A Minute to Midnight

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A Minute to Midnight Page 37

by David Baldacci


  Britta looked down at the gun in her hand as though she had just noticed it.

  She started speaking slowly and quietly. “Can you imagine a man who had a daughter who got into porn because some bastards convinced her it would be wonderful, and these same bastards got her hooked on drugs, and then he decides that producing porn films is obviously so lucrative that he jumps into the business? And this after his only surviving child discovers his sister’s body and blows his head off. Does that man even deserve to live? My answer to that was no.”

  Pine sat up a bit. Britta had not bothered to bind her. Pine hoped that might turn out to be a big mistake for Britta and a way out for her.

  “I get your anger at Myron. But why the other murders?”

  “I was a mother, Lee. I had two beautiful children. I thought I had a wonderful husband. A bit quirky, a bit less empathetic than I wanted, but a brilliant man who provided a wonderful life.”

  “Until you decided that wasn’t a good enough trade-off?”

  Britta leaned forward. “Until he started to make the same trash and work with the same people who killed my beautiful daughter and caused my son to take his own life.”

  “Frankie Gomez wasn’t part of that world. He was just a kid.”

  Britta sat back, her lips pursed. She didn’t answer right away. “As soon as I saw that boy, I knew what kind of life he would have. He was probably an illegal. He’d grow up in poverty and die before he was out of high school in some gang-related thing. I just saved him a world of trouble.”

  “And who gave you the right to decide that for him?”

  “I’m not going to argue with you.”

  “And the veil and old tux and dressing Frankie up like that? Was that your doing or your accomplice’s?”

  “Accomplice?”

  “There’s no way you could have carried Layne Gillespie that far. And you weren’t the one impersonating Cy Tanner when he was seen talking to Frankie.”

  “It’s of no importance.”

  “So why did you pick the porn actors to kill?”

  “Layne Gillespie met Mary at a bar. He apparently liked how she looked. He told her what he did for a living. How much money she could make. He targeted her and recruited her for this foulness.” Britta’s mouth curled in disgust.

  “And Hanna Rebane?”

  “She ‘starred’ in movies with my lovely, innocent daughter. They had sex together. And then they introduced her to the world of drugs. And my daughter became unrecognizable. They stole her from me.”

  “And Beth Clemmons?”

  Britta waved this off. “Again, not important.”

  “How do you know all this?” asked Pine.

  “My children died. So I made it my business to know,” she said fiercely. In a quieter tone she added, “This has been very hard for me.”

  “It hasn’t been nearly as hard for you as it was for the people who died.”

  “I thought you would be more sympathetic. You lost your sister.”

  Pine barked, “Don’t you dare try to equate what happened to my sister with the murder spree you’ve engaged in. And if you’d told the police the truth back then maybe they would have been able to find my sister.”

  Britta rubbed her forehead. “Well, I can see I’ll get no understanding from you.”

  Pine thought quickly. “You had a son and daughter. Only the ‘son’ has been killed. The daughter? Who is it?”

  Britta said quietly, “Very soon it will all be over. The nightmare will finally be over.”

  Pine’s voice shook slightly as she said, “It doesn’t have to be this way, Britta. You can end this now.”

  “No, I can’t. I have to finish it.”

  “Your beef was with Myron. You took care of him. He’s done. So give me the gun and we’ll call it a day. It’s the right thing to do, you know it is.”

  “I loved my children so much. I wanted the best for them. And…and then just like that they were both gone. So I do have to finish this. For them.”

  “I know you’re working with Jerry Danvers. Please call him and tell him not to kill anyone else. Please.”

  She shook her head. “There’s so much you don’t know.”

  Pine said in frustration, “Then tell me. Like what’s your endgame? Do you walk away with a big life insurance payoff or whatever wealth Myron’s built up?”

  Britta’s expression turned ugly. “I want nothing to do with his blood money.” She looked down for a moment. “After this, I have nothing else to live for.”

  “And me?”

  “I’m so sorry. I really am. I never thought I would see you again. I liked your parents very much. And you and Mercy were very sweet. You played with my children, you know. Maybe if things had been different, you four would have grown up together and everything would have turned out okay. But I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Who’s the fourth victim, Britta? Please tell me.”

  “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

  “If you’re going to kill me, the least you can do is tell me that.”

  “No, I’ll take that to my grave.”

  “Do you really want it to end like this?”

  “I’m afraid it has to.”

  “Atlee!”

  The voice was coming from outside.

  It was Eddie Laredo.

  “Agent Pine!”

  That was Detective Max Wallis.

  Distracted by this, Britta glanced at the window.

  That was the opportunity that Pine had been waiting for.

  She pulled her Nano, but instead of firing it, she threw it at Britta.

  The gun had gotten wet when she had dived into the pool. It probably would not have fired accurately because of that. She couldn’t have risked finding out whether it would or not. But it worked just fine as a flying projectile because the gun hit Britta in the face; she cried out in pain.

  Pine jumped over the back of the couch, landing at the same instant as Britta firing the Glock at her. The rounds zipped through the couch and embedded in the wall behind Pine.

