Back AT You_An Alex Troutt Thriller

by John W. Mefford

  “May I help you?”

  A quick glance to see a female employee with a smile wider than my head.

  “Well…” I paused to ensure I didn’t lose Erin in the crowd.

  “You’re waiting on someone?” she asked in a perky voice.

  “Kind of. I’m watching my daughter, making sure she isn’t…” I couldn’t say kidnapped. “Just want to make sure she reaches her friend.”

  “Well, are you going to check in, or is there something else I can help you with?”

  “You mind if borrow your phone?”

  She didn’t respond, so I took another quick glance in her direction. She looked confused.

  “Not your personal cell phone. Your landline. The one with the cord on it?”

  “Right. Okay. Why?”

  “Because I lost mine.” Didn’t need to get into the details.

  She handed me the phone, and I dialed Brad’s cell. The moment after he said hello—of course, he had no idea it was me—I could hear the emotion fill his voice. “Alex?”

  “Yes, it’s me,” I said through a whimper.

  “Thank God you’re okay. But you’re crying. Is Erin—”

  “Yes, yes. She survived. She and Becca both went through hell. I’ve been to LA and back, and had to deal with… I’m not sure I really want to relive the whole thing again. Not right at this moment.”

  He sighed. “That’s fine, babe. I’m just so happy to hear your voice. I was up all night. I called Jerry and told him everything after he promised not to take action until I gave him the green light. But hearing that you’re okay… You are okay, aren’t you?”

  “Now I am. Although I’d wished like hell that you were here about a hundred times in the last two days.”

  “I should have gone with you.”

  “You couldn’t have. If they’d seen me with you, they would have probably killed you, maybe me too. Well, maybe not until after I did their drug run.”

  “Oh boy. This story sounds like it’s one for the ages.”

  I looked up and saw Erin walking toward me.

  “Every time I think I’ve come across the worst kind of humans, I find something even lower.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to deal with this on your own. You don’t need to get into all the details, but are you or Erin physically hurt?”

  “Nothing we can’t get over. Becca, though…she was raped.”

  “My God. How is she dealing with it? How are her parents dealing with it?”

  “Becca’s doing okay for now. I’m sure she’ll need some help. As for her parents, they don’t know yet. We just walked into the hotel, had the joyous reunion, and then they went up to their room. So, Becca could be telling them right now.”

  “I want to fly out there and make sure you two get home safely and without any hassle,” he said.

  “I want you here now, dammit.”

  He chuckled.

  “Seriously, I’ve got no energy. I’m completely drained. Erin and I would like to rest a while, get cleaned up, maybe have some dinner with the Faulks later.”

  “So, Sonya and Byron chilled out with their attitudes?”

  “They were both ecstatic to see Becca. Sonya couldn’t get the smile off her face. She apologized profusely. Byron sorta did too. He’s an odd bird.”

  “Not a ringing endorsement of Mr. Faulk.”

  “Eh. He’s a high-stress guy, I can tell. But the man has been through a lot. We all have.”

  “I’m glad you guys are in a good place. I mean, they kept accusing you… Hearing that, it was hard for me to stomach. It was nuts. I’m glad I don’t have to come out there and defend my woman.”

  We both laughed at his caveman-like comment.

  “You can do me a big favor, though.”

  “Your wish is my command,” he said.

  “Oh, we’ll play that game when I get home. For now, I just need some money. Carter and Nixon destroyed my phone, took everything I had.”

  “Carter and Nixon? Was some president-impersonation group behind all this?”

  “Eh. Something like that. More information later, like I said.”

  We worked through the details of him wiring me some money. Erin pulled up next to me just as I handed the phone to the hotel employee, so Brad could book us a room and ensure the clerk understood that the highest levels of the FBI would appreciate the hotel’s support by allowing us to check in while I waited on my money and ID.

  “No can do,” Erin said, glancing over her shoulder toward the elevators.

  “I’m tired, Erin. What am I missing?”

