Deadly Reckoning

by Robin Mahle

  “We are aware,” Quinn replied. “You were there this morning, Deputy. You saw what we saw. And know what the girl said.”

  “I suppose so. Just can’t seem to wrap my head around it.”

  “Appears Chief Tate’s having the same problem.” A text came in on Quinn’s phone. He read it while continuing, “Unfortunately, this is what we deal with all the time. It’s usually the ones you least suspect.” Quinn looked over his shoulder at Kate. “Just got a text from Walsh. No luck finding Horton. They’ll meet us at the Floyds’ inside of ten minutes.”

  It appeared no one had anything left to say on the topic of whether the Floyds were killers or just dealers. It wasn’t long before they arrived at the home.

  “This is the place. Looks like your buddies just arrived too.” Slocum peered into the side-view mirror, spotting the SUV.

  They exited the patrol car and walked toward the front door.

  “It appears as though no one’s ever heard of Billy Horton.” Walsh approached the front of the home with Duncan following.

  “Let’s see what we find in here. If we come out empty-handed, we might need to put out a BOLO on Horton.” Quinn reached Slocum at the door. “What happened here?”

  “I had to knock it down. Mr. Floyd fell and there was this whole thing.” Slocum walked through the doorway.

  “Reid, you want to take the back room? Duncan, you can take the family room over there. And Deputy Slocum, if you want to check the bathroom and the other bedroom, that’d be a big help. Walsh and I can take the front of the house and kitchen.”

  Slocum nodded and started down the hall.

  Kate stepped closer to Quinn, lowering her tone. “You sure he’ll be thorough?”

  “Why wouldn’t he be? I know these guys are small town, but that doesn’t make them incapable of handling a case.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I just meant we’re getting a lot of pushback from them. That’s all.”

  “We have to trust the job they’re doing. Just like they have to trust us.”

  “Okay.” She continued through to the rear of the home, but not before eyeing Duncan as they passed in the hall and shrugged her shoulders. She made it inside what appeared to be the master bedroom, where there was a queen-sized bed draped in a country-style quilt, side tables, a chair in the corner, and a dresser, all of which appeared to have been purchased probably around the time their daughter was born.

  “Hey.”

  Kate spun around. “Geez, you scared the crap out of me. You find something?”

  Duncan walked inside. “No. Wasn’t much there, so I thought I’d see what you got going on in here. Quinn’s still checking out the kitchen and Walsh is out front. What about our buddy, Slocum?”

  “Don’t know. I just came straight here. And so far, nothing out of the ordinary. Help me check the closet.” Kate pulled on the knobs of the wooden bi-fold closet doors, the kind with the slats on the top. “Wow. Not much in the way of clothes in here.”

  “No. Not for two people.” Duncan began pushing aside the hangers in search of anything of interest. “So I hear you have some sort of sixth sense about this stuff?”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s my claim to fame. But I guess I’ve gotten lucky a couple of times.”

  “You mean like the shed the other day? Finding that wood shard?”

  “I guess so. Too bad it was a worthless find.”

  “No it wasn’t. We got DNA from it. We just need to figure out who it belongs to.” She continued looking inside, moving shoes, shifting boxes. “It must be difficult working for your boyfriend.”

  Kate shot her a look.

  “No offense. I’m just making conversation. Look, Reid. I like you. We all do, despite what you might think. I just imagine you must feel like you have to prove yourself all the time so people don’t think you got some sort of preferential treatment. I know that’s how I’d feel, if it was me.”

  “It does sort of feel that way, I guess.”

  “You guess?”

  “Okay. It definitely feels that way.”

  “Well, we know you’re good at your job. Quinn talked to us quite a bit about you before making his decision.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “He did. We’re a team, after all. But I want you to know that you’re a part of it now. You and Scarborough both. So whatever happens to you two also happens to us. I guess what I’m saying is…”

  “You hope nothing happens to us that might shake things up for the rest of you? I get that. And it won’t. I promise you. Scarborough and I have worked together for years. And we don’t let our relationship get in the way of the job.” Kate looked away for a split second, almost as if she felt guilty about the white lie she just told. Because, in fact, there had been times, plenty of them, when their relationship got in the way. Even before they had one.

