by Nancy Mehl
The boys obeyed immediately. Then they came back over to where E.J. and Doug waited. “We’re going to let you go this time, but we’ll be keeping an eye on you. If we catch you again, we’ll make sure you pay for it. Do you understand?”
The relief on their faces was palpable. “We won’t do it anymore, Officer,” the other kid said. “Thank you so much.”
“Yes, sir, thank you,” the boy standing in front of E.J. echoed.
E.J. glared at them. “Why don’t you both go home and think about how close you came to getting into real trouble today?”
They both nodded like their necks were made out of springs. Then they jumped back in their vehicle and drove away quickly.
E.J. went over to Casey’s car to check on the girls. “Just kids,” he said when Casey lowered the window. “We’re okay.”
Casey nodded. “I had it covered. You really gave those two a hard time. They’ll think twice about smoking pot again.”
“Even if they do, they’ll never completely enjoy it,” Doug said, grinning. He pointed at the restaurant. “We’d better check on those burgers.”
E.J. nodded and followed him back inside. Although he’d been concerned when the SUV first pulled up, the entire trip had been uneventful. A reckless teenage driver and two kids with pot. That was it. Maybe Batterson’s concerns were groundless. They were almost to the house where they would meet the FBI. E.J. was relieved that everything had gone well, but he wasn’t ready to say good-bye to Casey yet. There were things that needed to be said, and he had a distinct impression this might be his last chance to talk to her. Hopefully he’d find some time before he took off with Valerie and the Feds.
After picking up their food, he and Doug got into the car and headed back onto the road. They passed several large houses on the way that looked extremely expensive.
“Wow,” Casey said. “This is a prestigious neighborhood. The chief’s ex-wife must have been rich.”
They rounded a turn in the road and found the street the house was on. The final turn came up quickly, and they began to search for their destination. Turned out the street they were on was actually the house’s driveway. E.J. heard Casey say “Wow” again under her breath when they finally spotted the home. It was huge and backed up to Lake Erie. Painted blue and white, there was a three-car garage and a walkway behind the house that led to the lake.
“You’re right about his wife being wealthy,” E.J. said. “I suspect the houses around here are upwards of a million dollars.”
“Doesn’t look like the FBI is here yet,” Doug said. “Maybe we can stay for a while. I could get used to a place like this.”
Casey grunted. “Not on our salary you won’t.”
Casey and Doug stood by the car while E.J. did a quick perimeter check. The house was even more impressive from the back. There was a large sunroom with huge windows that looked out on the lake. Stone steps led to the long pier that stretched out over the water. It was a beautiful location. Peaceful. E.J. wondered if this was where Batterson planned to retire someday.
If so, E.J. prayed he’d live long enough to see his dream come true.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
After checking the back, including the doors and windows, and finding them secure, E.J. walked to the front of the house, where the Marshals and their witness waited. “Everything looks good,” he said. “Let’s find that key.”
He checked one flower bed as Doug looked through the other. Finally, he found a rock that looked a little odd. He picked it up and turned it over. Sure enough, there was a strip of metal that slid open when he applied pressure. Inside the plaster rock lay a key.
He went to the car and opened the door to the back seat. “Let’s get Valerie inside,” he said to Casey. “I want to pull the car into the garage. We don’t want neighbors calling the police because they think someone’s breaking in.”
“What neighbors?” she asked as she and Valerie climbed out.
E.J. glanced around. The house was so isolated, there weren’t any neighbors close enough to see them. “I still want to put the car away, but you’ve got a point. No wonder Batterson thought this would be a perfect place to hide Valerie.”
Everyone followed him to the front door. E.J. unlocked the house, and they all filed inside. The interior was just as impressive as the exterior.
“Just who was Batterson’s wife anyway?” Casey said. “Some kind of movie star or something?”
“No clue,” Doug said. “And I don’t care. I’m starving. Let’s eat.”
E.J. laughed. “Way to prioritize.”
He and Doug strode back to the car and retrieved the food. Doug started to carry it toward a long mahogany dining room table with intricately carved chairs. The set was obviously antique and quite valuable. It sat on a large Oriental rug, a matching buffet nearby.
“Hey, maybe we better take this greasy food into the kitchen,” E.J. said. “I don’t want to get grease or drink stains on that nice table.” His mother had a similar dining room set, and the idea of setting a bag of hamburgers on it would have horrified her.
Doug looked a little confused by E.J.’s suggestion, but he nodded in agreement. They walked through the wide living room decorated with brown suede chairs and a massive leather couch. The kitchen was incredible. A huge island with a gray-and-white granite top filled the center. The appliances were all stainless steel and high-tech. Doug grunted as he looked over the refrigerator. It not only had ice and water in the door, but it also had an LCD touch screen over the dispenser. “Look at this,” he said, a touch of awe in his voice.
“Does it work?” Casey asked.
E.J. poked at it a few times. “Nah. It’s not hooked up.” He reached over and flipped a nearby switch a couple of times. The ceiling lights went on and off. “At least the electricity is on. That’s something.”
