Chapter 10 #2
“You like her.” The statement came so out of the blue I couldn’t figure out who’d said it at first. I hadn’t realized that much time had passed. Chase had already made the phone call and returned to the room.
Chase was the lucky man. He’d face my scorn and possibly my wrath if he kept it up.
“She came to me mostly out of curiosity, eager to meet the man responsible for penning an accurate representation of the horror she was forced to endure. It was a traumatic period of her life she was forced to relive, first by no fault of her own then because of her chosen profession. She enjoyed reading my books. Hearing about the execution got to her. Then the phone call.”
All their mouths were slack, the words striking an odd chord with each of them, Hudson rubbing the scruff on his face. “When you put it that way, I’m shocked anyone read the damn book. Are you certain you didn’t buy your way into the New York Times bestseller position?”
I lifted my middle finger for shits and giggles. “How long before you know anything about Samuel’s DNA?”
Chase laughed and shook his head while glancing at his watch. “It takes longer than fifteen minutes for these things to work.”
“Yeah, he likes her. From the picture, what’s not to like?” Gabriel pushed, eyeing me carefully. “But you’re not providing us with the entire story. Are you?”
I fiddled with my glass while I thought about the whirlwind couple of days. “She thinks she’s being stalked.”
“Thinks?” Kendrick narrowed his eyes.
Nodding, I took a long swallow of my drink. “The phone call scared her enough to search me out. She wanted a partner. So she told me.”
“Stalking by use of a burner phone. All the rage,” Hudson chortled.
In our various missions, a half dozen missions had started with an unknown caller.
Even for an amateur, it was an excellent first step to corroborate information and confirm an identity.
“But that’s not why you’re here. You’re far too entrenched in following protocol. ”
“You also don’t like messy cases.” Chase studied me with clear amusement on his face. He knew my ‘protocol’ better than the others given our similar positions. He’d also been my technical support on a couple of books.
“Have you read any of my books? I skip the protocol and rules don’t apply to my heroes.
” I had no idea why I felt uncomfortable, but my instincts were working overtime.
“She truly believes the person sitting behind prison bars is the wrong one. While a portion of her memory is sketchy, she’d risk her job to prove she’s right. ”
“You did discuss copycat killers. Right?”
The look I threw Gabriel was brutal. “Obviously. She’s as savvy as she is smart. I have no doubt she’ll be investigating on her own since an attorney has gone missing.”
“An attorney?” Chase scratched his head. “I did hear something about that. Disappeared while jogging. Not even close to the killer’s MO.”
“No, but the timing bothered her. Plus, my buddy who contacted me said he’s interested in killing again.”
“Christ.” Hudson huffed. “You need to be careful.”
“What is this big difference you mentioned?” Gabriel’s mouth was full, but there was no mistaking the look of amusement.
As a sitting judge, he’d seen dozens of creative excuses as to why the person on trial couldn’t have possibly committed the crime.
I know because I’d used a few of them in my books.
“From what she told me, the real killer has mismatched eyes.” I lifted my gaze toward him. As expected, my buddy choked.
“Did she mention that to the detectives in charge of the case? Or the FBI members?” Kendrick winked. “Oh, that’s right. That would be you.”
“Here’s the thing. She didn’t. But every one of us in his room knows that those traumatized by a horrible crime, especially a brutal kidnapping and torture, do everything mentally within their power to keep their minds intact, including hiding details.
Often, they resurface years later after being mentally jolted.
In this case, the man’s upcoming execution. ”
“Fascinating and Maverick is right.” Chase looked away. “In other words, neither you nor Ms. Martino have any corroborating evidence worth wasting a judge’s time.”
“Nope.” Heavy pop on the p. “Including the phone calls.”
“But your gut has been bothering you since you wrote the prologue for Gone Before Dawn. Right?” Kendrick lifted his glass, the mischievous look almost flooring me.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You did read it.”
His shrug was exaggerated. “I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. You weaved a marvelous, terrifying story, but knowing you, it was easy to decipher you didn’t believe the end.
Why didn’t you push back when the case was ongoing?
Your doubts are all over the story line. It’s been over twelve years.”
“Lay the guilt on even thicker, why don’t you?” Chase scoffed.
Hudson finally slunk into the seat. “You’ve already allowed guilt to bother you. Not just the past couple of days either. For all these years.”
I continued to swirl the glass back and forth.
“To a point, but not for the lack of trying, although I was told to keep my distance. However, I talked with the prosecutor before and during the trial and he thought I was nuts. We almost had a knock-down drag-out fight over what he called my borderline insane accusations.”
Kendrick snorted. “A little far out there.”
“Unless someone was hiding something,” Gabriel suggested.
Nodding, I could tell the wheels in Chase’s brain were spinning. “But why would they?”
“What happened after your confrontation?” Hudson had his eyebrows lifted, his way of encouraging me to continue.
“A day or so later, my boss told me in no uncertain terms to leave it alone.” What I wasn’t telling them was that I’d always believed details had been purposely shoved under a rug, never to see the light of day. That was the reason I’d written Gone Before Dawn first.
