by E. E. Borton
“It gives me a purpose,” said Kate, looking over at Abby for the first time since they left the house. “A reason to pull myself out of bed every morning. That’s never easy to do because I have dreamed about my baby every single night since he was killed.
“Just give me the word, Abby, and I’ll stop. I’ll go home and have nothing to do except miss my boys and cry myself to sleep. Right now I have somewhere to go and something to do. Something to occupy my mind other than sadness and despair. When we finish here, Emily will finally be resting in peace. Karla won’t have to live the rest of her life not knowing what happened to her baby.”
“I understand all of that, Kate. I do. What I don’t understand is why you had to be the one to kill Brad. Why not let Grey or Chief do it? Why does it have to be you?”
“Even if I could explain it to you,” said Kate, “you’d never understand. You weren’t the one being raped, stabbed, and left for dead. You weren’t forced to watch a stranger cut your child’s throat. You don’t have to think about your husband killing himself because he was in so much agony. You can never walk in my shoes, and I pray to God that you never come close.”
“That’s not an answer,” said Abby. “You don’t need to remind me of what happened to you.”
“I’m sorry,” said Kate, taking a deep breath. “This probably isn’t what the Chief had in mind.”
“I hope not,” said Abby. “That would suck.”
“It would,” said Kate, smiling. “What if I made you a promise?”
“What kind of promise?”
“A promise that when I get home you and I are going to find a way to start that new relationship, and I won’t leave again until we do.”
“I like that promise,” said Abby.
Tearful hugs and kisses were exchanged at the airport. The remaining team members stood in the lobby until the plane departed. Chief put his arm around their shoulders as they stared out the window.
“It was the right thing to do,” said Chief. “It sucks and I’m going to miss that smile, but she was here for the wrong reasons.”
“She was here for me,” said Kate.
“Like I said, the wrong reasons.”
“You’re all heart, Chief,” said Grey, smiling and shaking his head.
“Just keeping it real,” said Chief, kissing Kate on the cheek. “That girl adores you and she knows you adore her. You two will work this out, and you’re both going to be fine.”
“Thank you, Chief. I adore you too.”
“I know,” said Chief, giving her another peck. “But we need to get moving. I have a trunk full of heroin, and I’d like to get rid of it. Not to mention you have a date with a judge tonight.”
As Kate had hoped, Judge Hall released her grip on Mark after her last conversation with Sheriff Lewis. He convinced her that Bullet and his brothers were the targets, not her son. When she returned to New Orleans, Mark left the safety of her home and returned to his normal routine of school and bar hopping.
Evan tracked his movements by hacking into the GPS in his car and his cell. He accessed and monitored his phone records, text messages, emails, and social media websites. He compiled historical data and tagged all of the locations Mark visited on a typical weekend. Almost every Saturday night, Mark’s red dot was at a bar two miles from campus.
Grey and Evan were glued to their screens while Kate and Chief had dinner. They had a few hours to kill before Judge Hall attended the premiere of an exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and her son went prowling for drunken coeds. Evan leaned back in his chair, cracked his knuckles, and smiled.
“Did you get in?” asked Grey.
“Please,” said Evan, rubbing his hands together. “If people knew how easy it was to hack into an alarm system, the Humane Society would go out of business. I’ll take a low tech dog over high tech security any day. Are you sure Chief can get her inside?”
“He’s got skills,” said Grey. “That man hasn’t met a lock he couldn’t pick.”
“I have a feeling those locks are going to be a little tougher than what he’s used to,” said Evan.
“Then he’ll put a brick through the window,” said Grey. “Don’t worry, he’ll find a way to get her in. That man doesn’t know how to quit.”
Chief put down his fork and picked up his phone. Evan let them know the car service had arrived for Judge Hall, but Mark was still at his apartment. They had hoped for perfect timing, but it wasn’t critical to their dual missions.
