Voice of fear, p.15
Voice of Fear, page 15
Her smile suddenly faded. “I know Jackson wants you and Jordan to talk to Marie Donnell again, with me listening in. After, I would like to see Alfie at the cemetery where he’s buried. To talk about Susie.”
“You’re still consulting?” he asked her.
“No, I’m editing a book right now called The Revenge of the Star People. Don’t laugh—it’s an excellent sci-fi read. But,” she added, wincing, “the book everyone wants me to work on is one about becoming a victim of The Embracer. Hard to work on when we still have so many questions! But as far as anything connected to finding Susie for Alfie Parker? I’m available.”
He nodded. Colleen, Mark, and Ragnar were coming over to join them. Colleen seemed to be hiding something of a secret smirk.
“What?” he asked her.
She grinned. “I’m going to love it when you’re in the academy,” she told him.
He arched a brow.
“Oh, come on. We’re all going to pressure you. And you’re going to realize just how good it is to work with people who are as weird as you are,” Colleen said. She laughed softly. “Besides, it seems you’re getting along just fine with Jordan. I thought you might.”
“We’re working together well,” he said flatly. Leave it to siblings—no matter how much you love them—to tease a man about his social life.
For all his abilities, he hadn’t realized Jordan was right behind him.
“So, I was just talking to Jackson,” she said. “Megan, it seems you’re headed out with Patrick and me to the correctional facility to attempt a conversation with Marie Donnell. I thought she’d refuse to see us. But apparently, visitors help to alleviate the boredom. It’s worth a try.”
“I’d wanted to talk to Connie about the kids, find out if she has been watching Susie’s child,” Patrick said.
“Jackson will have Connie here this afternoon,” Jordan said.
“Okay, so onward to Marie Donnell.”
Megan nodded. “I’ll be in the observation room.”
Colleen looked at him and said, “Mark, Ragnar, and I are going to take the dogs and head out to the woods. We keep searching the areas between the Victorian mansion and the graveyard and the other two sites where hostages were being held. So far, nothing. But Susie has to be somewhere.”
“I believe we’ll find her,” Patrick said.
“Alive, I’m hoping,” Megan added.
“If they had ‘punished’ her along with the men they killed, she would have been hidden in the graveyard, I think,” Patrick said. “They were so sure no one would ever find the bodies there. From what we have learned, Susie is clever and resilient. She’s a fighter. But she doesn’t know who to trust. And even if she does trust someone, I think she’s afraid no one can protect her. Anyway, are you ready, Megan? Is Hugo with us?”
“No, he’s going to the woods with those guys,” Megan said. “He’s good; he can help.”
“Bry-bo will be disappointed,” Patrick said. “But he’ll get over it.”
Megan laughed. “We have to give the dogs a playdate.”
“Definitely,” Mark said. “Okay, then, let’s move.”
They headed out with the dogs, splitting up to reach their cars. It was a given that they would keep in touch; they all waved and said it anyway.
“Hey, Bry-bo!” Megan said, crawling into the back with the dog. “Aren’t you glad to be here? You get to play with Hugo again, and it seems you get along great with Red.”
“Three males, alpha pups, and they all get along,” Jordan noted, looking out the window.
“They’re all well trained. And Bry-bo and Hugo have had plenty of playdates,” Patrick said. “Maybe we have weird dogs to go along with being weird people.”
“We’re not weird,” Megan argued. “We’re uniquely cursed!”
Jordan smiled at Megan’s words. But it was time to focus on getting Marie to talk. He was certain she had no intention of doing so. She just wanted to keep playing with them to get out of her boring circumstances for a while.
At the facility, Bry-bo headed into the observation room with Megan, and Patrick and Jordan entered the interrogation room where Marie Donnell was waiting for them.
