Moment of Doubt

by Sara Gauldin

  I scowled, but I let him pull me away. “This better be good.” I glared at the man who I had every intention of leaving unconscious on the floor only a moment earlier.

  “Now, out,” Dad demanded. “You have no business here. After the mess you made, I’ll have you on administrative leave by tomorrow.”

  “You don’t have those kinds of connections anymore, Mr. Rich.”

  “Want to bet?” Dad grinned, a strange expression that made me uncomfortable. He helped me to the edge of the bed and I leaned on it. There was no way I was getting comfortable until this guy was in cuffs.

  “Look, there’s no need. I’m sorry you got hurt. I didn’t have another option. He was going to shoot you.” He rubbed his jaw where I had hit him.

  “That’s not how I remember it.”

  “Look, you showed up talking crazy, armed, and talking about the FBI. I knew we were both dead if I didn’t play the right card.”

  “What are you talking about?” I glared at the idiot who was still there instead of making a getaway. There was no way I could run him down just yet.

  The man grabbed for something behind him. Where was my gun? I dove for my dad. There was no way I was letting this guy take us out like this. We hit the floor in a heap, and I was already rolling away and reaching for an IV pole I could use to swing at the man’s legs. The pole met its mark, and he dropped to his knees.

  “Ms. Rich? I didn’t mean…” He held up a wallet. He let it drop open. “I didn’t get to introduce myself. I’m Special Agent Jon Li. CIA.”

  “CIA? You… you were undercover.”

  He stood up and brushed himself off and then held his hand out to help my dad up.

  “I’m getting too old for this. You two need to calm it down,” Dad grumbled.

  Jon Li turned to me and offered me his hand. “No, thanks.” I picked myself up and plopped down in a chair meant for guests.

  Jon Li put his ID back in his pocket. He held up his hands in front of him in surrender. “Look, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I didn’t know about your partner.”

  “You’re not investigating the murders, so why were you there?”

  “I’ve been undercover for about eight months. The building is a hub for international cyber-crimes. We have enough to know there’s a problem, but I’m trying to nail down the brains behind the operation. So far I only interact with the low-level players. The guy you met, the one who hit you, is one of the enforcers.”

  “One of them? How many thugs are we talking about?”

  “At least twenty. Whoever is running things, they believe in security and in keeping everyone under control the old-fashion way.”

  “Fear,” I said.

  “Exactly.” Jon Li nodded.

  “We need to get you downtown. We have three murder victims and a missing FBI agent that need your information,” I said.

  “Murder victims? Do you mean that lady on the news? What has that go to do with the workspace rentals?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me that. We have three people who disappeared within a block or two of the building where you’re on assignment. And we have an FBI agent on video being abducted out front.”

  “I’m sorry about your partner, but I know nothing about any murders,” Jon said.

  “We can sort that out downtown.”

  “Are you trying to arrest me, Ms. Rich?” Jon smiled. He knew I didn’t have the authority.

  “No, I’m pointing out that you owe me one. I wouldn’t be here without your help.”

  “I think my daughter has a valid point.” Bill Rich glared at the younger man.

  “All right. I’ll do what I can. I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

  ***

  Dad drove me to the station in my rental car. I was curious how he had managed to get the car to the hospital, but I couldn’t wrap my head around it. There were too many other things that I needed to figure out. I checked my phone, looking for any message from Jesse. He wasn’t returning my calls or my texts since I came to, and something about the situation felt wrong. I shook it off, there was time to worry about personal issues later, and right now I had to move forward with the situation at hand.

  “I’m sure I could have driven myself,” I grumbled.

  “I’m sure you could, but since you are trying to find your friend, I doubt you’ll want to waste time wrecking this car.

  I sulked. “You knew him?”

  “Who?” Dad asked. His eyes never left the road.

  “Jon Li?”

  Dad shook his head. “No, I never saw him before today.”

  “So, how is it you showed up here when I was hurt? And how did you recognize him when he showed up?”

  Dad whistled. “You don’t miss much, especially for a lady who has been through what you have.”

  I sighed. “I miss quite a bit. Or at least I have over the years.”

  “It’s not like that, Avery. Some things are for your own good.”

  The memory of the hallucination of my mother was still fresh. “Dad, it’s time to let this go. Mom’s secrets didn’t die with her. You’re still trying to keep them alive. You’re still tied up in all of this somehow.”

  “Avery you worry too much.” Dad was quiet for a while, driving with an expression on his face I couldn’t quite read.

  “You should have told me. You knew why I was here.”

  “I hear you,” Dad agreed, but the silence after he spoke was telling.

  I waited, willing Dad to speak, but after an awkward minute, I pressed on. “So fill in the blanks. Mom was CIA. Someone killed her because of a case, here in Sandusky. Something was going on, something that you left to avoid, that you convinced me to get away from.”

  “How was I to know that you would find trouble of your own?” Dad asked.

  “And I put that trouble behind me. But something tells me you haven’t been able to put Mom’s troubles behind you.”

  Dad sighed. “Well, you read a situation pretty well.”

