The 13th Victim: Andi Carter Mysteries Book 1

by Linda S. Prather

  Jasmine flopped onto a stool. “I know you’re right, but I still don’t like it. If anything happens to Mollie, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “Give me the passcode to the elevator and the keys to your apartment.”

  Jasmine jotted down the number for the elevator and dug the keys out of her pocket. “What do I tell Patrick and the others if they come back?”

  “If they’ve found Shamus, they need to look for Sinclair. If not, and the police haven’t arrested him yet, tell Patrick to find McHugh. He’ll know what to do with him.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Jerry felt the barrel of the gun in the small of his back as soon as he opened the door to Jasmine’s apartment. “Put your hands on top of your head.”

  “There’s no way you’ll get away with this, Pratt.” Jerry slowly raised his hands.

  Pratt reached around him and unhooked his handcuffs from his belt. “Put your hands behind your back.”

  The cuffs clicking on his wrists sent a chill down Jerry’s spine. “Why didn’t you just kill Gambini when you first got here? Would have saved you a lot of trouble.”

  Pratt laughed. “If only life were that simple, Palano.” He whipped him around. “People like your girlfriend and Gambini always keep notes. A backup system just in case something goes wrong. If that crazy bitch hadn’t shown up and kidnapped him, this would be all over by now.”

  “He didn’t talk for her, so what makes you think he’s going to talk for you?”

  “The same thing that makes me think you will.”

  The bathroom door opened. “Hello, Jerry. It’s been a while.”

  A cold sweat broke out on Jerry’s brow, and for just a moment his body trembled, but he wasn’t sure if it was from rage or fear. He didn’t recognize the face, but the voice was distinctive. “Thomas.”

  “Oh come on, Jerry. Don’t tell me you’re still mad about that reporter. I let her live. I even arranged to let her kill me.” He dried his hands. “She was never right for you.”

  Thomas turned to Pratt. “Get Gambini ready to move.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Would you like a drink, Jerry? Maybe some coffee? Then we can sit down and chat.” He glanced at the clock. “I have an appointment at noon, but that still gives us a few hours to catch up.”

  “Where’s the girl?”

  “In the bedroom. A shame really, these young girls. Unfortunately, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “How does your daughter play into this, Thomas? She thinks you’re dead.”

  His eyes darkened, and his face turned an ugly shade of gray. “Another unfortunate circumstance I’ll have to deal with. Divina got nervous when the girl disappeared. She decided to clean up the entire operation, including me.”

  “So you did kill her.”

  “Acceptable losses. She’d outlived her usefulness, and become far too fond of the bottle. You haven’t told me how you like my new look. Cost me a pretty penny, but I think it works for me. Don’t you?” He pulled a cigar from his pocket and lit it.

  Jerry stared at the smooth, tanned face. His nose was smaller, his brows were a little higher, and the dimple in his chin was gone. The glasses were new, too. “You look like an accountant.”

  “Crime has changed, Jerry. Too many bureaus and agencies out there. Too many amateurs trying to make a name for themselves. The smart ones are moving on.” He chuckled. “And moving up. This year, councilman. Next year, mayor. Then governor and finally, if all goes well, all the way to the White House.”

  “You’re insane, Thomas.”

  He walked forward and stuck the lit end of the cigar to Jerry’s neck. “The last person who called me that lost their head.”

  Jerry grunted, gritting his teeth against the pain. “Did you handcuff them too?”

  Thomas leaned in and whispered, “Before this day is over, you will scream, Jerry.” He removed the cigar, took a long drag, and blew out the smoke as Pratt came out of the bedroom with a semi-conscious Gambini.

  “Want me to put him in the car and come back and help you with the girl?”

  “She’s awake. Take her with you and get things set up at the house. Jerry and I still have a few things to discuss while we’re waiting on his girlfriend.”

  “She knows you’re alive, Thomas. You’ll never get your hands on her again.”

  He chuckled. “She might not come to save your life, but I think she will for Patrick. McHugh should be picking him up any minute now.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  Patrick took a sharp curve. “If the GPS is right, we’re about ten minutes out.”

