by M. Z. Kelly
“Just be careful. I’ve known guys like Dunbar. He’s like a junkyard dog. You can’t turn your back on him.”
I smiled. “Are you saying his bite is even worse than his bark?”
“I’d say they’re both about even—as bad as it gets.”
A half hour later, we met with everyone in the bat cave. The lieutenant wasted no time, telling us about Acting Chief Dunbar’s unhappiness.
“Our vic’s father, Jerry Abrams, is all over the mayor and Dunbar to break the case,” Edna said. “And he’s also not happy that Addison Blaine was released.”
“Does Abrams’ father still think Blaine was involved, even though the murder weapon was planted in her car?” I asked.
“He said something about her never being good enough for his kid. I think he just wants someone to go down for what happened—and soon. I guess his wife has really come unglued over everything.”
“You ask me, I think Blaine is still good for the murder,” Darby said.
“Why is that?” I asked.
“The oldest motive in the world—jealousy. She was jealous that Kristoff was screwing her boyfriend, and paid him back.”
“That doesn’t add up,” Buck said. “Blaine is bisexual and was also involved with Kristoff. And she said that Paulina made her relationship with Abrams better.”
Darby jutted his chin out. “And you believe that? Guess what, cowboy, there’s no such thing as Santa Claus, either.”
“Last time I’m gonna warn you to watch your mouth, or…”
“Stop it,” Edna said. “Let’s keep it civil.” He looked at me. “Let’s hear what Blaine’s mother had to say about everything.”
Buck and I spent the next twenty minutes going over our conversation with Deirdre Blaine and telling them about the House of Darwin and the training the Betas received there.
“The place is like something out of science fiction,” Buck said. “Their operatives are all trained to be a perfect match for the subjects they’re hooked up with.”
“It sounds like brain washing,” Darby said. “Blaine’s using sex and mind control to get these so-called Betas to do whatever she wants.”
“Sex is definitely part of it,” I agreed, “but I don’t get the impression Deidre Blaine has an interest in what the Betas do once they’ve completed their training, unlike the Controller who she believes could be behind the Prince and Abrams killings.”
“Tell us about him,” Edna said.
Buck took over. “The guy’s name is Nicolai Asimov. He was Blaine’s employee for several years before they split and he went off on his own. She thinks he’s using his operatives to gain a financial interest in the holdings of their clients or the corporations they work for.” He looked at Selfie and Molly. “Were you able to pull together some background on him?”
Selfie, who this morning had silver gargoyle earrings and pink hair, answered. “Nicolai Lee Asimov was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1978. His father was a shipping magnate, operating a fleet of cargo ships in the Baltic Sea. He inherited millions when daddy died, then immigrated to the United States in 1998. He went to work for Deidre Blaine in 2005 and ended his employment with her in 2009.”
We all watched as photographs of Asimov appeared on the overhead monitor. He was handsome, with blond hair and blue eyes. I had the impression he was also charming and probably used his good looks to manipulate others, including the women he recruited.
“Where did he go after he ended his employment with Blaine?” Leo asked.
“We’re not sure, but Molly has some ideas.”
“I took a look at Kristoff’s cell phone call history,” Molly said. “She made calls on a monthly basis to a number that GPS shows is located in the Santa Ynez Valley, just north of Santa Barbara. We mapped the area, and there’s a large estate there. It’s just a guess on my part, but it might be where Asimov is conducting his operations.”
Selfie took over again. “We’ve contacted the feds about Asimov, and they’re interested in hearing what we have to say. They said something about him being a suspect in some insider trading. It could be that his financial operatives have been providing information to him about the financial dealings of the corporations they’ve infiltrated.”
“Let’s see if we can set up a meeting with the feds,” Edna said. He turned to me. “You might also want to contact that agent…”
“Joe Dawson.”
“Yeah. See if he can grease some wheels to move on this quickly. If Asimov is behind these killings, he’s probably been monitoring what’s been happening. If he’s still got one of his operatives on the inside, it could cause him to pull her out and shut things down.”
After the others had left the office, I stayed behind to fill the lieutenant in on my meeting with Kellen Malone. I explained what he’d said about both Russell and Ryland possibly being behind my love-dad’s death.
I then said, “If what Malone told me is true, Russell knows I’ve been looking into everything. It could put me in danger.”
Edna pushed back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. “You know that old saying about fruit of the poison tree?”
He was referring to a common expression in law enforcement related to a court case establishing that evidence obtained illegally wasn’t admissible in court.
“Nothing I’ve found out was done illegally,” I said, defending myself.
Edna sat forward and brushed a hand through his graying brown hair. “But it has been obtained on your own time, off the books. If Dunbar gets word that you’re investigating your father’s death on your own time, there’s no telling how he’ll react.”
I tried to control my anger and speak evenly. “I’m not going to give up on this and just walk away. This is about finding justice for the man who raised me.”
“I understand, and what you do on your own time is none of my concern.” He released a long breath and took a moment. “You give me the word, Kate. If you want me to formally take this up the chain again, I’ll do just that. All I’m saying is to be prepared for the fallout that comes your way when it happens.”
