Ruthless: The Faces of Evil Series: Book 6

by Debra Webb

  “What can I do for you ladies today?” Corlew asked when he’d knocked back the last of his sweet tea.

  The way Jess heard it, booze was his refreshment of choice. His inability to abstain when on duty had helped kill his career. Maybe he was one of those who resisted until after five o’clock.

  “You interviewed a Mr. Patrick from Alabama Power as well as several of his meter readers thirteen years ago after the last abduction associated with the Man in the Moon case.” Jess dug out her spiral notepad and surveyed the scribbling she’d done there. Corlew wouldn’t be surprised at the question. Even if he’d missed Dan’s press conference last night he no doubt had contacts on both sides of the law.

  “I did. Patrick was the field supervisor over the meter readers who worked the routes of the victims’ homes in that case, including the little Myers girl’s house.”

  That he fiddled with his glass and checked his cell as he spoke set off warning bells. “Why isn’t there a report in any of the case files you worked?” Reports got lost or misplaced occasionally, but on a case this high profile and well documented with Black in charge—Black was a stickler for the rules—an error this big didn’t seem likely.

  Corlew frowned, shrugged one shoulder. “I did several reports.” He leaned to the side as if looking for the waitress. “I interviewed every damned one of those meter readers. Not that it mattered. Harold Black was right about that—it was a dead end—but we wanted to make sure we covered all the bases.”

  And yet, the reports of those interviews weren’t in the files. That her old friend appeared so fidgety seemed all the stranger. “You didn’t feel any of the men you interviewed were potential suspects?” Jess was really hoping to find a lead. Soon. Whatever Corlew knew, he didn’t appear ready to give it to her just yet. That was, she decided, his new MO. Then again, knowledge was power. Corlew had made plenty of bad decisions in his life but no one could accuse him of being dumb.

  “A couple were a little peculiar,” he said finally. “Religious zealots. But this is Alabama—you see some of that from time to time.” Corlew pointed to his glass for a refill as the waitress made a pass around the tables in their section. “But you have to ask yourself: How would they get to the kids? What would make a child open her window to a meter reader she probably hadn’t seen more than once or twice in recent memory? These guys do their meter reading during the week. School-age kids aren’t likely to be around except in the summer.”

  “What if the windows were unlocked?” Jess challenged. “None of the homes, not even the Myers home, had a security system. The abductions were in early fall, the perfect time of year for windows to be raised to conserve energy while enjoying the cooler nights.” Not to mention a meter reader would know which homes left windows unsecured and raised and which didn’t. As well as which children were friendly opposed to the ones who were particularly shy and who had pets.

  “That’s true.” Corlew smiled for the waitress who refilled his glass, but it wasn’t his A-game killer grin.

  He was hiding something. Jess could feel it.

  When the waitress had moved on, Corlew picked up where he’d left off. “But I didn’t get that kind of vibe from any of those guys. Their supervisor was adamant that his crew was above reproach, and I think he was right.”

  “Not one of the men you interviewed stands out?” Jess asked again. “No one made an impression?”

  He shook his head. “You’re wasting your time if you think you’ll find the Man in the Moon among that group. Not brilliant enough to pull it off, no offense to meter readers. Think about it, Jess. The guy who did this had to be able to lure each kid out of her room without anyone else hearing or seeing anything. Most of the homes these kids were taken from were rural but not all. This guy was slick. Slick as hell.”

  “Maybe so.” Jess couldn’t argue the point, since she hadn’t interviewed the persons of interest in question, but she intended to do just that.

  “Must creep you out to have some sick bastard like that sending you gifts.”

  There was that. “I guess I just have that kind of charisma.” Though her name and the specifics on discovery hadn’t been mentioned in the press conference she wasn’t surprised that he knew most of the details.

  “Oh, you’ve got plenty of that, Jessie Lee,” Corlew accused. “The mayor had better watch out or next thing you know you’ll have his job. People like you. They like your guts and those cute brown eyes.”

