The Death Row Complex (25 page)

“I felt one hand on my face and something up against my throat,” Stone said. “Something cold. I assumed it was a knife. I decided it was now or never, so I kneed him in the nuts as hard as I could. He fell off me, and I got up and ran the rest of the way up the hill. I didn’t have my cell phone, so I started heading back toward my car to get it, but then you showed up.” The last line was directed at the officer who had been questioning her.

Gilman interjected, “If she didn’t call you, then who did?”

“Nobody,” the officer replied. “This is my normal route. I had just driven down the hill to the beach and was on my way back up. She must have just beat me to the top.”

Sean McMullan interjected. “You mean she
ran
up this hill, after having just been knocked unconscious, faster than you could drive up it? Didn’t you hear anything?”

Stone interrupted. “There was nothing to hear, Sean. My mouth was covered the whole time I was awake. I couldn’t scream. Then once I got away, I was just running. I wasn’t making any noise. I guess I was just trying to get as far away from him as possible. I was lucky this officer showed up. Otherwise, I probably would have just run all the way to my car.”

McMullan redirected his interrogation. “What about the dogs? Haven’t they found anything down there?”

An officer who had previously been silent answered. “They’ve definitely gotten a scent but it’s led them to the beach. After that, they’re lost. I guess the guy went into the water.”

“Well if he doesn’t drown or die of hypothermia, he has to come back out,” Gilman said optimistically.

“He better hope he drowns or dies of hypothermia,” McMullan answered, and turned to run down the hill to the beach.

Five hundred yards up the coastline, Chuck swam parallel to the beach. The late-winter Pacific Ocean was below fifty degrees. As his body turned from cold, to pain, to numb, Chuck remained as submerged as possible – only allowing his nose and mouth to peek out of the water with each subsiding wave, in order to catch a breath.
I’ll probably catch fucking pneumonia
, he thought.
The Bitch is going to pay for this.

9:01 P.M.
PST

An hour later, serenity had been restored to the suburban road atop the police beach access street. Katrina, Roger Gilman, and one police officer were the only three people remaining. On one side of the police cruiser was Gilman’s car. Sean McMullan’s black sedan remained jutting into the street, its awkward angle evidence of a hurried parking job. But McMullan had still not returned from the beach.

He’s probably chasing the guy down the coastline
, Katrina was thinking.

“Katrina, seriously,” Gilman said quietly. “I realize we can’t force you to go to the hospital, but I really don’t think you should be driving home. I know it’s tough to insist anything with you, but please, let me drive you. I’m begging you—don’t drive right now. You’re too upset, and you’ve also hit your head.”

Katrina looked into his eyes and was surprised to find that she believed in his sincerity. Even with the veiled allusion to her stubbornness, about which Katrina knew he was right, his intentions seemed to be truly in her best interest. She was both skeptical and relieved.

“Who’s going to drive me?” she said. “All three of you have your own cars, and if one of you takes me, then my car will be stuck here. Otherwise it’s a bunch of driving around for more than one person. Just take me to my car and let me go home.”

Gilman paused for a moment. “Where is your daughter tonight?”

Katrina grimaced and threw a hand over her eyes. “Oh
shit!
What time is it?”

“Almost nine fifteen.”

“I’m late to pick up Lexi from her dad’s house.”

Gilman reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Well, he’s probably worried something happened to you. And by the way, something did. So tell him to come pick you up and drop you and your daughter off at your house.”

Katrina shook her head at him, but for the first time that evening, she smiled.

Ten minutes later, Gilman had dismissed the uniformed officer. He and Katrina were alone, leaning on the back bumper of his car in silence, when Tom Stone’s Jeep screeched to a halt next to Sean McMullan’s car. Tom leaped from the driver’s seat and raced toward Katrina. “Are you OK?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m OK.”

Kimberly and Alexis slipped up behind Tom. “Hi, Katrina,” Kimberly said softly.

“Hey, Kim,” Katrina said, without looking up.

“I’m—I’m really sorry this happened to you,” Kimberly said.

“So am I.” The voice was Lexi’s.

Katrina went to her daughter, and Alexis stood still to allow Katrina to hug her tightly.

“So, what’s the plan?” Katrina asked then. “Geez, I feel like such an invalid here.”

Tom chuckled slightly. “Well, it’s about time you let someone take care of you for once, even if it’s just to give you a damn ride home. Give me your keys.”