“My, my, my!” Marie said. “I knew agents were coming, but I didn’t realize I’d get to see Wonder Woman again.” She smiled. “Sweetheart, I know you think you’re tough. And I’m so sorry, but that so-called toughness of yours is going to pay. Pay me. My lawyer is already preparing my suit against the federal government for the bodily injury you caused me as a victim.”
“That will have to go through court, won’t it?” Jordan said, smiling as she took a seat opposite Marie. “Who knows? There are so many young women ready to testify against you. Curious that you were given that extremely expensive suit to wear, while they were clad in scraps of fabric.”
“I don’t have to talk to you. I agreed to come here just to get a bit of time. But I have an attorney, a good one. And when you’re discredited and I’m vindicated, oh, honey, you are going to be so sorry. Oh! Dr. Law, I don’t mean to ignore you. It’s just that she manhandled me so horribly,” Marie said sweetly.
“Good luck with that,” Patrick said. “I don’t care how good your attorney is. The facts stand against you.”
“I don’t have to talk to you. I have rights. And by law—” Marie began.
“And yet here you are,” Jordan told her softly.
“Maybe I’m John Smith,” Marie told them. “Did you ever think about that? You’re Miss Tough Guy. Didn’t it occur to you that the main man might be a woman?”
“Yes, it did,” Jordan said.
“Again, I don’t have to talk to you.”
“I’m going to say that by not talking—by threatening us, by trying to get the judge to release you until your trial date, by wanting to be in the general population while being held—you’re telling us that Rory Ayers is John Smith,” Patrick said.
She smiled.
And her mind seemed open to Patrick. Yes, she was feeling good. Because they were right. Rory Ayers was the man who had taken on the pseudonym of John Smith. But Marie had been in his hierarchy.
“She was his top lieutenant,” he said quietly, glancing at Jordan. “But that didn’t mean she wasn’t terrified of him. She didn’t know he still had the ability to pull all kinds of strings even while incarcerated. But if he’s gone, well, there you have it. She’s on top of the world. We can go now. Marie, thank you for the information.” He rose with the last comment and Jordan followed.
“I didn’t give you any information at all!” Marie cried.
They ignored her and left the room.
“I didn’t know what she was thinking,” Jordan said after they thanked the guard. “But it was more obvious than ever that she was terrified of Rory Ayers. I think you’re right, though. She had to be like his right-hand woman. His top lieutenant. Angela says she has money in offshore accounts, and it’s starting to add up—”
She broke off. Megan had just come out of the observation room, Bry-bo at her heels.
Patrick looked at his sister. Her face was pale.
“What is it?”
“So much for Rory Ayers being in a coma!” she said.
Jordan’s mouth fell open. “But the doctors—”
“Dr. Larkin, who was his main caregiver, is dead,” Megan explained. “Angela called me, not knowing how you’d want to deal with Marie Donnell and the news. Ayers apparently came to, faked that he was still out, and killed Larkin with a scalpel. He also killed a guard, then escaped the premises in Dr. Larkin’s clothing.”
Jordan shook her head and looked at Patrick.
“So, he’s out again—out there killing again!” she said. “The question is, do we tell Marie? Or let her get the information in gen pop?”
Ten
Jordan turned to Megan, disbelieving such a thing had happened and wondering where they went from here.
Would Marie Donnell now feel forced to give them information because she had a new potential target on her back? Especially if they convinced her Rory Ayers believed she had given out information on him or had taken his money and power as her own?
“How the hell did this happen?” she asked Megan. “They knew that Rory Ayers was dangerous, suspected of far more than he was being charged with. How—”
“Was Rory Ayers not chained to the bed?” Patrick asked.
“I don’t know exactly. Jackson is heading to the infirmary now to get the details. But Ayers was to receive a test and he was being prepped for it. He got his hands on a scalpel. He also attacked a guard and two nurses, who were critically injured—blood loss—but have so far survived.” Megan shook her head, looking from Patrick to Jordan. “He had to have been awake for a while; he planned what he did. He took the doctor down, got the nurses, put the dead doctor on the table after stealing his coat and mask, and then called the guard in and got behind him, swiping the man’s throat from left to right.” She winced. “Jackson was told the place looked like a bloodbath; he can’t figure how Ayers managed to casually stroll out as a doctor. But then again, it seems the only time the man messed up was when he attempted to kill his own daughter and pretend that she’d been a victim.”
