Hollywood Outlaw: A Hollywood Alphabet SeriesThriller (A Hollywood Alphabet Series Thriller Book 15) (25 page)

After calling my friends and telling them I’d be late picking up Bernie, I made my way to the City of Hope in Glendora, a world-renowned center for the treatment of cancer. After several inquiries, I made my way to the third floor ICU, where I found Brie’s boyfriend outside her room.

“What happened?” I asked.

Even though Phyl was about three hundred pounds of muscle and sinew, he looked exhausted. “Not sure exactly, but one of the doctors told me the cancer has spread, causing systemic failure to her other organs.”

I felt my strength fading as I said, “Oh, God. Do they think…?”

“The doctors are hoping they can get her stabilized. They’re going to run some tests in the morning and take things from there.”

“Is it okay if I see her?”

He nodded. “Of course. I could use the break. I’ll check back with you in a while.”

After he wandered off, I checked in with a nurse who assured me I could spend a few minutes with Brie. When I entered her room, she seemed small and fragile, like a child in an adult’s bed.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” I said, going over and hugging her.

She moaned, then cleared her throat. “I’ve had better…days.”

I held her hand. “We’ll get through this. Just hang on.”

It took her almost a full minute to respond. When she finally spoke, I got the impression it took all her strength. “If things…if I’m gone…will you stay…” She brushed the tears from her cheeks. “I want Lily to…to know about me, my life.”

I felt tears on my own cheeks. “Of course. I promise.”

I spent the next two hours with my friend, alternately holding her hand and hugging her, and listening to her promise me that she would try to stay strong. It was after ten when I let her boyfriend take over again and I finally left the hospital.

I was walking to my car when my exhaustion overwhelmed me. I stopped and took a seat on a bench in the courtyard of the hospital. I took a few minutes, trying to catch my breath and deal with my emotions. My world felt as though it was crumbling around me, like one of those videos I’d seen of a building imploding.

My job seemed a never-ending battle, where the cases came and went, but the evil in the world continued to thrive. There was also the chance that Bernie and I would never work together again, thanks to a new police chief who only cared about his own selfish interests.

Then there was the man who I’d fallen in love with a few weeks ago. Noah was probably working for the men who killed my father. And, to make matters worse, I no longer felt safe, constantly looking over my shoulder and wondering if he or Russell and Ryland would be coming for me. That thought eventually led to my sister. Lindsay was out there somewhere with a group of domestic terrorists, and I had no idea whether she would survive that ordeal.

There was also the man who I thought might be my biological father. If he was my father, Pearl had made a conscious decision to never be a part of my life. Now he’d gone missing and I had suspicions that those who had murdered my love-dad could be behind his disappearance. I was beginning to doubt that I’d ever see him alive again.

And now my best friend was in the hospital, being stalked by another kind of killer. It occurred to me that in a few days Brie might be gone, leaving behind a friend and a daughter who could only cry and wonder how to make some sense of it all.

I felt lost, thinking about the unfairness of life. It again occurred to be that my father had been wrong about the message he’d left me. Maybe when there’s loss, there is nothing but emptiness left behind. My tears began to flow freely until it felt like they would overwhelm me, pulling me down into an endless black sea where my life and everything I cared about was gone.

The next morning, I took Bernie next door before work. Natalie and Mo saw that I was still down and came over to me with a cup of coffee.

“I’m running a little late,” I said as Mo held the cup up for me.

She shook her head. “The dead bodies and the killers will still be there when you get to work. We need to talk.”

I knew it was useless to argue with her. We all took seats at the kitchen table while Bernie sniffed around the floor for crumbs.

“We’re worried ‘bout you,” Natalie said. “We know that with Brie being in the hospital and everthin’, it’s not easy, but you gotta buck up.”

I sighed. “I know. It’s not just Brie…it’s what happened with Noah, and…” I felt my eyes growing heavy and didn’t go on.

Mo reached across the table and touched my hand. She wasn’t prone to a lot of physical affection and it touched me, causing my tears to come.

“Listen here,” she said. “We just gotta stay focused and get through this. Did you talk to the department ‘bout lookin’ into things?”

I brushed a stream of tears and nodded. “Lieutenant Edna doesn’t think they’ll want to help, especially with the new acting chief. He even said something about me possibly getting into trouble because my investigation hasn’t been authorized.”

“That’s bullshit,” Natalie huffed. “After what you’ve done for them, helpin’ you out is the least they could do.”

“I’ve heard ‘bout that acting chief,” Mo agreed. “They call him Dumbbell, and the name fits.”

