Lewis and the agents swarmed around Kenny, who wanted to piss his pants right now because he’d never been through anything like this and it scared the hell out of him. Still, he tried to man-up and began to search the recent guests of room 124.
Kenny punched in the dates and a screen appeared. “Okay, so it looks like we’ve had three guests in there two days before and yesterday, the 19
th
.”
“He would’ve most likely stayed only one night.” Nick leaned over Kenny’s chair for a better look.
Kenny punched in a few more commands. “Looks like they all stayed for only a night. That’s usually the type we get around here. But we have some names here. Oscar DeLuca, Marco Rojas, and this last one has two people on it, a Stan and Delilah Smith.” He turned to Nick. “Although I don’t think that’s their real names. We get those types too.”
“Uh-huh.” The name Marco sparked a memory and Nick referred to Dwight. “What was the name of that guy we talked to at the dairy farm? Wasn’t it Marco something?”
“Yeah. Marco Rojas, that’s right. That’s got to be him. He’s using his co-worker’s name.”
“He did here, anyway.” Nick returned his attention to Kenny. “What’s the date?”
Kenny leaned in and his eyes squinted. “He checked out yesterday.”
Nick slammed his fist down on the high-back fabric chair that Kenny was sitting on, nearly shaking him off. “God damn it! We missed him by a fucking day!”
“Let’s step outside, Agent Scarborough.” Dwight jumped in to calm his partner and the three walked outside.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” Kenny said.
“Calm down, Nick,” Dwight began. “We’re close. He left yesterday.”
“Yeah, that’s great, but we have no goddamn idea where the hell he’s going.” Nick placed his hands on his hips, appearing infuriated at the complete debacle that this case had become. “Son of a bitch. We were this goddamn close and he slipped through our fingers again.” He turned toward the lobby door. “Maybe if people paid some fucking attention to something other than themselves!” His raised voice would have easily carried through the glass door and he made no apologies for it.
Kate regarded Dwight with great concern. She’d seen Nick angry before, but this was different. He was losing perspective and distance and that was when mistakes happened. “What about the other manager, the kid?” Kate needed to quickly diffuse this. “He would have been the one checking him out. Maybe he saw Colton, or at the very least, he might’ve seen the car he was driving. We can confirm then if he’s in the same vehicle.”
With a calmer tone, Nick agreed. “You’re right. Let’s see what he knows.” Nick turned on his heel and walked back inside. “Kenny, would your night manager have been the one to check out Marco Rojas yesterday?”
“Yes, sir.” Kenny was sweating again after watching the agent flip his lid.
“We need to see him right now.”
Kenny picked up the radio and called Rickey, who was meandering around somewhere outside, trying to avoid the tense scene.
“You think he’ll be able to ID Stroud?” Deputy Lewis asked.
“Better than that, I’m hoping he’ll tell us what kind of car he was driving. If the son of a bitch got rid of his old truck, we can update the Amber Alert and the BOLO. We’re a still day behind, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Rickey says he’ll be here in a just a minute, Agent Scarborough.”
“Thank you. In the meantime,” he said to Dwight, “I’m going to give Detective Mason a call and let her know what’s going on. I’m hoping like hell she’s making some progress on her end.” Nick stepped back outside to make the call.
“You did good, Kate.” Dwight rested a hand on her shoulder.
She watched Nick as he stood outside on the phone. “Yeah, well, a day late and a dollar short, right?” Kate returned her attention to Dwight. “I’ve never seen him like this before. He’s too close. He flies off the handle at every obstacle. I’m not sure how long he can stay objective and focused.”
“There’ve been plenty of times you were too close and he let you do what you needed to make things happen. Just give him the benefit of the doubt. He won’t do anything to compromise the investigation.”
“Is he really close with the Talbots?”
“I’m not sure how close. I can’t recall him talking about them, or his buddy, Jake, but then, Nick doesn’t talk about much else besides work. So, that doesn’t mean anything.” Dwight noticed the kid approaching. “Looks like our guy is here.”
Rickey approached Nick and the two stood outside for a moment before entering.
“So, you remember him?” Nick asked as he walked back inside.
“Sure. He was kind of bald, a little heavy-set, maybe mid-thirties? Could be younger, but the bald head made him look old.” Rickey moved toward the counter that Kenny still sat behind.
“But you didn’t see a kid with him?” Nick continued.
“No, sir.” Rickey looked up as though in deep thought. “No. Definitely no kid.”
