“Nope, but welcome. Good to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Linc said. “Thanks for letting me sit in on this.”
“Absolutely. I never turn down help. Come on back to the interrogation room. Your guy, Mr. Parker, is not a very nice fellow.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Brady muttered. “Has he said anything?”
“Nothing worth noting. He lawyered up.”
“Who’s representing him?”
“A court-appointed attorney. Ms. Sarah Downs?”
Linc raised a brow. “Now that actually does kind of surprise me. In his line of work, I’m sure he’s got money to afford private representation.” Hired killers didn’t come cheap.
Andy shrugged. “Said he wasn’t going to be inside long enough to worry about it.”
Brady frowned and pulled his phone from his pocket. He’d taken a snapshot of the photo from Emily’s refrigerator. The original had been entered into evidence. “When’s Ms. Downs due to arrive?”
“She got here about twenty minutes ago. They’ve been talking ever since.”
“All right. Lead me to him. I want to see if we can get a name out of him. I want to know who hired him.”
“Let’s get your weapons locked up and you can have at him.” After securing their weapons, Andy motioned for them to follow. Brady’s phone rang. “Just a second, let me take this if you don’t mind.”
“Of course.”
The two men talked while Brady turned his back and pressed the phone against his ear. “Hey, David, what’s up?”
“I found out who the building belongs to.”
“Who’s that?”
“A guy by the name of Nicholas Raimes. He bought it about three years ago. Probably because it looked like that area was going to make a comeback, but then deals fizzled because the crime rate soared.”
“Gangs protecting their turf?”
“Yeah.”
Brady frowned. “What does Mr. Raimes do for a living?”
“Flips houses and some commercial properties. That office building cost him a pretty penny, and he doesn’t appear to have made any efforts to do anything with it. Although someone did something with it. Looks deserted on the outside and high-tech on the inside.”
“So, how did these guys gain access?”
“Still working on that one,” David said. “I’ve got a call in to Mr. Raimes to be in contact with you.”
“Perfect. Thanks for going above and beyond.” Brady hoped David knew how appreciated he was.
“Anytime. Also, I’ve some information on your Paul Bailey, Heather Gilstrap’s neighbor.”
“Anything to be concerned about?”
“Not really. No run-ins with the law. The only thing that’s kind of a red flag for me is that he was sued by Ralph Jenkins, the CEO of Jenkins Corporation, about a year ago.”
“What for?”
“Looks like Bailey renovated an office building, then turned around and sold the property to Jenkins and part of the building collapsed, injuring several employees. Including Jenkins’s wife, who’s now in a wheelchair. Jenkins sued, accusing Bailey of using substandard materials in the renovation. Bailey fought it and won. A week later, Jenkins was hauled out of Lake Murray sans his head.”
“Whoa.”
“Of course, Bailey was questioned, but he had an airtight alibi and no other connection to Jenkins. And besides, he argued that he won the lawsuit, what reason would he have to kill Jenkins?”
“Out of pure revenge for Jenkins dragging him through months of proceedings?”
“Well, yeah, I guess there is that, and while he was questioned in detail, there wasn’t any evidence to connect him to the killing. Other than that, his nose is squeaky clean.”
“Okay, thanks, David. Appreciate it.” He paused. He had to admit he thought it interesting Raimes and Bailey were in the same business—or at least similar. Probably a coincidence, but . . . “One more thing?”
“Name it.”
Brady’s phone beeped. He glanced at the screen. “I’ve got another call, but can you see if there’s a connection between Bailey and Raimes? There’s probably not, but . . .”
“Sure.”
Brady hung up and switched to the other line. “Brady St. John.”
“This is hospital security. You’d requested photos of everyone on the hall of the lady who was threatened and eventually left the ER room?”
“Yes.”
“I included hospital employees as well as anyone who looked like they were on their phone shortly before and a few minutes after the time your friend left the room.”
“Perfect.”
“I’m sending those by email now. I was only able to pull four or five good ones. There’s one guy with a baseball cap who keeps his head down for the most part. He looks rather suspicious to me. However, if he’s the one you’re looking for, there’s no way to know his identity. I think he also followed her out of the hospital.”
“Great. Thank you. Include them all. We’ll go through them. I appreciate your help.”
“Of course. Have a good day.” He turned to find Linc and Andy waiting. “Sorry.” He filled Linc in on what David told him about Raimes.
“Sounds like we need to have a chat with Mr. Raimes,” Linc said.
“Sounds like. Possibly right after our chat with our buddy in there,” Brady said with a nod at the door. His phone chimed and he gave them a tight smile. “And now we’ve got more pictures to show.”
“Our buddy? He’s your buddy. You were the one he was hugging.”
Brady gave his brother a shove. “He tackled me, dude.” He looked at Andy and frowned. “Trust me, there was no hugging involved.”
Andy held up a hand and did a pretty good job of keeping his grin under control. “Come on, you jokers.” At the interrogation room, he knocked and opened the door. “Excuse me, I have someone here who’d like a word with you two.”
Brady slipped inside, his aching knee causing his fingers to fist. Linc followed.
