Guilt Game

by L. J. Sellers

  Rox hurried next door to her place. She had a curly red wig she’d worn once and wanted to try again. Some sunglasses this time too. Maybe some pale foundation.

  When she returned to Marty’s, he had a serious look on his face as he handed her a small black pouch.

  Rox was afraid to open it.

  “Chloroform and a rag. Just in case things go south.”

  Both relieved and a little freaked out, Rox slipped the pouch into her shoulder bag. She rarely took a purse with her anywhere, but today it matched the part she was playing.

  “Let’s do this.”

  On the drive south to the work camp, Rox ran through half a dozen scenarios in her head. In most, Emma refused to come along, and Rox had to manhandle her, maybe use the chloroform. She kept seeing the other members coming to help their sister and herself taking a lot of blows from frightened young women. Even in her mind, in self-defense, she couldn’t bring herself to strike any of the girls. Rox almost contacted Marty twice to call it off. But dammit, they had to try. She just had to be very convincing. She’d never done any acting—except for small bits during the brief extractions she’d conducted. And the nun routine, she reminded herself. She’d been developing her field agent and operative skills for more than a year, and now her brain was functioning in new ways. She could do this! The hardest part would be after Emma realized there was no emergency. She would have only a brief opportunity to quickly and effectively persuade the girl she could find peace of mind in a better way. She would use her own personal experience of Jolene’s murder at the hands of a cult leader if she had to.

  Deep into practicing what she would say, Rox missed the turn onto the unmarked road and had to backtrack. She checked her phone. Still plenty of time. She turned down the quiet lane and drove to the spot they’d found the day before. Bordered by tall fir trees, the old logging road was ideal for watching the compound. Rox drove down the dirt lane, then turned around, positioning herself as far from the main road as she could while still keeping the concrete buildings in sight.

  Once she was settled in, Rox pulled out her binoculars and focused on the work camp. The Bronco was already gone. Blackstone had left early for his meeting with Loffland. What did that mean? That he had errands to run too? He didn’t leave the complex often, so it made sense he would take advantage of his time in town. The white van was gone as well, leaving only the red minivan. Rox had expected the soup kitchen women to be gone, but she had hoped to get there in time to watch Blackstone leave. She decided to call Loffland just to see if this meet-up time had changed. Loffland didn’t answer, so she left a message. Rox cursed herself for not checking with him earlier. Maybe it didn’t matter. Blackstone had left the work camp. Step one accomplished.

  If Marty was successful in commandeering a clinic phone, Margo would drive away soon too. But Rox would hear from Marty before that happened. Waiting for him to arrive would be tough. They might have only a short window of opportunity. Especially if Margo hit a Callback icon to get more information. Rox decided she would go for it the minute Margo drove away. Marty wouldn’t like it, but he would already be on his way—only ten minutes or so behind. That might be all the time she had to get Emma out.

  More worst-case scenarios played in her head. Margo would tell everyone where she was going, then Emma would be suspicious that her mother was having an emergency just as Margo’s daughter was at urgent care. Or Margo would take Emma with her. Or maybe Margo would even lock up the girl somewhere while she was gone. That seemed extreme, but Emma never seemed to leave the complex. The only exception had been to go with Blackstone to collect the ten grand. These people were monsters, so anything was possible.

  After another ten long minutes, Marty’s ringtone sounded. Rox pressed her earpiece. “Yes?”

  “I made the call, and Margo should be leaving in a few minutes. I’m headed your way now. Give me fifteen minutes.” He laughed, a nervous sound. “If I don’t get stopped for speeding.”

  “Be safe.” She started to hang up, then said, “Hey, I wanted you to know Blackstone’s Bronco wasn’t at the complex when I arrived. So he left early.”

  “You saw him leave?”

  Her gut clenched. “No. But considering everything we know about him, it’s unlikely he let anyone else take his vehicle. I called Loffland but didn’t get through.”

  Marty was quiet for a moment. “You’re probably right. He might have left early this morning to do something else. We’re going for it.”