  “An SUV has been following us for the last few miles.” Coilin reached for the pistol at his hip. “I doubt it’s friendlies.”

  “Aye, I picked them up when we turned on Greenwich. You any good with that pistol?”

  “Better with a rifle.”

  “One in the back seat.”

  Coilin undid his seatbelt and climbed over the seat. “Man, this is a nice weapon.”

  “Extra clips in the box on the floor. Push that middle lever and the back seat drops. Nice sniper hole near the left light. Just lift the flap.”

  Coilin hit the lever and stretched out on top of the seat. The hole was perfect, not only for the barrel of the rifle, but to see what he was shooting at. “Piece of cake. Do I take them out now, or wait until we’re sure?”

  “Take out their tires. Give them something to think about.”

  Taking aim, he steadied the rifle, gauged his distance, and pulled the trigger. The SUV veered, and Coilin shot again, taking out the rear passenger tire right before the vehicle hit a ditch and flipped. He closed the flap that covered the hole, righted the seat, and climbed into the front. “Any special reason you have a sniper’s hole in your car?”

  “McHugh.”

  “Aye, he’s a nasty bit of Irish trash. How did you come up against him?”

  “He found Thomas for us last time. Set it up so it looked like Andi killed the bastard.”

  “But she didn’t?”

  “I saw the Morgan woman’s body. That was the work of Thomas.”

  Coilin checked his gun a second time. “So we have the father and the daughter to worry about.”

  Patrick shook his head. “The way you shoot, I’m not worried, lad. Let’s go find your brother.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Andi parked across the street from Jasmine’s apartment building. Shamus’s voice had been playing inside her head ever since she left the bar. Pratt was either a hired killer or a real FBI agent. Either way, he was experienced. What the hell do I think I’m doing?

  She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. What would Shamus do? He’d organize reinforcements. The problem was if whoever had Mollie got wind of what was happening, he’d kill her. The front door opened, and Pratt walked out, dragging Gambini along beside him with the help of a young girl. Andi slipped down lower in the car and peered over the doorframe. That must be Mollie. She continued to watch as Pratt loaded Gambini in the back and shoved the girl in the front before climbing into the driver’s seat. Oh, crap, this can’t be good. Where the hell is Jerry? The car pulled out of the parking lot and turned left. Andi had only seconds to choose, and she knew Jerry would tell her to follow the girl. What if he’s lying up there bleeding to death?

  Andi pulled the car into gear and followed Pratt. If Jerry was dead, there was nothing she could do for him. Even if he was bleeding to death, he’d tell her to follow the girl. “Damn you, Jerry Palano.”

  Keeping an eye on the Ferrari, she dug out her cell phone and called Jasmine. “Hey, it’s me. Pratt has a girl—I think it’s Mollie—and he has Gambini. I’m following him to see where he goes. Jerry never came out of the apartment.”

  “We’ll head that way. Call me as soon as you find out where Pratt is headed.”

  Andi tried Jerry’s number as the neighborhoods became lusher and the houses bigger. Where the hell is he going?

 
Pratt made a sharp right on Fountain Avenue, and Andi slowed, but didn’t follow. The homes there were exclusive to the rich, most priced well above a million dollars. The Ferrari might not be noticed, but her ancient Toyota would stand out like a sore thumb. Pulling to the side of the road, she watched the taillights of the Ferrari until he pulled into a driveway five houses in. “So this is where the boss lives.” What if Thomas is the boss?

  Andi placed a hand on the sawed-off shotgun lying in the seat next to her as an image of Sarah Connor in Terminator blazing away flashed through her mind, immediately followed my Shamus’s teasing voice. You’re no Sarah Connor, and this is no movie, lass.

  “Damn it, Irish, let me have my fantasies.” Andi grabbed her cell and dialed Jasmine’s number. She quickly rolled off the street and directions to the house Pratt had disappeared into. “I’m going to head back to your apartment and check on Jerry.”

