continued the drive back and again passed by the hospital. He slowed down.
“Everything all right?” Lynn asked.
Lazaro didn’t reply, only peered into the parking lot of the small hospital where he knew the young woman, Lori, had been taken to. And there it was still. “What the hell you doing there?” he whispered.
“What’s that?”
Lazaro turned back to John. “Huh? Oh, nothing. Best get back before the food gets cold.”
Eric Slocum turned when he heard the sound of Lori gagging. He switched off the television and quickly stood. “How you doing, sweetheart?”
Her eyes widened as she peered at him. “What did you give me?”
“What’s that? It’s hard to understand what you’re saying.”
“Why?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, but I can’t hear you properly. You’ll have to speak up.”
She clutched at her chest as sweat poured down her face, dripping on the hospital gown that clung to her perspiring body. “You did this. Kevin?”
Slocum walked toward the door and opened it just enough to peek into the hall. No one was around. He closed it and returned to her side. “Just so you know, I’m real sorry about this. I didn’t want it to come to this, but you said some things you shouldn’t have and it could bring down a hellfire on me. Now, I probably fixed
things on my end, but I just can’t rely on anyone else not to blow it for me. Again, I’m real sorry. You seem like a nice girl.”
He pulled a pillow out from beneath her head and bunched it in his hands. “God, forgive me.” Slocum placed the pillow on her face and pushed down as Lori squirmed beneath.
Her arms flailed and slapped his hands a few times, leaving marks.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be. I don’t want to break nothing.” He pushed down again.
Her legs were the first to slow. No longer were they kicking under the covers. Then her hands lowered, no longer tugging at his arms. Soon, she stopped moving all together.
“Like I said, I’m real sorry, Lori. Your boyfriend shouldn’t have told you nothing. Never mind. You’d have been dead soon enough anyways. You’re too weak to fight off the addiction. Anyone could see that.”
Slocum returned the pillow underneath her head and started toward the door. Upon opening it once again, he noticed there was still no one in the hall. He stepped out and headed toward the back of the building and to the stairs that led to the first floor and into the parking lot.
Reaching the stairs, he walked down the single flight and pushed open the door leading to the lot outside. And under cover of darkness, Deputy Eric Slocum slipped into his truck and drove away.
19
Inside the station, the team continued to parse every possible piece of evidence they could find on the victim’s cell phone. The request for additional phone records had been made and now they waited to see if the other victims whose cell phones had not been recovered received calls from this victim or placed calls to the same numbers.
“Here’s that number again.” Kate pointed to the phone’s screen as she spoke to Duncan.
“We need to get those records and hope to find a match,” Duncan replied. “This number has got to be the dealer.”
“And if we find it on the other records, we’ll be that much closer.”
“Finding out who that number belongs to is the first priority,” Nick said.
“We’re waiting on that information too.” Kate looked to Walsh. “When do you think your guy can have that info for us?”
“He knows it’s important. He’ll get it as quickly as he can.” Walsh checked the time. “You know, I wouldn’t mind stopping by the Floyds to see if Lazaro is okay. I don’t know. The kid seems a little soft to me.”
“There’s not much else we can do tonight. Not until we get the records,” Fisher added. “While you’re there, see if you can find a cell belonging to the Floyds. That’ll speed this little exercise along.”
“Nothing turned up when Duncan and I were there earlier, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have one.”
Nick stood from the table. “Walsh, you and I can stop by on the way back to the motel. I think the rest of you should go and get some sleep. We’ll want an early start in the morning.”
Nick drove the SUV with Agent Walsh in the passenger seat. It was approaching midnight and the roads were deadly silent. “Not much seems to happen around here past ten pm.”
“I think the people are heeding the warning and staying holed up in their homes. They’re all afraid.”
“They should be.”
“You don’t think the Floyds are the killers, do you?” Walsh asked.
“It certainly is possible, but my gut tells me no. Reid and Quinn have tossed around a few theories. They don’t always pan out.”
“Do you think she goes along with Quinn’s ideas because he’s her boss and she’s still an apprentice?”
“Maybe. Reid’s strong-willed and pig-headed, but in this instance, I do think she’s deferring to him until she has proof otherwise. Don’t get me wrong, he could still come out on the right side of this. We don’t know what we don’t know.”
“Well, hell, if we had proof otherwise, we wouldn’t be here right now. We’d be back at Quantico and case closed.”
Nick smiled. “You’re right about that. However, we can agree they’re involved to some extent I just don’t know how much. The drug dealing? Sure. People get desperate. And these people probably felt they had nothing to lose. I think the phone records will reveal a contact. Someone who ties all the victims together. Someone who is also tied to Jenny Floyd.” Nick turned down the drive. “Let’s see how our deputy is doing.” He rolled to a stop and cut the engine. Inside, the curtain pulled back and Lazaro’s face appeared in the window.
