Profile of Fear: Book Four of the Profile Series (Volume 4) (26 page)

“Is she alive? Carlos gave us some kind of drug to control us. I think he gave Niki too much.”

The doctor moved to the foot of her bed. “I’m Dr. Peterson. Do you have any idea what kind of drug he gave you and Niki?”

“No, but I think he put it in the bottles of water he offered us the first night at the mall. The drug made us very dizzy and sleepy. I can’t remember much of anything after getting into the back seat of his car.”

“Sounds like Rohypnol. It’s a potent sedative that may cause drowsiness, confusion, impaired motor skills, dizziness, disorientation, disinhibition, impaired judgment, and reduced levels of consciousness.”

“Can things happen to you when you’re on this drug that you can’t remember?”

Dr. Peterson hesitated, and then said, “Yes, Hailey. That’s why I think we should do a rape kit on you.”

Hailey closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. Oh, God. Had she been raped?

The man squeezed her hand to comfort her. “We’ll wait until your mother is here.”

“Thank you. All I want is to see my mom.”

“Your mom has been notified that you’re here, and she’s on her way. We’ll wait until she’s here before we do any testing. She can be with you through the process. Sergeants Chase and Burton will be here soon to talk to you, too.”

“Is Niki still unconscious?”

After exchanging worried glances with the man, Dr. Peterson said, “Niki has lapsed into a coma. The next couple of days will be touch and go for her.”

Hailey felt tears prick her eyes at the thought of losing Niki. “When can I see her?”

“Let’s give her some time, Hailey.” Dr. Peterson clutched her notepad and hurried from the room.

The man sat in the chair next to her bed. Hailey recognized him. Why couldn’t she remember his name? He looked to be around six-feet-two-inches tall with a lean, muscular body, and had a layer of short-cropped hair the color of wheat. She sensed a sadness about him. He was smiling at her, but it was as if smiling didn’t come naturally to him.

“Who are you?”

He pulled out his badge and handed it to her. “I apologize. I should have introduced myself before. I’m Detective Justin Andrews with the Indiana State Police. My team has been looking for you since you went missing. The trooper who found you let me know you were here.”

“I think I know you.”

Justin nodded and softly patted her hand. “You and your mom attended the First Baptist Church outside Morel at the same time I did. In fact, my fiancé, Destiny Cooke, was once your Sunday School Teacher.”

“You’re Justin Andrews, and I remember Destiny. I am so sorry about what happened to her.”

“She was in the wrong place at the wrong time; her life cut short by Evan and Devan Lucas. I still miss her. But let’s get back to you.”

Hailey nodded. She couldn’t imagine losing someone she loved, like her mom. There was nothing more that she wanted than to get lost in one of her mom’s hugs. She was being given a second chance to be a better daughter, the kind her mom deserved.

Just then Cameron and Robynn burst into the room, and Cameron rushed to her bedside, gathered her in his arms, and patted her back like he did when she was small.

“Uncle Cam. I’m so glad to see you.”

“Not as much as I am to see you alive and well.” Cameron indicated the woman standing next to him. “Hailey, this is Sgt. Robynn Burton with the Indiana State Police.” It was the way Uncle Cam looked at the woman that let Hailey know they were more than just co-workers.

Justin said his good-byes and left the room. Robynn and Cameron sat in chairs next to Hailey’s bed.

Robynn smiled and said, “It’s so good to meet you, Hailey. Sgt. Chase has told me so many good things about you. If you feel up to it, we have some questions we’d like to ask you. Your mother has given us permission to talk to you. We need your help to find the man who did this.”

Cameron had a file folder in his hand, from which he pulled out a couple of photographs. He handed one of them to Hailey. “Does this man look familiar to you?”

Hailey’s eyes went wide with shock. “That’s Carlos! He told Niki and me that we could be models. He said he was taking us to a model call-out for jobs.”

“Do you remember where he took you?”

“No. There is a black hole in my memory. I remember talking with him at the mall and getting into the back seat of his car with Niki. He told us there were cold bottles of water in the back seat. That’s the last I remember until I woke up.”

“When you woke up, were you in a house or an apartment?” Robynn wanted to know.

“A house. We were held in a basement with our ankles handcuffed to the floor. Do you think you could find the house? There could be other girls held there.”

