The Secret Friend

82

The SIG was tucked inside her shoulder holster. There was no way Darby could reach it.

'Special Agent Fletcher,' Darby said, gripping the panic button between her fingers. 'I thought you'd left town.'

'I missed you so much I decided to come back.' Fletcher stood behind her. 'Please put your hands behind your back.'

Darby pressed the button, felt the seal break. 'May I stand?'

'If you wish,' Fletcher said. 'But please, no sudden movements.'

Darby slowly removed her hand from her pocket. Leaning forward, she placed both hands on Walter's lower back, tucked the panic button in his back jean pocket and stood. The Taser's metal prongs never left her neck.

'Nice job deleting the patient file from the Shriners computer system,' Darby said, placing her hands behind her back. 'Did Jonathan Hale pay you extra for that?'

Malcolm Fletcher wrapped a pair of Flexicuffs around her wrists and motioned to the hallway. 'After you,' he said.

'I'd like to stay here with Hannah.'

'Miss Givens will be joining you in the living room momentarily.' He gripped Darby's forearm gently and whispered against her ear. 'Don't be scared. I won't harm you.'

Darby wasn't afraid. For some reason, she believed him.

Malcolm Fletcher, murderer of Tim Bryson and two federal agents, escorted her into a living room with shabby grey carpeting. A framed oil painting of the Virgin Mary hung on the wall above the fireplace.

'Tell me about Sam Dingle,' Darby said.

Fletcher brought her to an armoire holding a TV, turned her around and asked her to sit on the floor.

'Did Dingle kill Jennifer Sanders?' Darby said.

'You'll have to ask him yourself when you find him.'

'You promised me the truth.'

'Sit on the floor,' Fletcher said. 'I'm not going to ask you again.'

'Can't keep Mr Hale waiting, can we?' Darby sat.

'Sammy raped and strangled Jennifer Sanders,' Fletcher said, looping another pair of Flexicuffs inside the ones fastened around her wrist. 'He also strangled the two women from Saugus.'

'Is that Jennifer's voice on the audio tape?'

'Yes.'

'Where did you get it?'

Fletcher tied a second pair of cuffs around the armoire's legs. 'I found the cassette and many more inside Sammy's home.'

'Did you kill him?'

'No.'

'Then what did you do to him? Where is he?'

Malcolm Fletcher left the room without answering.

Darby sat on the floor with her arms behind her, wrists cuffed and fastened to the armoire's leg. Fletcher was talking to Hannah. He was speaking too softly. Darby couldn't hear what he was saying.

On the fireplace mantel was a small clock. Darby watched the time, hoping Bill Jordan or someone from his team had noticed she had set off the panic button. Driving from Danvers to Rowley would take an hour. Jordan wouldn't wait; he would call the locals. Had he already placed the call? How long would it take Rowley PD to arrive? She would have to try and stall Fletcher.

Ten minutes later Fletcher came back into the room carrying Hannah Givens in his arms. She was still blindfolded and handcuffed. He gently placed her on the couch, then grabbed an old afghan from a chair and draped it over her. He turned to Darby.

'You won't be here long. I'll call nine-one-one from the road.'

'Why don't you just kill Walter now?' Darby said. 'That's why you're here, isn't it?'

'Why didn't you kill him? Isn't that what you wanted?'

'You don't have the right -'

'I watched you in the bathroom. You wanted Walter to suffer, Darby. Were you hoping to turn him into a paraplegic? Or did you want to kill him because, deep down, you know he's beyond redemption?'

Fletcher knelt on one knee, his strange black eyes hovering in front of her face. Behind them was infinite darkness.

'That appetite, you'll soon discover, is hard to suppress.'

'Are you speaking from personal experience?'

'We'll have to discuss the matter another time.' Fletcher's eyes roamed over her face and body. 'Maybe one day we can talk about it. Privately.'

'Let's talk about it now.'

Fletcher stood. 'When you think back to that moment inside the bathroom, you'll wish you'd pulled the trigger.'

'Where are you taking Walter?'

'I'm going to give him what he truly wants,' Fletcher said, tossing the handcuff keys on the table. 'I'm going to deliver him to his mother.'

'I'll find you.'

'Better men have tried, mate. Goodbye, Darby.'