“Rickey, you remember what that man was driving?” Kenny asked and immediately regretted interrupting the agent.
Rickey looked up again, only this time placing his fingers over his thick chin. “Let me think. Yesterday morning, must’ve been early ‘cause I just finished making another pot of coffee.” He looked to Nick. “It was early, well before the ten a.m. checkout time.”
“Rickey, do you remember the car he was driving?” Nick appeared impatient. “This boy’s life is in danger and I need you to think hard.”
Rickey swallowed and appeared anxious to say the right thing.
“Just answer the question,” Kenny said.
“It was, um…” Rickey paused, squeezing his eyes shut. “It was a truck, blue, I think. Yes, it was a blue truck.”
“Sounds like the same vehicle,” Dwight said. “Didn’t you say Mason got a tip on the truck yesterday?”
“Yes.” He continued to press Rickey for answers. “Was it older?” Nick asked. “Come on, you have a clear view into the parking lot. You have to remember.”
Kate wondered why he was hounding the kid. It was clear Stroud was in the same truck and the kid was scared out of his mind. “It’s okay, Rickey. We think we know what it is.”
“Just answer the question.” Nick ignored Kate’s words.
“I’m trying. I swear it. Blue, that’s right. A blue Ford truck, I think it was. I remember the Ford nameplate on the grill. It was one of them extended cabs. That’s right. I remember now.”
“Thank you, Rickey.” Nick patted him on the back. “You did good.” And just like that, he appeared to be himself again.
Kate wondered what the hell just happened but worked to move past it. “You think he’ll be going to another hotel? There isn’t much of a distance between these places. I don’t understand why he’s stopping. It seems an unnecessary risk.”
“Maybe not,” Nick began. “He’s on the move, staying off the roads as much as possible, and he has a destination. Signs are lit up all over the highways and state routes flashing the Amber Alert. Driving is too dangerous. Where he’s headed, I can’t say, but he’s trying like hell to stay low and throw us off. I need to call Mason back and relay the news. This son of a bitch can’t hide from us much longer.”
ELEVEN
C
olton waited for
the door to open, but the commotion outside continued. Things crashing to the ground, shouts from both the man and the old woman. There seemed to be a struggle between the two of them and Colton feared the old woman was losing. Who was she to him? His mother? Aunt? Too old to be a sister. But now he feared for her life just as he feared for his own. She was screaming now. Oh God, he was going to kill her and it would be his fault. He pounded on the door with the rod and yelled at the top of his lungs. “Help! Help me!”
A great thud sounded and Colton’s shoulders dropped. That was no piece of furniture or decorator vase falling to the ground; that was a person and he knew it could only be her. The noise stopped.
Colton jumped back when the door unlocked and flew open with a furious whoosh of air. He almost dropped the rod and shard of mirror, but managed to cling on to them because they were all that stood between him and the bloodied, deranged man who stood before him.
“Look at what you made me do, you little fucker!” The man stepped aside and waved his arm at the sight of what was just beyond the door.
Colton peered out and revulsion masked his face. The old woman lay on the floor, her arms spread wide, but her legs close together. At first glance, she appeared to be mimicking the Crucifixion. Blood shrouded her face as though it had been poured over her and her silver hair was now stained red with clumps of broken flesh and brain clinging to it. Her eyes stared off into space, hollow and unmoving.
His eyes shifted back to the wild-eyed maniac who seemed ready to pounce. Now Colton knew the true horrors the man was capable of committing and realized he had to fight. He tightened his grip on the household weapons and waited.
“You did this! You killed my grandma!” The man stepped inside, lumbering toward Colton. “You should’ve kept quiet, kid.”
Colton swung the rod with his right hand while plunging the shard toward the man with his left. An elegant move that could have come straight from the likes of a great battle of swords. But this was no sword and Colton was no swordsman. He was just a kid fighting for his life.
The rod bounced off the side of the man’s head. Its plastic composition and his too-light swing wasn’t enough to do damage. The shard was his only hope, but the man pulled back and he missed his target. He tried again and this time connected, but only managed to slice away at the man’s t-shirt. Blood from Colton’s hand ran down his arm from the grip he had on the shard and while adrenaline surged with power through his lanky frame, it wasn’t enough to keep the pain at bay and he dropped the mirror.
The man stepped further inside and closed the bathroom door; a fiendish leer plastered on his blood-spattered face.
