by Rose, Karen
Except she did understand that Rafe was trying his best to keep her safe. Gideon had ridden shotgun while Sasha drove. Farrah and Daisy had driven over with Erin Rhee, who’d been obviously armed.
Because, Rafe had explained, Ephraim was armed and had killed at least three people in the hours since his attempted airport abduction. Three people, two of whom were completely innocent. The poor woman from the airport, an innocent college girl in a costume store, and a woman who ran a prostitution ring. My God.
She knew Ephraim Burton was a monster, but three people . . .
She wanted to run away, but nowhere was safe. Ephraim was out there somewhere, wielding at least two handguns, snapping necks and killing anyone who got in his way. She wouldn’t put any of the people in this room in danger by running off by herself.
There was impetuous, and there was stupid. I may be impetuous, but I’m not stupid.
‘Mercy?’ Gideon asked, his voice cutting through her thoughts. ‘What do you think?’
She sighed. ‘Sorry. I wasn’t listening.’
‘It’s loud in here,’ Rafe murmured. ‘Do you need to leave?’
She shook her head. Everyone had gathered here to help her. She was going to focus, even if it made her sick. At least she now knew where the nearest bathroom was.
‘Can you repeat it, please?’ she asked.
Gideon’s smile was gentle. ‘Sure. Daisy has an interview set up for you with a reporter at one of the TV stations in the city. It’s tonight, if that’s all right.’
Mercy nodded. ‘Better to get it over with. Maybe it will make all the other news vans leave us alone if they see there’s no story.’
‘From your mouth to God’s ears,’ Karl said. ‘And the video is no longer on any website that we could find.’
Mercy’s face heated. Seeing that video for the first time had been one of the top five lowest points in her life. Hearing it discussed so clinically was . . . rough. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
‘We’ll go with you to the station,’ Karl said steadily. ‘We won’t let you be alone.’
Mercy opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again. Denying this family’s support would be too rude.
‘But if Mercy needs quiet time afterward, we’ll let her have it, right, Dad?’ Rafe said.
Karl nodded. ‘Of course.’
Mercy nodded. ‘Thank you.’ Then, following her instincts, she leaned over to kiss the older man’s stubbled cheek. ‘You’re all very wonderful. I can see why Gideon loves you so much.’
Karl actually blushed.
‘Let’s move on to the notion of using Eden’s trading practices to track them,’ Gideon went on. ‘I’ve let my boss at the Bureau know about the furniture and crafts. They’ve got a team working to find all the possible examples of Eden products. Thank you for bringing us this lead.’
Mercy kept her smile mild. ‘Anytime.’
Beside her, Rafe snorted. ‘I’ll remember that tone. If you ever direct it at me, I’m gonna run.’
Gideon shook his head. ‘Come on, Rafe, stop joking around.’
‘I’m not,’ Rafe protested. ‘You’re being all lord of the manor, Gid.’
‘You are a little heavy-handed, Gideon,’ Sasha agreed.
Gideon shot a questioning glance at Daisy, who cuddled her little dog, Brutus, to her chest. ‘I’m Switzerland,’ Daisy declared. ‘Don’t look at me for help.’
Gideon sighed. ‘You did good work, Mercy. Thank you. But please leave this for law enforcement.’
Mercy nodded, keeping the same smile on her face. She and Rafe had done their parts – they’d informed the FBI of their suspicions. But she didn’t want to drop it in anyone else’s lap. She wanted to be involved. Now she knew what Rafe had been going through, keeping the work he’d been doing to himself for fear it would be taken from him.
‘Of course,’ she promised. ‘I’ll be a virtual sieve to the FBI.’
Gideon’s frown said that he did not believe her. ‘See that you are.’
‘Do we know any more about where Ephraim went when he left the costume store?’ Rafe asked, and Mercy was grateful for the subject change.
‘No, not yet,’ Gideon admitted. ‘But that doesn’t mean anything. I’m as much on the outside of this case looking in as you guys.’
Because he’d recused himself, taking vacation time to keep her safe. Again, she wanted to run away, far from everyone who hovered over her. Everyone but Rafe, who seemed to truly get her.
