by Robin Mahle
And now, as he returned to the place where his heart had been broken, he recalled the first of his victims and the feeling of vindication. A feeling that would carry him through the rest of the killings.
Jensen stopped the car and pulled the key from the ignition. “What do you want me to do now?”
“Get out.” Slocum again aimed his weapon at him.
They stepped outside and the sun shone down on Jensen’s balding head. He seemed to curse the clear day, wishing for a winter storm that might hinder this deputy’s plans. Not today.
“I don’t see no other cars.” Slocum checked the area. “Looks like our boy isn’t here.”
“He will be. My guy promised me Horton would be coming here ‘cause they all know he’s got a new stash today. They’ll all be wanting some of it.”
With the heat on, Horton might get spooked, but Slocum had to take that chance. “Best get inside, then, and wait for him.”
Agent Ness rushed through the door of the station house. “We got the phone records. The other victims’ and Deputy Slocum’s.”
“Thank God for small miracles.” Walsh approached him. “You look at them yet?”
“Not in detail. I wanted to get down here as soon as I could.”
“Okay then, let’s divvy them up.” Walsh began to hand out the files. “We can search the victims’ records and cross-reference any calls made to Slocum. He might be on the run, but we have to establish his connection to the victims. We have to be certain he’s our guy.”
“What about any calls between the deputy and Jenny Floyd?” Kate asked. “Do these records go back that far?”
“As a matter of fact, I was able to pull Jenny Floyd’s phone records from before her death.” Ness eyed the Floyds with a hint of remorse.
“This is exactly what we need to determine a history and whether Slocum had been planning this for a long time or just snapped,” Nick replied.
The agents began their review into the phone records when Quinn and Fisher pushed through the door with a kid no one knew.
Nick caught sight of them. “Who’s this? No Slocum?”
“No luck,” Quinn began. “Unless you count this kid.” He tossed the drugs onto a desk. “And these. This must be what it feels like to be DEA.”
“You must be Billy Horton. We’ve been looking for you, son,” Walsh replied.
“I think this kid might know where we can find Slocum,” Quinn pressed on. “But he’s reluctant to talk to us.”
“And, of course, he claims to know nothing about the drugs.” Fisher eyed the files the team was reviewing. “Please tell me those are the phone records.”
“Ness just got his hands on them. They’re from the victims as well as Jenny Floyd. Should give us a history on Slocum and if he was dealing,” Kate replied.
“Deputy Eric Slocum? A dealer?” Billy Horton asked with a snicker. “Not a fucking chance. I’d know about it if he was.” He eyed the Floyds. “Just like I know what they was up to. Trying to poach my business and all.”
“You’re a disgrace!” Lynn Floyd spat at Horton.
“Oh, I’m the disgrace?” He wiped off the spittle that landed on his cheek. “Well, what the hell does that make you two old fucks? Just ‘cause you got the good stuff from some shit doctor doling out scripts don’t make you no different than me.”
“We was doing it for the money. That’s all. For survival!” Lynn replied.
“Duh! What the fuck you think I was doing it for? My health?” Horton said. “Do I gotta sit here and listen to this shit or what? Y’all gonna charge me with something?”
Quinn grabbed him and easily shoved the scrawny kid into a nearby chair. “How about I get my DEA buddy down here and he’ll own your ass.”
Kate hadn’t seen or heard Quinn speak to a suspect, or whatever this guy was, in such a manner. Oh, he’d seen her do it plenty of times, something she’d come to regret. But it seemed he, too, had a darker side. There was more to Noah Quinn than she thought.
In that moment, Chief Tate emerged from his office. “Sounds like we’re all starting to lose our cool here a little bit. Maybe the agents in the room need to step out and take a breath.”
“Thank you, Chief,” Horton began. “Everyone around here has lost their damn minds!”
Tate continued his approach and stopped just inches from Horton, towering over the kid. “Boy, we ain’t friends, we ain’t even acquaintances. So you best keep that tongue of yours inside your head ‘cause I got no problem turning a blind eye if someone was to sock you in the mouth.”
