Into the Dark (The Cincinnati Series Book 5) (Cincinnati 5)

by Karen Rose

  ‘But not executioner.’ She stared at him, her gaze intense. ‘You don’t kill people, do you?’

  Relief was like a smack to his chest. That was exactly what he’d hoped she’d say. ‘No.’ He could answer with complete honesty. ‘Not anymore. I did in Iraq.’

  ‘But that was war. That’s different. What you do at the Ledger saves lives, Diesel. Every time you force an abusive asshole away from his family, that’s one less beat-up wife I have to tend in the ER. One less child with a broken arm.’ She swallowed hard. ‘One less rape kit I have to do on a child.’

  He’d known that doctors did rape kits on child victims of sexual assault, but the thought of Dani having to do one made him physically ill. ‘Thank you.’

  She smiled tremulously. ‘Same to you. Now, was that all Wesley will have to explain, or is there more?’

  There was more. ‘Blake Emerson put up a kilo of heroin to deal into Richard’s poker game. Richard attaches documentation of each player’s stake when they agree to play. He had the title to Brewer’s house, photos of Joshua, and a photo of Emerson holding a brick of heroin.’

  ‘Wesley Masterson got his hands on a brick of heroin,’ she murmured. ‘And he was a narcotics detective. I wonder if Cleveland PD realizes they have six hundred grand worth of heroin missing.’

  ‘Or if it ever made it to the evidence locker in the first place,’ Diesel added. ‘That’s a lot of temptation for detectives handling all those drugs. Sometimes they take a little for themselves. Wesley Masterson took a helluva lot more than a little.’

  ‘Maybe he’s operating under Cleveland PD’s direction,’ Dani suggested. ‘I mean, he allowed Richard to have photographic evidence of his theft. That doesn’t sound like he’s worried about getting caught.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Diesel murmured, but he was more inclined to believe that Wesley Masterson simply didn’t think anyone would be looking at his involvement, and he wondered why. A seasoned detective would know how to cover his tracks, but Masterson hadn’t covered his very well. He was about to say as much when he realized that Dani had gone very still and was studying him with an intensity that made him more than a little nervous.

  ‘What?’ he asked quietly.

  ‘How many photos did you see in Richard’s secret database?’

  Not nearly all of them, but still too many. The photos of the human beings flashed through his mind, a torturous slideshow. He lifted one shoulder. ‘Enough.’

  ‘Are there more?’

  He nodded stiffly. ‘A lot more.’ He dreaded sorting through them, dreaded seeing more photos like the ones of Joshua and the teenage girl who’d been offered a few nights before.

  ‘I don’t want you to look at any more. I can check them for you.’

  He wanted to say that it was okay, that he would do it, but he found himself nodding his thanks. ‘I’m . . . not good with the photos.’

  She caressed his face. ‘I know.’

  He couldn’t meet her eyes, afraid of the pity he’d see there. ‘We need to get this information to Deacon and Adam. Without telling them where I found it.’

  ‘I think they’ve figured it out by now,’ Dani said dryly. ‘Adam said they were about to search Fischer’s house. At a minimum they might find evidence of the game. They might find Richard himself.’

  He finally met her eyes and saw no pity. Just respect. And something more. He wasn’t going to jinx it by giving it a name too soon. But it loosened his chest enough that he could smile at her. ‘Thank you.’

  She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. ‘You’re welcome. Now we should get out of this bathroom or someone might get the wrong idea.’

  ‘What? That we’re discussing my illegal hacking and Richard Fischer’s even more illegal black-market swap meet?’

  Her lips quirked up. ‘I was going to say that we were having sex, but yeah, let’s go with that.’

  He made a face. ‘I think my retching was loud enough that Troy heard it. And I don’t think sex afterward sounds very romantic.’

  She shrugged. ‘Don’t judge. It might be somebody’s kink.’

  He gaped at her. ‘What?’

  ‘I saw a lot of shit in the ER, Diesel. Even you would be shocked. I’ll wait for you outside.’ She sauntered out of the room, leaving him to stare after her.

  Kicking himself into motion, he rinsed his mouth with the mouthwash stocked in the medicine cabinet, then followed her out the door.

  Where Agent Troy stood, looking grim. For a split second Diesel worried that the Fed had heard everything, but Troy was holding out his phone. ‘I’ve got some things you need to see.’

  Cincinnati, Ohio

  Monday, 18 March, 6.00 P.M.

