No One Left to Tell (62 page)

Paige was tempted to take a giant step back, out of the room, away from Morton. But she stood her ground. And hoped she was wrong, that Morton had simply thought to save them from Silas and nothing more.

‘I’m going to see my daughter,’ Stevie said, pulling away from Bashears. ‘Then I’ll answer whatever you want.’

‘Wait,’ Bashears said. ‘We received notification from the Toronto PD an hour ago. Rose Dandridge was found in a hotel room. There had been a struggle and she’d been struck repeatedly in the head before being strangled. Violet was gone.’

Stevie swayed on her feet. ‘Rose is dead?’

‘No,’ Bashears said. ‘In a coma, though. We need to find Violet.’

Stevie blanched. ‘Yes, we do.’

‘Then tell us what happened. Then you can go to Cordelia. I promise.’

‘He was here when I got home. He had Cordelia on his lap and Izzy was at the table. He texted Grayson from my phone, to have them meet “me”. He was going to kill Grayson and Paige so that he could get Violet back. He was working for someone who wanted them dead. I knew Grayson was using a different number, that the text wouldn’t reach him. I was buying time.’

‘So how did you two come to be here?’ Morton asked Grayson.

‘We’d arranged to meet for dinner,’ Grayson said. ‘My house is a crime scene.’

Grayson was lying, Paige thought. He didn’t mention Anderson’s case fixing or the broker he’d claimed worked in Bond’s law firm. Or that Thomas Thorne was supposed to have joined them.
Because Grayson doesn’t trust Bashears and Morton either
.

‘So,’ Bashears prompted, ‘Silas had Cordelia and then what?’

‘Grayson went around front,’ Paige said. ‘And I opened the back door and got Izzy out, told her to run for safety and to call for help. Stevie had already grabbed the knife and gone after Silas.’ She recited the rest of the events. ‘And then you showed up.’

‘And now I’m going,’ Stevie stated, giving Bashears a warning glare.

Bashears held up a hand. ‘Who has Violet?’

‘He never said,’ Stevie replied over her shoulder as she hurried through the front door.

Bashears pointed to two of the uniforms. ‘Walk her to the neighbor’s. One stay with her, the other bring back the sister. Her name is Izzy. Thanks.’

Paige thought about her backpack, hoping Izzy had calmed enough to remember that Paige had told her to grab it when Paige pulled Izzy from the kitchen. To keep it safe and not to let the cops have it.
Especially Morton. Just in case
.

‘Holy hell.’ Hyatt burst into the house. ‘What happened here?’ He stared hard at everyone in the group, and then started asking all the questions again.

Paige wondered when they’d be allowed to go.
I need to get my backpack back from Izzy. I need to finish looking up all the MAC girls
.

‘We’ll need to confiscate your weapons,’ Bashears said when all of Hyatt’s questions were answered. ‘For ballistics.’

‘I understand,’ Paige said. It didn’t matter. She had others.

Grayson just nodded. ‘You’ve taken our statements. When can we leave?’

‘Any time, Counselor,’ Hyatt said. ‘You’re free to go. You, too, Miss Holden. But as you fired your weapon, we will ask that you be available for follow-up interviews.’

‘Of course,’ Paige said. ‘Don’t leave town, right?’

Hyatt inclined his bald head. ‘Essentially. Where will you two be tonight?’

‘My house,’ Grayson said. ‘Assuming we’re allowed back in.’

‘CSU is almost done with your place,’ Hyatt told them, then looked at Paige. ‘Miss Holden, that was a nice shot, to Dandridge’s wrist.’

Her eyes narrowed, unsure if his compliment was sincere. ‘Thanks. I didn’t want to kill him. I just didn’t want him killing us. And I thought you’d want information from him.’

Hyatt scowled at the body then looked over his shoulder. ‘Too late for that now.’

Paige thought he’d directed that toward Detective Morton, but she couldn’t be sure.

‘What are you going to do about finding Violet?’ Grayson asked.

‘Now that Dandridge is no longer a threat, finding his child is our highest priority.’ Hyatt looked at Bashears. ‘You go back to Silas’s house. There has to be something there, something that connects him to whoever took his kid. Find it. We’ll bring in the Feds, coordinate the effort with the Canadians.’

‘What about the sister?’ Morton said. ‘We need to interview her.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Hyatt said. ‘Bashears goes to Dandridge’s residence. Detective Morton, please wait with the officers outside until a supervisor arrives to escort you to the precinct, where you will complete the necessary reports for discharging your firearm. In adherence to policy,’ he added.

Morton’s jaw tightened. ‘Yes, sir.’ She marched out of Stevie’s house without a look back.

