Exposed by Rage (13 page)

He was actually acting like everything was just normal between us.  No guilt at coming to the scene.  No apology for stepping on my toes.  Damn I liked this guy—actually it was more than like.

I agreed with the plan and returned to the living room, determined to give the EMT the support he needed to do his job.  “Shut up and sit down,” I told Trixie.  “This guy is just trying to make sure you are alright and you’re going to let him do his job.”

She didn’t argue, or say a word, just looked at me and sat down quietly as the tech checked her blood pressure.  You can’t believe how powerful I suddenly felt.  Trixie was cowed and I was the one who had done that to her. 

I’m pretty sure George and Eve probably deeply regretted the impulse to kidnap Trixie goddess of porn. She couldn’t have been easy to deal with unless they had kept her tied and gagged the entire time they had her.  In this case for Eve and George I could realistically say life was a Bitch.

Eve didn’t make it to the station the next day, so we had to go to her.  She had broken ribs, a broken arm, someone had beaten her face until they knock out several teeth.  She was also suffering from, severe dehydration, and a fractured jaw.  She wasn’t going to a doing a lot of talking since they had wired her mouth shut but what she couldn’t say she could write down. 

I did feel sorry she was in so much pain, she’s always been a tough one but she didn’t deserve all this.  If George really wasn’t responsible for this I needed to find out who was and give them a taste of their own.  I also knew Eve’s background and this treatment had to have been a true nightmare for her.  I hate it when I feel sorry for the bad guys.

Braden had emailed the statements given by George and Trixie the night before and of course there was little consistency in them.  Eve would be the winning vote, providing her optical illusion of events, but between the three we should find a few nuggets of gold to work with.  It had been obvious George was lying through his healthy teeth, Trixie’s, statement was angry and spiteful toward her captors, but gave little detail of the events.  Typical Trix, don’t let the world know the truth, keep up the Diva persona.  She was the original to believe in don’t ask,
won’t
tell.

DeMarco stood over Eve on one side of the bed and I pulled up a chair opposite him, taking Eve’s hand in mine.  “We want to help Eve.  No matter what you did, or why you decided to take Trixie, you don’t deserve what you got.  You said George didn’t do this to you and I know Trixie wouldn’t be able to break your bones. Who did this?”

She stared at the white board just beyond the foot of the bed.  I didn’t think she was memorizing the names of the doctor and nursing staff written there, but even under the bruises that covered her face, she paled.  “You’re afraid.  You’re here, a guard posted outside your door.  Who do you have to be afraid of and why?”

Eve didn’t even blink, just continued to stare forward at the writing—or maybe at something beyond the room.

“We are going to get answers Eve,” DeMarco said.  “It will go a lot easier if you cooperate now.  We already have statements from Trixie and George and they don’t paint a picture that you are the helpless dupe.”

Eve’s eyes opened, fear radiating from them, and shrunk back into the bed.

I’d known Eve too long to think this was an act.  She could be spiteful, even bitter, but never showed fear.  “Mike, let me have a few minutes alone with Eve.”

DeMarco stared at me for a heartbeat, nodded and left the room and closed the door behind him.

“Eve, what is it?  I’ve never seen you this way and I know you are more afraid of something out there than you are of anything that might happen to you.  Tell me.  Let me help.”

She turned her head, tears leaking out of her eyes as she looked at me and whispered.  I leaned closer.

“Son.”

Eve had a son?  I’d been away a long time and my local contacts didn’t talk about the intimate details of others.  Even Jillie rarely talked about anyone including those I thought of as good friends. 

“You have a son?  Where is he?  Is he in danger?”  I knew she couldn’t answer as fast as the questions poured out.  I needed to give her a chance to speak, but she had already turned away ignoring me, back in her distant world.

I left the room to find DeMarco in the hallway.  Explaining what I had found out, he called Braden and told him to have the team start asking about the boy.  I and the techs had already gone through Eve’s place, and it was obvious the boy wasn’t staying with her there.  We needed Eve’s real name and connections outside the business.

* * * *

I left the outlaws to the police and went to talk to Trixie who was at the house, trying to order the nurse, who had agreed to stay on, around like her personal assistant.  I was pleased to see the two actually hadn’t killed each other.  There was definitely a power struggle going on between them and nurse Kurtz appeared to be winning.

“Trixie—mother, you need to tell me what happened.  How did Eve and George manage to get you into such a difficult position?”

“I really don’t want to talk about it.  It’s over.  I just want to forget about it and work to get my house restored.  Actually it was probably not such a bad thing, the house being burned.  I was thinking about remodeling anyway and now the insurance can take care of the cost.”

