Chapter
Twelve
“I . . . I don’t understand. Wasn’t he being watched?”
“Of course he was, but he slipped away. He disappeared sometime late yesterday afternoon.”
“You think he’s here?” Although Gerard was the first person Tony might suspect of attacking him, it didn’t make sense. “If he’s not the Blue-Eyed Killer, why would he come to Shelter Cove? And besides that, how would he know where Kate was?”
“You’re asking a lot of questions I don’t have answers for. Look, the guy who ran that website? BEKlives.com? He was a computer tech extraordinaire. I’m going to tell you something, but you’ve got to keep it between us. The office in Washington was hacked not long after Gerard’s second trial. The intrusion was caught and shut down. Washington waited for fallout, but it never came. Or so they thought.”
“You’re telling me Gerard’s computer fan might have found Kate’s location? Why wasn’t she moved?”
“Because no one was sure who the hacker was or what he wanted. There was nothing to indicate he was targeting Kate. The hacker could have looked at all of our witnesses. We couldn’t possibly have relocated everyone. Our Washington office works under the direction of the Department of Justice. Unfortunately, back then funding was tight. Too tight. They decided to wait to see if any further action was required. In the end, they decided it was a one-time deal with no lasting consequences.”
“So you don’t know if our witness was compromised?”
“No, not for certain,” Batterson said. “But I suspect it now.”
“You should have told me about this. Kate could be in real danger.”
“Like I said, at the time there was no reason to think the breach had anything to do with her.”
“But is there reason to think that now?”
“Well, the website’s up again.”
Tony was stunned by this news. “Wait a minute. Gerard’s crazy computer groupie is back? Why? Especially since it looks like Gerard isn’t B.E.K. How would this guy even know what’s going on?”
“The story’s out. Someone leaked it. The media’s jumping all over it this morning. Pulling the trial apart. Kate’s image is all over TV. They know Gerard was released, but they don’t know he’s missing.”
“What’s the message on the website?”
Batterson sighed. “Just a verse. Like always. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him. It’s from Numbers.”
“That’s odd. A little different than the other ones.”
“I don’t think you can tell much from the ravings of a madman.”
“We don’t need this, that’s for sure.” Tony thought for a moment. “We’ve got to take it as a warning, Chief. We’ve got to move Kate. Now. The news is gonna reach here eventually. This is a small town, but they have computers and television. Someone’s gonna recognize Kate. If Gerard wants to find her, it’s gonna get easier real quick.”
“I don’t know, Tony. Like you said, if Gerard isn’t the person who attacked Kate and killed her sister, why would he be looking for her?”
“I still think he’s the guy who killed Kelly O’Brien, and I have a hunch your gut’s telling you the same thing. We need to be proactive. Protect our witness with the information we have. Maybe the evidence linking this Bodine guy is wrong. I’m not sure we should just accept it without more information. Besides, someone attacked me this morning. Why?” Tony felt an overwhelming sense of urgency to get over to Kate’s. “I need to sign off, Chief. I want to check on Kate.”
“All right. You get her ready. I’ll contact the office near you and tell them we’re on the move.” Batterson sighed into the phone. “You need backup. You should have called for it immediately, Tony. Before meeting with the doctor.”
“You’re right, Chief.” Tony was silent after that. He couldn’t argue. It should have been his first action. True, whatever he was dosed with had dulled his mind at first, but his training should have taken over.
“I’m gonna let it pass because you weren’t yourself. But next time, if you ignore procedure, there will be consequences. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I get it. Any idea where we can take Kate?”
“We have to bring her here. Don’t have any other choice. We can protect her in St. Louis until we can figure out our next move. I’ll have the local Marshals contact you directly. You can work out the details with them. Keep me updated.”
“I will. Gotta go.”
“Tony?”
“Yeah?”
“One more thing. You should know that the media also have a story about Gerard not being the Blue-Eyed Killer. That there’s another suspect. They don’t know who it is, though, and we’re taking steps to make sure they won’t find out. We’re not sure how the media got hold of it, but if Kate listens to the news this morning . . .”
“She’ll know I didn’t tell her the truth.”
“That was my call, not yours. She’ll understand.”
Tony wasn’t too sure she would, but he didn’t say anything.
“Stay alert and be careful,” Batterson said.
“I will, Chief.”
Tony slid his phone into his jacket pocket. Then he hurried back to his room. After quickly washing his face and combing his hair, he got into his car and headed over to Kate’s. He knocked on her door several times. When she didn’t answer, he decided she’d ignored his request for her to wait for him and had already gone to the café. He quickly drove over there, pulled up next to the front door, and got out. There was a car in the parking lot he assumed was hers. He peered through the café windows, but it was dark inside. He tried the front door and found it locked. After banging on it several times, he went around to the side of the building. A door next to the trash bins was open so he went inside. Why were the lights off?
“Anyone here?” he called out. “Kate?”
There was no answer. Tony felt his shoulders tense, and he pulled out his gun. “Kate, are you here?” he said again. Still nothing.
He was in some kind of hallway. The only light came from outside, and the clouds weren’t helping. He could barely make out shelves along the walls, loaded with supplies. He slowly pushed open a door at the end of the hallway and found the kitchen. It was outlined in shadow. He could smell something familiar, and it wasn’t food. It was blood. His free hand felt the wall next to him and discovered a light switch. As he held his gun in front of him, his heart racing in his chest, he clicked on the light.
There wouldn’t be any more off-pitch hymns echoing through the Shelter Café. Kate’s cook, Bella, lay sprawled on the floor, her eyes open and unseeing, a large knife sticking out of her chest.
Deputy Warren Killian rushed to the Shelter Café after getting a call from Tony DeLuca. He found Bella’s body and searched the rest of the building, but no one else was there. He called for assistance and waited for backup to arrive. When DeLuca had told him he was going to see if Kate was okay, he’d made a mistake. Hadn’t used the name Emily. As far as Warren knew, no one else was aware of Emily’s real identity. Would DeLuca realize his slip? Would he say something? Warren decided to confront the situation head-on. It was the only way. It might keep him from saying something that would draw DeLuca’s attention. If DeLuca ever found out the truth, his presence in Shelter Cove would become suspect—and so would he. And he couldn’t afford that.
Tony drove like a crazy man back to Kate’s. Was she all right? Was she alive? He pulled into her driveway, his tires squealing on the concrete. He ran over to the garage and looked inside. There was a car. Kate had never left her house. He pulled out his gun, went up to the front door, and found it locked. He took a step back and then kicked it in.
“Kate?” he yelled. “Kate, where are you?”
A quick look around the living room, the kitchen, and the dining room revealed nothing. Then he went into Kate’s bedroom. Her bed was unmade, the sheets pulled almost completely off the mattress. A bedside table was overturned, and a lamp lay shattered on the floor. Tony looked closer, being careful not to touch anything in an effort to leave evidence undisturbed. There was blood on the carpet. Not a lot, but enough to make it clear someone had been injured. As he looked around the room, he could come to only one conclusion.
Kate had been abducted by Alan Gerard.