The Curator: SG Trilogy Book 2 (Abby Kane FBI Thriller 8)

by Ty Hutchinson

  “I take it you have a high success rate?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Tell me, Mr. Devlin, could you think of any reason why this victim would reference your logo?”

  “Well, until you can prove that he mentioned our clinic name and positively identified our logo as the image he supposedly saw while he was abducted, I’ll assume what you intended on asking me is why he mentioned a three-headed dog. My answer to that question would be, ‘I don’t know.’ I’m sure there are other places where that image exists.”

  “Actually,” Kang jumped in, “in the Bay Area, your company appears to be the only one.”

  “Well, then, I take that as a compliment. People must be so pleased with our work that they can’t stop talking about us. You mentioned he had a wife. Perhaps they were thinking of using our services. Could that be why he’s familiar with our logo, if indeed ours was the one he saw?”

  At that moment, I wished we had stopped by Ellis’s home first to show him the company logo. It would have felt so good serving Devlin a slice of his BS.

  Devlin stood up and buttoned his jacket before coming around to our side of the table. “I think I’ve answered enough of your questions. Any more, and we’ll just be dancing around in a circle. Shall I have Lacy show you the way out, or can you two figure that out on your own?”

  “What a son-of-a-bitch,” I said as Kang and I walked out of the building.

  “It’s my fault,” Kang said. “I should have run that logo by Ellis before we came out here. Might have saved us a whole lot of time.”

  “It’s fine. This Devlin guy isn’t off the hook yet.”

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  After leaving the clinic, we headed straight for Tiburon, a wealthy neighborhood across the bay. Even though my stomach was grumbling and Kang was itching for another cup of coffee, I wanted nothing more than to return to the clinic with Ellis’s positive ID.

  We were crossing over the Golden Gate Bridge when I asked Kang the obvious question. “Tell me again why you didn’t just email the logo to Ellis?”

  “I thought to do that, but I didn’t want to miss anything when he viewed it. The answers I got from him the last time didn’t come verbally. I had planned to see him yesterday, but you know, the whole Chinese-spy-invading-your-home thing happened.”

  “Got it. So we’re a little backwards this morning. We’ll have it straightened out soon.”

  I stared off into the bay. The skies were clear, and the sun was out in full force. There were sailboats zipping along the waters and ferries shuttling tourists to Alcatraz Island and Sausalito. Crossing the bridge with us were bike tours and walking groups. I turned and looked out Kang’s window, at the mouth of the bay. A large container ship was approaching slowly. Seeing it reminded me of Xiaolian. My face must have given something away.

  “What’s wrong?” He glanced out his window and then back at me.

  “That ship made me think of Xiaolian.”

  “You’re still torn?”

  “I am. It’s weird, after what happened yesterday. I believe Archer is right, in that she is involved with the Chinese government in some capacity. On the other hand, I think about all the time I spent alone with her and how she interacted with the kids and Po Po, well… she seemed like your typical twelve-year-old. A little sheltered but normal.”

  “I understand where you’re coming from. The same thoughts flow in and out of my head, and I haven’t spent half the amount of time with her that you have.”

  “What do you think it is with her?”

  “I wish I knew, Abby.”

  “I even get the feeling Archer is puzzled by her. If the intelligence community can’t figure her out, what is that saying?”

  Kang shrugged. “Beats me.”

  We arrived at Ellis’s home, and Kang rang the bell. A few moments later, the door opened.

  “Agent Kang. You’re back.” A woman—I assumed it was Mrs. Ellis—peered around him and looked me up and down. “And you’ve brought a friend, with a black eye.”

  “This is Agent Kane. She’s helping with the investigation.”

  “Two agents. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “It’s not anything,” he said. “We’re sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Ellis, but we need to speak to your husband again.”

  “I assumed so. Come inside. Will you be staying long?”

  “I don’t think so,” Kang answered.

  “I’m asking because I can fix coffee or tea.”

  “That’s kind of you, but we won’t be staying very long.”

  “Follow me. Johnny is in his workshop. I have no idea when he’ll return to the office.”

  “That must be tough,” I said.

  “You mean for him or for me?”

  “Both,” I offered, unsure of what answer I should have given.

  “I’m used to having the house to myself during the day. Now, he’s here all the time, plus his colleagues from work stop by often. At first the visits were out of concern; now they’re all work related.”

  Ellis was in his study, standing next to a drafting table and drawing on a piece of paper. A Bose speaker system was playing house music, and Ellis’s head was bouncing to the beat.

  “Johnny, the FBI is back,” Helen said. Then she spun on her heel, not waiting for an answer, and left.

  “Mr. Ellis,” Kang said as he approached him. “It’s Agent Kang. Remember me?”

  Ellis turned around and looked at Kang. For a brief moment, it seemed as if he didn’t remember. “Agent Kang… more questions?”

  “I have something to show you.”

  “Who’s the other suit?”

  “I’m Agent Kane.” I held my hand out.

  Ellis took my hand and, instead of shaking it, examined the bandaging. “Why didn’t you come for the first visit?”