They arrived early enough at Judge Hall’s home for neighbors to overlook guests showing up in her driveway. It wasn’t uncommon for a couple wearing formal attire to stroll up to the front door. Once they reached the porch, they were concealed from any prying eyes by tall shrubs.
Evan disabled the security system while Chief worked on the lock. Seconds later, the front door closed behind them. After making sure they were alone in the six thousand square foot home, Kate removed a bottle from Judge Hall’s wine rack.
“Would you like a glass, sir?” asked Kate, finding a corkscrew. “It’s a very good year.”
“I’d love one, madam,” said Chief, bowing to Kate. “But only one. Gotta stay sharp tonight.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ve done this a time or two in your career,” said Kate. “Should be a piece of cake for a salty gumshoe like you.”
“How dare you insult me, my lady,” said Chief. “I’ve done this dozens of times.”
They made themselves at home and retired to Judge Hall’s study. It was a spacious room with a large mahogany desk situated between bay windows and teak bookshelves that reached the ceiling. On the far wall, there were framed diplomas, awards, letters, and accolades. In the middle was an impressive portrait of the judge, complete with robe and gavel. Anyone walking inside would know they were in the presence of power.
“Not one picture of her son,” said Kate, sitting at the desk and looking around the room.
“That says a lot,” said Chief, swirling his glass.
“Even she can’t stand looking at him,” said Kate. “That’s what it says to me.”
“There’s no question he’s a disappointment to her,” said Chief. “Makes you wonder if hurting him will have any effect on her.”
“That doesn’t matter,” said Kate. “It’ll have an effect on Emily, Karla, and us.”
“True that,” said Chief. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay here alone? Mark is probably going to be there all night. I can wait here with you.”
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine. The sooner we take care of him, the better. Nothing would give me more pleasure than breaking the news to her myself.”
“Okay,” said Chief, finishing his wine. “I’ll start heading that way. I wouldn’t mind getting a lay of the land.”
“Be careful,” said Kate.
“You do the same. I’ll see you in a bit.”
It didn’t take long before Chief found the lot where Evan instructed him to park. It was a short distance from the bar they hoped Mark would be visiting. There were no attendants or cameras to record him coming or going.
An hour passed before Chief’s phone rang. It was Grey letting him know that Mark had just arrived at the bar. He reached behind him for the backpack. Inside was half a pound of heroin and cocaine. For good measure, Chief added the loaded handgun with no serial numbers.
Inside the bar were several cameras. Outside, there were none. Evan checked the area to make sure no traffic cameras would capture an image of Chief as he made his way to the parking lot. While staying on the phone with Grey, he spotted the car.
Mark Hall was flashy and loved showing off his new BMW. It came with all the bells and whistles, including the BMW remote app on his phone. While still inside the bar, Mark could turn on the A/C, unlock his doors, or open his trunk.
When Chief let Grey know he was ten feet from Mark’s car, Evan clicked his mouse. The lights flashed once, the trunk popped open, and he dropped the backpack inside. After closing
it and walking away, Chief smiled when he heard the chirp behind him.
Grey ended the call with Chief and dialed Sheriff Lewis. Five minutes later, New Orleans police officers were on the move. While Mark was being pulled over after he left the bar three hours later, Judge Hall was being dropped off at her home.
Tired and ready for a good night’s sleep, Judge Hall poured a nightcap. As she sipped, she noticed an empty slot in her wine rack. She cursed her son for taking one of her best Cabernets.
She made her way upstairs to her room. When she turned on the light, she dropped her glass. A woman was sitting in a chair in the corner. She noticed the gun before she recognized the face.
“Good evening, Cassandra.”
Chapter 45
Three’s Company
After the glass hit the floor, she reached for the gun in her purse. Judge Hall lowered her head when she realized it was sitting on the kitchen counter. It wouldn’t have made a difference. Kate had the drop on her…again.
“Let’s go downstairs to your study,” said Kate, keeping a steady aim as she stood. “I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable in there.”
