by Unknown
Beecham came around to the sofa and sat down on the other side of Jess. “Let’s see here.” She tapped the necessary keys until she reached her text messages. “Here you go.” She passed the phone to Jess. “Feel free to look at anything you want.”
The first photo was of North and Amanda Brownfield. Amanda had her arms around him and was smiling. Jess’s instincts started to hum. The date accompanying the text was mid July.
Jess stalled on the next photo.
Meredith Dority.
Meredith looked more than desperate, she looked terrified. North held her tight against him in the selfie he’d snapped no doubt only minutes before murdering her.
Beecham had replied, asking her brother if this was his new girlfriend and when he was going to come and visit his lonely sister. Jess scrolled to the next photo.
Nina Baron.
Wearing a yellow nightgown, she sat in a chair in a darkened room. North had crouched next to the chair and snapped the pic. Nina looked disoriented and terrified. Jess tried to make out any other elements of the room but it was too dark.
“I’ll call Chief Burnett,” Lori offered.
“We need North’s cell phone records.” Jess scrolled back to the photo of Nina. “This text was sent just yesterday. Wherever this photo was taken, Nina might still be there.”
“I’ll see if we can’t bypass the usual delays,” Lori said, reading Jess’s mind.
“We have cause,” Jess agreed. North was dead and Nina Baron’s kidnapping provided extenuating circumstances. Jess turned to North’s sister. “We’re going to need to keep your cell phone for evidence. Is that all right? I’ll gladly buy you a new one to use until we’re finished.”
Beecham shrugged. “Whatever you need.”
“Detective Wells, let’s get Mrs. Beecham’s phone to Ricky Vernon at the lab.” Jess’s pulse bumped into a faster rhythm. “He may be able to give us the time as well as the location from each of the photos.”
“I’ll call,” Lori agreed, “and let him know we’re en route.”
Jess’s cell rang. Dan calling. “Excuse me for just one moment.” Jess dug for her phone as she moved toward the kitchen for privacy. “Hey, what’s up?”
“It’s Dad.”
Jess stilled at the sound of his voice, her heart dipping. “What’s happened?”
“He had a heart attack. We’re at UAB.”
“I’ll be right there.” Jess’s throat was so tight she could hardly get the words out.
“It was Spears, Jess. He went to my parents’ house and tortured my father...”
“Katherine?”
“Thank God she wasn’t home.”
“I’m on my way, Dan.” Jess put her phone away and went in search of Lori.
“I got Chief Burnett’s voicemail—” Lori started to explain.
“He’s at the ER. His father had a heart attack.”
“Is Mr. Burnett okay?”
Jess shook her head. “I’m not sure. We need to get to the hospital.”
UAB Hospital, Birmingham, 3:10 p.m.
Jess rushed from the elevator, Lori right on her heels, and went straight to the nurse’s desk of the Cardiac Unit. “Can you direct me to the family waiting room?”
“Around the corner to your left, second door on the right.” The nurse glanced at Lori then back to Jess. “There’s a larger waiting area in the first floor lobby.”
Jess thanked her but didn’t bother explaining that Lori had refused to wait downstairs as suggested by the information desk. Like the rest of her team, she wasn’t allowing Jess out of her sight—not even to take Beecham’s cell phone to the lab.
At the door to the family waiting room, Lori paused. “I’ll head to the lab now, and then I’ll be back for you.”
Jess nodded, the reality of why they were here hitting her all over again. “Call me the second Vernon has something. And let Black and Gant know as well.”
“On it.” Lori rushed back to the elevators.
Jess drew in a deep breath and opened the door. Dan looked up from his chair and Jess felt sick at the worry and fear she saw on his face. Katherine’s eyes were red from crying. Dan patted his mother’s hand and stood.
Jess hurried to him and hugged him with all her might. What if his father died? That would be her fault, too. She couldn’t bear it. When she was reasonably sure she could speak, she drew back and searched Dan’s eyes. So much sadness and all her fault. “How is he?”
