Could Mercedes have pulled those listings out of the pile? I thought.
* * *
The drive to the task force provided adequate time to get my mind over activated. What if Mercedes had purposely left those other listings out? Why did she crap out on visiting the other properties tonight? Maybe I should mention this to Mike, I thought. She never answered his question about what she really did weekends, at least not in my presence.
I thought about my stay at the cabin with her. There’s no way she could have anything to do with these murders. Or, is that why she made me uncomfortable from the start? Should I really mention this to Mike? Maybe I should just see how the weekend goes. Will Jason be kidnapped, or will it be prevented? If Jason is kidnapped, I could call her. If she’s home, she couldn’t be involved.
I was still dealing with the two missing property listings. Maybe Mercedes was never given those listings in the first place. However, the general building description did fit what we were looking for. A more remote location would be a perfect fit.
How can I find those listings? I can’t just ask Mercedes for them. I need to mention this to Mike. Maybe he, or Paddy, can pull some strings to find the property locations.
When I mention this to Mike, he is going to reevaluate Mercedes. I’m closer to her than he is, and I have questions about whether she concealed them. It’s also strange she wanted to be excused from checking out properties tonight. Is there a connection with Friday?
My assessment: she was intelligent and capable of planning a way of kidnapping these men, having a place to torture and kill them, and not be discovered. However, I saw her sensitive side, and her honesty . . . I don’t believe she could kill anyone.
What if she needed to get revenge? I asked myself. She had said there was a rape in her family. They had all had to deal with it, and it had been, in her words, ‘life changing.’ She had even said she had nightmares about being tied up, naked, molested, and tortured. However, she had not elaborated.
I still find it hard to believe she could kill. She would have acted differently at the cabin. Could Lisa have killed Jimmy if I hadn’t rescued her in time? I would bet my life she could never kill anyone.
Am I betting my life in Mercedes’ case? I questioned myself.
I believe Mercedes would have told me the details, if I had pressed her. I think she might have even told me the details then if I had asked. And another thing—she had been spot on with her profile of the killers.
If she was one of the killers, she would know the facts. Instead of being a profiler, she could have just listed facts.
I’d have to tell Mike, I thought, and I knew he would pursue getting to the particulars. My stomach was upset just thinking about what he would do, and how she would take it. I felt like I was about to break a confidence.
What if it saves a life? I asked myself. Wasn’t that why I wanted to be connected with the task force to begin with? To save the lives of people I knew. Was it? I had played in that hockey league. What if my subconscious objective was to save my own life? Is being a friend to Mercedes worth someone’s life?
No, it may be evidence, and someone’s life could depend on it. I have to talk with Mike when I get to the office.
* * *
It was after 11:00 p.m. when I arrived at the task force office. I expected bad news since every light was on in the building. When I opened the door, I could hear loud voices coming from the conference room. I headed back to see what was happening.
The room was crowded; no one was smiling. Everyone was so busy, no one saw me arrive. Mike was talking with Paul.
I walked over to them. “Hi Mike, I’m here.”
He turned. “Oh, Scott, I’m glad to see you.”
His response caught me off guard. I just looked at both of them.
Mike elaborated. “Jason was kidnapped by the Calumet gang. We were concerned you and Mercedes were still looking at properties. Well, we didn’t want you two to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We speculate the gang is in the process of delivering Jason to the women.”
I could feel my stomach turning. “Mike, I need to discuss something with you—when you have a chance.”
“Things are very busy here. The Lowell police are about to raid Jason’s gang headquarters. One of the kidnapping gang members was taken to the hospital, and Jason’s gang learned he was there, and made a fillet out of him.”
He continued. “We are anticipating a gang war between Jason’s gang and the Calumet gang. There were some gang members killed, and some innocent bystanders wounded during the shoot-out during Jason’s abduction.”
Mike added, “Oh, we also have the Massachusetts and New Hampshire State Police trying to locate Jeremy Johnston, who’s somewhere . . .I’m sorry, Scott . . . if what you have is important?”
I could feel my face flush. “You’ve got your hands full. When you get a chance, we can talk. How do you want me to help?”
“Scott, we are just glad you’re here safely. That’s a load off my mind.” He looked around the conference room. “Where’s Mercedes?”
“Well . . . that is what I need to talk with you about.”
* * *
The task force members were all working feverishly. I just stayed out of their way. I just hoped my making a new pot of coffee helped. I really needed a cup. Maybe even black, no sugar, I thought, the way Mercedes takes it. Thinking of her, I was wondering if I should try to call her before I talk with Mike. No, I thought; if she was involved, there will be no answer. She might also avoid answering at this hour.
I thought about what Mike told me when I arrived. I might be able to find out where Jeremy went by either talking with Lisa or Judy.
Oh, no. Lisa. What had I planned to do this evening? Were we supposed to go out? I think not getting much sleep, along with this activity, could be stressing me out. Maybe I have to consider doing something else for a living?
