Someday I'll Find You Part 29

Rae was still looking at Jane; her hands were tied behind her as Mike dumped her into a chair across from Rae, who winked and nodded to her. Jane smiled, but Rae could tell she was scared to death.

Mike, on the other hand, looked completely frazzled. His pupils were nonexistent. He was constantly licking his lips and trembling. "C'mon, let's get this over with," he said helplessly as he hugged himself.

"Shut up. You'll get your fix," Truman a.s.sured him and waved him off. He turned to Rae. "Now once again, where is it?"

"It's far beyond a videotape. However, it's very interesting."

Mike gave her a suspicious look, trying to gauge her answers. "d.a.m.n it, I knew it. I knew they caught us on tape. I told you never to come to ComTele. But no, you had to come. Now they've got us selling the s.h.i.+t on tape. That a.s.shole from accounting. I knew we shouldn't have done it in the elevator," Mike blurted out, and Rae shot him an incredulous look.

Truman shook his head and looked to the ceiling. "She hasn't got that on video. It happened two weeks ago. If you were doing your part, you would know that. You stupid, stupid f.u.c.k!" he bellowed, and Mike took a protective step back. Truman calmed down and took a deep breath. "But she knows now, moron," he a.s.sured him.

Then he turned his attention back to Rae. "Now what is on your tape?" Rae hesitated for a moment. He then slapped her in the face.

The pain shot through Rae's face; the force of the blow nearly knocked her off the chair.

"You took too long," he said simply.

"Let Jane go."

"I'm thinking...no."

"Let her go, and I'll take you to it."

Mike stood nearly on top of Rae, looming over her. "G.o.dd.a.m.n you, tell him! Tell him!"

"Now, now." Truman pushed Mike out of the way. He held the gun on both women but regarded Rae. "Now where were we?"

"You were kissing my a.s.s," Rae mumbled, and Jerry laughed.

"You've got a bra.s.s set, I'll give you that. However, I am not averse to beating up a woman."

"Like Amy Davis?"

He gave her an admiring nod. "Good work."

"What was Amy doing by the river, I asked myself," Rae said. "She told me she hated water. According to the autopsy, there was water in her lungs and her tissue. She couldn't swim. Someone knew that and knew she'd drown. So what did you do? You pushed her into the Chicago River while she was still alive. You a.s.shole."

Truman nodded. "Very good work. Are you a cop or something?"

Rae chuckled. "No."

"Hmm." Truman scratched his chin with the barrel of the gun. "I see the wheels turning. You're getting close, I can tell. Sorry, Amy did fall for you, that's true. And that was her downfall."

"She told me she had something to do, but she said she had to change plans."

She looked at Jerry, who was watching her.

"You slimy b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Jane said quietly. Jerry ignored her. Mike was pacing like a caged lion.

"Arthur Billings. Me." Rae nodded.

"Bingo." Truman leaned against the wall. "Let's see if you're right. Not that it matters."

"C'mon, Jerry. Enough, let's get this over with," Mike cried out.

Truman never took his eyes off Rae. He put up his hand in Mike's direction. "If I have to tell you to shut the f.u.c.k up one more time."

"Amy was supposed to get information from me about ComTele, about the new security system. Somewhere during the night, she took my business card. Why?"

"It was a safeguard, just in case you didn't want to play ball, but Amy got soft and fell for you. Like I said, it was her downfall."

"That's why she said she had to change plans. She didn't want to go through with it," Rae said.

"That's right. She went so far as to threaten me. Me. She threatened me," he said incredulously. "Imagine my response."

"You killed her," Jane said sadly.

"No, Jane. Our Jerry Truman hasn't the guts for that. Have you?" Rae asked, and Truman glared at her for an instant. "No, someone else had to do that." Rae sat back. "No, not Molly. She hasn't the stomach for it, either. She just wants to stay high and screw Mike and anyone else for that matter."

Truman laughed and nodded. "This is true."

Mike took a menacing, albeit shaky step toward her. Rae stiffened, waiting for the blow. However, he stopped and just stared at the floor.

"Mike." Rae shot a look at him.

Truman chuckled.

"What about Pam?" she asked almost absently. She shook her head. "No, Pam wouldn't kill her. She may be involved in this, but I don't think she'd kill Amy."

"No. You're right. She was supposed to take care of you," he said sadly.

"Who cut my brake line-you?" she asked Mike, who was breathing like a bull. "Yes, I can see you doing that. So what happened? How did you get Pam to call me? She may be many things, but a murderer she's not."

"Well, she got all strung out, poor thing. She needed her juice. One phone call to you and she got it. With addicts, it's very simple."

"You really are a piece a s.h.i.+t," Rae said.

Truman laughed and agreed. "Yes, but a rich one. Pam, however, got a little greedy and took a bit too much of our gross income. She'd get her fix, then she'd spend like wildfire. I let it go until it was out of control. Then I had no choice."

"I never saw anything," Jane said sadly, trying to believe what she was hearing.

Rae watched Jerry. "You wouldn't. She spent it all on Amy."

Truman laughed out loud. "You are good. That's exactly it." He looked at Jane and shook his head. "You never had a clue. All along, she was f.u.c.king your friend even after you found out. But don't take it to heart. If it's any consolation, when she gets high, she always calls out your name."

Jane sat there, stunned. Rae's heart went out to her. "Thousands of dollars. Everything in her apartment," Jane said. "That car...the college." She slumped back in her seat.

"Yeah, whatever," Truman said impatiently.

