Beneath the Cracks

by LS Sygnet

  "The element of surprise could put this ball in our court," Tony said. "I say we move now. You think that's what Denton was really working on out there? This poisonous plant?"

  "We won't know until we get inside and see for ourselves. Serving this warrant is my highest priority right now. I'm about five minutes away from the division. I'll meet you at the car."

  Darnell had the warrant for us when we arrived at OSI. He pulled me aside before we could leave. "Have you talked to Johnny since the second victim was found?"

  "No," I said. "I haven't spoken to him since Saturday morning after we found Denton dead in his cell. Why?"

  "I haven't talked to him since Thursday. I'm getting concerned, Helen. I thought he'd be back from wherever he went by now. In fact, I expected he'd come home the minute he learned that this case was getting more complicated."

  "He said he'd be here as soon as he could, Chris. Are you sure you have no idea what he was investigating?"

  Darnell's eyes darted away. "Not really, no."

  "But you have suspicions, don't you?"

  "Nothing I can discuss at this time. I'll keep trying to reach him."

  I gripped Darnell's arm. "Wait. You've been trying to contact him and haven't been able to reach him?"

  He nodded. "That's why I asked if you've heard from him. I thought maybe he answered when you called because this departure was more about…well, the two of you, than it was any case he's investigating. He doesn't always keep me in the loop when he gets leads, but if he really was following something that put him out of communication with the office for more than a day or two, he'd tell me."

  "If I talk to him again, I'll ask him to call you," I said. "In fact, I'll try to get in touch with him on the way out to Dupree Farm. Okay?"

  "I appreciate it, Helen."

  With the aid of lights and sirens, we made good time out to Dupree's so-called farm. I charged the gate where security stood with stalwart determination that no entry would be granted to anyone – police or not – in the middle of the night.

  "Open the gate."

  "This isn't Darkwater Bay jurisdiction," a surly guard sneered. Another was in a booth a few feet away talking on the telephone.

  "Crevan, Tony, place this man under arrest for denying us entry after being served a lawful warrant."

  I sidestepped him. His arm snaked out around my waist two seconds before he found himself on his back in the dirt. "And assaulting a police officer."

  The guard in the booth rushed out. I pointed my Glock at his head. "Take one more step, and I'll put you down like a rabid dog. Tony, cuff him and put them in that security check point station."

  I reached into the security station and pushed the button to open the gate, gun still trained in the direction of the administration building. All was quiet. No horde of lawyers rushed from the exit to challenge the merits of the warrant. "When you've got them secured, bring the car. I'm heading in."

  "Would you just wait a God-blessed minute? Yeesh!" Briscoe threw up his hands.

  I waited, restless and pacing, but climbed back in the car when Tony drove through the opened gate. "We may not find Dupree here. I doubt the man lives in his office. I don't suppose either one of you know the closest town."

  "I don't think that's our biggest issue right now." Crevan pulled his weapon and prepared to get out of the vehicle. Bright lights over the cab of a truck appeared in front of us, blinding all three occupants of the car.

  They rolled to a stop, Crevan and Tony simultaneously opening their doors and taking cover. "Darkwater Bay Police," Crevan's voice boomed through the space between the vehicles. "We're here to serve a search warrant. Shut off the lights on your vehicle and step out slowly."

  The sequence of events from that point forward got jumbled in my mind when gunfire erupted. I crouched on the floor in the back seat of the car as the world shattered. "Shit!"

  Chapter 33

  Glass rained down. Hundreds of rounds of ammunition were fired, and I hoped I only imagined that bullets were whizzing past me, that tufts of foam from exploding upholstery in the car weren't really flying through the air. Someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me out of the car.

  "Get down!" Briscoe's nose was about a millimeter from my face.

  I scrambled on all fours behind the car, pulled the Glock again, and started returning fire. One clip. Two clips. Still more bullets came.

  "Those are machine guns!" my voice strained to be heard over the sound of warfare.

