Donna was handing Sam the papers with information on the house, including the finances. Sam looked at AJ.
“Not what you expected?” Donna looked at them with an unsure smile. “I’m trying to sell it as quickly as possible.”
AJ goggled a little at the figures and put her arm around Sam’s waist. “We’ll talk it over, but I would have expected to pay considerably more for an acre and a house like this.”
“Most would.” Donna nodded. “Wait. You haven’t seen the family room in the basement.” She bustled off toward the downstairs stairway. That cinched it for AJ. Donna was stretching out the time, trying to keep them here as long as possible. They followed her down the steps.
It was a shock. The entire basement was redone into an enormous game room, complete with a huge fireplace. There were two pool tables and several televisions. AJ opened a door into a computer game room. More amazing, the games were up-to-date, something a real gamer would enjoy.
“I’d like nothing better than to see a family live here and enjoy all of this.” Donna picked up Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto stacked on a table and turned them over in her hands. Something was off. AJ realized Donna had no idea what she was looking at. She’d probably never played a game in her life. The computers were up-to-date as well, and AJ wished either Tag or Grace were with her.
“Did someone live here recently?” AJ said, shuffling through the latest PlayStation games.
“No. No one’s been here.”
AJ pointedly checked her watch. “We have another appointment. I noticed you don’t have a car. Would you like a ride?”
Donna shook her head. “No. I’m fine. Someone will pick me up.” She sounded disappointed and walked away.
AJ had Sam drive when they left so she could take a closer look at the papers. Suddenly he said, “Holy shit,” and they both laughed. The house was priced at exactly half of what they’d both guessed before they’d arrived. Hundreds of thousands of dollars less.
“Wait until the rest of the group sees this,” AJ said, holding up the papers. “Did you get the feeling she didn’t want us to leave? I felt as if she was trying to keep us there.”
“She was nervous, jittery, the entire time we talked,” he said. Right at that moment, the new black Lincoln sports sedan from the motel drove by them, headed toward the Seesom house.
* * *
Everyone except Greg was at the table when AJ and Sam arrived. It was a simple meal but plenty of fried chicken, a variety of vegetables, salads, and potatoes, all served family style.
AJ grabbed a plate and asked, “Where’s Greg?”
“Something’s wrong at the motel. He stayed to see what’s happening,” Jeff said. Grace got up and opened the computers.
They could see the girls lined up outside with the two adult women. Greg was leaving the office with one of the two men from Milwaukee, both of them gesturing at each other. The man stormed over to Greg’s pickup, opened the doors, and checked the back. Greg shook his head, got inside, and pulled away. The man turned and yelled at the girls. Donna Seesom was not there, nor was the black Lincoln.
Grace backed the video up to when the black car left. There was nothing for a few minutes until the man ran out of the office and banged on the girls’ doors. The girls looked upset as they lined up outside and the man yelled at them. Greg came outside and followed the man into the office. AJ didn’t see Frog amongst the girls.
None of the girls moved while the two women walked in front of them, talking. Grace fast-forwarded the video. “What the hell,” Tag said and sat back down at the table just as Greg walked inside.
“You won’t believe this,” he told them. “Frog is missing.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
AJ felt everyone take a breath. “What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you see it on the computers?” Greg said. “He yelled across the parking lot and asked if I’d seen the kid with the spiky hair. I told him no and that I was on my way out to dinner. He ran across the pavement, checked my truck, and ranted about the ‘punk kid’ who’d run away. I just stood there, acting puzzled in my ‘less is better’ mode.” Greg shook his head and began to pile food on his plate.
“Did you see her today?” AJ said, passing dishes around.
“No. Did you, Jeff?”
“I haven’t seen her since last night, but I did see that new black Lincoln leave tonight after I came home from work. I know for sure it was the guy with the tattoo—we call him Tattoo Man and so does Frog. He was driving, but it was already too dark to see if anyone was in the car with him.”
