An Eye for an Eye

by Caroline Fardig

  “But that also means Leann couldn’t have tried to pass the baby off as her husband’s in an attempt to keep her own family intact.”

  “Ooh, good point. Well, I guess there could have been something else she mentioned to Mariella that she thought might fix their marriage. Maybe she’d just won the lottery or found her husband a job or something.”

  “Or something. We need to make it a priority to find Prasad, but in the interest of time and safety, I’ll have a deputy work on finding him and bringing him to the station for us. If he’s our guy, the two of us don’t need to be alone with him at his house.”

  “And yet we just barged into Linda Beasley’s home after you said you thought she could be the killer.”

  He grinned. “I figured either one of us could have taken her in a fair fight.”

  ***

  Since we now had a much narrower search area for Rachel’s location, we decided to knock out all of our interviews as quickly as possible so we could join in the rescue effort. Even though the appointment we’d made with Courtney Kapinski wasn’t until noon at a coffeeshop in downtown Noblesville, we figured it couldn’t hurt to try to find her earlier at home.

  Baxter drove us to Courtney’s apartment in Noblesville. After he parked, he got out his phone and read a text he’d received on the way over. I could tell by the look on his face that it was something monumental.

  Turning to me, he said, “Sterling gave me a heads-up that they’re mobilizing Noblesville ESU to go out to a property north of Cicero.” He was referring to Noblesville PD’s Emergency Services Unit, which was their SWAT rescue team.

  I sucked in a breath. “They think it could be the one?”

  “Maybe. If you want to head up there, I’m fine with it. But he did mention that they just got the word, so if we left now, we’d probably beat them there. I feel like we have time to do this interview and still arrive in plenty of time. But again, it’s up to you.”

  My nerves were jangling, but thinking back to yesterday, I said, “We’re here. Let’s talk to Courtney and then decide if we even want to drive up. Although I want to be there when we find Rachel, I also don’t want to waste time like we did yesterday. We’re getting too close to spare even a few minutes on a wild goose chase.”

  He smiled. “I know that was a tough decision, but I think it’s the right one. Come on. This should be quick.”

  Courtney answered the door in her pajamas and a fuzzy robe, her face marred with confusion. “Detective Baxter. I thought we were meeting later and…not here.”

  “Sorry, Ms. Kapinski. Our schedule for the day changed at the last minute. Hope you don’t mind if we go ahead with the interview now.”

  She pasted on a smile. “Not at all.”

  We entered her apartment, which was homey and warm, decorated with dozens upon dozens of framed photos. I found it difficult to concentrate on interviewing her with the imminent prospect of finding the barn where Rachel was being held, so I hung back while Baxter took the lead.

  While he made some small talk and put Courtney at ease, I perused her living room. Several of her knickknacks and wall hangings said “family” and had various syrupy sentiments on them. Her photos were all of smiling people with their arms around each other. It struck me that she was so family-oriented after having grown up in the system, and in at least one abusive household. Many foster kids became resistant to the idea of a close family, thinking if they didn’t get attached to anyone that they couldn’t be hurt if everything got ripped away again. But then again, Wyatt and Tyrone had both said that Courtney took on the role of protector in their home. She might have been the other extreme, whose sole desire was to obtain a tight-knit family bond like she’d once lost.

  Mulling that over, I began looking more carefully at the people in the photos.

  I tuned back into what Baxter was saying in time to hear him ask, “Have you had any contact with Justin since you were both taken from the Reuben household?”

  “A little when he and Wyatt were at their next home. Our social worker was kind enough to try to bring our families together so we could see each other. But once he ran away, I never saw him again.”

  My gaze came to rest on two photos of Courtney, taken not terribly long ago. Her hair was bright blue, and her makeup was hideous.

  I turned to them. “You sure about that? You didn’t maybe go visit him at Babcock Electronics about a year ago?”

  Baxter gave me a curious glance but said nothing.

