by Robin Mahle
“I didn’t kill her,” Lynn pleaded.
“Your DNA was found on the victim. We have no physical proof Eric Slocum killed her. Just yours,” Kate said.
“Take her back to the holding cell,” the chief said.
“No. No. Please don’t. She’s all I got left. She didn’t mean to do it,” John pleaded. “Lynnie, why?”
“I didn’t kill her. I swear it. I just—I’m sorry, John.”
Lazaro pulled her through the station toward the only holding cell in the back.
“For God’s sake,” Walsh began. “This is some kind of fucked up mess.”
“I need some air.” Kate headed toward the door and stepped outside into the afternoon air that was turning cooler as the day dragged on. She peered upward and closed her eyes. Goose bumps raised on her skin as the air passed through her.
“Hey. You okay?” Quinn drew near and stood next to her. “Here’s some water.” He handed her a Dixie cup from the cooler inside. “Walsh is spot-on. This is seriously fucked up.”
“It’s sad,” Kate replied. “A mother looking for revenge. A man in love seeking the same.” She turned to him. “This isn’t what I thought it was going to be.”
“I don’t think it’s what any of us thought it would be.”
“You were right, though,” she continued.
“I think we were both right about some things. Not about others. But that’s the deal, isn’t it? That’s how we get better at our jobs.”
“We still need Eric Slocum—and his DNA to prove he killed them all. It’ll be easy to prove Lynn Floyd didn’t do the deed, considering her size and age. We have to find Slocum to finish this.”
Quinn stared out into the wooded land across from the station house. “I can assure you, we’re not going to take a step back just because the state police are getting involved. We need to trace Slocum’s steps. We need to get inside his head. And you and I are the ones to do it.”
“And the others?”
“They all have their own areas of expertise. We’ll come together with our ideas and take it from there. Just like any other investigation.”
She turned to Quinn with a bleak but curious gaze. “What would you have done if it was your child? If you’d seen your own kid sliding down the slippery slope of drug abuse.”
“I honestly don’t know, although I don’t think murder would come to mind.”
“No. I would hope that wouldn’t be the first thing on my mind either.”
“What would you do, Kate? If you had a child and that child died.”
A memory flashed in her mind. She listened to the doctor tell her the pregnancy had to be terminated and that she would never be able to conceive. “Well, see, that’s the thing. I don’t have to worry about that.” Kate tossed the paper cup into the trash can and walked back inside.
Nick spotted her return and made his way toward her. “You okay?” He eyed the door as Quinn returned as well.
“Fine. What’s the plan?”
Sterling Jensen had stepped outside with a large blanket that was tossed over the back of the sofa in the trailer. He laid it out across the back seat of his car. Pulling upright again, he examined the area. No cops—not yet anyway. Maybe this plan of his could work. It was the only way he thought he might actually survive this insane situation in which he found himself. Being held hostage by a cop was something new to him. And this was a crazy cop at that. A man with nothing left to lose who didn’t seem to care who he might take down with him.
A final look around and he returned inside where Slocum stood, looming over him. It seemed a man with a gun appeared much larger than he might otherwise. And right now, Slocum looked like a giant. “I think we’re ready. We should probably skedaddle.”
Slocum followed him outside. He slipped into the back seat while Jensen entered the driver’s seat and started the engine.
“I sure hope you don’t try anything stupid.” Slocum revealed the gun in between the seats, just enough to show the man he was still in charge.
“I haven’t done nothing stupid so far and I sure as shit don’t aim to start.” He pulled away from the trailer before making it to the road ahead. “Should take us half hour, I reckon, to get there.”
“Just take your time and don’t draw no attention to yourself.”
