by Mel Comley
“Speaking of Reefer, I called him.”
“I’ll call him or talk to him when we get back. So do you think someone wants us to think Candy Granger was killed?”
Alex rubbed her right temple, something niggling at her memory. “I think someone wants this case closed, and if everything we find points to MacIntyre and Granger, then we’re spinning wheels looking for them while the true culprits are getting rid of any real evidence.”
“I wish Gabriella were on this case. I think the chief is already convinced MacIntyre and Granger killed the first three girls, and the cop they’re interviewing killed the other two. We may have a hard time convincing him to keep the case open if something else comes in he wants us working on.”
Alex glanced at the odometer. They still had almost sixty miles to go. “I’m getting hungry. Want to find someplace to grab a sandwich?”
“I’m not hungry, but if you want to run through a drive-through, I’ll drive and let you eat.” Tamara grinned at her. “I’ll use the cruise control so my foot doesn’t get too heavy.”
Alex took the next exit, which had signs for all types of fast-food restaurants. “I’ll run through a drive-through and grab a hamburger.”
“One right up ahead.” Tamara pointed to the right. “Meat should be fresh, too. They’re right next door to a slaughterhouse.”
Slaughtered. Butchered. Alex made a U-turn and headed to the parkway. “I know who’s behind all of this.”
“Who?” Tamara reached for the dashboard. “And you might want to slow down a little.”
Alex slowed the vehicle and breathed in and out to control the rage inside her. “You asked me when the Escape Artist called, and I never answered you. He called the morning of my birthday and said he was sorry he had to punish me, hoped I wouldn’t make him do it again. That’s when he told me he didn’t want me around other men.”
Tamara laid a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t you pull over, Alex?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. He asked if I liked my presents, and I said yes, I loved the roses, and white ones were my favorite. He talked about Patterson, and I told him the chief wouldn’t let me near that case, and I was busy with the one I was working. Tamara, there was nothing in the paper about how those girls died or were found, but he referred to them as the three butchered girls.”
“Which means either he did it, or he’s involved in it.”
Alex pulled to the side of the road and stopped the car. “You can drive. We need to get back as quick as we can and run this by Blake. There’s a good chance MacIntyre and Granger are victims, not killers.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Candy pulled out her chair at the dinner table set for one. “Dr. Jackson isn’t coming down?”
Henrietta shook her head, and her ponytail swished from side to side. “No, Miss Candy. She asked me to bring up a tray for her.”
“And Rico?” Candy asked.
“Mr. Rico went to the lab to take care of things there. He said he would be back by morning.”
“Thank you, Henrietta. Could I have a glass of wine, please?”
“Yes, Miss Candy. I’ll get it right away.”
Candy forked up a bite of salad then chewed slowly. Dr. Jackson had been in her room all day, refusing to see or talk to anyone except Rico, who had mysteriously disappeared right after breakfast. She felt out of the loop, and that was dangerous to her future security. Henrietta came in with the glass of wine. “Anything else you need, Miss Candy?”
“Yes, Henrietta. When Dr. Jackson’s tray is ready, bring it to me. I’ll take it up.”
“But Dr. Jackson gave strict orders, Miss Candy. No one is to disturb her except Mr. Rico.”
Candy sipped the wine and raised an eyebrow. “Did she not also give you strict orders to obey me?”
“Yes, Miss Candy.”
“Then I would suggest you fix her tray and bring it to me. As soon as I’ve finished eating, I’ll take it up.”
“Yes, Miss Candy.”
Rico had told her enough about his brother for Candy to know he was unstable and insane, and eventually, he would kill Dr. Jackson and Rico. Her future security depended on avoiding that. They needed to get rid of him, and she needed the perfect plan to do that. Of course, if he was the boss, it might cut into their money supply, but only for a short time. For a smart person, there were other ways to make good money—and Dr. Jackson was a smart lady.
Henrietta entered with the tray and set it on the table. “Please, tell Dr. Jackson I asked you not to do this.”
