BATON ROUGE (11 page)

“I’m on it,” Tim replied, not looking up from his computer screen.

Alexander continued to pace, trying to separate Georgina’s emotional turmoil from the nervous energy that filled him when he focused on the case.

He stood back and stared at the bulletin board with all the photos tacked up and staring back at him. He darted his gaze to the whiteboard, where the names of Michelle, Jax and Roger were written, along with notes about each one.

His eyes felt gritty. Despite storming off to bed fairly early, he’d been awake for most of the night. He’d tossed and turned, stared up at the ceiling and thought about what Georgina had said about him needing to let go of the Gilmer case.

On some level he recognized that he’d done everything humanly possible to save Kelly from the monster that had abducted her and then ultimately killed her. He just wished he’d been one minute sooner arriving at that warehouse, he wished he’d been able to shoot the bastard before he’d plunged that knife downward.

Maybe he did need some therapy. He’d been encouraged to see the agency shrink right after it had all happened, but he’d refused, afraid to show any weakness, afraid to admit how deeply that case had touched him.

He finally found himself back in his chair. Remembering what Georgina had told him about being a scapegoat child, he typed in the term to bring up some sites that had information on the issue.

He’d heard the term before but wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. As he read first one article and then another detailing both what a scapegoat child would suffer and the lasting effects that could occur, any anger he might have felt toward Georgina slowly melted away.

If what he’d read was true, then Georgina had spent the first sixteen years of her life being told she was defective, not wanted and not loved. Her mother hadn’t rushed to save her, her sisters hadn’t tried to protect her; rather, the entire family had deemed her unworthy and punished her for the simple fact that she’d been born a girl.

Was it any wonder she had been guarded throughout their marriage? Was it any wonder she’d been afraid to share the very core of her being with him? Maybe she needed therapy as much as he did.

It was close to noon when Director Miller came into the room with a file. Alex took it from him and buried it beneath his other files, knowing this one would contain the information he needed to know about Nicholas.

He’d look at it later, at home tonight, when Nicholas wasn’t around. “Why don’t we break for lunch,” he said. “Let’s plan to be back here in about an hour.”

Terry, Tim and Nicholas were the first out of the room. Georgina stood and started for the door, but he stopped her. “I want to apologize for my crappy mood last night and this morning,” he said.

“It’s okay,” she replied.

“No, it isn’t okay.” He took two steps closer to her, stepping into the achingly familiar scent that emanated from her. “I’m frustrated with the case, and I took it out on you.” While that wasn’t the complete truth, it was all he intended to say.

He couldn’t tell her that he loved her, that he’d never stopped loving her. He couldn’t tell her that she was an ache in his heart that was relentless. He didn’t want to burden her with his problem, and it was his problem.

“What did Director Miller give you?”

“Nicholas’s personnel file. We can take a look at it tonight when we get back to my place.” He intentionally didn’t say
home,
for
home
implied a place where they would live together, love each other.

“I still can’t imagine...” Whatever else she might have said was cut off by the ring of her cell phone. Her face paled and her eyes darkened as she sat back in her chair and answered.

Alexander moved to stand right behind her as Bob’s voice filled the line. “I nearly got you the other night,” he said. “I decided to shake things up a bit.”

“You definitely shook me up,” Georgina replied, her voice strong and showing her control.

Bob laughed, the altered sound a creepy one that Alexander knew would stay in both his and Georgina’s heads for a very long time to come. “You’re a feisty one, Georgina, but I would have had you if your friend hadn’t come along when he did. You are one lucky lady.”

“Bob, why don’t you end this all now? Nobody is dead and we can work together to get you help. You know we both share a similar background and I understand the rage that is driving you, but this isn’t the way to heal from it. You deserve better than this.”

“Oh, is this another attempt to bond with me? To find the innocent little child inside me and heal my boo-boos?” Bob’s voice held derision. “How have your childhood boo-boos healed, Georgina? Have you found your inner child and fixed what your family did to you?”

Alexander saw the faint tremble of Georgina’s hand as she quickly swiped it through her short hair and he knew that she hadn’t resolved the issues from her past, that they still haunted her despite the fact that she was now not only an adult, but a well-respected FBI agent as well.

“You’re a smart man, Bob. You didn’t have to kidnap all those people to learn how to kill. You could have read all the books on crime. You could have researched and gotten the same results.”

“I’ve done extensive research into the subject of serial killers and what drives them. I’ve studied case histories to understand what mistakes they made that ultimately landed them behind bars. But I also know there is a time when the teacher has to become the student and I could learn all kinds of things that weren’t in books by interrogating the men who had been in the trenches.”