I exhaled, feeling defeated and empty. I realized that Edna was just doing his best to protect me. “I understand what you’re saying. Let me think it over, and I’ll let you know.”
I spent the rest of the afternoon pushing paperwork around on my desk, waiting for a callback from Joe Dawson, and feeling defeated after my conversation with the lieutenant. After thinking about what he’d said, I realized he was right. If I took what I knew up the chain, Acting Chief Dunbar, Commander Miles, or maybe even Mel Peters would find a way to use it all against me. It even occurred to me that they might open an Internal Affairs investigation, claiming that I’d acted outside my sphere of authority.
I made the decision not to take what I knew any further. I’d previously decided to investigate my love-dad’s death on my own, knowing there wasn’t any support from command staff. I would have to continue to work things off the books, hoping I’d eventually find some kind of hard evidence linking Russell and Ryland to my love-dad’s death.
It was after four when I finally got a call back from Joe Dawson. “Sorry for the delay, Buttercup. I was tied up, or I should say, I was busy tying up a case.”
“I hope everything went okay.”
“Let’s just say that our bad guy won’t be causing anybody any more harm.”
We chatted about his case for a moment, before I told him about my cases and our suspicions that Nicolai Asimov could be behind what happened. “Our crime analysts think your people might have some interest in Asimov for insider trading. He’s apparently using his operatives to gain information about the financial dealings of their operatives’ corporations.”
“Let me talk to Greer. If you get the agency’s numbers crunchers involved, you’ll probably sit around waiting forever. Maybe he can find a way to go around the bureaucrats.”
I’d worked with John Greer, Joe’s supervising agent, on other cases
and knew he got things done. “I appreciate that. If you can get back to me tomorrow, it would be helpful. We’re trying to move as quickly as possible on this.”
“Consider it done.” He took a moment, then said, “I suppose you also want an update on your sister.”
I purposely hadn’t asked about Lindsay, fearing the worst. “What’s going on?”
“Everything’s gone quiet. Our CI hasn’t been heard from in seventy-two hours. It could be that he’s got no way to contact us, or…”
When he didn’t go on, I finished his sentence. “…or he’s flipped and has given up Lindsay.”
I heard a heavy breath before he said, “Yeah…maybe. But don’t give up. I’m hoping he surfaces in the next day or two.”
We went on chatting for a few minutes before he asked me how things were going with Noah. I decided I needed someone else to know what was going on, so I told Joe everything, then added, “Noah has to be working for Russell and Ryland. There’s no other explanation.”
“Do your superiors know what’s going on?”
“I just talked to my lieutenant. We’ve got a new chief here and he’s not fond of line staff. He basically told me my investigation into my dad’s death hasn’t been authorized. I could be facing discipline if I press the issue.”
He didn’t respond right away, maybe thinking about my situation. He finally said, “I want you to keep me informed about what’s going on. Your life could be in danger.”
I told him I’d call him tomorrow and ended the call. I then stopped by Edna’s office, gave him an update on what Joe had said about getting the feds involved, and headed for home. I was on Hollywood Boulevard when I got a phone call from Brie Henner’s boyfriend.
“Brie’s in the hospital,” Phyl said. “It doesn’t look good.”
FORTY-NINE
After calling my friends and telling them I’d be late picking up Bernie, I made my way to the City of Hope in Glendora, a world-renowned center for the treatment of cancer. After several inquiries, I made my way to the third floor ICU, where I found Brie’s boyfriend outside her room.
“What happened?” I asked.
Even though Phyl was about three hundred pounds of muscle and sinew, he looked exhausted. “Not sure exactly, but one of the doctors told me the cancer has spread, causing systemic failure to her other organs.”
I felt my strength fading as I said, “Oh, God. Do they think…?”
“The doctors are hoping they can get her stabilized. They’re going to run some tests in the morning and take things from there.”
“Is it okay if I see her?”
He nodded. “Of course. I could use the break. I’ll check back with you in a while.”
After he wandered off, I checked in with a nurse who assured me I could spend a few minutes with Brie. When I entered her room, she seemed small and fragile, like a child in an adult’s bed.
“How are you doing, sweetheart?” I said, going over and hugging her.
She moaned, then cleared her throat. “I’ve had better…days.”
I held her hand. “We’ll get through this. Just hang on.”
It took her almost a full minute to respond. When she finally spoke, I got the impression it took all her strength. “If things…if I’m gone…will you stay…” She brushed the tears from her cheeks. “I want Lily to…to know about me, my life.”
I felt tears on my own cheeks. “Of course. I promise.”
I spent the next two hours with my friend, alternately holding her hand and hugging her, and listening to her promise me that she would try to stay strong. It was after ten when I let her boyfriend take over again and I finally left the hospital.
I was walking to my car when my exhaustion overwhelmed me. I stopped and took a seat on a bench in the courtyard of the hospital. I took a few minutes, trying to catch my breath and deal with my emotions. My world felt as though it was crumbling around me, like one of those videos I’d seen of a building imploding.
My job seemed a never-ending battle, where the cases came and went, but the evil in the world continued to thrive. There was also the chance that Bernie and I would never work together again, thanks to a new police chief who only cared about his own selfish interests.