‘What about the locket?’ Daisy asked. ‘The Feds released a photo to the CNN interviewer last week. Has anyone said they’ve seen the design?’
Because that had been Molina’s hope – that other escapees would see the Eden symbol and come forward.
‘So far, no,’ Gideon said. ‘At least nobody’s contacted the FBI. Erin, has SacPD heard anything?’
Erin shook her head. ‘Maybe we should post only a picture of the locket and ask if anyone’s seen it. It got lost in the news report. It was just a one-sentence mention among a whole lot of details.’
Gideon shook his head. ‘That’s too direct at this point. We don’t want Eden to know we’re looking for them.’
Daisy bit her lip, hesitating. ‘What if Mercy wore Eileen’s locket during her interview tonight? We can direct the reporter not to mention it, but if someone sees it on her . . .’
No. Mercy wanted to scream it. No! But she didn’t say a word, drawing into herself.
‘I’m sorry, Mercy,’ Daisy said quickly. ‘It was a bad idea. Forget it.’
There was silence at the table then, everyone looking at her, as if expecting to see her disagree that it was a bad idea. They thought it was a good idea, Mercy could tell. But I just can’t.
Rafe covered her hand with his. ‘The interview itself will be difficult enough. Mercy needs to project confidence and she can’t do that if she’s having PTSD episodes over the locket around her throat.’
Rafe’s words hit home. PTSD was exactly what she was experiencing. It was real. But it wasn’t a good reason to reject what really was a good idea. It’s just a locket. Just silver. Just jewelry.
‘You’re right,’ Daisy agreed. ‘It was a dumb idea.’
‘No, it’s not dumb.’ Mercy was startled to hear her own voice. ‘It’s smart. It’s also a way to taunt Ephraim Burton if he’s watching. Maybe make him so angry that it lures him out, makes him do something rash.’
Rafe was shaking his head. ‘I don’t like that idea. At all.’
‘Neither do I,’ Mercy said, grateful that her voice didn’t tremble. ‘But he’s killed three people in the last twenty-four hours. Three people. At least two of them – the minivan lady at the airport and the college kid at the costume store – were killed as a direct result of his obsession with me.’ About the brothel madam, she had no idea. ‘I don’t know why he’s obsessed, other than I got away and he can’t handle it, but if this continues, more people could die. It costs me nothing to wear the locket.’
‘It costs you peace of mind,’ Rafe protested.
‘My peace of mind isn’t more important than the lives of innocent people who get in Ephraim’s way.’
Sniffling got her attention and she turned away from Rafe to see his mother wiping her eyes. ‘You’re a good person, Mercy.’
Mercy managed a small smile for the woman who’d given her comfort the night before. ‘Thank you.’ She drew a breath and exhaled carefully. ‘But I don’t need to wear Eileen’s locket. I brought mine with me.’ She met Gideon’s eyes. ‘And Mama’s.’
Gideon went very still. ‘You what?’
She nodded. ‘The locket was the only thing I had left of Mama and I didn’t think you deserved to have it, but I was wrong. So I brought it to give you.’
‘You didn’t have to bring them, Mercy,’ Gideon said quietly.
&nbs
p; She sighed. ‘I know, but I’m tired of keeping things from you.’
He leaned across the table and gripped her hands. ‘Thank you. I was going to call John later today. Will you stay with me when I do?’
More sniffling from Irina had Mercy smiling again. ‘Of course.’
The table fell silent until Erin cleared her throat. ‘I have a question,’ she started, then stopped when her phone began to vibrate on the table. She checked the screen, then looked up at Rafe, troubled. ‘It’s Tiff.’
‘Please, take it,’ Rafe said.
With a nod, Erin excused herself and stepped into the hallway off the kitchen.
‘Who is Tiff?’ Mercy asked.
‘Our lieutenant’s clerk,’ Rafe said. ‘She’s the one who passed on the information about the murdered madam in Santa Rosa and the discovery of June Lindstrom’s body this morning. She promised to let us know if any more bodies were discovered.’
‘So more than three,’ Mercy murmured, and no one said a word to dispute her. No one said anything at all until Erin came back in, her expression drawn.
