Fear

FORTY-FOUR

‘Mrs. Brent,’ the man repeated, and Celeste got to her feet, shaking, leaning against the wall. ‘My name is Dodd. Do exactly what I say and you’ll be safe. Please untie Nathan. Go wash your face. Sit on the bed with him. Do not leave the room, do not make a phone call. Do not scream. I will help you. Am I clear?’

Stunned, she nodded.

Dodd shoved Groote out of the room, pushed him against the wall, started searching him. His gun, she thought, and opened her mouth to speak: I kicked his gun under the bed. But caution made her be quiet.

Dodd glanced back at her. ‘Mrs. Brent. Do as I say, please, and everything will be fine.’

She worked Nathan’s gag free. ‘You okay?’ he said.

She nodded and untied the knots binding Nathan’s hands and feet. She was so glad to be alive she shivered, from head to toe, as though she’d plunged into freezing water.

‘Sir,’ Nathan said to Dodd, ‘thank you. Thank you.’

‘You’re all right, Nathan?’ Dodd asked.

‘Yes, sir.’ Crisply said, as though he were back in the military, ready to go fight the war all over again.

Celeste washed her face. Her lips were swollen and she’d bled from her mouth and her nose, but not much. The soap smelled of lemon and she scrubbed her skin hard.

‘Who are you?’ Celeste asked as she dried her face.

‘He’s my boss,’ Nathan said, a clear pride in his voice.

‘Boss?’

Dodd finished searching Groote and shoved him facedown to the other bed, put the cannon close to his back. ‘Answer my questions or your spine will be gone. You work for Oliver Quantrill.’

‘Who?’ Groote said.

‘I admire loyalty but only to a point. Where’s Sorenson?’

‘I have no idea.’

‘Don’t lie, Mr. Groote.’

‘Sorenson broke my nose – ask Nathan. If I knew where the bastard was I’d kill him. But I don’t.’

‘Interesting,’ Dodd said. ‘Mr. Groote hurt you, didn’t he, Nathan?’

‘With a screwdriver.’ Nathan scrambled to the floor and retrieved Groote’s gun, handed it to Dodd, and Celeste wondered, What the hell is he doing? She thought, too late, she should have retrieved the gun first.

‘Want to take a screwdriver to Mr. Groote?’

Nathan shook his head. ‘No.’

‘Isn’t Nathan a better man than you are, Mr. Groote?’ Dodd asked.

‘Apparently.’ Hatred coated his voice.

‘Nathan,’ Dodd said, ‘don’t be alarmed by what I’m going to say to Mr. Groote. It’s only because we live in desperate times.’ He leaned closer to Groote. ‘I have an offer for you. Quantrill’s a dead end. You need to come over to my side.’

‘Which side is that?’ Groote asked.

‘We’re the people who invented Frost in the first place. Your boss stole it from me.’

‘What-’ Celeste started to say, and then Nathan silenced her with a subtle shake of his head.

‘Let me tell you how we can help you, and help your daughter, Mr. Groote.’

‘My daughter-’ Groote said in choked shock, and Celeste saw real fear light in the man’s eyes, real terror. ‘You don’t go near my kid, goddamn you…’

‘Only fearful men make threats, Mr. Groote. Confident men make promises. Here’s my first promise to you: I’m your new employer.’

‘I don’t recall looking for a new job.’

‘Breathe a sigh of relief; you’ve had the shit kicked out of you since you signed on with Quantrill. Now you work for me. I’m buying out your contract.’

‘I’m not for sale.’

Dodd produced a digital recorder from his pocket. ‘I know your price.’ He clicked the button.

‘Daddy?’ A girl’s voice was quiet, drugged, blissed. ‘Dad? Hi. It’s me. I’m supposed to say hi to you first. They’re moving me to a new hospital this morning. They said you were too busy to come see me during the move but that you’d visit soon.’ A murmuring woman’s voice sounded next, whispering to the girl to say good-bye. ‘Yes,’ the girl slurred. ‘I love you, Daddy, come see me soon.’

The recording ended. Groote gasped in strained hitches and found his voice. ‘I’ll fucking kill you.’

‘And what will happen to your Amanda then?’

