Insinuations Page 15

  “We’ll find who did this to you,” she said as her vision started to blur. “You’ll get through this. I promise you.” She hadn’t forgotten other promises she’d made to Darla.

  She couldn’t afford to stop and feel sorry for herself. Jordan brushed a finger over Darla’s bruised knuckles, wiping her face before she got up. There was a lot of work to do before she could take that vacation.

  If her life wasn’t crazy enough, she went back outside to find McCarthy in the waiting area—with Ellie and Bethany and a man she didn’t know, wearing a dark suit.

  “I’m sorry,” both of them said almost in unison when she joined the small group, and a tense silence ensued.

  “Okay, hit me,” Jordan said, though for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why Bethany was here. They didn’t need a profiler to figure out Pratt or Ryder. “What is the FBI doing here?”

  “As I just told your colleagues, Ryder definitely crossed over into Federal jurisdiction with the kind of legacy he’s trying to build. Special Agent Russo will assist you on the investigation,” Bethany declared far too cheerfully, given the somber circumstances that had brought them here. Jordan sought Ellie’s glance and received a slight shrug in return.

  “What does that mean, Agent? We turn over our files and you take it from there?” Jordan asked. “Fine. Derek will do that. I have someplace to be.”

  “If this is about Ryder, then I should come with you,” Russo said, making it clear this wasn’t just an offer.

  “Whatever works for you. We were trying to find a witness previously connected to Ryder by Darla Pierson. Serena Jefferson. It’s even more important now that we find her before Ryder does. Let’s go.”

  “Detective…” Bethany sounded unusually uncertain.

  “Time is of utmost importance here, as you can imagine. McCarthy, Harding, I want you to stay here in case she does wake up. Derek, get a BOLO out on Serena? We can’t be sure that Darla didn’t tell anyone about her.”

  There was a way to break everyone. Everyone.

  Jordan spun around to walk away from the scene, Special Agent Russo on her heels.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “That was awkward,” Bethany remarked, and Ellie frantically tried to figure out how the two of them had ended up alone. That’s right, Kate had gone to get coffee, and Bethany…She didn’t seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere, on the contrary. She might have a sadistic streak…or masochistic, Ellie hadn’t yet figured out which one it was. On the bright side, Jordan was obviously holding on, and it looked like they might be able to break the case sometime soon.

  “It’s probably a good thing that we have a moment,” the profiler continued.

  No, not at all. In fact, it’s the opposite of a good thing. Ellie didn’t voice her thoughts, but braced herself for a verbal blow. After all, Bethany had made it clear before that she didn’t see Ellie as a worthy successor.

  “It is?” She couldn’t stop the sarcasm from seeping into her tone.

  “You started studying for the detective’s exam, I assume?” Bethany asked, interested. Two law enforcement officers making friendly conversation, no big deal. Except it was. Where was Kate with that damn coffee?

  “It looks like you’ve taken on a lot lately.” Bethany shook her head in sympathy. Ellie couldn’t imagine it was genuine.

  “You think?” Don’t go there. Don’t take the bait.

  “We don’t have to do this. We’re all adults here, right? Jordan has come a long way, but that latest twist in her family history is really unfortunate. I just wanted to make sure you know she came to see me about Darby…Nothing happened.”

  For two or three heartbeats, Ellie saw herself at the crossroads. She could take the higher road and acknowledge Bethany’s antics for what they were, mind games she would refuse to play. On the other hand…

  “What is wrong with you? I know nothing happened, and you know why? I trust Jordan. I know she’s in love with me. Don’t come to me trying to make small talk when all you want to do is mess with me! We’re fine. Jordan is fine. I’m sorry if you’re not dealing well with this situation, but that’s the way it is. Leave her alone.”

  “Ellie!” She spun around to nearly collide with Kate who was carrying a tray with three coffees, the liquid sloshing inside.

  “What? It’s true!”

  “Maybe this is not the best place…” Kate ventured.

  “She started it!”

