by DiAnn Mills
“Desperate people have desperate means to scare us. Let’s walk this to the operations intelligence area and check it out.”
Jacob listened, but he physically hurt. “You’re right.” He took a deep breath so he could stand. Cradling the box in his hand, he fought the dizziness to clear his head. “How will I ever tell Barbara?”
“Maybe you won’t have to. We’ll have the results in a matter of minutes. Are you sure you want to watch me do this?”
“I have to.”
The minutes ticked by in Jimenez’s office, slow and painful. Jacob couldn’t see how the finger could not belong to Nadine. Even though Jimenez was discreet in running the fingerprint, the nightmare of opening the box repeated and clawed at his heart.
“Praise God,” Jimenez whispered. He released the mouse and clenched his fist. He turned the computer screen for Jacob to see the results. “It’s not your daughter, Jacob. There isn’t a match for this fingerprint.”
He ached with relief. But it was true. That horrible appendage did not belong to his Naddie. So whose daughter was minus a finger? And how did these people get his daughter’s ring? A notion so evil, so horrible, swept through him. What kind of people held his Nadine? . . . Or who had she gotten mixed up with?
* * *
Thursday night Danika walked through her quiet house. Tiana and Sandra were asleep, and she had her home all to herself. Soft classical music played in the background, and she flitted here and there putting nondescript things in place: a book turned to look more appealing on the coffee table, a flipped sofa pillow. She inhaled the roses Alex had sent and admired the balloon and cookie bouquet delivered to Tiana . . . and she continued to think about all that had happened to her and her family.
She’d have a full agenda to discuss with Shannon.
Danika believed God was in control. Her rededication had cemented that, but the trials plaguing her and those she loved seemed insurmountable. In the days following his death, she’d been obsessed with the investigation. Then she realized being Tiana’s mommy had to take precedence.
The problem with Jacob had only grown worse. His very career might soon disappear along with his wife and children. A buzz was astir at the station, and she wondered how long before the investigation for the rogue agent would be completed. She heard the murmurings; many suspected Jacob. The mere thought seemed incomprehensible. The other agents didn’t know about Nadine, and she wasn’t the one to tell them. Then again, would it make a difference?
Nadine. Where are you, honey? The girl needed to come home or, at the very minimum, contact her mother.
Danika’s cell phone rang. She looked for the caller, but it read as a private ID. Odd, because she guarded her cell phone number and cautiously gave it to only a few people whom she could trust. Perhaps it was a random sales call. When it rang the third time, she answered it.
“Evening, Danika. Looks like it’s quiet at your house. Everyone in bed?”
“Who is this?”
“A messenger. Do you want to know who the rogue agent is at the station?”
“Only a coward refuses to give his name.”
He chuckled. “You play a good game.”
“If you can’t tell me who you are, I’m not interested.”
“Sure you are. You’re a curious woman.”
“How did you get this number?” She paced the living room.
“I have my means.”
“Forget it—”
“Ah, I wouldn’t hang up if I were you. Your job’s on the line, and you know it. So listen up. Jacob is selling you out. He’s making big money working for the drug cartels and smuggling guns on both sides of the border.”
“You’re a liar.” Danika searched through the archives of her mind to name the accuser, but the database was blank.
“Oh, am I? There’s more. Jacob killed Toby. Your husband discovered what Jacob was doing and tried to stop him. Took a bullet to Toby’s head to silence him. And it worked. Don’t you agree?”
“You’re sick, and I intend to report you.”
“And what would you say? Who do you think is next on Jacob’s list? He’s furious with his demotion, and guess what? He can’t give my people sensor numbers any longer. He blames you. He thinks you went to the supes with your suspicions about who may have killed Toby. He also thinks you’re feeding information to Barbara—and that’s why his marriage and family are falling apart. Maybe next time I’ll tell you what happened to Naddie. You’re next, Danika Kathleen Morales.”
Danika disconnected the call. Trembling and trying to remember how to breathe, she stared at her cell phone. Where had the caller gotten his information? He sounded . . . as though he knew her intimately. As though he’d read her mind and knew her heart. Who could it be? No one had been privileged to her innermost fears, that Jacob could have sold out the Border Patrol. Barbara had mentioned he’d been depositing extra money into their savings account. He refused to tell her where it had come from, and Danika had no idea how much money was involved.
Jacob would not have killed Toby. Never. That was a lie, something she’d never contemplated. Jacob and Toby loved each other. They may have disagreed about politics, religion, and Border Patrol policies, but not enough to instigate murder. And what did happen to Nadine?
She attempted to swallow the lump in her throat. Threats on her life had happened before, but not by anyone who had access to her cell phone number or knew her middle name. Fear rippled through her with an icy chill. If this person had gone to the trouble of obtaining personal information, then he had her home address. Dare she phone Jimenez and relay the phone call? It meant implicating Jacob, and his career already teetered on extinction.
She allowed the germ of Jacob’s involvement with Toby’s death to take root in her again. Could Jacob have feigned being the caring brother-in-law out of guilt after Toby died? For the first time in her career, Danika wondered if resigning was the best solution.
