“Do I want to know?” Jordan asked, not sure whether it was appropriate to laugh. Taking in the scratches on Ellie’s hand, she winced. The kitten on the tree had not been a metaphor. “Wow. You climbed a tree?”
“Why not?”
Jordan didn’t think she needed to continue down that road. She opened the door to the observation area.
“What is this?” Ellie asked when she saw that the interrogation room was empty.
She didn’t question Jordan’s motives any longer when Jordan pushed her lightly against the wall, kissing her. She relaxed in Jordan’s embrace, and this time, her sigh didn’t come from frustration.
“Better?” Jordan whispered.
Ellie leaned against the wall, smiling. “Much better. It’s a miracle.”
“I’m glad. I know it’s been a rough day. We’ve had some of those. There will be another opening.”
“Yeah, sure. Did you hear from Andrea?”
“Oh, that’s right, yes. She has another house for us, and she promised that we’ll be able to afford it.”
Ellie laughed. “Do we have to build it ourselves?”
“Come on, it won’t be that bad. A few renos, she said, but it’s in the location we want.”
“Okay. That sounds good. Thank you.” Ellie leaned forward to kiss her on the lips. This time, the contact was brief. Of course, their day wasn’t over yet. “What’s going on with Ariel?”
“I don’t know yet, but I think she’s nervous about the trial. I thought we might be able to ease her mind a bit.”
“Yes, let’s do that. I’ll change, and then we can go. We could take her out to dinner if the folks from the home allow it? I’m starving.”
“Me too. Hurry up.”
* * * *
Like so many times in the past few months…like every day, Jonathan Darby thought of his last subject, the one who not only escaped, but had rescued another woman, found one more alive. He had every reason to hate Jordan Carpenter, for interfering with his mission, but still, he was strangely fascinated by her.
Many exciting things were happening at once, and his only regret was that he might not be around long enough to see them come to fruition.
Ironic, wasn’t it.
He had brought punishment to many, often by death…now death was catching up to him.
Not yet, though.
He stroked a fingertip over the grainy black and white picture.
He thought of the young girl Jordan had rescued from the cult, already tainted by the sins of her mother. There was something about the story that intrigued him. In their midst, there had been one like him. His story had come to an end, not so Jonathan Darby’s.
He would die, but he’d still win.
“You’re still my favorite,” he said, smiling to himself.
Chapter Five
“We already had dinner,” Marla Sherman who ran the group home, said. “I’m sorry. It would be better if you called ahead, and besides, it’s important for Ariel to socialize with the other kids here.”
“I understand. We’d still like to see her,” Jordan insisted. There was nothing sinister about this place, just people who tried to do their job best they could. Still, she felt uncomfortable every time she set foot in here, and Ellie’s concerned gaze told her that she knew.
She’d only spent a brief time in a home like this before her placement with Pauline and Jack Carpenter proved to be the perfect solution for everyone involved—Jordan remembered very well how all she’d wanted was for the noise to stop, to be left in peace. That need for peace, quiet and space, had persisted into her adult years.
“Of course. Is there anything we need to know? About the trial? The A.D.A. was here too.”
“Ariel is well prepared for the trial,” Ellie said. “We’d just like to check on her.”
“All right. She is in her room. Come with me.”
They walked up one flight of stairs and along a hallway, and then Ms. Sherman knocked on Ariel’s door.
“Ariel? You have visitors.” She turned to Jordan and Ellie, saying, “Before you go, could you please stop by my office?”
“Sure. Hi Ariel,” Jordan said after they’d closed the door. “How are you doing?”
“You’re here,” Ariel said as if she couldn’t believe they’d actually answered her plea. “I’m…fine.” Her smile wasn’t quite convincing. After everything she’d been through, this wasn’t a surprise, but at least she was safe here.
Was she?
“That’s good. Did anyone of your family try to contact you?”
