Malice

by Anne Patrick

  She smiled. "Yes you would."

  "Call your husband and then get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

  "Night, Isaac, and thanks."

  "Don't mention it."

  Contemplating Isaac's words, the guilt grew in Jo for not having confided in her husband. Until this case, he'd always been supportive of her career. Not once had he discouraged her from taking on a case, even if it took her out of the state. With that thought in mind, she picked up the phone. She let it ring a half dozen times then hung up just before the machine picked up. Either he hadn't made it home yet or he was screening calls.

  Lord, I know I messed up, and I'm not sure what to do. I feel I have a responsibility to do all I can to catch Briggs, but I don't want to risk losing Austin and Bailey. They're my family and I don't want to lose them. Please help me to make things right.

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  "Washington," Isaac barked into the phone, annoyed at being wakened. Glancing at the red neon light on his alarm clock, he saw it was 5:30am.

  "Agent Washington, Deputy Ferguson with the Fulton County Sheriff's Office. That cruiser you've been looking for, it just turned up at a truck stop north of here on the interstate."

  "Who reported it?"

  "Another deputy with our department. I phoned the Highway Patrol. They're standing by at the truck stop. No sign of Briggs though."

  "Seal off the scene. We're on our way."

  "Yes, sir."

  After hanging up, he dialed Jo's room.

  "This had better be good. Do you know what time it is?" she asked in a groggy voice.

  "It's 5:30. You've got about five minutes to be ready and in the parking lot."

  "You're kidding. It takes me that long just to get out of bed."

  "Okay you have ten minutes. We found the cruiser, Jo."

  "Briggs?"

  "No sign of him."

  "Okay, I'll be there."

  He phoned Agent Ryan as he dressed, and was surprised when the young profiler showed up at his door before he even finished brushing his teeth. Toothbrush in his mouth, he motioned for the young agent to come in before stepping back into the bathroom.

  "You have a beautiful family," she said as he exited the bathroom.

  He glanced over and found her holding a three-way picture frame he always carried with him out on the road.

  "Thank you. Do you have kids?"

  "No. I'm not married."

  Grabbing his jacket, he opened the door for the young agent, and then followed her to the car. He wasn't too surprised when she chose the backseat; the kid seemed to be catching on fast.

  They only had to wait a few minutes for Jo as she exited her room still dressing. Tossing her shoes into the floorboard, she slung on her shoulder holster and then her blazer before climbing in. "Could we at least get some coffee before we start out?" she asked as she struggled to slip on her shoes.

  "What happened to caffeine being bad for the baby?" he teased. Then received the iciest glare he'd seen in a long time. "Coffee it is," he agreed.

  *****

  Half dozen or more semi-trucks were parked at the pumps, a dozen more around the truck stop, and only four cars were parked in the parking lot near the entrance. One of them Isaac quickly recognized as the Louke City cruiser. The highway patrolman approached as they exited their car.

  "You with the FBI?"

  Isaac produced his badge. "Anyone been near the car?"

  "Not since I've been here. A Fulton County deputy called it in about an hour ago, don't know how long it's been sitting here."

  He watched as Jo and Molly walked to the cruiser. After pulling on a pair of latex gloves she'd kept in her blazer pocket, Jo took the keys from the ignition and opened the trunk, then covering her mouth with her hand, she turned back to him. He could tell from her expression what lay inside, and it wasn't but just a minute the drifting odor confirmed it.

  "Guess I better get the coroner," the patrolman said.

  "Have the body taken to the nearest morgue and my men will take over from there." Isaac saw a small gathering of people near the entrance taking notice of their activity. "We're going to need as many deputies as they can spare for crowd control."

  "I'll get right on it."

  Joining his agents at the car, he peered into the trunk at the nude body of a young girl. Though he couldn't tell from her battered face, he was certain it was Suzy Miller.

  "Isaac, I need your help," Jo said.

