Suffer II (8 page)

As the three identical black SUVs pulled into the driveway, Grey was pleased that Kate had followed his recommendations for the team’s rental house. It was isolated from the main road with woods on three sides and the bayou off the large two-story deck. With four bedrooms upstairs and two large common spaces on the first floor, it would give them plenty of room to set up their equipment.

“Will this work?” asked Kate, sitting in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle.

“It’s definitely isolated,” said Grey. “It’s good to get out of that tiny hotel room. Yes, this will work fine.”

“I thought you’d like it,” said Kate. “I want us all to have dinner together tonight. Would it be okay if we set everything up in the morning?”

“Dinner sounds great,” said Grey. “But the boys and I are going to be pulling an all-nighter.”

After the vehicles were emptied of their cargo, Kate and Chief tore into the stocked kitchen. It didn’t take them long to have dinner ready for the team. Abby set the mood by playing soft music through the intercom system and lighting every candle on the first floor. Grey and Evan set the table on the screened-in lower deck and took drink orders. After they had their fill, they settled into comfortable chairs overlooking the water.

“I’m stuffed,” said Evan, taking a seat next to Chief. “That was delicious.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve all sat down for a meal,” said Chief. “Great idea, Kate.”

“Thank you. I agree. With all we have going on here, it may be a while before we get this chance again.”

“What do we have going on here?” aked Chief. “I’ve been out of the loop. Fill me in.”

“This will help,” said Grey, passing out copies of Emily’s journals. “This is how I got to know her. Take your time reading them.”

“At face value, we have a young woman who lost her way,” said Kate.

“And a town that turned its back on her,” said Grey. “She had a bright future and a solid direction. Shortly before she was supposed to graduate from high school and leave for college, her life imploded.”

“Wasn’t it self-inflicted?” asked Evan. “Or is it possible to force someone to become addicted to drugs and prostitute themselves?”

“It’s not as uncommon as you’d think,” said Abby. “The sex trade is a multibillion-dollar global business. Assholes get young girls addicted to drugs and then sell them to the highest bidder.”

“Emily wasn’t a victim of the sex trade, Abby,” said Grey. “But I’m confident she was a victim. As far as being forced to become an addict, that theory is still on the table. Something happened to her over the holidays of her senior year. We don’t have specifics yet, but we have a list of people who probably do.”

“Is that where we’re starting?” asked Chief.

“It is,” said Grey. “Kate has already taken the sheriff off that list. She strolled into his office a few days ago with Karla. He’s leaning more towards being an asset than a liability at this point. He gave us a direction to head in, but not much more.”

“Speaking of theories on the table,” said Chief, “what’s yours?”

Grey refilled his glass before leaning back into his chair. As an FBI agent, he rarely offered theories and relied on evidence and facts to move the direction of an investigation. Looking around the room at his friends, he found himself in a more comfortable place.

“Bear with me, Chief,” said Grey, taking a sip. “I don’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence, but I want us all to start thinking like professional investigators. It’s the reason why we’re here.”

“I read you,” said Chief. “Let’s start with the basics. Evan, what would motivate someone to kill?”

“Money,” said Evan. “That’s the first thing that popped into my head, but I don’t think that’s the reason in Emily’s case.”

“We’re not talking about Emily specifically right now,” said Chief. “We’re just spitballing, but you’re absolutely correct. Money is a powerful motivator for murder. What else?”

“Love,” said Evan. “Or sex.”

“Correct as well, sir,” said Chief.

“I’ll go ahead and take the elephant out of the room,” said Kate. “Revenge.”

“Reading my mind again, huh?” said Grey, smiling at Kate. “Yes, revenge is on the list.”

“Okay,” said Chief. “We have the big three that we normally start with in an investigation when we don’t have any details, but we have a few with Emily. Let’s narrow it down and subcategorize. Yes, I believe we can take money off the table.”

“Wait,” said Abby. “I think we’re overlooking something we’ve all experienced.”

“What’s that?” asked Evan.

“A psychopath.”

“Well done, Abby,” said Chief, standing and rubbing his chin. “I think you just caught me up and put me on the same page as Grey.”