“That’s not much to go on, but we’ll try,” said Robynn. “Do you remember what happened to you while you were being held in the house?”

“No. I can’t remember anything from after I sipped the water Carlos had for us in his car. When I woke up, he loaded Niki and me in his car and then dumped us out in the country. The doctor thinks that Niki and I may have been given Rohypnol.”

“If some memories come back to you, please let us know right away.”

Referring to the photo still in Hailey’s hand, Cameron said, “The man in the photo that you recognized is Carlos Rodriguez. He’s a criminal who has served time for meth possession and battery. He also had a prior conviction for promoting prostitution. He’s running a con and telling young girls that he’s a modeling agent and can get them glamorous, high-paying jobs.”

“Make that stupid, gullible young girls. Like Niki and me.”

“Hailey, don’t be so hard on yourself. He’s an experienced con artist, and very good at it.” Cameron pulled out another photograph and gave it to Hailey. “Carlos works for
this
man. Does he look familiar to you?”

Hailey examined the picture carefully. “Yes, I think so. I felt very dizzy and disoriented when they took me into the house from the car. But I remember that Carlos was angry with this man for being at the house. This man was sitting at a kitchen island and he yelled at Carlos.”

Cameron shot a glance to Robynn and slipped the photograph back into his folder. “The man you identified is Juan Ortiz. He’s on the FBI’s Most Wanted List and is wanted for questioning in a series of murders in Shawnee County.”

Robynn broke in. “Because you can identify him, you may be in danger when he finds out you were found alive. We will place both you and your mother in a safe house until he is captured, for your safety.”

Chapter Sixty-two

Standing before the interview room’s one-way mirror, Cameron watched as Robynn entered the room. She sat across from Diego and he nervously eased back in his chair, his hands folded tightly in his lap. He refused to make eye contact with her. She placed an evidence bag containing three smaller plastic bags of a white powder in the middle of the table.

“I’m Sgt. Burton with the Indiana State Police and these are yours. Three grams of meth found in your trunk and an unregistered handgun in your glove box. We’re talking about some serious charges, Diego. Class C felony for the drugs alone.”

Cameron entered the small room, purposely slamming the door behind him. Diego’s body jerked and his face paled. Cameron pulled out a chair beside Robynn and sat down across from him.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Sgt. Cameron Chase, Shawnee County Sheriff. I’m Becca’s father.”

The color drained from Diego’s face as a soft gasp escaped, making Cameron certain the man knew exactly who he was.

Cameron placed the sketch artist rendering of Diego on the table.

“This guy look familiar?”

Impulsively Diego shook his head and looked down at his hands. He was visibly trembling now. This was the reaction Cameron was going for. The more fearful Diego became, the more likely it was that he would tell them what they needed to know.

“C’mon Diego. That’s
you
in the sketch.” Cameron shot him a take-no-prisoners look and Diego seemed to shrink in his chair. “It was
my
house you broke into when you tried to abduct
my
baby girl. It was also you who tried to take her from GoodBuys. So now we’re talking breaking and entering, but most importantly, attempted kidnapping. How many years in prison do you think he could get, Sgt. Burton?”

“Minimum twenty, and up to fifty years. That’s a long time.”

Diego looked as if he might get sick. “My mama…”

“What about your mama?”

“She’s very sick. Stuck in a wheelchair with M.S. Mama depends on me to take care of her.”

“You should have thought of that when you were dealing drugs and trying to kidnap innocent little kids.” Cameron snapped.

“I can’t be in jail. I have to protect my mother from Juan Ortiz.”

“Juan Ortiz? Now you’ve got my interest. Why would a sick woman in a wheelchair need protection from Mr. Ortiz?”

“If he finds out I talked to you, he will kill her like he killed Julio Garcia’s sister. Julio betrayed him so he cut his sister’s throat, and wrote a message to Julio with her blood on her bedroom wall. Juan knows where my mama lives. He will do the same to her. Please, I love my mama, I’ll do anything to protect her.”

“Do you have information about Juan Ortiz?”

“Yes.”

“Where can we find him?”