Mike came over. “Scott thanks for being patient. You can see it’s really hectic here. What did you want to tell me?”
“I hope I can remember all of it. First, I might be able to track down Jeremy by talking with either Lisa or Dottie’s girlfriend, Judy. The State Police will most likely find him, and even if I found out where he was going, he would still need to be located.”
I took a deep breath. “The second thing is more complicated.”
He looked like he was not going to rush away any longer. “Really?”
“Mike, this is just speculation, but I need to let you know. Please be patient with me while I ramble.”
He nodded his head, and I continued. “I think I found the type of building used for the murders. Here’s the listing—I checked it out and it would fit the type of facility we’re looking for. But this one is too close to other buildings, and these women would draw too much attention.”
Mike had a confused look.
I quickly continued. “This listing mentions two other similarly designed buildings that are available and not included in the package we received from Mercedes’ father. That’s the question. Why aren’t they in the listing package? Did Mercedes eliminate them, or did someone in her father’s firm miss them, or worse, eliminate them?”
“Where is Mercedes?”
“She wasn’t feeling well earlier tonight, so I returned her to her apartment. My mind’s overactive, its Friday . . . could she be involved? Did she ever give you an answer to what she did weekends?”
“Scott, I’m surprised you’re mentioning all of this. You and Mercedes . . . well, you seemed close.”
“My problem, Mike, is, if she is involved and I don’t mention it, someone else might be killed. One of the buildings referenced in this listing, but missing, might be the listing where the men are being killed. If we found those listings, we might be able to prevent Jason from being killed.”
“Well, Mercedes did sidestep my question about what she really did weekends. She said she did some private tutoring, but, to be honest, I’m with y
ou—I can’t believe she would be involved in these killings. Why would she get involved with the task force?”
But, before I could answer him, he answered it himself. “Well, she would know what we were doing here.”
“Mike, she related something to me . . . well, it was sort of confidential. There was a rape in her family. She has nightmares regarding it. She said it involves being tied up, naked, molested, and tortured. Could that ordeal give her the motivation to seek revenge?”
Neither of us said anything until I added, “I can’t tell you how awful I feel, just telling you—but I had to. My involvement with the task force was to prevent people I knew from being killed. Although I can’t say I liked Jason, I would never forgive myself if I didn’t alert you.”
“Scott, I need to follow up on this.” He got up. “Let me take it from here.”
Chapter 64
Carole wasn’t the largest of the four women, but she was in the best physical shape. Her National Guard training also equipped her with some additional skills, which came in handy mistreating Jason.
She watched and compared how each of the women carried out their individual revenge. However, she didn’t remember much of her own revenge against Bob Sullivan. She could remember parts of it, but not all of it.
She studied Carole’s behavior. She knew Carole had enough rage to just kill him, but because they were all there, and involved in some degree, she made the punishment last. All of them had been creative in their individual approach to creating the most mental and physical pain, including telling the men what they felt during their personal situations.
She knew from experience Carole couldn’t tell Jason what it felt like; she could only imagine what her sister had felt.
During her own rape, by Bob’s friends, she was able to put up a barrier, blocking the demeaning aspects of it. It allowed her to survive the ordeal, but it was the frequent reminders of the rape at school by Bob, which caused the most embarrassment, rage and the need for revenge.
It caused her to attempt to burn his house down, and that act caused her to be committed.
Carole left his blindfold off, saying she wanted him to see her rage—and his plight. Jason was brought back to the shower area, and his body re-cleaned after his weak stomach episode.
Carole told Jason she wanted him to relate each and every rape he or his gang had committed. With each one, she would strike him with her paddle. With each oversight, in her opinion, they would all follow her command and strike him.
His screams echoed in the building, but no one could hear him. Although the pain must have been terrible, his screams seemed to lose volume. It wasn’t long before he begged to be killed. Carole had to use the cold spray to revive him several times.
Her own arm hurt from the number of times she had hit him. None of the other men had taken this abuse, but this was the last planned killing. His body was so bloody their own bodies were being splashed as they struck him.
Daylight was coming in the high windows facing the ocean. When Carole couldn’t revive him, she indicated he had had enough.
They washed the blood off their bodies and went to the small office to dress, warm up, and get some sleep. They would obviously need to regain their strength.
She knew she was too worked up to get any sleep. She could sense Carole wasn’t satisfied.
Chapter 65
Mike finished the phone call with Gil Pike of the Lowell P.D. He called everyone into the conference room for an update. He took the stairs two at a time to Paddy’s office.
“Paddy, I just heard from detective Pike. He gave me an update on their efforts to raid Jason’s headquarters. I called a meeting downstairs. There’s some good news. Would you like me to cover it with you or just relate it to everyone?”
“Why do it twice? It’s late. I can hear it with the others.” Paddy got up and stretched his body, holding his back.
“Are you okay?”
“I guess my body is getting too old for these long days. I’ll be okay.” He started to follow Mike.
