Heinous (16 page)

9911 Conroy Road, 11:22 p.m.

With Dan at her side, Jess climbed the stairs slower than usual. They’d been on a ninety-minute conference call with Gant and a representative from the other agencies making up the Joint Task Force. The image of those divers pulling Amanda’s pale body from the water along with the photo of the young woman Spears had taken and the pages from her mother’s journal kept whirling through her head like debris in a tornado.

Four women were missing. As of last Friday, the first two were still alive according to Amanda. She had seen them in the torture room Spears had created somewhere in this city. Spears wasn’t bold enough to show his face anywhere around Birmingham at this point. Every media outlet within a hundred mile radius reminded the public to be on the lookout for him in every newscast and in every newspaper released.

The trouble was, there was no way to warn the citizens about his followers. These people, like Amanda and Richard Ellis, could come from anywhere at any time.

Gant hadn’t mentioned that Jess was off the case again. Hell, there was no separating her from the case.

She glanced up at the man beside her and wished she could take away the worry marring his face.

At least they were home now. The light at the top of the stairs beckoned to her. She needed to go inside with Dan and close out the world.

A low growled issued from the landing a few steps away. Dan held her back.

“Was that a dog?” Jess hoped these new shoes were as good at rushing down stairs as they were at climbing up them.

“I think so.” Dan moved up a step.

A furry head peeked over the edge of the landing.

Jess gasped. “It is a dog!”

“It’s a puppy,” Dan clarified. “Come here, boy.”

The dog drew back as Dan ascended another step.

“What if it bites you?” Jess had never had a dog. She and Lil had once had a lazy old cat named Tom. He’d died when she was nine. Her mother had made a big production of giving him a proper burial in the backyard.

Jess moved cautiously up to join Dan on the landing. He was crouched down scratching the yellow Lab behind the ears. She might never have had a dog, but she’d made it a point to learn the breeds. Encountering dogs was a hazard of every cop’s life.

“He won’t bite.” Dan ruffled his hair. “He must be lost. No tags or collar.”

“He might have one of those chips.” Someone was no doubt missing a dog as cute as this one.

Dan stood. “If he’s still here in the morning, I’ll have a veterinarian friend of mine check him out.”

“You think he needs food or water?” Jess unlocked the door, leaned inside, and entered the security code so the system would stop its infernal beeping.

“I’ll take care of him. You need a long hot soak.”

She liked how he was always thinking of her. “That’s one order I’m happy to take.”

As soon as the hot water was running, she stripped off her clothes. She studied her body in the full-length mirror that hung on the bathroom door. She didn’t look pregnant yet. Too soon, she supposed, but she had gained some weight. Her next shopping spree would be with Lil. Her sister couldn’t wait to help with the maternity clothes and with decorating a nursery. The nursery would have to wait until she and Dan had a house.

Tomorrow, she had to find time to spend with Lil. There was a lot they had to talk about. She’d hoped to find that time today but she’d ended up having to call her sister and reschedule. Lil had made a list of the shops and websites they were going to visit. Jess smoothed a hand over her tummy. She was so glad she could share this experience with her sister.

Grateful to have this day behind her, she climbed into the tub and sank into the warm water. Now this, she moaned, felt good. Closing her eyes, she relaxed and let the water work its magic on her tense muscles. She blocked the sounds and images from the day and concentrated on Maddie swinging and laughing. How could a child who had probably witnessed inconceivable atrocities be so happy?

Jess squeezed her eyes tighter. She didn’t want to think about this anymore.

As hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop the questions. Damn Buddy Corlew. He should have called her back by now. What had he gotten himself into? The hospital security footage showed Buddy coming out of Amanda’s room, and then ten minutes later a nurse arrived to take her for an MRI. The MRI never happened. The final image of Amanda on any hospital security camera showed her alone and headed through the parking garage, dressed in the nurse’s scrubs, the sling and restraints gone.

She’d walked away smoking a cigarette.

If Spears had her picked up and brought to him, it had to have happened fast. Gant and Black had every realtor in the city on alert. What houses had been sold, rented, or leased in the past ninety days? What houses were sitting vacant with no activity? From Amanda’s description of the house, it was in one of the city’s more affluent neighborhoods.

“He could be right next door.” Jess shuddered at the thought.

Dan rapped on the door before easing it open. “How about a glass of juice? It’s grape?”

“Wine does come from grapes,” she agreed. Might as well look at the bright side. There would be no wine for her for a long time to come. They had tried the non-alcohol variety and it was bad.

He sat down on the floor next to the tub and offered her the wine glass with the grape juice. “Presentation is everything.”

