The Depraved (A Sarah Roberts Thriller Book 26)

by Jonas Saul

  “Well, hearing it from you makes me feel so much better. I’m so happy with this development.” She gave Aaron and Parkman a thumbs up. “I’ll speak with Beverly and we’ll set a time for when I’ll drive her in.”

  “Make it fast, though, Sarah. It can’t be next week. Today is preferred.”

  “I understand, and so does Beverly. She wants this behind her as much as the rest of us.”

  “The issue I’m worried about is if they find you guys first.”

  “No need to worry on that count. No one can find us. It’s impossible. Not only are we hidden well, we’ve got the best security. We’ll remain hidden until we’re ready to come out.”

  “Sarah, be careful.”

  A warning? When they’ve agreed to come in? “Why?” she asked. “Do you trust this Mavin guy?”

  “No, but he gave me his word. It has to hold some weight.”

  Sarah locked eyes with Aaron. “Tell me what evidence they arrested Hunter with?”

  Beverly’s bedroom door opened and she stepped out into the living room where she stretched and yawned.

  “He didn’t say exactly, but he referred to the money and evidence Beverly had sent to him. I’m assuming he received it and changed his mind.”

  “Changed his mind?”

  “Yeah, he wasn’t going to arrest Hunter, but then he just called me about thirty minutes ago to tell me he had arrested the man.”

  “This is thin. Without proof Hunter’s actually arrested, I don’t know.”

  Beverly had zeroed in on Sarah’s end of the conversation and came closer to sit on the armrest of the couch on Parkman’s side to listen in. Her eyes were still puffy from sleep.

  “You want proof, turn on the six o’clock news. Mavin’s going to tell the media about the arrest in a live statement.”

  “Oh, shit, okay, that would be convincing enough. I’ll call back with a time for when we’re coming in.”

  She hung up and turned off the phone.

  “In a half hour, Sergeant Mavin, Hunter’s boss, will be on the news announcing the arrest of Detective Hunter, as well as naming him as a suspect in the murder of Jamie Morgan’s parents. Looks like you did it.”

  Beverly hung her head for a moment, then looked back up.

  Her expression was one Sarah had seen before in clinically depressed individuals. This woman would need a lot of help on the inside, and Sarah hoped and prayed she would get it.

  “Thank you, Sarah.” She turned to the men on the couch beside her. “Thanks to all of you. Sometimes, not all men are evil.”

  Aaron shook his head. “Most, maybe.” He smiled. “But not all.”

  “Beverly?” Sarah set the phone down beside her. “When do you want to head to the police station?” Thoughts of seeing Willow again flitted through her mind. Aaron and Sarah were blessed with the babysitter they had, but another night was pushing it.

  “Does a few hours work?” Beverly pushed up off the couch. “Let me have a coffee first. Then I’ll call my lawyer and arrange to meet him. He’ll take me in.”

  Sarah and Aaron glanced at each other, relief in their expressions. This was finally coming to an end—a peaceful end.

  “Your lawyer?” Sarah asked.

  “His name’s Mark.” Beverly grabbed a filter and tossed ground coffee into it. “I have him on call in case, you know”—she glanced at Sarah, then looked away—“they caught me and I was still alive.”

  “I understand.”

  “I just hope he’s okay.”

  “Okay?” Sarah twisted in her chair, curling a leg up under her to sit on.

  “He’s been fighting pancreatic cancer, in and out of the hospital. Anyway, last I heard he was still working.” She hiccupped a laugh. “Working right to the end.”

  “Honorable.”

  “I’ll see if he can meet me for seven or eight. Tell them I’ll surrender at nine this evening. That’ll work.”

  “Okay, Beverly. We’ll leave when you’re ready. I’ll call and tell DeOcampo what we’ve discussed.” Sarah grabbed the last burner she had and started dialing. “But you go into the police station wearing that Kevlar vest Hunter gave me last night before I entered that barn. I don’t want anyone taking a shot at you.”