“You won’t get away with this,” said Cassandra. “You do realize that you’re pointing a gun at a federal judge.”
“No, I’m pointing a gun at someone who’s going to do exactly what I tell her to do,” said Kate. “And I told you to go downstairs.”
Judge Hall complied. When they entered the study, Kate sat behind the desk. She put the gun down in front of her and instructed the judge to sit. She poured two glasses of wine and slid one of them to Cassandra.
“You have a lovely home,” said Kate.
“Cut the crap,” said Cassandra. “What do you want? I’m tired.”
“I thought I was a cold bitch,” said Kate, smiling.
“I knew you’d make a mistake,” said Cassandra. “Breaking into my home and holding me hostage was a mistake.”
“You really should stop talking,” said Kate.
“You’re not going to shoot me,” said Cassandra. “We both know that.”
“I don’t plan on it, but I also didn’t plan on stabbing Brad. When he told me they fed Emily to alligators while she was still alive, it kind of pissed me off. I guess I just lost it.”
Cassandra closed her eyes and swallowed hard. At that moment, Kate realized she didn’t know how Emily died. She gave her a moment to let the imagery sink in.
“I-I don’t know anything about that,” said Cassandra.
“Didn’t know what?” asked Kate, placing a recorder on the desk. “That she’s dead or that she was eaten alive?”
Kate pressed the play button on the recorder. It was cued to the conversation where she told Bullet to make Emily disappear. As subsequent conversations from separate meetings with Bullet played, Kate sat back in her chair and sipped her wine. Five minutes passed before Kate stopped the recorder.
“There’s much, much more, but I think you get the gist,” said Kate. “Brittany Greene thought Emily was dating her boyfriend behind her back. She drugged her, paid your son and Greg to make it look like they were having consensual sex, and then took pictures.
“Your son took it upon himself to rape her. He’s done it before to several other girls. He uses a drug cocktail that essentially erases their memory. I’m sure you’re aware.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Sheriff Lewis called you the day after it happened,” said Kate. “You went to the hospital and struck a deal with Brittany. If she continued to lie about what happened, you’d make sure she got into LSU to be with Conner. You then struck another deal with Bullet and bought him a house. You told him to destroy Emily’s life. You told him to turn her into a junkie whore so that nobody would believe a word that came out of her mouth. You did it to protect your son.”
“That’s a nice story, Kate. Unfortunately, none of it’s true.”
“You protected Bullet as well,” said Kate, ignoring Cassandra. “You gave him a safe place to grow his business and sell drugs with no interference from the police. He harassed, abused, and brutalized Emily for a year and a half. All of that was about to change when she outsmarted you and recorded one of your meetings with him.
“Emily told her best friend the good news,” said Kate. “She was excited that she was going to get her life back. Brittany then told you about the tapes and that Emily was planning to meet with an FBI agent out of New Orleans. That’s when you told Brittany to lure her into the woods.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” asked Cassandra. “Are you looking for a confession?”
“They told me you were ruthless and dangerous,” said Kate. “They never said you were stupid. Not sure how they missed that.”
“They didn’t,” said Cassandra. “But please continue with your story. It’s riveting.”
“They took her,” said Kate. “They took her deep into the swamp, stripped her, and then tied her to a post. They beat and savagely raped her for three days. They were having a blast and became creative with finding objects to put inside of her.”
“That’s enough,” said Cassandra. “You can spare me the details. Whatever they did to her had nothing to do with me or my son.”
“It had everything to do with you and your son,” said Kate. “When they became bored with her after seventy-two hours of torture, they put her in the boat and took her to Mud Lake. They sliced her open to put more of her scent in the water after they threw her overboard. They watched as the first alligators started taking bites out of her. A few moments later, Brad said the water looked like it was boiling from the feeding frenzy. He said it was over pretty quick, and she probably didn’t feel much. I wish that were true.”
