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“I know that name. The serial killer?”
“Uh-huh. He killed at least five women back in 2005, probably a lot more. Ripley caught him, brought him down and he’s sworn payback on her ever since. Since I became Ripley’s partner, I got swept up in his games. I stupidly visited him in prison and neither mine nor Ripley’s life has been the same since. It’s my fault we’re in this position.”
“No it’s not, Dark,” Mia interjected. “This would have happened with or without you.”
Ben dropped onto the bed, keeping his gaze on the floor. “Wow,” he said. “This is big.”
“Sure is,” Ella said.
“But who were the other guys with him? There must have been six guys with him.”
“Tobias is more than just a lone murderer,” said Mia. “He’s involved with organized crime groups, terrorist cells, underground trafficking rackets. He’s got links everywhere. In the past, he’s even manipulated civilians and convinced them to start killing. I’ve been battling him for 16 years, and his reach baffles even the FBI.”
Ben readjusted his jaw then cracked his neck. “Jesus Christ.”
“Yeah. Now our next goal is to find him,” she finished.
“We just don’t know where to start,” Ella said.
Mia’s phone pinged. She checked it. “Edis and the chief are in the waiting room. We need to tell them where to search.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know where to start?” Ben asked.
“Tobias could be anywhere. He has a hundred hideouts. He might not even be in D.C. anymore.”
Ben glanced between the two agents like they were both from another planet. “Am I missing something here? Wouldn’t it be a good idea to start with the obvious?” Ben asked.
Ella wasn’t following his train of thought. “The obvious? Drugs dens? Abandoned buildings?”
Ben arched his eyebrows. “You didn’t notice it? You didn’t smell it? It was obvious to me. It made me wretch.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Mia asked.
“Umm, okay, I guess you didn’t catch it, but I think I have a good idea where your little friend might be hiding,” Ben said.
CHAPTER TWO
“Tell them what you told us,” Ella said to Ben. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t picked up on it, but in fairness, their battleground last night was a real sensory overload.
Ella, Mia, and Ben stood opposite William Edis, the FBI director, and Michael Foster, the Chief of the Washington D.C. Police Department. They’d taken their impromptu meeting into a side room away from the prying eyes of the waiting patients.
“Your name is?” Edis asked. The FBI director wasn’t wearing his trademark black suit and blue tie today. He’d come casual: jeans and a long-sleeved sweater. But while the clothes changed, the appearance stayed the same. He was a stocky gentleman with a firm, unyielding stare, and stress had all but beaten the soul out of him.
“Ben Carter.”
“And you’re related to this how?”
“He’s my partner,” Ella said.
Edis blinked in surprise. Ella was mildly offended.
“We’ve heard Ripley’s and Dark’s sides of the story. How did you end up in Miss Dark’s apartment last night?”
“I was putting the trash outside of my house last night. Suddenly a car pulled up. A black SUV. About three or four guys rushed me. They threw me into the trunk. Restrained me, roughed me up a little. The next thing I know I’m tied to a chair in Ella’s apartment. Then they took my phone and messaged her.”
“Anything identifiable?” the chief asked. “Something we can use to trace these guys? The license plate?”
“No. They all had masks on. I didn’t catch the license.”