She pushed back her chair and picked up the tray. “You worry far too much, Henrietta. Why don’t you chill another bottle of wine? I find myself thirsty tonight.”
“Yes, Miss Candy. I’ll leave it in your room.”
Candy climbed the stairs and knocked softly on Val’s bedroom door. “Dr. Jackson, it’s Candy. I have your dinner tray.”
“Come in.”
She opened the door, shocked at the sight of Dr. Jackson’s face. Her left eye was swollen shut, and her face was black and blue. Candy placed the tray on the hospital table positioned at the bottom of the bed.
“Let me help you sit up.” She raised Dr. Jackson’s upper body and placed pillows behind her. “Do you feel like eating?”
“Not really, but I need to eat. If I don’t start the trials by Saturday, Samael will come back and finish the job and please, Candy, it’s time you started calling me Val.
“All right, Val. Rico and I will find a specimen, and if you can tell me what to do, I’ll do the trials until you get on your feet. You need to rest and get well.” Candy positioned the table and tray in front of Val. “I wanted to talk to you about Samael.”
Val placed the napkin over her chest and removed the cover from the food tray. “Are you trying to spoil my appetite?”
All Val had was a bowl of clear soup. “That doesn’t look appetizing anyway, but it’s probably good for you.”
“Rico can tell you more about Samael than I can.”
“He did, but as you said last night, what I need to know is the business side of things. How dependent are we on him for financial support?”
“I have enough stashed away to stop relying on him, only no one ever stops working for Samael. Not if they want to live.”
“We could get rid of him.”
Val tried to laugh, but the effort was clearly painful from the expression on her face. “They call him the Escape Artist in the UK, Candy. He’s been killing for years, and no one has even come close to catching him. He never leaves any evidence that can be used against him. They have no clue who he is, and trust me, he’s a rich and powerful man on both sides of the pond.”
Candy grinned. “You know who he is.”
“Even if we told them, no one would believe us, and as I said, they have no evidence against him.”
“What if they had evidence against him here in the States?”
“Maybe. Our laws are different than theirs. Plus, here, if he’s convicted, he would get the death penalty. In the UK, he would most likely serve out time in a comfy jail cell.”
Candy stood up. “Leave the details to me. Now, tell me what I need to begin these trials.”
“Read the pamphlet that came with the box that was delivered yesterday. It has all the details of what they’re looking for. We need a cancer patient, preferably one with recurring cancer that is terminal.”
“Male or female?”
“It would be nice to have one of each, but either will do.” Val leaned against the pillows. “Rico told me about your trailer incident. He also told me you were a virgin, so what made you decide to give that up?”
“I don’t know. I got excited, and it seemed like the thing to do at the time.” Candy grinned at her. “You told me men were for sex.”
“Make sure he uses a condom. You don’t want to wind up pregnant.”
She leaned over and kissed Val on her good cheek. “I’ll make sure. I should check on Mother now and gr
ab that pamphlet. Are you sure you don’t need anything else?”
“Send Henrietta up and go have some fun. You may not get the chance after the trials begin.”
Candy skipped down the stairs, elated to know Rico hadn’t told Val everything. By the time she got pregnant, she would have him under her spell.
~
Tamara pulled into the police station and parked. “The chief stated the guys were going to get something to eat and meet here at three. They’re still interviewing Officer Graves.”
“Graves? Corey Graves?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, do you know him?”
“He was my last partner here before Patterson suspended me. This should be interesting.” Alex opened her door and climbed out, stretching the kinks out of her legs and back. “So what’s his part in all this?”
“Durrell fingered him as the guy who set him up to meet the girl on a website that leads to Second Chance.” Tamara tossed her the keys. “He also said Patterson was the guy at the top of the chain.”
“I can believe it about both of them.” Alex walked toward the rear door of the station. “Graves was always wanting sex and hitting on every woman we came in contact with.”
“So why didn’t you report him?”
