Serial Separation (24 page)

Chapter 64

Carole wasn’t the largest of the four women, but she was in the best physical shape. Her National Guard training also equipped her with some additional skills, which came in handy mistreating Jason.

She watched and compared how each of the women carried out their individual revenge. However, she didn’t remember much of her own revenge against Bob Sullivan. She could remember parts of it, but not all of it.

She studied Carole’s behavior. She knew Carole had enough rage to just kill him, but because they were all there, and involved in some degree, she made the punishment last. All of them had been creative in their individual approach to creating the most mental and physical pain, including telling the men what they felt during their personal situations.

She knew from experience Carole couldn’t tell Jason what it felt like; she could only imagine what her sister had felt.

During her own rape, by Bob’s friends, she was able to put up a barrier, blocking the demeaning aspects of it. It allowed her to survive the ordeal, but it was the frequent reminders of the rape at school by Bob, which caused the most embarrassment, rage and the need for revenge.

It caused her to attempt to burn his house down, and that act caused her to be committed.

Carole left his blindfold off, saying she wanted him to see her rage—and his plight. Jason was brought back to the shower area, and his body re-cleaned after his weak stomach episode.

Carole told Jason she wanted him to relate each and every rape he or his gang had committed. With each one, she would strike him with her paddle. With each oversight, in her opinion, they would all follow her command and strike him.

His screams echoed in the building, but no one could hear him. Although the pain must have been terrible, his screams seemed to lose volume. It wasn’t long before he begged to be killed. Carole had to use the cold spray to revive him several times.

Her own arm hurt from the number of times she had hit him. None of the other men had taken this abuse, but this was the last planned killing. His body was so bloody their own bodies were being splashed as they struck him.

Daylight was coming in the high windows facing the ocean. When Carole couldn’t revive him, she indicated he had had enough.

They washed the blood off their bodies and went to the small office to dress, warm up, and get some sleep. They would obviously need to regain their strength.

She knew she was too worked up to get any sleep. She could sense Carole wasn’t satisfied.

Chapter 65

Mike finished the phone call with Gil Pike of the Lowell P.D. He called everyone into the conference room for an update. He took the stairs two at a time to Paddy’s office.

“Paddy, I just heard from detective Pike. He gave me an update on their efforts to raid Jason’s headquarters. I called a meeting downstairs. There’s some good news. Would you like me to cover it with you or just relate it to everyone?”

“Why do it twice? It’s late. I can hear it with the others.” Paddy got up and stretched his body, holding his back.

“Are you okay?”

“I guess my body is getting too old for these long days. I’ll be okay.” He started to follow Mike.

Mike stopped. “Paddy, there is something I need to tell you about privately.” He closed the door to Paddy’s office. “Scott thinks he may have found a suitable property.”

Paddy gave him a questioning look. “Why the closed door?”

“Scott found a listing in the package received from Mercedes’ father’s real estate office. Scott checked out the listing and felt the building matched what we’re looking for, but it’s too close to other businesses. In that listing, it mentions two other similarly designed buildings that are available. They are not in with the other listings.”

“That sounds like a good observation on their part.”

Mike took a deep breath. “That’s the other thing Scott mentioned. He wondered who eliminated the other two listings. Mercedes wasn’t feeling well, so Scott took her home. Scott checked out the property himself and discovered the reference to the other two listings. It’s Friday—Scott questioned whether Mercedes could be involved.”

Paddy considered the input for a few seconds. “I think those listings could have been eliminated by anyone in her father’s firm, or not even there. Scott might be overreacting to this.”

Mike noticed Paddy was ready to go downstairs. “Paddy, related to this, I need to mention one other thing. I asked Mercedes what she really did weekends. She never really answered my question.”

Paddy offered, “We could call her at home, and if she answers . . . she’s not with Jason.”

* * *

It was very late, but I had to call Lisa. I should have called her earlier. Mike was off with Paddy. I felt bad about calling the dorm at this early hour of the morning, but someone would hopefully be up.

“Helllo.”

“I’m sorry to call this late, but I have to talk with Lisa Anderson. Can you please get her to the phone? This is Scott Tucker.”

“She’s going to kill you for calling her at this hour. Wait a few minutes; I’ll try to get her.”

I was waiting, wondering if the girl didn’t just leave me hanging there. I should have gone to the bathroom, but I didn’t dare chance it. I wanted to have what I needed to tell Lisa prepared as I couldn’t talk long.

“Hello, Scott, are you okay?”

“Hi, Lisa, I’m okay. I’m sorry to be calling this late, but I needed to tell you what’s going on here and talk about tonight. Lisa, are you still there?”

I heard her yawn. “I’m here, but your voice is almost putting me back to sleep.”

“I will only be a couple of minutes. I have a bunch of things to tell you. I’ve been busy trying to locate available property suitable for these killings. I’ll be doing that later today as well, and I can’t tell how much sleep I’ll get.”

“Lisa . . . Jason Johnston was kidnapped a few hours ago. Jason’s gang and another gang had a gun battle and several people were hurt and killed. I’m okay. I wasn’t anywhere near there. However, there’s lots of activity here trying to find him and avert a gang war. I want to take you to dinner later tonight.”

