Suffer (15 page)

“Anything useful?” asked Grey.

“A little,” said Chief with a hint of smug. “We’ve been racking our brains trying to find that connection between Paul and the folks looking to do him harm.”

“Chief,” said Grey, raising himself out of the water.

“Yeah, I found it.”

28

AS GREY REQUESTED, ALL FIVE of Paul’s business partners arrived at the house at the same time in one vehicle. It was 10 a.m. when Grey walked up to the driver’s side window and asked the men to step out of the car. As soon as they did, he directed the driver to park the car at the entrance to the subdivision and wait for his call to retrieve the passengers.

Each man produced ID, but also had to stand in front of the surveillance camera for several seconds as the facial recognition software processed their images. A final verification from Kate via the intercom caused the large wrought iron gates to swing open. Evan and an FBI agent were waiting on the other side at the helm of two golf carts. Few pleasantries were exchanged as everyone knew security was the only priority of the armed men protecting the woman inside. When the carts arrived at the front steps, the first familiar face put them more at ease. They all knew Abby.

“My God, look at you,” said Rob Tanner, Paul’s chief financial officer. “You get more beautiful every time I see you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tanner,” said Abby with a hug. He was one of her favorites.

Her least favorite was right behind him. George Lubberman was Paul’s chief operating officer and a good friend of his since the day the company was born, but he always gave Abby the creeps with his wandering eyes. His hug was brief.

Next in line was Chris Taylor. He was Paul’s head chef and created many of the masterpieces that put his struggling South Beach restaurant back on the map. When he started working for Paul, he was nineteen years old. Grey kept an eye on him as Abby gave the good looking and much younger man his hug. He was pleased to see the wedding ring during the embrace.

Ronnie Perkins followed Chris and was greeted by Abby with a wide smile. She knew the special relationship he had with Paul and remembered him as the guy who was always there for the family. Ronnie and Paul worked tirelessly to create and execute the concept of the first restaurant and then every other project after. He was Kate’s favorite.

The final guest was Kevin Price, Jr. He was the company’s chief accountant, but served many more personal services for the family as well. Paul never spent a dollar without seeking his advice. He had a small accounting firm with several clients when Paul started working with him. It only took a few years before Paul became his sole client.

Abby walked the men into the house and spoke with them as they made themselves comfortable in the main living room. Evan offered drinks as she explained Kate’s condition and requested they keep the visit brief. She also told them about the high level of security in and around the house. If they needed to excuse themselves for any reason, they’d be accompanied by an armed escort.

The conversations came to an abrupt halt as Kate entered the room and each of her guests rose to their feet. She wanted them to see her walking tall and strong under her own power without her cane. Chief was a few steps behind, but not for support if she stumbled.

He was the first line of defense in case one of the guests made a very bad decision. Evan was the second, armed with a semi-automatic pistol sitting beside Abby on one of the three couches. Grey and two FBI agents staged in the hallway thirty feet away with machine guns were the third layer. None of them expected the businessmen to turn into assassins, but they weren’t taking any chances.

“So good to see all of you,” said Kate, commanding the room. “Please don’t be afraid to give me a hug. I won’t break.”

With that icebreaker, each man laughed and made his way to her. It was exactly what Grey asked her not to do. Chief kept his eyes glued to their target, and his fingers gripped the handle of his holstered weapon. The mass greeting subsided without incident, and Kate made her way to her seat.

“I want to thank each of you for making the trip today,” said Kate. “I know our requests not to wear jackets, leave your cellphones, and arrive in the same car were a little odd, but the man responsible for all this is still out there. We have to be careful.”

“I’m just sorry it has to be this way, Kate,” said Rob. “You’re a prisoner in your own home. I’m so sorry for everything. I miss Paul every day, but I can’t imagine what you must be feeling.”

“Like a survivor,” replied Kate. “We all are, and we have to keep moving forward or he wins. That’s why I wanted you all to be here today. We need to move forward.”

“If you’re talking about the sale of the company, it’s the last thing you need to worry about,” said Ronnie. “It can wait.”

“Thank you, Ronnie. But I don’t want it to wait. You all worked so hard to get to this point in your lives, and you have your own families to take care of. I won’t let anything delay Paul’s intention to give you what you deserve.”

“I don’t feel comfortable talking about this right now,” said Chris. “We should be focusing on helping you get better and feel safe again. I think we should table the sale at least until this animal is caught. You’ve been through too much.”

“That’s very sweet, Chris. But helping to make Paul’s wish come true is helping me get better and feel stronger. He loved all of you like you were his brothers. He’d want this to happen in spite of everything else. Besides, it’s now solely my decision to make, and I’ve already made it. I’ll be signing the papers today. I need to do this in order to move on with what’s left of my life.”

