The other one, Agent Leeds, was a woman in her mid-thirties, and from the first time she opened her mouth, I could identify her for what she was—a lab geek. As a biology major, I've dealt with plenty of them in my studies. They're generally a good group of people, but they normally have social skills that are a little lacking. The little pink streak in her hair gave it away.
Agent Jacobi opened up the questioning. He asked me about my history with Chris Lake, including our dating history. “So you never had intimate relations with him?” he asked, all business. “Just to be clear.”
“Never,” I said clearly. “Previously, we went to second base, but never any further.”
Jacobi made a note in his notebook, while Leeds tapped at her tablet. I assumed she was recording the whole conversation using the computer. She had arranged it very specifically to point the back toward me. Besides, it struck me as just fitting her personality.
We moved on to the actual details behind Shawnie’s and my kidnappings, Jacobi asking a few questions related to the symptoms that I felt. “No, I didn't notice any sort of taste about the juice at all. It just tasted like normal orange juice.”
“And how fast did it take to kick in?” Leeds asked, the first time she had said anything since they had introduced themselves.
“I'm not sure, but I'd say fewer than five minutes,” I said. “I don't think I even finished the glass.”
Agent Leeds put her finger to her lips, nodding thoughtfully. I jumped at the chance. “Can you guys tell me what I was dosed with?”
Leeds shook her head. “Right now, we're not too sure. The problem is that your blood tests all came back pretty clear. Whatever it was, it gets filtered out very quickly.”
“Have you searched his apartment?” I asked, feeling dumb as soon as I did. Of course they had. They were the FBI.
“And his office,” Agent Morgan said. “Miss Rawlings, you're probably wondering why this is being handled by the FBI and not the Atlanta Police.”
“Not really,” I said. “Daddy is a fan of those procedural cop shows, and I know that while they're normally full of junk, there's some information that jives. I'm guessing you have investigations over multiple states?”
Morgan nodded, impressed. “Good catch. That, and the kidnapping gives us the ability to take the lead on this. Miss Rawlings, I'm not going to lie. We suspect Mr. Lake in a series of sexual assaults stretching back at least five years. If the statement Mr. Bell gave us holds water, it may even go back further, although the ones before the use of any drug would be nearly impossible to prove. You're quite lucky, Miss Rawlings.”
“Why?” I asked, a chill sweeping over me as I thought about all those victims, all those women who'd been seduced or assaulted by Chris for his sick game with Lloyd.
“Because a pattern was emerging in our investigations,” Leeds said, geeking out and not realizing how fast her mouth was running away from her. “We think he was getting ready to graduate from taking his thrill from sex to murder.”
I shivered, hugging my knees, and Leeds realized what she'd said. “Sorry,” she muttered, looking around sheepishly. “I shouldn't have said that.”
I shook my head, looking down. “It’s okay. Tell me, is Shawnie okay?”
“She's going to need a little more recovery time, but she’ll be okay,” Agent Jacobi said simply. “Mostly uninjured, but there are a lot of superficial cuts and a separated shoulder from her escape attempt.”
I nodded. “Then how about we wrap this up, and let me go see my friend and hopefully my dad?”
It was Agent Morgan's turn to look sheepish, and he ran a hand through his thinning brown hair. “Actually, Miss Rawlings, you might need to wait for your clothes. Uhm, unless you mind wearing a pair of scrubs or something. I'm sure your stepmother or Mr. Bell will bring a pair as soon as they’re done.”
“Where are they, anyway?” I asked. It was already mid-morning, and I had thought they'd already have been at the hospital. “With Daddy?”
Agent Jacobi shook his head. “No, wrapping up things with Atlanta PD,” he said. “I believe there is a little situation of someone putting cuffs on Mr. Bell that needs to be cleared up. Also, they'll take another statement from him, although we talked with him last night. His story and yours are pretty clear. It all matches what your friend said as well.”
“Then let me get some scrubs, and I'll go see Shawnie. Is there anything else you need?”
Agent Morgan looked at his coworkers and shook his head. “We might be in touch soon. For sure, the prosecutor will want you to be available to testify, but that might be a long time off.”
“That's fine. Right now, I want to see three people: Daddy, Shawnie, and Dane. In that order.”
Chapter 18
Dane