by JP Ratto
Used to the cold Pennsylvania fall weather, she welcomed the unseasonably mild temperatures New Yorkers were enjoying.
The windows overlooked the terrace where they had sandwiches earlier. From her second-story view, Maddie could see the neighboring yards, which couldn’t hold a candle to Holt’s beautifully landscaped garden. Turning back to the room, she eyed the spiral staircase leading to the upper balcony’s library. After setting down her coffee cup, she climbed the stairs. She scanned Holt’s large eclectic collection of books and picked two off the shelves. The door to the master bedroom was open and Maddie peeked inside. She’d been in the house two days without Lucas inviting her into his most private space. The furniture was large and solid, and the décor unpretentious and masculine. She smiled and nodded her approval. Just like him.
The doorbell rang, startling her. She cut through the bedroom and exited another door leading to the third floor hallway. Entering the downstairs foyer, she could hear the grinding gears of a delivery truck. She opened the door and watched it pull away. A package lay on the doormat. Maddie took it in and set it on the hall table, noticing that the picture of Susan and Marnie wasn’t there.
Returning to the office, Maddie made the rest of the calls, yielding one more family she could add to her list. Since Lucas was meeting with Cain, Maddie decided she’d follow the three leads she had on her own. She welcomed a long drive where she could sort out what was happening between her and Lucas.
Maddie called him and left a message. She grabbed the keys to the rental, which was still parked out front, and left the city for Elmira.
***
There were no open spots on the street outside the precinct. Scully parked in the garage on the corner, where the long-time owner reserved a few spaces for the police detectives.
Scully stopped walking to take a call from Regina, who checked in to see if he’d be home for dinner. After telling her he wouldn’t make it in time, he relaxed against a building and let his wife inform him of the havoc their children, and his work hours, wreaked on her life. There was no malice in her voice, and he knew she just needed to vent. He laughed when she moved on to relate a funny incident between their youngest and their hyper Golden Retriever.
The call winding to an end, Scully pushed off the building and glanced up the street toward the precinct. He said goodbye to Regina and, at the same time, noticed a black Lincoln pull up to the station. He watched Captain Burke exit the vehicle. Shit. He’d hoped to be back before the captain. Luck was on his side when, instead of going into the precinct, Burke entered Sy’s Deli. Lowering the bill of his cap, Scully moved to the curb and mentally noted the Lincoln’s New York plate number as the car passed.
By the time Scully settled at his desk and briefly filled Sean in on the latest, Captain Burke strutted back to his office. A stark change from his appearance that morning, Burke looked as cool and dapper as ever. Wondering what caused the transformation, Scully jotted down the plate number before he’d forget it. He slipped the paper under a file on his desk, just as a figure loomed over him. Scully looked up at Captain Burke and nodded.
“Detective.” Burke adjusted the knot on his perfectly knotted tie. “What’s the progress on the Jackson case?”
Surprised at the captain’s interest in a low-profile case, Scully hesitated. He glanced at his sergeant’s empty desk on the opposite side of the room.
Burke turned to look behind him. “Sergeant Rodriguez will be in court the next few days. You and Sean will report directly to me. Give me an update by the end of the day.” Captain Burke sauntered back to his office and closed the door.
Scully pulled the slip of paper out from under the file covering it and entered it into the department’s Law Enforcement Information Network. The car was registered to a company owned by business mogul Emmett Kerrigan. He wasn’t surprised when a further search revealed that Kerrigan was Senator Todd Grayson’s father-in-law.
Chapter 24
The hand holding Tom Keeler’s cell phone dropped to his side like dead weight.
Kill Lucas Holt?
The implications of those three words were not lost on Keeler. With the blackmail money and the amount Cain would pay for this risky assignment, he could start to live out his dreams. I could live in Hawaii. I would only come back to take a few choice jobs. Hell, the way Cain racks up enemies, that could be several times a year.
Another benefit struck Keeler. If he could take down Lucas Holt, an ex-member of Delta Force, it would prove the Green Berets were wrong; they should have kept him. I might have been one of the best. Perhaps this was what God had in mind for him all along.
“Keeler!” He heard Cain’s muffled shout and brought the phone back to his ear.
“What! I’m thinking. I don’t know about this. Holt won’t be easy prey like Giaconne. You’re going to have to pay more.” Keeler didn’t know where the money came from but, in the end, Cain always agreed to his demands.
“Well, Keeler, think about this. Lucas Holt found Joseph Clarkson and his lawyer.”
“Verdammt!” Keeler seethed. “I should have killed both of them.”
“The lawyer is dead. I assumed that was your doing.”
When Keeler didn’t respond, Cain continued. “Holt learned from Clarkson that his daughter was adopted.”
“So, that’s more bad news for you, Counselor. It has nothing to do with me.”
“You’re not getting it, Keeler. Whether you intended to or not, you left a trail.”
“Clarkson won’t talk; I warned him.”
”He doesn’t have to. Someone else saw you there, and it gets worse. You were seen near the precinct the night of the shooting. They have a description of you and believe you tried to kill Detective Scully.”
