Freak (12 page)

The detective’s already mottled face turned a shade deeper, which Jerry wouldn’t have believed possible if he weren’t seeing it for himself. Danny was watching the whole awkward scene with huge eyes.

Heaving a big sigh, Torrance headed for the door, which the CO opened for him.

Danny spoke up. “Maybe I should go, too, so you guys can talk privately.” She made a move toward the door, but Maddox reached out and touched her arm.

“No,” Maddox said, and Danny stopped. “That’s okay. You can stay.”

Danny glanced uncertainly at Jerry. He shrugged and gestured for her to sit. She took the last remaining chair, which put her directly across from the inmate.

“You gonna be okay here?” the CO asked, addressing Maddox.

“I’m good, Mark, thank you.” The inmate flashed him a brief smile, and he left the room, the door locking behind him.

Maddox appraised Danny thoughtfully but said nothing. Danny met her gaze with a nervous smile.

“Did you bring the paperwork?” Bob Borden said, his steely eyes focused on Jerry.

Jerry pushed the manila folder toward the attorney.

Pulling a pair of reading glasses out of his breast pocket, Borden scanned through the documents quickly. He looked up, brows furrowed. “This isn’t as we discussed.”

“That’s what they’re offering.”

“The deal we discussed was immunity for all the murders, including the bodies found in Wolfe’s basement.”

“The PA agreed to dismiss the murder charge for Diana St. Clair, and your client will be moved to a minimum security facility for the assault on me. No way the PA is going to agree to immunity on the other murders.” Jerry’s jaw was clenched. He hated everything about this deal, but there was nothing he could do about it. “I’d say that’s pretty sweet.”

“I don’t understand,” Maddox said, addressing her attorney. “You said I’d get probation and time served for the assault, and you also said you’d make sure they couldn’t charge me with anything else. Now you’re telling me it’s just a prison transfer? It’s still prison. And they can still get me for the bodies in Ethan’s basement?” Her voice, normally soft and husky, was growing loud.

“Yes, what’s the glitch?” Borden shot Jerry a glare. “What are we missing? You want her help with these new murders or not?”

Jerry glared back at the man. “This is the deal they gave me to present to you. I’m not authorized to make changes. You want to whine to someone, call the prosecuting attorney. Sign it or don’t sign it, I don’t give a shit.”

“I don’t want to spend any more time in jail, Bob,” Maddox said to her lawyer.

“Shoulda thought of that before you cut my throat,” Jerry said before Borden could respond.

Maddox turned back to him, silent for a moment. “I see,” she finally said. “So it’s you who wouldn’t agree to probation. You want me to stay in jail.”

“Oh, come on.” Jerry finally met her gaze, ignoring the wild itch inside his collar. “We both know you’re an intelligent woman. So don’t sit there and pretend like you don’t know how much I despise you. Your future is of no interest to me.”

“I think we’re remembering what happened that night differently.” Maddox’s voice was steady. “The night everything . . . happened.”

“Nope. I remember it perfectly.” Jerry leaned forward. “I know you did those murders last year, okay? All of them. I don’t have proof, and neither does the prosecuting attorney yet, but I know you did them. Or at the very least, you helped Ethan cover them up. It’s the reason you tried to kill me. It’s the reason you ran.”

She glanced up, as if checking to make sure none of this was being recorded. She didn’t have to worry. There were no cameras in here.

“What can I do to change your mind?” she asked.

“Not a goddamn thing.”

Maddox leaned back in her chair and appraised him thoughtfully. “Wow. You really hate me.”

“Yes. I really do.”

She stared at him a moment longer, then said, “I’ll need a moment alone with my attorney.”

Jerry nodded and he and Danny left the conference room. The CO, stationed outside the door, looked over at them curiously, and Jerry took Danny’s arm and maneuvered her a few
feet away down the hallway. He didn’t trust Officer Cavanaugh, or Mark, as Maddox called him.

He lowered his voice. “Listen, Danny, I have to ask. When you were a volunteer here, did you have any contact with Maddox?”

His assistant blinked. “No, none.”

“Why didn’t you mention last night or this morning that you used to volunteer here?”

“Dude, I assumed you knew. Check my résumé if you still have it. It’s right on there.”

Jerry rubbed his throat through his turtleneck. “She’s bad news, Danny.”