“I’d give every penny I have to bring Caleb and Paul back,” said George with tears welling. “I know that sounds stupid, but I hate that there’s nothing we can do. I feel so damn helpless.”

“So did I, George,” said Kate. “But I don’t feel helpless anymore. We’re going to find everyone responsible for killing my son and husband. And when we do, I’ll make them pay in a way they never imagined possible. It’s the only reason why I’m still alive; it’s the only reason why I fight every day to get stronger. Because every day I’m getting closer to finding out who they are.”

Kate was continuing to do everything Grey instructed her not to do. One of the men responsible was sitting a few feet away from her. If he had any suspicion that Kate knew he was involved, he had the means to flee the country and make their job of hunting him more difficult. Chief was equally as stunned at her display, and to Grey’s relief, stepped in to end the meeting.

“Gentlemen, we already called your driver and he’s on his way to pick you up at the gate,” said Chief. “Our lovely host has a date with the gym she can’t miss. I’m sure she’d like to use you as an excuse, but it’s my job to be the bad guy and not let that happen.”

Kate’s guests looked confused, but didn’t resist the Chief dismissing them. He moved in closer as each man stood again and walked toward her to give their farewells. If at any point their target was agitated enough to make that bad decision, she handed him the opportunity. Grey and the agents concealed themselves as the men walked through the hall to the front entrance. When they were gone, he reappeared and headed for Kate with a purposeful stride.

“What were you thinking?” asked Grey like a father speaking to a child.

“That it would feel good sitting eye to eye with the man who started all this,” said Kate in a disturbing tone. “That it would feel good knowing he’d have to sit there and take it while I threatened him. I wanted him to feel helpless – and he was.”

Grey handed his rifle to one of the agents and sent everyone out of the room. He took a seat on the couch farthest away from her. “How long have you known?”

“Three weeks,” said Kate.

“Why in the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“I wasn’t sure what you would do with the information,” replied Kate. “You certainly wouldn’t have allowed him to sit right across from me on the couch. At the time, I thought you’d just pass it along to the other investigators.”

“What are you doing, Kate?” asked Grey. “This little personal victory of yours may send him into hiding, but the real damage is that guy who actually hurt you will know something is wrong. He may be more aware and less likely to make the mistake we need him to make. You fucked up, Kate. Do you even realize that?”

“I didn’t fuck up, Grey, and you know it. You know that sick bastard is close and will stay that way until I’m dead. You call it a little personal victory. I call it my first step to actually recovering.”

“It was a bad decision, plain and simple,” said Grey. “You want us to bring them to you and we agreed, but you’ve been holding back information that could help us do the job. Your stunt today makes me think you’re not ready to face them.”

“They took my son,” said Kate, raising her voice. “They took my husband. They took my blood, my flesh, my eye, and they tried to take my life. Today, they didn’t take anything from me. I took from them.”

“Perfect,” said Grey. “Then we’re done here. You got what you wanted.”

She turned away, shook her head, and started to laugh. “I love you, Grey, but you have a short memory. I told you I’d do this with or without you. That hasn’t changed. You’re sitting there trying to scold me for something you can’t even begin to understand. I don’t need you or anyone else to understand what I’m doing, but I am going to try and give you a tiny glimpse as to why I needed this.”

“Please,” said Grey. “I’m all ears.”

“You know Ronnie is far too arrogant to think that we know it was him,” said Kate. “But he’s also smart enough to know something odd happened here today. He’s riding in that car right now and he’s not saying a word, but he is thinking.

“He’s trying to process and decode every word I said. He’s going over everything he’s done to make sure he didn’t make a mistake. But he can’t deny I was in control and he wasn’t. That means more to me than you know. It’s what will keep me focused and driven from here to the end.”

Grey stood and closed the distance between them. He wanted to be sitting beside her and looking into her eyes when she spoke. He wanted her to know he was listening to every word.

“When he gets home and sits down for dinner with his beautiful five-year-old daughter and his charming wife, he won’t be thinking about how lucky he is to have them. He’ll still be thinking about me. And after he enjoys an evening with his family that is still alive, he’ll brush his teeth and get ready for bed like he has since the day he hired that psychopath to murder my family – and he’ll still be thinking about me.

“When he lays his head down, he won’t be able to sleep because of what you called my little personal victory. But me, I’m going to sleep like a baby. Today, I stopped being a victim.”

29

HE DIDN’T MIND THE EXTRA weight of a fanny pack holding a remote, cell phone, gun, and spare clip when he turned the corner on the last stretch of road to the house. The only thing slowing Grey down on his morning run was his thirty-nine-year-old knees. He ran to stay in shape, but he also used the time alone to process random thoughts that needed to find a home. It also allowed him to learn the typical morning routines of his neighbors and the model of every car parked in the driveways. Nothing escaped his survey.