Paige knew that cops were taken out of rotation for a short period of time when they used deadly force, so Hyatt’s command was not unexpected. Paige watched the lieutenant’s face for any indication that he thought Morton had acted inappropriately in Silas’s death, but saw no sign.

When Morton and Bashears were gone, Hyatt crouched by Silas’s body, patted his pockets, and pulled out two cell phones. One was a stripped model, the other a smartphone. Hyatt flipped open the stripped phone. ‘The log shows him calling your old cell-phone number, Grayson. Last night.’

‘The warning call,’ Grayson said. ‘Just before the bomb went off.’

‘There’s a call on the other phone from a blocked number at eleven thirty-two this morning.’

‘Two and a half hours before he shot JD Fitzpatrick,’ Paige said.

‘Also,’ Hyatt said, ‘within the window the Toronto ME gave for the assault of Rose. This is likely the call from whoever kidnapped Violet, telling Silas to kill you.’ He gazed at the phone and let out a quiet breath. ‘A picture of Rose. She looks dead.’ He studied Silas’s body with a mixture of pity and anger. ‘A lot of men would have snapped.’

A hoarse cry behind them had everyone turning to the front door. Izzy stood there, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. ‘Oh my God.’

Grayson put his arm around Izzy’s shoulders, standing so that he blocked her view of Silas’s body. ‘Didn’t Stevie tell you that he was dead?’

‘Yes.’ Izzy gulped in air. ‘But I’ve never seen a dead body before.’

Hyatt rose. ‘Let’s go into the kitchen. I need to get your statement.’

‘Fine,’ Izzy said shakily. She passed by Paige on her way to the kitchen. ‘You and Grayson should check on Stevie before you leave.’

‘I will,’ Paige promised, understanding. Izzy had left her backpack with Stevie.

Izzy hugged Paige hard. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘You two saved our lives.’

‘Thanks for the makeup. We’re even now.’

Izzy’s chuckle was small and watery. She went to the kitchen, but turned back at the swinging doors, her brows knit. ‘He said he had to kill you both by midnight.’

‘When did he tell you this?’ Hyatt asked.

‘While we were waiting for Stevie to come home. He wasn’t coherent there for a while. He kept muttering something about cherries. He kept blaming the cherries for everything. Said he’d sold his soul for the “damn cherry”.’

‘His daughter’s name was Cherri,’ Grayson told her. ‘She died the day Violet was born. She was Violet’s mother.’

Izzy blinked. ‘I guess that explains it. He cursed a lot. He didn’t like Grayson either. He kept muttering, “Damn lawyer. I’ll kill him”.’ She looked at Grayson, troubled. ‘He had plans for you. Sick plans.’

Paige, Grayson, and Hyatt exchanged glances.

‘What kind of sick plans?’ Grayson asked.

Izzy grimaced. ‘Gutting, mutilation . . . Slicing off certain body parts and making you eat them. Cordelia was so frightened. I only hope she didn’t understand most of what he said. He was sick. And so angry.’

‘And he didn’t say anything else? Did he call me by name?’ Grayson pressed.

‘No. He just called you “the damn lawyer”.’ Her eyes widened. ‘Wait. He wasn’t talking about you, was he? That makes sense, because later he told Stevie that if she cooperated, he’d make your death painless and fast.’

‘What else did he say?’ Hyatt asked urgently.

‘Just that he was sorry, that he didn’t want to hurt us. Then Stevie came and he got all businesslike.’ Izzy swallowed hard. ‘She asked if he’d really sacrifice her child for his and he said, “In a heartbeat”. Stevie knew she couldn’t reason with him.’

‘So she held on and waited for us,’ Grayson said quietly. ‘Poor Stevie.’

‘Yeah,’ Izzy agreed. ‘She knew you were coming, but I didn’t.’ She closed her eyes. ‘I honestly thought he’d kill us. I thought we were dead. If you two hadn’t come when you did . . . If you don’t mind, I think I’ll sit now.’

Hyatt held the kitchen door open for her, watching as she sat at the table, new tears streaming down her cheeks.

‘We really are looking for a lawyer,’ Hyatt said. ‘Anderson wasn’t lying about that, at least. Somewhere there’s a lawyer pulling all the strings and he had Silas under his control. If the bank book we found in Silas’s house is any indication, Silas was his hired gun for years. Are you still meeting Thorne to get information on Bob Bond’s old firm?’

‘He was supposed to come here,’ Grayson answered. ‘I’ll call him, arrange another meeting place. If you don’t need us anymore, we’ll check on Stevie and go home.’

