Low men, p.27
Low Men, page 27
Mark just shook his head.
"Vasiliy said he wanted to get me out, kept promising. But never delivered. Then one day, a man with ugly scars across his face came and demanded to see me. He was new. Paid double. Right away, I didn't like him. He tried to get rough. For the first time, I resisted, so he hit me. Something in me snapped."
"How did you fight him off?" Mark asked.
"I was prepared. You see, I was made to work in the kitchen cleaning and preparing meals for the girls and guards. Believe me, this was preferable to what the other women had to do. Weeks earlier, I had found a broken tool in the garbage bin, an old rusty file. It had a sharp point, and I managed to make a handle for it with tape. I kept it stashed in my room where I could get to it."
"Smart," Mark remarked.
"After the man with scars hit me, I waited until I had an opening, grabbed it and stabbed him in the neck. Then I bolted for the door, surprised the inside guard from behind, stabbed him in the side of the neck and ran out the front door. There was an outside guard. He actually turned and smiled at me, suspecting nothing. I simply walked up to him and shoved the homemade knife into his throat. Then I ran for my life. I spent days in the woods around rural areas. I knew I needed to head west, try to get as far away as possible. I managed to steal some old clothes and a little food. But mostly I lived like an animal drinking from creeks, half starved, sleeping on the ground. Eventually, I wound up on the streets of Luhansk, completely exhausted. A good Samaritan took me to the emergency room, and I got admitted to the hospital."
"How long were you there?" Mark asked.
"Just a couple of days. That's when Vasiliy found me. At first, I didn't want to go with him, but he made me believe he could get me to America. Made believe that, if he could find me so easily, then the people who had held me captive would find me if I stayed where I was. He described what my fate might be if they took me back to that cursed house. Tied to the bed, man after man, day after day, until I was used up and dead. I wouldn't have that, so I left with him."
"On the way, Vasiliy spent a lot of time convincing me that I was ruined, that I needed him to take care of me, that no man would have me. But despite that, I could be of use. I could live comfortably. And in return, he would take care of me. Since I had nothing, he convinced me to sleep with him as payment for his favors. It seemed like a fair contract at the time. But we were careless, and I wound up pregnant. He saw an opportunity to keep me under his control and I had the child. He kept her away from me. Maybe this had been his plan all along, to have leverage over me. He let me see her as long as I did what I was told. When I resisted his wishes, he kept her from me. He would tell me that she wouldn't be forced to work like I had, as long as I did what I was told."
"So, your daughter was held captive while you and I ran around having a good time?"
"It’s a long story, but by that time Vasiliy had me completely under his control. I was being told what to do. I was to make a relationship with an American man who could later be manipulated. A long con. Vasiliy would arrange for me to be out in nice places, meeting men until we hooked someone good. This was not fun for me."
"So, I was a mark?"
"When I met you, I was entranced. I'd never been with a man out of my own volition. So, I lied to Vasiliy and told him you came from a wealthy family and were going to have a big career."
"But he found out."
"Yes, eventually he looked deeper into your background and figured out my lie. I just wanted to live a little bit of freedom, you know, just for me. I knew I would get caught. I knew I would pay for it. I didn't care," Helena said.
Mark looked away for a moment, rapt with guilt. A single tear streaked down his face. He choked out his next words. "What happened?"
"He confined me. Abused me. Locked me up and told me I would never get out. I had to beg. This took several days. He offered small kindnesses that made me believe it would be okay if I would only comply, so I did."
"How did you come to be with Frank?"
"While Vasiliy was checking you out, he noticed something about Frank that made him think he was wealthy. And he was. Frank had been hanging around me anyway, trying to talk, never the guts to ask me out. So, I was told to start seeing him. How to dress for him. How to act with him. When to start sleeping with him. After my deception with you, Vasiliy micromanaged me."
"So, what you said Friday wasn't true. You weren't trying to provoke me into committing to you by seeing Frank. You were told to switch lovers by Vasiliy," Mark stated, already knowing the answer.
"Look, I hadn't seen or talked to you in years. You had ghosted me. For all I knew, you hated me, were repulsed by me. I didn't know if I could trust you. I had to protect myself. So, I just made up that bit about provoking you, but it wasn't entirely untrue. I had hoped you would man up, just not exactly how I said it."
"What do you mean? You said you were pregnant, right?"
"Yes. When I found out about the pregnancy, that I was carrying your baby, I had decided I would run. Take the chance and try to get away if I could go with you. You talked of law enforcement. I thought you might also get my daughter out from under Vasiliy's control. But I was naïve and you would not call me back. So, I had no other choice. I slept with Frank, made him believe it was his and he got me an abortion. I didn't tell Vasiliy."
Mark let out a long breath. His head fell forward, chin to chest, as the shame of his inaction set it. "That... must have been hard."
"Hard? I was trapped by that point. Trapped by two men who had leverage over me, after the only man I ever loved abandoned me. Not only that, my own daughter hated me. Vasiliy had begun to play his games with her, too. I worried what her fate might be."
"What's her name?"
"Hermione," Helena said. "Vasiliy was also a student of Greek antiquity."