There was no answer.

“Lisa, did you hear me?”

“I’m sorry, Scott. I heard. You’re okay, Jason was kidnapped, and you want to take me to dinner. Got it.”

“Lisa, I love you.”

“I love you too, Scott; please be careful.”

“I will. Good night, my love.” I heard the phone click.

* * *

Paddy returned to his desk and opened his drawer. “Mike, do you really want me to do this?”

“Yeah, I’m afraid so. Scott is closer to Mercedes than anyone else here, and he has questions in his mind. We need to do this.”

Paddy found her phone number in the file and looked at Mike. He dialed the number. Paddy looked at his watch. It was after 3:00 a.m. He listened for an answer but realized at this hour, it might take more rings than normal for her to answer.

Mike noticed Paddy’s apprehensive look, and he offered, “I wonder if she could have the phone turned off? Scott said she wanted to go home because she wasn’t feeling well.”

Paddy hung the phone up. “We can try later after the session downstairs. We’ve kept them waiting long enough. Thanks for sharing this with me. I’m glad Scott voiced his concern.”

He gave Mike the sign to head downstairs, adding. “It could be nothing, but we need to follow up. We also have to find those other two listings—without mentioning it to Mercedes or anyone connected with her dad’s office.”

Mike kept to himself what Scott mentioned about the rape in her family. He did not feel guilty. However, he questioned why he hadn’t, but enough was said to warrant the phone call. Besides, if Mercedes didn’t have anything to do with the killings, why share something that personal?

* * *

Mike and Paddy entered the conference room, and everyone was already seated. Mike went to the front of the room. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, but I wanted to bring you up to date on what happened in Lowell. Detective Pike, whom most of you know is our liaison with the Lowell P.D., updated me on what happened first thing this morning.”

He looked at his watch. “It’s now over three hours ago that they conducted a raid on Jason Johnston’s gang headquarters. They arrested twelve members of his gang, who were about to leave to retaliate. The gang was armed, but no shots were fired. An undercover informant had helped the police time when to intercept them.”

He continued. “Lowell P.D. busted the doors in and took them by complete surprise. The gang members were arrested on gun and illegal drug possession charges. Obviously, more charges are pending, but it will keep them behind bars, preventing an all-out gang war. The informant indicated there are ten members still unaccounted for, but not really enough to do battle with the Calumet gang.”

Mike noticed there was total silence in the room. “Those men chased Jason’s kidnappers and have not returned, or they might have seen the police activity near their building and kept going. At this hour, the police are still processing the arrested members.”

Mike paused to drink some coffee. “Boston P.D. simultaneously conducted a raid of suspected Calumet gang locations in Roxbury. The State Police assisted, but at this time I can’t say how many arrests were made.”

One of the members asked, “Any word on Jason?”

Mike responded, “Obviously, the focus is on where Jason may have been dropped. However, we have nothing at this time on where they took him. This is all I have at this time. Hopefully, progress can be made to determine where Jason is currently being held. If things follow their normal course, we only have until Sunday afternoon to prevent him from being killed.”

Mike looked over at Paddy to see if he wanted to add anything.

Paddy stood. “Thanks Mike. The AG is going to be happy if we can collectively prevent the gang war.”

He looked over to Scott momentarily. “Scott has narrowed down the property listings. We may be close to identifying a property that fits what Mercedes had outlined. However, more work is required to complete that review. Thanks for your efforts, Scott.”

He realized he needed to mention Mercedes to avoid any questions at this time. “Mercedes isn’t here. She’s not feeling well.”

I was thinking whether Mike had shared anything with Paddy regarding my concerns involving Mercedes. Paddy knew the part about her not feeling well, but did he know about my suspicions?

Paddy continued. “The Mass. and New Hampshire State Police are still looking for Jeremy Johnston. For those unaware, Jeremy related to friends that he was kidnapped in early November by a gang, held all weekend, and tortured by women. They fortunately let him go having been mistaken for his cousin Jason.”

Paddy continued. “My hope is he will be located soon and brought here to tell us what he can remember about who held him and where. Does anyone have anything else to report or any questions about what we covered?”

I thought about what I told Mike. I know I did the right thing, but why did I feel so bad about saying something? Remembering Mercedes’ words, she wanted us to be friends. What friend would do what I had done?

Chapter 66

The sweet smell of freshly baked pastry should have attracted everyone on the block. Lisa was glad the coffee shop was open this holiday weekend. However, there were only a few people in the shop.

She and Judy avoided the pastry, sticking to their coffee, sitting in their favorite booth near the back.

“Judy, Scott called me late last night. Did I wake you?”

“No, I didn’t hear a thing.”

“Well, he called to tell me he was helping investigate waterfront properties that might be suitable for those killings. However, when he returned to the task force office he was informed that Jason, Jeremy’s cousin, was indeed kidnapped. He also said that two gangs are close to going to war over the abduction.”

“Lisa, oh no. I also heard from Neil this morning that the task force and police are searching for Jeremy. They are looking to see if he can shed any light on who held him and where.”

Judy added, “He was very lucky not to be killed. I think it helped him to pop the marriage question to Dottie. They went away for the weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised if they still went to the Balsams.”

