Dark Powers (23 page)

Judd resumed his place on the sofa. Ben and Cole took chairs on either side of him.

The chief fixed Ben with a combative glare. “You have a damn funny way of asking.”

“True, but we’re going to give you a little incentive.” He kept his gaze fixed on Judd, gauging the man’s reaction. “We know there’s a smuggling operation going on out at Pine Fairways—with a delivery having arrived tonight. And we know the alternate location is the warehouse where we found that body. Well, not in the building, but outside at the dock. That’s why you were so hot under the collar when you found me and Sage poking around there.”

Ben had expected the chief to react with anger or outraged denial. In fact, to Ben’s astonishment, the man’s expression changed to one of relief. “You know all that?”

“Yes.”

“So the operation’s blown, whatever happens now?”

“Yeah.”

Judd looked thoughtful. “But the way it works, the guy who testifies against the others can cut a deal.”

Ben nodded.

“So if I’m willing to spill my guts to the State’s Attorney, you think that smart lawyer who came down here and got you out of the pokey could get me a good deal?”

Ben struggled to keep his jaw from dropping open.

“Yeah, I see you’re surprised,” the chief continued. “But I’ve been thinking for a couple of years now that I was in deep shit, and I didn’t know how to dig my way out. Did you ever get yourself into something that you wished to hell you could get out of—only you knew you were stuck?”

Ben glanced at Cole, then back at the chief. “As a matter of fact, yes.” The chief’s words had zinged him back to the six months of horror he’d spent on the
Windward
—until Cole and Emma Richards had shown up.

“And now you can help me get out of this
town
from hell. On the surface it looks peaceful.” He laughed mirthlessly. “Poke in the swamp a little bit, and dead bodies come floating to the surface.”

“I think you can get a good deal, if you’re willing to testify against the others. Who else is involved besides George Myers?”

“The mayor.”

“What are you bringing in?”

Judd kept his gaze steady. “I’m not bringing anything. Myers and Hinton make all the arrangement. And it’s Myers in charge, not the mayor. I get the feeling Myers has something on him, but I don’t know what.”

“And we stumbled into the middle of it tonight,” Ben muttered.

oOo

“What does it mean that you’re here?” Laurel repeated her earlier question, her voice not quite steady.

“That he knew I was looking for you, and he wanted to stop me.” Sage focused on her sister. “I’m not giving up. You can’t either.” She scrunched herself into a ball, then carefully worked her body through the loop formed by her arms and the handcuffs. After some effort she was able to slip her hands from her back to her front.

Cautiously, she stood up and walked on shaky legs as far as the chain would allow.

“You come this way,” she said to Laurel.

Her sister got off of the bed and came toward her. If they reached out their hands, they could touch each other, but that was all.

Sage turned around and looked at the place where her chain was attached to the wall, then to the place where Laurel’s chain was attached. The wall mounts were different. Laurel’s was fixed to a metal plate. Hers was on a bolt that went directly into the wall. “What have you got over there?” she asked Laurel. “A knife? A fork? Anything sharp?”

“I have a fork.”

“Give it here.”

Again they walked toward each other. Laurel reached out and handed her the stainless steel utensil. She brought it back to the place where the bolt was secured to the wall and stabbed at the plaster, having to move both hands at once because of the cuffs. A tiny bit of plaster came off.

Laurel watched her. “That’s going to take all day, especially with your hands like that.”

“You have a better idea?”

“No.”

Sage went back to working on the wall, and as she dug at the plaster and twisted with the fork tines, she thought about Ben. About their relationship. He was the kind of man she’d wanted since she was a teenager. She’d finally found him, and she might not be alive to have anything more with him. Not if the man in the hood came back before she dug the chain out of the wall.

Chapter Sixteen

Judd answered Ben’s question about the smuggling operation. “I get a cut for making sure nobody interferes with the operation. They’re bringing in anything they can make money on. Mary Jane. Coke. Fake prescription drugs. From here it gets trucked to Baltimore.”

Ben made an angry sound.

“People who need the real drugs and take that stuff can die,” Cole said.

“I fought against that, but I don’t have the power in this game. Once I let them suck me in, that was it.”

“And you sent a man to follow Sage and try to run her down,” Ben accused.

The chief kept his gaze steady. “I sent a man to sniff out what she was doin’. It wasn’t my idea to try and run her down.”

“Or run us off the road after dinner that first night?”

“Sorry about that. George Myers wanted to discourage you.”

Ben kept his gaze on the chief. Although Ben wanted to despise the guy, he understood the man better than he was going to admit. But neither of their past sins was important now.

“I want your word you’ll help me find Sage and Laurel.”

“You’re sure Sage is kidnapped?”

“Ninety nine percent. I mean, what else could it be?”

“She could have decided to go back to Baltimore.”

“She was adamant that she was going to find her sister. She wouldn’t just give up. And even if she had, she didn’t take the car. How would she have gotten out of here? And she couldn’t have called her mom to give her a ride because someone paid off Angel Baker to butt out.”

Judd sighed. “Yeah.”

“And we smelled chloroform in the motel room,” Cole added.

“Jesus. I guess you’re right, then.”

Ben kept his voice even. “I have to think the kidnapper went after her because we were trying to find Laurel—unlike anybody else in town. He was safe until we got here.”

The chief gave a little nod.

“You ever get a report of two women missing within days of each other?”

“No.”