Jess laughed. “Absolutely.” She sipped her juice, savored the warmth of the water and the opportunity to stare at the man she loved. He’d shed his jacket and tie, and shoes, she noticed. She cradled her glass. “I’m really worried about Buddy. I’m the reason he went to see Amanda. After we met with Wanda, he wanted a stab at getting information from her.”

“If,” Dan qualified, “he helped her escape, that was his decision. Not yours.”

“He wouldn’t do that.” Jess shook her head. “When Amanda called, she led me to believe it was Spears.”

Dan propped an elbow against the rim of the tub and braced his head in his hand. “Buddy makes some shady moves under the umbrella of being a PI. He doesn’t always follow the rules and often not the law.” He scoffed. “What am I saying? He never follows the rules. He may have taken a calculated risk—exchanged help for information.”

“If that were true,” Jess countered, “I’d have the information by now. He was talking to her for me.”

“I’m just saying we don’t know what they said to each other in that hospital room.”

“I guess we’ll know when Buddy can tell us.”
If he wasn’t dead
. The thought scared Jess. Dammit, she didn’t want him to be dead. She didn’t want any of this. What she did want was the truth—the truth about her parents and the truth about the Brownfields. She’d had no time to look at the pages from her mother’s journal or Henshaw’s notes.

Tomorrow, she was going to hunt McPherson down and make him talk. He had known her father. Strangers weren’t invited to intimate family barbecues. She had the picture to prove it.

“This morning I drove by some of the houses Mom suggested.”

“Did you see any you liked?” They had to find time to house hunt.

“Some. Mostly, it was something to do to take my mind off
things
.”

Jess sat up, water splashing, and set her glass on the tile floor. She reached up and caressed his jaw. “I can’t imagine how hard all this must be.”

He threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her with such desperation that fear slid through her. When he drew back, she searched his face. “Did something else happen?”

“I went to see Meredith this morning.”

That lingering worry about Buddy vanished as panic spread through her. “
This
morning?”

Dan nodded. “She wouldn’t talk to me. She kept saying she was sorry and trying to close the door in my face.”

“I finally gave up and left. That’s when I drove around and looked at the houses. I got to the office around eleven and Black was waiting to tell me about her murder.” The pain on his face, in his words, was palpable.

“You did what you thought you had to do.” Jess could certainly identify with the need to make things right.

“I don’t understand why she made those allegations against me unless it was Pratt. And I sure as hell don’t understand why anyone wanted to kill her.”

“Where was her mother during all this?”

“In the bed right down the hall. She recognized my voice. After I left, the killer came in almost immediately. The exchange between Meredith and her killer was too quiet for her mother to recognize the person speaking or to hear the words that were said. The only thing her mother identified in her statement was my voice.”

Jess searched his face. “Surely, she doesn’t believe it was you.”

“She’s confused and devastated.” He kissed the palm of her hand. “I want to point a finger at Pratt, but my head tells me he isn’t capable of murder.”

“We’re all capable of murder given the right motivation.” Jess contemplated what she knew about the mayor. “If it was Pratt, the question is did he plan it or was it an impulse? I would go with an impulse. He’s a planner and a strategist, that’s true, but plotting murder comes from a different place in ones psyche. The detectives investigating the case should pay close attention to the act itself. Was it sudden, sloppy, and drawn out or was it quick and efficient? Those clues will point to the killer’s frame of mind at the time.”

“Enough talk about murder.” Dan pulled the plug on the tub and reached for a towel. “I have other plans for you, the future Mrs. Burnett.”

Jess stood, her legs wobbly from the soak and the desire now coursing through her.

Dan slowly caressed her body with the fluffy towel, and then he wrapped it around her. “We need to decide on a ring,” he reminded her. “People will start to talk if we don’t get a ring on that finger soon.”

He scooped her up and she wrapped her arms around her neck. “I will love whatever ring you choose.”

“Are you sure about that?” He pressed his forehead to hers. “Few women would put a choice like that in a man’s hands.”

“I trust you completely.” Right now, she wanted him
completely
.

Dan carried her from the steamy room. The cooler air made her shiver.

He grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ll chase those chills away in about thirty seconds.”

Jess frowned. “What’s that sound?” Scratching at the door, she decided.

“The puppy,” they said together.

“Did you feed him?”

“A piece of ham and a slice of bread.”

Jess chewed her lip. “What about water?”

“I put a bowl out there when I fed him.”

“You think he’s okay?”

“He’ll be fine.”

Dan laid her gently on the bed. Jess smiled as he stripped off his shirt. She loved watching him undress. His muscular body was more beautiful to her now than when he’d been a teenager.

