SERIAL JUSTICE

TAMMY WHALEY

Kindle Edition

Copyright 2011 by Tammy Whaley

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Other books by Tammy Whaley:

Prologue of an Apocalypse: Book One of the Ancients Rising Trilogy

Coming Soon:

Center of the Cataclysm: Book Two of the Ancients Rising Trilogy

The Day after Destruction: Book Three of the Ancients Rising Trilogy

Sweet Nod: A Jane Sweet Mystery

This book is dedicated to Sharon.

Contents

Chapter 1 

Chapter 2 

Chapter 3 

Chapter 4 

Chapter 5 

Chapter 6 

Chapter 7 

Chapter 8 

Chapter 9 

Chapter 10 

Chapter 11 

Chapter 12 

Chapter 13 

Chapter 14 

Chapter 15 

Chapter 16 

Chapter 17 

Chapter 18 

Chapter 19 

Chapter 20 

Chapter 21 

Epilogue 

Prologue

  Under the harsh reality of the hospital lights the woman appeared slight and pale. If she had to guess, Mac would put her age near forty. A balloon bouquet floated up from its anchoring weight on the windowsill.  IV lines snaked out from under the sheet, stretching up the pole to bags containing mysterious liquids. A heart monitor beeped rhythmically.  An overpowering antiseptic smell almost covered the odor of dying flesh. The patient sipped from a cup of ice water, watching her two visitors enter the room.

    Both wore dark business suits that met the FBI’s dress code requirements, though the woman’s had a more feminine cut. The man looked to be an ex-marine who still hadn’t realized he was allowed to grow out his buzz cut. At six two and two hundred pounds he probably felt invincible. The woman in the bed had killed many invincible men just like him. The female FBI agent was medium height, with short blond hair and brilliant green eyes. Both had a 9mm Glock strapped to their right hips.

     Taking the agents off guard, the woman in the bed spoke first, “You must be the FBI Agents I requested. Please come in, have seat.” She indicated the recliner and hard backed visitor’s chair next to it.  Both agents remained standing.

    “Ms. Davidson, I’m special Agent Mackenzie and this is special Agent Ford.” the female Agent nodded toward her partner. “We’re here because of a telephone call you made to our Boulder office.”

     “Yes, I called four days ago, what took you so long?” the patient asked.

     “Well ma’am, as compelling as your story is, we had to check a few facts before coming here.” Agent Ford replied.

     “So tell me Agent Ford, was it the death of Santos or Jimmy “the geek” Delany that caught your attention? Because I know damn well you don’t really give a shit about any of the other scum I’ve scrubbed away.” The last sentence was said between bouts of coughing into a tissue covered with specs of blood.

     “Of course we at the FBI are concerned with any suspicious deaths of all US citizens.” Agent Ford began.

     “Honestly Ms Davidson, it was the details of the Delany case that caught our attention”, Agent Mackenzie cut in before Ford could hand out more of the company line.

     “I thought so. When I killed that little bastard I knew the FBI was conducting surveillance from the top floor of the bakery across the street. Word on the street was that you’d had him in your sights for two years prior to his death. He used to brag about running you around in circles.” the woman laughed.

     Before Ford, who was beet red and stuttering by this time, could speak, Agent Mackenzie asked, “So what can you tell us about the murder of Jimmy Delany?”

     “I’m going to give you all the answers you want and then some, but I just want to be clear on a few rules. One, I’m going to tell this my way, in my time. Two, this is a death bed confession; I’m never walking out of this hospital. The only concession I’ve given is that I’ve temporarily lifted my Do Not Resuscitate order until I have finished this confession. That means that the doctors can keep me alive by any means possible until you eek out every fucking detail. Three, my daughter is an innocent; she may or may not choose to talk to you. Four, I will get my pain medications and have frequent rest breaks. Do you understand?”

     “Now listen, you can’t just,” before Agent Ford could finish the patient stated

     “Yes, I can, and you will. The paperwork is on my bedside table. You’ve got enough damn lawyers working for the FBI that between my lawyer and yours, this should be set by tomorrow. One other condition, I don’t like you, Agent Ford, so I will only talk to Agent Mackenzie. Now I have a couple of questions. Do you want the details of only the Delany murder or all one hundred and seventeen murders I’ve done? Do you want only US citizens? Only US citizens in the US? Or every murder I’ve committed around the world?”

     After a stunned pause, Agent Mackenzie replied, “We’ll have to get back to you on that ma’am.”

     A nurse in navy blue scrubs entered the room pushing a cart loaded down with supplies. “You have to leave now, she needs her rest.” she stated as she began scanning the IV bags on the cart.

     The Agents nodded to one another, “We’ll see you tomorrow Ms. Davidson.” Agent Mackenzie said as she walked out the door.

     As they turned to walk toward the elevators, Agent Mackenzie heard the nurse ask, “Are you having any pain Ms. Davidson?

     “Every day dear.” the woman replied.

     Neither Mackenzie nor Ford said anything as they rode the elevator to the ground floor. As they were exiting the hospital, a petite young woman with long dark hair and big brown eyes nearly ran into Mackenzie. Mackenzie felt a tug at her heart as their eyes locked for a split second. Of course, while she’s working, she has that chance encounter. Since Ford had paused when Mackenzie had all she could do was say, “Excuse me.” And go on. 

     That’s the story of my life, Mackenzie thought. Beautiful women pass me by like I’m this black Taurus we’re driving. Once safely inside the car she and Ford began talking.

     “What do you think?” Mackenzie asked.

     “She is definitely a woman who is used to being in control. If she has killed as much she says she has, she would have had to maintain strict self discipline to keep from decompensating. She hates men. I was surprised when she immediately cut off my line of communication. This lays a big burden on you Mac. I’m sorry, I was trying to provoke her just not to that level.” Ford stated. Anyone looking at Ford would be surprised by his articulated speech. Then again, who could guess that the ex marine also had a Masters in Psychology and Criminal Justice?  

     “As long as I have you and the rest of the team backing me up I think I can handle this interview. With an ear bud and microphone you can guide me. Honestly Tom, I’m having a hard time believing this woman killed over one hundred people.” Mackenzie said.

     “Don’t let looks fool you Mac. I served with nineteen year old girls in Iraq  who killed insurgents with just as much, if not more, gusto than some of the guys.”, Ford said as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

     Neither Agent noticed the dark haired girl standing just inside the hospital entrance. Taking what looked like a Bluetooth ear bud out of her left ear she turned and headed toward the elevators. On the Oncology floor she stood outside her mother’s room watching her sleep.

     “She had two visitors today. She refused to let me give her pain medicine until they had left.  I finally talked her into a shot of dilaudid with her phenergan. She should rest comfortably for at least two hours.” The day shift nurse said as she walked up to the open door.

     “Then I’ll come back later when she is awake.” Dana said, turning away from the room. This is good, she would be able to run her errands and still not miss any of mother’s waking hours. Dana thought this all out confession was a bad idea, but this was her mother’s final wish, so she would see it through.

Chapter 1

     At ten o’clock the next morning, agents Mackenzie and Ford entered Ms Davidson’s hospital room.  Mac and Tom had arrived at the hospital at eight o’clock with the other two members of their team.  Dean Fong would cover the electronics and research from a Doctor’s lounge down the hall.  Casey Pearse would be conducting research and interviewing witnesses as dictated by the suspect’s statement. Ms Davidson’s lawyer, Janet Prescott was present as was the dark haired girl from the hospital lobby the day before. Ms Davidson introduced the young woman as Dana, her daughter. The lawyer left as soon as the paperwork was signed.  Another chair was brought in so everyone could have a seat. Looking at her daughter Ms Davidson asked, “Are you sure?”

      Dana smiled weakly and said, “You taught me that I have nothing to be ashamed of. Tell the story the way you want to Mother.”

      Looking around the room, Ms. Davidson began, “I’ve often wondered to myself when it all began. Did something happen to me in my mother’s drunken, drug addled womb? Some psychedelic cocktail that cut off the DNA sequence that prohibits killing? Or maybe it was one of the thousands of times I was raped between the ages of four and fourteen that sent my mind on some strange mission. I know it didn’t start the day I bagged my first kill; well, actually my first four kills. No, whatever made me what I am, happened long before that day.  Philosophical ponderings aside, I’m sure you would like me start with the day that led to the first killings. That beautiful fall day in Columbus, Ohio.” 

      Jan sat on the bus stop bench outside the campus bookstore. Turning her face toward the warm autumn sun she smiled. Four years ago when she escaped the hell that was her home, who would have thought that she would be here, a freshman in college, studying pre-law. OK, so she had to dance in a gentleman’s club three nights a week. The money was decent and she wasn’t the only college girl working there. She was just happy to finally feel like her life was moving forward. Jan knew that she would soon be making her mark on the world. Brushing her light brown hair out of her hazel eyes she frowned when a plumber’s van pulled into the bus stop space in front of her. The large white guy in blue overalls was out the sliding side door and halfway toward her before her mind registered what was happening. She barely screamed before the first punch connected with her nose.  Four face hits later she gratefully passed out.  

         Oh, God, what the fuck is that smell? Jan could smell shit, piss, cum and something coppery. She tried to open her eyes, but the light from the table lamp was sending waves of pain through her skull.  Her head was not the worst of the pain. Her vagina and anus were screaming with every small movement she made. Off in the distance she heard whimpering. Part of her brain said she should recognize the voice, yet she just couldn’t grasp it before she passed out again.

      The next time she woke up she realized she was lying on a mattress that was on the floor. Beside the bed was a plastic milk crate that held small lamp. Looking up she saw a wooden rod stretching across the space above her head. It took a moment for her to realize she was in a closet. Slowly she sat up, eyeing the single door. At that moment the door burst open. A looming figure filled the open space.

     “Hey, it’s awake. Now we can really have some fun.” Monster number one called out to those behind him.

     This time her body wouldn’t cooperate and she stayed awake for the entire miserable night.  When finally the monsters left her so they could go play with their other “toys”, Jan curled into the fetal position and slept. There were no tears to cry. Other monsters had stolen all her tears a very long time ago.  As she drifted off to sleep she thought she heard a little girl scream, but like the whimpering from earlier maybe this too was in her head.

      Time was kept by counting meals and cycles of rape. The occasional beating was thrown in just for kicks. It wasn’t long before Jan realized that her captors had made a mistake in being predictable. Once she saw the pattern a plan began to form.  She only had to wait for two more cycles, and then it would be monster number three’s turn again. Monster number three was the smallest of the four ogres holding her captive. He was also was the only one that frequently left the door open while raping her.

     Jan took inventory of her resources. She had the wooden closet rod, a lamp and somehow her bikini underwear had survived intact. Every other piece of clothing she had been wearing when she was abducted had been shredded.   A sudden calm washed over psyche as she realized that either they or she would die today and she didn’t care which it was. No matter what, this would end.

      Monster number three staggered into the room reeking of beer. Reaching for the lamp he cursed when it failed to switch on. He opened the closet door wider to allow light from the hallway to illuminate the cell. The fuckin’ bitch smelled rank. They were either gonna have to let her wash or kill her because she was smelling too funky to fuck. Still, he thought as he unzipped his pants, a man’s gotta do what a ..

Sudden pain kept him finishing that thought. He fell across the mattress with a grunt, the wooden clothing rod protruding from his neck. Wrapping his hands around the rod, he solved the problem of why the lamp didn’t work as the broken light bulb was rammed deep into his eye socket.  Still holding the clothing rod, Jan twisted and turned it until the gush of blood subsided and the monster stopped moving.

     A small giggle escaped from Jan as she realized she had killed the monster. Putting her foot on his chest she removed her wooden spear. Five minutes ago this lump of clay had been terrifying her on a daily basis. Now she was the one who would terrify. With this epiphany came a feeling of power unknown to her before. A smile formed as she thought of the further terror she would bring.

     Jan must have gone into to pure animal mode because her next conscious thought occurred when she awoke standing at the kitchen sink holding a butcher knife dripping blood. Flashes of memory filled with horrific screams tried to surface, but were quickly suppressed. She was rinsing the knife when she heard a quiet movement behind her. Whirling around she raised the knife and saw a little girl standing in the arched doorway between the kitchen and dining room. The girl couldn’t have been more than six and was wearing only a little pink tank top. Streaks of blood covered her legs. She was violently trembling as she looked at Jan with her big brown eyes.

     “Did I get them all?” Jan whispered.

     “The one who put his thingy in my butt isn’t here. He doesn’t come here until its dark out” the little girl replied.

     “Well why don’t we find something to eat while wait for him?” Jan asked, knowing that asking that question now probably meant that she was insane.

     “I like peanut butter” the little girl replied.

     Two hours later, when monster number four arrived home his two playthings were waiting for him. Jan took her time killing this monster.

      “Later, I found out that I had been held prisoner in that closet for two weeks. No one had reported me missing. I was just another freshman who had gone home. The little girl, whose name was Teresa, had been sold to the man who owned the house. She thought she had been there about three months. After we took everything of value we could find, including the owner’s pickup truck, we set the house on fire. Before we left I scattered some of the kiddie porn I had found across his lawn. The year was nineteen eighty-nine and this occurred just north of Columbus, Ohio.” Ms Davidson finished the story, her voice barely a whisper.

     “What happened to Teresa? Where did you go after the killing?” Agent Mackenzie asked 

     “For that you will have to wait until tomorrow.” Ms Davidson replied. She then closed her eyes, signaling the end of the conversation.

     Dana kissed her mother on the forehead, pulled the blanket up to shoulders and turned off the overhead light. Turning she looked at the two FBI Agents and said, “I know you have questions for me, but let’s move to someplace where we can get coffee.”

     “We can grab some food and coffee in the cafeteria.” Mac said when she checked her watch and realized it was one o’clock in the afternoon.”

Chapter 2

            Dana sat staring into her coffee cup as the Two FBI Agents went through the cafeteria line.  She thought about her mother as she watched the swirls of cream forming patterns in her cup. She understood why her mother was giving her confession; she just wished her mother didn’t have to. She looked across the room at the FBI Agents. Not exactly what she had expected. Well, the man is, she thought dismissively. But the woman was something else. Dana sensed a fiery intensity beneath that business suit. Too bad she would never find out. Squashing all thoughts along that line concerning Agent Mackenzie, Dana tried to focus on the task at hand. She wasn’t certain she had any of the answers the FBI wanted, but she would do her best.

     While they were standing in line at the cashiers counter waiting to pay for their food, Mac and Agent Ford compared notes.

     “According to Dean, who was talking in my ear the entire time, there was a house fire in Columbus, Ohio on October fifth of nineteen eighty-nine that claimed four lives.  According to the coroner at the time, the bodies were so badly burned he was unable to determine the cause of death. But there was no mention of porn being found at the scene.” Agent Ford said as he slid his debit card through the machine to pay for lunch.

    “So this could either be the truth, or she’s fitting her delusion to a story she heard twenty plus years ago.” Mac stated.

     “All we know for certain is that this is a woman with some very specific details to a murder that still embarrasses the FBI today. Our goal is to find out how she came into this knowledge. We’ll worry about the truth of her other statements later.” Agent Ford said quietly as they approached the table.

    “Are you sure all you want is coffee?” Mac asked as she sat across from Dana.

     “I’ll worry about eating when I get back to the hotel” Dana said

     “Where are you staying?” Agent Ford asked while trying to slice his meatloaf with a plastic fork.

     “I’m just down the road from here at the inn” Dana replied.

     “We’re at the same place” Mac stated as she drowned her French fries in Thousand Island dressing.

     “Yes, well there aren’t really a lot of choices here. But the place is clean, showers are hot and they do have the attached diner”, Dana said in her best travel and tourism voice.

     Agents Ford and Mackenzie politely laughed.  “Dana, you don’t mind if I call you Dana do you?” Without waiting for a reply, he continued, “We just need to establish you mother’s state of mind here, you understand. Right?” Agent Ford asked

     “You’re asking me if my mother is nuts. Before the cancer, no. But you have to remember, what started out as breast cancer has metastasized. Meaning it is now in all the major organs of her body, brain included.” Dana answered before taking a sip of her now cold coffee.

      “Tell us about your mother, Dana. What kind of work does she do? Does she have any family? What are her friends like? Mac prodded.

     “Mom’s a photo journalist. She contracts with various periodicals around the world. She’s an orphan, no sisters or brothers. With the amount of traveling we’ve done, she’s never had any close friends that I recall. We have an apartment in Barcelona, a beach house in Florida and a Condo in New York. We spent equal amounts of time in each place. I have no idea why she chose to come to Colorado to die.” Dana replied.

    “Was there ever anyone special in her life? A boyfriend? A girlfriend? A priest, maybe?” Mac asked.

     “I can’t remember mother having ever gone on a date. I’ve never thought about it before. That’s strange, isn’t it? I can’t even tell you if my mother is straight or gay.” Dana stated

     “Where did you go to school?” Agent Ford asked.

     “I was home schooled for my primary education. I completed my university training at NYU. I received credit for experience for our travels. My actual degree is in art history, but I do computer software applications design.  I travel to different companies designing applications to fit their needs.” Dana replied

     “Dana, what I’d like for you to do is make a list of everywhere you’ve traveled to and when. Also, add to that list anything unusual that occurred during any of your travels.” Agent Ford stated as he pulled his vibrating cell phone out of his pocket. ”Excuse me a moment” he said as he left the table.

     Dana looked at Agent Mackenzie, taking in every detail. She was feeling a strong attraction to the woman seated across from her. It was a good thing she wouldn’t have to be around the Agent too long. She wasn’t sure how long she would be able to resist the pull of those eyes. No, it wouldn’t do to be involved with an FBI Agent. Agent Mackenzie shifted in her seat, almost as if she could read Dana’s mind.

     Clearing her throat, Mac asked, “How long will your job give you leave for?”

     “I’m an independent contractor Agent Mackenzie, I’ll wait to sign another contract until this business is finished” Dana replied

     Mac looked at her watch, wondering what could be so important that it could pull Tom away from this interview. “You said you and your mother traveled around the world that must have been an exciting experience.” Mac stated, trying for small talk

     “Most of time, yes it was. Though there were times I missed the stability of one house in one town. I’ve always wondered what I missed by not going to public school. I never played team sports or went to dances. But I did go to Kyoto for my sixteenth birthday.” Dana replied a wistful tone to her voice.

    Mac was getting ready to tell her what she really missed by not going to public school when Tom returned to the table.

     “Mac I hate to do this to you, but I’ve got to go back to the office tonight. Some intel has come in that might raise the alert level. I should be back tomorrow in time for our interview with Ms. Davidson. Will you be alright on your own tonight?” Tom asked

     “Sure, like Dana said, the inn has a diner if nothing else.” Mac replied

     “Great, I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Tom said as he turned to leave.

     “Well I guess I’ll be enjoying the special at the inn tonight.” Mac said with a grin

     “If you’d prefer to skip the ptomaine poisoning, I was thinking of trying the Mexican restaurant two exits up the highway.” Dana suggested.

     “Gee, I don’t know, I was sort of looking forward to discovering what the surprise was in the meatloaf surprise.” Mac joked

     “Ah, I see. A woman who likes to live on the edge. I guess there is nothing I can say to drag away. I just don’t know that I can compete with a restaurant where the rice spells out ‘help me’ on the plate.” Dana teased.

      “No, no I don’t want to be rude.” Mac stammered, “What time were you thinking?” she asked

     “How about seven? That way I can check on mom, read some e-mail and maybe rest before we head out” Dana suggested.

     “Sounds good. Why don’t we meet in the lobby? I’ll drive us to the restaurant. There is no sense in taking two cars” Mac said

     “You’re right; it doesn’t make any sense at all.” Dana replied as she stood to leave, “I’ll see you at seven then.” She said.

     Mac watched Dana leave the cafeteria then she left the hospital by the ER entrance where Tom was waiting with the car.

     “What’s with the sudden cloak and dagger?” she asked as she climbed into the car.

     “Dean got me the number of one of the original investigators from the Columbus fire. He said there was kiddie porn spread all over the backyard. The only reason it never came to light was that the guy that owned the house was the son of a very popular senator. When he and his partner started investigating the porn angle they were removed the case. He’s certain that only someone that had been there when the fire occurred could have known about the pornography.  If Ms. Davidson really is a serial killer then her daughter is more involved than she is letting on. While you are distracting Dana at dinner we will be searching her room, putting bugs in place, and copying the hard drive on her computer.” Tom said as he hurried back to the inn.

     “What, no tracker on her car?’ Mac asked jokingly

     “Don’t need to.” Tom replied, “She’s in a rental. It already has a tracking device, we just had to tap into the rental company’s database.”

     “Next time you talk to Dean tell him he scares the hell out of me.” Mac said

     “I hear you.” The voice of Dean Fong said through her earpiece.

Mac grabbed the ear bud and pulled it out of her ear.

     Tom smiled, “Don’t wear the ear bud to dinner. Just leave your cell phone on.”

     “Do I even want to know?” she asked as she climbed out of the car.

     Tom just shook his head, tossed her the car keys and headed toward his room.

     Mac went to her room to change. For some reason she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

     After leaving Agent Mackenzie in the cafeteria, Dana took the elevator up the oncology floor. Dana wandered over to the desk.

     “How’s it going today Tracy?” Dana asked the young first shift secretary.

     The girl smiled at Dana, “It’s going good. Except you just missed Doctor Sing having a hissy fit” she replied

     “Why is that?” Dana asked.

     “Well,” she said, looking around, “those FBI Agents have taken over the doctor’s lounge and he had a fit that he had to sit out here and chart.”

     “I thought they’d be gone by now.” Dana said

     “Nope. The one guy is still down there with all his computers and that woman that’s with him keeps wandering around”, she said

     “The blond woman? She said she was leaving.” Dana said

      “No the other one, the redhead. So what’s going on? Why is the FBI questioning your mother?” Tracy said as she pretended to type into the computer

     Ignoring the girl’s questions, Dana turned toward her mother’s room.“Well I hope they stay out your way, you have enough to do.”

     “I’m never too busy if you need a shoulder to cry on” she said

     “You are a good listener Tracy. I’ll keep your offer in mind.” Dana said as she made her escape into her mother’s room.

     “That girl has a crush on you.” her mother teased

     “That girl is just looking for some fresh gossip.” Dana replied as she plopped into the chair beside her mother’s bed.

     “Have the FBI Agents verified my story yet?” she asked

     “We were discussing your sanity level up until Agent Ford received a phone call. Then he pretended he was leaving town. After that I allowed myself to be manipulated into asking Agent Mackenzie to share dinner with me tonight.” Dana answered

     “They are definitely on the ball. You know you’ll be under constant electronic surveillance from now on?” her mother stated

     “Mom, I assume I’m always being watched unless I know differently.” She stated

     “I know. I’ve got anti-surveillance devices in my closet and bedside table. They’ve been lighting up like Christmas trees every since the FBI showed up with their team. I’m suddenly scheduled for an MRA tomorrow morning, so tomorrow night I’ll need you to find all the bugs for me.”, taking a sip of water, she paused, then added “With all this homeland security crap I wouldn’t put it past the FBI to use a honey trap. Be careful tonight.”

     “Yes mother” Dana replied in a sing-song voice.

     “Don’t yes mother me like that. I know what that means. That’s your way of saying you’re all grown up and you know it all. I’m serious. The more I talk, the harder they’ll come after you.” She stated firmly.

     “I know mom, I do. I promise I will be extra diligent. Now get some rest. You look tired.” Dana said softly

     Shaking her head, Ms Davidson closed her eyes and feigned sleep.

     Why was she nervous? It’s only dinner for fuck’s sake. OK, so it was dinner with one of the FBI agents taking her mother’s confession. And the only reason this very cute FBI agent was having dinner with her was so her compatriots could bug her room. Oh yeah, and while she’s at it, this very cute FBI agent will probably be working on trying to get her to confess to various crimes. No reason to be nervous, why would she be? Looking at the clock Dana realized she had about five minutes to get herself dressed and down to the lobby. Groaning she decided on the black boots, black slacks and black leather jacket. She threw on a purple oxford shirt just so she didn’t look too Goth.  After a quick comb of the hair she was out the door right on time.

   As fate would have it, Dana ended up waiting for five minutes in the lobby. Probably making last minute plans with her FBI buddies, Dana thought as she checked her watch for the third time. Wondering if she was being stood up, she looked up in time to see Agent Mackenzie step off the elevator into the lobby.  OK, so it was totally worth the wait, Dana thought as Mac walked toward her. Mac had on an emerald green sweater that perfectly matched her eyes. A black skirt, cut conservatively below the knee and matching black pumps finished the outfit. Mac smiled as she said “Sorry I’m late, I’m a bit of girl when comes to picking out cloths for dinner”.

     “Well you definitely made the right choices.” Dana replied, trying not to trip over her own tongue  

     “Thanks. My nondescript government issue car is parked right outside; if you’re ready that is?” she motioned toward the sedan near the door.

     “ First, I have to know, what is your first name? Mac sounds like a semi truck.”

     “Miriam. I’m named after my maternal grandmother.  In order to differentiate who they were talking to or about, my uncles called me Miriam Mackenzie. Over the years it became Mac. I like Mac much more than Miriam.”

     “Well then, Mac, I’m all yours.”  Dana smiled back at her. Oh yeah, smooth girl, now you’ve got to hop to car because you have your foot in your mouth, she thought as they left the hotel.

     Twenty minutes and only one GPS enabled wrong turn later they were seated at the restaurant bar while waiting for a table. The smell of chilies and fresh tortillas filled the air. Munching on fresh chips and Pico de Gallo, drinking a margarita Dana could almost pretend that she was a normal person, on a normal date, with a normal life.  It was funny, as disparate as their backgrounds are; she and Mac share several of the same tastes in music and books.  After the hostess led them to their table and they ordered Mac asked, “How was your mother feeling? She appeared tired after our session today.”

     “She seemed to be feeling better by the time I got back to her room. It’s scary to see such a strong woman so weak. Up until she was diagnosed with cancer I had believed she was invincible.” she replied

     “There are people who will call your mother a monster if what she says is true. Even if she started out as a revenge spree killer, that all changed when she committed murder after she was safe.” Mac said as she dug into her chicken tamale.

     “Even if my mother has killed the number of people she claims to have killed, it still doesn’t put her into the category of Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed. “, she stated defensively.

     “Of course not. Then again the numbers attributed to the Countess have long been disputed.” Mac said.

    “Well my mother didn’t kill to set a world record. You heard her; she not only was saving her life, but that of a little girl. Although I guess if you allow her to have empathy then she wouldn’t fit your text book definition of an antisocial psychotic.” she replied.

     Mac was caught off guard by Dana’s knowledge on the subject of serial killers. Then again, she seemed to be an intelligent woman, of course she would research her mother’s disorder. “If your mother is truly what she says she is then the text books are about to be rewritten.”

     “She’ll take that as a compliment.” Dana said as she pushed away the remains of her chili relleno. “Mom prides herself on her individuality.”

     “Do you know what her real name is?” Mac tossed out casually.

     Dana chuckled, “No Agent Mackenzie, I don’t know her real name anymore than I know my own. When I was a child we used to make a game of the frequent name changes.”

     Mac cringed at the formality of the use of her FBI title. She knew she had pushed too hard, too fast and wasn’t sure how she could fix the situation. Before she could respond, Dana signaled for the check.

     “Let me get that. “, Mac said, reaching for the bill.

     “Normally, when I invite a woman to dinner, I pay. But since you should be able to write this off as a business expense, I’ll let the FBI pay. “ She said, pulling her jacket on.

     Once back at the hotel, Dana thanked her for dinner and said good night. When Mac was back in her room she called Tom, but was told the soonest they would have any information would be in the morning. As Mac lie in bed, staring at the popcorn ceiling she wondered how things would have ended if they had been on a real date.

Chapter 3

     Beth drove her four year old Mazda along the sandy road that ran between the orange trees. Sweat pooled at small of her back. Even the best air conditioner had a hard time competing against the ninety-degree heat and ninety percent humidity of central Florida. God it’s only May, what will August be like? A break in the grove harbored a one story white house sitting up on cement blocks. A black blazer was parked in the shell covered driveway. In Florida it may look like white stone but more than likely it’s the much cheaper shell lining those driveways and flower beds. Parking behind the blazer she turned to look at her passenger.

     Amy sat quietly in the passenger seat reading a book. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a single braid. The sun had turned her skin a light golden brown. She smiled at Beth and said, “Can we get some orange juice while we’re here?”

     Beth smiled back, “I don’t think they actually make the orange juice here sweatie, but we’ll get some fresh oranges and squeeze our own. OK?”

     The girl nodded, refocusing her attention on her book. Grabbing her purse from the backseat, Beth turned and said, “This should only take a few minutes baby, then we can go back to the hotel and take a swim. Stay in the car.” Another nod let her know the little girl had heard.

     Beth realized the air conditioning in the car had been working when she stepped out into the oppressive heat.  Why she had chosen to wear pantyhose was a mystery. As her heels crunched against the shells in the driveway she marveled at how quiet it was out here among orange trees. Not even the bugs had the energy to make noise in this heat. A curled shape underneath the porch alerted her to the snake seeking refuge in the shade.  The hum of an ancient window air conditioner helped Beth to refocus on her goal.

     Straightening her skirt and running a smoothing hand over her shoulder length blond hair, Beth took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Two minutes later a fortyish man in bib overalls and boots opened the door. An old fashioned straw hat sat on top of his head. Smiling Beth said, “Hi. My name is Beth Dorsey. I’m here to interview for the bookkeeping job.”

     The man opened the door wider, stuck out his hand and said, “Bob Martin, I own Sunbeam Farms. Come on in.” He stepped back to allow her to pass into house.

     The interior of the house had been converted to office workspace. The living room was now a reception area with a desk, two visitors chairs, some filing cabinets and table which held a 386 computer and a dot matrix printer. Mr. Martin motioned for Beth to sit in a visitors chair across from the desk. Sitting on the desk facing her, he began his informal interview process.

     “What do you say we get right to it?” Mr. Martin began. “Now, Miss Dorsey, I noticed by your file that you said you didn’t have any personal references. Why is that?”

     “Well Mr. Martin, I’m an orphan. I was a ward of the state up until three years ago. I don’t have any family and no real friends.” She replied, her gaze dropping to the floor.

     “I see. Isn’t there anyone you could use as a reference? Perhaps someone I could call where you are staying?” he asked.

     “No, I’m sorry. I checked out of my hotel in Daytona Beach figuring if I got the job I could find something closer to here.” she replied.

     “Hmmm. Well that’s alright then.” He said with a smile.  He stood, looked at her once again, and then said, “You know, I’ve been just downright rude. Let me get you a sample of our product for you to try.”

     “I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble”, she called after him.

     “No trouble at all. Besides, you should know what your representing.” he called back.

     Beth smiled, it sounded like she had the job.  Her smile faded when Mr. Martin stepped back into the room with a shotgun pointed at her. Panic set in as she cried out, “What are you doing?”

     “Whatever the hell I feel like doing.” Mr. Martin growled.

     Reaching into her purse, she said, “Wait, look, I’ve a little money, please, just let me go.”

