LUCY: The Complete Lucy Kendall Series with Bonus Content (The Lucy Kendall Series Book 5)

by Stacy Green

  The father was arrested, the mother too damaged to raise her son. The little boy was adopted by his aunt and uncle, who changed his name from Weston to Hale. He never stopped having the nightmares. And now he’s pretty sure what he saw as a kid made him a sociopath, and he’s desperate to find some sliver of humanity inside him.

  “And the hairs were a matriarchal match to Mary Weston.” My voice sounded like someone else’s–a fool who’d been played. All of this could have been prevented if I’d only been able to get past my own ego and listen to Chris.

  “They were a match,” Lennox said. “So was the hair taken from Shannon’s crime scene. If we hadn’t caught Mary, we might not have ever been able to put it all together.”

  “He wanted me to find her. He said he wanted to kill her.” The confession bubbled out. What did it matter now? “I told him we’d search for her but we should give the information to the police, because he didn’t want that on his conscience.”

  How fucking stupid I’d been. Chris never wanted me to kill his mother. He’d convinced himself the three of us could have some kind of twisted family. That’s what Mary had been talking about that night in the parking lot. He must have bared his soul to her during their twisted family reunion.

  “I don’t think he wanted to kill her.” Lennox echoed my thoughts. “I think he got tired of waiting and reached out. I think he went willingly with Mary and staged his entire kidnapping. Including cutting off his own toe.”

  He’d struck out at me because I didn’t do what he wanted. He’d changed the game. And instead of suiting up for the role he’d intended for me, I opted out and left him with no one to play with.

  “So,” I tried to grab hold of the shock and channel it into something useful, “you’re telling me that Chris had a plan for me. And when I didn’t follow it, he struck out by taking Shannon.”

  “Yes,” Lennox said.

  My own breathing roared through my ears, loud as a wind tunnel. I looked at Todd, half wanting to see a smug expression so I’d have someone to lash out at, but I saw only sincere worry. “And he has Kelly. He’s put Kelly through a personal hell.”

  Because you told him how to do it. You told him what happened to her.

  Both men nodded.

  My hands vibrated in time with my nerves as I pulled up the picture of Kelly.

  She was so damned scared and helpless.

  Shannon dead, my sister used as a pawn.

  Kelly tortured.

  I’d been played from the beginning because I’d allowed it. Because I’d been so full of ego I couldn’t see what was right in front of me.

  “Lucy.” Todd’s warm fingers rubbed my chin. “Your lip is bleeding.”

  I tasted the blood; I welcomed it.

  Chris wanted me to play his game. He thought he was smarter than me–and so far, he had been. But he underestimated the lengths I’d go to protect the ones I loved. And he didn’t realize how willingly I’d thrown my life away for them.

  I looked at Todd, knowing he would be the one to put up the most fight. “Then it’s time Chris and I had an honest chat.”

  29

  “No.” Todd said exactly what I expected him to say. “You’re not taking this any further. It’s too dangerous. He cut off his own toe to fool us. Can you imagine what he’ll do to you? This is what he wants!”

  A smile crept through my disgust. After all this time and all the suspicions I’d essentially confirmed, he still wanted to protect me. He should know better by now.

  Agent Lennox’s reaction was distinctly the opposite. He leaned forward like an eager puppy. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “Chris wants me. So I’m going to trade. Me for Kelly.”

  “You can’t do that,” Todd said.

  “He expected you to call me sooner, I think.” Lennox’s voice brimmed with fresh energy. “He’s incredibly organized and smart. And he’s also educated enough to know that no matter how careful a person is, some shred of physical evidence is always left behind. When we arrested his mother, I told Chris we would be getting her DNA to match to unsolved crimes. He probably knew then his time might be limited.”

  “And then I decided to leave him.” I had a clear purpose now. It was just a matter of execution. Literally. “So everything escalated.”

  “Right,” Lennox said. “You’re his end game.”