The battery indicator on Keeler’s phone began to beep. He felt the blood drain from his face, his dreams completely forgotten. Swallowing hard, he asked, “Do they have my name?”
“Holt didn’t say, but it’s only a matter of time.”
All thoughts of blackmail flew from Keeler’s head as he slipped into survival mode. “You have to protect me.”
“You can protect yourself by doing what I ask. Holt knows as much as you do about his daughter. He said you would try to blackmail me.”
“Does he know where she is?”
“No, do you?”
“Maybe.”
“Holt won’t let you anywhere near her.”
“But he’ll want to know where she is.”
Keeler, you won’t be able to bargain with Holt. You’re a killer. He doesn’t negotiate with killers.”
“Lucky for me, you do.”
“Don’t get cocky. As much as I would like Holt dead, you need him dead. You could be a threat to his daughter and you tried to kill his former partner. He’s a fierce protector of all who are close to him. He’ll find out who you are and hunt you down.” Keeler had to parse Cain’s sentences as the annoying beeping sound overrode a few of his words.
“What about the police?” Nothing is going the way I want.
“Let me worry about them. I have contacts. I’ll see what I can do.”
“I still expect my money or, despite your connections, you and Grayson will share a cell next to mine,” Keeler said, trying to regain the advantage.
“Wake up, Keeler. The only way you go to prison is if you don’t take care of Holt. As far as money…”
Keeler’s phone went dead.
***
In case Douglas Cain called to meet again, I lingered in the park for a couple of hours. I made a few calls to reschedule appointments, grabbed a bite to eat and, anticipating another trip upstate, I made arrangements.
Walking past the zoo, I remembered a brisk October day fifteen years before. Susan and I loved being outdoors in all kinds of weather and had first met on a ski trip in the Adirondacks. Marnie was only four months old when we bundled her up and wheeled her carriage through the park that fall afternoon. At the time, I’d looked forward to man
y enjoyable days with my wife and daughter. I never dreamed it would be one of our last outings as a family.
Checking my phone messages, there was one from Maddie telling me she narrowed her search to three names and was on her way to Elmira to interview the families. I appreciated her help, but wished she had waited for me to go with her. I’d become fond and protective of Maddie even though I knew she was a capable trained law enforcement officer.
I had planned to get more out of Cain than I did. After insisting he didn’t know where Marnie was, he’d left in a huff. I hovered on the fence as to whether I believed him or not. I’d given him a lot to think about and rattled the usually smug lawyer, making it clear my number one priority was finding my daughter.
I expected Cain to confront his paid assassin to plug as many holes as he could before the dam broke, drowning Grayson’s political career. As the time passed, I began to think I might not hear from him any time soon, if at all. Then he called.
“Cain, I wasn’t sure I’d hear from you again.” I moved to a secluded area off the park’s main path and stopped walking to give my full attention to the call. “Have you decided to tell me where Marnie is?”
Cain sighed. “Let me tell you why I’m calling.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ve been thinking about…our situation. I have an idea that would solve both our problems.”
When I spoke to Cain earlier, he was dismissive. Now he wanted to negotiate. “Let’s hear it.”
“You were right. He wants a lot of money to keep quiet…about certain aspects of my business dealings.”
“Business? You mean crimes, don’t you?”
“Don’t bait me. You need to know what I’m telling you. I understand how blackmail works; it will never end. I could be paying him out of my estate when I’m six feet under.”
“That’s your problem, not mine.”
“Look, Holt. It’s in your interest to stop this guy—and fast. He knows where your daughter is. He told me he plans on using her to get money from you too.”
Not knowing whether to believe him, I didn’t respond. He began to speak faster.
“In return for the location of your daughter, I’m asking for two things. One. Stop investigating anything having to do with Todd Grayson, the election, and me. Number two…” Cain paused and I could hear his quick intake of breath. No longer relaxed and in control, he sounded like a man who had nowhere to turn. “Take care of my blackmail problem.”
“What do you mean, take care of your blackmail problem?” Is Cain suggesting I kill for him?
“You’re smarter than that, Holt. You know what I mean.”
“Hold on. I want to be clear on what you’re asking me to do.” I pressed an app on my cell phone, and it began to record.
“I think it’s pretty clear, Holt. I’m asking you to use your experience and ingenuity to make my problem…disappear.”
I was angry and getting angrier. The prospect that Marnie could be in danger from a person who Cain all but admitted was a killer almost sent me over the edge. He would have no compulsion about taking the life of a sixteen-year-old girl—my sixteen-year-old girl—if it got him a paycheck.
I didn’t know if I could trust Douglas Cain, and he knew I would do anything to find my daughter. Anything.
“Where is she, Cain?”
“Do we have a deal?”
I had hoped to avoid that question. I’ve never gone back on my word. At this point, I had no guarantee Maddie would learn Marnie’s location in time for us to stop whatever the killer had planned.
I needed Cain’s help—and I needed to get back to Elmira.
“Yes.”
***
Douglas Cain replayed part of his conversation with Lucas Holt.
“I’m asking you to use your experience and ingenuity to make my problem…disappear.”
“Where is she, Cain?”
“Do we have a deal?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back in his chair and reflected on his manipulation of Lucas Holt and Keeler. He smiled. It does have a certain element of genius to it.
