by Alex Kava
“Agent O’Dell, there’s a phone call for Agent Tully. I know he left for a while, but this sounds important. Do you want to take the call?”
“Sure.” Maggie reached behind her for the phone. “What line?”
“Line five. It’s a detective from Newburgh Heights. I believe he said his name was Manx.”
Maggie’s stomach took a dive. She sucked in a deep breath and punched line five.
“Detective Manx, Agent Tully is at lunch. This is his partner, Agent Margaret O’Dell.”
She waited for the name to register. After a sigh, there was a pause.
“Agent O’Dell. Barge in on any crime scenes lately?”
“Funny thing, Detective Manx, but here at the FBI we usually don’t wait for engraved invitations.”
“When’s Tully gonna be back?”
So that was the way he wanted to play.
“Gee, you know, I don’t remember if he told me. He might not be back until Monday.”
She waited out his silence and imagined the scowl on his face.
“Look, Tully talked to me last night about this McGowan woman down here in Newburgh Heights that’s supposedly missing.”
“She is missing, Detective Manx. Seems you have a problem with women disappearing in your jurisdiction. What’s up with that?” She was enjoying this too much.
“I thought he should know that we checked out her house this morning and found a guy snooping around.”
“What?” Maggie sat up and gripped the phone.
“This guy said he was a friend and was worried about her. He looked like he was getting ready to break in. We brought him in for questioning. Just thought Tully might like to know.”
“You haven’t released him yet, have you?”
“No, the boys are still chatting with him. I think we got him pretty damn scared. First thing, he insisted on calling his fucking lawyer. Makes me think he’s guilty of something.”
“Don’t release him until Agent Tully and I have a chance to talk to him. We’ll be there in about a half hour.”
“Sure, no problem. Lookin’ forward to seeing you again, O’Dell.”
She was almost out the door before she realized she should probably call Tully. She patted her jacket down until she felt the phone in the pocket. She’d call him from the road. This wasn’t breaking any of Cunningham’s new rules. She simply didn’t want to ruin Tully’s lunch with his daughter.
That was what she told herself. The fact was, she wanted to check this out on her own. If Manx had Albert Stucky or even Walker Harding, Maggie wanted him all to herself.
48
AS THE sun moved overhead and more light seeped down, Tess could see the hellhole for what it was. The skull that stared out from the earth wall was not the only human remains that surrounded them. Other bones glistened, washed white by the rain, protruding at odd angles from the uneven walls.
At first Tess told herself it was some ancient burial ground. Then she found a black underwire bra and a woman’s leather pump with a broken heel. Neither looked old enough or deteriorated enough to have been there much longer than weeks, maybe months.
Dirt had been recently thrown into one of the corners. The mound looked fresh. She stared at it, but didn’t dare go near, staying away as if the pile would crumble and reveal some new horror.
The sunshine felt wonderful, though it wouldn’t last long. She managed to gently drag the woman to the center, so she could be warmed directly. Even the blanket had begun to dry. Tess stretched it out across some rocks, leaving the woman naked but bathed in light.
Tess was getting used to the rancid smell of the woman. The woman had defecated in her corner several times and had accidentally rolled in it. Tess wished she had some water to clean her. The thought reminded her how dry and raw her mouth and throat were. Surely the woman was already dehydrated. Her convulsions had calmed to a mild shiver and her teeth had stopped chattering. Even her breathing seemed normal. Now with the sunlight on her skin, Tess noticed she had closed her eyes, as though finally able to rest. Or had she decided to die?
Tess examined the pit again. She knew she could climb out. She had tried twice. Each time she peered over the edge, the relief overwhelming her to tears. But each time, she lowered herself back down, carefully easing the pressure on her swollen ankle.
She realized there could be safety in this pit. The madman must have dumped the woman here, expecting her to die from exposure. Eventually, he would return to throw some dirt over her and create another mound. When he discovered Tess was gone, he might not think to look for her down here.
That didn’t mean she wanted to stay. This hellhole reminded her too much of the dark storm cellar her aunt and uncle had used as punishment for her. As a child, being buried beneath the ground for an hour was terrifying. One or two days, unimaginable. Even as an adult, she could never remember what she had done to deserve such punishment.
In the dark, Tess would pray over and over for her mother to come and rescue her, remembering her mother’s last words, “I’ll be right back, Tessy.” But she never came back to rescue Tess. She never returned at all. How could her mother leave her with such evil people?
As Tess grew older and stronger, her aunt was no longer a match for her. That was when her uncle took over. Only, his form of punishment came at night when he let himself into her bedroom. When she tried to lock him out, he removed the door to her room. At first she screamed, knowing her aunt could now hear without the door to muffle the sounds. It didn’t take long for her to realize that her aunt had always heard. She just didn’t care.
Tess ran away to D.C. when she was fifteen. She learned that she could make quite a bit of money doing what her uncle had taught her for free. Fifteen years old, and she was fucking congressmen and generals. That was almost twenty years ago, and yet she had only recently found her escape from that life. She had finally begun a life that was her own. And she sure as hell would not end it here.
