Chapter 51
Iput the call on speaker so JD could hear.
"There was something bothering me about this whole thing," Isabella said.
"I went back and looked at the cell records from the cabdriver and checked his location data. When Raj drove Gabby home, he went out of his way, taking a long route. At one point, he drove around in circles. During the trip, he made a phone call. He kept driving around aimlessly until the phone he called appeared behind him in traffic. The two vehicles paused in the warehouse district, then he continued on to the sorority house while the other phone went to an abandoned warehouse.”
With a tight jaw full of anger, I said, "He had a vulnerable girl in his car, called his buddies, and they abducted Gabby.”
"That's what it looks like to me.”
"Where is the phone Raj called?" I asked.
"It's a prepaid cellular. Right now it's at a house on Spoonbill Lane.”
Isabella gave me the location of the warehouse where they had converged on the evening in question. I thanked her for the information and ended the call.
After I updated JD, we decided to put Kendall on the back burner.
“What are you guys? Like spies? How are you getting this intel?”
“Don’t ask.”
We hustled across campus to the Founders’ Court, hopped into the Porsche, and zipped to the warehouse district.
The abandoned warehouse on Union Street was an old marine storage facility.
Damaged after a hurricane, a developer had planned to renovate the place and turn it into modern loft living.
The project ran into environmental issues with cleanup.
Industrial solvents, fuel oil, etc., had contaminated the area.
JD pulled into the lot, which was surrounded by a chain-link fence, topped with concertina wire. The gate to the property had long since been disabled, and the red brick was covered with graffiti.
We hopped out of the car, climbed the loading dock, and advanced to a rusted steel door. The door handle was missing. The hinges squeaked as I pried it open.
Shafts of pale light filtered in, illuminating the cavernous space. Motes of dust swirled.
I pulled a small tactical flashlight from my pocket, clicked on the beam, and swept it across the area.
Dust and debris littered the floor. There were old papers, invoices, beer cans, broken bottles, and hypodermic needles. Several oversized pieces of cardboard in the corner had formed a makeshift bed. Ratty blankets lay crumpled nearby. Old, rusted-out parts and bits of motors cluttered the space.
We stepped inside and searched the area.
It didn't take long to find a horrific sight.
Near the center of the room, by a pillar, a pool of blood stained the concrete. It was dried and crusted now. Probably a few days old. It still had some color.
Bloody ropes lay on the ground near the support pillar. It was clear they had been used to restrain Gabby.
The thought of it made me sick to my stomach.
Savages.
I called the sheriff, and he sent the forensic team.
It wasn't long before Dietrich snapped photos, and investigators chronicled the evidence. They took blood samples from the concrete. There was no doubt in my mind it would be a match for Gabby Templeton.
We returned to the station, filled out a report, and went through the process of getting a warrant for cellular records. We needed to legitimately establish who was at the warehouse around the time of Gabby's death.
The sheriff poked his head into the conference room as we tapped on tablets.
"You're going to like this. Ballistics came back on that pistol you took from Levi's truck. It matches the slugs pulled out of Douglas Caldwell. Levi’s currently under watch at the hospital.
Looks like he's going to make it," the sheriff said with a frown.
"Kenzie is still there as well.” He shook his head in dismay. “Such a waste.”
Daniels motioned for me to join him in the hall.
I excused myself and stepped out of the conference room.
With a slightly annoyed look on his face, he said, “What’s the story with Daphne? Are you getting anywhere? Besides into her pants?”
I raised my hands innocently. “I have done no such thing. She’s actually proving herself to be useful. If all goes well, we have a rendezvous with Dane and Brock at midnight.” I gave him the details.
“You keep me posted, and let me know if you need backup. I don’t want these bastards getting away.”
“You got it, boss.“
After we finished at the station, we headed to the hospital and talked to Kenzie.
Facing at least two counts of attempted murder, the future wasn’t promising.
I had no doubt Levi was more than willing to testify against Kenzie in the burglary case.
He had to know we’d match ballistics on his pistol.
He might not have been a world-class thinker, but he was smart enough to realize that.
We stepped inside the lobby and made our way up to the trauma ward. The three of us walked the seafoam green hallways, past rooms of sickness and death. Monitors blipped, and ventilators wheezed. Pastel seascapes hung on the wall, but they did little to brighten the mood in this place.
Deputy Halford waited outside the room, standing guard over Kenzie. With one hand cuffed to the bed, she wasn't going anywhere.
We chatted with Halford for a bit, but he didn’t have much to report.
“I guess I’ll go check on the other dirtbag,” Halford said.
He’d been making the rounds, covering both prisoners.
JD and I stepped into Kenzie’s room with Daphne.
Propped up in bed with an IV in her arm, she had seen better days. The pale green hospital gown under the fluorescent lighting didn’t help her sickly complexion. The deep circles under her eyes weren’t doing her any favors, either.
A monitor beside the bed displayed vital statistics. A morphine drip kept the pain at bay, as well as withdrawal symptoms.
She cringed when she saw me.
Audrey sat by the bed, holding her hand.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"How does it look like I'm feeling?"
It was a fair response.
"I'm sure you're aware by now that you're being charged with two counts of attempted murder.”
She looked ill, like she wanted to revisit lunch. Facing that kind of time would make anybody’s stomach turn. Kenzie stammered, "I wasn't really going to shoot you.”
I laughed. "If that were the case, you shouldn't have pulled the gun. You're lucky to be alive.”
She frowned, and her mother looked on with a face full of sorrow.
I told her about the ballistics match to Levi's gun. "I think it's time you come clean. Tell me everything that happened that night. Testify against Levi and put him away for a long time.”
Her face twisted with torment. Her eyes filled, and she broke down into sobs. She looked at her mother as the tears streamed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for anybody to get hurt. Can you ever forgive me?"
Her mother squeezed her hand. "I can forgive you. But how can I forget? You should really be asking your father. He’s the one you need to make amends with, and I pray you get that chance.”
Kenzie’s chest heaved with jerking sobs.
Audrey said, "You should probably get a lawyer before you speak to these officers."
Even in this situation, she couldn't help but look out for her daughter.
Kenzie shook her head. "I don't need an attorney. I'm not going to hide anymore. I'll tell the truth. Whatever happens to me, so be it. I deserve it.”
Audrey teared up.
Kenzie continued to sob. “I’m so sorry. I love you, Mom.”
The words were tough for Audrey to say, but she did. “I love you, too.”
I asked Audrey how Doug was doing. She told me he was still in an induced coma and had developed sepsis.
I cringed.
I told Audrey we’d be in touch.
JD and I left with Daphne and walked to the other side of the trauma ward to find Levi.
“I don’t know how you guys do this day in and day out,” Daphne said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
“It’s tough. We see the aftermath of the crime. Something most criminals never have to deal with or even consider.”
“Until they get caught,” JD added.
Deputy Halford wasn’t around when we reached Levi’s room. Nobody stood guard outside the door.
I had a bad feeling.
We pushed into the room, and the bed was empty.
Halford was on the ground with a pencil stuck into his carotid artery. He’d bled out onto the floor. Levi must have coaxed him into the room, then stabbed him when he drew close.
Empty handcuffs dangled from the railing.