Mike stopped. “Paddy, there is something I need to tell you about privately.” He closed the door to Paddy’s office. “Scott thinks he may have found a suitable property.”
Paddy gave him a questioning look. “Why the closed door?”
“Scott found a listing in the package received from Mercedes’ father’s real estate office. Scott checked out the listing and felt the building matched what we’re looking for, but it’s too close to other businesses. In that listing, it mentions two other similarly designed buildings that are available. They are not in with the other listings.”
“That sounds like a good observation on their part.”
Mike took a deep breath. “That’s the other thing Scott mentioned. He wondered who eliminated the other two listings. Mercedes wasn’t feeling well, so Scott took her home. Scott checked out the property himself and discovered the reference to the other two listings. It’s Friday—Scott questioned whether Mercedes could be involved.”
Paddy considered the input for a few seconds. “I think those listings could have been eliminated by anyone in her father’s firm, or not even there. Scott might be overreacting to this.”
Mike noticed Paddy was ready to go downstairs. “Paddy, related to this, I need to mention one other thing. I asked Mercedes what she really did weekends. She never really answered my question.”
Paddy offered, “We could call her at home, and if she answers . . . she’s not with Jason.”
* * *
It was very late, but I had to call Lisa. I should have called her earlier. Mike was off with Paddy. I felt bad about calling the dorm at this early hour of the morning, but someone would hopefully be up.
“Helllo.”
“I’m sorry to call this late, but I have to talk with Lisa Anderson. Can you please get her to the phone? This is Scott Tucker.”
“She’s going to kill you for calling her at this hour. Wait a few minutes; I’ll try to get her.”
I was waiting, wondering if the girl didn’t just leave me hanging there. I should have gone to the bathroom, but I didn’t dare chance it. I wanted to have what I needed to tell Lisa prepared as I couldn’t talk long.
“Hello, Scott, are you okay?”
“Hi, Lisa, I’m okay. I’m sorry to be calling this late, but I needed to tell you what’s going on here and talk about tonight. Lisa, are you still there?”
I heard her yawn. “I’m here, but your voice is almost putting me back to sleep.”
“I will only be a couple of minutes. I have a bunch of things to tell you. I’ve been busy trying to locate available property suitable for these killings. I’ll be doing that later today as well, and I can’t tell how much sleep I’ll get.”
“Lisa . . . Jason Johnston was kidnapped a few hours ago. Jason’s gang and another gang had a gun battle and several people were hurt and killed. I’m okay. I wasn’t anywhere near there. However, there’s lots of activity here trying to find him and avert a gang war. I want to take you to dinner later tonight.”
There was no answer.
“Lisa, did you hear me?”
“I’m sorry, Scott. I heard. You’re okay, Jason was kidnapped, and you want to take me to dinner. Got it.”
“Lisa, I love you.”
“I love you too, Scott; please be careful.”
“I will. Good night, my love.” I heard the phone click.
* * *
Paddy returned to his desk and opened his drawer. “Mike, do you really want me to do this?”
“Yeah, I’m afraid so. Scott is closer to Mercedes than anyone else here, and he has questions in his mind. We need to do this.”
Paddy found her phone number in the file and looked at Mike. He dialed the number. Paddy looked at his watch. It was after 3:00 a.m. He listened for an answer but realized at this hour, it might take more rings than normal for her to answer.
Mike noticed Paddy’s apprehensive look, and he offered, “I wonder if
she could have the phone turned off? Scott said she wanted to go home because she wasn’t feeling well.”
Paddy hung the phone up. “We can try later after the session downstairs. We’ve kept them waiting long enough. Thanks for sharing this with me. I’m glad Scott voiced his concern.”
He gave Mike the sign to head downstairs, adding. “It could be nothing, but we need to follow up. We also have to find those other two listings—without mentioning it to Mercedes or anyone connected with her dad’s office.”
Mike kept to himself what Scott mentioned about the rape in her family. He did not feel guilty. However, he questioned why he hadn’t, but enough was said to warrant the phone call. Besides, if Mercedes didn’t have anything to do with the killings, why share something that personal?
* * *
Mike and Paddy entered the conference room, and everyone was already seated. Mike went to the front of the room. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, but I wanted to bring you up to date on what happened in Lowell. Detective Pike, whom most of you know is our liaison with the Lowell P.D., updated me on what happened first thing this morning.”
He looked at his watch. “It’s now over three hours ago that they conducted a raid on Jason Johnston’s gang headquarters. They arrested twelve members of his gang, who were about to leave to retaliate. The gang was armed, but no shots were fired. An undercover informant had helped the police time when to intercept them.”
He continued. “Lowell P.D. busted the doors in and took them by complete surprise. The gang members were arrested on gun and illegal drug possession charges. Obviously, more charges are pending, but it will keep them behind bars, preventing an all-out gang war. The informant indicated there are ten members still unaccounted for, but not really enough to do battle with the Calumet gang.”
Serial Separation Page 23