by L. C. Shaw
“That’s because he wants my baby,” Taylor yelled behind her as they sprinted out the door.
Chapter Sixty-Five
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY JAIL, NEW HAMPSHIRE
JACK, IT’S BAD. THEY SAY YOUR FINGERPRINTS ARE ALL over that cabin. How did you get so sloppy?”
Jack’s eyes went to the ceiling.
“I wasn’t expecting it. I let my guard down. I didn’t realize until the guy showed up that I’d been set up.”
His longtime buddy and trusted lawyer, Arnie Thomas, chewed his lip. Jack waited for him to say something. He frowned at Jack. “It doesn’t look good. We’re going to need Taylor to corroborate your story that it was self-defense. She has to testify that you didn’t kidnap her and that this man threatened your life.”
Jack shook his head. “No way. She can’t come out of hiding. It’s too dangerous.”
Arnie sank back into his chair. “Are you serious? How do you expect me to get you out of this without her help?”
Jack leaned forward. “Find a way. I’m not about to hand her over on a silver platter just to save myself.”
“We might be able to use a deposition from her, plead the case that she has to stay in hiding. Can you contact her?”
“Maybe. If Jeremy’s still got the same burner, it’s possible.” Jack scratched his head. “Have you been able to find out anything about Craig?”
“No. Nothing. I’m sorry.”
“What about the paper? Did the story get printed?”
Arnie reached into his briefcase and pulled out a newspaper. He handed it to Jack.
“That can’t be,” Jack sputtered.
“I’m afraid it is. There’s nothing about the conspiracy. You’re still front-page news, though. And Parks never went back to his office. When I called, they didn’t know where he was.”
Jack felt like he’d been punched in the gut. “They must have gotten him. Taylor will never forgive me if he’s murdered.” He hit the table. “Please, try to find out if he’s okay. Hopefully he’s still validating the story and that’s why it hasn’t printed yet. I have to know he’s safe.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.” Arnie stood. “In the meantime, if you think of anything helpful, let me know. I’ve got a bail hearing to prepare for.”
Chapter Sixty-Six
WE CAN’T TAKE MY CAR. WHEN THEY GET HERE AND WE’RE gone, they’ll look for it. What about the Escort?” Evelyn said.
Taylor shook her head. “No, whoever was here and took Jack would have the plates, and Crosse might too.”
“What are we going to do?” Jeremy said.
She had to think.
“About half a mile up the road there’s another cottage. We know the family; they only come here in the summer and an occasional weekend. They used to leave an old Volvo station wagon there. If we’re lucky, it’s still next to their house.”
“What about the keys?” Jeremy asked.
“There’s a toolbox under the kitchen sink. Can you grab it?”
They followed Taylor down the gravel road and narrow dirt driveway that led to the house. A blue station wagon was parked in a carport next to the cottage.
Taylor tried the door. It was unlocked. “Get in.” She turned to Jeremy, seated next to her. “Screwdriver, please.”
He handed it to her. She inserted the flat end into the ignition.
“Hammer?” She took it from him and used it to smack the butt end of the screwdriver.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Unlocking the steering column so we can start the car.” She turned the screwdriver and the car started.
“How in the world do you know how to do that?”
She gave him a wry look. “Things can get boring at boarding school when you don’t have your own wheels.”
“You’re full of surprises.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Where are we going?” Evelyn asked.
“I think the only safe bet is to go back to Carl’s,” Jeremy answered. “He’s a good friend of mine, and he lives completely off the grid,” he explained for Evelyn’s benefit.
“Where is he?”
“New Hampshire.”
“That’s over a seven-hour drive.”
“Well, we don’t have much choice. We’ll drive straight through, taking shifts,” Taylor said. “In the meantime, we have to figure out our next move. Now that the flash drive is gone, all we have is the letter. I’m not a lawyer, but I have to wonder how it would be authenticated with Maya gone and everyone in her family dead.”
“Evelyn’s met her. And I’m sure there are handwriting samples from tests or essays while she was in school,” Jeremy said.
Evelyn was shaking her head. “It’s not enough. He’ll figure a way to get out of it. He can claim that she was delusional—she made it all up. We need more.”
“What if I went public with what we know?” Taylor asked. “I have contacts in the press. Everyone knows Karen Printz; I was her producer for years. I’m sure she’d love to interview me on Newsline. Even if they don’t believe us about the illegal things being done at the Institute, we could tell them of our suspicions that it was started and funded by a Nazi war criminal. It might be enough to get people looking into the Institute and Crosse. They could investigate his dealings, get people to come forward. Those stories always bring people out of the woodwork,” Taylor said.
“Maybe,” Jeremy said, “but his people are not your ordinary victim types. Remember, they’re either very well compensated, or zealots doing what they believe is their calling. I’m worried that that kind of scrutiny would only drive him to get rid of any evidence of what he did to my mother and all his other illegal activity.”
“I agree with Jeremy,” Evelyn said. “Being on staff all these years, I’ve seen how very careful Damon is to make sure his key players have passed stringent psychological screenings.”
