Captive (Detective Jade Monroe 2) Page 18

  Inside, Jan offered her condolences and welcomed me back as I hobbled around the reception desk with the crutches and entered the bull pen. Jack held the door open as I crossed through. My desk held vases of flowers, and Get Well Soon balloons swayed from four-foot lengths of colorful ribbon. Everyone sat in the bull pen, waiting for me to enter. The table at the back held doughnuts and cookies, and a fresh pot of coffee was ready to be poured.

  “You guys are all too sweet. Thanks.” I smiled at their thoughtfulness and asked Clayton to put two French crullers and a cookie on a plate and bring it to my desk.

  “You got it, Jade.”

  Clayton filled the plate and poured me a cup of coffee too and delivered both to my desk.

  Jack piped up. “Don’t get used to it. Remember, you don’t want to be pampered.”

  “Maybe a few days won’t hurt.” I took a big bite of the doughnut even though we had just finished lunch.

  At one thirty, Clark called a meeting for all of us in the conference room. I hopped down the hall and sat in the first chair I reached when I entered the room. Lieutenant Clark, Jack, Clayton, Billings, Dan, Kyle, Todd, Billy, Jason, Lena and I were in attendance. Clark wanted Lena on board just because she hadn’t sat in on any of our meetings yet.

  Billings brought the pot of coffee and cups in for everyone.

  “Okay, it looks like Friday is our target date to start canvassing neighborhoods. Jade, if your foot isn’t up to par to do much walking, we’re going to have to take this on without you.”

  I nodded, and I didn’t like it, but I understood. This investigation wasn’t about me, and I couldn’t make anyone wait until I was ready to join in. Either I was on board to begin on Friday or I wasn’t, but I was hoping for the best.

  Clark continued, “Everything needs to be planned. So far, other than the woman in Milwaukee who actually witnessed the abduction of Gina Sansone and Carley Donovan and mentioned they were put into a white van by two men, and the woman at Westchase Mall who said the van had Montana plates, which turned out to be stolen, we have nothing.” He rubbed his chin. “None of the TV news segments produced viable leads, so we’re back to square one. Milwaukee PD hasn’t received any additional leads either. Since most of the incidents happened in our jurisdiction, it’s up to us to pursue these individuals. Until we have proof that they’ve moved on, we’re going to assume they’re still in our area. Okay, the floor is open. Let’s start putting this together.”

  “We need to remind ourselves of the physical and lifestyle description of the suspects,” I said. “We probably should have the white board and notebooks and pens for everyone in here.”

  Clark gave Billings a nod. “Adam, can you get those things for us?”

  “Right away, Lieutenant.” Billings pushed back his chair and headed to the door.

  “Sorry, Billings, I’d do it myself since I’m closest to the door, but I’m kind of incapacitated right now. Catch me next time.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Okay, I want a graph with a five-mile radius of where Reanne was found. Does anyone have anything to add to that? Do you think five miles is too close, too far? Any ideas, input?”

  Jack spoke up. “That sounds like a good start. I think a perp would feel relatively safe dumping a body within five miles of his location.”

  Clark nodded. “Okay, Todd, you and Billy set that up. Make sure you have the street names and each residence shown on the graph. Once you have it put together, let us see it. If there’s nothing additional to include, we’ll need a handful of copies. Make sure the copies are large enough to read. These detectives have to be able to see every street name and address clearly. I don’t want them doubling back because they missed something.”

  “Yes, sir, anything else for us?” Billy asked.

  “Not that I can think of right now.” Clark nodded, and Billy and Todd left the room.

  Jason spoke up, “Sir?”

  “Jason, go ahead. You’ve got the floor.”

  “I think we could assume the perp lives on a farm or at least a residence that isn’t near any other homes. With the amount of burn marks, scuffs, and muscle atrophy on Reanne’s body, it appears they held her over time. She’d have to scream now and then out of pain, fear, or frustration.”

  “Good point, Jason.” Clark wrote those notes on the white board. “So it’s probably safe to say we wouldn’t find our perp or perps at a country subdivision. That’s especially true now that they have other women.”

