“Jennie, this is Agent Tucker with the FBI. I’m afraid the news isn’t good. They don’t have Scott. And I still haven’t been able to locate my deputy.”
“What about Crystal Chavez—the nurse?”
“Nothing so far on her.”
“Tess tells me you’re a friend of Scott’s.” Agent Tucker met Jennie’s gaze and held it.
“Looks like you were right the first time,” Tess said. “ARM has him?”
Tucker uttered a non-committal “Humph.”
“Please tell me what’s going on.” Jennie wrapped her arms around herself. Scott was in terrible danger and could already be dead.
“Not here.” Agent Tucker took her elbow and led her out the door and into his car. Tess followed in her own car. Once they were inside the unmarked vehicle, Tucker slipped the key into the ignition and put the car in drive.
“Where are we going?”
“Back to the sheriff’s office. We’ll have more privacy there.”
Tucker had a wide forehead and gray-green eyes. His hair was a mix of ash-blond, white, and gray. Jennie studied his profile and the stubborn, no-nonsense set of his jaw. “Do you work out of the Portland office?” she asked.
“Yes. And, yes, I know your grandparents and your father. They’ve advised me to level with you on Scott’s involvement so you won’t decide to investigate on your own. I’m hoping you’ll be able to help us.”
Help them? Jennie held in her excitement, wondering what he had in mind. Would they let her infiltrate the group in Scott’s place? Once they were inside, Agent Tucker closed the door, pulled the empty chair around beside Jennie, and set his briefcase on the desk.
Sheriff Parker sat behind her desk, arms resting on its surface. “What I’m about to tell you is strictly confidential.” He opened his case but didn’t remove anything.
Jennie nodded. “I know how to keep secrets.”
“So I’ve heard.” He tossed her a knowing look that Jennie found a bit disconcerting.
She wondered just how much the agent knew about her. He is FBI, she reminded herself. And he knows Dad, Gram, and J. B.
“Scott came to us several weeks ago,” Tucker went on, “with valuable information on a number of key people in ARM. He volunteered to rejoin the organization as a mole and assured us that he would like nothing better than to find Sonja. We have evidence to substantiate our suspicions that ARM’s head people have been operating out of the area. Unfortunately, if they discovered Scott’s alliance with us, that could already have changed.”
“So you set Scott up at the Bergstroms’.” So much for fate bringing them together.
“We did that for two reasons.”
“Let me guess. Tom Bergstrom lives next door to Aleshia Sutherland, who happens to be an outspoken member of ARM, and the Bergstroms are friends of my family.”
“Actually, J. B. made the suggestion. We didn’t know at the time that Chambers was your boyfriend. Otherwise we might have done things a bit differently. As it turned out, his affiliation with you might have been what fouled things up.”
Jennie didn’t know whether to defend herself or cry.
“Come on, Tucker, lighten up.” Tess gave him a harsh look. “Jennie feels bad enough without having you dump guilt on her for what’s happened to Scott. Besides, I happen to disagree. I think Scott saw something or was getting too close. This Sonja or someone else from ARM figured out who he was and what he was up to and ran him down. When they realized they hadn’t killed him on the road, they came back to the hospital to finish the job.”
“Maybe he told the wrong person who he was,” Jennie said. “Or maybe I was too quick to defend him.” She tried to remember who she’d talked to about Scott. Tom, Mary, Megan, and Lisa. Had she said anything to Jim, Aleshia, or Christine? Mr. Sutherland?
Jennie snapped her fingers. “I just had an idea. I know it sounds farfetched, but … well, suppose Mr. Sutherland is Sonja.”
“Farfetched doesn’t begin to describe that one.” Tess tossed her an incredulous smile.
Agent Tucker frowned. “Now, hang on. I’d like to hear the kid’s thoughts on this. Go on, Jennie.”