  “How do you know for sure I wasn’t here?” I pulled my hand away from his. “You were having a lot of problems with your memory.”

  “Is that so?” Ellis looked briefly at Kang. “I think I would have remembered you, darling. So what is it you want to show me?”

  Kang took out his cell phone and pulled up the picture he’d snapped that morning at Cerberus Fertility. “Is this the three-headed dog you saw?”

  Ellis leaned in for a better look. His eyes darted up toward Kang and then back to the phone. “I don’t believe it.” A smile formed on his face. “Damn, you guys are good.”

  “Is that a yes?” Kang asked.

  He pointed to the screen. “I’m positive that’s the dog I saw. Everything is identical, the brush illustration, the color… though I don’t recognize the name of the company. Stupid name for a fertility clinic, if you ask me.”

  Kang cleared his throat. “Mr. Ellis, are you and your wife thinking about having a baby?”

  He laughed out loud. “We are not trying to have a kid. I’m fifty-five. Helen is forty-nine. Do the math. And if you weren’t aware, we already have a child. His name is Christopher. He’s in his second year at Columbia University.”

  “We were not aware of that. Understand, we had to rule out the possibility that you might have seen this image at another point in your life but somehow connected it with your abduction.”

  Ellis nodded. “I see your point.”

  “Do you have any friends who might have talked to you about this clinic or in vitro fertilization?”

  “Nope.”

  “What about Mrs. Ellis? Do you remember her mentioning this company? Perhaps a friend of hers or—”

  Ellis waved both hands, cutting Kang off. “We don’t know anybody who needs help having a baby, and we aren’t looking to have another one. I swear I saw this image the night I was abducted. I can call it that, right? That’s what you guys are calling it.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell us? Was it on a sign like this?”

  “No, that granite block, the grass and hedge—none of that is familiar. Not even the name. It’s just the drawing of the d
og. Does that mean it’s not this company?”

  “Not necessarily,” I said.

  “The last time we spoke, you mentioned… well, you wrote down the words ‘bright lights.’ Can you elaborate on that now?” Kang asked.

  Ellis scrunched his eyebrows. “I just keep seeing a bright light, and there’s darkness on the sides. Maybe there’s movement.”

  “Mr. Ellis,” I said. “Imagine you’re sitting in a dentist’s chair. There’s a bright light shining down on you, and everything around you is slightly darker and maybe out of focus. Does that visual match the flashbacks you’re having?”

  Ellis started to nod, slowly at first, and then faster. “Now that you mention it, yes. Yes, I think that’s pretty close. What does that mean?”

  “It could mean someone was examining you, or it could be when they injected propofol into your system.”

  “So you think this company, this fertility clinic, is involved?”

  “We’re looking into it. It also could just be an employee acting on his or her own.”

  “The last time we spoke, you mentioned brief flashes of a man’s face, possibly covered with a medical mask. Is that image clearer now?” Kang asked.

  “Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s what I saw.”

  Kang and I glanced at each other. “Thanks for speaking with us,” I said. “It’s been very helpful.”

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  “What’s our next step?” Kang asked as he started the ignition of the SUV. “We have Ellis confirming he saw the logo for Cerberus Fertility the night he was abducted. We’ve also ruled out him, his wife, or people they may know as being patients there or even talking about it.”

  “I want to confirm one more thing. Do you still have those pictures of that abandoned silo we stumbled across?”

  “I do, and before I forget, I did hear back from the city about maintenance. As far as they know, there isn’t any ongoing maintenance, and anyone tinkering with the doors or the locks is trespassing.”

  “Considering Cerberus is near that silo, I want to see if Geoffrey Barnes recognizes the pictures.”

  Min walked down the long corridor, muttering. Lately, he resented being called into Devlin’s office. It seemed, with every visit, Devlin had additional or changing thoughts. I bet the bastard’s changed his mind about the cellist. Probably found someone else who’s not on the list.

  Min rapped his knuckles on Devlin’s office door twice before pushing it open and entering.

  “Yes, sir. How can I be of help?” Min asked in a pleasant tone as he approached Devlin.

  “I had an unexpected visitor this morning. Do you know about it?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “The FBI stopped by for a chat.”

  “The FBI?” Min gasped. “What did they want?”

  “Stop playing games. You know damn well why they would be poking their noses around here. They have a victim who was abducted, one who apparently recalls seeing the company’s logo.”

  Min took a seat in a chair opposite Devlin’s desk. “Did they mention the victim’s name?”

  “They didn’t have to. I knew the second they asked if Johnny or Helen Ellis were clients of the clinic. From what I can gather, they don’t know for sure if the Cerberus image their victim—Ellis, I presume—is talking about connects to our logo. I personally think they’re on a fishing expedition.”

  Min ran his hand through his hair. “Is that a risk we want to take?”

  “What are you saying?”

  “We need to shut everything down. We need to make sure no one we’ve snatched can identify anything here. Do they have more than one victim claiming this?”

  “It sounded like they had just the one. Plus, why would they think there are others? There’s nothing obvious that would connect them.”

  “I know, I know. But… are you sure it’s Ellis?” Min asked.

  “They brought up his name.”

