Текст книги "Alone in the Dark"

Автор книги: Karen Rose

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Текущая страница: 44 (всего у книги 49 страниц)

Real fear flickered in Alice’s eyes. ‘You don’t scare me, Detective.’

‘That’s good, because I haven’t touched you, except to cuff you. I do know a few people in the general population who owe me a favor or two. And they’ll enjoy paying me back.’ She leaned close. ‘Because you’re so pretty,’ she whispered. ‘For now.’

Alice glared at her lawyer. ‘Are you going to sit there and let her get away with this?’

‘Get away with what?’ the man asked blandly. ‘She’s just complimenting you on how pretty you are. She hasn’t threatened you at all.’

‘I like your attorney, Alice. He’s got common sense.’ Scarlett stood up, glanced at the doorway to find that Kate Coppola had been silently watching. ‘Agent Coppola, I think she’s ready to go to lockup. I’ll have an officer take her. I’ll see you later, Alice. I think you’ll enjoy meeting your new friends.’

‘I won’t tell you anything,’ Alice said, but she was very pale. ‘You can’t bully me.’

‘I really didn’t think I could. I think I’ll get the information I need from DJ.’ She made a mental note to make sure he was brought in ASAP. ‘My goal, Alice, is to see you get the ultimate prison experience.’

‘DJ is in Interview Six,’ Kate said. ‘For realsies this time. He was brought in a few minutes ago.’

Alice’s eyes flashed fury when she realized she’d bought Marcus’s earlier lie about DJ having been arrested already. ‘You failed him, you know,’ she called when Scarlett turned to go.

‘Failed who?’ Scarlett asked, knowing exactly what Alice was going to say.

‘O’Bannion. You told him you’d get me to talk.’

Scarlett smiled at her sweetly. ‘No, I told him I’d do my job. One of my jobs is to get justice for the victims. Sometimes justice wears an orange jumpsuit.’

Scarlett left the room before she gave in to the urge to smack the woman senseless, leaning against the wall in the hallway where her father was waiting. ‘Where’s Marcus?’ she asked.

‘Right here,’ Marcus said as he came out of the observation room. ‘I’m calm now. I’m sorry I went after her.’

He looked drawn and exhausted and damn near defeated, worrying her. ‘No you’re not. I wish I hadn’t had to stop you.’

‘Are you going to interview DJ now?’ he asked.

‘Yes, since he’s here “for realsies”. You need to get to the hospital.’ She looked back into the room with a frown. ‘Although . . . Shit. The shooting at the Ledger was to lure you out. Maybe they’ll wait for you at the hospital.’

Marcus opened his mouth to protest, then pursed his lips. ‘Kevlar,’ he said.

‘Head shot,’ she countered.

‘Tactical helmet,’ he returned. ‘I wore them all the time in the Gulf. I kept myself alive for years, Scarlett. Trust me. You said it yourself – my family needs me. I’m not hiding here and I’m sure as hell not going to abandon Stone. He needs to know I’m there.’

Scarlett nodded shakily. He was right and she knew it. He’d trusted her to do her job. She had to trust his good sense and the promises he’d made her. ‘I trust you to stay alive. I don’t trust them to stop trying and maybe hurting a lot of people in the process.’

He blanched. ‘Shit. Oh shit.’

‘Wait.’ She glanced up at her father. ‘What can we do to ensure the safety of everyone in that hospital? Because even if Marcus doesn’t go—’ She held up her hand to quell Marcus’s protest. ‘I know you’re going, but even if you didn’t, they may expect you to. If luring you to the hospital is the goal, they’ll target it. Dad? What can we do to maximize security for everyone?’

‘We’ll post officers at every entrance,’ her father said, ‘and around the ER and OR. Weapons checks for everyone currently on the floor and anyone who gets off the elevator. The hospital itself has security protocols and we’ll work with them. It will deter any assault through traditional means, at least.’

‘That’ll have to be good enough,’ she said quietly, her eyes locked to Marcus’s. ‘I want to talk to DJ. Maybe he’ll tell me where to find Kenneth Sweeney. With Demetrius dead and Anders captured, Sweeney may be the one left running the show.’

‘I’ll take Marcus to the hospital, Scarlett,’ her father offered. ‘You do your job here.’

Marcus nodded soberly. ‘Thank you, Jonas. But if you’ll give us a moment first, please?’

