by C. M. Sutter
“I looked earlier. The only big city is Terre Haute unless we detour off of Highway 41.”
“Nope, I want to stick to the plan. I guess we’re going to Terre Haute, then. We’ll find somebody to snatch there, and nothing better mess it up this time.”
Tony reached across the truck and gave Robert a high five. “I promise you, bro, we won’t screw around. We’ll nab whoever appeals to you, take her somewhere quiet so you can do your thing, and then you can slice and dice her however you like. You’ll feel a lot better once you get that first one in a decade under your belt.”
“I hear that. I’m aching for it, man. It’s like a drug I’ve been deprived of for years.” Robert knew his brother understood how he felt.
Tony chuckled. “Once we get to Chicago, we’ll have a heyday. Maybe we should stick around for a few days. That city is huge, and there are plenty of hookers to choose from. So what if a few never come back? Hell, we’re helping law enforcement crack down on street crime.”
Robert shook the last cigarette out of the pack. He peeked inside to make sure none were wedged in the corners. “Looks like we’re out of smokes.” He pushed in the lighter on the dash and waited for it to heat up. It popped out, and the coil glowed bright orange. He held it against the end of the cigarette and took a deep drag, then passed the cigarette to Tony. “Pull off in a half hour or so. We’ll get smokes and some snacks for the road. All this talk has given me an appetite again.”
Thirty minutes later, the truck rattled into Haubstadt. Tony pulled into the first gas station he saw. Minimart Kwik Service was on Main Street, which was what Highway 41 was called through the one-stoplight town. He and Robert exited the truck. Tony went to the back and opened the gas-tank door. He clicked on the pump for regular gas, grabbed the nozzle, and began filling the tank.
Robert came around from the passenger side. “I’ll get the smokes. What do you want for snacks?”
“Chips, soda, water, and beef jerky. Get the spicy kind.”
“Yep. Be back in a flash.”
Robert pushed open the glass door and crossed the threshold. The motion sensor set off an automated bell that indicated somebody had walked in. A clerk came out of the back room and went behind the counter. Through the microphone that connected to the pump area, he welcomed the person at pump three to Minimart Kwik Service.
Robert grabbed a blue basket by the entrance and began browsing the four-aisle convenience store attached to the gas station. He rounded the corner of the first aisle and saw her. He did a quick scan of the store—she was alone and checking out the magazines. He looked out the window. Tony’s truck and a white car were the only vehicles at the pumps. The car was empty. He knew it had to be hers. He took his time in the store and watched every move she made.
The young blond woman was alone and ripe for the picking. Even in the November chill, she wore short shorts and a baggy sweatshirt that slid off one shoulder. High-top sneakers and too much jewelry gave her a slutty, appealing look. She was someone Robert was dying to meet. He needed to know her much more intimately. She put two magazines in the basket she carried, a two-liter bottle of soda, a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips, and one package of peanut butter cups.
“I guess that’s it,” she said as she placed the basket on the counter. “I hope these snacks will keep me awake while I drive.”
Robert inched closer to hear her conversation.
The clerk smiled. “Where are you headed?”
“Home to Chicago. I’m spending a week with my family during the Thanksgiving break. I go to the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville.”
The clerk nodded. “That’s a great school. So you have twenty-five in gas, and the snacks are six dollars. Thirty-one total, please.”
She gave the clerk two twenties, and he gave her change and bagged the purchases.
“Enjoy the holiday,” he said, “and have a safe trip.”
Robert stood right behind her and waited his turn.
I wouldn’t count on it.
He set his snacks and cigarettes on the counter and watched as she walked out and got into the car at the pump.
“That’s twenty-two dollars, sir.”
Robert handed the clerk a twenty and a five, got his three dollars back, and reached for the bagged goods. He mumbled a good-bye and left. The bell chimed as the door closed at his back.
Tony waited in the idling truck.
“You paid at the pump?” Robert asked as he climbed in.
“Yep.”
“Good. Gun it and follow the car that just pulled out. I found the perfect woman.”
Chapter 30
I jiggled the mouse, and the home screen on my computer came to life. I logged in and checked my emails. The two additional outdoor videos from Detective Amoroso had arrived. I was anxious to see them, but I’d promised Kate we’d wait until she was sitting at my side. I downloaded them to my desktop then got up to check the tea bag supply. Four bags remained in the basket. I reminded myself to pick up a variety box the next time I was at the store.
My desk phone rang. Jan called to say Kate had entered the building. I walked to the bull pen door, pulled it open, and she came through.
“I’m anxious to see these new videos, but we would have waited for you. You didn’t need to rearrange your schedule.”
Kate waved me off. “Don’t give it a second thought. The client is a regular, and she doesn’t mind at all.”
“Shall we?” I motioned toward the beverage station. We filled our cups then got comfortable at my desk. Kate took a guest chair and Jack wheeled his over. Adam and Chad crowded in behind us.
“Got the new tapes?” Clark yelled out from his office.
I looked over my shoulder and motioned for him to join us. “Yeah, boss. Come on and grab a seat.”