  Courtney’s eyes widened a fraction. “No, sorry. I know where that place is, but I’ve never been in there.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said, not believing a word of it. I kept on with inspecting the photos.

  Baxter said to her, “Do you know of anyone else he might have confided in about his mother’s death? We’d like to be able to find the real killer and exonerate his father.”

  “Oh, right. So he’ll let that girl go. I don’t know of anyone he would have kept in touch with besides Wyatt.”

  I moved to look at the photos on a bookcase in the corner of the room, hoping to find one of her with Justin so I could bust her lying ass. Instead, I found something much more earth-shattering. With shaking hands, I picked up a framed photo of Courtney and a guy her age. It was a professional shot, artsy and rustic, with the two of them sitting on the hood of an old Ford pickup truck. There was a ramshackle barn in the background.

  Working to keep my voice steady, I said, “This is a great photo. Where was it taken?”

  She froze. “Oh…some random farm the photographer uses for photo shoots…”

  I walked toward her. “You’re lying. Try again.” I handed the photo to Baxter, whose eyes bugged out when he took a look.

  “I’m not lying. It was over in Westfield, I think.”

  Baxter’s voice was sharp. “You sure it’s not in Cicero? Who does the farm belong to?”

  Shaking her head, she said, “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Who’s in the photo with you? A boyfriend? Is it his farm?” I demanded.

  She didn’t reply.

  I took a step toward her, fists clenched. “What’s his name?”

  Her jaw set defiantly, she raised her voice and said, “My personal life has nothing to do with your investigation.”

  “The hell it doesn’t. You’re harboring Justin Fox. Tell me where he is!” I cried.

  “Oh, I get it. Now I know who you are. The girl he’s holding is your sister. In your situation, do you really think you’re stable enough to be investigating this case?”

  I ignored her. “You protected him when he was a kid, and you’re protecting him now! Where is he?”

  When Courtney had started resisting my questions, Baxter slipped away to make a quiet phone call. I heard enough bits and pieces to know that he was calling for backup to haul her in to the station.

  Her face turned red with rage. “I know my rights! This isn’t a formal questioning, and I don’t have to talk to you if I don’t want to. In fact, you need to leave my home. Right now.”

  A young man hurried out from the hallway behind Courtney, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It was the same guy from the photo Baxter held. “Babe? I heard yelling. You okay?” When he saw Baxter and me, he tensed. “What are you two doing here?” He moved to stand between Courtney and us.

  Baxter showed him his badge. “I’m Detective Baxter, and this is Ms. Matthews. We’re with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department. We’re here asking Ms. Kapinski a few questions about her relationship with Justin Fox. And you are?”

  “Kyle Clark.”

  Courtney clutched at the back of her boyfriend’s T-shirt. “I told them they needed to leave, and they won’t. Make them leave, Kyle.”

  Kyle’s face registered confusion as he turned to her. “What’s the big deal with answering their questions? You haven’t seen that psycho since you were kids.”

  Baxter held the photo out so Kyle could see it. “We’d like to know whe
re this photo was taken.”

  Kyle’s expression registered confusion. “What does that have to do with Justin Fox?”

  “We have reason to believe that Ms. Kapinski might know of Justin Fox’s whereabouts and is concealing that information in order to protect him. We think he could be using this property and that he may even be holding a hostage there.”

  “What?” he breathed, seeming dazed. He turned to Courtney. “Grandpa Harold’s farm? I don’t understand.”

  From the wild look in her eyes, I could tell Courtney knew she was cornered. “They’re making it up, Kyle. Why would I do that?”

  Baxter shrugged. “Prove us wrong. Give us the address and we’ll check it out.”

  Courtney looked up at Kyle pleadingly. “Don’t do it. We don’t have to tell them anything.”

  “That’s true,” Baxter agreed, his tone subdued and reasonable. His gaze was fixed on Kyle now, who seemed the far likelier of the two to break down and give us the information. “You don’t have to tell me anything. But given the severity of this case and the fact that a young woman’s life is in danger, if you refuse to cooperate, I can bring you up on obstruction of justice.” Knowing he had the upper hand, Baxter crossed his arms, a smirk playing at his lips. “I’ll let you mull that one over. Take your time.”