  Pine slid along the back of the couch as she heard Laredo and Wallis shouting from outside and feet running their way.

  When Pine reached the end of the couch, she gripped a lamp there and hurled it in Britta’s direction.

  When there was no response from Britta, Pine poked her head quickly over the top of the couch, scanning the room in front of her.

  Britta wasn’t there, but Pine’s Glock was lying on the floor. She raced over and picked it up. Next, she ran to the door leading to the pool. She kicked it open and found herself face-to-face with Laredo and Wallis, whose guns were drawn.

  “At—” began Laredo. She raced right past him and looked into the pool.

  Myron was once more at the bottom and this time he wasn’t coming back. He was clearly dead, his eyes open and still.

  “Shit!” she screamed.

  Laredo looked over her shoulder and saw the body.

  “Is that Pringle?”

  She nodded. “I saved him once, but not twice.”

  “We heard a shot.”

  The next instant they heard a car start up. But it wasn’t any ordinary car.

  “That’s the Pagani!” exclaimed Laredo.

  “The what?” shouted Wallis.

  Pine sprinted toward the garage area with Laredo right behind her and Wallis puffing along at the rear. They reached the courtyard fronting the garage area when the Pagani shot out of one of the bays and accelerated so fast, it seemed like a plane about to take off.

  Pine changed direction and raced toward her SUV. She and Laredo reached it at the same time; she jumped into the driver’s seat and he into the passenger seat. She fired up the engine and they roared after the Pagani while Wallis was still twenty yards behind.

  “You’re never going to catch her in this thing,” warned Laredo.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  All they could see in front of them was a swirl of
dust thrown up by the Pagani. It was like driving into a tornado.

  “Hang on,” said Pine.

  She cut the wheel to the right, went off the road, tore between two huge oaks, punched the gas, ripped right through a hedge, and cut the wheel to the right.

  The Pagani was twenty feet to the right of them, but they were almost even with it now instead of eating the car’s dust.

  Pine said, “See if you can shoot out a tire.”

  “Of a Pagani?”

  “Yes, of a fucking Pagani. But just make sure you don’t hit her. We need her to tell us who the last victim is.”

  Laredo pulled his gun and reluctantly took aim.

  Right before he could fire though, the Pagani accelerated at a blistering rate.

  “Jesus,” said Pine, who had her gas pedal to the floor.

  The Pagani hit the asphalt and accelerated so fast it was nearly out of sight by the time Pine reached the pavement.

  “We’ll never catch her.”

  Laredo pulled out his phone. “We can set up roadblocks. And the Pagani has one weakness. It gets lousy gas mileage. She can’t run the thing at that speed for very long before she sucks the tank dry.”

  But, as it turned out, they didn’t have to worry about that.

  As they rounded a bend and the Pagani came into sight they saw a deer bounding across the road right in front of the Pagani.

  “Oh, shit!” exclaimed Pine.

  The Pagani cut hard to the right, then back to the left. But it was too late. The rear wheels started to fishtail.

  “She’s lost it,” exclaimed Laredo.

  A moment later the entire rear of the car lifted off the road. The front wheels turned right and left, and then they rose off the asphalt as well.

  The airborne Pagani missed the deer, which had frozen in the middle of the street, and it sailed past the animal. The deer was gone in a blink onto the other side of the road and disappeared into the thick wood line.

  The Pagani slammed sideways into a thick stand of oaks fronting the shoulder of the road. The punctured gas tank ignited, and the flame ball was so fierce that Pine had to slam on her brakes, shift into reverse, and floor it so as not to be engulfed by the fire and concussive force.

  They sat in the truck, staring at the smoke pouring into the sky.

  “It’s gone. The whole damn car is gone.” Laredo looked like he might be sick.

  “And she’s gone,” said Pine. “And that means the last victim is dead.” She beat her fists against the steering wheel.

  Chapter 72

  AFTER CALLING THE POLICE and fire department to come to the scene of the car crash, they drove back to Britta’s place and met up with Max Wallis. They explained to him what had happened. When the police and forensic crew arrived a few minutes later, they hauled Myron’s body out of the pool and laid it on the deck.

  They gathered around him and looked down.

  Pine had explained to Laredo and Wallis what she had found out about Mary and Joey Pringle and also what Britta had told her.

  “He was really financing porn films?” said Wallis.

  “Yes,” said Pine.

  “After what happened to his daughter?” said Laredo. “And his son? What a bastard.”

  “He was too logical,” said Pine. “Too interested in making money. To the point where he lost his heart. I’m sure it was very hard for Britta to live with that.”

  “But it doesn’t excuse what she did,” said Wallis.

  “Nothing could excuse that,” replied Pine.

  Her phone buzzed and she answered it.

  Carol Blum was on the line and her normally calm demeanor was frayed.

  “Cy Tanner was just here.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Jenny, his granddaughter.”

  “What about her?”

  “She’s disappeared.”

  * * *

  Pine made it back to town in record time. Blum was waiting in front of the Cottage.

  She, Laredo, and Wallis jumped out of the SUV and ran up to her.

  “Where’s Cy?” asked Pine.

  “Out looking for Jenny.”