“The pushback was the real reason why you quit the FBI,” Chase mused, his tone as dark as the thoughts running through me. “Right?”
There was no reason to go into any additional detail.
At least not yet. “One of several reasons. Water under the bridge at this point.” Which it was.
Other than making a few phone calls surrounding a couple of our earlier missions, I’d stayed away from the FBI and everyone I’d considered a friend.
Max’s death had always weighed heavily on my mind.
“You’ll need to determine how far you want to go with this,” Kendrick said quietly. “I know you. You’ll find it necessary to keep her safe, which will alter every aspect of your life.”
“Yeah, well, that plan in already in motion.” Which she would hate, but tough. Copycat killers were often even more dangerous.
“Deal the cards,” Hudson told Chase, who finally thumped down. “That’s what we’re here for.”
While he did, we remained quiet. In our determination to bring justice to victims who’d been denied, we’d yet to encounter the possibility of a suspect who had been wrongly accused or convicted. It was a very difficult and odd position to be in.
When the cards were all down, Chase made the first bet, tossing out a few nickels, but I hadn’t paid any attention. Instead, I was drumming my fingers on the table, staring out the window into the darkness.
“I’ll take three,” I told Chase. When he handed me the cards, I rubbed my jaw. Hopefully not a telltale sign of the cards in my hand.
“How serious are you about this girl?” Gabriel’s question was pointed. So was his expression. He was widely known for seeing through a liar in two split seconds.
Knowing he could smell if I lied to him, I sat back, tossing all my nickels into the pile.
“Wow. I’d say serious,” Chase muttered as he studied his cards. “So much so I fucking fold already.”
“I barely know her,” I offered, waiting to see what the other three did.
When it was only Kendrick and me, I tried to get caught up in the game, but doing so was all but impossible.
In a single night, the beautiful dark-haired girl with the spunky personality had managed to dig past the muck and get to me.
Had it been about the mystery, the deep clinging need regarding justice, or the hot sex? Maybe a little of all three.
“Show your cards,” Chase instructed. I’d be damned if he wasn’t dissecting me with his entire being.
“You bastard,” Kendrick huffed, waving his hand and immediately jerking up from the chair. “When you’re on fire, that usually means you’re onto something. Like some crazy voodoo magic trailing around you like a thick fog. Are you certain you don’t have any French Cajun in you?”
While sliding the winnings in my direction, I issued a subtle but effective bark. “You’ll need to read my books to find out. There are clues in every other chapter.”
“Nice try, but we know all we want to about you.” Gabriel couldn’t help teasing, yet I knew instinctively his questions were increasing in number.
So were mine. With every passing minute.
With a grin on my face, I continued raking the coins closer. “Now, we’re cookin’.”
“You mean you are. What are you going to do with your latest squeeze?” Chase leaned back in his chair, planting his arms behind his head.
“I just don’t know. I thought about taking a drive to the Federal Coleman Complex.” The maximum security prison was about four hours away.
“For what reason, obtaining a confession that Wells has been covering up for a ghost? You know he couldn’t have made the phone calls, but a single call of your own would confirm that.” Kendrick’s teasing continued.
“I don’t know what I’m interested in hearing him say.
If a single visitation is what it takes to move the needle on truth and justice, then he can believe in the tooth fairy for all I care.
Those victims deserve true justice and if the real killer is still out there, manipulating the decoy while using alternative killing methods, then all efforts to discover the truth need to be exhausted. ”
As always occurred when we discussed potential missions we’d undertake, there was scrutiny all around. As there should be.
“If that’s what you think you need to do.” Hudson wasn’t so certain I was doing the right thing.
“Look, I know how these cases wear you down,” Chase threw in.
“But you need to keep in mind that jumping with both feet into the backside of the case that still haunts you to this day isn’t going to soothe the demons who’ve been chomping at the bit to get to the actual truth.
And don’t tell me that very issue hasn’t bugged you for years. ”
“Yeah, it has. So what the hell should I do? Just let her walk away?” Not a chance in hell. I’d already figured that out. I couldn’t allow her to leave. At least not so easily.
“If even a single family member is listed on the lineage, then I say head to the prison and have a little chat.”
Chase’s idea was a good one, full of common sense.
“But don’t go shooting off your mouth to anyone in the court system. Judges get a little testy after a dozen years go by.” Hudson lifted an eyebrow, half laughing.
“I hear you. I’ll wait.” Although I wasn’t known as a man of patience. “Deal the cards. Now, I need to make a phone call.”
“Let me guess,” Chase said as he grabbed my arm. “A little protective custody?”
“What could it hurt? Two phone calls that I’d say should be considered threats. She’s pigheaded and thinks carrying a weapon in her purse is all she needs.”
“Ouch.”
“Exactly.”
Chase and I had gotten closer over the years. Enough so I knew when he was offering a warning. Not about the judicial system or pissing off a judge or a prosecutor, but about my psyche.
Shit like this didn’t just change a man. It destroyed all aspects of goodness inside.