“He had your address on file,” Derrick said.
Wetness broke out along Victory’s hairline and an odd coldness settled between her shoulder blades. The room suddenly felt too small. The walls closed in around her. “I need to get some air.”
She rushed out of the room and raced down the stairs, taking two steps at a time. On the main floor, she skidded to a stop at the back of the club and shoved the door open with her shoulder.
Snow fell, hushed and heavy and covered the ground with a fresh layer of white. Chilly air burst into her lungs. She stood there, her legs weak, taking in gulps of air and letting them out, trying to calm her nerves. She had no idea where the killer was or where he’d taken Jade. The thought horrified her. Guilt stabbed at her heart and she cursed to herself. She fought off the feelings.
Soft footsteps approached from behind. Victory glanced over her shoulder at Derrick.
“Just checking to make sure you’re okay.”
She looked at him then back outside. “I don’t think I’ll ever be okay. This is my fault. If I hadn’t used that pharmacy—”
“It isn’t your fault. I’m sure this is the last thing you ever thought would happen.”
“I don’t know how to find her. We don’t have any leads other than Elder was in one specific area at some point. I’ve got squat.”
“Ryan’s still looking through the video. Maybe something will turn up that’s helpful.”
Victory knew Derrick didn’t understand what The Wrapper did to his victims. But she did. “He burns them alive.” A tear escaped from the corner of her eye. She blinked it away and had a tough time getting the words out. “From everything I’ve learned about Jeremy Elder, there’s a good chance Jade isn’t going to make it unless I can find her before the end of the day.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Derrick had a dilemma. He couldn’t walk away, knowing he had the ability to help Victory find her daughter. He’d been watching Victory and her partner search the club’s security footage for the last two hours. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and checked the message. It was from his father.
Have you checked the reporter’s laptop?
He quickly typed a message.
Not yet. Get back to you in a few hours.
He hit send and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
“That’s Jade right there at the bar.” Victory pointed to a young woman on the monitor’s screen.
Jade looked a lot like her mother. Very pretty. She had the same long red hair and blue eyes.
Ryan pointed to two young women on the dance floor, dancing with two guys. “Is that Marley and Rebecca?”
Victory nodded slowly and kept her gaze glued to the screen. “They left Jade alone.”
The anguish in her voice was undeniable. Derrick felt bad that he couldn’t help her. If he did, it would put the Elara Project at risk. His gut clenched.
“Right there.” Ryan’s finger moved to the lower portion of the screen. “There’s Elder. He’s heading to the bar.”
Derrick watched Jade turn her head and look toward the dance floor at her friends. Behind her, the bartender was hunched over a box on the floor pulling out bottles of liquor and stocking the shelf above him, while a female bartender was busy with a dozen customers at the other end of the bar. The killer slid up beside Jade when she wasn’t looking. He moved his hand to her glass. It looked like he put something in her drink.
Victory blew out a shaky breath. “He spiked her drink with the Rohypnol.”
“Then he probably played knight in shining armor and offered her a ride home. She’d be too out of it to say no.” Ryan hit pause and looked at Victory. “You sure you want to keep watching? I can go through the rest. You don’t have to do this.”
“No.” A line formed between her eyebrows.” I need to know what happened. Everything.” Victory pressed the ‘play’ button.
For a long while, Victory said nothing, her eyes transfixed on the monitor’s screen.
Derrick felt helpless watching her. The same helplessness he’d once felt as a child after he’d cracked Jake’s skull with a rock.
“That’s all there is,” Victory said.
Ryan hit the ‘stop’ button. “We know she got into his car. They turned out of the parking lot and headed west toward Mill Creek. Not much to go on. It’s a lead at least.”
“They could be anywhere. See what we can get from the traffic cams in the area. Maybe we can narrow down his location.”
Ryan left the room to make the call in the hallway.
After he left, Victory glanced at Derrick. The tense set of her mouth loosened a bit.
“You know, you don’t have to stay. I’m sure you have other things to do. I never got the chance to thank you for breakfast, not that I had the chance to enjoy it.”
He smiled. “Next time. I don’t mind being here. My work allows me the freedom to spend my time the way I want. I wish there was something I could do to help you find Jade.”
The room fell quiet.
“What I need is a miracle.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to him, your husband?”
Sadness clouded her features, particularly her eyes.
“He tried to stop a bank robber from harming anyone. It didn’t work out too well.”
“I am really sorry.”
“Was he an FBI agent too?”
“No. It’s because of me that Jade lost her father.”
“How so?”
“Josh was at the bank because of me. I’d forgotten to make a deposit that couldn’t wait. He didn’t know the bank was being robbed when he went in. It cost him his life.”
“That’s a heavy burden to be carrying. Your husband’s death wasn’t your fault, just like what’s happening with Jade isn’t either.”
She swallowed hard. “It feels that way at times.”
