Silenced (16 page)

The cat wound around their feet.

“You should name this cat,” Sean said. “So when he annoys me, I know what to call him.”

“I can’t keep it.”

“Why not? You like him.”

“Yes, but I’m going to the Academy in three weeks. I can’t ask Kate and Dillon to take care of my pet.”

“I’ll keep him for you.”

“I didn’t know you liked cats.”

“I like this one.”

“Then you name it.”

“All right.” He picked up the cat and stared into his face. The cat meowed.

She grinned. “Did he just tell you his name?”

He gave her a crooked smile. “I need to get to know him first. It’ll come to me.”

They sat down on the couch and Sean wrapped one arm around Lucy and petted the cat with the other.

“Thank you for listening.”

“Anytime, Princess.” He kissed the top of her head. “I love you. And I think you’ll crack this case wide open and Noah had better rub it in this Josh Stein’s face, otherwise I’ll do it. I, for one, can hardly wait.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ivy watched the news with growing horror.

This is not happening.

She glanced over to the door of the adjoining room where Sara and Maddie were sleeping. They’d been sleeping too much, but Ivy didn’t have the heart to wake them up. She definitely didn’t want them hearing the news yet.

*   *   *

The jogger found strangled in Rock Creek Park has been positively identified as the mistress of powerful Judiciary Chair, Congressman Alan Crowley.

Wendy James, a receptionist for lobbying firm Devon Sullivan and Associates, was found dead Tuesday morning. DC police had no comment, but sources indicate that the FBI has taken over the investigation.

Last month, Ms. James was exposed as the mistress of Congressman Crowley. At first the congressman from Los Angeles denied the accusation that he was having an affair, but after compromising pictures surfaced on the Internet, he admitted to the accusations.

Repeated calls to the congressman’s office have not been returned. His chief of staff issued a statement that said Congressman Crowley is fully cooperating with the authorities. The FBI is not commenting, but sources indicate that agents don’t believe the crime was random. A source in the Capitol said Congressman Crowley canceled a scheduled trip to California last Friday.

We’ll keep you informed of any new developments in this stunning case.

*   *   *

Ivy stared at the television screen. She flipped through all the stations, trying to learn more about Wendy’s murder, but the reporters had nothing new.

Wendy was dead.

She paced the hotel room, trying to convince herself that Wendy’s murder wasn’t connected to her or the fire, but she was only lying to herself. Of
course
it was connected.

Someone had found out that she’d taped Wendy with that congressman, and others. Now Wendy was dead and someone had tried to kill Ivy and the other girls. Except the tapes had been destroyed in the fire.

Sergio? Was it the guy who bought the tapes? But why? He could easily have killed Ivy after she turned them over, but she hadn’t had a chance, unless he stole them then set the fire. But why?

He rescued your sister. He gave you ten thousand dollars. He was going to give you ten thousand more before your house burned down. What’s his motive for killing you?

Wendy was smart, but eventually the police would find out that Wendy and Ivy had been in business together.

She tried calling Kerry again; no answer. Dammit, why hadn’t she checked in? She dialed Nicole, panic making her misdial twice. Nicole was supposed to have been here this morning. Ivy hadn’t thought about her absence. She dry-heaved, realizing that she’d put Nicole out of her mind while trying to plan how to keep Sara safe.

Someone picked up the phone, but didn’t say anything.

Ivy listened. Breathing. Was it Nicole?

She didn’t speak, but she didn’t hang up.

“Are you looking for Nicole?”

The voice was male, mocking. At first Ivy thought Nicole had picked up a john, but even as the thought entered her mind, she knew Nicole was dead.

Just like Wendy.

“Where is she?” Ivy said. Her voice too weak to talk to a killer. She was scared and it showed.

He chuckled. “The morgue. You’re next. I’m closer than you think.”

She hung up. Her phone rang and she ran to the bathroom and dropped it in the sink, running water over it. She bent over the toilet and threw up violently, until acid burned her throat. She collapsed on the floor, her head on her arm, her stomach full of sharp knives.

“Ivy?” Maddie stood in the doorway. “Are you okay.”

Does it look like I’m okay?

“Get your stuff. We’re leaving.”

“I don’t wanna go.”