  “Oh, Mr. Faulk. They said they’re a little strapped for money right now, and they wouldn’t be able to help us out.”

  I stopped and stared at her. Was she kidding? Surely, the Faulks weren’t that strapped. In fact, they should have offered. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. Don’t add to the stress, Alex. I said, “No worries. I spoke to Brad, and he’s talking to the nice lady now so we can get us a room. We’ll be fine.”

  “Cool,” Erin said. “I miss Brad. And Ezzy and Pumpkin.”

  “What about your brother?”

  “Squirt? Yeah, I guess.”

  “Hate to break it to you, but Luke’s gaining on you. He’s not such a squirt anymore.”

  She waved a dismissive hand in front of her face.

  The lady handed the phone back to me, saying, “I’ve got you taken care of. When you’re done, I can show you the different cell phones that you can choose from.”

  “Oh, Mom, can I get the latest—”

  I held up a hand. “Cheap and easy. That’s all we need.”

  “You’re right.” She smiled, put her head on my shoulder, and hooked her arm in mine.

  I told Brad I’d text him my new cell number. He, in turn, would reach out to the local FBI office after talking to Jerry, who seemed to know someone in just about every government agency and office.

  “I’ll let you know our flight info for tomorrow whenever I book it.”

  “Let me do it,” he said.

  “Thank you. You’re just what I need right now.”

  Brad and I both said, “I love you,” and I felt that warm feeling inside.

  Erin and I got our room key and headed upstairs. She said, “Have I ever told you that you’re the best mom ever?”

  “Not in this century, no.” I winked at her.

  “Well, you are.”

  My heart smiled until my head hit the pillow.

  23

  Ivy

  I packed a bag while speaking to Saul on the phone.

  “What did Stan say when you called him?” he asked.

  “He called me after Cristina sent him the audio file of my interaction with Baldwin.” I pulled a handful of socks from a drawer and tossed them into a duffel bag.

  “Fine. And so…?”

  “Said it would never hold up in court. Entrapment.”

  “Hmm.”

  “So you agree?” I asked.

  “Without listening to it, I’d say it’s a gray area. But I can see where he’s coming from.”

  “So that’s why I’m going to Vegas.” I opened the closet, pulled three shirts off their hangers, and stuffed them in with the other clothes. “Well, honestly, I’d probably be going anyway.”

  “At least you’re being honest.” He sighed.

  “I hope you’re not angry with me.”

  “Just worried. I thought we were past all of this life-threatening drama.”

  “My life wasn’t threatened.”

  “Only because you and Cristina fooled Baldwin into thinking you had snipers taking aim at him. Damn, that guy is gullible.”

  “He’s paranoid, just like most of his customers probably. Hell, you should have seen Jill. It was heartbreaking, but also sickening to hear what she’d done with Angel.”

  “Wait. Have you given her an update?”

  “No way. Stan and I didn’t talk long, but he did tell me that he
’d started the process to get the charges against Gerald Bailey dropped so he could get home to take over for the CPS caseworker and care for Lila. That little girl is the person I’m second most concerned about in all of this.”

  “The first being Angel?”

  “Yep. Stan also told me that he’d personally assist Gerald in making sure Jill was put in a detox center before the day ended.”

  “So you’re really kind of doing this on Gerald’s behalf. He’s, more or less, your client.”

  “I know you’re hinting that I’m doing pro-bono work again. But if he were able to talk to me right now, he’d hire me in a second. Stan said he’d tell Gerald what he’d heard on the audio and where I was headed. I know Gerald will pay me if I can bring his daughter home. But getting paid has nothing to do with why I’m going.”

  “I know, Ivy. That’s why I love you. You have tremendous compassion.”

  “Maybe. I think it’s driven by fear as much as anything else.”

  “You’re afraid? I want to help.”

  “No, I’m not afraid. I’m pissed. But I’m afraid for Angel. Who the hell knows what this Cadillac guy is doing to her?”

