“The owner isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“I thought you just said nobody has ever asked to see any tapes in the past. Why would it matter now? Do you really want to interfere with an ongoing investigation?”
“No, but—”
“But what? I just gave you my card. If you feel the need to squeal yourself out to the owner, go ahead and share my phone number. I’m sure we can find a few violations in this fine establishment of his. You’ll get the tape back soon enough. Now let’s have it.”
John pulled the tape and handed it to J.T. The men exited the building and left TaTas beating music behind.
“Do you think that grainy image was really of Jerry and Jordan?” Bruce asked during the ride downtown.
J.T. shrugged. “I can’t say for sure. Never saw Jerry or Jordan in the flesh. We don’t know their mannerisms or their gait, but if the tech department can clean up the footage, we may have hope. According to Jordan’s driver’s license, she’s over six feet tall. Do either of you know Jerry’s height?”
Dave spoke up. “No, but we can easily get it from the coroner. We’ll be in the same building, anyway.”
J.T. parked the sedan on the street. They took the sidewalk to the front of the building, where the police department was located. The downtown police headquarters, tech department, forensics department, and coroner’s office and morgue shared the lower level and first floor of the three-story cement building. The upper floor held the city administrative offices and the downtown library. Across the street stood the fire department.
The men entered the building and approached the counter. With a flash of his FBI badge through the plastic window of a leather bifold ID holder, J.T. explained to the evening desk sergeant how they needed the help of the tech department and the coroner.
“The coroner has left for the evening, but I believe Marty Lowrey is here. Just follow that hallway—”
J.T. politely interrupted. “Thanks, we know the way.”
Downstairs, the men entered the tech department with the tape in hand.
“Hang out here and tell them what we need. I’m going to check in with Marty,” J.T. said.
Dave nodded and went on to explain how grainy the videotape was. They needed it cleaned up the best way possible.
J.T. followed the opposite hallway to the coroner’s office. Through the wall of glass, he saw Marty with his chair snugged in tightly against his desk, going over a stack of paperwork. J.T. knocked on the window to get his attention.
With a smile of recognition and a wave, Marty welcomed J.T. in.
“Don’t you guys ever take a break?” he asked with a look of surprise. The clock showed it was nearly 11 p.m. “How can I help you, Agent Harper?”
“I like being informal. J.T. is fine. I need to know how tall Jerry Fosco was.”
“Sure thing. Give me one second to pull up his file.” Marty tapped a few computer keys and opened up the file containing the autopsy report for Jerry Fosco. He leaned in and read the document. “Here we go. It appears that Jerry Fosco was—” He pulled out his calculator and smiled. “Everything is recorded in metric, you know. I never did understand that given the fact that we’re in the United States. Okay, his height converts to five foot nine inches.”
J.T. raked his fingertips across his beard stubble. “I don’t know if that helps me or not.”
“What’s the problem?”
“We’re trying to compare the height of two people in a surveillance tape, walking side by side. We aren’t sure if it’s Jerry and a woman in question that naturally stands over six feet tall. Women tend to wear heels when they go out, which would throw off her height considerably.”
“Then wouldn’t she tower over him regardless of if she had on heels or not?”
“True, but the woman could be five foot six and wearing seven-inch heels.”
“I see your point. Maybe the tech department can help figure that out.”
J.T. nodded and exited the room. “Thanks, Marty,” he said and closed the door at his back. He walked the opposite way down the hall and entered the tech department to find everyone huddled around a computer. Mike Walters and Jason Branch manned the night shift.
“Any luck?” Dave asked as J.T. grabbed a vacant chair and pulled up alongside the rest of the crew.
“Jerry Fosco was five foot nine. How’s it going with the tape?”
“Slowly,” Bruce said. “We can tell the person on the left has long blond hair, so we’re assuming it’s Jordan. There’s something weird going on, though. The man seems to be walking unnaturally. Did Jerry have a leg problem?”
“Not to my knowledge, but don’t forget he was way beyond the legal limit that night.”
