by James Hunt
Kerry racked her brain. “What about the FBI director we worked with to bring the Greeks down? Do you think he would help us out?”
Mullocks groaned. “I was worried you’d say that, but yeah. I can give him a call. He owes us a favor for that job anyway.”
The conversation between Mullocks and their FBI contact didn’t take long, and the lieutenant confirmed Kerry’s suspicions. “Bill Fayette is a fake name. He’s sending over the information for his real name now.”
Jim called Kerry’s cell, and she put him on speaker.
“It’s just me and the lieutenant, Jim,” Kerry said.
“Fayette will meet with Nate,” Jim said, sounding like he was out of breath.
“He will?” Kerry asked.
“Yeah, so I need some backup over at his apartment. I’ll text you the address,” Jim said. “Did you find anything on him?”
“We did,” Kerry said. “Bill Fayette is an alias.” Mullocks handed Kerry the information she received on her phone. “His real name is William Sheehan, and he has a family down in San Diego.”
“He’s probably hiding his family from Cutters,” Jim said. “That’s our leverage. Kerry, make sure you bring a picture of the family if you can.”
“On it,” Kerry said. “I’ll see you in a minute.”
Once Kerry had everything she needed from the lieutenant, she drove to the apartment and met Jim at his car, handing over the documents they had on Fayette.
“So, do you really think your friend is going to pull through?” Kerry asked.
“He has just as much to lose as us,” Jim answered. “He’ll do whatever he can to help.” And Jim knew that was true, but Nate wasn’t in the best state of mind when Jim last left him. The man was barely holding it together, and Jim knew that it was only a matter of time before he finally cracked.
If Nate didn’t get his son back, then whatever shred of reality the man was holding on to would vanish. He had seen that look in Nate’s eyes on the faces of other parents whose children had been abducted. It was filled with desperation and a pain that no one could fathom or understand unless they had gone through it themselves.
As they waited, Jim couldn’t help but think about all of the times they’d been on a stakeout together during a case. He realized that this might be the last case they ever worked. And if that were true, then Jim had one last thing he needed to get off of his chest.
“I never called you because I was afraid of what you might tell me,” Jim said. “About whether or not you’d come back to the job.”
Kerry looked at him.
“And I know that after all of this… if it works… things are going to change,” Jim said. “But just because I didn’t call… It didn’t mean I didn’t care.”
“I didn’t think so,” Kerry said. “And it was the same for me.”
“Good,” Jim said.
It was only a small relief, but considering the odds stacked against them, Jim would take whatever good piece of news he could get.
“You really think this is going to work?” Kerry asked.
Jim had his doubts about the plan, but they were out of options at this point. “It’s a long shot, yes, but it’s the only option we have at the moment.”
“It’s not really options if there’s only one,” Kerry said.
They waited for almost an hour before Bill Fayette showed up. And the moment Jim and Kerry saw him, they both stepped out of the vehicle. Kerry didn’t have her badge, so Jim took the lead with questioning.
“Bill Fayette,” Jim said, shouting the man’s name.
Bill paused at the gate’s entrance and turned around, his motion quick, and Jim saw that his hand was ready and poised to pull something from inside of his jacket. Jim figured the man would be armed, and if he didn’t have a permit for the weapon, that was something Jim could legitimately arrest him for, but nothing about what came next was legitimate.
“What do you want?” Bill asked.
Jim flashed his badge as Kerry walked up behind him. “Detective North, this is my partner. We have a few questions to ask you about your boss.”
Bill looked at Kerry, giving her a long pause before he narrowed his eyes. He recognized her. “You sure you want to do this?”
“I was going to ask you the same question,” Kerry said.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Jim said. “Why don’t you go ahead and show me the papers for that pistol in your jacket?”
When Bill hesitated, Jim thought he had him dead to rights, but then Bill simply nodded and held up his hands, palms facing out.
“I’m going to reach into my right breast pocket,” Bill said. “That’s where I keep the papers.”
