by Karen Rose
‘No I didn’t! I didn’t have it last night! I just got it this morning. I swear. I never saw it before this morning and I wish I’d never seen it at all.’ Tears cut new streaks in the dirt on his cheeks. ‘Oh my God.’ George’s rocking grew more pronounced. ‘Son of a motherfucking bitch.’
‘You slit his throat, George. And then you did the dirty work you were sent to do. See, I believe you when you say you never saw Officer Zacharias before last night. You didn’t know he’d be there when you carried out the real reason you were sent to that alley. You killed the cop, then kidnapped those two college kids.’
George scrambled to his feet. ‘No, I did not. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Kidnapping? That’s crazy. You’re crazy.’
‘Sit down, George,’ Joseph barked.
George sat, almost missing the chair because his legs were trembling so badly. ‘You’ve got to believe me.’
Joseph was very conscious of the time. He needed to get Grayson something linking Richard Odum to the money so they could get a warrant. ‘Why should I?’
‘Because I didn’t do it!’ George cried.
‘The real killer did it,’ Joseph deadpanned. ‘I’ve never heard that one before. But let’s say I believe you. I don’t, but let’s just say I do. Where did you get the knife?’
‘From Doug. He sold it to me. Promised that nobody would detect it.’
‘Okay. And who is this Doug?’
‘I don’t know his last name.’
‘Of course you don’t. You’re just wasting my time.’
‘I don’t! He’s a friend of my father’s. He sold us the knife.’
‘And the tasers?’
George frowned. ‘What tasers? I bought a knife. No tasers.’
‘What about the assault rifles?’
George opened his mouth. Closed it again. ‘I don’t know.’
‘“Doug” didn’t sell them to you?’
George sighed wearily. ‘I don’t know.’
Joseph stretched out his legs, made himself comfortable. ‘Marina’s dead.’
George flinched. ‘You’re lying.’ When Joseph continued to study him in silence, horrified acceptance began to fill his eyes. ‘When? How?’
‘She opened fire on the crowd outside the courtroom. A cop shot her, right in the head.’ He made a gun with his thumb and forefinger. ‘Pow. She dropped like a rock.’
George closed his eyes. ‘Oh my God. Oh my God.’
‘You keep saying that,’ Joseph said blandly.
George shook his head. ‘Shut up,’ he whispered. ‘Oh God. Just . . . shut up.’
Joseph gave him a minute. Then casually threw out the name he was most interested in at the moment. ‘Richard Odum.’
George’s eyes flew open, the flash of hatred unmistakable. And then he schooled his features to mimic mild resentment. ‘What about him?’
Not so stupid after all. ‘You tell me. Since you’re so eager to have me believe you.’
George’s shrug was forced. ‘Friend of my father’s. On the board. All I know.’
‘I got that from the Internet, so you haven’t helped me at all. You should know that the state’s attorney is on the other side of the mirror. The charges against you are already signed. It’ll be first degree murder and two counts of kidnapping. And all that’s before we even start discussing the courtroom drama – and the aftermath.’
‘Marina,’ George said hoarsely. There was real grief in his eyes. Like he’d lost a lover. Joseph had planned to turn Cindy by telling her that Bill had an unholy affection for Marina. He wondered if it would work with George.
‘Interesting. Seems like for such a young girl, Marina has attracted an awful lot of strong emotion from you Millhouse men.’
George’s eyes narrowed, his breaths very shallow. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, Reggie was sleeping with her. You obviously carry a torch for her. And your dad . . . well, his torch got extremely intimate with her, if you know what I mean.’ Joseph was deliberately vulgar, just to see what George would say.
‘No, I don’t know what you mean,’ he hissed, furious now.
‘Oh, but I think you do. Daddy was poaching on Reggie’s territory. That baby Marina had a few days ago? Daddy’s.’
Again George leapt to his feet. ‘No!’ he roared. ‘You’re lying.’
‘You’d better be sitting in the next five seconds or I’ll have you hauled off to a cell.’
George viciously kicked his chair, sending it sliding across the room to crash against the wall. ‘That baby is not his. That baby is mine.’
