by E. E. Borton
“Has he been acting any different over the past few months?” asked Grey, rephrasing his question and walking in front of Scott.
He though hard before answering. “Not really. I think he was seeing a new chick, so he didn’t party as much. But that’s the only thing I can think of.”
“Tell me about her,” said Grey.
“Well, um, she was hot. I mean, like way out of his league hot. I think he met her at The Dog House. It’s a dive a couple blocks from his place. She stuck out like a sore thumb in there. He introduced her as Joanne, Jessica, Je…no, Jordan. Yeah, her name was Jordan.”
“When?”
“Maybe two, three months ago,” said Scott. “I only saw her one other time after that. It was at his house. I went by to make a drop, and she was sitting at his kitchen table with a laptop. It was one of the things I was looking to take. That and his guns.”
“Speaking of guns,” said Chief Hill, “why are you carrying?”
“Obviously, it’s a rough neighborhood,” said Scott, turning around and looking at the shovel.
“Good point,” said Grey. “Now, about Jordan. What were they talking about in the kitchen?”
“Oh, I have no idea,” said Scott. “She looked pissed when I showed up. He pushed me out the door as soon as I handed him the bag, I swear. I asked him about her later, and he told me not to ask anymore. I just figured she wised up and left him. Like I said, she was way out of his league.”
“And you haven’t seen her since?” asked Chief Hill.
“Nope, and that face I wouldn’t forget. You may want to ask around at the Dog; the pub.”
“I know what you meant,” said Grey. “Can you think of anything else out of place or different about him?”
“He bought a new car,” said Scott. “Well, a newer car he picked up at an auction. I thought it was funny that it looked like a cop car. That’s about it.”
“Stand up,” said Chief. He spun him around and removed his handcuffs. Scott looked down and saw the hole Grey was digging behind him.
“Man, that shit worked,” said Scott.
“Always does,” said Chief Hill, spinning him back around. “You forget our faces and ever meeting us. But if we come back around and you run, you’ll get the boot again. You understand?”
“Every word,” said Scott.
Grey and Chief Hill returned to the car, leaving Scott standing by the side of the dirt road. “Hey, you’re just gonna leave me here? It’s like five miles back to town.”
“You really want to get back in the car with us?” asked Chief Hill.
“That’s cool,” said Scott. “I’ll walk.”
As they turned the car around, Grey’s phone alerted him to a text message.
“They think she’s waking up, Chief.”
“I guess the Dog will have to wait,” said Chief Hill. “We’re not that far from the hospital. We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Chief?”
“Yeah.”
“Why do you carry a shovel in your trunk?”
“Came in handy, didn’t it?”
“Seriously. I gotta know.”
“Well, what you two didn’t see in the trunk was the bag of fertilizer and tray of pansies. I broke the handle off my old one and the missus has been on my ass to spruce up the flowerbeds.”
“You’re a piece of work, Chief,” chuckled Grey. “A very interesting piece of work.”
“Yes, I am.”
They arrived at the hospital to find Evan and Kate’s parents sitting in the seats closest to the doors of the unit. All three were holding hands with their heads down as if in prayer. Grey thought the news might be good, but what he saw made his stomach sink. He stood in front of them for a moment before Evan noticed his friend was a few feet away. He jumped to his feet and pulled him and the chief away from Kate’s parents.
“What’s going on?” asked Grey, confused.
“It was eerie,” replied Evan. “She started mumbling, and I was walking out to find the doctor when she spoke clear as day. She asked for Caleb. But a couple seconds later every piece of equipment in there went off. The staff came running in and pushed me and Abby out of the room. The last thing I saw was a nurse jumping on top of her and starting CPR. I grabbed Abby and came out here. She just went back in a few minutes ago.”
“Damn,” said Chief. “That’s not a good sign.”
“No, it isn’t,” said Evan. “I just wish they’d come out and tell us something. Her parents are a mess. We were freaked out. Excited one second, and then scared shitless the next. If they lose her, I think it’ll be the end of them, too.”