  “Good. That’s good to hear.” Duncan returned to the task at hand. “Now here’s to praying that sixth sense of yours starts kicking in right about now.”

  Slocum stood in the door way. “Anyone check the attic yet?”

  Kate turned to him. “Nope. Feel free to tackle that one.”

  “Will do.” He started back into the hall, lowering the ladder in the ceiling to get inside.

  “Doubt he’ll find anything there,” Duncan began. “John Floyd is disabled and Lynn Floyd looks like she’d struggle to get up there too.”

  “We’ll let him do what he feels he needs to do. He seems a decent guy and all, and I do understand where the chief’s coming from, but it took too long to get them to come around. And if that girl hadn’t given us the names, we’d still be trying to convince them the Floyds were a concern.”

  “Hey, I got something up here, y’all.”

  The voice came from the attic.

  “Looks like we spoke too soon.” Duncan made her way into the hall.

  Kate followed closely behind and Quinn caught up to them.

  Deputy Slocum made his way down the steps of the attic ladder. “Looks like y’all might’ve been right about the Floyds. Who’d have guessed?” As he stepped off the bottom rung, he held a prescription bottle in his hands. “What’s this look like to y’all?”

  “Oxy,” Quinn replied. “This will need to be tested ASAP.”

  17

  With the discovery of the drugs inside the Floyd home, all that remained was to test the compound to see if it matched the pill found in Steven Schiller’s car as well as the chemical compounds discovered in the victims. Though they still hadn’t yet learned the makeup of whatever drug was in the body of Kevin Adams, it was almost guaranteed to be a match. And on their return, the team felt reinvigorated by the breakthrough. Even Deputy Slocum appeared to revel in the find.

  The chief, however, appeared shaken and demoralized. “I don’t understand how, after everything you two went through with the loss of Jenny, how you could do this?”

  “It’s not ours, Chief, you have to believe me,” Lynn pleaded as she held John’s hand. “We didn’t kill nobody and we didn’t sell no drugs neither.”

  “Well, how the hell do you explain the bottle? John been taking them? You? And why the hell was it in the attic? Like you were trying to hide something.” He grew more agitated as she pursued her rebuttal.

  “Chief Tate.” Nick approached him. “Maybe you should take a step back for a minute. Emotions are running high right now and we don’t want to say or do anything we might regret.” It seemed what Nick feared the most was a comment that might threaten the investigation and so pulling the chief back into line was the only way. He turned to the Floyds. “We’re going to have to remand you into custody until we can get the results of the analysis on the pills. However, you will remain in the custody of the Crown Pointe police, not us.”

  “Lynnie’s right.” John’s eyes reddened. “Y’all are making a big mistake. We ain’t no killers. Chief, you know us.”

  “Okay, okay.” Fisher inserted himself into the mix. “Scarborough
’s right. There is one thing we’ll need from both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd, that will help clear all this up. We’re going to need a DNA sample. A simple swab. You want to prove your innocence? That’s how you’ll do it.”

  “The hell you say.” John wiped his eyes. “We need a damn lawyer by the sounds of it. I don’t take kindly to being railroaded by you Feds. And I’ll be damned if I let you come near me for anything, you hear?”

  “I was hoping we could do this the easy way, Mr. Floyd.”

  “Yeah, well, you hoped wrong, son.”

  Kate turned to Duncan as they stood near the back of the room. “This is going to get ugly.”

  “What can we do?” Duncan asked. “We can’t make them submit to a swab.”

  “And without that, we can’t prove if the DNA on the shard belongs to either one of them.”

  “What about prints? We could go back to the house and collect prints.”

  “There weren’t any viable prints on the splinter. Only partials.”

  “There’s got to be some other evidence left behind.” Duncan paused for a moment. “Hang on. The shard. We know the DNA doesn’t match our victims’.”