“Really?”

“Yep,” said Chief. “You did.”

“Kate,” said Grey. “We’re going to be talking about what happened to you. Are you okay with that?”

“Very,” said Kate. “It’s an important step in the process.”

“All right,” said Grey. “I’m going to expand on what Chief is talking about.”

“Good,” said Evan, “because I’m already lost.”

“Diego killed Caleb and tried to kill Kate,” said Grey. “He was a true psychopath. He wasn’t a serial killer in the traditional sense, but he was a serial killer by definition. Money was the initial motivator for what happened to Kate’s family. He was hired to scare Paul into selling the company, but not to brutalize and kill his family. That decision was made solely by Diego.”

“Gotcha,” said Evan.

“You do?” asked Chief.

“No,” said Evan. “Not even close.”

“Okay,” said Grey. “I don’t want to confuse anyone right out of the gate, so I’m just going to give my theory and I think that’ll make our point.”

“Please do,” said Abby. “Evan and I are new at this.”

“Chief mentioned subcategories for motivation for murder,” said Grey. “Emily didn’t have money, so we took that off of the table. That leaves love and revenge. Jealousy is a subcategory for love.”

“That’s what brought me up to speed, Abby,” said Chief. “Emily was a very intelligent young lady, but she was also strikingly beautiful. I’ll bet the farm that’s what got all of this started. But I think Grey will agree with me, it’s not what got her killed.”

“I will agree, Chief. My theory is that there was a series of events that led up to her death. We know she stopped journaling after a party she attended with two of her closest friends.”

“Brittany and Tyler,” said Evan. “They’re on the list you sent me.”

“Yes,” said Grey. “And that’s where we’re starting.”

“I thought Tyler wasn’t talking to us,” said Abby.

“He will,” said Grey. “He knows what happened to her that night. It’s the reason why he stays so close to Karla. It’s a combination of guilt and wanting to know what she knows. He proved our point by alerting the sheriff when Kate went for her visit.”

“I get something happened to her at that party, but where does a federal judge fit in to all of this?” asked Evan.

“She expunged Emily’s records after she went missing,” said Grey. “The key word is ‘after.’”

“Do we know why?” asked Evan.

“Not yet,” said Grey. “It’s part of our theory. Kate, you should tell them the rest. You found it.”

“We found it, but I’ll tell them,” said Kate. “From our first conversation, Karla kept telling me that Emily was being disgraced and discredited in front of the entire town. The only reason to do that to someone is so they won’t be believed. Emily witnessed or experienced something that a person, or group of people, didn’t want exposed.”

“This gives more weight to our theory that there was a series of events,” said Grey. “The most glaring is when her records were expunged. At that point, the judge knew Emily wasn’t missing. She knew she was gone forever and so was the problem. Any breadcrumbs a subsequent investigator may stumble across were destroyed, along with all the evidence associated with Emily’s arrests.”

“We’re going after a federal judge?” asked Evan.

“We are,” said Kate, “That’s why we have to make sure we’re right. As Grey said, this is all just theory. We need the facts before we move forward on anything.”

“This onion has a lot of layers,” said Evan.

“It does,” said Kate. “We’ll peel them back one by one until we find out what happened to her. Finding the connection with the judge was easy. She had a son who was in the same class as Emily. Finding the connection between him and Emily won’t be as easy, but we know it’s there. As soon as we try, we’re going to bring a lot of attention to us.”

“That’s why you’re going to get started first thing in the morning, Evan,” said Grey. “You’ve got a few houses to wire.”

“No problem, boss,” said Evan. “We’ll have eyes and ears everywhere in forty-eight hours.”

“Make is thirty-six.”

“In that case, I need to get started now.”

“I’ll put the coffee on, buddy.”

Before the pot was brewed, Evan had already set up the console in the common space closest to the deck. He was connecting cables to the video monitors when Grey handed him the first cup. He noticed a smirk on Grey’s face when he reached for it.

“What?” asked Evan.

“You’re very good at this,” said Grey, yielding the cup. “I’m serious. You could work on a surveillance team or bomb disposal unit with the FBI.”

