by Karen Rose
Wendi turned that probing stare onto Novak. ‘Do you agree with that statement?’
Novak nodded. ‘Yes. Absolutely, yes. The person who found these wasn’t looking for them. They came across them while doing a good deed of another sort. You can trust that.’
‘All right. Because I trust Dani and I know she trusts you.’ Wendi touched Meredith’s shoulder. ‘You’ll make sure Kendra isn’t caught up in any of this dangerous stuff?’
Meredith’s smile was wry. ‘Kenny’s a cop, Wen. She can take care of herself. But because I know you worry, sure. I’ll watch out for her.’ She gestured to the table. ‘They all will.’
Meredith’s wry smile remained in place until Wendi had left, accompanied by Agent Colby. Then her face fell. ‘Kendra is not okay.’
Twenty-four
Cincinnati, Ohio,
Saturday 15 August, 10.35 A.M.
Mallory parked the car in front of the drugstore and tried not to cry. There was no pay phone here and the pharmacist on duty knew who she lived with and believed she was a dangerous, moody juvenile delinquent who’d been sent away for trying to kill someone when she’d had a nervous breakdown. If she asked to use a phone inside . . .
He’d find out. She wasn’t ready for that to happen yet. Not until she got some promises from a police officer she could trust. Not until she was sure Macy would be safe.
He’d always had a tracker on the car. She’d known it since the day he gave her the keys and a shopping list, wearing a sly grin that taunted. It was the only way he’d give her even that much freedom. Still, she’d stolen a quick look under the car when she’d arrived at the store that very first day she’d driven herself. The tracker was clearly visible and would have been easily removable – which told her that he’d hidden a second one in a position that wasn’t so visible. It had been a test. She’d known it then.
He’d confirmed it with another sly grin when she’d returned. Smart girl, he’d said, patting her on the head. So she never deviated. Never disobeyed.
Because he’d know. He always knew.
She closed her eyes, trying to think of what she could do. She had ten dollars in quarters. That wouldn’t buy anything. Except . . . She sat up straighter and looked over her shoulder at the bus stop on the corner. It might buy a ride on a bus.
She caught her breath when a taxi pulled into the parking lot one drive down. It was an attorney’s office. They knew him in there too, so their phone was also off limits. Everyone in this little shopping center knew him. And they knew Mallory – or believed they did.
But a taxi . . . Surely the driver would be safe. It’s not like everyone knows him.
Move, Mallory. But what if she didn’t have enough money? You won’t know until you ask. Go now, before he drives away.
Swallowing hard, she got out of the car and locked it, pocketing the key, then walked to the cab, waiting while the woman in the back got out. The woman went into the attorney’s office and, heart beating in her throat, Mallory leaned down to look at the driver through the passenger’s window. He was an older man with a beard. He wore a turban. And he smiled at her.
A nice smile. Not a leer.
‘Can I help you?’ he asked, his accent heavy.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Stop this. Speak. ‘I need to go to the Kroger on Enright in Price Hill.’ It was closer than the one she’d used before and the only other one she knew that had a pay phone. ‘How much does it cost?’
‘At least twenty dollars, miss.’
Her heart sank. ‘Oh. Thank you anyway.’ She backed away from the window.
‘Wait!’ he said, and got out of the car, studying her over the cab’s roof. ‘How much do you have, child?’
‘Ten dollars, but I need fifty cents of it.’
His eyes softened. ‘I will take you for nine dollars and fifty cents. Get in.’
She hesitated, not trusting at the last moment. ‘Why?’
‘Because you look scared and my granddaughter is your age. I hope someone would help her if she had only nine dollars and fifty cents. Sit in the back. You will be safe in my cab.’
Mallory choked on a sob. ‘Okay. Thank you.’ She got in, every muscle tensed, ready to flee the moment he looked at her with evil intent. Because Mallory knew what that looked like.
He got in the car and met her eyes in the rear-view mirror. ‘How will you get from the grocery store to your home?’