  Bethany scoffed. “I agree, McCarthy. There’s a woman in that hospital room that means a lot to Jordan, obviously. You want to be a detective, Harding, and her partner in all things, you have a long way to go. Why don’t you start by growing up?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer from a slack-jawed Ellie, but walked away, her body language conveying triumph.

  Kate sat in one of the visitors’ seats. “Don’t get me wrong, my friend,” she said, “but it’s never boring around you.”

  “I wish boring was a possibility for once.”

  “Yeah.” Kate sighed. “I hear you.”

  Minutes turned into hours, and still there was no news on Darla Pierson’s condition. At some point, Kate nodded off in her chair. Ellie was much too wired after tonight’s events, and that unfortunate conversation. In an ideal world, Jordan would never have to learn about it. The next best thing was if Ellie could tell her before Bethany did. If she wanted Jordan to open up to her, she would have to return the favor.

  She hated how Bethany still made her feel inadequate, on the job, in her relationship with Jordan, even though Ellie knew this was all in her head.

  She saw the doctor hurrying their way, and nudged Kate awake quickly.

  “Officers? Ms. Pierson is awake. She wants to talk to you.”

  Obviously, he wasn’t happy with the idea, but respecting his patient’s wishes. Kate and Ellie shared an uneasy look. This probably meant they had to take this chance, or it might be too late to learn anything from Darla.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Special Agent Russo had joined her into the club, but to Jordan’s relief, he didn’t mind her taking the lead according to the plan she had laid out for him. Charis groaned when Jordan walked towards her table again. “I told you, I haven’t seen her or Serena—and you didn’t even bring your partner this time.”

  “Sorry about that, but he’s busy. So am I, so I’ll make this short. Why don’t you get me downstairs?”

  For a moment, Jordan thought Charis might stick out her tongue. She was glad it didn’t happen. Jordan didn’t have the patience for antics like this, at the moment, or ever.

  “You’re a cop.”

  “So?”

  “I think you know what that means,” a voice said behind her. “Please stop harassing my customers.”

  “Eddie,” she greeted the owner. This bar wasn’t the kind of dump Pratt or her birthparents would hang out in, but he’d still be wary about her presence. He had also given her the occasional discreet tip. For the most part, they favored a peaceful co-existence. “It’s important that I speak to Serena.”

  “Serena who?”

  “Stop bullshitting me. I’m sure you’re aware of a guy named Bud Ryder and the trail of bodies he’s been leaving behind him.”

  After a moment of terse silence, he said, “Serena isn’t here. I hope you find her.”

  “I’ve been told otherwise. Come on, we want the same thing here.”

  “Which is what?” he asked.

  “To keep Serena alive. To make sure what happened to Darla won’t happen to her?”

  “Darla?”

  “She’s in the hospital. Someone beat her within an inch of her life. We think it’s Ryder. You heard about the safe house too? If he and his gang come busting in here, are you prepared for that?” Jordan could tell that he was about to relent. “Let us deal with Serena,” she prompted. “We can protect her. You can’t.”

  “You care about Serena?” he asked.

  “I don’t want anyone else to get killed. B
esides, Ryder isn’t good for business. I hear many folks around here would like to see him go.”

  “You’re going to arrest her?”

  “I want to talk to her, lay out the possibilities. If that’s not possible for me, well, maybe you’d like to talk to my friend with the FBI over there. I’m sure he could find something of interest in here, and I don’t think you’d want that, right?”

  Eddie nodded. “All right. You better not let me down. Come with me.”

  There was likely some illegal gambling going on in one of the rooms downstairs, but it wasn’t why Jordan was here tonight. She waited for Eddie to unlock a door behind the bar and then followed him down two flights of rackety stairs.

  “Fire hazard,” she muttered.

  “Don’t get smart with me, Detective.”

  “Come on, Eddie. That’s my line.”

  He pulled aside a curtain, revealing what was probably originally a storage area, now holding a bed and a chair. Sitting up against the wall, the woman looked up, alarm showing in her eyes when she saw Jordan.