‘An elderly woman was found dead in her home north of the city, discovered by her grandson. She’d been shot in the chest twice. Bullet appears to be a .45, but we won’t know for certain until the ME does an autopsy and sends the bullet to Ballistics. Rigor had set in, so she’d been dead at least eight hours or so.’
‘She was the reason Burton didn’t want to use the golden gun on the college kid,’ Rafe said bitterly. ‘That’s why he broke her neck. Burton was carrying a gold-colored gun with a suppressor when he killed the young woman in the costume store – a gun he took from the Santa Rosa madam. He didn’t want to shoot the college kid and have the bullet match with the old woman.’
But the death didn’t make sense. None of them did, and tears burned at Mercy’s throat. ‘Why did he kill an old woman?’
‘It appears he slept there,’ Erin said gently. ‘The bed was unmade and the shower had been used. They’ll dust for prints and screen the drains for any hair he might have lost. It’s being handled by the sheriff’s department right now. I’m assuming the FBI will take over at some point.’
Gideon had slumped in his chair. ‘We need to find this bastard, and soon.’
Mercy squared her shoulders. This was the reason she’d come back. ‘I can be bait. Use me.’
Two loud nos had her flinching. Gideon was halfway out of his chair, leaning on the table to get closer to her. Rafe had lurched to his feet, standing taller with a white-knuckled grip around the handle of the brand-new cane that his father had made for him that morning.
‘I won’t let you be bait,’ Rafe gritted through clenched teeth.
‘No way in hell,’ Gideon added.
Farrah looked stunned. ‘Mercy, please. Let’s think this through.’
Mercy ignored Rafe and Gideon, turning to Farrah with a tired smile. ‘I have. I knew when I came back that I’d have some role in finding Eden. This is it. Erin? What do you think?’
Erin hesitated, then nodded. ‘I think we can make it work, but only if my boss and Gideon’s boss agree and only if they provide a lot of backup.’
‘Erin,’ Rafe growled.
Erin didn’t drop her gaze, meeting Rafe’s eyes directly. ‘Rafe. This can’t go on. He’s murdering innocent people all over the damn place.’
‘No.’ Gideon was shaking his head vehemently. ‘I won’t have it.’
Mercy felt surprisingly calm. ‘I didn’t ask your permission. Erin, what do you need me to do?’
‘Nothing for now. Get a little rest?’ Erin glanced up at Gideon, who was glowering. ‘If we do nothing, he’ll get her, Gideon. He’s obsessed. He won’t give up. And we can’t maintain this level of security forever, short of WITSEC. Sooner or later something’s gonna slip, and she’ll be unprotected. That’s when he’ll strike, if we don’t take care of him first. If the powers that be agree, we will set this up so that Mercy has complete coverage.’
‘I’m still here,’ Mercy said, ignoring the glares coming from her brother and her . . . She faltered, not sure what Rafe was. Her friend, she decided. That word was perfect for now. ‘Gideon, this isn’t your call. Nor yours, Rafe. It’s my decision and I’m deciding to say yes.’
The doorbell rang at that moment and Irina rushed away to answer it, but paused in the doorway to give Mercy a thumbs-up. ‘Brave,’ she said.
I hope so. I sure hope so.
A minute later, during which Rafe and Gideon continued to glare at her, Irina returned, followed by a very tall man with bright blond hair. He looked familiar, somehow.
Mercy recalled his face seconds before he introduced himself. He was the FBI agent who’d helped Gideon find the killer the night she’d been abducted. She wasn’t sure what exactly the man had done to help, but Gideon said they owed him a great deal.
‘I’m Special Agent Hunter,’ the man said. ‘I’m here to take your official statement, Detective.’
‘Mine?’ Erin asked, confused.
‘No,’ Rafe said. ‘Mine. Hi, Tom.’
Tom looked around the table, clearly sensing the tension. ‘Is this a bad time?’
‘No, it’s fine,’ Rafe told him. ‘We can use my father’s study.’
But Karl had risen to his feet, still looking confused. ‘Wait. You’re Tom Hunter?’
Tom’s lips quirked up in an almost-smile. ‘Yes, sir.’