Clark wheeled his guest chair out and sat behind me.
I read the heading on the first tape. “This one is from the back of the store. I’m guessing that would be the loading dock area. We know she was at the register at”—I checked my notes—“ten twenty-one, and the abduction took place at ten thirty-two. I’ll fast-forward the tape to ten fifteen. How does that sound?”
I checked the faces surrounding me. They all nodded.
“Okay, here we go. If anything looks odd, tell me and I’ll back it up.”
At ten fifteen, the tape showed a semi pulling into the dock area. It took several minutes for it to back up to the loading bay. The semi driver got out and talked to a man, likely a warehouse employee. One other vehicle pulled in and parked. That vehicle, a cube van, had a bakery name on the side of it. Two men got out and went into the back door of the building. We continued to watch the video until ten forty-five but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
I shrugged. “What do you guys think—enough of this one? The abduction has already taken place.”
They agreed that the loading dock tape didn’t show us anything. I closed that one and hovered the mouse over the next video on my desktop.
“Is everyone okay with beverages?” I asked. “Let’s take five minutes.”
Kate excused herself to use the restroom, and I filled her teacup with hot water and another tea bag. Jack poured coffee for everyone else. When Kate returned, we took our seats again.
“Okay, this one is the north parking lot camera.” I started the video at the ten fifteen mark, and we crowded in around the screen. Cars came and went, and nothing looked unusual. Moms carrying toddlers, parents with young children, elderly people, single men and women, and couples entered and exited the building normally. The outer areas of the parking lot were relatively vacant.
Jack spoke up. “The abduction video is playing in my head. Why do you think Deidra parked so far out, especially if she was only going to be in the store for a few minutes?”
Clayton responded. “Could be a habit or shade, maybe both. Even in November, Nashville gets warm days. Her car is only a year old. I’d probably park far away from the riff
raff too if my car was that new. Door dingers happen, but if you could avoid them, why not?”
“Deidra looked fit too. Many people that are into exercise park far away from store entrances. A little extra walking here and there, you know, that sort of thing,” I said.
“Stop!”
I hit the pause button and jerked my head toward Kate. “What? Did you see something? Should I back the video up?”
“Yes, please back it up.” Kate’s voice cracked when she spoke, and she looked visibly shaken.
“Kate, what is it?” I stared at the paused video and didn’t see what had her so upset.
“Oh my God, it’s the same truck that was in my first dream. Go back a few seconds more.” The teacup shook in her hand. She set it down.
I slowly backed the progression on the scrubber bar.
Kate grabbed my arm. “Right there.”
I hit pause again.
She leaned in and stared—we all did.
“Okay, forward it. Can you go in slow motion?”
“Sorry, this is only a copy. I don’t have the actual video to adjust the progress faster or slower.”
“Okay, let’s watch it in real time and see what happens.”
We focused on the older red-and-white pickup truck that moved slowly across the parking lot. Rust had eaten the wheel wells and doorframes like an aggressive cancer. The driver’s visor was lowered across the side window, either to block the sun or to hide his identity from the cameras. In the distance, we saw the Mazda pull out of the parking lot and turn right. The truck sped up and followed the car. We watched until both vehicles were out of the camera’s range. I stopped the footage, and everyone breathed a deep sigh.
Clark ground his fist into his eyes. “Damn it. That means he has an accomplice. Okay, let’s head to the conference room where it’s more comfortable for everybody. Kate, I want to hear everything you can remember about this red-and-white truck.”
We filed down the hallway to the conference room, where everyone found a seat. We waited for Clark, who walked through the door last and took his usual spot—at the head of the table.
“Okay, I know Deidra’s abduction didn’t take place in our jurisdiction. Hell, it was states away from us, but there is a connection.” Clark looked at Kate. “And it’s you. Somehow, someway, you’re smack-dab in the middle of the mayhem. Your dreams are leading this investigation, as bizarre as that sounds. You described Deidra’s appearance and the locket she wore. You’ve described another woman in great detail, and now you say you saw the truck on the video we just watched in the first dream, the one with the other woman?”
Kate nodded.
“The floor is yours, Kate. Give us your thoughts.”
Kate took a sip of water from the plastic cup she had filled at the drinking fountain. “The man was the same in both dreams. He had long hair and a full beard and mustache. He wasn’t Robert, so I have no idea why these dreams started. I thought it had to do with him being paroled a few days back, but now I have my doubts. It could be two random men on a crime spree, and I just happen to be the person dreaming about one of them.”
“Your dreams will help somehow. I know they will.” I gave Kate a reassuring smile. “Go on.”
“The woman in the first dream ran out of gas on a dark country road. Jade, I’ve told you this dream in detail. Are you sure everyone wants to hear it?”
“We’re sure, Kate. It’s all right,” Jack said.
“Okay. Anyway, she got out of her vehicle. I wrote down everything I could remember about it. It was a small, light-colored hatchback. The woman was young, early twenties, I’d say. Long blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a pink fleece jacket with a crown emblem on it. Could have been a logo, I guess, and she had a turquoise-and-silver ring on her right index finger. She paced nervously. It was late, and there weren’t any houses nearby. Headlights broke the darkness. I saw her shoulders relax with gratitude when the driver asked if she needed a ride. She opened the passenger door, and the lights came on. I saw the side of a rusty red truck with a wide white center stripe. It looked just like the one in the video. They can’t be that common, can they?”