Jensen peered into the rear view. “I understand.” He eyed the road ahead and accelerated enough to hit the speed limit. “I won’t go a mile over the limit.” He wished he had said something that day when the cops came. He wouldn’t be in this situation now if he had. Of course, he couldn’t know Slocum was a crazy son of a bitch. A fleeting thought shot through his mind, one he couldn’t possibly act upon unless he wanted to end up dead. But it had occurred to him to drive right to the police station. It sure would save a lot of grief on his part. Maybe he was just too selfish and wasn’t ready to die just yet. Not that he had much to live for. He hadn’t worked in years. Drank too much. And his recreational use of heroin was becoming something more than that, a fact he only just now seemed to realize.
But in the end, he wasn’t ready to die. And maybe this was his wake-up call, if he was lucky enough to survive the day. He would get his act together. Maybe even get the hell out of this God forsaken place. The town that the country forgot. He snickered.
“What’s so funny?” Slocum asked from the back.
“Nothing. Nothing about this is at all funny.”
“Then how ‘bout you shut it and just keep driving.”
“Will do.” Whatever thoughts of bringing Slocum to justice at the expense of his own life had vanished as quickly as they had surfaced. He wasn’t willing to die for this town. It gave him nothing and, in fact, only took away. He owed no one nothing in Crown Pointe. So when this was over, he was gone. One way or another.
“We ready to do this?” Walsh eyed his team.
“As ready as we’ll ever be.” Fisher turned to the chief. “Is that them coming up the road?”
A convoy of cop cars, state police, with sirens blaring, rolled into the parking lot.
“They aren’t messing around,” Walsh said. “So the plan is to split up and team up with these guys?”
“That’s the plan,” Nick replied.
A man with stripes on the shoulders of his uniform entered the station. “Afternoon. I’m Captain Lowell. Guess we got us a good old-fashioned manhunt underway, is that right?”
“That it right.” Nick offered his hand. “BAU, Senior Unit Agent Scarborough.” He introduced the team. “Agents Reid, Walsh, Fisher, and Duncan. And this is Agent Quinn. We’ve been assisting Chief Tate with this investigation for the better part of a week. And we finally got a breakthrough.”
“I figured that was why we were called out, Agent Scarborough. Pleasure to meet you and your team. I guess I’ll start by saying my team and I know these roads better than most. Except maybe the chief here. So I’d like to take point on setting up the road blocks.”
“I have no problem with that. In the meantime, we’ll need to search the town and hope Deputy Slocum hasn’t already made his way clear of it,” Nick said.
“I don’t much like knowing this is all because of one of our own. So you’d better believe my team will find this son of a bitch. Although I can’t guarantee no one’s gonna get hurt in the process.”
Nick seemed to catch on to the captain’s meaning. So did everyone else. “This has been a tough situation for everyone involved. Do what you need to do. But the deputy’s been a part of this police department for a long time. And I think the chief would like every precaution considered when it comes to taking in Slocum.”
“Well, I can surely understand that perspective. So we’ll do what we can. But I won’t let this law man take down any of my own. Or yours, if they’re with me.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
24
Jensen’s old Ford Taurus rumbled down the road toward the shuttered mining operation. With his eyes peeled for the police,
his nerves stood on end. “My angina’s gonna act up at this rate,” he whispered.
“What’d you say?”
He peered into the rear-view mirror at Slocum, whose head just peeked out over the blanket. “Nothing.” And that was when he saw them. “Oh shit. You best get down.”
“What’s going on?”
Jensen kept on shifting his gaze between the mirrors and the road ahead. “Son of a bitch. I can’t believe we just missed them.”
“Missed who? You best tell me what the fuck is happening right now.” Slocum raised the gun into view.
“It’s the cops. Two patrol cars, state police, just rolled up at the intersection. Looks like they’re blocking the road. Holy shit. We made it through just in time.”
“Just keep going. We gotta be getting close.”
“We are. Five more minutes, I reckon. And we might just be in the clear.”
“If they’re blocking off roads,” Slocum began, “chances are better than fair they’ll turn up at the mines.”
