by M. J. Eason
“I can’t. Not this time, Ryan.”
“Why not?” When he didn’t answer, Ryan added, “For crying out loud, don’t try doing this alone.”
“I have no other choice. But I am checking out another angle as well. Maybe you can help me with it.”
“Sure, anything. What is it?” Davis hated the frustration in his friend’s voice.
“Remember Rocky St. Clair from the Academy?”
“Yeah, sure. I haven’t seen him in years though. He retired right?”
“Yes, a few years back.”
“What’s Rocky got to do with anything?”
“I asked him to help me check out the connection between Harrison and the missing instructor James Young. Can you get a photo of Harrison sent over to Rocky right away?”
“Davis, I’ve got that covered. We’ll find the guy in time.”
“With all due respect, time is something we don’t have right now. Rocky was there. He may remember Harrison as being James Young. If anyone can identify this guy, it’s Rocky.”
Chapter Twelve
The silence following this admission had Davis wondering if maybe he’d hurt Ryan’s feelings in some way by bringing in Rocky.
“Look, Ryan, we have to exhaust every single lead now. We can’t afford to let our egos get in the way of―”
“Is that what you think I’m doing? Dammit, Davis, I’ve done everything possible to solve this case and that includes standing beside you, defending your honor, when according to just about everyone on the force, you’re involved in this up to your neck.” The disappointment in Ryan’s voice was hard to take.
“Does that include you?” he asked bitterly.
Ryan let out a heavy sigh. “Of course not. How can you even think that?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to take this out on you. It’s just that I’m starting to feel I’m running out of friends.”
“You’ve got me. And Kara.” Something else surfaced in Ryan’s voice. Envy maybe? Davis never considered Ryan might be envious of his relationship with Kara.
“Ryan?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m here.” It was gone so quickly that it forced Davis to doubt it had ever really been there. Maybe he’d only imagined it. Maybe this case was screwing with his head more than he thought.
“Are we okay?”
Ryan gave a halfhearted laugh, attempting to lighten the tension between them. “Yeah, we’re okay. We’ll always be okay. I’ll call Rocky right away.”
“Thanks. Just tell him I asked you to follow up. Tell him I have something I need to check on but let him know I’ll be in touch later today.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
“Oh, and maybe we’d better keep this quiet for now. I don’t want to get you involved in my troubles.”
“Sure. Anything else?”
“Yes, can you check on Kara for me? You know what day this is, right?”
“Oh yes. How could I forget.”
****
The hours passed in an endless succession of minutes, ticking by. Kara could literally hear each tick of her watch reminding her that time was almost out.
She felt restless and angry that she was unable to do anything to save Davis. He was a sitting duck. She had protection but Davis was out there alone and all but accused of participating in these terrible crimes.
Unable to reach out to him emotionally, she needed to hear his voice to know he was okay.
Kara pulled Geneva aside and told her what she was planning.
“Kara, that’s not a good idea. You know if what you think is true, then chances are his phones are tapped.”
“If what I’m thinking is true, he knows exactly where I am already. Geneva, I have to do this.”
“All right but make it quick. Your boss will have my job if he finds out.” She slipped her cell phone into Kara’s hand the second Judy was distracted. “Here, use this.”
Kara excused herself and went to her room. Closing the door, she took Geneva’s phone into the bathroom and dialed Davis’s cell.
“Martin.”
“Davis, it’s me.”
“Kara! You shouldn’t be calling me. But God, it’s good to hear your voice though. Are you okay?”
“Me too. Be careful, Davis. I feel it—something’s happening.”
“Sweetheart, I know. This is all going to be over with soon. I have some leads. Trust me.”
“Yes, always. But be careful. Take care of yourself. I don’t think—”
“Don’t worry. That’s not going to happen. I’ll be with you soon and forever.”
Kara hung up the phone and started to cry. She felt so helpless. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.
A gentle knock sounded on the bathroom door. Geneva and Judy came in. “I told her,” Geneva confessed. “She’s cool with it. Is everything all right with him?”
“For now. But it won’t be long. Something is getting ready to happen.”
“You think they’ll go after him first?”
“I know they will.”
“Well, I can’t say I believe all that psychic stuff,” Judy ventured when the silence following Kara’s statement grew unbearable. “I mean, no offense, Kara but to me that’s just a bunch of hocus-pocus. But there is one thing I do know and that’s the feds. I may not like them very much and in my opinion, most of them are asses but they do know how to look after themselves for the most part. I think he’ll be okay.”
“Judy, jeez!”
“It’s fine. Thank you, Judy. But don’t forget one of those asses is probably also the Death Angel.”
“Yeah, well if he shows up here he’s going to get to meet the Death Angel personally.”
Kara stared at her for a long moment, then all three women burst out laughing. Judy’s no-nonsense approach to life was refreshing. Judy didn’t care if the killers had outsmarted most of the Bureau’s finest to date. She would give them a run for their money through simple police tactics.
“Thanks. I feel safer here already. Just let him try something.”
