Chapter 12 - BLUEBIRD
Detective Shaw did not react the way I expected.
She did not curse.
She did not deny it.
She simply became very still.
"Perez, where is your backup detective?"
"Outside the unit."
"Who chose him?"
"Ross."
"Name?"
"Dawson."
Shaw closed her eyes for one second.
"Do you trust Dawson?"
Perez hesitated.
That was enough.
"Do not leave the storage unit."
"Laura-"
"Lock the door from inside."
"What about Dawson?"
"Tell him you're processing evidence."
"And then?"
"I am sending state police."
"Ross will hear."
"Not from me."
She ended the call and immediately dialed another number.
Mason looked at me.
"This is bigger than Raymond."
"It always was."
"No."
He shook his head.
"We thought Bellwether bought access when he needed it."
"Bluebird suggests infrastructure."
"Exactly."
Shaw returned.
"State Bureau of Investigation is taking custody of the drive."
"How long?"
"Agents are forty minutes out."
"And Ross?"
"He doesn't know yet."
"If he is receiving updates from Raymond, he may know the storage unit exists."
"Which means he may call Dawson."
Mason looked toward the elevator.
"Or go himself."
Shaw's phone rang before he finished.
Perez.
She answered instantly.
"Go."
Perez whispered.
"Dawson is trying the handle."
Shaw's jaw tightened.
"Do not open it."
A muffled voice sounded through Perez's phone.
Male.
"Everything okay in there?"
Dawson.
Perez raised her voice just enough.
"Yeah. Drive has encryption. Give me a minute."
Dawson replied through the metal door.
"Captain wants us back."
Shaw's eyes hardened.
There it was.
Ross already knew.
Perez said,
"Tell him we'll call."
A pause.
Then footsteps moved away.
"Laura, what do I do?"
"Stay put."
"If Dawson is dirty-"
"We don't know that."
"He is outside a storage unit with a flash drive naming the captain who selected him."
"I know."
Shaw looked at Mason.
"How quickly can Raymond move if he realizes the drive is compromised?"
Mason answered immediately.
"He already has."
My phone rang.
Christine again.
Everyone turned.
I answered on speaker.
"Christine?"
Static.
Then her voice.
"Michael."
She sounded different.
No crying.
No panic.
Drugged or exhausted.
"Where are you?"
"I don't know."
"Is Raymond with you?"
"No."
"Are you hurt?"
"My head hurts."
Shaw took a step closer.
"Christine, can you see outside?"
"No windows."
"What do you smell?"
I recognized the technique.
Ground the victim.
Gather environment.
"Oil."
"Gasoline?"
"Maybe."
"Any sounds?"
Christine was silent for several seconds.
"Trucks."
"Close?"
"Big ones."
Industrial district.
Truck yard.
"Any trains?"
"No."
"Airplanes?"
"Sometimes."
Shaw looked at me.
That could narrow the area.
Christine whispered,
"He took the tablet."
My stomach tightened.
"Raymond has it?"
"Yes."
"Did he unlock it?"
"No."
"How do you know?"
"He needs my face."
Biometric lock.
"Then why are you calling?"
A small laugh came through the line.
It sounded broken.
"Because he thinks he broke my phone."
"How are you calling?"
"Old backup in my bag."
That sounded like Christine.
She kept old phones the way other people kept spare buttons.
"Listen to me," I said.
"Police are coming."
"Don't send local police."
Shaw closed her eyes.
Christine knew more than we did.
"Why?"
"Dad said Ross would clean the storage unit."
Shaw's face hardened.
Confirmation.
"Christine, is Captain Ross with Raymond?"
"I don't know."
"Have you seen him?"
"Not tonight."
"Have you seen Dennis?"
"Yes."
"Vargo?"
"Yes."
"Melissa?"
"No."
"Brian?"
Christine went silent.
"Christine?"
"Brian shot himself."
The room froze.
"What?"
"Dad told him to."
"Why?"
"To frame you."
"Did you see it?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"In the car."
"Was Vargo there?"
"Yes."
"Raymond?"
"Yes."
"Did anyone record it?"
"Dad records everything."
Mason muttered,
"Of course he does."
"Christine, the original tablet may contain that recording."
"It does."
"Then keep him from destroying it."
Her laugh came again.
"How?"
I had no answer.
"Christine, listen."
I lowered my voice.
"You do not have to fix all of this."
She became quiet.
"Just stay alive."
I heard her inhale sharply.
"Michael..."
"What?"
"I loved you."
Past tense.
It landed like a warning.
"Christine."
"I know how it began."
Her voice trembled.
"I know what I did."
"This is not the time."
"I need you to know it stopped being fake."
"Christine."
"Jake was never fake."
"I know."
"You were never fake to me."
A noise sounded behind her.
Metal door.
She whispered,
"He's coming."
"Hide the phone."
"I am."
The line did not disconnect.
We heard movement.
Then Raymond's voice.
"Sit up."
Christine did not answer.
"I said sit up."
A chair scraped.
"Where is the copy?"
Silence.
"Christine."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
A slap cracked through the phone.
My entire body moved before my mind did.
Mason caught my shoulder.
"Stay."
I shoved his hand away.
"I'm not going anywhere."
But I wanted to.
God, I wanted to.
Raymond spoke again.
"You were always weak."
Christine laughed once.
"No."
Her voice was steadier now.
"I was afraid of you."
"Same thing."
"Not anymore."
A pause.
Raymond's next words were quiet.
"Where is the copy?"
"Somewhere you can't reach."
Another impact.
Then the phone shifted.
Footsteps.
A door slammed.
Christine's breathing returned.
"Michael."
"I'm here."
"I can see under the door."
"What do you see?"
"Yellow paint."
Shaw started writing.
"Anything else?"
"Numbers on the floor."
"Read them."
"Four... seven... maybe B."
Mason looked at me.
I knew the northern industrial district.
An old freight complex used bay numbers painted in yellow.
Forty-seven B.
"Mercer Freight Terminal," I said.
Shaw was already checking a map.
"There is a Bay 47B."
Mason leaned closer.
"Who owns it?"
Shaw searched.
Then looked up.
"A holding company called North Bell Logistics."
Bell.
Raymond.
We had the location.
Shaw dialed state police directly.
Then Perez called.
Her voice was breathless.
"Dawson left."
"Good."
"No."
Perez sounded afraid.
"He didn't leave alone."
"What do you mean?"
"Captain Ross just pulled up."
Shaw went white.
"Lock the door."
"Already did."
A heavy impact boomed through Perez's phone.
Someone had hit the storage-unit door from outside.
Then Captain Ross shouted,
"Perez, open the damn door."
The next sound was unmistakable.
May you like
A gun being racked.
