by C. M. Sutter
“Hell yeah, I’ve got it right in my pocket. How far do you think it is back to the hotel?” Tony asked as he slipped his T-shirt over his head.
“Not sure. I don’t know a damn thing about this city. Check the location on your phone. We can’t afford to be seen. No taxi for us—we’re hoofing it.”
Tony used the microphone to ask Google what the distance was from the intersection of Commerce Street and Lincoln to the Hamilton Inn in Chicago.
“It’s doing its swirly thing.”
“Which means what?” Robert checked their surroundings for police cars as they waited.
“That it’s thinking.”
“Well, make it think faster. We can’t stand around.”
“Here it is. It’s a fifteen-minute walk or ten blocks. It shows the way.”
“Then let’s move.”
They left the van on a dead-end street and took a roundabout way back to the hotel. Following the route on the map, they walked with their heads low on dimly lit adjacent streets.
Once inside, they passed the registration counter quickly. There wasn’t any need to have a conversation with the old lady, and Robert preferred to stay inconspicuous, anyway.
Tony turned the key in the lock, and they entered the room. He began gathering his belongings. “We’re heading out, aren’t we?”
“Let’s lie low tonight and leave at daybreak. If Lucky found a cop to talk to, they’ll be swarming the area all night.”
“I guess her name fit her pretty well.” Tony puffed out an angry groan as he lit a cigarette and plopped down on the chair at the table. “Damn mistakes are going to get us caught.”
Robert picked up the pack of cigarettes and shook one out for himself. He lit it and leaned back in the chair while he stared at the ceiling. He took a deep drag and blew it out in smoke rings. “I started a job ten years ago, and I’m not going home until it’s done. The bitch is going to die this time.”
“Yeah—then we better be more careful. I don’t intend to spend the rest of my life in prison.”
“You worry too much, bro.” Robert flicked the ash onto the floor. “Between the two of us, we’ve already taken care of four people in less than a week. I’d say that’s pretty good numbers. We made one mistake, and with a cheap hooker no less. It isn’t the end of the world. Nobody cares about hookers, and it won’t be front page news.”
Tony got up and paced. “But Lucky can describe us, and you told her our names for crisssakes.”
“Humph—I forgot about that. At least they don’t know about the truck. She’ll tell them we have a gray van. That’s what they’ll be looking for while we scoot out of town. The van is wiped down, there’s a dead hooker in the woods, and they’re taking the word of another hooker that’s probably an addict too.”
Tony kicked the chair. “Right, but my prints are on that duct tape around her mouth.”
“Chill out, bro. You aren’t in the system, remember?”
“But you are, and Lucky has the hundred-dollar bill you handed her.”
“Shit.”
Chapter 47
I checked the time—it was nine o’clock on a Friday night. I wondered what my odds were of finding anyone, other than myself, sitting at home doing nothing but watching TV. I’d have to call Clark first and give him the same update I just got from Joe. If he approved my idea, I’d call Kate next. Then everyone in law enforcement between Milwaukee and North Bend would have to be alerted. We had to find Robert Lynch before he found Kate.
I scrolled through the contact list on my phone. I had Lieutenant Clark’s desk number and home number programmed to memory, yet when I was sure I’d need his cell number, it was nowhere to be found.
Damn, his cell number isn’t here. I’ll try his home number first then call dispatch for his cell number if I have to.
I dialed Clark’s home. After the sixth ring, the automated voicemail message began. I hung up and called dispatch. Bob Kennedy, one of our night officers picked up.
“Bob, hi. It’s Jade.”
“Jade, aren’t you officially on vacation?”
I chuckled, just to keep things lighthearted. “I am, but I forgot to tell the boss something. Believe it or not, I don’t have his cell programmed into my contact list. Can you get it for me?”
“Sure thing, give me a second.”
Bob put me on hold, thankfully for only a minute. The god-awful music that played on a loop was enough to make anyone hang up.
“Here we go. Got a pen?”