‘Of course. I’ll meet you in the lobby by the elevator.’

Scarlett took Marcus’s hand and led him into an unoccupied consultation room, closed the door and gathered him into her arms. He shuddered and held her tighter. ‘What will I do?’ he whispered. ‘Without Stone? And Gayle?’

‘For now you believe that you’ll get them back. Both of them.’

‘And if I don’t? It almost killed me to lose Mikhail. If I lost Stone . . .’

Scarlett pulled his head down for a hard kiss. ‘Stop. You heard Jill. Stone is conscious. He will live. He’s too obstinate not to.’

He nodded, more to convince himself than in agreement. ‘So we just need to find Gayle.’

‘Exactly.’

He rested his cheek on the top of her head. ‘I should have shut the paper down until all this was over,’ he said hoarsely. ‘Why didn’t I do that?’

‘Because it would have put a lot of people out of work. You built that paper up, gave your employees financial security. Would any of them have stayed home if you’d given them a choice?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll never know now.’ He was quiet for a long moment. ‘I’ve known Cal Booker for as long as I can remember. When I visited my grandfather, before we moved from Lexington, Cal was always here. Never treated me like I was in the way.’ He tightened his hold. ‘This is my fault, Scarlett. I never expected any of my people to get hurt.’

She thought about him going to the prison, confronting Woody McCord. ‘You thought the McCords of the world would only come after you. Maybe you even wanted them to?’

‘That’s what Stone said, and now . . .’

‘Look, Marcus, all I know is that every member of your team looked me in the eye and said it was worth the risk. Cal included.’

‘Bridget didn’t. Jerry didn’t.’

‘And for them you hired guards.’

‘You’re not going to let me feel guilty for this, are you?’

‘No. Your family needs you. Your employees need you. They’re going to be in shock and grieving. So if you want to do something for Cal, find a way to keep the paper going.’

‘You’re so calm.’

‘But I won’t always be. When I’m not, you’ll be the calm one. I hear from a reliable source that that’s how it’s supposed to work.’

‘Your dad told you that?’

‘Among other things.’ She lifted on to her toes to kiss him. ‘Now go. I’ll be there soon.’

‘All right.’ Straightening, he blew out a breath. ‘I’ll see you at the hospital.’

Thirty-five

Cincinnati, Ohio

Wednesday 5 August, 8.45 P.M.

Scarlett found the OR waiting room full of people, including, to her amazement, both of her parents. Jackie Bishop was sitting next to Della, holding her hand. Marcus sat between his mother and Scarlett’s father.

Deacon’s fiancée, Faith, sat next to her uncle Jeremy, gently holding his hand, which was covered, as always, by the black leather gloves that hid the scars from the burns he’d received years before. Audrey sat on Jeremy’s other side, no expression on her face.

Jill occupied the seat next to Audrey, but it was Keith’s leg on which she rested her head. Her eyes were closed, but tears were seeping out, wetting the knee of Keith’s trousers. Jeremy’s husband had an uncharacteristically gentle expression on his face as he stroked the hair off Jill’s forehead. Once again Scarlett was reminded of how young the girl was. And how prescient. This was exactly what Jill had feared – her aunt getting hurt because of the risks Marcus and his team had taken.

Lisette and Diesel shared a sofa, looking shell-shocked and numb and alone. Everyone, with the exception of Scarlett’s parents, looked shell-shocked.

Everyone, including her parents, wore body armor – heavy vests that looked sadly out of place. Marcus had taken his helmet off once he’d gotten to the safety of the waiting room, but he’d worn it just as he’d promised.

Scarlett went straight to Marcus and kissed his forehead. ‘Nothing,’ she murmured in his ear. ‘I’m sorry. DJ is one of the coolest customers I’ve seen in years. He wouldn’t give me a thing. Even Alice gave us more.’

Marcus’s shoulders sagged. ‘I didn’t think he would, but I’d hoped.’

‘I left Kate with him, hoping she’d have better luck. Any news on Stone?’

‘In surgery. Deacon came with him in the ambulance but left to go back to the . . .’ He swallowed. ‘Back to the crime scene. Stone stayed conscious all the way to the hospital. Long enough for us to see him before they took him to the OR.’ He opened his mouth, then closed it after looking at his mother.

Scarlett nodded, understanding that they’d debrief more privately. She noted Della Yarborough’s curious, yet muted, glance. Marcus’s mother wasn’t blitzed out, but she had definitely taken something. Maybe a lot of somethings.

