Tough Justice: Trapped. Gail Barrett
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floor were you on?” Cass asked.
“The third, I think. I tried to count the stairs when we were going up, but I lost track because they were holding on to my arms so tight.”
“Did you see anyone else while you were there?”
“No, just those same two people. They brought me food a couple times a day, take-out stuff like pizza and subs. Except for that woman at the end.”
“What woman?” Victoria asked.
“Last night, when we were leaving. We were in the hall. They’d blindfolded me again, so I couldn’t see. But I knew there was another woman there because I heard her speak.”
“What did she say?” Lara asked, her hopes ticking up again. She realized it was unlikely, but they needed some sort of break in this puzzling case.
“I don’t know. We’d started toward the stairs. The man was holding on to my arm. And then someone bumped into me, the woman, I think. The man got nasty. He yelled at her to watch out. And then she said something back.”
“What?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know. It sounded like chew... Doy-chew. Or doy-um-chew. But that doesn’t make any sense.”
Mei sat up straight. “Sure it does. That’s Cantonese. It means I’m sorry, or excuse me.”
Victoria frowned at that. “Your abductors weren’t Chinese, were they?”
“No, they were definitely Caucasian.”
“But that woman who bumped you was.” Mei sounded excited now. “That could help a lot.”
Nick didn’t look convinced. “I don’t see how. There are tons of Chinese people in New York.”
“Still...” Victoria’s eyes turned thoughtful now. “Did you hear anything else?”
“Not really, just that music every night.”
“What music?”
Anna wrinkled her nose. “Old stuff. Your kind of music, actually, like Journey and Survivor. It was coming from below me. It was muffled, but I got the impression I was over a bar. They played the same songs every night...sometimes several times a night. “Eye of the Tiger.”
“Don’t Stop Believin’.” And Michael Jackson. They played him endlessly. I got so sick of “Beat It,” I wanted to hurl.”
Mei’s entire face lit up. “It was probably a karaoke bar. There are lots of them in Chinatown. There’s one, Minnie’s, out by the courthouse, that specializes in 80’s songs. I’ll bet that’s where it was.”
“It’s not much of a lead,” Victoria said. “But it’s definitely worth checking out. You want to do that, Mei, since you seem to know the place?”
“Sure.”
“Good.” Victoria glanced at her daughter, who was stifling a yawn. “Let’s leave it there for now. Anna needs to rest. If she thinks of anything else, I’ll let you know.” She turned to her daughter. “Wait for me in the hall, okay? I’ll walk you out.”
“Okay. I wish I could be more help...”
“You did great,” Lara told her. “Seriously. Every little bit helps. And don’t worry. I promise we’re going to catch these guys.” They had to—because, despite the brave front they’d put on for Anna, they all knew they’d dodged a bullet this time. They’d been damned lucky that she’d survived.
Victoria waited until the door closed, then turned to face them, her tight-lipped expression reflecting Lara’s thoughts. “All right, people. We don’t have time to waste here. What’s our plan?”
Xander stirred. “I’ll check in with the guys investigating Olivia Conner’s death. Maybe they’ve found something else by now.”
“All right.”
“I’m still working on that ransom note,” Cass said. “I’m also trying to trace those anonymous texts.”
“Good. Lara? How about you and Nick?”
Lara looked across the table at her partner, unable to miss the suspicion still lingering in his brown eyes. And she knew his interrogation about the clue would resume the minute he got her alone. “I think we should focus on the sniper and see if we can get some leads.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Nick said, turning his gaze to their boss. “There can’t be that many snipers around, not of that caliber. His shots have been impossible, and he hasn’t missed. I wonder if he was in the military. Most of our SWAT team snipers were.”
“That’s a good thought,” Victoria agreed. “Cass, you can look up ex-military snipers. Xander can help you when he has time. They should have that in a database somewhere. Lara, talk over your plan with Nick and let me know what you decide to do.”
“All right.”
“Ty, you’ll go with Mei to Chinatown.”
“I’d be better off alone,” Mei argued. “Some of those people won’t talk to anyone who’s not Chinese.”
“Tough. We don’t know who you might find around there. Until we know what Moretti’s threat means, I don’t want anyone taking chances. Make sure you carry your weapons. Stick to public places as much as you can. Situational awareness, people. We can’t let him catch us off guard.” She made eye contact with every team member, making sure they understood. “Another thing. I want you all to check in every few hours. Cass can field the calls. We need to know everyone’s whereabouts at all times.”
“Got it.” Cass picked up her tablet and started pecking out notes.
“I’ll send out a memo to everyone at all our bureaus to take extra precautions,” Victoria added. “We can’t minimize the danger on this.” She tapped her papers on the table and rose. “All right. Get to work, everyone. Let’s nail this bastard before he hurts anyone else.” Moving briskly, she left the room.
The rest of the team quickly followed. Lara stayed in her seat, her belly tensing as she waited to talk to Nick.
The door clicked shut. Silence enveloped the room. He instantly shifted toward her, his eyes drilling into hers.
“All right,” he said, the roughness in his voice indicating he’d had enough. “Let’s cut the bullshit. What the hell is really going on?”
“What do you mean?” Lara asked him, trying to sound offhand.
“Come on, Lara. Knock it off. You must know what Moretti means. There’s no place like home? That sounds pretty damned personal to me.”
“I don’t know. I don’t,” she added when he opened his mouth to argue.
“Bullshit. You know this guy. You got near him when you took him down. You must have some kind of clue.”
“Well, I don’t.” Or at least not one that she could divulge. “I’ve been trying to figure it out, and I’m just as confused as you are. I really don’t know what he means.”
Nick didn’t answer, his silence more condemning than any words. But she needed to maintain this deception. She didn’t have any choice. Unfortunately for her, Nick was too astute. Even after the short time they’d spent working together, he could tell when she hadn’t come clean.
“You know you can trust me,” he finally said.
“I know.”
He leaned forward again, his eyes still probing hers. “Lara, whatever you’re hiding—”
“I’m