» » »
“Thanks for coming by, Agent Scarborough.” Mason led the way to her office while Nick trailed behind. “I know your team is working hard on this investigation and we very much appreciate it. This was a good find.” She held her door open and Nick walked inside.
“We’ve reached out to the State Police and asked them to assist with reviewing DOT cameras, but he’s been staying off the highways so far as we can tell. I just wish we had better news. I’ve got my people working with the deputy as well and so we’re ensuring all the authorities are on the same page.” Nick waited for Mason to sit down behind her desk before he sat across from her. “So the ME got back to you?”
“Yes.” Mason reached for her cell phone and placed it on the desk. “I got this message shortly after we talked. I’m afraid it isn’t good news, but take a listen.” She pressed play.
“Detective Mason, this is Dr. Pendergast. I have the results of the autopsy on the victim in question. I’ll email you the full report, but in short, we calculated the time of death to have occurred on April 28
th
, at approximately 9:30 p.m.”
Mason ended the message. “I’ll shoot you a copy of the report as soon as I receive it, but she was taken on April 23
rd
, and that means...”
“That means, if Stroud is sticking to his M.O., Colton has a day at best. Considering the circumstances and the fact that Stroud knows we’re on to him. He had all the time in the world with his first victim. He may feel more pressure now.”
“Exactly.” She looked at the time on her phone. “Listen, you want to grab a bite to eat? I haven’t eaten all day.”
“Sure.” While Nick didn’t have an appetite for food, he was more than ready for a drink and the idea of a fresh perspective from Detective Mason was appealing. He would have to update the Talbots and was hesitant to disappoint them once again. This meant he could stave that off for a time. He couldn’t endure the look in Jake’s and Rachel’s eyes each time he told them they were getting close and to be patient. What a crock of shit that was. He knew it and they knew it. So yeah, dinner was exactly what he needed right now.
» » »
A quiet café nestled between an Irish pub and an antiques store that had closed for the night was where they settled on as they drove through downtown Fairfax. Mason offered to drive since Nick made the trip down to see her and he didn’t argue. She pulled alongside the curb, stepping out to feed the meter.
“I could’ve gotten that,” Nick said as he approached.
“I got it. It’s no problem. If we’re longer than two hours, I’ll let you feed it. Deal?” Mason walked toward the café.
“Deal.”
The place was busy but not so much so that they’d have to wait. There was no time to wait and Nick just wanted a drink and then get the hell out of there and back to the office. Nick spotted the perfect table and when the hostess approached, he pointed toward it. “Can we sit there?”
“Of course, sir. Follow me.”
Nick pulled Mason’s chair out for her.
“Thank you.” She sat down and adjusted her seat.
The detective had a nice smile and the way she looked at him felt good. He’d noticed her stolen glances toward him more than once since their first meeting. It had been a while since a woman looked at him like that. “I hope this is okay. It’s a nice view.” Why was this beginning to feel like a date? he wondered.
“It’s perfect.”
Small conversation dominated the first ten minutes before their entrees arrived. Nick did everything he could to not discuss the case, although it clearly weighed heavily in each of their minds.
“Is there anything else I can bring you?” the waiter asked.
“This will do, thank you,” Nick replied. At her insistence, Nick had begun to refer to Detective Mason as Andrea and so he felt obliged to offer the same level of familiarity. “Andrea?”
“I’m fine, thank you.” She began to raise the glass of wine. “I suppose we’ll save the toasts for when we find Colton.” A small, tender smile appeared on her lips.
It was the first time Nick noticed how perfectly full they were. Just enough to make him wonder what they tasted like. Then again, he was already on his second whiskey and that might have had something to do with it. Kate was always worrying about how much he drank. But she wasn’t here right now. In fact, last he had heard, good ol’ Mike was in town and so she had someone to talk to and a warm body to lie next to. Yeah, the whiskey was kicking in all right. “So, Andrea, what do you do for fun?” He regretted the question as soon as it rolled off his tongue. Trite and absurd, all things considered.
“I’m afraid there isn’t much time for fun, and I bet you’re in the same boat.”
“I guess so. Do you have any kids?”
“No. I’m divorced but fortunately never reproduced with the likes of my ex-husband. But we won’t go into that.” She studied him for a moment. “Somehow I don’t think you’re a small-talk kind of guy, Nick. Just think of me as a co-worker. I don’t need you to sugarcoat a conversation. If you’d like to let off steam about the investigation, I understand and, honestly, would expect it.”