“Sure do.” I wrote down Clark’s cell number as Bob read it off, and thanked him. I hung up, programmed it into my phone, and dialed. I knew that Clark and his wife, Liz, often went out for Friday night fish fries. It was a tradition they enjoyed twice a month with lifelong friends, and I hated to interrupt, especially when Clark didn’t often get the opportunity to eat greasy food and drink brandy Old Fashioneds.
His phone rang, and the lieutenant picked up on the third ring. I heard laughter and music in the background. I cringed.
“Boss, I’m so sorry to interrupt your night, but it’s important.”
“Hang on, Jade. I have to find a quiet place to talk. Give me a second.”
I heard Clark explain that he had to take an important call and would be back in a few minutes. The festive sounds disappeared through the phone line, and the lieutenant was back.
“Okay, I know you wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t urgent. Let’s hear it.”
I told Clark everything that Detective Amoroso had conveyed to me.
“So the chances of them being Robert Lynch and possibly his brother are high.”
“Yes, sir, but since we don’t have a picture of Tony, we couldn’t say for certain who the long-haired, bearded man was in Kate’s dreams. According to Lucky, the woman that was assaulted in Chicago, she said the driver of the van had long hair and a beard.”
Clark moaned. “But without a picture of Tony, we can’t say for sure that it’s him.”
“I went one step further, boss. After I hung up from Joe’s call, I brainstormed with Amber at the table for a half hour. She suggested I contact the penitentiary in Atlanta to find out who picked up Robert on his release day. Prisons always have cameras at the sign-out and release area, and the grounds within the outer walls are under surveillance too. That would include the parking lot where the released inmates get picked up.”
“That Amber is going to make a damn good cop someday.”
“Ya think?” I chuckled. “Anyway, I called, and they told me Robert was picked up by none other than Anthony Lynch. They actually have him on tape, leaning out the window of an older red-and-white pickup, flipping off the guard in the tower. According to the gentleman I spoke with in the video control room at USP Atlanta, Anthony Lynch has long hair and a full beard.”
“Gotcha!”
“That’s what I’m talking about, boss. We know they’re coming for Kate, and somehow they know where she lives. She needs to get out of that apartment for her own safety.”
“Are you thinking of something like WITSEC? That takes time, Jade.”
“I’m thinking more of a temporary place until these criminals are apprehended—like my house.”
I listened to silence for a good twenty seconds. I knew Clark’s wheels were turning, and I didn’t want to interrupt them.
“I don’t know if you should get personally involved, Jade.”
“Boss, I’ve been personally involved ever since I heard her harrowing story about Robert Lynch. This man is a menace to society and should never have been released from prison. It sounds like Tony is cut from the same cloth. He’s somehow skirted the law and has never been arrested, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous. Think about it, boss—I’m a cop, my old man is a cop, and Amber has a concealed carry license and is a damn good shot. We can keep Kate as safe here as she would be locked up in the jail except she’d have much better digs and a lot nicer people to hang out with.”
“You do hav
e a point, but she has to agree to it. You can’t force her out of her own apartment against her will.”
I heard a door open and close. The music and laughter was back. “So that’s an okay?”
“It’s an okay, but keep me posted. Don’t forget, you’re officially off the clock for a week.”
“But I’ll clock back in if I have to.”
He groaned.
“Hey, boss.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you and Liz out dancing?”
“Don’t even start with me, Monroe. Liz says it burns calories and keeps me limber.”
“Okay, TMI. Good night, boss.”
“Good night, Jade.”
“Amber, I need another glass of wine. I’m going to make the call.”
“To Kate?”
“Yeah, and it’s going to get emotional. I can feel it already.”
I took a five-minute break, rolled my neck to get rid of the tension, and had a full glass of wine in front of me.
“Here I go.”
Amber sat on the barstool next to me and squeezed my hand. “We’ll make her feel comfortable, Sis. She’ll be safe with us.”