On that morning, he had a difficult time clearing his mind and taking mental notes on daily activity along his route. The two women in the house were the primary reason. Trying to understand why Kate was being both elusive and welcoming took up a majority of his thoughts. Abby in the pool took up the rest. All thoughts of them disappeared when he saw the unmarked police cruiser parked at the front.

Grey picked up his pace while removing the cell phone from his pack. He looked down on the screen and saw no missed calls or messages. He stowed his phone and removed the remote to open the pedestrian gate located beside the larger vehicle entrance. He didn’t slow his stride as he ran past the parked cruiser. He noticed the government license plate was from Monroe County. He shot up the stairs to the front door knowing who was inside with Kate.

Sheriff Doyle was accepting a cup of coffee from Abby when he entered the living room. Kate was sitting across from him with Chief by her side. Evan was leaning in the doorway to the kitchen and was the first to notice Grey.

“Good morning, Rocky,” greeted Evan with a smile.

“Why didn’t you call me?” asked Grey, ignoring Evan.

“I asked that he leave you alone while you were running,” replied Kate, patting Chief’s knee.

Sheriff Doyle thanked Abby and took a sip of his coffee. Grey surveyed the room and made sure no other visitors were inside. He took a moment to catch his breath and walked up to the sheriff. “Next time you call me before you decide to drop by. I don’t care what anyone else says.”

“I can do that,” said Sheriff Doyle, placing his cup on a coaster. “I apologize for not knowing the routine. Kate knew I was coming this morning, but I’ll be sure to call you as well in the future.”

“Good,” said Grey, “it’s the only way you’re gonna be allowed on the property.”

“Grey,” said Kate, sensing his irritation, “this is my fault. I simply didn’t want to disturb you. It won’t happen again, I promise. Please, come sit down. Sheriff Doyle was about to let us know how the case is progressing.”

Grey sensed there was more going on in the room than a simple visit from the lead investigator of her case. He could hear it in Kate’s calming voice and see it in Chief’s sympathetic eyes. Once again, Grey found himself on the outside looking in on another situation. Instead of confronting Kate and Chief on the spot, he conceded that they must have a good reason. He didn’t like it, but he was beginning to understand who was in control.

He took a seat next to Kate on the couch and narrowed his eyes when Sheriff Doyle’s face came into full view. The room was large and he was sitting twenty feet away, but he could still see the despair. Doyle’s usual clean-cut military appearance was disheveled. White stubble brightened his face and emphasized the dark circles under his eyes. Grey was familiar with the signs and knew he hadn’t slept in days.

“We found the bodies of Dr. Singer’s wife and the woman seen with Gregory Kirsk,” said Sheriff Doyle. “They were discovered by a hunter in shallow graves off an ATV trail in the Everglades. Obviously, that was enough evidence for us to connect the two cases. The way they were…found confirmed we’re dealing with a man who has no boundaries.”

“What does that mean?” asked Abby, not letting him off the hook.

When Doyle reached down to pick up his cup, everyone in the room could see his hand shaking. They could also see him concentrating while trying to get it to his mouth without spilling. Grey decided to throw the sheriff a lifeline and started his answer for him.

“Things like him are called many different things, Abby,” said Grey. “A sociopath, a psychopath, or even the tame label of having an Antisocial Personality Disorder. But the bottom line is, our guy is pure evil.”

“They were tortured for hours, maybe even days,” said Sheriff Doyle, regaining his composure. “We lost count of the cuts and puncture wounds. Several body parts were severed but we found them buried with them. The coroner told me they felt most of the pain until he ended both of them with deep lacerations across their throats.”

“Oh, my God,” said Abby. “Why?”

“You’ll never be able to understand why,” said Grey. “Whatever he is, there is no treatment and no recovery. He’s going to stay that way, regardless if he’s locked up. Unlike you or me, he doesn’t have the mental capacity to feel guilt or remorse. He doesn’t follow the laws of man or nature. He only follows whatever it is inside his sick mind that drives him. What makes him more dangerous is that he has an agenda.”

“Is Kate that agenda?” asked Abby.

“Yes, she is,” said Grey. “Killing those two women, Gregory Kirsk, and whoever else gets in his way is part of the task he needs to complete. They were inconsequential once they became of no value to him. And once they did, they became toys. They were dead the moment they interacted with him.”

“His brain doesn’t work like ours,” added Chief. “I disagree with Grey about them having no value when they finish the task. I believe that’s the real value to him. Simply putting a bullet in their head would be wasteful. He wants to make them feel everything he’s doing to them. It satisfies that part of his brain we can’t comprehend. He gets off on making them suffer.”

“No, no, I agree with you, Chief,” said Grey. “Obviously you’ve been studying. That’s definitely their personal value to him. That’s why nobody makes it out alive. Whoever he gets ahold of, he’s incapable of letting them live.”

