Laying Down the Law

by Delores Fossen

  However, they didn’t need to discuss it for her to know it was something she’d never forget. God. He’d been through so much. Being abandoned, the attacks, learning that his mother was almost certainly dead. And it wasn’t even over.

  It might never be over.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Cord said.

  Karina knew what he meant. She was feeling sorry for him, and it showed. She quickly tried to change her expression, but it was too late.

  Mack picked up on it, too. “I got to take a trip to the men’s room. I won’t be long.”

  But Mack probably would stay away from the booth to give Cord and her a chance to talk. However, Cord didn’t say anything. He clammed up after the deputy scurried away.

  “I’m okay, really,” Cord insisted.

  As Mack had done to her, she slid her hand over his. “Liar.” She’d hoped that would make him smile, but it didn’t work.

  “I should have gotten right in Willie Lee’s face until he gave me a straight answer about being the Moonlight Strangler.” Cord cursed himself. “I’m a federal agent, and I know how to interrogate someone.”

  “Willie Lee wasn’t just someone,” Karina reminded him. “And besides, even if you had repeated the question, he might not have been able to answer. Something was clearly wrong with him.”

  Cord stayed quiet a moment, nodded. “Has he ever had a seizure before?”

  “Not that I know of. But that doesn’t mean it never happened. Like I said, Willie Lee could be secretive.” She paused. “He did seem to love your mother, though.”

  The muscles in his jaw went to war with each other. “Yeah. Maybe if he comes out of this, he can tell us where her body is. I’d like to give her a proper burial. And no, she wasn’t any of the other known victims. All of their DNA is in the system now, and it would have hit as a match to Addie and me.”

  True. But there was also someone else in the DNA pool. Karina had never met him, but it was a man named Lonny Ogden, who was now confined to a psychiatric facility. Months ago, the cops had learned about Ogden, and since he was a match to Cord and Addie, it also meant he was a match to Willie Lee. That meant Willie Lee had three children.

  Karina was about to bring that up to Cord, but she could see that he was shutting down again. Already looking at his phone for somebody to call so he wouldn’t have to discuss this with her. But his phone rang before he could punch in a number.

  “Jericho,” he said, and he answered it immediately, probably because the sheriff had gotten some big news to call back so soon.

  Cord didn’t put it on speaker. There were people eating nearby, but Karina moved closer to him so she could hear.

  “The photo is a selfie,” Jericho said without even saying a greeting. “Or whatever they called them back when it was taken.”

  It took Karina a moment to realize what he was talking about. The picture that’d been left in the diner and brought to the sheriff’s office.

  The picture of Willie Lee.

  “He took it himself,” Jericho went on. “I faxed the photos to the FBI lab, and they did a rush job. They enhanced the image, and Willie Lee is definitely holding the camera. And the knife. Of course, that doesn’t mean someone wasn’t there in the room forcing him to do it.”

  No, but it didn’t make him look innocent, either.

  “What about the other photos?” Cord asked.

  She didn’t like Jericho’s hesitation that followed. “They did age progression for the one on the porch. It’s you and Addie all right, but there was a problem with the woman. They used some kind of facial composite program, and the woman’s features didn’t match yours and Addie’s.”

  Karina hadn’t expected that. Judging from Cord’s deep breath, neither had he. “So, she’s not our mother?” Cord asked.

  “Doesn’t appear to be. But of course, that leaves us with the question of who is she. You think Willie Lee could or would tell us?”

  “Maybe,” Cord said as if going over that in his mind. He didn’t look relieved exactly, but he had to be. Because there was the possibility his mother was still alive. After all, Willie Lee didn’t seem as if he knew for sure.

  “And as for the final one,” Jericho went on, “well, they’re pretty sure the woman in the photo—whoever she is—is dead, that it wasn’t faked. Are you okay?” he added a moment later.

  “I’m fine,” Cord answered, after a short hesitation. “How would they know it wasn’t faked?”

  “It hadn’t been doctored. They could tell that, too, because it was a Polaroid, and they’re hard to alter without leaving lots of signs. And the woman had classic petechia in her eyes, a sign of strangulation. Plus, she’d been strangled with some kind of wire that had apparently cut through her skin. A deep enough cut that her hyoid bone was likely broken.”

  So, there it was, all spelled out for them. A woman who’d been in an earlier photo with them had been murdered.

  “Still okay?” Jericho asked Cord.

  “Does Addie know?” Cord obviously didn’t want to answer Jericho’s question.

  “Not yet. Maybe you two can talk about it soon. I wasn’t sure if this would get up her hopes or not about your birth mother, and I thought you might want to wait to tell her until you knew for sure.”

  Of course, they might never know for sure.

  Cord’s phone beeped to indicate he had another call coming in. “The prison,” Cord said, glancing at the screen. “Jericho, I’ll have to call you back.”

  Cord ended the call with Jericho and took the one from the prison. This time, he did put the call on speaker.

  “This is Dr. Kenney,” the woman said when Cord greeted her. “Willie Lee’s stabilized for now.”