  “Don’t say a word, Kyle. We’ll fight this,” Courtney murmured to him.

  “What’s to fight? What the hell’s wrong with you? You’re acting crazy,” he hissed back.

  There was a knock at the door. “Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department,” called a voice from outside.

  Within seconds, Kyle had given Baxter the address and two deputies had come in to haul Courtney and Kyle to the station. After Baxter gave the deputies strict instructions not to let Courtney anywhere near a phone so she couldn’t warn Justin, he whisked me out of the apartment.

  As we hopped into his vehicle, Baxter said, “Amazing catch, Ellie.” Before I could reply, he was already on the phone to Manetti to let him know we had a hot lead on finding Rachel. A couple of inches of snow had accumulated in the short time we’d been inside. Visibility was bad, and the streets were slick. Baxter had to go slowly, even in his four-wheel-drive SUV.

  I was beside myself knowing that we were headed to find Rachel. I knew this was the one. It had to be. My entire body shook uncontrollably.

  After hanging up, Baxter sighed. “They’re a ways out. They just arrived at the property they were heading to earlier, so it’s going to take them some time to regroup and get to where we’re going. I know you’re not going to like this, but I think we should wait for them.”

  I clenched my jaw. “I know you and I can’t go in there by ourselves. We can’t afford any mistakes. We have to do this right, otherwise…” Shaking my head to clear out the negative thoughts, I said, “I’m okay with waiting.”

  He reached over and gave my hand a squeeze.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  We drove past the front of Harold Clark’s property. There was an old farmhouse near the road. With the snow falling hard, we couldn’t see a barn anywhere in the distance, but noticed a dirt lane leading toward a grove of trees.

  “Pull up a satellite map of the area,” Baxter said as he drove past the farmhouse. He parked far enough down the road that we wouldn’t be seen by any inhabitants of the house.

  I did as instructed and noticed the roof of a barn behind the trees we’d seen. I pointed to my phone’s screen. “There. That could be it.”

  “Good. Those trees will give the team some cover as they approach.”

  I turned to him, worry gnawing in my gut. “What’s to say that when they go in guns blazing that Justin won’t freak and try to hurt Rachel?”

  He smiled. “I’ve seen them work, and they know what they’re doing. Trust me, Justin Fox will never know what hit him. If he even makes a move, they’ll pop him.”

  I nodded and ran my nervous hands through my hair.

  After several minutes that seemed like an eternity, we noticed a caravan of police vehicles coming our way. They blocked the road and began gearing up. Baxter and I exited his vehicle and headed to meet Manetti and Sterling.

  Manetti regarded me for a moment as he finished strapping on his bulletproof vest. “We’re not going to have a repeat of yesterday, are we Ms. Matthews?”

  “I want to be there when you bring Rachel out, but I promise I won’t get in your way.”

  Manetti said to Sterling and Baxter, “You two, see that she doesn’t.”

  As Manetti walked away to confer with the Noblesville ESU officers, Sterling griped, “I’ve been on this case since day one, and the Fed has reduced me to a damn babysitter. I want to go in and kick some serial killer ass.”

  Baxter said, “You know ESU has their thing that they do. They don’t need us. I’m surprised they’re letting Manetti in.”

  “Only because he pulled rank on them. That guy is one pompous asshole.”

  When Sterling stalked off, Baxter rolled his eyes. “It takes one to know one, right?”

  I smiled slightly, my mind on the barn in the distance.

  Giving me a pat on the back, he said, “Cheer up. I have a good feeling about this.”

  We followed the Emergency Services Unit at a safe distance as they made their approach toward the grove of trees. Once we got there, we could see the barn in the distance. My heart clenched. On the ESU team leader’s mark, the unit fanned out, their footsteps quiet on the blanket of new-fallen snow. Baxter, Sterling, and I waited at the edge of the trees as the team surrounded the barn.

