He pushed the button for the garage door and slid inside, closing the door behind him.
His pulse pounded in the sudden silence of the car.
How had things fallen apart so quickly?
₪ ₪ ₪
A light came on in a room on the first floor.
Kevyn studied the large two-story house in front of her. The Victorian style screamed old money and was more ornate than she would have expected of Trane.
Well maintained with a lushly landscaped yard, it looked too charming to belong to a cold-blooded killer.
But looks could be deceiving.
While she’d watched him pull into the first bay of the three-car garage – which, though added within the last thirty years had been painstakingly matched to the design of the original house – she had trouble believing this was his house.
If this was his house, she’d bet that he hadn’t picked it. In fact, she would guess it had been in the family for years and had passed to him upon his father’s death.
“I’m going to talk to him.” She reached for the door handle.
“Hey, wait up.”
She swiveled to find Dak staring at her, one eyebrow raised, lips set in a firm line. “No lone wolf, remember?”
“I’m not. I told you, didn’t I?” She sighed. “I need to hear his voice. Confirm that it’s really him and we’re not wasting our time. See if talking to him face-to-face jogs anything.”
“You really think that’s the best approach? Giving up any element of surprise?”
“You really think we have any element of surprise left?” In her mind, they’d lost the element of surprise the second they’d walked into Trane Imports and Exports. “He has to know we’re suspicious and, if it is him, he has to know why.”
“What’s your plan?”
At least he wasn’t arguing or trying to talk her out of it. “Walk up there, ring the doorbell, and introduce myself.”
She felt the weight of judgment in the silence that followed. “And?”
Yeah, he wasn’t going to like her method. At all. But she’d promised to always be honest with him. “And I make it up from there.”
“So, your plan is no plan?”
“Now you got it.” She pushed open the door, then looked back at him. “Are you coming or not?”
Even as he shook his head, his hand went to the door handle. “I’m coming.”
She’d figured as much.
Decorative lights lined the driveway, creating an illuminated runway for them to navigate. She climbed the three steps leading to the porch, crossed to the circle of light pooling around the front door, and rang the doorbell.
The camera doorbell assured he’d know who was here long before he reached the door.
Would he see them?
No answer.
She rang the bell again.
Still no response.
She and Dak exchanged a look but said nothing.
They waited another fifteen seconds, which felt like a full minute, before she rang the bell again.
Twice this time.
She stared straight at the doorbell camera. “Mr. Trane. FBI. We need to speak with you and are not leaving until you open this door.”
Not that they’d actually camp out here all night or anything, but she hoped the threat of two FBI agents perched on his doorstep would prompt him to at least open the door long enough to tell them to get off his property.
Several more seconds passed before she heard footsteps inside the house. Sounded like they were approaching the door.
The door swung open.
A man with short blond curls and narrowed eyes stared at them. “It’s been a long day and I’m tired. Make it quick.”
She concentrated on his voice. Was it familiar? Possibly.
It was also possible she thought it was familiar because she desperately wanted this man to be the unsub. “Mr. Trane, I’m Agent Taylor. You’ve already met Agent Lakes.”
“Yes.” Veiled hostility emanated from his rigid stance and focused eyes.
She had to get him to say the word home. Or sister, but that one seemed unlikely. Home would be easier.
She gestured to the house. “This is nice. What is this place?”
His head jerked back a fraction as he stared at her.
Yes, it was an odd question with a blindingly obvious answer. Unexpected. Hopefully strange enough to catch him off guard.
“Uh. My home.”
Home. The word resounded in her head.
It was him.
“The home you were going to bring me to? When you tried to abduct me in the alley Saturday night?”
He laughed, but the sound was brittle and grating. “I’ve never seen you before today.”
“Really. Because I’ve seen you. At Nobles, when you asked about lingerie for your girlfriend. Then again in the alley, when you injected me with Kexatreme and told me it was time to go home.” She forced a light tone, in sharp contrast with the tension tightening her muscles.
His false humor fell away, replaced with a stormy darkness. “You’ve got the wrong guy.”
“No. It’s you.”
He took a step closer to her, pulling himself up taller as he did. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”
If he thought he could intimidate her, he was wrong. Moving forward half a step, she invaded his personal space. “You kidnapped and killed Susan Conrad and Paula Lennox. Maybe Oliver Richards, Wendy Watson, and Ava Esterson are also dead.”
“Never heard of them.”
“I think you have. What about the blonde girl you use to buy your drugs? Did you kidnap her also?”
His eyes widened slightly and his pupils dilated.
She’d hit on something there. “The question is if she’s a victim or accomplice.”
A flush crept up his neck. “I know my rights. If you aren’t going to arrest me, get off my property. You’re trespassing.”
“We’re going.” Dak’s hand landed on her shoulder as his voice filtered from behind her. “You have yourself a nice evening.”
No missing the sarcasm in Dak’s words.