“Then why do you need me? You have the best of the best at your disposal.”

“I don’t
need
you, Georgina. I just want you, and I always get what I want.” There was a click and the call ended.

“Not this time,” Alexander muttered under his breath.

Georgina leaned back in her chair and released a tremulous sigh. “Did you get anything out of that?”

Alexander sat next to her. “Play the recorded version.”

He was grateful that she’d stayed strong and Bob hadn’t played the mind games with her as he had before.

They listened to the conversation three times. There didn’t appear to be any background noise and his voice held no trace of any specific characteristic that would make anything about him easily identifiable.

“There’s something he said that shot off a little bell in my head,” she said.

“What’s that?”

“Something about it being time for the teacher to become the student.” She frowned thoughtfully. “The first thing that jumped into my head was Professor Tanner.”

Alexander sat back in his chair in surprise. “Professor Tanner?”

She shook her head and released a small laugh. “I know, crazy, right? Why would a highly esteemed college professor be kidnapping FBI agents to become a world-class serial killer?”

“As crazy as suspecting one of my own team having something to do with the kidnappings,” he replied.

“Maybe this case has just made us both so desperate that we really are crazy and grasping at very thin straws,” she said.

“Let’s go down to the cafeteria and talk about what it feels like to be crazy.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she agreed.

As they headed out of the room, Alexander mulled over her new potential suspect and the fact that once again Nicholas hadn’t been around when a call had come in. Was it possible that one of their own was responsible?

Could they really take a single line of conversation and make it point to an entirely new suspect? Or were they both grasping empty air in an effort to stop a madman?

Chapter Eleven

“Baker’s Bayou,” Tim said, breaking the silence that had prevailed in the war room since they’d all come back from lunch.

“What about it?” Georgina asked before Alex got the chance. The phone call with Bob followed by lunch in the cafeteria had filled her with a restless energy that refused to subside.

“In the early 1950s there was a small women’s prison located there.” Tim looked up from the computer screen. “It’s been abandoned all these years, but it would probably still have jail cells in there.”

Alex was up and out of his chair at the same time Georgina stood. “Tim, get me the exact coordinates. Nicholas, get on the phone and have Jesse Calder from Fish and Wildlife meet us there. He knows the swamps as well as anyone.

“Terry, call Matt and Frank and have them meet us at the mouth of Baker’s Bayou. Get the directions from Tim and tell them to come in quiet.”

Tim printed out a map with directions. Alex grabbed it and the three of them flew out the door. Georgina’s heart pounded loudly in her ears as adrenaline pumped through her.

Was it possible this was it? An old abandoned jail in the middle of a swamp would certainly fit the bill for good old Bob. Was it really possible that they’d located his lair?

They didn’t bother waiting for the elevator but instead took the stairs two at a time. They burst out of the back door of the building and raced to Alex’s car. Terry rode shotgun and Georgina climbed into the backseat. She barely had her door closed when Alex started the car and squealed out of the parking lot.

Terry read the directions that Tim had provided and other than that there was no conversation in the car. The energy level that filled the car made it feel as if there were twenty people in the vehicle.

She didn’t know the Baker’s Bayou area at all, but she had worked with Jesse Calder on a case once in the past. She swore he was part man, part swamp creature and he could guide them wherever they needed to go through any swamp in the state.

She knew they were headed into danger. Anytime there was a possibility of a hostage situation, everyone’s lives were at risk, particularly the hostages themselves.

The best they could all hope for was that when they did their initial preview of the building, Bob wouldn’t be there. She didn’t believe that Bob spent all of his time with his hostages. He had to have a job; if nothing else he had to make money to feed the people he held captive.

Sam and Daniella and little Macy had been missing for months. If they weren’t being fed, they would have already starved to death.

She glanced down at her watch. It was just after four. If they were lucky, they’d have at least four hours of daylight to maneuver and get into the place Tim had found. Darkness came early in the swamp and even with Jesse’s guidance, night would complicate the whole operation.

Her adrenaline shot higher when Alex told Terry to contact the rest of the team. He obviously thought that this was the break they’d been waiting for and they were on their way to save the people who had been missing for too long.

If they were really lucky, they could get into the building and wait for Bob to arrive. That way they would not only ensure the safety of the hostages, but get him under arrest at the same time.

She wanted that. She wanted the man who had caused such chaos, such pain, to be behind bars for the rest of his life where he couldn’t hurt anyone else ever again.