  Jess managed a smile, but it was time to go. He clearly didn’t want to talk further about his work with the BPD just now. Like the case last week, he’d give her what he wanted her to have when the timing was right for him. She couldn’t depend on Buddy Corlew. They weren’t friends anymore. Maybe they never had been.

  “Is there anything else you’d like to share from your days at BPD that might help with this investigation?” Jess searched his face for any indications he was holding something back, not that she held out much hope for spotting a slip. The man was an expert in the art of lying. That he seemed nervous at her questioning was way out of character.

  He turned his hands up. “Nothing but the usual. The BPD had more than three decades to clear up this investigation and they didn’t. That says it all, doesn’t it?”

  Enough. She wasn’t listening to one of his rants. “Thanks for lunch, Corlew. You give me a call if you think of anything that might actually be useful to my investigation.”

  She and Lori were out of the booth before he could bluster an argument about their hurry. Jess kept going, waving as they hit the nearest exit.

  “I think the guy has a crush on you,” Lori teased as they crossed the parking lot.

  “What he has,” Jess argued, “is a massive crush on himself.” Some things never changed. “Let’s get that new supervisor over at Alabama Power, Fergus Cagle, to line up interviews with the three remaining meter readers.”

  “Corlew may have missed something,” Lori suggested.

  “Or maybe he just wasn’t looking for the right something.” It always paid to have a firsthand look. Unless Corlew’s issues with the department had something to do with this case, she didn’t have time to care what he was hiding.

  If he kept anything relevant from her, he would rue the day he tried playing games with her again. She had one too many psychos inviting her to play as it was.

  Her cell clanged. She fished it out of her bag and frowned at the name on the screen. Her former boss at the Bureau. “Harris.”

  “Jess, can you be at the Birmingham office in fifteen minutes?”

  Supervisory Special Agent Ralph Gant wouldn’t ask unless something was up that he didn’t want to discuss by phone. She glanced at Lori and considered her lead foot. “Sure, I can be there.”

  “Good. We’ll conference.”

  1000 Eighteenth Street, Birmingham, 3:45 p.m.

  Jess was surprised and slightly unnerved that she and Lori were ushered so quickly through security at the Bureau offices and straight to the conference room. Agent Todd Manning showed them to their seats and settled at the head of the table.

  “Chief Burnett is en route,” he informed her. “We’ll wait for his arrival before we begin.”

  This definitely was not standard protocol. Where was everyone else? And why the heck was Manning being so nice to her? He never had been before. “Coffee would be nice while we wait,” Jess said, beaming a smile at him.

  He hesitated but then scooted back his chair. “Sure.” He stood. “Coffee for you, Detective Wells?”

  “No thank you, Todd. I’m good.”

  He cleared his throat and walked out of the room.

  “What’s going on?” she asked Jess, keeping her voice down. “There’s no one here except Todd. Is that weird or what?”

  Jess glanced at the door. “That just means no one else needs to know. And, yes, that’s weird considering it has to be about Spears.”

  “Exactly,” Lori agreed. “Why wouldn’t everyone working the investigation
need to know? Like Chief Black?”

  “I guess we’ll find out when Gant tells us. Get a message to Harper so he’s aware of what’s going on.”

  “Did that while you were schmoozing with Todd.”

  The woman was good. She had a knack for anticipating the right steps.

  Todd returned, coffee in hand, and with Burnett right behind him.

  The burger she’d enjoyed so much a few minutes ago wasn’t sitting so well now.

  Burnett took the seat next to Jess then passed her the coffee from Manning. He didn’t look at her. Whatever news she was about to get, he had already been briefed. And it wasn’t good. The thump, thump in her chest bumped into a faster rhythm, and her palms started to sweat despite the chill that had abruptly dropped her body temp.

  “We’re ready on this end, sir.”

  Jess jumped at the sound of Manning’s voice as he informed Gant they were standing by.