Well. That one I wasn’t expecting. Keeping his expression bland, Joseph calmly stood and slid the chair back to George. ‘Sit. Down. Now.’
Breathing like a bull, glaring up with hate, George obeyed.
Joseph stood close to George now. ‘You’ve got a big problem then, Daddy. Your baby-mama is gone. Pushing up the proverbial daisies. Your dear old dad is in jail, as are your mother and brother. Nobody’s taking care of your child.’
George looked away, shaking his head numbly. ‘She’ll be okay.’
Yes, yes, yes. Just a little more. ‘A baby that small could die if she’s not cared for properly. Still not sure I believe the kid’s yours, though. Your father . . . he reacted very badly to the news of Marina’s death. Attacked me and everything. There was something in his expression. Made my skin crawl, George. Face it. Your daddy had an improper liaison with your baby-mama.’
‘Sonofabitch,’ George snarled. ‘Motherfucking sonofabitch.’
Interesting. He’d said the same thing when he’d learned the knife killed the cop.
‘He’s not gonna win Father of the Year, that’s for damn sure. Then again, neither are you. An infant that age needs to be fed every few hours. By the time you get out on bail, if you ever get out on bail, that baby will be dead.’
George looked completely poleaxed. ‘No. Someone will take care of her.’
‘Who, George? None of your family. They’re all arrested with you.’
‘A . . . friend. A friend will find her.’
‘You keep on thinkin’ that. With friends like yours . . .’ Instinct had Joseph backing off. ‘Fine. We’ll leave the baby all alone for now. Let’s get back to dear old Dad who gave you all that dirty work. You know, kidnapping a state’s attorney’s son, killing a cop, smuggling the knife, supporting his mini-revolution.’
George’s mouth fell open again. ‘State’s attorney’s son?’
‘Did I fail to mention that? The college kids you kidnapped last night were SA Montgomery’s son and his girlfriend.’ George slumped into the chair looking like he couldn’t absorb one more word. ‘Now do you understand the severity of your situation? You’re going down, George. Murders of cops, kidnapping. You can’t change that. But you can be a father to that baby. Tell me where she is. I’ll make sure she’s cared for.’
Joseph sat in what he hoped was nonchalant repose when inside he was holding his breath. Please give me Odum. Give me a location for the baby. Give me something.
‘You’ll give her away,’ George murmured. ‘To strangers.’
‘That’s not mine to decide. I just don’t want her to die. We’ve lost two people today. Three if we count Marina. I don’t want to bury your baby, too.’
George clenched his eyes tightly closed. ‘Can I see her?’
‘I’ll do my best.’
‘I didn’t kill anyone.’ It was a desperate whisper.
‘Then don’t start with your own daughter.’
George sigh was tortured. ‘Richard Odum. He’s got a house, a couple houses. There’s one in Timonium. It’s nicer than the others. I, um,’ his voice broke. ‘I fixed her up a room there. Painted it yellow. Bought her a crib.’
There you go, Grayson. Richard Odum, wrapped in silver paper. Now get me my damn warrant. ‘What’s your daughter’s name, son?’ Joseph asked quietly.
‘Melinda Anne.’ George opened his eyes and Joseph s
aw a lot of pain and maybe a little truth. ‘I didn’t kill anyone. I swear it. I only got the knife from Doug this morning.’
‘Where did you go to buy the knife? And when?’
‘I met him in an alley near the courthouse. I almost didn’t get back in time.’
‘Where were you last night, George?’
‘I was supposed to meet Doug to buy the knife last night at 10.30. I waited until after midnight, then I texted him to ask him where the hell he was, but he never answered. He never showed up, so I left.’
‘When was that?’
‘About one A.M. I was almost home when he texted me to meet him the next morning at nine. So I did and he was late again. I almost left, but I knew my father would . . . not be happy if I showed up in court without the knife. So I waited until he showed.’
‘And nobody saw you? Either time?’
‘Nobody,’ he said glumly.
It was on the tip of Joseph’s tongue to ask about the text to Daphne’s phone from the alley, but decided against it. George would just deny sending the text and revealing its existence would give the defense a reason to confuse a future jury as to the timeline.