  Grant drew a deep breath as he exited the hospital’s elevator on the ICU floor. I’m going straight to hell. Impersonating a damn priest. He prayed this would work.

  He also prayed that he wouldn’t asphyxiate before he got to Stone O’Bannion’s room, because the clerical collar seemed more like a noose. Grant couldn’t imagine his brother wearing the priest’s cassock, as his neck was thicker, far more muscular. Wes would have choked to death.

  Grant stumbled a little at the thought. Wes might actually have been choked to death. Grant had to stop walking, leaning against the wall for support as his knees buckled. He hoped Wes had been choked or shot or something. Before he was dismembered and thrown into the river.

  You don’t know that that’s what happened. But he knew. Somehow he just knew.

  ‘You okay there, Father?’ a nurse asked in concern.

  ‘Yes,’ Grant managed, realizing she was talking to him. Get a grip. Stand up straight. You’re not helping Wes by holding up the wall. ‘I’m fine. Thank you.’

  The nurse smiled uncertainly. ‘Can I help you, then?’

  ‘Yes. I’m here to see Stone O’Bannion.’

  ‘He’s got a restricted guest list.’ The nurse pointed through a window in the unit’s double doors, to one of the ICU rooms where a uniformed cop stood. ‘But they might let you in. Heads up, they’ll frisk you. We get searched every time we leave the floor and come back in to make sure we haven’t smuggled a gun into the ICU. Mr O’Bannion is a recent victim of a crime.’

  ‘I know. I read about it. I’m an admirer of Mr O’Bannion’s work, and the Ledger has sponsored my parish’s little league team.’ The Ledger had sponsored the intramural boys’ team of one of the inner-city churches, as well as a girls’ team. St Ambrose’s Father Trace was the coordinator. That tidbit – and the fact that Father Trace was the uncle of Stone O’Bannion’s sister-in-law, Scarlett Bishop – had been part of Grant’s research. He hoped he hadn’t gone too far by dropping the reference. ‘I was hoping to ask if the family needed anything.’

  He gripped the large Bible he held, relieved that he’d left Wes’s guns at his brother’s apartment. It would have looked too suspicious to turn back now, and there was nowhere he could have hidden a gun under this cassock. He did, however, have Wesley’s detective shield and his phone. Just in case.

  In case of what, he had no idea.

  ‘Well, that’s lovely, Father Emerson,’ the nurse said, peering at the ID badge Grant wore, the one he’d found in the cassock’s pocket. Wesley had been very thorough as he’d built his Blake Emerson alias. ‘Come with me.’

  Using her badge, she opened the ICU’s inner doors and walked Grant through the unit, smiling at the cop on duty. ‘This is Father Emerson. He’d like to see Mr O’Bannion.’

  The cop noted Grant’s ID and wrote his name on a clipboard. Then he stuck his head in the doorway. ‘I got a Father Emerson to see Mr O’Bannion?’

  Grant stuck his own head in, next to the cop’s. ‘I won’t stay long, Mr O’Bannion. I promise.’

  Stone lay in the hospital bed, his skin pale. At his side were two people – an older man wearing black gloves and a young, p
etite blonde. The older man stood. ‘I’m sorry, but Stone isn’t taking visitors.’

  But Stone’s eyes widened in sudden recognition and Grant knew he was thinking of their brief encounter outside the casino the night before.

  ‘It’s okay, Dad. I’ll see him. Can you ask Marcus to join us? And maybe you can take Delores to get something to eat.’ Stone brought the woman’s hand to his lips. ‘Go and eat, honey. You’re gonna need your strength to put up with me when I get out of here. Remember how cranky I was the last time I got shot.’

  ‘And you promised you wouldn’t let it happen again,’ Delores said, but leaned in to kiss Stone’s mouth gently. ‘I’ll be back soon.’ She linked her arm through the older man’s. ‘Come on, Dad. Let’s get some of that yummy hospital cafeteria food.’

  The man looked doubtful. ‘We’re going to be eating candy out of the machine again, aren’t we?’

  ‘Probably,’ the blonde said, then paused. ‘Don’t upset him,’ she whispered to Grant, loudly enough for Stone to hear from the bed. ‘Or you’ll be hearing my confession, and there aren’t enough Hail Marys to forgive what I’ll do to you.’

  Grant smiled at her. She reminded him of Cora. ‘So noted. I promise.’ Then he held his arms out, allowing the cop to frisk him.