  Crevan shoved his phone into my hand. "Get down and call for backup! State police!"

  My hands trembled, but I dialed as fast as I could. I screamed over the din at Chris Darnell, "Dupree Farm, we're under heavy fire – send backup! I'm out, I'm out, Crevan!"

  The line went dead. It seemed like hours passed along with the gunfire. We crouched behind the ruined police car, returning fire. Tony opened the trunk and retrieved boxes of rounds for our guns to keep the fight going and give us even a slim chance for survival.

  Someone screamed, "I'm hit, I'm hit!"

  The barrage intensified, unbelievable as that seemed. Time slowed. My words were slurred, drawn out. Everything took on a surreal, slow motion quality. And then lights appeared from the sky, and the blackness behind us was illuminated by red and blue beacons of state police closer than Darkwater Bay's headquarters. Plus, seventy five miles on a winding highway by car didn't take very long in a helicopter as the crow flies.

  I dragged dusty air into my lungs. We were going to be okay. Darnell sent backup. The rapid fire slowed and then finally stopped. A voice boomed from the helicopter above. "State police. Put down your weapons and lie face down on the ground. Do not move or we will open fire."

  The sound of the blades on the helicopter made a low, whumping sound, kicking up dirt and debris as the craft sank closer to the ground. I shielded my eyes with one hand and tried to see where it was landing. Seconds later, I was being dragged away from cover behind the car by men wearing canvass and Kevlar sporting automatic weapons. If not for the state police patches on the arms of their jackets, I would've feared that the security force at Dupree's farm had won the battle.

  A blanket materialized around my shoulders. I found myself sitting in the back of a car. "Drink this," someone ordered and thrust a cup into my hand. I heard words like shock and post traumatic response. The last woke something inside my dulled mind.

  "I'm alive goddammit, and I'm not an invalid." Words that started soft were pushed out with great force. "And I've still got a warrant to serve."

  "We'll be finished with the sweep of the buildings in thirty minutes maximum, Commander Eriksson," one of the black-clad state officers said. His posture stiffened, and he actually saluted me.

  I laughed at the ridiculousness of his gesture. "It's detective, officer, but Eriksson will do just fine. You boys arrived in the nick of time. I'm not sure how much longer we could've held out."

  "Commander Darnell said you're in command of the scene on behalf of OSI, ma'am, to follow your lead."

  I half expected him to call me sir. His stiff form didn't relax a fraction of an inch. "Ex-military, officer?"

  "Yes ma'am."

  "At ease then, soldier. Have they surrendered?"

  "It's looking that way, ma'am."

  "Eriksson, please," I insisted. "You call me ma'am one more time and I'm gonna ask for a mirror to make sure this experience didn't age me fifty years."

  It was only a hint of a smile, but the officer assigned to stay couldn't suppress the quiver at the corner of his mouth. His spine relaxed. "You weren't hit, Eriksson. Was this your first fire fight?"

  "First time anyone has ever shot at me, period," I admitted. Funny thing to think of at a time like this. "I'll never live it down, will I?"

  This time it was an unabashed grin. "You did fine, ma'am – for a first time."

  "What's your name, officer?"

  "Kendrick, Jeff."

  "How much longer until I can get to that lab?" />
  "They're clearing the buildings now, Eriksson. Unusual amount of force from security at a dairy farm, wouldn't you say?" He squatted down by the open car door and peered up at me. "You're covered in glass."

  "I feel lucky to be breathing."

  "Yes ma'am. EMS is en route to check out the three of you. By then, tactical should have a green light for the execution of your warrant. Commander Darnell said he'd appreciate a call as soon as you're up to making it."

  "I'm surprised he didn't arrive on the helicopter."

  "Not enough time, Eriksson, otherwise I'm sure he would've been."

  My left temple stung. I lifted my fingertips. Warm liquid smeared against them. "Glass must've cut me at some point. How are the detectives that were with me?"

