A Killer Past (17 page)

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
, instead of going directly to the station, Jack drove through the areas of Rivershore where known gang members lived. Along the way, he stopped at a couple of repair shops and checked if anyone had brought in a black truck with damage to the right front fender. No one had. He told the shop owners to call him if anyone did bring one in, especially if there was red paint on the right front fender. Whether they would call or not was another matter.

Jack thought he might have lucked out when he saw a battered black truck parked near a double-wide. It had plenty of dents and rust, but nothing new and no signs of red paint on any of its fenders. One thing he discovered: there were a lot of black trucks in Rivershore.

He grabbed a hot coffee at McDonald’s and was headed back to
the station when he decided to take a side trip by Jose Rodriguez’s place. Not that he expected to find the truck parked there. From what he’d discovered, Jose was too smart to let any of his gang members – especially any that might be connected to a crime – hang out at his place.

What Jack didn’t expect was to see a white Impala parked just down the street from Jose’s place, and although Jack hadn’t memorized the license plate of so-called Agent David Burrows’ rental car, he’d make a wager it was the same one.

Jack slowly drove by the Impala. As far as he could see, there was no one in the car. At the end of the block, he made a U-turn and cruised by again. Unless Burrows was lying down on the seat, the man wasn’t in the car. He wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

Three houses down, Jack parked his Durango.

What in the hell are you up to, Burrows?

Sitting in his car, Jack mentally rehashed exactly what had been said the night before. Burrows had wanted to know about Jose, but Jack had avoided giving the man any information and definitely hadn’t told him Jose’s last name. Even if Burrows had overheard Jose’s last name, how did he know to come here?

And why?

To tell Jose to get his gang to lay off Mrs Harrington?

Now that wouldn’t be a smart move.

Jack glanced at Jose’s house. He’d love to get a peek inside. Maybe he, as a concerned officer of the law, should pay Jose a visit … just to make sure Burrows was all right.

At the same time he started to open his car door, his cellphone rang. He glanced at the ID, then took the call. ‘Hey, Wally. I’ll be in in a bit, I was just …’

‘You need to come in right away,’ Wally said. ‘I think we’ve got a problem. I want you to check your computer.’

‘My computer?’

‘I have a feeling it’s been compromised.’

‘Compromised?’ Jack almost laughed, thinking of his PC in a compromising position.

‘Hacked.’

‘Oh.’ That was a different matter. ‘Give me ten. I was just …’ He
glanced back at the Impala.

It was gone.

‘Weird,’ he said, feeling uneasy that he hadn’t noticed Burrows leave Jose’s house or even heard the car leave.

‘It’s more than weird,’ Wally responded. ‘All of our computers are showing the same message.’

‘Which is…?’

‘Beware of AntiSec.’

‘AntiSec?’ Jack could understand Wally’s concern. They’d all seen the notices sent to law enforcement departments about the ‘Anonymous’-affiliated group of hackers. These hackers were determined to embarrass and discredit police officers across the country, especially after arrests of Anonymous members.

‘Why are they targeting us?’ As far as Jack knew, none of their ongoing investigations involved the Internet or hackers. They certainly hadn’t arrested anyone who claimed to be an Anonymous member.

‘I have no idea,’ Wally admitted.

‘Did they deface our website?’ That seemed to be a common occurrence with the group.

‘The website seems to be all right,’ Wally said, ‘but I know you’ve got some pretty sensitive material on your computer.’

Generally that was the second phase of the hackers’ attack. Within a short time after defacing the websites, the hackers would publish private emails and correspondence from confidential informants. Jack didn’t like the idea that some of the notes he’d saved on his computer might be made public.

‘Damn.’ He tried to remember exactly what he had saved on his computer. ‘Have you called a computer tech?’

‘I called the Sheriff’s Department right away, and talked to their tech. He said he’d come take a look, but it will probably be tomorrow at the earliest. He said to call if anything starts showing up on the Internet.’ Wally snorted. ‘That’s like closing the barn door after the horse is out.’

‘Maybe it was just a kid,’ Jack said, trying to reassure his boss, though nowadays kids knew more about computers than Jack ever would.

‘I even called the FBI,’ Wally said, sounding deflated.

Jack knew that had taken a toll on Wally. It was a real put-down when the police had to call in the FBI, an admission that they had a case they couldn’t solve. ‘So what did they say?’