Parker looked up and scowled. His lawyer wore a similar expression. Brady nodded to the lawyer. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have a few questions and some pictures for your client to look at, if you don’t mind.”
“And if I do?”
“Then I guess I’m out of luck.”
“I’ll look,” Parker said. “Sit down.”
“Only if Ms. Downs says it’s okay,” Brady said without taking his eyes from the woman.
She never blinked. “What’s the connection between the photos and Mr. Parker?”
“They’re of some people we’d like identified. I’d like to know if Mr. Parker recognizes them.”
“I said I’d look,” Parker said.
“Mr. Parker, please refrain from speaking unless I direct you to do so,” Ms. Downs said, her mild tone laced with a hint of steel.
Parker’s scowl deepened, but he snapped his lips shut. Brady took a seat opposite the man. Linc settled in the chair beside him. “We know you were hired to kill Emily Chastain. She’s identified you as the man who put her on the boat, held a gun on her, and was going to shoot her, then dump her in the lake.”
“Yeah? So?”
“Mr. Parker—”
The prisoner slapped the table and Ms. Downs blinked but didn’t move. Brady stepped closer just in case he needed to intervene—although he had the distinct impression she could take care of herself.
“Shut up, lady,” Parker said. “I’ll answer the questions if I see no reason not to.”
Sarah Downs’s furious gaze lasered her client and Brady thought she might simply get up and walk out. But she sat back, crossed her arms, and stayed put. Probably wanted to see how this played out.
Since Parker seemed inclined to disregard his lawyer’s advice anyway, Brady continued. “Who did the boat belong to?”
“Dunno. I was told it would be waiting at the dock. My instructions were that once I had her, I was to take her out to the middle of the cove, shoot her,
and dump her.”
The casual, cold, matter-of-fact recounting of how he was supposed to end Emily’s life turned Brady’s stomach.
“Really,” Ms. Downs said, “I have to insist that you not say anything else until—”
“And I said shut up. It’s well established that I was in the apartment and the boat. You’re not going to get me off on either of those.”
“But it’s possible you could get a reduced sentence if you’d listen to me.”
“Or, you could keep talking. Cooperate,” Brady said, “and I’ll make sure the judge knows you did so.”
This time Parker’s gaze slid to his lawyer. “He can do that?”
“Oh, now you want my advice?” she said. Parker scowled and she sighed. “Yes, sure, he can note that you cooperated. Might make a difference, might not.”
Parker nodded. “There you go then.”
“So you were supposed to kill her, but I came along and ruined that.”
“Yes.”
“Who was the other guy with you?”
Parker froze. “What do you mean?”
“There were two of you there. I heard you talking while we were hiding in the woods.”
“Naw, man, it was just me.”
“Now you’re lying. I was there, remember?”
Parker didn’t deny it but wasn’t going to admit anyone was there with him, either. “Fine,” Brady said. “Let’s move on to another topic for a second.” He turned his phone around to show the picture to the man. “This is one of the men who was watching Emily at the hospital. She was ordered to follow instructions or her mother and sister would die.”
“Whoa, I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
“Not saying you did. Just giving you some background.”
The man shrugged. “Okay. Go on.”
Brady looked at Ms. Downs. She still had a pinched look around her mouth and her narrowed eyes would probably wind up with permanent wrinkles, but she was paying attention. Brady almost felt sorry for her. What was she supposed to do when her client wouldn’t listen to her? As long as it helped him figure out where the picture came from, he didn’t care. He looked at Parker. “She went to the place where her mother and sister were being held. Fortunately, we managed to rescue her. Unfortunately, one of the five involved in her second kidnapping escaped. This one, however, we’ve got in custody along with one of his cohorts. Do you know him?” Brady held his phone out.
Parker examined the photo. “No, I don’t know the guy.”
“Come on, Parker. Bald guy, snake tattoo.”
Parker snickered. “I said I didn’t know him. I didn’t say I’ve never seen him before.” He pointed at the tat. “Just never done business with him or that gang he’s with.”
Linc frowned, and Brady scowled. “How do we know you’re telling the truth?”
With an exaggerated eye roll, Parker nodded. “I’ve got no reason not to. I don’t know the guy.”
“Like you don’t know the guy you were with the night you tried to kill Emily?”
Parker’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. “I told you I was working alone.”
“Right. I’ve got pictures of three other guys I need to know about. Here’s the first one. You know him?” He turned his phone and showed the man the first picture of one of the dead men from the office building.
“Nope.”
Brady swiped to the next one. “Him?”
“Nope.”
“The third.”
“Huh-uh. I don’t know who they are, sorry.”
“You’re lying.”
Parker spread his hands. “Like I said, I’ve got no reason to lie. Never seen ’em before.”
Brady met Linc’s gaze and his brother shrugged. Brady sighed. “All right. Anything else you want to say?”
“Yeah. Watch your back. I’m not the only one on the payroll.”
Saturday, October 26
14
Emily rolled over to find herself trapped in the comforter and part of the sheet. She kicked her way free, then lay still for a moment as she tried to figure out where she was. She took in the tastefully decorated bedroom. Light blues and golds gave the room a warm aura, and she offered a mental thumbs-up to the decorator.
