Letting You Down (An Allie Down Mystery Thriller Book 4)

by PJ Fernor

  “High stress job?” Ben asked.

  “For some.”

  “For Timothy?” I asked.

  “No. Never. In fact…” Richard laughed. “He’s the only guy I’ve ever met who I can yell at and he sees through it.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “I can yell, scream, throw things off my desk… you know, frustration. And Timothy just stands there and listens. He understands. He can see through a lot of the muck and emotions. I don’t know how he does it. It’s like he can turn off all emotion. That’s a gift.” Richard played with his hands. “Can I ask what’s going on here?”

  “Is Timothy here right now?” Ben asked.

  “No. He called in sick today. I’ve only ever had him do that once before. So I know it’s real. He lives to work. In fact, he wanted to know what he could do at home. I told him to rest.”

  “We need his home address,” I said. “We need everything about him.”

  “Again, I have to ask what’s going on…”

  “We’re in the middle of an investigation and we need to talk to him,” I said.

  “Investigation? Timothy?” Richard asked. “You must have the wrong person.”

  “You said the man in the video was Timothy,” I said.

  “Yeah. What did he do? Run a couple red lights or something?”

  “Or murdered a few people,” Ben said.

  Richard’s face dropped. “What?”

  “It’s crucial we speak to him,” I said. “We need his address. And if in the meantime you speak to him, you do not mention we were here. Understand?”

  “Of course,” Richard said. “But… Timothy? Murder? That can’t be right. He’s… no… that just can’t be right. Something has to be messed up.”

  “We’re the ones to be the judge of that,” Ben said.

  He opened the office door and nodded.

  Richard’s face was still pale and white as he walked into the office.

  Ben looked at me.

  I knew that look.

  It wasn’t doubt, but it was a questioning look.

  Could it be possible we had the wrong guy?

  Chapter Seventy

  “You don’t think it’s the wrong guy, do you?” Ben asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “It’s possible. Worst case, we go to his house, talk to him, and see what happens.”

  “Look for some severed hands,” Ben said.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I trust Muldavey. He really did good. I messed that whole thing up, Ben.”

  “Don’t put it on yourself, Allie Down,” he said. “Things happen. Look at it this way, we’re all a big team. If one person slows or looks the other way, it’s the rest of the team’s job to keep going. That’s what Muldavey did. And to be honest, the only reason he had the nerve to do what he did was because of you. You taught him that. You taught him how to trust his gut and stand up for himself. Believe me. Muldavey would have never done that before you showed up.”

  I appreciated Ben always trying to smooth things over and make me feel good.

  In this case, he was wrong.

  Very wrong.

  I almost cost Lori her hand and her life.

  I looked down the hall at the door to IY Green.

  “You were right,” I said. “How ironic this all is. With Anthony and Giovanni right down the hallway there.”

  “Makes the world feel so small,” he said. “And scary that people like that exist so close to people like this. The fact that they get away with what they do.”

  But they also help, Ben. I’m in it deep with Giovanni right now.

  The office door opened and Richard came out.

  “I have his file right here,” he said. “I’d prefer not to let anyone look at it. I’m not sure what the legalities are. I don’t want to be uncooperative. I’m sure I could ask you to come back with a warrant.”

  “You could,” I said. “But we’re trying to find a murderer here. Any delay could cost someone their life.”

  “And if you really believe Timothy is innocent, why can’t we just ask him ourselves?” Ben asked. “If the guy is home on the couch eating chicken noodle soup, let us see it.”

  Richard swallowed hard. “Well, here’s the address…”

  Richard showed it to Ben.

  Ben put the address into his phone. “Thank you.”

  “Remember,” I said. “No talking to him. At least not until we do.”

  “Of course,” Richard said. “Uh, good luck.”

  “If we need anything else, we will be back,” Ben said.

  “You know where to find me,” Richard said.

  He went back into the office.

  “We got the address,” Ben said.

  “Yeah, we do,” I said.

  “Do you feel like showing up there with a bunch of backup?”

  “I’m sure there’s a more subtle way of handling this,” I said. “He called in sick. Maybe he’s faking.”

  “He’s scared,” Ben said. “Because of Muldavey.”

  “So he’s home licking his wounds, wondering what to do.”

  “Or he’s out there looking for his next victim.”

  “That’s not going to happen, Ben,” I said. “But, listen, I need you to do something for me.”

  “Anything, Allie Down.”

  “You go. Without me.”

  “What?”

  “I have to talk to Giovanni.”

  “Right now?”

  “Right now,” I said. “Ben, I messed up. I used Giovanni for information. He wants something in return. I don’t operate that way.”

  Ben stared at me. “How bad?”

  “I don’t want to say,” I said. “I don’t want anyone else involved. Let’s just say he has a personal interest in The One.”

  Ben touched his jaw and looked down the hallway. “I’m supposed to leave you here and go take down Timothy Perkins on my own?”