“Holy shit,” said Evan. “Did I just get a compliment?”

“Cut it out, man. You know I live to push your buttons.”

“So you think I do more than paint kid’s faces at Disneyland?” said Evan, giving Grey a shove.

“Of course, I do,” said Grey, moving to the other side of the console. “We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you.”

“I appreciate that,” said Evan, pulling cable from a spool. “I know that compliments aren’t your thing.”

“Touché, brother,” said Grey. “What’s on the menu?”

“Nothing but the best, chef,” said Evan. “Every window and door will be covered by wireless sensors that can’t be scrambled or disabled unless you work for NASA. Motion detectors inside and out with infrared cameras will cover every inch of the perimeter of the house, including the driveway all the way up to the main road. All data received and transmitted will be encrypted and untraceable. Communications and internet are via satellite, and our generator will handle the entire load for days if we lose power.

“The beauty of it is that everything I install can be accessed and controlled with your phone.”

“Like I said, you’re very good at this.”

“I like making sure we can sleep at night,” said Evan. “You try your best to control what happens out there, but I control everything that happens in here. You guys are my family, Grey. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep all of you safe.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind or theirs,” said Grey. “I feel better knowing you’re here. I mean that.”

“Two compliments,” said Evan. “Are you drunk?”

“I wish,” said Grey. “No, just a bit worn down.”

“Why don’t you go hit the sack for a few,” said Chief, coming out of the kitchen with more coffee. “The kid and I slept on the plane. We’re good to go.”

“I’m fine,” said Grey, rubbing his temples.

“Seriously,” said Evan, “Chief and I have this. I know it’s been a long week for you. There’s going to be plenty of work left over in the morning. Go get some rest.”

“Okay,” said Grey, giving up the weak fight.  “I’ll be up early.”

“We know.”

Grey went upstairs and unpacked a few items from his bag. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he thought about Abby being so close in the next room. Looking at his watch, he knew she would already be asleep. Kicking off his shoes and falling back into the pillow, he heard the knob turn on his door.

“It’s been a long cruise, sailor,” said Abby, closing it behind her. “Would you like some company?”

“Yes, ma’am, I would.”

Emily ate her lunch in silence at the kitchen table. For two months, her mother had been acting more like her old self. She was spending less time on the couch and more time catching up with her daughter. Her effort to reduce the number of pills she was taking didn’t go unnoticed by Emily.

It was the summer before her senior year, but she spent most of her time at home with her mother instead of with her friends. Her best friend Brittany understood her reasons and gave her the space she needed to reconnect. When she received a phone call from Emily, she knew something was wrong. When she arrived to pick her up and Emily asked her to wait in the driveway, she knew why.

“Hey girl,” said Brittany, giving her a warm smile.

“Thank you for coming to get me,” said Emily, closing the passenger door. “I just needed to get away for a little while.”

“How bad is it?” asked Brittany, backing out of the driveway.

“Very,” said Emily. “It sucks because she was doing so well, Brit. We were talking, doing everything together, having fun, and then it all changed again. She started crying, took her pills, and was back on the couch. She’s been there for three days.”

“I’m sorry, Em,” said Brittany, holding her hand.

“I don’t know if I can go through all of this again,” said Emily, wiping away tears. “I don’t know how to help her.”

“Well, you’re not going to figure it out today, so don’t even try,” said Brittany. “You’re mine for two days, and we’re going to have nothing but fun. You owe me for ditching me all summer.”

“I really am sorry about that,” said Emily. “It was nice having Mom back for a little while, but I agree with you. We’re going to have nothing but fun this weekend.”

“My girl is back!” said Brittany, winning a smile from Emily.

Brittany cranked up the stereo and stepped on the gas. Emily was holding her smile as she held her arm out of the window to feel the wind through her fingers. She closed them and rolled her hand back and forth as if it were an airplane wing. The farther away she got from home, the closer she came to being happy.

It was a short drive to the north side of town where Brittany’s father had built a massive home in the middle of five acres of land. He owned one of the largest construction companies in the parish and spent most of his time in the field. Her mother spent most of her time running the social calendar for the entire town. Her parents adored Emily, and she was glad to see they were both there.