“He messed up when he went after Krewe members, too,” Patrick reminded her. He looked at Jordan and asked, “What do you say? Marie is still in that interrogation room. It sounds as if Jackson left the ball in your court.”
“We still have Connie waiting for us at headquarters,” Jordan said, worried. “I know the Marshals Service is excellent at what they do, and police are involved, but, Patrick, now that Rory Ayers is out, all those hostages are in extreme danger.”
Patrick nodded grimly. “Rory Ayers is the worst kind of psychopath. He has no empathy for anyone. I believe he condoned and orchestrated the Embracer murders because it was entertaining for him to help others assault and kill their victims. He would kill anyone for the fun of it and not feel a thing. But I’m not worried about those who are being protected.”
“You’re worried about Susie.”
“We all are,” Megan said. “That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I do believe she’s hiding out in the area. I managed to find an old friend of hers from when she was a teenager. Susie was hurt and broken, she told me. When she left, she said that she’d never come back. It would always be a place where terrible things were done to her, and where the one person who should have defended her betrayed her. Susie’s life has been cruel, to say the least. And I believe we haven’t found her because she just can’t bring herself to trust anyone.”
“All right. Let’s get back in with Marie Donnell,” Patrick said, looking at Jordan. “We’ll plant a few seeds and see if we can’t get something out of her. Then we’ll check in with Connie and see if she can provide us any clues at all.”
“Let’s do it,” Jordan said.
“Come on, Bry-bo. Time for us to watch and listen again,” Megan said, returning to the observation room with the dog.
“You start, Wonder Woman,” Patrick said, teasing and yet serious.
Jordan nodded and walked back into the room.
“What, you’re back? Oh, tough girl. This is the United States of America. You can’t force me to speak against myself. I do love those Founding Fathers!”
“I didn’t come back to force you to do anything,” Jordan said, pulling out a chair. Patrick did the same.
Marie was quizzical, frowning as she looked at the two of them.
“We’re glad you have an attorney and feel comfortable. That is the American way,” Jordan said.
“And, of course, in general population, you have friends,” Patrick said.
“Then again,” Jordan said, looking at Patrick and nodding, “you probably also have enemies.”
“Not when your friends are stronger,” Marie said complacently.
Jordan looked straight at her. “It’s amazing what can happen in prison. Like, take Rory Ayers... The man was found hanging, barely alive. He was in a coma.”
“Did he die yet?” Marie asked.
Jordan shook her head. “No. He’s very much alive. And out in the world again, I’m afraid. He has already murdered two more people. You know, Patrick,” she said, turning to him, “I’m willing to bet Rory Ayers faked that whole hanging. Not as a suicide attempt, but to get into the infirmary. Maybe he knew from the beginning exactly what he was going to do.”
“Definitely possible with Rory Ayers,” Patrick agreed. “That’s the thing about him; he is capable of real long-term planning.”
Jordan was glad to see Marie Donnell was silent and white as fresh-fallen snow.
“You’re lying. Rory didn’t get out!”
“He appeared to be such a devoted family man,” Patrick said, shaking his head as he looked at Jordan. “He was a pillar of society, a businessman. And all the while, behind the scenes, he was orchestrating not just his own deviant crimes, but serving as a puppet master.” He looked from Jordan to Marie. “That was it, right? He has one of the sickest minds out there. Now, I’m going to suggest he got you out of your last legal troubles, and in exchange, you became his lackey.”
“I was never a lackey!” Marie spit.