Dave nodded. “That’s right.”
Mike Walters sighed. “We aren’t going to get this tape much better, guys. The image quality really sucks. No matter what, it’s doubtful if this is usable footage. You don’t have anyone facing the camera, and even if you did, it’s too grainy to make a positive ID.”
“How about the car they’re walking to? That’s a larger image to focus on.”
Jason zoomed in on the car whose lights flashed when the couple approached it. He turned several knobs to adjust the clarity.
“All I can tell is that it’s a light-colored sedan. The boxy shape would lean more toward a car over ten years old. That’s all we can help you with, agents. Sorry.” He pressed the eject button and handed J.T. the tape. “Tell those guys to get with the twenty-first century.”
Dave smirked. “We already did.”
J.T. heaved a sigh and headed toward the door. He thanked Jason and Mike, and they left. “Let’s call it a night, guys. I’m beat. You can bet Agent Tam is going to have us in the conference room first thing in the morning whether it’s a Saturday or not.”
Chapter 26
J.T. was surprised that Jade wasn’t sitting in the banquet room with a plate of bacon in front of her. He’d sent her a text last night when he returned to the hotel, saying she should call him when she woke up. He hadn’t heard a peep from her that morning. He texted her again as he sipped a cup of coffee and munched on a cream cheese–covered bagel.
With the phone on the table, inches away and facing him, he continued his breakfast with one eye on the door. He was sure Jade would walk through any minute. He sighed with relief when his buzzing phone indicated a text had come in. J.T. picked it up and tapped the message icon. The text came from Agent Tam, saying she would be holding the update meeting at nine o’clock in the conference room. She copied the text to everyone in their group. After the last bite of the bagel and a final gulp of coffee, J.T. checked his phone once more for a response from Jade. There wasn’t one.
Could she still be sleeping? Maybe she’s in the shower.
Anxiety and a gut feeling told him something was off. He took the elevator back to the third floor, walked to room 302, and knocked. There was nothing—not even the sound of the television or the shower running in the background. He pressed his ear to the door—dead silence filled the space on the other side.
She must have gone in early. That’s the only explanation.
Logic and common sense told J.T. not to become alarmed. He’d drive to the field office, ride the elevator up to the fourth floor, and find her sitting in the conference room with a cup of coffee cradled between her hands. She’d say she had plenty of sleep and came in early to do research on something.
Yeah, that sounds right. I’m worrying about nothing.
J.T. arrived at the field office at the same time Bruce and Dave did. They parked and walked to the entrance together. Dave glanced back at the parking lot and street.
“Where’s Jade?”
“I assume she came in early to do more research on Kent Taylor. I know she was set on finding out where he works so she can make a call to him. Anyway, I didn’t see another cruiser in the hotel parking lot when I left.”
Dave nodded. “Agent Tam isn’t going to be too
happy about the videotape results.”
“We have a vague idea of Jerry’s car, though. I’ll call the evidence garage as soon as they open and find out what kind of vehicle he drove.”
“It wasn’t in the police report?” Bruce asked.
J.T. shrugged. “Not that I noticed.”
The men stopped at the vending machine and grabbed a coffee for the meeting.
“Damn it,” Dave said as he watched the gray liquid fill his paper cup.
“What’s wrong?” J.T. raised his right brow.
“I just remembered Tam always has someone make a pot of coffee for our meetings. I’m sure this swill tastes as awful as it looks.”
“Leave it here, then.”
“Nah. I’ll take it just in case there isn’t any upstairs.”
The men filled the elevator and rode it up. The doors opened at the fourth floor, and they walked the hallway to the conference room. J.T. checked his watch as he opened the door—the room stood empty.
“Hey, I’m going to run down to the computer lab to see if Jade is in there. I’ll be right back. If Tam shows up before I return, tell her where I went.”