‘They don’t have anyone available right now either. Maybe in a couple of weeks,’ Wally growled. ‘In a couple of weeks the whole world may know what we had on our computers.’

‘OK, calm down. I’m on my way in.’ No reason to stay where he was. Burrows obviously didn’t need rescuing, and without a search warrant, Jack knew he couldn’t get into Jose’s house. ‘Five minutes, and I’ll be there.’

M
ARY
STAYED
IN
bed until she heard Shannon leave for school and Robby leave for work. She considered staying there until it was time to get dressed and return to her house. The idea of sitting around the breakfast table ‘chatting’ with her daughter-in-law had no appeal, especially since Clare had already indicated she wanted to know everything about this David Burrows.

The malicious part of her brain urged Mary to give Clare what she wanted. It would be fun to see her daughter-in-law’s expression once she learned the truth about her mother-in-law’s past. ‘David?’ she would say, pausing to take a sip of tea. ‘Yes, I have known him for a while. I met him back in my twenties, when we were assigned to kill the dictator of a small country.’

Clare would frown, of course, not quite sure if she’d heard her correctly or if Mary was kidding. Clare would probably repeat the word
kill
.

‘Assassinate,’ Mary would say, making it sound like a correction. ‘We assassinated him.’

From that point on, it would be interesting to see how Clare treated her. Maybe she would drop that condescending tone she’d been using lately, as if once a woman reached her mid-seventies she
needed to be treated like a child. Or maybe she would be sure Mary was senile and making it all up.

Of course, if Mary did tell the truth and Clare did believe her, Mary would have to kill her.

And since she had no intention of doing that, she vanquished all malicious thoughts from her mind, pushed herself out of bed, and twenty minutes later, greeted her daughter-in-law with a smile and, ‘Good morning, Clare.’

Clare Harrington slid her chair back from the breakfast table and stood, leaving her cup of coffee and the opened entertainment section of the newspaper. ‘Oh, Mother Harrington, good morning. I was wondering if I should wake you. Did you get any sleep?’

‘I slept quite well actually.’

‘I don’t see how.’ Clare shook her head and moved over to the counter. ‘Coffee? Tea?’

‘Tea would be fine,’ Mary said, and took the chair opposite her daughter-in-law’s.

‘And what would you like for breakfast?’ Clare asked, placing a mug of water in the microwave to heat. ‘I can fix you an egg. Or heat up one of the muffins I have in the freezer. Or…’

Mary stopped her. ‘How about a slice of toast? I’m not really hungry.’

‘Oh, of course not.’ Clare gave her a consoling look. ‘You must be so upset. What a terrible experience.’ The microwave dinged, and Clare turned toward it and removed the mug of hot water. ‘You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like.’

‘I figured I’d leave right after breakfast,’ Mary said. ‘I’m hoping the police have all the evidence they need, and I can get into my house. I want to see what kind of damage those kids did. Is Robby contacting the insurance company about Shannon’s car?’

‘He said he was going to.’ Clare set the mug in front of Mary, along with a tray of assorted tea bags. ‘But is it safe for you to go back to your house? What if those men come again?’

‘I don’t think they will,’ she lied. ‘They’ve made their point. Besides, I’m not going to let a bunch of teenagers scare me out of my house.’

‘I hope you’re not being foolish,’ Clare said, stepping back to the
counter. ‘Shannon said she was terrified last night, that she thought that truck was going to drive straight into your house.’

‘It was frightening seeing those headlights coming straight at the window,’ Mary admitted, ‘but we were still in my bedroom and wouldn’t have been hit.’

‘Thank goodness.’ Clare gave an indulgent sigh. ‘And what about that man who was visiting you? Robert said there was something about him he didn’t like, something …’ she seemed to grope for a word, ‘something sinister.’

‘Sinister?’ Mary shook her head, smiled, and chose a black tea. She was going to need something strong this morning. ‘Hmm, that’s not how I would describe David.’

‘You need to be careful, Mother. With Father Harrington gone, you’re vulnerable. Probably lonely. There are people out there who would take advantage of a woman in your position … a widow with money. Robert said you helped this David fellow out years ago, when you were in Europe. Did he borrow money from you then? Ask for money last night?’

‘No, David’s never borrowed money from me in the past, and yesterday he just came by to say hi.’
And warn me
, she thought.
Little did he know I had more than a man from my past to worry about.