‘Why?’ Joseph asked. ‘Why would you go to all this trouble to get Reggie out?’
‘Because . . . that was the plan. Reggie’s next in line.’
‘For what, George?’
‘For everything.’ It was said in the way of a person long trained in a dogma. ‘He’ll run the family when my father dies.’ But then his face hardened. ‘Which I hope is soon.’
‘On that we agree. Tell me about Doug. What does he look like?’
‘Ordinary. Brown hair, cut short. Brown eyes.’ He shrugged. ‘Ordinary.’
‘Height? Weight? Tattoos?’
‘Maybe five-nine. One-eighty? No tats that I ever saw.’
‘Ordinary,’ Joseph murmured. ‘He’s your father’s friend?’
‘Yeah. His father served with my father in the first Gulf War. Army buddies.’
‘Did he sell you anything other than the knife?’
George’s eyes flickered, as though he were considering the best answer. ‘No.’
Which meant yes. But George seemed back in control and looked like he was considering how to best cut his losses. Joseph decided to come back to the taser and guns later, when he could catch George off guard again. ‘Okay. Why did Reggie say Marina’s baby was his?’
Again Joseph saw a little gleam of pride. ‘Because he thought it was. But Marina was mine and the baby is, too. She had to let Reggie think it was his, or he’d be angry when he got out. Marina’s small.’ He closed his eyes for a second. ‘Was. She was small. If Reggie got mad, she’d get hurt.’
‘So why would you try to help Reggie escape?’
Weary confusion clouded his eyes. ‘Because that was the plan.’ His chin dropped to his chest, as if he couldn’t hold his head up any more. ‘I need a lawyer, don’t I?’
You need the best damn lawyer money can buy. ‘Yeah, George. I’d say you do.’
Joseph let himself back into the observation room, feeling like he needed a long nap, but instantly he came to attention. ‘Daphne.’
She stood at the window, watching George who sat in the chair, quietly weeping. Joseph found himself feeling a little sorry for the young man, but then he thought of Zacharias’s family and whatever pity he’d felt vanished.
‘Nice interview,’ Daphne said, her voice distant. She didn’t look at him, keeping her eyes on George. But something was off. Joseph could feel it.
Paige stood on her left. She’d angled her body so that she could see the whole room, ready to protect Daphne even here, in BPD’s headquarters. Which, considering Daphne had already been attacked twice while surrounded by cops, seemed prudent.
When Paige met his eyes, Joseph knew his instincts had been right. Something wasn’t right. He and Paige had developed a friendship over the months, a respect that had always seemed mutual, but at this moment Paige’s eyes held a wary distrust. That she was letting him see it was significant. For good or bad, he wasn’t sure.
Hector Rivera and Kate Coppola stood shoulder to shoulder about ten feet away. They seemed more like they were waiting to see what would happen next.
Feeling at a distinct disadvantage, Joseph walked to Daphne’s side. Rarely had he seen her in anything but suits and evening gowns. Now she wore soft, faded jeans tucked into a pair of equally worn hiking boots. Her sweater wasn’t cashmere or angora as he expected, but an oft-washed acrylic that she might have bought at Walmart.
She was dressed for the outdoors, he realized. Dressed for snow. Dressed to join in a search for her son, should it become necessary.
She’d changed her hair, too. Literally, he supposed, wondering how many occasions she had wigs for. Her hair was down, held away from her face by a barrette at the nape of her neck. This way, she looked like a college student herself instead of the mother of one. Heartbreakingly young. Vulnerable. Fragile.
He wanted to touch her so badly he could taste it, so he shoved his hands in his pockets to avoid temptation. ‘I’m sorry we started without you. Grayson wanted a connection to Richard Odum.’
‘Yes, he told me. He’s getting the warrant signed now and Agent Lamar is organizing search teams.’
If Bo was organizing the teams, it meant Joseph could afford to stay a minute or two. To recharge. To be near her, just a little. ‘That’s good.’ Feeling as awkward as a boy asking a girl on a first date, he barely resisted the urge to stare down at his shoe.
Paige gave him a pitying look, then rolled her eyes, making him feel even more like an idiot than he had before. ‘That was good work, Joseph, getting George to tell you about Odum.’