  “Call Muldavey,” I said. “Let him get in on this one. He deserves it. With Giovanni, this is personal. I know I should wait, but I can’t. I got the video from him. He has a private security company that monitors the building.”

  “Giovanni got you the security footage,” Ben said.

  “I don’t want you involved in this, Ben,” I said. “I don’t want anyone else near me getting hurt. But what happened to Lo… I can never let that go. I’m sorry, but there’s a part of me that doesn’t really care about Timothy Perkins. He’s the guy. I trust Muldavey’s eyes. So go get him, Ben. Get Muldavey and go to Timothy’s house. If the guy is as sick as he sounds, the severed hands will be in the house somewhere.”

  “And you’re going to stay here?”

  “I’ll find my way there,” I said. “We drove separately. I just need to talk to Giovanni alone. I need to make myself clear. Before I go down a road I’m going to regret. This case… and The One… it’s had me feeling lost. I’m sorry about that, Ben. I just can’t stop picturing it. Seeing Lo in that cage. Seeing those other girls in those cages. Knowing I had given my trust to someone who did what he did. Figuring out it was The One pulling the strings. I know I’m risking my job. And maybe even my life. But I will do anything to protect Lo. And I will do anything to make this right.”

  “You’re putting me in a tough place here, Allie Down,” Ben said. “We have an address. To a murderer.”

  “That’s where you need to be then,” I said. “I need to be here. As soon as I’m done talking to Giovanni, I will call you. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Ben swallowed hard. “I know better than to argue with you. Just know I trust you. I care about you. I hate everything you’ve had to go through.”

  “I have to do this,” I said. “My way.”

  “I know,” Ben said.

  He moved in for a quick hug and then took off down the hallway to the elevators.

  My mouth went dry as I stared down toward the door to IY Green.

  Giovanni wasn’t going to be a happy man. But I needed to
get off this path. Him sending me to Wendy as a favor. Him getting me security footage as a favor. There would be a request for those favors back. The biggest being me delivering The One to him. Which I could not do. And any other favors would end up being something illegal that I would not do.

  I took a deep breath and began to walk down the hallway.

  There was no turning back now.

  Timothy Perkins was going to be proven to be the killer and person cutting off hands.

  Giovanni and Anthony would continue to run their shady loan business.

  And I would work on finding The One on my own.

  Simple.

  I reached for the door handle to IY Green.

  A hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me away.

  Another hand covered my mouth.

  Before I could make a move, I was thrown around and went headfirst into the wall.

  I heard the thud, felt no pain, and then it was just darkness.

  Chapter Seventy-One

  (last night)

  She’s never going to stop, is she?

  That’s the question that has him tired and grumpy.

  He stands outside the black SUV in the dark and looks up to the sky.

  He shuts his right eye and pretends to hold up a gun and shoot at a star.

  “Sir?”

  He turns his head. “He’s here?”

  “That’s correct, sir.”

  “We’re sure of this?”

  “Positive, sir.”

  “If I find out this information is wrong, I’m going to kidnap your family and make you watch me kill them one by one.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  “Tell me again.”

  “Sir, at last week’s game, he reached across the table three times and took a chip each time. When confronted, he confessed. He said he was trying to pay the mortgage. For his family.”

  “Family?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Kids?”

  “Three.”

  “Tell me more,” he says with a grin.

  “Two boys, one girl.”

  “The age of the girl?”

  “Fourteen, sir.”

  He rubs his chin. “Well, this just got interesting. Seems like Michael is going to be useful after all. You just saved his life.”

  “I wish I hadn’t, sir. He deserves his throat slit and to be left in a ditch.”

  He lunges toward the tall security guard and takes out his gun and places it under the chin of the security guard.

  “Who makes that decision?”

  “You do, sir.”

  “And who am I?”

  “You’re The One.”

  “And you…?”

  “Yours.”

  “Say it the right way.”

  “We’re all his.”

  “Get Michael out here.”

  A few seconds later Michael appeared. Hands zip-tied in the front. A gag in Michael’s mouth. Blood running down Michael’s left cheek.

  When Michael sees him, Michael begins to try to scream.

  “No need to scream,” he says to Michael. “You needed to pay the mortgage, right?”

  Michael nods.

  “Do you have a picture of your kids?”

  Michael keeps nodding.

  He snaps his fingers and the security guard finds Michael’s wallet and the picture.

  He smiles big. “I’m going to keep this picture. Just so you know. I’m also going to let you walk out of here. Alive. No games.”

  Michael tries to speak.

  He nods to have the gag removed.

  “What?”

  “Thank you,” Michael says. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Here, take this too,” he says.

  He reaches into his pocket and holds out money.

  Another head nod and the security guard releases Michael from the zip-ties.

  “Take the money,” he says to Michael. “Pay the mortgage. Hug your family. You never know when you won’t see them again.”

