Vile (22 page)

He lifted his hand back to the wheel. “Are you injured?” The smell of blood was even stronger now.

“I’ll do the talking and you do the listening.”

He met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “All right.”

“We’re going home to wait for Jess. You take me there without any trouble and you might just live through this night, Chief.”

Dan focused his attention on driving but his mind was reeling off scenarios to stop this woman’s plan.

“Good boy,” she said. “You just keep driving and we won’t have any trouble.”

Dan settled on a course of action. “Whatever you say.”

22

6:45 p.m.

Jess walked the length of the case board. Copies of the photos from the metal box now formed a timeline. Harper and Lori were working to match the names of victims with dates of disappearance.

So far, they had forty-one sets of remains. Although wallets and other personal effects had been buried with some, those identities would need to be confirmed.

“Ben Parks,” Harper said, “reported missing July, five years ago.”

Lori added the date beneath his photo.

Some of the remains were far older than five years. Jess studied the many faces staring out at her. How long had Amanda and, possibly, her mother and/or grandfather been taking lives? The part that didn’t make sense was the money. Most of the wallets they’d found still contained money. If the Brownfields weren’t killing for the money, what was the motive?

Was the father, Lawrence, involved? How far back in the family tree did the killing go? What about Amanda’s grandmother? She had died before Amanda was born, but had she been a killer too?

“If,” Jess said aloud, “Margaret and Amanda were both a part of the murders, why was Margaret murdered?” She turned to Lori. “The boyfriend’s idea? A family quarrel? Or maybe Margaret found God and decided the killing had to stop?”

“According to the boyfriend’s mother,” Lori reminded her, “Margaret rarely attended church.”

“She did say that, didn’t she?” Jess tapped a dry erase marker against her chin. “Maybe Margaret started to make mistakes as she grew older and Amanda decided it was time for her to retire? Something may have happened to prevent her from burying her mother before her body was found. Leaving the body was a deviation from her previous MO.”

“Except,” Hayes said as he strolled up to the case board, “we know she was busy dropping off her daughter for Eric Spears. Maybe she was too focused on pleasing him to be concerned with her dead mother.”

“A reasonable theory.” Jess slanted him a glance. She was still annoyed with the lieutenant. “Why the sudden decision not to keep the family secret anymore?” Jess looked from one detective to the next. Everyone was present except Cook. He’d stayed at the crime scene along with two Jackson County deputies who had dubbed the place the Body Farm. The three would be staying the night. “Then again, according to the boyfriend’s mother, Margaret despised what her daughter did to animals. It stands to reason she wouldn’t be pleased with Amanda murdering a person either.”

Lori opened her mouth to offer an answer but Hayes beat her to the draw. “Whatever role her mother played, Amanda doesn’t need the family anymore.” He tapped her photo. “She has Spears now. He’s her ticket to get out of that one-horse town. It’s a story as old as time.”

If he was trying to impress Jess, he was making headway. She passed him the marker. “Now that’s good, Lieutenant.”

A smile quirked one corner of his mouth. “Thank you, Chief.”

He made the notes under Amanda’s photo. Harper called out more names and dates. Lori updated the status of each victim’s photo.

Maybe the deputies were right. This was a body farm. Whatever it was, they needed to find Amanda Brownfield. She was the key to this bizarre case.

Jess grabbed another marker and started a list of potential motives. Power. Lust. Cannibalism. Organ harvesting.

She hesitated. “Lieutenant, see if Amanda or her mother were active on eBay or any other international trade outlet. We can’t rule out the possibility that they were selling organs for any number of purposes. Check to see if anyone in the family had any medical training.” Jess pursed her lips in thought before adding, “While you’re at it, find out if Margaret, her husband or someone else who lived on the farm ever operated a restaurant or food service business of any sort.”

“Oh,” Lori made a face, “that’s just sick.”

Jess shrugged. “They were supporting themselves somehow.” Inside, where the others couldn’t see, she shuddered at the idea as well. “On the other hand, since all the buried victims are male, maybe this is a purge. Amanda’s father left her, according to Mrs. Clements. Margaret’s father was an overbearing disciplinarian. Maybe Amanda and her mother were doing their part to purge the earth of the male species.”