  “Be careful, Andi. I’ve got a group of CIA agents on the way, and I’ll call Captain Alma as soon as we hang up.”

  “We’ll stay in touch.” Andi tossed her cell on the passenger seat and did a U-turn, heading back in the direction she’d come. Her hands trembled slightly on the wheel as she pressed down the accelerator. The thought that Jerry might be dead created a deep pain in her stomach, and she blinked to control the tears threatening to flow. He has to be alive. I won’t survive losing him again.

  ~ ~ ~

  “How’s the head?”

  Shamus took his eyes from the road and scowled at her. They’d been driving around basically in circles for the last thirty minutes since she burst back into the basement and shoved him up the stairs and into the car with his hands still tied behind him. He should count himself lucky, but he didn’t. She’d left him in the car while she dealt with the maid and her family. She’s a monster who kills little children. “Better, I’m sure, than it will be.”

  Cherese shrugged. “It doesn’t have to end that way. All I want is my father and Andi Carter. You bring them to me, and I’ll let you and Stuart both go.”

  “Aye, and your word is your bond, right? Besides, your father’s dead.”

  “My father is very much alive. As to my word, well, if you ask any of my former victims, they would tell you no, but I did promise the maid if she did exactly what I told her, I’d let her live. May be the only promise I ever kept.”

  Shamus wasn’t sure he heard much after the news her father was still alive. “You didn’t kill them? But I heard the shots.”

  “A little insurance they would be too scared to do anything after we left. There was no money in killing them, and since my picture is out there and everybody knows who I am, there was nothing to gain by wasting time. Call it a logical decision.”

  “Logic? Then you should understand why Andi killed your father. He tortured her for days. I’ve seen the scars.”

  “We all have scars, kid. The ones you can see are the ones we survived. Turn right on Summit, go to the end, and turn on Cordell.”

  “It will be daylight soon, and half the country is looking for you. If you are a logical person you should just cut your losses and go. Leave Andi be.”

  “Third house. Get out and leave the car running. We’ll only be here a minute.” Cherese opened her door and stepped out. “Don’t give me a reason to kill you. The scars that would leave on your precious Andi would be far worse than the ones you’ve seen.”

  Shamus exited the car, and she prodded him toward the door, handing him a key. “Unlock it. You can go in first, handsome, just in case anyone has a surprise for us.”

  Shamus opened the door, his stiffening back the only sign that something was wrong.

  Cherese shoved him to the side and rolled to the right as she entered, emptying her gun into the two men stationed in the room. She rose in one swift motion, ejected the clip, and inserted another. “Recognize them?”

  “McHugh’s men.”

  Cherese checked for a pulse on each man, her rage steadily building. “Father should have told him to send more than two.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Andi was less than ten minutes from the apartment building when her phone rang again. “Patrick? Did you find him?”

  “Nah, lass, she got here before we did. We found the maid, her sister, and her children. Maid said there’s some pictures at the mayor’s house that upset her. We’ll drop by there and see what we can find.”

  Tears threatened again, and she bit down hard on her lip. “Let me know, okay?”

  “Are you all right, Andi?”

  Patrick was the one person she’d never lied to. “I think something’s happened to Jerry. Pratt was in on all of this. He’s got Gambini and Mollie. Jasmine is going after Pratt and the girl. I’m headed to Jasmine’s apartment to check on Jerry.”

  The line was silent for a second. “We’re thirty minutes out. We’ll meet you there.”

  “No, Patrick, you need to find Shamus. Please. Losing one of them would almost kill me, but losing both of them would be more than I could bear.” Her cell beeped with an incoming call. “I’ll call you right back. Jerry’s calling.” She switched the line quickly. “Jerry, where are you?”

  Her car careened into a mailbox as the deep chuckle on the line momentarily paralyzed her with fear. “Hello, sweetheart. Did you miss me?”

  Andi straightened out the car and pulled to the curb. Whiskey, rye, beer, ale… I will not let him control me. “What have you done with Jerry?”