Ariel shook her head. “Most of them think I’m a traitor, and the rest are too busy with themselves to care. I…I’m sorry I bothered you. I shouldn’t have.”
Ellie exchanged a look with Jordan before she said, “We really meant it. When we said we wanted to keep in touch. It’s not just about work, or your testimony. We want to make sure you’re okay.”
“Why?” Ariel asked, her eyes welling up. “Why would you care when even my family doesn’t?”
Jordan had never asked that question out loud, but she sure had mulled it over a lot after she moved in with Jack and Pauline, even years after those first days. Even now, she wasn’t sure she had a good answer. Ellie beat her to it.
“Because you’re an amazing person who has been through something terrible. Nobody should have to experience that, but at the very least, when we do, someone should care, make sure you have what you need to be okay.”
“Are you?” Ariel asked. “Did it stop hurting so bad eventually?”
“Yes,” Ellie said without reservation. “And it doesn’t mean you forget about your mom and all she did for you, on the contrary. I didn’t know her, but the agent I worked with did. She tried to get both of you out. The best way to honor her is to carry on, and be with people who care.”
“You mean like here?”
There was something about her tone Jordan didn’t like. “The people here, they treat you okay?”
Ariel shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Did anyone say or do something inappropriate?”
“No, I just think they have no idea what it was like with the Prophets. They try. I guess that counts.”
Jordan couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been another reason for Ariel to call, and that she wouldn’t share it tonight. Maybe Ms. Sherman could shed more light on the situation.
“Whatever happens, you know you can always call, right? Ms. Sherman said we could have lunch or dinner sometime, if you like.”
“Really? That would be awesome.” Ariel’s enthusiasm vanished quickly. “I guess you have to go now. I’ll see you at the trial then?”
“I’m sure we’ll find some time before that. Have a good night.”
“You too. Thanks for coming.” Jordan was surprised to find herself enveloped in a tight hug the next moment.
* * * *
Ellie had enjoyed the way Jordan tried to lighten up her mood earlier. Outside of those moments, the hits just kept on coming.
“Ariel is quiet and polite whenever you speak to her, but she has trouble with structure and rules.”
Jordan’s gaze conveyed her disbelief. Ellie wasn’t sure what to make of this either.
“That’s…a surprise. She’s lived with extreme structure and rules all her life.”
“The emphasis being on extreme. Children differ in how they deal with a situation like this, but from what we know, being a girl, she faced threats constantly. She saw how the grown women were treated by the brothers, and she witnessed all of that being trapped in a rigorous day-to-day routine. Obviously, we don’t operate that way here, but we do need some rules. Ariel is late for meals, for sessions, just about everything. You saw her room all cleaned up? She usually doesn’t keep it that way, and she always finds an excuse.”
“Her mother was murdered.” Jordan’s tone was quiet, but Ellie could detect the underlying emotions, anger being one of them.
“I’m not telling you thi
s out of a lack of empathy. Many of the children here have faced trauma, and we have staff to deal with that. I want you to know the facts. It’s not unusual for her to act out like that.”
“Are you any closer to placing her in a family?”
Ms. Sherman looked doubtful. “It’s a complicated situation. Her father has stated clearly that he has no interest in raising her, but there might be other family members coming forward. We can’t really say until after the trial. Not every single man and woman will be convicted, or found unfit to parent.”
“So, meanwhile, what are you going to do?”
“We try to be as strict as we possibly can, try to teach her the difference between the only life she knows, and one where being part of a group serves her too. She needs real stability. So—I was hoping you could continue to visit after the trial.”
“That’s the plan,” Ellie said. “We really want to make sure she’s okay.”
“All right then. Thanks for your time. I think her testimony will lift a huge weight off her shoulders.”
Ellie and Jordan walked out of the building in silence, each lost in her own thoughts.
Was this the end of the road, all they could do for the girl, check in every once in a while until one family member remembered her? It didn’t seem enough.
