Forced to Kill (22 page)

“What did your husband do before he owned the construction management firm?”

“He was an Air Force officer.”

“Was he a pilot?”

“No. He worked at NORAD. Something to do with satellites and thermal imaging.”

He looked at Harv and received a slight nod.

Harv stepped forward. “Ms. Dalton, you’re one of the bravest women I’ve ever met. I mean it. I’m not just saying it to patronize you.”

“I don’t feel very brave right now. I’m scared for my girls.”

“We’re going to find them. Do you know if Duane was in Washington when your kidnapper forced you to contact him?”

“No, he was in Eastern Europe, at one of his job sites. I don’t know exactly where.”

“How long ago did you make that call?”

“I think around three days. I’m not sure how long I’ve been here. They kept me in there the entire time except to use the bathroom.”

“Have you been in contact with Duane since?”

“No. But he talked to the girls. I heard them talking through the ceiling. They sounded really scared.”

“When was that?”

“Yesterday sometime.”

“Was that the last time you saw your kidnapper or your girls?”

“Yes.”

“Did the man say anything about where he was going next?”

“No, but I overheard bits and pieces of their conversation. I’m sure I heard San Diego a few times. Is any of this going to help you find them?”

“Yes, absolutely.” Harv paused to think for a moment. “I have one more question about your ex-husband. You said he only saw his daughters on occasion. Did he
ever
come out here to see them?”

“A few times.”

“Okay, now do you have any idea where Duane usually stayed when he came to San Diego?”

Nichole thought for a moment. “He stays in a really big house in the Lomas Santa Fe area. I think it’s a friend’s.”

“Have you ever been there?” Harv asked.

“Three or four times. Just to drop off or pick up the girls. Never inside.”

“Can you tell us where it is?”

She took another drink of water. “I only remember turning onto El Camino Real from Via de la Valle. It’s a few miles up.”

“Is there anything about the property that stands out? Anything you remember?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re doing fine.” Harv paused. “Think you can re-create the step-by-step process you went through when the kidnapper made you call Duane?”

Nathan knew Harv had purposely changed directions. Debriefing often employed this method. New memories could trigger older ones.

“I think so,” she said. “He set up the video camera and connected it to his laptop. He made me call Duane and then made him connect to a Web site so he could see me. Then he took the phone. I couldn’t hear what Duane said.”

“What did he say to Duane?”

She shook her head. “I was so scared.
I don’t remember.
”

“I want you do a breathing exercise with me, okay? Close your eyes and take a deep breath. I want you to let it out slowly. We’ll do it together.…  Breathe in deep, and let it out slowly. Let your pain recede into the background. Listen to my voice and picture a dark blue color, like a twilight sky. Take another deep breath and let it out slowly. See the twilight sky in your mind. Let’s take another deep breath together. Let it out slowly. Deep breath. Out slowly. One more time.”

Nathan watched Nichole’s expression ease.
Atta boy, Harv
. His partner was so good at this kind of thing that even Grangeland’s expression seemed to ease.

“Keep your eyes closed and picture the twilight sky. Concentrate on my voice. Take another deep breath and let it out slowly.” Harv’s tone had taken on a soothing, melodic cadence. Nathan found himself deep breathing with Nichole. “Rewind your thoughts. Go back to the call. Picture yourself as you were at the time and see the event as it unfolds. He took the phone from you and spoke to Duane. What happened next?”

“He said something about being attacked, asked if Duane knew about it.”

Harv waited.

“He wouldn’t let Duane ask any questions. He shocked me with a stun gun to make Duane talk. It was horrible. Duane said something to him and he covered me with a sheet.”

“What happened next?”

“He said he’d keep his men away from us if Duane cooperated. He held a box of condoms up to the camera. I was so scared my girls were going to be raped.”

“I know this is painful to relive, but you’re helping us a lot. What happened next?”

“He brought my girls into the room. He told me he’d kidnapped them, but he never let me see them. Before that, I could only hear them upstairs. They were so scared. He taped my mouth closed.” She began to cry again.

Nathan shook his head at Montez’s cruel methods.

Harv continued. “Keep you eyes closed. What happened next?”

