Joseph’s phone rang. Once again, it was his mother.
“Yes?” Joseph stood to take the call. “I’m kinda busy…”
“It’s Agent Kline,” Genevieve said brusquely. “Get to the hospital now. She’s awake.”
***
Someone was not happy to be conscious, and that someone was Agent Cindy Kline – a woman who had a lot of questions to answer.
Until that morning, the main question the department wanted to ask was What happened? Who attacked who first? Was Kline jumped, or did she know something about Marie Bell from tracking her suspicious moves through Sylvia’s neighborhood?
Now all Joseph wanted to know was what the fuck her dumbass fiancé was doing driving a truck for Alexander Sheen!
He found his mother in the waiting room outside the ICU. She was conferring with a doctor who happily smiled and said words full of reassurance, even though Joseph could not quite make them out. Probably something about how lucky Kline was to be awake. Not that she was feeling lucky right now.
“Joseph,” Genevieve greeted with her own smile. “I thought you might like to be one of the first to say hello to Kline before her parents showed up. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to get a hold of her fiancé.”
Yeah, about that…
“What’s that look for?”
Joseph told the first story that came to his mind. “I think her fiancé may be in another hospital.”
“Oh?” Genevieve, dressed in slick jeans and a cashmere sweater, put her hands on her hips. “What happened?”
“Er, I do believe the truck he was driving crashed on the 205…”
That frown on his mother’s face reminded him of troubling times from his youth.
“Spit it out, Joseph,” she murmured.
“The driver of Sheen’s truck is Kline’s fiancé, Brad Jacobson.”
Here it came. The question he needed to think fast about. “How do you know this?”
“Well, to tell you the truth, I thought the guy looked familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it until I remembered him coming into the station a few months ago to drop something off for her. I only met him briefly.” This was a lie. Even if Brad had come in to drop something off for Cindy Kline once, Joseph would have hardly remembered the man’s features. “It has to be him.”
“Are you absolutely sure?” Her voice may have been firm, but Genevieve’s mouth was twitching. That was as far as she ever got when it came to betraying her surprise. “I don’t recall the man at all.”
“I’m serious, Mother. Something’s going on with them.”
The twitching stopped. “All right. Follow my lead when we go in there. It’s going to be you and me.”
Joseph nodded. His mother hooked her finger until he acquiesced to following her down the hall and into Agent Kline’s private room.
She was conscious, but hardly in great shape. Most of the tubes were out of her body; bloodshot eyes gazed back at them. At first she managed a weak smile when her coworkers entered her room. Then the smile disappeared. Because she didn’t have the energy to keep smiling? Or because she sensed that something was terribly off?
“How are you feeling, Cindy?” Genevieve asked at Kline’s bedside. “You’ve been out for a long time. They say it’s a miracle you haven’t suffered any real brain damage.”
“That’s what you say.” Her voice was hoarse enough to scare Joseph away. “But they told me that I might speak a little funny for the rest of my life.”
“You sound fine to me so far.”
Cindy rolled her head away, briefly catching Joseph’s gaze. “Did we get the guy?”
“Not yet,” Joseph said. “We need to ask you a few questions. Do you remember anything about the night you ended up here?”
“Oh, my memory’s a bit fuzzy.”
“Here’s a refresher: you got into a fight with a jogger and put a few holes in her.”
“I did? Is that how I got shot too?”
“Sure is, Cin.”
“God, I don’t remember.”
Of course you don’t. That would be too convenient. “She’s dead, by the way. The jogger you killed. Her name was Marie Bell.”
“Oh my God.” Kline slammed her head back against her pillow. “Fuck, man. I’ve never killed someone before.”
Genevieve took her hand. “Looks like it could have been self defense. I’m sure it will check out. By the way, has anyone else been in to visit you yet?”
“I was told my mom’s coming from Salem.”
“Excellent. How about that fiancé of yours? I’d think he would be the first one to show.”
