Did You Miss Me? (25 page)

‘Hello,’ Joseph said, showing them his badge. ‘I’m Special Agent Carter, FBI. I’d like to ask you some questions about this house. Can I have your names, please?’

‘I’m Arwen Jacobsen,’ the executive said, then introduced the others – two teachers, a retired nurse, a bus driver, and a pastor. ‘We’ve been hoping somebody would do something about that place, but we were afraid to call.’

‘Why?’

‘We thought a family would move in. Instead, it was a place of business. We’re not zoned for business. This is a nice neighborhood.’

‘It was,’ the pastor said morosely.

‘What kind of business?’ Joseph asked.

‘We think it was drugs,’ Arwen said. There were murmurs of assent. ‘A black van would come two or three times a week, pull into the garage, unload, then leave a few hours later.’

‘How do you know it was unloading?’

‘The van was several inches higher off the ground when it left,’ Arwen said.

Joseph was impressed. ‘Not many people would notice that.’

‘We did because we were looking,’ the retired nurse said. ‘Mainly because the people who lived there were suspicious. About a month ago we realized who they really were. That terrible Millhouse family that’s been in the news. You know, because the oldest son murdered those two people on the side of the road? At first it was just the mother and the other son. Then that pregnant girl moved in.’

‘She was just a kid,’ one of the teachers said sadly.

‘Old enough to shoot up a crowd at the courthouse today,’ the other teacher said. ‘I know it sounds cruel, but I’m happy that cop shot her.’

Me, too
.
‘
Tell me more about the baby.’

‘She had it,’ the retired nurse said, ‘at home.’

Arwen shuddered. ‘Without a single drug. You could hear her screams through the walls. It was horrible.’

‘It wasn’t that bad,’ the nurse said, rolling her eyes. ‘I’ve heard a lot worse.’

‘She sounded like she was being skinned alive,’ Arwen insisted.

‘Did anyone attend her?’ Joseph asked.

‘Mrs Odum,’ the first schoolteacher said. ‘She’s a midwife.’

The nurse gave her a puzzled look. ‘How do you know that, Bea?’

‘I asked. I live right next door,’ Bea explained to Joseph. ‘Our upstairs windows are only a few feet apart. The girl
did
sound like she was being skinned alive. I was looking out my window and saw Mrs Odum come out to smoke on the front porch. I took her a loaf of bread I’d baked and asked her how it was going and if they needed help. She said she’d attended lots of births, that she knew when to call for help. The screams stopped three days ago, around midnight. I waited for Mrs Odum to leave, but she didn’t. I went to work the next day and never knew if it was a boy or a girl.’

‘Have you seen anyone else go in or out?’

‘Mr Odum,’ the other teacher said. Her name was Angie. ‘He came in the black van this afternoon around three. I was coming home from school and drove in behind him. He had someone with him. Another man.’

Joseph went still inside. ‘Had you seen him before?’

‘Yes, twice before today.’ She looked uncomfortable. ‘I have to tell you because you look interested in this guy, but . . . well, I’m not a pervert or a stalker.’

Joseph blinked. ‘Why would I think that?’

‘I teach Life Science and birds are my passion. I have binoculars for bird watching.’ She looked at her neighbors. ‘I’ve never used them to look in
your
houses.’

Joseph felt a sizzle of energy prickle his skin. ‘But you used them on this house?’

‘Yes. I wanted to know what was going on in there. My nieces and nephews come to visit me here,’ she said defensively. ‘I didn’t want drug dealers across the street. And what if they were making meth? They’d blow us all sky high.’

‘Understandable concern. So what did you see?’

‘Mr Odum and two other men in the basement. They were walking around, pointing at the walls. The next day the window was covered with black paper. I only saw them together that once.’

‘Who were the two men with Odum?’

‘One was the Millhouse father, Bill. The man I saw that one time was shorter. Top of his head came up to the father’s shoulder. So maybe five-nine? Brown hair, cut short. He was pretty ordinary looking, to be honest. If I hadn’t seen him in Odum’s basement, I never would have given him a second look the second time I saw him.’

‘Second time? When was this?’

‘Two weeks ago. I stock shelves at my cousin’s drugstore at night on weekends.’ She shrugged. ‘Teacher pay cuts. Anyway, the ordinary guy came in. First I thought he’d come for me, because I’d been peeking in the window, but he ignored me. Went straight to the school supply aisle and picked up two packs of superglue.’