Burying her face in her hands, she prayed for guidance. Sensing the presence of someone else, she glanced up at Tiana.
“I can’t sleep, Mommy,” she signed.
Danika opened her arms to the one human being she cherished the most. Tiana had lost her daddy, and Danika owed her child a future with a mommy. The little girl crawled up onto her lap.
“Mommy shaking?” Tiana did not experience the often-obtrusive sounds of the hearing world, but she could pick up on emotions and touch.
“Mommy is fine. Why don’t you sit here on my lap until you can go back to sleep?”
Tiana lay her head on Danika’s chest and closed her eyes. Holding her daughter tightly, she realized what must be done. She owed her daughter and the Border Patrol the knowledge of what had transpired, and with that realization, she punched in Jimenez’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“This is Danika Morales. I just received a threatening phone call on my private cell phone, and I thought you should be told.”
“I’m listening.”
When she finished, she waited for his response.
“Have you talked to Jacob or his wife?”
“No, sir.”
“I ask you to keep this information to yourself. Today, Jacob received a shoe box containing a human finger. He thought it was his daughter’s finger because of a ring he’d given her.”
Danika forced herself to breathe. Criminals did base things, but this went beyond sick. “You said ‘thought.’”
“We did a fingerprint check and learned it was not Nadine Morales. But the fact remains she’s missing, and someone obtained her ring.”
She attempted to control her quivering body for the sake of Tiana curled up on her lap. What was happening to her family?
Chapter 22
Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear.
Benedict Spinoza
Sandra tiptoed back to her room and closed the door. She leaned against it, hating herself and what she’d done. She knew Lucy was behind tonight’s threatening call to Danika,
but how had she gotten the cell number? Repeatedly, Lucy had asked Sandra for it, along with many other demands, but she’d refused. Neither Jacob nor Barbara would give the private number to anyone. Could Lucy have broken into the house and searched through Danika’s desk? Or could the number be posted in Jacob and Barbara’s house for easy reference—like on the refrigerator?
The implications of the call frightened her. Lucy meant business, deadly business. The woman had killed before. But Sandra had assumed Danika had immunity since she was a Border Patrol agent, and Lucy would never risk her position in the community. Stupid thought. No one escaped Lucy when she needed information or sought revenge.
This situation was heading into deeper, more dangerous waters.
“Either you help me, or those you love will be hurt,” Lucy had said earlier. She’d stopped by to see Sandra and give her a monthly paycheck.
Sandra glanced at the check, hoping to gather her thoughts before responding. “You shorted me seventy-five dollars.”
“You owed me association dues. It’s a privilege to work for my services.”
“I will not be bullied.”
Lucy walked over to the coffeemaker and poured herself a cup. She reached into the refrigerator for the half-and-half and topped her cup with a generous portion. “Do you remember what happened to my parents?”
Sandra remembered the story. Lucy’s parents were dead. They’d been killed when they refused to tell where their oldest son had stashed drugs. Lucy hooked up with one of the gang members who executed her parents. Rumors were she had killed a woman in El Paso and assumed her identity.
“No need to answer. A fire at night would be a sad thing for your parents.”
Was this a bluff, or was Lucy capable of such a thing? “I have nothing to give you about Danika.”
“I want her backpack searched to see if she keeps a list of the sensors.”
Sandra was trapped. “I don’t think I could get it.”
“Let’s start with something easy. What’s her middle name?”
“I’ve never heard it, and I’ve heard her say she doesn’t use it.”
“It has to be written somewhere. Look around. What about Tiana’s baby book? Or her Bible?”
Sandra could give one concession out of fear for her parents. What hurt was there in giving a middle name?
“Where is Tiana now?”
“She’s playing in her room.”
“Go check the baby book. I’ll wait here.”
Sandra complied. It was a small thing. Right? What damage could this information do?
But tonight she heard Danika tell her supervisor that the caller had used her middle name. Now, as Sandra glanced around the shadows of her tastefully decorated room, the bedroom Danika had redone according to Sandra’s tastes, she despised her small role in the phone call. This was only a beginning for Lucy. The woman had Sandra right where she wanted her, and the next order would not be as simple. Sandra’s parents had been targeted, and if they were gone, she’d come after Tiana. The little girl was like her own—mi niña. She’d do anything to protect her. God forbid such a thought, but Sandra would allow her parents’ death before her Tiana . . . even Danika’s death.
And she’d sent Jose to Lucy? Had she become as base as the evil woman? Sandra reached for the cross hanging around her neck and sobbed. How deep into this snake pit would she have to venture before this nightmare ended?
Chapter 23
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.
G. K. Chesterton
Friday morning at eight o’clock, the pre-weekend rush of patients hit Alex with a full ER. He heard the crying babies and the coughs over the hum of voices mixed with the TV. He sighed. Long day ahead. An accident in the wee hours of the morning had sent two to the morgue and four to the hospital. Then a young Hispanic woman walked in with a missing finger. She said she’d cut it off a few days ago while cutting frozen meat and the knife slipped. That made no sense, but she refused to change her story. She didn’t have the finger, and he scolded her for not having her hand treated before now. No wonder a doctor’s life expectancy ranked near the bottom. Between the sleep deprivation and the coffee that ripped their insides raw, their hearts wore out faster than most people’s.
