Four to Go (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (17 page)

“Oh, my God! That’s him! That’s him! I could never forget that face,” Tom said, shaken. “But why? Why has he targeted me? I don’t remember ever seeing him before the car crash or having any type of business dealings with him. Nothing!”

“Tom,” said Kate softly. “Look at his face. He’s not sane. There’s true madness in his face and eyes, and unfortunately, madness has its own logic.”

“There’s a lot worse to see, or better, depending on your viewpoint.” Mike quickly queued up the computer to the first of the four videos as Kate and Tom sat in front of the computer screen, intently watching the action unfold.

“That son of a bitch, Thomasson!” exclaimed Tom heatedly as he watched him strike the young woman.

Not another word was spoken as they watched all four videos, until they watched the one which showed his wrist being crushed and broken.

“I don’t have the least bit of sympathy for that miserable asshole,” said Tom coldly. “I hope they dump him in jail and throw away the key.” He looked back at John and Mike. “What’s the next step?”

“Well,” said Mike. “We’ve forwarded the picture and the YouTube and other websites to Ian and Trent. They may be able to make an I.D. on this guy. Ben is also on his way and should be here any moment. And it looks like Mrs. Mallory has arrived to start breakfast. Why don’t we wait until after we have breakfast and talk to Ben? We may have more information to work with then.”

“Sounds like a winner, Mike.” John commented as he opened the kitchen door for Mrs. Mallory.

“What a welcoming committee,” said Mrs. Mallory as she entered the kitchen. “Good morning, everyone.”

“Mrs. Mallory, we’ll be out of your way in just a few minutes,” said John after the round of “good mornings” ceased.

“Take your time. I have a few things to set up before I start breakfast. It’s no problem.”

“By the way, Mrs. Mallory, Sheriff Whittaker was here two nights ago for dinner and wanted me to extend his thanks and appreciation for a wonderful meal. And I’m sure he’ll be here for breakfast, too. We’re expecting him any minute,” said Kate with a smile.

“What a nice thing for him to say. I’m so glad he enjoyed his meal. Now, I’d better get busy. Are you expecting twelve people for breakfast, then?

“Actually,” said Mike. We may have one or two more, but we don’t yet know whether all of them will be down at the same time since they worked in shifts last night.”

“Not a problem. But I warn you, if thirteen people show up for breakfast, I’ll have to join you and make it fourteen. It’s not that I’m superstitious, you understand, but there’s no sense in taking chances, right?”

“As you said, Mrs. Mallory, not a problem,” Tom replied with a smile. “We’ll be in the library until breakfast is ready.”

* * * *

“First things, first,” said Tom as they settled with their coffee in the library. “I want to find out what happened to that young woman Thomasson knocked out. Ben might have more information, but if not, I’d like to have the hospitals checked and find out how she is and if she needs anything. And from the way that the ‘perp’ acted with her, maybe she knows something about him. At least it would give us a place to start.”

John took out his cell phone and keyed in a number. “Let’s get Connor up here and fill him in on what’s going on. Connor, this is John. We need you here in the library for an update on some new information we’ve received. Right. Okay, see you in a few.” John closed his phone and looked around with a serious expression on his face.

“We don’t know if our perp is aware that his face is being spread across the Internet or not. If he is aware, it could push forward his plans to eliminate us, one by one. That’s why I’d like to use Connor to do some checking, find that girl, and if she agrees, bring her here so that we can talk to her. What do you think?” He looked at Mike, then at Tom and Kate, waiting.

“Perfect, John. That way we can stay here with Tom and Katie. At this point I don’t feel comfortable leaving them alone in the house, even with some of our teams here.”

“Thank you, Mike.” Tom’s voice shook with emotion as he said to John, “I hate to admit it, but I agree with Mike. As far as Kate’s safety is concerned I trust the two of you implicitly. I know your teams are first rate, but it’s Kate’s safety, and I would prefer to keep both of you here.”

John nodded and turned to open the door at Connor’s knock.

It didn’t take long to brief Connor on what had happened in the bar last night and to pass him the photo Mike had printed. His eyes lit up as they gave him the Internet websites and explained what they wanted him to investigate.

