by Nancy Mehl
Casey nodded. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. It was hot in the warehouse, and she was thirsty. She felt dehydrated. Her side was beginning to hurt even more than it had just after she’d been shot. Being tied to an uncomfortable chair wasn’t helping.
“Do you think they’d give us something to drink?” she asked E.J. “I’m feeling a little woozy.”
E.J. looked over toward the office where the men seemed to be involved in an intense conversation. He yelled out, and Ace looked his way. He said something to Mattan and left the room, headed toward them.
“She needs water,” E.J. said as he approached.
“Are you feeling faint?” he asked Casey.
“What do you care?” she asked, trying to respond to him in a way that wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
“I don’t.” His eyes flicked toward a nearby steel support beam. It was so fast, it looked like a blink. There was a camera attached to the beam that she hadn’t noticed. She gave Ace an almost imperceptible nod. Could he really be on their side or was he playing them? They needed to be careful. Not only for their own protection, but also for Ace’s, if he was really who he claimed to be. If Mattan found out Ace was trying to help them, he’d kill him on the spot—just like he had Anderson.
Ace went over to a pop machine. He pulled the front door open and took out a bottle of water. He carried it back to her, unscrewed the cap, and held it to her mouth. Casey tried to drink slowly, but it tasted so good, she found herself gulping the cold liquid. As it went down, she began to feel better. Finally, Ace took it away.
“Not too much at once,” he said rather loudly. “It can make you sick, and I don’t want to have to clean up your puke.”
“What if I need to use the bathroom?” she asked, trying to look frightened, which didn’t take a lot of acting. “Will someone help me?”
“Not right now,” Ace snapped. “Look, that’s enough. We bandaged you up. Gave you water. Now quit bothering us.” He walked around behind her. “I wanna make sure you haven’t loosened these bonds.” He pulled at them, and Casey felt them give some. He leaned in close. “I’m going to sabotage their cameras and listening devices. Can’t take a chance they’ll hear something to make them suspicious. Mattan is popping pills so fast he’s liable to go over the edge any minute.” He straightened up. “Yeah, nice and tight,” he said loudly enough to be overheard. “You’re not going anywhere.” Then he walked over to E.J., seemingly checking his bonds as well. Although E.J. didn’t react, Casey was pretty sure Ace loosened the ties.
She watched as Ace went back to Mattan and the other guys. But even with Ace’s help, the odds were still against them. The only weapon they had was a small pair of scissors, and they couldn’t even get to them. It sure wasn’t enough to take down Mattan and his henchmen. She suspected there were more of Al-Saud’s goons in the building since Valerie wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She wondered how many of them there were. No matter which scenario Casey ran through her head, it didn’t look good for them.
“I don’t believe you can keep me here against my wishes.”
Tony watched helplessly as Batterson argued with Dr. Jackson. The chief was worried about his people, but he wasn’t in any shape to check out of the hospital. “Please, Chief,” he said, “you just had brain surgery. This wasn’t some kind of light injury. You’ve got to stay in the hospital until you get better. You can’t help us by killing yourself.”
“I know how I feel,” Batterson grumbled. “I assure you I’m just fine.”
Dr. Jackson sighed. “Mr. Batterson, you’re on a morphine drip. Of course you feel fine. Trust me, if we remove it, you won’t feel fine at all. I’m telling you that if you try to leave that bed too soon, you could die.”
Batterson frowned at Tony as if trying to send him some kind of message. Tony knew what he wanted, but he had no intention of supplying it. He shook his head. “No, Chief. There’s no way. You’ve got to stay where you are.” He looked over at the doctor, who nodded at him. “I promise to keep you updated on everything that’s going on. And if you have orders, I’ll make sure your deputies get them, okay?”
Although he continued to scowl at Tony, Batterson’s body relaxed some, and he sank back against his pillows. Tony breathed a sigh of relief. He’d been afraid that Batterson was going to pull out his IV and try to get out of bed.