  “Still, I think we need to cover our tracks. I’ll start the protocols we have in place.”

  “Yes, do that. How are the plans for the cellist? Everything ready to go?”

  “You’re kidding, right? We can’t do that now. That’s just inviting trouble. We need to lie low. We need to make sure there’s nothing to find if they come back with the intention of searching this place. We have a small window here to cover our tracks.”

  “And we will, but I want her. Nadia Ulrich will be our final trophy. In the meantime, start doing what you need to do.”

  Barnes opened his front door before we reached it. He was clean-shaven, dressed in khakis and a white polo shirt, and looked upbeat.

  “Hola, amigos. You’re back. I’ve installed a new security system.” He pointed past us to the gates at the front of his property. Mounted on top were two security cameras. “I have them all around the property. Those two cameras allow me to see up and down the entire street. Come inside.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “Sorry to show up unannounced.”

  “I see you’ve been hard at work fighting crime.” Barnes mimicked a boxer throwing a couple of jabs. “Anyway, I don’t mind the questions. I want you guys to figure out what happened. People still think I’m a whacko who was high on drugs that day. I need to clear my name.”

  “I’m glad you have your priorities in order.” Kang and I passed through the entranceway and into the foyer.

  “Hey, my reputation is everything,” Barnes said, closing the door. “There are tons of other people just as smart as I am who can think up the same ideas I do, but what they lack is cachet. That’s what allows me to get venture capitalists interested and talent on board. We’ll talk on the patio. It’s a lovely day, and the bay looks amazing.”

  We really didn’t need to speak on the patio or even enter his home, but he seemed to be in a better place in his life compared to our last visit. No need to spoil his day. Barnes led the way straight through his home and out onto the patio.

  “So how can I help catch these bastards?”

  Kang removed his cell phone and showed the silo pictures to Barnes. “Recognize this?”

  Barnes snatched Kang’s phone out of his hand. “Where did you get these pictures?”

  “I took them. It’s a decommissioned military silo located on the top of Mount Sutro,” he answered.

  “I take it you recognize it,” I said.

  “I do. It’s weird. I had no recollection until you showed me this. Now it’s clear as day. Does this place have something to do with what happened to me?”

  “It’s possible that you might have been dumped there by your captors. Our thinking is you regained consciousness and eventually made your way down the mountain.”

  “It totally makes sense. I remember walking down the mountain and not understanding why or how I got there. You said it was decommissioned, so it’s abandoned, right?”

  “That’s correct,” Kang said.

  “Maybe the military took me? A special program of some sort, and now they’re trying to cover it up.”

  “Mr. Barnes, we have no information that leads us to think the military was involved,” I said. “The silo might just be the place where you were released. It’s remote for a small city packed with over 850,000 citizens.”

  “So now what?”

  I took the cell phone from Barnes and handed it back to Kang. “Now that we’ve placed you at this location, we can investigate further. We appreciate your continued cooperation.”

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  As soon as we left Barnes’s residence, I put a call in to Reilly to see if he could start expediting a warrant so we could hit the clinic. Not only did I want to search it from top to bottom, I wanted CSI to comb that place for Barnes’s or Ellis’s DNA.

  “Tell me what you’ve got,” he said.

  “Ellis confirmed that the image of the three-headed dog he saw the night he was abducted is the same one in the logo for Cerberus Fertility. Also, Barnes recognized the pictures of the silo we stumbled across while we were
retracing his steps on Mount Sutro. The clinic is on the other side of the mountain.”

  “Abby, I know you think the connection is airtight, but I don’t see how the clinic being near the silo links Barnes to it, and as for Ellis… well, I question his memory. He might just be projecting, wanting there to be a link, so he has connected what he saw with what you showed him. Plus, where he was abducted and where he was found is nowhere near the clinic.”

  This wasn’t how I had imagined the conversation with Reilly playing out.

  “If you’re making a judgment based on the vicinity, then the location Barnes was found in should work for you because it’s near the clinic,” I said. “And I’ll add that we also found a hospital gown farther up the mountain, not far from the silo. The lab matched the DNA on it to Barnes. I’m betting the clinic stocks those gowns.”

  “So might the large hospital next to them. You don’t need a warrant to ask the hospital and the clinic to provide you with one of their gowns. I need something stronger if you want to search the clinic. Look, Abby. A Chinese spy was just killed in your home because you insisted that you take Xiaolian out of the facility. Right now, there are a lot of eyes watching. We need to be careful about jumping the gun.”

  “Jumping the gun?” I asked, annoyed. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way. I’m on your side, and I’m looking out for you. But in light of all that’s happened—the Walter Chan shooting at your home, the Albert Shi incident—well, there’s talk that perhaps you might need some time off. Nothing serious, just a break, some time to clear your head.”

  “I just had time off while I was sitting in that damn facility.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Hold on a sec. Am I being suspended?”

  The emptiness in my stomach grew with each passing moment of silence. When Reilly did speak, my stomach knotted up as I anticipated hearing him say yes.

  “No, you’re not, but we need to tread lightly. And when I say we, I’m including myself and Agent Kang.”