She squatted next to the woman and put a hand on her shoulder.
“I don’t know if you can hear me. My name is Tess. I want you to know I’m going to get us out of here.”
Tess surveyed the jutting rocks and roots, trying to come up with a plan. Just when she began to think it would be impossible, the woman moved slightly to her side. Without opening her eyes, she said, “My name’s Rachel.”
49
MAGGIE wasn’t sure what she expected. Could Stucky or Harding be stupid enough to get caught by the police? Yet, when Manx showed her into the interrogation room, her heart sank. The young man looked more like a college student than the hardened criminal Manx had described.
“There’s been a huge misunderstanding,” he told her. He wore khakis and a crew-neck sweater. Maybe this was what Manx expected burglars to wear in Newburgh Heights.
Maggie walked around Manx and sat down at the table opposite the young man. He sat wringing his hands in front of him, his eyes darting from Manx to the other two uniformed officers in the room.
“I’m Special Agent Margaret O’Dell with the FBI.” She waited for his eyes to settle on hers.
“FBI?” He looked worried. “Something’s happened to Tess, hasn’t it?”
“I know you may have already explained all this, but how do you know Ms. McGowan, Mr.—”
“Finley. My name’s Will Finley. I met Tess last weekend.”
“Last weekend? So you haven’t been friends for very long. Did she show you a piece of real estate?”
“Excuse me?”
“Did she show you a house last weekend?”
“No. We met at a bar. We…we spent the night together.”
Maggie wondered if it was a lie. Tess McGowan hadn’t looked like the barfly type. Nevertheless, she was certain Will Finley had nothing to do with Tess’s disappearance. She was glad she hadn’t dragged Tully away from lunch with his daughter for this.
“What’s happened to Tess?” Will Finley wanted to know. He looked genuinely concerned.
“Maybe you ought to be tellin’ us,” Manx said from behind Maggie.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I didn’t do anything to her. I haven’t seen her since Monday. She hasn’t returned any of my phone calls. I was worried.” He scraped a shaking hand over his face.
Maggie wondered how long they had kept him here. He looked exhausted. She knew after enough hours of the same questions, in the same room, that the most innocent of men could break down.
“Will.” She waited again for his eyes. “We’re not sure what happened to Tess, but she is missing. I’m hoping you might be able to help us find her.”
He stared at her as though he wasn’t sure if this was a trick.
“Is there anything you can remember?” she continued, keeping her voice calm. “Anything that could help us?”
“I’m not sure. I mean, I really don’t know her very well.”
“Well enough to fuck her, though, right?” Manx said, insisting on playing the bad cop.
Will Finley stared at him and fidgeted with the appropriate amount of guilt. Manx was right about the kid hiding something. It was the illicitness of the affair, not that he had hurt Tess.
“Where did you spend the night together?”
“Look, I know my rights. I don’t have to answer these questions.” He sounded defensive now.
“No, you don’t need to answer any of my questions. I just thought you might want to help us find her.” Maggie tried to persuade him.
“I don’t see how knowing where or when or how or what we did that night is going to help.”
“Hey, kid, you banged an older woman. You should be jumping at the chance to share the details.”
Maggie stood and faced Manx, trying to maintain her calm.
“Detective Manx, do you mind if I have a word with Mr. Finley alone?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“And why is that?”
“Well…” Manx hesitated while he manufactured a reason. “Might not be safe to leave you alone with him.”
“I’m an experienced FBI agent, Detective Manx. I’ll take my chances.” She glanced over at the officers. “You gentleman can verify that I said that.”
Manx stalled, then finally waved the two officers out of the room. He followed, but not before shooting a warning look in Finley’s direction.
“I’d apologize for Detective Manx, but, quite honestly, there is no excuse for his behavior.”
When she looked at Will Finley, he was smiling.
“I just realized who you are. You and I have a mutual friend.”
The door opened again, and Maggie jumped to her feet, ready to snap at Manx. It was, instead, one of the other officers. His entire face seemed to be apologetic.
“Sorry, but the kid’s lawyer just got here. He’s insisting on seeing him before any more questioning—”
“You shouldn’t be questioning him at all,” a voice interrupted. “Not without his attorney present.” Nick Morrelli pushed past the officer and into the room. Immediately, his anger gave in to a smile. “Jesus, Maggie. We have to stop meeting like this.”
50
HARVEY greeted Nick at the door with an impressive growl, teeth bared. Maggie smiled at Nick’s surprise even though she had warned him.
“I told you I have my own bodyguard. Down, Harvey.” She petted the dog’s head, and his entire hind end started wagging. “Harvey, this is Nick. He’s one of the good guys.”
Nick extended an apprehensive hand for the dog to sniff. In seconds, Harvey decided he deserved the royal treatment, and stuck his snout in Nick’s crotch. Nick seemed more amused than embarrassed.
“I see you have him checking out other things for you as well.”