She wanted to arrest him. Now.
Instead, she watched Trane turn his back on her and slam the door in her face.
“Come on.” Dak’s words left no room for argument.
Not that she would have. They’d been evicted, so legally they had to leave.
But they’d be outside the property line, right at the curb.
She waited until they were back in the vehicle before turning to Dak. “It’s him.”
“I believe you. But we need him to lead us to the other victims.”
Yes, they did. Otherwise they might not find them in time to save them. “If we’re patient, he’ll take us there.”
She hoped.
Now that he knew they were onto him, he might decide to cut his losses. If he did that, their victims would pay the price.
₪ ₪ ₪
Where was Jax?
Ebony stared at the clock for what had to be the fiftieth time. It was after seven. He was never late. Ever.
Was he okay? What if something had happened to him? A car accident or heart attack or something?
What would she do if he never came back?
Her stomach rumbled. She looked at the roast cooling on the counter.
Wendy, Oliver, and Ava were probably hungry, too. Should she feed them?
Would Jax expect them to wait for him as usual?
Surely not. Not as late as it was getting.
He’d want her to take care of the family. It was what was expected of her, wasn’t it?
Yes. Jax had put her in charge of the family when he wasn’t around and she would do her part.
She dished up three plates and put them on the rolling cart.
The first plate went to Ava, who immediately started eating.
Oliver took his plate and shoveled food into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in days.
Wendy rose from her mattress as
Ebony approached.
“What’s going on?” Wendy’s question mirrored the one running through Ebony’s mind.
I don’t know.
The words echoed in her head but wouldn’t leave her mouth. Instead, she lifted her chin and offered a smile. “Jax is running late tonight. He said to eat without him.”
Of course, he’d said no such thing, but she’d never admit that. Not to Wendy, who had already encouraged her more than once to leave.
Wendy stared at her for a second. “You haven’t heard from him, have you?”
Ebony started to deny it, but words failed.
“What if he’s not coming back?” Wendy’s soft question brought tears to Ebony’s eyes as it voiced the worries filling her mind. “What if he’s left us here to survive on our own?”
“He wouldn’t do that.” Ebony shook her head violently to hide the tremors jiggling her chin. “He loves us. We’re his family. He’d never abandon us.”
“He loves himself. If it suited his purposes to abandon us, he’d do it.” Wendy said the words softly, tears pooled in her eyes.
“No!” Ebony slammed her hand against the cart, rattling Wendy’s plate. “You don’t know him. Not like I do. Don’t you ever say such mean things about him!”
“Think about it.” Wendy reached for her through the bars, but Ebony stepped back from her touch. “Isn’t it always all about him? What he wants? When was the last time he asked what you wanted?”
“I–” Never. She didn’t think Jax had ever asked what she wanted. About anything.
Still. That didn’t mean it was all about him. The fact that he’d taken them all in and was providing for them proved that it wasn’t, didn’t it?
“Do you have any way to reach him?” Wendy didn’t wait for a response before pressing forward. “Shouldn’t he at least leave you a phone to call for help if something happened? What if you got hurt? You’d have no way to call for an ambulance. Or what if this place caught fire? Could you get out if you absolutely had to?”
No.
The answer rang in her mind with the finality of the grave this building would become should a fire break out.
But the building was stone. It wouldn’t burn. There’d be no fire, so she didn’t need a way out.
Still, having the option to call for help, or to call Jax if something happened, was probably important. Why hadn’t Jax given her a phone to use, just in case?
It didn’t mean he didn’t care. Did it?
Of course not. Wendy didn’t know what she was talking about.
She grabbed the plate and shoved it through the slot in the bars. “Eat your dinner.”
Abandoning the cart, she whirled and hurried down the hall. Tears blurred her vision as she exited the area and slammed the door behind her.
Wendy was wrong. She had to be.
And when Jax came home, she’d find out what happened.
As she returned to the kitchen, where her own dinner waited, she couldn’t keep Wendy’s words from replaying in her mind.
What if Wendy was right? What if Jax never came home?
Their food supply wouldn’t last more than a few days. A week tops.
She had no money to buy more. No way to even get past the locks on the doors.
If Jax didn’t come back, they’d all starve.
Twenty-Two
“A team should be here at ten to relieve us.” Dak stretched, or attempted to, as he shifted in his seat.
These vehicles were not made for long waits.
And it was turning into a long wait.
Darkness had settled in. The pizza and two liter he’d ordered had arrived. Along with an amused delivery driver who said he’d never delivered to a car before.
And now nature was calling. At least he could pee standing up.
He angled a glance at Kevyn. He wasn’t sure how she was holding up, and he wasn’t about to ask.
“I’m gonna get some fresh air.”
Kevyn’s smirk said she knew exactly what he was doing. “Sure. I’ll be here.”
She better be here. He still didn’t trust her to not act recklessly.
The winter air chilled through his jacket. He sure hadn’t dressed for the evening cool.
