Run For Your Life, page 20
“See if Lee has a passport, and if he does, confiscate it. We need Patrol to anchor on his house until he’s in custody. He gets twenty-four hours and no more. If we don’t have Marlon in custody”—he checked the time—“by noon tomorrow, Lee is going down for all of it. Explain those terms to him, make him sign an agreement, and go from there.”
Timmons took over. “I just checked online. Lee Upton does not have a passport.”
“Okay.” Royce jerked his head toward the glass divider. “Go ahead and make the deal.”
LeBlanc and I returned to the interrogation room. I jotted down on the back of Lee’s police folder the rules he had to abide by and read them aloud for the camera to pick up. He agreed and signed it.
“Now, who is Marlon, and what’s his last name?”
“He’s just a guy I was put in touch with. He was looking for somebody to do a few kidnappings for him. That’s all he hired me for, and I wasn’t part of anything else. I swear it. I don’t know his last name or who he’s connected to.”
I swatted the air. “Okay, deal is off the table. You aren’t giving us anything we don’t already know.”
“Yes, I do have something that’s invaluable to you.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” I asked.
“His address.”
“How would you know his address if you don’t know his last name?”
“Because I followed him there once.”
“And you weren’t curious to know his last name?”
“I don’t want extra trouble. It was only for personal knowledge. An ace in my pocket, if you will, in case I needed to pull it out.”
I snarled at him. “Well, start pulling. The clock is ticking.”
With a deep breath, he began. Lee told us that Marlon had had him take the blue barrels to the shanty and leave them behind the structure. Then Lee’s job was to take the victims there, secure them in the barrels, lock the door, and leave. Marie was brought in first, and the other two were sealed in the barrels on Saturday night.
“How were you able to overpower two people alone?”
“I wasn’t alone. I had help.”
“From whom?”
He shrugged. “That isn’t part of our deal.”
“Are they still alive?” I asked.
“I don’t know anything about that. The last time I was there was Saturday night. I’m an errand boy, not a partner in crime.”
I laughed. “You are whether you like it or not. Kidnapping is a crime and—”
“And I got paid to do it. I didn’t have any say in their plans, then or now.”
LeBlanc raised his brows. “Their?”
“I’m only repeating the words Marlon used in his phone conversations with me. He said we and us. I assumed he didn’t work alone, but it wasn’t my place to ask, and no, he never said whether he was or wasn’t following somebody else’s orders.”
“Okay, the address.”
Lee told us that Marlon owned a white pickup, and after we uncuffed him and walked him outside, he rattled off an address on the southeast side of Savannah.
Before we left, I informed him he would have to wear one of our police-department-issued ankle monitors until tomorrow. If he didn’t like that idea, he could sit in jail and wait for his day in court. Today would be his last day of freedom for the foreseeable future, and I suggested he go along with it. Reluctantly, he nodded, was fitted with an ankle monitor, and was told the officer would activate it as soon as Lee was home.
“If you try to leave the house, it’ll go off, and we’ll haul you in.”
“But I told you I had a score to settle.”
“So, the person you’ve got a beef with will have to come to you, and one of the officers will sit in on the visit.”
Lee grumbled but agreed. Two officers were tasked to drive him home and sit outside his house until tomorrow.
Minutes later, we got in two squad cars and a cruiser and headed to the location Lee gave us. An ambulance was en route and would meet us there. If everything went according to plan, in less than fifteen minutes, Devon would be safely out of that barrel and on his way to the hospital.
Chapter 51
“Help me get rid of that body. I don’t want it to stink up the house.” Once they had rolled the body in a green sheet and secured it with duct tape, Marlon backed up as close as possible to the overhead garage doors. He opened the tailgate, and they pushed the body inside.
“Why did you waste a perfectly good sheet?”
“Because it’s green and will be well-hidden. It’s harder to identify something when it matches the terrain.”
“So we’re dumping it somewhere in the marsh area?”
“Got any better ideas?”
“Nope, that sounds good to me.”
Marlon slammed the tailgate, then they climbed in and headed out. He looked through the rearview mirror to make sure the overhead door had closed.
“Have you made the call to Cannon yet?”
“No. I’ll do that while I’m enjoying a cold bottle of beer when we get back.”
“Do you think Upton is going to be a problem?”
Marlon shook his head. “Hell no. If he doesn’t watch himself, he’ll be the next one in a barrel, but nobody cares enough to come looking for him.”
Chapter 52
Lee entered his house with the officer right behind him.
“Have a seat on the couch, Mr. Upton, so I can program your ankle monitor.”
Lee did as told. The officer clearly had no idea that Lee could disarm it, something he’d practiced many times in case he ever needed to. That monitor in particular was an older model, not meant for the long term and not nearly as sophisticated as the newer, court-ordered ones.
Once the monitor was blinking and confirmed to be working properly, the officer walked out and returned to the squad car.
“Good. Now to get the money Marlon owes me.”
It took Lee fifteen minutes to remove the monitor without setting off the alert, and he had to be careful. A wrong move could cause it to notify the officers, and his hopes of ever getting the rest of the money owed him would vanish.