  “They could always back into a garage and close the overhead door to bring the women in the house,” I said. “Who would see anything?”

  “That’s also true, but I believe these guys would want to have more privacy than that. For now we’ll focus more on the country homes that have a few acres of empty land around them. God knows there’s plenty.” Clark reached across the conference table and grabbed the gold thermal carafe. He topped off each of our cups. “What else?”

  Clayton spoke up. “What we do know is there are likely two men. They must be strong enough and quick enough to overtake multiple women at a time.”

  “But the women are subdued,” I said.

  Clayton ground his fists into his eyes. “Yeah, I forgot.”

  “We know they must be similar in age to Carley and Gina and possibly attractive. Why would two beautiful girls give them the time of day otherwise? They also know where young people hang out.”

  “That’s right, Jade. Okay, the woman in Milwaukee said she saw two men, possibly with darker hair. They’re probably anywhere between twenty and thirty years old. They have, or had, a white van. They know where young people hang out, and they likely aren’t from this area. Oh, and they found a way to get Xylazine, but that got us nowhere. These guys are smart and know how to stay under the radar. We have to dig deep, people.”

  Todd and Billy returned with a large map printed out of the area where Reanne was found. They spread it out across the conference table, closer to me, so I wouldn’t have to hobble over to take a look.

  “This is what a five-mile radius gives us. Keep in mind, half of this map goes into Wausaukee County since she was found on the county line.”

  Clark wrung his hands. “Damn it, that’s right. Okay, extend our side of the county line to go out ten miles. I realize these guys aren’t local and don’t give a flying fart about county lines. They probably aren’t even aware of the location they dumped Reanne. It was just a quiet country ditch.” Clark shook his head. “Go ahead, guys. Sorry about my oversight.”

  “Speaking of Reanne, she’s already on her way back to Grand Forks, right?” I asked, directing my question at Jason.

  “Yep, she should arrive tomorrow morning. We sent along five copies of her death certificate with the driver, just like you asked us to.”

  “Thanks, Jason. So, what do you guys think of me footing the bill for lunch, excuse the pun, for our jailbirds for the rest of the week? Those two snitches did give us important intel about the meth lab and got nothing in return. They could order lunch off the delivery menu from Jimmy’s Quick and Tasty, good through Saturday. It’s something anyway.”

  Clark nodded. “Yeah, go ahead. We’ll all pitch in and pay for it.”

  Todd returned to the conference room, carrying the final draft of the map with a ten-mile radius around the location where Reanne was found. Billy was right behind him.

  “How’s this?” Todd asked as he and Billy spread the map across the table.

  “That’s perfect. Okay, go ahead and make seven copies about half scale of this one. You four detectives have two days to get all of your other projects and loose ends wrapped up. This bull pen is going to be running light once you take to the streets. I’ll probably have Horbeck and Jamison put in overtime too. Let’s go.”

  Chapter 41

  The screams from the basement bounced against the walls and echoed up the stairs. “Somebody get down here, please. We need help.”

  “What’s with the racket down the
re?” Jeremy asked. He cocked his head toward the door leading to the basement. He and Matt were about to sit down and enjoy a quiet early dinner.

  Matt looked over his shoulder and shrugged. He stood at the stove, ready to load up his plate with a Tuesday evening feast.

  Scents from the fried chicken wafted throughout the house, and the brothers were hungry. Matt scooped up a large serving of mashed potatoes and poured gravy over the top, and with a slotted spoon, he heaped canned corn from the saucepan onto his plate.

  “Dig in, bro. A meal this good shouldn’t be left to go cold.”

  Matt did the cooking in the house. Jeremy was interested only in the amount of money flowing into their joint bank account. He enjoyed the food and appreciated his brother’s expertise, but he could live on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches if he had to.

  Tomorrow was the day they would be meeting with the buyer’s rep for Carley. After dinner, Jeremy intended to go online to see if that final email had come in. The rep would give him further instructions of a time and meeting place in the Milwaukee area to make the transfer.

  “Help us.” The voice wailed again, irritating Jeremy.

  “Who the hell is screaming down there?”