“As soon as Ben gets here, we’ll know more and can plan in depth what our next step should be, said John.

* * * *

“The Sheriff’s here.”

“Okay, Mike, I’ll go let him in.” John quickly left the library and returned a few minutes later with Ben and Carolanne.

Carolanne entered the library first, followed closely by Ben. He kept one hand on Carolanne’s waist as he steered her toward a chair in front of the desk. He stood behind her chair, one hand resting on her shoulder.

“I’ve already briefed Carolanne on what happened last night. The girl”—Ben referred to a small notebook—“Marylou Kasden, was taken to Metropolitan hospital and kept overnight. As far as we have been able to learn, she is going to be released today. Once we have the name of the white-haired man, we can pull him in for questioning. Unfortunately, given Marylou’s profession, she may not have been given a name by the man. If he’s a regular, we may be able to get some information from her. But, if not, I’m sure as I’m standing here that we’re going to hear from someone who can put a name to that face. The Internet exposure is pretty much worldwide and someone
,
somewhere,
is going to recognize him.”

“You’re right, Ben,” said Mike. “Connor is meeting Consuela at the hospital this morning and will be bringing Ms. Kasden here if she agrees to answer a few questions. Apparently, a local pimp has decided all of the free advertising would work to his benefit if she was one of his girls. According to Consuela, the word is out that this Salazar is going to make a grab for Ms. Kasden sometime today or tomorrow. We don’t intend to let that happen.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” said Ben. “Just let me know if I can help. Salazar has a very bad rep, and I’d love to bust him. And, speaking of being busted, the bartender is filing assault and battery charges against Scott Thomasson. Maybe Ms. Kasden will, too, although it’s not strictly necessary.”

“We can only hope,” muttered Mike.

“After Ben filled me in this morning, I called the hospital. Thomasson is in surgery as we speak. They wouldn’t give me any more information than that.” Carolanne looked up at Ben with a small smile before continuing. “I do have several friends, I mean, sources at the hospital, and I understand there is another prostitute in the hospital that Thomasson nearly killed. She hasn’t named him to the police, but apparently he is well-known among the girls at The Bird of Paradise and has a bad habit of going into violent rages and taking it out physically on the girls. It’ll be quite a while before she will be released from the hospital.”

“Connor, check with Ms. Kasden at the hospital. Bring her here if she’s willing. We can help if she wants to make a change in her life, and if not, well, we can give her a small break before she returns to her old life.” Kate stood up and addressed the rest of the group. “I’m sure Mrs. Mallory has breakfast ready by this time, so why don’t we adjourn to the dining room? Unless you have something urgent scheduled for this morning, Sheriff, please join us. That way Connor can get something to eat before he has to leave.”

As the group began leaving the library, Mike pulled Ben and Connor aside and nodded to John, who shut the door again and joined them. “I think we need to take precautions about this Salazar possibly following Ms. Kasden here from the hospital. We don’t need any more problems. And we don’t know if this asshole is still watching us here. Anyone have any suggestions?”

“Why not use a decoy vehicle?” said John as he sat back down. “Or, better yet, they don’t even have to come back here at all. Why not have Kate and Tom come with us to the hospital. We can arrange for a conference room there. That way Consuela can see and talk to Ms. Kasden, as well as Kate and Tom, in safety. A second vehicle can be used to transport Ms. Kasden if she decides to accept the offer of relocation and assistance.”

“Damn quick thinking, John. I think it covers all of the bases.” Ben shook his head in admiration and grabbed his hat. “Why don’t we get some breakfast and let Tom and Kate in on your plans. In fact, I think it might be wise for Carolanne and me to visit the hospital, too. I know the city police have already talked to Ms. Kasden, but I’d still like to sit in on the meeting to see if she can provide any information on your mysterious white-haired man. We can also watch the exit for any cars trying to follow, and damn sure find some way to stop them, even if it’s just long enough for your car to disappear. I’d love a chance at that creep Salazar!”

