Broken is the Grave

by Candle Sutton

  He shoved her backward.

  She felt herself falling, but couldn’t do anything to stop it. Fresh pain exploded in the back of her head and the world faded, where nothing existed but darkness.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  “Clear!”

  “Clear!”

  “Clear!”

  The calls echoed throughout the too-quiet house.

  Zander clenched his jaw. The house was empty.

  Deep down, he’d known it would be. After all, Tobias Long had to know they were onto him by now.

  The man hadn’t made it this far by being stupid.

  Still, a sliver of him had hoped that maybe Long was cocky enough to think they’d never tie it back to him.

  Maybe he was.

  The house contained no indication that Long had cleared out. Clothes hung in the closet, a suitcase sat in the garage, a laptop rested on the coffee table. If Long had hit the road, Zander would expect all those things to have gone with him.

  Long must have another safe place he could go, somewhere he could take a kidnapped woman that wouldn’t draw attention.

  The question that remained was where.

  Morgan rifled through a pile of mail on the counter.

  Maybe they should split up. Morgan could oversee things here while he went back to the office to search for any real estate or relatives that could tie back to Long. Vacation rentals could also prove to be a good option. He’d have to check Long’s financials and see if anything popped.

  He approached Morgan and socked his arm. “You got this?”

  Morgan arched an eyebrow. “Where you going?”

  “Back to the office. I want to dig into this guy a little more and see where he might be holed up. I’ve got the feeling Bethany doesn’t have much time.”

  “I was thinkin’ the same thing.” Morgan waved his hand. “Go. I got this.”

  Zander hurried out to his car and cranked the engine. The dash clock glowed 4:53.

  Great. He was going to spend the next forty-five minutes crawling through rush hour traffic.

  And while he sat there, Bethany could be fighting for her life.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  The ringing phone jolted him from the property records on his screen.

  Well, wasn’t like he’d come up with anything promising anyway.

  Zander looked at the display. The number looked vaguely familiar but wasn’t programmed into his phone.

  He answered.

  “Zander, Jacobson.”

  Oh man, did he hope Jacobson had something. He needed Jacobson to have something. “What’d you find out?”

  “Some weird stuff, that’s what I found out.” Jacobson’s voice was slightly hushed, like he was trying to prevent being overheard. “I got here early so I could take a look around. Went to block G. But I couldn’t get in. Place is locked up tight. My badge shoulda let me in, but it didn’t work.

  “The security door looked brand new. I could see a little bit of the area through the window on the door and it didn’t look like the place was run down at all. I mean, that’s the official story, right? Repairs? Plus, the security cameras, they’re nicer than what we’ve got in the rest of the prison. Why would you put the good cameras in a closed wing?”

  Why indeed?

  “I was there for a few minutes, I guess, trying to see inside the window and heard someone behind me. One of the supervisors and he didn’t look happy. Asked me what I was doin’ back there, then told me to get lost.”

  Supervisor? Could it be…? “What was his name? The supervisor?”

  “Don’t know the jerk’s name. He’s always actin’ like he’s better than all of us. Just ‘cause he’s a supervisor and drives this flashy sports car–”

  “A yellow Camaro?” DMV records had showed that Tobias Long owned one. If Jacobson could confirm that detail, it would identify the mystery supervisor.

  “How’d you know?” Jacobson didn’t wait for a reply. “You must already know who I’m talkin’ about.”

  “Yeah.” It was obvious Jacobson wanted details, but he couldn’t give them.

  Tell him about Bethany.

  Why the thought popped into his head, he wasn’t sure. It flew in the face of protocol and everything he’d ever been taught or put into practice. Yet the idea compelled him to act.

  He was still too new at the whole Christian thing to know for sure if God was telling him to do it or if it was just his own crazy idea.

  Well, what could it hurt?

  “That guy grabbed a friend of mine off the street. A mom with three young kids.” The words popped out before he gave them any further thought.

  A sharp intake of breath on the other end told him the words hit home. “You sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Got a witness.” Not exactly an eye witness, but he couldn’t get into that now.

  “Why would he do that?”

  That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it?

  “Still working on that. I suspect that he killed her husband and is after her for some reason. My bigger concern is that she’s missing and he’s the only lead I’ve got.” Zander forced his thoughts back on track. “What happened after that?”

  “Well, at that point I figured, what the heck? He’d already caught me. So, I asked him ‘bout block G and why it was locked up so tight. You know what he said? It was dangerous to be back there until they made some needed repairs, which doesn’t jive with what I saw through the window, you know?”

  Marty had been right. Something was going on in that cellblock. But how could they figure out what?

  “Well, I still had a little time before my shift, so I thought I’d take a look at the outside. You know what I found? Block G has a delivery bay. Now that’s weird, ‘cause most blocks don’t. Blocks A and D get deliveries, but none of the others do. Except block G. Now if you were gonna close off a wing, wouldn’t you choose one without a delivery bay? Movin’ supplies between wings is a lotta work.”

