Helpless

Chapter 28

Rainy met Sergeant Brendan Murphy in his office. Murphy was going to bring her to Tom Hawkins, who’d been processed and transported to one of the interrogation rooms.

From the start of Rainy’s interactions with Murphy, the oversized police sergeant had given her the creeps. He stood too close to her, almost hovering. He would touch her when he talked. A tap on the shoulder. A pat on the arm. She didn’t like the way he kept looking at her, either. But the man had provided her with one incredibly useful service. Thanks to Murphy, she had one possible answer to her ongoing investigation into James Mann. Hawkins, she now believed, had sold Mann the images she’d categorized as sexts. But Murphy’s usefulness had just about run out, so one more touch, another lecherous stare, and he’d come to regret those octopus arms.

“We’ve moved Hawkins from our holding cell to the meeting room.”

“Thanks for making it possible.”

“Hey, a favor for a favor. Your man Carter is really quite the wizard. He unlocked the whole shebang.”

“I’m assuming you’ll want to be present when I question him.”

“Nah. We’ll be watching through the two-way. You do your thing, Agent Miles.”

He tapped her on the shoulder, then touched her on the arm.

“Sergeant Murphy, do you have a problem keeping your hands to yourself?” Murphy stammered but could not speak. “I didn’t think so,” said Rainy.

Rainy followed behind a silent and stoop-shouldered Murphy as he led her down a well-lit corridor with blue-painted walls. They stopped in front of a closed door marked MEETING ROOM in stenciled black lettering.

Murphy opened the door. His sullen mood fell away, and he returned to his former cocky self, albeit without the touches. “Crap this guy was into, don’t feel you need to go easy on him,” he said. “I know we’ve got cameras and two-way glass and whatnot, but we can shut those off and turn our backs. You just give the word.”

“Thanks. But this won’t take long. Close the door on your way out,” Rainy said.

Tom Hawkins rested his handcuffed hands upon a heavily gouged table dividing the small concrete room. Light from powerful fluorescents danced off the two-way mirror. The room behind it, Rainy knew, was kept intentionally dark to allow the officers inside proper viewing. Murphy wanted to record the interview for the New Hampshire DA’s office, but Rainy had denied the request. It was against department procedure to record any interrogation without the approval or presence of someone from the US attorney’s office.

Hawkins would probably be tried by the state, not the Feds. FBI resources were under constant strain. With the type of images and the quantity found on Hawkins’s computer, it was doubtful Tomlinson would allow Rainy to bring him up on federal charges. He’d much prefer to let the state take the resource hit in prosecuting the crimes. But she was here to see if Hawkins could help her with her James Mann investigation. It would be good to get to him before he lawyered up. It never failed to amaze her how much information perps revealed when given a chance.

She tried to make an assessment of him based on behavior. It surprised her that Hawkins had no trouble making eye contact. In fact, his eyes followed her into the room and watched her take the seat across from his. They were cold, though, with touches of gray that reminded her of a wolf.

Training told her to steer clear of on-the-spot reading. Evidence trumped gut instinct every time. But the way he looked at her was not typical. Usually, the men Rainy interrogated gave her the shivers, as if they were broadcasting their sickness on an FM frequency she picked up in stereo. But for the life of her, Rainy couldn’t recall a single instance where she found one of these men attractive. That was, until she met Tom Hawkins. Hawkins was ruggedly handsome, and easy on the eyes.

Stop it, Miles, Rainy silently berated herself. Look beyond his looks.

Rainy returned her focus to the mission. She was here to obtain information. She hoped Hawkins wanted to share his side of the story. With luck, he would talk. Rainy reached into the pocket of her suit blazer for her badge, making no conscious effort to conceal the holstered weapon she carried. “I’m Special Agent Loraine Miles, from the FBI,” she said.

“Where’s my daughter?” asked Tom.

Rainy handed Tom a cell phone. This was part of the deal she’d agreed to so that Tom would talk. She watched Tom key in a number. The handcuffs didn’t get in his way. He put the phone to his ear. He waited. She listened.

“Hiya, Jilly-bean. It’s Dad…. No, I’m fine…. Don’t worry…. Everything is going to be all right…. Yeah, yeah, stay with Lindsey. That’s fine…. No, the police car is outside because I asked them to keep an eye on you…. Right, the guy in the woods… No, I don’t think you have anything to worry about, but I’m not taking any chances…. You stay strong, okay?… I’ll see you real soon.”

Tom handed the phone back to Rainy. His eyes were burning with rage.

Now she got the shivers.

“Is your daughter all right?” Rainy asked.

“She’s scared.”

“You can help,” said Rainy.

“How?”

“Talk to me.”

“What’s this got to do with the FBI, anyway?” Tom said.

“Well, I was hoping you could tell me that,” Rainy said.

“I’m not playing games. Get specific, Agent Miles.”

“I want you to tell me how you came to know James Mann, and how you got the images the police found on your computer.”

“I don’t know a James Mann. And I don’t know what images anybody found.”

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Tom,” Rainy said. “You know as well as I do that cooperation will be taken into consideration at sentencing.”

“I won’t be convicted. I’m not guilty of anything.”

“We have the images, Tom. Forty girls. Hundreds of images. Were the pictures taken with cell phone cameras?”

“I’m only speaking to my attorney.”

“We’ve got the computer logs that show a lot of cash payments. Did you get paid for sending these images?”

“Are you my attorney?”

“Did you coerce the girls into giving you these pictures? Were you having a relationship with all of them or just the one?”

“I’m only speaking to my attorney,” Tom repeated.

“How did you recruit the others in your ring? Craigslist? Some other message board? How many people do you have working for you?”

Tom said nothing. He’d gone statue on her.

Rainy sighed, pushed her chair back, and stood up from the table.

“Suit yourself. Last chance from me. Judges like it when a felon cooperates with the Feds. Doesn’t do you much good to put up walls, Tom. Why not just tell me the truth? I can’t promise you’ll do less time, but I’ll put in the good word. Tom, think about your daughter.”

Tom was looking down at his hands. He picked his head back up.

“She’s all I think about,” Tom said. “Look at me. I’m just a father desperately worried about my daughter’s safety. I’d cut a deal with you in a heartbeat if I could.”

A twinge of sadness, sudden and unexpected, overcame Rainy.

She had come to Shilo ready to extort Tom’s cooperation but was leaving with a new question.

Could this seemingly genuine and decent man really be so evil?