“Which means that both of them are in extreme danger,” Ben said. “Because the kidnapper is acting out of pattern. We have to assume he took Sage because of the investigation, and now he’s going to get rid of them both.”

He kept his gaze fixed on the chief. “Laurel might have been more aware that something could happen to her if you’d acknowledged the other kidnappings.”

“I understand that,” Judd clipped out. “And as far as I’m concerned, the cover-up ends now.”

“Then let’s find Sage and Laurel and stop this guy from killing again.” He nodded at Cole. “We went out to have a look around the area bordering the Pine Fairways tonight—and unfortunately we left Sage at the motel.” He grimaced. “Because I thought the golf course was dangerous.”

“You were staking out the smuggling operation?” Judd asked.

“No. We stumbled into that.” Ben continued to watch the chief.

“Do you have any idea who’s got the women?”

“I’ve been over it in my mind a million times, and my best guess would be George Myers. He’s got plenty of space to hide somebody and plenty of money to set up anything he wants. Then there’s William Hinton. He’s got it into his head that he can do anything he wants around here.”

“And if Hinton or Myers had kidnapped Sage and Laurel, you wouldn’t be protecting them now?”

Judd blustered at that. “No.”

“But you kept the kidnappings quiet for years.”

“It was just foreign girls.”

“They don’t count?”

“I guess the town fathers don’t think so. Not if it means screwing up the tourist trade.”

“What about Laurel?”

“They told me to treat her disappearance the same way.”

Ben made a snorting sound. “That’s just wonderful.”

“Like I said, I couldn’t refuse.”

“They have something else on you?”

“Only what I mentioned. Once I agreed to let them bring illegal stuff in, I was as much a part of the operation as they were.”

“Is there anything you think would help find Sage and Laurel? Anything at all?”

Judd shook his head. “I wish there were.”

Ben clenched his hands into fists. “If you don’t have any leads, we’re going back out to Pine Fairways. And you’re going to make sure nobody stops us.”

“What’s the golf course got to do with anything?”

Cole answered. “Ben got a tip that there was another body out there. We went out to investigate, and I found it.”

“Wait a minute. That was
you
out there tonight?”

“Yes.”

“The way I heard it, they shot at a big dog.”

Cole shrugged. “I guess they had it wrong. Or they didn’t want to admit they shot at a person.”

Judd flapped his hands in frustration. “Christ!”

“The three of us are going out there again,” Ben said. “And this time you’ll make sure nobody interferes.”

“And what are you going to do?”

“Examine the body for clues,” Ben answered. “Like I did at the warehouse.” He didn’t explain the unusual way he did that.

“And you really think that will lead us to the guy who snatched Laurel and Sage?”

“It’s our best shot,” Ben answered. “Unless you can come up with something better.”

Judd shook his head; then he rose. “I’ll get some shovels.”

“No need,” Cole answered. “The body was lying on a blanket, on top of the ground.”

The chief looked at Ben. “Sounds like the way that other girl was laid out at the warehouse.”

“Exactly.”

And Laurel was next. Laurel and Sage, he thought with a grimace. Unless he could find them first.

He wanted to scream in anguish and rage. He wanted to sock the chief in the jaw for all the times he’d looked the other way, but he kept himself under control. An emotional outburst wasn’t going to do them any good. He had to keep cool—and do what he had to do.

They went in two vehicles, with Ben in the lead and the chief following in his fancy truck.

“You trust him?” Cole asked. “I mean, you think that when we get there, we won’t find a bunch of guys with guns pointed at us?”

“I think he’s telling the truth. He hates the position they pushed him into, and he wants to get out. And I do think he wants to find Laurel and Sage—and figure out who killed the other women. That will count in his favor, too.”

“But when push comes to shove, will he cave?”

“I have to take a chance on him. I know what he’s going through. That feeling of being trapped. And I understand why he wants to get himself out from under the thumb of Myers and Hinton.” Ben swallowed hard. “But I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

“You didn’t drag me.” Cole paused before saying, “We need to focus on business. I didn’t have a chance to mark the location. I’ll have to find it again.”

“But you think you can?”

“I caught the scent before. It will lead me back.” He laughed. “Even when I’m not in wolf form, I’ve got a pretty effective nose.”

“I noticed.”

This time, they drove onto the golf course property, and Cole directed Ben to the closest place to park.

Judd eased up behind them.

As they all stood on the shoulder, one of the private security cars pulled up, and a uniformed guard got out. Ben tensed as he anticipated a confrontation.

The guard looked questioningly at Judd. “Sir?”

“Police business,” the chief snapped.

“Was this cleared with Mr. Myers?”

“I said, police business.”

Ben was astonished when the guard pressed the issue.

“What is the nature of the business?”

“A murder investigation,” Judd answered, punching out the words. “I suggest you leave us to it.”

The guard looked like he wanted to say something else. Instead he got back in his vehicle and drove away.

“Thanks,” Ben said.

“You see how it is.”

“I do.”

Ben looked up at the sky, and he could see dawn approaching. “We’d better get moving. I think we’re safest if you come with us.”

Judd brought up the rear as they headed into the woods. The ground was boggy, and sometimes they had to walk around patches of standing water.

“Should have worn boots,” Judd muttered. He looked at Cole. “I guess you already ruined one pair of shoes.”

“Yeah,” the Decorah agent answered without bothering to explain that he hadn’t been wearing shoes on his last trip to the area.

He walked rapidly, dragging in drafts of air as he went, and Ben knew he was sniffing out the remains.