Alone in the Dark (19 page)

‘How were you planning to get his corporate staff list?’ Stone asked.

She waggled her brows. ‘I was thinking of sending someone in with a delivery. You can get a lot of info from mailroom clerks. But it would need to be someone young – or who looks young. Someone who could pull off being a courier. Someone who hasn’t had any photos of himself in the press, unlike Stone, and who doesn’t scare small children with his tattoos, unlike Diesel.’ She gave her brother a beaming smile, and Phillip sighed.

‘Give me the address. I’ll go home and get my courier uniform and my bike.’

‘Start with the ladies’ names,’ Lisette said, sobering. ‘Guys like this pick on people they think are weaker than they are.’

‘I know what to do,’ Phillip reminded her. ‘I’ve done this before.’

He had, and successfully. Phillip had a youthful face that people simply trusted.

‘And if we can’t get any legit goods on him?’ Stone asked, and the table again fell silent, everyone turning to Marcus.

‘Then we find a way to create a situation he can’t resist,’ Marcus said. They had used entrapment only once, when the suspect was a child predator who’d been too smart to get caught by police chat-room stings. Because they weren’t cops, they weren’t bound by the same anti-entrapment rules. And that perp was now serving eight-to-twenty-five in the state pen. Life without rules could be a beautiful thing.

‘What about the foster family situation?’ Cal asked.

‘That one came from a contact at the high school,’ Marcus said. ‘One of Mikhail’s friends.’ A wave of emotion hit him like a brick and he had to clear his throat. ‘He called to tell me goodbye because he’s headed off to college. He was, um, missing Mickey.’ The room went still as Marcus focused on filling his lungs with air. Just saying Mikhail’s name could still suck all the oxygen from a room. ‘They were always supposed to go to college together, the two of them and another boy. Best friends, you know.’

‘John,’ Stone murmured. ‘Those boys were joined at the hip. I always forget we aren’t the only ones to miss him.’

Marcus swallowed hard when Lisette leaned against Stone, resting her head on his shoulder, trying to give him comfort.

There was no romance, not among any of them. But they all loved one another just the same. In many ways, he and Stone had ended up far better than Marcus had ever hoped. He liked to think his grandfather would be happy to see this. And maybe a little proud.

He cleared his throat again. ‘Anyway, John and I got to talking. He was sad because, of the three of them, only he was going away to the college they’d picked. The third boy got accepted and would have been a scholarship student, but right before graduation, he “went all zombie”. John’s words. He said it was like the lights went out overnight. The boy failed his finals, his GPA dropped and he lost his scholarship. John’s afraid to go away to school now, worried that his friend might do something stupid, like kill himself.’

‘Hell of a burden for an eighteen-year-old boy to carry,’ Cal said gruffly.

‘The kid was molested,’ Stone said flatly. ‘He was in foster care?’

Marcus nodded. ‘Yeah. John said he tried to get him to go to the authorities, but the boy wouldn’t – and made John promise he wouldn’t call the hotline. Apparently there are other kids there who would suffer. Kids this boy was protecting. John thought that he could get around his promise by asking me to call, but I told him to give me a few days. That I’d see what could be done so that all the kids would be protected.’ He turned to Diesel, who looked ready to kill. ‘You want a shot at this foster scum’s computer before I go to Children’s Services?’

Diesel huffed. ‘Try to stop me.’

‘D,’ Lisette murmured, ‘be careful.’

Diesel bared his teeth in a parody of a smile. ‘You always say that, Lissy. And I’m always careful. No way I’m letting some sick sonofabitch off the hook because I got careless.’

She nodded, still wary. ‘You’re already tracing the emails for Marcus and digging into Mr Rich and Arrogant. Let me help you. You don’t have to carry this one alone.’

‘Yeah, sweetie, I do,’ Diesel said grimly. No one ever talked about Diesel’s background, but everyone knew that child rapists were his temper’s trigger. It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots. ‘I’ll back-burner Rich and Arrogant for a day or two. If I haven’t found anything to nail Foster Dick, then I’ll come to you for help.’

‘All right,’ Marcus said. ‘What about legit business? What stories are we covering today?’

‘Well, the girl in the alley is our lead,’ Lisette said. ‘There were a few minor stories that showed up in the police reports this morning. Nothing as big as yours.’ She briefly went through each one, detailing which of her small group of reporters she planned to send, and it started to sound like a normal staff meeting.

Lisette glanced over at Diesel, who was already on his laptop, his expression too intense, then back at her brother. ‘I’d like you to do the groundwork for Diesel on Mr Rich and Arrogant. His plate is full.’

‘I’m fine,’ Diesel growled.

Phillip nodded at Lisette, ignoring Diesel. ‘Will do.’

They spent another twenty minutes discussing the more routine business – sports, the arts, all subjects that were unlikely to get any of them threatened or shot at.