  He turns and looks at the picture.

  He points to the girl.

  This all should make him happy, but it doesn’t.

  She’s never going to stop, is she?

  There’s a part of him that knows even with his plan in place, it might not be good enough.

  Taking Detective Allie Down is hard work.

  Getting to her directly is only one way.

  And maybe the correct way to end her for good is to go after someone close to her…

  Chapter Seventy-Two

  When my eyes opened, I felt myself taking deep breaths.

  I somehow already knew I was tied to a chair.

  Even still, I tried to move my arms and they wouldn’t budge.

  My eyes moved left to right, confirming I was in big trouble.

  My ankles were tied to the chair also.

  I felt a presence behind me.

  Slowly, I lifted my head and looked at the door that felt within reach, yet it felt as though it were ten miles away.

  The room smelled of metal and paper.

  An unused office, in the same building where…

  Who? Who did this, Allie?

  My first instinct was Giovanni.

  It made sense.

  He knew things about me and I knew things about him.

  This was his way of threatening me.

  Scaring me.

  Tying me to a chair as a warning.

  He had done multiple favors for me and now he wanted his turn.

  “It doesn’t work that way,” I whispered. “I know what you want. I told you I would get it. You just have to give me time…”

  There was movement and then my eyes were covered.

  I shook my head and the cloth over my eyes was pulled so tight, I lost my breath.

  My eyes and head roared with pain.

  I winced.

  I exhaled a shaking breath and the pain eased up.

  But the cloth was not removed.

  Instead, it was tied.

  To keep me from seeing.

  I heard footsteps to my right.

  Now he was standing in front of me.

  I smelled the air, hoping to get a whiff of his cologne or something.

  “I know who you are,” I said. “I know why you’re doing this. I told you there was a process to it all.”

  Footsteps echoed again.

  The office door opened and shut.

  I waited to hear the door lock but that never sounded.

  Which meant…

  The door is unlocked.

  I knew I didn’t have much time to escape.

  Even if I escaped, I had no idea what to do.

  Arrest Giovanni for this? Or just confront him?

  Or maybe… bust into his office and arrest him. Then slam his face down into his desk. And leave him like that for a little while. Just to show him who was in control.

  My heart raced and ached.

  I brought this upon myself.

  For talking to him. For getting involved.

  I tried to justify my thoughts and actions based on his threats to Calvin’s family.

  That I could have taken up with Laura for help with. Or I could have arrested Giovanni on the spot.

  I didn’t do that.

  Because of The One.

  As the thoughts moved through my mind, I bent my fingers and tried to grip the arms of the chair.

  I couldn’t reach.

  My forearms were tied down, leaving my hands free, but out of reach of anything that could provide some sort of help.

  I moved my feet. I turned my ankles.

  I had a little bit of wiggle room there.

  Not much though.

  My only choice was to hop. To jump the chair over to the door and somehow open it.

  I’d figure that out once I got there…

  I tightened every muscle in my body and I pushed with my feet to jump.

  The chair barely moved.

  That’s not going to work, Allie.<
br />
  But it had to work.

  I had to jump harder and higher and get more distance.

  I moved two more times and the chair began to turn.

  I paused and took a breath.

  The last thing I needed was to fall over.

  I pressed my feet hard to the floor and pulled with my legs.

  The chair slid.

  I did it again.

  The chair slid some more.

  I kept going, feeling myself getting closer to the door.

  When my feet hit something, I let out a gasp of relief.

  I turned the chair and reached with my left hand.

  It hurt to twist my wrist and stretch but…

  I touched a wall.

  Or at least I assumed it was a wall.

  No matter where I moved my hand, it was solid.

  Which meant I wasn’t at the door.

  But I had to have been close.

  I allowed myself another breath and another pep talk.

  Do it for Lo. Do it for Miss Kesslier. Do it for her cinnamon rolls.

  Do it for Ben…

  My throat closed up for a second.

  I needed him.

  I needed Ben.

  I was falling for him…

  I cleared my throat.

  With my feet flat against the floor again I pulled the chair forward.

  I kept my hand against the wall, waiting to feel the door.

  The tips of the fingers of my left hand started to tingle from straining my wrist.

  I didn’t care.

  I moved some more… then more… then…

  The door opened.

  It slammed against my knees and I cried out in pain.

  I had been that close to the door.

  The door shut and I froze.

  “I get what you’re trying to do, Giovanni,” I said. “Okay? Your message is clear. But me in a chair is not going to help you. Ben and I solved the other case. We know who’s been murdering people. Cutting off their hands. We know who murdered your associate. That means I can now focus…” I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry. “Just please take the blindfold. Can we start there? Take it off and talk to me.”

  A hand touched my cheek.

  I winced.

  Footsteps echoed as he walked behind me again.

  The blindfold was loosened, and it fell to my lap.