  ‘He’s clean,’ the cop told the pair. ‘Go and eat. You’ve been here for hours.’

  ‘I’ll send Marcus in,’ the blonde said. ‘He’s in the waiting room.’

  So Grant had only about a minute alone with Stone before his brother arrived.

  ‘You’re a little late, Padre,’ Stone said with a weak smile as Grant approached the bed. ‘I coded a couple times last night. I should have said my last confession then.’ Then he sobered. ‘Are you a gambling man, Father?’

  ‘No. And my name isn’t Emerson. It’s Masterson.’

  The spark of recognition in Stone’s eyes surprised him. ‘Wesley?’

  ‘No. He’s my brother. I’m Grant.’

  ‘The accountant.’

  Grant frowned. ‘How do you know about us?’

  ‘Ask my brother. He has all the details. Why were you at the casino?’

  ‘I’m looking for my brother. He’s been missing for more than a week. I think he got involved in something dangerous there.’

  Stone said nothing for a few excruciating seconds. ‘Why are you here?’

  ‘To give you this.’ Grant held out the Bible, tilting it so that Stone could see as he opened the cover quickly before closing it again. The man flicked his gaze upward, indicating that he’d spotted the book that Grant had hidden inside the Bible’s pages. It had taken him nearly an hour to carve out the necessary space. ‘You seem like a man of integrity, Stone. I’m not from this city and I don’t know which cops to trust. My sister was abducted and a Cincinnati detective failed to report it.’ Detective Bert Stuart had to have been on the take. It was the only explanation.

  ‘Your sister was Laurel,’ Stone murmured. ‘LJM Industries.’

  Grant frowned. Laurel’s initials. ‘Laurel is my sister, but what is LJM Industries?’

  Stone drew a breath and let it out slowly, not for dramatic effect, but because he was clearly exhausted by the effort of speaking. ‘Talk to Marcus. Or Diesel. Especially Diesel.’

  ‘That’s Mr Kennedy?’

  ‘Yes. He has the whole picture. Him and his girlfriend, Dani.’

  ‘Dr Novak.’

  ‘You know a lot, Father Emerson,’ Stone said, looking over Grant’s shoulder. ‘I’d like you to meet my brother, Marcus, and my sister-in-law, Detective Scarlett Bishop. Guys, this is Father Emerson.’

  Marcus looked at Grant through narrowed eyes. ‘Like hell he is. He’s—’

  Stone gave him a sharp look. ‘Take him to the Ledger. Let him talk to Diesel.’

  Marcus started to answer, but Detective Bishop sucked in a breath. ‘You.’

  Grant met her gaze, his heart beginning to pound. ‘Me?’ Had she seen Wes? The two of them looked enough like each other that it would be an understandable mistake.

  ‘Scarlett,’ Stone warned. ‘Please.’

  ‘Yes, you,’ she whispered to Grant, the lowering of her voice her only concession to the man in the hospital bed. ‘You were at Richard Fischer’s house yesterday. We saw you on his security video.’

  ‘I was. I went to see him, but he didn’t appear to be home. If you saw the security video, you know I didn’t enter the house.’

  She stared at him, as though trying to read his mind. ‘I know. I think we need to talk, Father.’

  Grant nodded. ‘I agree. Can I ask why you were at Richard Fischer’s house?’

  Marcus and his wife shared a long look with Stone, then each other. ‘Because Fischer is dead,’ Detective Bishop said.

  Grant shuddered out a breath. ‘Oh.’ One more dead. He looked at Stone. ‘What about the Word of God?’ he asked, tapping the Bible.

  ‘Give it to them,’ Stone said, his words beginning to slur. He closed his eyes, a goofy smile curving his lips, a painkiller obviously kicking in. ‘Scar’s a good one. But don’t tell her I said that. She’ll get a big head.’

  Detective Bishop sighed, but leaned over the hospital rail to kiss Stone’s cheek. ‘You’re an idiot and I love you. Stop getting shot.’

  ‘I will. I promise. I gotta teach my nephew how to cheat at poker.’

  ‘You’d better,’ she scolded, then straightened and aimed a glare at Grant. ‘Let’s go, Father.’

  Cincinnati, Ohio

  Monday, 18 March, 6.00 P.M.