  “It sounds like Jenna.”

  Jeremy pushed back his chair, wiped his hands on the napkin, and threw it on the table. “This better be good.”

  The basement door slammed against the wall so hard it bounced back, almost hitting Jeremy in the face. That only fueled his anger more as he stormed down the stairs. Matt cursed under his breath and followed.

  “What the hell is going on? I swear to God, you’re all going to get zapped. I was trying to enjoy a little peace and quiet over a nice, relaxing dinner.” Jeremy swatted at the light switch on the wall and flicked it on.

  Jenna shook the cage wires, her fingers bloodied from trying to get out. “It’s Carley. There’s something wrong with her. She’s puking and having seizures.”

  Jeremy spun from the sound behind him. Carley was kicking the sides of her cage, almost in a rage. Five strides and he was in front of her pen. His right knee popped when he squatted next to it. Jeremy winced then stared at Carley as her muscles contracted violently. Her eyes had rolled back, and only the whites were visible. Blood ran out of her mouth and smeared on her chin. He moved in closer to get a better look.

  “What the hell? Matt, come over here. Have you ever seen anything like this?”

  “Hmm… can’t say that I have. She looks possessed. She bit her tongue pretty good too.”

  “She’s epileptic,” Jenna yelled, snarling at both men.

  Jeremy pushed off the floor, wincing again as he rubbed his knee. He grabbed the chair and sat in front of Jenna’s cage. “And how would you know that?”

  “I work at a doctor’s office. I know what epilepsy looks like, and she mentioned being worried about not having her meds. She’s having a grand mal seizure. It could kill her, especially without her anti-seizure medicine. Her blood sugar is probably so low it’s off the charts. I’m sure she’s feverish too.”

  “Well, what would you suggest, Dr. Jenna?” Jeremy cocked his head and mocked her.

  “She needs medication.”

  “That isn’t going to happen. She needs to snap out of it, that’s what she needs.”

  Jeremy got up and pulled an empty cage forward. “Give me a hand, bro. Unlock her pen. We’ll put her in a clean cage for now. She can wait to shower until tomorrow before she leaves.”

  “Do you think it’s safe? I don’t want to get kicked in the head.” Matt leaned down and took a closer look at Carley.

  Jeremy waited. “What do you think?”

  “It looks like she passed out.” Matt unlocked Carley’s pen. He dragged her out, pushed her into the clean cage, and locked the padlock behind her.

  “What’s happening over there?” Liz’s voice echoed from around the corner.

  “Don’t you worry your little head off, Liz. It’s nothing you need to be concerned with. Are we done? I’d like to get back to our dinner,” Matt said.

  “Yeah, looks good to me.” Jeremy headed for the stairs.

  Jenna sobbed and kicked her cage. “She’s going to die if you don’t help her.”

  “Shhh… don’t make them mad,” Megan said. “Maybe she’ll be okay in the morning.”

  Chapter 42

  “No…no…no!”

  The wailing startled Jeremy awake. He sat upright in bed and rubbed his eyes. He wondered if he had dreamed the sounds. He thought the clock on his nightstand showed it was six thirty, but he could barely see through the slits of his burning eyes. His room facing west was still dark, and the blinds were tightly closed.

  “You stupid jerks, can you hear me? I knew she’d die. I hate you, I hate you. I hope you both rot in hell!”

  The shrill screams sounded through the decorative old iron heat registers piped up from the basement. The noise echoed into every upstairs room.

  Jeremy’s door flew open, and Matt stood there in his boxer shorts.

  “What the hell is going on down there?”

  “I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.” Jeremy flung the sheet and blanket to the side and climbed out of bed. He slipped on his jeans still lying on the floor from last night. He exited the room and looked back at Matt. “Put something on.”

  Jeremy ran down the stairs to the main level of the house and flipped on the light in the living room. An ugly seventies-style chandelier hung from the center of the room and came to life. Cage woke, stretched, and jumped off the couch. Adjacent to the living room, just beyond the arched doorway, was the kitchen. Jeremy continued on, not acknowledging the dog who was at his heels. His hand hit the wall switch next to the stove, and the light above the table lit up. Jeremy turned the dimmer dial to brighten the room. He headed for the basement door, which was just to the right of the pantry.