Joseph frowned. ‘Superglue? Are you sure?’

‘Positive. I waited till he got to checkout and watched from the fem-hygiene aisle. Men never go in that aisle. My cousin was working the register and she asked to see his ID. They card for superglue because teens huff it.’

Joseph stood straighter. ‘Would your cousin remember his name?’

‘No, because he wouldn’t give her his ID. At first he was incredulous. He said, “I’m twenty-nine years old. Why are you carding me?” My cousin told him that she’d have to card him if he was seventy, that it was store policy. He opened his wallet like he was going for his ID, then said he didn’t have it. Made a big deal of how stunned he was to see it missing. He tried to wheedle my cousin, told her the glue was for his kid brother’s science project, that they were making model rockets. He had to have it the next day and couldn’t he come back with his ID? Carol was firm because she can get in trouble, especially if he’s undercover, looking for carding violations.’

‘What did he do?’

‘Left all angry. I wish we’d gotten his name.’

Joseph felt like kissing her. He’d been helped by busybody neighbors before, but never by one who was so well organized about it. ‘You did very well. Thank you. Would you mind sitting with a police artist? You’ve seen his face.’

‘Of course, but I might be able to do one better. Carol has surveillance cameras in the store. Hopefully she still has the tape. Let me go get her information.’

She’d turned to go when a blast rattled the windows in the Odum house.

‘Get down! Everybody down!’ Joseph made sure everyone was okay, then ran back to the house. Ford could be inside. The baby definitely was.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Tuesday, December 3, 6.50
P.M.

‘Did you decide where to go first?’ Alec asked. ‘The MacGregors’ or Trooper Gargano’s house to ask about the stolen tasers? Because we’re almost there.’

When Alec called with the results of the traced AFID tags he’d offered the use of his car to get to Philly – but only if he drove. ‘You’re rattled,’ the kid had said and Clay knew he was right.

I’m not objective anymore
. Having the kid around for perspective might be wise.

Clay scrubbed his palms over his cheeks as he contemplated his choices – Gargano, the trooper who’d been stolen from, or the MacGregors, whose daughter had set Ford up. ‘I need a shave before I go anywhere.’

‘A shower wouldn’t hurt either,’ Alec commented. ‘And a change of clothes. If you get stopped by a cop, you’ll be answering questions about the blood on your pants.’

His pants were black, so the patches of Stevie’s dried blood didn’t show that much. ‘I’m less worried about that than the fact that I’m still wearing JD’s T-shirt.’ With BPD in huge letters. ‘Never a good idea to talk to a cop when you’re impersonating one.’

‘Turn the shirt inside out. If you keep your jacket on, nobody’ll see the seams.’

‘That’s not a bad idea,’ Clay muttered.

‘Works like a charm for me. Especially the day before laundry day.’

Clay shot the kid a disgusted look. ‘You’re so lazy that you’d walk around with your shirt inside out rather than do a load of laundry?’

‘Oh, like you were Martha Stewart when you were my age.’

‘When I was your age I was in boot camp,’ he said sourly. ‘My uniforms were spotless. The pleats in my shorts were sharper than a Ginsu knife.’

‘What’s a Ginsu knife?’

Clay rolled his eyes. ‘Forget it.’

Alec chuckled. ‘I know what a Ginsu is. I’m just yanking your chain. The inside-out trick works best when I’ve run out of clean clothes, and the only ones that don’t smell like ass have a ketchup stain. You know. In an emergency.’

‘And you wonder why you don’t have a girlfriend.’

Alec scowled at that. ‘I could throw plenty of rocks at your glass house, Mr Casanova. Oh, wait, you’re dateless too.’

‘I’m beginning to wish I’d brought Alyssa with me.’

‘I’m that bad?’ Alec asked, amusement back in his voice. ‘Okay, okay, I’m sorry for the dateless comment.’

Clay shifted, looking out the window. ‘Nah, it was fair. It’s true anyway.’

Alec sobered. ‘How was she? Detective Mazzetti?’

Clay had asked her parents for a few minutes alone with her after they’d finished talking in the ICU waiting area. He knew her parents hadn’t believed his claim that he and Stevie were just friends. They’d even seemed pleased by the notion that there was something between them. Clay had felt a twinge of hope . . . until he’d seen her.

‘She’s still unconscious.’ And so fragile. He’d never seen Stevie fragile before. He’d seen her angry and he’d seen her terrified. He’d even seen her cry, nine months ago. She’d just been confronted by the betrayal of one of her oldest friends and her heart was breaking. She’d wanted him to hold her, she’d wanted to walk into his arms. But Stevie didn’t let herself have what she wanted.