  “Yes, but our window of opportunity could be limited. I’m going in as soon as Margo’s car is out of sight.”

  “No! Wait for me!” Marty shouted. “The girls might be armed and dangerous. We have no idea of what we’ll encounter.”

  His tone surprised her. He rarely got upset. But she was right about this decision. “The members won’t be armed. And Margo might call the urgent care center or soup kitchen, then turn around and come right back. I might have only five minutes to get Emma out. I can’t waste it sitting here.”

  “Shit!”

  “It’s okay. Margo might not be a problem anyway. Blackstone is the control freak.” Rox heard an engine start and glanced over at the work camp. The minivan was backing out. “Margo’s on the move. I have to go.” She hung up and slouched down out of sight. The woman probably wouldn’t even glance up the dirt road as she drove by, but Rox wanted to be safe. If the woman did, she would see an empty car and think hiker or hunter.

  Rox counted while she waited just to keep her heart calm. This was it. She was going in to breach an old prison camp and conduct her ballsiest extraction yet. And the CIA thought I couldn’t do fieldwork. The minivan passed at a high speed, and Rox waited for another full count of five, then sat up and started her engine. She drove to the paved lane and looked right. The car was in the distance, flying along. She pulled out and accelerated toward the work camp. For a moment, her mind was blank and she couldn’t think at all. Then new ideas bombarded her. She had to act panicked at the door to be convincing. If Emma questioned her and mentioned Ronnie’s emergency, Rox would say she knew about it. Then explain that Mrs. Carson had gone to the soup kitchen and she and Ronnie had been involved in an altercation that had injured both.

  Stupid! None of this was well thought out. They’d rushed the execution and hadn’t done enough preparation. But she kept driving. Blackstone was an abuser and possibly a killer. All of the girls were in danger, but Emma had become her responsibility. Once she’d been deprogrammed, the girl might be persuaded to press charges against the cult leader. It might be the only way to stop him.

  Rox turned into the large gravel parking area and got her first up-close look at the work camp. A long, flat-roofed building with sun-faded concrete walls, no visible windows from the front, and a green metal door. Not a place that would be easy to call home. The flower planter on the front step was a pathetic attempt to soften the ugly edges. The perpendicular buildings in the back that she’d seen on the Google Earth map weren’t visible from the parking area. She also spotted something new. A large metal shed had been added on the left of the main building since the photo had been taken. Its overhead door was up, and the Bronco was parked inside with the hood open.

  Shit!

  Blackstone, next to the vehicle, spun around when he heard the crunch of her tires on the gravel. In a quick move, he picked up a shotgun and charged toward her.

  CHAPTER 20

  Heart pounding, Rox threw her car in reverse and backed out. As Blackstone rushed toward her, he bellowed, “Why are you here?”

  Could she salvage this? No, she had to leave and warn Marty to abort the mission. But first, she had to try to cover her tracks. Rox pressed the window button as she backed onto the road. When the window was down, she called out, “I’m with the US Census!”

  “Don’t come back!”

  She rolled up the window and sped off. When she’d cleared his line of sight, she realized her legs were shaking. She wanted to pull off the road to cal
l Marty but was afraid Blackstone might be following. Rox touched her earpiece, hoping for once to get the damn voice command to work. “Call Marty.”

  “Did you say, ‘Call Mayfair Chiropractic’?”

  What the hell? “No. Call Marty!” she yelled at the automated voice, even though it likely wouldn’t help.

  “Did you say, ‘Call Marty’?”

  “Yes!”

  Her stepdad answered on the second ring. “What’s happening?” He sounded as panicked as she felt.

  “Blackstone was home, working on his Bronco. He was inside a garage, so I didn’t see him or the vehicle from the logging road.” Shame flooded her. Great operative she was. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what? Did something happen?”

  “Well, he saw me pull in, for starters. I yelled that I was with the census, but we may have blown our only chance. He’ll be paranoid now.” Rox didn’t want to tell Marty about the shotgun. Yet. She would if they found a way to try again.