“I don’t know where Juan lives or spends his time. He travels from house-to-house, staying with his dealers. Sometimes he sleeps in the office at his restaurants. He contacts me from burner phones and then we meet. At times, he just shows up and looks different every time. Juan disguises his appearance so that he is barely recognizable. He has looked different each time I’ve seen him. Bald, not bald, thin, pudgy, glasses, no glasses, ball cap, fedora. His clothes range from Goodwill to Armani. He’s a chameleon, and that’s why you haven’t caught him.”

“How do you know him?”

Diego hesitated for a moment and then said, “I work for him. He hired me to find Donda Hicks because he found out she had his kid.”

“Why is he so interested in Donda and the kid?” Cameron struggled to stay in control, to sound neutral as he asked about Becca. Emotions would work against him.

“He wanted to kill Donda and give the baby to his mother, Juanita, in Mexico.”

“Juanita wants a baby?” Cameron nearly shuddered with disgust. Juanita Ortiz had a record as a child abuser. She’d have to get past him to get anywhere near Becca.

“I overheard a conversation Juan had with his mother. She’s staying with the Vega Cartel in Mexico. Miguel Vega is Juanita’s lover, and he’s much younger than she is. He wants children so she wants her grandchild, Juan’s baby, to satisfy him.”

“What’s in it for Juan if he delivers the kid to her?”

“He’s in deep trouble with Miguel Vega because he stole $50,000 from him to come to U.S. His mother is the only thing standing between him and Miguel’s paid killers. She promised to smooth things over if she gets his kid.”

“Interesting information, but how do we know you’re telling the truth?”

“There’s more. Juan bragged about the murder of three girls in Indy. He said he’d set the house on fire to cover the crime. Slit their throats. Juan said they got what they deserved for disobeying. How would I know something like that unless Juan had given me the details?”

“Very interesting,” said Robynn. “But any good defense attorney would get that thrown out of court. It’s hearsay. You haven’t given us much to go on with either case.”

“Melanie Barrett.”

A chill inched up Cameron’s spine at the mention of Becca’s social worker.

“What about Melanie Barrett?”

“Juan knew that she had Becca’s location. He had me follow Melanie Barrett for weeks. She had drinks every Friday at the Vineyard Wine Bar on Main Street. Juan met her at the bar and romanced her.”

“What do you know about her murder?”

“I know that Juan planned a romantic picnic for Melanie on Sunday, the day she was murdered. When I found out later what had happened to her, I knew Juan had killed her. It was the way he ended her life. All the cuts on her body. Juan’s favorite killing tool is his knife.” Diego guiltily hung his head. “It’s my fault she was killed. I’m the one who found her and gave her up to Juan.”

“Will you testify to this in court, Diego?”

“Yes, as long as you keep my mama safe.”

Cameron glanced at Robynn. “We’ll try our best.”

“There’s one more thing.” Diego began. “I didn’t kidnap the little girl because I was too worried about what Juan Ortiz might do to her. I wanted nothing to do with it, but he threatened my mother. He gave me no choice.”

“You had a choice. You could have reported this to law enforcement. You had a choice, but you chose the wrong one.”

Chapter Sixty-three

By the time Mollie entered Hailey’s hospital room, her daughter was fast asleep. She dropped down in the chair beside the bed, caressing Hailey’s hand while she slept. As tears welled in her eyes, she stared at the child she brought into the world.

Her mind sifted through the memories of every moment she had with her daughter as she was growing up, from the moment she gave birth, to the day she got her learner’s permit to drive. Quickly wiping a tear streaming down her cheek, Mollie didn’t want Hailey to see she was crying. Hailey would be upset enough, and she didn’t want to add to it. Her daughter needed her to be strong so that she would heal and forget the awful things that may have happened to her. In the meantime, she would be at Hailey’s side during the rape examination, every step of the way.

Mollie kissed Hailey’s slender hand, and when she looked up, her daughter was awake and reaching for her. “Mom, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

Mollie sat on the bed, pulling her daughter into her arms and held her close. “It’s over, honey. You’re safe and that’s all that matters.”

“Nikki is here.”

“I know, honey. The good news is that she woke up and is talking. She has a long road to recovery, but the doctors think she’ll be fine.”

Hailey sighed with relief.

“All I could think about was getting home and telling you how much I loved you.” Hailey tightened her arms around her mother’s neck. “I do love you, Mom. I may not act like it sometimes, but I love you so much.”