He reached for his fly.

The puppy yelped.

Jess sat up, holding the towel to her chest. “He sounds like he’s hurt.”

“He’s not hurt.”

“We should check on him.” Jess got off the bed and started for the door.

Dan got there first. “I’ll check on him.”

He checked the monitors to ensure no one was on the landing or the stairs before disarming the security system, unlocking, and opening the door. The puppy shot through the door before Dan could stop him. He rushed straight up to Jess and started licking her legs.

She didn’t really like dogs, she reminded herself as she crouched to pet him. “You’re so clean and cute. You must be someone’s pet.”

“Come on, boy,” Dan urged. “You’re interfering with my plans.”

The puppy looked at Dan but immediately turned his attention back to Jess. “Maybe I can lure him back to the door.” She could at least try.

“I don’t think so,” Dan said with a pointed look at her towel-clad body.

“Oh.” Jess winced. “Guess not.”

With the promise of another slice of bread, the puppy followed Dan onto the landing. Dan locked up and rearmed the security system while Jess climbed back onto the bed and waited for him.

He headed in that same direction. “I think I was about to do this.” He reached for his zipper.

The yelping and scratching started again with renewed purpose.

Dan’s face fell. Jess laughed. “I think we’re going to have to let him inside.”

With a sigh, Dan went back through the steps and opened the door. Jess enjoyed the show as he attempted to calm the puppy and cajole him onto a blanket by the door. Jess had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen.

Eventually, the dog was in the bed with them. She remembered giggling at Dan one last time before sleep stole her away.

Birmingham Police Department, Thursday, September 9, 9:00 a.m.

“We’re crawling all over this city,” Chief Black assured Agent Gant. “Any additional manpower the Bureau can spare would be greatly appreciated.”

Another teleconference this morning had eaten up an entire hour already. Jess was anxious to get back to her office and start analyzing the notes and journal pages the reverend had left. Whatever Henshaw had discovered in her mother’s diary, it appeared to have cost him his life. Why hold onto it all these years? Had the Spears situation prompted the reverend to act on old concerns? Was that why he’d suddenly dug up the diary and started following Jess in the news?

“Sheriff Griggs has his deputies working overtime to support the search for Spears,” Dan chimed in, drawing Jess back to the briefing.

“We also have quite a number of civilian volunteers on standby,” Black added.

“We won’t go there unless we have no other choice,” Dan warned. “The last thing we need is a hothead getting trigger happy. We’ll stick with professionally trained police personnel for now.”

Black turned his hands up. “I believe our choices are growing more limited every day. How many more people will die before we stop him?”

“Chief Burnett is right,” Gant announced, silencing all in the room. “Calls to action have already gone out in the media. Having the community’s eyes on the lookout is a far more valuable tool than risking an encounter with Spears during the course of a grid search.”

“Spears knows how to hide,” Jess reminded the members of the Task Force. “He’s been hiding for years without being caught. The average citizen armed with outrage and a weapon won’t find him. He would use a move like that against us. Manipulating people is one of his strongest assets. We don’t need to give him anyone else to use in his twisted game.”

Black nodded in what appeared to be agreement, but he didn’t meet Jess’s gaze. Challenging his suggestion wasn’t her intent. She knew Spears, understood his motives, Black needed to grasp the concept that her goal was not to usurp his authority. It was to stop Spears.

Spears was nearing the end of his game, his focus was narrowing. Gant had confirmed that all chatter on the Internet between Spears and his followers had stopped or was buried so deep it would take years and teams of cyber forensic analysts to ferret it out. He was eliminating risk. The fewer people who knew details about the final stages of his plan, the better. This was the first time, to her knowledge, he had worked with such a large cast of characters. But then, reaching her wasn’t as easy as plucking the innocent from their unsuspecting daily lives. To reach her, he had to depend on others to provide distraction. Jess hoped that need would be his downfall.

The rustling of fabric and the scooting of chairs signaled the briefing had concluded. Jess stood and gathered her notes and bag.

Dan delayed her departure as Black, Roark, Manning, and the other agent drifted out the door, too caught up in their own conversation to care that she and Dan stayed behind.

“I promise to be careful,” she said before he could remind her.

“Good.” He squeezed her hand. “We just have to get through this.
Safely
.”

Jess understood all too well. Spears wasn’t their only issue. Black had told Dan they needed to meet privately after the briefing. That volatile mix of anger and pain she’d been suffering so much lately, roiled inside her now. She didn’t care that they were in the department conference room and anyone could walk in, she went on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. “We will get through this.” She draped her bag onto her shoulder. “I have to go. The team’s waiting for me.”