Rae needed to stall. She had no idea what time it was, but she knew McGrath had to be coming soon.

"So Mike did all the dirty work, right? Blindsided me in the street with a pipe. Ran over Delia. I'll bet it was you in the alley too, right?" Rae never took her eyes off the angry face of Mike Porter. "And Mark Rhodes? f.u.c.k, you were busy, you lousy coward." She snarled at him.

Mike took a step toward her. This time, Truman did not stop him. He punched her so hard, Rae felt her face explode. She flew backward and crashed to the floor. For a moment, she was completely disoriented. Then she felt Mike's hands on her, dragging her up.

"That's enough, Mike."

It was Pam. She was standing there, pointing a gun at Jerry, who had his gun pointed at Jane.

Mike flung Rae back into a chair and turned toward Pam.

Truman stopped him as he watched Pam. "What's going on, babe?"

Rae flexed her jaw, the pain shot up to her hairline as she swallowed the blood in her mouth. She sat still and glanced at Jane, who had lost all color in her face, but was smart enough to sit still, as well.

The gun Pam held shook precariously as she pointed it at Truman. Rae noticed her hands shaking. She was completely strung out and leaning on the staircase railing. She took one step at a time, never taking her eyes off Truman as she descended the steps.

"f.u.c.k you, babe." She stumbled slightly at the bottom of the stairs. She quickly recovered and sat on the bottom step. "Back away from her now."

Rae could see she was on the verge of pa.s.sing out. So did Jerry, who reached in his pocket and pulled out a vial.

"Here, babe. You take it. I can see you didn't use what I gave you earlier. That's not the game plan. Now give me the gun and you can have this. All of it," he said in a worried voice.

Pam looked at the vial as if it were a lover.

"Pam, please," Jane cried out.

Pam looked over at her and smiled. "Jane. I'm so sorry," she said as she trembled. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Please, believe me."

Where in the h.e.l.l was McGrath? Rae thought.

"Yes, Pam, I do. Please," Jane exclaimed.

Truman took a step, and Pam pointed the gun at his midsection. "Don't. I may not kill you, but at this range, I can't miss."

"C'mon. Give me the gun and take this. You need it, you'll feel better. I'll take care of everything," Truman said.

For an instant, Pam softened and lowered the gun slightly. Then all at once, someone banged on the locked door at the top of the stairs. It had to be McGrath, Rae thought and looked over at Jane and shook her head, pleading with her to stay quiet.

Pam, caught off-guard, looked up, and that was all that Truman needed. He leapt in her direction just as Rae frantically dove for him.

She struggled to her feet to see him fighting with Pam. Mike dashed toward them, and Rae kicked up at him, sending him flying into the small table. She stumbled over to him and kicked him square in the face. Just then, she heard the gun go off. The noise rang through the tiny bas.e.m.e.nt.

Jane screamed out Pam's name as Rae whirled around to them. Pam had an incredulous look on her face as Truman stood, the smoking gun now in his hand.

"Stupid b.i.t.c.h," he called out, then he pointed the gun at Rae.

With that, the door crashed open, and Jerry whirled and fired at the top of the staircase. Several bullets riddled his body as he flew back against the wall, then slid down, covered in blood.

Rae ran to Pam, who was lying there, blood oozing from the wound in her chest. Police were everywhere, and instantly, Jane was by Pam's side.

"Pam!" she sobbed. Pam's eyelids flickered.

McGrath stood there, holstering his gun. He shook his head at the policemen, "Get an ambulance."

"Jane," Pam whispered as blood streamed from her mouth. "I tried...truly, I did...I'm so sorry."

"You'll be fine," Jane insisted.

Rae knelt beside her. The face of Chief Petty Officer Higgins flashed through her mind as she looked down at the blood-soaked body of Pam Rodriguez as Jane cradled her head, crying. Rae pulled her away.

They stood by the ambulance watching the paramedics wheel Pam out of the building. Mike Porter came out handcuffed and escorted to a car.

Rae put her arm around Jane and held her tight. "Poor Pam. What a wasted life," Jane said between her tears.

"But she nearly gave her life trying to do the right thing. Always remember her that way," Rae said as she swayed back and forth.

"Rae, you need to get to the hospital," McGrath said. Rae didn't even argue; she only nodded.

Not much mattered anymore. She'd seen enough death to last her a lifetime.

Chapter 33.

The old doctor came out and smiled. Delia, in a wheelchair, held Jane's hand, and Sarah stared out the window.

"Well, she's one tough nut. A broken cheekbone and a slight concussion. She'll be with us for a day or two."

Delia and Jane breathed a sigh of relief. Sarah buried her face in her hands for a moment, quietly trying to remember all saints she prayed to.

"She's asking for you. Just a minute or two. She's a bit out of it." He put a hand on her shoulder.

She opened the door and looked over at the bed. Rae lay there in the dark room; a small overhead lamp dimly illuminated the bed. Sarah stifled a gasp as she looked at Rae's face. Her left eye was swollen shut and her lip cut and swollen. Her face was turning a nice shade of black and blue.

Her eyes opened slightly, trying to focus. "Hey," she mumbled, and Sarah smoothed her hair.

"Shh...you're not supposed to talk," she said softly and kissed her forehead. "Your beautiful face," she whispered, trying not to cry.

"It'll be an improvement," Rae mumbled, then frowned. "You're too good for this," she said almost inaudibly. So much so that Sarah bent closer to hear.

Rae had faded off, and Sarah sat, holding her hand. She lay her cheek against Rae's hand and cried softly.