Scarlett leaned down and kissed her own mother on the cheek. ‘Hi, Mom. I didn’t expect to see you here.’

‘Your father called to say he wouldn’t be home for dinner – and he told me about Marcus. If he’s important to you, he’s important to us. So we’re here.’

Scarlett’s heart swelled. ‘Thank you.’ She turned to Marcus’s mother, half kneeling so that the older woman didn’t have to look up. ‘Mrs Yarborough. I . . . I wish we weren’t seeing each other again under these circumstances.’

‘Just Della is fine.’ Della’s mouth curved, but she didn’t hold the smile, as if it took too much energy. ‘So you and my Marcus . . . ?’

Scarlett’s cheeks heated. ‘Yes, ma’am. I hope you’re okay with that.’

‘And if I’m not?’

‘I would respectfully keep him anyway.’

Della’s smile lasted a little longer this time before dimming. ‘You came to Mikhail’s funeral. You didn’t have to.’

‘I did have to.’ She hesitated, then shrugged. ‘I go to all the funerals. For all of the victims. It seems like the right thing to do.’

A slow-motion nod. ‘You’ll be perfect for Marcus. So yes, Scarlett, I’m okay with it.’

‘Whew.’ Scarlett smiled up at her. ‘I was worried there for a second or two.’ She looked over at her own mother and saw approval. Jackie gave her a nod and it felt good.

Abruptly Della skewered Scarlett with a look. ‘Do you know where Gayle is yet?’

‘No, ma’am, not yet. But we’re looking.’ A rustling behind Scarlett had her turning to see Jill coming to her feet, her expression grim, her eyes red from crying.

‘Not hard enough,’ Jill said coldly. ‘You have suspects in custody. You’re the super-cop. Make them tell you where that bastard took my aunt.’

Scarlett rose slowly, suddenly bone-tired. ‘I’m no super-cop, Jill, and this is real life. The suspects don’t always talk. A lot of times they don’t. Sometimes – a lot of times – I want to strangle the truth out of them, but I can’t do that.’

‘Trick them into confessing.’

God, she’s young. ‘If they’re dumb enough to be tricked, they’re probably so dumb that I don’t need a confession. They leave evidence all over the place. Unfortunately the people who took your aunt aren’t dumb.’

Jill wasn’t convinced. ‘Then make a deal, dammit.’

‘That’s not going to happen. These people have killed too many people, have bought and sold families and made them slaves. They’ve trafficked children, Jill. Innocent children. We don’t even know what the children suffered. Do you think your aunt would really want these criminals walking free, victimizing even more people?’

Jill’s face crumpled, her shoulders sagging as she hugged herself, her sobs starting anew. ‘They have my aunt. They’ve killed all those people and they have my aunt.’

Sighing wearily, Scarlett gathered the girl in her arms. For a moment they just stood there, then Jill balled her hands into fists and pounded them into Scarlett’s collarbones, so hard that Scarlett found herself knocked back a step and sucking in a lungful of air.

Fury in her eyes, the girls fists came up like she was considering throwing a real punch. ‘No,’ Jill fumed. ‘You don’t get to act like you care. Not until you bring her home.’

Scarlett heard both her father and Marcus come to their feet behind her. She lifted her hand, staying them, and took Jill’s arm in a firm grip. ‘Come on. Let’s take a walk.’

‘Scarlett?’ Faith murmured, looking concerned. ‘Remember, she’s just a kid.’

Scarlett rolled her eyes. ‘Finally somebody sees my mean streak. I thought I’d gone soft.’ She heard a few chuckles as the tension in the room went down a notch. Even Jill smiled, and that pissed Scarlett off all over again. ‘But you know what? She isn’t just a kid. She’s nineteen and old enough to take a swing at a cop. So she can damn well listen to what I have to say. Don’t worry, Faith. We’re just going to take a walk.’ She tightened her grip a little when Jill tried to pull free. ‘Don’t make me worry Faith any more than I already have, kid.’

Jill stopped fighting and allowed herself to be led to another, smaller waiting room which was unoccupied. She yanked her arm free, rubbing her wrist. ‘You hurt me.’

‘That hurt you? Fuck that. You’re lucky I didn’t break both of your arms.’

The curse got Jill’s attention, and the threat made her seethe. ‘You wouldn’t.’