     “I’ll have your money and anything else I want, girlie. You don’t know what you walked in to.” he sneered.

     Beth looked up, smiled and said, “Oh, but I do.”, as she pulled the trigger on the Desert Eagle in her purse.

     Once her ears stopped ringing, she went to the door and waved for the little girl to come inside.  Amy skipped up the driveway and came into the house. Looking at the dead man she asked, “Was he really bad?”

     “Oh yes honey. For the past sixteen years this man has been raping and murdering women. That’s what he would have done to me. Unfortunately, there is no evidence to tie this man to those crimes so the police have never looked at him. I have a feeling I know where he hid the bodies. We just need to leave the police a few clues.” Beth said as she moved around the room, going through cabinet and desk drawers.

     “Did he have any orange juice?” the little girl asked.

     “Believe me baby, you don’t want anything grown in this man’s orange groves.” she said as she started going through the dead man’s pockets.

     Driving east on Route 4 Beth stopped at a flea market to shop and grab a quick sandwich for lunch. Sitting at a small metal table in front of the sandwich cart Amy said, “That man over there keeps looking at me.” 

     Turning around so she could see where Amy was looking, Beth noticed a thirty something man in shorts, a tank top and flip flops staring at their table. When he noticed Beth was looking at him, he turned his face away.

     Turning back to Amy, she said, “Keep an eye on him and let me know what he does.”

     Beth slowly ate her lunch while Amy gave her updates on the movements of Mr. Flip-flops, as she had dubbed him. After throwing away their trash, Beth and Amy continued shopping. They bought silly matching hats and sunglasses. At the personal security stall Beth bought pepper spray and a stun gun.  Loaded down with shopping bags, she and Amy headed toward the exit, making a quick stop at the ladies room before heading to the car.

     Juggling the packages, her purse and car keys, Beth struggled to open the trunk of the car. She had turned her back on Amy for only a moment when she heard her yell, “Mommy”.

     Dropping her burdens she turned and saw Mr. Flip-flops carrying a fighting Amy toward a white van.  Running full out she caught up to the man as he tossed Amy in through the van’s side door. He turned to face her as she shoved the stun gun into his ribcage and pulled the trigger. Shock registered in the man’s face as he began to violently shake. As he dropped to the ground, his head hit the van’s running board. Beth signaled Amy to help her and they pushed and pulled the unconscious man into the van. Inside the van, with door safely closed, Beth found what she needed to tie the man up and gag him.

     Beth went through the man’s wallet, while Amy sat cross legged on the floor of the van beside him. Somewhere she had found what looked to be a hunting knife. Every time the man moved, she would prick him with knife. Beth watched her for a minute, knowing this was very wrong, but not caring. She only wished someone had given her these types of opportunities for revenge when she was Amy’s age.

     Two hours later Beth and Amy exited the van. Their trip to see the Manatees would be delayed for a day while they visited the man’s house. The man sold a magazine out of his house that was filled with pictures of boys and girls, none older than twelve, naked and having sex with adults. Beth found his mailing list. She also found his bolt bag which would provide them with plenty of money to live off of while they were in Florida.

     “Did you know, Agent Mackenzie, that Florida is the pedophile capital of the world?” the woman lying in the bed asked.

     “No ma’am I can’t say that I did.” Mac replied.

     “A news magazine show did a report on it in the early nineties. I know that I spent four years working there and probably could have spent forty more years there and not have put a dent in the pervert population. I finally had to limit myself. Besides which, with the mailing lists I had found I was able to find other networks of child porn. It was amazing. Personal computers and the internet were just starting to become popular, yet these people were already using them to disseminate their filth. There are well organized groups that kidnap these kids. They use them for their dirty little pictures and films. Then, if the child is lucky, when they are deemed too old to be of interest, they are sold to be either prostitutes or sex slaves. Often, they are considered to be a liability, they are killed and discarded like trash. These are true multinational, billion dollar corporations. When I realized the scope of task I had taken on, I knew I needed my own business plan. But, before we go on, I need to rest and eat some lunch. Why don’t we pick back up around one thirty?” she pressed her call bell as she said this.

     Agent Ford looked ready to disagree, but Mac shook her. On her way to the door she said, “Sure one thirty is good. “

     Dana waited until the FBI Agents left the room and the door was closed before she spoke, “How are you really feeling today, mother?” she asked as she pulled a handheld listening device detector from her shoulder bag.

     “I’m tired, baby. I haven’t been sleeping well.” she said as she moved from the bed to the reclining chair. She watched as Dana found electronic devices on the bed frame and on a reading lamp beside the visitors’ chair.

     A nurse entered the room as Dana put her equipment away. “I would like to eat in the cafeteria today. Could you find a wheelchair for my daughter to take me down to lunch please?”

     “That’s great Ms. Davidson. Let me get you your noon medications then I’ll send an aide in with a chair for you.” She said.

     True to her word, within fifteen minutes Dana was pushing her mother down the hall to the elevators. Dana watched as a red head in a light green jogging suit followed. On the ground floor her mother turned and said, “It’s such beautiful day outside; let’s sit in the atrium for bit, shall we?”

     “Of course mother.” Dana said, following the arrows to the plush, open environment.

     Finding a bench by itself in a corner, she parked the wheelchair, and then sat down. A small fountain across from the bench provided a soothing atmosphere. She took her mother’s hand and quietly said, “Green jogging suit that just walked in and is now trying to find a way to get close.”

     “She was in the hallway last night when they took me for my MRA that, after waiting for thirty minutes, was suddenly canceled. She was gone by seven last night.” she said.

     “That’s because they were too busy putting cameras and microphones in my room, including a camera across from my bed, the creeps. Agent Mackenzie tried the friendly but probing routine last night and got nowhere. I expect the gloves to come off soon. How much do you want me to reveal?”

     Before her mother could reply the woman in the green jogging suit came over and said, “Isn’t that a wonderful painting?”, as she pointed to factory mass produced watercolor above their heads.

     Both women turned to look at the painting as Agent Pearse attached a microphone to the potted plant next to the bench.

     “Yes it is nice.” Dana replied, “I’m sure if you asked at the information desk they could probably tell you where they bought it.”

     “I might do that.”  She said as she was moving out of the atrium toward the elevators.

     When the woman was out of earshot, her mother said “Just follow my lead when it comes to what to reveal. Now, how is that other matter coming along?”

     “Everything is right on schedule. I’ll have to be creative in my actions now, but I’m not anticipating any problems.” Dana noted.

     “Excellent. Help me to stand up dear, I’d like to see if there are any fish in the little fountain.”  Her mother said as she tightly gripped the armrests to pull herself up. Just as Dana put her hand under her mother’s elbow for support she stumbled grabbed the potted plant and was saved from falling into the water by her daughter’s strong grip. Unfortunately the plant wasn’t as lucky and fell into fountain. “Oh my, I am so sorry.” she called out in distress.

     “It’s OK ma’am” a security guard called from across the room, “we’ll call housekeeping to come clean this up. It’s just a plastic plant. It will dry out.” He said with a smile. Looking at Dana he asked, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

     “No, thank you. We’re just going to head down to the cafeteria. Sorry for any inconvenience.” She said as she wheeled her mother out of the atrium.

     Sitting in the third floor doctor’s lounge, the four FBI Agents listened to the conversation between mother and daughter. Dean Fong yelped, “Shit!” when the tree with the microphone went into the water. “That was a state-of-the-art micro transmitter. Those damn things run two thousand dollars each. You couldn’t find a better place put it?” he asked Agent Pearse.

     “Jesus Dean, quit acting like it’s coming out of your damn pocket. If you actually did field work, you’d know that you use what have at hand.” Pearse replied.

     “That’s enough people.” Agent Ford said, cutting off any further argument. “Agent Fong, what did you get from the daughter’s computer?”

      “A brief look at the contents of her hard drive revealed that she creates programs for hospitals that make it easier to track patient information. Her programs are used around the world. Her e-mail history shows her correspondence tends to be to colleagues, credit card companies, and three friends that are currently being run through our system. We’re waiting on the warrant for her bank records. She has a couple of card games on her computer and some personal pictures. For someone that works with a computer on a daily basis, her hard drive is surprisingly clean.”

     “What about her deletion history?” Agent Pearse asked.

     “Yeah, I just started yesterday, I never would have thought to look at that. “, Dean answered sarcastically. “She automatically deletes her internet surfing history and empties her garbage every week. I can get you a list of those things going back about a month. Anything prior to that will have been rewritten over. “

     “You can do that from a copied hard drive?” Mac asked, amazed.

     “Actually it’s a cloned drive.”  Dean smiled.

     “Is it usual for someone to erase their tracks like that on a regular basis?” Agent Ford asked.

     “It’s really just the smart thing to do for the tech savvy”, Dean answered.

     “OK. Let me know when those background checks are in. Next, what do we know about these people?” he asked.

     “Let’s start with the mother” Casey began. “Carson Elizabeth Davidson born in Flint, Michigan on June 6, 1970. She graduated from high school in May of nineteen eighty-nine. She attended one semester of Ohio State University, before dropping out. She’s a self trained photographer. She started selling her work to newspapers, and then later magazines as her reputation grew. She’s never been arrested. She had one speeding ticket in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in March of 2002. She paid the fine and went on. She has top-notch credit score. I can’t find a tax return on her from before 1998.”

    “Are you running her prints?” Agent Ford asked

     “I’m running the prints we pulled from her water pitcher both nationally and internationally.” Pearse answered.

     “What about the daughter?” Mac asked.

     “Dana Jean Davidson, born on August 6, 1983 in New York, to Carson Elizabeth Davidson and an unnamed father... If anyone is doing the math that means her mother was thirteen when she was born. Not unheard of, but not too common either. She’s on record as having been homeschooled. She attended New York University and graduated Suma Cum Laude with a degree in Art History. Three months out of college she started her own software consulting firm. Last year’s tax returns put her income in the six figures.” Pearse said with a hint of envy in her voice. “Like her mother, she had no records before 1998.”

     “OK, so pretty much what you three, highly trained FBI agents, with endless government resources are telling me, is that we have nothing other than two people who have changed their identities? Do I have that right?” Agent Ford asked.

     Three yeses answered his question.

     “You two,” Agent Ford indicated Agents Pearse and Fong, “continue with your line of investigation. Mac, I want you to try to get close to the daughter. You are close to the same age, maybe she will feel secure enough to admit to you that she is this Teresa/Amy that Ms Davidson has referenced. She’s a witness, whether she knows it or not. She may also be an accomplice. End day meeting at 6 P.M., in my room. Well Mac, let’s get some lunch before we start the afternoon session.

Chapter 4

     Virginia “Ginny” Webster carried the oversized bag of cosmetics up the front walkway of white ranch style home. This was her last cold call of the day, and then she could go home, kick off her shoes and indulge in a glass of wine before starting dinner. A long flower bed underscored the bay window that overlooked the immaculate yard. A single car sat in driveway in front of the two car garage. The dark clouds rolling in for an afternoon thunder storm cast the only pall over this perfect upper middle class suburb outside of Orlando.

     Putting on her best smile, Ginny rang the doorbell. As she raised her hand to knock, the door opened. An attractive, thirty something brunette, wearing jean shorts and a pink tank top asked, “Can I help you?”

     “Good afternoon. My name is Ginny Webster and I’m your neighborhood Genesis Cosmetics representative. I was wondering if you had a few moments for us to discuss beauty.” The woman hesitated, probably thinking of an excuse to get away, but Ginny continued, “I know for women today it’s hard to find time to maintain our appearance, but it’s crucial for our jobs, our relationships, our self esteem to look our best. That’s why Genesis has come up with the ten minute total makeup fix. Start with our free samples, if you like what Genesis does for you, then you can call me. All I need from you today is few minutes of your time to show you our spectacular products.”

     “Well I don’t know”, the woman began.

     “Come now, an attractive woman such as yourself. You must have notice those fine lines starting to appear around your eyes. Our Genesis night cream will take care of those in a week.” Ginny said, still smiling.

     The woman’s hand automatically went to her face, feeling for those lines. “Well maybe just for a few minutes. But my husband is coming home soon, so I’ll have to start dinner.”

      Stepping forward before the woman could change her mind, Ginny said, “Of course. Let’s get started so I can get out of your hair before he gets home. Speaking of hair, do you deep condition?”

      The woman led her to a large open living room with a vaulted ceiling and a large tan sectional sofa. Ginny noticed children’s toys scattered around the room. “Do you have children?” she asked.

     “We have a daughter. And I run a daycare center from home. Did you want coffee?” the woman asked.

     “How enterprising of you. As to coffee please don’t go to any trouble.”

    “No trouble I keep a pot on during the day to keep up with the kids. I’m Margaret Simpson, by the way.”

     “Well then, let me help you with that coffee. Will the children be alright for few minutes without you?” she asked

     “There are only two here right now and they’re lying down for a nap.” she said as she led the way to the kitchen.

     “Then I caught you at the perfect time.” Ginny said.

     Turning when she heard a snap, the woman’s face registered confusion when she saw the latex gloves. “What are those for?” she asked before the violent force of 100,000 volts shot through her body.

       Once she had the woman tied and gagged she searched the rest of the house. In the second bedroom she found the children sleeping together in a twin bed. Quietly she closed the door so as to not disturb them. Then she went to the kitchen, poured herself a cup of coffee and waited for Todd Simpson to come home.

     Later, Ginny got the children dressed and sent them to play in the backyard. According to Margaret’s day planner, Jimmy Nelson’s mother was a day shift nurse at a local hospital and wouldn’t be by to pick him up until 8 P.M.  When Karen Nelson arrived later that evening to pick up her son, she found Timmy and the Simpson’s daughter Cindy sitting in the living room watching television. Todd and Margaret were missing. Their suitcases were gone and the safe was open and empty. In searching the house the police found a false wall just off the garage. Inside they found a bed, a video camera and several VHS tapes. The tapes were of Todd, Margaret and all the children they had sexually abused, including their daughter Cindy.

     “I drove their truck into the swamp. They were in it at the time. After that Mindy and I went south to Sanibel Island. We rented a condominium there and used it as our base of operations for south Florida and the Keys. We used the time to become more organized. With the advent of the internet I had a lot learn. I already had basic computer and phone phreaking skills, but in order to hunt the predators I needed to learn more. It was time to get myself ready mentally and physically. I took correspondence courses in private investigation, locksmithing; everything I thought would assist me in tracking down those who prey on others.” She leaned back against her pillows and closed her eyes.

     “You stated you drove the Simpsons’ truck into the swamp, do you remember where?” Mac asked.

     “I can give you detailed instructions, you won’t find it otherwise.”

     “How did you find out what they were doing?” Mac asked.

     “Every time I killed one of these cockroaches I would find something leading me to ten more.”

     Agent Ford interrupted, “Did you keep any mementos? Anything to help us to determine that you did these killings?”

     “Agent Ford, I have no desire to speak to you. But I will answer that question. The only things I took from these scumbags were money, weapons and anything leading to more of their kind. I don’t need trophies; my trophies are the victims that have been saved. In the beginning, I wasn’t as organized. I killed each predator as I found them. Had I continued the random killing I had engaged in, I most certainly would have been caught.”

     “What changed?” Mac asked.

     “If you had children Agent Mackenzie you wouldn’t have to ask that question. I know you sit there and analyze me. You’d like to fit me into one of your neat little boxes. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not what you’d hoped I would be. I had to survive for my children. I had to succeed to make the world a better place for them.”

“OK, stop the recording. Now play that last part back again.”

“What are you hearing, Mac?” Agent Ford asked.

“I’m not sure. I had a brief flash of insight while we were talking to her, then I lost it as she continued on with her story.”

“Did it have to do with Sanibel Island?”

“No, yes, I mean it was while she was talking about it. I’m not sure.” Mac answered

“Look, we’ve all had a long day. I didn’t think she was ever going to stop talking. Let’s wrap it up. We’ll discuss today’s session in the morning. Get some food and some sleep people.” Agent Ford ordered

     “Dammit! I know I’m missing something important.”

     “Go sleep on it, Mac. That’s an order.”

Chapter 5

     The warm spring sun seared the skin of the tourists wandering along the gulf shore. A steady breeze lulled the uninitiated into thinking they weren’t being sunburned. Eighty and sunny in late March, one of the things Sandra loved about south Florida. Reclining in her beach chair, she watched April build a sand castle at the water’s edge. The sun had turned April’s skin a soft copper and added natural highlights to her hair. At eleven or twelve? She was beginning to fill out. The dreaded teen years were just around the corner.  As if their lives weren’t complicated enough.

      A blond girl of about April’s age approached from the south. A pink bikini showing off her northern winter pall. Hope she has on a good sunscreen, Sandra thought as she watched the girl approach her daughter. A brief conversion ensued and the blond girl sat down on the sand next to April. The girls began chatting and working on the sand castle together.  A half hour after she had arrived the girl stood to leave. April stood up and came over to where Sandra sat.

     “Jeanie wants to know if I can come down to her house and play for a while.”

     “Where is Jeanie’s house?”

     “I dunno. She said she and her dad rented a place down on the beach. They’re here on vacation from Indiana”

     “Why don’t I walk you and Jeanie down there and introduce myself?” Sandra asked.

     April went back to talk to the girl and returned a few minutes later. “She said they weren’t expecting company, so she’d talk to her dad and meet up later.”

     Jeanie turned and walked rapidly back down the shoreline.

     “Where does she’s want to meet?”

     “At the ice cream place across from the boardwalk.  I told her you had to work at six, but she said we should be ok.”

     “Yeah, I bet. Let’s go home, get cleaned up and grab some dinner. Then we’ll talk about this more.” Sandra said, as she began packing her chair and beach bag.

       Watching from a bench situated under a palm tree in front of the entrance to the boardwalk, Sandra saw the girl approach the ice cream stand. A tall, middle-aged white man, holding the hand of young boy, followed her.  A fresh bruise was visible on the girl’s cheek, even from across the street.  As they approached the table that April sat at the man suddenly smiled.  The man and boy went to order at the window as Jeanie sat with April.

      Sandra watched the ballet of predator versus prey. The lure of ice cream, the promise of something more.  The prey pulls back, sensing the trap, but unable to resist the lure of friendship, community and love. Slowly the predator induces the prey to take the bait and they all rise to leave. The man looks around casually surveying who may be paying too much attention to their little group before leading the children away from the ice cream stand. Sandra followed at a distance, April’s orange tie dyed t-shirt a beacon for her to follow.

     The man led them south then east to a seedy motel two blocks away from the beach.  The pool in front of the white stucco two story building was empty with a closed for repair sign attached to the fence. The doors to the guest rooms were painted a hideous aqua. The man took the children to a room on first floor located at the farthest corner away from the hotel office. Moments later, the curtains were closed and the cheap window air conditioner rumbled to life.  Sandra waited until the sun had fully set to pick the lock on the door.

     The smell hit her nose before she fully entered the room. Sex, marijuana and fear, all the ingredients of a pedophile’s wet dream. She entered with her S & W .38 pointed in front of her.  The man had his shirt off, his great white pot belly hanging over his open pants. He was sitting on one of the room’s two queen beds with the two girls. The boy was sitting in his underwear on the other bed. Across from beds, on the dresser, next to the TV, sat a camera on a tripod. A bright light behind the camera illuminated the bed. The man jumped up from the bed as Sandra entered the room.

     “No, no. This isn’t what you think.” He shouted, stumbling backwards with his hands in front of his face. Without a word, Sandra used her left hand to pull her taser from its holster and fire.

     With the help of the children, Sandra soon had the man securely taped to the bed with a ball gag secured in his mouth. Sandra watched as the effects of the taser wore off the man began to realize he was now the prey. It took a while for his ego to allow him to realize that he couldn’t get control of this situation. That’s when the fear set in.

     “Don’t try to speak. Well, you couldn’t if you wanted to. Hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of going through your wallet. Charles Dickie, what a name to get saddled with. You were pretty much destined to become a pervert, weren’t you? While you were resting from your shock therapy, the children and I had a nice chat.  Oh, Charlie, you’ve been a really bad boy. And I haven’t even begun to go through the tapes I found in the wheel well of your car. Good hiding place by the way; of course no idiot would ever think to look there.  I know Charlie, you just want the opportunity to plead your case, to talk your way out or around the situation like you have for your entire life, The thing is, I don’t care and neither do these kids. My only concern tonight is to finish with you and have my daughter safely back in her own bed by the time the news comes on.”

     Charlie struggled against his bonds as he watched the woman instruct the children to pack up the equipment. The combined total of the children’s clothing fit into one shopping bag.  April and Jeanie wiped down the surfaces they had touched as Todd carried the camera equipment to the car.  Once the children were in the car, Sandra went into the room and using a pillow to muffle the sound, fired two bullets into Charles Dickie’s brain. Then she proceeded to stage the room to look like a typical robbery/homicide. Later that night she drove his car to mall and left the keys in the ignition.

      Two days later, on the road to South Carolina, Sandra stopped at a scenic overlook to dispose of the parts of the gun. With the new national databases of weapons and crimes it was best not to keep a gun too long.  Technology was moving ahead at a break neck speed. Sandra knew she needed to adapt or die.

     “I identified over thirty different children on that little bastard’s tapes.  He didn’t care, boy or girl didn’t matter. He'd stick his dick in a snake if someone would hold its head still. I sent those tapes to FBI office in Jacksonville. Tell me Agent Mackenzie, what ever happened to those tapes?”

     “Well I’m sure they were logged into evidence. A team was probably assigned to investigate.”

     “Really? Because when I made an anonymous phone call to that office two weeks later, no one knew what I was talking about.”

     “They may not have wanted to compromise the investigation.” Mac replied, an uneasy feeling filling her stomach.

     “Could be. I see my lunch is here, brought in by beautiful daughter. Why don’t you let me savor my lime jello while you go do some investigating? We can continue at 2 PM.”

     Mac turned to see Dana standing in doorway holding a covered hospital tray. A plastic grocery bag was draped over her wrist. “Thought I’d stop by and have lunch with Mom. The hospital always offers to make up a tray, but I thought it was safer to bring my own.” she said, nodding toward the plastic bag.

     The connection between Mac’s tongue and brain temporarily failed as Agent Ford said, “We were going to lunch ourselves. We’ll be back at 2 o’clock”

     After the door closed behind the agents, Dana turned to her mother and said, “You look like the cat that ate the canary, mother. What have you been up to?”

     “I’m just stirring the pot dear. Now tell me, what have you been doing today?”

     “I finished the work we discussed, checked on the vacation house and had a teleconference with the people from J-tech regarding their systems upgrade.  I also brought you something special.”

     “What did you bring me?’ she asked as her eyes lit up.

     From the plastic bag hanging from her wrist, Dana pulled out a small box of truffles, her mother’s favorite brand. As the woman tore open the box, forgetting about her hospital fare, they caught up on the day’s news.

     Poking her plastic fork into her General Tso’s, Mac sighed impatiently. Dean had been typing away for thirty minutes searching for the film packet Carson Davidson had said she sent.  Putting down the takeout container, she went back to reading the daily typed transcripts. Something was nagging her, she just couldn’t figure out what.  Tom was outside, sneaking a cigar in the car. Casey sat opposite of Dean, scanning the police reports of Charles Dickie's death. Except for the occasional call on the overhead system the room was silent.

     “Huh”, Dean grunted from across the room.

     “Huh, what? Geek boy”, Casey asked.

     “I finally found the mail logs for the time in which the package should have arrived at the Jacksonville field office and that week is blank”

     Mac nodded, “Well, we thought it would be a long shot anyway.”

     “No, you don’t understand. The entire log, for the entire week, is blank. That’s not possible. Unless the FBI shut down for that week there would be some mail. Flyers, memos, something. We still used snail mail more than email at that time. Agents were sending in hand written field notes. Yet, there’s nothing at all in the log.”

     “How’s that possible?” Mac asked.

     “It’s not! I’ve got to file an incident report about this.  Where’s Tom? He needs know about it.”

      “What’s the big deal? So someone forgot to log in the latest issues of someone’s gun magazines. No biggie.”

     “Well Cassie, the biggie is that any evidence sent to the office at that time has a broken custody record. Meaning it could be deemed fruit of the poisonous tree and therefore inadmissible in court. Who knows how many cases this could affect?”

     “Shit”

     “Yeah, a big pile of shit with a cherry on top.”

     “Dean, is there any way the post office tracked packages at that time?” Mac asked.

     “Only if your gal sent it return receipt. Otherwise we’re screwed”

     Mac tossed her half eaten takeout into the trash with a little more force than necessary. Why did this case seem to be becoming more complicated with each passing day?

Chapter 6

     Dana stepped up behind Mac and slid her arms around her waist. Her head bent slightly to nibble on the back of Mac’s neck. A shiver ran the entire length of Mac’s body in response to the other woman’s touch. As she turned to meet Danas lips a bird landed on Mac’s shoulder and began chirping, blocking her from completing the kiss. When she reached up to brush the bird aside, her hand hit her cell phone on the nightstand and she woke up.

     “Agent Mackenzie”, her voice growled into the phone.

     “Mac, its Tom, sorry to wake you. You need to come back to the hospital now.”

     “What is it Tom. Did Miss Davidson die?”

     “It’s not about her. It’s Dean, he’s been in an accident. Mac, the doctors are saying his condition is grave.”

     “Jesus Tom, I’m on my way.”

     Thirty minutes later Mac barreled through the ER doors, ready to take down anyone that stood in her way. Unfortunately her need to kick ass was left unsatisfied when the receptionist politely directed her to the ICU. A guard even walked her to the elevator, opening doors with his keycard, to assist her. Rushing off the elevator, Mac almost walked by the waiting room where Tom and Casey were sitting.

     “What happened?”

     “From what we can gather from the witnesses, Dean was driving toward town when another car came out of nowhere, sideswiped him, sending his car into spin, through the guardrail and down the mountainside. The other car just kept going. If the witnesses hadn’t come around the curve at that precise moment we may never have known his car was in that ravine.”

     “We got lucky. How is he? Have you heard anything?”

     “He’s critical. They had him in surgery for three hours. A nurse came out a little while ago and said he was still bleeding, they just don’t know from where.  His parents are flying in from Detroit.  I hope to hell they make it in time.”

     “This is a fucking hospital, how can they not know where he’s bleeding from.”

     “They’re not miracle workers, Mac. They can only do so much.”

     “When can we see him?”

     “He’s in a medically induced coma right now. If he stabilizes they’ll let us in two at a time. But Mac, his family gets priority.”

     Mac walked over and kicked a chair.  Grunting with the stinging pain running up her foot she turned in time to see a scrub clad woman enter the room. The grave look on the woman’s face said everything. Mac sat down hard on the blue vinyl covered waiting room chair and listened to the details of Dean Fong’s last few hours of life. With guilty relief she was glad she didn’t have to face his family as they arrived.

     Hours later, she, Tom and Casey sat in the hotel café drinking coffee and pushing food around on their plates. Occasionally one of them would try to speak, but full sentences were rare. Mac looked up in time to see Dana walk in and take a table by the front window.  “Tom, are we sure this was an accident?” Casey asked.

     “Casey, I’ll bet when we find the guy that did this it will be nothing more than an ordinary drunk.”

     “For a drunk he managed to maintain awfully good control of his car in a dangerous situation.”

     “It happens. Don’t worry, with our assistance the locals will find the person that did this.”

     “What was he doing on that road anyway? He had his overnight bag with him”

     “How do you know that?” Mac asked

     “Because I talked to the accident investigator.” Casey replied

     “Dammit Casey, you can’t step outside of protocol on this. We don’t want this bastard’s lawyers to have any appeal fuel.” Tom said angrily

      “Screw it Tom. He’s one of ours, so I asked for an unofficial report. Did you know that the other car didn’t even tap their brakes? Reflex makes us hit our brakes when we hit something. This was no drunk. Something else is going on.”

     “Christ Casey, quit looking for conspiracies under every rock. You think you would have learned your lesson by now.”

      “Fuck off, Tom.” Casey said as she pushed away from the table and stormed out of the café.

     In response to Mac’s raised eyebrows Tom said, “Casey used to work out the DC field office. Two years ago she accused the Assistant Director of the FBI of working with the whitehouse to cover up the murder of a Turkish diplomat. They were friends, probably more and she had a hard time accepting the man’s death as a suicide.She’s lucky the director understood that she was having a grief reaction. Instead of firing her he sent her out here.” 

     “This seems to be the place for problem children. I always figured it would be Alaska.”

     “Actually Alaska’s a good assignment.” He said as he finished the last dregs of his coffee.

     “I know Dean hacked personnel for a phone number; that’s why he was here instead of the Los Angeles. We both know my miserable little story. So Tom, what is your story? Why have you been banished from the inner kingdom?”

     Without a word, he stood, threw too much money on the table and left.

     Mac stared at her cup of coffee hoping to divine answers in the swirls of cream. A shadow cast across her table caused her to look up. Dana looked down at her, smiling, “Hope I’m not interrupting.”

     “No, not at all.”

     “Mind if I join you?”

     “Of course. I mean no, no I don’t mind. Sorry, I’m a little distracted.”

     “There’s a sad look in your eyes today Agent Mackenzie, are you alright?”
     “We lost one of our Agents in an accident last night. “

     “I’m so sorry. Do you need me to go away?”

     “No, I don’t want that. That wouldn’t make things better.”

     Dana thought about the meaning behind those words as Mac’s cell phone rang. With a sigh, she answered, “Agent Mackenzie.”, she listened for few a few seconds then said, “OK. Meet you in five” then hung up the phone.

     Turning to Dana, she said “I have to get back to work, maybe we could talk later?”

     “Sure. Later.”

     Dana watched Mac leave the restaurant and head for the elevators. She then reached up underneath her hair and pulled the sound amplifier out of her ear. Unconsciously, Dana reached over and took a drink of Mac’s lukewarm coffee. Running her hand through her bangs she thought about the meaning of Agent Fong’s death. It was time to keep closer tabs on Agent Mackenzie and her fellow FBI agents. Yes, she definitely needed to monitor Agent Mackenzie.

     Later, at the hospital as she wheeled her mother to the cafeteria, Dana related the events of the past twenty-four hours.

      “I think you should spend some time at the cabin, on the secure computer, researching the members of this team”

     “Is that your way of getting me out of harm’s way mother?”

     “Maybe, but I also think we need more information”

     “We researched this into the ground before we started, I don’t think we have anything more to learn. Besides which, I think I’ll be more useful observing what these agents are doing.”

     “You mean keeping an eye on Agent Mackenzie, right?”

     “Possibly. Am I that transparent?”

     “Only to me. OK you can stay for now, but if I say bug out, you bug out is that clear?”

     “When have I ever not listened to you?” she asked with a wry smile.

     Monica Caswell rode her bike at high speed toward the dock. Her sunstreaked hair whipped around her face. Her flowered t-shirt was soaked with sweat, sticking to her wiry frame. Standing up on the pedals to increase her speed, she let out a loud yell as she and her pink bike went sailing off the end of the dock into the ice cold lake. It took mere seconds for her and her bike to disappear beneath the clear waters. Monica came sputtering to surface grinning like a lunatic. “Told ya I could do it” she yelled.