‘The Tom Hunter?’ Karl pressed.
‘Well, it’s a fairly common name,’ Tom said, amusement in his eyes. ‘I can’t be the only one.’
Karl shook his head. ‘The Tom Hunter who led Boston to the finals three years running?’
Tom looked a bit bashful now. ‘Yes, sir. But that was a lifetime ago.’
‘It was a year ago,’ Karl protested. ‘I was sorry when I heard you’d left the game. You were a pleasure to watch on the court.’
Mercy was now confused. ‘Court?’
‘He’s an NBA player,’ Karl explained.
‘Was,’ Tom corrected. ‘Now I’m with the Bureau.’
Rafe’s mouth had fallen open. ‘Holy shit. I didn’t make the connection before. Holy fucking shit.’ He darted an apologetic glance at Irina. ‘Sorry, Mom.’
‘Is okay,’ she said, chuckling. ‘Raphael, take the nice agent to your father’s office. I will bring tea.’
‘That’s not necessary, Mrs Sokolov,’ Tom protested.
‘Nonsense. You go. Now.’ She shooed both Rafe and Tom with a flick of her hands.
‘That was . . . weird,’ Mercy said, when the two were gone.
‘The last twenty-four hours have been weird,’ Farrah agreed.
Daisy turned on Gideon with an indignant frown. ‘Did you know who he was?’
Gideon shook his head. ‘I don’t follow basketball. I thought he was a rookie agent with impressive computer skills.’
‘Well, we’ll have to get him on my radio show,’ Daisy declared.
Gideon looked displeased. ‘You’ll do no such thing. He has a different job now and he might not want to receive that kind of attention. It could negatively affect his work.’
Daisy pouted. ‘Dammit. But I know you’re right.’ She jabbed his arm with her finger when he smiled, a little smugly. ‘This time, you’re right. This one time. Don’t go getting a fat head.’
‘Too late for that,’ Mercy muttered, and Sasha choked out a laugh.
‘He’s your brother. I got five of them, so I feel your pain. They treat us like we’re useless.’
‘I do not,’ Gideon insisted. ‘I just got her back. I don’t want to lose her again.’
‘Still right here,’ Mercy called. ‘Still can hear you. And you won’t lose me.’
Which she genuinely hoped was true. But dammit. Ephraim had already killed four people, three of them innocents. I have
to do something, right now.
Granite Bay, California
Sunday, 16 April, 3.50 P.M.
Nothing was happening at the Sokolov house. Ephraim had been here most of the day after his search for an unoccupied house had been a failure. Both unoccupied houses were actually occupied – one with about two dozen addicts and the other by two guys making meth.
Ephraim hadn’t wanted to tangle with any of them, so he’d headed over to the Sokolov house, and was glad he had. He’d arrived in time to see two SUVs filled with people pulling into what had to be a six-car garage, at least. Through his binoculars he’d spied Mercy sitting in the backseat of the lead SUV, a gray Chevy Suburban. The second vehicle was a blue Range Rover, with a small woman behind the wheel.
At least the windows weren’t tinted and the vehicles didn’t look like official law enforcement. Mercy had a personal guard, but no formal protection. That would make things a little easier.
The detective – Raphael Sokolov – had been sitting in the Suburban’s passenger seat, Gideon Reynolds behind the wheel. The sight of Reynolds made Ephraim want to charge and shoot him dead.
But the garage door had been quickly lowered, and Ephraim had been left to brood and seethe. He needed Mercy to prove to Pastor that DJ had lied about her death. But he wanted Gideon in a choke hold. Wanted to watch the fucker take his last breath, but not before he cut out the man’s eyes.
It was justice, after all.
He didn’t care about anyone in the house. He wanted Mercy alive, Gideon stone-cold dead, and the Sokolov cop to be permanently in that wheelchair, in pain for the rest of his miserable life.
So he’d sat and watched, growing more bored by the moment. A horde of additional people had arrived – more Sokolovs, Ephraim figured by the overabundance of blonds who carried covered dishes and wrangled noisy children. All of them had left in the last hour, but Mercy, Gideon, and the Sokolov cop remained. So Ephraim had stayed put.