I gave my sister a hug then scrolled to Kate’s number. I pressed the green phone icon, and the phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Kate, it’s Jade. I’m coming over—we need to talk.”
Chapter 48
Robert
He woke to the grinding sound beyond the window. Robert pulled the curtain aside and looked out. Red lights flashed from the early morning garbage truck picking up neighborhood trash. The hydraulic grabbers on those large diesel trucks lifted cans and spilled garbage into the enormous mouth of the waiting bin above the driver’s compartment. The morning’s castoffs would be swallowed whole, and the process would repeat itself tomorrow and every day after that.
Robert rolled over and buried his head under the pillow. He had forgotten where he was and how the night before had played out.
Tony swore at the noise beyond the window. “What the hell is going on, and why am I awake? It’s still dark outside.”
“I don’t know. Go back to sleep.”
“Didn’t you want to get an early start?”
“What?”
“You wanted to leave Chicago before daylight.”
“Shit—we’re in Chicago. I can barely lift my head, dude. Why did you buy that bottle of whiskey last night?”
Tony clicked on the bedside light. “I was pissed and nervous. You do remember last night, don’t you?” Tony propped himself up on his elbow as he looked across to Robert’s bed.
Robert was already staring at him. He jammed two pillows under his neck and heaved a sigh. “I do now.” He fumbled for the remote and turned the TV on to the local news station. “If anything, they’re looking for a gray van. We need to get out of Chicago and preferably close to the border before daylight. I have to take a piss. Keep your eyes on that news station.”
The bathroom door opened ten minutes later, and Robert came out. “Anything?”
“They talked about an assault on two women in Lakeland Park. It seems like it’s kind of downplayed.”
Robert smirked. “Probably because they’re hookers.” He got up and started the coffee in the small pot on the table. He returned to the edge of the bed and continued staring at the television set.
Tony took his turn in the bathroom and closed the door at his back. Within a minute, Robert began to pound on the door.
“Son of a bitch, we have to leave. Bro, get out here now.”
A few seconds later, flushing sounded, and the door flew open. Tony arranged his boxer shorts. “What the hell, dude?”
“My face and name was just plastered all over the TV screen. We have to leave before that old hag at the front desk throws us under the bus. Grab everything. Let’s go out the back door.”
Once in the truck and on their way, Tony drove the speed limit and stayed off the main streets. Robert’s head was on a swivel. He looked up at the sky—dawn was breaking.
“We need to get out of this city, fast.”
“I have to drive the speed limit, and we have to stay on residential streets. Nobody is looking for us in this truck yet. Stay cool, bro.”
“Easy for you to say, your face wasn’t plastered across the screen. Apparently, Lucky gave a good enough description of me to have the news air it.”
“I thought you said it was a picture.” Tony turned toward Robert and frowned.
“Now you’re nitpicking?”
“No, but was it a picture or a drawing? Did they include your last name?” Tony clicked his blinker and changed lanes.
Robert raised his voice. “A picture, man—I already told you that. I don’t remember if they said Bobby or Robert or if they said Lynch too. I was too dumbfounded.”
“Either way, somebody else knows it’s you. That bitch wouldn’t have an actual picture to put on the news. The cops already know who you are. Here.” Tony handed Robert his phone.
“What am I supposed to do, turn myself in?”
“No, call Ma. Find out if anyone is snooping around. We’ll be at the Wisconsin border in twenty minutes. Stay cool.”
Robert checked again—the sun had peaked over the horizon, creating a flash of rays that filled the morning sky. Colors began to show up on vehicles. They couldn’t hide under the cloak of darkness anymore.
“We have to stay on the back roads, and I have to steal a car.”
“Why do we need to steal a car? Nobody is looking for this truck, plus it has Indiana plates on it. If anything, they’d be looking for something with Georgia plates. It isn’t registered to anybody named Lynch, either. I think we’re okay.”
“Yeah, but I’m not. I’m nervous as hell. How do I work this thing?”