Groote said in a torrent: ‘Jesus, please, don’t hurt my kid, God, where is she? Who the hell are you that you can move her without my permission?’

Celeste felt chilled by the fear on Groote’s face, the smug smirk on Dodd’s, the heartbreaking whisper of the girl’s voice. She stood.

‘Keep her still, Nathan, please,’ Dodd said.

‘What the hell is this-’ Celeste started, and Nathan pulled her back to the bed, made her sit.

‘Do what he says, he’s the good guy.’

Celeste thought, No he’s not.

Dodd said, ‘Amanda’s simply insurance. I just want to be sure you stay on my side. You’re going to betray Quantrill for me, Mr. Groote, but I want to be sure you don’t pull a double cross on me. Your daughter is perfectly safe. It’s up to you to see that she remains perfectly safe.’

‘The government,’ Groote said suddenly. ‘You’re with the government.’

‘ Government sounds so large. Unwieldy. Inefficient. I’m more of a back corner,’ Dodd said.

‘Quantrill said Frost was abandoned research,’ Groote said. ‘You saying he stole Frost from the government?’

Dodd put his lips close to Groote’s ear. ‘Here’s the deal. All you need to know is that if you get Frost and kill Quantrill and Sorenson for me, you get your daughter back safe and sound. Guaranteed. You’re not prosecuted for any of your freelance activities. And, Dennis – may I call you Dennis? – your daughter gets Frost. Just like how Nathan gets Frost, and how Mrs. Brent will get Frost if she and I can come to an understanding.’ Dodd gave Celeste a polite nod. She wondered if she could reach the door before he fired. Eight steps. Two more out the door. He’d mow her down, shoot her in the back, she had no doubt.

Groote swallowed. ‘I’ll do whatever you want.’

‘Understand this. Amanda’s safety depends on my safety. You betray me, she suffers. No one wants an innocent girl who’s already suffered so to endure additional pain. Give me no reason to doubt you, Dennis.’

‘I won’t,’ Groote said. Celeste could not feel sorry for him but the confident killer who’d broken into their rooms was gone, a confused hulk in his place.

‘Sit up.’

Groote obeyed.

‘You came here first?’

‘Yes. I figured they would go for the cheapest motel.’

‘You followed them all the way from New Mexico?’

‘Of course not. I flew to Fresno this morning. I saw on Celeste’s computer the Frost files were transferred to a server owned by Wallace.’

‘But you haven’t been to see Doctor Wallace?’

‘No. I got delayed in Santa Fe answering questions from the FBI. About Kendrick. The Bureau’s looking for him.’

‘Because he’s a missing witness?’

Groote nodded.

‘You think Kendrick has Frost?’

‘I believed he did.’

‘Did you kill Allison?’

‘Hell, no.’

‘Did you kill Sorenson?’

‘No but I would if I could.’

‘They – and Nathan – all worked for me. At least they did. Sorenson killed Allison, tried to kill Nathan, ran off with Frost, I suspect,’ Dodd said.

‘To sell it,’ Celeste said, and they all looked at her. ‘None of this is about helping people, it’s just about the money. It’s always money.’

‘Mrs. Brent,’ Dodd said, ‘I know I have Nathan’s loyalty, and I have enough of Dennis’s to let me sleep with one eye closed. You’re the open question.’

‘Sir,’ Nathan said, ‘Celeste is cool. She killed Hurley. He can’t talk about his work.’

‘Well, thank you, Mrs. Brent,’ Dodd said. ‘You did me a great favor.’

‘Allison worked for you?’ Celeste said. ‘Allison?’

‘She and Nathan were my spies, one inside, one outside, on how Quantrill and Hurley were improving Frost. I’m sorry Allison dragged you into this situation. I assume she needed a way to hide Frost from Sorenson and she used you in that cause. It’s regrettable.’

‘Are you going to kill me?’ Celeste asked in a whisper.

‘No,’ Nathan said. ‘No way. She can stay quiet. Can’t you, Celeste?’

‘Yes,’ Celeste heard herself say. ‘Sure.’

Dodd flipped open a cell phone, dialed a number, waiting, and then she saw a black fury cross his face as he asked who was speaking and his chest heaved in a disappointed sigh. Dodd raised the gun and aimed it straight at Celeste.