Fragmented (22 page)

Brophy waited until Karl Neslund had been escorted out of the room before he released Darren. Darren picked up the chair and sat down. He said nothing. Brophy was brought back to another time, another life
-changing moment. The day his sister died. Broken—Darren looked broken.

“
That wasn’t your finest moment there, bro. You need to go home. I will let you know everything that turns up…the second it happens. I’ll get someone to drive you.”

Darren shook his head.
“I can’t leave. I need to fix this.”

“
Darren, go home. You’re not in any shape to help. Let it go. I promise I will do everything possible to find her. We all are responsible.”

He shook his head.
“I should have never left her. Oh, God, it’s my fault. I told her to trust me. I knew she was upset. I just wanted her out of the hospital. I wanted her safe. Now she’s in the hands of a madman.”

* * * *

A strong, fast-moving storm had struck Boston. The morning began as a calm, bright winter morning, quickly giving way to gloomy dark clouds that had already dumped an inch of snow in less than an hour. The forecast called for a nightmarish commute. The mayor had called for only essential personnel on the roads at least until the brunt of the storm passed.

Dunn had called Brophy down to FBI headquarters
at One Central Plaza. The FBI had officially taken over the case; given the headlines on the news this morning—Killer Escapes the FBI—Brophy supposed it wasn’t a bad thing to allow the FBI to take the brunt of this storm. He didn’t have time to dodge questions.

Brophy showed his creds for the third time getting off the elevator at Dunn’s office, which was a feat in itself with two cups of hot coffee in his hand. He had swung by the local Dunkin
’ Donuts at the corner. He guessed coffee was considered essential, given the crowd in the shop.

“
Hope you like black coffee,” Brophy greeted Dunn as he lightly knocked. “If you don’t, I brought a couple of cream and sugars. Don’t know about you, but I need some caffeine.”

Dunn looked up from behind his desk and nodded. He motioned for Brophy to come in. Behind him, Dunn’s office had a high view of Boston’s skyline, impressive with the wind and snow whipping around the buildings. At the moment, neither man cared much for the view.

Dunn accepted the coffee. “Thanks. How are you feeling?”

“
I’ll survive.”

“
And Kennedy?”

Brophy shrugged.
“He’s putting up a good front. You won’t see the wall fall.”

“
Thought I heard he lost it on Karl Neslund yesterday.”

“
Wouldn’t call it losing it. Warning Neslund is a better way of putting it. The guy is covering something up. He knows more than he’s letting on.”

“
Do you think it’s self-protection or he’s involved?”

“
Something about the guy I’ve never liked. He always seems to be two steps in front of us. Yet, he never noticed anything odd about his roommate? He’s a control freak. Doesn’t make sense.”

“
My guys talked with him last night and thought the same thing. Think he’s holding back.”

“
Only
giving information he thought we would find out quick enough with a little more digging.
He threw me a bone to keep me off his back. Didn’t turn up anything.”

Dunn pushed back his chair and got up.
“I feel like a louse bringing you down in the middle of a snowstorm, Brophy, but wanted to tell you in person…”

“
The cooperation between us is at an end,” Brophy said in a matter-of-fact tone. He had expected as much.

“
Montgomery laid down the law this morning. If we are going to be taking the heat for the case, then it’s ours. Besides the fact, he’s no longer in Boston. We do expect all the evidence you have gathered and any information that comes in from any of your sources.”

Brophy shrugged. He wasn’t a fool. Dunn wasn’t a louse. The proper channel would have been to go through Centrello. Knowing Dunn, it would have been the first thing he had done. Brophy’s eyebrows rose slightly. He decided it would be a good idea to be upfront.

“What gives, Dunn? You could have done this over the phone. I don’t have time for games.”

Dunn smothered a smile.
“You’re blunt, if nothing else,” he said evenly. “You’re right. I have brought you down here for another reason. I figured nothing I was going to say is going to stop you from working on this case.”

“
So? Would you expect anything less?”

“
No.” Dunn shook his head. “It’s what I would do. I don’t think I could stop you if I wanted to, anyway. Know I prefer to have an open communication line. Over the years, I have found it extremely beneficial to everyone involved, but you understand I have to follow orders.”

Brophy sensed Dunn was trying to tell him something.
“What do you have?”

Dunn looked out his window,
and then back at Brophy. “I’m confident we have most avenues covered. We have teams in Virginia looking into the killings down there. Our computer experts are looking into a computer trail. It will take time. Mobley used 
Tor. Have you heard of it?”

“
It sounds vaguely familiar.”

“
It’s a network that encrypts Internet traffic. It’s used to be anonymous. It routes through computers around the world. Makes it extremely difficult to trace. My guys tell me that this Mobley could be the one they have been searching for for quite a while. The scary part is that if my guys are correct, Mobley is one rich guy. Been trading in drugs. He uses Bitcoins, a digital currency that is difficult, if not impossible, to trace.”

Brophy didn’t mince words.
“And this has to do with me…how?”

Dunn frowned.
“According to what we have learned so far, this Mobley is a computer genius, but a completely unstable individual…which makes what he has accomplished even more unbelievable.”

“
I’ve been on the case. I’ve seen his erratic behavior. What do you need me to do?”

Dunn’s frown disappeared.
“You have met Dr. Levy. Extremely proficient. He understands the severity of the case and has a good handle on it.”

“
I’ve worked with him.”

Dunn nodded.
“Yesterday, while all this was going down, a Dr. 
Reginald Schafer flew in from Ireland. He received an email from Dr. Levy. He was Mobley’s psychiatrist in Virginia, the one who sent the picture to confirm his identity of Raymond Duffy. He’s spent all day with Levy.”