‘If no one has anything else, then we’re done,’ Marcus said. ‘Keep me informed.’

The team filed out of the conference room, Cal bringing up the rear. The old man paused at the door, looking over his shoulder. ‘Have you told your mother what happened this morning?’

Marcus shook his head, feeling nauseated at the thought. ‘No, but I will. She needs to hear it from me and not from Stone’s story.’

Cal gave him a nod and closed the door behind him, leaving Marcus sitting alone, dreading the conversation with his mother. Either way he cut it, she’d be devastated. That he’d been protecting ‘a stranger’, as she’d put it, would make it worse. Protecting ‘a stranger’ was how she’d nearly lost him nine months ago. She couldn’t see past that point.

His mother had buried Mikhail. And Matty, so long ago. They never spoke of the third of her five children. No one wanted to hurt her. But Marcus had hurt her again by getting injured that day nine months ago. He’d hurt her when he joined the army, too. He would hurt her again when he told her about this morning.
Hell, maybe Stone was right. Maybe I do have a death wish.
But he wouldn’t change anything he’d done. Not even that one most despicable thing that haunted him more than all the others put together. But none of that was relevant. Those mental images flashing through his mind had nothing to do with the reality of what he had to do today, so he pushed the memories from his mind and focused.

He still had a list to compile for Scarlett Bishop – one that wouldn’t arouse any undue curiosity. And he still had to figure out what to do about Jill. And Gayle. And of course there was Tala. As soon as he was done with the damn list, he’d go to the park and start looking for anyone who could ID that poodle.

But first he’d call his mother. Straightening his spine, he prepared himself for her anger. Prepared to apologize without agreeing to change his behavior. Because he planned to continue protecting ‘strangers’ – as often and as long as he was able to, whether his mother liked it or not.

Eight

Cincinnati, Ohio
Tuesday 4 August, 8.15
A.M.

When Scarlett arrived at the morgue, she found Deacon waiting for her outside the door to the autopsy suite.

‘Did Carrie tell you anything when she called to tell us to come over here?’ he asked.

‘Only that she had something to show us.’ Dr Carrie Washington, the ME, was not a chatty woman. ‘Your buddies at the Bureau any help?’

‘Maybe. The Bureau’s watching several suspected trafficking operations in the Midwest, most of them here in Ohio. The Cincinnati Field Office has the lead, so all of the data flows through here. That should work in our favor.’

Scarlett shook her head. ‘You know, I’ve read the Bureau’s reports on trafficking and I’ve been trained to spot the victims, but every time I hear that Ohio has one of the highest rates in the whole country, I think it’s got to be some kind of mistake.’ But she knew it wasn’t. The most recent stats had Ohio in the top ten, closely trailing the ‘usual suspects’ of California, New York, Florida and Texas. Hell, Toledo alone was the third worst city in the entire country for sex trafficking. Which was damn hard to believe. ‘I mean,
Ohio
? Seriously?’

‘Location, location,’ Deacon said grimly.

‘I know, but still . . .’ Sitting just a hop-step from Canada, with the I-75 corridor running straight through the state, Ohio was an ideal distribution route for all kinds of illegal activity. That Cincinnati was the I-75 gatekeeper at the southern end of the state meant that local law enforcement had always needed to be vigilant when it came to catching drug runners. Every rookie knew what to look for. But this . . . The trafficking of humans through the state was still new to law enforcement.
At least our awareness of it is
. ‘I wonder how long it’s been going on right under our noses,’ she murmured.

‘Far longer than we think, I’m sure. Most of the information I saw at the field office this morning dealt with the sex trade, so we might find a connection to Tala.’

‘You’re assuming she was forced into prostitution?’

‘Aren’t you?’

‘Yeah,’ she admitted. ‘Especially with the way she tried to pay Marcus back for his help. Besides, dog walking can’t be her only job.’

‘Exactly. The agent heading the investigation is checking to see which, if any, of the suspected operators deal in Filipino women. He’s supposed to get back to me by lunchtime. What about you? Did the two homeless people see anything valuable?’

‘Edna and Tommy were gone when I walked back to my car. They may have gotten nervous with all the sirens and taken off. I swung by Dani’s shelter to see if they’d gone there. They hadn’t yet, but they might still. If I can’t find them at the shelter, they’ll be back at their stoop later tonight.’

‘Have you heard from Marcus?’

She nodded. ‘He sent the video files of the park and the alley like he promised. I got a few decent quality stills of both Tala and Coco the poodle from them. I ran copies of the stills for the uniforms to show the homeowners around the park. But my biggest takeaway was that Tala appeared to know the person who shot her.’ And that Marcus had been literally shaking at the sight of the bullet hole in her skull. But sharing that felt too much like a betrayal. Which was ridiculous, as she owed the man nothing. Still, it wasn’t relevant, so she kept it to herself.