  He glanced up and saw her climb into the driver's side. Turning to Agent Ryan, "keep everyone back," he instructed before joining Jo in the cruiser.

  "We should wait till Rifkin and Milano get here to go over it for prints."

  "We haven't got time. He carjacked a woman from here, she's still alive."

  "Jo, this isn't a good idea, especially after…"

  "Please, just take my hand. Give me ten minutes."

  Knowing it'd be of little use to argue, he did as she asked.

  It wasn't but a few minutes when her grip tightened, her strength somewhat startling. Keeping steady watch of her body language as well as the second hand of his wristwatch, he waited for what seemed an eternity. It wasn't long until the rise and fall of her chest began to quicken, and the muscles in her neck constricted as if she were being choked. The light pink scar circling her neck, a wound she'd received prior to her transfer, was becoming brighter. Within seconds, her breathing became labored, as if struggling for breath, and she squeezed his hand harder, her knuckles white.

  "Okay, Jo, your ten minutes are up."

  She gave no reply though, and he saw a tear trickle down her cheek. She was in trouble.

  Leaning across the seat, he tapped her cheek lightly. "Jo, listen to me, you need to stop now." He waited but there was no response. "Jo, come on, it's Isaac, open your eyes," he spoke in a much harsher tone.

  Suddenly she gasped, and as she did, she opened her eyes and slowly turned to him. A terror like none he'd ever seen her express tore at every fiber of his body. "They're at an old abandoned air field, a metal building of some sort," she spoke in a shaky voice before turning loose of his hand to swipe at the tears.

  "Stay put. I'll be right back." He yanked the door open. "Ryan!" he shouted. The young profiler ran over. "Stay with her."

  "Yes, sir."

  The patrolman was still on his radio when he walked up. "There's an abandoned air field in the area, we need to find it."

  "The only airport is the municipal one and it's not abandoned."

  "Are you sure?"

  "It's not in this county."

  Isaac whirled around at Jo's words. "I told you to stay put."

  "We're wasting time, Isaac; he's going to kill her."

  "Who is she talking about?" the patrolman asked, shifting his eyes from Jo to him.

  "We need a helicopter," Isaac said, but the patrolman continued to look as if he was in a daze. "Come on, son, we haven't much time. A woman's life is in danger here."

  "But how do you…how does she…?"

  "Give me the radio." Jo snatched the mike from his hand. "This is Special Agent McDaniels with the FBI…"

  "Hey, you can't…"

  Isaac grabbed his arm and dragged him to the back of his patrol car. "Listen very carefully, in case you haven't noticed my partner there is pregnant, and undoubtedly the most dangerous mother to be you'll ever come into contact with."

  The patrolman grinned. "I get it. She's that profiler they were talking about on the news yesterday."

  "That's right, we're working up in Louke and the guy we're looking for carjacked a woman from this location within the last few hours. If we hurry we might be able to save her from the same demise as that teenager over there."

  *****

  It took less than half an hour to get a helicopter. Luckily, a Highway Patrol chopper out of Minneapolis had been headed north to an accident when it was canceled. The Fulton County Sheriff's Office helped to stop traffic while the helicopter landed in the hig
hway just as the rest of the taskforce arrived at the scene.

  "Rifkin, I want you and Milano to see what you can come up with on the cruiser, while Boone goes to the morgue," Isaac began shouting orders. When he turned to Jo, she could almost read his mind.

  "I'll be fine, Isaac. It's not much different than a passenger plane," she advised knowing he was anxious about her condition.

  "That's not true but we haven't got time to argue so get in the chopper. Farrell, you and Ryan grab a couple of deputies that know the area and start heading north."

  He waited until they were on their way before turning to her. "Tell me where we're going, Jo," he shouted above the sound of the rotating blades.

  She didn't answer immediately. Closing her eyes she concentrated on the swishing of the rotors, letting her thoughts drift back to the vision she had experienced less than a half hour ago.