He studied her for a moment, the vulnerability returning. There was such pain in the back of her eyes. A miracle was exactly what Derrick could provide. He wasn’t sure if he could live with himself if he did nothing. He could use his paranormal skills to find Jeremy Elder and maybe save Jade. The cost could be great no matter what he decided to do. He’d be exposing the project, himself, not to mention his father and the president.
Ryan returned and stopped in the doorway. “Our team finished processing Elders Acura.”
“What did they find?” Victory asked.
“Hair, skin, and blood probably belonging to multiply victims. Just waiting for the DNA results to confirm. And Sean called.”
Her eyes widened. “News about Jade?”
“Sorry, Vic. Nothing yet.”
“He wanted you to know forensics didn’t turn up any evidence at Melissa Mann’s house. Not a single fingerprint belonging to anyone besides herself. Pretty weird scene. Things aren’t adding up, just like the Bullington’s case. The Shadow might be involved.”
Derrick’s pulse jumped at the mention of The Shadow.
“What if Melissa had dug up dirt on The Shadow too? What if she had learned his identity, was about to out him? The tech guys are going through her laptop, right?” Victory asked.
“That’s the thing, Vic. The laptop made it to the CPDs evidence locker. Paper trail confirms it was logged in. It’s not there.”
“The laptop is missing?”
Ryan nodded. “It’s vanished.”
Derrick was grateful he’d gotten the reporter’s laptop when he did. Victory was thinking hard about the news.
“Someone doesn’t want us to know what’s on her laptop,” she said. “Someone with enough power to have it disappear from a police evidence locker.”
At the same time, Derrick’s phone vibrated again. He pulled it out. “Sorry, I need to take this.” He ducked out into the hallway and walked far enough away from prying ears.
“What is it, Dad? I’m kind of busy right now.” His gaze shifted down the stairs then back to the storage room.
&
nbsp; “The President’s worried.”
“Why?” Derrick lowered his voice. “He shouldn’t be. We’ve got the laptop.”
“The source, son. Whoever gave the information to the reporter about the Elara Project is still out there. We don’t know what they plan on doing with it.”
“I’ll finish up here and call you if I find something on her laptop.” He disconnected.
Any anxiety and guilt Derrick had experienced after eliminating the reporter rippled through him again when he headed back to the storage room and heard Ryan say, “They’re going through her cell phone records right now.”
Sweat broke out across Derrick’s forehead and his scalp tingled. He knew the reporter had never called him like he’d told Victory. Melissa was already dead. Victory would learn he had lied when the phone records were examined. He stood outside the door for a moment to gather himself.
“I’m terrified I’m going to lose Jade. I can’t. I should be doing more to find her.”
“Vic, you’re doing everything you can other than driving around looking for her. We know that’s not going to help find her. We need a good lead.”
“He’s going to kill her, Ryan. We both know how this works.”
Derrick heard absolute agony in Victory’s voice. Guilt plagued him. He cursed under his breath. He had to help Victory. He might be Jade’s only hope.
✽ ✽ ✽
After Derrick arrived home at twelve-thirty, he sat behind his desk in his office at the far end of the house. He opened Melissa’s laptop and waited for it to bootup. When it was ready, he typed ‘Elara Project’ into the computer’s search box and hit enter. Seconds passed with no results.
Thirty minutes later, he still hadn’t found anything related to the project. He gritted his teeth and kept searching through the document folders, his mind wandering to Victory. He wondered if she had any news about Jade. Derrick hoped it wasn’t too late for her daughter.
He planned on helping Victory, but he needed to get this task out of the way to satisfy his father and President Burke. He understood both situations were critical. He had to choose which task took priority. Unfortunately, this one did, to keep them all out of jail and avoid exposing a shocking new reality to America, and the world. Derrick took a drink of his scotch and had a sinking feeling in his gut.
Another hour flew by and he finally hit the jackpot. He’d found the reporter’s notes, saved under the file name ‘govcovup.doc’. Derrick let out a breath of relief and began reading the contents. Halfway through, his jaw dropped open when he recognized a name. It was the original source.
Shane Beckham.
Derrick couldn’t believe it. Shane was one of the enlistees, a month after Derrick had been recruited. The guy had quit six months in. He kept reading.
Met with Shane Beckham…November 1…at his house…
According to the notes, Melissa had met with Shane eight times in the past three weeks. The reporter knew almost everything including that the project had been sanctioned by President Burke, and many presidents before him dating back to the Cold War. Derrick finished reading, leaned back in the chair, and closed his eyes. His father wouldn’t be pleased.
They couldn’t have recruits blabbing about the project. This was a problem. A huge problem that needed to be dealt with immediately. The issue couldn’t be put off until tonight when the man was sleeping.
Derrick knew Shane’s gift was visual mind reading. He could see the thoughts of people as images, and if they’d been present during certain events. His special ability had been used on the ground in terrorist states, Iran and Syria, and helped eliminate dozens of known terrorists, in turn, protecting the United States from future attacks. He’d also helped track down a CIA mole. Derrick couldn’t imagine having the ability. The constant visuals would become draining over time. He had no idea why Shane had decided to play the whistleblower game, putting everyone and the Elara Project at risk. The problem needed to be looked after.