‘Interesting. Marcus didn’t mention that.’

‘He may not have realized it himself.’

‘I imagine he knows now. I don’t guess he’d have sent us video files he hadn’t personally reviewed.’

‘I’m sure you’re right about that,’ she murmured, still stunned that Marcus had allowed her to see his pain. ‘The dog may be our best lead out of the video. Very fancy schmancy. So I talked to Delores Kaminsky – you know, the woman who runs the shelter where Faith got Zeus.’

Deacon blew out a disgusted breath. ‘Please tell me that she misses the damn shoe-chewer and wants him back.’

Scarlett’s lips curved. Deacon was very particular about his shoes, keeping them so shiny that one could see one’s face in them. At least until Faith had brought Zeus home. Now Deacon’s shoes bore the marks left by tiny pointed puppy teeth. Even though he pretended to be grouchy about the dog, Scarlett knew he was the worst offender when it came to spoiling the ball of orange fur. ‘Nope, sorry. But she’s putting together a list of high-end groomers who might have given Coco her ’do.’

‘Groomers,’ Deacon said thoughtfully. ‘I hadn’t thought of that. Smart.’

‘Thanks. But what I don’t have yet is the list of the people who made threats to Marcus and the
Ledger
’s
reporters. I’ve emailed and texted and even called Marcus, but he hasn’t answered any of my messages.’ Which made her both suspicious and disappointed that he hadn’t kept his word.

‘Do we really need that list now? Especially if Tala knew her killer?’

‘Probably not, but Lynda wants to be sure he isn’t withholding the list because he’s hiding something that can come back to bite us in the ass later, particularly if he’s eventually called to be a witness. I was on my way to his office to pick up the list in person when I got the call from Carrie to come here. Ready to go in?’

Deacon grimaced. ‘Yeah. Let’s get this over with.’

A sentiment Scarlett understood. Bracing herself for the odor she wouldn’t get used to if she lived to be a hundred, she pushed open the door to the morgue and grabbed a mask and gloves from the bin just inside, prepared to do her job without complaining.

Carrie looked up from the body on her autopsy table, her eyes magnified by the goggles she wore. ‘Detectives.’ She pulled a sheet up over the body with a respectful care that always tugged at Scarlett’s heart. ‘I’m glad you’re here. This way, please.’ She motioned them to follow her to the wall of refrigerated drawers and pulled one of them halfway out, revealing the top half of Tala’s body. ‘We ran her prints through AFIS but came up with nothing, so she’s got no record.’

Scarlett stared down at Tala’s face, remembering the desperation in her eyes seconds before a bullet ripped through her gut, and the agonizing grief in Marcus’s voice when he’d seen the bullet hole in her head. Gritting her teeth against the tears that stung her eyes, Scarlett pushed everything from her mind and focused on the body of a young girl who should still be alive. And free.

‘I hope the poodle is a decent lead,’ she muttered. ‘Otherwise we got nothin’ to ID her. Cause of death was the head wound, right? Nothing weird or funky we need to know?’

‘Lots of funky,’ Carrie said, ‘but more about her life than her death. She was in very good health. Good dental care, especially in the last few years. Someone had all the cavities in her mouth filled, fairly recently.’

‘What is “fairly recently”?’ Scarlett asked.

‘Longer ago than a year, but no longer than five years, if I had to guess. Her blood tests are within normal levels for all the major vitamins. Her body weight is normal for her height, so she was not nutritionally deprived – but again this is fairly recent. The X-rays show low bone density in her legs and arms.’

Deacon frowned. ‘She was malnourished as a child, but her captors have been feeding her well?’

‘I can only tell you she ate well,’ Carrie said. ‘It’s your job to figure out where she got the food.’

‘Did you find any evidence of drugs in her system?’ Scarlett asked.

‘Urinalysis came back clean for the usuals, but I’ve sent blood to the lab for a more detailed screening. I should have that tomorrow.’ Gently she drew Tala’s hand from beneath the sheet. ‘Her hands are rough but her nails and cuticles are well kept. She has calluses on all her fingertips and her knees. She’s done manual labor, but someone wanted her hands to look nice. The skin on her face is also smooth. Outwardly – and clothed – she appears the picture of health.’

‘But?’ Deacon asked.

‘But she was beaten. Not enough to break any bones, but enough to leave bruises.’ Carrie pulled the sheet to Tala’s waist, exposing her torso.

Scarlett sucked in a breath. ‘Fucking hell,’ she whispered. Nasty dark bruises covered the young woman’s entire torso. ‘What’d they hit her with?’

‘Fists would be my guess, at least for these bruises. Somebody knew what they were doing, hitting her hard enough to cause pain but not enough to require a doctor to set a broken bone or stitch cut flesh.’