They both went on for a couple of minutes, disparaging Dunbar.

Natalie finished her mini-rant, then said, “Our tail on Russell paid off.”

Mo, who this morning had on a dark curly wig, shook her head at her and made a shushing sound.

“What’s going on?” I demanded

“Sorry, Mo,” Natalie said. She met my eyes. “It’s nuthin’.”

I looked at my hefty friend. “If you’ve found something out, I need to know what it is.”

Mo rubbed her neck and shook her head. “Okay.” She exhaled. “We followed Russell to the Tauist Retreat yesterday. A few minutes later, we saw a black limo leaving the place. We decided to follow it. Turns out it was Russell and Ryland.”

“How do you know it was Ryland? From what I’ve heard, he’s been a recluse for years.”

“I downloaded some old pictures of the bloke on me iPhone,” Natalie said. “He looks like he’s ‘bout a hundred years old, but I’m sure it was him. He had the same crazy eyes that kinda reminded me of a zombie.”

“Where did they go?”

Mo heaved out another breath. “You’re not gonna like hearing this, but they went to Noah’s place.”

“Are you kidding?”

She shook her big head. “They was there for ‘bout an hour before they left.”

“It means they’re definitely workin’ with Noah,” Natalie said. “And we’re worried they’re plannin’ somethin’ bad.”

The fact that they’d seen both Ryland and Russell with Noah confirmed my worst fears. Even so, I did my best to hide my feelings. “I’ll be careful.” I checked the time on my phone. “I’ve really got to be going.”

They both followed me to the door, with Bernie trailing behind. I stopped and brushed a hand through my dog’s fur as Mo said, “I gotta bad feeling ‘bout this. You watch your back, Kate.” They both then reached over and hugged me.

***

I was on my way to the station, doing my best to control my emotions, when Joe Dawson called. “Good news, Buttercup. Greer got in touch with one of the big shots. Seems that Asimov character’s been on the agency’s radar for years. He’s sending a couple of agents that are familiar with him your way. They should be there sometime this morning.”

“I appreciate that. I think time is of the essence.”

“No worries.” He took a moment, then said, “Nothing new on Lindsay. I’ll keep you updated.”

I thanked him and then gave him an update on Noah being with Russell and Ryland. He told me to be careful, to stay in touch, and we agreed to talk later.

I spent the rest of the drive to the station thinking about Lindsay. My sister’s situation was just another thing in my life that seemed to be spinning out of control. If the Swarm found out she was working on our side, I had no doubt she would be killed—or maybe worse. There was the possibility they would hold her captive in some horrible place and eventually use her as leverage.

I tried to push all the terrible thoughts away when I got to the station. I immediately went to Lieutenant Edna’s office and told him about Joe’s phone call. Edna said he’d already been contacted by the agents. They expected to be at the station by ten. He’d also made arrangements for Captain Dembowski to attend the meeting.

I then went to my desk, where I chatted with Leo for a few minutes, telling him about Joe’s phone call. After we discussed our case, the discussion turned to Pearl.

“I went by his place after work last night and talked to the caretaker,” Leo said. “He let me look around and told me there was still no word from him.”

“What was your impression after seeing his cottage?”

“Same as yours: he left in a hurry. Something’s not right.”

I decided that I needed someone to know about what Mo and Natalie had told me this morning, so I filled him in on everything, including Noah apparently being in league with Russell and Ryland. “Natalie and Mo said that Russell and Ryland met with Noah at his place yesterday. They’re convinced they’re planning something.”

“They actually saw Ryland? From what I’ve heard, the guy hasn’t been seen in over a decade.”

“Natalie downloaded some old photos of him from the Internet. She’s sure it was him.”

Leo tugged on an earlobe as his gaze drifted off. He looked back at me. “What do you think they’re planning?”

“I don’t have a clue, but Natalie and Mo think I’m in danger.”

“They could be right, especially if Noah’s been working for them all this time. Have you talked to Edna?”

I filled him in on my conversation and what the lieutenant had said about me possibly facing discipline if Dunbar found out. “I think I’m on my own unless I can turn up something proving they’re all part of a larger conspiracy.”

“Does anybody else know about Noah being with Russell and Ryland?”

“Just my friends and Joe Dawson. I’ve also been thinking about filling in Buck.”

“I think that’s a good idea. The more eyes on this the better. Maybe we can all watch your back.”

“There’s one other thing. I’m supposed to see Noah for dinner this week. I’m not going to let on that I know what’s been happening, and the dinner is just to make him think we’re still…I guess you could say friends.” I exhaled. “Do you think…?”