A cluster of evergreen trees on an overgrown property down the block would have to do.
The evening was quiet enough that he could hear the pine needles crunching beneath his shoes. The gentle lap of water slapped the rocks on the other side of the row of houses.
Amazing how there weren’t even any traffic noises.
Then again, they’d taken half a dozen side roads to get here.
He’d just finished when he heard it.
An engine. But not a car engine.
He froze in the shadows, listening.
The engine idled low for a few seconds, gradually growing fainter. Suddenly, it revved, then quickly faded away.
A boat!
Who would be taking a boat out at this time of night?
Fishermen, sure. But he doubted any of the people in this neighborhood were professional fishermen.
It was Trane. He was sure of it.
Trane couldn’t leave through the front door because he knew they were watching it.
So he’d snuck out the back and left by boat.
Dak jogged toward where he’d left the car. It was probably too late to do anything about it, but he’d alert the Coast Guard. They could pull boat registration records, see what Trane owned, and be on the lookout for his boat.
It was the only play he had.
He only hoped Trane wasn’t heading to eliminate all evidence of his activities. Because if he was, Ava, Wendy, and Oliver might not survive the night.
₪ ₪ ₪
Jax unlocked the solid steel door and let himself into the warehouse.
He walked past the stacks of crates – all empty and for show – to the back corner where the stairs ran along the wall to the second floor.
Stupid FBI!
If the woman had been alone, he might have taken her and finished her off, simply because he could. But not with the other agent around. And certainly not while they were watching him.
Their presence had messed up every single one of his plans.
He couldn’t eliminate the people upstairs now, not without his car.
Sure, he could transport them by boat, but that required taking three people out in the open and down to the dock. It wasn’t far, but it was far enough that someone might notice.
His car could be driven right inside the warehouse and the bodies loaded out of view.
No, he’d have to wait a few days until the FBI backed off. Or until he could shake the tail.
He reached the steel door securing the stairwell. After inputting his code to deactivate the alarm, he unlocked the door and took the stairs two at a time.
Ebony was probably all worked up.
He clenched his teeth.
After the day he’d had, he didn’t want to deal with her emotions. He’d have to shut it down right away. While she wasn’t generally one to go on and on, she was still a woman and women were temperamental.
She met him at the door.
Red-rimmed eyes and blotchy skin evidenced her mental state. Her body shook and her outfit was in disarray.
He narrowed his eyes.
What was she thinking? She knew he hated it when she wasn’t put together.
“Where have you been?” Hysteria lined her words. “I thought something awful had happened to you!”
“Can it, okay?” He sliced his hand through the air. “It’s been a long day.”
She bit her lip. Fresh tears spilled out of her eyes.
“Look. I ran into trouble at the office. I’m here now. Everything’s fine.” He brushed past her.
The clicking of her heels behind him evidenced that she followed.
Not that he’d ever doubted she would.
“I was scared.” Her shaky voice sounded younger than her years. “I didn’t ev
en know how to reach you to find out if you were okay.”
“Obviously I’m fine.”
“Can-can I have some way to reach you? A phone or something?”
He turned to look at her. Why was she asking? Was it only because of today? Or was she going to stab him in the back? “You don’t need one.”
“But–”
“Where is this coming from?” He grabbed her upper arms and pulled her up to his level.
The tips of her toes barely brushed the ground.
“Why do you want a phone?”
“Please.” Tears streaked down her cheeks. “You’re hurting me.”
He didn’t want to hurt her. Not really. He released her.
Stumbling back a few steps, she wrapped her arms around her middle. “I wanted to be able to reach you. In case something happened.”
“Nothing will happen.” He needed to smooth this over. Compromising her loyalty was a poor choice. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
He wasn’t. Not really.
But the words seemed to appease her. She offered a shaky half smile. “But everything’s okay? Now?”
“Yes. Everything will be fine.”
Especially once he got rid of everyone but her.
₪ ₪ ₪
Grit irritated her eyes.
Kevyn squeezed more eyedrops into her dry eyes and blinked rapidly before turning back to her computer monitor.
The late night and troubled sleep were catching up to her.
It had been late by the time she’d gotten home last night. The two agents who had relieved her and Dak had gotten lost and had arrived half an hour late. It’d been almost midnight by the time she’d fallen into bed.
Then, every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face. In the silence of the night she’d heard his voice.
Her nightmares had been plagued by him. And every coping strategy she knew to employ hadn’t driven away the feeling of a needle pricking her neck and the world tumbling.
Had Trane come back to his house last night? If so, when?
And what had he done while he’d been gone? Were the victims still alive?
A yawn crept up on her as Dak walked into the office. Two coffee cups steamed from the cardboard holder in his hands.
He plopped one in front of her. “I knew you’d be here early, but I’m surprised you beat me in today.”
Nameless (Sinister Secrets Book 1) Page 26