It would be risky to leave with the car, but he didn’t have a choice, and time wasn’t on his side. As soon as Cannon and the rest of the cops learned they’d been duped with a fake address for Marlon, they would be banging on Lee’s front door.
Lee slipped the pistol into his waistband, looked out the rear window to make sure the alley was clear, and opened the back door. Marlon would pay up or die—his choice.
You think you’re hot shit, Marlon, but I’ll take you by surprise with the barrel of my 9mm staring you in the face. Who’ll be the idiot then?
Lee stepped out, paused to listen for an alarm from inside the house, and heard nothing. Good to go, he climbed into his car and barreled down the alley.
Chapter 53
We reached the address we had been given and went about the approach the same way we had at Lee’s house. The back door and garage were covered, Bloom and Prentice took the sides of the house, and Royce and I took the front door. On Royce’s nod, I pounded on the door and yelled out that it was the Savannah Police Department.
A man who looked to be around thirty, wearing sweats and a T-shirt, pulled open the door. His sleep-crusted eyes bulged when he saw two Glocks and two badges pointed at his face.
“Jesus! What the hell is going on?” he asked.
His disheveled appearance with a thick mop of messy hair told me he’d likely been sleeping.
I yelled out for him to get on his knees. “Are you Marlon?”
“Marlon? You’ve got the wrong house, Officer. I work third shift and was asleep.”
“Show us your ID.”
He jerked his head toward the kitchen counter, where a wallet, keys, and a handful of change sat.
Royce pointed with his chin. “Go check it out, Mitch.”
I crossed the living room to the kitchen and opened the wallet. “Son of a bitch. Lee played us.”
With egg on our faces, we apologized to the man, regrouped, sent the ambulance on its way, and headed to Lee’s house, where he was about to be taken into custody for his shenanigans.
I radioed the officers who were watching the house. “Go inside and arrest Lee Upton. That son of a bitch sent us on a wild-goose chase, and today he’s going to see the inside of a six-by-eight-foot cell. We’re on our way.”
Only minutes later, we got a call back from the officers saying that Lee was nowhere to be found, the ankle monitor was sitting on the coffee table, and his car was gone.
I pounded the dashboard. “Get a BOLO out on that car and an APB on Lee Upton.” I clicked off the radio. “Can this day get any worse? Lee is in the wind, and we still don’t know where Marlon lives.”
We reached Lee’s house in less than ten minutes. I stormed inside, cursed the ankle monitor blinking as if mocking us, and looked around. There had to be something there that would tell us where Marlon really lived. I spotted a laptop sitting on a corner desk. I took a seat and opened it, and the last website Lee had been looking at was still on the screen—a people-search site. Luckily, the computer hadn’t shut itself down yet. I clicked on recent searches, and an address had been entered—1348 East Duffy Street. I tapped that address, and the name of a Marlon Reyes came up.
“Marlon Reyes?” I yelled out to the others that I’d found the address. “Let’s go! Marlon lives on East Duffy Street.”
We rounded up the group with the same plan that we’d had for Lee’s apprehension. First, we needed to see where the house was located on the street and where the entrances and exits were. With that done on the cruiser’s computer, we headed out. The craziness would finally end that day, and I couldn’t be more relieved.
Chapter 54
Lee parked around the corner and cautiously approached Marlon’s house. He had nothing to lose. He was going to prison no matter what—that was a given—but to have the money he was promised stashed away for later couldn’t hurt, and Marlon owed it to him. If he had to, Lee and his 9mm were about to show Marlon who was boss. As he crept along the house, Lee took a quick look in the back. The truck was gone. He wouldn’t have the opportunity to scare the life out of Marlon, but maybe that was better. He would go inside, look through the house, and find all the cash and valuables he could. He doubted that he had much time. At the front porch, he assessed the old door handle. Easy enough to open, he figured. Using his multipurpose knife, Lee jimmied the lock and turned the knob. He entered the dark foyer and listened—dead silent. He continued into the main living area of the house, did a quick walk-through to make sure he was alone, then headed straight for the room he’d passed that was set up as an office. If there was money in the house, it was likely in there or in Marlon’s bedroom, which he would search next.
Lee ripped through each desk drawer without luck then searched through the file cabinet. Nothing. He rifled through the closet and still came up empty. He continued down the hall and came upon two bedrooms. He chose the one on the right, opened the dresser, and found men’s underwear. That had to be Marlon’s room. As he rummaged through the drawers and nightstands, he heard the back door open. Marlon was home.
Damn it.
Lee wanted to take Marlon by surprise, so waiting in a dark corner of the closet was his best bet. Lee scooted in, closed the door, and didn’t move a muscle.
Chapter 55
The detectives moved in quietly, got into position, and waited for their cue. Royce and I were in place at the front door with Bloom at our side, gripping the battering ram.
I pounded on the door. “Savannah Police! Open up!”
We waited, and then I pounded again. “Savannah Police!”
Nobody answered the door, the house was surrounded, and we didn’t have time to wait. With no idea whether Devon, Liza, or either of them were there—or which one might be dead—we knew the home was the closest we would ever be to apprehending Marlon.
Royce jerked his head at Bloom, and after he and I stepped aside, Bloom got into position.