It felt as if it took forever to reach the location, but finally they were there and Alex parked on the grass near a dirt road that led into what she assumed was Baker’s Bayou.

When they got out of the car, the smell of the swamp hung in the air. The odor was fishy and one of stinking stagnant water and thick sucking mud.

The dirt road disappeared into a heavily wooded area, where cypress trees were nearly overwhelmed by Spanish moss, giving the whole area a spooky aura.

Georgina fought back a shiver as she stared into the semidarkness of the marsh. There was haunting beauty there, but there was also danger...and potentially seven people who desperately needed to be rescued.

She touched the butt of her holstered gun that was on a belt around her waist. She’d never had to kill a man before, but she wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet into Bob’s black heart if it became necessary.

Her firm resolve came from the memory of Macy’s frightened voice, the little girl’s blue eyes that looked at her day after day from her photo in the war room.

The nearby swamp wasn’t silent. Mosquitoes buzzed in the air, brush rustled and in the distance a watery slap indicated either a big fish or a gator.

“We’ll wait here until Jesse and the others arrive,” Alex said, his deep voice filled with tension. “According to this map that Tim printed out, there’s only one way in and one way out of Baker’s Bayou.” He pointed to the dirt road.

“Are there any homes in the area?” Terry asked.

“There might be a couple, but they look like they’re pretty close to the mouth. The building we’re looking at is toward the back of the cove. I just hope we don’t need a boat to get back there.”

“Surely Jesse will know, and if we need a boat he’ll have one with him,” Georgina replied.

They all turned as two cars arrived, one carrying Matt and Frank and the other with Nicholas behind the wheel and Jeff in the passenger seat. The men got out and Alex quickly filled them in.

“When Jesse arrives, Frank, Matt and I will go in with him. Terry, Nicholas, Jeff and Georgina will stand guard here to make sure that nobody comes out this way.”

“I’m not staying here,” Georgina said firmly. “I’m going in with you.”

“Georgina, you’re a target. I don’t want you anyplace near this man.” Alex’s eyes simmered with emotion as he attempted to stare her down.

She stared right back at him, her chin lifted in a show of resolve. She hadn’t come this far, suffered this much, to be relegated to the back of the line. She deserved to go in.

“I’m a trained FBI agent and I’m the only person here who has a personal relationship with Bob. I might be your only hope if things go bad. I’m coming with you.”

His eyes narrowed to blue slits of displeasure, even as he gave a curt nod of his head. “Okay, but you’ll be sandwiched between me and Jesse as we go in.”

“Whatever, as long as I go in with you,” she replied, pleased that he had listened to her, even though it was obvious he hadn’t wanted to.

Nobody was going to keep her out. She wanted to be there when the hostages were freed. She also wanted to be there if things went bad and somebody had to negotiate with Bob.

Jesse pulled up in a black pickup. He got out and strode toward them, looking like he was already part of the swamp. He wore a long-sleeved camouflage shirt and pants that disappeared into hip waders.

His long black hair was tied at the nape of his neck and his dark eyes were as flat as the gators he knew so well. He greeted them all with a raise of his hand and then took the map Matt proffered and studied it.

“I know this place,” he said. “Been back there a couple of times over the years. We won’t need a boat. There’s a narrow muddy path of sorts that we can walk with water on either side. The water is fairly deep and full of gators and snapping turtles and other critters. I suggest you all step where I step if you want to be as safe as possible.”

“We want to go in quiet and see if we can get a look inside,” Alex replied. “We don’t know if the man we’re hunting is there or not.”

Jesse’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Then let the hunt begin.” Without another word he headed toward the dirt road. Georgina hurried after him with Alex and Frank and Matt bringing up the rear.

They walked in single file down the road and within minutes reached an old shanty. Jesse and Georgina stood back as Matt and Alex checked out the place.

“It’s obviously been abandoned for years,” Alex said as he emerged from the listing structure. He motioned for them to forge ahead.

The road continued for about half a mile and then narrowed to a path and the swamp took over. Tall cypress, oak and elm trees blocked out much of the light of the day, the oaks wearing Spanish moss like delicate hair.

Georgina followed in Jesse’s footsteps but began to feel the suck of muck on her feet. The swampy smell was more intense and the bugs thicker and bigger. Pools of water stood on either side of the narrow path. Georgina kept her gaze focused on the path. She didn’t want to see what creatures the waters might hold.

If this was the right place, then how on earth had Bob managed to get the hostages through here? “Is there a waterway to the building where we’re going?” she asked Jesse, keeping her voice as soft as possible.

