Cold Silence (A High Stakes Thriller) (31 page)

Cody bent to the ground and lifted up again. The muscles in her entire body tensed and she felt like she might explode. She did her best to keep moving. Don't hang up. Find out everything she knows. "What did Dmitri say? Anything about where they were?"

"No. He said that his father had wasted six hundred thousand dollars on the boy."

"Where is Dmitri now?"

"He's here."

"Ask him, Jennifer. Ask him where Ryan is."

"I can't."

"Ask him, Jennifer. Fucking ask him now!"

Jennifer began to sob again.

"Calm down, Jennifer. I can't understand you."

"He's dead, Megan. I killed him. He's dead and I killed him. Oh, God."

Cody froze, her chest tight, everything suddenly hot and cramped. "Who, Jennifer? Who did you kill?"

"Dmitri. I shot him. He's dead."

Cody exhaled. She wished she could have shot him herself. "It's okay, Jen. It's going to be okay. Tell me more about Ryan. Where is he? How did they find his kidnapper?"

"They tracked him through some guys in Vegas. The kidnapper owes some money. Oskar found him and offered money for the kid."

"That was it? He didn't say who was coming for Ryan? Or where they were going?"

"Oskar's coming. I don't know who else. A camp in California. That's all they said."

"Call Mei, Jennifer. Call Mei and tell her what's happened. They can help you." You don't deserve it, she thought. "I have to go. I have to find Ryan."

"I'm so sorry," Jennifer cried.

Cody hung up without responding. She spun around and pocketed the phone. The Russians were on their way to get Ryan.

She found the sheriff at the edge of the woods. "I need help and I need it fast."

She turned to the colonel. "Get the map of the cross location of the moths."

The colonel started for the car.

"What moths?" Travis asked.

Cody ignored him. "Get in touch with the Chicago office of the FBI," she told the sheriff. "Ask for Mei Ling and tell her that Ryan Riggs has been kidnapped by Oskar Kirov."

The sheriff looked at Landon and then back again.

"Do you want me to write the names and number down?" she pressed.

The sheriff drew his pen and pad and started scratching notes.

"What moths?" Travis asked again.

The colonel returned with the map. She spread it open on the hood of the car, noticing how poorly her fingers worked in the freezing cold. "I need a list of all the camps within five square miles of the marked area."

"Who the hell are you?"

The question came from Landon, but the sheriff had the same one on his face.

Cody didn't look at either of them. Instead she focused on the colonel. She thought about what was left to lose. Her face was plastered on the news. The police would find her, the Russians would find her, the FBI would find her. It didn't matter. Only Ryan mattered. And she needed to figure out how to get to him as fast as possible. She took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "My name is Megan Riggs. I'm an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I was in the Federal Witness Protection Program after the Russian mob killed my husband and threatened me and my son, Ryan. Now they may have him. We've got about three minutes to get the hell on the road. I'll answer more questions later. Is there anything else that needs to be addressed now?"

No one spoke for a moment. Finally the sheriff said, "What was that number in Chicago again?"

Cody recited it and gave him her cell number to call with the list of camps. Then she turned to the car and handed the keys to the colonel. "Can you drive?"

"Absolutely."

He took the keys as Cody got into the passenger seat, pulled her laptop out of the backseat, and pushed the power.

Travis came to the window. "Wait—"

"Go home, Travis," she said as she shut the door in his face.

She linked her laptop to her cell phone and powered it up to check the website one more time. Kirov had to get there from Chicago. That gave her the advantage of time. She wouldn't consider how fast a chartered or direct flight would be or when he'd actually left. She would reach Ryan in time. She had to.

She knew she was hoping for a miracle.

But damn it, she was due.

Chapter 29

Mei was still in her office at three a.m. She, Steve, Allen, and Andy were trying to retrace everything Jennifer had requested from research over the past four months. Each request was then cross-referenced with their current caseload to see whether it related to a legitimate case or not. Most did not. It was almost unbelievable the quantity of requests she had made using closed or stale case reference numbers.

Two local Chicago police had been sent to Jennifer's apartment, but she hadn't answered the door and they'd finally left to obtain a warrant. Mei couldn't imagine where she was. The task force assigned to the local mob had confirmed that Oskar Kirov had left town with three of his men. There was no record of him flying out of O'Hare or Midway, though, and the police were trying to locate him. Neither of his sons had been located either.

Andy had contacted the San Francisco field office and they had roused two agents from sleep and sent them to the address where Megan Riggs now lived under the name Cody O'Brien. They had called back less than twenty minutes ago to say that the house was vacant and clean.

"Someone's cleaned it very recently. We have some prints, but no personal information," Andy reported, his expression glum. The Russian mob wasn't known for its cleanliness, but Megan's absence had everyone thinking the worst.

When Mei's pager began to vibrate across her desk at quarter to four, the room jolted alive. Mei looked at the local number. "It's Jennifer at home."

Andy pulled the phone toward her and leaned against the desk as she dialed. She sank into her chair and listened to the phone ring. At this late hour, with his shirt unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up, Andy looked even better than he had in the cafe.

Their eyes met and Mei turned away when there was a click on the other end of the phone line.

"Jennifer? It's Mei."