‘And hitting her where no one would see,’ Deacon said quietly. ‘Her shirt hid the bruises so that when she walked the dog no one would suspect.

‘What did you mean by “cut flesh”?’ Scarlett asked, not wanting to hear the answer. Carrie gently turned the body, and Scarlett winced. Beside her, Deacon hissed a curse. Tala’s back was a mass of bruises, welts and open cuts.

‘It appears to have been done by the buckle end of a belt. Nothing fancy or unique.’ Carrie’s voice was toneless as she resettled the body and pulled the sheet back over it, her hands briskly capable. But her breath hitched a little as she pulled the drawer out the rest of the way, her swallow audible in the quiet of the morgue.

‘You okay, Carrie?’ Scarlett asked softly.

Carrie’s smile was thin. ‘Yeah, sure. It’s just that the ones with bruises . . .’ She blew out a breath, cleared her throat. ‘The welts continue down the backs of her legs, but again, they were hidden by her jeans. Which also hid this.’ She pulled the bottom of the sheet up to Tala’s knees, revealing a strip of skin worn red and raw, scattered with lesions. A few inches above her ankle, the strip was about an inch high and extended all the way around her leg. ‘She was wearing a tracking device, the kind that probationary prisoners wear.’

Scarlett blinked, her thoughts scrambling. ‘You cut it off her?’ she asked carefully, keeping the
without telling us?
accusation from her voice.

Carrie nodded. ‘It was still transmitting when my assistant started processing her. He called CSU, who got here about the same time I did. CSU cut it off and took it with them to the lab. They said they’d contact you about it.’

Scarlett pursed her lips, annoyed. ‘They didn’t. I would have liked to have known about that.’ She glanced up at Deacon. ‘Did they contact you?’

He shook his head, clearly equally annoyed. ‘Nope. We’ll deal with it when we’re done here.’ Then he turned back to Carrie. ‘If they cut it off her and it was still transmitting, it would have sent a tampering alarm to whoever was monitoring it. I might have wanted to time that alarm to our advantage.’

‘Depends on the style of tracker they used,’ Scarlett said, shoving her annoyance aside for the moment. ‘If it detected a pulse or body temp, it would have alarmed the moment she died, or at least as her body cooled. When and where they cut it off her might not have mattered.’

‘The lab will tell us what kind of tracker it is, so we’ll at least have an indication of when her captors knew she was gone, assuming they weren’t the ones who killed her.’ Deacon frowned down at the body. ‘Either way, the tracker makes no sense. If she knew she was being tracked, why would she arrange to meet Marcus in an alley? She had to have known they’d follow her.’

‘She did,’ Scarlett murmured, the look in Tala’s eyes the split second before she was shot making more sense now. ‘She knew who shot her. She knew they’d come after her. Maybe she thought that by leaving in the middle of the night they wouldn’t notice for a while.’

‘But they watched her at night,’ Deacon said. ‘She walked the dog at night.’

Scarlett bit at her lip, thinking. Something was off, a detail either missing or perhaps not noticed or understood, but she wasn’t sure what it was. ‘Not every night. There were a few nights Marcus sat for hours and she didn’t show up. Now I’m wondering why that was. It wasn’t like they knew she was stopping to listen to him in the park, or they wouldn’t have let her return night after night. Why the sporadic schedule?’

‘Maybe they had someone else walk the dog those nights, somebody who picked a different path through the park. And maybe they did finally figure out she was stopping to listen to him. Maybe that’s what triggered this beating. Didn’t Marcus say she was limping the last time he saw her in the park, and that it was at a different time of the day?’

‘Yeah, he did. It was what pushed him to leave his card on the bench.’ Scarlett turned to the ME. ‘Carrie, did you see any evidence of other beatings in the past?’

‘No. Her back and legs are too torn up for any scars to be visible to the naked eye, but I might be able to see older subdermal scarring with an ultrasound. How important is it?’

‘I don’t know. Maybe not at all. I’d just like to know what we’re dealing with here.’

‘I’ll do the test this afternoon.’ Carrie pulled the sheet down to cover Tala’s legs, gently smoothing it with a light swipe of her gloved hand before pushing the drawer closed. Her gentleness had Scarlett’s throat tightening, just as it did every time she’d witnessed it. Apparently reserved for victims of violence, it was motherly in its own way. Almost as if Carrie were tucking a child into bed at night.

I couldn’t leave her alone in the dark.
The words Marcus had spoken in the alley hit Scarlett’s mind with a hard slam. He’d sounded bleak and . . . lost. And Scarlett wondered why. Was it simply the shock of seeing a girl gunned down in front of him? Somehow she didn’t think so. He’d served in the military, and as bad as Tala’s shooting had been, he’d likely seen things far worse.