  “We can fix this.” Marty was obviously trying to sound confident. “I’m turning around and going back to the urgent care place. I’ll use the same phone and call Margo to tell her it was a mistake.”

  “That’s sketchy.”

  “I know. But it’s better than having her show up and know for sure that someone conned her.”

  “Agreed.” Rox remembered they weren’t the only ones involved. “I wonder why Loffland didn’t warn me Blackstone had car trouble and canceled their meeting.”

  “Maybe he changed his mind about helping us.”

  Her thoughts were darker. “What if he betrayed me and told Blackstone I was coming?”

  “Then you’re right about us not getting another shot at breaching his home turf.”

  She remembered the look on the cult leader’s face. “I don’t know. Blackstone seemed surprised and asked what I was doing, so we might be okay.”

  “You want to try again?”

  “I’m not giving up on Emma!” Rox realized she sounded more emotional than she’d intended.

  Marty made a noise in his throat. “She’s not Jolene. You can’t save everybody.”

  “I know.” Rox took a deep breath. “We just need a new idea.”

  “I need to hang up and drive like hell again.”

  “See you at home.” Rox clicked off. Damn! She had really messed this up. Even if Marty pulled off another bullshit phone call, Margo would be confused, and Blackstone would be suspicious. Especially considering a census taker had supposedly stopped by moments after Margo left. They might not get another shot at an invasive extraction. Poor Emma might be stuck in the cult until she became too old for Blackstone’s taste. By then, her self-esteem would be devastated and she’d be so screwed up that her life might never be normal or happy. If she even lived. Damn! Rox pounded the steering wheel.

  Deep breaths! She turned on to the main road and tried to calm herself. Just because they couldn’t get inside the work camp didn’t mean they couldn’t try again. There had to be a way to get Emma out and separated from Blackstone. Marty might even be willing to pose as a cop and conduct a phony arrest. Maybe they should have done that in the first place. No, too risky. Blackstone might become violent, and Marty wouldn’t have real police backup.

  Even though her first instinct was always to blame herself, it was Loffland who had failed. The prick hadn’t bothered to call and say his meeting with Blackstone had been canceled. Rox pulled off the road and punched Loffland’s number into her burner phone. He answered right away. “Is this Karina?”

  “Yes. What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me Blackstone wasn’t leaving the property?”

  “I didn’t know,” he yelled back. “I’m sitting here in the tavern, waiting for him. I was just going to call you.”

  “About twenty minutes too late!” Taken aback by her own anger, Rox reined it in. “I’m sorry, but that could have gone badly. Blackstone keeps a shotgun at his side and doesn’t like intruders.”

  “I’m sorry I waited to call. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, but he’ll be suspicious now, and we won’t get another chance.”

  “Hey, I tried.” His tone was nonchalant.

  Rox started to sign off, then remembered their first conversation and the incident Loffland had mentioned. “Is there anything you know about Blackstone that I can use against him? Since we talked last, I discovered that he’s physically abusing the girls, in addition to the sexual exploitation—”

  Loffland cut in. “Son of a bitch.”

  Rox added, “If none of them will press charges or testify, there’s nothing we can do legally. I need to get one girl out and deprogrammed to help bring him down.”

  For a long moment, Loffland was silent. “His father’s in a nursing home, and it’s costing a fortune, so Deacon needs money. Also, his dad is the only person on earth he gives a shit about.”

  A glimmer of hope. “What’s his father’s name?”

  “I don’t know. Hey, someone’s calling me now.” Loffland started to hang up, then added, “Arthur! I think the old man’s name might be Arthur.” The line went dead.

  A nursing-home dad was the last thing she’d expected, but maybe they could work with it. Sun filtered in the window, and Rox looked up. The clouds were breaking apart, and chunks of blue dotted the sky. She started to feel optimistic again. They could do this. She put the car in gear and rolled onto the road.