The line was silent except for a ragged breath.

"Jennifer? Are you there? What's going on? Push a button if you can't talk."

Nothing happened.

Mei covered the phone. "She's not responding, but someone's there."

Andy pulled his cell phone off his belt. "Keep her on the line. I'm going to get someone there as fast as I can."

She nodded. "Jennifer, it's Mei. Let's talk. Tell me what's going on."

There was the slightest moan, and it was the first indication Mei had that Jennifer was on the other end of the phone. At least, it sounded female.

Allen pressed the button for the speakerphone and they all listened to the silence.

Steve rolled his hand for her to continue as Mei searched for things to say.

"Jennifer, I know you're scared. I am, too. But I can help you. I know what you were doing. I know you were looking for Megan for those men. I know they were hurting you. But they won't anymore. I swear. We can stop them. I can help you. He won't hurt you again."

"I know," Jennifer said. She made a sound like a giggle, and for a moment, Mei thought this might have been another of Jennifer's cruel jokes. But as Jennifer spoke again, Mei knew it wasn't funny.

"I killed him, Mei."

Allen made a low whistling sound and they all exchanged glances. Mei looked back at the phone. Stay calm, talk her down. "It's okay, Jennifer. Tell me what happened."

"It doesn't matter. It's over. But Oskar's going to get Ryan."

"Ryan?"

"Ryan Riggs." Jennifer sounded breathless, like she'd just run a marathon.

Mei waited impatiently.

"He's been kidnapped, but Oskar is paying the kidnapper." There was another long pause. "Oskar's going to California to get him. This is the revenge for Viktor. From all those years ago, Mei, he still wants revenge."

"Where in California?"

She didn't answer immediately. Finally she said, "I've been thinking and thinking and I can't remember. A camp. I told Megan that, too. It was a camp. That's all I know."

"A camp?" Mei repeated, thinking how many places in California would have fit that description.

Andy came back in. "Five minutes and they'll be there," he whispered.

Mei nodded. "Can you remember anything else about the camp?"

"You can't let them die, Mei. You can't. It's my fault."

"They won't die," Mei said. "Help me find them, Jennifer. We need your help. Who was going out there? Oskar and who else?"

"I don't know. I know he's going to kill them. She hates me, Mei. Megan hates me just like them. They all hate me. And they should. I never thought they should, but now I know it. I know I deserve it. Tiffany was the good one. They knew it but I didn't."

Mei felt Jennifer slipping from her. She tried to focus, to get Jennifer back, like she'd learned in Bureau training. "Jennifer, stay with me. Talk to me. Tell me who they are. How did you find out about Ryan? Who told you?"

Jennifer whimpered. "It was always Tiffany. They knew. It took me all this time to see it."

Who's Tiffany?
Andy mouthed.

Mei shrugged as Jennifer continued. "Dad always said she was the good one and I couldn't see why. Now I know. Tiffany never killed anyone, Mei, but I did. I killed them. I killed them all."

"Jennifer, listen to me. You didn't kill them. It wasn't your fault." She was lying, but she didn't stop. Jennifer would suffer consequences later, but they needed answers first. "Ryan and Megan aren't dead yet. We can help—you and me. Help me help them. Come on, Jennifer."

Mei felt the pressure of Andy's hand on her back and tears welled in her eyes. She blinked hard, cursing her reaction. So American, her mother would say. American women always cried. And it wasn't sadness for Jennifer. Pity, maybe, but mostly fear for Megan and Ryan.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. You can help them. What else did he say about California? What kind of camp?" Jennifer paused for so long, Mei finally said, "Do you remember, Jennifer? Is there anything else you can tell us?"

"God, I don't know. He said standard camp or snow camp," Jennifer said.

They all exchanged looks. "Standard camp?" Mei repeated.

Jennifer mumbled and Mei shook her head. "She's not making sense."

"Ask simpler questions," Andy directed. "Northern or southern California?"

"Jennifer, was he going to San Francisco? Or Los Angeles?" she asked.

It was silent.

Every passing moment made Mei feel tighter, more ready to explode. She'd never dealt with this sort of situation. She measured her breaths and kept trying. "Jennifer, do you remember where they were going?"

"I don't know. I'm so sorry. Please tell Tiffany I'm sorry. She was right. I was wrong." Jennifer's voice grew softer.

"Where the hell are the police?" Allen whispered.

Mei felt herself stiffen. "Jennifer, you can tell Tiffany yourself. You tell her. I'm going to come there. I'm going to stay with you until this is over, okay? Can you hang in there for a minute?"

Jennifer let out a low moan and they could hear knocking behind her.

"It's the police," Andy said. "Tell her."

"Oh, God. They're here."

"It's us, Jennifer. We're there. We're there to help you."

"No, it's them. He came for his snow boots; he was only coming for a few minutes. He wasn't supposed to be gone for so long. They know he's gone. They know I killed him."

"Oh, Jesus," Steve muttered.

The room seemed to spin around her and Mei tried to steel herself against the panic. "Jennifer, it's us. We're there to help you. It's not them. It's us. Can you let us in?"

"Oh, God. No. No. I can't." She was screaming.

Everyone started whispering suggestions to Mei at once.