“She didn’t say anything else?” asked Grey.
“Like who did this to her?” asked Evan, cocking his head. “No, she didn’t, Agent Collins.”
“That’s not what I meant, Evan.”
Evan cupped his face with his hands and slowly moved them to the back of his neck. “I know,” he said. “It’s been a brutal day. I hate to say this, but I wish she’d stop fighting so hard and just go in peace. I mean, she asked for Caleb just like I’m talking to you now. Abby and I just froze. We didn’t know what to say and then she tanked. When is this nightmare gonna end?”
None of them could answer that question. All three sat in silence and stared at the doors. Ten minutes passed before they opened and Abby emerged looking like she just ran a marathon. Before anyone could speak, Dr. Singer followed her out of the unit.
“We got her back,” said Dr. Singer. “She was gone for less than a minute.”
“Oh, dear God,” exhaled Maggie. “My poor baby girl.”
“What happened?” asked Stan.
“We don’t know at this point,” said Dr. Singer. “She’s been making amazing progress over the past few days, but her body is still dangerously weak. The fact she’s coming around so fast may have put too much of a strain on her. We’re going to keep her sedated for a while longer.”
“What does that mean?” asked Maggie.
“We’re not putting her back in a chemically-induced coma,” said Dr. Singer. “We’re just making sure she can rest while she builds up her strength.”
“They’re worried, when she realizes what happened to Caleb and Paul, she may go into shock,” explained Abby. “If she does, they may not be able to bring her back.”
Maggie collapsed into her seat and cried. Her husband tried to comfort her by putting his arm around her and whispering in her ear. Abby stood over both of them, biting her lip. She turned and looked at Grey.
“Please get me out of here.”
16
Balls
GREY AND ABBY WALKED THE short distance to a restaurant a block away from their hotel. Before they left, Grey pulled Chief Hill aside and asked him to call his office in Sugarloaf. With the description of Jordan given to them by Scott, he wanted the chief to review any recent missing person reports filed or unidentified bodies discovered in Florida, Georgia, or Alabama. If she was the connection between Gregory Kirsk and the unsub, he was sure she was already dead.
As they walked inside the restaurant, they both heard music coming from the deck on the backside of the building. Without asking, Abby headed for the doors leading to the outside tables. Grey didn’t mind her presumption. He knew she was looking to find as many distractions as possible. She found a table far enough from the small stage so they could hear each other speak. A server was ready to take their drink order as soon as they sat down.
“My name is Chloe. Can I get you something to drink?”
“A shot of tequila and a Corona, please,” replied Abby. “Oh, and a few extra limes if you don’t mind.”
“Sure,” said Chloe. “And you, sir?”
“Bushmills neat.”
“Yes, sir. Do you guys need menus?”
“No,” said Abby.
“Okay, I’ll be right back with your drinks,” said Chloe, leaving the table.
“I’m sorry,” said Abby. “Were you hungry?”
Abby turned away from Grey to listen to the young man on stage playing “Into the Mystic” by Van Morison. Grey didn’t take his eyes off of her as she closed hers and began to sway in the chair to the rhythm of the music. He could tell she was trying to take her mind somewhere else. Chloe arrived back at the table with the items that could help her get there. Abby came out of her self-induced trance long enough to take down the shot and a quarter of her beer in one slug. She glanced over at Grey who was looking at his watch.
“Oh, my God,” said Abby. “You’ve got a plane to catch, don’t you?”
“Had.”
“How’s your boss gonna take that?”
“I’ll just tell him I got snowed in.”
“He does know you’re in Miami, right?”
“He does.”
“You think maybe you could come up with something a little better than snow?”
“It’ll be fine, Abby, really,” said Grey, picking up his glass.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” said Abby, causing Grey to cough up his whiskey.
“What was that about?” she asked as he wiped his chin.
