by blaming Alexa, a convenient dodge.
“She’s still working the other names.” Jess took a swig of coffee. “I’ll let you know. Thanks, Sammie.”
She ended the call, thinking about all the despicable men who were capable of ending Mandy’s life. But Beladi was still at the top of her hit parade. She had no doubt the man was capable of murder and more. Yet after seeing the storage unit, she wondered if Burke could kill the girl to protect his source of income. And her gut told her that the dude was mean enough to set up Harper to take the fall. He definitely had anger issues.
Jess needed concrete proof for the cops, not just suspicions. Maybe the smoker’s financials and his assets would turn up something new. She did a quick scan of the pages Alexa had sent. If she didn’t make enough headway, she’d take the pages with her to read later.
But she recognized one street address. Nadir Beladi owned Dirty Monty’s, the bar where Seth had been abducted. Now the man’s threatening words from the other night, the night Pinzolo had beat her up, rushed to the forefront of her mind.
At the time, she thought he’d taken exception to her treading on his South Side turf, but he had literally meant his place of business, Dirty Monty’s. She still had no idea how Beladi owning the bar would play into this, but it was another piece of the puzzle. And Harper being drugged and kidnapped from the man’s property had to be something more than a coincidence.
Her thoughts turned to Seth and a twinge of guilt cinched her stomach.
Tonight was Harper’s regular time to visit his father. Would he keep his promise? If he stuck to the routine, this might be the best opportunity for her to cross his path. Would she cuff him and turn him over to the police for his own good? Jess clenched her jaw, trying to imagine crossing that line with him. There was only one answer that came to mind.
She’d figure out what to do when she saw him.
Golden Palms Villa
9:45 P.M.
In the rain, the nursing home cleaved to its shadows and looked ominous as lightning assaulted the night sky. Loud cracks of thunder made her tense. Only a few windows shed a pale glow, with most residents in bed by now. And although Jess was grateful Max Jenkins’s room was still lit, she knew they’d soon lock the front doors, and there’d be no way into the place.
She looked at her watch, holding her wrist toward the dim light from a streetlamp. Visiting hours were nearly over, and it looked as if Seth wasn’t coming.
And with the rain streaking the windows, thoughts of Payton Archer and the night he’d introduced her to his love of the rain, sent her into a morose tailspin. Before she’d met Payton, she hadn’t realized how much she craved emotional intimacy. He had accepted her as she was—with flaws and scars—and seemed to understand intuitively without her having to explain. She thought about calling him for the comfort of hearing his voice but decided against it.
“Quit being such a girl,” she muttered.
And with Harper missing and in trouble, she felt as if her life had been highjacked. Her stakeout could stretch into days and weeks. And she imagined being relegated to an interminable limbo like Bill Murray in
“Just take one day at a time, Beckett.”
Jess tried to clear her head of all the things she couldn’t control and focus on the here and now. She’d wait until the on-duty nurse locked the front entrance and hit the security lights before she headed home and try again tomorrow. It looked as if Harper would break his promise to his father, for good reason. Changing his routine had been prudent, but she had mixed feelings about spending another night without finding him. No news was definitely not good news—with a brutal killer in control.
She reached for her binoculars and made another pass of the facility grounds while she waited for the night nurse to make her appearance at the front door.
With visiting hours nearly over, Seth arrived by taxi and instructed the driver to leave him a few blocks away from the nursing home. Stealth was more important than staying dry. He rushed to a back entrance to get out of the rain, but the damage had been done. Drops had pelted his jacket and knapsack, drenched his hair, and seeped down his neck onto his T-shirt. With the bad weather, he’d have to rethink his departure. The staff had allowed him to stay overnight before. Maybe the head night nurse would let him do it again.
Through the kitchen, he walked up the back stairs to the second floor, avoiding the scrutiny of the staff. From the many times he’d been at the nursing home, he knew the best way in, completely under the radar of the people who took care of his father. He hadn’t intended to avoid them, but he was in no mood for idle chat.
The door to his father’s room was shut, but the light from inside seeped onto the floor. After a soft knock, he turned the knob and stepped inside.
“Papa?”
The room was empty. His father was nowhere in sight.
“What the hell?”
“He’s here. At the nursing home,” Luis said into his cell phone as he sat behind the wheel of his Chevy Impala. “Seth Harper is here, right now. What do you want me to do?”
He found it hard to contain the excitement in his voice, knowing his client would be happy to hear the good news…and perhaps be generous as well.
“You’ve already done it. Good job,” the man said. “You’ve earned your bonus. I’ll send it tomorrow as we discussed, but I’ll take it from here. Go home, Mr. Dante.”
The call ended, leaving Luis confused and more than a little intrigued by it all.
The kid hadn’t been easy to track down, but Luis had given his client much more than he’d asked for. He’d anticipated the kid’s next move and been waiting when he visited his old man, arriving only a few minutes ago on foot and coming in the back way. The client already had the nursing home address and other pertinent information, thanks to his diligence. And he’d also provided a summary of the old newspaper articles on how Harper’s father had saved all those kids from a pedophile, even reading parts of it over the phone.
He’d crossed paths with two mystery women who appeared to be looking for Seth Harper and maybe more. The one in the van was parked down the street now. This time he hadn’t had to tail her here. She’d arrived like clockwork.
And now it looked as if the woman was getting out of her vehicle and heading for the nursing facility in the rain.
Curiosity had piqued his interest again. And even though his client had kicked him loose, Luis had an inclination to stick around and see how things played out—on his own time.
Seth set down his rucksack on the floor as he entered the room. This time of night, he knew his father should have been in his room. Most residents were already in bed, but the nursing staff usually let him stay up for the last hour, an accommodation for his son’s visiting routine. He turned to leave, heading for the nurses’ station, but the phone on the nightstand rang. Seth hesitated, but eventually he picked it up.
“Hello.”
“You wanna know why your old man isn’t in his room?” A gruff voice came over the line. “Do I have your attention?”
“Who is this?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but the rest of his body hadn’t gotten the message.
“Shut up and listen. I’ve got your cop father. And if you ever want to see him again, you’ll do what I say?”
Seth shut his eyes tight, picturing Max’s face and the frail shell of his body.
“How did you know I’d be here? No one knew I was coming.” He had to know if this was real.
“Oh, baby, I got eyes on you. And I’ll know if you’re not playin’ straight with me. If you tell anyone or come with company, I’ll know it, and your old man will be put out of his misery. Am I makin’ myself clear?”