“Yeah, you could get there by a pirogue, you’d just have to enter the area north of where we did,” Jesse replied.

Georgina knew that a pirogue was a canoe-like boat and she also knew that the boats could be big enough to carry a body or two. Unfortunately, these boats weren’t registered through the state so there was no way of finding Bob by his means of transportation through the swampland, if that’s the way he traveled.

With each step she took, she felt the muck beneath her feet suck harder, making the simple act of walking difficult. Her shoes and pants would be ruined, but that was a tiny sacrifice to make if they were successful in freeing the victims and catching Bob.

The primal wildness that surrounded her added to the tension of the situation. The deeper they went into the marsh, the faster her heart beat, and a thin layer of perspiration began to coat her forehead.

They’d all pulled their guns when they’d begun the trek, and hers now felt slippery in her hand as the sultry heat made sweat trickle down her back and streak from her hair.

Get Bob. Free the captives. The two sentences became her mantra as they continued to walk for what felt like forever. Get Bob. Free the captives.

Would Bob turn out to be Jax or Roger or would he be somebody they hadn’t even met, somebody who hadn’t hit their radar?

Just when Georgina thought she couldn’t lift her mud-caked feet for another step, Jesse stopped and turned back to face them.

“The building is just ahead. It’s on dry ground. I don’t know how you want to handle the approach,” he said. “I could go ahead and check it out, see if the people you’re looking for are there.”

Alex frowned. “I appreciate the offer, but you’ve done your job by getting us here. I’d like it if you’d wait here to get us back out, but trained agents need to be the ones making contact from here.”

Adrenaline flooded through her and she forgot about the muck, the sweat and the bugs as she realized they were within sight of the place that hopefully would end this case once and for all.

“Matt and Frank, you go to the left of the building and Georgina and I will go right. Try to get close enough to look inside without being seen by anyone. We don’t want a hostage situation. We go in slow and quiet.” Alex’s terse voice spoke of the danger in the situation.

“And if they’re in there and Bob isn’t anywhere to be seen?”

“There has to be a front door of some kind. We’ll see what we can see and then if that’s the case we’ll meet at the front door to go in as a team.” He looked at Georgina. “Ready?”

She nodded. She’d never been more ready for anything in her life. Her head filled with the sound of Macy’s voice asking for help. “Let’s get this done.”

The four of them moved ahead where the path widened and although the area was heavily treed, the land rose higher than the swamp waters that surrounded it.

Through the thick stand of trees and brush, she could see the structure, a rather small, concrete-block building. Small windows were set high at regularly spaced intervals, each sporting a rusty-looking set of bars.

The place looked utterly abandoned, as if the swamp and the primordial wilderness had tried to swallow it whole. This was a place where people could scream and nobody would hear. This was a place that only a swamp rat would know about. And they’d already discerned that Bob was probably a spawn of the swamp.

As the two pairs split up, Georgina’s heart banged painfully tight against her ribs as the first tinge of hope she’d felt since beginning this case filled her. The emotion pressed tight in her chest, making her feel almost dizzy with anticipation.

They made their way stealthily through the brush and around the trees toward the right side of the building. Hopefully there would be a window somewhere on the side or in the back that would allow them to see inside without actually breaching the building.

Let them be here,
Georgina thought as she stayed close to Alex. Bugs bit at her and branches slapped her arms and legs as they worked through the woods and tried to stay covered from view.

Her heartbeat raced even faster as they finally reached the side of the building and saw a door with a window. Alex exchanged glances with her and in his eyes she saw the same hope that jumped inside her very soul.

Seeing nobody around and using the brush and trees to their advantage, they moved forward. Georgina got to the door first and carefully raised her head just enough to peek inside.

Her heart dropped to the muddy ground beneath her. Empty. Abandoned. There was nobody inside to save and it appeared that nobody had been inside the structure for years and years.

Alex muttered a curse as she turned and leaned against him, overwhelmed by the sense of defeat, of knowing that they were no closer to catching Bob and saving the victims than they’d been on the very first day that the task force had been formed.

Wearily she straightened and headed back. Failure. The weight of it was an accustomed one, a reminder that she would never be good enough, had never been good enough for much of anything.

Failure. It was the first thing she’d tasted when she’d been old enough to understand that she wasn’t what her family wanted, and she hated that the taste was no different now.

* * *

I
T
WAS
AFTER
SEVEN
when Alexander left the FBI building with Georgina at his side. The disappointment that the entire team had suffered when they’d arrived back at the war room was palpable.