“I’ve taken advanced courses in behavioral profiling at Quantico,” said Grey. “And I did well, but you baffle me, Abby. One minute you can’t stand the sight of me, and the next you’re telling me you’re glad I’m here. I don’t get you. And I don’t want to turn this into an argument because you’ve had a world-class shitty day, but you are a very confusing woman.”
Abby motioned to the server standing near the bar that she wanted another round. “I know I can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I don’t baffle anyone. You have your rare occasional moments, but for the most part you’re about as warm as an iceberg.”
“I said I didn’t want to argue with you,” said Grey. “That doesn’t mean I won’t.”
“This isn’t an argument; it’s a conversation,” said Abby, smiling at Chloe as she placed another shot in front of her.
Grey downed the rest of his whiskey and motioned to Chloe to bring him another. The server had positioned herself near the corner of the bar as if she were a ball girl at Wimbledon. As soon as his hand went up, she was on the move. Her years of experience watching couples preparing to spar put her on alert. She knew booze rarely helped anyone become more eloquent or patient, but it made the empty deck more entertaining. She dropped off the refill and returned to her station.
He raised his glass and looked at her as the liquid stung his lips. It afforded him a brief moment to think about where Abby wanted to take the conversation. It was his second drink, but it wasn’t enough to confuse his senses. He knew she was looking for a distraction; she had been looking since the day she was told what happened to her sister. He set the glass on the table and decided to try and steer her in the direction he hoped she would take.
“You’ve had an incredibly confusing, dark, and painful few weeks,” said Grey. “And I can’t begin to imagine the amount of stress you’ve been under, Abby. But I think the reasons why you never warmed up to me are the exact same reasons why you want me around now.”
“Oh, this should be good,” said Abby, leaning back in her chair to get more comfortable.
Grey shrugged off the light jab and smiled at her. “You think I’m an iceberg because I don’t wear my emotions on my sleeve. I never get angry, and I seem detached when everyone else around me is in unbearable pain. I don’t sugarcoat anything even if I know it’s going to hurt someone if I tell the truth. In your eyes, nothing gets to me; in your eyes, I’m closer to being a robot than I am to being human. Stop me if you think I’m way off base.”
“No, you’re pretty much on target.”
“You don’t think I’m strong; you think I’m insensitive. You think I’m handling everything that’s happened without losing it because I wasn’t that close with Caleb, Kate, or even Paul. You don’t think I’m capable of having the same kind of relationships and friendships that you or any other normal person has. Am I still on target?”
“Damn near a bull’s-eye.”
“And you think because of those assumptions you can project all the anger, confusion, sadness, and pain you want on me because I don’t really care; it doesn’t affect me. And when I don’t react like a normal human being, becoming angrier with me is easier for you. Right?”
“Well, you might be coming off target a little with that one,” said Abby. “I don’t want to be angry at you, but you make it easy because you do seem to try harder than most not to give a shit.”
“So it makes sense to you that I be the one to tell Kate about Caleb and Paul,” said Grey. “It makes sense to you because you think seeing her devastated won’t affect me. I’ll be able to detach myself from any emotional involvement and just spit it out. Then you and your family, the people who truly love her, can come in and comfort her after I turn her world upside down. You think I’m better equipped to handle it because I’m cold and uncaring. You’re not glad I’m here. You’re just glad you don’t have to be the one to hurt her.”
“That’s not –”
“But I am glad I’m here,” interrupted Grey. “And I’m not trying to piss you off, but you don’t know shit about me. They were my only family, Abby. You have no fucking idea how much they meant to me. Caleb was my little buddy. I was there when he was born, and I was there for more of his birthdays than you were. I love Kate as if she was my sister. Paul would make fun of me because sometimes I’d call him, but Kate and I would end up talking for hours. Paul was my best friend, but she was a very close second.