“
Where are you going with this?”

“
Dr. Schafer flew in from Ireland because he feels Mobley is extremely dangerous. He’s been trying to get our attention for years. My boss feels we have a handle on the situation. He will reach out to Dr. Schafer if needed. He has updated Dr. Levy. Except…”

“
Except what?”

“
He refuses to go home. He thinks he can help catch the guy. I’m covering a lot of angles, Brophy. I don’t want to lose this one, because this guy knows Mobley inside and out. He’s sat across from him.”

“
Then why aren’t you using him?”

Dunn’s hesitation wasn’t lost on Brophy. Dunn picked up a paper on his desk.
“It’s Schafer’s diagnosis of Mobley. It’s one that most psychiatrists feel doesn’t exist. Let me read it to you…

“
I considered him to have psychotic episodes brought on by a history of childhood abuse. A dissociation. He was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. I'm more of a conservative in that diagnosis. I have never really believed in that disorder. Moreover, in most cases, it is brought on by a therapist themselves expressly by the attention brought on by the novelty, such as giving the patient permission to think in such a manner. But in this case, I would have to agree that Raymond Duffy has MPD.”

“
MPD?” Brophy questioned, confused.

“
Multiple personality disorder.”

* * * *

“They politely thanked me for my information and help in identifying your suspect, Detective Brophy. Then they told me to go home. I’m not going.”

For the first time in days
, Brophy smiled. He liked the guy’s style. “I’m all ears, Dr. Schafer. Got nowhere else to be today.”

It was the truth. Centrello gave him a few days off to recover from his accident after the FBI took over the case. He doubted that Centrello really thought he was relaxing. At the moment, he would take any chance of a lead he could get, even if it meant babysitting a potential witness.

Brophy realized two things about Special Agent Jackson Dunn. One…he knew how to read people. Two…he had a way about him that manipulated people into doing his will without them being aware of his motives. The difference with Brophy was that he realized Dunn’s motive and didn’t care.

Brophy understood Dunn hadn’t dismissed Schafer totally. He had what he thought he needed, but on the offhand chance he missed something, he had a backup plan. Or perhaps Dunn thought it was a way to keep Brophy out of his hair.

At the present, Brophy had brought the psychiatrist down to his office and placed him in the conference room.

“
Seven years ago, I let a severely disturbed patient walk out of my facility who should have never been allowed to roam the streets freely,” Dr. Reginald Schafer said, straightening out his papers. “I will never forgive myself if I don’t do everything humanly possible to put him back where he belongs.”

Brophy studied the doctor for a moment. A short, thin man
—he doubted he was more than five five, five six at the most. Thin gray hair. His glasses hung down on his nose, which didn’t seem to bother the good doctor. His clothes were clean, but rumpled and wrinkled.

“
Don’t know where to begin. So much to go over.” Dr. Schafer pressed his lips together, concentrating on his folders he spread out on the table. He looked around the conference room. “This should do…”

Brophy eyed Dr. Schafer, trying to pinpoint his focus.
“You know, it might have been easier to have this information on a computer.”

“
Oh, no…oh no, Detective Brophy, that would never do. You don’t know him well. I do. That’s why I’m here. It’s why I’m here.”

“
I think I know him well enough.”

“
If you did, he wouldn’t be on the loose. Would he, Detective Brophy?”

Dr. Schafer’s words were broken off by Brophy’s phone. It was Dunn. His whole body tensed.
“We’ve found his abandoned car over the border in New York. Burnt out. The chip was found in the trunk, or what was left of it. Explains why we lost the signal. Brophy, there’s a dead body…female.”

“
Where’s the location?”

“
Sorry, Brophy, orders. This is ours now. I promised I would keep you informed. I intend to keep that promise.”

The air seemed
as if it had been let out of the room. The car was found in New York! There was no way he could justify his appearance. It wasn’t anywhere near his jurisdiction. He felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach.

How the hell was he going to tell Darren? For the last two days, he had been prepared, but he had hoped…God
, he had hoped.

He fell back into a chair. Shaking his head, he tried to decide his next move.

“Detective,” Dr. Schafer’s voice called to him. “Detective Brophy.”

“
I’m sorry, Doctor.” Brophy stood. “I’m going to have to cut our meeting short. You heard?”

Dr. Schafer nodded.
“I heard Agent Dunn.”

“
I have to…”

“
Detective Brophy, I’ll help you if you let me,” Dr. Schafer declared, expressing his frustration of being ignored.

Abruptly, Brophy turned. He asked sharply,
“Excuse me, Dr. Schafer, but just what the hell do you think you can do?”

“
I know what he has in mind, his plan.” Dr. Schafer held up his file. “You need to read over it. I will also tell you this: that unless he is found next to the girl, dead, I doubt very seriously that he killed her and dumped the body. He has planned this for years…and then just to discard her easily? I doubt it.”

Brophy halted his progress toward the door. Something in his mind clicked.
“What did you say?”

“
I said that unless his dead body is found next to hers, the female victim isn’t this Cameron Quinn. Think, Detective, how long he has planned this. Even if he has killed her, he would never leave her. He would keep her next to him. He feels she is a part of him. He wouldn't discard her, but I can assure you, he could set a stage to let you believe he did,” Dr. Schafer said defiantly, daring Brophy to question him. “You have investigated his crimes. I can guess that some of his actions were erratic, but they all served a purpose.”