  “I’m with you.”

  “So, we’re assuming it’s the killer’s. Which would mean, the killer injured himself or was injured in the process of doing the deed.”

  “Oh my God. You’re right. We need to check them for cuts and scrapes. Something that would’ve drawn blood.”

  “Yeah. We do.” Duncan walked toward Mr. Floyd. “Can I see your arms?”

  “What? Why”

  “I need to see if you have any recent abrasions.”

  Nick furrowed his brow, but let Duncan continue.

  John Floyd held out his arms and rolled up his sleeves. “Nothing. Okay? You satisfied?”

  “What’s this here?” She spotted a fresh gash higher up on his right arm.”

  “I bet that’s where you cut yourself earlier today, isn’t that right John?” Slocum said. “He slipped on some spilled coffee and dropped the glass pot. Must’ve shattered everywhere.”

  “That’s right. You boys scared the piss out of me, banging on my door like you did. Slipped and fell. Must’ve caught some broken glass.”

  “I see.” Duncan shot a look to Fisher as though she knew he was lying. “Well, we should probably attend to that wound for you.”

  Kate pulled Nick aside. “I’d like to run back down to the hospital and talk to Lori Stewart.”

  “Why?”

  “We’re not going to get anything out of those two, and I imagine at any moment, they’ll ask for a lawyer. What if she can tell us who else buys from them? She seems pretty connected to that world. Maybe it’ll lead to Billy Horton too.”

  “I’m not sure how he fits into this picture now.”

  “Well, John Floyd hardly appears capable of the physical aspects of the murders. Duncan had good instinct to check him for cuts. But, I don’t know. They could be pushing the drugs, but I’d be hard pressed to say John Floyd bludgeoned those people to death.”

  “Okay. If you think it’ll yield results, go for it. Take Duncan and Quinn with you, though. I don’t want you on your own and they’ll be useful. The rest of us can handle things here and I know Walsh wants to head out again in search of Horton.”

  “Thanks for indulging me. I’d like to check up on her and see how she’s doing.” Kate opened the passenger door after Quinn parked in front of the hospital.

  “Nothing else we can do right now,” Duncan said. “We’ve got the latest victim awaiting autopsy, DNA on three others.” She stepped out. “What have we got to lose?”

  “Let’s go have a talk, then.” Quinn locked the car as they headed inside.

  The woman behind the counter regarded the agents as they approached. “I hear you got Lynn and John Floyd in custody for all them murders around here.” She seemed to notice their looks of concern. “It’s a small town. So when the chief comes and takes someone away, word gets ‘round. I’ll tell you what, though, you people are making a big mistake. Ain’t no way those good folks did nothing like that. They lost their only child to drugs, you know.”

  “We know. And they’re only being held for questioning,” Kate replied. “We’d like to see how Lori Stewart is doing. Can we stop in for a moment?”

  The nurse appeared put out by the request. “Go on. She’ll be staying here tonight and they’re going to release her tomorrow. Best go ask her what it is you came here to ask her. My guess is she’ll be back on the drugs by tomorrow night.” She peered down at her desk and continued working. “That’s what usually happens.”

  Kate led the way through the corridor and to the young woman’s room. She pushed open the door. “Lori? It’s Agent Reid. I’m here with some of my team. Can we come for in a minute?” She opened the door farther and stepped inside. “Lori?”

  They continued in and it was Kate who spotted her first. “Lori? Are you okay?”

  With swollen eyes, she turned to the agents. “They told me for fact Kevin’s dead. That he got beat up real bad, like you said before.”

  “I’m really sorry.” Kate reached for the girl’s hand. “But you’re going to be okay. You’re a survivor.”

  “Who killed him? Who could’ve done such a horrible thing as that?”

  “We’re going to figure that out,” Duncan assured her. “That’s what we’re here for.”

  “Well, I don’t mean no disrespect, but y’all sure ain’t very good at your jobs.” Lori turned away again.

