Chapter 49
FORTY-NINE
She called Malone, and they met him at Central. They filled him on their visit to the judge.
“He approved the warrants.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“Time will tell.” That’s the most enthusiasm she could muster. While they could finally arrest Hernandez, the fact her faith in Judge Anderson may have been misplaced made it bittersweet.
“You’re not to execute these warrants on your own. SWAT will be in charge, and other officers will be sent as backup. Am I understood?”
“We were planning to take a more relaxed approach, let Hernandez think we’re just there to talk again,” Amanda told him. “We’ll arrest him and Nina and then serve the search warrant. By that time, he’ll already be cuffed and out the door.”
“You think it will play out like that? He’s walked from every other allegation and charge ever levied against him. The man is cocky and is justified for being that way.”
She was fuming and without words.
Malone sat back in his chair and clasped his hands in this lap. “No. You two can tag along, but SWAT will serve the warrants. The last time cops came at him, three SWAT officers ended up dead. And I can guarantee you that Hernandez will see this for what it is—a threat. He’ll strike back.”
Amanda would contest Malone’s decision if there were ground to stand on, but he was right about Hernandez. She’d have to settle for being there to see his and Nina’s faces when they were arrested. “Fine.”
“I’ll get things in motion ASAP.” Malone picked up his phone, and she and Trent left his office.
While Amanda and Trent waited on SWAT to discuss strategy, they drove over to the hospital to check in with Valerie and Brooke Archer.
If she could convince them to talk against Hernandez and Nina, it would go a long way to ensuring a conviction.
Even if they pointed them toward recovering tangible evidence.
Anything that would solidify the case against Hernandez was welcome.
When they got to the hospital, they were told mother and daughter were sharing a room, but as they rounded the doorway, no one was in there. They returned to the nurses’ station and asked where they might find them.
After typing in her system, the nurse looked at them and said, “They haven’t been taken for any tests, so if they’re not in their room, then I suggest you check Landon Archer’s room.”
“Could you give us his room number?” Amanda wasn’t holding her breath the nurse would be forthcoming.
“I probably shouldn’t give this to you, but… well, are you the detectives who saved those two?”
“We are,” Amanda answered on her and Trent’s behalf.
“Then, bless you. Such a horrible nightmare they’ve been through.” The nurse then proceeded to give them the room number for Landon Archer.
“Thank you.” Amanda tapped the desk before setting off for Landon’s room, following the directions the nurse had given them.
It required taking an elevator and weaving through several corridors, but they eventually reached their destination. She could only imagine the effort required for the Archers in their depleted condition. But if Amanda were Valerie, she wouldn’t want to spend another minute away from her ill son.
Amanda could hear several voices coming from inside Landon’s room as she and Trent got closer.
It sounded like a full house. Upon reaching the doorway and looking inside, she saw it was.
Valerie and Brooke Archer were there in wheelchairs, and Bruce and Deborah Archer were present also.
Amanda hadn’t expected to see them, and knowing word about Abigail would have reached them, her heart ached for them.
Everyone including Landon, in his hospital bed, looked their way.
Amanda smiled at all of them with some reservation, feeling as if she were invading a private family moment.
Brooke, who was seated at her brother’s side, was the first to break the silence. “They’re the detectives who found us.” Her words were directed at Landon, but the grandparents stepped toward them.
“Detectives Steele and Stenson, we can’t thank you enough for returning Valerie and our granddaughter.” Bruce took Amanda’s hand, and then Trent’s.
Deborah hugged Amanda, catching her off guard.
“I’m so sorry for the loss of your daughter, Abigail,” she told them.
“We both are,” Trent chirped in.
“Thank you. We haven’t had a chance to process it yet,” Deborah said, her eyes full of tears.
“It will hit us, I’m sure, but in this moment, we’re just celebrating that we have these two back.
” She returned to her granddaughter’s side and squeezed her shoulder.
The girl looked over her shoulder at Deborah and took her hand.
“This is my brother, Landon,” Brooke said.
“Hello, Landon, nice to finally meet you,” Amanda told him.
Trent dipped his head at the teen lying in the bed.
“Thank you for bringing them home,” Landon told them.
The unsteadiness in his voice stabbed at Amanda’s heart. And while she couldn’t cure his leukemia, she and Trent had brought his mother and sister home.
“We wish we could have gotten to them sooner.” The words slipped out. The truth. Amanda’s tendency to be hard on herself made clear.
“But you got to them,” Bruce weighed in. “And though things never turned out the way we’d hoped with Abigail, there will be closure now. She’ll also get a proper burial, and we’ll be able to say our goodbyes.”
“Are you here to tell us you arrested the people responsible for all of this?” Deborah asked, her voice leery.
“We know who did it,” Trent said. “Plans are in motion for arrests to be made.”
“There’s that at least, but…” Deborah’s chin quivered, and Bruce wrapped his arm around his wife.