  Beverly glanced over at her, then stared out the window, her mind already somewhere else.

  “You got it, Sarah.”

  Chapter 39

  Disco’s Hummer was high off the ground and made them feel safer, as if they were in a tank.

  It was over.

  Beverly Wilder, willing to confess all her crimes, was en route to the Toronto Police Services station and was going to surrender herself to the authorities without an issue.

  She’d even called her friend, some lawyer she’d known from her days as a dancer. He’d agreed to meet her, discuss the details of her voluntary surrender, and walk her into the police station.

  Once Sarah told Beverly everything DeOcampo had relayed on the phone, the wheels were set into motion and it was agreed they’d all leave the cottage, meet the lawyer for one hour’s time, then drive to the police station for nine at night.

  Sarah called DeOcampo one more time and told her that Beverly Wilder, with her lawyer, a man named Mark Sutton, would enter the police station where Detective Hunter and Sergeant Mavin worked, for nine that night.

  Beverly expected to be treated fairly and with respect, as well as have all her legal rights offered to her.

  This was a peaceful end to a tumultuous existence.

  The lawyer also promised Sarah that once the trial and long legal process was complete, he would seek the best mental health specialists in the penal system to make sure Beverly had a chance at some sort of happiness or at least peace of mind for all that she had endured at the hands of evil men.

  Mark Sutton promised all that, and Beverly said she could trust him.

  Disco pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building where Sarah and Aaron lived.

  Sarah instantly saw a cruiser with two men in it, watching the Hummer. They progressed as if there was no issue whatsoever.

  “Everyone ready?” Sarah asked.

  They all nodded. Of course they were ready. They were always ready.

  Disco stopped near the front doors of the building. They all exited the Hummer and Sarah and Aaron moved into the light of the overheads as the sun had lowered in the west, behind the building.

  “Sarah Roberts,” a man said behind the group.

  Sarah, Aaron, Disco, and Parkman turned to see two men in suits approaching from the parking lot.

  They identified themselves as officers and that they were looking for her and Aaron.

  “What can we do for you?” Aaron asked.

  “There’s a BOLO out on you two,” the taller man said. “I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us.”

  “What’s a BOLO?” Sarah asked, even though she knew what it was.

  “It stands for Be On the Look Out. We understand you’ve been harboring a fugitive—”

  They all laughed. “Harboring a fugitive?” Aaron said. “That’s a riot. Who told you that?” He pointed at Disco. “This is our friend. We’ve been an hour’s drive from here the whole time, at our friend’s cottage.” He turned back to the Hummer and opened the door, making a show of checking the interior. Then he faced the men in suits again. “No fugitive in here.”

  “All jokes aside, you’ll have to come with us.”

  “Again,” Parkman said, stepping forward as the laughing died down. “What for? What evidence do you have that Sarah or Aaron had some fugitive with them? Call it in. Check out you’re not making a mistake. I’m an ex-police officer myself. I can verify these two were with me and him,” he pointed at Disco without saying his name, “and we had no fugitives with us.”

  The men seemed to question their directives, exchanging a worried glance.

  “Go ahead, call it in,” Aaron said. “We’ll wait. If there’s still a BOLO out on us, I’ll contact our lawy
er and we’ll come in, but we’ll have multiple witnesses who can verify we were out of town at a friend’s cottage.”

  The taller cop raised a hand, one finger up. “Okay, please wait here while I call it in.” He stepped a few cars away, placing a phone to his ear.

  They acted put out, but that was the plan from the beginning.

  In fact, it was mostly Beverly’s plan so that none of them got into further trouble because of her. She would deny ever being with them, and they would all deny ever being with her.

  She would enter the police station with her lawyer, and the case would proceed. Sarah and her group of friends had stayed at a friend’s cottage for a few nights, and were just coming home to hear that the woman who had killed eight people—Officer Joseph Barnes, a pilot at Buttonville Airport, the Masons, the Doyles, and the Blairs—had turned herself in.