“You don’t even have to ask. I’ll be close by, making sure everything’s cool.”

An hour later, I was getting ready for the meeting in Edna’s office when I passed by what was usually an empty workstation and saw Charlie sitting there. I went over, took a seat in a chair next to his desk, and said, “How are the wedding plans coming?”

My former partner dragged a hand across his unshaven cheek. “What do you think about ruffles on a guy’s shirt?”

I chuckled. “Ruffles. Really?”

He reached into a drawer and tossed a photograph on his desk. “Really.”

I picked up the photo of Charlie dressed in a red polyester shirt with a large pointed collar and ruffles down the front.

I laughed again. “Jessica really wants you to wear this?”

“She says it’s some kinda fucking retro look she’s going for. I guess that singer, Tom Jones, wore a shirt like this once, and it turned her on.”

I set the photograph back on his desk. “It sounds like it’s going to be a memorable event, Tom.”

“Yeah, like a fucking execution.”

I stood up and patted him on the back. “I’ve got a meeting to attend. I’ll see you at the execution, if not sooner.”

The FBI sent special agents Phillip Cather and Diane Sanders from their financial crimes section in Washington, DC. After Lieutenant Edna introduced Captain Dembowski, and the rest of us told the agents our names and assignments, he asked us to update them on our cases.

We spent the better part of the next hour going over the Bert Prince case and explaining how he was diverting money from his wife’s and daughters’ accounts and laundering it in overseas tax shelters. We explained that Marisha Dole was being charged as a co-conspirator in those crimes, but I expressed my doubts that we had the entire story.

We then went over the Cole Abrams killing, telling them about Addison Blaine, her mother, and the House of Darwin.

I then said, “A woman named Paulina Kristoff was hired by Addison Blaine in the capacity of what’s called a ‘Beta’ to take care of Abrams’ every physical, emotional, and intellectual need. According to Addison’s mother, Kristoff didn’t feel she was being paid sufficiently for her services and was secretly also working for Nicolai Asimov. She was stealing money from Abrams’ accounts, until Addison found out about it. Several million was diverted from the accounts into offshore tax shelters before she stopped it.”

Agent Cather, who was about forty, with sandy brown hair, spoke up. “Paulina Kristoff was much more than someone who was helping Asimov steal from Cole Abrams. Before her death, she’d been in league with Asimov for years, helping him steal millions from other subjects and several corporations.”

“What can you tell us about their relationship?” Captain Dembowski asked.

Cather began laying out a story that I realized was taking our investigation to a whole other level. “Nicolai Asimov has been on our radar for years. We’ve suspected his involvement in covertly infiltrating corporations by planting his financial operatives on the inside. Most of these operatives are women, highly trained in gaining the trust and cooperation of their marks, at the same time obtaining valuable insider information to make millions in the stock market.

“In other situations, as with Bert Prince and Cole Abrams, they take a more direct route, using their operatives to steal money and launder it through zombie corporations or charitable organizations. Asimov’s ability to infiltrate and destroy the financial well-being of one of the most famous families in American is an indication of both his finesse and his hatred for our society. He’s also a terrorist.”

“A terrorist,” Leo said. “This is the first we’ve heard about terrorism. We were under the impression these crimes only involved financial gain.”

Agent Sanders, a slender woman with dark hair and eyes, took over. “Nicolai Asimov is a Chechnyan citizen. He became radicalized, converting to an extreme Islamic doctrine sometime in the early 2000s, before immigrating to the United States. Since parting ways with Deidre Blaine, it’s our belief that he’s used his method of infiltrating corporations to fund jihadist activities inside Russia. His goal is to expel the Russian presence from the North Caucasus region and eventually establish an independent Islamic emirate.”

“Asimov is dangerous and cunning,” Cather said. “He’s used his operations to skim millions from individuals and corporations, all with the intent to establish an Islamic state in Russia. There’s also been some rumors he’s funding terrorist groups that want to attack the United States.”

“It’s our belief that Asimov knew Paulina Kristoff’s position had been compromised,” Sanders said. “He probably killed her to keep what she knew a secret.”

I told them about the burns that were found on Cole Abrams’ body. “It appears someone, maybe one of Asimov’s other operatives, tortured him, probably to obtain his financial information.”

“That’s likely,” Sanders agree. “Asimov is extremely brutal in his tactics.”

“He must also know that we’re onto him.”

Agent Cather agreed with me, adding, “That’s why it’s imperative that we move quickly. We have a federal warrant to serve on Nicolai Asimov. We plan to serve that warrant today.”