  “To what extent?” Todd glared at Lennox and then returned his attention to me. Worry filled his eyes. “What’s he want with you?”

  What did he see when he looked at me that way? Surely he saw my true personality–the one I’d tried so hard to hide from Todd. “For us to kill together. Just like you said. He told me that last fall.”

  Their surprised faces barely registered. I continued to spill my secrets. “It was the first night we met. He thought I killed pedophiles and wanted to team up. He said he was a sociopath. I laughed him off and got the hell out of there. He kept coming around, and I convinced myself he was really a victim of his parents. He even broke down and told me he’d never killed anyone but was afraid he was destined to do so.” It all sounded so ridiculous now. How could I have been so blind?

  “This was October?” Lennox asked.

  “Yes.”

  “He was killing long before then.”

  “I realize that now,” I said. “But I didn’t want to believe it then. I thought I was smarter, better. And he played it better than any Oscar performance I’ve ever watched.”

  “He’s had years to plan it all,” Lennox said. “And let’s face it: our society’s obsession with serial criminals is a huge benefit to the intelligent ones. He’s been able to study everything others did to appear normal and fine tune it.”

  He glanced at Todd. “I spent a lot of time speaking with Chris after his supposed kidnapping. By then I had some suspicions, but his performance was incredible. He’s able to emulate the gamut of emotions. He didn’t slip even once.” The hint of admiration in Lennox’s voice mirrored the grudging awe I felt at Chris’s ability. “But he doesn’t feel a single one. He’s a shell.”

  “Which is what makes him extremely dangerous.” Todd drummed his fist on the table for emphasis. “Whatever you’re planning, forget it.”

  “It’s the only way we’re going to find out where she is.” I didn’t have any other choice, and Kelly was running out of time. She was lucky if she had 12 hours left. And Chris was probably counting the minutes until I put it together and came calling. “He’s way too many steps ahead of us right now. I have no idea where he’d hide someone. Agent Lennox, you know his anagram, and I assume you’ve checked into his financials. Did you come up with any place he might stash Kelly?”

  Lennox shook his head. “Nothing, but just to be sure, I sent agents to check all previous crime scene locations. Nothing.”

  “She’s somewhere close,” I said. “She has to be, because he wants to be able to be my buddy and still keep an eye on her. And he wouldn’t have time to drive that far.” Another thought occurred to me. “What about traffic cameras? Have you checked for the Audi?”

  “That’s an enormous process,” Lennox said. “We have asked for the shots, but we don’t want to clue in the Philly PD. No offense, Detective Beckett. But with his uncle being the assistant district attorney, there’s no reason not to assume Chris doesn’t have contacts on the police force. We can’t run the risk. And going over those tapes takes hours we don’t have.”

  “Which means I need to confront him.” I directed my words to Todd. “That’s what he wants. He’s got to believe he’s in control, or we’ll never save her. It’s the only way.”

  “If you think you’ll be able to wear a wire or some kind of tracking device, you’re crazy,” Todd said. “He’s too smart for that. That’s the first thing he’ll check for.”

  “So you guys are going to have to figure out a way to track me without Chris knowing it.” I glanced at Lennox. He looked as ready for this fight as I felt. “That’s your thing.”
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br />   “It’ll have to be boots on the ground, old-fashioned police work. We can’t put anyone new in his building–too obvious. We moved an agent into the vacant apartment on his floor shortly after Chris was rescued in Maryland.” Lennox’s jittery movements matched my own frenetic energy. Revenge–it’s what I excelled at.

  “Our agent’s very familiar with his routine, and we don’t believe he’s made her,” Lennox said. “But we haven’t risked trying to approach him or putting any sort of listening device in his apartment. However, we can coordinate so that she knows when you arrive and when you leave.”

  “And then what?” Todd still remained unconvinced.

  “As soon as I got the DNA match, I put another agent in place at the sandwich shop adjacent to his building,” Lennox said. “He’s on shift now and will be able to follow Lucy if she leaves with Chris. You and I will be in position nearby.”