  I ran into the bathroom and scooped the essentials into a small plastic bag, then I put that into my duffel bag and left my apartment. My mind was already thinking about Las Vegas and how I could figure out who this Cadillac person was.

  I heard some muffled voices on the line and realized Saul’s attention was elsewhere. “You still there?”

  “Yeah, sorry. I’m trying to work with Kyra to figure out if we can move this deposition I have set up for tomorrow morning.”

  Saul’s small firm consisted of two people—himself and Kyra, his legal assistant. While it hadn’t been evident when I first met her, she was bright and brought a lot of positive energy to the office. Initially, though, I had my reservations. Mainly two of them. She looked more like Morgana the Kissing Bandit than a serious professional. Her experience in a work setting was limited to scooping ice cream. Had I been jealous? Hell yes. But Saul never gave me a single reason to feel inferior. Since then, Kyra had grown on me. She seemed to take her job seriously and learned to not flaunt her most obvious assets.

  “Saul, it’s okay, really. I can handle this one. I’ll be fine.”

  “When have you ever said otherwise?” he asked

  He had a point. “Okay, but you and I know there’s no monster out there trying to hunt me down. This is about finding a scared teenaged girl who—”

  “Who could be in danger.” A slight pause. “I want to go with you, Ivy. We could make a hell of a team.”

  I couldn’t see it, really. Saul was my perfect partner in so many ways, but I wasn’t sure I wanted him to witness my on-the-job intensity on a close-up basis. Before I could further calm his fears, he continued. “I don’t know if I can pull off moving tomorrow’s deposition, Ivy, now that we’re looking at this lawsuit I’m working. It’s the biggest case I’ve ever had. I’m representing the plaintiff in a whistleblower case against a big gas company called Glory Hole, and I have a deposition with the executive vice president of HR.”

  “Glory Hole?” I snapped off a laugh.

  “I know, lots of jokes on that name.” He let loose a loud exhale. “Look, it might be my biggest case, but nothing is more important than your safety. So, I’ll drop everything and come with you. There will be other cases.”

  “Don’t you fucking dare drop the case. I’m a grown woman. If I needed you—and you know I’m not really fond of using that word, ‘need’—but if I did, I’d ask.”

  “Okay, you don’t need me. Maybe you would enjoy my company. We could play strip poker in our hotel room.”

  I smiled, but then I thought about who else was in Saul’s office. “Hey, is Kyra standing right there?”

  “No, she stepped out to the receptionist area to take another call.”

  I felt stupid for asking. “Look, if it makes you feel any better, Stan said he would call his cousin Nick, the one with the FBI, and—”

  “I know Nick, silly.”

  “Okay, then. So, Stan is going to share this audio recording with Nick and see if he thinks the FBI can do anything with it.”

  “Good idea, although Nick’s in the Boston office. Not sure that does you a lot of good in the next few hours in Las Vegas.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll stay in touch with you.”

  My phone beeped as I got into Black Beauty. I told Saul I’d call him later and then I punched up the line. “Okay, Cristina, I’m going to need a little bit of your time.”

  “When you say a little, that means a lot. You know that, right?”

  Never thought about it. Didn’t have time to think about it. “We need to find out who this Cadillac person is and where I can find him in Las Vegas.”

  “We as in me?”

  “I can try to do some research on the plane if you’re too busy.”

  “You never asked me about the meeting with the school-district official.”

  I had to remind myself that Cristina was still only eighteen and, at times, needed a pat on the back, or at least some acknowledgment of her hard work. Hell, we all needed that. “Okay, how did the meeting with the school-district official go?”

  “Bottom line, we got the gig.”

  “Nice. You won them over with your effervescent charm, I’m sure.”

  “Effer— What the hell does that mean? Don’t tell me. I didn’t charm anyone. I just asked what she needed and told her we could do the background checks.”

  “Cool. Thank you.”

  She made a scoffing noise. “Well, I guess you get some of the credit. You’d already filled out all of their forms and talked to her on the phone. So…”

  “Did she give you a date by when they need all of them completed?”

