Blood Men

chapter fifty-four

The second name on the list, Zach Everest, is a bust. The Armed Offenders Unit ended up breaking into a house that Everest hadn’t set foot in for about two years, and the new residents weren’t thrilled at the intrusion-let alone the kids who, having heard the commotion, were horribly disappointed to see six men in black storming into their home instead of one man dressed in red. There are no other known addresses for Everest, but Schroder knows it’s only a matter of time now-probably less than a day, he guesses-before they have him in custody.

Reports have already come in about the gunshot victim half an hour ago. Tyler Layton was tied to a chair and executed. Witnesses woken by the noise reported two men fleeing the scene in a four-door sedan that certainly doesn’t belong to Edward Hunter, because Hunter’s car got busted up in town, but which might have been his wife’s. At this point there’s nothing to connect Hunter and his dad to the killing, and nothing to connect Tyler Layton to any of the men responsible for the bank robbery or the abduction of Sam Hunter-but Schroder is confident there will be a link somewhere. Layton has a criminal record long enough to pretty much guarantee some interaction with Jack Hunter or the bank robbers-and the way the night is going, Jack Sr. seems to be the catalyst for all the violence around here.

At the moment Oliver Church is the far more urgent target. Church kidnapped and killed a boy, for which he only served six years. Schroder knows Church’s involvement ups the danger factor for Sam Hunter. Bracken didn’t choose somebody who would just stash the kid away for a few hours and free her somewhere, but somebody capable of ending the life of someone so young.

He redirects the assault team to Church’s address, and twenty minutes later it’s all for nothing. The address is current-there’s mail inside addressed to Church, there’s fresh food in the fridge and a half-empty packet of cigarettes on the table, but no sign of Church.

More detectives arrive, among them Detective Watts, who has Church’s criminal record with him.

“A model prisoner,” Watts says. “According to the file he made every meeting with his probation officer.”

“There has to be another address.”

“Only other thing listed here is his parents,” Watts says.

“And we’ve already sent people there. He’s probably somewhere with the girl, somewhere he’s stashed her away with nobody else around.”

“That could be any one of a thousand places,” Watts says.

“That’s not real helpful,” Schroder snaps at him. “Look, there can’t be too many possibilities. It’s probably somewhere he knows, right?” He looks back down at the file. “Last time he took the kid to the North City Slaughterhouse.”

“You think he’s taken her there?”

“Only one way to find out,” Schroder says. He needs coffee and he needs a break and he needs this all to be over and for Sam to be returned safely. “It’s as good a place as any.”

He calls Landry for an update. “Johnson knows nothing,” Landry says. “He certainly robbed the bank, but he’s not giving anything up. I think he knew Sam Hunter was going to be taken, but I don’t think he knew who by, or where she’s being held.”

Liam Marshall comes over. “We’re all ready to hit the next house.”

“Let’s go,” Schroder says. On the way he makes a call to the station and asks for a patrol car to head out urgently to the North City Slaughterhouse to take a look around.