Harper grunted. “That’s harsh.”

“Some of us only feel that way on occasion,” Jess assured him.

A rap on the door preceded its opening. Harold Black stepped in and looked around. “Chief Harris, have you heard from Burnett?”

“We just returned from Jackson County. He left me a voicemail that he was going home for the day.” She’d tried to call him back but there’d been no answer. “Can I help you with something?”

“Sergeant Harper, why don’t you try and track Chief Burnett down,” Black suggested. “Let him know we’re in need of his presence. Chief Harris, you and I are wanted in the conference room. Agent Gant has an update on the Spears investigation. He’s setting up a conference call as we speak.”

Jess’s stomach took a little tumble. “Detective Wells, give Harper a hand.” She turned to Hayes. “Lieutenant, you may come with me.”

Jess grabbed her bag and her phone and followed Black from her office. Every nerve in her body was on alert.

BPD Conference Room, 7:15 p.m.

Jess sat stiffly in the chair next to the empty one where Dan should be sitting. Gant droned on with his update. Dan still wasn’t answering his phone. She’d heard nothing from Lori and Harper. Her instincts were screaming at her to walk out of this conference room and find Dan herself.

This was not like him.

Mayor Pratt, Agent Todd Manning from the local Bureau office, and Harold Black sat around the table asking all the usual questions to which Gant had absolutely no new answers. They had no idea where Spears was or what he was doing. There had been no new abductions. No developments on the two missing women, Rory Stinnett and Monica Atmore.

Why were they wasting time in this damned meeting?

“Excuse me,” Jess interrupted. All eyes swung to her. “Agent Gant, I’m in the middle of a case with a killer or killers who have planted a whole crop of bodies. If you could, please cut to the chase. Do you have anything relevant I need to know? If not, I’ll get out of the way so that you,” she smiled at the glowering looks directed at her, “and these fine gentlemen may carry on.”

Gant stared out at her from the monitor delivering his image all the way from Quantico. His frustration couldn’t have been clearer had she been sitting across the desk from him as she had many, many times when she was a profiler.

“We have narrowed down the one IP address we captured amid all the chatter about you on the Internet.”

The last she’d heard the chatter had stopped, but they had been able to lock onto one IP address. The user was somewhere within a one-hundred-fifty mile radius of the city. The transmission had been bouncing between Atlanta, Nashville, and Birmingham. This was nothing new.

When she would have said as much, Gant continued, “We now know those transmissions were sent from the Birmingham area. Within a twenty-five mile radius of your current location.”

The cold circling around her suddenly started to sink deep into her bones.

“Are you confirming that Spears is here? In Birmingham still?” Black asked what everyone else in the room no doubt wanted to know.

“We believe so,” Gant allowed. “That could change hour to hour or day to day, but we are convinced he’s staying close. That’s why we haven’t been able to pick him up again. He’s laying low. Waiting to strike.”

Jess’s phone vibrated. She jumped. She’d put it on silent for the meeting but she’d kept it in her hand in hopes of hearing from Dan.

Harper’s name and image flashed on the screen.

“I have to take this,” she muttered. She hurried away from the table. “Did you find him?”

“Yes, ma’am.” A beat of silence passed. “The chief was in an accident. He’s at the ER. I’m waiting for you in front of the building.”

“How bad is he hurt?” Jess demanded, her heart in her throat.

Another of those long trauma-filled moments elapsed before Harper went on. “In addition to injuries related to crash, he suffered a gunshot wound to the head. His condition is unclear at this time. We should go
now
, ma’am.”

“I’m on my way, Sergeant.” Feeling numb, Jess ended the call and strode to her chair. She grabbed her bag. “I have to go to the hospital. Dan’s been in an accident.”

She ignored the barrage of questions fired at her as she hurried from the conference room.

Hayes called her name and rushed after her as she hurried down the corridor but she ignored him too. The way her body was shaking, if she slowed down she would fall.

She had to get to Dan.

23

UAB Hospital, 8:30 p.m.