Tony was tired and had planned to go home. Mark was coming to the hospital to provide security for their boss, yet if the chief wanted him to stay and keep him updated on his witness and his deputies, Tony would do it.
Before Batterson had a chance to say anything else, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
“He’ll keep doing that as long as he’s on morphine,” Dr. Jackson said. “His reasoning is affected by his medication. I would advise you to keep him happy. Don’t give him bad news. Right now he can’t handle it. It could spike his blood pressure and his heart rate. He may think he wants to know everything that’s going on, but trust me, keeping him in the dark about things that might upset him will actually help him to heal.”
Tony nodded and thanked the doctor. As Dr. Jackson left the room, Tony shook his head. Yeah, and keeping Richard Batterson in the dark about anything could also get him fired.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Except for the men in the office behind them, Casey and E.J. seemed to be alone in the warehouse. E.J. scanned the large room slowly, searching for ways out. The clues he’d left behind might not be enough to lead the police to this location. So far, Ace was their best chance for rescue, but E.J. had no idea who he worked for or what he was investigating. Would he risk his operation to save two Deputy Marshals and a witness? He couldn’t be sure.
He looked at Casey. “We could be here a while. We can just sit here, or we can try to figure a way out.” E.J. cocked his head toward a row of windows near the ceiling. “We might be able to get out through those windows, but first we’ll have to find a way up there. Unless one of us can turn into Plastic Man or jump really high, we don’t stand much of a chance.” He scooted his chair closer to Casey, keeping an eye on the men in the office. No one seemed to notice. “I think Ace is our best chance,” he said softly.
Casey sighed. “Our Ace in the hole, so to speak?”
“Maybe. Depends on who he’s working for, and why. You know some law enforcement agencies put their operations before . . . collateral interests.”
“I know,” she said. “But would he just stand by and watch them kill us?”
“No, I don’t think he wants to do that.”
“But we can’t count on it—or him. We’ve got to take control of things.”
Once again, it was like they could read each other’s minds. E.J. took a deep breath. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but I have to say something. Just in case—”
“We don’t make it out of here?”
E.J. nodded. “I’m sorry I left you with Jared. I really didn’t know. I just didn’t want to be a third wheel. That’s why I quit hanging around you two.”
“I know,” Casey said. “Forget it.”
“I wish I could.” He was quiet for a moment. “Look at me, Casey.”
After a few seconds, she turned her face toward his. He gazed directly into her eyes. “I’m going to do everything I can to get us out of here, but if I can’t . . . there are things I need to say. Please, Casey. It’s not like we’re too busy right now.”
Casey hung her head down, her hair covering her face. She was silent for several seconds. Finally she raised her head and looked him in the eye. “Okay. But I’m not giving up. We’re going to get out of here alive. With our witness.”
“Amen.” He cleared his throat. “Casey, can you tell me why you stayed with Jared if he was hurting you? I just don’t get it. It’s not like you. I just can’t wrap my head around it.”
“I . . . I can’t explain it,” she said. “Don’t you think I’ve tried to understand it myself? I thought I loved Jared, and he kept promising to change
. I don’t know. For some reason I believed him. He had a way of making it seem as if he was the victim. You know, because of his dad. I should have kicked him to the curb after it happened the first time, but I thought I could help him. Does that sound nuts?”
“No, I guess not. So somehow he made himself the victim and you were his deliverer?”
She nodded. “I guess it was a challenge. I wanted to save him.” She struggled to sit up a little straighter. He saw her cringe in pain.
“You’re hurting more?”
“Yeah, it seems to be getting worse.”
E.J. nodded, then paused before continuing. “Please don’t get angry at me, but are you sure you stayed because you wanted to help Jared? Could you have been trying to punish yourself?”
Instantly, Casey’s face became a mask of fury. “Punish myself?” she hissed. “Punish myself for what?” She looked away from him. Then, without warning, she began to cry.
He wanted to take her in his arms, but he couldn’t. He waited for her to say something else. When she didn’t, he finally said, “Casey . . .” as gently as he could.