Dan gave her a nod before making his own preparations to leave. Jess hesitated at the door to look back at him one last time.
Please let this be over soon
.

Hayes waited for her in the corridor.

“How long before Cook’s exam results are available?” she asked the lieutenant.

“Ten to fourteen days.”

Cook met the necessary age, education, and experience requirements. As long as he passed the written test, Jess felt confident she could make the promotion happen.

“I appreciate you helping him prep for the exam.”

“Just trying to do my part as a member of the team.”

Jess hoped that was the case. “Remember that, Hayes.” She hesitated, forcing him to stop as well. “I need you to understand that I will not tolerate manipulation or deception.” She opted not to mention Lori’s complaint specifically. “You may have crossed those lines in the past, but know this, if you cross one again, it will be the last time you do so as a member of my team.”

“Got it.”

“I hope so, Lieutenant. I really do.”

Back at the office, the rest of her team was hard at work. Jess scanned the case board. The timeline and all relevant photos and notes were in place.

“I’m impressed.” That was fast work even for a team as good as this one.

Harper gestured to the photos of the reverend’s room at the Redmont. “Henshaw had been keeping a timeline related to your activities since your abduction by Lopez.”

Lori passed Jess a white binder at least three inches thick. “I pressured the folks at the lab into giving me a photocopy of all the pages we believe came from your mother’s journal. I’ve arranged them in chronological order. There are pages missing or days she’d didn’t journal like the week of the accident. Most are about you and your sister. The occasional one is about your father.”

Jess couldn’t speak for a moment. She hugged the binder to her chest. “Thank you. I’ll share this with Lil.”

Lori smiled. “No problem.”

Jess left her bag and the binder on her desk. “Detective Wells, I’d like you to keep trying to reach Corlew. I haven’t heard from him in more than twenty-four hours. If he’s still out of touch, reach out to McPherson and see if he’s heard from Corlew again.” Jess turned to the case board, zeroed in on the retired ABI agent’s photo. “In fact, see if Mr. McPherson would mind coming down to have a look at what we found at the hotel. I’d like his take on this.”

“On it.” Lori reached for the phone.

None of Henshaw’s notes made any sense. They appeared more like the ramblings of a man who had drifted into dementia. Yet his neighbors and friends insisted the reverend was in good health and of sound mind.

What are you missing, Jess?

“I think there might be a pattern to his notes.” Harper tapped one of the pages on the case board.

“Show me, Sergeant.” Jess moved closer to the board and adjusted her glasses.

“Going in chronological order,” Harper directed her attention to what they had deemed as page one, “if you take the first word in the first paragraph, then the second in the second paragraph and so on, this is what you have:
She came to me with an unbelievable story
.”

Pulse reacting to a spike in adrenaline, Jess resisted the urge to get carried away. “Could be coincidence.”

“Look at this one.” Hayes tapped the sixth page. “
He is trapped with death all around him
.”

Jess ordered herself to breathe. “So he’s telling us that whoever came to him, presumably my mother, was terrified and had a story not quite believable.” Sounded remarkably like the story Wanda had told Jess. “We need more than that, preacher,” she muttered.

“Then the pattern changes,” Harper said. “Unless you need me elsewhere, I’d like to stay on this.”

“What if these are nothing more than the ramblings of an elderly man lapsing into dementia?” Jess worried they were chasing ghosts instead of leads?

“Harper’s on to something,” Hayes countered. He pointed to another page. “
The key protects the truth
.”

Jess read over the seemingly nonsensical words on the page, spotting the pattern. Then she moved to the photo of the key found in the reverend’s mouth. “We need to find the music box or whatever that key opens.”

Lori joined them at the case board. “McPherson is willing to look at what we have but he won’t come here. I have photos of everything. I can go to him.”

McPherson had no intention of making this easy. “Go,” Jess relented. “You, too, Lieutenant. Maybe some of this will mean something to McPherson. Push him,” she said to Lori. “He knows more than he’s telling. While you’re there, drop by the Brownfield farm and take another look for anything that key might open.”

Hayes didn’t look happy about the road trip. What was it about this guy that made him intent on challenging her orders?

“Manning’s not going to give us any trouble?” Lori asked.

“Gant caved after Sheriff Griggs got involved.” Jess couldn’t adequately express how pleased she was that he’d backed her up. “We have access to any and all aspects of this investigation.”

“Bout time.” Lori grabbed her bag and keys. “I’m driving,” she said to Hayes.

He shrugged. “Fine by me.”

“Sergeant, carry on with your decoding.”