Gilman produced them from his pocket. “We found them on the path near where you were attacked,” he said.

“Kim is going to take you and Lexi to your house in my Jeep, and I’m going to follow in your car,” Tom said. “Simple as pie. I’ll even trot over to the gliderport to get your car… you don’t even have to give me a lift.”

“How’d you know my car was at the gliderport?” Katrina asked.

“Because I was married to you for nine years, dummy.” He stuck out his tongue and jogged off.

Sitting in the passenger seat of Tom’s Jeep, Katrina looked wordlessly out the window. Lexi and Kimberly were silent as well.

Katrina finally spoke. “I think there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Who?” Kimberly asked.

“Actually, both of you.”

“What?” Alexis leaned forward over the back of Katrina’s seat.

Katrina sighed and turned sideways in her seat in order to be able to face both of the other women. “I think we—I—well, maybe you too—might be in serious danger. I’m not convinced that this attack was random.”

“I don’t understand,” Kimberly said. “I thought the terror threat was over. I thought now it’s just a matter of you finishing whatever you’re doing, and then the government will take it and move on. I thought everything is fine now.”

Katrina shook her head. “It’s not over. Something is still going on. My postdoc recently had his apartment broken into, and I’m wondering if this is related. I’m not saying you need to be paranoid. I’m just saying that you—all of us—should watch our backs. I don’t know. Maybe
I’m
being paranoid. But better safe than sorry.”

Kimberly took her eyes off the road long enough to give Katrina a hard glare, and then reverted to staring directly in front of her. “That job of yours is going to be the death of us all. You’re like an alcoholic, too wrapped up in your own situation to see the effect it’s having on you and everyone around you.”

“Look, Kimberly,” Katrina said. “I didn’t say that I know for certain that there is anything to worry about. I’m just trying to give you a heads up in case there is. And anyway, it’s not my fault. I’m doing the best I can. And it really has been a rough night for me. So cut me some slack, OK?”

Kimberly looked back over at her, but her face had softened. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know you’ve had a shitty, scary night and I shouldn’t have said that. We’ll talk about it later.”

A moment passed in silence. “OK,” Katrina said at last.

When she turned to address Lexi, who had been wordless throughout the exchange, her daughter was looking out the window.
I hope she is even listening
, Katrina thought.
If you never listen to me about anything ever again, just this one time, please, Lexi
.

“Alexis?” Katrina said.

The girl’s face snapped forward, away from the window, and her eyes bored into her mother. What Katrina saw there was pure rage.

J
ANUARY 24, 2016
7:34 A.M.
PST

A prison guard opened a door to the visiting room, and Chuck Morales stepped inside. His twin was already waiting.

“Thanks for coming,
hermanito
,” Oscar said. He was smiling.

“It’s a long fuckin’ drive from San Diego.” Chuck was not smiling.

“I know it is, bro. I really appreciate it. Besides, it will be worth your while, I promise.” He gave his brother a grin.

“So what’s up now?”

Oscar leaned forward and whispered, “Give me some skin.” He raised a hand toward Chuck. Chuck brought up a hand to claps his brother’s and a look of shock crossed his face. “Ssh… ” Oscar hissed. His eyes were darting past Chuck to the security guard, who did not seem to be looking.

Chuck had been expecting money. When he glanced into his hand before dropping it into his pocket, he instead saw two small, sealed glass vials. Each vial contained an off-white powder. Chuck began to tremble.
“What is this?”

“Don’t touch it. Don’t eat it, and definitely don’t fucking snort it. Understand?”

“
What the fuck are you trying to get me into!
” he snarled.

“Look, brother. Don’t worry. I promise, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know. You trust me, right?”

Chuck only glared.

“Right?” Oscar repeated.

“Yeah, I trust you,” Chuck finally said, looking down.

“Good, man, I’ve never steered you wrong, have I?”

Chuck looked away for a moment. When he looked back into his twin’s eyes, he shook his head. “No, man, you’ve never steered me wrong.”

Oscar smiled. “I’m the one who’s in
here
,” he said lovingly. “And you’re the one who’s out
there
. I took the hit and did the time for both of us, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. So what’s the plan?”

Oscar looked over at the guard one last time. “You know I’m up for parole next year, don’t you? I’m going to set us up, brother. We’ll be in style for the rest of our lives. First of all, did you take care of the bitch in San Diego?”