  Interesting. Maybe the needed repairs were with the electrical system. Or the plumbing.

  Not that he believed any such thing. “Hey, what about the cameras? Can you tap into them to see inside the block?”

  “Nah. Each block is on its own circuit.”

  That seemed weird. Wouldn’t they want to keep an eye on all blocks? In case of a riot or something? “There’s no master control room or anything?”

  “I don’t have access to it.”

  “Who would?”

  Jacobson sighed. “I dunno. Warden. Supervisors, probably. Whoever is assigned to that detail. Other than that…”

  He got the picture.

  “Well, that’s all I got, man.”

  “That was a lot. Thanks for checking it out.” Zander paused. “And keep your eyes and ears open, too, okay? Let me know if you hear anything else.”

  “Will do.” The line went dead.

  Zander’s mind spun with all the details Jacobson had given him. It was a lot to process.

  He ran through the facts.

  Tobias Long worked at the prison, so he could have potentially known James Summers. Chances were strong he was Bethany’s attacker and, as such, James’ killer. Rafe had identified him as a player in a counterfeiting scheme.

  Marty said something was happening in Block G.

  Block G was closed, but highly secured and had a loading bay.

  Could a counterfeiting operation be happening inside the prison?

  He couldn’t keep from shaking his head.

  Ridiculous.

  So why wouldn’t the idea shake loose?

  Fact was, the prison was a highly secured location, perfect for concealing large amounts of cash. A whole wing wasn’t being used and there was a labor force inside who would be easily discredited if they tried to blow the whistle. Not that most of them likely would. Plus, the inmates would have contacts on the outside who could help move the money.

  Could be how Rafe’s drug dealer got involved.

  Much as he
hated to admit it, it’d be a pretty ingenious plan.

  If it was happening, what were the odds the warden wasn’t involved?

  Slim to none. Especially since he’d met the man and the man wasn’t an idiot. Quite the opposite. Could explain why the warden hadn’t exactly been helpful.

  But wild suspicions wouldn’t be enough for him to get a warrant. He needed something more concrete.

  Maybe he wouldn’t need a warrant. That prison wasn’t a private prison, so all he needed was permission from someone in authority to gain access. He’d need to call the secretary of the California Department of Corrections. He just hoped he could reach the man, given that it was after hours.

  It was worth trying.

  The only other option was that warrant and to get that, he’d need someone who could corroborate.

  Unfortunately, the only people he knew who could corroborate were either dead or too scared to talk. He could try to get Marty out of there, but it’d take time, time Bethany didn’t have.

  At least if Tobias Long was at the prison, he wasn’t with Bethany.

  Which might mean she was already dead.

  Twenty Four

  Tobias strode down the hallway of the deserted cellblock.

  What had that guard been doing poking around down here? Did he know something?

  He couldn’t possibly know the chick was back here, could he?

  Tobias ground his molars. Maybe bringing her here hadn’t been such a great plan after all, but he hadn’t wanted her anywhere near his house, just in case the cops showed up there. The less evidence to find, the better.

  Any evidence found here would only cast suspicion on Isaac.

  This whole house of cards was on shaky ground. Time to cut bait and run.

  All he had to do was get the password from the Summers chick, then he could split with the cash. Drive straight to Mexico and buy a nice hacienda on the beach.

  Forget Isaac. The man had already gotten plenty of money considering he did nothing but sit on his bureaucratic butt. Let Isaac figure out how to clean up this mess on his own.

  Maybe he’d even leave Summers’ body in block G.

  He’d love to hear Isaac explain that one.

  He cursed. If he hadn’t lost his temper with her earlier, he might already have that money safely in his account. He could already be on his way to Mexico.

  Well, he’d get the information as soon as she came to.

  Once he had it, he’d choke the life out of her. Every last breath.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  Something clattered.

  The sound filtered through the pounding in her head. She felt like a lump of clay that had been pounded and thrown on a wheel. Throbbing pulsed across her face and her arms and legs felt weighted. What was wrong with her?

  Memories flashed.

  The man with the shaved head. A guard. A password.

  She forced her eyes open.

  Dingy white cinderblock met her eyes. An unforgiving concrete floor stretched in front of her. Florescent lights glared overhead.

  Her shoulder and arm were numb from being pressed against the hard concrete beneath her body. She rolled to her back and flopped her numb arm. Tingling rushed up the comatose limb.

  A man’s voice echoed from somewhere in the distance. Another voice replied.

  Was one of them the man who did this to her?

  She closed her eyes against the light that buzzed above her head and waited for the hundreds of needles to fade from her arm. At least she could move her fingers now. She might need them to fight back soon.

  For now, she scarcely dared breathe for fear of drawing attention.

  One attacker was bad enough. She couldn’t handle two.

  At least the voices weren’t getting any closer.

  As the feeling returned to her arm, she slowly rolled to her stomach and planted her hands on the cool floor. She pushed herself to her knees, then sat back and surveyed her surroundings.