  The wall mounted monitor awakened, displaying Gant in his office at Quantico. “It’s good to see you, Jess.”

  “Gant,” she acknowledged. Any hard feelings they’d had were over and done with. Life was too short to hold a grudge. Yet she couldn’t manage a corresponding pleasantry just now.

  Burnett exchanged greetings with Jess’s former boss and then Gant got to the point.

  “We believe Spears may be involved with a rather wide network of others with similar interests.”

  A tight laugh slipped past the lump in Jess’s throat. “Are we talking about a cult following or just the usual obsessed fans? I believe the recently deceased Matthew Reed already proved the latter.” If Gant and the rest of what had once been her team at Quantico had listened, they would have known this weeks ago.

  “We’re not talking about an isolated follower here or there,” Gant clarified. “We’re talking about a whole network of worshippers.”

  The tension in Burnett’s posture grew more palpable, matching her own. Jess could feel his leg bouncing with apprehension under the table. There was a lot more…

  “Okay.” Jess suffered another chill but managed to formulate the proper questions. “Will this development help us narrow down his whereabouts? Have you discovered a reliable source? Someone who’s a part of this We Love Eric Spears club?”

  “We’ve discovered a source of information, but we don’t know how reliable it will prove.” Gant shook his head. “This development will make finding him far more difficult, maybe even impossible.”

  Big surprise. Spears specialized in anonymity.

  “Get to the point, Gant,” Burnett growled.

  Jess stared at the man next to her. Why the hell didn’t Dan just tell her what this was about? He could have called her before Gant did. Or brought her up to speed as soon as he got here. That he had done none of the above worried her more than anything Gant had said thus far.

  “We picked up some chatter about you, Jess,” Gant explained. “A few images of you, but most were from a considerable distance, and we couldn’t determine the dates and locations without Chief Burnett’s assistance.”

  A sort of numbness settled in her bones. “Are you saying that Spears and his friends have been sharing pictures of me?” All the times she’d felt like someone was watching her suddenly tumbled one after the other through her head.

  “We think,” Burnett said, turning toward her, “the driver who pointed the gun at you last week on that exit ramp was someone doing Spears a favor. Maybe gaining brownie points for the effort. Spears may be watching you with the help of others.”

  “Spears has stirred an interest in you among these others.” Gant heaved a heavy breath, the sound echoing in the silence of the room. “They’re applauding his taste and offering their services in whatever capacity he requires.”

  Jess stared at him, her heart starting to pound even harder. “Spears might not be here at all. That’s what you’re saying,” she said, just to make sure they were on the same page. The numbness was playing havoc with her ability to assimilate the information. “But he has friends here, is that it?”

  “Yes,” Burnett admitted, a truckload of worry crammed in that one word. “Friends who might also be killers.”

  Southpointe Circle, Hoover, 6:01 p.m.

  I don’t have to go in.” Lori hoped to come off as a martyr when she really was a total coward.

  She did not want to go in that house—the home of Chet’s ex-wife, Sherry. Her domain. Her territory, where she had the home field advantage.

  The last time Sherry dropped by their apartment to pick up little Chester she’d acted more indifferent than usual toward Lori. Chet’s ex had been all smiles and congratulatory when she first heard the news about Lori and him moving in together. Those first couple of meetings after that had been all sugary sweet. Not anymore.

  The ex-wife and mother to Chet’s only child had decided she wanted or needed to hold her ground for reasons Lori couldn’t fathom.

  Wasn’t it always that way? Sherry had wanted the divorce. The sooner the better. The ink was barely dry on the paper when she turned up engaged to another man—a big, powerful executive, according to Sherry, named William. Chet, however, tried not to hold it against her. For his son’s sake, he insisted, they needed to remain friends.

  “I want you to come in,” Chet assured her softly. “We’re together now. Partners in more ways than one.” He smiled. “In every way. Don’t let her make you feel unwelcome. I gave her that power for a long time, but I’m over it now. Come on.”