Unsure if this was a trick, Jim remained poised to react, but when Bill removed the papers he said were there, Jim relaxed. The paperwork was in order, and everything was up to date. Jim couldn’t arrest the man for the weapon.
“Anything else, Detectives?” Bill asked.
“Actually, yes,” Kerry said. “I need to ask you some questions about your involvement with the murder of Arthur Myers.”
Bill remained stoic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do,” Jim said.
Bill straightened up. He was taller than Jim by a few inches, thick muscled, the kind of guy who would start a fight just to prove he could win.
“I know you’re both on the take now,” Bill said. “You take me into the station now, and I’ve got just as much dirt on you as you do on me.”
Jim knew that the moment to capitalize was slipping. The tension hung thick in the air, holding everyone in place. No one wanted to make the first move, but Jim and Kerry weren’t going to have a second chance at questioning this guy.
“Listen,” Bill said. “I’m willing to let this slide if you—
Jim reacted quickly, pinning the man against the fence and cuffed his hands behind his back before he had a chance to react. He squirmed once he was restrained, but it was much more difficult for him to fight back with his arms behind him.
Jim turned back to Kerry. “Get the car door open!”
Kerry hurried to the vehicle as Jim struggled to keep the big man contained. Even with the restraints, Bill was still difficult to move, and he refused to lie down.
“You two are dead!” Bill shouted.
Once the car door was open, Kerry rushed back to help Jim with Bill, and together they shoved him into the back of the car. He continued to fight back, kicking the door, the window, thrashing so hard that the car itself rocked back and forth.
Eventually, Bill ran out of steam, and Jim and Kerry caught their breath.
“Where are we supposed to do this?” Kerry asked.
“Here,” Jim answered. “Now.”
The pair climbed into the car and spoke to Bill from the front seat.
“So, what’s the plan here?” Bill asked. “You plan on killing me if I don’t talk?”
Jim shook his head. “I don’t think you’re afraid of dying. Your line of work requires a certain level of danger that I’m sure you’ve become numb to the idea of death.”
“I’m not going to give you anything,” Bill said. “Whatever you have planned, it’s not going to work.”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to find something to talk about to pass the time,” Jim said. “Why don’t we talk about your family down in San Diego?”
Bill’s confidence vanished. His face slackened, and his cheeks flushed red. He tried to play it off like he wasn’t affected by what Jim had asked him, but it was too late.
“I don’t have any family in San Diego,” Bill answered.
Jim tilted his head to the side. “Maybe not Bill Fayette, but William Sheehan does.”
Bill fidgeted and squirmed under both Kerry and Jim’s watchful gaze.
“Now, the only people I know of who could alter birth certificates would be the federal government,” Jim said. “Now, the only reason a high-profile individual wou
ld do something like that for a scumbag like you would be if you were offering something in return.”
“How long have you been working for the FBI?” Kerry asked.
“Fuck you,” Bill answered.
“I’ll take that answer as it’s been a while,” Jim replied. “What do you think is going to happen if I bring that information to Cutters?”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Bill said though his tone suggested that a part of him they believe it could happen.
“And why wouldn’t I?” Jim asked.
“Because you know what he would do to my family,” Bill answered. “And you’re not that kind of cop.”
Jim never broke eye contact with Bill as he leaned forward. “And what kind of a cop do you think I am? Because right now, you and I are in the same boat, my friend. We both have the power to destroy one another or help one another. And right now, I’m willing to roll the dice either way. So the question you have to answer for yourself is how much you’re willing to risk right now?”
Bill squirmed uncomfortably, and Jim knew he had him.
“What do you want from me?” Bill asked, his tone defeated. “You know the kind of person Cutters is. He is ruthless, and he will do whatever is necessary to get what he wants. The man has been on a power trip ever since you two brought down the Greeks.”
“He’s making a play for their territory,” Jim said.