  Even DeOcampo agreed to deny ever talking to Sarah about this case—at least since their final meeting in the police conference room.

  She was supposed to call Mavin back once more to have the BOLO on Sarah and Aaron rescinded as they now had Beverly Wilder surrendering herself.

  Within five minutes of waiting, the officer returned to the group, an embarrassed look on his face.

  “Apparently the BOLO was lifted within the past hour. Sorry, folks. Enjoy your evening.”

  Disco hopped in his Hummer and left the area while Sarah, Aaron, and Parkman headed upstairs to get Willow.

  It was time to move. They had decided they wouldn’t live in the apartment any longer. Too many people knew them and where they lived, and it wasn’t safe anymore for any of them.

  They would give their landlord notice in the morning.

  Chapter 40

  Daniel checked his mirrors as he drove them all into Toronto. No one was following them. They’d get through this and life would return back to normal soon enough.

  Benjamin sat in the passenger seat, and Alex stayed in the back with Beverly. They mostly rode in silence on their way to meet the lawyer. Since none of them were suspects in relation to Beverly Wilder like Sarah and Aaron were, the plan was to have them accompany her and the lawyer to the very end, right up to the point where she entered the police station.

  Although, the meeting with the lawyer, which was supposed to be one hour long, prior to her walking into the police station, would be a private one.

  They dropped her off, confirmed that Mark Sutton was indeed a lawyer and would represent her, then the three men went for a light take-out meal next door at a fish and chip restaurant, all the while keeping an eye on Beverly and Sutton through the windows.

  At the one-hour mark, they got up from their table and everyone met outside.

  “Gentlemen,” Mark said. “We’re ready. I’ll take Beverly from here. Thanks for your time.”

  “No, that won’t be possible,” Daniel said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Our instructions were clear. We stay with Beverly until she’s in police custody. That’s what we intend to do.”

  The lawyer glanced at his client. Beverly nodded.

  Sutton shrugged. “Okay, then follow me. Once I’m parked, meet me by my car. You’ll be able to walk with us until the main lobby. Then we’ll enter the processing stage. After that, you’ll have no choice but to go home.”

  “Understood.” Daniel nodded once. “We can do that.”

  The lawyer pulled out his cell phone. “I am going to call them to let them know we’re coming in.”

  No one responded.

  Beverly opened the back door of the car and hopped in. Alex moved around and got in beside her.

  Daniel and Benjamin got in the front seat and waited until the lawyer pulled out.

  Daniel followed him for over twenty minutes before anyone broke the silence.

  “Are you doing okay?” Alex asked.

  He spoke so low, Daniel wasn’t even sure he’d heard him. He checked the rearview mirror and saw Alex staring at Beverly, whose face was downcast.

  “I’m just happy it’s all over,” she whispered. “No one has heard the whole story but Sarah and whoever she sent it to. I thought killing those responsible would end it for me, but this is truly the end of the road.”

  “It would seem so.”

  They exited the Gardiner Expressway, and started into the core of Toronto.

  “We’ll be there in a few minutes,” Alex whispered. “But I wanted you to know something.”

  Beverly turned his way, a deep sadness in her eyes.

  “Not all men are bad.”

  She stared at him for a long moment. Daniel had stopped at a red light right behind the lawyer and was watching her in the mirror.

  “I know that. Joanne told me her brother was an amazing man. She was so proud of him. She also said her brother knew three other guys that would die for him, or he for them. I didn’t believe her at first.” Beverly wiped her eyes, and then Daniel was moving the car again. “But I do now.”

  “Thank you,” Alex said. “It’s the truth, and it means a lot to us.”

  They rode in silence until stopping in the parking spot.

  “This is it,” Daniel said, turning off the car. “Last stop.”

  Beverly took in a deep breath, exhaled, her breath shaky, then clutched the door handle.

  “Thank you, guys. You’ve blessed me with your love and understanding. I’ll never forget what you did to keep me safe and get me out of that barn.”

