The Vision (32 page)

left,” Victor said.

“But then you went back,” Suarez said.

“I did not,” Victor protested.

“Imagine the needle slipping into your arm,” Mertz warned. “They say it’s better than

Old Sparky. Hey, Suarez, remember when that guy went to the chair and his hair caught

fire?”

“Yeah. Why the hell he had hair at an electrocution, I don’t know,” Suarez replied,

shaking his head. “They say the needle is much better. They say you’re unconscious

before the heart goes into agony and the lungs shut down. But imagine what it must be

like. Being strapped down. Feeling the needle. Knowing what’s going on.”

“For the last time, I didn’t murder anyone, don’t you get that?” Victor demanded.

“Was murdering a real woman kind of like chopping up that mannequin? Or are you

going to tell us you didn’t do that, either?” Mertz demanded.

“I need a lawyer,” Victor said.

“You’re not under arrest,” Mertz said.

“Because you don’t have any evidence, do you, assholes?” Victor demanded, standing.

His temper had finally burst. “I’m out of here—unless you think you can arrest me.”

Mertz grinned. “In that case, you’re under arrest.”

“For murder?” Victor asked incredulously.

“Theft,” Suarez said with a shrug.

“What?” Victor said.

“The mannequin,” Mertz said.

“But I didn’t steal the mannequin,” Victor protested.

“You broke it up and dumped it, right? Your friend Genevieve told Gonzalez all about

it,” Suarez reminded him.

“And she was going to pay for it, and no charges were going to be filed,” Victor

reminded them.

Suarez smiled grimly. “Imagine that. She was going to pay for it. Miss Wallace. She’s a

good friend, buddy. A real good friend. But she can’t save you now. Trust me, we will

find out the truth.”

“If you want the truth, you should be out there looking for it. If you want to arrest me, do it—and get me a damned lawyer. If not, I’m leaving.”

“We are going to arrest you,” Mertz said.

Victor groaned.

“We’ve gotten the shopkeeper to file charges,” Suarez informed him.

Victor slumped back into his seat.

“That is bullshit,” he informed them.

“Hey, the mannequin was stolen. It was in your cottage. Miss Wallace found you

breaking it up. Is that what you really wanted to do with the women you killed, Victor?

Slice them up?”

“I didn’t kill anyone,” Victor said.

“We think you did. We think there are more.”

“You think. You think! Think whatever you want, but you don’t have anything on me—

you can’t have anything on me—because I didn’t do it.” Was this how most confessions

were obtained? Torture was no longer legal, so he’d heard, but with both these guys right

on top of him…

Shit. He could begin to question his own sanity.

“But you did steal the mannequin,” Mertz said.

“No, I didn’t.”

“You just chopped it up. Murdered it. Like you murdered those hookers.”

“If I’m under arrest, I want a lawyer. Now.”

“You should talk to us. We can get you a deal, keep you from the needle. No matter how

many hookers you’ve killed,” Mertz said.

Victor gritted his teeth. “I want a lawyer. Now. I know my rights.” An idea occurred to

him. “Hey, you guys forgot to read me my Miranda rights.”

Score one for him. The detectives stared at each other.

Mertz began to drone out the Miranda rights.

Damn Genevieve. What had made her feel she had to go to Jay, confess that they had

ditched the mannequin? She couldn’t have known it would come to this. Still…

His hands twitched.

He fought the urge to throttle her.

Because everyone was talking, because everything was such a disaster, Genevieve had

suggested they all get showered and cleaned up and come over to her house.

“A party?” Bethany had asked incredulously.

“No! But the police said they’re going to question us, so they can find us all there.”

The look on Thor’s face had indicated that he wasn’t fond of the idea, but she had already

spoken. And so, by the late afternoon, they had all gathered at her place.

They talked in circles. “So what do you think Marshall having disappeared has to do with

all this?” Alex asked.

“I wonder why they haven’t called the rest of us in,” Bethany murmured.

“I wonder why the hell they’re keeping Victor so long,” Jack mused aloud.

“I’m going to call the station and find out what’s going on,” Genevieve said, starting to

rise.