“I know that—”

“I mean it.” Jerry put his hands on Danny’s shoulders and turned her to face him. His assistant was petite, only five-four. He had a good foot on her and she had to crane her neck to look up into his face. “I know you find her fascinating, but Abby Maddox is a master manipulator, Danny. She was Ethan Wolfe’s girlfriend for eight years. She’s extremely good at getting what she wants. She’ll say whatever she has to say to get you on her side. Don’t get chummy, you hear me? And whatever you do, don’t turn your back to her. And for God’s sake, don’t trust her.”

“I got it.” Danny seemed spooked by his intensity and she backed away slightly. “Honestly, Jerry, I got it.”

The door to the conference room opened and they were called back inside.

Once they were seated, Borden spoke. “Everything looks to be in order.”

“Good.” Jerry kept the surprise out of his voice. He didn’t think in a million years Maddox would agree to the deal, but somehow, her lawyer had talked her into it. Wonders never
ceased. “Then all your client has to do is put her signature at the bottom.”

“Do you want to read it over?” Borden said to Maddox. “It’s fairly straightforward, but I can summarize each paragraph if you need me to.” Jerry couldn’t help but notice that the attorney’s tone was different when he spoke to his client. Gentler. Less authoritative.

Maddox shook her head. “If you tell me it’s fine, Bob, then I’ll sign it right now.”

Looking pleased, Borden took a silver-plated ball point pen out of his briefcase and placed it in front of her. “So you understand that you’re receiving immunity for any charges involving Diana St. Clair’s death in exchange for helping the police catch a murderer. If the information you provide leads to an arrest, you’ll be transferred to a minimum security prison for your current conviction, where you’ll serve out the remainder of your nine-year sentence for first-degree assault. However, with good behavior and a successful parole hearing, there’s no reason to think that you won’t be out in the next three years, since you’ve already served a year. You’ll still be a very young woman when you get out, Abby.”

Maddox took the pen, scrawling her name at the bottom of the last page. Then she fixed her gaze on Jerry. “It’s not exactly how I hoped it would be, but I’m still grateful you helped make this happen, Jerry.”

“Wasn’t up to me.”

Maddox handed the silver pen back to Borden. “Thanks, Bob. You can go now.”

The attorney was taken aback. “You sure? I can stay if you—”

“We’ll be fine.” Her tone was dismissive. “It’s Sunday, Bob. Go play with your kids.”

Borden’s face flushed, but he nodded and put the documents in his briefcase. “I’ll be in touch. Call me if you need anything.” He knocked on the door for the CO to let him out.

When he was gone, Maddox leaned back in her chair. For somebody who’d just found out that she wasn’t getting out of prison anytime soon, she didn’t look too upset. If anything, she looked quite satisfied. An uneasy feeling settled over Jerry. It was as if she knew all along this would happen. As if her plans had come to fruition exactly as she’d expected.

He couldn’t shake the feeling he’d just been played.

Maddox’s eyes danced over Jerry’s face. “So how was your trip to the cemetery? Did you find what you were looking for?”

“We did. She was right where you said she would be.” Jerry cracked his knuckles. “You signed the deal. Now start talking.”

Maddox folded her hands in front of her. “I’ve been getting letters from the killer. Not that I really believed he was the killer, until just now. People will say anything to get my attention.”

Jerry waited for her to continue. Exasperated, he said, “Well? Are we going to see these letters?”

“Bob told the CO to get them from my cell. They should be here in a few minutes.”

“How many letters has he written you?”

“Not sure. Maybe a few.”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“What would I say?” Maddox looked irritated. “I get a lot of letters, Jerry. And all of my mail is checked before it gets to me, anyway. I have zero privacy here. You should be grateful I remembered anything at all.”

“How do you know he’s the killer? Did he actually tell you where the body is buried?” Danny’s voice was surprisingly firm.

Maddox turned to the younger woman. “There was a letter that mentioned Heavenly Rest. That stuck with me. And he said something about ‘three-ten’ being hidden there, which didn’t make sense until my lawyer told me that the bodies were numbered.”

“Did you put that specific letter aside, at least?” Jerry said, cranky.

“Well, that would be too easy now, wouldn’t it?” Maddox said with a wry smile. “Sorry. It’s in the pile with all the others.”