‘You’re right. I wouldn’t, because I can control myself. If I’d let my reflexes rule me, you would have carpet burns on your face right now. I’m going to say this only once. Grow the hell up. You’re scared and pissed off. I get that. But you’re not the only one who loves Gayle or who’s worried about her. You’re just the only one throwing a temper tantrum over it. That one hit was your freebie, kid. You touch me again and I will not control myself. Understood?’

‘Yes,’ Jill said sullenly.

‘All right. If you want to be a temperamental brat, stay here alone. If you want to help your aunt, then settle down.’

Jill sat down. ‘I’ll stay here.’

‘Fine.’ Scarlett started to leave, but her adrenaline abruptly crashed, along with her blood sugar. Exhaustion hit her almost as hard as Jill had, and the chair next to the kid suddenly looked damn inviting. She dropped into it and let her head fall back.

Jill gave her a snotty look. ‘It’s only staying here alone if I am alone.’

Scarlett threw the look right back. ‘Don’t you ever shut up, kid?’

‘You sound like Stone,’ Jill grumbled.

Scarlett snorted. ‘Now you’re just being mean.’

Jill chuckled, then sighed. ‘I’m sorry I hit you. I’m not sure why I did that.’

‘I imagine it was because you’re scared and upset and I was handy. Don’t do it again.’

‘Got it. Are you okay?’ Jill asked. ‘You look a little pale.’

‘Long day. I probably should eat. But I don’t have the energy to get up and get something. I think I used up the last of my reserves dragging you down here.’

‘I have a Snickers bar. I’ll split it with you.’

Scarlett wolfed her half down. ‘Now I’m only half a monster.’

‘You’re not so bad.’

‘High praise.’

Jill sat silent for a whole minute and a half. ‘I know what they’re doing.’

‘Who?’

‘Marcus, Gayle, Lisette and the others. They’re using the Ledger to expose abusers or turning their investigations over to the cops so that the abusers can be arrested.’

‘And you know this how?’

‘Because a lot of the threats on that list didn’t make sense because the stories were never printed in the paper. So why would someone threaten Marcus? But then I cross-checked those threats against arrest records. Almost all of the people making threats had an arrest record for some kind of abuse in the past. I’m not as stupid as Marcus seems to think.’

‘He doesn’t think you’re stupid at all, Jill. That’s why you make him nervous. You’re smart, but he doesn’t know where your loyalties lie.’

‘They lie with Gayle. She took me in.’

‘And she’s all you have left. Don’t you think he knows that?’

‘I guess.’ She mimicked Scarlett’s pose, leaning her head back and staring at the ceiling. ‘It wasn’t really his fault,’ she said softly. ‘Gayle’s heart attack, I mean. She’d been having issues for a while but she wouldn’t let me tell anyone.’

‘That was stupid of her.’

‘She’s proud. And she doesn’t like to worry Stone and Marcus. She walks on eggshells around them. It’s like she’s afraid they’ll break.’

‘Maybe they will.’

It was Jill’s turn to snort. ‘Those guys are tanks. Nobody bothers them.’

‘Not now. Doesn’t mean it’s always been that way. You got your phone?’

‘Duh.’ Jill fished it out of her pocket. ‘Why?’

‘Do me a favor. Google “Matthias Gargano”, “Lexington” and “1989”.’ Scarlett closed her eyes while Jill did so. The girl’s gasp told her that she’d found the articles.

‘Oh my God. I didn’t know. Stone and Marcus . . . they had another brother?’

‘Yeah. Matty was killed by the kidnappers and Gayle was the one who kept that family together afterward. She’s seen those big tanks as small, scared little boys and that’s a hard image to erase. Maybe you understand their relationship a little better now.’

‘Yes, I do. And then Mikhail dying too? No wonder Della takes all those sleeping pills. I wouldn’t want to be awake either. Poor Aunt Gayle. She grieved Mikhail so much. I kept thinking, Hello! What about me? Am I chopped liver or something? I didn’t understand.’

‘Now you do. Ball’s in your court as to what you do with it.’

She blew out a breath. ‘I have been a brat, haven’t I?’

‘Yep.’

Jill huffed a laugh. ‘I’ll do better.’