Horton folded his arms, defending whatever dignity he clung onto.
“Now I came out here ‘cause I had a chance to review, in greater detail, these photos y’all brought me. Seems this one,” he held one of the pictures up, “was taken in Jenny Floyd’s bedroom.” He handed the image to Lynn Floyd. “Am I correct on that assumption, Mrs. Floyd?”
She peered at the image. “Yes. This is Jenny’s room.”
“And this one here.” He held up the other image. “This one here appears to have been taken inside Eric’s car, in front of the Floyds’ home. Am I correct on that count too?” He again handed the image to Lynn Floyd.
“Yes, sir, that appears to be our house in the background.”
“Meaning Eric had been to your house on at least these two occasions. That being said, Mrs. Floyd, I’m not entirely sure you’re being truthful with us about your knowledge of a relationship between my deputy and your daughter.”
John examined his wife. “Did you know about them, Lynnie? Why didn’t you say nothing?”
“She never came out and told me directly, but I knew she was seeing him. It was a long time ago. I guess it didn’t seem to matter none after she died. I didn’t know how serious it was or if it was serious at all. Like I said, she never said nothing about it.”
“Why didn’t you question her at the time?” Nick asked.
“I was planning to. But then I didn’t see him around no more and figured she’d broke it off for whatever reason. By that point, she’d been pretty heavy into the drugs and I was more concerned about that than the deputy and her maybe being boyfriend and girlfriend.”
“So she knew about the relationship. How does that help us now?” Kate asked.
The chief turned again to Mrs. Floyd. “Cause I think she might’ve called on ol’ Eric to help when she knew Jenny was going downhill. And like any grieving mother, afterwards, maybe she called upon his help again when she couldn’t pull herself out of that grief, a grief, I’m sure Eric must’ve shared.”
23
It was her husband, John, who was perhaps stunned most of all by the chief’s allegations. Had she asked the deputy for help to avenge their daughter’s death? It didn’t seem possible. This kind, hard working woman he’d been married to for almost thirty years? No. He couldn’t believe it. Maybe she’d turned to the deputy for a shoulder, but pigs weren’t flying just yet. There must’ve been an explanation to what the chief was suggesting.
“Lynnie, is this true?” John began. “You been keeping company with that deputy and not telling me?” His round belly heaved and fell with each word he strained to speak. “Did you know what he was doing? Did you know and choose not to stop him?”
“We refused to see what was happening to her, John. She withered away before our eyes and we did nothing to help her. We denied there was a problem at all. Well, I just couldn’t do it no more after that. I let her down and I wanted to make it right.” She peered at the eyes of judgment that surrounded her. “When one of you loses a child, you can tell me what you’d have done to make it right.”
“When exactly did you and Eric come together?” the chief asked.
“I seen him at the funeral. Like I said, she’d broke it off some time before she died. But I know he kept looking after her. He tried to help her when we failed to.”
“He was at the funeral. What happened then, Mrs. Floyd?” Kate pressed on.
“I asked him
, after everyone left and John was walking to the car. I asked him if he still loved her. He said yes. Then I asked him if he could do something to help make things right. He didn’t ask what, just nodded and walked away.”
“But that was a year ago,” Quinn began. “Why did it take so long to put a plan into action? I assume it was your plan.”
“There weren’t no plan. Not really. It just sorta came together, I reckon. Me and John needed money. I needed doctors’ help in getting prescriptions. That took time. And I used John’s disability to help with that. We agreed that we had to do something to keep from losing our house. Losing everything. And after losing our daughter, we just couldn’t bear the thought of having to move from the only place our daughter knew as home.”
“But you didn’t say nothing about the deputy.” John turned his sights to the chief. “I know what we did was wrong. Scheming to get the Oxy. I thought it was just so we could bring in the money we needed.”
