The man looked at her directly as he answered.
“We have a head, Ms. Pinto.”
Laney’s face was as white as paper, and her hand felt clammy in mine.
“Does he have to?” she whispered.
“It would really help us out, Mrs. Novak,” replied Parker.
“I’ll do it,” I said, my voice as dry as dust.
He nodded, waiting until Laney was looking away, then laid a black and white photograph in front of me. It didn’t look real, the bloated pumpkin-shape in the picture. The close-cropped hair looked like Oleg’s, but it was hard to tell.
“I don’t know, it could be. He . . . Oleg . . . had a long scar on his right cheek and his nose had been broken.”
Parker seemed pleased with my answer.
It felt odd, staring down at a photograph of Oleg’s head. It didn’t match the menace, the pure evil that I’d always felt around him. Instead, he was nothing.
I hoped his body was feeding the worms.
I hoped he’d suffered when they killed him.
I hoped he felt every blade of every knife, every bullet of every gun.
I hoped he’d screamed in agony.
I hoped he’d taken a long time dying.
And I was glad he was dead. The world was a better place without him in it.
“What about Sergei?” I asked, almost choking on the name.
Parker shrugged.
“Volkov is very thorough. It’s likely that Boykov is already dead or will be soon. We got lucky with Ivanowski. A rancher found the remains when he was riding his property-line. We think coyotes . . . well, it doesn’t matter now.”
My stomach quivered, but I wasn’t sick. Laney gave a small gasp and I put my arm around her automatically.
“Are you going to arrest Volkov?”
“We’re still gathering evidence. We don’t just want Volkov, we want all his contacts, and we’re working with Interpol. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
I didn’t know how to feel. Was it all over, after all these months? I should have felt relief. I wanted to feel something, but I couldn’t. The numbness crept over my whole body left me with a cold, floating sensation. Even Laney’s small frame curled into my chest didn’t move me.
Funny, this morning I’d felt like I was in love with her. Now, I felt nothing. I knew I still loved her, at least I thought so—I just couldn’t feel it.
Her father was watching me with narrowed eyes. I stared back at him until he glanced away.
“Yveta and Gary?” I prompted, looking at Parker.
“They’ve been brought to Chicago. Mr. Benson has family in Kenosha. Ms Kuznets opted to come with him. He was very happy to hear that you’re in the same city.”
“Where did you find them?”
Parker looked at me thoughtfully before he answered.
“They were found at one of the Outlaws’ hideouts near Boise. They’d been moved around several times before that.”
“Can I see them?”
“That can be arranged. They’re being looked after at Mercy.”
His words confused me, but Laney explained. “It’s the name of a hospital.”
Her voice seemed to come from a long way away, as if the pane of glass between me and the world grew thicker, hazier every second. My head began to throb.
“Why are they in hospital?”
Parker’s expression remained neutral, but I could see that there was something he wasn’t telling me.
“Dehydration, mainly. When the Outlaws started getting hit by Volkov’s men, they left your friends behind. We’re not sure, but we’d guess they were without food and water for three or four days.”
I rubbed my temples, willing the pounding in my head to lessen. Laney caught my fingers and held them gently.
“They wouldn’t have let them travel if they were really unwell,” she tried to reassure me quietly.
“Unless you have anything further, my client has had enough for today,” Angela said firmly.
Parker shot her a look. “Just the photographs, and we’ll be done.”
One by one, he pulled out a set of photographs. Some of them were mug shots, others looked as if they’d been taken from a distance, probably surveillance cameras. I thought I recognized the biker, but I couldn’t be sure. Parker didn’t seem disappointed—the guy showed less emotion than a stone. I definitely knew that feeling.
Eventually he nodded at Angela.
“We’re done here. Thank you, Ms. Pinto. Mr. Novak, Mrs. Novak.”
They all stood up to leave, but I had to know.
“What if Volkov doesn’t find Sergei?”
Parker pursed his lips, and I thought for a moment that he wasn’t going to tell me. But then he shook his head.
“He crossed the border into Mexico. We think we know where he’s going. It’s just a matter of whether Volkov finds him first or us.”
I hoped Volkov found him, castrated him and killed him. In that order.
Ash