Lazaro stepped outside with his hand on his holster. He peered into the darkness until Nick and Levi Walsh came into view. “What’s going on? Everything okay? Please don’t tell me someone else has been killed.”
“No. Nothing’s changed,” Nick began. “We sent the team back to the motel to get some shut eye and we’re heading back there too, but wanted to see how you were doing.”
“All quiet here. The Floyds have gone up to bed. I’m just sitting on the chair, ready in case something happens. Come on in, if you want.”
They followed him back inside the house, which was dark except for the living room, where he waited.
“Oh, you know there was something. Well, not really something, but…”
“What is it?” Walsh asked.
“I noticed Eric over there at the hospital on my way back here a little while ago.”
“Why were you near the hospital? Isn’t that opposite of here?” Nick added.
“Yes, but Mr. and Mrs. Floyd was hungry and asked me to stop at the KFC and, you know, I didn’t want them to starve, so I drove there. Anyway, I spotted his truck there. Was wondering if he’d had a word with the young woman, Lori?”
“Don’t know. I don’t think anyone’s heard from him. Did he know her personally?” Walsh asked.
“Maybe. It’s a small town. Don’t think he ever said as much, but it’s possible.”
“I don’t think it’s cause for concern. Like you said, he probably knows her and was just checking to see how she was doing,” Nick said. “We can ask him in the morning.” He surveyed the house. “Listen, if you happen to see anything relating to the Floyds’ daughter, Jenny, maybe you could document it? And a cell phone, too.”
“You want me to snoop around while they’re asleep?”
“I’m inclined to believe the Floyds are innocent of the murders, but my inclination isn’t nearly enough,” Nick said. “Just keep an eye out for anything that might help in the investigation.”
“Sure thing, Agent Scarborough.”
“We’ll let you to it, then. I keep my phone by my side at all times. You see something, call me.”
The beacon of light, the neon green “vacancy” sign, lit up the parking lot as the agents returned to the motel. The four stepped out of the SUV with Kate and Quinn, making their way to the sidewalk fronting Kate’s room. Fisher and Duncan were about to head in opposite directions.
“We’ll be back at it in the morning,” Fisher began. “Good work today, everyone. Get some rest.” He continued to his room.
“Night, guys.” Duncan headed to her room.
Kate was left standing alone with Quinn as they both approached her room.
“You know, I think I should tell you something,” Quinn began.
“Yeah? What’s that?” She inserted the key into the lock.
“I requested your case files. Hendrickson and Shalot.”
Kate’s expression fell. “I thought I said I wasn’t ready to get into that with you. Why would you go behind my back?”
“I’m sorry, Kate. I just thought, well, I guess it doesn’t matter now, but I wanted to learn more about you.”
“About me? And you think digging into my past without my consent was the way to do that? You know, I’ve been nothing but up front with you.”
“I know you have. And that’s why I’m telling you this now. What you went through—on both occasions—I just find it fascinating that you’re standing here in front of me now.”
“Fascinating?” She smirked. “It’s called surviving.
And what else would you expect from someone whose life was in danger? Shrink up and wait to die?” She pushed open the door. “I guess you don’t know me as well as you think you do.” Kate began to walk inside, but Quinn pressed his hand on her door to hold it open.
“What I did was shitty and I’ll be the first to admit that. Scarborough saw the files on my desk and warned me that if you found out, you’d be pissed.”
“I’m not pissed.”
“But you’re disappointed, aren’t you?”
“Look, Quinn, I’m not your mother. Disappointment is reserved for parents who use it against their children to induce guilt. But I will tell you that you won’t find anything more about me in those files than you would if you just talked to me. I’m so much more than what’s in those archives.”
“I know you are. I can see that. I have, up until now, underestimated you. And I guess that’s really what I’m sorry for. Please forgive me. I’d rather, when you’re ready, hear what happened from you directly. Not from some cop’s interpretation of what happened. And certainly not from Shalot’s testimony.”
Kate turned her sights as headlights caught her attention. “Looks like the boss is back.” She eyed Quinn’s hand, which still rested on the door of her room.
Nick emerged from the vehicle along with Agent Walsh. He approached the two. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Just saying goodnight.” Quinn pulled his hand off the door. “Everything okay at the Floyds’ place?”
Walsh joined them. “Right as rain. We asked Lazaro to have a look around. See if anything of interest catches his eye regarding Jenny Floyd. Otherwise, that’s about it.” He raised an index finger. “Although he did mention spotting Slocum’s personal vehicle, a truck, at the hospital.”
“Really?” Kate began. “That’s interesting. Does he have a relationship with Lori? Figured he would’ve mentioned that.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Nick eyed Quinn. “Good night. See you in a few hours.” He turned to Walsh and nodded.
