Chapter 11
Menace
After spending an entire night tangled in the sheets with Parker, the two of us were completely spent.
She was sleeping soundly next to me, looking beautiful as ever as she clutched her pillow.
Figuring she needed the sleep, I did my best not to wake her as I eased out of bed, then grabbed some clothes from my bag and slipped into the bathroom for a long, hot shower.
Afterward, I walked into the kitchen for a much-needed cup of coffee.
I’d just taken my first sip when the basement door opened and Billy appeared. “Just the man I was looking for.”
“You need help with something?”
“Only a moment of your time.”
He motioned for me to follow, then turned and headed back down to the basement—a place which, up until now, had been off-limits to both Parker and me.
Clearly, that was no longer the case. While Billy led me down the staircase, my anxiety started cranking up, thinking back to what Parker had said about him possibly having a woman chained to a wall down here.
After reaching the bottom step, I was surprised that it looked like a typical basement—at least for the most part.
Similar to upstairs, all the furniture and paint was white and overly tidy, but it seemed more relaxed.
Billy continued past the sitting area and over to a wall of shelves.
He pushed a secret button, then a wall slid back to reveal a massive steel door with a keypad.
Billy entered a code and the door eased back, revealing a long concrete hallway.
It was cold and drafty as we stepped inside.
I was trying to adjust to my surroundings when Billy closed the door behind us, locking us inside.
I didn’t like the claustrophobic feeling creeping over me, but it was soon forgotten when we walked past the first doorway.
I glanced inside and was surprised to find that the walls of the large room were completely covered in plastic.
There was a drain in the center of the stone floor.
Various tools, like bone saws and scalpels, were tucked away in metal cabinets.
Each of the glass cabinet doors was marked with tiny white labels taped to the outside, identifying its contents.
As we continued down the hall, I spotted a second room, but this one wasn’t as big.
Except for the large incinerator in the back corner, the space was empty.
Next to it was another large steel door, which I could only assume was a second exit—one he’d use whenever he brought in bodies to be incinerated.
Fuck, I had to give it to the man. He was prepared for anything.
I could only imagine how many times he’d used this very room to clean up the clubs’ messes.
We continued farther until we reached the final room in the hallway.
The second I walked in and saw the pristine white walls and numerous medical cabinets, I thought I’d stepped into a hospital room; then, I noticed the gurney and the girl lying lifeless on top of it.
I stepped closer and felt the blood drain from my body when I saw how much she looked like Parker. “Damn, Billy. Who the hell is this?”
“She’s Parker.” He glanced down at the young woman and grimaced. “Or for all intents and purposes, she will be Parker.”
“Holy shit, man.” The woman shared similar features with Parker—the same build, height, and weight.
They even had the same skin tone. The only difference was the hair color.
This particular young woman’s was dark, but considering Parker had been on the run for almost a year, it wasn’t an issue.
“I can’t believe how much they look alike. ”
“Isn’t that the point?”
“Yeah, but how’d you do this? How’d you find such a close match?”
“That’s not important. What’s important is the fact that I found her.” He walked over to a counter and picked up a folder and a flash drive. As he offered it to me, he said, “We do have some issues that need to be addressed.”
“What kind of issues?”
“I’ve taken a few x-rays and dental molds of our Jane Doe, and there are some notable differences in their dental and medical records.
” Billy motioned his hand over to the items he’d just given me.
“Our Jane Doe has a few cavities that Parker doesn’t, along with a broken wrist from several years back.
I’ll need you to do what you must to swap Parker’s old records with these.
I also have some changes that need to be made to her medical records.
They’re all on the flash drive, so you shouldn’t have any issue uploading them. ”
“You got it.”
After slipping the flash drive into my pocket, I flipped through the various x-rays and medical reports he’d put in the folder, and they all looked legit.
I would’ve never guessed they’d been forged.
After I’d gone through them all, I glanced back over to the Jane Doe on the gurney.
While she favored Parker, she wasn’t her exact twin.
Anyone who knew her would be able to verify that this chick wasn’t genuinely Parker.