Then remembered. She was in Ruthie, Linc, and Brady’s guest bedroom because her home had been broken into and someone wanted to kill her.
Right.
A glance at the clock almost made her scream. 7:45? A.m. or p.m.? She squinted. It was a.m. That meant she’d slept the entire night. She ran a hand down her face and grimaced as she stumbled from the bed to the en suite bathroom.
She’d only meant to close her eyes a few minutes—or at least until Brady and Linc came back—because she’d wanted to hear what they’d found out. Apparently, her body had had enough.
Fabulous.
Once she’d brushed her teeth and showered, she made her way back into the bedroom to find the jeans and fleece she’d tossed in the bag before leaving her apartment. As she dressed, she couldn’t help but wonder if Linc had heard anything more about Heather’s 911 call or if he’d gotten her phone records. He’d had to get a subpoena, she knew that much, but how long did it take to get one anyway?
And she needed to check on her mother and sister. Since seeing them shuttled off to a safe house, she’d managed to put them from her mind. Mostly. She’d reverted to the days when she’d had no choice but to stuff down emotions and feelings or she’d have never survived. The fact that she’d managed to do so almost effortlessly bothered her. But she comforted herself with the knowledge that they were safe and she had other things to worry about.
But still . . . she hadn’t even told them goodbye yesterday. Why? Because she’d been scared to look into her mother’s eyes. The woman had been angry, and Emily simply couldn’t handle the blame that she knew would be thrown at her. More blame. The never-ending blame.
She closed her eyes and pictured the day she’d left home almost eleven years ago. At seventeen years old, when her mother screeched and railed that her father’s death was all Emily’s fault and told her to get out, Emily had worn her pride, guilt—and hurt—like a mantle, and had done just that.
She stood in front of the full-length mirror, brushing her hair as she studied her reflection. She could admit now that while she didn’t like the number on the scale, she did like herself. She liked who she was and who she’d worked hard to become. Did she wish she’d done some things differently? Of course, but overall, there was a small kernel of pride that she’d come this far from the hurting, self-destructive teen she’d once been.
Pulling the sweater away from her midsection bloused it out a bit and made her feel less . . . fat. She sighed and pushed the sleeves up to examine the scars on her arms. So much self-hate. So much anger. So much pain. So many life lessons she’d had to learn the hard way.
A knock jerked her out of her musings and she yanked the sleeves down, then pulled the brush through her hair one last time before opening the door. Brady stood there. “Hi.”
She blinked. He really was a good-looking man. Even after her admission only seconds ago about liking herself, she still felt like the dumpy ugly duckling standing in front of him. Obviously, she was still working on some issues, so she stuffed those feelings into the corner of her brain that enabled her to compartmentalize—and smiled. “Hi.”
“Ready for some breakfast?”
“Sure.”
In the large kitchen, she found Linc and Ruthie sitting at the table with another woman and a very large dog resting at her feet. Ruthie looked up and smiled. “Glad you could join us. Meet one of our sisters, Chloe, and her K-9 partner, Hank.”
The pretty dark-haired woman nodded. “Good to meet you.”
“You too.”
Emily slid into the chair Brady held out for her and waited while he settled himself next to her. “We don’t usually have time to do meals unless we schedule them weeks in advance,” he said. “So this is a treat fo
r us.” He passed her the eggs. She took a spoonful and handed them off to Chloe. The discreet, yet very pretty diamond on the woman’s left hand sparkled when she took the bowl.
“You’re engaged?” Emily asked.
A brilliant smile lit up Chloe’s entire face. “I am. The wedding is in four weeks and I can barely stand it.”
“Congratulations. Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Blake MacCallum. He’s a US Marshal.”
“That’s awesome. How’d you meet?”
Chloe fell silent for a moment. “Well, we knew each other in high school, but we met up again when his daughter was kidnapped by a ring of human traffickers.”
Emily gasped.
“And,” Chloe said, “the truck she was being transported in was involved in a wreck that was suspected to have drugs on board. Hank and I were called to the scene, found the drugs and the girls, and the rest is history.”
“A lot of history,” Ruthie murmured.
Chloe shot her sister a grim smile. “What about you and Isaac? You guys had quite an adventure when you decided to go on the run with him.”
“Hey, it was either that or let him get killed.” She looked at Emily. “He came in with a gunshot wound and I stitched him up. Then someone tried to kill him in his hospital room, so I decided he needed help staying alive.” She shrugged as though it were that simple.
Emily knew her jaw was hanging but couldn’t seem to snap it shut. When she succeeded, she shook her head. “Sounds like I’m not the only one with some crazy family dynamics.”
Brady snorted and Emily thought he might be trying to contain a laugh. Linc simply gave a resigned nod. “You’re not.”
“I find that oddly comforting.”
Laughs surrounded her and she grinned before turning serious and focusing on Linc. “Are my mother and sister still doing okay?” she asked him.
“They are. I checked on them first thing this morning.”
“Has she threatened to kill any cop who came within spitting distance?”
The table fell silent. Linc shook his head. “Not yet.”
Code of Valor Page 13