     “OK genius, now where’s your bike?” her little brother Jamie asked.

      “I’ll help her find it.” Miranda yelled running and jumping into the water cannonball style.

     Monica and Miranda laughed and splashed as they searched for the bicycle. Once they found it they drug it up to the shore beside their brother. Jamie gave a sophisticated disdainful look at the two girls and pretended to go back to reading his book.

     “I think it’s time our bookworm got wet” Monica said with a mischievous grin.

     “Yes, he did promise mom he’d get out and play today” Miranda stated as she eased up behind her brother.

     “Stop it! You guys know the rules. Nobody gets forced to do anything they don’t want to.”

     “Oh, yeah, what about chores?” Monica asked.

     “That’s different. We have to work together to make a home and a family. Besides which, I only promised I’d come outside, I didn’t promise I’d play.”

     “God. He keeps talking like that and he’ll end up being a lawyer.” Miranda stated. Turning to her sister she said “Let’s go get ice cream, Mister Library can sit here read.”

     “Yep I see a strawberry cone with my name on it.”, Monica acknowledged.

     “You’re allergic to strawberry!” Jamie yelled after them. A pout filling his pretty face.

     Thirty minutes later the girls returned with one dripping strawberry cone for their little brother. Family always takes care of each other.

     The guy with the black pickup truck was back. He had circled around the parking lot of the grocery store four times since the kids had been there.  He had no interest in the girls; the boy on the other hand was worth a second look. He watched the girls enter the grocery store while the boy found a shaded spot to sit and wait.  Seizing the moment, the man drove over to where the boy was sitting. Smiling he got out of his still running truck and walked toward the boy.  The boy glanced up from his book as the smiling man approached.

    Ten minutes later Monica and Miranda emerged from the store carrying bags of groceries.  Jamie’s bike leaned against cement pylon at the back of the lot. A black pickup was pulled up next to the bicycle. The tinted windows of the pickup prevented the girls from seeing inside. The horn gave a quick beep. The girls cautiously walked toward the truck. The driver’s side window eased down and Jamie whispered “Get over here, now!”

     “What’s up?” Monica asked as she approached the truck.

     “Go get Mom. I caught a perv!” Jamie’s frantic voice replied

     “We were only gone for ten minutes. What happened?” Miranda asked as she joined Monica beside the truck.

     “He’s been watching us since we stopped at the gas station to put air in Monica’s tire. He made his move as soon as you guys went into the store. I let him talk me into his truck, and then I zapped him, right in the nuts!”

     “And you didn’t think maybe you should have told us about this stalker before we left you alone out here?” Miranda asked angrily

     “I wasn’t sure until he made his move.” Jamie replied

     “Dammit Jamie this isn’t one of your role playing games! What if he had gotten the best of you?! You’re as bad as Mom.” Miranda reprimanded.

     “Maybe we should fight about this later.” Jamie stated nodding toward the prone man on the pickup truck’s seat.

     As Miranda began to argue further, the man on the seat suddenly reached out and grabbed Jamie around the neck “You little bastard, I’m gonna kill you”. Miranda began yelling, Jamie gasped for air as the man struggled to sit up.  As he righted himself in the passenger’s seat the door behind him opened. There was a grunt, the man’s grip tightened on Jamie’s neck, blood bubbled out from between the man’s lips, he gurgled then his entire body went slack.

     Jamie could hear the ticking of his wristwatch as he drew in large, unobstructed breaths. Looking over at the dead man he saw his sister put away her switchblade. Turning, he forever captured the look of horror Miranda’s face.

     Monica shut the passenger’s door and came back around to the driver’s door, “Empty his pockets and get his keys. Put the sunshade up over the windshield. We need to lock this truck up and get home to Mom, she’ll know what to do.”

      “Fingerprints.” Miranda mumbled.

     “Yeah, we better wipe it down.  Jamie use your t-shirt to wipe down the inside, I’ll use my towel on the outside. Hurry up, we’ve already been standing next to this truck for too long.”

     “Sounds like you took care of everything. Next time you decide to go solo young man, no dessert for a week. Is that understood?”  Kit said as she rolled spaghetti around on her fork.

     “We could have lost him Mother! Oh, but being a normal day in our house all we did was kill a man. Gee let’s all go eat ice cream in front of the TV and pretend that we’re normal.” Miranda stated.

     “We’re not normal, we’ll never be normal thanks to the shit the world has laid on us. We do what we have to do to survive. So quit crying about the pervert, because he sure as hell wouldn’t cry about us.”

     “Don’t cuss at the dinner table, Monica. “ Kit turned to look at Miranda “Baby, she’s right, we have to fight these assholes. Not all of us have the killer instinct and that’s alright. We each fight however we can. Don’t you want to keep bad things from happening to other children?”

    Miranda nodded, as tears rolled down her face.

    “Hey, no cussing at the dinner table Mom. “ Jamie said.

    “The papers reported Jason Deeds death as a mugging gone wrong. The Marion County Sheriff was using his death as an anti crime platform until his former pee wee soccer players started coming forward with tales of how he molested them. Then another famous ex-Arkansas resident began having problems and everyone forgot about Mr. Deeds.”

     “So you saw this man trying kidnap a little boy and you intervened? Mac asked

     “Yes. I first used my stun gun on Deeds, then I stabbed him”, Carson replied

     “What happened to the boy?”

     “I have no idea. I told him to run and that’s the last I saw of him.”

     “I’m surprised he never came forward. I wonder if he was one of Deeds soccer players.” Mac wondered aloud.

     “I wouldn’t know. Following my standard routine I moved soon after the case dropped out of the headlines.”

     “You didn’t leave immediately?” Mac queried

     “No. I had to take care of the business that had brought me to Arkansas in the first place.”

     Kit carefully applied eyeliner while looking in the dimly lit bathroom mirror. Monica sat on the closed toilet seat watching her. Muffled sounds of a TV car chase could be heard through the closed bathroom door.

     “I want you to take it easy on your sister. She’s not as strong as we are. Even after everything she went through, she’s still maintained the ability to care.”

     “She’s too soft. How can she not want all the perverts dead? Even Jamie with his poetry and books understands that you can’t leave them alive.”

     “I know you don’t understand this, but she is the glue that holds us together. Cut her some slack. She’ll help whenever she can, but she can’t stomach the killing. That’s who she is. Besides which, all of you will be going off to college soon, then it’ll just be me again.”

     “No Mom! I’ll never leave you.”

     “It’s OK baby, every bird has to leave the nest.”

       The parking lot of the Tit 4 Tat was full by the time Kit pulled her rusty ford van into a space by the dumpster. Laughter and loud country music spilled out of the door each time it was opened. Entering through the kitchen, Kit braced herself for the sensory overload she was about to experience.

     “You’re late!” J.J. Fulker said as he followed her back to the closet that was known as the dressing room.

     “My car wouldn’t start. I had to get a jump”

     Moving in close behind he, he said, “Shoulda called me, I would’ve jumped you.”

    Trying not to gag at the overpowering stench of body odor and beer, she replied, “Doesn’t make any sense for you to come all the way out there only to have to come back.”

     “Yeah well, we got a full house tonight and you were due onstage fifteen minutes ago.”

     “Don’t worry, the longer the audience waits, the more they drink. I’ll be in costume and on the pole in ten, if you stop hassling me.” She turned to face him, hands on her hips.

     “Don’t know why you’re so shy about changing in front of me, you’re jus’ gonna go take the clothes off anyway.” He grumbled.

     “Show some respect J.J., a girl's gotta have privacy.”

    “Just be on the damn stage in ten minutes.” he said, slamming the door behind him.

     Twenty minutes later, from her position on the pole, Kit spotted her target. He wasn’t interested in her. He was waiting for the dancers whose driver’s license said they were eighteen, but whose bodies were fifteen. If he stayed true to form, he’d watch for awhile, and then get one of the young girls to go off with him to an afterhours club for champagne and dancing. Sometime during the night he would put a date rape drug into her drink. The next morning she would wake up sore and knowing something happened, but not knowing that he had raped her every way possible and taped his adventure for later viewing. Jerry Shears had come to her attention because he liked to share his conquest with the world via the internet. Unbeknownst to his victims, they were movie stars.

     As the night wound down Kit returned to the dressing room to remove her makeup and change into her street clothes. J.J. was waiting.

     “You know, I should dock your pay for being late”, he said as he openly stared at her bare breasts.

     “J.J. I know you didn’t come up with idea on your own. You go back and tell Max that if my pay is short by one fucking penny I will not be back to dance tomorrow night. I’ll go down to the Booty Call on fourth. Sam Gleason offered me a job there two months ago and I bet that offer is still open. Now, where’s my pay?”

     “Uh, well, um, Max is still putting the envelopes together. I’ll just go check on that.” he scrambled backwards out the door, nearly knocking over the new girl.

     “What was that about?” the girl asked.

     “Just J.J. being cheap.” she turned back to the mirror.

     “He ain’t tried that with me. I don’t take to no cheap. That’s why I told the high roller that wanted to take me dancing that we gotta be first class all the way.”

     “Latricia, you gotta watch these guys, most of them aren’t that nice.”

     “Not to worry, I always carry backup.” she said as she pulled a straight razor from her oversized purse.”

     “You know it might be a lot safer if you just went home.”

     “Honey, if  home was safe, do you think  I’d be here? I got a little girl to support. That boy sat in chair rubbing himself and drooling for my entire act. He needs to come up with more than that twenty dollar tip. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” she slipped on her leather coat and walked out the door.

     Kit contemplated following, but Latricia seemed able to care for herself. Though if she was counting on one of the guys here to be a rich sugar daddy she was gonna be disappointed. Out in the parking lot she looked for Jerry Shears’ car. Seeing that he was gone, she thought about driving around to the cheap motels he used for his adventures. Ah, fuck it! She was tired and she wanted to get home and see how Miranda was doing.  After this job, she might take a year off from hunting. Get the girls ready for college. Give Jamie some “normal” high school time. They needed time for their family. Her kids needed her.

     “I wish I had killed that son of a bitch. Because Latricia Freestone’s life effectively ended that night. Sometime during the night, Jerry Shears had taken her back to a motel to be a part of one of his movies. Either he had got the dosage wrong, it was a bad batch or Latricia was just allergic to the drug he gave her, but instead of a docile compliant partner he got a mad woman with a razor. Rumor has it that hamburger has more consistency than Jerry Shears did. Latricia was found wandering along the side of the highway, naked and covered in blood.”

     “Didn’t it make it you happy that she had taken care of killing him? It saved you the trouble.”

     “No, Agent Mackenzie, it didn’t make me happy. When a black woman kills a white man in the south the punishment is harsh. It didn’t matter what the circumstances were that led up to it. Because I didn’t act that night Latricia is sitting on the McPherson Unit in Newport awaiting her execution. Her two year old daughter was left with her crack addicted mother who swears to this day that she gave the child to some social worker.”

     “Surely upon appeal Latricia will be found guilty of a lesser offense. She was drugged, that in and of itself should lead to a ruling of diminished capacity.”

     “In May of 2000, Arkansas executed a woman who had killed her two children. The woman had history of depression. She had tried to kill herself when she killed her children but had failed. If they didn’t think she had diminished capacity, why would they think it of Latricia?”

     “I’m sorry but there has to be more to the story. How did they come to the conclusion that this was first degree murder?”

     “She took the razor with her. They figured it was murder during a planned robbery” but you are right Agent Mackenzie, Kit pondered, there always is more to the story.

Chapter 7

      The doctor’s lounge seemed empty without Dean and his array of equipment. Mac briefly wondered who took care of all his stuff from the hotel room, then decided it didn’t matter. Standing in front of the window that overlooked the parking lot, Mac watched the visitors come and go. Was that Dana over in visitor’s lot next to a red Miata? Who was the blond she was talking to? Not that it was any of Mac’s business. It’s probably someone who hasn’t been spying on her. Someone she could trust. Damn this job. Every time she met an interesting woman the job somehow found a way to interfere. As she continued to watch, Dana leaned down to be eye to eye with the woman in the car, the conversation seemed very intense. After a few minutes she turned and walked away. The blond in the Miata backed out of the parking space and drove toward the exit gate. Strange, that woman looks familiar, can’t really make out the face.

     “Have you heard anything from Tom about how the investigation into Dean’s accident is going? The dumbass locals haven’t even interviewed me yet, have they gotten to you?” Casey asked as entered the room.

     “I doubt they think they have a reason to interview us, Case.”

     “Bullshit! He was murdered. Basic investigative technique demands that those closest to the victim...” she sat down on the couch and began crying.

     Mac grabbed a box of tissues from beside the sink and sat down next to her. Handing her the tissues Mac waited for her to finish. Between sobs she said, “He was an annoying know-it-all who acted like he owned the fucking equipment. His babies, he kept that shit locked up in the hotel safe when he wasn’t here or in his room. But you know what? He was one of us. He deserves something more than a cursory investigation.”

     “You’re right Casey, he does. That’s why our agents in Boulder are quietly, without stepping on any toes, running their own investigation. So do me a favor. Stop calling the local lead on this and let our people do their jobs.” Tom snapped.

     Mac looked at Casey for confirmation, “I will Tom once I see somebody actually do something. If it were you or me or Mac on that slab you damn well know Dean would never back off. I’m going do what any good team member would do for another.”

     “Don’t make me send you back to the office Agent Pearse. You understand how that would look on your record.”

     “Fuck my record and fuck you, Tom. Go ahead and try it. We’ll be in front review in no time!” The door slammed behind her as she exited the room.

     Tom’s icy control never slipped as he turned to Mac, “You take the rest of this afternoon’s interview. I’m going to follow up with the locals and go find Casey. Maybe she just needs a couple of days off.  I’ll see if I can get her to calm down. Plan on the regular a.m. meeting in here before we begin tomorrow.”

     “OK Tom, are you sure you don’t want me to talk to her?”

     “No. I’m the one she’s mad at. See you tomorrow.”

     Once again alone, Mac thought about Dana and things that could never be.

  Kit sat across from the pompous little man in his polyester suit with a fake smile plastered to his face.

     “So Ms. Trulane, it is Ms is it not? I just wanted to meet with the mother of little Misty here to establish a rapport, you might say”

      Or not, Kit thought. “I see. Do you take the time to do this with all the parents?” Kit smiled, wondering if the one strand of greasy hair he had wrapped around his head was enough to strangle him with.

     “When I can, especially when there are special circumstances.”

     “What’s so special about our circumstances?”

     “Well, it’s not like we don’t have other biracial children in the school, but we tend to keep an extra eye on them. As progressive as Springfield is, there are still those who might not approve.”

     Considering the way he choked out the words “biracial” and “progressive”, Kit was certain he was describing himself. “Really? Well I must say, this is the nineties and I would expect that the Missouri Board of Education would frown on any perceived discrimination. I’m glad to know my daughter will be well protected in your school system. “

     “Of course, yes, the Board of Education. Well I just wanted to make sure that you knew we have an open door policy her at Jackson Elementary.”

     “If we encounter any problems you will be the first to know. I’m very protective of my children.”

     Walking down the hall to her class Misty looked at Kit and asked, “Why did that man look like he ate a lemon?”

     “Because he has bitterness inside that’s so big it oozes to the surface”

     “Why doesn’t he just take the pink stuff”

     “There’s not enough pink stuff in the world for some people. Miranda will be by to pick you up after school. Mrs. Herbert has your lunch ticket. I’ll see you later.” she bent down and kissed the little girl on the cheek.

     “OK. I love you Mommy”

     “Love you too pumpkin.”

     Back in the car Kit glanced over at the sullen Jamie slung low in the seat, his arms crossed over his chest. “What is your problem?”

     “I don’t see why I have to go high school. Miranda and Monica got to take their equivalency tests, why can’t I”

     “Because it would be nice if at least one of my children had a semi normal life. Besides which, you need to set a good example for Misty.”

     “Monica and Miranda are in college that should be a good enough example.”

     “Misty loves them, but she adores you. She tries to mimic everything you do. Hell, every since you said you don’t like broccoli she’s refused to eat it.”

     “Yeah well why go to all the effort? We’ll just wipe out another perv and have to move on.”

     “This is a good central location. I’m thinking of setting up a base here and traveling to the jobs I need to do. The only problem is Misty’s principal. He definitely made my alarms go off”

     “If that bastard touches her he’ll have to answer to me.”  Jamie sat up straight in his seat.

     “Let’s deal with one problem at a time. As you can see, here we are at your new school. Try not to start any fights on your first day, please?”

     Sighing, he said, “Yeah OK. But don’t even try to kiss me bye. High school is hard enough. See you later.”

     Kit rubbed the space between her eyes, she wondered if the headaches that came with child rearing ever truly went away. Pulling a map out of the glove box she tried to estimate the time needed to drive this city’s Illinois namesake and back.

     Kit pulled into the driveway of the nineteen fifties tract home. Monica sat waiting for her on the cement front steps. A cool breeze brought the promise of rain. Trying not to limp, she made her way to the front door. “Good, you got my message”

     “Everyone is fed and put to bed. You should have called, I would have went with you”

     “I didn’t want you to skip class. You’ve already blown off too many; your grades are suffering. Next semester you won’t be allowed to miss so much.”

     “You are more important than some damn degree. Our mission is more important. “

     “Your mission is to be something more than the monsters of the world have tried to make you into.”

     “Sorry mother, that’s not going to happen; I’m just as committed to this cause as you are. Now let’s go inside so you can tell me about your day and I can take a look at that leg you’re trying not to limp on.”

     Sitting down on the orange vinyl covered chair at the peeling yellow Formica covered tabletop, Kit stuck out her blood covered pant leg. Monica held back a gasp as she placed a medical bag on table. Kneeling in front of her mother, she began removing her shoes and socks. Next she cut away the pants. A white, hotel room towel had been stuffed inside the pant leg to staunch the blood flow. The towel was now covered with sticky blood. Using saline to loosen the bloody glue holding the towel in place, Monica peeled the towel back to reveal an eighteen inch gash in her mother’s right thigh.

     “You’re damn lucky this didn’t hit the femoral artery. This is what happens when you go out on your own.”

     “Death and I are old friends, baby. We dance often.”

     “Oh, stop, with your mystical macabre bullshit. What the hell will happen to Jamie and Misty if you die?”

     “I do what I do for Misty and Jamie and all the others who are beaten down on a daily basis.”

     “That is why you need to let us help you. There are too many of them to eliminate alone mother. You’re making mistakes by yourself. The new DNA technology can match a single drop of blood to a person. Do you want to end up on death row?”

     “We might be able to fix the DNA thing.” Jamie said from the doorway.

     “How can we do that?”

     “We can just switch mom’s profile with someone else’s. Believe me, some of the least secure databases are government databases.”

       “I don’t even want know how you know that. It’s tempting, but the answer is no. I don’t want an innocent person doing time for my crime.”

     “What if they’re not so innocent?”

     “Getting Principal Goodale’s DNA proved easier than I thought. He gave blood on a regular basis. Switching the blood was a little harder, but pretending to be a premed student interested in forensics got me into the lab. Add a little leaked child porn from his computer and an email from the victim to him. Stir in an accidental cut to his hand when he’s mugged one night and you have a conviction. Of course there really is no protection in prison for a man accused of being a child rapist.  He was dead within six months and I was free.”

     “You are saying you killed Mitch Brunner then set up Goodale to take the fall?”

     “The child porn found on his computer really came from his computer. I like to think of it as killing two birds with one stone.”

     “I just can’t believe you did all this yourself.”

     “If you’re looking to implicate my daughter Agent Mackenzie, you’ll be saddened to know she was off to college at the time.”

     “Still trying to defend me, mother?” Dana asked as came into room carrying bags of takeout.

     “Always, darling. What goodies are you trying to tempt me with today?”

     “I had to make a trip to Boulder, so I brought back some Thai food. And there might be a box of chocolates in there somewhere.”

     “You spoil me. Why would I eat hospital food when I know my fabulous daughter will bring me something special?”

     “You should be eating your hospital food too.”

     “It’s hard to eat what you can’t identify. This looks like more than enough food for me. Are staying for dinner?”

     “Sorry Mother I can’t. I have a teleconference with the IT guys at Bethel Hospital. I have to spend a couple of hours holding their hand through an upgrade. I’m just going catch a burger at the hotel.”

     “What about you Agent Mackenzie, would you like some Thai food?”

     “I wish I could Ma’am, but I need to write my report of today’s events.”

     “I guess I’m on my own for dinner then.”

     Kissing her mother goodbye Dana whispered, “You may be surprised.”

     Once the daily log was filed, Mac decided to go down to the hotel restaurant. She even halfway convinced herself that she was not going there in hopes of meeting up with Dana. Which is why she shouldn’t have been so disappointed to not find her there. Grabbing an empty table near the rear of the restaurant she reviewed her dinner options. Halfway through her meatloaf, Dana sat down across from her.

     “Really Mac, the daily special? You’ve obviously not done a lot of travel. One of the guidelines to eating out is to avoid the daily special. It’s almost always composed of leftovers the restaurant is trying to avoid throwing away. I see I must teach you the lessons of eating at a diner. Listen carefully to my order when the waitress comes over.”

    “The waitress recommended this.”

     “Another reason not to eat it. The manager makes them push foods that don’t sell well.” To the waitress she said “I’ll have the bacon cheeseburger medium rare with mayo, catsup, pickle and onion. On the side I’ll have extra crispy onion rings. To drink I’ll have a bottle of water.”

     “You must not be planning on kissing anyone tonight with the onions you just ordered.”

     “Don’t worry Mac, I’ll share my onion rings with you.” Dana smiled.

     “No, I didn’t mean, well hell.” Mac stammered as the heat rising to her cheeks told her she was in full blush mode.

     “Does the FBI allow blushing on the job Agent Mackenzie?”

     “I’m not on the job this evening Ms Davidson.”

     “Then I guess we should stick with Dana and Mac; if you’re comfortable with that?”

     “Yes, of course. So tell me Dana, what made your order so different from mine?

     “By ordering my burger medium rare I guaranteed that it hasn’t been sitting under a heat lamp. The pickle and onion are just preference. The extra crispy onion rings again, for freshness. You can’t get extra crispy on an order of soggy rings sitting under lamp. The bottled water means I don’t have to drink out of their dirty glasses.”

     The final statement made Mac take a second look at her ice tea glass. “I bow to your superior knowledge. Although I now have no desire to finish my dinner” she said as she pushed her plate away.

     “After one too many nights worshiping the porcelain goddess due to food, not drink, I began taking precautions.”

     “I remember spring break in Mexico and finding out firsthand the meaning of Montazuma’s revenge. I’m hoping not to relive that experience.”

     “Mother was very strict about not drinking the water when we all went Mexico.”

     “We all?”

     “Sorry, just channeling a little southern bell. It’s all those years we lived in the south.”

     “Did you spend much time in Mexico?

     “We spent a month bumping from one tourist spot to another. So tell me Mac, are you back on duty now?”

     “No, just making casual conversation.”

     “Good, I’d hate for our evening to end so soon. You know, I spotted an ice cream stand not far from here, can I interest you in dessert?”

     “Not going scold me for me for failing to finish my dinner?”

     “We’ll save the scolding for later.”

     Once the ice cream was eaten, chocolate for her, cherry for Dana, she was literally three steps from Dana’s room when her cell phone rang. Tempting as it was to “accidently” turn it off, Mac answered. Her nice evening with a beautiful girl was completely fucked when she found out that Casey Pearse had been found dead. Muttering “emergency” she ran to her car and headed for a rest stop north of Boulder.

Chapter 8

          A steady drizzle of rain had been Mac’s only companion on the drive south to rest stop. She had purposefully avoided the distraction of the radio, wanting the intense anger and pain to fill the void. What the fuck had Casey been doing? Only after pulling into the southbound rest stop did Mac realize she needed to go up an exit and turn around. Interesting, Casey had been heading back from Boulder when she had stopped. Crime scene tape blocked off a far corner of the rest stop parking lot. Tom’s Ford and a highway patrol car were parked near the scene. Casey’s car and presumably Casey had been removed.

     Ignoring the umbrella tucked into the door slot, Mac walked over to the patrol car just as Tom climbed out. He signaled her to his car. “Jesus, what a fucking mess. First Dean, now Casey.” Tom said as he used paper napkins from his glove box to try to dry off. He offered a handful of napkins to Mac who shook her head no.

     “What was she doing here, Tom? Did she say anything to you about going to Boulder today?”

     “When I spoke to her this morning she said she was going to take the day off. The only thing I can figure is she was off investigating Dean’s accident. Fuck, shit, damn! How many chapters does the bureau have to write on not playing hero? An agent never goes off on their own!”

    “Who found her?”

     “Some concerned citizen that didn’t want to get involved. An anonymous 911 call came in about four o’clock. The person disguised their voice. All they said was that there was a dead body at the northbound rest stop near Fort Collins. The highway patrol responded. Jesus Mac, she had her fucking throat slit from ear to ear. Whoever did it had to be covered in blood; there was actually a spray outline of where they were sitting on the passenger’s seat.”

     “What was the preliminary estimated time of death?”

     “Rough ETD was anywhere from two to four this afternoon.”

     “So our caller could have been our killer.”

     “Anything is possible. Hell for we know it could have been a complete stranger with no connection to any case.”

     “I don’t fucking believe in coincidence.”

     “Yeah I know. We can’t get into this Mac. I was called in as a courtesy. I called you for the same reason. We can not touch this. Do you understand? That is straight from the top. Boulder already has a team of top investigators working this. Our orders are to continue the interviews with Carson Davidson and nothing more. Some of the upper management believes these killings may be a way to try to stop our investigation. We’re getting a tech and investigator sent to us on Monday. Until then, we move forward with Carson and Dana.”

     “What do you mean Dana?”

     “There’s no way Carson did all this on her own; we need to continue to interview Dana and see what her complicity is.”

     “She was just a kid when all this started.”

     “Kids kill too. And she stayed Mac. Even after she became an adult, she stayed with Carson. Maybe it’s a form of Stockholm Syndrome, but if nothing else, she aided and abetted after the fact. From now on, she is considered a suspect and is to be treated as such. You go ahead and go back to the hotel. I have paperwork to finish in Boulder. The morning meeting still stands.”

     “OK. See you tomorrow.”

     Lying on her bed in the hotel room Mac replayed the day’s events. She knew she was missing something; hell, a whole lot of somethings. If only she could sleep it might clear the fog from her brain. As hard as she tried, sleep was not going to happen tonight. Sitting up in bed she turned on the light. Going to the desk she grabbed a pen and notepad and began making notes. As she began to organize her thoughts she realized she knew two things for certain. One, Casey’s death had to do with her investigation of Dean’s crash. And two, as much as she respected Tom, there was no fucking way she wasn’t investigating Casey’s death.

     The bedside alarm screamed from across room jarring Mac awake at the desk. Several pages of handwritten notes were scattered underneath her face. Sitting up, Mac felt every muscle in her neck complain as she slowly made her way across the room to silence the incessant screaming. Now that she was moving the head decided to take a clue from her neck and a stabbing pain behind her eyes reminded her that she had slept at a desk. After a shower and some much needed coffee and aspirin, she was able to stumble to her car and head to the hospital. Halfway there she realized she had left her notes on the desk. Oh well, it’s probably better that Tom doesn’t see them she thought.

     A day nurse coming on shift took one look at Mac as she got out of the elevator and directed her to the fresh coffee and pastries in the break room. The woman was obviously an angel of mercy sent to rescue her from the depths of hell. If she was a good enough person she would have drug her off and married her. Half a cup of coffee and a cheese danish revived her enough to face the morning meeting. Thanking the nurse again as she passed the main desk, Mac made her way to the doctor’s lounge.

     The room was dark and empty as Mac entered juggling her laptop case and coffee cup. Placing her burdens on the table she checked her watch. Seven on the dot and no Tom. A moment of panic sent bile to the back of her throat as she pictured Tom sitting in his car with a slit throat. Pulling out her phone she saw she had two missed calls. Listening to her voicemail she was relieved to hear Tom’s voice explaining that he had been called into an emergency meeting and would catch up with her later in the day.

     Carson was sitting up in her bed watching the morning news when Mac entered the room. She hit the mute button. “Is Agent Ford coming today? I’ve missed his judgmental scowl.”

     “No Ma’am, he had some meetings and won’t be joining us.”

     “What a shame. Now he’s going to miss the story of how I finished off Ricardo Santos, the slimiest flesh trafficker on both sides of the border.”

     Miranda lay on the straw mat on the beach watching Jamie and Misty build a giant sandcastle. A large umbrella shaded her from the June Mexican sun. Monica was stretched on a similar mat a few feet away to avoid the shade.

     “Why did you even come on this trip if you’re not going to enjoy all that Mexico has to offer?”

     “I can enjoy the trip without working on my skin cancer or getting blasted on tequila every night.”

     “It’s not every night, just a select few. It would be more fun if my sister would join me.”

     “Misty’s a little young to do shots.”

      “Har de har. Your humor brings me to tears. Tears of boredom that is.”

     “Does Misty still visit her real mom?”

     “Misty sees her ‘real’ mom every fucking day. Nobody in fucking jail or rehab or fucking Louisiana is fucking family. We are a fucking family in every fucking way that counts. We need don’t any of them.”

     “Geez, calm down. I just meant that mom used to take her to visit her biological mother a couple times a year. Do they still keep in touch?”

     “Yeah, they still make the trip. Jamie said last time Latricia told mom not bring Misty anymore.”

     “Damn that’s hard.”

     “Life’s hard baby, so take your fun where you find it.”

     “Where is Mom?”

     “Off taking her fun, I expect.”

          Kit sat under the umbrella at the outdoor café. A large floppy hat and Hollywood star sunglasses hid her face from view. Her flowered sundress accented her tan legs. An attractive woman sitting alone at table was an invitation to unwanted attention. So far she had fended off the advances of several want to be suitors. Her bait was working; she just wasn’t catching what she was after, yet. They had already been in Mexico for two weeks, trolling the cities where women were disappearing and no hits. In two more weeks they would have to return to Arkansas to get the kids back in school on time.

     A shadow blocked the sun on her right side.  Ready to fend off another admirer, she instead smiled at the man she had been waiting for. The trick now was to catch him without seeming too anxious. Ricardo Santos smiled back at her and asked “Is this seat taken?”

     “Not for you.”

     Sitting on one of the double beds in their suit, Miranda tried not to think about what the thumps in the next room signified. “Do you have any eights?”

    Sitting across from her, Misty replied, “Go fish.”

     “I think you’re cheating. Are you sure you don’t have any eights?”

     “Nope. I have two fours on each card.”

     “You little shit. That calls for extreme tickling.”

     “No, no.” Misty yelled as Miranda grabbed her up and tickled her ribs.  Their laughter covered the sound of Monica entering the room.

     “Are you two having fun?” she asked sarcastically.

     Misty took one look at her blood soaked clothing and the gleam in her eye and took off for the bathroom.

     “Do you have to expose her this?”

     “You act like I’m wagging my weenie at her in the park.”

     “You don’t have a weenie you dunce.”