  “I don’t like it.” Todd eyes stayed on me. “You’re not thinking clearly. He’s planned this all out. He’s played all of us. He’s going to be a step ahead of you no matter what we do.”

  I felt sluggish, yet my thoughts raced. “Until I catch up. And I will, because he made a mistake in involving Kelly.” I lowered my voice in an effort to stay in control of my emotions. “He’s underestimating me.”

  Todd’s jaw muscles tightened. His eyes bore into mine. A silent communication passed between us. He knew what I would do if given the chance.

  “I can’t let you.” His soft words carried a dual meaning. “Not over him.”

  “Over Kelly,” I corrected. “And I have to.” Impulsively, I reached for his hand. “Please. If I don’t do it, she’ll die. I can’t live with that.”

  His tight grip made my fingers ache. “What if he kills you first?”

  “He won’t. He’s got to put on a show for me.”

  “I agree,” Lennox said. “Detective, I realize you have personal involvement. I brought you in for Lucy’s moral support. But I don’t need you on board with the decision. It’s mine to make, if she’s willing.”

  I looked at Todd once more, silently pleading. I wasn’t backing out, but I wanted him to agree.

  He held up his hands. “Fine. But if something happens to her,” he pointed to Lennox. “I’m holding you personally responsible. And I won’t keep quiet.”

  “Fair enough,” Lennox said.

  Todd sighed. “We need to be in separate vehicles. That way we cover more ground.”

  “Agreed,” Lennox said. “The Audi is the only vehicle registered to him, and we know the makes and models of his aunt and uncle’s vehicles. As of noon today, there were no rentals under his anagram.”

  “Doesn’t meant there won’t be now,” Todd said.

  “We’ll check again before she moves in.”

  I was really going to do this. Fully aware of what I was capable of, Agent Lennox was going to let me face off with Chris.

  He knew I didn’t have any drugs or poison left. In his mind, I would be completely helpless.

  Let him continue to underestimate me.

  “I can have everything in place within 15 minutes,” Lennox said. “The sooner we move, the better. I think Kelly’s still alive because he wants you to see his work in person, but his patience may run out.”

  “Then you’d better get started.”

  Lennox excused himself. As soon as the agent disappeared around the corner, Todd grabbed my hand again. “You can still change your mind.”

  “You know I can’t.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about Kelly?” He asked the question I’d been waiting for. And I gave him the answer I owed him.

  “Because I was going to kill the man who took her. I didn’t want your morals interfering.” I saw absolutely no reason to keep pretending Todd wasn’t aware of the things I’d done.

  “Please, stop,” Todd said. “I can’t hear any more of this. If you start telling me things–”

  “Isn’t this what you wanted? You’ve always believed it.”

  “That was before.” His face reddened, his words came quickly. “I blamed you for not helping my brother when he was a kid, and then you came barging in on Kailey’s case. You were so cocky and bullheaded and determined to destroy Justin. The idea of putting you away for the rest of your life was intoxicating. But then you admitted you were wrong. And you tried to fix things.”

  “I did a bang up job of that, didn’t I?” I leaned against the booth and took another long drink of water. Rum would have been better.

  “The point is, you wanted to make it right. And I could tell that you really believed in what you were doing. And you cared.” Todd interlaced his fingers with mine. “Somehow, the line between right and wrong started to blur, and now I can’t even see it. If you tell me the truth, I’ll have to find it again. I don’t want to do that.”

  “But I’m no better than those men,” I said. “Shouldn’t I be held accountable?”

  “Probably,” Todd said. “I don’t want to do that. I didn’t want you to move to Alexandria, but I knew it was your only hope. I had this dream–I still do–of you realizing that in spite of all the bad choices, you’re still a good person. That you have people who care about you and need you in their lives. Who want you in their life.”

  His heartfelt words should have invoked tears or some brief glimmer of happiness. But my emotions were stuck on the task ahead. I couldn’t rest until Kelly was safe and Chris exactly where he deserved to be. “You’re worthy of so much more than me,” I said.