  He climbed out and rounded the hood to Lori’s door.

  She sighed and did what she had to do. The one thing she wasn’t going to do was allow her insecurities with Sherry to hurt Chet. Or Chester. The kid was starting to grow on her.

  “Just so you know,” Lori said quietly as they strolled up the walk, “I got the distinct impression on Saturday when we picked up Chester to go to the zoo and then again on Sunday that your ex doesn’t like me very much.”

  Chet took her hand in his and squeezed. “Sounds like she has a problem.” He hesitated at the door. “But we don’t.” He grinned as he pressed the doorbell.

  Lori relaxed then. He was right. Sherry’s problems weren’t their problems. If she didn’t like Lori that was too bad.

  The door opened and Sherry, looking stunningly fit and tanned in a white dress, made a face. “Didn’t you get my message?”

  “What message?” Chet’s posture stiffened as if he feared the worst. “Is Chester okay?”

  “William and I had to cancel our dinner plans. Chester has a fever. He’s resting in his room. I left a message at your office with Chad Cook. Didn’t he tell you?”

  Chet shook his head. “Did you take him to the doctor?”

  “He has a fever.” She waved it off. “It’s probably a virus. He’ll be fine tomorrow, but tonight he needs to stay home.”

  Sherry avoided eye contact with Lori. The slightly higher pitch in her tone she couldn’t hide. If Lori were a betting woman she’d wager the part of her savings that wasn’t earmarked for her sister’s college fund the woman was lying. Making a scene by suggesting as much wouldn’t do any good. The fact that Sherry had left the message at the office rather than just calling or texting Chet spoke volumes. She set up this moment to make Chet feel helpless. To show Lori, in person, who was boss.

  “Since Chester isn’t feeling well,” Lori offered, forcing Sherry to acknowledge her presence, “why don’t you go on in and give him a kiss good night?” She gave Chet her best smile. “I’ll wait here. He may not feel up to seeing us both.”

  Chet looked from Lori to Sherry and back. “I’m sure you can come inside. You don’t need to wait out here.”

  “He’s asleep,” Sherry announced. “Didn’t I say that?” She pressed her fingertips to her temples in exasperation. “I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. The thing is, Chester needs to rest now.” To Lori she pointed out, “When small children are sick company of any sort can be a problem. He can call you tomorrow,” s
he informed Chet before stepping back to close the door. “Sorry about the mix-up.”

  “It’s all right,” Chet relinquished. “If he wakes up, tell him I love him.”

  “Of course. Good night.”

  The door closed.

  Side by side Lori and Chet returned to the car. She kept quiet, waiting to see what his take was on the situation. Sharing custody of a child was tough enough. She didn’t want to add to the angst. The disappointment he felt now was obvious as hell.

  What a bitch.

  Chet didn’t say anything at all until they were driving away. “I don’t know why Sherry lied to us that way. She hasn’t always been the easiest person to deal with, but she’s never done that before.”

  “That’s the impression I got, too.” Lori was glad he saw through the ploy. “Maybe she doesn’t want Chester around me.” The idea kicked Lori in the gut but she couldn’t pretend that wasn’t a strong possibility.

  “I hope that’s not the case.” Chet glanced at her as he navigated the intersection that would take them away from his son’s neighborhood. “If it is, she’s in for a rude awakening.”

  His words should have made Lori feel better about his ex’s blatant dislike for her, but somehow they didn’t. The last thing she wanted was to become an obstacle standing between him and his son.

  For the second time in the last half hour he reached for her hand. “You’re beautiful and smart, Lori. It’s natural for her to be a little jealous, especially of the idea that Chester might fall in love with you, too. Sherry isn’t a bad person. She’ll come around when she’s had time to think about the futility and pettiness of her behavior. I remember how I felt when she and William moved in together. I was certain he would try to take my place as Chester’s dad, but the fact is, he hasn’t done that at all. Sherry may be going through a similar reaction.”