“I just talked to Callum. He said Desiree has made no phone calls since she’s been here. And you recall she told us she was going to get a lawyer?”
Mercy nodded slowly, thinking this through. “So if she made no calls and said she was going to get a lawyer, she obviously had no idea this Marbury dude was even coming today.”
“So if Desiree didn’t send for this high-powered lawyer from New York, who did?”
CHAPTER
50
PETER BUCKLEY LISTENED ON HIS PHONE for a few minutes. He liked to listen. That was the way one learned things. When you talked, you gave away things.
He said, “Fine. But I want to meet face-to-face and you can give me a fuller briefing. I’ll text you the address. I’ve arranged a place for the very short-term.”
He put his phone back in his pocket and returned to the room where Pine was seated in the chair. They had tied her to it this time, so if any more beatings happened, she wouldn’t fall off it. Britt Spector stood off to one side, watching, a nervous expression on her features.
“Agent Pine,” said Buckley. “The woman you arrested is Dolores Venuti. She is accused, among other things, of kidnapping a child and holding her prisoner.”
Pine said, “I know that.”
“Why do I think Dolores Venuti and Desiree Atkins are one and the same?”
“Think what you want,” replied Pine. “It’s a free country.”
“You won’t confirm it?”
“No.”
“I’ve also heard that Dolores will try to make bail.”
“That’ll never happen. She’s a flight risk.” Pine caught herself a beat too late.
Buckley allowed himself a brief smile. “Right. She’s a flight risk because you told them about what happened in Georgia. Good, thank you for confirming my theory that Dolores and Desiree are one and the same. As for the bail, we will have to see. Court decisions are sometimes unpredictable.”
“Not this time.”
“But if she does make bail I will pay her to tell me what she knows.”
“Desiree hasn’t seen the woman in nearly twenty years. What could she possibly tell you?”
“One never knows until one asks.”
“And if you talk to her, then you’ll just drop me back at the hotel all safe and sound?” said Pine in a blistering tone.
Buckley eyed Spector before answering. “I will give you one more chance to tell me all you know about El Cain. Then, your death is not inevitable. You have my word.”
“Your word? Don’t think so. I pass.”
“Are you sure?”
“What I’m sure of is that I was dead the moment I let your goons get the drop on me. But if you’re going to kill me anyway, you have no reason not to tell me why you want Cain so badly.”
“I told you. She killed someone.”
“But you didn’t tell me who.”
“That is no concern of yours.”
“Come on. I give you my word, I won’t tell anyone. Not that I’ll be able to.”
Buckley hesitated, his mind working rapidly, perhaps too rapidly. “My brother.”
Spector shot him a disapproving look, but said nothing.
“And did he deserve it?”
“Without a doubt he did.”
“So what’s your beef with her, then?”
“He was my family. That’s enough reason for me.”
“I can see how you might think that. But thinking like that tends to get you killed.”
“I like my odds better than yours right now.”
“So when will you know if Desiree makes bail?” she said.
“Soon.”
“Well, I’ve got lots of time then.”
Buckley eyed her closely. “You are brave. I like that in a person.”
“Thanks, now go fuck yourself.”
Spector smiled at this comment, but turned away so Buckley wouldn’t see.
“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider? It is possible that you know a lot more about the matter than Desiree does. I’m a man who prefers as much information as possible.”
“Repeat in your head what I just said to you.”
A visibly frustrated Buckley turned and left, beckoning Spector to join him. Spector eyed Pine for a long moment. Judging by her expression, a number of troubling thoughts were going through her mind. Then she turned and followed Buckley out.
CHAPTER
51
PINE LISTENED AS ADDITIONAL SETS of footsteps followed those of the two people who had already left. Then another one after that. The light was turned off, driving her even deeper into darkness. The door was closed and locked. And then a few seconds later all became quiet as the sound of the footfalls vanished.
She waited a bit longer and then leaned so far forward in the chair that the back legs came off the floor. Her knees edged down to touch the concrete, so there was barely any noise. They had tied her ankles individually to the chair legs, but had not run the rope through the crossbeam. That was a big mistake. She slowly turned to the side and simply straightened her own legs to free them. Then she was able to stand with the chair still attached to her.
The blindfold had slipped enough with her maneuvers that part of it was close to her mouth. She bit down on the fabric and jerked her head to the left and right. The cloth slipped enough to where she could see. She looked at the wall, turned, and backed toward it until the chair bumped into it.
She bent forward so the lower half of the chair and the back legs were right against the wall. Then she slowly applied weight and thus pressure until she could feel the wood begin to give. She kept going, slowly. The last thing she needed was some explosion of sound to bring her captors running.
The left leg separated first and then the right. Then the bottom half of the chair came apart from the top. The next minute the whole thing was splitting apart at various spots. She got her hands free of the restraints and quietly pulled the chair off her. She ripped away the blindfold and looked around at the darkened space. No windows. Solid walls. One door in and out. Slab floor. She slipped over to the door, and put her ear against it. She could hear nothing. If someone had been on the other side, they would have already come bursting in here. She tried the door, but it was locked. She had no phone, no lockpick kit, no guns.
She was alone with no way to get help.
Instead of feeling hopeless, she saw it as a challenge, an obstacle to be overcome. And it wasn’t like she had anything else to do while they were waiting to kill her.
Pine looked around the space and saw some boxes stacked by the wall. In one was an emergency radio with a built-in light and other features. She popped the battery compartment and snagged the old batteries in there; some had their ends ruptured where the chemicals had seeped through. She laid out the batteries on their sides in front of the door, pocketed one of them, and then stood on the chair Buckley had used and unscrewed the light bulb. Then she climbed down and went to stand by the door.
Pine stood there for more than an hour until she heard footsteps—fortunately, only one set.
She moved back against the wall.