‘Good.’ Eyes still closed, Scarlett kept talking, partly to keep herself awake and partly to keep Jill distracted from the terror that would return once she started thinking about Gayle’s current situation. ‘I will throw you a bone, though. Gayle’s heart attack was indirectly triggered by the team’s efforts, so you were right about that. Your concern was well placed. Just not well acted upon.’

‘How do you know that, about her heart attack?’

‘I was listening at the door yesterday when Gayle told Marcus about the letter she was reading that day. The letter writer threatened to “take away” somebody that Marcus loved just like he’d taken away somebody she loved. Her husband had reportedly committed suicide in prison. Gayle read the letter when Mikhail was missing. Given their past experience with kidnapping . . .’

‘Holy shit.’ Jill sighed, frustrated. ‘That was the worst timing ever. I wish I’d given her the letter when I got it. At least she wouldn’t have had to worry about Mikhail.’

Scarlett rolled her head, opening her eyes so that she could see Jill’s profile. ‘What do you mean? When did you get the letter?’

‘The week before. Gayle had missed a few days at work because she was so tired – I guess that was a warning sign for the heart attack. I’d locked the mail up in my desk because she wasn’t there. The Ledger has a clean desk policy, you know. But I had a big project due for school, so I took a few days off in between. I didn’t give her the letters until the day I came back. That was the day she had her heart attack and then later we found out about Mikhail being dead. I know that Mickey was alive when the letter arrived in the mail. If I’d given it to her then, she wouldn’t have been so shocked.’

Scarlett frowned. Something wasn’t right about that, but her tired brain wasn’t sure what. From her pocket she fished out the folded papers that Stone had printed for her earlier that day.

‘What’s that?’ Jill asked.

‘Stone’s story about Woody McCord, the husband of the woman who wrote the letter.’ Getting her second wind, Scarlett rose and paced while she read to herself. She didn’t want to share any more with Jill until she knew where she was going with this.

After a minute, she stopped pacing and turned the paper over to write the key dates on the back. ‘What day did you actually receive that letter, Jill?’

Puzzled, Jill scooted to sit on the edge of her seat, her brow furrowed. ‘Thursday. I remember because Halloween was the next day and I was going to a party with Mikhail and his friends. We went to the party store to pick up our costumes.’ She looked away. ‘He didn’t run away until the weekend, but the party was the last time I saw him alive.’

‘I’m sorry to dredge this up, but it’s important.’

‘Why?’ Jill frowned. ‘How do you know?’

‘I feel it.’ Scarlett made a face. ‘Too weird, I know, but I’ve learned to trust my gut. Usually my gut remembers stuff my conscious mind has forgotten.’

Jill gave her a look. ‘Maybe you are a super-cop,’ she said with mild sarcasm.

Scarlett shook her head, ignoring the girl’s attitude. ‘No. That would be Deacon. The guy remembers everything. He kills at Jeopardy. I’m just good at Wheel of Fortune.’ She looked at her page of scribbles. ‘If you received that letter on Thursday, it had to have been mailed Monday or Tuesday. Wednesday at the latest.’ She wrote that down too.

‘Okay,’ Jill said. ‘So? What does all that mean?’

‘So . . . I don’t know yet.’ Scarlett rearranged her scribbles into a timeline.

Mon. 10/27–Wed. 10/29: letter written/mailed by Leslie McCord

Wed. 10/29: McCord tells his attorney and prosecutor that he will name names

Thurs. 10/30: Letter received at Ledger by Jill via USPS

Thurs. 10/30: Woody McCord found hanged in his cell (murder or suicide???)

Mon. 11/3: Leslie McCord ODs on pills (estimated by ME)

Wed. 11/5: Gayle reads letter, has heart attack; Mikhail’s body found; Marcus shot

Thurs, 11/6: Leslie’s body found in her home per police report

Reviewing the dates, Scarlett saw what she’d been missing. What it means, she thought, is that Leslie McCord wrote a letter referring to her husband’s death before he died. She looked up from her notes to meet Jill’s curious gaze. ‘It means I need to see that letter.’

‘Another gut feeling?’

‘Yeah. Do you know the combination to your aunt’s safe?’

‘No. She wouldn’t trust me with that. I tried to break in once, to see if I could, but I couldn’t.’

Scarlett bet that Diesel could. ‘Come with me. You can’t stay here alone. It’s not safe.’

Jill frowned, but got up. ‘Why did you tell me to earlier?’

‘Because I was too tired to think. I’m not tired anymore.’