Taylor looked around to make sure no other cars were in sight and swerved off the road into a wooded clearing and turned to face Evelyn.
“Give me your phone.”
“What?”
Jeremy sensed what she was up to, and from the corner of her eye she saw him pull the gun out of the satchel where he’d stashed it.
“I want to believe that you’re going to help us. But how do I know you don’t just want us to lead you to Carl?”
“Fair enough.” She handed the phone to Taylor.
“Now get out of the car.”
“What are you doing?” Jeremy asked. “You’re not leaving her here?”
“Keep the gun on her. I want to search her.”
They both moved behind the car and Evelyn put her hands up while Taylor patted her down.
“Okay, you can get back in. Give me your purse as well.” Taylor threw it to Jeremy. After Evelyn and Taylor got back in the car, Taylor put the car in drive as she said to Jeremy, “Take out her wallet, then throw the rest out the window. We don’t have time to look for a tracking device.”
“Taylor, you have to believe me. Now that I know the truth, I could never work for Damon again. He truly never showed me that side of him. All I saw was his educational programs, the research I thought he was doing for the good of humanity.”
“Come on, you had to know he was up to no good. You were the one administering the tests. What did you think he was doing?”
“A lot of companies use psychological testing on their employees. I thought he was a visionary intent on improving the world, that his work with doctors and lawyers was progressive. I believed in what he told me, that he wanted to relieve suffering through euthanasia, improve health through genetic engineering.”
“And what did you think he was going to do with Taylor?”
“Both he and Warwick told me she’d been kidnapped. Jack’s face was all over the news. I had no reason not to believe him.”
Taylor still wasn’t completely convinced, but Evelyn’s words had the ring of truth to them. She needed t
o figure out a way to be certain. “I want to believe you, but you can understand if I’m having trouble trusting people these days.”
“Record me. Record me saying that I’m helping Jeremy get back at his father. I’ll say that I’m going to testify that I knew Maya and that I believe Damon killed her.”
“What will that accomplish?”
“An insurance policy. You can email it to whomever you want, and they can send it to Crosse if I double-cross you.” She threw her hands up. “It’s all I have.”
“You could always say we made you do it,” Taylor said.
“I know my father; that’ll be enough for him to doubt her and have her killed.”
Jeremy swiped to video and recorded Evelyn saying the incriminating words. “Done. I’ve emailed it to three of my people.”
“All right. We still have to figure out a way to take him down,” Taylor said. “I think we need to get back into the Institute and try to get his files.”
“Impossible. The video surveillance would pick us up before we got close and his security detail would get us,” Jeremy said.
She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “What else can we do? We can’t let him get away with all of it.” She had an idea. “What if we don’t sneak in? What if we’re invited?”
“What do you mean?” Evelyn asked.
“I’ll call him. Say I want to meet him. I’ll go in, wear a wire, and get him to admit to everything.” Even as the words left her lips, she realized she’d watched too many detective shows.
“No way,” both Evelyn and Jeremy answered.
“You can’t go near him. It’s too dangerous. If anyone is going in, it’s me. Problem is, he just wants me dead. After everything I’ve done to hamper his plans—turning Malcolm, finding you—he wants vengeance,” Jeremy said.
“There’s something he wants even more,” Taylor said.
“What?” Jeremy asked.
“The coins.”
“The what?” Evelyn asked.
Ignoring her, Taylor went on. “If you call and say you want to talk to him and use the coins as a bargaining chip, he’d have to let you in. He wouldn’t risk losing them forever. You’d have to prove that you have them, though, bring some with you.”
“I don’t like that. If he gets his hands on them, it will only make him more powerful.”
“He’s not going to get to keep them. We have to figure out a way to get you in and then contain him while you download the file from the main computer.”
“I think I can help with that,” Evelyn said.
“How?” Taylor asked.
“The head of security. He started when he was so young, I practically raised him. If I call him and tell him I need to get on-site undetected, I think he can rig the security cameras so that they play old tape—Jeremy could sneak whomever he wanted on-site to help.”
“Are you sure he’d do that? What would you tell him?” Jeremy asked.
“If I tell him I messed up on a dossier, that I need to replace it without Damon’s knowing, he’ll help me.”
“What do you think?” Taylor asked Jeremy.
“I think it could work. I could have my men surprise his security and take them out. I also have a connection there, who will help me keep Crosse contained if necessary.”
“Who?” Taylor asked.
“Jonas, his house manager. We’ve been working on him for the past few weeks. His granddaughter died. He blames Damon.”
“What happened?” Taylor asked.
“Her boyfriend was one of the kids that died trying the choking game from that show. She killed herself.”
Taylor looked puzzled. “I don’t understand.”
“He knew that Damon had fixed the Supreme Court case against the parents and blames Damon for his granddaughter’s suicide.” He nodded. “This might actually work.”
Chapter Sixty-Seven
BAIL DENIED. THE DEFENDANT WILL BE REMANDED TO THE custody of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department,” the judge said as she slammed the gavel down.
Arnie’s face went white, and the bailiff cuffed Jack and led him away.