Hyatt gave him a scrutinizing look. ‘Where will you really be?’ he asked.

Grayson didn’t seem surprised. ‘My brother’s house. Joseph Carter.’

‘Fine. I’ll need your written statements, but I can collect them later. Call me when you get anything on the lawyer. It could be our best lead to finding Silas’s daughter.’

‘I will call you the moment we know something,’ Grayson promised. ‘Paige? Let’s go.’

Chapter Twenty-Three

Thursday, April 7, 7.00
P.M
.

‘T
hat was hard,’ Paige said as they drove away, Peabody in the back seat.

‘I know,’ Grayson said. They’d found Stevie and Cordelia at the neighbor’s kitchen table, Stevie rocking as Cordelia clutched her. Stevie’s face was blotchy, eyes swollen.

She’d broken down again when they’d entered the neighbor’s kitchen and Grayson had led her to another room, so they could grieve together for the Silas they thought they’d known.

Paige and Peabody had stayed with Cordelia, who started to cry again when her mother did. ‘She petted Peabody’s head like I do when I’m stressed,’ Paige murmured.

‘It’s a wonder your dog has any hair left on his head,’ Grayson said sadly. ‘I haven’t seen Stevie cry like that since Paul died.’ The image of her stricken face made him remember a different day, when he was Cordelia’s age. ‘That’s how my mother looked, after she’d hit that victim’s father with the baseball bat.’
When he would have killed me
. ‘It’s been almost thirty years and I can’t forget her face.’

Paige looked over her shoulder. ‘Speaking of your mother . . . The news crew outside Stevie’s house filmed us leaving. We’ll be top of the hour again soon and you don’t want her to hear about another near miss from Phin Radcliffe. You should call her.’

‘You’re right.’ He handed Paige his cell, gave her his mother’s number. ‘Can you dial?’ His mother answered on the first ring. ‘I’m all right,’ he said before she could say any more. ‘I’m alive, no scratches. My underwear’s even still clean.’

His mother laughed, but there was a sob mixed in. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘I saw you and Paige leaving Stevie’s house. You’re on the news again. I’m so glad that man is dead. Both men. I saw that your boss, that horrid little man, shot himself.’

‘He did.’

‘Then it’s over.’

It wasn’t over, not by a long shot. But he’d be damned before he told her that. She’d just worry more. ‘There are still a few loose ends to be tied.’

‘Well, tie them fast. Holly’s going to the center and asked if Paige is still coming.’

‘Can’t she wait till next week to go? We can’t get there tonight and I worry about those guys who are bothering her.’

‘I’m going with her tonight,’ his mother said. ‘I’ll watch over her.’

Grayson frowned. ‘Well, if you’re with her, I guess it’s okay.’

‘I’ll carry a trusty briefcase,’ she said dryly. ‘Love you, son.’

‘I love you too.’ He hung up, glanced over at Paige, found her smiling. ‘What?’

‘I like that you tell your mother you love her. In all this mess, it’s a nice respite.’

‘Thank you. And thank you for saving my life in there, disarming Silas.’

‘Then I guess we’re even, too.’

‘No, because I saved your life twice. In the garage and last night.’

Her smile dimmed. ‘Let’s just hope we’re never able to make it even then. When all those shots were fired, I thought he’d gotten one into you.’

‘Me, too,’ he said, as she brought his hand to her cheek and held it there. It felt right. ‘I’m glad CSU wouldn’t let us stay in my house. We would have been too late. Stevie wouldn’t have cooperated with him and he’d have killed them all.’

‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Stevie seems like a rock, but even she can’t say what she’d have done if it had gone on further. She didn’t cooperate with him at first because she knew we were coming. She was stalling for time.’

‘In that case, I’m glad she didn’t have to make the choice.’

‘Me too.’ Paige released his hand. ‘Hyatt was angry at Detective Morton.’

‘I know,’ he said with a frown. ‘Morton didn’t have to aim for Silas’s head.’

‘It’s possible that she saw Silas pointing a gun at you and made a split-second decision,’ she said slowly. ‘But . . .’

‘But you’re wondering about her again,’ Grayson said. ‘So am I.’

‘Yeah. I mean, Silas was working for this lawyer brokering all these deals. It makes sense that he was the one to frame Ramon, right? But there’s something about Morton that I don’t trust. Maybe it’s because I don’t like her. I don’t know.’

‘I think Hyatt was suspicious too. It makes me wonder what IA’s dug up that they’re not telling us.’

‘Exactly. Although we do have our own secrets. I almost told Hyatt about the MAC kids, but I just couldn’t.’