Thursday
Mid-morning
Keri lay awake in bed, enjoying the solitude. She knew there would be visitors later but for now she had the room to herself. She tried to piece together the last few days through the haze of sleep and pain medication.
Because Ray Sands had better foresight than Keri, he had called for backup on his way out to the farm. The first officers had arrived fifteen minutes after Keri killed Pachanga and the farm was swarming with cops and EMTs five minutes after that. After stabilizing Ray, who was clinging to life, they got everyone to nearby Palmdale Regional Medical Center less than ten minutes later.
Keri had refused to undergo surgery on her collarbone until doctors informed her that Ray was in surgery himself. He'd lost a lot of blood but they were hopeful he'd pull through.
Most of Wednesday was a blur. She drifted in and out of consciousness but stayed awake long enough to learn that Ray was in serious but stable condition. He was in the ICU. Ashley had a fractured left wrist, a shattered tibia, a cracked coccyx, and a concussion, all from her fall. She also had a dislocated left shoulder as a result of Pachanga's rack device. She was supposedly going to recover from all of them.
For her part, Keri's left arm was in a sling. The doctors said her collarbone was a clean break and that she'd recover in six to eight weeks. She had a cushioned mask on her face, much like the one Ray used in his Olympic boxing days. It was designed to protect her orbital bone from any further damage. She'd have to wear it for at least another week. Her neck was in a brace to protect the muscles that had been strained by the chain. There was nothing they could really do about her broken ribs except pad the area. She had multiple other scrapes and bruises, as well as a concussion of her own. But it all seemed minor in comparison to what had happened to the other two.
A nurse walked in, pushing someone in a wheelchair.
"You have a visitor," she said.
Keri couldn't see who it was while lying down so she pushed the button on her remote to raise her to a seated position.
She was surprised to see that it was Ashley.
Ashley rolled close, then sat there for a while, clearly unsure what to say.
Keri decided to break the ice.
"Looks like it's going to be a while before you're surfing again."
Ashley's face brightened at the thought.
"Yeah," she agreed. "But the doctors say I will eventually get back on the board."
"I'm glad, Ashley."
"I just wanted to…you know…um, you saved my life," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't really know how to thank you for that." She wiped away the tears with her good hand.
"I know a way you can thank me. Make it matter. Don't let this be a wasted opportunity. You're a teenager and every teenager takes risks. I get that. But you were headed down a dangerous road, Ashley. I've seen lots of girls take the path you were on and not come back. You have a good life. Not a perfect one but a good one. You're smart. You're tough. You have friends. You have a bed to sleep in each night and a mother who would fight off wolves for you. A lot of kids can't say that. And now you've got a fresh start. Please don't waste it."
Ashley nodded. A hug felt appropriate but in their conditions neither was up for it, so smiles had to do. In those smiles, they both said more than they ever could with words. This ordeal had bonded them, a bond Keri sensed would last for life. She would check up on Ashley down the road, and Ashley would stay in touch with her. She knew it.
After the nurse wheeled her away, Keri could not help but think of the other girl she had rescued: Susan Granger.
She summoned a nurse, who helped her call the group home where Susan had been placed. Susan sounded okay, even upbeat. It seemed as if her hearing the news of Ashley's rescue somehow gave her hope for the future, too. Bad guys, she was learning, were not all-powerful after all.
Susan agreed to give Keri another few days before insisting on an in-person visit. Apparently being hospitalized with multiple injuries was a good enough excuse to get a rain check.
About an hour later, Lieutenant Cole Hillman came into the room. Beside him stood Reena Beecher, captain of the entire West LA Division. She was a tall, sinewy woman in her mid-fifties. She had sharp features accentuated by deep lines caused by years of dealing with the worst of humanity. Her blackish-gray hair was tied back in a tight bun. Keri had seen her in the halls but they'd never spoken before. Beecher walked over to the bed.
"How are you feeling, Detective?" she asked.
"Not too bad, Captain. Give me a week and I'll be back on duty."
Beecher chuckled softly.
"Well, we may give you a little longer than that. But I appreciate the attitude. Before the day gets crazy, I just wanted to thank you for your diligence and hard work. If it wasn't for you, Ashley Penn would almost certainly be dead and no one would even be looking for her."
"Thank you, ma'am," Keri said, catching Hillman's annoyed expression out of the corner of her eye.
"However, in the future, you would do well to more fully read in your superiors on what you're doing. I'll be honest-if not for the high-profile nature of this case, you'd be on suspension right now. You understand what I'm saying? No more lone wolf stuff. You've got a partner and a force behind you. Use them. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am. How is my partner, do you know?"
"I'll let Lieutenant Hillman catch you up-on everything." She smiled tightly, patted Keri on the hand, and left the room. Hillman took a seat in the chair in the corner of the room.
"What does all that mean?" Keri asked him. "Catch me up on everything? The day is going to get crazy?"
Hillman sighed deeply.
"First, Ray is doing better. They've been keeping him sedated but they're going to wake him up later this afternoon. You don't have to ask-I've already made accommodations for you to be there. As to the craziness the captain mentioned, there's a press conference scheduled for later today in front of the hospital. The mayor will be there, along with the Penns, Beecher, myself, Chief Donald, and reps from the Sheriff, the FBI, Palmdale PD-and, of course, you."
"Me? I don't want to be there, sir."