* * * *
Darla came through and found them a friend of hers who had seen #6 and was willing to talk to the police. Meanwhile, the autopsy on Colin Buck gave them an approximate time of death. He’d been shot in the chest twice at close range, no signs of a struggle. His last meal had been at a fast food joint, and no drugs or alcohol had been found in his system.
“What if he was dealing?” A.D.A. Valerie Esposito asked when Jordan updated her and the lieutenant in his office.
“If that was the case, he had to have been extremely careful. There were no signs whatsoever in his dorm room, or from his finances. I think we can learn more from Chucky Mulveney a.k.a. #6.”
“Sound like he’s quite the character. I agree,” Valerie said. “Let’s get you that warrant, and see what he has to say. Come with me?”
“Sure.”
When they were alone in her office, Valerie surprisingly changed the subject.
“So, what’s up with the Deane girl?”
“What do you mean? You don’t have to worry, no one’s going to interfere with the case. We want these guys behind bars as much as you do.”
“I don’t doubt that. I just think it’s curious. You don’t still check in with Judy Lawrence?”
The stab of guilt didn’t make any sense. “No, because the case is closed, and she has her own life. She’s not a minor. It doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
“You care a lot about Ariel,” Valerie said quietly. “Because you were in her place?”
“My mother is alive, thank you very much. My birthmother is too. No, I wasn’t in her place.”
“You know what I mean. I want you to be careful. You’re becoming too attached.”
“How about you get me that warrant now?”
Valerie shook her head.
“You’re still doing that thing. Yes, I’ll get you the warrant.”
“What thing?” Jordan asked, irritated. Valerie had the phone already in hand, and put it back down.
“Don’t act like you don’t know. That thing where you bail in the middle of a conversation, because it hits too close to home. Well, at least it’s not my problem. As long as little Ariel delivers her statement as planned, we’re good. Let me make that call now, then you can go talk to Pierson’s friend and hopefully bring in the guy in the jersey before lunch.”
Jordan waited, not willing to waste any time on a response, though she was mildly offended by Valerie’s interpretation. She wasn’t that bad at communicating, was she? She’d take Ellie’s word over that of a woman she’d once had a brief and inconsequential affair with.
* * * *
Kim Geller worked in a hair salon downtown. She stepped outside to talk to Jordan and Derek, and have a cigarette at the same time. It might not be Geller’s intention, but the wind blew cigarette smoke in Jordan’s face constantly. Suppressing a cough, she said, “Darla told us you know where #6 is?”
“He certainly thinks of himself as #1,” the woman said with disdain. “I’ve been working here for two years now, and he thinks now that Ryder is out, he can come back and harass me. There are poker games at Rigley’s every Friday. He never misses one of them.”
“Did he threaten you?” Jordan wanted to know.
“He’s got a big mouth,” Kim didn’t quite answer her question. “I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, but I’d like you to stay under the radar for the time being. Here’s my card. If he or one of his friends come around, you call me.”
She shrugged, but took the card. “Yeah, whatever.”
“Thanks, Kim. I appreciate it.”
Derek’s cell phone rang, and he stepped aside to answer the call. He ended it a couple of minutes later, looking somber when he joined her in the car.
Jordan waited. When he remained quiet after a long, awkward moment, she said, “You’re going to share or not?” Realization dawned, and she shook her head. “Kate? I’m sorry, that’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s about Buck,” he said. “That was the lab, something they found on his laptop. It’s odd. Apparently there was no official record of this, but he seems to have done an internship with a lawyer. At least that’s how I’d interpret the money he was paid, not in his bank account, but with an online provider.”
“You’re speaking in riddles.”
“Colin Buck appears to have had some sort of gig with Mr. Donovan.”
Jordan didn’t need any more explanations. “Damn it.” Somehow, that wasn’t strong enough an expletive, so she tried another one. “Fuck.” Getting closer.