“Absolutely.” Judy grinned back at her. “Come on, it’s going to be a long day. Let’s see if we can’t find something to do to make it pass a little faster.”
****
Kara. Hearing her voice helped him focus. He’d been foundering. Now he knew he would do whatever it took to protect her and his child. Their safety was his only concern now. He’d gladly give up his life to protect them.
One glance at his watch told him he still had three hours to wait before meeting Sally. Time seemed to have slowed down to a standstill. He tried to focus on the letters but they proved little more than another dead end.
Frankie stopped writing shortly after his eighteenth birthday. The last letter gave some insight into his mindset at that time. Frankie had finally given up on reaching his father. He told Barry this would be the last letter he’d send if he didn’t answer.
It was the last letter sent.
Davis reached for the phone to call Rocky and then let it go. Ryan would be in touch there. If there were anything promising, Ryan could figure it out.
Instead, he opened the case files of the last Angel killing. The gruesome photos spread out before him in a jumbled mess. He’d been at this too long. The names and faces mingled together, mixed up with the cases from six years earlier. Nothing made sense anymore.
“God—think!” Davis paced around his living room and tried to clear his thoughts then glanced at his watch. He needed a shower.
The cold water washed over him, clearing away some of the fog. He thought about eating but opted for a walk instead.
His neighborhood seemed strangely quiet today. Too quiet. There wasn’t a single person around as he walked the area he’d called home. But then this was the middle of the day and most of his neighbors were working professionals.
Still, Davis couldn’t shake the feeling that someone watched his every move. He stopped and looked behind him. No one. Not even a car out of pla
ce. His trained eye searched each of the nearby houses but found nothing. He’d begun to lose focus, doubting his ability to think clearly. He was entering dangerous ground here.
The paranoia only increased as he continued walking. In the end, he abandoned the fresh air entirely. Returning to the house, he slid all the locks in place before glancing out the window.
It was the case. He’d let himself get too close to it. It had become personal. Too much was at stake now.
With two hours still to spare, Davis accepted he couldn’t stay and do nothing any longer. He left the house and drove away leaving the case files behind.
Once more, he found himself back at the last victim’s location. CSI had cleared the place, taking all evidence with them. There was nothing left of the building. They’d dismantled it and taken it back to the lab.
Davis stood where it had once been and tried to feel some connection to the killers.
Kara once told him that everyone possessed a certain amount of psychic ability. Most people never learned how to channel it to their benefit. He closed his eyes and tried for a moment to think or feel something. Suddenly, his eyes opened searching the grounds around him. He could almost swear he’d heard the sound of laughter. But the place was empty.
Davis closed his eyes once more. This time, there was no mistaking the sound.
“You’re too late, Davis.”
The words slipped into his thoughts. Did he actually hear them or simply imagine them?
“Too late. You’re no match for Kara or me.”
He turned and looked around, expecting the person to be standing right behind him, whispering in his ear. But he was alone.
Davis waited but the Angel was silent. He’d only been taunting him.
When he returned to the car, he realized he’d been there for more than an hour.
The traffic heading out to Richmond seemed unusually heavy. Davis forced the car to a crawl, his nerves reminding him how precious time was right now. There would be so little of it left before…
He reached Sally’s family home late. She was waiting for him on the porch. He saw right away she’d become anxious.
“I apologize. I got caught in traffic.”
“Mom will be here any minute!” she said in a panicked tone.
“Then let’s not waste any more time? You told me you’d lied. Can you tell me about what?”
Every nerve in his body screamed for him to force her to give up the information. But Davis knew he’d have to take it slowly with her no matter how painful it was for him. Sally still wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing.
“I don’t know if I should. I’m breaking the promise I made to Frankie!”
“I see. He gave you something.”
“Yes. He gave me something and told me to give it to my dad. I didn’t though. I tried but Dad wouldn’t listen. So—”
“Look, I know you want to do what’s best for Frankie. So do I. Will you trust me? I need to see what you have.”
She stared at him without saying a word and he could see she didn’t really believe him.
Davis took a deep breath, “Sally, I want to clear your brother’s name if he wasn’t involved in the Angel crimes. But I need your help to do that. I need you to give me what Frankie left you.”
Clear brown eyes met his. They seemed remarkably mature. “Only if you promise if there’s anything bad in there you won’t use it to hurt him.”
Davis watched her for a moment. She still wasn’t sure her brother had been completely innocent.
“I promise I’ll keep it out of the news. If what’s in there would convict him of the crimes, I’ll keep it quiet.”
“And if not? You’ll make sure Frankie is cleared of this?”
“Absolutely, you have my word. Hurry, please. Someone very dear to me is in danger of being hurt by the killers. Please. There’s very little time left.”
She turned and went back inside the house. Davis stood waiting for her to return and realized his hands were trembling.
She carried a small, gray fireproof box, the type you could buy at any office supply store. She clutched it to her chest.
“I’m still not sure this is the right thing to do,” she told him hesitantly.