     “Look, this is who we are. She needs to accept that. Sooner or later she may decide to join us in our work.”

     “Not in my fucking lifetime.”

     “Yeah well, while you’re off collecting degrees she’s here with us every day. Who do you think has more say?”

       “Monica, we need a hand.” Jamie called from the next bedroom.

     “Actually it’s Ricardo who could use the hand and a foot and, well you get my point.”

    “ I spent all night working on Santos until he gave me the location of his warehouse full of abducted women and the names of all of his buyers. “

     “How could Dana not know what was going on?”

     “Who said Dana was there?”

     “Well, I just assumed… I mean, last night at dinner she mention that you all had vacationed in Mexico. I thought perhaps this had happened at the same time.”

     “No, our mother daughter trip to Mexico was at a different time.”

     “How did you dispose of the body of such a big man?

     “The same way you fit a large box into a small trash can. Just break it down into little pieces.”

Chapter 9

     Dana was in the middle of a conference call when Mac knocked on her door.  Smiling, she invited Mac into her room. “Give me just minute to finish up.” Going back to her computer she told the people on screen to email her any questions and signed off.

     “What a nice surprise. After you ran away last night I wasn’t sure I’d see again outside of the hospital.”

     “I was called away to an emergency. When you came to your mother’s room last night you said you had just come from Boulder?”

     “The last couple of days my modem has been acting hinky, my data has been scrambled, if I can get it all. I had to go there to get another wireless modem. That’s just not something you can buy here.”

     “Did you go directly to the store in Boulder and come straight back?”

     “No, as you know I stopped and bought mom some chocolates and then picked up some Thai food. What’s this about?”

     “Last night one of our agents was found with her throat slit. From the looks of things she was on her way back from Boulder.”

     “So of course you zero in on me.”

     “There’s no reason to get defensive. As I was leaving your mother’s room tonight she mentioned that she wished she had more Thai food. That’s when I remembered you had come from Boulder.”

     “Well Agent Mackenzie I hate to be the bearer of obvious news, but because of the size and limited scope of this town a lot of people travel between here and there.”

     “I know that. But not all of them have a serial killer for a mother.”

     “Like mother like daughter is that you’re saying?” she was irritated to hear the rising pitch in her voice.

     “No, well maybe. I’m just saying that maybe she has influenced you?”

     “Sorry ,what?! Of course she’s influenced me. You know Agent Mackenzie, this is one of times I wish I had listened to her. From this point on you can talk to me through my lawyer.”

     “Dana don’t be unreasonable.”

     “That is Ms Davidson to you. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on way out.” Dana stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

     Back in her own room, Mac reviewed her notes. In her heart she knew Dana wasn’t killing FBI agents. But, and it was a big but, there is the possibility she assisted her mother in killing predators. Not that she could blame her. Dana had been a child who had somehow survived horrific attacks.

     Sitting down at her computer, fingers poised over the keyboard, she drew a blank. Instead of trying to force her brain into research mode she decided to check her email. Thirty messages into her box she came across an email from Casey. The message had come yesterday at one o’clock.

            Mac,

I’m hoping to be able to talk to you before you get this email. I came

 down to the main office today after I left the hospital.  Something just

isn’t right about the investigation into Dean’s death. Everyone I’ve

talked to here is acting like it’s an accident. When I asked the tech guys

about the research Dean was doing into the missing files they act like

they have no idea what I’m talking about. I asked Danny in IT to

check into it for me. The local accident investigator told me that

it would take a very skilled driver to have hit Dean’s car and still

maintain control on that road. Almost like the person had been

trained in offensive driving. I’ve got a friend in records doing some

research for me. Hopefully I’ll  bring back some answers soon.

Watch your back Mac.

                                                                                    C.

     “Aw damn Case, you just had to go out on your own.” Mac shook her head as tears streamed down her face. She had to pull herself together. Rereading the email she took notes to help her better organize her thoughts.

      Dean’s killer had to know he was searching for the missing files. Who knew what Dean was looking into? Only the team knew. Well, not quite true, Dean had done his research on the computer, what if someone had flagged the search for those files? She wasn’t a computer genius by any means, but couldn’t you set it up so that if anyone searched for a particular item it would notify you? Dana would know the answer to that. Of course, since she had accused her of murdering an FBI agent she may not be willing to share any information.

     A crazy thought entered her mind. Well hell, why not. She said she acquired computer skills to track predators. Grabbing the phonebook out of the nightstand, Mac looked up the number for the hospital. Thirty minutes and one stop later she was back in Carson’s room. The evening nurse was taking away Carson’s dinner tray when Mac walked into the room. Looking at the bag in Mac’s hand she smiled and said “Now I see why she had me leave her spoon. Your kids take such good care of you.”

     Not bothering to correct the nurse’s misconception of who she was, Mac set the pint of banana chocolate chunk ice cream on Carson’s bedside table “I hope I’m not keeping you up too late.”

     “Not at all. I may look frail, but I usually watch the late news. I was surprised you called me with a computer question when Dana is right there in the same hotel. Then I talked to Dana. She’s very pissed off at you.”

     “I may have used the wrong approach in asking some questions. I understand if you don’t want to help me.”

     “I like you Mac, even when my daughter is mad at you. I’ll be glad to help in any way I can. You know, my daughter doesn’t waste emotions on people she doesn’t care about. She only gets angry at those who can hurt her. Now what can I help you with?

    Carson’s admission sent Mac’s brain into a momentary scramble. Refocusing, she asked how easy it was to monitor for a particular search.

     “You can buy software to do that. The problem is that you have to be pretty computer savvy to load that software, undetected, onto a government server. Most companies, not just the government, limit or even completely deny their employees the access necessary to download files. The average person isn’t allowed to load software onto the company computer. Of course during an internal investigation that kind of software could be put onto the server. Also, all companies have the right to load keystroke and other monitoring software for security purposes.”

     “Wait, your saying everything I type can be monitored? That’s illegal.”

     “Not if the company owns the computer you are using. It may not be illegal even if you are working from your personal computer at home, if you are conducting company business. Or if you’re checking your company email.”

     “So you’re saying that when it comes to my government issued laptop, I have no privacy.”

     “Not just your laptop, your cell phone too. Oh and don’t forget the anti theft tracking chip. Those are never turned off. Your every movement can be tracked to within thirty meters.”

     “So say this software does pick up on a file name or keyword, then what happens?”

     “It depends on how it was set up. It could set off alarms or simply text message the owner. No matter what the signal is, it would be instantaneous.”

     “How the hell can I get any work done if someone is electronically standing over my shoulder?”

     “You don’t work from your own computer. If you can, use another agent’s ID or even better, their ID and computer.”

     “I’m afraid of putting anyone else in danger.”

     “Is my daughter in danger Mac?”

     “I don’t think so.”

     “That’s good, because I like you and I hate killing people I like.”

     Mac smiled even though she knew Carson wasn’t kidding.

      Back at the hotel, Mac decided to be the bigger person and apologize to Dana. Even if she was only doing her job. Outside of Dana’s room she raised her hand to knock when she heard Dana speaking to someone. After a two second debate with herself, Mac stayed where she was and listened to the conversation.

     “No, I don’t think it’s necessary for you to be here yet. Mom’s tough, I think she’s holding up pretty well. I will call you when the time comes. Besides which, you need time to find someone to look after your very spoiled cats. Oh, I’m sorry, your babies. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Yeah, yeah I’m always careful. Bye.”

     Those words brought back a flash of memory. Mac turned away from the door and rushed to the lobby.

     “He was an annoying know-it-all who acted like he owned the fucking equipment. His babies. He kept that shit locked up in the hotel safe when he wasn’t here or in his room.”

     Startling the night clerk, Mac ran up to the desk in the hotel lobby. Pulling out her badge, she slapped it on the counter, “I need to know if one our agent's has left something in the safe.”

     The woman carefully examined the badge then looked at Mac. “I can’t tell you what the other guests might’ve put in our safe.”

     “This guest is now dead.”

     “Well then the next of kin will have thirty days to claim anything left here.”

     “What he put in that safe is government property. I am an agent of the government. You either hand over what Dean Fong left in your safe or I will report it stolen and have his GPS tracking activated. Then we will have ten agents come in here and tear this place apart looking for it. Those GPS devices are only good to within 100 yards. There’s a lot we could look at in that range.”

     “Well you don’t have to be all snooty. I’m just trying to do my job ya know”, she said as she went to the back room.

     “Yeah, well so am I”

     Minutes later Mac had Dean’s computer bag and a brown accordion file in her hand. Grabbing a couple of sodas and a bag chips from vending she carried her haul back to her room. She only hoped that Dean had not been taken out of the system yet. Forty minutes and two sodas later she cursed the security conscious Dean and his password. Looking at the clock, she realized it was much too late to visit Carson again. Like it or not, she had to wait another day to find out what had gotten Dean killed. 

      Mac stood by the window in Carson’s room watching the gray clouds roll in from the west. A nurse adjusted the IV pump, straightened her covers and moved the tray table into position. “Anything else I can do for you Ms Davidson?”

     “No, thank you. I’m fine for now Denise.”

     Placing the call bell near her hand the nurse then left the room. Tom came in as she was leaving. “Sorry I’m late ladies.” He mumbled as he sat down in the visitor’s chair. Seeing his unshaven face and wrinkled clothes, Mac realized how much the deaths of Dean and Casey had affected him. I should have known that as team leader it would have had an impact on him.

     “It looks like it’s going to rain today. A thunderstorm in the mountains is an incredible experience. The way the thunder echoes it feels as though the sound is coming from inside you.”

     Misty cried out as the thunder boomed and was soon followed by flashes of lightening. Running away from the window she leaped onto the couch next to Jamie. Laughing, Jamie put his arm around her. At the ripe old age of twelve she rarely let him play the role of protector anymore. It was nice to be the big brother, if only for a little while. Misty had been distant since he had come home on leave, maybe this meant she had stopped being mad at him for enlisting in the Marines.

     “Don’t think I’m not still mad at you.” she stated, as though reading his mind. “I’m just more scared than mad.”

     “I know you’re mad. But I’m not doing this to make you or mom or anyone else mad. I just feel like this is the right thing to do.”

     “It’s not fair. Let someone else go fight in a war.”

     “You can’t hand off responsibility because it’s hard. If no one takes a stand against evil then evils wins.”

     Pouting, she replied “So let them win. Who cares about that as long as we’re all together?”

     “You know that doesn’t make any sense. As for who cares, I care. I want to see you grow up and have kids and turn into gray haired old woman.”

     “I’ll never have gray hair. I’ll age gracefully and never have wrinkles.”

     “Oh you will, will you?” Kit asked as she carried in a large bowl filled with popcorn.

     “Not that there’s anything wrong with gray hair and wrinkles, mom.”

     “So glad you approve. Perhaps you’d like to replace that foot in your mouth with some popcorn.” She passed the bowl to her youngest daughter. Sitting on the other side of Jamie she ran her hand over his buzz cut.  “You know, we could shoot you in the knee and get you out of this.”

     “That’s ok mom. Don’t take this personally, but you’re not that good of a shot and I’d like to have kids some day.”

     “Miranda’s a good shot, we’ll have her do it.”

     “I love you too. This is something I have to do. It feels right, you know?”

     “Yeah, I do know. Now, put in one of the movies I picked up. I have to go out later, so let’s enjoy what time we can together.”

     “Do you want me to go with you?”

     “No, you stay and keep an eye on your sister.”

     “Geez mom, I’m not a baby.” Misty whined.

     “Yes you are, you’re my baby and don’t you ever forget it.”

      The icy rain beat down on the roof of the old Ford pickup as it sat idling in the parking lot of the gas station. Even with the heater on high defrost the windshield was edged with fog. Monica sat sipping her coffee, watching her mother trying to dodge raindrops as she ran across the parking lot, back to the truck. At twenty-three, Monica had matured into a beautiful young woman. Her long hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her brown eyes were highlighted by just a hint of makeup. With clear skin, a size two figure and a height of 5”3, she was often offered acting jobs. Some of them were even legit. But she enjoyed the career she had chosen and it left her with enough free time to work with her mother.

     Kit opened the door and brought a brief gust of cold rain and wind with her as she jumped into the driver’s seat. “He’s getting ready to close up now. I told him I’d follow him back to his trailer to make the buy.”

     “Does he have anyone living with him?”

     “Not that I know of. But keep out of sight, I want him to think I’m alone.”

     The so-called country lane leading to Daryll Tooley’s trailer went straight up a mountain side. Kit was cursing the Ford’s transmission as she slipped and slid on the gravel road. One side of the road was bordered by rugged granite cliffs while the other side offered a shear drop down the side of the mountain. Kit sighed with relief as they pulled into Daryll’s driveway. After prying her fingers from the steering wheel she jumped out of the truck and jogged over to meet Daryll at the door.

     Hunched down on the bench seat, Monica peaked over the dashboard to watch her mother and Darryl enter the trailer. As she was about to sit up, she saw two men exit the shed to the right of the trailer. One man had a bag in his left hand and what might be a handgun in his right hand; the other man used two hands to steady a long gun. Slowly the men made their way up the back steps and entered the trailer. Monica pulled her clunky cellular telephone out of her bag and tried to call Jamie. The useless piece of shit wouldn’t make a call. Tucking her S&W 9mm into the back of her pants she made her way to the front door of the trailer.

     Monica heard the shouting as she neared the mobile home. “Get on your knees, bitch!”

     “Don’t hurt us! We’ll give you anything you.” A loud smack followed this statement.

     “Hey man, hey. No need to get nasty.” A man’s voice this time.

     “Shut the fuck up Darryl! You know lady this piece of shit set you up. He called us while he was closing the store. Said he had a sweet piece of ass with some cash coming up to his place. Told us to come on up and make it look a robbery. Didn’t he Sammy?”

     “Yep. Told us we could have you and split the cash.”

     “But see, Sammy and me we got to thinking about things and we thought well hell, why can’t we have the pussy, the cash and the drugs?”

     “Shit Mike, I’ll give you what you want. We don’t have to go through all this.”

     A loud gunshot reverberated through the night. “Didn’t I tell that little bastard to shut up?”

     “Yep, Mike, you sure did.”

     “Well now lady, what are we gonna do with you?”

     Monica raised her fist and pounded on the metal door.  “Hey, is anybody home? My car broke down and I’m stuck.” A few minutes of muffled conversation followed. The door opened and a scraggly looking twenty some year old man answered. “Well now sweetheart, don’t you worry; I’ll be more than happy to help you.”

      Bringing the weapon up to point between his beady eyes, Monica fired.

     “Mike?” Sammy asked as the back of his friend’s head blew open. Then the woman on the floor jumped up and stabbed him the heart. “Glad you could make it.” Kit said as she wiped her knife off on Sammy’s jeans.

     “Even if you are old and wrinkly and gray I figured you could probably handle a group of mountain rednecks”

     “Yeah, but it was quicker with your help.”

     “How’s this one gonna play out?”

     “I’m thinking propane explosion. After we relieve Darryl of his customer list and money, of course.”

     “Of course.”

       “For a guy who was selling drugs and kiddie porn, he sure didn’t live very well.” Monica said as she pulled her wet t-shirt over head.

     “That’s because he did those things to support his habits. I’d bet good money he used more cocaine than he sold. Also, he didn’t sell kiddie porn, he traded it. These bastards are getting smart about money trails.”

     “So where to next?”

     “I want to take some time to regroup. Jamie is shipping out to Afghanistan in two weeks and we need to spend some time with him. Then I think we might follow the Merrimack River down to Massachusetts. I found a guy in Boston on Darryl’s email list that I think we should visit.”

     “I’ll see what my agency has for work in that area.”

     “Eighteen months is a long time.”

     “Eighteen months is nothing to a well tuned marine machine.”

     “We haven’t been apart since we first met when we were kids. Just think where you’d be if that bastard Dickie hadn’t kidnapped you.”

     “He didn’t kidnap me, Monica, I was my dad’s poker loss.”

     “I know, but kidnapped sounds better.”

     “We got lucky you know. At best we would’ve ended up as drug addicted prostitutes. At worst we’d be another unmarked grave.”

     “I know. Every day when I get dressed to go to class, I look at myself in the mirror and I realize it’s all because of that woman in there.”

     “There are those who would call her a monster.”

     “There are a lot more who would call her a savior. Quit hogging all the popcorn.” She elbowed him to make her point.

      “That’s where I picked up Delany’s trail. It’s lunch time Agents, let’s get back to this later.”

     Tom jumped up out of his chair, “Look bitch, no more dangling Delany in front of us, you’re gonna…” Mac pulled him out of the room before he could say more.

     “We’ll see you after lunch, Carson.”

     Following along on Mac’s heels, Tom growled “Oh it’s Carson now is it? I’m gone a couple of days and now you two are friends?”

     Shutting the door to the lounge Mac whirled around in a rage “Yeah I’ve established a relationship with the suspect. You know, like they teach us in interrogation fucking 101? What is wrong with you? You show up looking like you slept in your cloths, you antagonize the suspect and now you’re chewing on my ass like it’s fruity tutti bubble gum.”

     Tom’s angry scowl dissolved as he burst out laughing. “Fruity tutti bubble gum? Christ Mac, where the hell did that come from?”

      Trying to breath between her own fit of laughter Mac replied “You know it sounded good at first.”

     Wiping tears from his eyes, Tom sat on the couch. “I just spent yesterday at Casey’s autopsy. Then I had to face John Fredrick to answer questions about, and I quote ‘what the hell is going with my unit’ I’m sorry Mac, I just want to be done with this case.”

     “Well I wouldn’t hold out any hope of that happening soon”

     “If we start on Delany today how long will it take?”

     “ Tom, our directive was to get a full confession. This woman has a lot of story to tell.”

     “Well shit. Look Mac, I’m exhausted, I need to get some rest before we start on Delany, do you think you can stall her until tomorrow?”

     Picking up that bag that contained both Dean’s and her laptop computers Mac replied “Sure, no problem Tom.”

Chapter 10

     “So what do you think? Can you find out his password?” Mac asked as she leaned over Carson’s shoulder.

     “That depends on how strong of a password he used.”

     Drumming her fingers on table, Mac asked “How long will it take.”

     “With or without you standing over my shoulder?”

     “Oh, sorry.” Mac began pacing around the room.

     “Yes that is much less distracting. Why don’t you go get us a couple of coffees in the cafeteria? Come back in twenty minutes, I’ll be able to tell you more then.”

     Hauling a load of coffee and pie slices Mac came up short as she walked back into the room twenty minutes later and saw Dana standing next to her mother. Being an expert elocutionist she said, “Oh, uh, hi. I brought pie.”

     “Mom says you have a computer problem. I’ve brought some of my code breaking software to help.”

     “Wait a minute Dana. We have a more important issue to address.”

     “Oh, Mom, can’t we just leave well enough alone?”

     “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I want to know what kind of pie Mac brought.”

     Smiling, Mac placed two individual serving containers of banana cream and lemon meringue pie on the table next to Dean’s laptop. Setting down the coffees, she pulled multiple packets of creamer and sweetener out of her pocket. “I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee.” She explained.

     “Just a little bit of cream. Now, which slice of pie do I want?”

     “They are both for you.”

     “Mac, you give the best bribes.”

     “Now that the pie has been served, perhaps we could get back to this password problem?’ Dana scolded.

     “She always been much too grown up” Carson stated as she dug into the banana cream pie.

     “I can leave so the two of you can talk about me. Or I can work on cracking this password.”

     “We’ll behave. Besides which, it shouldn’t be too hard, it’s just a log on password, not a boot.”

     “What’s a boot?”

     Dana answered “It’s a password that protects your computer as it’s starting up or booting up. A log on password just protects the GUI; the boot password protects the deepest programming.”

     “A gooey?”

    “A G.U.I. Graphic User Interface. The nice software that makes your screen look pretty and allows you to point your mouse and click.”

     “So what’s this other stuff do?”

     “This other stuff is what really runs your computer. It’s tells your computer what software and hardware to run, things like that.”

     “How does this help in finding the password?”

     “Because before I run any complicated programs to look for a password I’m going to try the easiest route first. That is, I’m going to ask the computer to delete all the passwords. Had he protected his start up screen I wouldn’t be able to do that. Since he didn’t I can use type commands.”

     “It’s that easy?”

     “Maybe, we’ll see. I mean what if he renamed all of his password files? There are a lot of ifs. But you should always check the easiest first.”

     “Yeah but Dean was a computer geek; wouldn’t he know this?”

     “He should have. But people make simple mistakes every day. Or, maybe he wanted the files to be accessible to someone with a little computer knowledge. This way he could say he did comply with the password standards, but the information wouldn’t be too hard to get to.”

     “Good old plausible deniability.”

     “Ok, here we go.”

      “How long will it take?”

     “We’re in. You know Mother, I’m surprised you didn’t think of this.”

     “Must be the chemo, it’s making my brain fuzzy.”

     “I see.”

     Mac weighed the option of trying to find information on the computer against allowing a suspect to help her with the search. Considering what she had already asked of Carson and Dana, she asked “Is there any way to find out what he was working on?”

     “That’s something I think Dana can help you with. It’s late and I’m tired girls. You’ll have to continue this without me.”

     “Do you have some place we can go to look at these files?”

      “Why not back to the hotel?” Mac asked.

     “Because I don’t know about your room, but mine is bugged.”

     “Knew about that did you?”

     “From the moment you put them in my room.”

     “You know, I didn’t actually put them there, Dean did.”

     “The same person signs your paychecks.”

     Deciding to steer the conversation away from dangerous ground Mac said, “We have a room we’ve using here on this floor, we can go there.”

     “That sounds fine. Mom I’ll see you tomorrow. Well Agent Mackenzie, lead the way.”

     Sitting beside Dana on the couch in the doctor’s lounge, Max found herself having a hard time concentrating. She heard terms like last access time and modification date, but somehow none of that was getting past the smell of Dana’s hair. She found herself fantasizing about burying her face in that hair where it touched the very sensual curve of Dana’s neck.

     “Did you get that?’

     “Yeah, well no.”

     “I noticed you had that dazed look of a techno phobe. Look, just give me couple of minutes and I’ll see what I can find.”

     Pulling herself away from Dana, Mac hopped up and paced around the room. “What I’m about to tell you needs to stay in this room.”

     “As opposed to posting all of our other activities this evening on a social media account?”

     “OK, so that was dramatic. Dean was looking into your Mother’s statement that she sent a package to the Jacksonville office. He got suspicious when there was no mail for a week. I think his further investigation into that got him killed.”

     ‘Mom said you were asking about key word tracking programs. What, you’re surprised we talked? You shouldn’t be. I told her all about your little like mother like daughter statement.”

     “I never said that, you did.”

     “Wasn’t that what you were implying?”

     “I don’t know what I was implying. I had to question you once I found out you had been in Boulder at the same time as Casey. There are certain investigative rules that have to be followed.”

     “Oh, I understand. The rules apply until you need someone to help you break into a computer.”

     “No, well yes, but with exceptions. You don’t understand.”

     “Enlighten me.”

     “Look, I’m sorry. I wasn’t accusing you of killing Casey. Not really. I’m just trying to understand why she and Dean were killed. “

     “Then maybe you could have explained that to me before you jumped right into interrogation mode.”

     “I know, I’m sorry.  I promise, next time I will talk to you not interrogate you.”

     “And I will try not to have such a melodramatic response to simple questions. Umm, look at this; Dean downloaded this file from the FBI main server the night before he died.”

     “What’s in the file?”

     “It’s an expense report for Agent TF6521. That’s not what you were looking for though, was it?”

     “If Dean thought it was important enough to download, I’d bet it has something to do with this investigation. Can you print it?”

     “I’ll save it to a flash drive and print it later in my room. Here’s another file he downloaded; strange, this one is from the Department of Defense. Let’s save this. Ah, here’s your FBI mail received record. He was certainly a busy boy.”

     “He may have a pain in the ass at times, be he was efficient.”

     “Once we’ve downloaded the files you want I’ll head back to my room and print them. Mac, if I were you I wouldn’t take that computer back to my room.  I’d hide it some place safe, just in case.”

     “Don’t you think that’s a little paranoid?”

     “I’ve found that a little paranoia goes a long way when it comes to self preservation.”

     “You may be right.”

     Opening the door to her hotel room, Mac was surprised to see Tom and Agent Diane Jenkins waiting for her. Dean’s brown accordion file sat on the desk next to her work laptop. Her laptop was open and turned on. “Tom, Diane, what’s going on?”

     “Where have you been Agent Mackenzie?” Tom asked

     “I’ve been out. Taking care of personal business. Why?”

     “What kind of personal business?”

     As she walked further into the room, Mac watched Diane shift her position so that she was at a ninety degree angle to her. Mac was effectively trapped between Tom and Diane. Any sudden movement would cause the two other Agents to draw their weapons on her. “I had left my phone at the hospital and went back to retrieve it.”

     Tom stood up and walked over to within three feet of Mac. Looking her in the eye he asked, “You didn’t happen to stop and talk to Carson and Dana Donaldson did you?”

     Since Mac knew Tom would not have asked that question unless he knew the answer she replied, “Yes I did stop by Carson’s room, that’s where I left my phone. And yes, Dana was there.”

     “Exactly what is your relationship with these suspects, Agent Mackenzie?” Diane asked from across the room.

     “I’m the interrogator for Carson Donaldson and as far as I know Dana is a victim, not a suspect.”

    “Dana is it? Do you think that it’s wise to be on a first name basis with a suspect?”

     “Like I said, I wasn’t aware that she was considered a suspect. What’s going on, Tom?”

     Before he was allowed to answer, Diane replied “We’re aware of your proclivities toward women; our thinking is that perhaps that has tainted your view of this case. Two Agents have died since these interviews with the suspect have begun. Perhaps this entire ‘confession’ is nothing more than a smokescreen for terrorists to kill off FBI Agents.”

     “Oh, no, you did not just pull out the ‘T’ word.” Mac exclaimed in disbelief.

     “Mac, look, I know Dana is an attractive woman. Maybe she played on your loneliness to get you to tell her things you shouldn’t have.”

     “Jesus Tom, you’re buying into this?”

     “I’m just saying that we all make mistakes. It’s OK. Just tell us what you’ve told Dana. We can fix this.”

     “What the hell is there to fix?”

     Now was the time for stern Tom to come out, “Look Mac, what if Dana killed Dean and Casey? You or I could be next.”

     Moving closer to Mac, Diane said “Enough of this bullshit Tom. Agent Mackenzie we are placing you on administrative leave until we can prove you were not involved in the murders of Dean Fong and Casey Pearse. You will turn in your badge, gun, laptop and cell phone. Due to the rapport you’ve established with the suspect, you’ll remain here to assist with interrogation of Carson Donaldson. Agent Ford will supervise all of your actions regarding the suspect. You are to have no unauthorized contact with the suspect or with Dana Donaldson. Is that clear?”

     “Well if I’m on leave, how can I participate in an interrogation?”

     “This is a special circumstance. If I were you I would look at this as an opportunity to prove myself to the FBI.”

     “And if I were you I’d have slit my wrists a long time ago.”

     “Dammit Mac, don’t be insolent. This is serious shit.”

     “Yes Tom I know. I’m not an idiot. This means my career is effectively over, no matter what the outcome of the investigation. My question is, is why should I help you?”

     “Because Agent Mackenzie, there are a lot more opportunities for an Agent that resigns as opposed to one that gets fired. Are we clear?”

     “Absolutely.” Mac unholstered her weapon and handed it Tom.

     “Look Mac we’ll get through this.”

     Handing over her badge and cell phone Mac shook her head, “They couldn’t have done this without you Tom. Please don’t talk to me unless it’s work related.”

     Grabbing Mac’s laptop, Diane turned to Tom, “Come on, I want to get this stuff back to the office tonight.”

     “I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow morning Agent Mackenzie.”

     “I’ll be ready Agent Ford.”

     Once the door closed behind them, Mac sat on the edge of the bed and had a good long cry. Fuck them all, she thought to herself. Why the fuck did they do this? Even the tightassed FBI usually gave their agents more latitude than this during an investigation. Hell, they were treating her like she was a suspect. Lying back on the bed, Mac closed her eyes, running the day’s events through her head. Her last thought before she fell asleep was that at least they didn’t know about Dean’s laptop.

Chapter 11

     As a cold front moved down from the Canada, the early morning sky changed from bright blue to battleship gray. Mac’s leather jacket did little to ward off the crisp morning air. Steam rose from her to go cup of coffee as she stood outside the hotel waiting for Tom to get the car. When Tom had called to invite her to meet for breakfast before leaving for the hospital, Mac had declined, saying she would meet him front of the hotel instead. Mac wasn’t in the mood to play nice and pretend that nothing was wrong. And she sure as hell didn’t want to hear any lame excuses. She had made it a point to bring her mp3 player and headphones to tune Tom out during the car ride.

     Sitting by the window in the hotel restaurant, Dana watched with amusement as Mac climbed into the government issue sedan and put her ear buds in her ears. She watched the annoyed look that came over Agent Ford’s face. As they pulled away, Dana left a ten on the table and went back to her room. She had tools to gather before she committed her act of breaking and entering. Humming to herself, she pulled out a disposable cell phone and sent a text message.

      Sitting up in bed, Carson appeared to be working a crossword puzzle when Agents Ford and Mackenzie entered the room. Looking up, she smiled at the two Agents “Well Agent Ford, good to see you made it back today. I guess the tale of Jimmy Delany was too much to resist.”

     “We’re all interested in how you were able to pull that one off Ma’am.”

     “I’m sure you are. Well have a seat while I put away my seek and find puzzle. Did you know that for some of these puzzles the point is not the words you find, but the words that are left? Sort of a code, you might say. Are you interested in codes Agent Ford?”

     Surprised to be addressed by her twice in one day, Tom answered “I don’t know a lot about cryptography Ma’am.”

     “I became interested in cryptography when I started investigating how these perverts sent messages to each other. That’s when I learned about digital steganography.”

     “What’s that?” Dana asked.

     “That’s when you hide a message inside of another file. Steganography is actually a very old practice of cryptography dating all the way back to ancient Greece. In these modern times we have a digitalized version in which we can hide a message inside of a picture, a game or any other file we chose. It’s best to do so with a large enough file that a few more bytes won’t be noticed. It’s the favored electronic communication of criminals, terrorists and spies.  They secure the extraneous information by use of an encryption key that only the sender and receiver share.”

     “So what looks like a picture of Aunt Martha at the family reunion is actually child pornography and nobody is the wiser.” Mac stated.

     “Exactly. What, you may wonder, does this have to do with Jimmy Delany? Well, he wasn’t called ‘The Geek’ for nothing. He helped some of the largest child pornography rings in the world to hide their smut for easy transportation on the information super highway. He made millions and had easy access to the pictures he craved. The client list that disappeared off that little bastard’s computer would have shocked the world. Too bad his hard drive was ‘accidently’ erased. Oh well, who knows, maybe there’s another copy. I have to say kudos to the FBI, Agent Ford, I almost missed you’re surveillance of that little bastard.”