  “How did she disappear?” Laredo wanted to know.

  “She was out in the backyard playing. When Mrs. Quarles went to check on her, she was gone. They looked everywhere, then called the police.”

  “How long ago was this?”

  “About two hours,” said Blum.

  Laredo glanced at Pine. “She could still be alive. Rebane, Gillespie, and Gomez were taken long before their deaths.”

  Pine looked around at the empty streets. Then she heard gunfire.

  “What the hell?” she exclaimed.

  Blum said sharply, “No, it’s only the reenactment. They’re just starting. The parade was this morning. Everyone’s over at the Civil War Village.”

  “Civil War reenactment,” said Pine, almost to herself.

  “What?” asked Laredo, noting her strange look.

  “Rebane in an old veil laid out on the main street. Gillespie in an old tux with his body on top of a Civil War grave. Frankie in the drummer boy’s uniform in a museum on the main street. And now the reenactment?”

  “But there are too many people around to try something,” countered Wallis.

  “That’s a fair point,” said Laredo.

  “But this guy likes to take risks,” said Pine.

  “Do you know who it is?” asked Blum.

  “I think so,” said Pine, who’d had a sudden idea.

  She punched in a number on her phone, but no one answered, which surprised her.

  She next called the hospital in Americus and was put through to Jack Lineberry’s room.

  When the person answered the phone, Pine could scarcely believe it.

  “Jerry?”

  “Hello, who is this?”

  “Atlee Pine.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I was told you were AWOL.”

  “Who told you that? I’ve been here since early this morning.”

  “Then why did your partner call me and ask where you were?”

  “Straub? He hasn’t been here all day. I’m beyond pissed off. I could use some help here.”

  Pine’s jaw dropped. “What! Have you spoken to him?”

  “He called early this morning and wanted me to go back to the estate. He said I should be on guard at the place. He wanted me to go to my cottage and monitor things from there.”

  “But you didn’t go?”

  “No, I decided not to at the last minute. I felt my place was here, with Mr. Lineberry.”

  Pine thought about the bomb. “You were one lucky guy. Did you let Straub know that?”

  “No, I didn’t, why?”

  “Never mind. Just stay with Jack and make sure he’s safe.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Whatever I have to.”

  Pine clicked off and looked at Laredo. “It’s not Jerry Danvers. It’s the other security guard, Tyler Straub.”

  “What, he’s the one working with Britta?” exclaimed Laredo.

  “Do you think he took Jenny?” asked Blum.

  “I don’t know. But Britta could have found out about Jenny being at the Quarleses’ any number of ways. And I think it was Straub in the Pagani watching Cy’s house to make it look like Myron was doing it.”

  “You think they were also trying to blame all the murders on him?” asked Wallis.

  “I would think so, yes. But that’s beside the point. We have to find Jenny.”

  At that moment Lauren Graham rushed out of the Cottage.

  “You have to see this!” she exclaimed.

  They quickly followed her inside. She ran over to the cabinet containing her doll collection and opened one of the doors.

  Pine came to a stop next to her. “What is it?”

  Graham pointed to one of the figures inside. It was the largest one that was more a mannequin than a doll. It had no clothes on.

/>   Graham said, “Someone took its clothes.”

  “Its clothes?” Pine stared hard at the doll. “When did it happen?”

  Graham looked frantic. “I don’t know. I just noticed it.”

  “Do you know a man named Tyler Straub?” asked Pine.

  “Tyler?”

  “So you do know him?”

  “We’ve gone out a few times. Why are you asking about him?”

  “When was the last time you saw or spoke to him?”

  “A couple of days ago. Why?”

  “Do you have any idea where he is now?”

  “No. I can try to call him.”

  Pine shook her head. “No, I already did that. He didn’t answer.”

  “But why did you try to call him?”

  “Is everyone at the reenactment?” she asked Graham.

  The woman looked bewildered by the query. “Of course. Where else would they be? It’s the biggest event of the year here. You can’t find a place to park anywhere. The parade route was packed this morning, and now everyone’s watching the mock battles. You can hear the gunfire.”

  Everyone’s watching the mock battles.

  “Is the historic site still open?” she asked.

  “Well, technically, yes. But I doubt anyone is there. Even most of the employees and rangers over there come to see the reenactment. Some of them are suited up and fighting in it, in fact.”

  Laredo looked at Pine and said, “Everyone is here.”

  “And no one’s over there,” said Pine. “Talk about your perfect storm of distraction.”

  They ran for the truck.

  Chapter 73

  THE PARKING LOT at the historic site was packed, but they quickly realized that was overflow parking for all those attending the reenactment.

  The grounds looked empty.

  They held a brief meeting in the parking lot and decided to split up to cover more of the area.

  Wallis said, “I’ve called in reinforcements, but they won’t be here for about a half hour.” He eyed Pine. “But if you’re wrong about this, that little girl could end up dead.”

  “This is the only shot we have,” retorted Pine. She glanced over his shoulder and cried out, “And I think I am right.”

  She sprinted to a spot near the parking lot where the rear bumper of a vehicle was partially exposed behind some bushes.

 

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