“I understand you only want to help your brother but you’re going to have to trust me. You are helping Frankie by doing this. I promise.”
Slowly she handed the box over to Davis. It felt heavy in his hands.
“Hurry up. You have to leave. I hear my mom’s car coming. Hurry! She can’t catch you here.”
Davis took her small hand in his and squeezed it.
“I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.” Davis left Sally standing in the driveway and drove away. In his rearview mirror, he saw her rush inside the house. As he left the drive and headed down the street, he passed a silver Jaguar a quarter of a mile down. A blonde woman who resembled Sally drove the vehicle.
“Shit.” Suddenly, Davis realized he’d left the key to the box at his house. He reached inside the glove compartment searching for something to use to pry the lock open. The sound of his cell phone beeping startled him. He’d left it in the car while talking to Sally. There were three missed calls and one voicemail. All from Rocky.
“Davis, call me as soon as you get this. I have something important to tell you.”
Davis dialed Rocky’s number and listened. The call went to voicemail. He disconnected without leaving a message and was getting ready to redial when his phone chirped.
“Rocky?”
“No, Davis, it’s Ryan. Why? What’s up?”
“Ryan jeez. I thought you might be Rocky.”
“No but I have talked to him.”
“Really? I just tried his number and he’s not picking up.”
“Yeah, he mentioned something about going to see his wife. He was a little rattled.”
“That’s not like him. He’s been trying to reach me for the past half-hour. He left me an urgent message to call as soon as I got it. I don’t understand why he would leave before talking to me.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing, only that he had something for me.”
“I think I know what that is.”
“What did he find out?”
“We need to talk about that in private. First, I have some information on Frankie and this Harrison fellow that will blow this case wide open. Can you meet me?”
“Ryan, just tell me what you know.”
“Not on the phone. Listen, I’m checking a lead over at the old abandoned apartment building off East Capitol Street. How long will it take you to get there?”
Ryan knew something that he didn’t feel comfortable discussing over the phone, which meant he didn’t trust the phones not to be monitored. Which meant someone close to them could be involved.
“Over an hour in this damn traffic. You’d better call for backup.”
Static drowned out most of what Ryan said. “I’ll see you there, okay.”
“Ryan, wait for backup to get there. Whatever this is about, don’t do anything foolish.”
“I’ll meet you on the second floor, okay?” Ryan answered clearly not hearing what Davis was saying.
“Ryan, wait for backup.” But Ryan was gone, without hearing Davis’s urgent advice.
Davis slammed his phone shut in irritation then tried redialing, getting Ryan’s voicemail each time.
The East Capitol Street area was dangerous in broad daylight. But it would be growing dark soon.
Davis shoved the box under the front passenger seat and floored the gas pedal. He tried Ed’s cell phone without any answer.
“Shit.”
At this point, he didn’t trust anyone else. He hoped Ryan had actually heard enough of the call to ask for backup before going in.
Traffic leading back into the city was bumper to bumper. There were several political events taking place tonight. DC would be crawling with people.
But on East Capitol Street wh
ere the forgotten hung out and the drug dealers made their fortunes, it was business as usual.
Chapter Thirteen
Maneuvering through heavy traffic took longer than the predicted hour. Davis reached the apartment building Ryan indicated only to find silence. There were no police, no other Bureau personnel and nothing but darkness from inside the empty building. Davis prayed he would find Ryan alive.
He took out his weapon from its hiding place beneath the seat and shoved it inside the waist of his pants beneath his jacket. For reasons he couldn’t explain, Davis popped the trunk and grabbed the Kevlar vest he rarely used. It felt bulky and easy to spot underneath his jacket.
He took his flashlight out, put the cell phone on vibrate and shoved it into his jacket pocket.
The second he stepped inside the building, he felt it. An overpowering feeling of pure malevolence. He’d witnessed hundreds of murders in his time with the Bureau, including the Angel’s work. They’d all left a certain presence behind them. There was no way so much hatred could be unleashed upon another human being and not leave its mark. But the feeling he had here was like none other he’d experienced. He was in the presence of true evil.
Davis didn’t dare call out to Ryan, even though the building appeared unoccupied. It was quiet. Unbearably so.
Slowly he made his way up the stairs with weapon drawn. A grayish dust covered every inch of the place, clogging his throat and lungs. It looked like twilight here even though it was still light out.
A step creaked beneath his foot and he froze, waited and then held his breath as he started up the stairs once more.
Close to the second floor landing, he stopped for a moment. His hands were shaking. The reality of this moment finally settled in. The Angel killers had used Ryan to lure him here.
For the first time in his career, Davis felt real fear. He wasn’t ready for this. He’d been slipping for days. His public suspension had been the final straw that pushed him over the edge.
Davis’s heart rate increased with each step. He tried to focus on Kara. He needed to stay focused on her because she would be next. He’d have to do something to stop them—whatever it took. Even if it meant his life.
The door to the second floor apartment stood open slightly. He stopped just outside the door and listened. Nothing. No sound came from inside.