  “We’d do it again and again,” Benjamin said. “Even if it meant getting shot at.”

  Daniel frowned at him. Back with the shooting shit again.

  They all got out and without too much preamble, began the walk toward the front of the police station.

  The long walk.

  Chapter 41

  Hunter was finally going to be able to put the past to rest. Like a huge win in the casino, he felt his heart rate elevated, his blood pressure up. Even his hands were shaking with excitement.

  The stupid bitch was voluntarily going to walk into his lair. She could spout all the bullshit she wanted, but no one would believe a coked-out whore with fake tits who just murdered eight people and came after him. How could the stupid bitch ever think her word would be of more value than a decorated homicide detective? Especially after she admitted that she killed all those people over the past few days?

  Maybe he would float the idea around that she killed her own parents, and then faked her death so she could restart her life as the whore she turned out to be. That’s it exactly, that’s the story he’d go with, fake tits, fake nose, and fucked lips. A total slut was not something daddy and mommy wanted for a daughter so the bitch killed them.

  The evidence on a twenty-year-old case was non-existent, not to mention the knife was never found and he wore gloves when he drove their car to Oshawa that night.

  All of his boys in blue would back him up, too, and even if Sergeant Mavin got some envelope with money with a letter in it talking about a drug bust, that was old news. The bust happened and people were arrested. Cash was brought in as evidence and that was it. Like the sarge would ever open that case with some sort of internal investigation, knowing it would go nowhere.

  Lucky for Hunter, the ruse of him being arrested didn’t even have to go that far. All they had to do was tell DeOcampo it was happening, and then they found out Bev was coming to him.

  The sarge spoke to the press about making an arrest, but he’d clarify later that they’d arrested Beverly Wilder.

  They even promised DeOcampo that BOLO on Sarah and Aaron would disappear, which was Hunter’s idea. The last thing he wanted was Sarah or her people in the police station, too. Then how would he ever get to her on the outside? Once Bev was processed and downstairs, he already had a few favors he was going to call in to get private access to the stupid bitch.

  Then it was time to pay Sarah Roberts a visit. He’d watch her on his days off, wait for the right time. When she was alone, or it was just her and that daughter of hers
, he’d strike. When he was done with her, his alibi in place with one of his colleagues, he’d go after that blond kid, Alex. How the hell that skinny fuck could just drop out of the rafters in the barn like he had and knock him unconscious was beyond Hunter, but he’d pay heavy for that shit.

  “Fucking seriously heavy for that.”

  “What?” Mavin said.

  Hunter glanced over at him. “I spoke out loud?”

  Mavin bobbed his head. “Yeah, you said something about weight. Like something was seriously heavy.”

  “Oh, right. Was just thinking about the notion that Beverly claims I’m some monster, yet she was my girlfriend for so long.” He looked at Mavin. “I mean, isn’t that some twisted way to break up with a guy? She must be really fucked in the head.”

  Mavin made a tsk sound with his tongue. “Hunter, she just killed eight people with careful planning and execution. Of course she’s twisted in the head. What the fuck, man?”

  They nodded at each other and stared out the window of the main foyer, watching the parking lot. It was five minutes to nine. Beverly was supposed to walk through the doors in front of them within five minutes.

  Headlights flashed across the glass. Then another pair of headlights followed the first.

  “That may be them,” Mavin said. He rose from his seat and moved to the window. “It’s them.” He turned back to the six officers he had assembled to back them up. “Gentlemen, we aren’t expecting any trouble as she’s coming in voluntarily with her lawyer, but when she sees Detective Hunter, and then figures out that he’s the one who is arresting her, she may become hysterical.”

  “You know women,” Hunter said. “Fuckin’ nuts.”

  “Just be ready to take her down to the floor. And if her lawyer gives us shit, take him down, too.”

  All the men on each side of the corridor nodded their understanding.

  “Again, let’s do this peacefully,” the sarge said. “Only escalate if they do.”

  “You heard him, boys,” Hunter said. “My collar.”