Scarlett jogged back to the main waiting room only to find a full-fledged argument in progress. Marcus and Diesel were nose to nose. Deacon had returned, and he and Scarlett’s father were trying to calm the two men down.

‘What’s going on here?’ she demanded. ‘Is it Stone?’

Diesel’s huge chest was pumping like a bellows. ‘No, he’s still in surgery.’ He shoved a finger into Marcus’s chest, a futile gesture considering they all still wore vests. ‘Maybe you can make this asshole here see reason. I sure can’t.’

Marcus’s jaw was tight, his fists clenched much as Jill’s had been. Scarlett gently pushed Diesel aside, covered Marcus’s fists with her hands, tucked them under her chin, and waited for him to calm down.

Thirty seconds later he’d moved in, trapping their hands between their bodies, dropping his forehead to hers. ‘He called.’

‘Who?’

‘The man who has Gayle,’ he murmured.

Oh shit. She had to draw a breath, because her temper was starting to flare hotter than Diesel’s. She closed her eyes for four pounding beats of her heart, then opened them, promising herself she’d stay in control. For Marcus. ‘Let me guess. He wants a trade.’

‘Got it in one,’ Diesel said, still furious.

Marcus lifted his head, his nostrils flaring as he tried to control his temper. ‘Shut up, Diesel. I mean it.

‘Let me guess,’ Scarlett said again, so calmly she stunned herself. ‘You want to do it.’

Cincinnati, Ohio

Wednesday 5 August, 9.15 P.M.

‘Oh, she’s smart, Marcus,’ Diesel snapped out. ‘Or maybe not, considering she’s thrown her lot in with a guy with a goddamn death wish.’

Marcus ground his teeth so hard that a pain spiked up his skull. He couldn’t deal with Diesel now. He needed to focus on Scarlett, who’d done the long blink and was now staring up at him with a clinical expression he knew was costing her dearly. ‘Diesel, I swear to God, if you don’t shut up . . .’

‘You’ll what?’ Diesel said, holding his arms wide. ‘You’ll hit me? Go ahead. I’ll hit back and maybe knock some fucking sense into your head!’

‘Um, excuse me?’ A nurse stood in the doorway looking upset. ‘Do I need to call Security?’

‘No,’ Marcus said.

‘No, ma’am,’ Diesel muttered.

Scarlett still held his fists in her hands. ‘All right,’ she said quietly. ‘Will someone who is sane please tell me what I missed?’

Deacon cleared his throat. ‘Well, we’re thinking the caller had to be Sweeney because Stone described the shooter’s body size as consistent with the man we saw in the photo with Alice. Sweeney said he has Gayle and for Marcus to meet him at the entrance to Shawnee Lookout Park at midnight. He’ll then allow Gayle her freedom, in exchange for Marcus. Marcus wants to do it, with a plan that he hasn’t come up with yet. Diesel says he’s a fucking fool. I’m somewhere in between the two.’ He glanced at Scarlett’s father. ‘Is that pretty complete, sir?’

‘Yeah, I’d say so,’ Jonas said.

‘And if we had a plan?’ Scarlett asked evenly. Too evenly. She was holding herself together so tightly that Marcus thought she’d crack in two.

He knew how she felt. He wanted to . . . hit something. Preferably Diesel.

‘Depends on the plan,’ her father said. He laid a tentative hand on Marcus’s shoulder. ‘Have you calmed down enough to think about this, son?’

Marcus shook his head. ‘Not yet.’

‘At least you’re honest,’ Jonas muttered.

‘What exactly did Sweeney say?’ Scarlett asked. ‘Exactly.’

Marcus let go of one of her hands to fish his phone out of his pocket. ‘I recorded it. It came through as Gayle’s caller ID.’

Scarlett pressed her free hand against his chest. ‘Jill doesn’t need to hear this.’

‘I’m staying,’ Jill said stubbornly. ‘Play it, Marcus.’

‘The audio isn’t bad,’ he murmured in Scarlett’s ear. ‘I won’t show her the video.’

Surprised horror filled her eyes, her manufactured calm gone. ‘Holy God.’

‘Yeah,’ Marcus said grimly. He hit PLAY and squared his shoulders, preparing himself to listen again.

‘Hello?’ Marcus winced at the sound of his own voice, full of hope. ‘Gayle?’

Hearing the twisted chuckle again felt like someone was grabbing his heart right out of his chest.