J.T. took the elevator down to the first floor and rounded the corner at the reception area. Two right turns took him to the hallway where the computer lab was located. With the doorknob grasped in his hand and a quick prayer that she was inside, he pushed the door open to find a darkened room. The sinking feeling in his gut returned—something was terribly wrong. He quickened his pace and went to the reception counter.
“Agent Harper, how may I help you?” the desk attendant, Lisa Drew, asked.
“I’m looking for Agent Monroe. Did you see her come in this morning?”
“I didn’t, but hang on, maybe Adrianne did. I’ll be right back.”
Lisa disappeared through a door that led to a video surveillance room. She was back within a minute with Adrianne Renner at her side.
“Agent Harper, I hear you’re looking for Agent Monroe.”
“Yes, have you seen her this morning?”
“No, I’m sorry, I haven’t.”
“Can you check the videos going back a few hours? It’s urgent.”
“Of course. Come on back with me.”
J.T. called Dave’s cell as he followed Adrianne. “Dave, something is wrong. Jade is unaccounted for. She didn’t answer her room door or my texts this morning. She isn’t downstairs, either. I’m heading to the video room behind the main counter at the building’s entrance. Adrianne is going to check back a few hours to see if Jade came in. Tell Tam where I’m at.”
“You got it. Expect to see us downstairs as soon as she arrives.”
J.T. sat by Adrianne’s side as she pulled up that morning’s camera feed.
“How far back do you want me to go?”
He rubbed his brow in thought. “She said she was tired and needed a decent night’s sleep. I can’t imagine her coming back too early. Try from six a.m. on.”
“Sure, no problem.” Adrianne clicked a few buttons and typed in the time frame parameters. The video feed played backward until it reached six a.m. that morning and then began playing forward at a normal speed.
“I can speed it up a bit if you like. I’ll pause it if anyone enters the building.”
“Yeah, let’s try that.”
A knock sounded on the door behind them. Lisa came in with Agents Tam, Miller, and Starks at her side.
J.T. looked at his colleagues with concern written across his face. He waved them in.
“What have we got?” Agent Tam asked.
“Nothing yet, boss. Jade seems to have vanished. We’ve rolled the video feed back to six a.m. Right now it’s at six fifty-five, and there’s no sign of her.”
“Starks and Miller, head to the hotel. Have them pull up their surveillance videos of last night and this morning. We need to see when she entered and when she left again. The room key card panels may be coded to indicate entry and exit time too. Make sure to ask about that. Go now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Bruce jerked his head toward Dave. “I’ll drive.”
Agent Tam pulled up a chair and sat next to J.T. “When was the last time you spoke to Agent Monroe?”
“It was last night in the computer lab. I stopped in just before we left for TaTas. I took a cup of coffee in to her. She said she planned to work for another hour and then go back to the hotel to get a good night’s sleep.” J.T. shook his head with despair. “She didn’t respond to the text I sent last night before I turned in. She didn’t come down for breakfast or answer her door when I knocked earlier.” J.T. checked the time on the computer screen as he talked. The video was now at seven thirty. “The cruiser she was using wasn’t in the hotel lot this morning when I left. Naturally, I assumed she was already here.”
“Where are we with the tape?”
Adrianne checked the time stamp. “We’re at seven fifty-seven, ma’am, and she hasn’t shown up yet.”
“The front door is the only place where she, as a guest agent, can enter this building. Am I correct, Adrianne?”
“That’s correct, Agent Tam.”
“J.T., call Dave and see what they have at the hotel. Tell him to have hotel security open up her room immediately. Adrianne, contact me right away if Jade shows up on the screen.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Tam motioned for J.T. to follow while he was talking on the phone with Dave. “Come on. We’re going to the hotel too.”
Dave waited at the entry for their arrival. Agent Tam and J.T. pulled under the portico five minutes later and parked the cruiser.
“Right this way, ma’am. The last known image of Jade was when she left for the field office yesterday morning with J.T.”
“What? You can’t be serious.”
“Unfortunately, it’s true. Bruce is upstairs with hotel security, and they’re opening up her room as we speak.”
“Lead the way.”
