when my father left her, she had it legally changed back to it along with her children.”
“Why would she do that? I mean I guess I could understand her changing her name, but why yours?”
“She hated him. She told us she didn’t want any part of him left in our lives. He abused her, left her for dead, then took every bit of savings they had and left her penniless.”
“I’ve never heard this before.”
“I usually don’t make a habit of telling people. It just doesn’t occur to me. I’ve been Eliana Pemberton as long as I can remember.”
“When did she tell you?”
“When I was nine.”
“We were in third grade.”
She nodded. “Do you remember the week I missed school because I had the mumps?”
“Yes.”
“I wasn’t sick. I was upset. She had just told me.”
“I remember. You were sad for like a month after that. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was embarrassed. My family was messed up and I felt small. All I wanted to do was hide.”
“You must have been young when he did all this,” Luke said.
She nodded. “I don’t remember him. I’ve only ever seen one picture of him. Patrick remembers him a little. He doesn’t talk about him much though. He was four when our Father left. I was two.”
“I’m sorry Ellie. That sucks. All this time I thought he was dead or something.”
“He might as well be.”
“Who knows all this?”
“My family, my grandma I guess, probably my aunt and uncle. Not many.”
“Then how did William Smith know it?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m so upset. I could care less about my father. This asshole seems to know everything about me and I want to know how.”
Luke smiled.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Let’s ask him how he knows.” And he explained what he wanted to do.
Chapter 29
The private jet touched down in Valparaiso, Indiana, four hours later and a car picked them up at the ramp. Victoria had remained mostly silent on the short flight, but did fill them in on the old cold case. When she described the bruising around the mouth and the Diethyl Ether, Jaxon interrupted and asked where the body had been found.
“In a small pond. It had frozen over and some kids had seen something beneath the ice. They got their parents and in turn the parents contacted the local sheriff’s office.”
“How did you find the boy’s parents after so much time?” Sally asked.
“Very similar to yours,” Victoria said. “The local Police Department called the FBI after a few months. We were able to narrow the time of death down to within a year and we found him using missing person’s files from the surrounding counties and states. Of course, I wasn’t involved then. I was still with the FCPD. This was 2001.”
The year was not a good one for Jaxon. Victoria either. Just the mention of it brought the temperature down in the cabin a few degrees. Nobody said a word for the rest of the flight.
They arrived at the local sheriff’s office and met with the detective who had handled the case back in 2001. His name was Vernon Scoggins. Jaxon disliked him immediately. He was bald, overweight, and wore sneakers with his suit. He chewed tobacco and chose to spit the juice into an empty Zephyrhills water bottle he carried around with him. Jaxon swore if the son-of-a-bitch spilled one drop on him, he would break his leg. Victoria seemed to like him.
Holt had discussed the information they had obtained through the web-cam’s manufacturer with Scoggins and his chief, so they knew what the three of them were there for. Scoggins told them the address associated with the computer I.P. address was in a section of town known for its extracurricular activity, mainly prostitution. The house was currently under surveillance, and per the FBI’s instructions, no one was to interfere with anyone entering or leaving the premises. So far the place had been quiet as a tomb.
Public records showed a deed recorded under the name of Walter Peacock. Contacting the owner had been relatively easy, but the information he provided on his renter proved useless. The tenant, William Smith, paid in cash every six months through the mail and the only contact information he had provided listed a name and address which did not exist. William Smith apparently did not want to be bothered. Mr. Peacock could not remember ever meeting the tenant. Scoggins said the man sounded drunk on the phone.
Scoggins told them the neighbors had very little information about the man except to say he usually showed up late at night and was very white.
“White?” Victoria asked.
“Yes,” Scoggins said. “You know-pale-albino-I don’t know. One guy told me he’s only ever seen him from a distance and his face was very white.”
Jaxon and Sally shared a look.
“What?” Victoria said looking back and forth between the two.
“Our perp looks to be wearing a white Halloween mask on the two surveillance videos we have of him,” Jaxon said. “At first I thought he was albino, but Sally said it was probably a mask. I think she’s right.”
“Could be our guy, right?” Scoggins said.
No one answered.
“The plan is to wait until he shows up,” Victoria said, “and then move in. If he doesn’t show, we get the warrant to search the place. Right now, we sit tight and wait.”
“Great,” Jaxon said. “Can we at least join the surveillance team?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t want anybody spooking this guy. We wait for the call.”
Three hours had passed and everyone was on edge. Jaxon noticed Sally was on her third cup of coffee and Victoria was sucking down Diet Pepsis like they were going out of style. Jaxon kept busy with a crossword puzzle.
Victoria walked over and sat next to Jaxon. “You know, you haven’t said more than five words to me the last six hours.”
“Actually, I said seventeen.”
She smiled. “That bad, huh?”
“Torture,” but he didn’t smile. He was in no mood for playful banter with his ex-wife.
“So, how is Reverb?” She asked.
“Old and nearly dead.”
“I miss him.”
He looked up from the puzzle and searched her face. She hadn’t so much as asked about the dog in ten years. Reverb had only been two years old at the time of Michael’s death and he distinctly remembered a time before that when she said the dog had to go. The only reason he eventually stayed was because Michael adored him. She couldn’t break his heart, but she was angry at Jaxon for weeks because he went behind her back and brought the dog home without consulting her.
She was smiling and he wondered if she genuinely meant what she said. Probably not.
“I thought you hated him,” he said, turning back to the puzzle. “You’ve never come to see him.”
“It’s not for lack of trying. I can’t even get you to return my calls much less answer the door.”
“You’ve knocked on the door?”
“Three times.”
“Wow-three times in ten years. You must have wanted to see him pretty bad.”