Cain reasoned that if it worked out the way he hoped, he would be free and clear of one of his problems. If Holt killed Keeler, and kept his word, the blackmail would end and the election would go forward, sealing Todd Grayson’s bid for the White House. This is the best possible outcome—aside from the unlikely chance that they kill each other! Cain sensed Holt was angry enough to eliminate the threat to his daughter for good, especially after he lied about Keeler’s intent to use Marnie for blackmail.
Cain looked out the window and noticed the sky had turned grayer. He’d promised to take Roberta out to dinner for their anniversary.
Mrs. Grimes called to remind him about a late afternoon meeting. He shook his head at the time displayed on the antique clock his wife had given him last year. Shit. I need to pick up flowers too. He slipped on his jacket and dropped his phone and a file into his briefcase.
During the twenty-minute cab ride to his Fifth Avenue office, he considered another outcome of his plan. On the other hand, if Keeler kills Holt, the PI’s investigation stops. I’m sure I could persuade Captain Burke to have Keeler arrested on “new” evidence in the Giaconne murder.
Nothing was guaranteed. It’s a viable plan with several positive outcomes.
What could go wrong?
Chapter 25
Ray Scully glanced up when Sean set a mug of steaming coffee on his desk. “Here, you look like you could use this.”
“Thanks.” Scully rubbed his bloodshot eyes. “Where’ve you been?”
“What? You think you’re the only one who deserves a lunch hour—or three?”
Scully sipped the coffee and winced. “Someone needs to clean that pot.” He looked around the bullpen. All but three detectives were at their desks. Burke hadn’t come out of his office since he’d asked about the Jackson case.
Sean sat and swiveled his chair to face his partner. “So what’d I miss?”
“The captain asked for an update on the Jackson case.”
“Why? Where’s the sergeant?”
“She’s going to be in court for a few days.”
Sean leaned closer to Scully for more privacy. “So did you give the captain a progress report?”
“No. I don’t think he really wanted to talk about it. Seemed like he wanted me to know he had his eye on me. Said to give him a report by the end of the day.”
Sean nodded. “I can do that. How’d you make out at the lab?”
Before Scully could answer, his cell phone buzzed. “This is him now.”
Sean stood and rubbed his stomach. “Okay, I need to catch up on some reading.” He grabbed a copy of Crime and walked toward the men’s room.
“Hey, Phil, I appreciate you fast-tracking this for me. What’ve you got?” While his friend spoke, Scully made notes. They spent a few minutes talking about football, then he thanked Phil and promised to make time to get together for a beer.
Entering the name he’d written down into the department’s information systems, Scully watched the screen fill with data for Thomas Keeler.
Sean returned to his desk just as Scully finished printing Keeler’s database record. He didn’t need to access official military records as a general search provided ample details. With the data still on his computer screen, Scully handed Sean the printed papers. “Take a look.”
Scanning the top page, Sean sat and scooted close to Scully’s desk. “Who’s this?”
“I believe that’s our sniper.”
“Says here he lives in the Bronx. Should we notify the precinct up there?”
“No. As far as we know, he’s not committed any crimes in his neighborhood—at least not in the last ten years.”
“And before that?”
“Third page.” Scully pointed to the sheets Sean flipped through. “After he washed out of Green Beret training, he was transported back to his Army unit to serve out his enlistment. He
had a brother who was a Green Beret.”
“Does it say why he washed out?”
“I don’t have his official record, but police data about the death of his brother mentions it. Apparently, Keeler’s brother, Ryan, was shot and killed not far from where they lived. Keeler was nearby and gave police a vague description of a man fleeing the scene. A few weeks later, a man fitting that description was found dead in a dumpster.” Scully paused. “Remind you of anything?”
“Yeah, but it could be a coincidence.”
Scully continued. “He was shot with his own gun. Police ruled it a homicide. Keeler was interrogated when it was revealed that the victim, Terrence Browne, was a Green Beret candidate with Keeler.”
“So he knew his brother’s killer. He didn’t tell the police that. Why?”
“The report says Keeler claimed he couldn’t identify Browne at the time.” Scully shook his head.
“You don’t buy it.”
“No, and I doubt the detectives on the case did. You’ll see a transcript of the interrogation. They asked him about his relationship with Browne. It’s interesting that the two were transferred out of Green Beret training the same day.”
“Oh, I see it now.” Scully watched Sean’s lips move as he read to himself. He looked up. “It says it was due to a physical altercation between the two candidates. Browne blamed Keeler and took getting the boot hard. Do you think Keeler’s brother was killed for revenge?”
“Possibly. Look at the pictures of the brothers. There’s a huge resemblance. They were only a couple of years apart in age.”
“Case of mistaken identity?”
Scully nodded. “More likely. In any case, Keeler had a motive to kill Browne, but there wasn’t enough evidence to prove it.”
“So this Thomas Keeler gets away with murder.”
“Yeah. Looks that way to me, and he would have gotten away with Giaconne’s murder if he didn’t get greedy.”
“Hold on.” Sean waved a hand in the air. “Giaconne’s case is closed. Kwan killed him.”