“Press the tab that says contacts. Scroll down until you see the house num—”
Robert threw the phone in Tony’s lap. “Do it yourself. It’ll go faster.”
Tony tapped and scrolled. “Here, Ma should be awake by now.”
“Ma, it’s Bobby.” Robert turned toward Tony and nodded. “Yeah, we should be back by early next week. Has anyone been snooping around?” Robert listened silently as his mother spoke. “Don’t tell James a damn thing. Our lives are none of his concern, and he can keep his opinions to himself. Don’t answer the phone the next time he calls, and don’t let him in. He doesn’t need to know we’re gone. I’ll take care of him once we get home. Okay, Ma, Tony says hi. Yeah, we love you too. Just keep your mouth shut. See you soon.”
Robert handed the phone to Tony, and Tony clicked it off.
“We’re crossing into Wisconsin, Bobby. Take a breath.”
Chapter 49
I heard activity in the kitchen and rolled over to check the time—6:59. Daylight was just breaking. The morning started later and the nights grew dark earlier this time of year. I climbed out of bed and slipped on my robe. Voices echoed down the hallway once I opened my bedroom door. There was more than one person awake. That meant I was the last one to get up, and there would be a pot of coffee already made. I smiled.
“Hey, look who finally woke up,” Amber said when I rounded the corner. She and Kate sat at the kitchen table with the carafe on a trivet between them.
“Morning, guys. Sorry I slept in—my bad.”
“Morning, Jade, and I don’t consider seven in the morning as sleeping in.”
I smirked. “Yet you two are already up. How did you sleep?” I gave Kate a concerned smile and poured myself a cup of coffee then sat across from her at the table.
“I actually slept great for the first time in weeks. You do have only one guest room, though, and your dad will be here later. I could always stay in a hotel.”
“Yeah, that isn’t happening. We’ll figure it out. It shouldn’t be for more than a few days, anyway.”
Amber spoke up. “Kate, you can have my room. I’ll bunk with Jade.”
It was apparent to me that these two ladies had
hit it off quickly. They seemed like close friends, and I was thankful for that. I wanted Kate to feel at ease as much as possible considering the circumstances.
Amber rose from the table and, just as she did every Saturday morning, began preparing a breakfast feast. “So, what do you like to eat, Kate? You aren’t a vegetarian, are you?”
“Nope, I’ve never gone that route. I like bacon too much.”
Amber pulled out the griddle and chuckled. “Good to know, because I’m about to start the bacon.”
Kate maintained a brave act in front of Amber, but I knew she was terrified. When I’d gone to her apartment last night and explained the new discovery, she’d broken down in tears.
A surprised smile lit her face when Spaz began rubbing against her leg as she drank her coffee.
I grinned. “Apparently he’s taken with you.”
“Traitor,” Amber called out. “Do you like pancakes, Kate?”
“Pancakes sound delicious.” Kate rose and filled all our cups. She sat back down and folded her hands on the table.
“I have several ideas, but I’d like to run a few of them past my old man. He’s the smartest cop I know. Our main problem is, we only have circumstantial evidence against the Lynch brothers. We can’t actually tie them to anyone’s murder, even though we’re quite sure they’re responsible. The EMT was found stabbed to death in the trunk of Jillian Wiley’s car, but there were no witnesses or fingerprints belonging to Robert Lynch.”
Kate shifted nervously in her chair and sighed a deep breath. “Jillian hasn’t been found yet, has she?”
“Not yet. We haven’t heard about the other girl that was assaulted with the woman in Chicago. Detective Branson will update us when they know more. A district attorney would have to be on board before he’d prosecute the case in any state. That would likely take place in Indiana, where Deidra and the EMT were murdered. Even still, a DA might consider it too risky going in with circumstantial evidence on a murder charge unless—”
“Unless what?”
I stopped. “Nothing—I’m just thinking out loud. I need to discuss a few things with my dad and the lieutenant before I get ahead of myself. It looks like breakfast is ready. Let’s eat.”