“So, I exchange all the medical records, and then what?”
“I’ll set the stage. Simple as that.”
I looked down at the girl’s face. “I don’t know, man. This Jane Doe chick looks a lot like Parker, but it won’t take a genius to see that it isn’t really her.”
“That’s not something to be concerned about. Just do what I’ve asked you, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
“So, you really think this is gonna work?”
“I don’t think it. I know it.”
“Okay then, I’ll just need to get my laptop and upload these now.”
“There’s one more thing before you go.” Billy had a concerned expression on his face as he continued, “Parker needs to prepare her suicide note or video. Whichever she decides...She just has to make it believable.”
“She will.”
“I certainly hope so. Otherwise, we’re doing all this for nothing.”
“Understood.”
“She might want to change her look a bit.” He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a dark-colored wig. “Have her wear this, and I’d suggest using a filter during the recording. Maybe one that changes her eye color or something.”
“Is that really necessary?”
“There’s always a chance the video could end up on the news.”
“Damn, I hadn’t thought of that.”
“The filter will make it a little harder to recognize her.” He handed me a burner phone and a large yellow envelope with the district attorney’s address written on the front.
“I also put a latex glove inside the envelope. Make sure her fingerprints are the only ones on the phone when you put it inside. Give it back to me when you’re done, and I’ll have it mailed when it’s time. ”
“You got it.”
When I got up to the room, Parker was still in bed asleep.
She looked so gorgeous, so peaceful, lying there, and the thought of something happening to her had me feeling like the weight of the world was crumbling down around me.
The club had worked with Billy for years.
I knew he was incredible at his job and that I could trust him, but I was still concerned.
It was Parker’s life on the line, so I had to make sure his plan went off without a hitch.
That thought had me grabbing my laptop out of my bag.
I was trying to be careful not to wake Parker, but when I turned back around, she was sitting up in the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Hey, what are you doing over there?”
“I’m just getting my laptop.” I held it up to show her. “Got some stuff I need to do for Billy.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Just uploading some records.” I walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. “There’s something you need to do for him too.”
“Oh?”
The blood drained from her face as I told her, “You need to make up a suicide note...or video. Whichever you think you can handle.”
“I’m not sure I can handle either.” Parker drew her legs up to her chest and propped her chin on her knees. “I don’t even know what I’d say.”
“Just cover the basics.”
“So, what? I’ve been on the run for over a year, and I just can’t take it anymore?”
“That’s for you to decide.” I placed my hand on hers. “It’s gotta come from the heart. It’s the only way people will believe it’s legit.”
“Okay…I’ll, uh, try.”
“You’ll do fine.” Then I handed her the wig. “Billy suggested wearing this and using a filter when you record.”
She picked it up and studied it for a moment. “Did he have any other suggestions?”
“Just do the best you can. Whatever you come up with will be fine as long as it’s believable.” After wiping it down, I gave her the burner phone Billy had given me. “Just let me know when you’re done.”
“Okay.” When I stood, she asked, “Is there a particular place I should go to do this?”
“Find a quiet corner...somewhere no one will recognize.”
“Okay.”
I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then left her to collect her thoughts.
She was weighing on my mind as I carried my laptop into the kitchen and sat down at the table.
Eager to get this shit done so I could get back to Parker, I reached in my pocket and pulled out the flash drive Billy had given me.
I immediately got started on uploading information to all the various locations.
Sadly, it didn’t take long to hack into her small-town dentist’s office.
Their security was total shit, and her doctor’s office wasn’t much better.
I had everything swapped out in less than an hour.
Once I was sure I had everything taken care of, I headed up to the bedroom to check on Parker.
When I first walked in, I didn’t see her, so I checked the bathroom.
There was no sign of her there, so I figured she’d gone outside. I was wrong.
As soon as I stepped back into the bedroom, I spotted her in the corner, sitting on the floor with tears streaming down her face. She lifted the phone as she announced, “I did it.”
I walked over and knelt down beside her, pulling her into my arms. “You okay?”