He grabbed his phone on the desk and dialed Evelyn’s number. After a few rings, the woman answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Evelyn. It’s Derrick.”
“It’s good to hear from you. What can I do for you?”
“Do you remember Shane Beckham?”
“Of course. He was the oldest in the group, a visual mind reader. Our first, and only one. Nice man.”
“Do you happen to have his address on file? I thought I’d try to reconnect with some of the old recruits.” He didn’t want Evelyn involved any more than she already was. Her name was in Melissa’s file, along with the colonel’s.
“I think so. Give me a second to check the system.”
A few minutes passed before she came back on the line.
“1631 Wold Avenue. I don’t know if he still lives there, though. It’s been a long time.”
He tore off the corner of his desk calendar and jotted down the address. “Thanks, Evelyn. I’ll check it out.”
“Don’t be a stranger, Derrick. The recruits would love the chance to hang out with you. Nathan thought you were pretty cool.
“He’s amazing. I’ll free up some time next week and stop by.”
“Great. Looking forward to it. You and I have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Thanks again, Evelyn. We’ll talk next week.”
Derrick put the phone down and shoved the address in his pocket. He glanced at his watch. 2:30 p.m. Everything came at a cost. He picked up his phone again and called his father.
✽ ✽ ✽
Derrick parked across the street from the three-storey house. It was majestic, with its massive white pillars, huge windows, and slate-colored shutters. If Shane lived here, he’d done well for himself. The house was one of many multi-million-dollar homes in the East Walnut Hills neighborhood.
He exited the SUV and walked to the other side of the street. The sun poked through the dismal soot-colored clouds as snowflakes fluttered in the late afternoon air.
His father was dismayed to learn that Shane was Melissa Mann’s source. So was Derrick. He knew the guy had left the project claiming he couldn’t handle the emotional fallout that came with killing a target. Whether it was the truth or not, Derrick knew what he needed to do. He rang the doorbell. Seconds later, the door opened.
The man looked different than Derrick remembered. He was about the same height as Derrick. His brown hair was clipped short around his ears in a military cut. He was bulked up. Even his face was beefy compared to the last time Derrick had seen him. The muscles in his arms flexed through the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing.
“Derrick?” Shane poked his head outside the door and glanced up and down the street. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought it would be great to reconnect with some of the old recruits. I took the chance your address hadn’t changed. Nice house.”
“I inherited it when my father died a year after I left the Elara Project. It’s been our family home since the 1920s.”
“Great architecture,” Derrick said.
“Come on in.”
After Derrick took off his boots and coat, Shane led him into a large great room with a gas fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows. The spacious room resembled an old stone structure complete with wood beams and soaring ceilings.
Derrick took a seat on one of the couches directly across from Shane. “What have you been up to since you left the project?”
A weird, silent awkwardness filled the air. Derrick could tell the man was trying to read his mind.
“I’ve been working for a Blackwater-type private military security company. More my style than reading minds.”
“That’s great. You must be out of the country quite a bit.”
Shane nodded. “I’ve read that you’ve done well with your gaming company.”
“I have.” Derrick looked around the room for any signs that they weren’t the only ones in the house.
“Married?”
“Yeah. My wife, Car
la, works at the same security company. She’s out of the country, working in Iraq, since you want to know so badly.”
Shane had read his mind. Derrick needed to get to the point, and then do what was necessary. It would take every ounce of his energy to eliminate the man.
“I know you were in contact with Melissa Mann about the Elara Project. Why would expose the project, expose us?”
Shane looked at Derrick. “I’m not like you just because I can read minds. The project needs to be shut down, should have been canned decades ago. When I started working for Northridge International, I realized I was actually helping people and assisting countries in turmoil. That’s how we protect our own country—not by using paranormal skills to take out whoever we want. Because of the Elara Project’s actions, many of the countries I work in are now in worse shape and are even more dangerous to the US.”
Derrick studied him. He’d heard a lot about Northridge International, run by former special ops personnel, mainly former Delta Force soldiers. The private military company provided security and mission support on the ground as well as logistical support. He’d also heard the group had been heavily involved with the Iraq War.
“Come on, man. We’re both doing the same thing, just differently. The Elara Project isn’t going anywhere.”
Life flickered behind Shane’s eyes. Surprise stung his face. As much as Derrick had tried to block out his thoughts about what he was going to do to the man, Shane’s paranormal abilities were too strong. He knew what was coming.
Derrick’s body stiffened as he directed his energy at the man’s arms.
A spark of energy jolted Shane to his feet. He tried to stop his arms from lifting toward his head. “Please don’t do this.”
Derrick ignored him. He kept staring and concentrating.
Shane’s hands shook violently, out of control as if he was an electrocuted string puppet, then bucked around both sides of his neck. They stayed there. He smacked into an end table with his knees, knocking it over.
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