Cindy winced. What’s that about? “I don’t know where he is. If you see him, make sure he comes see me, okay?”
Joseph looked to his mother. Genevieve squeezed Cindy’s hand. “We need to ask you something about Brad. That’s his name, right? Brad?”
“Yeah. Brad.” Cindy gave her commander a hard look. “Why? Did something happen to him? Oh my God, please don’t tell me something bad happened.”
“Well, that’s what we’re hoping you can help us with. Because we have an unidentifiable man in another hospital who Joseph claims reminds him a lot of your Bradley.”
While Genevieve pulled out her phone, Cindy gaped at Joseph. Or she tried to gape. The left side of her mouth drooped more than it emoted. “What happened?”
The phone was in her face. “Is this Brad, Cindy?”
She briefly glanced at it. “Brad?” Tears welled in her eyes. “What happened to him? I fucking wake up after two months for this?”
“So it is him?”
“What do you want from me? Yeah, it’s Brad!”
Joseph and his mother shared a panicked look. “All right, Cindy, we’ve got a few more questions for you, and then we’ll let you get some rest.”
“What happened to him?”
“He was in an accident.” Genevieve paused, Cindy’s cry of disbelief echoing in the room. “A truck accident.”
“No, no, I told him to stop driving those trucks. I told him they were too dangerous…”
“Brad’s a truck driver, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. Is he going to be all right?”
Joseph stepped in with the next question. “Do you know why he quit his job right after your accident and started working for Alexander Sheen’s company? With a new alias?”
“What are you talking about?”
“We know, Cindy.” Oh, no. Cindy better be wary of that caustic tone Genevieve only used when someone was about to get a spanking. “We know your fiancé is working for Sheen. He was driving a truck full of victims when they managed to overpower him and crash the truck.”
“That can’t be!” Cindy attempted to sit up in her bed, but being unconscious for two months left her too lethargic to properly function. She smashed the button summoning the nurses. “Get out!”
A nurse immediately pushed into the room. “Ma’am,” the petite woman said in her unimposing turquoise scrubs. “We need to ask you to leave. You’re upsetting our patient.”
“We’ll be on our way.” Genevieve pocketed her phone. “One last question, Kline. Are you working for Sheen too?”
“Get out!”
That shriek was as defiant as it was frightened. Joseph intercepted his mother as she stepped out of the room and a small squad of nurses dressed in rose pink, periwinkle, and navy blue smocks barged in to take care of their patient. Cindy was still crying when the door closed behind Joseph.
“I can’t believe it,” Genevieve said. She pulled out her phone again. Joseph couldn’t tell who she was calling. “I have a dirty agent.”
That hadn’t been determined yet, but…
“You were right about the fiancé. Good work, Joseph… ah, yes, Commander Stone here,” she said into her phone. “I need your John Doe to be brought out of the chemically induced coma right now so we can question him. I don’t care how much pain he’s going to be in. Get him some damn morphine for all I care. We
have a positive ID for him, and it’s time we got some answers.” She smiled in Joseph’s direction. “Tell the guard that Stone and Montoya will be there in fifteen minutes. We need an extra pair of cuffs on the guy.”
Chapter 28
Joseph
“Cindy doesn’t have anything to do with this,” Brad said, as groggy as he was pained. He had only been brought out of his coma for an hour by the time Genevieve and Joseph were allowed to talk to him. He knew it wasn’t good when we walked in. Brad didn’t pretend to be ignorant of what was going on. Hell, as soon as the Agents introduced themselves, he appeared resigned to his fate. Willing to talk. Willing to help, although the first thing he demanded was protection for both himself and Cindy Kline. “It was Sheen that blackmailed her to begin with.”
“Whoa,” Joseph said, his pen already stalling on his notepad. “Start over from the beginning. Kline was being blackmailed?”