  “Cage, stay,” Jeremy ordered. He squeezed through the opening and closed the door behind him before the dog had a chance to follow. He took the twelve steps to the lowest level of the house. He was halfway down the stairs when the cool, musty air hit him.

  “What the hell is going on?” He sneered at the women as he turned on the light. The window across the room brought in barely enough light to dim their dungeon at best. Jeremy grabbed the cattle prod out of sheer anger as he walked toward the cages.

  Jenna screamed and rattled her cage. Megan joined her, and Liz in the darkened corner did too.

  “Carley’s dead, you son of a bitch. I told you she’d die without her medication. She had already gone too long without it. That’s why she had a seizure, you idiot. I wish you were dead. I wish I could kill you! I wish I could kill both of you.”

  Matt came downstairs and looked at Jeremy. “What happened?”

  Jeremy stood next to Carley’s cage and stared at her stiffened body. Her eyes were unblinking and her mouth hung open. “She’s dead. I guess the seizure did her in. What the hell are we going to do now? She was supposed to be delivered today.”

  “Let’s go upstairs and talk privately.” Matt cocked his head toward the stairs.

  Jeremy looked at the two remaining girls staring at him with hatred written across their faces. Liz was still making a racket around the corner.

  “Shut the hell up, Liz, or you’re going to join Carley,” Matt yelled.

  The room fell quiet, and the brothers went upstairs.

  Matt made coffee while Jeremy sat at the table. His hands were folded under his chin; he was deep in thought.

  “I have to get in touch with the buyer’s agent.” He glanced at the clock. “Shit, I have no idea where he’s at. He’s probably somewhere over the Atlantic right now. The email I got from him last night said he was at the airport in Delhi and was going to leave shortly. He was supposed to arrive in New York around noon.” Jeremy ground his fingertips into his head. “All I know from his calculations was that he wants to meet near Mitchell Field at four o’clock. He said he’d call a
nd give me a location when they stopped in New York for fuel.”

  Matt poured two cups of coffee and carried them over to the table. He pulled the cream out of the refrigerator and a spoon out of the top left drawer. He placed them on the table then plopped down on a chair across from Jeremy with a loud groan.

  “Do you think you can reach him, and what would you say?”

  “I don’t know. He’s come a long way, and the last thing I want to do is piss him off. No matter what, we’ve just lost nine thousand bucks that’s already been paid. Either we fix this somehow or we’ll have to give them their money back and likely cover expenses too.” The cup bounced, and the coffee splashed out when Jeremy pounded his fist on the table.

  “How about replacing Carley with Jenna? She has dark hair, and they were close to the same size and age.”

  “Yeah, but they didn’t look alike.”

  “So what? Jenna would have sold for more than Carley did. That’s like giving the guy in India a bonus. They’ll get a better-looking babe, they won’t be mad, and we’ll skate by.”

  “True, but we’ll still be short the value of one girl.”

  “Bro, there’s plenty more where that came from. Once we get to Vegas, we can cherry-pick from the best of the best.”

  “Yeah, you might have a point.” Jeremy grabbed a banana out of the bowl on the counter then sat back down. He peeled it as he thought about Matt’s idea. “It’s probably the only thing we can do. I’ll be honest with the guy and tell him what happened. Full disclosure, you know. It will keep us honest.”

  “Where are you going?” Matt stood.

  “Downstairs to send an email to the rep—hopefully he’ll read it before he arrives in Milwaukee. Surprising him will only make us look sketchy. After that, we have another hole to dig. Beth is going to get herself a roommate. Go ahead and get the shovels ready. Bring the wheelbarrow up to the cellar doors too.”

  Chapter 43

  I thanked Mom for dropping me off before work and took a seat in the doctor’s office. Soothing music played on a loop, and a home improvement show was on the TV in the corner near the ceiling. I would like to have heard what the twin brothers suggested to a family that wanted to update their house, but the volume was muted, and the closed captions moved across the screen so quickly I didn’t have time to read what was said.