“I’m sorry. I can go see him if you—”
“I don’t mind seeing Donovan,” she interrupted him. “In fact, let’s get this over with right now.”
“It might not be a coincidence that he brought you the letter.”
“Come on. The guy’s in prison. He’s dying. He’s not the all powerful mastermind you make him out to be. There’s nothing he could do from prison.”
“I didn’t say Darby did anything, but he could have an admirer. Someone who’s connected to Buck, Donovan and Mulveney.”
“And to think that going to a poker game would be the low point of my week.” Jordan leaned back in her seat with a sigh. “Okay. Donovan first, afterwards we check out Rigley’s.”
Donovan, who had represented Jonathan Darby after his arrest, was in his office when they arrived, and agreed to see them right away.
“Detective Carpenter, I’m surprised to see you here. Did you change your mind on—”
“Colin Buck,” she said. “I assume you heard about his death.”
Donovan’s eyes widened. “The college student? He hasn’t come in for a while, didn’t leave a message, so I assumed he had lost interest. That’s awful.”
“It sure is. Mr. Donovan, what exactly was the nature of Mr. Buck’s employment with you? You paid him via moneymonkey?” Derek couldn’t hide the frown at the provider’s name. “You use it for all of your financial transactions?”
Jordan had always disliked him, the way he seemed to be able to put aside easily everything Darby had done. He had been too interested in details of each woman’s story, including hers. However, she noticed he gave Derek the same condescending smile.
“Of course not, Detective. Colin asked me to, and I saw no reason to reject his wish.”
Just like when Darby asked you to deliver the letter? Always willing to help.
“Colin needed a job, and I needed some help, someone who could make copies, carry files, take notes. He wanted to be a lawyer.”
The next question was obvious. Jordan was grateful that Derek asked it anyway.
“Was he in any way involved with Jonathan Darby’s case?”
/>
“Mr. Darby’s case, and other cases. He would accompany me at times, especially when I was asked to settle Mr. Darby’s affairs.”
“So they met?” Derek exchanged a quick look with Jordan, and she agreed that this was curious.
“You could barely call it that. In any case, Colin was there to observe and take notes. You’re not alleging that Mr. Darby is responsible for Colin’s murder? With all due respect, Detective Carpenter, but that’s a reach. The man is sick. He has a few months, maybe.”
“Excuse me if I can’t be too sad about,” Jordan said coolly. “No, we don’t think Darby murdered him, but he might know who did. You brought me the letter. It had some ominous message.”
“Did it refer to your case specifically? Or Colin Buck?”
“No. That doesn’t mean—”
“I’m a little busy. I can assure you, Colin always did what was asked of him, copies, coffee, filing, a little bit of everything. He informed himself about all my clients, but he didn’t show a specific interest in Mr. Darby, not more than the general public, anyway. If that’s all, Detectives, I need to get back to work. Unless you’re accusing me of something, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Jordan said, which was mostly for the heck of it. She didn’t believe that Donovan would tell them anything else. Darby…They couldn’t trust any word that was coming out of his mouth.
A few months.
“Let’s drive by Rigley’s and then head back, see if they have anything else on the laptop.”
“You know we have to check…”
“Yes.” Jordan knew that the only way to get to Darby was with a strategy. He obviously wanted to trick her into seeing him, but there was no way she was getting into a room with him if there wasn’t a real quid pro quo—something good, something that would help her solve this case. “We’ll figure something out.”
Chapter Six
If she asked the lieutenant for an appointment, a few minutes of his time, Ellie thought she might be able to make her case. Even if there wasn’t an opening right now, she didn’t want to miss her chance once the moment came. She wanted her potential future boss to know that she was determined, and that she had an interest in specifically staying with this precinct. Lastly, she was no stranger to him, and it was an advantage to hire from within. All of this made perfect sense in her head, but she was still feeling on edge. The unresolved situation with Ariel weighed on her as well.
Intentions (Carpenter/Harding Book 6) Page 4