‘I’m meeting someone there.’ The nice lady cop will come if I call. I hope. She’ll take me somewhere safe. I hope. And if not, the woman would at least take her back to her car. She hoped. She’d pick up his prescription and the first aid stuff just in case. If she ended up going home, it would be bad enough that she’d be seriously late. To walk back in empty-handed would be just plain stupid.
His gaze became grave. ‘All right. I will ask you this next question only once and will respect your answer. Do you need a police officer?’
She swallowed hard and the truth spilled out. ‘Yes, but that’s why I need to go to the Kroger. I’m meeting her there.’
He nodded. ‘Very well.’
Cincinnati, Ohio,
Saturday 15 August, 10.50 A.M.
‘Why is Kendra not okay?’ Decker asked Meredith.
Meredith glanced at the door once again, as if she expected Wendi Cullen to pop back in, then sighed. ‘Because she’s spent every hour that she wasn’t with us in the ER driving from one Kroger to another. She’s focusing on the stores with pay phones. She’s . . . obsessing over this girl and I’m worried.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m worried about Kendra and I’m worried about the girl herself. As Wendi pointed out, he’s not averse to taking lives to snip loose ends.’
Kate looked away, the guilt clear on her face. ‘I keep thinking we shouldn’t have arrested Corey Addison so publicly. It’s like we threw down a gauntlet.’
Annoyed, Decker flicked her arm with his finger. ‘Stop it. You didn’t even mention Sunshine Suzie when you were taking him out of the building. And yes, you should have arrested him so publicly. Addison’s arrest wasn’t about taunting the Professor. It was sending a clear message of our own to child predators: “Do it and you’ll get caught.” So stop.’
‘You’re right,’ Kate muttered.
‘Of course I am,’ he said, then gave Meredith an apologetic smile because they’d derailed her concern. ‘I think we’ve all obsessed over a case at least once. Unless you think Kendra’s going to cause harm, will it hurt her to look?’
Meredith shook her head. ‘I guess not. And it makes her feel like she’s doing something productive. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just hate not being able to fix things for people.’
‘Join the club,’ Kate said sourly. ‘I think our best hope in finding the girl, at this point, is to find the Professor. What are our leads?’
‘We still have Rawlings in custody,’ Novak said. ‘He knows how to contact the man.’
‘We examined Rawlings’s phone,’ Troy said. ‘Found the number in his call log that is probably the Professor’s, but guys like that know how to cover their tracks. He’ll have several numbers. And either he’s turned his phone off or he’s blocked Rawlings, because when we called from Rawlings’s phone, we got voicemail every time. We talked last night about finding more adults who’re now clean and sober and asking them about their history with the Professor. If we can find just one, we can make contact using that person’s name, pretend he’s fallen off the wagon, and set up a meet.’
‘I don’t feel comfortable using civilians as bait,’ Zimmerman said. ‘Even if we’re doing the calling, he could come back and kill their families.’
Adam frowned thoughtfully. ‘What if that person was a cop?’
Everyone turned to him in surprise, Meredith most of all. ‘Adam?’ she said, stunned
.
‘Oh no,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Not me. I haven’t bought from him, but there have to be cops who have or he wouldn’t have been able to operate without impunity for twenty fucking years. We know we have someone leaking information to him about the McCord files – we still don’t know who really signed out the hard drive that was removed from McCord’s house, but we know it wasn’t Scarlett. What if the cop who’s feeding him information is also buying drugs from him?’
‘Good point,’ Zimmerman said. ‘But we still don’t know who our leak is.’
‘Maybe we set a trap,’ Kate said quietly. ‘Provide information they can’t resist taking to the Professor.’
Zimmerman considered, then nodded. ‘Let’s do it. I’ll take point on this. I’ve already broached the subject of police involvement to the captain. I need to brush up on my lying skills anyway.’
Kate’s lips curved. ‘I’m sure you can be a first-class liar, sir.’
‘Suck-up,’ Novak said with a snort. ‘Back to Rawlings. He knows more than he’s letting on. And we still don’t know how he killed Alice. He had help, either willing or unwilling. I’m not the right one to go back to the jail, but someone should. Someone who’s a real sweet talker.’