"Where is she?"
"She died." She let out a sob, then quickly suppressed it. "He was keeping her in a nearby house, around other women who had to work. He promised me that she only had to clean and cook. But, once Hermione realized what was going on, that she was being kept there, she complained, tried to escape, caused trouble. Then suddenly her life was over. She was only ten. They found her in her room. She had taken pills. The women suspected they had been laced with fentanyl. She was a small, frail child. She had overdosed. I was crushed but by that time I was in deep with Frank, and you were gone. I could only find a way to move on."
"So, you married Frank at Vasiliy's behest?"
Helena nodded. "And then Frank forced me to confront you right after our honeymoon. That day in the bar when he handed you that concert ticket was one of the worst days of my life. I was defeated. Broken in every way."
"I wish I'd known all this. I'm sure I would have tried to get you out of that situation," Mark said.
"That is good of you to say, now, but I don't know what you could have done," she said.
Mark paced the room. This was happening too quickly. He debated whether he should tell Helena of Vasiliy's true past, his origins before she knew him. Maybe she knew. Should I ask her? It wouldn't matter. Might only serve to spook her.
"I want out of all this," Helena insisted, more urgency in her voice. "I have been trapped between Vasiliy and Frank for too long. I have a plan," Helena said. "I'm ready to walk away at a moment's notice. Right now, if I have to. I have been for months."
Mark's phone dinged a text notification from Kim. "Need you at the lab."
"But right now, you need to continue your investigation," Helena said. "You cannot reveal what I told you about Vasiliy and me. You would be putting me in danger if you did. Right now, he does not suspect I have betrayed him." She paused. "Have you told anyone about us?"
"No. Although Janey did figure some things out," Mark said.
"How?" Helena asked.
"Frank's Facebook page. He has wedding pictures posted," Slade said.
"Fucking social media," Helena spat.
"I only told her what I needed to satisfy her curiosity," Slade said. "A little bit from that time in our past. No one knows about us now."
Helena nodded approvingly. "Same here." She paused in thought for a moment. "Selina told me you want to speak with her."
"You talked to her?" Mark asked.
"She called to say goodbye," Helena said.
"We need to question her," Mark said.
"You won't find her if she doesn't want to be found," Helena said.
Mark raised his eyebrows as if to say, oh yeah? "That's... look, I have to go. Stay here. Make friends with my dog. Her name is Dawn. Let her out. There's a small backyard."
"If I stay now, then I cannot go back," Helena said. "Frank, Vasiliy, they will know I've bolted."
"Will they care at this point?" Mark said.
"I'm not sure what Frank might do. He has become more deviant and paranoid. You witnessed this. I don't feel like I even know him anymore. He scares me lately. I'm not sure he'll let me go." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "I do know that Vasiliy still thinks I am his property, and no one crosses Vasiliy. I don't know everything about him, but I do know that much," Helena admitted. "Eventually, you must be ready to take that on if I stay. These two men think they own me."
Mark walked up, took her in his arms, and gave her a deep kiss. She melted into him. They parted, but his hands lingered, rubbing the sides of her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes. "I will find a way," he said.
"I like the sound of that," Helena whispered.
Mark headed for the door that led to the garage and turned to speak to her when he opened it. "When I get back, we'll figure this out."
Helena watched through a window as Mark drove off, then removed another phone from a hidden compartment in her purse. She sent a text. "I'm in."
❖
The drive back to the precinct was a blur. Lost in thought, Slade simply allowed his instincts to guide him back. One thought dominated his mind right after he left: Is Helen simply going to leap out of her life and back into mine after just one re-romp? It seemed like a ludicrous notion to Slade. Just days ago, she was a pariah from his past, an untouchable fantasy shrouded in the mists of social media. And now, she had bolted from all that and back into his arms.
He pushed these thoughts from his mind as he pulled into the parking lot. He knew he was going to get hammered again about being out of touch during this investigation. The thought of another confrontation with Captain Mullens made his heart rate go up, adrenaline fueling his concern. He went straight to his office and took his afternoon doses. He remembered it was a little late for the methylphenidate, but he was sure he would be losing sleep tonight with Helen around. So, he took it anyway.
He finished the water bottle, then leaned back in thought. He tried to steel himself for the pending conversations. They were sure to question him. The captain was sure to be enraged again, this time worse. He had to come up with something to tell them, but Helen's words echoed in his mind. "...it is a part of who you are... not something to be eliminated... integrate it... before it tears you apart." His cheek still stung a little from the slap, but he heard the words that followed loud and clear. "You have a fucking spine... guts... it's a man's inner strength that makes him."
Mark's expression hardened, just as it had before Helen. I am not gonna take any shit. With that, he stood and headed back upstairs, ready to step into a new life.
Chapter 26
Slade returned to the lab only to get the silent treatment from his team when he entered. They glared at him from their seats as Slade nodded, then settled into his desk. He immediately busied himself with some paperwork, trying to ignore them.
Owen spoke up. "The captain was here. He wanted you to let him know when you got back."
Slade didn't look up. "Thanks."