Timmons radioed from the alley. “I’m looking at a green Honda Civic through the garage window.”
“Good, even more evidence.” Royce gave Bloom the go-ahead nod. “Hit it.”
Bloom swung and splintered the wooden door, ripping it from the hinges.
“Go, go, go!”
Royce, Bloom, and I burst through the door, and the guys in the back did the same.
For the first time, I stared into the eyes of the man who had abducted my sister and best friend and partner. I charged him, pushed him against the wall, and screamed into his face. “Where are they? Where’s Devon and Liza!”
Hatred filled his eyes, and his smirk made me want to slam his head against the wall.
“Figure it out yourself, Cannon. Isn’t that what cops do? Figure things out?”
Royce yelled to the others. “Search this house from top to bottom! Now!”
They went from room to room, up the stairs and back down, but found nothing.
“Where are they?”
Marlon refused to talk.
I patted him down then reached into his rear pocket, pulled out his wallet, and took a look. “Needed undeniable proof that it’s you. Cuff him and get him out of here. Throw his ass in one of the cars and lock it up.”
We searched the basement to no avail then headed for the garage. LeBlanc kicked in the door. There wasn’t time to hunt for Marlon’s keys. Cole pressed the wall switch and raised the overhead to give us more light. I quickly scanned the room, looking for blue barrels, but I didn’t see any. I stared at the green Honda, the last known place where Devon and Liza had been alive and healthy, then I heard the sound. It came from the trunk, a grunting, pounding noise.
“Pop that trunk,” Royce yelled.
I grabbed the door handle, but it was locked. I spotted bricks stacked against the wall, grabbed one, and bashed in the driver’s-side window, pulled the door lock, reached in, and gave the trunk latch a yank. LeBlanc, Bloom, and Timmons stood at the trunk and lifted the lid.
“Jesus Christ!” Bloom yelled out. “It’s Devon.”
I rushed to the trunk and carefully pulled the tape off his mouth and cut the zip ties from his wrists. “We’ve got you, buddy. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Royce was on the horn within seconds, and an ambulance was dispatched to our location. I grabbed a bottle of water from our car, took it to Devon, and gave him slow sips. I had no idea how long he’d been in that trunk, but the air was minimal, hot, and stuffy. He was in bad shape, and his face was swollen and bloody, as if it had been used as a punching bag.
“The ambulance is on its way, partner, and the EMTs will help you out. Just breathe in and out slowly and get some fresh air.”
His voice was weak and strained. “Mitch, I think they killed Liza. I heard them shoot a few rounds, and I know someone else besides Marie and I was in that house.”
“I know, I know. We’ll figure everything out, but first, we need to get you in safe hands.”
“Is Marie okay? Did she get away?”
“She did, and it’s because of you. You saved her life, buddy, and I owe you so much.”
We heard the sirens getting closer, then the ambulance turned in to the alley.
I patted Devon’s arm and backed out of the way. “The EMTs are here. They’re going to take good care of you, and I promise I’ll come see you later, but for now, we have to find out what happened to Liza.”
Devon lifted his hand and gave me a shaky thumbs-up.
The EMTs took a backboard to the car and carefully lifted Devon out of the trunk. Once he was secure, they placed him in the back of the ambulance and rushed him to the hospital.
Timmons stared at Marlon, who sat in the back of the cruiser. “Let’s get that piece of shit to the station and interrogate the hell out of him.”
“Leave a car here for me. I’ll head in later, but I want to search for Marlon’s cell phone. Everyone keeps saying they, and if another person is involved, then there’s a number, name, or text messages on that phone. It’ll be a gold mine of information once it’s found.”
“Okay, Bloom can give you a hand.”
“Nah, I’m good. I need a minute alone with my thoughts if you know what I mean. It’s been an emotional week.”
Royce patted my shoulder. “You got it, Mitch. Call when you’re ready to head in, and I’ll get someone out here to board up those doors. This house and garage are crime scenes that we’ll be coming back to later.”
I gave Royce a nod, watched as they drove away, then lowered the garage door before I returned to the house. Inside, I began in the kitchen. I didn’t know how long Marlon had been home before we arrived, so the phone could be anywhere he’d last used it, or he might have hidden it once I pounded on the door. As I looked through every kitchen drawer and cupboard, I wondered who he was and what his beef was with me. I also wondered what happened to the barrels Marie said they were in. There weren’t any in the house or garage, and Devon was found in the trunk of the car.
Marlon had help with everything he did. There’s no way he could have moved Devon or Liza alone.
I knelt at the cabinet beneath the sink and opened the doors. People wouldn’t normally put a cell phone there, but when somebody’s intent was to hide one, it could be anywhere.
As I pushed the cleaning products out of the way, I sensed a presence behind me and moved my hand toward my gun.
“I wouldn’t do that unless you want a bullet to the back of your head.”
I couldn’t believe the familiar voice and looked over my shoulder. “Liza?”
Chapter 56
“Surprise, surprise. Yeah, it’s me, asshole. Now use your left thumb and index finger to remove your gun. Lay it on the floor and push it toward me. Any funny stuff and you’re a dead cop. Understood?”