     Spring in Boston can mean anything from six inches of snow to a high of eighty with a gentle breeze blowing off the bay. Thankfully today was the latter. Kit sat at the metal table underneath the canopy of the café. A short black iron fence kept any passersby on the sidewalk from meandering in and bothering the patrons as they enjoyed their cappuccinos and chocolate croissants. Kit sat watching Misty pull off flakey pieces of croissant and place them delicately in her mouth.

     “I just thought that since Jamie is off in Afghanistan and Monica and Miranda are busy with work that maybe it’s not the best time for me to go back to school.”

     “Hmm, I see. And what about eventually getting your driver’s license?”

     “Welllll. I thought maybe you’d make me one.”

     “Yes that would do away with those pesky grade point requirements now wouldn’t it?”

     “Mom.”

     Kit couldn’t believe the amount of exasperation that could be placed in that one small word.

     “Misty, you are much too smart not to finish school. No excuses, hear me?”

     Pouting now, all Kit got was a mumbled “yeah” in reply.

     “But, if you go to school and pass the driver’s ed course I might just find it in my old cruel heart to buy you a used car.”

     “Really? Of my own? Wait ‘til I tell Jamie, he’ll be so jealous.”

     “I expect to hear about this from your sisters too. Now what do you say we go do the tourist thing and take a tour of the Freedom Trail?”

     “None of us got a car when we were teenagers.” Monica whined as she and her mother sat together on the couch of the two room suite.

     “And who paid for that motorcycle you drove around campus?”

     “Well, uh…”

     “I even made up the fake insurance card for you.”

     “Yeah, but it wasn’t a car.” She said with less conviction.

     “Your argument is losing steam. So tell me about your reconnaissance today.”

     “While some people were off enjoying the sites, I, visited a bakery in the not so nice part of town. As I was buying the blueberry muffins we’re munching on I actually saw the perv go out a side door of the pizza place across the street and climb into black Cadillac waiting at the curb. But that’s not the interesting part.”

     Biting into one of the muffins, Kit mumbled around it “S’at so?”

     “I watched another car pull out of the alley a few seconds after the Caddy left and follow.”

     “Our boy’s being watched? By who?”

     “Don’t know for sure yet, the car that followed had government issue written all over it. If that isn’t enough, the two suits inside look like they were government issue too.”

     “Well, looks like we have some competition. Guess we’ll be in Boston for a while. Tomorrow, go back and find out where our watchers are watching from.”

     “Can’t, I’ve got to work. Unless you want me to call off.”

     “No, I think I can handle this on my own.”

     “What about Misty?”

     “She’s old enough that a few hours alone won’t kill her.”

     As Kit was pushing an empty baby carriage past Dino’s Pizza, Misty was discovering the world of instant messaging. She found a chat room here in Boston that was listed for teenage girls only; on the internet. Thankfully her mother wasn’t here to stand over her shoulder like she usually did when Misty was online. Gawd! Everybody in the family treated her like she was a baby.

     Like she didn’t know what they were up to. She had figured it out a long time ago. With the sneaking around and all the secrets, obviously she lived in a family of spies. That’s why mom could make all those documents and had all those weapons. She had overheard them a couple times talking about getting the bad guys. She’d bet anything that Jamie was on some super secret mission and his cover was being in the marines.  Any day now he’d finish up and be able to come home.

     Her first message popped up on the screen:

Fungrl87: Hey whatup newbie?

Kitty89: Just trying my hand at instant messaging.

Fungrl87: It’s called IMing, cool huh?

Embarrassed, Misty replied

Kitty89: Yes, as you can see, I’m new to this. Had to try it when Mom’s not around.

Fungrl87: She’s strict huh? Mine too.

 Kitty89: Treats me like I’m a baby.

Fungrl87: Tell me about it. So what school do you go to?

     “What are you doing Misty?” Kit called out when entered the hotel room. Silence greeted her. Searching the suite, Kit found a note on the desk.

     Mom,

Got hungry and went to the café we were at yesterday to grab some grub. Be back soon.

                                                                                                Love, M.

     What was she thinking? Kit had specifically told her to order room service if she got hungry.  Grabbing her coat, Kit went to the café to find her daughter. Twenty minutes later she stood on the sidewalk reading a sign on the door that said closed on Mondays. Shaking her head, Kit retraced her steps to the hotel to see if her daughter was there. When Monica arrived back at the room from work three hours later she found a frantic Kit scanning the computer.

     After explaining what had happened, Kit showed Monica the IM conversation she had found on the computer. They both knew what it meant when Fungrl87 had set up a meet so soon.

     “Why did I protect her for so long?”

     “Because Mom you wanted one of us to have a normal life.”

     “Yes, but normal doesn’t mean ignorance to the threats out there.”

     “Don’t worry, we’ll get her back.”

     “Monica we both know the chances of finding her are next to nil.”

     “I’m calling in the big guns. We haven’t developed this network for nothing. See if you can get a hold of Jamie, I’ll start a phone tree.”

     “I’m telling you, if we find that girl alive, I’m going to kill her!”

    Misty was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Tina, also known as Fungrl87, still hadn’t shown up. Her dad, Bob, had met Misty at the closed café saying that Tina’s mom was making her clean her room before she was allowed to go anywhere. He offered to take Misty back to the hotel or over to his apartment to wait for Tina. At first she wasn’t sure, but he knew everything about Tina and that they were meeting for lunch. He said he’d buy pizza and take the girls shopping.

     Looking at her watch, Misty realized her mother was probably back at the hotel and worrying. Bob was sitting right next to her on the couch. His thigh was up against her leg. He was talking about some new movie that was out and stretched his arm out across the back of the couch behind her. Trying to shift away from him, Misty turned and said “I think I should call my mom, she’ll be getting worried.”

     “Well why don’t I go call Tina first? That way you can give your mom a specific time.”

     “Yeah, OK. Cause my mom is very protective, I know her, and she’ll come looking for me.”

     “You told her we were meeting at Jacko’s though, didn’t you?”

     “I told her that’s where I was going for lunch.”

     “Gee, I guess she won’t know where to look for you then.”

     “Yeah, that’s why I should call her.”

     Bob ambled into the kitchen. A few seconds later, Misty could hear him talking. He came back out smiling and shaking his head. “Tina said she’s sorry, her mom is just now getting ready to bring her over. Hey, I’ve got an idea,” he said as he sat down next to her “why don’t we watch a movie?” Before she could answer he got up and turned on the TV and VCR. Sitting back down, he used the remote controls to manipulate the machines. 

     “I really think I should call my mom.” She said as the movie started.

     Using his hand to rub the back of her neck Bob said “Relax, it will be OK. Tina will be here soon. Don’t you like this?”

     Misty went to stand up and Bob pushed her back down. “Come on Misty, don’t play hard to get.” He said as he pushed her back on the couch. Pressing his mouth down on hers, he gave her a sloppy kiss. “I almost didn’t stop when I saw you were a colored girl, then I figured what the hell, everyone knows colored girls are easy.” Grabbing her hand he guided it down to his crotch. “There you go baby, feel what’s waiting for you?” She struggled as he pushed her onto her back. Fighting underneath him, she could barely breath. He used one hand to hold her down and another to free his penis from his pants.  Moving up and straddling her chest, he maneuvered his penis to place it in her mouth. “Now I’m gonna show you what a meat lollipop tastes like.”

     That’s when all the panic left. Misty thought of her biological mom, her true mom and Jamie and she knew exactly what she had to do. Taking him in her mouth, she bit down as hard as she could. Misty could hear his screams as he beat her about the face trying to get her to let go. Soon he stopped hitting her and began to whimper. She didn’t let go, she bit through. Sitting up, she spit his penis out onto the floor. The soft gelatinous mass was even less impressive than before. Bob was curled up in a fetal position on the floor, vomiting. Trying to overcome a wave of dizziness, Misty wobbled to her feet. Walking toward the kitchen, she gave Bob a solid kick, just for good measure, as she walked past.

     Monica was sitting at the computer trying to trace the IM transmission that had lured Misty away. Kit was using the hotel telephone to contact hospitals. Hanging up she said, “I’ve called every hospital in the immediate area and no one is reporting a young black girl in their ER. Any luck?”

     “The bastard was smart, he used an anonymizer to cover his tracks.”

     Kit’s cell phone rang, flipping it open she heard “Mommy! He hurt me. Come get me.”

     A sob escaped her “Oh God Misty baby, where are you?’

     “I don’t know!I’m in his house.”

     “OK. Calm down baby. Do you see any magazines or mail lying around?” Kit could hear the sounds of papers being moved. She swore she could hear a male voice in the background calling out for God.

     “Here’s an electric bill.”

     “What’s the address baby?”

     “P.O. Box, no wait a minute, that’s the electric company. Here, 1423 Brookhaven Lane.”

     “OK baby, I want you to lock yourself in a room and wait for us. We’ll be there soon.”

     “Don’t hang up mommy!”

     “Are you safe?”

     “He can’t come after me.”

     “Then I’ll talk to you while Monica drives.”

     Misty opened the front door for them as they arrived at the house. Kit grabbed Misty into her arms and held her. Leaning back looked into her daughter’s eyes and saw the bruising and swelling that was appearing. A dark rage filled her as she looked around for the culprit.

      Still curled up on the floor, Bob was past making noise. He was violently trembling with a cold sweat covering his entire body. Monica walked over bent down and examined him. “He’s in shock. He’s probably not much of threat right now, but I’d cuff him to be sure.”

     “He tried to stick his dick in mouth. I bit it off.”

     “Good for you baby.” Kit said as she used her hand to wipe away her daughter’s tear.   

     “Am I going to prison like my biological Mom?”

     Monica raised an eyebrow; she had no idea that Misty remembered her mom.

     “No baby, no one’s going to prison. That’s not how we deal with things. I want you go sit in the dining room while Monica and I take care of this.”

     “No. I want to help. I made this problem.”

     “Misty, what we do isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. These animals never stop. Prison doesn’t stop them. Humiliation doesn’t stop them. They will keep doing this until they are too old and weak to capture another victim. The only way to make sure they never harm another human being is to kill them.”

     “Is that what you guys do, hunt them and kill them?”

     “Yes baby that’s what we do.”

     “I knew you were Super Heroes.”

     “I ended up having to rent a place in Boston while doing my reconnaissance on Jimmy Delany. Between the physical surveillance, wiretaps and tracking devices, the FBI had him covered. But Jimmy had urges and those hidden photos he was getting from his network of friends just didn’t take care of that itch. It took three long months of observation just find the crack in the monitoring.”

     “You spent three months watching him before you struck?”

     “Actually, Agent Mackenzie, I spent three months watching and another three months planning.  I’m nothing if not meticulous.”

     “So you found a hole in the surveillance?”

     “Jimmy found the hole, I just exploited it.”

     “Geez Mom! You let her stay with you when you finished him?! What were you thinking? I thought we were going to keep her away from all this.”

     “I tried to keep her away from this Miranda. Unfortunately, the damn predator found her. He was in shock when we got there and probably would have died anyway. We just finished him off. “

     “She’s just a little girl. I know by thirteen Jamie, Monica and I had seen a whole of lot more; but that’s the point, she’s a lot younger than we were at that age.”

     “Not anymore. Let’s give her time to figure out how she wants to handle this. If she wants to help with what we do we let her, but we don’t offer. OK?”

     “Yeah. I was just hoping she would never have to deal with this. Anyway, I came by because I figured out how Jimmy Delany is still getting porn.”

     “What?! How? I thought the FBI was monitoring his email.”

     “They are. So am I and I missed it. If one of his friends hadn’t sent him an extra heavy file I never would have caught it.”

     “What do you mean?”

     “Someone sent him a digital post card. The damn file was taking too long to download on my dial-up connection, so I checked the file size. The file was triple what it should be. Thinking maybe someone had attached a virus, I took a closer look at the file. Embedded in the picture was another file. I haven’t been able to break the encryption on this file, yet. I did go back through his email and realized that quite a few of the attachments he sends and receives are bigger than they should be. He’s been exchanging porn right under our noses.”

     “Son-of-a-bitch. That little prick. No wonder we haven’t been able to break his network.”

     “I don’t think it’s his network. He’s just the hired help. Later I’m going to IRC a guy who might be able to help me break the code.”

     “Be careful, the feds have been monitoring the internet closely since 9/11.”

     “That’s another reason to use Internet Relay Chat the servers don’t force you to register. Plus it’s fairly easy to hide your location.”

     “Good. In the mean time, why don’t you go see what your little sister wants to order from room service?”

     “After I give her a long hug. Hey, where’s Monica?”

     “Just doing a little recon. She’ll be back in time for dinner, so order plenty.”

     “You mean order double, she has the metabolism of a hummingbird.”

     Smiling, Kit went back to the search of building plans she had been doing when Miranda had arrived.

     Monica whirled into the suite at a little after seven. “Hey sis, how’s it going? Ah food. I’m starving. Hmm, should I have chocolate cake first or salad?”

     “Salad.” Kit called from across the room.

     “I think with the news I have I deserve chocolate cake.” Monica said as she heaped salad onto her plate.

     “You think sunrise is an occasion for chocolate cake.” Miranda surmised.

     “True, but as Mother likes to tell us, every day is gift. Since I am showing so much self-control by eating salad first I deserve a double portion of cake!”

     “Don’t restrain yourself too much. We wouldn’t want you to pull a muscle.”

     “Your concern is underwhelming. Guess what I discovered when I had to use the bathroom at Dino’s?”

     “That you should have brought a disinfectant with you?”

     “That too.  I discovered a door with a padlock. When I asked the busboy why they had to lock up their cleaning supplies he said that wasn’t a supply closet. He tells me it leads to the closed store next door. The two businesses used to be one; then in the seventies the building’s owner split them up into two separate spaces. Problem is the owner was so cheap he didn’t completely seal them off from each other.

     According to my new friend, there’s another door in the basement they have to keep sealed. When I leave, I take a walk around to the alley in back. Down a set of concrete stairs behind the store is a door that I bet leads to the basement of that store. You can’t see it from the main street, and if you stick to the shadows you could make it all the way to 5th Street without being seen. And, by the way, the door’s hinges looked freshly oiled.”

     “That little shit! He’s been sneaking out right under our noses. We need to get inside that store.”

     “Eventually, first we need to monitor that door to see if he is using it. Then we follow and see where he goes. Tomorrow I want you and Monica to scope out 5th Street to see what businesses there are, also look for parking garages in that area, because there is no way he’s taking the bus.”

     Jimmy Delany smiled to himself as he walked down the alley leading to home. Whistling a nameless tune he practically skipped down the concrete steps leading to his basement passageway. Mr.X had a left a couple of surprises for him at his hideaway. Not only had there been a delicious blond six-year-old boy waiting, but also he had let Jimmy know that soon the federal case against him would disappear. It seems the evidence against him had disappeared, the feds just didn’t know it yet.Wouldn’t the boys across the street be disappointed?

      Entering the basement he flipped the switch to the overhead lights only to have nothing happen. He moved the switch up and down again just in case he got it wrong the first time. Shaking his head at his own ignorance he slowly made his way across the room to the door leading to Dino’s. Two steps from the door a bright light suddenly shined into his eyes blinding him.

     “Hello Jimmy, have fun tonight?” A woman’s voice asked.

     “What the fuck? Is this some kind of joke? Listen bitch, you need to get out of my way.” He moved forward toward the sound of the voice.

     Cold hard metal pressed against the back of his skull as another voice whispered in his ear “You need to calm down Jimmy boy. We made all this effort to meet you and here you are being rude.”

     “Fuck you bitch!” He whirled around. Pain shot through Jimmy’s head as the gun was used to bludgeon him. The room spun around, he staggered and dropped to his knees. Another blow to the head sent him sprawling onto the concrete.

     A shock of cold brought Jimmy back to consciousness. Nausea swept over him as he opened his eyes. He was sitting up in a chair, his hands secured with metal cuffs that were cutting off his circulation, behind his back. A bright light directed into his eyes increased the strength of his pounding headache.

     “See, I told you I didn’t kill him. He’s awake now.”

     “How are you feeling Jimmy? Don’t answer that, I don’t know why asked, honestly, I don’t care. What I do care about are the lists. Tell me Jimmy, where do you keep the lists?”

     “What lists?”

     “The client lists Jimmy. You know, the other perverts that like to fuck little children and take pictures. Where are the lists Jimmy?” The question was punctuated with a sharp pressure applied to his balls.

      Looking down, Jimmy saw he was naked and a metal clamp was squeezing his testicles. Two wires were connected to the clamp, snaking off to somewhere behind the light. Tears began streaming down his face as he imagined the purpose of those wires.

     “I dunno anyone’s name. We don’t use names, just usernames.” He whined as the alligator clamp dug into the skin of his testicles.

     “Now Jimmy, why are you starting with the bullshit? You’re telling me that Jimmy “the Geek” couldn’t find an identity behind a username? You just went about helping these people and you never found out who they were? You didn’t once think you could maybe make a little extra money, maybe have some leverage with the FBI?”

     “I don’t need no leverage, the fix is in on the feds case.”

     “Hmm. We’ll get back to that. The real names Jimmy, I want them now.” Kit emphasized her demand with a brief shock.

     A puddle of urine formed underneath Jimmy’s chair as his screams echoed through the now empty building. In hoarse voice he croaked, “Even if I had the real names I wouldn’t give em to you; those people will kill me.”

     “Oh Jimmy, I’ll do so much worse than that.” Kit flipped the switch to send another electrical shock down the wires connected to the clamp. Two blocks away Jo Jo Sweeny was looking for cans in a dumpster behind Mickey’s Pub. Later when the police were scouring the neighborhood looking for witnesses Jo Jo would tell them that the Viet Cong had a torture camp set up down the street. He knew that for sure because he heard the screams going on all night long. The cops would write him off as another crazy homeless guy and not even bother to put his words in their report.

     Miranda watched as Monica and her mother came into the suite at six o’clock in the morning. Each woman was carrying a large black duffle bag. Monica was hyped, bouncing around, talking rapidly about their adventure. Kit sat down next Miranda and leaned her head back against the couch. Miranda noticed the dark circles underneath her eyes.

     “I gotta admit, that little bastard was tougher than I thought he would be.” Monica continued. “He really made us work for those names. He didn’t have them all, but we got a list to work from. Too bad about the kid though.”

     “What kid?”

     “When we got to his other apartment we found a little boy there. Looked like Jimmy was a little rough on him; he hemorrhaged out before we got there. We did find his safe, so not a total loss.”

     “I can see you’re just broken up by the child’s death. But hey, it was worth it, you got your computer files.” Sarcasm dripped from Miranda’s voice.

     “Look, if I cried over every dead kid or permanently damaged victim, I’d drown in tears. Yes, I am sorry about the little boy. After we got what we needed I made an anonymous call to the police and reported hearing a child’s screams inside the apartment. Maybe some family somewhere can get a little closure. Or, maybe that same family is the reason he was there in the first place. I don’t know. I just know he was dead. He died alone, locked up in Jimmy’s little torture chamber. There, now you have all the details to pack into your emotional baggage. Feel better? Fuck it! I’m gonna take a shower.”

      Watching Monica stomp out of the room, Kit reached over and took Miranda’s hand. “We all deal with pain in different ways. Your sister is an incredible young woman. She had to build walls around her emotions to maintain her sanity. Believe me, she is just as hurt as you are by that child’s death. The two of you are a lot alike you know?”

     “No mother I don’t know. We are not related, not one of us. We are just a bunch of broken people who have banded together because we had no other place to go. Instead of trying to heal ourselves we keep diving back into this cesspool and reliving the horrors that made us insane. If this is what a family is, then I’m glad I can’t remember my biological parents.” Tears streaking down her face, Miranda ran from the room.

     Kit bent forward and placed her head in her hands. Silently she cried into her hands. The bedroom door opened and Misty came over and sat beside her. Wrapping her arms her mother, she stroked her hair and wiped away her tears. “It’s ok Mom, she’ll be back.”

     “I don’t know Misty, she’s been pulling away for awhile.”

     “She left her purse here, she has to come back.”

     Laughing at her youngest daughter’s logic, Kit pulled her in for a hug. Maybe they were all broken, but together they formed a whole.

     “I had called 911 saying I heard a child’s screams, yet the next day there was nothing in the papers about a young boy’s body being found. I did get Delany’s client list with the real names of some of his clients. While I was tackling the problem of identifying the mystery usernames I went to work eliminating those who were ID’d.”

     “Why did you take Delany’s body back to his apartment?”

     “I wanted him found right away as a message to the FBI and his clients.”

     “Why the FBI?”

     “Because someone was helping to put the fix in, I wanted them to worry.”

     Tom stood up. “That’s what you think.” He said as he edged toward the door.

     “No Agent Ford, that’s what I know. I spent hours torturing that man, he believed Mr. X had the power to help him.”

     “Of course there’s no trace of Mr. X. I think we’ll stop here today Ms. Davidson, if that’s ok with you of course.”

     “That’s fine Agent Ford. I’m expecting my daughter soon anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

     As she walked past the bed, Mac accidently knocked her puzzle book off her table. “Sorry.” She mumbled as she picked it up and placed on the tray table. She followed Tom out the door blocking his view of the bed lest he see the piece of paper sticking out of the puzzle book.

     Walking into the lounge it was disconcerting seeing someone else sitting where Dean usually sat. The young twenty something guy had long brown hair and the darkest brown eyes she had ever seen. He wore a radio station t-shirt that had seen better days. His blue jeans were torn and faded. He had to weigh in around 300 pounds. He was surrounded by computers, soda cans and cupcakes wrappers. Jumping up he stuck out his hand. “Hey, I’m Danny Morehead, your new IT guy.”

     Shaking his hand she replied. “Hi, I’m Agent Mackenzie. Well maybe not.”

     Confused he asked “You don’t know if you’re Agent Mackenzie?”

     “I know about the Mackenzie part, just not sure if I’m still an agent.”

      “Oh, ok. Well, anyway, I gotcher microphones and earpieces here.”

      “I’m sorry, what microphones and earpieces?”

     “I forgot to tell you; Diane ordered that all of our communication with Ms. Davidson and her daughter be recorded from now.”

     “Gee Tom, doesn’t that go against the deal we made with her?”
     “Diane says that the deal is shit. It won’t hold up in a court of law.”

     “Well if Diane says it’s true, then of course it must be.”

     Missing her sarcasm he said “Good, glad you agree. I’ve got meeting this evening in Boulder. Danny, you can show Mac how this stuff works then give her ride back to the hotel. By tomorrow I want you to have digitalized all the recordings from our listening devices. Send me the files and copy Diane. Is that clear.”

     “Yes sir.”

     “Mac, we’d prefer if you stayed in your room. Just order something in for dinner.”

     “Am I under house arrest?”

     “No, nothing formal. Just consider it part of your cooperation. I’ll see you tomorrow in front of the hotel.”

     After Tom left, Danny turned to Mac and asked “So who’d you piss off?”

     “The better question is who haven’t I pissed off?”

Chapter 12

     When Mac had finished college, she had debated with herself whether to join the FBI or to practice law. She knew herself well enough to know that she had a problem with authority. Thinking that the FBI would be the perfect place to learn a little self-control, Mac had found herself running an obstacle course at Quantico six weeks later. Five years later, she still had a problem with authority, which was why she spent a total of ten minutes in her room before heading to the diner in the hotel for a drink and maybe a meal.

     Lost in her thoughts she startled when someone grabbed her left arm, automatically she reached to right hip for the gun that was not there. Looking at her assailant, she saw Dana with a finger pressed to her lips. Gently, Dana led her to her room. The television was on loud in Dana’s room playing some situation comedy with canned laughter. Dana signaled for her to follow into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, Dana leaned in close. “Mom got your note. I thought you were grounded.”

     “I don’t listen to orders very well.”

     “You know you are being set up for the murders of your fellow Agents, don’t you?”

     “I’ve been getting that feeling. Why keep me here interviewing your mother then? Why not just put me on desk duty in Boulder?”

     “Because Tom is leading the investigation.”

     “How do you know that?”

     “We have listening devices in his room and are monitoring his cell phones.”

     “You can’t bug the FBI!”

     “Hey, you bugged us first. How else do you think I knew when you left your room?”

     “That’s a violation of my privacy.”

     “No more so than what was done to my mother and me and now you, by the FBI.”

     “They bugged my room too?”

     “You are a very popular lady. You need to continue to the diner so you can get yelled at by Tom tomorrow. I have a lot of information to share with you, but we’ve got to find a place to talk. If possible, I’ll get you out of your room tomorrow night and we’ll take a drive. Until then play it cool.”

     “Why should I trust you?”

     “Because right now, I’m all you have. Enjoy your dinner.”

     The sun beat down on Kit’s back as she gently freed the roots of the petunia from its pot and placed the plant in the hole she had prepared. Using her other hand she scooped dirt in around the plant to hold it in place. Sweat pooled in the small of her back as she took a moment to catch her breath. Anymore even the slightest exertion seemed to wear her out. She couldn’t believe she was this young and yet she was feeling so old. Standing up she heard her knees pop and crack.

     “I knew you were falling apart.” Misty said as she walked out holding an icy cold glass of lemonade.”

     “Is that for me?”

     “Who else would it be for?” Noting the fatigue in her mother’s eyes, she walked down the steps and handed her the glass.

     Kit closed her eyes as she took a long drink from the glass. When she opened her eyes, she saw Misty staring at her. “What?”

     “Nothing. It’s just, you look a little pale. Again.”

     “I’m fine. A little tired maybe. We have done a lot of work this year.”

     “Between the photography and our real work you rarely have time off.”

     “Maybe we’ll do a real vacation after graduation. You, me a little European sun and sand. What do say?”

     “That would be great. Maybe Jamie could get leave and join us.”

     “Speaking of your brother, next time you talk to him tell him he should call his mother more often.”

     “I haven’t heard from him in weeks; not since he sent us that information about the white slavery ring.”

     “You know how it is, his unit doesn’t have the greatest communication options up in the mountains. Still you’d think…”

     “Mom!” The desperation in Misty’s voice had her turning around as the two men in uniform exited their green sedan. Kit’s knees buckled.  They wanted to go inside, but Kit knew if she kept them out of her home, they couldn’t hurt her family. With her heartbeat pounding away in her ears she listened to these two strangers told her that her baby boy was presumed dead. Somewhere a loud moaning was blocking out the rest of what they said. As the officer handed her a tissue, Kit realized that Misty was curled up on the ground wailing. Yelling at the officer to go away, Kit gathered Misty into her arms and led her into the house. Somehow, she had to function for her daughter, even though her world had just ended.

      Mac half listened as Tom gave Danny instructions on taping the morning session with Carson. She wondered what instructions he had given regarding the listening devices in her room. Tom had said how he had tried to call her room last night and wondered why there was no answer. Knowing he was bullshitting, she told him she went to the diner to grab a bite to eat. After the lecture about following orders, he again instructed her to avoid contact with Carson and Dana unless she was wearing a wire. She almost asked him why the agent in the diner hadn’t informed him that she was alone. Then she decided against it. It was probably for the best if she didn’t let on that she knew she had a shadow.

     Tom was wrapping up his instructions. “I especially want you to monitor what goes on in that room when we are not there. Understood?”

     “Yes sir, I mean Tom.”

     Interesting, when had the first name basis come into effect? Guess they must have talked between last night and today. “So are we ready?”

     “Yes. I’m going to run and get a cup of coffee, I’ll meet you there.”

     “OK.”

     Entering the hospital room Mac put a smile on and said “Good morning Ms. Davidson. How are you today?”

     “I’m fine Agent Mackenzie. Where is your partner?”

     “He’s getting coffee, he’ll be just a few minutes.”

     “Well let’s hope he gets coffee for everyone. “

     “Is that a new puzzle Ma’am?”

     “Yes it is, I’m trying a new one with numbers, would you like to see it?”

     Taking the magazine from Carson, Mac was surprised by the weight. Inside the cover was a small cell phone. Looking at Carson she raised her eyebrows in question. Carson nodded in response. Mac slipped the cell phone into the pocket of her blazer as Tom walked into the room.

     “Agent Ford I was wondering where you were. I see you brought coffee, how nice. Please get comfortable, we have a long day ahead of us.”

     “I won’t be able to stay the entire day Ma’am, I have meetings this afternoon. Agent Mackenzie will be here though, I’m sure she can relay any pertinent information.”

     “That’s too bad, but we all have responsibilities. As you may remember I was explaining how I had acquired Jimmy Delany’s client lists. Jimmy had actually done quite a bit of work identifying the people behind the usernames on his websites. Jimmy was smart, he knew how to make money; he had website for everyone. Anything from light porn to bondage to snuff movies and he kept track of every person that logged on to those sites. I started with the purveyors of kiddie porn, but graduated to the rape and snuff film makers.”

     “Aren’t most of those faked?”

     “No, Agent Ford, that was where Jimmy made the big bucks. He guaranteed that those films were real. See an international white slave ring kidnapped the victims in those movies.”

     “Not to be crass, but really Ms Davidson, how many people could they kidnap each year to use in their movies? Wouldn’t there be an outcry for justice?”

     “You’d think so, wouldn’t you Agent Mackenzie? But there has been no outcry for the 800,000 children that go missing each year. God only knows about the missing adults.”

     “800,000 children go missing in the world each year? That’s outrageous!”

     “No dear, 800,000 go missing from the US. Now some of those are from parental custody disputes, but it still leaves hundreds of thousands unaccounted for. Where was I? Oh, yes, my new mission. Because of the global nature of Jimmy’s client list, I had to travel extensively to chase down the newfound predators. That’s when the photographer Carson Davidson began her worldwide nature tour. For the first time I had to kill while using my ‘clean’ identity. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was beginning a journey that led all the way around the world and back.”

      Carson lay across the bed listening to the sounds of running water coming from the bathroom. After 13 hours on an airplane, all she really wanted to do was nap. She knew her youngest daughter would want to tour the city, shop and probably eat out rather than sit and watch her old mother sleep. Maybe she could just close her eyes for a minute. A tap on the shoulder woke her from a very nice dream about Thanksgiving dinner with all of her children. The drool underneath her chin told her she had been asleep longer than ten minutes.

     “Ugh! How long was out?”

     “Oh, about an hour.”

     “Why did you let me sleep so long?”

     “Because I figured I would get more out of you if I didn’t have to rent a wheelchair to push you around.”

    “I’m not that damn old!”

      “Yeah, sure. We’ll just pretend those reading glasses are to add a scholarly look.”

     “Ha ha. What have you been up to while I suffered from jet lag?”

     “I found the perfect place for lunch, just off Emperor Street. We can eat then shop.”

     “And shopping made it to our agenda how?”

     “Because it’s a little cooler here in Germany in June than it was in Virginia. We need better coats. While we are out and about we can scoot over to the train station to get our tickets to Landstuhl.”

     “As usual it’s hard to argue with you. Let me clean up and change clothes. We also need to find a bus route map.”

     “How come?”

     “We need to do some initial surveillance in a residential neighborhood.”

          Carson thought about spending the night in Landstuhl, but decided against leaving an easy trail to be followed. Instead, she was able to complete her business there and fit the 6 hour round trip into one day. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the bed. “Just order some room service for yourself.” She mumbled into the pillow.