A pained chuckle shook Brad’s chest. “You were made from the moment Sheen first contacted her about the escort crap. I don’t know how she blew it, but within one phone call he knew she was an agent and that he was being investigated.”
What? Was that true? Did Sheen know he was being watched from the moment Sylvia was sent in? Yet he was cocky enough to still talk business in front of her? No way. Kline never once insinuated that she was made. That was impossible… they took every precaution necessary when the first contact was made! “You must be lying.”
“I’m not, man. She told me everything. Sheen sent some of his muscle to our house and made her an offer neither of us could refuse. They were gonna kill us, okay? Told us that if we didn’t play along with their shitty games, they weren’t only going to kill us, they were gonna kill our families.” One of many cuts on Brad’s face trembled when he forced himself to laugh. “Cindy, man, she was scared shitless. Never seen her lose her shit like that before. Couldn’t blame her. I’ve seen what kind of orders that Sheen guy puts out. Had more than one brute try to break one of my fingers when I got uppity with him.”
“Oh?” Genevieve nodded to her son to keep taking notes. “What kind of things did you hear about?”
“Hell no. I’m not telling you until I get a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” Genevieve asked. “And we don’t make the deals. That’s up to the lawyers. So you’d better give us something to work with.”
“Well for one thing,” Brad was quick to say, “I know that there was only going to be one more job after this one before Sheen cuts the whole mess loose, and he’s coming into town to oversee it for himself. “You did spook him a bit this July, I’ll give you that.”
“When’s the job going down?”
“Oh, no. I’m not telling you until I consult with my lawyer.” Damn. Joseph, like his mother, had been hoping Brad wouldn’t be quick to lawyer up. “I know what I definitely want. Cindy gets immunity. She wasn’t a willing accomplice anyway.”
“We’ll see about that.” Genevieve cleared her head with a large breath. Joseph was thinking that sounded like a good idea for himself as well. “Speaking of which, do you have any idea who attacked your fiancée?”
Brad shook his head with resignation. “One of Sheen’s henchies. That’s what they did. They dressed up like runners so they wouldn’t raise suspicion when they rushed through neighborhoods to grab people. That one lady was a real monster. I saw her take down two big gorilla-men when they were rough-housing in one of the warehouses where they keep the girls. She probably kidnapped a good amount on her own.
Joseph thought back to something Sylvia had suggested about the investigation. Her friend had been attacked, and Marie Bell was the first witness on the scene. Because she was the attacker. The victim was so addled she had no idea it was the same woman. That’s why they target them. That and they think nobody will miss them. Sylvia would have missed Marie Bell’s would-be victim. The same Sylvia Joseph had to drop off at home before coming to the hospital. I promised to see her later, if work doesn’t get me. Who knew how that would go at this rate?
“But why was Kline attacking her? In front of our undercover operative’s house?”
Brad scoffed. “Man, she must have saved her ass! If Sheen had you made, it was only a matter of time before she took care of your little wannabe agent. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m a betting man, and I bet Cindy intercepted an attack heading your friend’s way. Ballsy move, really. She would’ve been turning on Sheen.”
Marie Bell was coming for Sylvia? And Cindy intervened? Joseph had already figured that his “friend” Cindy wasn’t really following up leads like she was supposed to be. She must’ve been checking in with Sheen. I really, really should have sent another agent with her. Except that other agent might’ve been dead by now.
“So here’s what I can offer you,” Brad continued. “I can tell you that I was a driver for that guy. My job was to run the truck down to the border where we made the switch between drivers and I came back up to Portland. After Cindy was put in the hospital, Sheen really went into me. Said if I didn’t agree to drive for him instead of my usual company that he would arrange for something bad to happen to Cindy here in the hospital. I’ll tell you everything I know about the operation itself. I’ll even throw in a few names. But you need to make Sheen think that I’m still knocked out. Otherwise he won’t come here and you’ll never see him again. And if you want that info? Call your DA or whoever to make a deal with me.”