They both quietly sipped their coffee.

Lisa thought about her ordeal with Jimmy, but she was able to put it into perspective, remembering she had not been raped. However, she thought about what she experienced and wondered whether these men had suffered before being killed.

“Lisa, Neil told me something that could be important. You might want to pass it along to Scott. I can’t tell if it will help them, but you mentioned Scott is assisting with the investigation. He might be the right one to alert. He could decide if anyone else should be made aware of it.”

“Judy, this is so strange how this involves our little group. What did Neil tell you?”

* * *

They both refilled their cups, but this time they couldn’t avoid purchasing a freshly made coffee roll. They returned to their table, glad the coffee shop was not filled with people to notice their sins.

“Lisa, you know Neil is in the National Guard. Well, after he learned from Jeremy about his kidnapping, and escape, he remembered someone in his guard unit asking questions about Jeremy.”

“It was a couple of weeks before Jeremy’s kidnapping. Neil didn’t think much of it at the time, just passing conversation. However, after he learned about what happened to Jeremy, he thought differently.”

“You said he was asking questions. What kind of questions?”

“Well, Lisa, it wasn’t a guy in his unit . . . it was a woman. The questions she asked were about where Neil lived, but it was after she confirmed JJ was his roommate. He said she used ‘JJ,’ but knowing Jeremy and his cousin’s nicknames were the same—Jeremy’s kidnapping two weeks later had new significance.”

“Wow, Judy, it does seem to tie in. I’ll let Scott know about this as soon as I talk with him, especially since everyone believes women are killing these men. Now that Jeremy’s cousin has been kidnapped, maybe Jeremy was just the wrong guy.”

“Jeremy is lucky they let him go, and Dottie is lucky too . . . being engaged.” Judy paused. “How are you and Scott doing in that regard?”

Lisa smiled. “Scott is very busy with the task force—too busy—but things are much better between us. We cleared up some things the other night, and some things were no longer up in the air—if you get my drift?”

Judy studied Lisa a few moments. “Does that mean you’re over the Jimmy thing?”

“That’s a good question, but I think I’ve put it behind me. Scott and I are picking up where we left off. I can even overlook some unfortunate things Scott did over Christmas. I think when he’s no longer connected to the task force; he might even follow Jeremy’s lead. I’m ready. How do you and Neil stand?”

“How about the six of us share a wedding? You know, we could have had a very interesting weekend if we had all gone skiing, that is, if we remembered to bring the skis.”

They both laughed.

* * *

It was windy when Lisa and Judy left the coffee shop to return to their dorm. Lisa was occupied with thoughts of Scott and the recent kidnapping. She contemplated what she would do if Scott was the kidnapped victim.

It must have been the cold, amplified by the wind that created a chill down her spine. She wrapped her arms around her body. She noticed that Judy seemed to be oblivious to the cold and the wind.

Lisa was now very concerned about Scott’s role with the task force. Scott had played hockey in the same league with these other men—it could have been Scott who had been kidnapped. What about the next kidnapping?

She needed to let Scott know about Neil’s female guard member.

She thought about being married to Scott. Would he still be connected to investigative work or venture into something else?

Last year was filled with stress, and nothing had changed lately. All of his free time had been devoted to the last task force. She knew Scott well enough to know that he wouldn’t be involved halfway with the new task force. She could already see how involved he was. The late phone call last night was an example.

She had wanted to spend more time with him over the holidays. Maybe they should have gone away this weekend. She recalled the warmth of his body the other night.

“Look out, Lisa!” Judy grabbed her arm. Lisa was about to step off the curb into an oncoming cab. Judy must have noticed at the last second—the cab was going much too fast and could never have stopped in time.

“Lisa, you were going to step right into traffic.” Lisa didn’t reply, looking at Judy with a faraway stare. Judy held onto her arm the rest of the way to the dorm.

When they arrived, Lisa immediately made a call to Scott’s apartment. She let the phone ring for a couple of minutes, but there wasn’t any answer. She knew the number to the task force office and tried him there.

“Hello, task force office.”

“This is Lisa Anderson. Is Scott Tucker there?”

“Hello, Lisa. This is Mike. You just missed him. He went back out a few minutes ago to resume looking at some waterfront properties. Can I tell him you called?”

“Yes, please, will you? I’ll be at the dorm. Happy New Year, Mike.”

“Happy New Year to you. Sure, Lisa, I’ll be sure to tell him. Maybe the three of us can get together to toast the New Year?”

“That would be very nice. Just let Scott know when you want to do it.”

After the call, she wondered if she should have told Mike about what she was going to tell Scott. She thought about calling back, but it would be better to talk with Scott about it. Mike only mentioned Scott had left. She wondered if he left alone, or was he with the woman from the other night?

It was Saturday. Would he be done in time to call her back before their date tonight? Would he make the date, or be tied up again?

It wouldn’t have to be any place special. She just wanted to be with him. If they had gone to the ski area, would they be skiing or just enjoying each other’s slopes?

Her smile was momentary. She considered him checking out properties alone. He might be safer if he was with another person—even if it was another woman.