E.J. and Doug put the food down on a table in a cozy breakfast nook with windows that faced the lake. The table was oak, with chairs on one side and a built-in bench on the other. It was so big that at least twelve people could gather comfortably around it.
E.J. removed Valerie’s drink from the carrying pack and then took her food out of the bag. “Sit down and eat,” he told her. “When the FBI gets here, they’ll probably want to leave right away. You might not get another chance to eat for a while.”
“I might run to the bathroom first, if it’s okay.”
E.J. pointed at Casey. “Let’s find a bathroom for Valerie. I was going to do a check of the house anyway.”
Casey nodded. “Sure.”
He glanced at Valerie. “Follow us. Your food will stay warm as long as you don’t take too long.”
“Okay.”
While Doug tore into his cheeseburger, E.J. and Casey started their tour of the house, E.J. in front of Valerie and Casey following behind. They quickly found a bathroom in the hallway outside the kitchen. “You go on,” E.J. told Valerie. “We want to look through the rest of the house. I’m sure we’re secure, but it’s best if we check it out. Just wait here until we come back for you.”
“I understand.” Valerie stepped into the bathroom and pulled the door shut behind her.
E.J. headed down the hall, making quick work of checking the four bedrooms and two more bathrooms. Every room was opulent. The master bath had a large tub with jets.
“You could get at least four people in this thing,” he mumbled as they cleared the room.
“It concerns me that your mind went there,” Casey said. “Do you usually bathe with a group?”
E.J. shrugged. “Not under normal circumstances. I guess joining family members in the hot tub doesn’t qualify, although when I was a kid I used to tell my mother that time spent in the hot tub should count as a bath. She didn’t buy it.”
Casey laughed.
They were on their way back down the carpeted hallway when Casey stopped and held her hand up, signaling E.J. to stop as well. He quietly followed her as she crept up next to the bat
hroom where they’d left Valerie. Casey’s ear was next to the door. She waved him over, and he stepped up next to her. A familiar clicking sound was coming from the bathroom. E.J. was pretty sure he knew what it was. Valerie was texting someone on her phone.
Casey motioned for E.J. to move away, so he took several steps back. She knocked on the door. “Valerie, it’s Casey. Are you all right in there?”
The noise stopped immediately. A few seconds later, Valerie said, “I’m fine. I was just waiting until you came back to get me.”
Casey looked at E.J. and rolled her eyes. He was beyond upset. Their witness could be compromising their entire operation.
“Why don’t you come out now? I’ll escort you back to the kitchen.”
The door slowly opened, and Valerie stepped out into the hallway. “Good. I’m really hungry,” she said with a thin smile.
“Great,” E.J. said as he came up from behind Casey. “But first you’re going to give us that phone.”
Valerie’s face went completely white. Thankfully, Casey’s quick reflexes kept her from hitting the floor when she passed out.
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Casey went through Valerie’s phone while E.J. got her a glass of water. They were seated in the living room, Valerie and E.J. on the couch, Casey in a chair across from them. Doug was outside putting the car in the garage and watching for the FBI. Since Valerie had used her phone against their advice, it was possible she’d just put them all in danger.
Casey was shocked as she went through message after message. Valerie had kept someone abreast of every single move they’d made since before they left the hotel.
“I think we need to get out of here,” she told E.J. “Dump this phone and find someplace safer.”
“What’s going on here, Valerie?” E.J. asked their witness. Although he kept his tone steady, it was obvious he was angry. “We put our lives on the line for you. Our boss almost lost his. Are you working with the people who blew up our offices?”
Valerie, who was still as white as a ghost, shook her head. “It’s not like that. You don’t understand.”
“Well, enlighten us and quickly. We need to know what to do. Are they on their way here?”
“I . . . I don’t think so. They want me in D.C. They need me in front of that grand jury.”
“Why?” Casey asked. “Aren’t you testifying against Senator Warren? Is he behind this?”
“No.” Her voice quivered as she spoke. “He made money from his involvement with a terrorist. I certainly didn’t. I was forced to work with them.” Her eyes were wild with fear.
If Casey wasn’t already furious with the woman’s betrayal, she might almost feel sorry for her. She looked at her watch. “Ten minutes, Valerie. Then we’re leaving. Spill it. All of it. Now.”
“The FBI is still coming, right?” she asked.
Casey nodded. “If we leave here, we’ll call them and tell them where we are.” Easier to promise than to pull off. Casey had no idea who Batterson had talked to. Maybe she could call Tony. He might know more about it. Although originally Casey hadn’t believed they needed the Feds to transport Valerie, now she couldn’t wait for them to arrive. Right now they could use all the backup they could get.
“Can I see my phone?” Valerie asked.
Casey shook her head. “I think it’s best if we hold on to it.”
“Okay. Look under videos.”
Casey brought up the videos and nodded.
“Play the last one.”