“When you asked me to be here when she wakes up, I didn’t say yes because I wanted to help you or your parents. I said yes because she deserves to be told by someone who’s going to tell her the truth. And tell her in spite of the fear it’s going to hurt her beyond anything she’s ever experienced.”
“Grey, I didn’t mean to –”
“Now, this looks like a much better place to hang out than the waiting room,” said Evan, walking up to the table. “Whiskey, beer, cute waitress, and good music. Oh, yeah, I’m gonna spend some time in here.”
“I’ll take one of each,” said Chief Hill, joining them.
“Well, at least you two seem to be getting along,” said Evan, getting an immediate glare from both. “Or not.”
“I hate to end the moment, Abby,” said Chief Hill. “I need to steal Grey for a bit, but I’ll replace him with an Evan.”
Grey and Abby looked at each other briefly before he stood and walked away with Chief Hill. She stared at his back as he left. Evan took Grey’s seat and his glass.
“No sense letting this go to waste,” said Evan, finishing the drink in one hit. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” said Abby, switching her gaze to Evan and adding a smile. “Will you have one more with me?”
“That bad, huh?” said Evan, motioning to the ball girl. “What happened this time?”
“I think I just got put in my place,” said Abby.
When Grey closed the car door, Chief Hill put a folder in his lap. “Five women fitting Jordan’s description went missing in the past two months. I figured we’d go by the dive Scott told us about and show these around. Like he said, a woman that good looking will be remembered by someone up there. If not, we’ll have to pay him another visit and get him to make the ID.”
“He won’t be happy to see you again so soon,” said Grey, flipping through the photos and reports. “One of these women went missing not too far from here. One in Tampa and another right up the coast in Fort Lauderdale. I can’t see our guy using someone so close, but it could be his first mistake.”
“He doesn’t seem like the type to make mistakes,” said Chief Hill.
“They all make mistakes, Chief. We just have to be smart enough to find them.”
A row of motorcycles was parked in front of The Dog House bar along a rail used to tie up horses in the days before cars. It didn’t take two
detectives to figure out the clientele inside may not be responsive to questions being asked by strangers reeking of law enforcement. Grey was counting motorcycles to get an idea of how many goons might be inside. He looked over at Chief Hill who didn’t hesitate to exit the car. He smiled thinking about the police chief from quiet little Sugarloaf Key being absolutely fearless.
As soon as he walked inside, a thick layer of cigarette smoke stung Grey’s eyes as the smell of stale beer and cigars assaulted his nose. All eyes around the pool tables cut to the side to size up the two fish out of water. One of the fish walked up to the first pool table which was surrounded by five bikers holding cue sticks. As a player lined up his shot, Chief Hill snatched the ball off the table.
“Are you outta your damn –”
“Shut your smelly holes and listen up,” barked Chief Hill to the confused men around the table. “Each of you is gonna take a look at these photos and point out any faces that look familiar. I’m not gonna ask any questions about how you know them. All you have to do is point.”
Chief Hill held out a small stack of photos to the first biker. Along with the person they hoped to identify, they inserted random pictures of both men and women. They didn’t announce that they were looking for a female.
The much bigger man stared at the chief and didn’t look down at any of the pictures. “No need to be a hard-ass, son. The sooner we finish this, the sooner I’ll be on my way and you can get back to playing pool with these lovely ladies.”
The tough biker couldn’t hold back his chuckle. “You’ve got balls, little man. You’re not a local cop, are ya?”
“Nope,” said Chief Hill. “And I don’t wanna be. But I’ll stand right fucking here all night making everyone uncomfortable until I get what I need.”
“Hand ‘em over,” said the biker. He took his time, but nodded to the chief when he saw the familiar face. “Seen this one in here a couple of times; easy on the eyes with great tits.”
The obvious leader of the group instructed each man around the table to look at the photos. All of them recalled the same face. Chief Hill dropped a fifty-dollar bill on the pool table and thanked them for their time. They were in and out in five minutes.