Alex punched in a number and reached to open the door. “I did, to Patterson.”
“Alex?” Tamara placed her hand against the door to stop her.
“What?”
“If you tell them about the phone call, you’re going to make the Escape Artist angry, so we need another way to convince them.”
“I guess I’ll have to tell them. I can’t think of any other way. We’ll have to convince them not to say anything about it.”
“This guy seems to have eyes and ears everywhere. My gut says don’t do it. Let me handle this.”
Alex stared into the woman’s dark green eyes for a long moment. The team had promised not to keep secrets or lie to each other ever again. She’d already broken that promise twice. “Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”
Tamara opened the door. “Let’s hope we don’t both fall down a dark pit.”
Nobby was walking down the hallway as Alex followed Tamara in. “About time you two got here. Fun is getting ready to start.”
Alex gave him a quick hug. “You have a strange idea of fun. Where is everybody?”
“Meeting with Derek outside the interrogation room. Graves is pacing like a cat on a hot tin roof. Can’t wait to see his face when you walk in.” Nobby chuckled. “Karma. Just plain karma.”
“We were thinking of heading out to interview Janice Brockhurst’s mother. She lived with MacIntyre, and right now, we need all the information we can get,” Tamara said.
“The setup at the pig farm was too convenient in pointing the finger at MacIntyre and Granger. It’s possible someone else is trying to throw us off track,” Alex added.
“Guess we can handle it.” Nobby sighed. “Would have been a lot more fun to watch you take that cocky bastard down a notch or two, though.”
Sirens blared, startling the three. “What the hell?” A group of officers, including Derek Frost, were headed for the holding cells. He stopped for only a second to mutter. “Dammit! Durrell hung himself in his cell. Blake is in the watch room, and Reefer and Crimshaw are in with Graves. Tell them to keep an eye on him.”
“Do we have officers outside Patterson’s room at the hospital?” Alex asked.
Nobby followed Tamara down the hall. “Around the clock.”
“Good. Let’s go see what Blake thinks about this.”
Blake turned as the door to the room opened. “Hey, glad to have you back.”
Tamara walked up beside him and looked through the two-way mirror. “We weren’t planning on staying long, but that was before Durrell hung himself. We should stick around and see what Derek has to say.”
“Has Graves said anything?” Alex asked. “And has anyone tried to question Patterson?”
“Graves is still denying everything, and if Durrell’s dead, he’ll get by with it. We don’t have any evidence on him.” Blake gave her a brief shrug. “You want to have a go at him, Alexandra?”
Alex was tempted, but Graves wouldn’t open up to her any more than he would to them, and time was precious. “Reefer and Crimshaw can handle him if anyone can. With his lack of respect for women, I wouldn’t get anywhere with him. So what about Patterson?”
“Chief Brown is going to handle Patterson as soon as the doctors allow him to.”
Derek Frost opened the door and walked in. “Durrell’s dead. Which means unless we get a confession out of Graves, we’ll have to cut him loose.”
“You might as well let him go then. He’s one of those personalities that even if you caught him in the act, he’d deny it.” Blake turned to Tamara. “You said you weren’t staying long. What were your plans?”
“We’re going to interview Janice Brockhurst’s mother.”
“Let’s get Reefer and Crimshaw out here and chart a course. We’ll compare notes later tonight.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Candy read through the pamphlet, jotting down notes of things she needed to ask Val. There was a lot more to the trials than she’d first thought. Once it was started, she would have to stay at the lab to monitor everything. Rico could help her with the IVs, blood pressure, blood tests, and the like, and Val would likely be on her feet in a week or so.
The monitor flickered, and Candy stopped for a moment to watch her mother and Duke. Now that the alcohol and drugs they’d been pumping into their systems for years were dissipating, withdrawal symptoms had set in. Rico had hosed them down, washing away the vomit and crap, before he’d left, and their moans and groans as well as occasional screams were pleasant music to her ears after the duct tape had been removed. Once the seizures had set in, Candy had been forced to make a choice, and she couldn’t afford for them to die at the moment, so she’d sent Rico out for the medication to ease their suffering. She had plans for them, plans that would elicit louder screams.