Thor, at her side, placed a hand on hers. “What do you think?” he asked dully.

“They can’t seriously suspect Victor,” she said, horrified.

“They can,” Brent said, leaning forward. “Genevieve, Victor knew the woman you

found.”

“So what? That’s just circumstantial. I think.”

“Right. And Victor would be smarter. He would have done a better job getting rid of the

body,” Bethany said.

“Bethany!” Genevieve protested angrily.

“What? It’s not like I think Victor did this,” she protested.

“No, it wasn’t Victor,” Alex said.

“No way,” Jack agreed.

“You guys don’t have any answers?” Lizzie asked, staring at Brent and Nikki.

“If we had them,” Brent said, “trust me, we’d be sharing them.”

They all nearly jumped sky-high when Thor’s cell phone rang.

“Thompson,” he said briefly.

He rose as he listened to the speaker, pacing toward the front of the house.

Out of earshot, Genevieve thought.

He snapped his phone shut after a minute. “I’m going to see Professor Sheridan,” he said.

“I’ll be back. If anyone hears anything…”

“We’ll call you right away,” Lizzie promised.

Looking at him, Genevieve nodded.

She was surprised when Brent stood. “Mind if I go along?”

She was even more surprised when Thor studied him for a minute, then shrugged. “Suit

yourself.” He turned to the others.

“See you soon,” he said to the room in general. Then he hesitated, before looking back at

Genevieve. “Let’s take a ride somewhere later tonight, huh?”

“All of us?” Bethany asked, frowning.

“I meant Genevieve,” Thor said.

“Bethany, they want to be alone,” Alex said.

“Oh! Of course,” Bethany said. But then she frowned. “Now? In the middle of all this?”

“If Victor is delayed, Bethany, you can room with Brent and me,” Nikki said.

“Thanks, but—”

“I can get you a room at the hotel,” Adam said, sensing her unease.

“Thank you, but I’m sure Victor will be back.” Her words carried more conviction than her tone.

“Adam, want to come along?” Thor asked, really stunning Genevieve.

“I’ll keep watch here, thanks,” Adam said. “In fact, I’m quite capable in the kitchen. I’ll

throw something together for dinner.”

“All right. We’ll be back,” Thor said.

Genevieve watched him go with growing concern. Audrey was missing. Marshall was

still a no-show. Victor was down at the police station—and their group had now

discovered two corpses.

She didn’t know what was going on, but she knew it sucked.

“That was Sheridan on the phone?” Brent asked as they drove.

“Yes.”

“And…? This have something to do with the murders?”

“No. He’s started working with some of the letters from the box Gen found. He’s treating

them with something—I don’t really understand the preservation of paper—and he’s

been translating them from Spanish into English.” Thor shrugged. “He’s…an oddball.

The type who feels you live by the sword, you die by the sword, and those women were

living by the sword due to their profession. The present never interests him much. His

biggest feeling seems to be irritation that the murders are disrupting the dive.”

Brent lifted a hand. “Some people are like that.”

There were several long moments of silence before Thor turned abruptly to Brent. “You

know a lot about…ghosts, right?” he asked, unable to keep his tone from being slightly

dry.

“I know this is really hard for you. That you aren’t the type to believe in anything except

what you see and touch yourself.”

“You just made me sound completely closed-minded.”

Brent grinned easily. “I didn’t mean that. It’s a tough world. You’re a pretty tough guy. I

wouldn’t expect you to believe in the occult. You’re a man who makes his living in the

real world. It wouldn’t do a lot for your reputation if you went around talking about pirate ghosts.”

“I try not to spend my time protecting my reputation,” Thor said.

“We do that to an extent. How do you think Adam has acquired his contacts and his

ability to slip his people in wherever he chooses?” Brent asked.

“Okay, you’ve got a point. But what the hell good is any of this doing? Genevieve sees ghosts—but I don’t think it’s any ghost murdering those women. So where is any of this

getting us?”

“I’m hoping what Sheridan has discovered might be of some help,” Brent said.

“I hope so, too. Though, realistically speaking, I don’t see how it can solve the current

problem.”

“I’ve never claimed to have all the answers,” Brent said.