“He said he didn’t care about Duane. He wanted someone else.”

“Okay, I want you to keep your eyes closed. Take another deep breath and let it out slowly. Everything you’re remembering will help us find your girls. Let’s drive to the house in Lomas Santa Fe together. You turn north on El Camino Real and go up the hill. Do you remember crossing any streets with stop signs? Anything like that?”

“Yes, we went past a stop sign, but I don’t know the street’s name.”

“Don’t worry about that. What does the house look like?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen it. Duane didn’t want me to drive up.”

“You can’t see it from the street?”

“No.”

“So you drop the girls off at the driveway and they walk up to the house?”

“It’s a safe neighborhood. Duane meets them at the top of the driveway.”

“The house is above the street?”

“Yes.”

“What does the driveway look like? Is it asphalt or concrete?”

“No. It’s made of bricks.”

“Bricks? Or pavers? Maybe interlocking pavers?”

“Yes, pavers.”

“Does the property have a fence?”

“Yes.”

“A rail fence?”

“Yes. It’s white.”

“You’re doing great, Ms. Dalton. Is there an electric gate to get in?”

“Yes.”

“Which side of the street is it on?”

“The right side.”

“Okay, picture the entrance in your mind. You pull up to the driveway and stop. The electric gate is on the right. The girls get out. Can they walk around the gate?”

“Yes, it’s just to stop cars.”

“Is the gate white too?”

“I don’t remember.”

“What else do you see? Does the entrance have anything architectural? An arch, maybe some stone columns? Anything like that?”

“A stump.”

“Stump? What do you mean?”

“There’s a big eucalyptus stump next to the gate.”

“From a cut-down tree?”

“The girls wanted to know why the owner did it.”

“It’s cut pretty low to the ground?”

“They can climb on it.”

Harv looked his way. He pointed to his wrist.

“Thank you, Ms. Dalton,” Harv said. “You can open your eyes now.”

Nathan took over, moving closer to Nichole Dalton and gently taking her hand. “You’ve given us really helpful information. The man who kidnapped you is very resourceful. If we take you to a hospital, the police will get involved. The news media monitor police and fire frequencies. Lots of people do the same thing with scanners. We’re going to tend to your needs outside the normal chain of the EMS. It’s the only way to ensure you’ll remain hidden and safe. You need to trust us. What I’m about to say may sound insensitive based on everything you’ve been through, but it’s not my intent. Okay?”

She nodded.

“I know your cuts are painful, but they’re not life threatening. You’re in no danger of dying. It’s important we keep you completely hidden. Harv and I know a doctor. He’s a very skilled plastic surgeon who can suture you up much better than an ER doctor. He’ll get you on antibiotics too. You’ll be in very good hands. I promise. You need to trust us, okay?”

“I
do
trust you. You just rescued me. But what about my girls?”

“Like I said, you need to trust us. While you’re being treated, we’re gonna be busy.”
Time for a white lie
. “I promise we’re going to find your girls. All those questions you answered help us a lot. It’s also the reason for the secrecy I mentioned. We don’t want their kidnapper to know we’re closing in on him. I promise to have you out of here in the next ten minutes or so. I can’t tell you everything, but there are other people who’ll want to talk to you about your kidnapper.”

“The NSA.”

“Probably the CIA and FBI too. We can insulate you for a while, but you’ll eventually have to talk to them.”

“I don’t understand any of this. It’s like a bad dream. I keep thinking I’ll wake up in my bed and none of this will be real.”

“That’s a normal thing to feel. Ms. Grangeland is going to stay with you while Harvey and I talk to those men out there. I promise this won’t take long.”

Nathan motioned for Harv to follow him out of the room. “She’s not a spook.”

“I agree,” Harv said.

“We need to find out which one of those goons is in charge and get Montez’s phone number.”

