AllFreeNovel
Share Us
35
Logan and the rest of his unit gathered around a table in the food court. The Evidence Response Team was processing the crime scene at the pool hall, and the dead man was quickly identified as the driver of the laundry van. He was checked in by one guard but let out by another, who didn’t ask for his ID because his vehicle was leaving the property. Service vehicles weren’t normally checked when exiting.
“Where’s the file Kaely had?” Logan asked.
“It’s probably in her room,” Bethany said.
“Go get it, will you?” Logan said. “If anyone gives you a hard time, come back and tell me. I’ll talk to them.”
Bethany returned with the file a few minutes later. Logan pored through it. “Nothing new here. Just copies of what we already know. We found Kaely’s phone in the pool hall, but we didn’t see Alex’s. I imagine whoever took them was smart enough to take her phone, but I’ll call CIRG and ask them to triangulate it just in case. I realize it’s a long shot, but we have to try.” Logan looked at Bethany. “Did you see Alex’s phone in her room?”
She shook her head. “I looked around just in case, but I didn’t see a phone. I’m sure it wasn’t there.”
Logan couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope. Alex was smart. Maybe she hid it where the UNSUB couldn’t find it. He was about to call Terry to tell him they needed to triangulate his agent’s phone when the kid who worked at the breakfast bar counter came up to them. “Is one of you Agent Logan Hart?”
“I am.”
“I was asked to give this to you a while ago. I hope it wasn’t too important.”
Logan took the paper the kid held out. “Thanks,” he said. When he opened it, he could hardly believe what he read. He stood. “We need to triangulate Alex’s phone now. There’s no time to waste.” He handed the paper to Monty. “Alex has a hunch who our UNSUB is, and she may have given us a way to find her and Kaely.”
“Where are Ben and Julie?” Alex asked. “We know they helped you.”
He grabbed a folded metal chair leaning against the back wall, then brought it over and sat down in front of them.
“Julie was a fan. She followed me for years. Wrote to me. I cultivated her. Made her think she was special. I waited until she trusted me, and then when I gave her a chance to make a lot of money, she took it. She needs it for her children, you see. And to be honest, she’s greedy. And Ben? He’s been a reluctant helper. Julie brought him on. It wasn’t hard.” He clicked his tongue several times. “She found out our Ben was a very bad boy. He took some money from a drug bust. Needed to cover his wife’s gambling debts. We threatened to tell the chief about his indiscretion. I also offered him a great deal of money. If it makes any difference, he felt bad about you ladies.”
“Who took Stephanie Cole’s phone?” Alex asked.
“Oh, that was Ben. I couldn’t take the risk myself. Since everyone got rid of the phones I’d hacked, including Cole, I needed another plan. It worked out well, didn’t it? He read the text I sent him because it actually came from his daughter’s phone. I’m nothing if not adaptable.”
“Did you let Ben and Julie go?”
His eyes widened. “Heavens no.” He leaned closer, as if studying them. “You’re smarter than that.”
“You couldn’t take a chance that they’d turn on you,” Kaely said. “Julie might have kept quiet for a while, but she could hold what you’ve done over your head. She would probably ask for more money later. And Ben was liable to have an attack of conscience. He’s the one who would crack first.”
He grinned widely, cracking more of the pancake makeup on his face. “Ding, ding, ding! Very good. Exactly right.”
“So you killed them,” Alex said. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact. Alex knew the answer, but she needed to hear him say it.
“Yes, dear. I had no choice, did I?” He cocked his head toward the room he’d just come out of. “Their bodies are waiting in that office. Julie traveled here with you. She was in a laundry bag too. Of course, she had to put you to sleep because we couldn’t take a chance you’d make noise or try to work your way out of the bag and jump out. Then when she and Ben got here, I thanked them for their help before I shot them.”
“How could you do all this?” Kaely said. “You were respected. Even if you disliked me, almost everyone else thought you were one of the people responsible for creating the BAU.”
This time he looked truly surprised. “Just who do you think I am?”
“Only one man fits the profile and has a grudge against the BAU. You refused to stay at the Jefferson because you had things to do. You were there long enough to communicate with your two helpers, though. It all fits.”
“So say my name. And don’t worry that the knowledge will put you in danger. You’re going to die anyway. Go for it.”
“You’re Donald Reinhardt,” Kaely said. She didn’t sound confident. Although everything fit, Alex could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
The man swung his gaze to Alex. “Do you agree with her?”
Alex slowly shook her head.
“Really?” Again the man looked surprised. “I want to hear your thoughts.”
