“How did Powell end up as the police department’s psychologist in the first place?”
“I wondered the same thing. When I looked it up and checked the days, I found out that he’d hired on shortly after I graduated from the police academy and received my assignment.”
Gabe frowned and shook his head. The motion made his head spin. “He was keeping tabs on you for the master.”
“It’s the only explanation.”
“What a stroke of luck that the position was open then.”
It was Ellie’s turn to frown. “Actually, it wasn’t luck. The former psychologist died. At the time, it was ruled a suicide, but now that we know Powell was keeping tabs on me, it’s too much of a coincidence. There will be a thorough investigation. I have a feeling that your boss was involved in it somehow.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” A click and a soft beep that was different from the rest interrupted them. When he noticed Ellie’s confused expression, he explained. “I’m an addict, so they set me up with metered pain management instead of the button.” He wiggled his thumb, trying to explain, but as the pain killers flowed into his IV, his thoughts grew fuzzy.
“The morphine button. I had one the first time I got shot.”
Despite the haze that was quickly encroaching on the edges of his brain, he smiled. “The first time?”
Ellie shrugged, suppressing a grin. “I’ve been shot twice in the past six months.”
“Wow. That’s some luck.”
“Surviving is the lucky part.”
Gabe’s mood darkened, the happiness at seeing Ellie fleeing at the reminder of his current situation. He lowered his eyes. “Not for all of us.”
Ellie shifted in her chair, her green eyes searching his for a moment before she finally spoke. “Why did you stay with him? You had to have realized he was bad long before he made you help kidnap Jillian, right?”
Gabe’s eyes filled with unshed tears as he nodded. He was so ashamed. “I didn’t discover that until a short while ago, and then I was afraid of what he’d do to me if I defied him.”
“But you were just his employee. Couldn’t you leave and never come back to work?”
“No. He took me in off the street, groomed me, and gave me a place to live. A job. My phone, my car. There was no escaping him. If I walked away, he would know exactly where to find me.”
Ellie nodded her understanding. “So, you didn’t have a choice?”
“It was either play along and look for a way out, or risk ending up dead.”
“You did the right thing, Gabe.”
Gabe sighed. “I just wish I felt that way about it.”
“None of this is your fault.” Ellie’s hand covered his, offering comfort.
He forced a smile, trying to fight his way past the overwhelming sadness. “Thank you for saying that, but he literally tortured and killed a man because he looked like me.” Gabe’s jaw clenched as he let out a shuddering breath. “At least one person is dead today because of me. That’s a heavy burden to bear.”
“How do you know?” Caring green eyes assessed him, making him want to tell her everything.
“It was a fluke. The doctor left his computer on one day, and when I went to shut it down, he had a message. There was this site and these pictures—” A sob tore from his throat.
“I think I know what site you’re talking about.”
“You do?”
Ellie nodded. “I was on it too. We’ve been investigating, but it’s a slow process. Until we know the identities of everyone involved, it will be next to impossible to stop them.”
“Even if you do, they’ll just move the operation somewhere else.”
“That’s the other concern we have.” Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a large tablet and tapped the screen. “I have screenshots of some of the people listed on the auction site. Do you think you could look through them and see if you recognize the man he killed?”
Gabe nodded, and Ellie pulled her chair closer, holding the tablet so he could see it before scrolling through pages of captives, each page containing a dozen photos. Bile burned the back of his throat, but Gabe forced the nausea away. When she flicked her finger across the screen a third time, he gasped and pointed to a photo in the middle. “That’s him, right there.”
“He looks a lot like you.” She took a screenshot, opened the photo gallery, and cropped the picture, so only the man he’d pointed out was left. “Give me just a second to run a search.”
Her green eyes were narrowed, lips tight as she worked. After some time had passed, Ellie turned the tablet so he could see the Charleston Police Department seal on the top of the page, the man’s soulful brown eyes so much like his own staring back at him. “This is him. His body hasn’t been found yet as far as I know.”
“Constantino.” Gabe whispered the man’s name, brushing the screen with his fingers as a dark, heavy sadness settled over him. “What are all these other names?”
“Aliases. It looks like he had a rough life. Drugs, alcohol, and a couple stints in lockup.”
Gabe’s chest tightened. So similar to his own past, right down to the addiction-ruined life. But the doctor had saved Gabe and killed Constantino. It was a fact that had been keeping Gabe awake at night since he found the scrapbook. “It could’ve been me.”
“It’s natural to feel that way, but you don’t know why the master kept you alive.”
“The master?”
“That’s what they call him on the dark web.” Setting the tablet aside, she placed her hand over his and gave a gentle squeeze. “You’ve been very helpful, Gabe, and I know you’re tired. But there’s something else I need to know, and it can’t wait.”
Gabe inhaled slowly. “You want to know his name too.”
“Chief Johnson told me