Amanda glanced at Valerie and found her watching her. “Could we speak a moment?”
Valerie nodded, and Bruce was quick to take position behind her chair and wheel her to a corner of the room where Amanda and Trent had moved to. He then left them alone and returned to the rest of the family.
“We can both understand your hesitation to talk out against the people who did this,” Amanda began.
“The man responsible is very dangerous, which you witnessed firsthand.” A sliver of guilt fired through her for the senseless statement that would have only served as a potent reminder.
“Do you know how long you were in that well?”
“Just that it was after they killed Abigail, after they had already…” Valerie scrunched up her face and stared in the distance.
“We can only imagine what you’ve been through.” Getting right to the questions was working to open Valerie up.
“Can you though? I saw my husband stabbed in front of my eyes by this sadistic woman and then watched her cut out Abigail’s tongue.”
Amanda made a mental note of this, even if it was as they suspected. A woman, Antonina Martini aka Nina. “Did someone order her to do this?”
“I don’t think I should say any more.”
“Hernandez has no reason to know if you speak to us. I promise whatever you say is only between us. But you could help us direct our investigation more accurately.”
“How can I trust that, Detective? That it’s between us? Nothing against you, but look at what happened to Abigail. She sacrificed her life and still ended up dead. I can’t lose anyone else.” Valerie hugged herself, as she looked over at her family.
Amanda empathized with Valerie’s side but flipped her defense in her mind. “This could be something you do for your family, for yourself, Mrs. Archer, and for Abigail and Paul.” She put it out there as tenderly as she could.
A few beats later, Valerie said, “Another man was there when Paul was killed, but he acted like he took orders from her. When Abigail’s tongue was”—Valerie swallowed roughly. “The other man was there. Devil Eyes.”
Hernandez… Tremors ran through Amanda. They had their confirmation, but as she’d promised Valerie, Hernandez and his people didn’t need to know.
Valerie continued. “They took her outside, and I heard Devil Eyes say, ‘She’s mine.’ I thought that he was going to return for me and Brooke and kill us.
” She paused and rubbed her throat. “But Devil Eyes said he had other plans for us. That’s when they took us and put us in the well behind the barn. ”
Abigail’s time of death was estimated as late morning to early afternoon. “They took you there during the day?”
“No, it was later at night. They didn’t return for a long time after leaving with Abigail.”
By that account, Valerie and her daughter had been in that well over forty-eight hours. But still… “Do you know how they knew it was even there?”
Valerie shook her head.
“Okay, thank you for telling us all of this. As I promised, all of this is between us. Could you tell us about your relationship with Abigail? How long had you been in contact with her?” They knew that someone on a burner phone had reached out about a year ago and had assumed it was Abigail.
Valerie glanced at her family, who seemed caught up in their own conversation, then back to Amanda and Trent. “For about a year. She reached out over a burner, and we’d keep in touch here and there, and she’d switch them out.”
Just as we thought… “Do you know why she contacted you in the first place?” It was one puzzle that baffled Amanda. Was it regarding her testimony being dismissed? Though, if so, that would have happened years ago. So why not reach out before the last year?
Valerie toyed with the hem on the sleeve of her hospital gown.
“Abigail was homesick and frustrated. She wanted to come home, but she was scared to leave WITSEC in case it put the rest of us in danger. She said she saw Hernandez face to face once, and that’s all it took to shake her to her core. He had the eyes of the devil.”
Amanda couldn’t disagree, but Abigail never should have seen him in person unless a trial happened. “When did she meet him?”
“When she overheard him say what he did.”
Amanda’s heart rate calmed down. That made more sense. Ever since having her hackles raised about Anderson, she was less trusting. Seeing conspiracy and corruption everywhere. “Right, yes, of course.”
“She was terrified. As it turns out, for good reason. I never should have called her to get tested. It’s just that…” Valerie looked over at her son, who, despite his health, was grinning.
“You wanted to help your son.”
“But…” Valerie licked her lips, and a few tears fell.
“Mrs. Archer?” Trent prompted her.
“We just received some news worth celebrating.” She palmed her cheeks. “Landon has a donor match from the registered list. Not a blood relative, but we’ve been assured there’s a higher success rate with this than ever before in history. The doctors are optimistic. So am I.”
“That’s wonderful, Valerie.” Amanda resisted the urge to hug the woman, but her reaction was also tempered by the fact none of the past couple of weeks had to happen.
Valerie never would have called Abigail to the coffee shop, and Hernandez’s men never would have caught sight of her.
At least that was when they put together that Abigail was in contact with the Archers.
They had no reason to suspect Valerie Archer was in touch with her before then.
But since Hernandez was alerted, that meant he had people watching Abigail’s family for the past eight years.
The family across the room laughed at something, drawing Amanda’s gaze. It was time for her and Trent to leave and bring them justice.