‘You need to sell that house, Mother Harrington. Move into …’

Mary stopped her from going on. ‘Clare, I am not moving. Not for a while, yet.’ She motioned toward the counter where she knew her daughter-in-law kept her bread. ‘Do you have any whole-wheat?’

By ten o’clock that morning, Mary was on her way home, dreading what she was going to find. Cloudy gray skies didn’t lighten her mood, and she groaned as she neared her house. The yellow crime-scene tape had been removed, but now, in the light of day, she could clearly see the tire tracks across her front lawn. The grass had been torn up in several places, and one of the barberry bushes near the property’s edge had been crushed. Worst of all, the yews Harry had planted years ago under the living-room window were nothing more than black stumps, their needles devoured by the flames
before David was able to put the fire out with the extinguisher she kept in the kitchen. The vinyl siding under the window looked as if it had melted, strips sagging downward, their edges charred. All of it would have to be replaced.

Mentally numb, Mary stared at her house until the chill of the wind permeated her windbreaker, and she began to shiver. Finally she went inside. First thing on her to-do list was call the insurance company.

Her telephone started ringing the moment she reached her kitchen. She wasn’t surprised when she heard Ella’s voice on the other end of the call. ‘Are you all right?’ her friend asked.

‘Upset, but all right.’ Mary made herself comfortable on the stool. The insurance agent would have to wait until after she’d talked to her neighbor.

‘I was watching your house when they came down the street. I couldn’t believe it when I saw that truck run up on your lawn. I called 911 right away.’

‘I’m glad you did.’ The fire department’s quick arrival had eliminated any chance of the fire smoldering under the siding and flaring up later.

‘Do the police have any leads?’

‘I haven’t talked to them since last night.’

‘I told them all I knew,’ Ella said, sounding proud that she had witnessed the event. ‘I described the truck and the car, told them how many occupants I saw in each, I even gave them the exact time, just like Officer Carlson told us we should.’

‘I’m glad you were watching.’ Mary wondered how long Ella had been at her window, watching what went on across the street. Probably from the time David arrived. Her friend had been paranoid enough before the Neighborhood Watch meeting.

‘It’s a shame they ran into Shannon’s car. Didn’t she get that just last summer?’

Mary was sure Ella knew exactly when Robby had bought the car so Shannon could take a summer job in South Haven, but Mary told her again. ‘He gave it to her in June.’

‘I thought so. What are you going to do about the front of your house?’

‘As soon as we finish talking I’m going to call my insurance company.’

‘Oh, well then, I’ll let you go. Oh, my, that white car is back. It just parked in front of your house. I think … Yes, that man from last night, the one who went into your house … he’s back.’

So she wasn’t the only one who didn’t wait until afternoon to return.

‘You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend,’ Ella said, almost whispering. ‘He’s very good-looking.’

‘He’s not a boyfriend,’ Mary insisted. ‘Just, ah …’ She wasn’t quite sure how to describe her relationship with David. ‘Listen, I’ll talk to you later.’

Mary hung up the phone and made it to her front door just as David was about to ring the doorbell. He looked refreshed and debonair, his austere black suit of the day before replaced by tan slacks, a black turtleneck, and a tan, knee-length wool overcoat. His polished presence made her wish she’d put on more than an old pair of gray slacks and an off-white cable-knit sweater.

‘Good morning,’ she said, glad she’d at least applied some makeup before leaving her son’s house.

David smiled. ‘You saw me coming?’

‘My neighbor did.’

‘I wasn’t sure if you’d be home yet, but I thought I’d drive by, just in case you were. Have any coffee made?’

‘It will only take a second.’ She headed for the kitchen. ‘Did you have to stay here very long after Shannon and I left last night?’

‘No, your detective buddy finally ran out of questions to ask. He’s certainly curious about you.’

David settled down at her kitchen table as she turned on the coffee maker and grabbed a mug from the cupboard.

‘He’s been doing his best to figure out what you were doing before you moved here.’

‘He told you that?’ Mary asked, starting the machine.

‘No.’ David slipped out of his overcoat – exposing his shoulder holster and gun – stretched, and leaned back in his chair. ‘But he’s been looking for information about you for weeks now. His searches started after you attacked those boys.’

‘I didn’t attack them, they attacked me.’