‘Thank you. We should start with the house in Timonium. If the baby is there, Ford might be, too.’
Daphne swallowed hard. ‘Hopefully.’
He gave in to the need to touch her, taking his hand from his pocket long enough to give her upper arm a brief squeeze. ‘Hold on,’ he said quietly. ‘Just a little longer.’
And then he practiced what he preached, sliding his hand down the length of her arm and threading his fingers through hers. Holding on.
She never took her eyes from the window, but her hand gripped his with a desperate strength that broke his heart all over again. ‘A small part of me has always felt sorry for George,’ she murmured. ‘I don’t know what I think now. Part of me still feels sorry for him. I guess that makes me crazier than he is.’
What it did was make Joseph want her even more. He cleared his throat. ‘I think he made his choice, Daphne. And I don’t think he’s as stupid as everyone thought.’
‘Maybe not stupid. Maybe just alone.’ She turned to look up at him, her blue eyes searching his. ‘Do you think they took Ford? Bill or George?’ The way she asked let him know that she wasn’t sure anymore either.
‘I’m leaning toward no at the moment. I sure as hell want to know who Doug is.’
She was still looking at him, still searching. ‘Have you told me everything?’
Paige gave him a look, her black brows arched. Like, Don’t fuck this up, buddy.
Which meant they’d learned something he hadn’t told them. Consorting with PIs was making this situation more difficult than it otherwise might have been. He pitied Grayson, always having to worry about what his fiancée was capable of digging up.
No, I don’t. His brother had found what most people spent their whole lives looking for. The woman made just for him. The thought that maybe, just maybe the woman made for Joseph himself was staring up at him with blue eyes full of questions . . . Joseph wanted the questions gone, answered. He wanted to see trust. And other things.
‘No, I haven’t, but not because I don’t trust you. There are some aspects of the Zacharias crime scene I thought you’d be better off not knowing.’
‘Like?’
Like Zacharias’s head was nearly severed from his body, which means that the person who took your son is
capable of doing the same to him. But there was no way he’d tell her that. Even if it meant she never trusted him.
‘Like Zacharias was shot with a taser stolen from a cop who lives about thirty miles from Kimberly’s parents’ house in Philly.’ None of this surprised her, he could see. ‘Kimberly’s got a record for theft. You dealt her down. And her sister was reported missing last night. Tell me when I say something you don’t already know.’
Trust crept into her eyes. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about the taser and Kimberly?’
‘Because if it was used on Zacharias, it was probably used on Ford and it’s not a pleasant experience. The Kim connection?’ He shrugged. ‘I wasn’t thinking about it. Any more than I was thinking about the guns in Bill’s trunk that were also stolen in that Philly burglary. That blood matching Zacharias’s type was found on the knife that stabbed Deputy Welch was information I didn’t have until after we’d hung up.’
‘Wait,’ Paige said briskly. ‘Bill Millhouse had guns linked to the tasers at Tuzak’s crime scene and George Millhouse had the knife that was used to kill Tuzak and we’re still considering that they didn’t take Ford? What’s wrong with this picture?’
‘I said I was leaning toward no,’ Joseph said, irritated, ‘not that I’d decided. I’m checking every house that Richard Odum bought with Bill’s donation money. We are looking for Ford and that baby, whoever it belongs to. We’re digging into Kimberly, finding out if she connects to the Millhouses and how. I’m proceeding as if the Millhouses kidnapped Ford, okay?’
Paige blinked at his sudden show of temper. ‘Okay.’
Daphne tugged on his hand, reminding him he still held hers. ‘But?’
‘But the timing bothers me. The involvement of Kimberly bothers me. That text from the alley bothers me.’
Daphne frowned. ‘I just figured they sent the text because they wanted to delay us looking for Ford. Buy themselves time. What bothers you about it?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said honestly. ‘Other than why they’d need to buy themselves time? They’d planned violence at the courthouse, either from within or without. Either way, they’d be kicking up a huge cloud of dust. So why try to hide that they’d taken Ford?’ Joseph’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Bo. ‘You ready to roll?’