  Up ahead, she spotted the crappy trailer where Bethany’s little blond boyfriend lived. No truck in the yard. Maybe she should stop in and see what else she could find out. She visualized the father coming home again. Having a gun pointed at her a third time in two days was more than she could handle. A phone call would be smarter. But she hadn’t had time to give Noah one of her Karina Jones business cards before she left. What the heck? She would do that now. Rox hit the brakes and made a last-minute turn into the driveway, pulling off her wig as she parked.

  As she walked up, business card in hand, Noah opened the door. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I know. I just wanted you to have my phone number. In case you think of something important.”

  He blinked and seemed dazed.

  “Bethany was murdered, and other girls are being abused. I need all the help I can get.” She handed him the card.

  He slipped it into his jeans pocket. “You’d better go.”

  Rox didn’t need to be told.

  When she arrived home, she texted Marty: Let’s update. Cold one on the deck. She grabbed two bottles of beer and headed out back. A few minutes later, her stepdad came through the gate separating their backyards and joined her.

  “What have you got?”

  “Greg Loffland says Blackstone stood him up without even calling to cancel.” She handed Marty a beer, and he sat in one of the canvas chairs.

  “Do you believe him?”

  “Maybe. He also told me Blackstone’s father is in a nursing home and that it’s costing him a fortune. Loffland mentioned it as a weakness we could use.”

  “Better than nothing. I’ll try to find the place, even though I hate those slow-death corrals.” He shuddered. “What’s the old man’s name?”

  Marty had made her promise to kill him rather than put him in a nursing home. She hoped to never actually face that moment. “It might be Arthur. I guess we assume they have the same last name. But how do we use that information?”

  “We can’t really fake another emergency, can we?” Marty tipped his beer back and let a long drink run down his throat.

  “No, Blackstone is probably already suspicious. But apparently he loves his dad.”

  “We could kidnap the father and ask to trade him for the girl.” Marty let out a rowdy laugh, seeming pleased with himself. “If the old man is senile, he might even go along.”

  Rox gave him a get serious look, then snapped her fingers. “Let’s find out what kind of shape Arthur Blackstone is in. What if we can get the old man to call his son and ask for help?”


  Marty rolled his head around, mulling the idea. “Maybe. Let me find the home first and get more information.”

  “Thanks. I think I’ll go back out to the work camp to watch for a while. If the girls take off in the van, I might follow the crew again and see what I can find out.”

  Marty scowled. “I don’t like that.”

  “We may have to stake out the complex for days and take turns.”

  A muffled pounding came from inside the house. They both jumped a little.

  “That’s the front door.” Rox stood and hurried inside. Who could it be on Sunday? Some religious person with a pamphlet? As she approached, she heard a yell.

  “Hey, it’s Kyle!”

  Rox opened the door, and her smile disappeared. He looked upset. “We’re on the back deck and didn’t hear you. Come in.”

  Kyle brushed past her, then turned and glared. “Were you wearing a nun’s costume when you visited the soup kitchen on Wednesday?”

  Damn! She didn’t want to lie to him. “It doesn’t matter. I went to the task force as soon as I heard she was dead and told your team I’d talked to her.”

  “What are you holding back?”

  “Nothing. I want you to catch her killer.”

  He stood in the middle of the living room with crossed arms. “Why did you think Blackstone killed her?”

  “He’s a predator with a history of violence. What is this about?”

  Marty slipped into the room behind them, and they both glanced over. Her stepdad stayed near the opening to the kitchen and didn’t say anything.

  Kyle finally looked back at her. “Did you know Bethany shot her father?”

  Double damn. She hadn’t updated him. “Not until yesterday. I’m sorry I didn’t call you. But I didn’t know it was important, and this has been an intense investigation.”

  Kyle crossed his arms. “What do you know about the trust fund?”

  Bethany had money? “I don’t know anything. How much is there? Enough for motive?”

  Her boyfriend’s body finally relaxed. “I don’t know yet. It’s a monthly royalty payment from her father’s books that may only be a few thousand a month, and I don’t know how Blackstone could get his hands on it.”