“Not necessarily. Once you get inside, there’s only one way out and that’s the road we’re on now. This don’t lead nowhere else, ‘cept the mines. No reason for them to come back in here.”
As the patrol cars shrank in the rear-view, Jensen forged ahead on the road where the pavement was about to end and the pea-sized gravel path started. It was used to keep the dust down when vehicles rolled over it. Good thing too, because the dust would plume into the air like a fire in the sky. And that would surely draw unwanted attention.
Slocum poked his head between the seats as they approached the jobsite trailer. “That’s Horton’s truck. Son of a bitch is here. Pull up next to him.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” Jensen stopped his car next to an old pick-up. “You want me to check it out?”
“Christ, you must take me for a fool.” Slocum stepped out of the back seat and pulled open Jensen’s door. “You’re coming with me.”
They approached the steps of the trailer and Jensen was the first to reach the door.
“You want me to open it?”
“Yes. Slowly.” With his gun in Jensen’s back, Slocum waited.
“Don’t look like no one’s here.” Jensen walked inside and noticed the cabinet. “Not anymore, anyway.”
“Shit. His stash is gone,” Slocum said.
“And so is Horton.”
“Why the hell is his truck still here?”
“Well, I think we both know the answer to that. What say we make our way up the hill a tad farther and see if we can find some shelter? Best not stick around here much longer. Besides, most of this place is overrun with grasses and weeds and shit. Some trees even. Might be best to hole up around there.”
Slocum considered the suggestion. “You know I could’ve killed you back at Devil’s Den?”
“I do know that, sir.” As if Jensen was attempting to take him someplace more secluded in an effort to kill him. “I’m just looking for a place to keep hidden is all. We can’t turn around and head back. Not with the roads blocked off.”
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to trust you.”
“You are the one with the gun, Deputy. I’ll do as you please.”
Nick returned his weapon to his holster and stood in front of the team as they waited for the go-ahead. “Captain Lowell’s guys are getting into place as we speak. Road blocks will be installed on every route going out of Crown Pointe. Those officers who’ve remained will be teaming up with you all. They know the roads around here like the backs of their hands. So you will, no doubt, be in the best possible situation to find and capture Eric Slocum.”
“Luckily, I just completed my firing range renewal hours,” Walsh said to Kate. “Been a while since I had to consider the possibility of opening fire on a suspect.”
“It’s old hat for me.” Kate laughed.
Walsh nudged her arm and smiled.
“So if there are no questions,” Nick continued, “I’ll ask you all to get with your teams and head out. The sooner we get out there, the better the chances are of bringing him in.”
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Kate said. “Good luck out there, Levi.”
“Back at you, Kate.” He headed toward Duncan, who would partner up with Deputy Lazaro.
“You ready to do this?” Quinn asked her.
“Yes I am. Who’s coming with us?”
“I am.” A young man in his late twenties, broad shouldered and pushing six feet two inches, appeared. “Officer Shelby. I grew up around here. I know every nook and cranny of this town. So if Slocum’s here, we’ll be the ones to find him.”
“Let’s hit the road,” Quinn said.
Kate eyed Nick as she set off.
“Good luck.” His voice was only a whisper, although he knew she understood what he’d said. He wanted to go with her, but it was best she went with Quinn.
“You ready to head out, boss?” Fisher approached him. “This is Sergeant Lee. Sarg, this is the boss, Agent Scarborough.”
“Pleasure, Agent Scarborough. We should get out there.”
A final check to see that Walsh and Duncan had paired up with Lazaro, and Nick was ready to go. “Lead the way, Sergeant.”
Outside, the teams were pulling out of the parking lot.
“What’s our plan of action, Shelby?” Quinn asked from the passenger seat.
“With the BOLO issued, we’re waiting on any calls of sightings. Short of that happening, our best bet, if y’all are in agreement, is to tackle his known hangouts.”
“We’ve been that route for the past several hours,” Kate said. “If he’s still in town, should we consider a different approach?”