I should have held her anyway
. But he’d given her space, hoping she’d come to him on her own. But as the months passed it became clear that wasn’t going to happen.

Stevie was Cordelia’s mom first. Then a cop. Being a woman came dead last, which meant her interest in Clay came last, too. He knew it, understood it. Didn’t like it worth shit. It sure didn’t change how he saw her – strong, confident, smart.
One hell of a beautiful woman, one I’ve wanted from the moment I saw her
.

But today, she’d been fragile.

‘She’s going to be okay, right?’ Alec asked.

‘The doctors told her parents she has a good chance.’ But Clay didn’t believe it. He’d seen more war wounds than he cared to remember. Men at death’s door had more color in their faces than she had. She’d lost so much blood.

He’d almost been too afraid to touch her, lying in that hospital bed, so pale. But he’d been more afraid he wouldn’t get another chance. So he’d touched her face, cupped her cheek. Kissed her forehead. Then her lips.

And then he’d pasted a smile on his face, gone back out to the waiting room, and lied to her parents. Told them he believed she’d pull through.

‘I’m sorry,’ Alec whispered.

Maybe Alec hadn’t heard him. ‘I said the doctors were optimistic.’

‘But you don’t believe it. And you care for her.’ Alec glanced at him sadly. ‘I may be horrible talking to girls, but I’m good at reading people. You should turn your shirt inside out now. We’re almost at Trooper Gargano’s house. You seemed preoccupied, so I picked for you. If you want to stop and buy a razor, this is the time to say so.’

Not trusting himself to speak, Clay shrugged out of his leather jacket, pulled the shirt over his head, then put it back on, surreptitiously wiping his eyes as he did so. He figured if nobody noticed the shirt seams under his jacket, they weren’t likely to notice the damp spots on his sleeve either.

‘I just want to get this over with,’ Clay said, then focused on talking to Trooper Gargano, the man whose stolen property was at the core of one very bad day.

Baltimore, Maryland, Tuesday, December 3, 6.50
P.M.

Joseph skidded to a stop at the front door of Richard Odum’s house. Bo had gotten there first and had stuck his head through the doorway, looking up.

‘Report!’ Bo shouted.

‘We’re fine.’ Innis appeared at the top of the stairs. ‘You can come up now. I want you to see what would have happened to you if you’d opened the nursery door.’

Joseph followed Bo up the stairs, then did a double take. ‘
Holy fuck
.
’
The wall directly across from the nursery door now had a hole the size of a toaster oven.

‘It was rigged with a shotgun,’ Innis said. ‘Basic setup. String ran from the doorknob up through a hook in the ceiling and down to the trigger. Shotgun was pointed straight at the door. You would have taken a gutful if you’d run in there.’

‘I can see that,’ Joseph said. ‘What about the baby?’

Innis’s partner, Poehler, appeared, carrying a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket. ‘She seems okay. They’d wrapped a blanket around the crib.’

‘To muffle the sound of her crying,’ Bo said.

‘And maybe to protect her from plaster if the ceiling got shot out.’ Poehler handed the baby to Joseph. ‘Here you go.’ He grinned. ‘Her diaper needs to be changed.’

‘That’s okay. I’ve done it before.’ Joseph looked down into the baby’s face. She was so small. And very pretty. ‘You really do forget how small they are.’

‘You have kids, Agent Carter?’ Innis asked, surprised.

‘No.’ Which left him feeling . . . sad. ‘But we all pitched in to help with my youngest sister.’ He looked up at Innis. ‘What about the other doors and the basement?’

‘Rascal here didn’t detect any explosives on this level.’ Innis scratched the Belgian Malinois behind his ears. ‘We’ll open these other doors using the riot shields to absorb any shots. Then we’ll start Rascal on the basement. It’s just going to take a while.’

‘I’ve instructed the other crews as to what you’ve found,’ Bo said. ‘When you’re done here with Rascal, I’ve got the next addresses for you.’

‘Gonna be a long night,’ Poehler said dismally. ‘And I had a date.’

I wish that’s all I had to lose
. Joseph thought of Daphne, waiting by the phone.
I don’t have your son
.
‘
I have to call Daphne and let her know where we are.’

‘Tell her we’ll look under every rock,’ Bo said, but there was no hope on his face.