“Got a minute?”
Alex glanced up from his perch behind the ER station. He mentally noted the patient’s medical history in the file before him and closed it. “Ed, I sure hope you don’t have patients for me. It’s going to be a while.”
Ed scanned the waiting area. “Looks like illegal processing on most mornings.”
“Very funny. What can I do for you?”
“Is there someplace we can talk?”
Alex picked up on the seriousness. “For a couple of minutes. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can give.”
“My truck’s outside. Will that work?” Obviously Ed didn’t want the conversation overheard.
Alex followed him out the double doors and into the sultry air. Already he was dripping. Once inside the white Border Patrol truck, Ed cranked up the air-conditioning.
“What’s happened? I saw the news last night. So someone told reporters about the investigation for the rogue agent.”
“Media always has a field day with the Border Patrol. The only time we look good is when we apprehend significant criminal activity.” He shook his head. “That’s not true of late. With all the fighting in Mexico and the threat to our borders, we’ve garnered more appreciation. I have no idea who leaked the information. That’s not why I’m here. I’ve got two agents named Morales, and they’re eating my lunch.”
“Pardon my bluntness, but Jacob has the personality of a junkyard dog. Danika is a woman of integrity.”
“You’ve had one date with the woman, and you’re ready to nominate her for sainthood. Problem is, I can’t figure out Jacob. He’s not the agent we once respected.”
Alex needed to get back inside. Patients waited, and he didn’t want to think about the woman who had stolen his breath as an agent on the take. “Just tell me what’s going on.”
“First of all, this is between you and me. Homeland Security is aware you’re helping us nail whoever is leaking information.” When Alex nodded, Ed continued. “Wednesday morning someone mailed a finger to Jacob, a human finger. On it was a ring that he’d given his daughter for her sixteenth birthday. That daughter has been missing for almost two weeks.”
Alex moaned. No wonder the man had been in a bad mood. “I take back everything I’ve thought and said about him.”
“The finger wasn’t hers. But it means she had to give the ring to someone or someone took it from her.”
“How old is his daughter?”
“Seventeen. Police haven’t found a lead on her whereabouts. Seems real strange that she’s missing, her ring shows up on a human finger, and we have a rogue on our hands.”
Alex considered a connection. “Last night I treated a young Hispanic woman who had severed her finger. The odd part was the injury had been done a few days prior, and she didn’t have the finger.”
“Did she give a name?”
“Are you kidding? As soon as I treated the infection and stitched her up, she slipped out. Didn’t wait for me to hand her a bottle of pain meds or antibiotics. Looks like the two incidents are related.”
“Oh, I’m sure of it.”
Alex’s thoughts rolled back to Jacob. “Do you still think Jacob’s selling Border Patrol info?”
“Maybe. Blackmail is responsible for a lot of crime.” Ed tapped the steering wheel. “He’s pretty torn up. I wanted to send him home, but he begged me to stay. Said he and his wife weren’t getting along.”
“No surprise there.” Alex remembered his own marital problems and the exchange of emotions that propelled him into overdrive. “Is he riding the line?”
“The past few days he’s been working administration.”
Alex didn’t ask what Jacob
had done to deserve a desk job filing papers. A veteran Border Patrol agent stuck behind a desk doing menial tasks typically meant disciplinary action. “What about Danika?”
“Someone called and threatened her, which is why I’m here.”
He barely knew her and Tiana, but he was ready to fight for her. “I’m listening.”
“She’s a good agent. Impeccable record. In fact, she’s up for a supervisor role as soon as this mess is cleared up.”
Good. A desk job would keep her inside and away from danger. “I knew her husband.”
“I remember. Does she know it?”
A tweak of his conscience was supposed to be a good thing. “Ah, not yet.”
Ed lifted a brow. “Go ahead and tell me it’s none of my business, but she needs to know about your friendship with Toby. You know his killer was never found.”
Alex nodded. “No motive, either.”
“My personal opinion is his death is tied to what’s going on with my agents, specifically the change in Jacob. I used to think grief ruled his temperament. But with the rogue investigation and his missing daughter, my mind is churning with other possibilities.”
“As in you suspect Jacob was involved with Toby’s death?”
“What do you think?”
“That I’m glad I’m not in your shoes. What do you want me to do?”
“Just what you’ve been doing—be my eyes and ears.”
Alex understood exactly, and he didn’t like the guilt accompanying it. “You want me to ask Danika questions and report back to you.”
“Exactly.”
“Ed, that’s low and not my style. You already said she’s being considered for a supervisor position. How can you suspect her?”
“I don’t. My goal is to keep her alive. I can’t go into all of my suspicions because that is all they are. Someone is out to kill her, and I want the jerk found. The more facts I uncover, the more I’ll tell you.”