  “Let me help. Whatever it is, I can help close the book on it.”

  “Avery, you don’t know what you’re asking. This isn’t some Nuevo rich family. This is old, and it goes way back before either of us were ever thought of.”

  “And that’s why somebody shot at me and Genevieve when we first started this case.”

  “I… I can’t be sure.”

  “But you think so.”

  “Yes.”

  “All right.” I tried to digest what he was saying. “Well, at least it’s not personal.”

  “You broke your sense of humor, my daughter.”

  “Perhaps Jon Li or his little friend broke it for me. What happened to Jon’s friend, anyway?”

  “It’s my understanding that they took him into custody. They raided the place.”

  “Well, the locals showed up in force. But too late for me and Genevieve.”

  “You’re alive. I suspect that if they had shown up later, Jon’s friend would have realized he didn’t kill you.”

  “That’s so comforting. And then what?”

  “Once the locals found you, Cynthia called me to let me know what happened. She said you weren’t breathing when they found you.”

  I nodded. The memory of my dream about my mother now seemed more otherworldly than it had before.

  “Jon Li called me, later when the dust had time to settle. He recognized your name and contacted me as a courtesy,” Dad explained.

  “Wow, the debts run deep. The man who almost killed your daughter had to let you know about it.”

  “It was out of respect for your mother.”

  “My head feels so much respect.” I covered my eyes, trying to drown out the pounding in my head, as I tried to wrap my thoughts around what my father had told me.

  Chapter 26

  The station was busier than I ever remembered it being. I found Commander Jennings talking to a group of men who were wearing FBI flak jackets.

  “Avery, what are you
doing here?” Jennings looked at me like I was a ghost.

  “I have to find Genevieve. Is there any progress?” I tried to stand up straight and not look like I had dragged myself out of a hospital bed. Considering I was wearing my clothes from yesterday, I doubted I was very convincing.

  “Agent Nelson pulled some traffic cam footage from the intersection a block from where she disappeared. We are putting out the video feeds on the news. Somebody knows something.”

  “Nobody wants to think they know a serial killer.” I followed Commander Jennings into a conference room that had become the hub for Genevieve’s abduction case.

  “So far the traffic cam image hasn’t given us anything on facial recognition.”

  “What about the plates?” I asked.

  “They came back as registered to an elderly lady who’s in a nursing home. The car was a Chevy, not the Cadillac listed on the registration.”

  “So we have nothing.”

  “That’s not true.” One agent, a tall, black man turned from the group and approached me. I shook his hand. “Agent Rodney Brooks Nice to meet you.”

  “Avery Rich.”

  “Not that Avery Rich. I read the case file.”

  I pressed my lips together, trying not to react. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment.”

  Agent Brooks laughed. “Well, since you’re standing here, I’d take it as a good thing. If it worked out badly…”

  I smiled despite myself. “Point taken.”

  Kirk Nelson rushed down the hallway. “Don’t mind Brooks, he profiles everyone.”

  “Ah, well, he’s not wrong,” Brooks admitted.

  “Have you profiled the killer?” I asked.

  “I’ve started on a profile, but I’m glad you’re here. I could use someone who knows the case and can answer some questions.”

  “Of course.” I was distracted by a loud group of unfamiliar officers coming into the side entrance escorting a man in handcuffs. I recognized him from an old mug shot: Gerald New. The man who Sunny had claimed arranged for an attempt on my life. I wanted to know why. Everything was right there, all the puzzle pieces, but I had to put that puzzle on the shelf for now. Genevieve’s time was limited, and I had to stay focused. I forced myself to turn away from the prisoner and back to Agent Brooks. “What can I do to help?”

  “Let’s go somewhere with less commotion. Bring whatever case files you can. Kirk, you come, too. There is a loose thread somewhere in all of this. The perp has left some trace, and we will figure it out.”

  I nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  I went for my bag and gathered some case files from the department records before heading back to the conference room to attempt a profile. Profiling had always fascinated me, and any other time I would have been excited to see the process in person. Today was different. My head throbbed and my mind spun. I was afraid to hope that anything we could come up with could lead us to Genevieve.

  ***

  Brooks paced next to the conference table like a caged beast. “Okay, so start at the beginning. Why were you at the rent-a-space building?”

  “I was following up on a lead. One victim was once dropped off at the building by a witness.”

  “Do you know why the victim went there?” Agent Brooks asked.

  I took a breath, the details mattered. “Not exactly. I think it may have something to do with a job posting. Or with some kind of side gig she was working.”

  Agent Brooks raised his eyebrows as he considered the information. “Right. So, we know something was already going on in the building.”

  I tried to bury the sarcasm I felt building. “Oh, I know it now. After yesterday, well, I’m not sure what level of security clearance I’d be violating.”

  “Avery, my officers thought you were dead.” Commander Jennings reached across the table and touched my arm. “You don’t owe anybody any courtesy.”

  I nodded. “The guy who pulled a gun on me, he was trying to keep from blowing his cover. He’s CIA.”