Kate smiled at Decker. ‘A snake charmer.’
‘I hate being called that,’ Decker said. ‘I hate snakes.’
Zimmerman’s lips were twitching. ‘Fine. You two go to the jail. Use those photos you took last night to make the inmates think he’s turned evidence.’
‘Or that he’s defeated and no longer a threat,’ Kate said. ‘You know, ding dong, the witch is dead. We’ll play it by ear.’
‘I could use a break from looking at the kids’ photos,’ Decker admitted.
‘It’s not easy,’ Adam said quietly. ‘But speaking of photos, I’ve been looking at the bedroom window in the Suzie videos. Most of the filming was done at night and you can see star patterns outside the window. I don’t know if I can do anything with that or not, but it’s a detail that can help us pinpoint location at least in a general sense. We’re still assuming he’s local because he sells drugs here. But we know he goes for blocks of time without selling to anyone, so maybe he’s filming then. And maybe he’s not filming here in Ohio. I don’t want to be looking locally for a studio that’s not here.’
‘Another good point,’ Zimmerman murmured.
‘Also, the last Suzie video was uploaded three years ago. He’s been filming more recently with McCord. If he used the same set, the same location, we should be able to match it to videos on the drive that Decker’s informant gave him. I’ve got access to some of your best Fed software now, too, so let me keep looking for the studio.’
‘Okay.’ Zimmerman consulted his own list. ‘I have a few items. Carrie Washington tested the stomach contents of Rawlings’s son – the ricin is similar in purity to what was used on Alice, and in the gas bomb he threw at you, Kate. It’s another dotted i, not that we needed it. Everything we have points to the same guy.’ He flipped a page. ‘Oh. This one is very interesting, and before I read it, let me remind you that we will not use civilians in our effort to arrest this dealer. Okay? Okay. I got an email from Lieutenant Isenberg this morning. You remember Mrs Chalmers? Charlie’s mother?’
‘Yes,’ Kate said. ‘I couldn’t get her out of my mind last night. Is she all right? She didn’t . . . do anything to herself, did she?’
‘Not suicide, if that’s what you mean,’ Zimmerman said. ‘This happened after you and Decker left the ER last night. Mrs Chalmers became so hysterical she had to be sedated. She almost coded. Turned out she was already high when she got to the ER. Methamphetamine. She had a whole bottle of pills in her purse. She’s been a user for some time. And guess who she was buying from?’
‘Professor Asshole,’ Novak said bitterly.
Decker looked at Kate, impressed, but also distressed. ‘You were right. Soccer moms and career women. Charlie’s mom was right under our noses.’
Kate drew a breath. ‘Sir, I respectfully disagree with not using civilians to catch this man. He killed her son. I can’t imagine he can do much worse at this point. If she wanted to help us, I’d say we let her.’
‘Disagreement noted,’ Zimmerman said. ‘The answer is still no. Besides, the woman is in no mental state to accept the consequences of helping us. She almost died last night. They had to use the paddles to bring her back. And even if she were competent to agree, Professor Asshole wouldn’t buy it.’ Zimmerman’s jaw was hard and his eyes were shadowed. ‘He knows that she knows he killed her son. He won’t believe that any overtures she makes are not revenge-motivated.’
She nodded miserably. ‘You’re right. I know you are. But . . . dammit.’ Her eyes grew bright and she drew a steadying breath. ‘Dammit.’
‘I know, Kate,’ Zimmerman said gently. ‘I do know. But we’ll have to find another way.’
‘We still have Alice’s videos to analyze,’ Troy said. ‘I’ll watch amateur porn for the team.’
Kate hiccupped a laugh. ‘Dammit, Troy. You—’
‘Hey, you’re the one who said we needed to laugh, remember.’
She smiled at him. ‘Yeah. You’re a good new partner.’
Troy preened for her benefit. ‘I know.’ Then he sighed. ‘But seriously, I do dread those movies. Alice is . . . was . . . vocal.’ He shuddered. ‘“Do me, baby, do me”,’ he added in a falsetto. ‘I have to fast-forward through those parts. But the pillow talk afterward . . . we might actually get some information we can use. For now I’m focusing on her partners’ faces. All of them. And by “all”, I mean a hella lot.’