Cassandra jumped when Kate’s phone rang. Chief walked into the study after the call ended. He took a seat next to the judge.
“You guys have a nice talk?” asked Chief, grinning at Cassandra. “I’m sure you know who I am, so I’ll dispense with the formalities. Nice dress, though. Seems you’re in a bit of a pickle, huh?”
“No, I’m not,” said Cassandra, trying to remain defiant. “You two are.”
“Not from where I’m sitting,” said Chief. “And certainly not from where your son’s sitting.”
“If you lay a finger on him, I swear to God I’ll –”
“Easy, Judge,” said Chief. “I didn’t touch him, but a shitload of cops did.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Cassandra, sitting up in her chair.
“Sorry, Kate. I’ll let you do the honors.”
“Thank you, Chief,” said Kate. “As you know, we borrowed some of Bullet’s drugs. Well, all of them. Somehow they found their way into your son’s car. A little birdie told the police, and they arrested him a few hours ago. They found half a pound of heroin and cocaine. The loaded gun didn’t help.”
“When it hits the papers tomorrow that the son of newly appointed Federal District Judge Cassandra Hall has been arrested for drug trafficking,” said Chief, “all eyes will be on you.”
“There’s only one way you survive this,” said Kate. “You give us Bullet.”
“Sheriff Lewis is prepared to step in on your son’s behalf,” said Chief. “He’ll swear under oath that he has information that Bullet set up Mark to get to you.”
“He has a statement for the press that we’ll show you after you deliver Bullet,” said Kate. “He’ll tell them that you came to him with evidence of one of the largest drug operations in Louisiana.”
“He’ll say the information was leaked, and Bullet found out that you were about to go to the feds,” said Chief. “He needed to divert attention away from him and put it on you. That’s when he came up with the idea to plant those drugs and the gun.”
“The gun we placed in the trunk is Bullet’s,” said Kate. “We made sure his fingerprints were on it. It’ll give weight to his confession.”
“Bullet is going to confess to all of this?” asked Cassandra.
“As you k
now, we’re pretty good at motivating folks to talk,” said Chief. “He’ll be no different.”
“We’re going to kill him, Cassandra,” said Kate. “They won’t find his body. All that will be left is Sheriff Lewis’s statement and his written confession. Your son will be released, and you’ll be a hero to the community.”
Judge Hall knew Chief was right. She was in a pickle and so was her son. Even if she declined to deliver Bullet, the media attention alone would be enough to remove her from the bench. Kate left her no choice. She was no longer in control of anything.
“What do you want me to do?”
“That’s more like it,” said Chief. “Good decision, Judge.”
“Bullet reached out to you already,” said Kate. “Set up a meeting with him tomorrow night. His brother and four of his men were just killed. He’s going to want to have someone watching his back. Tell him to bring Eddie. Nobody else.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it,” said Chief. “We need to separate him from his little army. As soon as he shows up with Eddie, we grab them and you go home. As soon as we have them, Sheriff Lewis will release his statement and spring your boy.”
“Then we disappear along with Bullet and Eddie,” said Kate. “You don’t need to know anything more.”
“No, I don’t,” said Cassandra. “Consider it done.”
Bullet was relieved when Judge Hall agreed to meet with him. She enticed him further by telling him she knew who stole his drugs and how to recover them. She would give him that information at the meeting. He didn’t think twice about her request that Eddie come along as backup.
A thunderstorm was predicted to hit Boudreaux early in the evening, so Judge Hall requested that they meet by car instead of the boat. It was their normal secondary plan in bad weather. She let Bullet choose the spot. Grey and Chief were waiting when the two cars arrived at the isolated location.
As she pulled into the parking lot of the roadside picnic area, there was only one other car. She flashed her lights twice, and then the other vehicle did the same. Bullet and Eddie emerged and ran to the covered picnic tables a short distance away. Judge Hall stepped out of her car and opened an umbrella. She strolled up to the two men sitting on the table.