  “He’s alive… for now. How long he stays that way is up to you, Andi. As I remember, you owe me an apology for throwing up on me.”

  “Where are you?”

  “We’re still at the apartment. I’ll give you thirty minutes to get here, and then I start cutting.”

  The line went dead, and Andi quickly dialed Jasmine’s number. “Thomas has Jerry at the apartment.”

  “Damn. Captain Alma’s been trying to talk Pratt out, but it isn’t working. He did let Mollie go, and both she and Tracy are safe with a female officer. What do you want me to do? You can’t go up against Thomas alone. I can be there in fifteen minutes.”

  Andi nodded thoughtfully to herself. God, I wish Shamus were here. He’s the one who always has the best plans. “He gave me thirty minutes. I’ll meet you in back of the building. Maybe we can come up with a plan.” She ended the call. She had one more to make, but her fingers hesitated over the button then pressed redial. Patrick would show up anyway, no matter what she did. At least she could warn him. “Thomas has Jerry. I’m going in.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Shamus watched quietly as Cherese inserted wires into a lump of C4. He’d expected her to kill him after the scene in the house, but instead they were sitting on the rotting porch as she took her time setting up a bomb. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

  “Well, if I don’t, you might want to say your prayers.” She quickly assembled the detonator. She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and passed it to Shamus. “Time for you to call your friend.”

  “Nah, you might as well kill me now. I’ll not help you get your clutches on Andi.”

  “What if I promised that if you help me get what I want no harm will come to Andi Carter?”

  “And the girl, Tracy?”

  “That job ended when Morgan fired me. Not interested.”

  “So what is it you want?”

  Cherese stood up and stretched. “I want Andi to watch me torture my father before I kill him. She’ll probably enjoy it. Then I’ll set her free.”

  Shamus swallowed the snort he was about to make. He couldn’t prove she had let the maid and her family go, and he couldn’t trust her to keep her word. He’d rather die than let her get her hands on Andi. “And the bomb?”

  “Let’s just say it’s the end of a legacy. Make the call before you piss me off and I change my mind, kill you, and still take her.” Cherese smiled. “You can both walk away like I promised, or you can both die.”

  Shamus dialed Andi’s cell number, sending up a small
prayer she wouldn’t answer.

  “Put it on speaker.” Cherese came to sit beside him, poking the barrel of her gun into his side.

  “Andi, it’s Shamus.”

  “Oh my God. Shamus, are you all right?”

  Cherese took the phone. “Your friend is fine at the moment, Carter. If you do exactly what I say he’ll stay that way.”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “Shamus and I have a little errand to take care of. Find my father, and I’ll let you know what to do next. You’ve got one hour.”

  Andi turned into the parking lot and parked near the corner, next to a slew of law enforcement vehicles. Jasmine must have notified her CIA buddies of Thomas’s whereabouts. How the hell did they get here so fast? “I know where your father is, but we have a problem. The feds have surrounded the building.”

  Cherese laughed. “That’s your problem, sweetie, not mine. I need to talk to him, so find a way in and have him call me.”

  “He called me from Jerry’s phone. If you call it, he’ll probably answer.” She rolled off the number as she exited her car. The line went dead, and she stored the phone in her pocket. They’re going to have to shoot me to keep me from going in.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Jerry felt as if a knife had been shoved into his stomach and twisted as the Cobra’s voice came across his cell phone. The only people who had that number were the station and Andi. He was pretty sure the station wouldn’t give it to her.

  Thomas’s mood changed drastically as he answered the call and listened to his daughter.

  “Give them an offer they better not refuse. Palano, Carter, and O’Conner in exchange for safe passage. Let me know when you get here.” He ended the call and immediately made another one, requesting a helicopter pickup one block up the street. “Well, Jerry, I guess all’s well that ends well. He who lives to fight another day and all that bullshit.” He made a fist and hit Jerry on the right side of his chin. “I owed you that one. Call your buddies, and tell them to clear all cars from here to the interstate. My guys see one cruiser or unmarked car, and you die.”