She slumped in her chair. “I can’t get their faces out of my head, E.J. Three young women. Slaughtered.” Tears ran down her face. “I heard once that when you look into the eyes of the dead, you’re responsible for them. But that really happened when I let Carlton Randolph get away. I own that, E.J.”
“Randolph made a deal, Casey. Telling the authorities where all the bodies were buried in exchange for life in prison. No one thought he was going to escape. Besides, we were with him all the time. Right outside his door. He had assistance from the outside. Someone who helped him get out of that room. We did everything we could with the information we had. It was just . . . one of those things.”
“Was it one of those things for the women who died? Is that excuse good enough?” She groaned, and E.J. couldn’t tell if the pain was physical or emotional. “I see them, E.J. In my dreams. Almost every night. Some nights I try to stay awake so I don’t have to look into their empty eyes.”
E.J. sighed. “So when Jared hit you, you felt better?”
She lowered her head, her hair hiding her face again. “I don’t know,” she said, her voice cracked and hoarse. “Maybe.” She took a big gulp of air. “It only happened three times. After the third time I stopped it. Told him we were done.”
“But why did he do it? Was he angry? Drunk?”
“The truth?” She sighed so deeply it seemed to seep through her entire being and leave her deflated. “I’d go after him, E.J. Push his buttons. Make him mad. I tried to stop, but it was like someone else took over my body. I taunted him until he lost his temper.”
“You pushed him until he hit you?”
She looked into his eyes and nodded. “He was fighting his own demons. I purposely agitated him, and he was too weak to fight them. I’m sure that’s why he left. Like you said, he didn’t want to be that man. I . . . I’m not excusing him. There’s no justification for hitting a woman. For hitting anyone. But I goaded him, E.J.”
E.J. wanted to be furious at Jared, but he also knew how hard Jared fought against his father’s evil legacy. Part of him felt sorry for his old friend. Even so, Jared could have come to him. Asked for help. And he didn’t.
“We were both at fault,” Casey said so softly he could barely hear her. “Maybe I didn’t really love him. I guess I just wanted to stop feeling guilty.”
“Casey, you’re not responsible for Carlton Randolph. Honestly. You want to blame yourself, but the only person to blame is Randolph. He’s the one who killed those women. He’s the one who gave in to his violent desires. Not you.”
She started to say something, but E.J. shook his head.
“Look,” he said, “if you could have stopped him, would you have done it?”
“Of course,” she said, a look of horror on her face. “I would have given my life to protect those women. To stop him. Why would you ask something like that?”
Instead of answering her, he just stared into her eyes until recognition dawned.
“It’s ridiculous to blame yourself, Casey. He got past both of us. Are Randolph’s murders my fault?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why are they yours? That doesn’t make any sense.”
She didn’t answer him.
“It’s time you forgave yourself. Randolph’s dead. His reign of terror is over. I think it’s time you moved on too, don’t you?”
As Casey’s tears flowed, E.J. wondered if she’d be embarrassed later about letting him see her vulnerability. Her reputation as tough and immovable was important to her. “When we get back, Casey—and we will—I . . . I think you need to see someone. I’m not a therapist or a pastor. I’m just a dumb deputy, but I know it’s not God’s will for you to carry this burden. It’s self-destructive. Please promise me you’ll get some help.”
He was glad to see her laugh at his last comment. He was afraid suggesting she needed counseling would offend her.
“I think you’re right, E.J. And I will. I promise.” Before he realized what she was doing, Casey scooted her chair right up next to his. She leaned in and kissed him. Tenderly at first, and then with more passion. He gently pulled his head back.
“Don’t do that now,” he said quietly. “Not when you’re upset.”
At first, he thought she was going to get angry, but she didn’t. Instead the corners of her mouth twitched.
“Does that mean when I’m not . . . emotional, I can do that again?”