  A frightened woman in a drafty basement held too many dangerous connotations, but Serena Jefferson wasn’t in here because someone had taken her. She was hiding.

  “Hey, Serena. I’m Jordan, a friend of Darla’s.”

  Serena stared back at hear bleakly. “Darla uses that word loosely,” she said. “It tells me nothing.”

  “She says you know where we can find Bud Ryder. Unfortunately, he found her already.”

  “Is she dead?”

  Jordan suppressed a shudder at her matter-of-fact tone. “No, she’s not dead, but last I checked the doctors weren’t certain that she’d make it. Don’t you want this guy off the street?”

  “If he knows I talked to you, he’s going to kill me.”

  “No, that’s not going to happen. You tell me now, and we arrest him. End of story. If we don’t stop him, the killing will continue. Please, let’s do this for Darla.”

  Most of all, Jordan needed to get out of this place that seemed to become more cramped every moment. She felt like she couldn’t breathe properly.

  “Look, Serena, I’m not trying to trick you. We both know Ryder is dangerous, and so are the people he surrounds himself with. Someone has to step up for all of this to end. Upstairs, there’s a Federal agent. He can get you protection, but we need you to work with us.”

  She had made so many promises lately, Jordan felt like a bad liar, but to her relief, Serena nodded. “I will show you, but you have to bring me someplace safe first. It’s not a place you can stumble over by accident. You can’t just go in like that.”

  “How did you escape?”

  “I didn’t,” Serena said. “I hid with one of Eddie’s friends in a trailer park, and she brought me here when one of Bud’s watchdogs came sniffing around and she thought it wasn’t safe.”

  Great idea. Of course, she had firsthand experience that there wasn’t such a thing as a good hiding space in a trailer. If Jordan could find Serena by deduction and elimination, and using a bit of pressure and money, anyone could. In fact, Ryder probably wouldn’t hesitate to use a lot more of both, and come to the same conclusions.

  “That friend, what’s her name? This is where Ryder is going to look first.”

  “Katie, Kathy? She used to deal a bit when she was younger, but she’s not into that anymore. A nice older lady, actually. She actually said I should go to the police, but I was so scared. Hiding at Eddie’s, Bud would get mad for it, but snitching on him.” Serena made a throat-slashing gesture. “You’re finished.”

  Kathy. Jordan felt light-headed. It’s a too damn small world.

  A few minutes later, she caught up with the agent and quickly ushered Serena into the backseat of his car.

  “You’re not coming?” he asked, surprised.

  “I have to go check on something. Get Ms. Jefferson to the department, and don’t let her out of your sight. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  He frowned. “From where?”

  “Something came up,” Jordan said. “I don’t have time to explain.”

  She called for backup in the car. Following a hunch by herself had not served her the last time, even though it had saved a woman’s life. If she was lucky, she could do it again, this time without collateral damage.

  Pratt’s trailer loomed darkly when she arrived on the premises, and Jordan remembered her reluctance to come back to this place, the memories it would inevitably unleash. She hadn’t known half of it.

  This would hopefully be the last time in a long time. Never would be fine too. She drove along the rows of vehicles, telling herself that there was no time to be depressed or sentimental. This wasn’t about her childhood, the precarious dance on something worse to happen, but her adult job.

  If she’d been honest, Jordan had always known that someday, it would involve her birthparents. Unavoidable.

  Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

  “Mom? It’s me. I need to talk to you.” If Kathryn was sulking because Jordan had said no to a cup of coffee, calling her mom would certainly get her attention. She and her husband hadn’t given a damn for so long, Jordan had almost managed to return the sentiment.

  The trailer was silent, though there was a light inside, and a shadow behind the window.

  “Mom? I know you’re there.”

  “It’s not a good time,” Kathryn’s voice floated over to her. “What did you come here for anyway? It’s not like we wanted to see you!”