“John didn’t know nothing about what I was doing with Eric Slocum. And, to be honest, I didn’t really know what he was doing. He just kept saying for me not to worry about it. Even when we were brought in cause he found them pills. I kept my mouth shut about our arrangement. He said he’d take care of things. I believed him. John had no part in any of this.”
“How did you two get the synthetic drugs? And how were they distributed?” Nick asked. “Who else was involved in the plan?”
“I got the Oxy from the doctors. Travelled to Florida sometimes to get them. Ohio sometimes too. Course it started getting harder lately, but that’s where I’d go. I’d keep some to sell for money, for John and me. The rest I gave to Eric. I don’t know what exactly he did with them, but once people started dying—folks I knew had been Jenny’s friends. Although ‘friends’ ain’t what I’d call them. I’d call them junkies—I figured it was best not to ask.”
Fisher eyed the woman, pushing the toothpick in his mouth from one side to the other, appearing to consider all she’d presented. “Walsh, you and Reid searched Slocum’s place. Did you find any evidence he was tampering with the drugs?”
“No. We didn’t,” Kate began. “If he did, he had to have been doing it somewhere else.”
Lazaro, who’d been silent, astonished by the revelation, looked to Kate. “There’s no way he would’ve known what to do. How to do that. I can’t make heads nor tails from this. There’s something else we’re not seeing.”
Billy Horton cleared his throat. “I might know something about that, but you know, I can’t say for sure, unless… Well, I mean, if I can help you folks somehow…”
“You best continue on with that sentence, then, boy,” the chief replied. “You want any chance of not spending the bulk of your adult life in some hell hole where no one’s gonna protect you, best you speak up now.”
“I might’ve told him about someone—once.”
“You said he wasn’t dealing. Who was this someone?”
“He wasn’t. Not that I knew anyhow. Slocum threatened to arrest me about six months ago. Pulled me over and caught me with a kilo of heroin.”
“A kilo?” Tate clenched his fists. “And he let you go?”
Horton nodded. “Said he’d let me slide so long as I put him in touch with my supplier for Oxy. Figured he just wanted to make the bust. And if it kept me out of trouble, I didn’t see no problem with it. I was planning on going somewheres else for the goods. Didn’t matter to me if my supplier got pinched. No way he’d trace it back to me.”
“You all know that, according to my DEA buddy,” Ness began, “a special compound was discovered in the pill found in Steven Schiller’s car the other day. And it matched the chemicals found in the victims. What’s been killing off the people around here was the use of that compound. Not just Fentanyl-laced pills.”
“Is it possible Slocum knew about the dangerous chemicals and knew how to turn what he had into the deadly synthetics?” Nick asked.
“A year had passed since Slocum decided he was going to take care of whatever it was that needed taking care of. Learning how to form the compound, getting a supplier in place. These could’ve been the reasons it took time to get everything lined up,” Kate added.
“And this was happening right under my nose.” Lazaro’s face masked in resentment. “Som’ bitch was my partner.”
“It wasn’t just happening under your nose. I’m the chief. He did this under my watch.”
“There’s enough blame to go around here,” Nick said. “We can sort that out later. Right now, Slocum’s still out there.”
“He has to know we’re onto him by now,” Kate said. “I think it’s time we call in state police. Get road blocks in place.”
“Reid’s right.” Duncan emerged from the breakroom that had been set up as a command center. “I’m wasting my time going through these records. We know who Slocum is now. And we need to nip this in the bud before someone else dies. Chief, do you have a state police contact?”
“Probably gonna need to get the commissioner in on this.” Tate headed toward his office. “I’ll make the call now.”
Slocum began to pace the small trailer. He removed the ball cap from his head and pulled off his jacket, overheated by nerves. Concern over the arrival of Billy Horton, or lack thereof, had consumed him. Two hours had passed and still nothing. The afternoon sun was at its peak and time was wasting. He was unraveling and so was his plan. “You best hope Horton shows up or I’ll make sure there’s nothing left of you, you hear me?”