  Commander Jennings coughed. “CIA. Wow, well, that has the potential to complicate things. But if they have a guy undercover, then they are onto something that’s crossing international borders.”

  “Something with international IP addresses,” Kirk added.

  “What did you find out about that?” asked Brooks.

  “From what I can tell, the addresses are used to host social media bots.”

  “So, they are spamming people?” I asked. How annoying, I thought to myself.

  Kirk turned his laptop toward us and flipped through several political memes and some obvious hate rhetoric. “Not exactly, think more like propaganda. They’re trying to spin the news. If they can get something trending, it will make network news pretty quickly.”

  “This stuff looks extreme. Are we thinking this could be a terror threat?” Commander Jennings flipped though the images a second time, scowling as he forced himself to look over the disturbing images.

  “It’s a possibility,” said Kirk Nelson.

  “All right, it’s clear that these folks have something to hide and something illegal is going on,” Brooks said.

  “Right, but is this the cause of these kinds of murders? I could see them killing anyone who got in the way; in fact, I’m certain that’s on the table.” I rubbed the goose egg on the back of my head self-consciously. “The guy I ran across wanted to kill me, even when he knew there were police coming.”

  “Yes, we had your friend, Sam Dillon, in lock-up, but we got some rush extradition orders—a transport picked him up less than an hour after he arrived.”

  “Sam Dillon?”

  “He was at the rent-a-space. He made a run for it, but he didn’t get very far.”

  I nodded. I was glad they caught him, but something about him being extradited felt wrong. “Do you have a mug shot of him?” I asked the commander. I had a gut feeling that I wouldn’t be looking at the enforcer who wanted me dead.

  Jennings pulled up the mug shot. “Here you go.” He waved for me to have a look.

  The picture confirmed what I already knew. “That man is Jon Li, he’s CIA. He knocked me out so the other guy wouldn’t shoot me.”

  “He was the only person we picked up,” said Jennings.

  I shook my head. “Then the other guy is in the wind by now, as is Mr. Li.”

  Agent Brooks stood at his seat, taking command of the table. “All right. So this doesn’t give us our serial killer. I looked at your autopsy photos and case files. Whoever committed these crimes focused on the ritual. They took steps they didn’t need to after the victims were dead, the carving, the dismemberment, and the location of the body drops.”

  “We wondered if the killer had some connection with the place,” I said. “It used to be a campground years ago. Whoever it is, they know the lay of the land well.”

  “There’s also the likelihood that this is a couple working together,” Commander Jennings said. “There were two sets of different sized prints at the dumpsite, and the video feed of Genevieve shows two people, a man and a woman.”

  “So, we have a team, we know where they hunt, and where they leave the prey.” Brooks went to the whiteboard and began drawing a web of what we knew about the couple and the murders.

  “There’s something else. I feel responsible for what happened to Genevieve. I think I set it in motion. They were after me, not her. I just wanted to catch them on camera.”

  “Avery, what happened?” Commander Jennings looked at me with shock.

  “You remember when we set those resumes as bait for the killer?”

  Jennings nodded. “Yes, but they were for a controlled sting.”

  “Well, I got a response, so I answered it and said I would be in the downtown area, and I agreed to meet them. I think they must have thought Genevieve was me. We were both wearing gray blazers that day. I... I didn’t even expect Genevieve to be there. She had gone to pick up her patrol car from being repaired.”

  “You sa
id you got a response. Was there a name or a company?” Brooks asked.

  I nodded and pulled up my email on my laptop. “Yes, and it was a name we’ve already heard in this investigation: J. Jansworth.”

  “As in the CEO of Vibeworks Circuits?” Jennings asked.

  “Yes, which is why it seemed unlikely that he would be the one who showed up.”

  “Well, I for one would like to see if we can track down where that message came from.” Kirk cracked his knuckles in anticipation. “If you don’t mind, could you pass the computer in this direction?”

  “Oh, sure, have at it.” I pushed the computer across the table to Kirk.

  Brooks paused his pacing for a minute, and I wondered if he was waiting for more information. Instead, he dropped the file he was holding on the table with a loud thump. “Okay, people, we are close to this. We have tons to go on. Let’s put this thing together.”

  I tried to think through the fog in my mind. “Okay, so we know that there are two abductors. We know that they know the downtown area and the workspace building. They got Genevieve in, past any onlookers, and out the basement garage with no trouble, so it’s likely they are connected to the building because they knew the security codes.”

  The commander flipped through a folder. “My people are looking into who has access to the building, but we are hitting some walls. But if what you say about a CIA plant is true, that may make the lack of information make more sense.”

  Brooks shook his head. “It will skew the information. Plus, we have to keep the possibility open that they aren’t tenants, but that they got the code from someone else.”

  “We don’t have time to interview everyone in the building.” I looked at the clock on the wall. Genevieve had been missing for more than ten hours. Our chances were slipping away. “We need to follow up on the Justin Jansworth lead.”

  The commander stood up at the table. “We haven’t been able to find the guy. He doesn’t live around here, and my officers haven’t been able to find where he may be staying. It seems like he’s more of a figurehead for his company than part of the daily business.”