Joseph didn’t need his mother to tell him what that look on her face meant. We’ve got a long week ahead of us. With no guarantee that they would even get their guy in the end.
***
Rose-scented candles and a light jazz record greeted Joseph when he entered Sylvia’s room that evening. The first thing out of her mouth was an apology: roommate Posey had let Joseph into the house downstairs, and their first meeting was about as cordial as two cats being introduced to each other in a new home.
“At least this one’s cute,” Posey had mumbled before going back to watching TV. Joseph ignored the remark and went straight upstairs.
“How’s my baby?” Sylvia’s hands were all over Joseph the moment he landed on the bed. I haven’t seen her since I dropped her off here earlier. Right after they left Vincent Lane’s loft several blocks away. There was no way Joseph was letting Sylvia tag along to the hospital, and her house was conveniently located. Yet the only way Joseph got her to agree to the drop-off was by promising to stay the night with her. “Find out anything good?”
“Everything’s a mess. I need to go in early tomorrow for a meeting.”
Sylvia massaged his shoulders. Normally Joseph didn’t care for flowery scents, but those rosy candles were soothing to smell. “If you’re not going to share anything…”
“I’m still trying to process it. The whole day has been a whirlwind.”
“Too bad you get paid a salary and not by the hours you put in.”
“That’s the nature of my career.”
“Speaking of…” Sylvia lightly kissed his ear. “I have to go to work in a couple of hours. I missed out last night. If I don’t work tonight, I’ll be in big trouble.”
Joseph rolled over, Sylvia straddling his hips. “Then what am I doing here? I have to sleep soon, and you won’t even be here to cuddle.”
Sylvia’s fingernail drew a line across his forehead. Joseph’s eyes closed, his whole body responding to her tangible decadence by shivering in delight. “I’ll be here, even if I’m really not.”
She was right. Joseph had half a mind to leave after Sylvia departed for work, but she had left such an inviting environment behind that he convinced himself to stay a little longer. What Joseph hadn’t counted on was curling up in his girlfriend’s bed and falling asleep to roses in his nostrils and a jazz record coming to an end in his ear. One light remained on the whole night. That only made it better when Sylvia came home at six in the morning and cuddled up behind him. Too bad for them, Joseph had to be up at seven. At least they were
able to share a few kisses before he was back at work.
***
Can’t believe they actually promised them immunity. Joseph drummed his fingers against the conference table Monday afternoon. Only a select few were allowed in. Him, Agent Lewis, Jim, and Genevieve, of course.
Brad Jacobson had proven most helpful once the lawyers came to an agreement. Apparently Sheen was coming in tomorrow, with the final truck carrying over a dozen young women to the border. Brad didn’t know where they were being held, but he did offer as much information about Sheen’s activity as possible.
“He’s flying into San Francisco Monday and being driven up the rest of the way,” Brad offered. “He’ll probably stay in a burner office being rented out by some subsidiary company of his that totally flies under the radar. I know where it is.”
Information about that office came as part of the deal. Nobody liked offering Brad Jacobson immunity before they knew the true extent of his crimes, but core details he initially offered proved to check out. After that, nobody wanted to risk dozens of young women being shipped off under the guise of night.
“So here’s where we’re at,” Genevieve said, marching back and forth by the windows. “We’ve got a bunch of young women missing in the city. We’re got a human trafficker who wants to unload his business and never answer for his crimes. We know that this last shipment is our only chance to catch him and make him pay. And we know that the shipment is going out within the next one or two days. So how the hell do we get him in time?”
“We raid his burner office, obviously,” one agent offered.
“But can we get a warrant in time? Don’t think so. Not for a guy like him.”
“We have a short window of opportunity to get him,” Genevieve said. She slumped into the chair at the head of the conference table. “If we miss it, he’ll sell off his operation and get away with it. Then we’ll have to start all over again figuring out who he sold it to. That’s unacceptable.”
Damaged Goods Page 32