Bill nodded. “That’s right. He’s not picking up everything that they did, but anything that involves drugs and prostitution for those who are legal age, yeah. There is a void that needs to be filled, and he’s doing what he can to close the gap.”
“Where is he keeping all of the family members he abducts?” Jim asked. “I know that’s why you made sure yours were hidden away.”
Bill shut his eyes. “I talk to you, and you tell them nothing about my family. Deal?” He looked up at Jim, pleading.
“Deal,” Jim said.
“You have to understand that Cutters doesn’t normally hurt any of the family members that he takes,” Bill said. “But every once in a while, he does hurt one—bad. But that type of punishment doesn’t tend to breed loyalty if it’s done all the time. And the moment he kills any of the family members, he immediately loses the leverage he had against the person. It’s a lose-lose situation for everyone.”
“But you said he does it from time to time,” Kerry said. “That’s just to keep people on their toes, isn’t it?”
Bill nodded. “So long as the threat still feels real, he retains the leverage needed to get what he wants.”
Jim grew fidgety. “We know most of this already. What we need is the location of where he keeps the family members. Specifically the children.”
“Cutters goes to such great lengths to distance himself from nearly every aspect of his criminal activity,” Bill said. “He disguises himself as a venture capitalist when he’s really just a kingpin. He’s very good at his sleight-of-hand and mitigating his risk. But every once in a while, he feels the need to test his luck.”
Jim was growing impatient. “Where are they? Or we can call Cutters now.”
“Aren’t you listening?” Bill asked. “He keeps everyone at his house.”
Kerry and Jim exchanged a glance, and neither was sure they believed what they were hearing.
“You’re joking,” Kerry said.
“Have you ever been to his house?” Bill asked. “The place is a fortress. Probably some of the best security I’ve ever seen. I don’t even think the White House has the level of security Cutters does. And he usually doesn’t keep anybody longer than a week. That’s normally sufficient enough time for Cutters to get what he needs. Most of the time, it’s just a few days.”
Jim shook his head in amazement. “What better place to hide something that in practical plain sight?” Jim asked. “In a way, it’s brilliant. It’s in a place where he can control everything, all the time.”
“Cutters also has a security device on his wrist,” Bill said. “One tap and his entire security team are alerted of his location and that he’s in distress. He always has it on him.”
“I never noticed it before,” Kerry said.
“It’s just a regular watch,” Bill replied. “But it’s got some kind of high-tech function in it. Hell, his heart rate goes up too quickly and his people come running. Even if you get into the place, which you won’t, he’ll make sure you never leave.”
“There’s always a way,” Jim said. “It’s just not always easy.”
Bill laughed again. “You guys are insane.”
Kerry gestured for Jim to leave the car, and once they were outside, they still spoke quietly. “If we get a warrant, we can search the house.”
Jim shook his head. “We don’t have enough time to go through the proper channels, and even if we did, the moment we bring in official authority, Cutters is in the loop about what we’re doing. And that could put those people in danger.”
“Then how the hell do we get in the house?” Kerry asked. “We’re not exactly Navy SEALs, Jim.”
Jim had no doubt that Cutters’ house was just as difficult to get into as Bill had described. Simply based off of Cutters’ personality, Jim would’ve guessed that he was really paranoid about security.
“We don’t need to break into Cutters’ house in order to get into the house,” Jim said.
Kerry slowly caught on to what Jim was trying to say. “You want to get him to invite us over.”
Jim nodded. “Once we’re inside, we can look for the kids, but we need to convince him that we need to see him, and it needs to happen when he’s at his house.”
“You think Bill would know when we could do that?” Kerry asked.
“Let’s go ask him,” Jim answered.
It turned out that Bill did have a specific time where he was confident Cutters would be at his house and he would also stay at his house.
“He has dinner with his girlfriend at his house every night,” Bill said. “Seven o’clock, like clockwork. No matter what’s going on, he always makes it back in time to eat with her. It takes them about forty-five minutes to get through the meal, so that’s your window of opportunity. But he doesn’t normally see or meet with anybody during that time. So, whatever you need to talk to him about, you better make sure it’s damned important.”