“Suppose he is Sonja. I mean—it is a code name, and Scott said it could be a man or a woman. Sutherland could have had his people release the mink from his farm to take suspicion off himself. I know it sounds weird, but what better cover for a covert operation than to be a fur farmer? And he does seem to be missing. He also spent a lot of time with Scott. Scott could have inadvertently said something that clued Sutherland in. Then Mr. Sutherland could have set up all that evidence himself. Maybe he’s lying low for a while.” Jennie paused, trying to assemble another piece of the puzzle. Aleshia.
As if reading Jennie’s mind, Tess asked, “But didn’t he kick his daughter out because she wouldn’t renounce her membership in ARM?”
“That could have been for show.” Jennie leaned forward, glad she was finally on to something plausible. “You saw how shaken up Aleshia was over her father’s disappearance. Even though he kicked her out, there’s still a strong bond between them. Could be they’re not so different in their thinking after all.”
“You may have something there.” Tucker smiled. “Good thinking.”
He pulled a file out of his briefcase and set it on the desk. “I’d like Jennie to look at these photos. Then I’m going to head over to the Sutherland place. I want you to come with me, Tess. Introduce me as an agent you brought in to help with the case.”
“You need a search warrant?”
“Not yet, but we might want to get one just in case. I’d like to have a talk with Mrs. Sutherland and Aleshia. Oh, and the guy Sutherland fired—Jim Owens.” He opened the folder and drew out a manila envelope. From that he took a number of black-andwhite photos. “Jennie, I want you to look through these and see if you recognize anyone.”
Jennie looked at the first one, a shot taken of a crowd of demonstrators holding signs and marching in front of a shop called Furs Galore. “This was taken in Carmel. We’ve blown up portions so we can see the faces more clearly. Do you recognize any of them?”
Tucker showed her several more sets. Jennie shook her head. On the fifth one she was about to respond negatively when her gaze captured a familiar face. She’d only seen the woman once, and that had been in Florida in front of the Dolphin Playland. “This one,” Jennie pointed her out. “It’s Melissa, Scott’s friend from Florida.” Jennie explained their brief encounter. “Back in May she was picketing at the Playland. She wanted Scott to get information for her about the operation at Dolphin Island, but he refused. Is she a member of ARM?”
Tucker showed her a close-up of Melissa. “This was taken in Portland, when Preston Delacorte appeared at a women’s fair to show off his new line of furs. Naturally, ARM was there to protest. It was one of their milder demonstrations. They got him in the face with a raspberry pie.”
“Guess their protest worked on him,” Tess said. “I heard he decided not to use real furs in his garments anymore.”
“Right, and guess who’s consulting with him about using her fakes in his fall line.”
“Aleshia?” Jennie looked from one to the other.
“Hmm. Now take a look at this one.” He shuffled through several and pulled one up. Melissa was holding a protest sign again. An angry-looking man she’d seen in a couple of the other photos flanked her right. On her left stood Aleshia Sutherland.
“They know each other.” The implications sent Jennie’s heart into overdrive. “Scott told me he didn’t think he’d ever met Aleshia, but she knew him. I thought he must have lied to me, but now it makes perfect sense. Scott knew Melissa and might have told her why he was leaving ARM. If Melissa found out Scott was here, she could have told Aleshia about him, and Aleshia told her father.”
Jennie stared at the photos. “You knew about Scott and
Melissa. He must have identified her.”
“Yes. He called Melissa and told her he wanted to rejoin. She was enthusiastic about it, but now I’m wondering if she suspected his motives all along.”
Jennie shook her head to clear it. There were just too many puzzle pieces. “What do we do now?”
14
Agent Tucker gathered the photos and stuffed them back in the envelope, settled the folder in his case, and snapped it shut. “Tess and I will question the Sutherlands and Jim Owens. You can go back to the Bergstroms’ and forget we had this conversation.”
“But—what about Scott?”
“We’re as concerned about Scott as you are. We’ll find him. I have agents looking into his disappearance right now. I’ll let you know as soon as we find anything.”