Zimmerman cleared his throat. ‘And on that note, you’re dismissed.’
Everyone got up, shaking their heads over Troy’s really tasteless – but incredibly necessary – sense of humor, then froze when the phone in the middle of the table rang.
‘I told my assistant to only forward critical calls,’ Zimmerman said, picking up the receiver. ‘This is Zimmerman.’ He listened for a moment. ‘Which one?’ Then he nodded at Meredith, who looked up from reading a message on her cell phone. ‘Stay where you are, Officer. Don’t approach her yet. I’m sending backup.’ He hung up. ‘Kendra texted you?’
Meredith nodded. ‘Her obsession paid off. She just saw the girl get out of a cab, make a call at the pay phone, and go into the Kroger on Enright. I need to get there fast. Who can drive me with lights flashing? Kate?’
‘Kate goes, but you both have backup.’ Zimmerman pointed at Adam. ‘You go with Meredith. Stay out of sight. I don’t want to spook this kid into running. Kate, you go with Troy. Decker, Deacon, you have your assignments. Go.’
Kate squeezed Decker’s knee under the table. ‘I’ll be safe. Don’t worry.’
But of course Decker did. He didn’t move, staying at the table while everyone rushed out, including Zimmerman, who would coordinate backup. ‘Kate’s idea of “safe” is not my idea of safe,’ he murmured.
Novak hadn’t moved either. ‘Oh, I know,’ he murmured back. ‘You know, I didn’t actually get an assignment.’
‘I think Zimmerman intended you to go back to the hospital to be with Dani.’
‘And I think he intended you to go back to the safe house and rest.’
‘Not gonna happen.’
Novak raised a white brow. ‘Which won’t happen? Your assignment or mine?’
‘Either. Both. You got a car?’
‘I do. And I really want to catch this bastard.’
They looked at each other for a moment, assessing the situation and each other. ‘I call shotgun,’ Decker said.
Novak nodded once. ‘Let’s go.’
Cincinnati, Ohio,
Saturday 15 August, 11.00 A.M.
Where the hell was she? He looked out the back window for the tenth time, k
nowing Mallory would not be coming up the driveway because she was still at the damned drugstore. Once again he debated the wisdom of not giving her a cell phone, then decided that he’d been right not to. Cell phones were freedom. He’d given her enough freedom with the car. Which he would change as soon as she came home. No longer would she be able to take herself to the store if she couldn’t get there and back in a reasonable period of time.
He rolled his shoulder, wincing at the pain. It was well and truly infected. Mallory needed to get her ass home where she belonged.
‘Excuse me, sir?’
He pasted a smile on his face and turned to the oldest of the four he’d chosen. ‘Yes, Seth?’
‘We were wondering if we can have pop in the living room.’
‘Of course!’ He opened the fridge door wide. ‘We have Coke, Sprite, and root beer, plus a few diet drinks.’
The boy made a face. ‘Not diet. That stuff is full of chemicals.’
So is Coke, he thought. Both kinds. Soon he’d find out how much experience these kids had with the illegal type. ‘Then choose whatever you’d like.’
The boy grabbed four Cokes. ‘Thank you. We’re going to watch Eyes Wide Shut,’ he added, just a hair of hesitation in his voice.
One of the racier R-rated movies. ‘I like that one. I’ll be in to watch with you in a little while. I have a few things to do for work first. There’s ice cream and snacks if you get hungry.’
‘Thank you,’ the boy said, so polite, but there was a gleam in his eyes that said he’d found a sucker and would push as far as he could.
Excellent. Just the kind of leader he needed to fast-track these kids.
He went to his office and popped a handful of ibuprofen, hoping it would cut through some of the pain, because he did not want to take anything stronger. He needed to be alert. Ready.
His cell buzzed and he frowned. Better not be Rawlings again. The ass had called him ten times after being taken into custody. But it wasn’t Rawlings, he saw when he looked at the caller ID. This just might be worse. ‘Yes?’