  He watched the young college student put gas into her brown Monte Carlo. She was pretty, like the others, her long sun-streaked blonde hair cascaded down past her shoulders. He noticed her brilliant smile as she visited casually with a nearby truck driver. He suspected she was heading back to school after spending the weekend with her family. A loving and supportive family he guessed from the way she walked: shoulders back, head held high. He doubted she had ever wanted for anything, a daddy's girl who could move both heaven and earth with a flash of a smile.

  The vision shifted to a new location, and Jo shook free of the images before getting lost in his anger. "You're going to go forty to forty-five miles up the interstate, till you see a small community off to the west. Follow the gravel road that leads from the old mill, you should be able to see the airport off to the south."

  "Okay, hold on," he said and relayed the message to the pilot.

  "There it is," the pilot spoke a few minutes later.

  Isaac followed his gaze to the Y shaped airstrip below. Three metal buildings lay to the left of it. "Which one, Jo?"

  She gazed down at the metal buildings and quickly spotted the one from her vision. "The one with the oil drums in front."

  Searching the ground beneath them, she saw no sign of a vehicle. The pilot, choosing a spot that would allow the best cover, maneuvered the chopper to the ground. Isaac slid back the door, offered her his hand, and helped her to the ground. He then handed her a black Kevlar vest. "Put this on," he yelled over the sound of the blades rotating above them.

  She slipped the body armor over her head and struggled to secure it in place; then turned back to Isaac and waited for him to fasten his. The chopper's blades stirred the air, causing her auburn hair to whip about her face so she raised a hand to tuck it behind her ears.

  "I've got your backs," the youngest of the two patrolmen announced as he swung an assault rifle over his left shoulder.

  Drawing her 9mm from her holster, Jo let Isaac take the lead as they approached the metal building. "Federal agents," he announced. He swung the metal door open. Jo was right behind him as he went through, pivoting to the right as he turned to the left. She kept her weapon poised in front of her and swept her side of the building.

  Jo had gotten about half way through the building when she spotted a young woman lying nude on the concrete floor. "I've got her," she yelled before rushing forward. Kneeling on one knee, she placed her fingers on the young woman's neck and felt a faint pulse. "Get the paramedics, she's still alive." Holstering her gun, Jo glanced down at her battered face. "Miss, can you hear me? You're going to be okay."

  "No," the woman screamed and started to scoot away from her.

  "Hey, hey, it's okay, he's gone. You're safe now. My name's Jo McDaniels, I'm with the FBI."

  She glanced up briefly through swollen eyes and attempted to cover her body with her bruised arms as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Jo slipped her vest over her head, removed her blazer, and placed it over the young woman. "The paramedics will be here in just a few minutes. You're going to be okay." She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder in a lame attempt to comfort her. The young woman immediately wrapped her arms around Jo and began to cry. It wasn't but a second before Jo's own tears broke loose, sharing in the woman's pain and humiliation.

  Jo glanced up at the sound of approaching steps to find Isaac walking toward them. "Here's a blanket. The paramedics are on their way."

  She took the white cotton blanket and wrapped it around the young woman. "What's your name?"

  "Debra…Debra Dewitt."

  "We're going to need to contact your family, Debra, to let them know you're okay."

  "They live in Springdale: Howard and Martha Dewitt."

  Jo turned back to Isaac, who immediately reached for his cellphone before leaving them alone. Recalling her vision, she steadied her eyes on the battered face of the young woman. "I know what you've been through and that you don't want to talk about it just yet, but there are a few questions I need you to answer if you can."

  "Okay."

  "The man who abducted you and brought you here, did he give you any indication of where he was heading?"

  She shook her head. "He…he didn't say much of anything except… that he was going to kill me," she managed before breaking into more sobs.

  "You're going to be all right now, you're safe. It's over."

  The young woman raised, her swollen eyes meeting Jo's. "No," she said almost in a whisper, "it's never going to be over."