Trixie always had a way of turning events to her benefit and I was sure the insurance company was in for a wild ride.

“You can’t forget and just move on.  They are in jail and the police need the details so they can charge them correctly.  Did you go with them voluntarily?”

“You think I did this to myself,” she screeched.  “I would never…”

“No.  I think they tricked you and now you’re embarrassed to talk about it.  This isn’t some game or just a prank.  They may even be responsible for killing Jillie and Randi.  We need to know what happened.”

“
WE
need to know.  Always taking someone else’s side,” Trixie huffed.

I stood staring her in the face, hands on my hips.  I felt great satisfaction as she blinked and took half a step back.

“I—I don’t remember.  One minute I was at the house, getting ready to go out, the next I was in the boathouse tied up and George was filming me.  I was confused, muddle headed.  For a minute I thought we were doing some film I didn’t remember but then I recalled that I direct I don’t act anymore.”

A look of confusion and fear pierced her cold professional appearance for only a few seconds, but I knew she was afraid to tell me how badly she had been affected.  The Queen never showed her emotional response to anyone, it was one of the reasons she had been so successful in such a male dominated industry.

I had to find a way to break the tension between us.  I wanted her to think of me as a daughter concerned over her welfare more than the military cop but wasn’t sure if there was a way to breach that chasm.  We hadn’t been close in ten years and I couldn’t think of a reason this would change now.

“Stop running through scenarios, Ashely.  I can see you trying hard to decide what to say and do.  She took a deep breath and sighed.  I’ll tell you what I can but it’s not much.  I was, as I said, preparing to go out.  I assume someone put something in my tea.  I had just poured a second cup, and was preparing to put on my lashes when I became dizzy.”

“Was anyone in the room with you?” 

“No.  You know—or knew I prefer to take my time and get dressed without an audience.”

“So someone tampered with the tea.  Who was in the house?”

Trixie gave a sharp laugh.  “Everyone.  Eve, George, my bodyguards, a dozen of the actors, Mimzi—everyone.  Eve was downstairs telling the others about the trip I had planned for them.  A small bonus for winning a special acknowledgement from the AVN fan awards.  It was a nice achievement and I wanted to show my appreciation.”

“Tell me more about Eve.  I need to know everything you know about her.”

Trixie walked to the coffee bar and helped herself to a fresh cup.  Stalling. 

“You know almost as much as I do.  She just showed up one day a few years ago.  Uses only the name Eve and she works for me on and off film.”

I pulled a picture of Eve’s battered face up on my cell phone.  “Trixie, look at this.  Why would she let someone do something like this to her and then be afraid to tell me who did this to her?”

The coffee cup rattled as she set it on the saucer.  “She’s into the rough stuff at times.  It goes in cycles.  I think she believes she deserves to be punished, but I can promise you it wasn’t one of my guys.”

“I don’t think this had anything to do with rough sex or films.  She has a son who I think is in danger, tell me about that.”

“Ask her.  It’s not my story to tell.”

“She’s too afraid of something, someone.  Tell me about the boy, Trix.  I need to know where to find him. “

It was like working with a mule.  One that wasn’t only stubborn, but was really good at distracting you if you didn’t stay on your toes.  Maybe she thought she was protecting her friend.  Maybe she knew more than she finally told me, but in the end I found out the boy’s name was Robbie and he was in a boarding school in Oklahoma City.  I called DeMarco and he contacted the Oklahoma police to check on the child. 

Once we confirmed the boy was in class, and had security assigned to keep an eye on him, I went back to Eve.  “Your son is alright.  He’s at school and totally unaware of any threat.  We have people watching him so tell me, who is it you are so afraid of Eve?”

“She said she’d have him killed.  Killed in one of those horrible movies she and George are making.  I couldn’t let that happen.  I had to do everything she said, and let her do anything she wanted to me.  Follow all her directions.”

“Eve!  Who is it?  We are going to protect your son, now tell me what I need to know.”

Eve stared at me blankly, maybe this had all been too much for her and now she just didn’t understand her son was safe, but I needed to get through to her.  DeMarco walked into the room, holding the door, indicating I should leave her with him.  Reluctantly I walked out and stood at the door where I could see and hear her. 

He carried a laptop with him and sat across from her while he reactivated the screen that already had the Skype app open and connected.  “Eve, Robbie wants to talk to you,” he told her softly and turned the computer around for her to see her son looking back at her.

“Robbie.  Baby.  Are you alright.  I was… I thought…  I’m so happy you’re safe.”

“Momma, what happened to you?  You got bruises on your face.”