  “It’s on some type of schedule, a certain percentage done every week. I think they’re giving us a month in total, but we can’t screw around for three weeks.”

  She sounded like the boss. I appreciated her responsibility. “We can hit that timeframe.”

  I heard her clear her throat. She was thinking I wouldn’t be around to help. “I won’t be gone long, Cristina. At least I hope not. I just have to find Cadillac and hope and pray he still has Angel. If he doesn’t, then I probably can’t do anything more. I’ll just have to hope we can get the Feds to take ownership of the investigation by then.”

  “I guess I won’t ask which one has the higher priority, the background checks or searching for Cadillac,” Cristina said.

  “You know the answer. And you’ve got about five hours to find Cadillac. I know you work quickly on your phone. But this could be a challenge, even for you. You up for it?”

  “Get the hell off my line. I’ve got work to do.”

  She ended the call before I could say another word.

  24

  Alex

  Erin and I both took showers, changed into clean clothes that we’d purchased with the cash Brad had wired us, and then we flopped onto the bed. After a few minutes of talking, silence took over the room. My eyes grew heavy, and I fell asleep.

  ***

  Erin nudged my shoulder. “Your phone is buzzing.” Her voice sounded like Demi Moore, as if she were hoarse.

  I moved to one elbow, rubbed an eye, and patted the bed, looking for the phone. “Seems like I’ve only been asleep for thirty minutes.”

  “We have,” Erin said as I found the phone and punched up the line.

  It was the local FBI agent in charge of this new investigation. My first thought: Brad and Jerry had moved fast. Maybe too fast, seeing how wiped out Erin and I were. But it was nice someone was finally taking control.

  We agreed to have one session with the FBI agent, Dan Tanner, this evening, and then another follow-up session tomorrow morning. I learned he was also lining up interviews with the Faulks.

  Erin texted Becca, and we agreed to meet the Faulks for dinner at the steak restaurant in the hotel after round on
e of our interviews tonight.

  Erin and I tried to fall back asleep after the call, but Erin asked if she could talk to me. I sat up, and she started sharing what she’d felt during her captivity, how she’d prayed for the chance to get back to doing normal things. Things that she may not have appreciated much in the past, like going to her trigonometry class, attending pep rallies, hanging out with her brother. She felt like the kidnapping would totally change her outlook on life.

  I didn’t talk much as she was sharing. I nodded, reached over and touched her knee. I could sense her need to just dump everything out there. The order of her thoughts wasn’t chronological, and I completely understood why. She bounced back and forth between the incident and how her future life would be different. She spoke about how, at one point, when it seemed like she and Becca would never be released, a feeling of hopelessness had consumed her, at least for a few hours.

  A tear bubbled in her eye.

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you, Erin.”

  “It’s not your fault, Mom. It really isn’t. I just need to…you know.” She reached over and snatched a tissue from a box.

  “I get it. How did you make it through those hours when you were depressed and thought you wouldn’t be able to leave?”

  She sniffled and then released a deep breath. “Well, a couple of times, I wondered if I could break through a window and jump to the ground. I knew the glass might cut me up, but I thought I could run off and find some help. Maybe it would have worked; maybe it wouldn’t have. But then I saw Becca, and she was so out of it. And I thought, If I ran off…would they harm her? So, I figured I needed to stick around and come up with something else.”

  Putting someone else’s needs before hers. Damn, she’d grown up a lot. I just wish it hadn’t come out through an incident like this. Then again, she had already shown signs of being selfless during times of stress. I looked at the cut on her face. Tears welled in my eyes, and I said in a soft voice, “You make me proud to be your mother.”

  She handed me a tissue. “Come on, Mom—don’t get mushy on me now,” she said with a quick giggle.

  She went on to share that she saw so many other girls who were close to her age and how they looked like skeletons with hollow eyes. I told her I saw the same thing for the few minutes I’d walked the main hall of the compound.