Then there was the man who I’d fallen in love with a few weeks ago. Noah was probably working for the men who killed my father. And, to make matters worse, I no longer felt safe, constantly looking over my shoulder and wondering if he or Russell and Ryland would be coming for me. That thought eventually led to my sister. Lindsay was out there somewhere with a group of domestic terrorists, and I had no idea whether she would survive that ordeal.
There was also the man who I thought might be my biological father. If he was my father, Pearl had made a conscious decision to never be a part of my life. Now he’d gone missing and I had suspicions that those who had murdered my love-dad could be behind his disappearance. I was beginning to doubt that I’d ever see him alive again.
And now my best friend was in the hospital, being stalked by another kind of killer. It occurred to me that in a few days Brie might be gone, leaving behind a friend and a daughter who could only cry and wonder how to make some sense of it all.
I felt lost, thinking about the unfairness of life. It again occurred to be that my father had been wrong about the message he’d left me. Maybe when there’s loss, there is nothing but emptiness left behind. My tears began to flow freely until it felt like they would overwhelm me, pulling me down into an endless black sea where my life and everything I cared about was gone.
FIFTY
The next morning, I took Bernie next door before work. Natalie and Mo saw that I was still down and came over to me with a cup of coffee.
“I’m running a little late,” I said as Mo held the cup up for me.
She shook her head. “The dead bodies and the killers will still be there when you get to work. We need to talk.”
I knew it was useless to argue with her. We all took seats at the kitchen table while Bernie sniffed around the floor for crumbs.
“We’re worried ‘bout you,” Natalie said. “We know that with Brie being in the hospital and everthin’, it’s not easy, but you gotta buck up.”
I sighed. “I know. It’s not just Brie…it’s what happened with Noah, and…” I felt my eyes growing heavy and didn’t go on.
Mo reached across the table and touched my hand. She wasn’t prone to a lot of physical affection and it touched me, causing my tears to come.
“Listen here,” she said. “We just gotta stay focused and get through this. Did you talk to the department ‘bout lookin’ into things?”
I brushed a stream of tears and nodded. “Lieutenant Edna doesn’t think they’ll want to help, especially with the new acting chief. He even said something about me possibly getting into trouble because my investigation hasn’t been authorized.”
“That’s bullshit,” Natalie huffed. “After what you’ve done for them, helpin’ you out is the least they could do.”
“I’ve heard ‘bout that acting chief,” Mo agreed. “They call him Dumbbell, and the name fits.”
They both went on for a couple of minutes, disparaging Dunbar.
Natalie finished her mini-rant, then said, “Our tail on Russell paid off.”
Mo, who this morning had on a dark curly wig, shook her head at her and made a shushing sound.
“What’s going on?” I demanded
“Sorry, Mo,” Natalie said. She met my eyes. “It’s nuthin’.”
I looked at my hefty friend. “If you’ve found something out, I need to know what it is.”
Mo rubbed her neck and shook her head. “Okay.” She exhaled. “We followed Russell to the Tauist Retreat yesterday. A few minutes later, we saw a black limo leaving the place. We decided to follow it. Turns out it was Russell and Ryland.”
“How do you know it was Ryland? From what I’ve heard, he’s been a recluse for years.”
“I downloaded some old pictures of th
e bloke on me iPhone,” Natalie said. “He looks like he’s ‘bout a hundred years old, but I’m sure it was him. He had the same crazy eyes that kinda reminded me of a zombie.”
“Where did they go?”
Mo heaved out another breath. “You’re not gonna like hearing this, but they went to Noah’s place.”
“Are you kidding?”
She shook her big head. “They was there for ‘bout an hour before they left.”
“It means they’re definitely workin’ with Noah,” Natalie said. “And we’re worried they’re plannin’ somethin’ bad.”
The fact that they’d seen both Ryland and Russell with Noah confirmed my worst fears. Even so, I did my best to hide my feelings. “I’ll be careful.” I checked the time on my phone. “I’ve really got to be going.”
They both followed me to the door, with Bernie trailing behind. I stopped and brushed a hand through my dog’s fur as Mo said, “I gotta bad feeling ‘bout this. You watch your back, Kate.” They both then reached over and hugged me.
***
I was on my way to the station, doing my best to control my emotions, when Joe Dawson called. “Good news, Buttercup. Greer got in touch with one of the big shots. Seems that Asimov character’s been on the agency’s radar for years. He’s sending a couple of agents that are familiar with him your way. They should be there sometime this morning.”
“I appreciate that. I think time is of the essence.”
“No worries.” He took a moment, then said, “Nothing new on Lindsay. I’ll keep you updated.”
I thanked him and then gave him an update on Noah being with Russell and Ryland. He told me to be careful, to stay in touch, and we agreed to talk later.
I spent the rest of the drive to the station thinking about Lindsay. My sister’s situation was just another thing in my life that seemed to be spinning out of control. If the Swarm found out she was working on our side, I had no doubt she would be killed—or maybe worse. There was the possibility they would hold her captive in some horrible place and eventually use her as leverage.