  Karina’s breath rushed out. From the relief. However, Cord wasn’t sharing that relief with her. “Good. I need to finish the interrogation—”

  “Sorry,” the doctor interrupted, “but I’m not allowing him any other visitors today.”

  “I need to talk to him,” Cord snapped.

  “I know. And I know he’s been accused of some horrible crimes, but he’s also my patient. I’m sorry, Agent Granger, but you’ll have to wait. I’ll give you a call in the morning.” The woman hung up so that Cord didn’t even get a chance to pressure her.

  Cord immediately stood up, finishing off the rest of the coffee and dropping some money on the table. “I’ll get Mack,” he said.

  But the words seemed to die on his lips, and Cord reached for his gun.

  Karina whirled around to see what had caused him to do that. And her heart went to her knees.

  No.

  This couldn’t be happening again.

  Mack was there all right, but standing behind him was a man wearing a ski mask. He had Mack in a choke hold and held a gun to the deputy’s head.

  “Everybody out!” the man shouted. “Everybody but you two,” he added to Cord and her.

  Karina didn’t recognize his voice, but there was something familiar about his size and stance. This was almost certainly one of the men who’d taken Rocky at gunpoint.

  The diners immediately started to scatter, all running for the door. Cord moved, too, putting himself in front of her and taking aim at the man. However, he didn’t have a clean shot.

  “I’m sorry,” Mack said. “I didn’t see him in the bathroom until it was too late. I think he came in through a window.”

  Which meant he’d probably been watching them, waiting for the right time for this. Whatever this was. Did he want her dead?

  Karina figured she’d soon find out.

  The thug waited, his back against the wall so that no one could sneak up on him. And he watched as the last of the diners hurried out. At least one of them would call the cops if they hadn’t already. The thug must have known that so tha
t meant he might start shooting.

  “Stay down and behind me,” Cord told her without taking his attention off the man.

  But Cord wouldn’t do that. Again, he would be the one in the direct line of fire. Maybe, just maybe, this snake hadn’t been sent there to kill him.

  “This all has to happen fast,” the man finally said. “I leave with the woman, and both of you get to live.”

  “No deal,” Cord answered without hesitating. “Who sent you to do this?”

  The guy actually chuckled. “That kind of information is well above my pay grade. I just do what I’m told, and I expect you to do the same. Let’s go. Follow me.”

  And he started dragging Mack toward the kitchen.

  The diner wasn’t that large, and the staff had obviously fled. Good. Because Karina didn’t want anyone hit by friendly fire.

  Especially since she was the target.

  God, who wanted her? Maybe she’d find out before this jerk managed to hurt or kill her.

  “Move faster,” the guy barked.

  Cord and she did, and she stayed behind him, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one came in through the front. However, once they got into the kitchen, she saw something else she didn’t want to see.

  Another hired gun in a ski mask.

  He was by the back door and already had it open. She could see a car parked just outside, and that door was also open. They were ready for her.

  Her heart was already pounding, but it raced even more. And her breath became so thin that it felt as if she was about to hyperventilate. But she couldn’t. If she did, Mack or Cord could die.

  She didn’t have a weapon, but Karina glanced around for anything she could use. The only thing nearby was a paring knife, but she snatched it up, holding it by her side so that hopefully the thugs wouldn’t see it.

  “Now, for the tricky part,” the first man said. “Karina, come here, and I’ll let the deputy go. Scout’s honor.”

  She doubted she could believe anything he said, and Cord must have agreed because he kept in front of her.

  “I’ll go with you instead,” Cord offered.

  The guy shook his head. “Sorry, but I’ve heard about you. You’re a big-shot DEA agent. You could probably kick my butt into the next county with some fancy martial arts. No, thanks. If the woman doesn’t come over here now, the deputy gets a bullet.”

  Karina only hesitated a second, but it was obviously too long because the shot blasted through the kitchen.

  And Mack yelled out in pain.

  The thug had shot him in the arm.

  “The next one goes in his belly,” the man growled. “Then, his heart. After that, your precious DEA agent takes a bullet to the head and all because you’re too stubborn to follow orders.”

  “I’ll go with you,” she said, earning her a sharp glare from Cord.

  She wasn’t sure if he saw the knife she was holding. Or maybe he had and knew it wouldn’t be much of a weapon against two armed men. If they got her in that car, they would take her somewhere and kill her.

  Maybe even take her to the Moonlight Strangler.

  “Don’t do this, Karina,” Cord insisted. He was volleying glances from Mack, who was grimacing in pain, to the men and then to her.

  She connected gazes with the man who was holding Mack, and she could tell from his eyes that he was about to pull the trigger again. This wasn’t a bluff, and it didn’t help when she heard the police sirens approaching. The thugs were running out of time.

  And so was she.

  Karina started walking. Not slowly, either. She didn’t want to give them a chance to see the knife. The moment she was near the thug, he shoved Mack forward, the deputy falling onto the floor, and he grabbed Karina.

  That’s when she made her own move.