“I think you’re right, Sheriff. The more cars, the less they’d know which one to follow,” said Connor, excitement filling his expressive face before he stopped, then continued more thoughtfully. “But, now that I think about it, I doubt if Salazar or his men expect Ms. Kasden to be picked up at all. Certainly not in an expensive car or limo. They’d more likely be looking for her to take a cab or the bus. Either way, it’s best not to take anything for granted. If we plan for the worst, we won’t be taken by surprise. I’ll just grab a quick bite to eat and then contact the hospital and arrange for a conference room before I leave, if that meets with your approval?” He looked at Mike and John.

“It’s your investigation, Connor. You do what you think is best. If we have any suggestions later, we’ll discuss them with you.” John nodded at Mike.

“Go for it, Connor!” Mike grinned and got up, signaling the end of the meeting.

The faint odor of disinfectant seemed to follow them into the conference room of the hospital. There was a flurry of introductions before they settled into their chairs.

Marylou looked slightly uncomfortable and chose a chair next to Consuela.

Marylou listened warily as Connor explained that her hospital expenses had been paid and that she would be offered a one-week vacation with the opportunity to train for a vocation of her choice, along with relocation to a new city for a fresh start, if she so desired. Her mouth dropped open and tears flooded her eyes as a spark of hope began growing inside.

Consuela patted Marylou’s shoulder, “I believe you can trust these people to help you. Give yourself a chance. But if you are afraid or uneasy, I will gladly stay with you until all of the arrangements have been completed to your satisfaction.”

“Thank you, but I’m not afraid at all. In fact, I can’t wait to start my new life.” Marylou looked at the assembled group, and said, “I’m only sorry I couldn’t give you more information on the white-haired man. It was really creepy the way he kept calling me “Rosie” and yelling at me for cutting my hair.”

“Marylou,” said Consuela. “I don’t think it’s safe for you to return to your apartment. The word on the street is that Salazar has some of his men waiting for you there.”

Marylou’s face turned white with fear.

“Don’t worry, Marylou,” said Mike. “If you’ll go with Connor, he’ll make arrangements to have two of our agents, Sophie and Gina, drive you to Los Angeles. We’ll set up a hotel suite for the three of you under Gina’s name for a few nights. At least until we can set up an apartment and have you talk to a counselor to determine what you’d like to study. It may take a few days to set up everything. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure. But why would they do all of this for someone they don’t even know?”

“A lot of reasons,” Mike said as he shepherded everyone out of the conference room. “First, they can afford it. Second, you somehow got involved with the man who has been making serious threats against Mr. and Mrs. Martins. In fact, this man caused the accident that put Mr. Martins in that wheelchair. Third, they offered just because they like making a positive difference in someone’s life.”

A short time later, they followed Connor through a maze of hospital corridors until finally reaching a service elevator to the loading dock. Connor hurried Marylou and Consuela into the back of a waiting limousine with heavily tinted windows. He jumped into the front passenger seat and the limo took off down the service roadway. A few minutes later a second limousine pulled up to the loading dock and picked up the remaining group.

The limousine slowly made its way up the winding mountain road, frequently swerving to avoid the gaping pot holes that littered its surface. John and Mike had put up the black-out and sound-proofing screens, giving the four of them privacy.

“Yeah, Ben, what’s up?” John said and put his cell phone on speaker mode.

“Just heard that three of Salazar’s men have been arrested for breaking and entering Marylou’s apartment and for possession of a number of drugs, including a syringe they believe to contain a knock-out drug. Marylou would never have stood a snowball’s chance in hell of getting away from them.”

“Great news, Ben. Have you heard anything more on the identity of our guy?”

“No, nothing yet, but I expect to hear something soon. Carolanne is going to check out the name ‘Rosie’ to see if anything comes up in that connection. We’ll let you know. We also managed to get a good print from the doorframe of the Bird of Paradise. That’s being sent to Ian and Trent.”

“Okay,” John said after Ben had disconnected. “I guess Marylou is taken care of. It’s up to her from now on. And, Mike, you took care of texting Ian and Trent regarding the name ‘Rosie,’ earlier, didn’t you?” At Mike’s nod, John got up from his chair and moved next to Kate on the long bench seat.

“Now, how have you been doing, Kate?” John stroked her face gently before reaching down and grasping her hand in his.