  I drew in a shaky breath, and Baxter put his hand on my shoulder.

  Three of the officers had flash grenades in hand. At their designated spots near the main door of the barn and two of the windows, they simultaneously busted in the openings and threw in the grenades.

  The team leader yelled, “Go, go, go!” and the members of the unit poured into the barn. A single gunshot rang out. As I let out a strangled cry, Baxter tightened his grip on me. A moment later, Manetti appeared in the doorway to the barn and waved us over.

  I took off at full speed, slipping and stumbling in the snow.

  When I reached Manetti, he smiled. “It’s over. Justin Fox is dead, and your sister is alive and well.”

  Overcome with emotion, I threw my arms around him.

  He hugged me tightly and added, “If you think you can handle going in there, you can go get your sister.”

  “Thank you,” I breathed. “For everything.”

  I broke away from him and hurried into the barn. One of the ESU officers pointed me toward the third stall on the right. On my way there, I caught a glimpse of Justin Fox sprawled out on the ground, a small hole in the center of his forehead. It took some restraint not to go spit on his corpse, but I had more important things to do. As I came up on the stall, I saw two ESU officers kneeling over a figure in the corner.

  “Rachel,” I choked out.

  “Ellie?” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.

  I ran to her, and the ESU officers cleared out of my way. I dove onto the ground in front of her and took her into my arms. She was trembling and freezing cold to the touch. She began whimpering as I held her. Tears rolled from my eyes uncontrollably.

  I said, “Shh, Rach. Everything’s going to be okay now. You’re safe.”

  Between sobs, she said, “I kept dreaming you’d come and get me. Tell me this isn’t another dream.”

  “It’s not. I’m here. I love you, sis.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Baxter’s voice was rough as he said from behind us, “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you, Rachel.”

  “Thanks for finding me,” she whispered.

  “You can thank your sister for that. She’s the one who figured it out.”

  I turned to look up at him.

  He had tears shining in his eyes as he smiled at me. “See? I told you there were happy endings.”

  ***

&n
bsp; While the EMTs treated Rachel for mild hypothermia in the waiting ambulance, I watched as the stealth rescue op morphed into a bustling active crime scene. Emergency response vehicles of all kinds began converging on the property, and soon the area was teeming with personnel from several different agencies.

  Jayne arrived first and made a beeline toward me, sweeping me up into a crushing hug. “I’m so thrilled that you found her. And that that son of a bitch can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

  “I know. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so many emotions in one day. Rachel’s in the ambulance if you want to say hi. They’re making her drink some kind of warm herbal tea, and I think she’s hating it. She’s a coffee and hot chocolate girl.”

  She let me go and smiled, tears streaking her face. “I’ll go see what my clout can do for her.”

  Amanda came up next, throwing her case down in the snow so she could tackle me in a bear hug. “I’m so relieved that your sister is okay!” Stepping back, she held me at arms length to watch my reaction as she asked, “Did you really figure out where Rachel was from a random photo and nearly throttle Courtney Kapinski to get the address out of her, or is Nick exaggerating?”

  I chuckled. “He is not in fact exaggerating. If he hadn’t played the obstruction of justice card on her boyfriend to make him talk, it could have gotten real ugly in there.”

  Winking at me, she said, “I don’t know if the department is going to let you walk away after you found a serial killer, Ellie. They may strong-arm you into coming back, at least part-time.”

  “I think I’ll worry about that later.” I head-nodded toward the ambulance. “I’m taking a break for a while.”

  “Right. Which means I’m back with Beck.” She made a face at Beck’s back as he stumbled in the snow toward the barn.

  “You have fun with that.”

  ***

  After the EMTs were satisfied that Rachel’s body temperature had returned to normal, Baxter drove the two of us home. It wasn’t time to relax yet, though. Rachel would still have to go through some extensive questioning about her time in the barn with Justin Fox, but Jayne had insisted it be done in the comfort of our living room instead of at the scene or the station.