After shuffling a few things around on his desk, he looked up to find Owen, Shanda and Kim still staring at him. Shanda and Kim looked away. Owen held his gaze, shaking his head as he stood. "We coulda used your help out there, mate," he said. "It got a little dicey, moved quick."
"Sorry. I had something to look into," Slade replied.
"Are you gonna share that with us?" Owen asked.
Slade gave him a look as if to say, really?
"Whatever, mate," Owen just put his hands up, clearly unpleased.
Slade sighed, rolled his head to the side, and looked down for a minute.
Kim opted to step in. "We had OPD officers help with canvassing around Faston's rental in Colonialtown. We found a neighbor with a cam that looked down the street alongside the house. Replay showed video of a person, looked like a man, in a hoodie that broke into Faston's house wearing a knapsack. It is unclear who it is. He managed the camera angle pretty well, like a thief who had cased the area first. We think this person planted the evidence in Faston's rental. The build of the suspect matches that of the VR code thief that broke into VRTactuals. Incidentally, Matthew's build roughly matches the suspect captured on video."
"The arrest warrant came in for Matthew Berry," Shanda said. "We found him at home, stoned out of his mind. Various narcotics splayed all over his coffee table. He gave up without a fight. He is in a holding cell. We are waiting for him to come down. Even though we read him his rights, he babbled on about having an addiction problem, couple stints in rehab, how sorry he was, all that."
"I suppose we didn't know about his rehab stints because they weren't crime related," Slade said. "Did he admit to anything?"
"Didn't offer any more than that. He seemed scared mostly," Owen said. "Since he was under the influence, we didn't press him. We don't want a judge ruling any confessions as inadmissible because the suspect proved he was coerced while under the influence."
"So, we wait," Slade said.
"We had an MD come by and examine him. The suspect allowed the doctor to take a blood sample for testing," Shanda added. "He said to give him a meal and let him sleep it off overnight. He should be fine in the morning."
"Was arsenic found in his residence or car?" Slade asked.
"Not so far," Shanda replied. "But he did have a good amount of cash in a safe. It was sitting there unlocked."
"Probably kept his party favors in there, too," Owen added.
"Another cash payment," Slade said.
"We are hoping he will cut a deal in the morning once he understands he's been charged, not just as an accessory to murder, but also with grand theft, fraud and possession," Shanda said. "Depending on the zoo's response to all this, he could also be facing animal cruelty charges and veterinary malpractice for poisoning the orangutan."
"If he admits to it," Owen said. "We don't have any evidence linking him to the death of the orangutan, as of yet."
"We also matched up the urine bag found at Faston's place with the brand missing from the zoo. I also have the video clip of Matthew taking it," Kim added.
"I can't see how any of this connects with the board," Slade said. "The break in at Faston's gives us reason to believe the evidence was planted."
"It's possible, maybe even likely," Owen said. "But we can't be sure."
"At this point, it's really gonna boil down to what we can get out of Matthew in the morning," Shanda said.
"This is almost certainly going to point to Selina," Mark said. "I'd bet my bottom dollar that Matthew will roll over on his sister. She is the only link from him to VRTactuals."
"Well, since the judge denied the search warrant for Selina's home as well as her arrest warrant. We have no choice but to wait," Owen said.
"Such bullshit. Anyone can see where this is leading," Slade snapped. "Can you forward me a copy of this warrant?"
"Sure." Click Click and it was on the way.
"We did put a lookout on her property to observe any comings and goings," Shanda offered.
Mark opened the warrant, reviewed it, and noted the address wasn't far away. "Surveillance," Mark scoffed. "I suppose that's better than nothing. Captain Mullens needs to man up and find a way to get those warrants on her before we've missed our chance."
The team fell silent and looked through Slade. He turned to find the captain standing behind him.
"So now you want me to circumvent the legal system so you can follow a hunch?" the captain asked, annoyed.
"It's more than a hunch. As far as we can see, Selina is the only link between the orangutan, the urine bag, and the crime. Logically it makes sense," Slade insisted.
"Logic and proof are two different animals," the captain said. "But I'm glad to see you back here doing your job. At least there's that," he added.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Slade snapped back. "Since when do you micromanage my time?"
"Dammit, you should be here instead of vanishing like you have been." A frail arm hung in the air, a single boney finger pointing, accusing, as the captain pressed him. "Especially with Janey laid up."
"I'm following my intuition," Mark shouted, defensive. "I want to find this killer just as much as anyone else."
"Then share with us what you have," Owen said.
"You have a fresh lead?" the captain asked. "Let's hear it."
Slade's mind whirred. It was becoming harder to keep track of what he'd shared with this team and what he had kept from them. The pause caused some obvious malcontent among his coworkers. They rustled, shifted in their chairs, huffed out breaths of frustration. Detectives have a nose for incongruity.
"I know that look, mate," Owen said. "You're keeping something from us."
Slade decided to charge forward. "The problem here is not me. I'm doing my job. We have a judge issuing warrants that require things to be open and shut before we even have a chance to run down our investigation. It won't hurt anyone for us to gain access to Selina's home or bring her in for questioning, at least. I got half a mind to go down there myself and have a look around."