AJ looked across the table at Sam. “We saw that car on the way back from Seesom’s house, but as you said, it was almost dark. That road ends at her house. The other man, not Tattoo Man, yelled at you? Donna wasn’t back?”
Greg shook his head. AJ addressed everyone. “All right. Before we do anything about Frog, I need your opinions about what we’re doing here. What if it doesn’t involve Clint Weeks, other than he’s a friend of our bureau chief? I’d like to hear what the rest of you say and your ideas.”
“It’s possible it’s something else.” Sam was the first to speak up.
“I agree,” Jeff said, picking out more chicken.
“I’d like to take those kids back to Milwaukee,” Greg added.
“I agree with Greg. Why not take them back instead of risking them?” Tag said. “Now we have Grace shot at, a dead girl, and Frog’s missing. Have you read my computer notes? And what my friend, the doctor, told us about the autopsy?”
“The way she was killed reminded me of X-Girl,” Jeff said.
“And remember Frog had never heard of Clint Weeks.” Tag turned to Jeff. “Did Frog say anything about the girls?”
“We didn’t have much time when she gave me the sketch, but we’ve seen those girls, a lot. They’re young, get yelled at all the time, and look hungry.”
Grace sat beside Tag. “Nothing connects Weeks to any of this that we can see except that little girl made up to look older at the lodge. Maybe that’s what they’re really here for.” She left the thought hanging in the air.
The group confirmed what AJ had been stewing over. “The only connection I made with Weeks is his grand opening and all the people that’ll be in town. Could he have brought the girls up for that? I’ve said as much to Maddie. Plus we all know Donna Seesom is just a front woman, managing the motel. If you’d see that house we went through today you’d wonder why they’re messing around with the motel in the first place. Sam, pass those papers she gave us around so everyone can see. Look at the price. It’s cheap and in perfect condition.”
Grace scanned the paperwork and lifted an eyebrow over the price. “I don’t believe that,” she said, passing the paperwork to Tag. She bent forward and looked at AJ. “Did you see that information I left on your email, AJ?”
“I did, but I’m having a problem with that. Aren’t you?”
“What is it?” Tag said and handed the paperwork to Jeff.
AJ took a breath. “It’s information about Jay. He’s not only on the only board of the only bank in town, but one of his lawyers is Donna Seesom’s lawyer. I know you didn’t know that or you would have said something.”
Tag froze. “You must be kidding. Jay told us he didn’t know her. I can’t believe he’d lie.”
“And that’s why I’m having a problem.” AJ frowned. “This isn’t personal, Tag, and I’m not saying he’s involved. I’m only saying it’s a problem.” She got up and opened windows to let the cool night air inside. A car stopped below, doors slammed, and a woman laughed. It was familiar, but AJ couldn’t place it and went back to the table.
Sam was talking about the house when AJ heard voices in the hallway, then a rap on the door.
“Maddie?” AJ said as she walked inside with a very big man following her.
“Omigod, food.” Maddie laughed at them. “We haven’t eaten since this morning and we’re starving.”
“What are you
doing here?” Sam stood, almost knocking his chair over.
“We’ll get to that.” Maddie pushed a chair next to Sam and said something under her breath to him that made him laugh. She pointed at the man with her. “Meet Richard Sawyer, my counterpart from Illinois.”
Richard was big enough to stand in as a linebacker on a football team. He pushed a chair to the end of the table and took a plate.
Maddie grabbed a chicken leg off a platter and waved it at everyone. “Did you know we were coming and had this dinner ready?”
AJ laughed. “Why are you here?”
“I’ll tell you, but first we get food,” Maddie said, and dug into the salad.
Richard took a generous helping of potatoes, but AJ had seen his eyes practically x-ray the group and the suite.
“Do you happen to have milk?” Maddie smiled at Grace.
Grace got up and poured a glass from the milk in the refrigerator.