     “What about you?”

     “Please, my body is nowhere near hungry. All I want is sleep. I’ll worry about eating in the morning.”

     “What do you need me to do while you sleep?”

     “See if you can find a lead on where Mr. Bundt moved to.”

     “We don’t even know what nationality he is.”

     “My gut says he’s an American. Start there.”

     “What about the others?”

     “Don’t worry; I know how to find them.”

     “I had to travel around Germany for a few weeks before I found Kurt Daniels living in an apartment in Munich. The AWOL Marine Lieutenant was living in luxury in his penthouse palace. It’s amazing what selling a few women can afford you. Poor Kurt, he was so disappointed when the prostitute he ordered ended up being me. I had imagined that Marines would be tougher, but he gave up his friends within the first half hour of my visit. The rest of time I spent with him was merely for my own entertainment. Tell me Agent Ford, don’t they train marines in resisting interrogation anymore?”

     Tom gripped the sides of his chair so hard his knuckles were turning white. Gritting his teeth he replied “We marines are trained in all kinds of things.”

     “Why don’t we stop there and pick up again after lunch?” Mac asked hoping to distract from the imminent confrontation between Tom and Carson.

     “Yes, why don’t we? I wouldn’t want keep Agent Ford from his meetings.”

     Storming back to the lounge, Tom burst through door barking orders. “Danny I want you to do a search for me on a First Lieutenant Kurt Daniels United States Marines. Find out what happened to him after he left Afghanistan. Mac why don’t you make yourself useful, get on one of these computers, and see if you can track a passport for Carson Davidson? The two of you should eat lunch here. Call me if anything significant pops up. When you go back this afternoon see if you can get her to give more details about Kurt’s death. Any questions? No? Then I’m off to Boulder.”

     “Gee he looked pissed.”

     “Yeah he wasn’t happy about Ms Davidson’s comment about marines. Oh, well, so which computer can I use?”

     “Because of the, um, well, special circumstances, I’ll have to set one up with limited access. It will take a little time.”

     “Well then why I make myself useful, to quote Tom, and go to the cafeteria and grab us some lunch?”

     “Yeah, ok. Um…”

     “What is it Danny?”

     “You know you’re supposed to leave on the mic and earpiece, right?”

     “I know. Hey that way I can tell you what they have and you can give me your order.”

     “Yeah, that’s good.”

     Mac hurried out the door to the elevators. Once the doors closed she opened the cell phone Carson had given her. Three text messages awaited her. Finally she had access to the outside world.

Chapter 13

     “Did you have a good lunch Agent Mackenzie?”

     “Yes Ma’am, it was very productive.”

     “Good. Then shall we continue where we left off?”

     “Yes Ma’am. Perhaps you could tell me more about Kurt Daniels?”

     “Oh I don’t want to bore you with the details. Really, he was such a minor player. I only mention him because he led me to bigger fish. Thanks to Kurt I was off to Paris to confront PFC Jacoby.

     If there were a more perfect place in the world than Paris in the month of June Carson would be hard pressed to find it. Bright blue seventy-degree days make for the perfect weather to enjoy long walks along the tree lined boulevards. If only they had time to enjoy the phenomenon that is the City of Light. She would find a way for the two of them to enjoy at least one tour boat ride before they moved on.

     Watching her daughter walk towards her, Carson wondered where her little girl had gone. The beautiful young woman was unaware of the turned heads and looks of admiration. Carson knew she had taken very little time this morning to toss on a pair of worn jeans, sandals and a white belly shirt, but she looked like a runway model. Her shoulder length dark curly hair, mocha complexion, and large gold brown eyes gave her an exotic appearance. Thankfully, she was as deadly as she was beautiful. Since her attack in Boston, she had trained in mixed martial arts and weapons. Carson knew she shouldn’t worry as much as she did about her safety, but that was the mother brain not the logical brain.

      A young waiter rushed to the table as she bent to kiss her mother’s cheek. “I’ll have Earl Grey tea, fresh berries with cream and wheat toast.”

     The waiter ran to fill her order. Sitting across from mother she noticed a barely touched omelet on her plate. If possible, the dark circles under her eyes were worse. She had lost more weight; her clothes were hanging on her. Looking down at her place setting she began to rearrange her silverware, carefully aligning each piece.

     “Obviously there is something on your mind, so spit it out.”

     Taking a deep breath for courage, she said, “After we are done here in Paris I want us to go to Belgium.”

     “Why, did you find a lead to another predator?”

     “No. There is a doctor there that is doing innovative research in women’s medicine. I want you to get a checkup.”

     Damnit, she had hoped she could fool them for a couple of more months, just until they rounded up this group perverts and punished those responsible for what happened to Jamie.

     “I don’t need a doctor, I need a vacation.”

     “Fine we’ll take a vacation and see the doctor.”

     “I’m fine, just a little worn down. Besides which, I doubt we could get an appointment this soon. We’ll be wrapping things up here in a matter of days.”

     “I went ahead and made an appointment for next Thursday. We have hotel reservations and plane tickets.”

     “Now wait a minute, don’t you think this is something we should have discussed?”

     “We are discussing it. This is the most we have ever talked about your declining health. Every time one of us brings up the exhaustion or weight loss, you make an excuse. We love you, that’s why we will all be going to the doctor with you.”

     “Well, we have things to do here first, so we’ll see if we can make that appointment.”

     “Oh we’ll make it, if I have to bash you over the head and carry you, you’ll go.”

     “You have absolutely no respect for your aged mother. None of you do. I thought I taught you better than that.”

     Hitting below the belt, she replied, “You taught us to love, no matter how tough that can be.”

     Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she struggled to find her voice again. The waiter appearing with fresh tea saved her from having to speak. Once he left, after sufficient fawning and flirting, Carson turned her attention back to planning the death of marine PFC Leo Jacoby.

      “PFC Jacoby’s daddy owns several full service massage parlors on the east coast. Amazingly, he went from being an out of work sheet metalworker to successful businessman in a little over a one-year period of time. It seems that soon after his son joined the marines, Mr. Jacoby found investors to back his life-long dream of owning a chain of sex shop/ message parlors. With his success, his true philanthropic side emerged. Do you know that he sponsored over forty young women from war torn Afghanistan? He even provided them with a place to stay.”

     “That’s very generous of him.”

     “It’s such a shame, though, the run of bad luck he’s had recently.”

     “Bad luck?”

     “Well, first there was his son’s death, then five of his seven clubs burned down; they suspect arson; next, those young women he sponsored came forward and claimed that not only were they forced to work for him, but that they weren’t even eighteen years old. Tsk, tsk. Of course his financial backers have all pulled out since the lawsuits started. Last I heard he was living in a rented room at a pay by the hour hotel in Philly.”

     “That’s quite a turn of luck.”

     “It’s almost as though he’s been targeted. I’d like to stop there today. I’m tired and my doctor has scheduled a treatment this evening.”

     “I’ll let you rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

     Sitting next Danny in the lounge, Mac watched the screen as he ran the name Leo Jacoby through various databases. It didn’t take long to find PFC Leo Jacoby. Private First Class Jacoby served three years in the Marines. After his honorable discharge, he had moved to Paris. He had been living in France for eighteen months when he was beaten to death. His murder remained unsolved. His father, Nathan Jacoby, survived him.  The Philadelphia welfare rolls listed his address as the Brenner Hotel.

     “Danny, can you get me a list of the marines in Leo’s unit?”

     “Yeah, sure, why?”

     “I’m betting these guys all served together. If they did, we may find other soldiers who were killed. Who knows, we may even find some living targets.”

     “No offense Mac, but do you really think Ms. Davidson is gonna go on a killing streak after her chemotherapy treatments?”

     “I think this is her mission in life. I believe she’ll do whatever it takes to eliminate any predator she finds.”

     “When do you need that list?”

     “Tomorrow’s good. Let’s get back to our rooms and get some rest. I suppose I better call Tom later and tell him about the death of another marine. Oh, and Danny?”

     “Yeah?”

     “Do a run on Ethan Jacoby. Finances, work history, lawsuits. See if he ever owned any businesses and if so, did he have any partners?”

     “OK. Anything else?”

     “Just one question.”

     “What’s that?”

     “Who did you tell about the search Casey Pearse asked you to do?”

      “Uh, how’d you know about that?” he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

     “I have my ways.”

     “I told Tom, ‘cause he is her supervisor, you know.”

     “I was just wondering. Come on, I’ll help you pack up so we can go.”

         Sitting in Dana’s car, Mac fingered the tear in the knee of her jeans. “I’ll probably need a tetanus shot after scratching my leg on the bathroom windowsill. “

     Dana touched the small scratch on Mac’s leg sending a shiver up her spine. “Don’t be a baby, the skin’s not even broken.”

     “Sure, but if I wake up with lock jaw tomorrow I’ll make sure to call you to take me to the hospital.”

     “If you wake up with lock jaw you won’t be able to call.”

     “Sure I will, I will have to mumble.”

     “I hang up on perv calls. Would you feel better if I kissed your boo-boo?”

     Oh, yeah. “That’s ok. I’ll just suffer in silence.”

     “The skeptic in me questions the veracity of that statement, but we shall move on. I figured this is the safest place to meet to talk. If anyone comes up to the car we’ll just pretend to be making out.”

    Mac hoped for a parade of nosey people. “So do you want to tell me why you bugged the FBI?”

     “Because we are pretty sure that there is at least one person inside the FBI who is involved with an international kiddie porn ring.”

     “That’s a pretty bold statement. Do you know how thoroughly vetted FBI agents are? Besides the usual background, fingerprint, and credit checks, we also submit to a polygraph. Plus, depending on what we are working on, these checks are updated every six months.”

     “That’s what makes the presence of an agent of the perverts ominous. If these people have infiltrated the top federal police force in the world, how far does their influence extend?”

     “I know Carson has been dropping clues throughout her confession, but I feel like there is a major component to the story I am missing. You want me to share, but trust and sharing has to go both ways.”

     “I know that, but you have to understand I’m trying to follow my mother’s wishes. I want to tell you …”

     A knocking on the driver’s window made Mac jump. Heart pounding, she watched Dana roll down the window. The angle prevented her from seeing the face of the person standing next to car, but the shape was definitely feminine.

     “Let me in.” The familiar voice said.

     “Not a good idea. Mom will have a fit.”

     “She can have her fit. How many times has she told us to trust our gut? It’s time to bring her in.”

     “Shit!”

     Watching Dana push the button to unlock car, Mac wondered who this new person was. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Agent Diane Forest climb into the back seat of the car. With a sigh, Dana said, “Mac, I think you know my sister, Diane.”

     “Your sister?! What?” Mac realized her vocabulary had greatly decreased since meeting Dana.

     “I’m not the only lost child my mother adopted.”

    “But you’re an FBI Agent!  You suspended me! How did you pass scrutiny?”

     “Do you know the problem with polygraph tests, Agent Mackenzie?”

     “What is that?”

     “They assume that the person is actually bothered by lying.”

    “But you were in the academy with me!”

    “Yes and I must say that it doesn’t say much for your career that you’re stuck in the Boulder office while I’m a star internal investigator. Really it’s disappointing; you had such high scores at the academy.”

    “Enough teasing.” Dana interjected.

     “So bright girl, is it falling into place for you?”

     Mac decided that even knowing that Diane was on her side didn’t make her like the cocky agent more than she had before; which was not at all.. “I’ve questioned from beginning why I was the only agent on the suspect list for Dean and Casey’s deaths. I take it Tom has made the same list.”

     “Don’t get your hopes up too high. Tom has made a hell of case for you and Dana committing these murders together.”

     “And why did we supposedly do that?”

    “Because Carson hates the FBI and wants to take out as many agents as possible.”

    “Exactly how is it I was convinced to join this dark conspiracy?”

     “Well you’ve been brainwashed by the evil lesbian Dana.”

     “Damn, I’m good.” The accused spoke up.

     “Not only are you a master manipulator, but you’ve also thwarted all attempts by the good guys to catch you in the act. Although, somehow, Tom knows you were at the rest stop to meet Casey when she was killed.”

     “You were at the rest stop when Casey was killed?! When were you going to share this information with me?” Mac demanded.

     “First of all, I went there to meet her, but she was already dead when I arrived. Secondly, I would have told you tonight had my sister not decided on a preemptive strike. I made the 911 call for fuck’s sake!”

     “Why were you meeting her?”

     “I was trying to steer her investigation into Dean’s death in the right direction. I was going to give her copy of the materials mom had sent to FBI. You know, the stuff that disappeared?”

     “You have that?”

     “Yes.”

     “Why didn’t you give it to me?”

     “Because I didn’t know if I could trust you. You seemed to believe the accident story regarding Dean’s death. Casey was the only one investigating. Tom was more than willing to write it off as a drunk driver.”

     “Where is this evidence now?”

     “Securely locked away in a safe deposit box in a Boulder bank. And before you say anything, yes, I trust you, but I don’t trust the security of your room.”

     “What now?”

     Diane leaned back and smiled, “Now we find out if Tom is the killer or if there is an unknown element lurking in the background. You keep talking to Mom and I’ll keep Tom busy.”

     “What about Dana?”

     “I’m sure I can find something to do. “

     “Is there anything else you’re not telling me?”

     “Gee Dana, I don’t think she trusts us. Mom will lead you where you need to go in the investigation. Let’s meet back here tomorrow night.”

     Not pleased with the thought of another trip through the bathroom window, Mac asked “I don’t suppose there is another way for me to get out of the hotel?”

      Dana looked away and smiled as Diane laughed.

      “What?!”

     “Diane had assigned herself to watch your room tonight.”

     “So, I could have used the door?” she made a moue.

     “We didn’t want to blow Diane’s cover.”

     “I have injuries! I could have broken a leg hopping out that window!”

     “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll volunteer to watch you tomorrow night too.”

     “Yes I would prefer that, thank you!”

     “Is it just me Dana, or did that thank you sound suspiciously like a fuck you?”

    “Oh, there was definitely a fuck you in that statement.”

     “Yeah you two keep up your comedy act, I’m going to bed.” Mac slammed the car door to punctuate her anger.

     “What do you think, sis?”

     “We had to trust her sometime I guess. Now, how much do we share?”

     “Not too much, or our whole damn family could end up in prison.”

     “I’m afraid if we don’t share enough we’re putting her in danger.”

     “She’s an FBI agent, danger is her life.”

     “She’s an unarmed FBI agent going against people who have no regard for life.”

     “We’ll protect her. Now, text mom and update her, I’m going to go stir the pot.”

Chapter 14

          Tom had stopped trying for pleasant chitchat on the way to the hospital, settling instead on grilling her on her sessions with Carson. As they entered the hospital, his cell phone rang checking the caller ID he moaned. “Shit! It’s Diane. Why can’t that woman just do her job and leave me alone? You go ahead, I’ve got take this.”

     Danny sat in his usual chair munching on a greasy breakfast takeout sandwich. He swallowed quickly, making a gulping sound. “Sorry, thought I’d be done before you guys got here.”

     “You’re fine. So, did you get a chance to do that research for me?”

     “Yeah I did it last night. I didn’t get a chance to look it over, I just hard copied it for you to read.”

     “That’s good. I mean I’m glad you didn’t waste your time reviewing it, it might be a big waste of time.”

     “Where’s Tom?”

     “He’s on his way. He got a call on the way up.”

     “You know Mac, I’ve been listening to Ms. Davidson for a couple of days now and I gotta ask; is she nuts, bullshitting or a champion of abused children?”

     “When I figure it out I’ll let you know.”

     “Good morning Agent Mackenzie. No Agent Ford again today?”

     “No Ma’am, he got called away at the last minute.”

     “He’s a very busy man. Let’s pick things up from Paris, shall we? Following a brief holiday, I made my way to Thailand.

     After the serene summertime Paris, Bangkok was an assault on the senses. The city was noisy, crowded, and full of smells; some good and some bad. Stepping off the airplane, she was immediately inundated by the ninety-degree temperature and high humidity. Once they had passed through customs, they made their way outside the airport to negotiate the price of ride to their hotel. Carson closed her eyes to avoid watching the tuk-tuk driver manuver his way to the hotel.

    “Oh, mom!” Deidre exclaimed, “It’s so beautiful here.”

     “Thailand is a beautiful country full of contrasts. There are mountains and jungles, then very modern cities such as here in Bangkok. You will find the world’s greatest ancient architecture next to mud huts. As with most Asian cultures, the people of Thailand are family centered. Yet, Child Sex Tourism, CST, makes up anywhere from 2-14% of Thailand’s Gross National Product. Underneath her mask of pulchritude lies a writhing black demon fueled by money.  We could spend several lifetimes trying to ferret out the pedophiles and we still wouldn’t scratch the surface.”

    With those pleasant thoughts to keep their brains occupied, they rode the rest of the way to the hotel in silence. They had chosen a hotel in the heart of Bangkok, close to the jewelry district. The one bedroom apartment afforded a spectacular view of downtown. Carson climbed into the bathtub filled with steaming scented water. She closed her eyes and imagined how she would find a predator in a city filled with them. She opened eyes when something cold touched her arm. Deidre stood over her holding what looked like a Bellini.

     “I thought the doctor said no alcohol.”

     “Fuck the doctor.”

     “Stopped worrying about cursing in front of your mom when you turned eighteen, huh?”

     “We’ll blame my language on my sisters, considering how proper you are.”

     “You’d be a little more convincing if your voice wasn’t dripping sarcasm.”

     “Probably. I went ahead and ordered up some food, it should be here in an hour. I’m going to the gym for a quick workout, and then we’ll eat. OK?”

     “Only if you shower first.” Carson called after her.

     The hot bath and a light meal helped clear her head. Carson sat next to her daughter, watching as their laptop connected to the internet. “Where do you think we should start?”

     “I thought I would go simple; type his name into a search engine and hit the enter button.”

     “My daughter, the genius.”

     “I take after my mother. Well, look here, we have a match. Retired US Marine Captain Franklin Boone owns a nightclub right across the river here in Bangkok. According to this blog, the Captain is an American expatriate that owns The Boys Club. The club caterers to, ‘Gentleman of certain tastes who go to Thailand for a particular type of tourist experience.’ Gosh, I wonder what that could be?”

     “You have to remember Dee, in this country sex tourism is big business. Pedophiles can be very open here. “

     “So, how do two women get into an all-male sex club?”

     “We don’t. We find out where Frankie lives and pay him a visit at home. We’ll have to be careful though. There is no way he operates that club without doing some serious palm greasing.”

     “Ah yes, the age old art of bribery. The problem with that being that the person with more money wins the loyalty contest.”

     “Let me repeat myself, my daughter is a genius.”

     Benham held the man’s large hand as they ascended the narrow stairway. A single light bulb hanging from the ceiling at the top of the stairs gave just enough illumination for the drunken man to find his key and unlock his door. Once inside, the man led the boy back to the bedroom. A large platform bed sat in the center of room. The man sat on the edge of the bed and signaled for the boy to undress. Removing his tunic, Benham was surprised to see a woman emerge from the bathroom. Nevertheless, at the ripe old age of nine, Benham had been a prostitute for two years; he had been with couples before.

     The man turned when he heard a sound from the bathroom doorway. The woman raised a stick and struck at him. The man was quick; he moved his head in time so that the blow landed on his shoulder instead of his head. As the man stood, he assumed a fighting stance. Benham backed up against the wall, trying to become invisible. The woman swung the stick in high arc in front of herself, forcing the man to back up. The man jumped backwards, keeping his eyes on the woman with the stick. Another woman stepped out of the closet behind him, placing a gun to his back.

     “That’s enough now Frankie.” The tall, black woman said in a language that Benham thought might be English.

     “Who the hell are you?”

     “We are the women holding the weapons. Sit down on the bed, we have a lot to talk about.”

     “And if I don’t? You gonna shoot me? This ain’t fuckin’ America, gunshots are unusual in Thailand.”

     Carson stepped forward and swung the baseball bat as hard as she could at his left knee. A satisfyingly loud crunch was punctuated by a scream. “It’s so nice you sound-proofed this apartment so as not to disturb your neighbors. Although I have the feeling it was done more to keep them from hearing the crying children.”

     Lying on the floor, holding his shattered knee, Franklin blubbered “What? These are just useless trash kids. This one here was a fucking terrorist’s kid. If I hadn’t taken him in he would be learning to build bombs to kill American troops.”

     “How patriotic of you. Raping children and turning them into prostitutes to save American lives. You and your buddies are the unsung heroes of the war on terrorism.”

     Franklin stopped rocking back and forth. “What buddies?’

     “You know. You and the group of friends that decided that selling people was more profitable than selling heroin.”

     “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

     “Let me refresh your memory; the late PFC Leo Jacoby, First Lieutenant Kurt Daniels and Sergeant John LeClair just to name a few. “

     “What do you mean, late?”

     “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your friends are recently deceased.”

     “Before we get started mom, why don’t I take the boy into the living room?”

     “Good idea. Cuff this piece of shit first. While you question the boy I’ll get to know Frankie a little better.”

     Reluctantly, Benham allowed himself to be led from the bedroom. The man had hurt him more than once and he wanted to watch what the older white woman did to him. The tall black woman sat next to him on the man’s couch. He was surprised when the woman spoke to him in Persian. “What is your name?”

     Eyeing her suspiciously, he was hesitant to answer. Over the past two years, he had been beaten frequently for slipping and speaking in his own language. His friend, Fariad, had been killed for calling one of their captors a stinking dog in Persian.

     “I’m not going to hurt you. We are just here for the man, nothing else.”

     “I am Benham.”

     “My name is Deidre. How long have these people had you?”

     “I was sold to the American soldiers two years ago, I think.”

     “Who sold you?”

     “My father. His new wife did not want me once my little brother was born.”

     Understanding the culture, she stated, “So you can never go home again?”

     “No, my father would be honor bound to kill me, especially now that I am so dirty.”

     “No Ben, you are not dirty, the people who did this to you are dirty.”

     “Where do I go now? That man’s friends will kill me.”

     “Don’t worry, we’ll work something out. Are you hungry?”

     “My encounter with Captain Boone sent me back to the United States. After more than a year on the road it was good to be home. Before I left Thailand, I emailed all of Captain Boone’s computer files to Interpol and to Amnesty International. Unfortunately, they were unable to collect any information at his club; it was fire bombed the day the Captain’s body was found. Don’t look at me like that Agent Mackenzie that one’s not on me. I suspected that the Captain’s friends were trying to clean house.”

      “What was your destination here in the US?”

       “Bethesda, Maryland.”

Chapter 15

       Tom, Diane, and Danny were waiting for Mac when she arrived back at the lounge. An open pizza box sat in the middle of the table. Mac helped herself to a slice of pizza, perched on the arm of the couch and watched as Diane and Tom discussed the current portion of Ms Davidson’s confession.

     “We need to verify the truthfulness of her previous claims before we start off down another investigative route.”

     “We need to start putting out feelers to Interpol to find out more about this international ring.”

     “I disagree, Diane. For all we know, this is just some dying crazy woman looking for attention. Are we going to smear the names of good marines solely on her word?”

     “She has already given us facts of prior cases that only the investigators and the killer would know.”

     “People talk. Cops are the worst gossips of all. She could have picked up this information by merely being a serial killer groupie.”

     “I sincerely doubt that. What we’ll do is over lunch we’ll come up with a list of questions for her that only the killer could answer. We will check the facts carefully. If she gives the correct information, then tomorrow I am going ask the Deputy Director of Operations to smooth the way for a joint international investigation. If half of what this woman is saying is true, then we have a responsibility to notify the world community.”

     “I don’t think going to the Deputy Director is a good idea. This is my case; I should approach him for approval.”

     “It stopped being your case when your agents died. Call your boss, Dan Green, and verify my authority if you need to.”

     “I’ve already done that. Fine, you come up with some questions for her, but her answers had better damn well be perfect. I’m not gonna smear the Corp for no good reason.”

     “And I am not going to be involved in a cover-up just to help save the marines a little embarrassment. It’s time she tells us where the bodies are buried.”

    “Ms. Davidson, when we first arrived to take your confession, you had mentioned that you had killed well over one hundred people. Not all of those killings were made to look like an accident or robbery. My colleagues would like for you tell us about a couple of killings where you made the person disappear.”

     “In other words, your superiors would like to see proof. I can understand that. There were times where I almost walked away from killing someone due to the lack of evidence. As matter of fact, I have the perfect case for you, though I hope you have some very skilled spelunkers to retrieve the bodies for you.”

     “Ma’am?”

     “The state of Kentucky has an extensive cave system. Not only the well known caves like Mammoth Cave or Lost River Cave; but entire city sized caverns underground. Of course, many of these caves have yet to be explored. A good example is Jackpot Cave, which wasn’t discovered until 1994. Since I haven’t seen the discovery of a new cave filled with bodies, I assume my own little unknown cave has remained a secret. Sadly, even on vacation my work would find me.”

     Kentucky summers are hot, but thankfully, Jamie had picked caving as their vacation this year. Kit tried to encourage her children’s interests by allowing each child to take a turn picking their holiday activities. She was glad that Jamie was over his dinosaur addiction because she did not enjoy the idea of spending the summer in the badlands picking over old bones. Monica rolled her eyes as Jamie began explaining the history associated with today’s exploration. Miranda was oblivious thanks to the new headphones and MP3 player she had received for her chosen birthday.

     “And it should be a nice cool 57 degrees inside the cave.” Jamie finished his spiel.

     Monica nudged the swaying Miranda with her elbow. “Yeah, sounds great.” Miranda said, a little too loudly.

     Jamie continued, his excitement evident in his voice, “We actually get to ride a boat into this cave. And it takes us over a waterfall.”

     “Sounds great!” Miranda called from the backseat.

     Kit, Monica, and Jamie started laughing. Miranda realized she had missed something.

     “I think Miranda should be the first one on the boat, what do you guys think?” Kit asked

     Simultaneously Monica and Jamie replied, “Sounds great!” and cracked up laughing.

     The foursome perused the gift shop while waiting for the tour to start. Jamie noticed an elderly couple, the man pushing the woman in a wheelchair struggling with their purchases. He went over and helped them get outside.

     “See, Jacob, I told you there were still some polite young people in the world.”

     “You are right Marnie.” To Jamie he said, “Thank you young man, can we give you a tip?”

     “No, sir. My mother would be very disappointed in me if I took your money.”

     “So rare to find such graciousness in one so young.”

     Exiting the store, Kit and the girls came over to stand with Jamie.

     “I was just complimenting this young man on his manners, but really I should be complimenting you.”

     “Thank you, I am very proud of him. He’s a good boy.”

     “Mom!”

     “Oh, sorry, young man.”

     “So are you and your children traveling alone?”

      “Yes, it’s just us four.” Kita answered warily.

     “You must be careful, the world is full of dangerous people.”

     Ashamed of her caution, Kit smiled, “Yes we always watch out for each other.”

     “We own a campground just south of here and you wouldn’t believe the type of people that try to come there. We believe in a quiet, family friendly atmosphere.”

     “That’s hard to find these days.”

     “Yes it is.” The woman in the chair chimed in.

     “My, where are my manners. I’m Jacob Thistle and this is my wife Marnie.”

     “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kit Hogan and these are my children, Jamie, Monica, and Miranda.”

     “What a lovely family. Let me give you my card, in case you decide to do any camping while you are on vacation. We have cabins if tent camping isn’t your thing. And we have a small cave of own on our property, but we haven’t opened it tourists, yet.”

     “Wow Mom, an untouched cave!”

     “I wouldn’t say untouched, but very few people have seen it.”

     “I have a feeling we may be paying you a visit Mr. Thistle.”

     “Hey look, there’s the boat.” Monica said, trying to get away from the old couple that gave her the creeps.

     “Once again, it was nice meeting you. Maybe we’ll see you soon.”

     The elderly pair waved as the young family went on their tour.

     “Such a nice mother, wouldn’t you say, Jacob?”

     “Yes. You can tell she is doing the best she can on her own. Though the children could use some discipline, especially the girls.”

     “Well, maybe the Lord will see fit to bring them our way for some counseling.”

     “Yes Mother, that would be very good.”

     Jamie knew that timing was everything. While the girls were busy watching TV he went outside to sit at the picnic table with his mother. He leaned against her as she brushed a strand of his light brown hair out of his eyes. With a sigh of contentment she asked, “Are you enjoying your vacation so far?”

     “Yeah, it’s been cool.  I can’t wait to go see the Crystal Cave in Pennsylvania. I really like the caves; someday I’m going to find some unexplored caves of own. They are like being on a new planet.”

     She had been waiting for this. She was actually surprised how long it had taken him to broach the subject. “Gonna be the next great explorer huh? Guess I’ll be reading about my boy in the history books.”

     “Nah. I’m not gonna tell a lot people about my finds. I don’t want to be rich. I just a place of my own that is safe.”

     A piece of her heart broke with that statement. “Well, if you don’t get rich, who will take care of me in my old age?”

     “You’ll never be old.”

     What a kid! “Hmm. I don’t guess you had any place in mind to begin this great adventure, did you?”

     “Well, I was kinda thinking, since it’s not too far, maybe we could spend a day or two at the Thistle’s campground. “

     “I see.”

     On roll now, he sat up straight as he continued. “Yeah, I was looking at a map and it wouldn’t be any trouble at all for us to jump on the freeway and head to Pennsylvania after we explored their cave.”

     “It would add a couple of days to the trip.”

     “Yeah, but you know you’re always saying that since we’re home schooled we should take every opportunity to learn that we find.”

     “So this would be an educational opportunity?”

     “Yeah, I mean, just look at the geology we’re learning. I mean heck, you could almost say this isn’t a vacation so much as a field trip.”

     “Oh I’m sure your sisters would agree with that.” Teasing him just a little she said, “Well, I don’t know. There is the extra expense, and the extra driving.”

     A hint of panic entered his voice at the thought of losing his argument, “But, the girls love to drive. I bet the cabins aren’t much more expensive than a hotel room, Mom. I’ll even use my allowance if we need.”
     “I guess, since the cabins are only forty dollars a night, we can go ahead and spend two nights there. But only two nights.”

     “Really?!”

     “Yes, really. You better get some sleep now, we have all that driving and exploring ahead of us in the morning.”

     “Should we call to book a cabin? We wouldn’t want them to be filled up.”

     “I did that while you and the girls were in the pool.”

     “I love you, Mom.”

     “Love you too caveman, now get some sleep.” She turned to watched him run back to the room to inform his sisters of the change in plans. She expected one or both of them would be out soon to verify that yes, we get to go see another cave. Shaking her head and smiling, she listened to the hotel room door open.

     Jacob led the family to a cabin at the end of a gravel drive. Petunias lined the path leading from the driveway to the porch. Two rocking chairs and a swing sat on the front porch. He stopped and stomped the dust off his feet on the welcome mat in front of the door. Sunlight filled the living room and kitchen from two skylights above the sink. Jacob walked them through the cabin, pointing out the fold out couch and two bedrooms. To Kit’s relief a modern bathroom rounded out the tour. “You got all your pots and pans and linens here. The refrigerator has an icemaker. The stove is electric. There’s a gas grill out on the back deck. You probably noticed that we have a little store by the office. We sell pop and food. We also have firewood you can buy for the fireplace if you want.”