Jess walked over to Cook’s desk. He was still hunkered over his laptop. “Any luck?” She dragged Lori’s chair over next to his.

“No postings for lost dogs matching that description on craigslist or AL.com.” He glanced over at Harper whose back was turned to them. “I posted the pic you sent me in the lost and found. Hopefully, if someone’s out there looking for him, they’ll respond.” He made a face. “You have to be careful though. Someone might try to claim him just so they can do bad things like use him in dog fights or sell him for testing or something.” Cook considered the photo of the dog. “Looks like a thoroughbred. He could be valuable to a breeder. Anyone could try and claim him.”

“I’ll need some sort of proof of ownership.” Jess nodded. “Thanks for the pointer. You have a dog?”

Cook grinned. “Two. A Lab and a Golden Retriever. They keep me company.”

“I really appreciate it. Someone is probably franticly searching for him.” He really was cute, as puppies went.

“I’ll call some of the vets around town and Animal Services to see if a yellow Lab pup has been reported missing. Don’t worry, Chief, I’ll field any calls on my cell.”

“Thanks.” Jess rolled Lori’s chair back to her desk.

“Chief?”

Jess turned back to the officer she hoped would be a detective before the year was out.

“Thanks for the recommendation. Detective Wells told me she’d never seen such an outstanding one.”

“You earned it, Chad.” Jess had gotten word this morning that Cook’s package was missing her written recommendation since she hadn’t known in advance he was taking the exam. She and Lori had put it together first thing. Since, technically, she had been the one to suggest Cook start prepping for the exam, she decided not to ask him why he hadn’t discussed moving forward with her. “You’re a great asset to this team.”

His cheeks reddened the slightest bit. Had she ever been that young?

The door opened and a man poked his head in and looked around, his gaze landing on Jess. Harper was blocking his path before he stepped across the threshold.

“You lost, sir?”

“I’m here to see Chief Harris.”

Jess studied the man. Tall. Medium build. Middle-aged, salt and pepper hair. Distinguished. He looked vaguely familiar. “I’m Chief Harris.”

“Robert Ellis.” The man’s expression seemed to harden right before her eyes. “I’m here to find out what happened to my brother.”

Surprised, Jess directed him to her desk. “Have a seat, Mr. Ellis.”

Harper returned to his work at the case board but kept an eye on Ellis.

Ellis stood before her desk until Jess had taken her seat.

“I’m very sorry about your brother, Mr. Ellis.”

“Bob. Call me Bob, please.”

“Bob.” She indicated the chair next to him.

“I’ve been out of the country for three months,” Bob explained as he took a seat. “I only returned two days ago. I was stunned to learn Richard was dead. The Boston police told me nothing. So I came here.”

Jess couldn’t decide if Bob was distraught over his brother’s death or angry. The biggest question at the moment, however, was how had they missed a brother? “Excuse my confusion but I was under the impression Richard didn’t have any family.”

Bob dropped his head for a moment. “My brother and I have been estranged for years. I can’t even remember the last time we spoke or saw each other.” He let go a heavy breath. “I want to understand what happened. He was accused of murder? Then he killed himself in his holding cell?”

Jess was tempted to ask him if he really wanted to hear this. Then she thought of Amanda Brownfield and the uncertainty surrounding her own father. “We believe Richard committed a number of murders, some in this country and some in others. I can only speculate about the older murders, but here, in Birmingham, he was a co-conspirator in at least four. He may have committed suicide to avoid a trial and years on death row.”

Bob was silent for a time. “All these years.” He laughed softly, agonizingly. “I assumed that one day we’d put the past behind us and resume a relationship. That won’t happen now.”

“I wish I could tell you more.” This was the part Jess disliked the most about her job. What did you say to the family? Your brother was a sociopath who liked ripping people’s hearts out? Maybe not.

“Where is he?”

In hell, Jess imagined. “Since we weren’t aware of any next of kin and this was his current city of residence, his body would have been turned over to a local funeral home for burial.” Jess leaned to one side. “Officer Cook, would you help Mr. Ellis—Bob,” Jess smiled at the man, “locate the funeral home that took care of Richard Ellis?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cook reached for the phone.

Jess stood. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Bob. If you’ll have a seat over there with Officer Cook, he’ll make sure you find your brother.”

Ellis pushed to his feet. “Thank you for being so kind in spite of what he did. I don’t know what made him become such a devil.”

Jess accepted the hand he extended. “Safe travels back to Boston, Bob.”

Before she could turn her attention back to the case board, her cell rang. She unearthed it from her bag.
Sylvia
. Tension gripped her. “You have something new on Amanda?”