“Doubt it,” Billings said. “That truck had to be close to twenty years old.”
“Did anyone see the badges, anything to identify the make and model?” Clark asked.
“We can look again, boss, but all I saw was the truck from the side driving on the far edge of the north camera’s viewpoint. You can’t even see where it came from. It appeared out of nowhere.”
“It was likely parked somewhere the cameras don’t cover,” Clayton added. “If we were going with the Robert Lynch scenario, the plates would be from Georgia. If it was a local abduction, they would be from Tennessee. We need to get Amoroso on the horn.”
Clark nodded at me.
“Jade, take care of that. Call Amoroso and tell him to put a BOLO out on a rusty red-and-white older pickup truck. It could have Georgia or Tennessee license plates. Deidra’s car was found in Evansville, Indiana. Whoever these guys are, they’re definitely heading north. State police and local sheriff’s departments need to be on alert in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Make sure to let him know there are two men involved that are armed and dangerous.”
Chapter 31
Robert
Robert pointed through the windshield at the white Subaru ahead of them. “There she is. Stay a few car lengths behind her so she doesn’t notice us. Odd that she isn’t taking the interstate.” He opened a new pack of cigarettes and pulled two out. He lit his own and handed one to Tony, along with the lighter. “Big mistake for her.”
“Where is she going?”
“She told the gas station clerk she was heading to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Hell, we can grab her and still get someone in Terre Haute if we feel like it.” Robert smirked. “The more the merrier, right, bro?”
“Sounds like a party to me. When do you want to make the move?”
“Terre Haute was two hours away?”
“Uh-huh.” Tony took a deep drag, cracked the window a few inches, and blew the smoke out.
“I’d say a half hour out of the city, as long as we can find a remote area. We aren’t taking her with us, either. I’ll do my thing, get that out of my system temporarily”—he grinned—“then slit her throat. It’ll be just like the old days, bro. I’m going to get a half hour of shut eye. Don’t let her out of your sight. Hell, we can both enjoy her if you’re so inclined.”
Robert pulled the handle and reclined the seatback. With the last puff of his cigarette, Robert opened his window and flicked the butt out. He lay back, folded his arms, and drifted off to sleep.
He opened his eyes to Tony slapping his arm.
“What the hell, man?” He sat up and rubbed his eyes. “I was out for the count. What’s going on?”
“The girl just turned into that diner.” Tony pointed out the window.
Robert looked around to get his bearings and noticed that they were parked on the shoulder of the road. Ahead on their right stood a diner that looked as though it had seen better days. The gravel parking lot held three cars, one being the Subaru.
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“Only forty minutes. What do you want to do, go in or wait here?”
“Let’s wait. The place doesn’t look busy enough for us to go inside. The fewer people that see us, the better. Maybe she just needed a bathroom break or a coffee to go. Speaking of bathroom breaks, I’m hitting the woods. Keep your eyes peeled.”
Robert opened the passenger door, slid off the seat, and exited the truck to the gravel shoulder. He climbed down the ravine and disappeared beyond the trees.
The tap on the horn told Robert he was needed back at the truck quickly. He climbed the hill and got in.
“What’s up?”
“She’s pulling out. We don’t want to lose her, right?”
“Did she look back at the truck when you honked?”
“I couldn
’t tell. She was already in the car. It looked like she was carrying a Styrofoam cup.”
Robert slammed the truck door at his back. “Let’s catch up, but give her space. I don’t want to spook her. How much farther?”
Tony checked the mirrors and pulled back out into the traffic lane. “We’ll be in Terre Haute in less than an hour. We need to plan our method of attack.”
“I know exactly what to do.” Grinning wickedly, Robert lit another cigarette and relaxed in the passenger seat.
Chapter 32
“Yes, I’ll hold.”
Boring elevator music droned in my ear for close to three minutes, nearly putting me to sleep. I drummed my fingers on the desk. I should have called from my cell phone. Now I was attached to my desk by a telephone cord. I put my hand over the mouthpiece. “Clayton,” I said, “can you get me a cup of coffee?”
“Sure, I probably could.”
I watched and waited. Chad didn’t get up. He was screwing with me, as usual.
“Can you do it now?”
He chuckled and pushed back his chair. “Just giving you a hard time, Jade.”
“I know and thanks. I appreciate a little humor now and then.” I stuck my tongue out at him then perked up when the music stopped.
“Hello, Detective Amoroso speaking. How can I help you?”
“Joe, it’s Jade Monroe.”
“Jade, hi. I would have cut the other call short if I’d known it was you. We have a new receptionist that just started yesterday. I’ll have to give her a list of names that get pushed through before some of the others. What can I do for you?”
“Kate noticed something on those other videos you sent over.”
“Really? I’m all ears. Give me one second to get my notepad.”