  Dani left the condo’s bathroom, still shaken but hoping she’d hidden it. Seeing Diesel so broken . . . it had nearly broken her. She didn’t know his story, what had led him to have such a visceral reaction to seeing the photo of a young woman being trafficked. She suspected, of course, but knowing the details . . . She almost hoped he wouldn’t tell her. She wasn’t sure she could take it.

  But she would. If Diesel ever did want her to know, she’d listen. And I’ll take it. I’ll be strong for him. So that he could be strong in the times when she needed him.

  She forced herself to focus on Agent Troy, who’d handed Diesel his cell phone. She was surprised to see they had a visitor. Agent Quincy Taylor stood just inside the condo’s front foyer.

  ‘Quincy,’ she said, trying to shake her mood and sound welcoming. ‘Please come in.’

  He did so, checking the bottom of his boots first. ‘I’ve been at your property, Diesel, processing last night’s crime scene.’

  Diesel was frowning at Troy’s phone, but looked up to greet Quincy. ‘Hey, Quincy. Did you find anything?’

  ‘Tire treads,’ Quincy said. ‘They match treads found near the river where George Garrett was—’ He cut himself off mid sentence, smiling down at Joshua, who’d wandered in from the kitchen. ‘Hello.’

  ‘Joshua,’ Dani said, ‘this is Agent Taylor, but you can call him Mr Quincy. He works with my brother and my cousin.’

  Joshua blinked up at Quincy, wide-eyed. ‘Are you an FBI guy, too?’

  Quincy bit his lip, trying not to smile, Dani thought. ‘I am,’ he said seriously. ‘I hear you like superheroes.’

  Joshua nodded suspiciously. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘Miss Kate is my friend.’

  Joshua smiled at that. ‘Her dog is Cap. After Captain America. And she has fingernails with shields on them.’

  ‘Exactly. She told me that you like Spider-Man.’

  ‘He’s on my jammies.’ Joshua pinched the fabric of his PJs, which he’d begged to wear all day. ‘See? I got to stay in them because we’re still camping.’

  Quincy nodded sagely. ‘I do see. I brought you something. If it’s okay with Dr Dani.’ From his backpack he pulled a wrapped box, and Joshua whipped around to meet Dani’s eyes.

  ‘Can I have it?’ he aske
d.

  Dani smiled. ‘Of course. But remember to thank Mr Quincy.’

  Joshua beamed. ‘Thank you! I’m gonna show Michael!’ He took the package and ran for the kitchen.

  ‘It’s just a Spider-Man action figure,’ Quincy said. ‘I saw that he had a few action figures in his bedroom at his mother’s house.’ He sighed. ‘I was at that crime scene, too. I stopped by Walmart and found a figure that he didn’t have at home. That way, in case he wants those toys at some point, he won’t have doubles.’

  ‘You’ve been busy,’ Dani said. ‘If you saw Kate, you’ve been to the hospital, too.’

  ‘Wanted to check on Decker,’ Quincy kind of mumbled. ‘He said to say hi.’

  Dani squeezed the shy man’s arm. ‘Thank you, Quincy. That was thoughtful.’

  Quincy shrugged. ‘He’s just a kid. He shouldn’t have to go through this.’

  ‘No, he shouldn’t.’ She hesitated, then leaned up and kissed his cheek. ‘It was still thoughtful.’

  Quincy blushed. ‘I got something for Michael, too. Kate said he and Greg talked video games nonstop. It’s the newest Kingdom Hearts game. Kate said you’ve got Xbox, so that’s the one I picked.’

  Dani felt hot tears stinging her eyes and wondered that she still had any left to shed. ‘That was so sweet,’ she whispered. ‘He’ll love it.’

  ‘You had to tell him that his mom was gone. I thought . . .’ Quincy shrugged again, then grunted when Dani hugged him. ‘It’s not violent,’ he managed through the hug. ‘Just cartoon-type monster killing. I figured you’d be okay with it.’

  ‘She’s okay with it,’ Troy said mildly. ‘Chill, Quince.’

  Dani remembered the unspoken conversation the two had had the night before and wondered what was going on between them. She hoped it was something wonderful, because Troy and Quincy both seemed like nice guys.

  ‘I didn’t come just to give the gifts, though,’ Quincy said. ‘Well, not just for the kids, anyway. I’ve got something for you, too.’

  Diesel passed Troy’s phone to Dani. ‘Nursing home receptionist ID’d Scott King as Cade Kaiser. His father is a patient at the home.’