‘No, Marcus, this isn’t Gayle. But she’s with me. You’ve caused me a great deal of trouble recently. Let’s cut to the chase. I want you to meet me at Shawnee Lookout at midnight. It’s a cliché, I realize, but I’m on a tight schedule. Meet me there and I’ll put Gayle in your car and she’ll be free to leave.’

‘Like everyone you butchered at the Ledger was free to leave?’ Marcus asked coldly.

‘That was payback. Like I said, you’ve caused me trouble. Meet me or don’t, but if you don’t, Gayle dies. Oh, and don’t involve the authorities.’

Marcus clicked it off, not wanting to hurt his mother again with the next line. ‘That’s pretty much it.’

‘Play the rest of it, Marcus,’ Della said wearily. ‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’

Marcus sighed. ‘All right.’

Ken Sweeney’s voice filled the room once again. ‘You know what happened when your mother involved the authorities twenty-seven years ago. Let’s not repeat history, shall we?’

‘How do I know Gayle’s still alive?’

‘Ask her yourself,’ Sweeney said silkily.

‘Marcus.’ Gayle sounded frail. ‘Don’t you dare do this. I—’ She was abruptly silenced.

‘Midnight,’ Sweeney said.

The line went dead.

‘What was the video?’ Scarlett mouthed.

Marcus leaned in, filled his lungs with the scent of wildflowers. ‘He’s got Gayle in a cage. She’s tied up.’ He hesitated. ‘He’s taken her clothes.’

‘Blindfolded?’

He swallowed hard. ‘No.’

Scarlett blew out a breath. ‘Okay. So I think we can all agree that he’s not going to let Gayle go. We need to figure out how to find out where she is. Before midnight.’

Jill covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a whimper.

Lisette got up from the sofa where she’d been numbly sitting since finding out that Cal and the others were dead. She put her arms around Jill and rocked her where they stood. ‘You got any ideas, Detective?’ Lisette asked brokenly. ‘Because I can’t think.’

‘That’s part of his strategy,’ Scarlett said. ‘Decimate your morale so that your concentration and focus are fractured.’ She looked over her shoulder at Deacon. ‘You’ve tried to trace the call?’

Deacon had slumped into the chair next to Faith when it had become clear that Marcus and Diesel weren’t going to kill each other. ‘Vince is working on it. He’s not hopeful. He knows it wasn’t really Gayle’s phone. If it had been we’d have traced it by now. Sweeney routed it through a spoofing service to make it come up as Gayle’s number. The phone is a throwaway.’

That was about what Scarlett had expected. For him to have used Gayle’s actual phone would have been far too easy. ‘What about that hard drive I gave you? The copy of McCord’s files? Did Vince find anything on that?’

Deacon lifted a brow. ‘The one you told me to tell him you’d go through yourself?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Hell. Like Vince ever listens to me. What did he find?’

Deacon shook his head wearily. ‘Nothing that would lead us to Ken Sweeney.’

Bowing her head, Scarlett rubbed her temples. ‘Diesel, can you crack a safe?’

Everyone did a double-take at that. ‘Did you say “crack a safe”?’ Marcus asked carefully.

‘I did. Can you, Diesel? If you can’t, we’ll get a team over to Gayle’s right now, but that might take time we don’t have.’

‘Why?’ Diesel asked helplessly.

‘There’s a letter in her safe that I want to take a look at.’

Marcus frowned. ‘You mean the letter that Leslie McCord wrote? Why?’

‘Because she wrote that letter several days before her husband was killed. Jill said the letter had arrived a week before Gayle read it.’ She took a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. ‘It might be nothing, but it’s better than sitting here listening to the seconds tick by.’

Marcus read through the timeline, then read it again. ‘You’re right. Something’s off. Can you get the letter, Diesel?’

Diesel glanced at Jonas Bishop and Deacon uneasily. ‘Maybe.’

Scarlett’s control visibly snapped, and, whirling on Diesel, she jabbed her forefinger up in his face. ‘Neither my father nor Deacon will arrest you,’ she hissed. ‘But I will fucking kill you myself if you don’t give me a straight answer. Can you crack the goddamn safe or not? Yes or no?’

Eyes wide, Diesel nodded once. ‘Yes.’

She grabbed his arm and shoved him toward the door. ‘Then go do it,’ she cried, exasperated. ‘Now.’