Grey turned his attention to Sheriff Doyle. His head was lowered and turned to the side as if he didn’t want to hear the truth about the unsub. When he noticed Grey stopped talking, he raised his head. But at that point, it was impossible for him to hide his pain. It was also the moment Grey figured out the unsub had taken somebody he loved. Sheriff Doyle became the most dangerous person in the room.

“Is there anything else, Sheriff?” asked Grey.

“No, I thought Kate needed to know,” he replied. “I don’t have anything else. Our forensic team is processing the evidence we recovered from the gravesites, but it doesn’t look like he left anything obvious behind. I’ll be sure to let you know if we find anything. Until then, I don’t recommend you leave the property.”

“I appreciate you making the trip to tell me,” said Kate. “Please pass on my condolences to Dr. Singer and his family. I can’t help but feel partly responsible for his wife’s death. You’re absolutely right, Sheriff. This man has no boundaries.”

Sheriff Doyle stood, but didn’t look anyone in the eye as he gathered his things to leave. Chief followed him out and drove him to the front gate where his vehicle was parked. It seemed the only rule everyone followed. No vehicles were allowed past the gate unless they were driven by Chief or Grey. Chief stopped the golf cart at the pedestrian entrance.

“You look like hell, Conrad,” said Chief. “You need to try and get some sleep.”

“No, sleep isn’t what I need, Tony,” said Sheriff Doyle.

“What do you need? We may be able to help you,” said Chief, turning to his old friend and trying to force the statement with his eyes. “We don’t have to follow rules anymore, Conrad. Just like that monster doesn’t. It makes us more effective.”

Sheriff Doyle turned to face Chief with an open mouth as if he was trying to speak but couldn’t form the words. The sheriff knew the chance of his daughter surviving her captivity was unlikely. But for the moment, he knew she was still alive. It was enough to keep him from accepting Chief’s offer. If the unsub knew the sheriff was seeking help, she’d end up like the two women he found in the shallow graves.

“Take care of yourself, Tony,” said Sheriff Doyle. “Don’t trust anyone and watch your back.”

“You know I will.”

Chief stood at the gate and watched Sheriff Doyle’s sedan disappear around the corner. He returned to the main room to find everyone sitting in silence. “Well, that was interesting.”

“Abby and Evan, I need to speak to Kate and Chief alone,” said Grey.

“We talked about this last night,” said Evan before Grey finished his last word. “Don’t start backing out now.”

“I’m not leaving either,” said Abby. “You can’t keep dismissing me like I have no idea what’s going on here.”

“I really don’t need this shit right now,” said Grey, rubbing his face with both hands. “So how about cutting me a little fucking slack here and give me the room.”

“I suspected he might be involved in some way,” said Kate in a calming voice. “I asked Chief a few days ago to track down the sheriff’s family and anyone close to him. Chief seemed like the logical choice for the task since he’s known him for most of his career. It was only a hunch, Grey.”

“We’ve gone over this time and time again, Kate. If you keep shutting me out of what you’re planning, then I can’t help.”

“Yes, you can, Grey,” said Kate. “But it’s not your time.”

“What does that mean?”

“Are you not here for me?” asked Kate, reaching out for Grey to sit beside her.

“Of course I am.”

“I know each of you thinks that I’m different now. You think I’m not acting rationally or considering my own safety. And you would all be correct.”

Her words startled everyone except Chief. He had known where she was willing to go and what she was willing to do ever since their conversation after she woke from her coma. All subsequent conversations were about business. He knew the only reason she wanted to survive without her family was to find the killer and make him pay.

“I’m not thinking rationally because he doesn’t. I’m not considering my own safety because I have you here to do that for me,” said Kate, taking Grey’s hand. “When you worked on cases for the FBI, you had to get inside the head of the criminal. That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

“I was trained to do that, Kate.”

“No, you weren’t. It’s an ability you’ve had even before you became an agent, and don’t tell me otherwise, Grey.”

“I hate going there,” said Grey. “And I hate the thought of you going there. It’s a very dark and lonely place to find yourself. You never really come back; it changes you.”

“He changed me,” said Kate. “He changed me from the mother of Caleb and the wife of Paul to a childless widow. Kate Freeman died the night of the attack and she’s gone forever. What I am now is the woman who’s going to make sure he dies as well.

“Abby, Evan, and Chief know what I’m going to do and they’re still here. You’re the only one who doesn’t know and I’m afraid it may drive you away, but we have to move forward now. I hope you’re still here when we do.”

Grey looked around the room at the faces staring back at him. He could see the intensity in their eyes and feel their resolve like electricity flowing throughout the house. He knew they all wanted him to stay. He needed to find out if he could.

“Tell me what you’re planning,” said Grey. “This time tell me everything.”