  “Listen.” Quinn approached her bed. “We’re questioning the Floyds right now. We found some drugs in their house and I was hoping I could ask… Do you know who else might’ve been buying drugs from them? Just so, you know, we could warn them, or maybe protect them from harm if they still have the drugs lying around.”

  Lori snorted a caustic laugh. “First of all, ain’t nobody leaving nothing lying around. Not in this town. If people was buying from them, them drugs are already gone.”

  “Do you know how long they’ve been dealing?” Kate asked.

  Lori shook her head. “I can’t say for sure. A while is all I know. I never bought from them directly. Seems odd, though.”

  “Why is that?” Quinn asked.

  “Cause they lost their daughter and all last year to the same thing. Probably needed money or something just to pay to bury her properly. No one round here has that kind of money, ‘cept those dealing. And the old folks is the only ones who can get the Oxy. Shit gets harder to come by every day. Most people are turning to heroin. It’s cheaper. But the high ain’t as good.”

  “Is that why Kevin risked buying the pills even after the warning at the meeting last night?”

  “Probably.” Lori’s lips began to quiver again. “With all the shit going down here lately, guess he just wanted to feel good and forget about it. Like the rest of us.”

  “We should let you get some rest,” Kate began. “If you need anything at all, here’s my card. Call me anytime, okay? I’ll answer.”

  Lori examined the card and nodded.

  The team headed out again.

  Duncan walked alongside Kate. “What’s wrong? Your spidey-sense kicking in or something?”

  “She says they’ve been dealing for a while. Why kill now? Assuming they’re the ones pushing the deadly drugs.” Kate eyed them both. “Why, after a year, decide to take revenge for your daughter’s death?”

  “You raise a good point, and then what, work with someone to do the physical killing?” Quinn replied.

  Duncan stopped in the hall. “Wait. Are you two suggesting the Floyds aren’t the killers?” She eyed them while they remained silent. “Well, if they aren’t, then who the hell is?”

  The chief stood at the head of the room where several folding chairs and lunchroom tables from the high school had been set up. “It appears as though we might run out of room here soon. Never thought our kitchen would be used as a command center.”

  “This is
just fine, Chief. Thank you.” Nick stood next to the chief while his team and the deputies convened to discuss the questions raised by Agents Quinn, Duncan, and Reid over their visit with Lori Stewart. “Quinn, would you like to start?”

  “Actually, I think Reid should explain our idea.”

  “Sure,” Kate began. “As you know, Quinn, Duncan, and I visited Lori in the hospital earlier this evening. She mentioned that she believed the Floyds had been selling drugs for a while, and likely had started as a way to pay for their daughter’s funeral and other expenses that came along afterward. Like John Floyd’s inability to work and that sort of thing.” She stopped and turned to Quinn. “So, I got to thinking, and I think Quinn came to the same conclusion as me. But I wondered why, if they’re the ones selling the bad drugs, why now? Why start killing people now, a year after the death of their daughter? Did they snap? I don’t know. Which is why we thought it best to come together and work through this. Because as I see it, I think the time’s come to start looking into the background of our victims. We’ve been putting out fires with every victim we find and haven’t been able to stop and figure out why them. Why were they chosen? I don’t think they’re random and I do believe they are connected—somehow.”

  “Connected to the Floyds?” the chief asked.

  “Maybe. Or their daughter.”

  Slocum appeared confused and folded his arms in a defensive stance. “Wait, now the other day, y’all thought the killer was someone or more than one person who likely had lost a loved one to drugs. Or even a cartel moving in. And that was why they were killing. Now y’all think it was someone who knew the Floyds or their dead daughter? I don’t mean to sound like an asshole, but it’s like y’all ain’t got a clue as to who is doing the killing.”

  “It’s another avenue to explore,” Walsh began. “It would make sense if there was a connection among the victims. It’s doubtful now it’s the work of a cartel, considering what we know about the Floyds. I know we’ve tossed around that theory before. But this—this is something we haven’t looked into and it’s worth our time in my humble opinion. However, I’ll defer to the bosses.” He glanced at Fisher and Scarborough.