“Your eye looks much better. Also, great work on the computers.” Maddie drank at least half of the glass, then zeroed in on Greg and Jeff. “I haven’t met you, so let’s do that now. I’m Margaret Hershey, the head of the FBI-DHS operation, and my group coordinates your information from Milwaukee. Sam is one of my agents. All of you have done a wonderful job up here.” She turned to the big man beside her. “Richard is from the middle of Illinois. He’s here because of what happened in Milwaukee yesterday.” She took another drink of milk. “Brace yourselves, everyone. We’re about to have a real come-to-Jesus moment.”
Once again, AJ felt her group take a breath.
Maddie spoke as she loaded her plate. “I was leaving my downtown office yesterday afternoon and walked right into your bureau chief, Lawrence Kelly. I spent the next hours with him and Clint Weeks at the pathology lab down the street. The morgue.”
“Lawrence Kelly is in Milwaukee?” AJ said.
“We officially identified X-Girl yesterday, and it’s not good news. She was Clint’s daughter, missing since she was twelve.”
Surprised into silence again, everyone stared at her. Maddie might as well have shot a gun, AJ thought, scrambling to make sense out of her words.
“But that was years ago. Where’s she been?”
“It appears she spent time in Chicago, some of it with the woman from up here, Donna Seesom. That’s why Richard is here. His people were tracking the Seesom woman, but they weren’t quite ready. Suddenly, Seesom, or whatever her name is, moved up to Milwaukee, and Richard’s group followed her. She became a part of John Owens’s organization that you worked on last summer. Chief Whiteaker and the new Milwaukee task force are all over this as we speak, but Richard gets first shot at her in Chicago.” Maddie gave them time to absorb her information. “We helped Clint ship the body home about midnight.”
She dished more vegetables onto her plate. “After we made the identification official, I told the chief I’d notify you, and Lawrence Kelly said he’ll be in touch with you tomorrow, AJ.” She paused and looked around the table. “Then, just as I thought we were done, your medical examiner called our office. That girl that was murdered here at the motel was the same thing as X-Girl. There was rape and missing hands. They skipped the acid.”
“The hospital called your office?” Tag said.
Maddie shook her head. “Not the hospital. The Niagara medical examiner called. We’ve been at the hospital, viewing the body and talking with him. She was murdered at the motel, nailed to the wall in an empty room. The FBI will handle this. We’ll have more people here tomorrow to arrest the two men, and Seesom, and take the girls back to Milwaukee. Your group will assist.” Maddie reached for more chicken. “I read the notes on your doctor, Tag. Good woman, that April Stewart.”
“You spoke with her?”
“On the phone, and she doesn’t know you’re involved.” Maddie looked across the table at Tag. “Apparently, after she talked with you and Grace, she raised hell with the ME and he found us. You’ve known her since childhood?”
“Her family has the next farm over from ours.” Tag got up for a bottle of water.
“And that’s what we have, so far,” Maddie said and gestured at the table and food. “So, what’s this about?”
“Well, hell, what a night,” AJ said and pushed her dish away. “I got us all together to discuss what else besides Clint Weeks to focus on. We all agree. It feels like smoke.”
“And?” Maddie said.
“And my CI, Frog, is missing.”
Maddie closed her eyes briefly in a grimace. “I’m sorry.”
“Sam and I were at Donna Seesom’s house this afternoon, posing as buyers. That’s probably where we should go first to look for Frog.” AJ put her plate on the serving cart. “Take a look at those papers. There’s the selling price and everything else on that house.”
Maddie picked up the papers and laid her hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Can we go with you to the Seesom house? I’ll read these on the way. The whole thing’s doing a one-eighty, and a little backup might help. Richard, would you bring our bags up when you’re done eating? Sam, give him a hand.”
AJ walked back to the window, breathing the fresh air. “Greg, you and Jeff finish your food, go back to the motel, and keep an eye on things. If Donna’s there, text me.” She thought about Frog. The kid was too savvy not to be alive. Then she thought about what Maddie had said about the little dead girl from the motel. Things happened.