“We don’t know yet. The doctor’s determining the damage now. From there, he’ll make a decision on the course of action to take.”
Feeling unsteady, Jess took the seat on the other side of Katherine and wrapped her hands around her future mother-in-law’s.
Dan settled back into his seat. “Mom was able to see him a few minutes ago.”
Katherine dabbed at her eyes. “He’s better. I think. He swears he’s going to be fine, but he wouldn’t tell me if he thought he was dying.” Her voice cracked. “They’re checking that stint he had to have four years ago. The doctor said he might need another one.”
Jess put her arm around Katherine’s shoulders. “He couldn’t be in better hands.” Birmingham’s UAB hospital was one of the best in the nation. Dan placed his arm over hers and smiled sadly. Jess wanted to hug him and ask him what on earth happened, but she didn’t want to upset Katherine any more than she already was.
“Why don’t I get some coffee?” Dan suggested.
“That would be wonderful, son. Two sugars, please.” Katherine heaved a burdened breath. “I just can’t believe it.”
Dan stood and Jess started to as well, but Katherine held onto her hand. “Please stay with me, Jess.”
Jess looked to Dan and then back to Katherine. “Of course.” She eased back into her seat. “I’ll stay right here.”
When Dan had gone, Jess and Katherine had the small room to themselves. Katherine rambled on about how she’d been urging Dan Senior to go for his check up. Jess smiled and nodded on cue.
“I’m sure Dan will tell you what happened later.” Katherine tightened her hold on Jess’s hand. “He doesn’t want to talk about it in front of me.” Her lips trembled into a smile. “He wants to protect me, but there’s no need to make you wait. I saw what that devil did to him.”
Jess kept her mouth shut. If Katherine wanted to talk, she would be glad to listen, but she wasn’t asking a single thing. She refused to be responsible for upsetting Dan’s mother at a time like this.
“I was having lunch with my friends. Shirley, my oldest friend in the world, just finagled millions in a divorce from her second husband. She’s planning on redecorating her house and she wanted my advice.”
“She’s a smart lady.” Jess knew Katherine’s decorating style. While it wasn’t her own, there was no denying the woman had talent. Especially if it meant she was able to spend big money on expensive things. That was a bad thought, Jess. She really was working hard at only having good thoughts about Dan’s mother. Not always easy.
“Dan Senior was going golfing. He insisted the nice young man from the department go with me.” She frowned. “I shouldn’t have left him alone.” She looked at Jess then. “He came into our home.”
“This isn’t you fault,” Jess said, offering the only comfort she could.
“I don’t know exactly what happened.” Katherine put a hand to her throat. “But that devil stripped my Dan’s clothes from him and cut him all the while telling him all these awful things he was going to do to our son.”
“He’s a monster.” Jess wanted Spears to rot in hell. She wanted to be the one who put the bullet in his brain.
“It was nothing but a pure miracle.” She glanced heavenward. “The waiting time at the restaurant was forty-five minutes so the girls and I decided to go back to my house.” Katherine made a sound, a sort of keening. “I found him in the bedroom. He wasn’t breathing. Shirley, bless her heart, started CPR while I fell to pieces. She saved his life, I’m certain.”
<
br /> “I’m so sorry, Katherine.” Jess fought back the tears.
Katherine turned to her. “I need you to promise me something, Jess.”
“I’m glad to help any way I can.” There was no way to make up for the pain she’d brought this family.
“When you get him and I know you will...”
Jess appreciated the vote of confidence, but at this point she wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Spears was changing the game at every turn. “I’ll do my best,” she assured Katherine.
“I want you to kill him, Jess. Don’t let him end up in some mental institution or prison somewhere. Kill him. Do you hear me? Kill that devil so he never has the chance to hurt us or anyone else ever again.”
Dan returned just then, preventing Jess from having to make a promise she might not be able to keep.
Promise or no promise, first she had to catch the son of a bitch. Whether he was scrambling for a new plan of action or simply coming apart at the seams, he could suddenly decide to cut his losses and disappear.