‘Well, you know what I mean. He even had his son looking for information about you. The son’s an FBI agent, so we squelched that fast.’

She didn’t ask how. She knew they had ways.

‘Last night, after I left here, I had Samantha – she’s our nighttime IT gal – go into Rossini’s computer again. Your sergeant had mentioned someone named Jose, and I wanted to find out how he was connected to those kids last night.’

‘And did you find out?’

He nodded. ‘Looks like the boys you tangled with are connected to an ex-con named Jose Rodriguez. According to Rossini’s files, the guy has taken over a gang called the River Boyz and is using this area to transport and distribute some major drugs.’

Mary handed him his coffee, then sat down across from him. ‘So why is this gang so determined to get back at me?’

‘I’m not sure,’ David said and paused to take a sip of the coffee before going on. ‘But I paid Rodriguez a visit this morning.’

She hadn’t expected that. ‘And…?’

‘Rossini was there, too. At least he was parked down the street from Rodriguez’s place when I left.’

‘So is Rodriguez dead now?’

‘Not yet.’ David smiled over his mug of coffee. ‘I thought I’d leave that up to you.’

Mary stared at him, not quite sure what to say … or what he was saying to her. ‘How are you leaving it up to me?’ she finally managed.

‘I told him you were going to take him down, that those two you tangled with were just the start.’

Slowly she understood. ‘So this is how you’re getting rid of me.’ He’d said he wouldn’t push her down the stairs. He hadn’t said she wouldn’t die.

‘It’s up to you. You take him out and the gang will fall apart. Do nothing and the next attack may succeed.’

She knew he was right, but she shook her head. ‘Even if I wanted to kill the man – which I don’t – how could I? With one phone call you know who the gang’s leader is and where he lives. I tried to get
that information last week and hit a wall. Mary Smith Harrington doesn’t have the same resources as Pandora Coye had, and the reality is, I’m an old lady. I lucked out the other night.’

‘There is one other alternative.’

‘What’s that?’

‘I have to get back to Washington. Those nosy senators subpoenaed me. I’m scheduled to appear before the committee next week, so come with me, Pan. Come back to work for us. I’d like you to train some of our new recruits.’

‘Come back?’ She stared at him.

For forty-four years, she’d been Mary, a woman who lived a quiet life, didn’t get involved in causes or politics, was a good wife and mother, and carried spiders outside so she didn’t have to kill them. Did she want to be Pandora again? Did she want to teach others how to kill and not care?

Slowly, she shook her head. ‘No.’

‘Why not? Your husband’s dead, your son is all grown up and capable of taking care of himself, and your granddaughter seems to be fine. Who needs you here?’

A good question, she guessed, but not one that mattered. Whether her family needed her or not, she needed them. Again she shook her head. ‘I’m not going with you.’

‘Don’t forget that Dubois kid is still around, Pan. I don’t know exactly where he is, but Samantha tracked his computer to this area. As far as she can tell, he’s about fifteen miles north of Rivershore and ten miles or more southwest of some town called Allegan.’

Mary knew approximately where that might be. ‘Sounds like he’s near the Allegan State Game Area.’

‘They have wireless at the park?’

‘No, I don’t think so, but there are homes and farms in that area. Lots of them.’

David nodded. ‘Then my guess is he’s staying in one of those homes or farms. Which means he’s probably just biding his time before he comes here.’

That made two men – or more – who wanted her dead. Maybe she wasn’t going to have a choice. Maybe she should go with David, get out of town.

He seemed to sense her indecision. ‘I can wait until you pack a bag,’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t need to take a lot. Just some memorabilia. Everything else you can buy once you’re in D.C.’

She thought about it, thought about all of the memories she’d be leaving behind, about never seeing her son or granddaughter again. Again she shook her head. ‘I can’t, David. I just can’t.’

‘So you’re saying Pandora Coye is dead?’

The way he said ‘dead’ bothered Mary, but she simply nodded.

‘Then I guess it’s time for me to head out of here.’ He put his mug down and stood. She watched him slip his overcoat back on, watched his eyes for any signs of emotion, and thought maybe she saw sadness. Or maybe not.

Mary walked with him to the front door. There he paused and touched the side of her face with the tips of his fingers. ‘I loved working with you, Pan. You know that, don’t you? I think we were fools. We should have had an affair.’