Nick acknowledged her candor and wasn’t surprised by it. It had been less than a week, but he’d seen her no-nonsense style first hand and it was refreshing. “Okay. I don’t feel like we’re getting close. I feel like Lyle Stroud is slipping through my fingers and I’m going to have to tell my friend that his son is dead. That I was helpless to stop him. And that’s a pretty shitty thing to have to face.” There, he’d said it. An admission he’d kept from his own team because he always felt obliged to keep up the morale. That was his job. He and he alone shouldered that responsibility and this time around, it was bone crushing.
“Yeah, it’s a shitty thing,” she began. “A position that I often find myself in and it doesn’t matter what anyone else says, the reality of telling someone they’d lost a loved one, seeing the pain in their eyes, well, that’s the worst part about this job.” She took a sip of wine.
A silence fell between them, save for the sounds of background noise from the restaurant patrons and the occasional clinking of a glass.
Nick felt that familiar loneliness creeping in. When thoughts of a woman who knew nothing of his feelings crawled through his brain, and all he wanted to do was drown them in the smoky, spicy burn of Johnny Walker Red. And if it drowned the thoughts of the boy too, then all the better. He was tired, but looking into the still-fresh eyes of the woman across from him, maybe she could be his savior, at least for tonight.
“Hey, you ready to get out of here? I’m going to have to head back to the office soon.” He glanced at his watch. “But, um, I might have a little time.”
Her eyes revealed that she understood his meaning and she raised her hand for the check.
» » »
The door of her apartment flung open as they almost tumbled inside. Nick pressed her against the wall, kissing her full lips, and now he knew they tasted like the silky, buttery wine she’d had at dinner.
She pulled back for a moment. “Wait.” She locked the deadbolt and took Nick’s hand, leading him to the couch. Unbuttoning her blouse, she exposed the perfect heart-shaped cleavage that peeked out from her satin, flesh-toned bra.
Nick kissed the top of her breasts, pushing back all other thoughts but this one. That he was about to have sex with an attractive, intelligent woman who understood exactly what this was—a release; one that they both needed.
When the moment of passion ended, Nick raised from the couch and reached for his pants that were crumpled on the floor. A few loose coins fell from his pockets and after he pulled them up, he grabbed the fallen change and shoved it back in. His holster rested on the seat of the chair kitty-cornered to the sofa. He hadn’t yet said anything as he pulled himself back together. He wasn’t sure exactly what to say. Thanks? That would make him sound like a douche. Which, maybe in this moment, he was. “I’d better be getting back to the office.”
Andrea secured her blouse again and buttoned her suit pants against her slim waist. “Sure. I’d better check in myself.”
Now he felt bad because he thought she was making that up. Maybe not, but he supposed it didn’t matter in the end. “I had a nice time.”
Andrea Mason was a big girl and knew how to wear her big girl pants. “Same here. I’ll walk you out.” She started toward the door and pulled it open while Nick was still several feet away. “I’ll be in touch if I hear anything.”
“Sounds good.” Nick gave her a gentle peck on the cheek and smiled. “I’ll see you later.”
» » »
Kate had returned home for a late dinner with Mike. He was due to catch the red-eye out of town and back to Jacksonville, so they didn’t have much time left.
“I’m sorry it’s so late.” Kate pierced a piece of steak on to her fork.
“You’ve apologized three times already since you got home. You don’t need to do that. I knew things were crazy for you right now. I’m just glad we got to spend some time together.”
“It’s just disappointing when you leave.”
“Listen, Kate, I know we haven’t talked about this lately, but have you given any more thought to what your plans are for this place?”
“You mean, the lease?” She already knew where this was going.
“Yes. Did you decide if you’re going to stay here another year?”
His eyes were full of hope and she loved that about him, but she hadn’t decided. In fact, she hadn’t thought much about it at all. Time was running out. She had one month to come to a decision. And in her world, everything could change in a month.
“I’m sorry, Mike. I haven’t had a chance to really lay it all out. I mean, I think it’s time to buy, considering my probation is almost up. No point in throwing money out the window every month.” Her pragmatism was coming through in spades and she tried hard to separate Mike’s needs from that of her own because, in the end, she wouldn’t let a man decide her fate, no matter how strong her feelings were for him. She’d grown from the woman she once was. There was no time for flights of fancy, believing in the “one.” She’d had that and it was gone now.
“So, you’ll move? You’ll buy a place of your own?” Mike looked as though he had more to say on the matter but held his tongue for her reply.