     Taking the offered key, Kit said, “This is quite a place you have here Mr.Thistle. I’m sure the kids and I will enjoy ourselves.”

     “The Misses wanted me tell you that we’re gonna have a bonfire tonight. Just bring the kids up around eight. We’ll have popcorn and hot chocolate. Some music too. And before I forget, here’s a map to the cave for you young sir.”

     Taking the offered map, Jamie said, “Thanks Mr. Thistle.”

     “I’ll see y’all later then.” Jacob said as he left.

     Grabbing Jamie before he could head out the door, Kit began giving instructions for unpacking the car. “Miranda, once the car is unpacked why don’t you go to the store and buy us some soda and bread. While you’re there get us a bundle of firewood too. Monica, unpack the cooler. We’ll have to make sub sandwiches for lunch. Jamie, after we unpack the car and eat you can run away to your cave. OK? Then get moving.”

      The bonfire was being held in field behind the Thistle’s house. Logs had been strategically placed around the fire pit for seating. A long card table held a popcorn machine, large urns, paper bowls and Styrofoam cups. A long faced, lanky man sat on one of the logs strumming a guitar. Soon he was joined by another man with a banjo. A woman with an accordion rounded out the trio. Other campers gathered around the fire as the sun set over the Blueridge Mountains. Kit was glad she had brought blankets for herself and kids as the cool night air moved in.

     Jacob and Marnie led the sing-along, the songs consisting mainly of hymns. The young children danced around the fire. The adult campers laughed and told stories. Bowls of popcorn were passed around. Sipping her hot chocolate, Kit felt a sense of peace and well-being. For once, her family was having a normal vacation. Even Jamie and Miranda were singing along with music. Little ole sourpuss Monica was just sitting there with her arms crossed over her chest watching the fun pass her by.

     Leaning toward her daughter, she shoved her cup of hot chocolate at her and said, “Here sourpuss, have some chot hotcolate…I mean hot chocolate.”

     “Mom, something’s wrong. Haven’t noticed that none of the men are drinking the hot chocolate? And everyone here seems to know each other. Maybe we should go back to the cabin.”

     “Naw, there’s nothing wrong. You just don’t know how to have a good time. Look at Jamie and Miranda.” Just then, Miranda fell off the log and lay giggling in the dirt. Jamie was stretched out across the log, asleep.

     Monica watched as two men approached her sister. “Hey, what are you doing?”

     “She’s the one that hasn’t had the drink.” One man said to the other. Approaching the girl on the ground, the man pulled her to her feet and began leading her away. Miranda ran toward the man, grabbing his arm. The man momentarily let go of Miranda and backhanded Monica sending her sprawling into the dirt. The other man, the banjo player, loomed over her. As he reached down to grab her, Monica pulled back her legs and kicked him as hard as she could in the chest. The man went stumbling backward, tripping and landed in the bonfire. The man screamed, the scent of burning hair and flesh filling the night air.

    People began running around, screaming. The accordion player grabbed a blanket and threw it over the burning man. Monica rose to her knees only to have a boot come down on her back, pushing her face first into the dirt. She could hear panic in the voices of the people moving around her, but could not see what was going on. “Get up ,bitch.” Was punctuated by a sharp kick to the ribs.

    Pushing herself up, Monica saw a smoking form, underneath the blanket, lying in front of the fire. Jamie, Miranda, and her Mother were sitting together on the ground in front of one of the logs. The other women were leading the children away from the bonfire. Jacob walked over and grabbed Monica by the hair, using it to drag her toward the charred rubble. Reaching down with his other hand he pulled back the blanket. “Look at him!” He screamed as he roughly took hold of her chin and turned her face toward the remains.

     “Open your eyes or I will slice off your eyelids.”

     Looking down, Monica saw a blackened husk. The eyes were open and stark white against the burnt skin. The face appeared to be grinning with all of the teeth bared. Looking up at the maniacal Jacob, blood dripping down her face, she said, “I think he looks better that way.”

     Jacob screamed in rage, using her hair to toss her away. With her entire body yelling in pain, Monica did what she knew her mother would wanther to do, she staggered to her feet and ran. Down a small slope, over a drainage ditch and into the woods, she ran. Her heart was beating so hard she expected it to burst through her chest. Her leg muscles burned, as she leapt over fallen trees, pounded across a creek and used small trees to pull herself up a hill. Her lungs were on fire as she gasped for enough air to meet her oxygen needs. Unable to go any further she found shelter against a hollowed out tree.

     Making herself as small as possible, she leaned back against the tree, pulled her legs up and rested her head on her knees. Tears streamed down her face as she thought of her family. A small hiccup escaped her. In the distance, she could hear men yelling back and forth to each other as they searched for her. Get it together, girl. You’ve been in worse situations than this. Using the short sleeve of her t-shirt she wiped away the tears and snot. Looking around she realized she didn’t have much cover. Think; come on, what would mom do? She could hear the men getting closer. She knew if they caught her she would not live to see tomorrow.

     The righteous fury of the Lord filled Jacob as he hunted the girl. How dare she. Women are to be seen, not heard. Did she not know that when the Lord set Adam above all creatures that included women? A woman is to obey! She acted like a man, fighting like that. He would have to be careful not kill her immediately for what she did to Zeke. No, she must be made an example of. What if the other women got ideas? That’s why he told Daniel to keep the fire burning. They would all see what happens to women that defy men!

     “Over here, I see a break in the undergrowth, leading up the hill.” Joshua called from across the creek.

     “OK boys, when we find her don’t be too rough; I want her in one piece for the fire.”

     “Yes, Paw.”

      “Yes sir. We can have a little fun though, right?’

     “Not too much. Don’t worry, we still have her mother and sister.”

     “What about the boy?”

     “We keep him alive for a little bit to keep his mother in line”

      At the top of the ridge, the three men began searching for signs of the girl. Paul closely examined the ground looking for signs that the girl had passed this way. Mark came upon a hollow tree and noticed the ground appeared trampled. Placing his finger to his lips, he signaled for the other two to move into position to surround the tree. “OK you little scamp, I’ve got you now, he said as he dove into the pile of woodland debris that had filled up the trunk. The movement under the leaves became more agitated as he shoved his hands into the heap to grab the girl. “Huh, she’s smaller than I thought…aghh! Jesus, fuck, get it off!” He scrambled back from the tree; a raccoon leaped out of the pile of leaves, gripped the sides of his head, and bit into his face.

     “Paul grab that damn critter!”

     Paul ran to his brother’s aid, trying to avoid razor sharp claws and teeth to pull the raccoon off his face. The two men struggled with the angry mother until she felt they were far enough away from her nest, then she let go and scampered back to the tree, chattering the entire time. Mark’s face had several deep scratches running from forehead to his neck. Through the blood, Joshua noticed he appeared to be missing part of his nose. Mark was moaning and crying. Paul, seeing the gaping hole where his brother’ nose had been, vomited all over Mark.

     “Pull it together you two. We gotta get Mark back so his mamma can stitch him up. Paul you carry your brother.”

     “Yes sir”

     “Wha bout irl?” Mark mumbled.

     “She’s a city girl that had on shorts and a t-shirt; she’ll either die out here or try to sneak back for clothes. If she don’t show up tonight we’ll look for her tomorrow.”

     When she was certain the men were gone, Monica pushed off the log she had used as camouflage. Jacob was right, she would be going back to the campground, but not for the reason he thought. She was going to save her family. Then she was going to look her mother in the eye and say I told you he was creepy.

     Making their way across the open field, Joshua, Paul and Mark heard screams coming from the bonfire.  As they approached the fire, Joshua saw that the boy had awakened and somehow gotten a hold of one of the axes used to break down larger pieces of wood. The boy was standing in front of his mother and sister, swinging the ax wildly. Joshua noticed that David was on the ground, holding his arm. What was wrong with these people? Why couldn’t they just behave? A feral growl escaped the boy as they neared. From her seat on the ground, Kit watched the men approach. Through her drugged haze she recognized their attempt to surround Jamie. With every ounce of focus she could muster, she yelled, “Run Jamie, run!”

     The wild boy knew his mother’s voice. Turning, he looked at her. Seizing the moment, Paul and Joshua jumped the boy and fought for control of the ax. The two men quickly subdued the boy. Once Jamie was on the ground, Paul kicked him on the side of the head. His world went black. Looking at Kit and Miranda as they huddled together in front of the log, Joshua grinned.

     “Now we’re gonna teach you who’s in charge.” Looking at his family gathered around the three strangers, Joshua began issuing orders. “Mary go get the cart from in front of smokehouse. Elizabeth, get my gun, just in case they get any more ideas. Paul, take Mark and David up to the house so your mother can fix ‘em. The rest of you girls make sure the children are tucked in for the night. Mary you better bring back some rope while you’re at it.” Turning to face Kit he said, “You women need to learn your place. The Lord brought you here to learn what being a woman means. Someday you will thank me for the lessons you learn tonight.”

     “By the end of the night you’ll know damn well it wasn’t the Lord that brought me to your door.” Kit replied.

     Twenty minutes later a golf cart towing a green lawn wagon approached along the gravel driveway.  ‘bout time you got back here girl. What took you so long?”

     “I had to stop and get your gun from Elizabeth.” Monica said as she picked up the rifle sitting on the seat next to her and aimed at Joshua’s chest.

     “Girl, you better put that down!” he screamed as he ran toward her. He was surprised a girl could shoot so well when the bullet ripped through his chest.

     Keeping the rifle trained on Jacob, Monica asked, “Are you all just going to sit there and enjoy your drug party? We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

     “Let’s put Jamie in the cart, he’s hurting from the beating they gave him.” Kit said as she staggered to her feet.

     “I’m ok. I just a want some payback. Jeeze Mom, I’m sorry.” Wincing, he pushed himself to his feet.

     “Don’t even start. Nobody could have anticipated this.”

     “Yeah, but it was my idea.”

     “Listen to me, all of you. Never blame yourself for what these horrible people do to you. It’s not your fault. Now let’s go make sure they can never do this to another person.”

     From her place on the ground, Miranda said, “I feel like I’m going to puke.”

     “It’s the drugs they gave us. We’ll probably feel even worse tomorrow. After we take care of business here, we’ll find a nice hotel and rest tomorrow. We should be ok to drive to Pennsylvania the next day.”

     “We don’t have to go see any more caves mom. I’m kinda done with that.”

     “Nonsense! Don’t let the monsters of the world take away the things you like! Then they win. Besides which I think the girls would be disappointed, wouldn’t you girls?”

     Weakly, Miranda responded, “Sounds great.”

     “Before we get started, Jamie, tell me about this secret cave the Thistle’s have.”

      “I threw the bodies into the cave. The young girls and their children were allowed to go free.”

     “Why didn’t they call the police?”

     “They were victims of Marnie and Joshua’s scheme to build their own little cult. They were giving these girls to their sons to be their wives. After proper training from Joshua, of course. The girls were runaways picked up at the bus station in Frankfurt. Any that didn’t work out; well let’s just say the hogs on the farm never went hungry.”

    “And you can tell us how to find this cave? It has been a few years.”

     “Yes well, with an eidetic memory, it’s like it was yesterday. Give me a pen and paper and I’ll draw you a map. Be careful, it’s very easy to get lost inside the cave.”

     Entering the doctor’s lounge, Mac noted that Diane and Tom were on their cell phones. Danny was shoving a folded slice of pizza into his mouth with one hand while typing with the other.

     “Look I know this is unusual. If I had time, I would put my request into the damn system. This is an opportunity to either verify or refute this woman’s claims.” Tom argued.

     Across the room, Diane talked quietly into her phone. Danny chimed in “I got a local airfield we could land a Lear on. The county hospital looks like it handles chemo patients.”

     “Chemo patients? What?” Mac asked.

     “So we can take Ms. Davidson with us.”

     “I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to drag a dying woman across the country.”

     “Well, I just got off the phone with her doctor, and he disagrees. He said the only concern at this point is pain control. The army has agreed to loan us one of their nurses to travel with the patient. We’ll take what we need with us.” Diane said, packing her computer bag as she spoke.

     Tom moved to the head of the table, “It took a lot of arm twisting, but we’ll have the jet at 8 o’clock tomorrow morning. Can that nurse be here by then?”

     “She’s meeting us at the hotel at 7:00 a.m.. Once she’s briefed, she’ll come to the hospital and ride with Ms. Davidson to the airport. Dana will meet us there.”

     “Dana?” Mac squeaked.

     “She insisted and as her mother’s Power of Attorney she could make things difficult. It’s easier to just include her.”

     “Good. Now maybe we’ll be able to expose this woman for the liar she is. OK people, we meet tomorrow in the lobby at 7:00 a.m. sharp.”

     “Well guys, have fun in Kentucky.” Danny smirked.

     “No Danny, you’re going with us, for technical support.” Diane smiled.

     “But, I’m not a field guy!” He complained.

     “You are this week. I’ll see you all in the morning.” Diane called as she left the room.

Chapter 16

          Carson reclined on the couch of the jet with her eyes closed. Dana sat across from her watching the nurse care for her mother. Danny sat next to Dana, prattling on about anything that popped into his head. It was apparent from the moment he sat down that he only had eyes for Major Whitcomb, RN.

     “So, where you a nurse before you joined the army? ‘Cause they pretty much just make you an officer then, right?”

     “There is that little matter of 5 years of college, Basic training, Officer’s Candidate School and my deployment to the Middle East; so yeah basically they just handed me my bars.”

     Completely missing her sarcasm, Danny continued, “You were in the war? Cool! I bet your husband and kids missed you.”

     Dana looked at the nurse and rolled her eyes. A small smile crossed her lips as she replied, “I don’t have a husband, but my little boy missed me.”

     “So, you’re divorced?”

     Opening her eyes, Carson looked at Danny, “What do you say we let the old lady rest for a while?”

     “Oh, yeah, ok. I’ll just move to the front.” Looking back at Major Whitcomb he said, “Just holler if you need anything.”

     Waiting until he was out of earshot, Dana turned to the nurse, “How’s she doing?”

     “Her blood pressure was up a little bit, I gave her a little metoprolol through her IV port and she’s doing well now.”

     “She’s listening to everything you say and wishes she could be included in the conversation. I’m not too sick to participate in the discussion; especially when it’s about me.”

     “Sorry mother, I didn’t know you were playing opossum.”

     “I was just thinking, about war, domestic and foreign.”

     “Dark thoughts. I’m sure you have happier memories to focus on.”

     “I’m just thinking about the road we took to get here.”

     She wanted to curl up into a ball and die. Once she heard the words come out of the Marine Captain’s mouth, missing presumed…, she shut down. The girls were all here, quietly talking and crying. Sharing memories. She was so angry, how could they give up like that? They hadn’t found a body. Dammit! Who was to blame? Leaping off the bed she stormed into the living room. All conversation stopped when she entered the room. Her hair was a tangled mess, her eyes were red and swollen and her clothes were wrinkled.

     “What’s wrong with you? We can’t assume he’s dead! Instead of holding a memorial we should be traveling to Afghanistan. Why are you giving up so easily? Get a hold of that bastard that came here yesterday and gave us the news. I want some answers.”

       After a brief pause, Deidre spoke, “Mom, he was here last week.”

     “What, are you crazy? Last week? It was just…” she paused, then the weight of the news weighed her down. She dropped to her knees.

     Monica ran to her side, “Dee, get her medication.”

     “No, no more medicine. I want to feel the pain. I can’t hide in the numbness any longer. I want to know why, how and who? You will never convince me that just as he discovered the white slavery ring in his unit, he dies. I want answers from that rat bastard Captain. We need to go over his emails. We will get some damn answers.”

    “Uh, sure Mom. But maybe you want to shower first?”

     Three months of research barely scratched the surface of the ring. So many layers, so many countries. This was an international group of pedophiles. The soldiers stealing and selling children were just one source for this group. Some were members of a religious sect that believed children should be taught sex by their parents. Others were members of an online community that exchanged the dark porn that focused on hurting the children while having sex with them. Yet thanks to some web savvy members, they remained anonymous. Her frustration was mounting when they finally got a break. A call from Landstuhl, Germany that changed everything.

     Carson awakened to the sound of Danny droning on about being a cyber cop. Mac was sitting next Dana. Carson watched as she leaned toward Dana and whispered something in her ear. Dana smiled and shook her head. Mac noticed Kit watching, blushed and said, “Hey you’re awake. Enjoy your nap?”

     “I don’t know if enjoy is the right word, but it was refreshing.”

     “We have another hour of flight time. Would like something to eat or drink?”

      “No, I think I’ll wait to eat until we are safely on the ground.”

     “I think the hotel is about another hour from the airfield”

     “More than enough time for me to tell you about the young soldier that led me to an international ring of pedophiles.”

     “I think Tom wants to hold off on any more confessions until we confirm these killings in Kentucky.”

     “Oh, I think he might make an exception for the story of a heroic marine.”

     “Should I get him?”

     “No, just record my tale as usual. It should make for interesting listening later tonight.”

      Jamie lay back on his bunk, reading the Japanese comic that Misty, no she was Deidre now, that Deidre had sent him. The care package had arrived a week ago, but his squad had returned from patrol just this morning. He was tired and dirty but his spirits had lifted immediately when he had seen the package from home. The older girls had sent him a cash card. They didn’t know that he saved most of pay, living as frugally as he could. He had plans for when he got out. Mom sent chocolate chip cookies. Unfortunately, she baked them herself. She tried, but baking wasn’t really her thing.

     Deidre always sent the best gifts, she knew him better than anyone. He loved the anime comics and she made sure to include some in every box. She had snuck in some of his favorite sandwich cookies too; she was absolutely the best little sister ever. She had even set up a pen pal for him. Shannon wrote him every week and helped him keep in touch with everything that was going on back home. Who knows, maybe when he got home they could get together. For the first time in his life he was thinking of the future.

     A distant cry brought him out of his reverie. PFC Crocker, sitting on his cot in his skivvies, looked over at Jamie and said, “Ignore it Granger, you hear all kinds of things in a war zone.”

     “That sounded like someone was in trouble. We should go check it out.”

     “Don’t ask don’t tell is good motto for a lot of things. Best not to concern yourself with things above your pay grade.”

    Jamie almost convinced himself there was nothing to be concerned about when he heard another scream, louder and more frantic than the first, “You want to sit there because you are done for the day, fine. But I’m going to see what is going on.”

     “Listen dude if you insist on running to the rescue, then do so quietly. Don’t let anyone see you. I like you man, even if you are a little dorky.”

    Embarrassed, Jamie shot back, “Yeah, I like you too, especially since you started using deodorant.” Being big tough marines, neither man mentioned a roadside Improvised Explosive Device, IED, and how Jamie saved Crocker’s life.

     Crocker grabbed his wet towel and threw it at Jamie’s head. Jamie laughed and tossed it back. As he was getting up to go investigate the sound his Sergeant appeared in the doorway of the tent.

    “Where you going Granger?”

     “Uh, going to head, Sarge.”

     “Yeah well, tie a knot in it. We’re transporting some insurgents and you guys need to stay inside ‘til we’re done.”

     “Where’d they come from?”

     “That’s need to know marine, understood?”

     “Yes Sergeant.”

     “Good man. Give it thirty before you hit the head.”

     “OK Sarge.”

     Waiting until the Sergeant was out of hearing range, Jamie turned to Crocker and asked, “What kind of happy bullshit is this?”

     “Aw man, I really wanna just finish my tour and get out, you know?”

     “Yeah  but you wouldn’t keep me in the dark, would you?”

     “Shit! OK, but let me tell you, you’d be a lot better off staying out of it.”

     “That’s never stopped me before. Spill.”

     Once Jamie heard about the white slavery ring he knew he had to do something. His first step was to send a coded email to his favorite sister.

     It wasn’t too long before they were back on patrol in a deserted valley consisting of nothing more than rolling hills covered with brush. The cool temperatures were exacerbated by the high winds. Jamie had to frequently wipe the dust off his goggles. According to the Lieutenant, poppy caravans traveled this road on a regular basis. One was due to go by today. Their mission was to stop the drugs from getting through. The opium made from these poppies was used to finance terrorism. Uncle Sam was hitting the terrorists where it really hurt; in the pocketbook. Once the squad stopped, they set up on either side of the road, readying the trap.

     As the sun was setting to west, a line of pack animals were led, one at a time, by Kuchis, Afghan nomads.  Once again, they had been led to the wrong place at the wrong time. These people were usually apolitical, roaming between Afghanistan and Pakistan pasturelands. Jamie had no doubt that the real drug runners were hundreds of miles away happily going about their business.

     "Get ready.” His Sergeant’s voice came over the radio.

     Whispering into his mic, Jamie responded, “Uh Sarge, these aren’t drug dealers.”

     “Don’t question orders. We’re going out guns ready to surround these people. Understand?”

     “Understood.”

     “Three, two, one and go!”

     The marines burst out onto the road, startling both people and animals. The Lieutenant came forward, speaking in Pashto. An angry exchange ensued. A man in traditional garb climbed down from a camel and walked toward the LT. His hands were palms up ,held out, in front of him.  He was smiling, waving his hands, shaking his head and speaking rapidly.

     Smiling, the LT nodded his head and calmly explained the mission of their patrol. Signaling his troops to lower their weapons, he walked with the man along the caravan pointing and asking questions.  Once the crisis had passed, the Sergeant ordered the men to make camp. Jamie was amazed by how fast the nomads set up their camp across the road. A small town came to life in the open field in just a matter of a few hours. As animals grazed on the periphery of camp, fires were built and mouth-watering aromas filled the night air.

     Finding a curved outcrop about fifty feet above the camp, Jaime watched the activity below. Looking up at the thousands of stars shining down on him he thought about home for only the fifth time that day. If it hadn’t been for his mother he probably never would have made it this far in life. He had already given up the hope of a future when she found him in that hotel with Dickie. She helped him to understand that he was a valuable person. Thanks to her he actually had a future. Concentrating on his duty, he carefully guarded the encampment below.

     Crawling into his sleeping bag when he shift was done, Jamie was drifting off to sleep when he heard furtive movements around the camp. Within minutes the peaceful night erupted into chaos.  Shots were fired, screaming and a wailing filled the night air. By the time Jamie had escaped his bag and grabbed his rifle, the shooting had stopped. Cautiously making his way to a position directly across from the Bedouin encampment, Jamie watched as his fellow Marines herded the men and women to the center of the camp. The children were ushered into the large tent belonging to the leader of the tribe.

     Jamie jumped when a gun barrel touched the back of his neck. “Don’t move Granger, I don’t like shooting marines if I don’t have to.” His Sergeant said.

     Sounding a lot calmer than he felt Jamie asked, “What’s going on, Sarge?”

     “These people have something we want, so we’re taking it.”

     “You think they’re just gonna give it to you?”

     “Nope, but they won’t object for long.”

     A signal passed between the soldiers surrounding the adults and they opened fire. Barely a scream escaped the victim’s lips before they were gunned down. In less than five minutes time all of the adults of the tribe were dead. Slowly rolling onto his back, Jamie looked his Sergeant in the eye and asked, “Now what?”

   “Now you have a decision to make; a life changing decision at that. First, why don’t you hand me your weapon. Nice and slow, now. Then you can help with the cleanup.”

     Slowly, Jamie held his rifle out to the Sergeant. Once he was on his feet he was led over to the pile of bodies. Crocker, Simpson and Yancey were already there stacking the bodies according to the LT’s directions.

     “Did you know, PFC Granger that burning a body is not as easy as it would seem. For as fragile as we humans may seem, our bodies don’t breakdown that easy. You can’t just toss a bunch of bodies onto the woodpile and expect them to burn. Bodies must be stacked appropriately and the right kind of fuel must be used. I’ve explained the plan to PFC Crocker, so follow his lead. We’ll talk more when you’re done.”

     “Yes, sir.”

     Jamie knew he was just a little bit insane. Stacking people like cordwood seemed to have that effect on him.  As the ashes of the woman who served him dinner floated in the night air, Jamie felt his humanity slip away.  As he knelt in the moonlight trying to scrub the blood of the innocent from his hands, Jamie had an epiphany; he didn’t need to come to Afghanistan to fight evil, he could have fought evil from the comfort of his own home.

     The LT had taken over one of the smaller tents. Corporal Harrison stood guard, a shit eating grin on his bulldog face. A whimper could be heard from inside.

     “You’re gonna have to wait for the LT finish Granger.”

     “Yeah sure, I could do that, or…”

     “Or what?”

     Jamie punched him in the nose. “Or I could do that.”

     Harrison staggered back holding his nose. “You are fuckin’ pussy.” Swinging his rifle around he aimed it at Jamie’s chest. “Think you’re hotshot with your marksman’s badge. You think your Bronze Star will save your ass?”

     The LT opened the flap to the tent. “That’s enough Harrison. Let the boy pass.”

     Using his shoulder to bump Harrison as he passed, Jamie entered the dimly lit tent. A small form was curled into a ball on a pallet of blankets. Nodding toward the little boy the LT asked, “You want to hit that?”

     “I like mine a little fresher.”

     “Yeah, I know what you mean. They’re not much fun when they’re broken.”

     “So what’s the deal LT?”

     “The deal is I found a way to make more money than selling drugs. It’s safer, too. And hey, the fringe benefits aren’t bad either. We get these kids and sell them to the highest bidder. The ones that don’t sell we make a little porn and sell online. When we’re done with them we send them to Thailand to work the whorehouse.”

     “OK. What’s my cut?”

     “I like you, Granger. You don’t fuck around. All the newbies get one percent.”

     “One percent isn’t a lot when you run the risk of being labled a child molester in prison.”

     “Greedy little fuck, aren’t ya?”

     “I’m just saying.”

     “Yeah, well go ask your butt buddy Crocker what one percent equals. He just bought himself a new boat.”

     “Shit. The cleaning bill for my BDUs should be worth at least another percent.”

     “Forget it, Granger. We have system, we have people to bribe and I have bosses to answer to. You’ll get your first paycheck at the end of journey. One thing though, you gotta make a movie.”

     “Huh?”

     “Everyone involved makes at least one porno, and then we’re all culpable.”

     “What, tonight?”

     “No, but it’s gotta happen before we ship these kids out in three days.”

     “No problem.”

     “Good. Now send Harrison in on your way.”

     Jamie took his dismissal, thinking about who he would kill first.

     Two days passed as the Marines marched the children through the mountain pass toward the pickup point. Jamie knew tonight would be the night that the LT would expect him to rape a child. He had looked for an opportunity to escape, but Crocker had been assigned to keep watch over him and he was good at his job. Every time Jamie looked at Crocker all he thought was how he should tossed him onto that damn IED.

     As dusk approached, Jamie knew he had to make his move. While Crocker rambled on about how he didn’t have to ‘perform’ in the movie and how they’d take him out for beer when they got back to base, Jamie looked for escape possibilities. Cresting a ridge, Jamie noticed a tree line off to his left. Stumbling, he came down on one knee.

     “You OK there, newbie?”

      “Yeah I tripped over my own damn shoelace. Gimme a hand up will ya?”

     “Sure man.” Reaching down Crocker grasped his right hand as Jamie brought around his left hand, gripping his tactical knife, and stabbed him in the heart.  Shoving Crocker backwards into Harrison, Jamie took off for the trees. The first bullet hit him in the back when he was about thirty yards from the trees. Sheer momentum carried him forward as bullets two and three found their target. Dragging his body forward, he crawled toward the sound of rushing water. Yancey entered the woods firing wildly. Jamie rolled toward the water as one of Yancey’s bullets found its mark in his right lung. Jamie fell into the rushing stream, already drowning in his own blood before he hit the water.

 “That young marine had sent an email to an acquaintance of mine detailing the white slavery operation. Thanks to his heroic actions, thousands of children will be saved.”

     “His name was Granger?”

     “Yes, PFC Granger.”

     Danny yelled back, “The pilot says we’re landing in ten minutes. You better buckle up.”

     “Thanks Danny. Maybe we can talk more at the hotel Ms. Davidson.”

Chapter 17

      The Blueridge Hotel was a small thirty room hotel just off the interstate. The building was U-shaped, with a pool and a small white gazebo sitting in the center of the U. Wooden picnic tables were scattered about the area. The lobby of the hotel was retro sixties leftover. A bright green Naugahyde couch sat in front of the bay window. A matching green kidney shaped coffee table in front of the couch held the remnants of a newspaper.. A fake ficus tree sat next to a long card table that currently held two coffee pots and an assortment of creamers, sugar and tea bags. Mac expected to look down and see a shag carpet.

     Tom stood at the desk talking to the proprietor. “So this is all you’ve got?”

     The tall, thin, white haired man nodded. “With the fishing tournament going on you folks are lucky to get this.”

     “Fine, we’ll make do.” Turning to Diane and Mac, Tom said, “We’ve got three rooms for seven people. Danny and I will share one room, Mac and Diane will share another and the third room goes to Major Whitcomb, Ms Davidson and Dana. According to our host, there is a truck stop about four miles down the road. Everyone take an hour to settle then we’ll head out to lunch. The rental cars the Frankfurt office ordered should be here by then.”

     As the group exited the office, the owner pulled out his cell phone to make a call.

     After dinner, as Tom listened to the recording of the story of PFC Granger, Mac and Dana sat at a picnic table quietly talking.

     “So, tell me you have finally succumbed to my wiles and that’s the reason for this midnight moonlight meeting.” Mac whispered playfully.

     A tired smile crossed Dana’s face, “There is no moon tonight Mac. I brought you out here because there are things you need to know to protect yourself.”

     “Sounds ominous. You do realize I am a trained law enforcement officer, right?”

     “I’m not trying to be dramatic Mac. I just want you to know why you may be in more danger than you believe you are. We, hell I, haven’t been completely honest with you. It’s time I told you about Monica, Miranda and Jamie. “

     “Who are they?”

     “My sister, brother and myself. We may not have come from the same biological parents, but we are family. PFC Granger was my brother, Jamie.”

     “I don’t understand, why are you telling me this now?”

     “Have you researched my mother’s story regarding the marines that ran the white slavery ring?”

     “Not in depth.”

     “Did you at least confirm that all of the marines mentioned were in the same unit?”

     “Yes, I did.”

     “Didn’t you recognize any other names in that unit?”

     “What do you mean?”

     “Agent Ford was the Sergeant my Mother told you about.”

     “That’s nuts. I know Tom served overseas, but now you want to drag him into this international white slavery plot? I guess it’s just a coincidence that Tom was assigned to this case?”

     “No, it wasn’t. Why else would my mother have gone to that small Colorado hospital?”

     “I know Tom Ford’s name would have jumped out at me if it was on that list.”

     “Then you must have received the edited version.”

     “And this is all a part of some global conspiracy is it?” She asked a little too sarcastically.

     Dana tried to remain patient. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Mac, like it or not, Tom Ford is a part of this. What do you really know about him? Do you have any idea if he rents or owns his home? Does he travel? What about his family? How did he come straight out of the marines into the agent in charge role he has now? He has less time in than you.”