A terrible sinking feeling tugged at her. If Spears vanished… she’d be looking over her shoulder the rest of her life.
11
Law Office of Franklin Teller
Monday, September 13, 9:00 a.m.
“I’m certainly glad to hear your father is recovering.” Frank Teller shook his head. “Damn, Dan, you just can’t catch a break lately, though I have to say the photos found on Quentin North’s phone—particularly the one of him and Dority—could prove helpful. I’m pushing Chief Black to see that photo as evidence she was still alive when you left her home. The issue is timing. Proving when you arrived and when you left.” Teller heaved a sigh. “I have every confidence we’ll get there.”
Dan had no intention of admitting the truth to Frank or to anyone else. Yesterday had almost gotten the better of him. Despite the potential break in Meredith’s case, the ever-present threat from Eric Spears was more than enough to push the strongest man to the edge. Mayor Joseph Pratt had cut off all communications with Dan. The man had groomed him for the position of chief of police for years and then turned on him for doing his job. It was amazing the lengths some people would go to in the name of power. Dan scrubbed a hand over his face. The Ted Allen case was more of the same. The man had gone missing weeks ago and Dan was the only person of interest they had in his disappearance. Then his dad was tortured and had a heart attack—more of Spears’ doing.
How the hell was he supposed to handle all that at once?
Because there was no other choice. Jess and their baby were counting on him.
“I’m fine,” Dan lied to his old friend and attorney. “So what happens next as far as the Internal Affairs investigation goes?” At the moment, that was the most pressing issue. IAB had the power to clear him of misconduct in the performance of his duties as chief of police so he could return to work. Dan didn’t want Harold getting too attached to the position.
Jess needed to see him strong and in control. Her strength and determination continually amazed him. He was so damned lucky to have her back in his life. How had he ever hoped to live without her?
“Anne Colbert is the lead investigator on your IA case.”
Dan considered the news. “I’m not familiar with the name.”
“She’s a transplant to the department from Boston and she’s tough as they come. The bright side of having her assigned to your case is that if you’re telling the truth she will find the facts that clear you.” Frank turned his hands up. “If you’re holding anything back or not being completely honest she will nail your ass to the wall. Now is the time to give it to me straight, Dan. If there’s anything she can find on you that I don’t know already we need to talk about it and find a way to spin it to our advantage.”
Dan shook his head. “How many times do I have to tell you, I haven’t done anything wrong? I sure as hell didn’t kill Meredith or Allen. As for the years I served as liaison between the mayor and the BPD, Pratt is twisting things around to make me look bad when I was the one who kept him out of hot water.” He let go a heavy breath. “Pratt has a penchant for using his position to achieve what he wants and to help out his friends. None of his transgressions are earth shattering, but they’re enough to get him thrown out of office.”
“Unfortunately,” Frank allowed, “that issue boils down to one thing, your word against his. Right now that’s not a good thing.”
“What are we doing to change that?” Dan was tired of hearing about his problems. He wanted to discuss solutions.
“Right now, you and I are going to spend a couple of hours prepping you for Colbert. Meanwhile, my investigators are out there beating the bushes looking for answers.”
None of which made Dan feel any better as to how this would end. “Before we begin,” Dan needed to confirm he’d taken all the right steps… just in case, “I’ve made Jess the beneficiary for all my life insurance plans, pensions, investments, and so forth. The will outlining my wishes regarding my estate has been taken care of. Is there anything else I should do to ensure she and the baby are taken care of in the event of my death?”
“This Spears creep is really getting to you.”
Since the statement was a rhetorical one, Dan didn’t bother to confirm the allegation. “Jess and the baby are my top priorities.”
Frank shrugged. “You’ve squared away all the usual legal matters with my colleague at our office. The only other thing that would benefit Jess is for the two of you to tie the knot before any untimely departure on your part.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Dan laughed. “Between my parents and Jess’s sister, there has to be a wedding.”