Chapter  31

The great and powerful Duane Dalton—a truly pathetic sight—broken and sobbing like a child. Not so great or powerful anymore. Yet something bothered Montez. He didn’t feel a sense of satisfaction with Dalton like he had with Kramer. He supposed it might have something to do with familiarity. Over the last six years, he’d had frequent contact with Kramer. Interrogating Kramer had been… what? Enjoyable? No, that wasn’t the right word.
Satisfying
. He’d always sensed a smug superiority oozing from Kramer, as if the man felt interacting with a mere Nicaraguan interrogator had somehow been beneath him. At the end, he’d actually lost his cool with Kramer at Bullfrog Bay. Montez winced inwardly. He was better than that. Above it. Still, casually pushing Kramer into the water with his foot had been sweet, as had seeing Kramer’s final expression.

Dalton was in bad shape, but not as bad as Kramer. Montez’s interrogation techniques always produced a lot of blood, but not fatally so. He’d never lost a subject during questioning. Accidentally killing a subject was inexcusable and costly. Rule number one in interrogation: You can’t question a dead subject.

Still, he hadn’t fully broken Dalton. The man acted as if he were telling all, but decades of experience told Montez he hadn’t extracted everything yet.

His cell rang. An unavailable number. Should he answer it? He doubted it could be anyone threatening. No one but his men had this number. With irritation he asked, “Who is this?”

 “It’s Julio. We’ve got trouble.”

“What phone are you using? Where’s Hector?” Montez put the call on speaker so Duane Dalton could hear it.

“Two men broke in here and started shooting the place up. They killed Hector and Pablo!”

“Calm down. What’s your status?”

“I’m okay, but Miguel is hurt bad.”

“Where are the gunmen?”

“I shot them from the second floor office, they didn’t see me in time. They’re both dead. We can’t stay here, the police could be coming.”

“Who were they?”

“I don’t know. Big guys. No uniform or IDs.”

“By
big
you mean tall?”

“Yes.”

“What phone are you using?”

“Hector’s phone is broken. I’m using a dead guy’s phone.”

“Kill the woman and leave immediately. Don’t leave Hector and Pablo there. Put them in the van. Miguel too. Torch the warehouse and get down here right away.”

He ended the call and turned his attention back to what was left of Duane Dalton. He yanked the gag from Dalton’s mouth.

“Wait!
Don’t kill her.”

Montez smiled. “Oh? And I suppose you had nothing to do with this latest attack?”

“I didn’t. I swear.”

“You have lied to me for the last time.”

“Please, she’s no threat to you.”

“I don’t give a damn about your ex-wife.”

“Please, I’ll tell you—”

“Tell me what?”

“Everything. Call your man back. Don’t kill Nichole.
Please!
”

Montez took several steps away and pretended to dial his phone. He had no intention of sparing Dalton’s ex-wife. He’d been betrayed for the last time.

“Julio, change of plans. Don’t kill the woman,” he feigned. “Take her with you. Call me when you’re almost here.” He completed the act by pressing the end button, then turned back to Dalton. “All right, you have my complete attention. Conceal nothing, color no facts this time, or I promise I’ll let my men have their way with your precious little girls. Many, many, times.”

Montez inserted a thumb drive into the laptop, opened the video recording program, and turned on the camera. “From the beginning, please.”

***

 Satisfied, Nathan took his cell back from the mercenary and tucked it into his pocket.

It took several minutes to secure the wounded men and leave the warehouse. With Grangeland and Nichole Dalton following in her sedan, Nathan again pulled his phone and dialed the number Cantrell had given him at the hospital.

“Cantrell.”

“It’s echo five.”

“You’re using your cell. Find a payphone and call me back.”

The signal ended. “She wants me to call back on a payphone.”

“Let’s clear this area first,” Harv said. “We’ll find something near the freeway.”

Nathan radioed Grangeland. “We’re stopping at a payphone.”

“
Copy.
”

“How is Ms. Dalton doing?”

“
She’s in a lot of pain. She can’t stop thanking us for saving her, but she’s frantic about her girls.
”

“Tell her to hang in there.”

His radio clicked once.

A few blocks from the freeway, Harv pulled into a Circle K convenience store. In the side mirror, Nathan saw Grangeland’s headlights make the turn. She rolled her passenger window down.

“I’ll be right back,” Nathan said. “This shouldn’t take long.” He headed for the payphone and reached into his pocket. No friggin’ quarters. What a pain in the ass. He returned to the sedan.