Several minutes later, after Agent Tucker and Tess dropped her off at the hospital so she could get her car, Jennie was intent on driving back to the farm as she’d been told. Her head felt like someone had used it to pound nails into cement. All she really wanted to do was find a quiet place to sleep. Now, if she could convince her mind to cooperate, she’d be fine, but she couldn’t get Scott out of her head. “God, please let them find Scott alive.” What worried Jennie was that both Tess and the FBI agent seemed more concerned with capturing the head of ARM than finding Scott. Let it go, McGrady. Tucker said he had agents working on it.
Easier said than done. She couldn’t stop thinking about the nurse who’d so sweetly given her tea. It had relaxed her all right. Laid her out cold. Had Crystal been an innocent bystander or an accomplice?
Jennie glanced down at her near-empty gas gauge and pulled into a station on the outskirts of town. While waiting for the attendant to fill the tank, she used the rest room to wash her face and comb her hair. Leaving the store, she eyed a phone booth near the door. Picking up the directory, Jennie looked up Chavez. She’d forgotten to ask Tess and Agent Tucker about Crystal Chavez. And they hadn’t mentioned her. Jennie was certain the nurse held the key to Scott’s disappearance. Mrs. Casey had refused to give her Crystal’s phone number, but US West was much kinder. By now she imagined the FBI agents would have talked with her and anyone else who’d had any connection with Scott last night. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to find out where she lived and maybe drive by. Jennie wrote the address and phone number down, then checked out the map in the directory and climbed back into the car.
Crystal’s house was a small one-story on the left side of the street. Either she’d parked her car in the garage or she’d gone somewhere. Jennie parked on the opposite side of the street about half a block away. She sat there for five minutes looking at the white house with blue trim. The curtains were drawn and she could see no signs of life. You should leave, she told herself. If Crystal was in on the abduction and had drugged her, being anywhere near this place could be dangerous. Scott could be hidden inside, guarded by armed terrorists. The FBI agents Tucker had mentioned could be imprisoned in there, too, and the missing deputy. On the other hand, maybe the FBI agents were watching the place. Jennie looked up and down the street but saw no indication of a surveillance crew, FBI or otherwise.
Five more minutes and Jennie couldn’t stand it. She had to know if Crystal was home. She’d march up to the front door, and if Crystal answered, she’d ask straight out what had happened to Scott.
Jennie drew in a deep breath and stepped out of her car. Locking it, she pocketed the keys and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Every step brought her closer to the door and whatever lay behind it. Jennie cleared her head of the thoughts of terrorists hiding inside and of Crystal being a murderer and greeting her at the door with an automatic rifle.
She’s a nurse, Jennie reminded herself. Someone who’s committed to saving lives. She imagined the kind, caring Crystal inviting her in and telling her … what, that she’d lost Scott?
The white door with a black security screen loomed in front of her. It’s not too late to back out. Almost on its own volition, Jennie’s hand reached out. Her forefinger pressed the doorbell. She held her breath. Listening so intently for sounds from within, Jennie almost missed the car that pulled up in front of the house. Someone was coming up the walk. She swallowed hard. Had Crystal come home? Was it an FBI agent? Or someone from ARM? Jennie slowly turned around to face the mysterious visitor. “Why, Jennie. What are you doing here?” Christine Sutherland stepped onto the porch.
“I … I met Crystal last night while she was taking care of Scott and—”
“Scott? You mean the Chambers boy. He’s in the hospital?” The concern on Christine’s face brought Jennie’s fears into submission. “He was hurt in a hit-and-run accident—well, I don’t believe it was an accident. I think someone was trying to kill him.”
“I—I don’t know what to say. Who’d want to do something like that?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.” “How is he?”
Jennie frowned and decided to level with Christine. “He’s gone. Someone drugged me and abducted him from the hospital last night.”
“Are you serious?” She stared openmouthed at Jennie.
“He’s gone, all right, and the hospital has no record of his having been there. I think it might have been someone from ARM, and I think Crystal might have some information, but she doesn’t seem to be home.”