     “What do I really know about you? Dana is not even your real name. Maybe this is a divide and conquer tactic set up by your mother and her little band of broken children.” Too far, she had just gone too damn far. The hurt she saw in Dana’s eyes sliced into her heart.

     “You’re right. You’ve uncovered our nefarious plan to kill off the entire FBI, one agent at a time. Hell, at the pace we’re going we should be done in only a few dozen years. I don’t expect you to have complete trust in my family, but I do expect you to trust yourself. My suggestion is you investigate our claims. I caution you, be careful. Casey and Dean were asking questions before they died, remember?”

     Moving closer, Mac lay her hand on Dana’s arm. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m just letting the stress get to me.  I don’t know who to trust. “

     “I took a big chance trusting you Mac. It’s not something I am able to do easily. I’ll finish my story tomorrow night, after you’ve checked up on what I’ve told you.”

     “I doubt I will have much time for research with the trip to the cave tomorrow.”

     “It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so we won’t be able to go the cave.” Dana stood and began walking back toward her room.

     “Dana, I really am sorry.” Mac called after her.

    Not turning around she replied, “Me too, Mac. Me too.”

     As predicted, rain began falling in the early morning hours. Diane and Tom went to research property records at the county courthouse. Carson remained in her room, her nurse by her side. Mac used Dean’s computer to seek answers. A steady rainfall lulled her into an internet hypnotic state, IHS. This occurs when you actually lose time while your mind is occupied with the internet. Your body freezes into one position as your hand continuously clicks the mouse. Thankfully a knock on the door brought Mac back to reality.

      Looking at the clock on the computer, she realized she been searching for hours.  Rising from the desk, Mac slowly made her way to answer the knock, every muscle screaming from the hours of immobility. Peering through the peephole she was surprised to see Dana standing outside the door. Mac opened the door a crack, “Hey.”

     “How’s it going?”

     “Uh, good and bad. What’s up?”

      Holding up a bag, Dana replied, “I brought lunch. Everyone is either sleeping or running errands so I thought we could eat and talk.”

     “Yeah sure, what about Danny?”

     “Danny’s busy working on something for Tom. So, can I come in or shall we have lunch out here in the rain?”

     “Yeah sure. I mean no. I mean come in, we’ll eat here at the table.”

     “Are you sure?”

     “Yes, I’d like to have lunch with you.”

     Mac’s stomach growled as the aromas from the bag reached her nose. Dana set the bag on the table and began divvying up the food. “This is from the diner down off route 23. I bought a couple of boneless rib sandwiches, with coleslaw, some sweet potato fries and banana pudding for dessert.”

     “That sounds great. All I’ve eaten today is a stale granola bar.”

     “How about we eat first and talk later?”

     “Deal.” Mac replied as she took a bite of her enormous sandwich.

    Thirty minutes later, Mac spooned the last of her share of banana pudding into her mouth. Sitting back in her chair she took a sip of bottled water and began speaking. “First, let me just say, I was an ass last night. In case you hadn’t noticed I have trust issues. But when I finally do trust someone, like Tom, I then am very loyal to that person. I apologize.”

     “I accept your apology.”

     “Good. You asked last night about why Tom could come into such a senior position on the team. To be honest, I never thought about it. My personal life has been in such turmoil for the past two years that I’ve barely held it together professionally. I was happy that someone else was in charge because I knew I couldn’t do the job. Looking back I now realize how unusual Tom’s placement was.”

     “Maybe he was placed in your group because of the personal problems you and the others were having. That way none of you would ask too many questions.”

     “You are right; I had forgotten that both Dean and Casey had been recently transferred to Boulder. Both had been reprimanded for incidents at their old offices. I didn’t get an official black mark on my record, but I was transferred from the New York office for a, shall we say, less than stellar performance. It is odd though, how we never connected. We never had that after work beer or did any team building exercises. Almost like we were isolated from each other.”

     “How better to control people?”

     “Exactly. I verified what you said about Tom. I had to look at a veteran’s organization that had a listing for his battalion. He did serve in the same unit as the others. So why the hell didn’t he show up on the original list I was given?”

     “Who gave you the list?”

     “Danny.”

     “Well then, either Danny is working for Tom or he was given the wrong information.”

     “Great. If he is in on this then we are screwed. He has the keys to computer kingdom at the FBI. He could manipulate the data anyway he wants to.”

     “Or, he could be someone’s vassal. It’s too early to tell.”

     “He’s definitely on my suspect list now.”

     “Did you come across any other information during your search?”

     She had, but she wasn’t quite ready to share. Instead she said, “I was just getting into a background search of Tom when you arrived with lunch.”

     “I should let you continue then. Why don’t we meet at the gazebo around eight o’clock?”

     “Sounds good to me. Thanks for lunch.”

     Dana smiled, “Anytime.”

     Once she was gone, Mac pulled up a web page dedicated to scenic photographers. Clicking on the link to the page for Carson Davidson, Mac read the brief biography. A thumbnail image at the top of the page caught her attention. Mac enlarged the image of the Carson Davidson.  Looking at the image, Mac reread the name in picture caption. Yep, it identified the elderly white haired man as Carson Davidson. Elbows on the table, Mac leaned forward and placed her head in her hands.

Chapter 18

     While Carson’s nurse was getting her own lunch, Dana recalled the conversation she had with Mac. Carson waited until she finished until she asked her questions.

     “Do you believe Mac will go along with our plan?”

     “No, never. She’s too much of a cop, even if she doesn’t know it yet.”

     “Why tell her about Agent Ford?”

     “Because I think we can do an end run around her.”

     “Where did the phrase end run come from?”

     Rolling her eyes, Dana replied, “Mother, as much as Jamie was into sports, you never watched football with him?”

     Carson smiled, “I watched, I just didn’t pay attention. I am proud to say that to this day I still don’t know how many points you get for a free-throw.”

     “Um, Mom, that’s basketball.”

     “Well I didn’t watch that either.”

     “I think you may be pulling my leg. Perhaps this is your way of avoiding a more serious conversation.”

     Standing, Carson walked over and looked out the window, her back to Dana. “Perhaps, I am. Although, I don’t think it’s the same subject you have in mind.”

     The door to the room open and Diane entered the room. “What’d I miss?”

     “Not much. Dana sent Mac after Tom. She doesn’t believe Mac would go along with our plan.”

     “I agree. She’s so straightlaced I’m surprised she’s gay.”

     “Being a suspect in the deaths of two fellow Agents, I don’t think it’s safe for Mac to go to the cave with us.”

     “Sounds good. My nurse should stay behind too.”

     “We may have a fight on our hands if we try that.”

     “You are in charge, make it happen.”

     “Yes Mother.”

     Dana listened to water dripping from the eaves of the gazebo.  The rain had only added humidity to the hot summer day. The crickets were chirping love songs, advertising for potential mates. Looking at her watch, she counted the chirps.  

     “Am I that late?” Mac asked as she approached the gazebo.

     Smiling, Dana answered, “Uh, no, I was checking the temperature.”

     “You have a thermometer in your watch?”

      “No, I was counting cricket chirps to estimate the temperature. So how are you this evening?”

     “I’m good. So what was it?”

     “What was what?”

     “The temperature.”

     “Around eighty-six degrees.”

     “Well the crickets are darn close. I checked the weather before I came out here and it said cloudy and eighty-eighty degrees.” Sitting next to Dana, Mac turned sideways so they were facing.  Sighing, Mac asked, “Have you ever felt like a marionette?”

     A sharp laugh escaped Dana’s throat. Turning to keep Mac from seeing the tears in her eyes, she replied “Almost every fucking day.”

     “Then you know how I feel. I’m certain I am being manipulated by your mother am I also being manipulated by you, Dana?”

     “Yes Mac, you are. Up until yesterday, I was helping my mother to guide you to Tom and the ring of pedophiles he is involved with. I was hoping that we could use legal means to catch these predators, for a change. But of course mother has other plans.”

     “What other plans?”

     “She wants to handle the situation her usual way.”

     “Meaning she is planning on killing Tom.”

     “Exactly.  I don’t think she has planned this encounter as well as she has in the past. Something broke in my mother the day she was notified of Jamie’s disappearance in Afghanistan.  She’s not as organized as she once was. In the past her plans to catch predators have been elaborate and full of redundancies. We always had several exit strategies should something go wrong. This time the entire plan seems disjointed. I’m worried Mac, I think this might be a suicide mission for her.”

     Mac had suspected as much herself. “What can we do?”

     “I was hoping you would have a solution. We’ve got to stop them from going into that cave tomorrow.”

     “I’ll see what I can do. Honestly, Dana, a suspended agent doesn’t have a lot of power. Just know, I will protect your mother with my life.”

    Placing her hand in the other woman’s she said, “I know you will, Mac.”

     Lying on the bed next to her mother, Dana watched her sleep. Through all the years they had been together Dana had never been scared. They had played deadly games with predators yet the only time she had felt her family was in danger was the episode with the Thistles. Until now.

     “I can hear your wheels spinning.” Carson mumbled into the pillow.

     “Just thinking about tomorrow.” Dana whispered so as not to awaken the nurse in the other bed.

     “More like worrying about tomorrow if I know you. And I do know my children.” Rolling over, Carson faced her daughter.

     Shifting uncomfortably under her mother’s intense stare, a tear escaped Dana’s left eye leaving a streak across her face. Using her thumb to wipe away the tear, Carson kissed her daughter’s forehead.

     “Baby. It’s OK if you can’t save the world. Do you remember when you brought home that sick little bird you found on the ground? “

     Dana nodded, “You said sometimes we have to be satisfied with just easing the suffering.” She sniffled, “Then you broke its neck.”

     “There are days I’ve felt like I’ve fucked up. I owed all of you so much more. Hell, I should have at least tried to give you a normal life. But I couldn’t. I had this burning need to hunt predators. Maybe you would have been better off without me.”

     “No Mom, don’t say that. None of us would have been better off. You not only saved us, you gave us purpose. You fixed the damage that was done to us. After what we went through as children we could have been broken forever.”

     “How have I made it any better for you by turning you into serial killers?”

     “You didn’t make us participate. You just kept us from being caught.”

     “Oh for fuck’s sake Dana, I’ve used all of you as bait.”

     “Well then, turnabout is fair play. Look, there’s no denying we are as fucked up as any other family, but we are a family. Something I never believed in until I met you. We have connections to the world. We are smart, educated, basically well balanced killers. Not everyone can say that.”

     A hiccup escaped Carson before she could stop it. Dana smiled and giggled. Soon the two women were in full out-of-control laughter mode. A cranky mumble from across the room only made it worse.

     Once the wave of laughter had passed, Dana looked at her mother and said, “Love you, Mom.”

     “Love you too, kiddo. Now get some sleep, we have a big day tomorrow.”

Chapter 19

     The sun rose over Pine Mountain chasing away the morning mist. By 8:00 a.m. the temperature was approaching eighty degrees. Leftover puddles, evidence of the previous day’s rain, were quickly evaporating in the morning heat. According to the young, tattoo covered woman at the front desk, severe thunderstorms were forecast for late in the day. Mac experienced a moment of déjà vu when she entered her hotel room. Tom and Diane were waiting for her.

     Placing her bottles of water on the writing desk, Mac asked, “What is this? If it’s a team meeting then we should invite Danny.”

     “I’ve already talked to Danny. Diane and I have come to the decision that you and Danny should stay here while we go investigate the cave.”

     Her voice dripping skepticism, Mac asked, “Oh, the two of you came to this decision did you?”

     “Yes, we did. Look Mac, I like you. You’ve worked well on my team during the last year. As a matter of fact I’m putting that in my report. Personally, I don’t think you killed Dean and Casey. I just think that your crush on Dana kept you from seeing the obvious truth.”

     “My crush?! You know Tom, I welcome an investigation. I know I can withstand intense scrutiny.  Can you?”

     Tom’s eyes darkened, a shadow passed over his face. “What the hell does that mean?” He growled.

     Interrupting, Diane said, “We need to go. I don’t want another rain delay.”

     “Yeah. You’re right. Let’s get this over with.” With one more turbulent look at Mac, Tom headed for the door. “I’ll send Danny over so the two of you can work on research while we’re gone.”

     Shaking her head at Mac, Diane pulled her keys from her pocket. “We are using Tom’s rental to go to the cave. Here are my keys in case you or Danny need to go anywhere.”

     “Don’t be a fool Diane. This situation is too dangerous for you guys to handle alone. I know Carson has a plan, but is it a well thought out plan?”

     Ignoring her question, Diane said, “Don’t worry Mac, we won’t be alone.”

     When the door shut behind them, Mac slammed her fist down on the desk. Assuming the knock on the door was Danny with his computers; she walked over and yanked the door open. Dana stood there, fist raised to knock again.

     “Let me in, Mac. I’ve only got a few minutes.”

     Mac stepped aside to let Dana enter the room. “Look, I know you are pissed off about being left behind. I had to use the Power of Attorney card to get to go on this little field trip. And believe me, neither my mother nor Tom was happy about that. You should have seen their faces when Major Whitcomb told them she would call the FBI and file a formal protest if she didn’t go with her patient.”

     “What are you really doing here, Dana?”

     “I think my mother has decided it’s time for a showdown with the last of Jamie’s Marine unit.”

     “That’s insane. Tom has been trained by both the Marines and the FBI, she won’t stand a chance.”

     “She’s tougher than she looks.”

     “What about the rest of you? Do you really think he’ll let you live to tell the tale?”

     “I’d be surprise if that’s in his plan.”

     “Promise me you’ll run if the situation gets too hot.”

     “I’ve got to stand with my family, Mac. Look, Diane gave me her backup gun in case you need it. Take care of yourself.” Dana handed the hammerless snub nosed .38 to Mac. Mac took the weapon and slid into the pocket of her sweat jacket.

     “One more thing, Mac.” Dana said.

     Mac looked up as Dana moved in and kissed her fully on the mouth. The kiss started slow and soft but quickly turned hot and hungry. Just as Mac was certain her brain would explode, Dana broke away. Mac was still standing in the same spot when Danny knocked on the door.

     The long road leading to the Thistle’s campground had been covered in gravel in the years since they had last been here. Dana barely recognized the house that sported new windows, modern vinyl siding and a wraparound porch. Even the old barn had a fresh coat of paint.  A very pregnant young woman exited the house as they arrived. A sign on the front lawn advertised this as being the Secret Cave Bed & Breakfast.

     The young woman toddled down the steps as everyone exited the SUV. Smiling she wiped her hands on her apron. “How y’all doing? You must be the FBI Agents, right? I’m Shannon Bishop. My husband and I own this place.”

     Tom introduced everyone and asked, “So where is your husband?”

     “He’s already up at the cave waiting for you. He wanted to make sure the trails were cleared of debris after yesterday’s rain. We have some four-wheelers in the barn you can use to get up there. He drew a map so you wouldn’t get lost.”

     “That’s really nice of him. I appreciate this, even though this may be a wasted effort.”

     “Well Jim and I are always willing to help see that justice is served. The keys to the four wheelers are hanging on hooks just inside the door of the barn.”

     Taking the map from her, Tom tucked into the gear bag he had brought along. Walking into the barn he spotted four vehicles lined up near the sliding door. Turning to the others he said, “Looks like someone needs to double up.”

     “I’ll ride with my daughter, Agent Ford.” Carson offered.

     “Major Whitcomb can you drive one of these?”

     “Yes I can.”

     “Then let’s get moving.”

     As Tom revved his four wheeler, Carson whispered in Dana’s ear, “Penny for your thoughts.”

    “Just wondering how long it will take Mac to decide to disobey orders.”

     “I doubt very long. I have a feeling when that girl makes up her mind to do something, nothing can stop her.”

       Mac noticed that something was off the minute Danny entered her room. Firstly, he had only brought one computer with him.   Next, he was checking his watch every five minutes.  Finally, even though he worked for the FBI, he wasn’t an agent; therefore he shouldn’t be carrying the gun he had tucked into the back of his waistband and covered by his shirt.

     “Tell me Danny, what exactly does Tom want us to search for?”

     “He, uh, wants more info on that pedophile ring Ms. Davidson was talking about.” Danny stammered, as he glanced at his watch again.

     “Why don’t you set up your computer over here on the writing desk?” Mac asked as she cleared the desk top surreptitiously pocketing the keys Diane had given her.

     “Yeah, sure, OK.” Danny replied. He carried the computer bag over to the desk and set it down. The desk chair moaned in protest as he lowered his bulk onto it.  As he sat there staring at the unopened bag he nibbled a fingernail and looked at his watch.

     Turning her back to him, Mac reached into the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. Turning, she was only mildly surprised to find Danny pointing a gun at her.  “Don’t move Mac. I will shoot you if I have to.”

     “What are you doing Danny?”

     “Just keeping an eye on you until Tom gets back from taking care of that killer bitch and her daughter.”

     “How will he do that with Major Whitcomb and Diane there?”

     “Yeah it’s too bad about them, but you know, caves can be dangerous places.”

     “Too bad?! Listen to yourself, Danny. Why would you get involved in something like this?”

     “Get involved? You really are a dumb blonde aren’t you, Mac? I’m the system administrator for our group. I control all the data. Hell if I hadn’t manipulated his file, Tom would have never been allowed into the FBI. I am the God of kiddie porn.”

     “Jesus, Danny, do you know how many lives are destroyed for that shit?”

     “Bitch, moan and complain. Thanks to my first taste of my little sister fifteen years ago and the brains to operate a computer I am a rich man.”

     “Do you really think Tom will be able to take control of all of those people?”

     “Control hell. He just has to plant the bomb and make an excuse to leave.”

     “I want to thank you Danny.” Mac said as she placed her hand in her pocket.

     “For what?”

     “For being the clichéd megalomaniac and telling me about your plan.” She replied as she pulled the trigger.

     Danny yelped, pulling off a shot in surprise. Dropping the gun, he grabbed his chest and collapsed to the floor. Pulling her weapon out of her pocket, Mac kept the gun trained on Danny as she picked up his gun and placed it out of reach, on the bed.

     “Get up you stupid fuck, I shot you in the knee.”

     Danny’s face had turned gray and a sheen of sweat covered his brow. “It’s my heart, I think I’m dying.” He gasped out between heavy breaths.

     The gun in her hand seemed incredibly heavy and sticky? Looking down Mac saw a trail of blood running out of her sleeve onto her hand and the gun she was holding. “You dumb bastard, you shot me.”

     “Help me, I’m dying.” Danny wheezed

     Putting the gun in her left hand, Mac knelt down next to Danny. Placing the gun against his head she said, “You give me one fucking reason I shouldn’t save the US government the cost of a trial.”

    Gasping for air he asked, “How about one billion reasons?”

Chapter 20

     Crawling off the back of the four wheeler, Carson rubbed her very sore backside. “Did you purposefully hit every rut you could find?”  She asked.

     “Yes mother, I enjoy bouncing around like a bingo ball. No, I would say that whoever drew that map is probably laughing at how well we followed it.” Dana said as she placed her helmet on the seat.

     “Speaking of which, where is our host?” Tom asked

     “I guess he is waiting for us in the cave.” Diane replied.

     Tom referred to his map, turning one hundred and eighty degrees until he settled on ridge to the west. Pointing up he said, “Looks like the cave is just over that hill; isn’t it Ms. Davidson?’

     “We came at it from that field over there, but yes, I think you are right.” She pointed at a corn field to his right.

     “We? Does that mean you are finally acknowledging your daughter’s complicity?”

     “Do you really think I would go on vacation without my family?”

     “No, I never assumed you did anything alone.”

     “I don’t think my patient can make that climb Agent Ford.” Major Whitcomb interjected.

     “Then you’ll have to carry her, Major. Nobody stays behind.” Tom said sternly.

     “It’s OK Major, I can handle this.”

     “I don’t think…” Major Whitcomb began speaking.

     “Then don’t start now.” Tom interjected. “Let’s get moving people, I see storm clouds approaching.” He said as he began climbing to the top of the ridge.

     Twenty minutes later, the group arrived at the opening to the cave. Tom ran his hand over the entrance before yelling out, “Hey! Anyone here?”

     A man called back, “Come on in, I’ve lit some lanterns.”

    There was something familiar about that voice.  “He lit some lanterns, isn’t that nice. It’ll be all homey.”

     Noticing the manic tone to Tom’s voice, Major Whitcomb asked, “Are you feeling alright, Agent Ford?”

     Mumbling more to himself than the others, Tom replied “Everything is just fine now.” Stooping, Tom entered the cave, the rest of the group following close behind. About thirty feet in the cave opened into a large room. Shadows played off the flickering lanterns as they gathered in the center of the room. Water dripped down from foot long stalactites. A passageway to left gave off light, acting as a beacon for the reluctant spelunkers. Tom cursed, “Where the hell is this guy?”

     “He’s probably waiting at the drop-off he told you about.”

     “Yeah, well I’m getting tired of games.” Turning to Carson he asked, “Aren’t you tired of games Ms. Davidson?”

     “Gee Agent Ford, you sound angry.”

     Screaming as loud as he could, Tom replied “I am angry. All my fucking life one bitch or another has fucked with me. It was perfect until you came along. We had money and power and as many sweet young things as we wanted to play with. Then my team turned on me and I had to, well, I had to protect my assets. You, you fucking bitch, how the hell did you find out about me? About us? It was all so perfect until you came along with your damned questions.”

     “Maybe if you had asked a few more questions you would have your answers.”

     Dropping his bag on the floor, Tom pulled his weapon from its holster. Aiming at Carson he said, “Get rid of your weapon Diane or I’ll shoot this bitch where she stands.”

     “Somehow I don’t believe you Tom.” Diane held her gun aimed at his head.

     “I was just gonna blow your asses up but now maybe I’ll play with you instead. How much pain do you think you can take, Carson?”

     A voice from the past called out to Tom from lit passageway. “How’s it going Sarge?” Jamie asked.

     “We killed you!” Tom screamed at the ghost standing in the doorway. Wrapping his arm around Carson’s neck he pulled her backwards toward the doorway.

     “Hell Sarge, you bastards were too busy raping little children to keep up with your shooting skills. I admit, I was hurting, but some of those nomads you look down upon saved my ass. I spent a couple of months with them ‘til I was able to get to a real marine unit. Still it took a few more months in Landstuhl then back here to Bethesda before I was on my feet again. Thanks to the support of my family I expect to make a full recovery. The naval investigator was very excited to learn I had regained my memory of the events leading up to my injuries.”

    “ What investigator?”

    “ The one I lied to at first so that my mother could hunt you down. I’ve seen the law at work, Sarge. My mother is much better at dispensing justice.”

     “Justice?! Good men and women have died at her hands. We’ve been aware of her crusade for years. Until she came forward we had no idea where to find her. We fulfill the natural order of life. And what do we get? We are ostracized, living on the outskirts of society. Hiding in fear of being sent to prison, or worse. The oppression of sexuality leads to true deviant behavior. For a millennia children have been taught sex by adults.”

     “Is that how you justify your perversion? We used to consider women and children to be property too. Now we know that is wrong. I know you Tom; I met several men like you when I was growing up. You are selfish little prick who will always put his own needs before others. When the investigator gets here he’ll see that justice was served.”

     Pushing Carson away, Tom took aim and shot her in the chest. Dana screamed, Jamie started toward him. Holding up his cell phone Tom said, “I press one button and you are all blown to hell.” Turning he ran toward the entrance of the cave.

     Diane chased after Tom, gun aimed at his fleeing back. Jamie ran over, grabbed Tom’s bag and began running toward the left passageway leading deeper into the cave. Major Whitcomb and Dana knelt next to Carson. Dana was holding her mother’s head.

     Turning, Tom saw Diane approaching from behind. Raising his gun he fired off three quick rounds before exiting the cave. He heard a gasp and thud. He ran out of the cave to be met by high winds and lashing rain. Climbing onto the four wheeler, he turned for one last look at the cave before pushing sending the command for the bomb to blow.

      Tom failed to notice the lone figure approaching out of the rain. “Drop it, Tom!” Mac yelled.

     Instinctually Tom turned to the sound her voice raising his weapon. Mac’s training kicked in as she fired off two rounds at center mass. Tom jerked, causing his thumb to spasm and pressing the send key on his cell phone. Thunder clashed as the earth vibrated beneath Mac’s feet.  Falling to her knees, Mac cried out a weak “No!” before passing out from the blood loss of her own gunshot wound.

Chapter 21

     Mac opened her eyes to see the male nurse hanging a new IV bag on the pole attached to the pump. Through her drug induced haze she watched as he punched in some numbers on the touchpad. Turning he smiled when he saw her open eyes. “Good morning or I guess I should say afternoon. How are you feeling?”

     “Drunk and hungover at the same time.” Mac croaked.

     “That’s normal for what you’ve through. You sound dry. I can’t give you anything to drink yet, but would you like some ice chips?”

     Mac nodded her head in reply. When the nurse left the room Mac noticed a figure curled up in the bedside chair. Her heart leapt into her throat as Dana turned to face her. Small cuts and yellow bruising told Mac that she hadn’t come through completely unscathed.

     “She’s been here with you almost the entire time. We practically had to hold her down in the ER just to check her out.” The nurse whispered as he placed a small scoop of ice in Mac’s mouth.

     “I can hear you whispering about me.” Dana mumbled.

     “You should go back to sleep, you need your rest as much as she does.” The nurse said, placing the cup of ice on the bedside table.

     “I need you to run an IV of coffee.” Dana replied as she stood up and stretched. Walking over to the bedside she looked down at Mac and ask, “You doing OK?”

    Reaching over she grasped Dana’s hand in her own.  “Better now that I know you are alive.”

     “Some of us made it out. Major Whitcomb and I were the least hurt. Diane is just down the hall with a shattered right knee. James is in ICU with flash burns to his back. His wife is down in maternity, she went into labor when she heard about the explosion.”

     “Is your mother here too?”

     Looking away, Dana’s breath caught in her throat. “She didn’t survive. Tom shot her before he exited the cave. Major Whitcomb did everything she could to save her. She died before the bomb went off.”

     “Dana, I am so sorry. She was the toughest lady I’ve ever known.”

     “Me too. We’ll be having a memorial for her in a couple of days, I think she would have liked for you to be there.”

     “Of course. But tell me, how did you survive the bomb?”

     “James grabbed Tom’s bag and ran back through the tunnel to chasm he had told Tom about. You must have delayed Tom for just enough time for James to toss it into crevice and turn back toward the main room of the cave. James was still close enough to get hit with shockwave and heat from the explosion. Major Whitcomb and I got pelted with rocks and debris, but the cavern held. When we emerged from the cave I saw you lying in the mud with your gun in your hand. At first I thought were dead, but then I saw that Tom had only shot you the arm.”

     “Tom didn’t shoot me, Danny did.”

     “Danny?” She asked incredulously.

     “The little creep was in on it the whole time. Casey never knew that when she went to Danny for help she was signing her own death warrant.”

     “Is this a private party or can anyone join?” Diane called from the doorway.

     “Come on in hop along.” Dana smiled her at sister. Her voice may have been lighthearted, but worry lines etched along her forehead as she saw her sister’s pale complexion.

     Diane’s leg preceded her into room, sticking straight out from of her. Guiding her wheelchair next to the bed she asked, “Did I hear you say Danny was involved in this?”

     “He admitted to being the computer guy for this pedophile group called Pegasus Rising. If he survived the gunshot and possible heart attack he will have a lot to tell us. I called nine one one before I left to come after Dana. I mean all of you”

     Diane frowned. “When the paramedics and police responded to your call they found the room empty. We didn’t think about Danny until this morning. When we went to his room we found bloody towels and clothing, but he was nowhere to be found.”

     “There is no way he could have walked away from that hotel.” Mac croaked.

     “Hey, sounds like we’re working you up a little too much. You are not ready to be debriefed.”

     “But he had to have help.”
     “Don’t worry, now that we know about them, they won’t be able to hide for long.”

     Dana reached over and pushed Mac’s pain button. “Get some sleep, we’ll talk more later.”

     “Did Major Whitcomb get home to see her little boy?” Mumbled as she nodded off.

     “Deidre?  Yeah she said she wanted to spend some time with him while she decided if the army was the right place for her.” Dana replied as she went push her sister back to her room.

     “That’s good.” Mac managed to say before she began snoring.

     Looking up at her sister, Diane said, “Careful there Monica, I don’t want another surgery.

     “God, you’ve always been such wimp!” Dana said as she pushed faster.

Epilogue

          The tall black woman watched her son chase the mixed breed puppy around the yard. His dark curly hair shined in the afternoon sunlight. Beautiful gray eyes glowed with laughter as he wrestled with the dog. Setting down a tray of lemonade on the table by the porch swing, she called out to the boy, “Ben, come get something to drink.”

     “Baashe Madaar” He replied running up onto the porch with the stumbling puppy on his heels.

     “English Ben, you have to speak in English in public.”

     “OK. Mama, how long we will be in Ark en saw?”

     “Ask your grandmother.”

     Looking at the older woman that was sitting on the porch swing, Ben awaited an answer.

     “We need to help an old friend out of a difficult situation, and then we can travel around the world.”

     “If your health permits.” Deidre said firmly.

     “Oh for Pete’s sake Dee, the thyroid tumor was benign. We can get synthroid at any pharmacy in the world.”

     “How do like your puppy Ben?” Deidre asked, trying to deflect her mother’s irritation.

     “He’s silly, but we have fun. Thank you mamma.”

     “You’re welcome Ben.”

     “Dooset daaram mamma.”

     “I love you too, Ben. Now go wash up for dinner.”

     “Yes ma’am”

     Turning to her mother she asked, “Exactly how do you think we can help someone escape death row?”

Author’s Note

     While reading this book you were probably astounded by the figure of 800,000 children going missing from the US each year. You are correct in assuming that figure is false. According to National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART-2), released in October 2002, 800,000 children are reported missing each year.  That number does not include children, who for one reason or another were not reported missing. That is approximately 2000 children a day. Parents take some; some are runaways but where are the remainder? Sadly, no one knows.

     The story of the Arkansas woman that killed her children, and then tried to kill herself, is true. Christina Riggs had a long history of mental illness. She had tried more than once to kill herself. In November of 1997, she killed her children then she took twenty-eight Elavil tablets and injected herself with potassium chloride. She was found competant to stand trial. On May 30, 2000, she was put to death by lethal injection.

      When Carson explains to Mac how her employer can monitor her, she is not being paranoid. In the US, it is legal for an employer to track your computer usage, email, phone calls, and the company car. And no, they do not have to notify you that they are doing so. It is legal for your employer to track your movements using the GPS in the company car or company cell phone.  You are not being paranoid when you think you are being watched.   By the way, the microphone on a cell phone can be used to monitor and record conversation in a room. The cell phone does not have to be dialed out or rung to be used as a microphone.  

     With those happy thoughts in mind, I hope you have enjoyed the book. Until next time, peace.

                                                                                                                       TW

About the Author

     Tammy Whaley has worked as a waitress, a cook, a corrections counselor and a registered nurse. Throughout the years her jobs may have changed but her passion for writing has remained consistent. She lives with her partner Sharon, four cats and a dog on five acres in Ohio.

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