He couldn’t help but smile at her. “When you’re feeling like yourself, and we’re not being held captive by people who want to kill us . . . yes. I look forward to it.” At that moment, more than anything, he wanted to wipe the tears from her face. “In fact, I’m counting on it,” he whispered.
She smiled and scooted her chair back to where it had been. Then she looked behind her to see if Mattan was watching them. E.J. followed her gaze. The men seemed involved in some kind of argument. Mattan was waving his arms around, and although they couldn’t make out what he was saying, they could hear him shouting. At least he wasn’t interested in them right now.
“Okay, let’s figure out how to get out of here,” Casey said. “After that, I suggest you call me and ask for a date. You know, do it the right way.”
“You have my word.” He felt overwhelmed by the nearness of her. The power of her incredible spirit. Not being able to hold her frustrated him beyond belief.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
Tony pulled his rental car behind the police cruiser he’d followed to the last place they knew Casey, E.J., and their witness had been. The flight to Pennsylvania wasn’t too bad, but the change in Chicago added an extra hour to his travel time. He was grateful to have grabbed a little sleep on the plane. He was tired but determined to find their people. Calculating from the time of the confrontation on TV, law enforcement determined they’d been here around eight or nine that morning. Now it was almost four o’clock in the afternoon. A long time to be missing.
Batterson was doing better and didn’t seem determined to escape the hospital any longer. He’d been fine with Tony flying to Pennsylvania, but he’d made his deputy promise to keep him apprised of any progress. Tom was taking everything in stride. While he was the acting chief, all of them knew Batterson was the real power behind the scenes, and no one was brave enough to try to usurp his authority.
It helped a lot that Karen and Marlon were with Batterson now that he’d been moved out of ICU. He still had tight security, so they’d been transported to the hospital by Marshals dedicated to protecting them from any kind of threats. Keeping the three of them together guaranteed tighter security. So far, everything was quiet. Hopefully, the woman who’d tried to kill the chief was Al-Saud’s last attempt. Although Batterson was still worried about his deputies, he was more relaxed and willing to follow his doctor’s orders with Karen and Marlon by his side. And with Batterson stable, it was
easier for Tony to concentrate on finding their missing witness and the deputies with her.
He got out of his car and went over to where the officer waited. “This is where we found the dog tags I showed you at the station,” the officer said. “Not sure what you’re looking for.”
Since he didn’t bother to introduce himself, Tony looked at his badge for the officer’s name. Officer Holman seemed a little offended that the Marshals had sent someone to Pennsylvania. But nothing could keep them away. D.C. had wanted to send someone too, but Batterson convinced them to wait until they had more information.
“If there’s nothing here, you’ve wasted a trip,” Holman said.
Tony wanted to tell him it wasn’t up to him to decide how the Marshals spent their time. Instead he decided it would be best to get this guy’s cooperation. If putting ego aside would help his friends, he was willing to do it. “You might be right,” Tony said, “but we still want to look things over. We can’t stand by while two of our deputies go missing. I’m sure you feel the same way about your people.”
The officer grudgingly agreed. Behind them, a tow truck pulled into the almost vacant parking lot. Holman stepped away from Tony and waved the driver over. When the truck got closer, Holman raised his hand and gestured for it to stay where it was.
“We’ll give you some time, but we gotta get this car back to the station as soon as possible. It hasn’t been processed completely yet.”
Tony nodded. “I get it. Thanks.” He began to walk around the area, looking closely at everything. “Where did you find the dog tags?” he asked Holman. The officer came over and pointed at the area where the tags were picked up off the ground.
Tony got down on his hands and knees and looked over everything slowly, methodically. At first he didn’t notice anything unusual, but not far from the spot where the dog tags had been left, he found something that looked like words scrawled into the dirt. Tony pulled a flashlight out of his pocket, along with a notepad and pen. He carefully wrote down what he saw. It was hard to make out. The top part of what appeared to be numbers was smudged, yet it looked like 651247. There was something else next to the numbers. Letters maybe? It was too hard to read. Was this a license number? How had the police missed this? He stood and called Holman over.