“Amends?Brother it’s been more than thirty years.I think the time for amends is done.We all got home, no thanks to you.If you’ve got guilt on the brain, fix it with God, not me.”
“I’ve done that.Or at least with someone I thought was God,” he muttered.Luke stared at the others, frowning. “Listen, Remy Robicheaux.”
“What about him?”
“I know he’s one of you.One of your cousins or some shit.”
“So?”
“Look, I’m trying to help you.The woman you were asked to meet is probably the most malicious human being I’ve ever known, and that’s saying a lot.They’ll draw Remy in, take his kid, and kill him.”
“Remy’s pretty resourceful.But why would they want his kid?And who is they?” he asked knowing full well.At least they knew who the ‘other’ man was now.Damn black ops agent Benjamin Madsen.
“Look, the woman’s name is Judy Moore, she’s the daughter of the late Colonel Weston Moore.And she’s just as sick, if not sicker.She and Dr. Paul Jericho have picked up Moore’s experiments with some strange pink powder and they’re placing it in formula and milk.
“When the kids drink it, when deaf or mute kids drink it, it does something to the part of their brain that stimulates creative ability.They’re hoping to sell it, allowing countries to create these kids that they can show like they’re in a circus.Some of the kids don’t make it because Jericho opens their skulls to study what’s happening in the brain.”
“Where are they?” asked Luke.
For a long moment, there was silence on the other end of the line.He worried that Madsen may have changed his mind.
“He’s working out of an office building in Poydras on Bayou Road.Sometimes they sleep there, sometimes they get hotel rooms.I’m not sure what they’re doing now.”
“You were part of this, weren’t you?” asked Luke.
“I was.It’s the only thing I’m ashamed of and I can’t even explain what made me do it.”He let out a long breath and then spoke again.“That’s a lie.It was Judy.We were in love once and as we all know, love makes us stupid.”
“Not that stupid,” growled Luke.
“Look, I did what I wanted to do.I warned you and I hope you’ll stop them.They have enough.They don’t need to torture another kid.”
“I appreciate the call, Madsen but you need to know that I will come for you as well.”
“I know.I’ll look forward to it, Luke.”
“No, you won’t.Because you know when I come for you, you won’t see me coming.”
Luke ended the call and stared at the others.Sly tapped on the phone and immediately on the screen in the vehicle, came the faces of their hunting party.Before they could give the address or location, Trak spoke for the team.
“We’re on our way.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Jericho stared out the window of the building and had a feeling of dread and foreboding.Madsen was a killer in every sense of the word but he’d been showing cracks in his armor for a while now.Especially around Judy and the kids.
Thank goodness Judy was a stone-cold bitch with no heart at all.It had taken years to get the formula recreated and in a liquid formation.Now, he no longer needed her.As the feeling grew, he knew he needed to leave.
There were two other businesses in the building, although he had no idea what they did.No one had names on their doors.Just numbers.It wasn’t that kind of office building.
Gathering his notes and recreated information from the lost notebooks, he shoved them in his briefcase and then grabbed the stacks of cash in the safe.Walking out, he locked the door and exited to the rear where his vehicle was parked.As he started to pull out, Judy was pulling back into the lot.
“Where are you going?” she asked through her driver’s side window.
“I’m heading back to the hotel,” he said calmly.“Since we don’t have a child to evaluate, we can start thinking about a new research location.Maybe we should go to another location in the city or maybe move out of state.”
“Why the sudden change of heart?” she frowned.
“Just a feeling, Judy.I’ll see you at the hotel.”He closed his window and pulled away.