Jim knew that Bill was right about that aspect. But he was confident he did have something Cutters would want to speak about no matter what was going on in his life. If he were a man who valued owning people, then Jim would need to do the same thing Kerry had done when she had tried to gather information by going even deeper into his world. Jim would now need to go all-in himself.
“One more thing,” Jim said, looking to Bill. “I need to make sure that Nate Walker’s boy is alive.”
Bill frowned. “Walker? They took his kid?”
“You mean it wasn’t you?” Jim asked. “I thought you were the abduction guy?”
“I am,” Bill answered. “But I never took Walker’s kid. That wasn’t on my list.” He shook his head. “Damn. Nate was a prick, but he loved his kid. Too bad.”
Jim tensed. “What do you mean, ‘too bad.’”
Bill looked at Jim in a way that already conveyed what he was trying to say. “There’s only one reason Cutter doesn’t send me to grab someone. And that’s if they don’t want that person to come back.” He paused a moment. “The kid’s dead.”
Jim flinched at the news. “Bullshit.”
“Hey, I don’t have any reason to lie to you,” Bill replied. “I might be wrong, but I doubt it. Whatever Nate did, it must have been bad, though.”
Jim remembered how bad Cutters had wanted to bring him and Kerry down. He wasn’t a man who believed in half measures. Jim knew that Cutters hadn’t killed the boy to hurt Nate. He’d done it to hurt Jim because, in his own way, he had helped kill his friend’s son.
22
Jim and Kerry stood outside the car. Kerry was on the phone with the lieutenant, filling
her in on the conversation they just had with Bill. And Jim was dreading the call he would need to make to Nate.
“Okay,” Kerry said. “Thanks, Lieutenant.”
Jim had his own cell phone in hand, staring at it, looking at Nate’s number when Kerry walked over.
“The lieutenant is up to speed,” Kerry said. “She’s going to try to get whatever schematics she can for Cutters’ house, though we shouldn’t expect much luck on that front.”
Jim nodded, but he didn’t speak.
“You don’t have to tell him now,” Kerry said.
“I do,” Jim said. “The longer I wait, the more hope he’ll have his boy is coming back.”
“Bill said it himself; he wasn’t sure,” Kerry replied.
“He also doesn’t have any reason to lie,” Jim said.
Kerry’s phone buzzed, and she stared at it. “It’s the lieutenant.” She answered. “Hey, wh— He is?” Kerry turned to Mullocks. “Jim, Nate’s at the station. The lieutenant says he’s turning himself in.”
Without a word, Jim headed for the car, Kerry rushing after him.
“We’re on our way, Lieutenant,” Kerry said, and then she hung up the phone once she caught up with Jim. “What about Bill?”
“We’ll take him with us,” Jim answered. “Make sure he doesn’t squeal to Cutters.”
Jim flipped the lights on the drive back to the precinct. He knew the lieutenant was more than capable of handling the situation, but if Nate decided to give himself up now, then it wouldn’t be long before Cutters uncovered their plan.
The precinct was fairly empty with the start of the night shift, with only Sergeant Hale sitting at the front desk and a few detectives and officers working overtime to finish up reports. Jim headed toward Mullocks’s office and found Nate with the lieutenant.
“He’s gone, Jim,” Nate said, tears in his eyes. “I failed him.”
All Jim could think about when he saw his friend was what Bill Fayette had told him, but he wasn’t sure what Nate was referencing.
“What are you talking about?” Jim asked.
“I begged Cutters to let me see him,” Nate answered. “Begged him. And you know what he gave me?” He removed a bloody chess piece from his pocket. “He told me this was all that was left of him.” Nate cried and then exploded with anger, throwing the chess piece across the room. “I lost him! I lost my boy!” He collapsed forward from the chair, hitting the floor hard, and Jim rushed over to his friend.