“It’s nothing baby.  I just had—a little accident but I’m alright.”

“Did Auntie M do that?  She’s mean and I don’t like her.  She came and told the principal you wanted me to go with her, but he wouldn’t let me since he wasn’t able to reach you.”

Eve gasped and began to shake, her leg pumping up and down as she sat in the chair by the window.  “I’m glad Robbie, he took good care of you.  You never have to go with Auntie M, darling.  I won’t send her to get you.”

The little boy’s face must have brightened with relief since I could see Eve’s shoulders relax and the movement of her leg stopped.  She talked to her son for several more minutes before DeMarco told her it was time for her to say good-bye. 

“I love you baby.  I’ll send Auntie Trix to bring you to see me soon.  Don’t go with anyone else.” 

DeMarco closed the laptop, “Who is Auntie M, and why are you so afraid of her?”

George doodled on a pad of paper his attorney had given him while he waited for the next round of questions.  I watched him through the observation mirror—a secret hideaway that was no secret because of movies, television and books.  But George didn’t look up or act like he knew I was there. 

I strained to see what he was drawing.  Sure I would recognize the petals of a lotus flower.  George was involved in the film company according to Eve but I couldn’t imagine him actually killing anyone.  He would enjoy the suffering of the girls, none of those found had grown to full womanhood.  I always suspected he was a true pervert but never saw anything that would prove it.

DeMarco entered and stood beside me.  “Eve still refuses to tell me who Auntie M is.  Robbie doesn’t know the woman’s real name.  I swear this business is more frustrating that any I have explored before.  No one is who they say.  None of their stories about where they come from are true.  Connecting the dots is almost impossible.”

“Would you use your real name?  Expose your family to ridicule by a bunch of perverted strangers who think they have a right to judge?  Even Trixie tried to shield me a little, giving me her mother’s middle name as my last name, but in a place as small as Plano it didn’t make much of a difference.  Everyone knew who my mother was and I paid for it.”

Michael glanced at George then looked back at me.  “I was wrong to think you were like her when we met.  Or that your friend wasn’t—as important as—as…”

“Forget it.  You’ve come around and are probably more generous than I am toward some of the people we are dealing with.  Those who are my friends worked hard to earn my trust.  Others didn’t.”

“So do you have any idea who Auntie M could be?”

A list of names ran through mind, Mindy, Mila, Melody, Mika, Mickey so many names began with the sound of “me”.  Others like Mimi, Mena, Meg, the name they went by on stage.  “I can think of a few dozen people it might be if you just go by the letter, but I don’t see any of them as being capable to harming a boy Robbie’s age.”

DeMarco’s boss entered the room.  “Mike, we’re going to cut this guy loose and the woman too.  Your witness is refusing to implicate them in any way.  They keep telling me he just got there looking for them like you were and the woman wasn’t involved in any of it.”

“George and Eve were on the phone with Ash.”

”The lawyer is saying it was a joke call.  They found the phone and punched the last number called and they were messing with the voice altering device.  I know it’s a pile of bullshit but unless we can get Miz Dix to say different…”

“But the murders…”

“You don’t have anything to tie them to the snuff films other than a charm made by the woman who makes custom jewelry and claims she know he was making those films.  She’s not really considered reliable.  Find the evidence and we’ll put them away.  Cut them loose, DeMarco.  Now.”

* * * *

DeMarco dropped me at the front door, waved, and went back to the house where we had found Trixie, who had taken off to go to a Los Angeles spa for a few days.  I knew Trix would be safe but it made me nervous that Michael was out there without me to watch his back—this partnership thing had grown into more than I could have anticipated, but he wanted to take a final look.  I understood his need to walk through the house when it was empty to better understand what had happened earlier when we had taken George and Eve in for questioning.

Nothing but frustration and enough bullshit to fill a football field.  I was so tired I didn’t wait for Michael to come back to the house after he dropped me off.  But I made time to do my job and check on the addition to the house before going upstairs and taking a shower.  I checked all the doors and windows as well.  Not a quick or easy thing to do in this place, it was more like running a marathon with all the rooms spread out over more than ten thousand square feet of space. 

Everything was secure and I turned on the alarm system from the remote on the desk, stripped and stepped into the bathroom, turning the shower on steam to ease the tension in my neck and shoulders before I washed my hair and soaped up.  I hate it when I make assumptions – that ass of you and me thing. I learned long ago to never assume anything, but today the knowledge escaped me. 

I took my time, letting the hot water fall over me as I finished bathing and rinsing the suds from my hair. Grabbing one of the amazingly soft towels from the warming rack – thank you Jillie for all the little luxuries you left me – and wrapping myself in it before I began to dry my hair. 