“Any suggestions, Reid?” Quinn asked. “Going door to door?”
“That might be a waste of resources.” Kate peered through the rear passenger window. “However, given what we know of Slocum, he might feel desperation sinking in. He might consider going to see Jenny Floyd.”
“You want to go to the gravesite?” Quinn nodded as though thinking hard on the matter before responding, “Unless anyone else has any better ideas, what have we got to lose?”
“You’ll get no objections from me,” Shelby said. “We’ll head straight there and see what we can find.” He continued along the road, veering right at the intersection. “It’s not far. Should be there in five minutes.” He turned to Quinn. “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Y’all are supposed to be experts in what, like understanding crazy people, right?”
“That’s a tad simplistic and not entirely accurate, but go on.”
“Well, I guess I don’t understand how y’all didn’t realize this Deputy Slocum was the one who was doing the killing. The BAU, that’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, right?”
“Uh-huh.” Quinn appeared offended by the officer’s comments but held his tongue.
“Seems kinda obvious he would’ve been the one. I mean, no offense, just seems like the chief, at least, should’ve picked up on that fact.”
“How long have you been with the state police, Shelby?” Kate interjected.
“About three years.”
“And in those three years, you ever miss something? Ever have a theory about a case that turned out not to be correct?”
“Well, sure—I…”
“Sometimes, no matter how hard we work to put together an accurate profile, it just doesn’t always pan out. And in this particular case, Deputy Slocum was extremely close to Chief Tate. It’s a tight-knit department. And Slocum had kept his relationship with Jenny Floyd a secret, for whatever reason. So I have to tell you that you’re out of line. When you’ve been around as many psychotic killers who’ve sliced open their victims or mutilated them in some way, as we have, you tend to see a pattern. Well, Slocum didn’t fit the pattern. And so here we are.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Of course y’all are doing the job best you can. I mean no disrespect.”
“None taken,” Quinn sai
d. “Things just don’t always pan out the way you think they will. You’ll figure that out soon enough.”
The officer was quiet for the remainder of the drive, which wasn’t long in any case. “This is it up ahead. The cemetery. It ain’t very big. We can probably find her ourselves. Unless you want to talk to the caretaker?”
“If he’s here, we’ll spot him.” Quinn stepped out of the car after the officer stopped.
Kate joined him. “Sorry for the diatribe.”
“Don’t be. Kid doesn’t know much right now. He’ll learn.” Quinn eyed the grounds. “Let’s have a look around and get the hell out of here if we don’t see him. Graveyards give me the heebie jeebies.”
“Really?” Kate smiled. “I never would’ve guessed Superman’s weakness was graveyards.”
“I’m no Superman. And I have plenty of weaknesses.” Quinn started in toward the grounds. “You coming, Shelby?”
The young officer jogged to catch up. “Sorry about what I said back there. I really didn’t mean anything by it.”
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just find Slocum,” Quinn replied.
Fisher cast his gaze between Nick and Sergeant Lee as he drove. “Why are we going back to Slocum’s house?”
“I don’t want to overlook anything. Now that we know he’s still out there, I want to be sure he hasn’t left anything behind that might indicate his whereabouts now,” Nick replied.
“Okay. I just hope we aren’t wasting time.”
“Look, Fisher, I know we’ve all gotten off to a little bit of a rocky start, but I hope that someday you’ll come to trust me.”
“I’m sorry, man. You’re right. I guess I’m used to calling the shots, for the most part. Cole wasn’t as hands-on as you are. And I need to make the adjustment. This is your team. And I respect that.”
“I can’t imagine the shit storm you all deal with on a daily basis,” Lee said. “Can’t say I envy you one bit.”
Fisher laughed. “No sir. Envy would not be the right word. Feel sorry for? Maybe. No, but we deal with some scary shit. No joke. This is probably one of the least horrific cases we’ve been on. Wouldn’t you say, Scarborough?”