“No, she isn’t. She’s gone camping for a few days. She called this morning and asked me to come over and feed her cat.”
“So you know Crystal fairly well?”
“My yes. She and Aleshia went all through school together. They’re the best of friends.”
“Is Crystal a member of ARM too?”
“Not that I know of. Crystal cares about animals, of course, but … I hope you’re not insinuating that Crystal had something to do with your friend’s disappearance.”
“I don’t know what to think. I came by here hoping she’d be able to tell me something about it. She was on duty last night, and I can’t imagine her not knowing if one of her patients disappears.” “That is strange, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until she gets back.” Christine inserted a key into the lock and pulled open the screen door. Using another key, she opened the white door. “When will that be?” Jennie followed her inside.
“Tuesday, I think.” Christine headed for the kitchen. “Here, kitty. Come on, baby. Time to eat.”
“Meow.” A huge white cat stretched, then gathered itself together, jumping off the window ledge and prancing into the kitchen, its tail high and twitching.
“Do you know where she is?” Jennie’s gaze scanned the simple but nicely decorated home. Neat. Nothing out of place except books that spilled out of an overflowing bookcase. Family pictures hung on one wall. A Bible sat on an end table along with a devotional book called 365 Saints. A rosary lay beside it.
“I’m afraid not. Crystal is hiking and could be anywhere.”
Jennie moved over to the phone near the sofa and glanced down at the pad. There was no writing on it, only an indentation from a previous note. She tore off the top sheet and tucked it into her back-pocket, then moved to the kitchen. “Beautiful cat.”
“Yes, she is.” Christine rinsed the cat’s dish in the sink and filled one side with water and the other with food. The cat wrapped itself around her legs. “Here you go,” she cooed as she rubbed the cat behind the ears.
“I’m worried about Crystal.” Jennie leaned against the doorjam and watched the cat eat. “If she wasn’t involved in Scott’s disappearance, whoever took him might have her too.”
Christine rubbed her wrinkled forehead. “Does Tess know about this?”
“Yes. She and an agent are looking into it. They’re on their way out to your place to ask you and Aleshia some questions.”
“They think we had something to do with Scott’s disappearance?”
“They think your husband might h
ave.”
“Bob? But he’s missing too.”
“Maybe—”Jennie stopped herself. Better not to mention their suspicions about her husband’s involvement in ARM. It occurred to her that if Bob Sutherland was Sonja, Christine would undoubtedly know something about it. She’d already said too much. “I don’t know what’s going on. It’s way too confusing.”
“Hmm. You’re right about that. I’d better get back. I probably shouldn’t have left, but—it’s so hard sitting around the house. I went out with the S and R team this morning for a while. I just wish I knew what happened to him. And now your friend. It’s frightening.”
“You can say that again.” Jennie followed her out the door and down the walk.
“I hope they find your friend, Jennie.” Christine got into her car and glanced around. “Do you need a ride?”
“No, I parked down the street.” At Christine’s questioning look, Jennie added, “I like to walk.”
“I’ll wait until you’re safely on your way. The last thing we need is for something to happen to you.” Christine waited until Jennie got in her car and pulled away before leaving, then followed Jennie as far as the Sutherlands’ driveway.
The sheriff and Agent Tucker were still waiting. Jennie wished she could be a fly on the wall, but they’d given her explicit orders to stay away. There wasn’t much to do now except shower, change clothes, and maybe get some sleep. All of which sounded heavenly.
Tom and Mary’s car was gone, but the door had been left unlocked. Jennie glanced at the table, wondering if they’d left a note, but saw none. Taking the steps two at a time, Jennie checked on the wounded mink, then headed for the bathroom and a muchneeded shower.
After a two-hour nap, the telephone jangled, and Jennie hurried into Tom and Mary’s bedroom/office suite to get it.
“Jennie,” Lisa said. “I was about to give up on you.”
“I was sleeping.” She sank into the leather office chair.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just wanted to let you know where we were—forgot to leave a note.”
Desperate Measures Page 11