Hillsborough County Jail—Valley Street Jail, as the locals referred to it—was no place for lightweights. The fact that it wasn’t a prison, just a jail, made little difference. The worst of the worst started their journey in a jail before heading off to prison.
The cells were full of men on trial for murder, drugs, rape, and other assorted crimes. Arnie had assured him that, unlike Jack, most of them were guilty, and that Jack better show them he was more than a pretty face, or it would be a long month waiting to be processed and moved—if he made it that long.
The first night was the defining one. Jack had to make the transition quickly if he wanted to survive.
It was lights out, and as he lay on his back he knew some of the inmates would be testing his mettle. Arnie had told him there were lots of repeat offenders who’d have alliances formed. Jack figured it would happen in the next hour or so. He evened his breathing and completed a quick visualization. Every muscle in his body was tense, and he listened for telltale sounds. He pretended to be asleep. He was ready.
He heard Finley, his cellmate, first—the creak of the metal bed as he got up. Jack remained motionless, his eyes closed. The swish of coarse fabric—thigh against thigh—as others approached the cell. He estimated that there were three plus Finley, not counting the crooked guard who would be letting them in. The whining of the door as they entered was his cue.
He sprang up from the mattress and gave the first man a swift upward punch, smashing his nose. He went down. Jack shoved his fingers into the second man’s eyes. He pushed until there was no more resistance, and the man screamed in agony.
Jack felt a searing pain in his leg and realized he’d been slashed. Where did that come from? He turned and saw Finley dancing in front of him, waving the weapon in the air.
“Come on, big shot. Come and get it.” He was grinning at Jack.
The last man came up behind Jack and threw a meaty arm around his neck. Jack didn’t resist but fell back against the man in surrender.
“Not so tough, now, huh, Logan? It’s Miller time.” He recognized the voice. It was Albert Miller. He’d made himself known to Jack earlier in the day.
Jack bent his head forward, then snapped it back hard, gratified to hear the sound of cracking bone. Miller cursed as he released Jack and his hands went to his own face. It was now or never. Jack rushed in and grabbed Finley by the balls. He squeezed. Hard. Finley screamed as he swiped at Jack. He got two more swipes in, but Jack didn’t let go.
“Get off me, you lunatic.”
“Drop the knife,” Jack said.
Finley opened his hand.
Jack leaned down and took it, releasing his grip on Finley.
“Tell your friends to get out of here before I finish them off and blame it on you.”
Chapter Sixty-Eight
DAMON CROSSE FROZE WHEN HE HEARD THE VOICE ON the other end of the phone.
“Hello, Father.” The sarcasm was palpable.
Damon scowled. “Have you called to confess the error of your ways?” He couldn’t wait to vent his fury on Jeremy. But first he would let him know that all his efforts at redemption were in vain. Yes, he would make him suffer for his betrayal.
A loud sigh. “I’ve no patience for these tiresome games. I have something you want.”
“And that would be?”
“The ten coins my family has been protecting.”
His body tensed. “What do you want for them?”
“My mother’s cross. I presume you still have it?”
“You presume correctly,” Damon answered.
Jeremy continued. “And to work out a peace agreement. I’ll leave you alone if you’ll do the same.”
He laughed. “You take me for a fool. You cannot seriously expect any peace between the two of us. You have betrayed me and everything I believe in. There is no peace.” He felt
the anger rise again and resisted the urge to smash the phone against the desk. The insolence!
“Fine. Forget it. Taylor and I will deactivate them so they will never do you or anyone else any good.”
He clenched his teeth. “All right then. We shall talk. Perhaps we can come to some sort of cease-and-desist agreement. As long as you bring the silver pieces.” Damon was dying to get his hands on the silver pieces, but this was too easy.
“You are willing to give them up just for a piece of jewelry?”
“It’s all that’s left of her.”
What a sentimental fool. “Fine.” He hung up. He would have twenty of them, and only need to find the last ten to complete the set. And once he’d taken them from Jeremy, he wouldn’t stop until he hunted him down and killed him. If his son understood the power he was handing over, he would never make such a deal. Not only would they unleash demonic power that would be in Damon’s control, but they would also restore his youth. Some even said they could make you immortal. He wasn’t sure if he believed that, but with another forty or fifty years and more supernatural help, there would be no stopping him. Everything would be accomplished so much more easily, and the access he would have, oh, the access—it was something he had only dreamed about. He thought of his beloved mentor and whispered, “Oh, Father, if only you were still with me. What we could do together.”
Chapter Sixty-Nine
THE FIRST THING TAYLOR DID WHEN THEY REACHED CARL and Gilly’s house was to sit on the floor and embrace Beau. He licked her face as he jumped, delirious with joy.
“So good to see you, baby. I missed you so much.” She showered his head with kisses. He finally settled down and put his head in her lap. She looked up at Gilly. “I can’t thank you enough for taking such good care of him.”
Gilly shook her head. “Nonsense. It’s been a pleasure having him. Truth be told, I hate to see him go.”
Jeremy came into the kitchen. “Let’s go find Carl.”