J.T. pointed. “Right around this corner.” They reached the elevators, and he pressed the button. The bell dinged for the up elevator, and the doors parted. Agent Tam stepped in first, and Dave followed. J.T. entered and pressed the button for the third floor. “This way,” he said when they exited the elevator. He led them to room 302, where the door was propped open.
Bruce and the head of security were inside checking the balcony, the closet, the bathroom, and under the bed. He shook his head when they entered. “She isn’t here. Her bed doesn’t look like it’s been touched, either. The closet is full of her clothes, and her cosmetics are still on the bathroom counter. I’m guessing the tapes are correct, ma’am. Jade hasn’t been in this room since yesterday morning.”
“Bruce, call the downtown PD. Their headquarters are closer to Jordan Taylor’s residence than we are. Have a squad go out there and conduct a search under probable cause. Hurry.”
Chapter 27
She unlocked the roller door, lifted it three feet, crouched under, and stood up on the other side. She closed it behind her and flipped on the light. Everything remained as she had left it last night. She carried a plastic bag containing a bottle of water and a granola bar. That would tide the agent over for the day. Jordan opened the garbage bag from last night and pulled out the stun gun and syringe. She filled the barrel with a new dose of the drug and dropped both items into her coat pockets. Today, after Jordan tended to Agent Monroe, John Nels would meet his maker. That would leave the best two for last—her final victory. She had to think of a suitable ending for the worst offenders of all.
Jordan rounded the back of the van and clicked the key fob. The door locks popped up, and she cautiously opened the right door, even though Agent Monroe was bound. She didn’t need a surprise attack. She peered in and saw Jade sitting against the driver’s seat back, facing her.
“Agent Monroe, I see you’re awake and doing fine. I’m sure you’re thirsty by now.” Jordan spoke from the back of the van. “Water and a granola bar will have to do for the time being. I’m kind
of in a rush. I don’t want to hurt you, so the choice is yours. If you do as I say, you’ll remain unharmed. You aren’t exactly on my kill list, anyway. Last night I had no other option but to restrain you. I was always a law-abiding citizen until… well, never mind. It isn’t your cross to bear. Lie down flat so I can check the zip ties.”
Jade rolled to her side and flattened out face down on the steel floor. Jordan climbed up on the bumper and entered the van. The stun gun was gripped in her right hand, ready if needed. She knelt over Jade’s back and checked the zip ties, then she gave them an extra pull to snug them tighter. Jade groaned. Her wrists and ankles were already bloodied from the plastic restraints that had dug into her skin.
“Sorry, but I’m doing this for your own good. I’m going to remove the duct tape and rag so you can eat and drink. Go ahead and sit up.”
Jade rolled again and pulled herself up into a sitting position. She leaned against the side of the van for support. Jordan removed the duct tape and pulled the rag out of the agent’s mouth. Jade sucked in a deep breath and spat out bits of thread from the rag.
“Are you crazy? Do you know what the consequences are for kidnapping a federal agent, not to mention being a serial killer? What did those people do that cost them their lives?”
“Here, have a sip of water. I pulled out your ID last night. Do you mind if I call you Jade?”
“Whatever.” Jade jerked her chin. “More water.”
Jordan tipped the bottle into Jade’s mouth then tore open the wrapper on the granola bar. “Here, eat this. And to answer your question, they’re all murderers. I’m righting the wrong, bringing the world back into balance, if you will.”
“I wouldn’t say killing innocent people brings the world back into balance.”
Jordan abruptly stood and glared as she leaned in, only inches from Jade’s face. “You don’t know me or my story. Those people are far from innocent. The only innocent person in this ongoing nightmare is Emily, and now she’s gone.”
“And who is Emily?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve said too much.” With Jordan’s arm a blur, and no time to react, Jade was hit again with the stun gun, knocking her senseless. “Sorry, Agent Monroe, but I have places to be and things to do.”
Snapped: An Agent Jade Monroe FBI Thriller Book 1 Page 12