“Yes, you were. He engaged you, I imagine, by coming to you at first as a man simply infuriated that anyone had a right to say who could and couldn’t buy sex. You provided women with a living and men with entertainment,” Patrick said. “I’m sure Ayers was convincing with the things he said to you. They had no right to shut you down. Laws weren’t fair, they weren’t smart, and they didn’t make sense. And when he suckered you into it, you quickly realized he wasn’t just dealing with prostitution, but with human trafficking. But that didn’t really bother you, because, in your case, he showered you with money. You endeared yourself to him; you became one of his key people. Not a lackey—of course not. But you oversaw a lot of the money—most of which is in offshore accounts. And, though you found out just how quickly he would kill—I believe you paid the hit men—that was okay. But now he’s out, and he might just suspect the rumor out there is true; you intend to be a witness against him in court for a plea deal. I mean, you are an accessory to murder. That could command a death sentence since you’ll face state and federal charges. Of course, unless you are protected, I’m not so sure you’re going to have to worry about a death sentence, since, well, we all know what happens...”
“You—you can’t let anyone get to me,” Marie sputtered.
“We can’t do much. You told a judge yourself that you were innocent, a victim like all the others we rescued from various places,” Jordan said.
“I was a victim!” Marie cried. “Rory Ayers came to me. I didn’t know what I was getting into.”
“When you did, you didn’t care,” Jordan said tonelessly.
“Don’t you understand?” Marie demanded. “Once you get with Rory, there is no way out. Except death. There was no way out.”
“Well, the problem with that is, according to the women we’ve interviewed, you were cold as ice,” Patrick told her.
“I can help you!” Marie said.
“So,” Jordan said, leaning forward, “let’s make sure we have this straight. You are telling us Rory Ayers has been the head of a major criminal enterprise for years. Even behind bars, he managed murder, drug and human trafficking, and a dozen other crimes.”
Marie let out a sigh. “He had the warehouse where you found me and the others for years.”
“And you were managing everything for him. How did you receive your orders?”
“I would just check in with his attorney,” Marie said. “No, the attorney isn’t dirty. Rory and I had worked out a code a long time ago.”
“Are you the only one who knows Rory Ayers is John Smith?” Patrick asked.
She waved a hand in the air. “There were a few others. They were killed in the shoot-out.” She stopped, staring at them, shaking her head. “Look! You must protect me, really protect me! I—I mean, maybe he doesn’t know anything. I didn’t talk! But...”
“But?” Jordan asked. “Ah! But what if he does think you talked? If he thinks you were the reason we found the houses and the graveyard and all those people he was holding hostage? I mean, seriously, you were the one who knew everything, right? If I were Rory, I’d be wondering how anyone found out the way that we did. And since he escaped, killed a doctor and a guard, he knows he isn’t going to find any mercy when he’s caught.”
“If he’s caught,” Patrick said. “He is as slimy as an eel. That man spent years pulling off this charade. Even in trouble, he managed to get out.”
“I will give you everything,” Marie said. “Everything. But you have to promise—”
“I’m going to call Jackson Crow down here. You’ll give him everything,” Patrick said. “He will then see you’re protected.”
Patrick stood and Jordan did as well. Marie jumped to her feet. “But...what about now? You can’t put me with other people. You can’t just leave me. You can’t. Listen. There’s a place I own—under an alias, of course—where I hid a hard drive. You’ll only ever find it if I tell you where it is. I mean, forensics could find something if they’re tearing apart the warehouse, but you’ll never find the hard drive. Please! You can’t just leave me here.”
Patrick and Jordan started for the door.
“No, no, don’t leave me without someone making sure I’m protected. The hard drive is in a little nook in the bathroom wall. It looks as if it just holds toiletries. There’s a spot you hit directly behind the toothbrush. Don’t leave me. There’s so much I can tell you!”
Jordan glanced at Patrick. Marie had gone from being cool as a cucumber to someone on fire with fear.
Because she knew Rory Ayers.
He nodded to her. “All right. Jordan, give Jackson a call, will you? He should get here quickly.”