  “I want you,” he said. “And you don’t get to change that.”

  I should have told him to figure out a way. He needed to accept the chances of me coming out of this situation unscathed were slim. I had no right to tether us. But I really needed him to know I felt the same. “I don’t want to change it.” I squeezed his hand, knowing that I had to offer him something honest. “If I don’t come back, you need to know I feel the same way.”

  He smiled grimly, his eyes bright. “You’re coming back. We aren’t going to let Chris kill you.”

  My smile felt as twisted as my soul. “I’m not worried about that. But his uncle might not accept I killed his precious nephew in self-defense.”

  30

  Lennox wanted me to park in the street, but since blue skies and oppressive humidity had triumphed over the storms, Center City swelled with activity. The parking garage presented a whole new level of complications, but I didn’t see any way around it.

  Chris had happily accepted my phone call to talk after Mac’s death. Getting into his apartment posed no issue.

  “Keep your phone on as long as possible.” Lennox used an unregistered phone in case Chris decided to check my caller ID. “I’m sure he’ll force you to give it up, but we might get lucky and be able to track the GPS for awhile.”

  I doubted it. “All right.” I maneuvered the Prius into an end spot. “I’m on the second level, east side, near the elevator. Any last words of advice?” I double-checked my pockets to make sure my identification was still there. After we left the bar, I’d run to the nearest thrift store and bought a change of clothes. Nothing more than an old T-shirt and cutoffs, but least I no longer wore shorts caked in mud.

  “Don’t kill the guy unless you have to,” Lennox said. “I’ve got a lot of questions for him.”

  I wondered if he could see me smiling. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Once you leave his apartment, you need to stall him. Stay aware of your surroundings. And if he does take you to Kelly, keep your cool. We need as much time as possible to find you.”

  “You’re not going to be able to stay on our tail,” I said. “You won’t be able to get that close. He’ll lose you near the end.” I shut off the ignition.

  “I know,” Lennox said. “But I’m hoping things will be narrowed down enough that my people can figure out a search grid. That’s why you need to stall him. Let him think he’s won. I don’t think you need coaching on how to deal with him. Your biggest iss
ue is going to be your temper.”

  “Or I could just kill him and bring Kelly home.” I had no idea how I planned to defeat Chris since he had every advantage. But I’d improvise.

  Lennox grunted. “The thing is, I know you’re not joking. You really think his uncle won’t find a way to throw you in prison? Self-defense won’t matter this time.”

  “Maybe I don’t care,” I said.

  “You better start caring. Kelly’s going to need you.”

  Score another one for the agent. The man missed very little.

  “Look,” he said. “You’re one of the strangest people I’ve ever encountered. We both know I could have hauled you in a long time ago. But I don’t think the world is a better place with Lucy Kendall in prison.”

  “But I’m a danger to society.”

  “I’m betting you’ve learned the error of your ways,” Lennox said. “Like I said, you’re an enigma. And I’m taking a risk on you.”

  “So much for the FBI being on the straight and narrow.” He probably wouldn’t feel that way if I killed his star criminal. He wanted to study Chris, analyze him. I couldn’t blame him. But did the man deserve to live? I didn’t think he deserved to be provided a place to sleep and three meals a day on the state’s dime.

  “Life isn’t that easy, and you know it. I’ve got too many psychos like Chris Hale running around to worry about you.”

  I stepped out of the car, welcoming the humidity. I should have bought shorts at the thrift store, but my options had been limited. “There’s something else I need to tell you. In case I don’t get another chance.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “I found your sister.”

  A beat of charged silence passed. “What?”

  “I wanted to pay you back for the recommendation to NCMEC. So Kelly and I started looking. It ended up being a stroke of luck after a big investigation into another trafficking ring. The pimp kept a photo collection of his girls. Her picture was old, but I recognized her tattoo from an old mug shot.”