“I can make the call again and figure out what’s taking him so long. It’s possible the cops got him. I mean, after the hospital and all the shit that’s gone down around here. You know, they’re probably on high alert and just waiting for somebody to fuck up on something. Maybe Billy Horton did. And maybe they got him.”
Slocum marched toward the haggard, middle-aged man. “Or maybe you planned it this way. You call the chief and tell him? Huh? Was that who you called?”
“If I’d done that, he’d be here by now. I ain’t trying to fuck with you, Slocum. I swear it. I ain’t stupid.”
Slocum appeared to reconsider his situation. “I don’t reckon I can just sit here. Something went south. Horton ain’t coming. There’s only one other place I can think of he might be. The old mining operation. Dumb ass kept his stash there thinking no one would turn up to steal it. Could be holed up there, trying to ride out the heat.”
“It’s on the way out of town. Might be a good idea to hi-tail it on out of Crown Pointe. We can go wherever you want.”
“They ain’t going to stop looking for me. It’s too late for me to get out of town. Chief’s a smart man. He’ll be making the necessary provisions.”
“No. They won’t stop looking, like you say, but we can buy you some time. We can ride it out, too. Kill two birds, you know what I’m saying? And when the worst of it passes, we make a beeline for the border. I can help you get out of Kentucky.”
“Why you doing this?” Slocum asked.
“Cause you got a gun on me. And I don’t fancy dying today.”
Slocum reflected on his plan. He knew the chief would do whatever it was the Feds wanted, meaning he’d probably authorize other jurisdictions in the state to join in the hunt. No one was going to let him get out of Kentucky alive. But maybe, if he started now. Maybe this fool was right. Maybe he stood a chance. It’d mean looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life, if by some miracle he got away. But at least he’d have taken down the one’s responsible for hurting Jenny.
The chief surfaced from his office. “Commissioner Hawthorne wants confirmation from Ness’s boss. Just to be sure the Feds are in on this full-bore, especially as we have zero concrete proof Slocum is our man. Doesn’t like the idea of a manhunt against one of our own.”
“I’ll make the call to ASAC Garza now.” Ness retrieved his cell and walked outside.
“He gets the all-clear and Hawthorne will put a team in place and coordinate the plan.” Tate sighed.
“I guess a part of me is hoping we’re all wrong about this. But that’s not very plausible now, is it?”
Lynn Floyd stood up, her shoulders pushed back. She straightened her blouse over her full figure and held the chief’s gaze. “I did what I did for my Jenny. I ain’t sorry none of them people died. They got what they deserved, and deep down, I think you know that. I am sorry, though, that Eric got in too deep. His only fault was loving my little girl. And this is where it got him.”
The chief stepped closer to her, his reedy frame hunched down. “People round here got problems. Lots of them. Some of them turn to the drugs because they think there ain’t no way out. So you tell me one thing, Mrs. Floyd. Whose problem is that? You turned your back on them people. Enabled their addictions ‘cause you were acting like judge, jury, and executioner. Well I’ll tell you one thing. I hope God shows you mercy ‘cause you sure as hell didn’t show it to none of them kids you helped kill.”
“I didn’t help…”
But before she could continue, Ness returned inside. “ASAC Garza’s making the call now to the commissioner. And I just got the DNA results back on the Floyds’ swab.”
In that moment, all eyes landed on him, desperate for the news. Contempt masked his face as he continued. “John’s DNA didn’t match anything found on the victims or the wooden shard Reid found in the shed.” He turned to Lynn Floyd. “However, your DNA was a match to that found on Joanne Waverly.”
“It was you.” Stunned, Kate reeled at the evidence. “You were the one who tried to clean her up. You wanted to give her a shred of dignity in her death because you felt guilty.” She eyed Quinn because they were right. Someone was helping Slocum, cleaning up after him. And it was her.
“Sweet Jesus.” Lazaro retrieved his handcuffs. “Mrs. Floyd, you’re under arrest for the murder of Miss Joanne Waverly.” He placed the cuffs on her hands.