  "Arguing about getting further into the compound, ma'am." He paused, "They're uninjured."

  "Have they tried talking to the men who attacked us?"

  Kendrick nodded. "They've asked for lawyers. 'Course, by the time we get them processed and hauled back to headquarters, they might feel inclined to revoke their right to counsel."

  "Don't bet on it. It's a problem though. If their lawyers get word to whoever is running this operation, he could be long gone before we figure out who exactly that person is."

  Kendrick grinned. "Well, it's like I said. Processing these arrests is gonna take as long as you need it to, Eriksson."

  More sirens, more lights – the ambulance arrived, and I was strongly encouraged to let the paramedics evaluate any injuries. "I thought you said I was the scene commander," I grumbled at Kendrick.

  "Just as soon as you're treated for your injuries, I'll take you in to the main building."

  "I'm going to the lab facility," I insisted. "That's where my murder victim worked. You've got to make sure that they're checking that building for more armed guards, and they should probably look for booby traps."

  One of the paramedics steered me into the back of the ambulance while I continued giving orders to Kendrick, including calling Chris Darnell and asking that someone locate Jean-Claude Dupree immediately.

  "I've already got it covered, Eriksson. Your detective pals from Downey are at the lab right now." He clipped his radio back to his belt. "They asked that I give you a message. They're not touching a damned thing until you get there."

  "What does that mean?"

  "I believe the one called Briscoe was telling our tactical officer that it was more confusing than the whole case has been so far."

  I groaned, but sat still while my cuts were cleaned with stinging antiseptic.

  "You're lucky, Detective Eriksson. Steri-strips should do the job on this gash on your temple. I don't think you'll need stitches."

  "Fantastic. Can I get to my evidence now?"

  He nodded to Kendrick and I had a flashback of one of my many impressions of the men from Darkwater Bay. Maybe it was the whole damned state. I was not some fragile thing that needed to be protected – even if I did freak out just a little bit while criminals tried to kill me with automatic weapons. It'd be completely different if they'd opted for hand to hand combat.

  "Kendrick, I assumed that the guard in the security check point station was on the phone with other security guards. It just occurred to me that he might've called more than one person. Is there any way you can start working on the phone records out of this place tonight?"

  "Just as soon as I get you to the laboratory, ma'am."

  I hesitated. "How much do you know about how OSI functions?"

  "I'm not sure I understand what you're asking, ma'am."

  The vehicle jostled over the grass. Kendrick decided to take the direct route to the lab instead of following the winding road.

  "I guess I meant to ask if you know the man with OSI who has been working undercover specifically on this case."

  "Why, do you know who he is?" The frown penetrated the darkness.

  These were obviously Darnell's elite force with the state police. Surely he knew about Orion, was just protecting his cover. "I've been working pretty closely with him on this case. In fact, I've known about his true position with OSI since my first week in the city, Kendrick."

  "Obviously you have a high security clearance."

  Nice non-answer. He's good; I'll give him that. "It's just that I've been trying to contact him without much success. He needs to know what happened here tonight."

  "Commander Darnell will determine who is contacted, ma'am." He paused. "He'll do the right thing, Eriksson. I expect we'll be joined by the party in question shortly."

  Briscoe was pacing the lobby. Conall leaned against the wall with his legs crossed at the ankles. Half a dozen state police with the tactical division stood guard – both outside the lab and inside the lobby. They all looked just like Jeff Kendrick – same garb, same weaponry, same military bearing.

  I looked to Tony first. "What have you got?"

  His hand reached for my face, aborted midair and dropped to his side. "You okay, Eriksson?"

  "I'm fine, thank you. Have you been inside the lab yet?"

  "Oh yeah," Briscoe breathed those two words out with great force. "I think this guy was nuts, Eriksson. We took one look at what he's got in there and realized that this was a job for you to analyze first."

  "Me?"

  "You're the profiler."

  "Ma'am, we've got the state crime lab personnel en route to process evidence. Commander Darnell dispatched them as soon as we informed him that the scene is secured."