She sat up, shaking. In a voice much harsher than she intended, she said, “We have to. Nicole is dead!”

She might as well have slapped Maddie. Her lip quivered and tears dampened her eyes. Ivy pulled herself up off the bathroom floor and rinsed her mouth out with water. “Give me your phone.”

Maddie reached into her pocket. Ivy added Maddie’s phone to the water in the sink. When the basin was full, she shut the water off.

She walked past Maddie and back into the hotel room. She hadn’t unpacked. She pulled her backpack from the closet and zipped it up.

Maddie followed her, but made no attempt to pick up her things. “Why can’t we stay here? It’s safe here.”

No place was safe. The only way they’d be safe was if Ivy disappeared. But she had no money, no place to go.

Wendy’s dead.

There was one other option, but Ivy had no idea if Wendy had changed her hiding place after their falling out. Wendy must have known Ivy turned over the pictures of her and Crowley that ended up all over the news. Except Wendy hadn’t confronted her, and she wouldn’t have kept her mouth shut about it, even though they hadn’t spoken in months.

“We have to go,” Ivy said, weary and emotionally drained.

“No!”

Maddie never defied her. Ivy didn’t know what to say, but stared at her friend.

“Jocelyn is trying to help,” Maddie pleaded. “You said so yourself. Why would you run away now? Why do you have to do everything yourself?”

Because there’s no one else.

“I have to get Mina,” Ivy said. “Nicole left her with Marti. They might be in danger, too. Don’t you get it? Wendy and Nicole are
dead
. I don’t want anything to happen to you or anyone else.”
Or Sara. God, what have I gotten her into?

“Wendy’s dead, too?” Maddie shook her head, her hands covering her face.

Dammit, Ivy, you are full of tact!

She spoke softly. “I just saw it on the news. I’m sorry, Maddie.” Ivy had to be strong for all of them. She had to remember that they’d been through hell, but she’d been the one to get them out.

She just didn’t know if she could save them all this time. Her conscience weighed so heavy, she wished she could click her heels together and go anywhere else.

Anywhere but home.

A card key slid into the slot, a computerized
whoosh
releasing the latch. The door opened into the hotel room. Heart racing, Ivy reached into her backpack for her gun.

“It’s me,” Jocelyn said. She put a large bag of takeout on the table next to the door. “I brought my husband, Chris.”

A man stepped in behind Jocelyn. He was of average build with a baby face and kind eyes.

Ivy stared at Jocelyn. She’d promised to protect Sara, but Ivy couldn’t expect Chris Taylor to keep the secret.

“Let’s sit down and discuss the situation,” Jocelyn said. “You’re in danger. Your sister is in danger.”

“Don’t do that. It’s complex.”

Chris said, “I can arrange—”

Ivy cut him off. “Nicole is dead!”

Jocelyn looked stricken, she walked over to her and took her hands. Ivy shook her off and felt bad about it, but she was in no mood to be coddled. Jocelyn wasn’t wanted for felony kidnapping. Jocelyn didn’t have a killer after her.

Ivy had been responsible for herself since she was fourteen, she didn’t even know how to accept help. She’d tried, and look where she was? Her makeshift family separated. Two friends dead. Kerry not returning her calls. What if she was dead, too?

“Ivy, are you sure? I didn’t hear anything about it on the news—”

“I’m very sure.”

“Then we really do need to call the police.”

“No, no, no!” Ivy rubbed her temples. She didn’t know what to do.

“They’re not going to send Sara back to a man who raped her.”

“You don’t know my father,” Ivy said through clenched teeth.

Everyone was looking at her, looking at
her
to make the decision. Looking at
her
for answers. She had none. What had she and Wendy started? What had seemed like a brilliant idea to earn money to buy her and Sara new identities and a home in Canada had blown up. Wendy was dead. The money was gone. Ivy was responsible for three needy teenagers and no way to keep them from harm.

Sara stepped out of the adjoining room and said, “Ha—Ivy? What’s wrong?”

Jocelyn said quietly, “Let’s talk about this tonight. Chris knows people who can fix this. We can protect you all.”

Except they’d call her father. Sara, the one person who needed protection the most, would be sent back into the lion’s den.

Ivy had only one idea, and she prayed to the Lord to give her this one request. For Sara.