His comment caught her off guard. She led Harvey into the living room, hoping Nick didn’t notice.
“I just moved in last week. I don’t have a lot of furniture yet.”
“It’s an incredible house,” he said, looking out at the backyard. “Pretty secluded. How safe is it?”
She looked up from the alarm. “About as safe as I would be anywhere. Cunningham has me under twenty-four-hour surveillance. He says it’s so we can catch Stucky, but I know he thinks it’ll protect me.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
She opened her jacket to show him her revolver.
“This is the only thing that I find convincing these days.”
He smiled. “Geez, I get so turned on when you show me your gun.”
She found herself blushing from his innocent flirting. Had it been a mistake to invite him here? Maybe she should have sent him back home to Boston with Will.
“I’m going to check if dinner is possible. I only have the very basics.” She retreated to the kitchen, wondering what she would do if he went beyond flirting. “Would you mind taking Harvey out in the backyard?”
“No, not at all.”
“His leash is by the back door. Press the green button on the security system.”
“It’s like living in a fort.”
“I don’t have much choice, do I? It’s part of the job. After a while you get used to having an unpublished phone number and making certain your address isn’t listed in any directory. It’s all part of my life, the part Greg didn’t want to deal with. Maybe he shouldn’t have had to.”
“Well, Greg was a fool,” he said as he snapped the leash on to Harvey’s collar. “But then, I sorta see Greg’s loss as my gain.” He smiled at her, then let Harvey pull him into the backyard.
Maggie watched them, wondering what it was about this man and that lean body and those charming dimples that could so easily stir up feeling she hadn’t accessed in years. Was it just a physical attraction? Nothing more?
It didn’t matter. She didn’t have the energy to entertain such thoughts. She needed to start listening to her head and her gut, not her heart. And, more importantly, she didn’t want to care about someone who Stucky could take away from her in a split second.
What Gwen had said last night about Stucky stayed with Maggie, gnawing at her. They all believed he had chosen women who were mere acquaintances of hers, in order to make it impossible to predict who his next target might be. But the fact of the matter was, Maggie had few people she allowed into her life. Gwen believed that Maggie purposely made herself off-limits, emotionally. What Maggie called professional distancing, Gwen called fear of intimacy.
“If you don’t let people in, they can’t hurt you,” Gwen had lectured in her motherly tone. “But if you don’t let people in, they can’t love you either.”
Nick was coming back, Harvey carrying the bone Maggie had bought him. She thought he had taken it out and buried it because he didn’t want it. Instead, the hole was merely for safe storage. She certainly had a lot to learn about her new roommate.
As soon as Nick unleashed Harvey, he bounded up the stairs.
“He looks like a guy with a mission.” Nick watched.
“He’ll plop down in the corner of my bedroom and gnaw on that thing for hours.”
“You seem to be getting attached to each other.”
“No way. The smelly brute goes home as soon as they find his mom.” Or at least, that was what she kept telling herself. Fact was, she would feel horribly betrayed when Rachel Endicott showed up and Harvey ran to her without so much as a glance in Maggie’s direction.
The point was, Gwen was full of crap. Letting anyone in, including a dog, usually ended up hurting like hell. So she protected herself. It was one of the few things in her twisted life she could have control over.
“Maggie, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she answered, and his smile told her she had hesitated too long.
“You know what?” he said, his eyes holding hers. “Why don’t you let me take care of you for one evening?”
His fingertips stroked her cheek. She knew exactly what he meant by saying he wanted to take care of her.
“Nick, I can’t.”
His lips didn’t pay attention to her words as they traced where his fingers had been. Her breathing was already uneven by the time his lips brushed hers. But instead of kissing her, he moved to her other cheek. His lips moved over her eyelids and nose and forehead and hair.
“Nick,” she tried again, only she wondered if the word was audible. Her own heart beat so noisily in her ears, she couldn’t hear herself think.
Finally, Nick stopped, his face still so close. God, she could easily get lost in his eyes, the warm blue oceans. His hands caressed her shoulders. His fingers strayed inside her collar to gently touch her throat.
“I just want to make you feel good, Maggie.”
“Nick, I really can’t do this,” she heard herself say while the flutter in her stomach disagreed with her words, screaming at her to take them back.
“I know,” he said, almost as if her response had been a foregone conclusion. “I know you’re not ready. It’s too soon after Greg.”
It was great that he understood, because Maggie wasn’t sure she did. How could she explain it to him?
“With Greg, it was so comfortable. With you, it’s…” His fingers were distracting her, still exploring. Was he trying to change her mind? “With you,” she tried to continue, “it’s so intense, it scares me.”
“And it scares you because you might lose control.”
“God, you know me well, Morrelli.”
“Tell you what. When you’re ready, and I’m emphasizing when. No ifs,” he said, his fingers still touching her. “I’ll let you have all the control you want. But tonight, Maggie, I just want to make you feel good.”
The flutter reawakened, immediately kicking into overdrive.