  I nodded at an unknown man, probably the tactical commander to whom Kendrick had referred earlier. "And they'll share whatever evidence is collected with my crime lab in Darkwater Bay, correct? My murder victim died in a holding cell at Downey Division and I have every reason to believe that the poison he ingested was grown here."

  "Yes ma'am. Full cooperation with Darkwater. Are you ready to go inside? All we've done is make sure there are no booby traps or additional security personnel lurking around. I'd advise caution all the same."

  "Is Darnell on his way out here yet?"

  "I – uh... believe that is still being discussed."

  "I have to do something before I go inside. In private," I said. "Excuse me gentlemen."

  Around a corner and down the hallway from the fray of police and guns and concern for what was found inside Denton's lab, I made another attempt to reach Johnny.

  The call rolled into voicemail again, without a single ring.

  "Johnny, it's Helen. We tried to serve the warrant at the Dupree Farm and were met by a firefight. We're fine, a little cut up from flying glass, but Chris sent OSI's tactical team in to assist." I paused and bit my lower lip. "Where are you? Johnny, I really need you here. Will you please call me as soon as you get this message? If something happened since we talked earlier…or if you're upset because I ended that other call so abruptly, will you at least call Chris? He's starting to get concerned. And so am I. Wherever you are, please be careful. Hurry back." The words that would send him running home rested on the tip of my tongue.

  Question was, did I really believe them? Do I love him too?

  I opted for something far safer. "I mean it when I say this, Orion. We need you."

  Chapter 34

  "I want these plants removed in the troughs Denton used to cultivate them. Is that clear? The entire shrub must be delivered to the crime lab intact."

  "Dr. Eriksson, I don't understand why we can't simply remove a few of them and –"

  "Because harvesting them begins a process that will give us only a few hours before they are useless as evidence unless some kind of preserving mechanism is in place. We don't have time to take the roots all the way back to Downey and have them analyzed. Do you understand now? I'm not asking you to remove the entire greenhouse and haul it away. Not yet anyway, but it's important that this evidence be examined as soon as possible."

  Crevan and Tony stood a few feet away, shaking their heads and trying to absorb the massive greenhouse Denton had constructed within th
e research facility. Rows and rows of cassava plants in various stages of growth stretched what had to be the length of the massive building.

  "Ideally, we'd collect samples from each stage of his experiments, but for now, I'd like you to focus on this section here," I pointed to the plants that showed evidence of recent harvest. Large holes had been dug where full plants were extracted."

  "If we did that," one of OSI's evidence techs said, "we could take a lot more plants, Dr. Eriksson. Somebody obviously removed whole plants instead of merely harvesting the roots."

  "Fine, whatever, but if we aren't able to examine the tubers because they've deteriorated from improper handling, guess who's coming back to collect more?"

  I advanced on Briscoe and Conall. "Are they finished searching the rest of the building?"

  "This place is huge, Helen. They could be at it for two days," Crevan said. "They cleared his office space. We thought maybe you'd like to take a look at his computer files."

  "As paranoid as Denton was, he probably encrypted everything. Guess I won't know until we try to have a look. Are you coming or do you plan to follow tactical around the building?"

  "We've been told to stand down until they clear the place, thanks to your suggestion of booby traps, Eriksson," Tony grumbled and stomped away from us.

  "He's frustrated, doesn't like sitting on the sidelines, Helen. Let's go check out the office."

  "Tony shouldn't be upset because I suggested there's danger in this place." I waved one hand across the expanse of the narrow, but long greenhouse. "There is enough cyanide growing in this room to kill half the population in Darkwater Bay, provided someone was ambitious enough to taint the food supply."

  "Is that what you think he wanted to do?"

  I shook my head. "I have no clue, and probably won't until they start examining the characteristics of the fruits of his labor. What baffles me the most is how any of this could've gone on under Dupree's nose without him being aware of it."