The headache started in Jerry’s left temple. “Do you at least remember the guy’s name?”

“Of course not.” Maddox frowned. “Come to think of it, I don’t know if he always signed the letters. But after a while I was able to recognize his writing style. I guess we’ll have to read through them all.”

“How many letters we talking?”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. The male CO was back again. In one hand he carried an enormous garbage bag full of mail, and his bicep, exposed by the short sleeve of his uniform shirt, flexed obnoxiously as he hoisted the bag up. Jerry rolled his eyes.

“Where would you like these?”

Maddox patted the table. “Just dump them right here, Mark.”

The CO did as he was instructed. Jerry stared as heaps of letters fell out of the bag and onto the table. It took almost a full minute to shake them all out, and when the CO was finished, the pile was a foot high and four feet in diameter.

“Holy crap.” His assistant’s voice echoed exactly what Jerry was thinking.

“What can I say?” Maddox said. “I’m a celebrity. At least reading them gives me something to do to pass the time.”

“Let’s get to work,” Jerry said, grimacing. “Faster we get through this, faster we’re outta here.”

Danny turned to the CO, who was still standing by the door. “Um, Officer Cavanaugh? Please tell me there’s coffee.”

“Sure, I can grab some for you.” He glanced around the room. “Should I bring three cups?”

“Bring the whole damned pot.” Jerry looked over at the mountain of mail, the throbbing in his temple growing worse. “We’re gonna need it.”

JERRY RAN OUT
of steam by noon. The conference room was too damned small for the three of them. They were making some progress on the letters, which were largely tame and uninteresting. It didn’t help that Maddox was slow getting through them, as if she were reading them all for the first time. Hungry and headachey, Jerry was in a foul mood, and if he didn’t get out of here soon, his head might well explode.

Okay, so maybe his aggravation had a lot to do with Maddox and Danny getting along so well. The chitchat between them was mindless enough—prison gossip, PSSU news, etc.—but hadn’t he just told Danny not to get friendly? She was a smart kid, and was obviously making conversation to keep things running smoothly, but it was irritating to hear them talk and laugh as if Maddox were . . . normal.

He snapped off his latex gloves and the sound made the chatter stop. To Danny he said, “Can I talk to you in the hallway for a moment?”

Exchanging an “uh-oh” look with Maddox, Danny followed Jerry out of the room.

“Everything okay?” she said when the door shut behind them.

Once again, Officer Cavanaugh was standing nearby, and
Jerry took Danny’s arm and pulled her a little farther down the hallway.

“What’s the matter?”

“You’re getting a little chatty with the criminal.” Jerry didn’t bother to hide his aggravation. “What did I tell you about watching yourself around her?”

“What did I do?” His assistant looked confused. “We’re just reading letters and making small talk. That’s all.”

“I don’t want you letting your guard down around her.” Jerry leaned in. “I mean it, Danny. You can’t trust her.”

Danny backed up a step. “I’m not deaf, Jerry. I heard you the first time. I’m just trying to keep things pleasant. One of us has to, don’t you think? You want her to open up, to keep cooperating, don’t you?”

He sighed and leaned against the wall. His head hurt. She was right. He was overreacting.

“Why don’t you go get something to eat?” Danny was watching him closely. “You can grab a sandwich from the vending machine and sit outside. It’s a nice day. Take five, cool off.”

Jerry rubbed his temples. “I don’t know.” He was starving, which only added to his irritation, but he didn’t feel comfortable leaving Danny alone with Maddox. Who knew what the psychopath would say without him around to supervise?

Danny sighed. “Fine, it’s up to you. But your eyes are bloodshot, you’ve got that look on your face that tells me you have a killer headache, and you need to eat something.” She looked up at him and saw he wasn’t convinced. “I’ll tell the CO to come in with me, okay? Have a little faith. Despite what you think, I can take care of myself. You never give me enough credit, Jerry.”

Not that Jerry trusted that CO, either, but again, he knew Danny was right. He hadn’t hired her because she was a ninny. “Okay. Ten minutes. Maybe less.”

He walked her back to the conference room, made sure the guard went in with her, then headed over to the front desk to ask where he could find some food. A few minutes later, he was sitting outside under a tree, eating a candy bar and drinking a soda. The cool, crisp air on his face helped, as did the rare pocket of sunshine, and he felt his headache begin to subside.