  Jo fell silent at her words, forcing herself to glance away from the hollow look in her eyes. Memories of an eight-year-old girl penetrated her thoughts. A little girl who had never spoken another word after Harland Briggs had savagely raped and tortured her. Jo knew her memories of the beast would someday fade away once he was captured, but the two victims that had survived would forever live the hellish nightmare he brought into their lives.

  "Jo." Isaac's voice shattered her thoughts. "The paramedics are here."

  She glanced past him to see two young men standing next to a gurney. Equipment in hand, they came forward.

  "Don't leave me," the young woman pleaded as Jo started to pull away.

  "I'm not leaving. I'll be right over here," she promised.

  "Let me give you a hand," Isaac offered, stepping forward.

  Grabbing hold of his hand Jo pulled herself up and then stepped to one side so the paramedics could attend to the young woman. She then rested her hand on her stomach.

  "You okay?"

  "Yeah, I'm fine," she managed with little conviction. "I'm going to ride with her to the hospital and stay until her parents arrive."

  "You sure that's such a good idea?"

  "If you're worried about this case becoming too personal, it's a little late for that."

  "Just remember your priorities. Don't lose focus."

  She glanced up at his reminder. "If I get much more focused, I'm going to need a straightjacket."

  "That's not funny, Jo."

  "It wasn't meant to be," she said and walked off.

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  "Is it okay if I call you Jo?"

  She glanced over at the young woman lying in the hospital bed. Though her face was severely battered, the doctors had assured her she would be fine physically. "Of course you can."

  "The man that abducted me, he's done this before, hasn't he?"

  "I'm afraid so. You may not feel it right now, but you're very lucky to be alive."

  "Is he the one that's been in the papers and on the news?"

  Jo nodded. "We believe he's killed at least twenty-four people over the last three years."

  "He didn't look like the pictures. His hair is much darker and he didn't have a beard. I actually thought he was kinda cute when I first saw him."

  "He can be very charming."

  Several seconds passed before she spoke again. "He said he was a narcotics officer. He had a badge…it looked real. He'd seen me talking to a truck driver at the pumps and wanted to know what we had talked about. According to him, the man was a suspected drug smuggler. He
seemed sincere. I believed him."

  "You did nothing wrong, Debra. He's very convincing. He's fooled a lot of people, including me."

  The young woman stared past her to a silent television program, tears still trickling down her cheeks.

  Until now, the girl had talked freely of the abduction but had failed to describe the physical attack. Having seen in the others the brutality of his nature, Jo wasn't about to press her for any more details, but knew sooner or later she'd have to tell her story. A report would have to be filed, detailing what was done to her, and once he was caught, she would be called to testify, reliving every horrible moment that had transpired.

  "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for a while."

  "I'll be right outside if you need me."

  "Thank you."

  *****

  "Agent McDaniels."

  Raising her head from the cushion, Jo met the piercing brown eyes of a pretty brunette in her early forties. Quickly recognizing her as Debra's mother, she struggled to sit up on the waiting room couch.

  "Sorry I woke you; I just wanted to let you know the doctors are releasing Debra."

  "Really? That's great."

  The woman took a seat next to Jo. "I'd like to thank you for staying with my daughter till we got here. We appreciate your kindness."

  "No problem. I'm glad she's going to be all right."

  "She's been asking for you, if you'd like to see her."

  "Of course." Jo stood awkwardly.

  "How far along are you?"

  "I've got a little over four weeks till my due date."

  "Oh my, should you even be working?"

  "Probably not," she said before heading down the corridor toward the emergency room.

  Debra was sitting up on the side of the bed when she entered her cubicle. "Your mom says they're ready to spring you."

  "Yeah," the young woman said, managing a smile. It was the most welcomed smile Jo had seen in a long time. "I want to thank you for staying with me. You don't know how much it meant to me."