“Hey, Mom!” said Brittany, skipping across the foyer. “Look what I found outside.”

“If it’s another damn cat, I swear I’m going to –”

“Hi, Mrs. Greene,” said Emily, beaming a smile as she came around the corner into the main room.

“Em!” said Mrs. Greene, squealing. “Get over here, girl!”

Emily walked into a long, tight hug. Brittany’s mother was loud and energetic. It was a welcomed change from hers.

“Jim!” said Mrs. Greene, yelling towards the back door. “Get in here!”

Mr. Greene was the complete opposite of his wife. He was stoic and rarely raised his voice. Emily was always happy to see him because he reminded her of her father.

“Look at you,” said Mrs. Greene, releasing her hug and grabbing Emily by her shoulders.  “You get more beautiful every day.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Greene,” said Emily, blushing. “It’s really good to see you. I miss coming here.”

“You’ve been through so much, Em. You know that this is your home too. You come here anytime you want. You hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Who is this?” asked Mr. Greene, walking into the room.

“Here we go,” said Brittany, shaking her head.

“What?” said Mr. Greene, furrowing his brow. “I mean, she looks a lot like this friend you used to have that came around, but this can’t be her. That girl was short and pudgy with greasy hair and pimples. This girl right here is way too pretty to be her.”

“Hi, Mr. Greene,” said Emily, continuing her blush.

“She’s never had a pimple in her life,” said Brittany. “I hate her for that.”

“Come here, stranger,” said Mr. Greene, extending his arms.

His embrace caused Emily to close her eyes and hold her breath. It was the kind of hug her dad used to give. She hesitated to let him go, and he felt it.

“You and I need to catch up, okay?”

“I’d like that,” said Emily.

“Me first,” said Mrs. Greene. “Come with me, Em. You can help me set up the table outside.”

As Brittany walked by her father, he reached out to stop her. She looked at him with pursed lips, waiting for him to mess up her hair or stick a wet finger in her ear. Instead, she received a warm smile as Emily and her mother went outside.

“I’m proud of you,” said Mr. Greene.

“Proud of me?” asked Brittany, smiling back and cocking her head.

“I am,” said Mr. Greene, giving her a hug. “You’ve been a good friend to her, Brit. A lot of people don’t understand what she and her mother are going through. They’re all so damned judgmental, but not my baby. You’ve always been there for her, and you never turned your back when she needed you. Just like today.”

“She’s my best friend, Dad,” said Brittany. “She’d do the same for me. I can’t imagine what a mess Mom and I would be if anything happened to you.”

“Then why is your mother always trying to kill me?”

“You’re impossible, Dad,” said Brittany, pinching him and walking away.

“I know.”

Brittany and Emily had been friends since they were eleven, but didn’t become best friends until their freshman year in high school. Their parents knew each other well and drove countless miles back and forth, picking up and dropping off.

When Emily’s father died, the Greenes did their best to keep Karla in their lives, but she shut them out. Mrs. Greene brought over meals for weeks and tried to get Karla to leave the house. Mr. Greene would send workers over to help keep up the property and maintain the yard. Karla stopped letting them in and demanded that her daughter do the same.

Emily went upstairs to one of the many guest rooms to change into her bathing suit. Brittany had pool parties almost every weekend over the summer breaks. With school starting in a week, it would be the last big event of the season. Emily was hesitant about seeing so many other teenagers from school. She knew the entire town whispered that her mother was one pill away from a nervous breakdown, or worse.

“Can I come in?” asked Brittany, knocking on the door.

“Sure,” said Emily, looking at herself in the mirror.

“Good Lord!” said Brittany, staring at her. “You’re about to bust out of that thing.”

“Cut it out,” said Emily, adjusting her bikini top. “They’re the same size as yours.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Stop, I’m already nervous about being here,” said Emily.

“Why? You’re going to know everyone that’s coming.”

“That’s why,” said Emily, sitting on the bed. “And they’re all going to look at me like I’m damaged.”