Frank laughed. “I’ll bet Katherine has already reserved a date at St. Paul’s.”
“She has. Just don’t tell Jess. I’m staying out of that one. If my mother can convince Jess to have a full-blown Catholic wedding I’ll go along just to make her happy. If it was up to me, we’d get married in the courthouse today.”
Frank leaned forward and picked up his notepad. “Well then, let’s get to it.”
Dan readied to face whatever his old friend would throw his way.
10:15 a.m.
Dan walked out into the bright sunlight, grateful the grilling session with Frank was over. He nodded to the officers providing his surveillance today. Now he understood what Jess hated so much about being watched. It was more than a little frustrating.
He climbed into his rental and started the engine to get the air conditioning going. It was hot as hell. Besides buying a house, he needed to take the time to find a new car. He was leaning toward another Mercedes SUV, principally for the endless safety features available on the new models. Maybe he’d buy Jess one, too. That ten-year-old Audi of hers was not so child friendly.
Rather than pull away from the curb he took a moment to make a call he’d been debating for two days. His plan was a risky maneuver, but at this point he was desperate enough to take the risk. He had to protect Jess and the baby at all costs. It was more than apparent that Spears wasn’t backing off. A wise man would have disappeared by now. If he was caught, he would never see the light of day again. Yet, for some insane reason—insane being the operative word—he just wouldn’t stop this taunting game he was playing with Jess.
His relentless determination scared the hell out of Dan. Since Spears had the means to keep himself off the grid catching him seemed next to impossible. Unless he screwed up. They’d caught a break on Friday, saving the lives of three hostages. They might not get that lucky again.
Dan wasn’t waiting for luck. He had to do something.
He hit the contact name and made the call. When Buddy Corlew answered, Dan almost ended the call, but he didn’t. He had to do this. “We need to talk.”
“Danny boy,” Corlew enthused, “what do you want to talk about?”
As if he didn’t know. “I’m confident you don’t need me to spell it out for you.”
“How can I help?”
> Dan hesitated for only a moment before saying what needed to be said. “If I provide you with Spears’s contact number—”
“This sounds like something you should run by Jess first.”
Irritation twisted in Dan’s gut. “I need you to set up a meeting with Spears.”
Corlew laughed, and Dan wished they were face to face so he could kick his ass. “If it was that simple, why hasn’t Gant or someone done it already? You gotta get real, Danny boy, Spears had a bad day but he’s no fool.”
“I have something he wants.”
The silence extended for five, then ten seconds.
“And what’s that?” Corlew asked, his voice suddenly devoid of emotion.
“Me.”
12
Autumn Lane, 10:30 a.m.
See what you made me do. Everything is wrong…
Jess had received the call she had hoped wouldn’t come. Presley Campbell’s body had been found.
Evidence techs were swarming the warehouse. There was an additional bloody area besides the one where Campbell’s body was positioned. The fire ax left on the floor next to the second bloody mess was likely where Quentin North had met his demise. Forensic techs would check for Nina Baron’s blood type to ensure she hadn’t been here.
“Dammit,” Jess muttered. One dead and another still missing.
The old warehouse hadn’t been used in years, the wear of time and neglect served as a morbid backdrop to the vicious murders. The young victim lay on a wooden table, her legs and arms tied wide apart. In Jess’s estimation she had been dead for at least twenty-four hours.
Jess reminded herself to breathe through her mouth. The warehouse was like an oven. The accelerated stench of decomposition was overwhelming.
She had seen Spears’s work first hand many times. He was methodical, precise, and infinitely ruthless. He had studied the human body. Each carefully placed assault was chosen to wield the most pain. He always took his time, relishing each move and drawing out his pleasure.
Not with this victim. Presley Campbell’s body had been slashed repeatedly with a ferocity that spoke of rage and an inability to maintain control. She had been raped over and over. Her breasts had practically been ripped from her body. When he’d finished, he’d stabbed her over and over.