“No, you haven’t,” Thor murmured. He bore a grudging admiration for the other man that

continued to grow. He had an ability to hold his temper and still stand his ground.

“Tell me more about Adam Harrison,” Thor said abruptly.

“Adam? The last of the great gentlemen?” Brent said gruffly, his affection for the man

evident. He lifted his hands. “He was born on a working plantation in Virginia to a family

with a long history in politics. His wife died soon after the birth of their only son, and his son was killed in an accident after his high school prom. He was kind of like Harry

Houdini, I guess, desperate to believe there was life after death.”

“To the best of my knowledge, Houdini spent most of his life unmasking charlatans,”

Thor commented.

Brent smiled noncommittally.

“And he never made it back himself?”

“I have no idea.”

“So you can’t summon up whoever you choose?”

“No.”

“I see.”

“No, actually, you don’t, and you don’t need to humor me. I don’t really care if you

believe in an afterlife or not,” Brent said. “I’m not trying to argue. I just know what I can and can’t do, and your opinion isn’t going to change it any.”

“So Harrison Investigations is completely on the up-and-up?” Thor murmured.

“I’m sure you know it is. I’m sure you used some of your own contacts to check.”

“Of course I did.”

“But you still don’t really trust us.”

“You’re ghost hunters.”

“We’re not con men,” Brent said.

“I’m still trying to figure out what the story is with my seeing a boy claiming to be Josh Harrison,” Thor said.

“You probably did see Josh,” Brent told him casually.

“A ghost.”

“Yes, a ghost.”

“Josh Harrison, son of Adam, ghost,” Thor murmured. “I guess you’re going to tell me

you’ve seen him, too.”

“I’m seeing him right now.”

“Excuse me?” Thor demanded, his brow furrowing.

“He’s in the back seat.”

“What?”

Thor turned around.

He nearly drove off the highway.

Brent was telling the truth.

The boy was seated in the back seat, right behind Brent.

“Shit!” Thor gasped.

“Maybe I should drive,” Brent said.

“All right,” Jack said, rising. “I can’t do this. I can’t just sit around. Anyone want to join me? I’m going to hit some of the bars and find out myself if anyone has seen Audrey

anywhere, or if she said anything to anyone.”

“I’m going to try Audrey’s numbers again, just in case,” Genevieve said. She pulled out

her cell, since she felt the need to pace while she talked.

All three numbers rang until Audrey’s recorded voice asked for a message.

Genevieve flipped the phone shut, shaking her head.

“So we look for her,” Jack said.

“If she had her phone…if she were reachable…she’d answer. She’d call me,” Genevieve

said. “I’m so worried.”

“C’mon, she’s a brunette, not a blonde. Just like you, Gen,” Alex pointed out.

“And she’s a quack, not a hooker,” Jack reminded them cheerfully.

“I’m still worried,” Genevieve said.

Jack walked over and gave her a hug. “We all are. And I’m restless. I know she’s

probably not barhopping, but we’re not doing any good, all of us sitting around here, just

waiting. We’ll see if she did run into someone else. Who knows, maybe there’s a relative

somewhere we don’t know about who suddenly called because they needed her. Maybe

she had to go to the aid of one of her clients. Maybe she really conjured up a ghost

or…well, who the hell knows. But maybe, just maybe, we can find something out.

Anyone want to join me?”

Zach rose, reaching a hand down to his wife. “Sure. Though we don’t know the locals

like you do.”

Alex rose. “Yeah, we need to do something.” He looked at Genevieve ruefully. “I think I

need to move, too. I’m going to go with Jack, too, if you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. But I’m going to hang in here until I hear from Victor or Thor.”

Bethany laughed. “I’m staying with my new best friend,” she said, indicating Adam.

“We’ll call you if we hear anything,” Jack promised as he and the others filed out.

There was silence for a minute after they left. Then Genevieve picked up the plates.

Adam had concocted an interesting hash out of the leftovers from the barbecue, and

everyone had eaten heartily. “I’ll just put these in the kitchen,” she said.

Nikki rose with her. “I’ll help. Move it along.” She glanced at Adam. “Actually, Gen,