When Casey pressed the arrow in the middle of the screen, the image of a young woman came up. She was tied to a chair and had duct tape over her mouth. A hand reached in and ripped the tape off. It was obviously painful. The woman cried out as a muffled voice came from somewhere behind her, and she began to cry.
“Please, Valerie,” she said, her voice shaking, “do whatever they ask. They’re going to kill me if you don’t.” Two hands then appeared, and another strip of tape was put over the woman’s mouth. The video ended.
“That’s my sister, Susan,” Valerie said. “They have her.”
“Who are they?” E.J. asked. “And what do they want you to do?”
“I’m supposed to tell them that I made up part of the story about Martin,” Valerie said, tears dripping down her face. “About the senator and his connection to Ali Al-Saud. I have to testify that I created the entire scenario because I wanted to advance my career. It will work too. With Martin gone, no one can prove I’m not telling the truth.”
“I don’t get it,” Casey said. “The senator denied the story, right? I’m sure Al-Saud will do the same. If the authorities have no other evidence, why does anyone need you to take the fall for your story?”
“I really don’t know. I guess they don’t want anyone looking too closely at Al-Saud. If I say I made it up, the whole thing goes away.”
“And with it your career,” E.J. said.
“I don’t care about that,” she said, her voice breaking. “I just want my sister back.”
“So they ordered you to stay in contact with them?” Casey said. “Tell them what was going on? Give them our location?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but I could only share what I actually knew. I never heard you mention this address. I assume they’ve been tracking us some other way.” Her eyes sought Casey’s. “They can’t find out I told you the truth. We have to proceed just like everything is okay. If we don’t, Susan could die.”
Casey held up the phone. “So unless they’re tracking your phone, they only know the general vicinity we’re in, right?”
“Right. But they have ways.” She gulped. “You should probably check your car for some kind of tracking device. Before we left St. Louis, I told them we were taking your car. They wanted to know exactly where it was parked.”
Casey looked over at Doug. “Would you look at my car?” she asked.
“Sure.” Doug hurried over to the door in the kitchen that led to the garage. Casey heard him open the door and then close it.
“Did they blow up our offices?” Casey asked harshly.
Valerie sobbed, putting her head in her hands. Obviously the answer was yes. Casey fought back rage.
“I asked you a question,” she said loudly, trying to be heard over Valerie’s wailing.
Finally, Valerie looked up. Her voice shook so much it was hard to understand her. “I . . . I had no idea they were going to do that. I swear.” She took several deep gulps, trying to control her crying. “You saw the text after it happened?”
Casey scrolled back through the texts. Now you know we’re serious, she read. These people can’t keep you safe. We can infiltrate anyone. We’re everywhere. If you want to save your sister, you know what you must do.
“Are you telling me they killed our people just to scare you?” Casey couldn’t keep the indignation out of her voice. She was seething with anger.
Valerie wrapped her arms around herself as if she needed a hug. “Yes,” she said softly. “And they’ll kill us too if it becomes a more convenient way to reach their goals.”
Doug came back into the living room. He held a round metal object in his hand. “Tracking device,” he said.
Casey and E.J. stared at him. Casey was pretty sure E.J. was thinking the same thing she was. They needed to get out of there. Fast.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Tony hung up the phone and went back to the waiting room after talking to Tom Monnier, who was the Acting Chief Deputy while Batterson was out. He reminded Tony that there were deputies waiting in line to provide security for the chief. Tony volunteered to stay overnight since it would take time to set up a schedule, but he was still hoping the chief would wake up while he was here. Tom had decided to move Karen and Marlon to a secure location, so they probably wouldn’t be able to visit for a while, not until Tom was certain they’d be safe.
More than anything, Tony wished he could talk to the chief. There was so much information he needed, and Ba
tterson was the only one with the answers. He was lost in thought when Rachel walked into the room. He was startled at the sound of her voice.
“Deputy DeLuca, there’s a call for you.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Sorry to use your phone this way.”
“It’s okay. We were told you’d need to have access. It’s fine.”
As Tony followed her to the nurses’ station, he wondered if they were going too far by staying off their own cellphones. What would anyone learn from him? His location? It wasn’t a secret. Of course, if they were listening in to his calls, that could be dangerous for their witness and their deputies. In the end, using the hospital phone was the safest decision for now. But maybe it was time to switch to a secure phone. If the bomber found out Batterson was alive, he might try to breach hospital security. Hard but not impossible. He was certain if he could ask Batterson, he’d tell them to take every precaution. “We really appreciate it,” he told Rachel. “I’m sure it’s inconvenient.”
She shook her head, her red hair falling in her eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”
He thanked her again and punched the line she indicated. After he said hello, he heard Mark’s voice on the other end. Rachel left the station, heading for her patients. He appreciated her giving him some privacy.
“Sorry to call so late,” Mark said.
“What time is it?”
“Almost ten.”
“Wow. I thought it was later. It feels like this day just won’t end.”
“How’s the chief?”
“The same. He’s lucky to be alive.” He told Mark about the injection of epinephrine.
“What are they going to do? Can they counteract it?”