“On one condition,” Ivy said. “I have a place where Sara will be safe. I’ll take her there. We keep her completely out of this, pretend she doesn’t exist, then I’ll talk to the police.”

Jocelyn glanced at her husband and they shared something unspoken.

“Please,” Ivy begged. “They can’t protect Sara.”

“If Sara testifies against him—”

“Those are my terms. I want this all to stop. I’m so tired, Jocelyn.” Her voice cracked.

Sara started to cry. Ivy took a deep breath. She couldn’t be weak now. “It’s not just Nicole,” she said. “Wendy is dead, too.”

“Wendy?” Jocelyn questioned. “Who’s that?”

“Wendy James. It’s all over the news.”

Chris’s eyes widened. “Congressman Crowley’s
mistress
?”

“Mistress? Hardly. You asked a long time ago how I got into this business,” Ivy said to Jocelyn. “It was through Wendy. We used to be partners.”

Chris frowned and sat on the couch. Ivy ignored him and turned to Jocelyn. “I’m going to take Sara to the only person I can trust, then I’ll talk to the police. I need a couple of hours.”

Jocelyn handed Ivy her car keys. “Call me for anything. We’ll wait here.”

“I destroyed my phone—I was afraid whoever killed Nicole might have some way of finding me.”

Chris asked, “How do you know Nicole is dead?”

“A man answered her phone when I called. He told me she was dead.”

Maddie stifled a cry and ran from the room. Ivy wished she could talk to her, but she had no time.

“Take mine.” Jocelyn handed her the cell phone. “I’ll call you from Chris’s phone.”

“Thank you.” She hugged her. Suddenly, she didn’t want to go. She wanted Jocelyn and Chris Taylor to make all the decisions. For once, she wanted someone else to tell her the right thing to do.

For once, she wanted someone else to protect her.

Over Jocelyn’s shoulder Ivy saw her sister, so sheltered and vulnerable and not deserving any of this.

She stepped away from Jocelyn and cleared her throat. “I won’t be long.”

*   *   *

Maddie didn’t like hearing Jocelyn and Chris arguing. Chris didn’t want to wait to call the police; Jocelyn wanted to give Ivy until morning.

She interrupted, “I’m going to take a bath, is that okay?”

Jocelyn nodded. “Of course, Maddie. Are you hungry?” She gestured toward the bags of food.

She shook her head and tried to smile, but it felt like a crooked frown.

She picked up her backpack and took it into the bathroom and closed the door. The suite had a large, oval-shaped bathtub that she could easily sink into. She turned on the water and stripped. Steam rose and began to fog the mirror. Good. She didn’t want to look at herself, knowing what she was going to do.

From the very bottom of her backpack, with her tampons and birth control bills and condoms, she pulled out a small tin. Ivy had searched her room many times for drugs, and Maddie had gotten better about hiding them.

It wasn’t like she was taking them all the time. She really wanted to make Ivy proud of her, to stay off the stuff, to help.

But what could she do? Ivy was the strong one. She kept them in the pretty house, made sure they had clients who didn’t hurt them, had found ways to make more money than Maddie could have imagined when she first started hooking to support her drug habit.

She didn’t want to be that desperate girl again, selling her body for drugs. But Ivy’s priority was her sister. Maddie wouldn’t be surprised if Ivy never came back. If she just disappeared with Sara.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

She opened the tin. Six little blue pills left. She took two, swallowed them with water from the sink. The phones sat dead at the bottom, reminding her that Nicole was also dead.

The tub filled quickly, and Maddie turned off the water. It was too hot; she waited a minute for the water to cool and the happy pills to work.

She leaned against the bathroom door.

Jocelyn and Chris were still talking.

“You can’t trust her,” Chris said.

“She’s just like me.”

“No she’s not!” Chris said something else, quietly, that Maddie couldn’t hear. Then she caught, “… never have done that.”

“I would have done anything to survive,” Jocelyn said. “If Cathy hadn’t found me when she did—I understand Ivy. I’m not giving up on her.”

“If she doesn’t go to the police first thing in the morning and tell them everything she knows, you have to walk away. You’re hurting, I see it every night. I can’t stand to see you suffer like this.”