Jess sat on the edge of the narrow hospital bed and cradled Dan’s hand in hers. “You were lucky.” Her throat was so dry, those three words croaked out of her. This was too close. Way too close.

“I knew what I was doing.” He propped an arm behind his head, then winced with the pain of moving any part of his body. The bandage on the left side of his forehead covered the stitches where the bullet had grazed him.

The idea of how lucky he was to be alive made her head spin and her heart lurch. A few millimeters farther to the left and the bullet would have entered the frontal lobe rather than glancing off his forehead.

“You crashed your fancy car.” Jess shook her head as she worked to keep the damned tears at bay. She’d already embarrassed herself on the way here by crying in front of Harper. “You aimed right for that abandoned building.” She exhaled a shaky breath. “You could’ve been killed.”

“She would have killed me anyway,” he reminded her. “You, too, if I’d taken her to the apartment to wait for you to come home.”

“You almost killed my prime suspect.” Jess swiped at her damp cheeks and sniffed. “It’s a miracle she survived. How could I question her if she was dead?” Irritation shoved aside some of the weaker emotions. “How am I supposed to solve this case without her? All those victims deserve justice. What were you thinking?”

He grinned, then groaned. “That I wanted to protect you. That you and our child are more important to me than any case.”

Jess would not cry again. She closed her eyes for a second. “Okay. I suppose I would’ve done the same thing.” She shrugged. “Maybe.”

He laughed and grabbed his stomach. He had two cracked ribs from the seatbelt. “I guess that’s as close to a compliment as I’m going to get. And I thought I was being a hero.”

Jess wanted to slug him. This was no laughing matter. She didn’t need a hero. She needed him. “You might consider choosing a softer target next time. Like some shrubbery or a fence.”

“I’d rather there not be a next time.” He tugged her down for a kiss. “Keeping you and the baby safe was all I could think about.” He caressed her cheek. “I love you, Jess. I’m not letting anyone take you from me.”

She smiled, stretched to give him another kiss. “I love you. You needn’t worry. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

A tap on the door brought reality crashing in before Jess was ready. She wished they could just disappear for a while, but that wouldn’t change anything. Spears would still be waiting to taunt her with another victim. He wouldn’t stop until he was dead.

The door opened just far enough for Lori to slip into the room. “Chief Harris, you asked me to let you know when Amanda Brownfield was moved to a room. Sheriff Foster says you can question her now.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right there.” Jess kissed Dan on the chin before easing off the bed. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m finished. Maybe she’ll give me some answers.” Wishful thinking probably. If nothing else, they had Brownfield in custody now. She couldn’t hurt anyone else—especially not her daughter.

Maddie was another part of this case that wouldn’t have a particularly happy ending. The child might as well be an orphan. The people she was supposed to depend on had let her down.

“I’ll be here,” Dan promised.

Those words reminded Jess of the upside in this mess. Dan was alive. For that, she was immensely grateful. He sustained a mild concussion where his head bounced off the driver’s side window. The doctor was keeping him overnight for observation. Jess didn’t want him moving from this room until they were positive he was okay.

Feeling a little wobbly, she paused at the door to steady herself and to flash him a smile. “I’m counting on that.”

Outside the room, her detectives waited with the two uniformed officers standing guard. “Sergeant, you and the lieutenant stay here.” Jess turned to Lori. “Detective Wells, let’s go see what Miss Brownfield has to say for herself.”

Jess had a few things to say to her as well.

When Hayes would have objected, Jess shot him a look that she hoped reminded him of his place. Evidently, it did because he gave a nod and kept his mouth shut.

“I let Cook know what’s going on,” Lori said as they moved toward the bank of elevators. “He asked if you needed him back in Birmingham.”

Jess shook her head. “He should stay at the scene in case there are any developments overnight. We’ll be there first thing in the morning.”

“I’ll let him know.”

While Lori sent Cook a text, Jess considered what she’d been told about Brownfield’s condition. Like Dan, she had a concussion. Since she hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt, she also had a fractured collarbone and dislocated shoulder from her flight over the console and an up close encounter with the dash. Lucky for her, the first point of impact had been her shoulder rather than her head.