Her thoughts turned to Samael. As long as he lived, Candy, Val and Rico would never be free. She did admire him, though. He knew what he wanted, and he took it. No one had been able to stop him. Until now. Val had called him the Escape Artist and mentioned London. Candy planned to do some online research once she was at the townhouse. The more she knew about him, the easier it would be to work around him until he was snared in her trap.
Rico re-entered the lab, and she watched him administer the medicine through the IVs he’d hooked up earlier. Candy pressed the intercom button. “Rico, when you’re finished there, come into the office. I have a job for you.” Candy giggled and started to remove her clothing as Rico rushed to finish. He knew exactly what she wanted, and he was more than willing to comply. The couch or the desk? Couch today, perhaps the desk tomorrow. Lying down on the soft leather, she struck a pose and waited. If she played her cards right, soon all this would be hers.
~
Tamara turned the car toward Manhattan. “I called Mrs. Brockhurst to let her know we were coming.”
Alex watched as the remainder of the team headed in the opposite direction. “I wish I could be in two places at once sometimes.”
“From what you told me about Mrs. Sims and this Joshua, it’s better to let the guys handle Second Chance.”
They finished the drive in silence, and fifteen minutes later, turned into the middle-class suburb of Manhattan where Mr. and Mrs. Hank Brockhurst lived.
“Hard to believe someone who lives here could have been involved with the likes of Duke MacIntyre.” Tamara drove slowly, checking the house numbers for 231.
“Maybe it’s the new husband’s home. There it is.”
Mrs. Brockhurst was looking out the living room window, watching for them. She rushed to open the door and invite them in. Her eyes were red, and there were fresh tears welling up. “Please, come in.”
They followed her into the large open-plan kitchen at the rear, overlooki
ng a beautifully kept yard full of blooming roses and dahlias. Mrs. Brockhurst hopped up onto one of the bar stools and motioned for Alex and Tamara to join her at the center island.
“First of all, I’d like to thank you for contacting us,” Alex said. “We realize what a horrible time this is for you.”
“My beautiful daughter. I keep thinking this is a nightmare and she’ll walk through the door any minute. Why? Who would do such a thing, Detectives?”
“We’re so sorry for your loss,” Tamara said. “We’re living in a world where human lives cost nothing. I know how hard this must be for you, but we’re hoping you can give us some background information on your daughter and Duke MacIntyre.”
“I’ll try. What sort of information?”
“Maybe give us a list of Janice’s friends? What school she attended?”
She went over to one of the drawers in the cabinet in the dining area and returned with an address book, pad and pen. “I’ll jot down her closest friends’ details for you. Otherwise, the list would be endless.”
“Mrs. Brockhurst, our records indicate you reported Janice as a runaway about a month ago. Can you tell us why she ran away?” Alex asked.
“I have a sneaky suspicion it was because we refused to let her go on a trip with several of her new friends. Things have been a little stressful around here of late since her grandparents died in an automobile accident at the beginning of the year. She was close to her grandmother in particular and took her death hard. We found marijuana in her room and grounded her. We also found out two of her new friends were into heavier drugs, and we forbade her to see them again.” She sighed heavily. “Maybe we should have been more understanding.”
“How dreadful. Sometimes it’s hard for kids to adjust after such grief. Was there no one else she could have turned to? A favorite aunt or uncle perhaps? It seems a little drastic for her to suddenly turn to drugs.”
“No, neither my husband nor I have any siblings. Janice was also an only child…” Mrs. Brockhurst began to sob.
Alex reached across the island and rubbed her arm to comfort her. “That is sad. So sorry for your loss.” Scarlet’s smiling face seeped into her mind’s eye, and she struggled to prevent her own tears from being summoned. “Was there an argument?”