* * *
The cars pulled into a small clearing about a quarter mile from the dark Seesom house. AJ took the lead as they stood together.
“Grace and I will go in through the deck. Tag and Richard, go in through the attached garage through the kitchen. Maddie and Sam, take the front through the dining room, and everyone meet in the living room. I looked at the locks today. They’re easy. You agree, Sam?”
“Standard locks. Apparently, they never had a problem out here.”
The full moon brightened the night, and AJ heard the forest rustle around her. Dry leaves and pine saturated the air, and she took a deep breath, going over the layout of the house mentally. Her gut told her the basement was the most likely place.
A deer broke out of the trees ahead and everyone stopped. The doe ran directly at the house, and the whole area was flooded with light.
“Damn,” Sam muttered. “My bad. She mentioned sensors. Look. The garage is still open.”
“We probably have about fifteen minutes until the lights go off,” AJ said. “All we have to worry about is that they’re connected to a security company or worse, the police.”
It didn’t take long on the deck and AJ had the lock undone. Grace stood beside her inside, everyone quiet until the sensors went dark. AJ could see Sam and Maddie against the living room wall and Richard and Tag moving in from the kitchen. She motioned for them to follow her to the basement. The house was so solid she couldn’t hear a single footstep. They started down the steps, and AJ stopped. The air carried an odor. “I smell something,” she said to Tag behind her.
“I do too,” Tag said.
She and Tag took a step at a time, slowly. “It’s stronger over here, whatever it is.” Tag moved to AJ’s right.
“You and I both know what that is.” AJ prayed it wasn’t Frog. “Turn your flashlight on.”
Tag did and they all saw the source of the odor.
Donna Seesom was nailed to the wall, still clothed, but as dead as she ever would be. Blood and feces pooled at her feet.
“Tag, check that game room,” AJ said and pointed to her left. “Everyone, stay in place.”
Tag moved quiet as a shadow and came back out, shaking her head. “Hit the lights, Maddie.” She did and the entire area was exposed. It was another frozen moment. No one moved.
“Jesus,” Maddie said, eyes riveted on the body, the head hanging at an odd angle. Tag holstered her weapon, careful where she stepped, and touched the neck.
“Not just stabbed,” she said. “Whoever did this really sliced her up.” Grace sank down on
the bottom step, her hand over her mouth. Tag sat beside her, pulling her close with an arm around her.
Her stomach knotted, AJ looked up the stairs at Maddie. “Do you want the FBI to take this or should we call it in to the locals?”
Maddie leaned against the door, looking tired and sick. “We’ll take the lead. Damn, Richard. There goes our connection.”
“Cluster fuck,” he said. “I’ll stay in Milwaukee, Maddie. They’ll need my information, even with this.”
“Let’s go through the rest of the house and then I’ll call the police. When we’re done, get your group out of here, AJ.” Maddie moved down the steps. “Our cover story will be the dead girl at the hospital and the connection to this woman. Sam, get our vests out of the car.”
“Grace, you and Tag tackle those computers in the game room.” AJ began to move. “Maddie, a warning. The sheriff’s office was at the motel for the dead girl, so if you get the Niagara Police be careful of Lithscom, the cop that talked with Grace. He’s got family at the sheriff’s, Deputy Miller, the man Grace clocked three times. They know her as ‘Gabrial’ and don’t care for Tag.”
Maddie stood in front of Donna Seesom’s body for a long moment. “It is almost the same as the little girl from the motel, but they left the hands alone. I’d bet there’s no sex involved either. I’ll call the ME first, then the police, and report back to you after we’re done, but this is going to take some time.”
* * *
“What did you two find on the computers?” AJ said as they drove away from the house.
“Just games, but they’re new and played recently. We didn’t see anything that indicated Frog had been there.” Grace’s voice was distant and she stared out the window.
AJ nodded. She’d expected the house to be empty too as they’d found it.
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