  Her attention locked on the bars covering the small window set high in the wall. Twilight lingered outside.

  A sour taste filled her mouth and her stomach rolled.

  She turned to look behind her, her gaze roving over a toilet and sink until they landed on more bars, a full wall of them.

  She was in a prison. Literally.

  Was there any chance the cell wasn’t locked?

  Pushing to her feet, she staggered to the bars. Her fingers closed around the cool metal, which she gently shook.

  The door rattled but didn’t give.

  She shook a little harder, pushing, pulling, sliding left and right.

  Nothing. She was locked inside.

  The cell contained no mattress. Nor did the cell she could see directly across the hall from her.

  Tremors worked up her arms.

  She made her way on unsteady feet to the back wall of the cell. Sliding down the wall, she sat on the cold floor, her whole body shaking.

  What did the man have planned for her? Was he going to leave her in here to die?

  No. Not yet, anyway.

  He wanted a password.

  What would James have used?

  Of course, she knew what his password would have been five years ago, but now? How was she supposed to guess what his drug-scarred mind would have created when she didn’t even know what was important to him anymore?

  Even if she could figure it out, did she want to?

  The man had attacked and beaten her. No doubt he planned to kill her. Why should she help him?

  Could she negotiate with him? The password for her life?

  It was worth a shot. Not like she had any other plays to make at this point.

  Now she only had to figure out the password.

  She tried to remember the information in the random document James had saved to the thumb drive. Was the clue buried in there?

  If so, it was a lost cause. She sure couldn’t remember the dates and numbers she’d seen on that document. What else had been on there?

  The name of the prison.

  Ward.

  Tobias.

  Was that the man’s name?

  Sure seemed like a reasonable option.

  At this point she had nothing to lose by trying.

  Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

  She tensed. Her breath came in short little gasps.

  The footsteps drew closer. Keys rattled.

  Then he appeared. He stopped outside the cell and stared at her for several seconds that dragged into eternity.

  Keys dangled from his fingers.

  Her freedom.

  “You ready to give me that password?” His gruff voice bounced off the walls of the tiny cell.

  Obviously, he wasn’t concerned with anyone hearing him. If she was in a prison, how could no one else be around?

  Block G.

  Marty’s warning resonated in her head. Could block G be abandoned? Maybe that’s where she was. Maybe that was where Marty had been afraid they’d take him. Maybe this was where this man brought people to die.

  Easier to kill people with no one else around. Although killing someone inside the prison still carried a lot of risk, didn’t it?

  “Well?” His eyes narrowed on her.

  “I want to make a deal. My life for the password.” The words came out bolder than she’d expected, containing a strength she sure didn’t feel inside.

  “You ain’t in no position to bargain.”

  “I’m the only one who can get you what you want.” She struggled to keep the desperation from her voice. “I know you’re planning to kill me once you get it. The only way I help you is if you let me live. Don’t make my kids orphans.”

  “There’re a lotta different ways to die. Some more painful than others. Your choice.”

  She’d hoped the mention of her kids would touch some hint of humanity inside him. It appeared she’d given him too much credit. “I’m not giving you anything. Not if you’re going to kill me either way.”

>   His hand fisted at his side. “You wanna play rough? ‘Cause I can give you rough.”

  “Then you don’t want the password very badly, do you, Tobias?”

  He started. “How’d you get my name?”

  “I told you. The police know who you are. It’s only a matter of time before they come busting in this place to find me.” Lord, please let that be true.

  But why would Zander think to look for her inside a prison?

  Silence dominated for the space of a heartbeat. “You know the password?”

  “I know what he used to use.”

  Tobias stared at her for a long second. “That’s it?”

  “It’s more than you have.” She forced herself to pull in a breath and speak slowly. “For an accountant, James didn’t change his passwords like he should have. It was a complex password, but he used the same password, or some variation of it, for everything.”

  “How many variations? Five incorrect attempts and the account locks.” He crossed muscular arms over his chest. “I don’t need to remind you that he’s not around to unlock it.”

  She swallowed, the lump in her throat as hard as the cinderblock at her back. This was a dangerous game she was playing. “Once I see the password requirements, I can figure out which variation he used. That’s more than you can do. So. My life for the password. Deal?”

  Of course, even if he agreed, there was no guarantee he’d keep his word. She could only hope there was a spark of integrity in him.

  Lifetimes passed in the next few seconds. Finally, he grunted.

  “Deal.”

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  Indecision weighted Jacobson’s feet to the ground.

  Could the missing woman be inside block G?

  The idea seemed insane, but with the private loading dock and the supervisor’s clearance, it wouldn’t be impossible.

  How could he know for sure? He didn’t have access to get inside and the dude who’d chased him away sure as heck wasn’t going to open the door for him.

  Maybe he could see something through the window?

  Worth a shot.

  He turned and strode back toward block G, calling himself every kind of idiot as he went.

  The supervisor had made it abundantly clear he was to get out and stay away. What would happen to him, to his job, if the supervisor caught him nosing around outside the door again?