  She brought up the knife, aiming for his neck. But he saw her and tried to knock her hand away. Karina came right back at him, and this time she jammed the knife in his throat. He yelled out, cursing her, and with the blood gushing from his neck, he fell to his knees.

  The other man brought up his gun, but it was too late. Cord fired. Two shots. Both of them slamming into the man’s chest. He dropped to the floor next to his partner while Mack scrambled away from them.

  Karina moved, too, thanks to Cord. Her legs seemed to have stopped working, but he maneuvered her to the other side of the room behind a stainless prep table. That’s when Karina looked at her hand. She still held the knife.

  And now she had his blood on her.

  As horrifying of a sight as that was, she wasn’t the only one with blood. Mack had the gunshot wound to his arm, and Karina dropped the knife so she could grab a dish towel and apply some pressure to it. The wound didn’t look that bad, but he would need a doctor soon.

  There were some sounds in the diner. Then, hurried footsteps. Several seconds later, two uniformed officers came running to the door to peer into the kitchen. Both had their weapons drawn.

  “I’m Cord Granger, DEA,” he said, taking his badge from his pocket to show them. “We need an ambulance.”

  “Already on the way,” one of the officers assured him. One of the uniforms went toward the thugs. The other stayed near Cord, Mack and her.

  “Who are these guys?” the officer asked.

  “Hired killers,” Cord answered. Good thing because Karina wasn’t sure she could speak yet. Cord went to the men, yanking off their ski masks. “Strangers,” he added.

  That didn’t make it any easier to stomach. They’d come close to dying. And now Mack was hurt. All because of her. And Karina still didn’t know why.

  “Is it clear back there?” someone called out. Another officer probably, because one of the uniforms responded right away.

  “It’s clear. And there’s a DEA agent on scene. Two injuries, though.”

  Karina shook her head when she realized he was adding her to the injured list. Probably because of her bloody hands and the cuts and bruises she already had.

  “I’m not hurt,” she said.

  “How many dead bodies you got?” the cop in the diner called out. He came into the doorway of the kitchen. Not a uniform this time. He was in khakis and a white shirt. Probably a detective.

  “Two,” the officer next to her answered.

  The cop in the doorway mumbled something she didn’t catch, and he looked around the room until his gaze connected with Cord. “You’re the DEA agent?” he asked.

  Cord nodded.

  The cop hitched his thumb toward the diner. “A woman’s out front, and she says she needs to speak to you immediately, that it’s important.” The cop paused. “She says she’s your mother.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cord stood there a moment, trying to process what the cop had just told him. He couldn’t.

  “My mother?” he questioned.

  After his conversation with Jericho about the photos, Cord was just coming to terms with the notion that his mother might not be dead. But he sure as heck hadn’t expected her to show up at a crime scene.

  And maybe she hadn’t.

  This could be another part of some sick hoax. Or else the woman could be working for the person who’d hired these now-dead thugs. Because her timing was certainly suspicious, and she could be here to make sure she finished the job that her hired guns had started.

  “Did the woman give you her name?” Karina asked.

  Good question. One that Cord should have already asked. He needed to collect himself. Hard to do, though, with the adrenaline still pumping through him, and his body primed for the fight.

  The cop shook his head. “I figured if she was your mother, that you’d know her name. I also figured she had come here with you.” He did another thumb hitch. “You want me to get her ID and question her?” />
  “No. I’ll do it.” In fact, Cord didn’t want anyone else talking to her yet. After they were done, it was possible these uniforms would be arresting her.

  “I’ll clean up,” Karina said, looking at the blood on her hands. “I’ll be out there in a minute.”

  “Stay back here until I know what we’re dealing with.”

  That clearly didn’t do anything to put Karina at ease. But then nothing would at this point.

  Cord didn’t holster his gun when he went into the diner, and he spotted the woman right away. Not inside but rather standing at the glass door. He couldn’t see much of her face because the diner’s name, Tasty Eats, was etched on it, so he went closer.

  She stood there wearing a dark blue dress, her nearly white hair pulled back. Not in a fashionable style, either. She looked old.

  No, he corrected. She looked weary.

  An emotion he completely understood, but Cord pushed it aside. He didn’t want to feel any connection with this woman until he found out exactly who she was and why she was there.

  With his gun still ready, he opened the door. She was looking down at the ground and was holding a purse in front of her like a shield. Cord snatched it from her, causing her to gasp in surprise, and he rummaged through it.

  No gun.

  Wallet, keys, tissues and some papers, all neatly arranged.

  “Who are you?” he demanded, handing her back the purse.

  The woman lifted her head then, their eyes connecting. He didn’t see the resemblance as he’d done with Willie Lee, but he did feel something.

  Hell.

  He couldn’t trust a gut feeling on something like this.

  “You don’t remember me,” she said, sounding a little hurt by that. “Of course you wouldn’t. You were hardly more than a baby. Your name was Courtland then, but we called you Court.”

  Court. No doubt what he’d been trying to say when the person found him in that gas station. His name had gone down on record as Cord. No last name because Cord hadn’t remembered one.