The lights when out.

I should have known better.  Jillie wouldn’t have a house like this and overload the circuits.  I knew that—I’d lived and stayed with her off and on over the years. But I was distracted, running everything through my mind one more time before shoving into the ‘for the morning place’ in my head and falling into bed. 

I secured the towel around me, carefully making my way toward the bedroom door.  Stopping.  Searching for the door knob.  I heard it.  Breathing.  No way DeMarco would do anything so reckless.  I started to turn.

* * * *

They were laughing at me.  Jake Daily knocked me down and the other kids were laughing as I tried to get off the floor, my nose bloody from falling on my face.  I hated school.  I hated these laughing hyenas.  They didn’t know me.  They didn’t want to know me, but they acted like they were better than me, just because mama bitch was in dirty movies.

I forced my eyes open blinking, the carpet coming into focus.  Carpet much too close to my face.  Thor’s hammer sent lightning bolts though my head.  My arms refused to respond to my demand they help me up.  One lay numbly under me.  The other resting beside me. 

Not school.  I was no longer that ten year old freak, but the laughter continued swirling over my head, the source unseen.

Feet danced into view as I watched a liquid being poured on the floor.  The smell left no doubt the substance was gasoline.  A reminder of the day I had spent in Trixie’s house only to barely escape by shimmying down a tree.  Unable to move there would be no escape route today.

“Ashley, I’m so happy you woke up
,”
I knew the voice but my head was too muddled to identify who she was. “I was afraid I wouldn’t have the pleasure watching you realize you’re going to die.  I didn’t get to kill Trixie yet. But I think she’ll miss her daughter even if you two don’t get along so well.”

“Stop,” a voice shouted from the hallway.  I knew this one, it was George.  “You have to stop Mimzi.  You can’t just keep killing people like this.  I thought you were going to be satisfied when we started the snuff gig.

Really?  Dimzie Mimzi was the killer in the snuff films?

“But Georgie, you’re the one who was so turned on watching me kill those women.  I know because you showed me how hard it made you every time one of them died.”

“But this is different.  We aren’t making a film.  It was bad enough when you killed Jillie, then you did away with Randi just because she saw you in the club the night Jillie died.”

“But they knew.  Jillie knew about the films and Randi knew I talked to Jillie.  I had to kill them.”

“You stupid bitch.  No one would have ever connected you to Jillie’s death just because you went to VixSin.  We all go there.”

I couldn’t believe the two of them stood over me arguing like children on a playground, but I was thankful George had stopped her from lighting the fire, at least for a moment.  The drug, because it had to be a drug, seemed to be wearing off.  I could feel the tingling nerves in my hands as they woke.  I flexed my fingers and then my toes. 

I didn’t know exactly where the two crazies were or if they were looking at me, so it was with caution I moved only one hand, pushing on the carpet testing my strength. I needed more time, but the gods of greed took mercy on me and the squabbling turned into a full blown eruption of rage.

“I hate them.  They have all of it, everything I should have, everything I deserve,” Mimzi screamed.   “I wanted Kevin, but no—Jillie had to have him.  You were supposed to get the money, but you let Eve interfere. She told them everything didn’t she?”

“Do you think I would be here right now if she had told them what we had done?  That we killed young women to make money and that we intended to kill Trixie as soon as we got the ransom?  You have to trust me.  She’s too afraid of what you’ll do to her boy to talk.  And Trix didn’t say a word against us.”

“I don’t believe you, George.  You came here to stop me and brought the cops with you, didn’t you.  I know they are out there just waiting.”

George must have grabbed Mimzi because she was screaming at him to let her go, I rolled, unsteady as I pushed myself up and headed for the hallway.

“She’s getting away, damn you, George.  Stop her.”  Mimzi screamed tearing herself away from him.

I made it to the landing, gasping from the gas fumes that had filled the room, Sluggish from the drugs, and struggling to stay on my feet, I grabbed hold of the banister, leaning on it as I continued to move toward the stairs.  I don’t know if George recaptured Mimzi, or she gave up trying to follow me, but as I started down the stairs I heard the whoosh of flames igniting the gas in the bedroom.  I could feel the heated air and I scrambled to the first floor, then blessedly the sprinklers began to drown the smoke and fire.

A scream loud and high enough to shatter glass filled the air as I stumbled toward the front door.  Throwing it open I found DeMarco.  When he had finished the walk through he arrived to find George’s car in the drive.  He got me out, called the fire department and Braden for backup but Mimzi and George were nowhere to be found.