"I know. Frankly, neither do I. But we don't really have a choice. You'll be asked to say a few words. You won't have to answer any questions-ongoing investigation and all. Mostly you'll have to sit in a wheelchair for an hour, listening to important people prattle on. Don't ask me to get out of it. It's an order."
"Yes sir," Keri said reluctantly. She didn't yet have the required strength to fight back. "Speaking of the investigation, do you know where we're at?"
"Payton Penn is being held at Twin Towers. With all the evidence they found at his cabin, not even Jackson Cave can bail him out. He'll probably go on trial in the spring. The search of Pachanga's place turned up a lot of evidence of previous abductions. Ashley Penn told them to check the top of the silo. Apparently some of his victims wrote their names on the interior walls. Lots of families are going to get closure this week. They also found a laptop in his farmhouse but so far no one has been able to crack his password. Edgerton's working on it now. In my opinion, he's better than anyone the Feds have. So that's where things stand. I recommend you get some sleep before the press conference."
He got up and went to leave and Keri thought he would go without saying goodbye.
But then he stopped in the doorway, his back to her.
Without turning around, he muttered, reluctantly: "Damn good work, kid."
Then, without another word, he walked away.
Those few words meant more to Keri than she could say.
Keri watched him go, then buzzed again for the nurse, who helped her make another call, this time to Detective Edgerton.
He'd hit a wall trying to access info on the laptop. Apparently it shut down if you entered either the wrong username or password ten times. He was up to eight and was afraid to try again. Keri thought about it for a moment, picturing Pachanga straddling her, his eyes ablaze with manic ecstasy as he preached his unhinged manifesto. Then an idea popped into her head.
"Can I make a suggestion? If I'm wrong, you'll still have one more chance."
"I don't know, Keri," Edgerton said reluctantly.
"Listen. I was with him. He talked to me. He was baring his soul. I'm pretty sure I know this guy."
There came a long silence. Then:
"One guess."
She breathed deep.
"Okay. For the username go with TRUESELF. For the password, use HOMEBASE."
She waited while he typed. There was a long, uncomfortable silence, her heart slamming in her chest, praying she wasn't wrong.
"It worked!" Edgerton shouted. "Oh my God! Holy shit, Keri. This is the mother lode! I'm seeing it now…multiple chat rooms on the dark web…wait a minute, it's loading…that's it! We've got access to them all. Holy shit! This could help break dozens of cases! I've got to let you go so I can concentrate! This is amazing."
She was about to ask him if he saw the name "Collector" anywhere but he'd already hung up. It was probably for the best anyway. She wanted to keep that detail to herself for now.
The nurse hung up the phone for her and lowered the hospital bed. Keri wanted to thank her but she was wiped out and drifted off before getting a word out.
*
The press conference was just as Hillman predicted. Important people blathered on. The Penns thanked her. Mia sounded genuine through her tears. Senator Penn put on a good show but Keri could tell he despised her. Even if she had saved his daughter, his career was in ruins and he seemed to hold her responsible.
Finally she was wheeled up to the microphone.
She'd thought about what she was going to say while she listened to the others. After a while, a plan formed in her mind. She would never have a bigger platform. And she was going to use it.
She started by thanking all the right people and expressing how glad she was that Ashley was okay.
"That young woman fought for herself until others came to help. She showed bravery and toughness and an unrelenting will to survive. In fact, it was her quick thinking that helped save my life. I'm proud of her and I know her parents are too."
Then Keri paused for a second before deciding to go for it. She held up a photo displayed on her phone.
She saw out of the corner of her eyes Hillman shaking his head furiously at her, warning her not to do it.
But nothing would stop her now.
"This is my daughter, Evelyn Locke. We called her Evie. She was abducted five years ago next week when she was just eight years old." Keri swiped the screen to reveal another image. "This an age-progression sketch of what she might look like now at thirteen. I appreciate all the kind words of thanks today. But all I want is my little girl back. So if this image looks familiar, please contact your local authorities. I miss my daughter and just want to hold her again. Please help me do that. Thank you."
She was flooded with a sea of questions, all the attention shifting from the Penns to Evie, and she felt her heart warm.
Maybe they'd find her after all.
*
An hour later, Keri sat in a chair at Ray's bedside, waiting for him in the silence to wake up. Her thoughts drifted to what she would do once she was fully recovered. She was toying with the idea of moving out of the houseboat. It was a place for people, she realized, living in a holding pattern. She now realized that. And she felt like she needed to move on if she was going to have any kind of life.
Maybe she'd get an apartment, one with two bedrooms, so Evie would have a place to sleep once she found her. And she'd start seeing Dr. Blanc more regularly. She hadn't had a missing time blackout since the surgery, but she didn't trust that they were gone for good. To make that happen, as much as she hated to admit it, she'd need help.
And maybe it was time to really face up to her feelings for Ray. They'd been doing this delicate dance for a while. She knew he wanted to get closer but she was afraid of letting him in, terrified of allowing herself to truly care for another person who might get ripped away from her. She didn't want to lose him too.
But then it hit her.
We lose everyone eventually. It's what we do with our time here together that matters.
She smiled at the thought, sighing deeply. It was the most relaxed she'd felt in a long time. She glanced up and saw that Ray was conscious and smiling at her, his warm eyes twinkling. She didn't know how long he'd been awake, but the thought of him watching over her gave her comfort.
"How ya doing, Big?" she asked softly.
His voice was weak and raspy but she understood him anyway.
"Better now, Tinkerbell."
Coming Soon!
Book #2 in the Keri Locke mystery series
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