“No, they’re not,” said Brittany, sitting beside her. “Even if some of them do, who gives a shit? We’re going to have fun, remember?”

“Yes, we are,” said Emily, sitting up straight.

“Besides, they’re all going to be staring at your boobs.”

“You suck,” said Emily, laughing and pushing her over.

“I’m a little nervous too,” said Brittany, popping up. “Conner’s been acting weird. I haven’t seen him in a week.”

“Really, why?”

“He’s been going to football camps, and he works out like ten times a day.”

“He has a chance to go to LSU on a football scholarship, Brit,” said Emily. “Of course he’s going to be acting weird. That’s a big deal around here, and he’s probably stressed out about everything. This town treats him like a god and expects him to win every game. That’s a lot of pressure. Don’t add to it by asking him what’s wrong all the time. Just give him a little space to do his thing. I can tell that he’s crazy about you, Brit. Football isn’t going to change that.”

“I love you,” said Brittany, hugging Emily. “You’re right. I just need to chill.”

“Exactly. Everything is going to be fine.”

“You need to move in here,” said Brittany. “I’m serious. I need you around to keep my head on straight, and my parents would love it if you stayed here.”

“Thank you, but you know I can’t.”

“Okay, I’ll drop it for now,” said Brittany, standing. “We need to head down. A bunch of people just showed up. I think Tyler’s here too. I can’t wait to see the look on that poor boy’s face when he sees you in that.”

“Brit, wait,” said Emily, pulling her back down onto the bed. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“You had sex with Dawson,” said Brittany, grinning.

“Oh, my God!” said Emily, jumping to her feet. “How do you know?”

“I didn’t,” said Brittany, dropping her jaw. “I just knew he came to visit a couple of weeks ago. That’s so sweet, Em. He was your first.”

“You cannot tell Tyler,” said Emily, leaning down close to her face. “You can’t tell anyone, Brit. You have to swear to me. You have to.”

“I swear, Em,” said Brittany. “But you have to give me all the details.”

“There aren’t any,” said Emily. “It just happened. We were at the lake on his dad’s boat, and it just happened.”

“So what now?” asked Brittany. “Is he moving back?”

“No,” said Emily. “I don’t think he’s ever coming back here. He hates this place. I don’t blame him sometimes.”

“Oh, that’s so romantic,” said Brittany, falling back on the bed. “Two star-crossed lovers doomed to long for each other until the end of time. So sad. So, so sad.”

“You’re a mess, Brit.”

“I know,” said Brittany, sitting up. “Wow, if Tyler ever found out, it would devastate him. That boy has had a crush on you since he was ten. And if he found out it was his brother, it would kill him. This is such good stuff, Em. We should have our own reality show.”

“Enough, Oprah. Let’s go.”

As they walked out of the back door to the pool deck, the usually serene backyard was alive with teenage chaos. Music was blasting, and boys were doing flips off the diving board to impress the girls. The girls were in huddles pretending to ignore the boys. When Brittany and Emily arrived on scene, all eyes turned to them, including Conner’s.

“Hey, handsome,” said Brittany, giving him a hug.

“Hey, beautiful,” said Conner. “I can’t stay long. I have to be back at practice in two hours.”

“It’s okay,” said Brittany, earning a smile from Emily. “I know it’s important. You can come back after if you want. We’ll still be here.”

“That sounds good,” said Conner, turning to Emily. “Hey, Em. It’s good to see you. How have you been?”

“Doing well, thank you.”

“Did you hear anything about LSU?”

“Not yet,” said Emily. “I probably won’t know until closer to Christmas, but it’s looking good so far.”

“That’s great,” said Conner. “I hope you get in. Come say hi to the guys.”

Brittany and Emily walked with Conner to the table next to the diving board. Most of the boys sitting were fellow football players, including Tyler. He was the shortest of the group and only an inch taller than Emily. When he saw Emily, Brittany started to giggle. His face was beet red. As he stood to greet her, his knee caught the edge of the table, sending most of the drinks to the deck.

“Calm down, Tyler,” said Brittany. “They’re just boobs.”