  It was impossible not to cringe at those words, no matter how clearly the distress. Jordan knocked on the door again. “Let me in,” she demanded, placing her hand on her gun. “Now.”

  “Jordan, please. Leave us alone.”

  Despite the desperate plea, the door sprang open a moment later, revealing Kathryn, her eyes wide in terror, and the man behind her, holding a gun to her head:

  TJ Pratt.

  What a messed up family reunion went through Jordan’s head as she stepped into the narrow space.

  “Drop the gun!” she yelled, knowing immediately that there wouldn’t be a lot of time to make a decision. Pratt might have had backup at the safe house, but he had killed without hesitation or remorse. A former lover—or his biological daughter—would not make any difference to him. “Right now. You might not care about her life, but I can guarantee you, I’m faster than you.”

  Pratt laughed. “I’ll take the chance. See, I told you, Kathy, I was going to kill her. Looks like everything’s going according to plan. There’ll be no witnesses. Sorry, but you have been getting on my nerves for too long.”

  Jordan let him talk, keeping an eye on his trigger finger as she moved closer, slowly, trying to get a better angle on Pratt who was still using Kathryn as a shield.

  “I know this is not about either of us. It’s over, TJ. We got Hobbs, and we’re going to arrest your buddy Ryder tonight. Serena is talking to the cops right now. Darla is going to make it. You lose.”

  “Is that what’s going to make you forget about what the guy did to you in his basement?”

  “You’re sick,” Kathryn spat, and he yanked her hair back hard enough to make her cry out.

  “Maybe, but you know what? No one will care, trailer trash. That’s all you and your whore of a daughter will ever be. Dead whores.”

  Abruptly, he raised the gun and pulled the trigger.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Ellie, there’s no time right now,” Derek Henderson said, about to get into the car with Agent Russo. Maria had already left with Waters. “We have a location on Ryder. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Wait! Darla Pierson is conscious and talking. Is Jordan with you?”

  “No, why?” Ellie Harding hesitated long enough to test his patience. “If you have something to tell me, do it now. Jordan is on the way to see her—Kathryn Larson,” he corrected himself quickly, unsure how much Ellie knew beyond the police reports. “Backup is already on the way. You and McCarthy need
to stay put.”

  “That’s where Pratt is going.”

  “Likely,” he admitted. “I need to go, Harding. Jordan will be fine.” He hoped his promise would hold up, after all Jordan’s situation was beyond complicated. “They were only a few minutes away. Don’t worry.”

  “Okay.”

  “See you.”

  He didn’t blame Ellie for being scared. Both Ryder and Pratt had proven to be completely ruthless, but they’d both go down tonight, no doubt about it.

  * * * *

  Bud Ryder spent a few moments observing the two cops standing in the corner next to Darla Pierson’s room. He could have just as easily sent one of his men, but he wanted to take care of her himself—that would send a message to anyone who was so much as thinking about snitching on him.

  He slipped inside unnoticed thanks to the scrubs he was wearing. He had seen other nurses go in and check on the patient. The trick was to get in and out quickly.

  Pierson was asleep, looking far too good for a person who was supposed to be dead. If you wanted something to be done right, you had to do it yourself…

  He stepped closer to the bed, pointing the gun with the silencer at the woman’s head.

  “Bye-bye, Darla,” he said when the distinct pressure against the back of his own head told him he was not alone in the room anymore.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  In the glass of the window, he could see the cop, a short blonde woman he could probably take out easily.

  He swung around, but she ducked, and the next moment, the other one was in the room, a brunette, taller, training her gun on him as well.

  “Step away from the bed,” she bitched. “You killed my fiancé. I have no problem shooting you right here. My colleague here won’t say anything, neither will Darla, right?”

  “Go to hell,” Pierson spat, and he slowly lowered his gun, cursing himself for letting a couple of rookies get in his way. The blonde put the cuffs on him, reading him his rights. This couldn’t happen. “It’s okay, Kate. We’ve got him.”