A Deadly Influence (Abby Mullen Thrillers #1)(108)

Floating away would make everything better. Maybe he’d even see his mom again.





CHAPTER 73


Abby had once owned a very old Chevy Cavalier. The Chevy had accumulated mechanical problems like some people accumulate coupons. The engine would overheat in the summer. The driver’s window didn’t close properly, and rain would trickle in. Due to the constant puddle of rain inside the car, it smelled of mildew. The passenger mirror was fractured. The air conditioner rattled constantly.

And yet, miraculously, it kept on driving. Abby couldn’t really afford to fix the car, so she kept ignoring all the problems, daring the car to live on another day. And it did. On and on, a strangely reliable piece of junk that had no business being on the road.

Until one day it wouldn’t start.

She towed it to the shop, and when she asked the mechanic how much it would cost to fix, he raised an eyebrow and said, “Seriously?”

When she trudged into the station that morning after three hours of sleep and a quick shower, she felt like her old Chevy Cavalier. And she knew that soon, if she didn’t get a good night’s sleep, she wouldn’t be able to start. She’d stopped at Starbucks and bought six coffees and some doughnuts for the team. But only Carver was there, standing in front of the map that marked the locations pertaining to the case.

“Where is everyone?” she asked.

“Marshall and Barnes are back in Suffolk County, trying to milk information,” Carver said. “I have no idea where Will and Kelly are. Are those for me? I only need three cups; you didn’t have to buy six.”

She handed him one of the cups, sipped from another. “Will’s at the academy. He said he’ll be here in a few hours. Anything new?”

“Otis talked to a lawyer, and he has a great deal for us. We drop all charges, and in return he’ll give us info regarding Nathan’s location.”

“Info regarding Nathan’s location?”

“Yes. The lawyer was very clear. He said Otis has crucial information that might lead us to Nathan. But not the actual location.”

For a second, Abby considered shrugging it off. It was probably nothing.

But Nathan’s life was on the line. Could they really afford to ignore the possibility? “We could stipulate in the deal that if it doesn’t lead us to Nathan, the charges stay.”

“Yeah. Griffin is already looking into that. But it’s more complex because the charges are not in our jurisdiction. Some are federal, and some are in Suffolk County’s jurisdiction . . . it’ll be tricky to coordinate this deal. It’ll take time.”

“Time Nathan doesn’t have,” Abby said heavily.

“If it hasn’t already run out.”

She refused to consider that possibility. “What about our idea yesterday? About the other compound?”

“Well, the Suffolk County Police actually found a deed to another farm twenty miles east of the compound in Otis’s papers. He bought it four years ago.”

“And?” Abby’s heart skipped a beat.

“It’s abandoned. We have K-9 handlers there right now, searching.”

“Oh.”

“Wong told me they also found some email correspondence with the real estate agent on Otis’s computer. It sounds like they looked at a bunch of places but finally decided on that one. David and Otis were cc’d on all the emails. But guess who negotiated the actual purchase?”

“Who?”

“You don’t want to guess?”

“For God’s sake, Carver—”

“We have his private name in the email address. Luther.”

Her heartbeat quickened. “If he bought the farm, he must have been in the cult at some point.”

Carver turned back to the map. “Sounds right. I hope Marshall and Barnes manage to get something about this guy from their interrogations, though they say they’re mostly getting chants and prayers.”

“I’m not surprised. It’ll take time.” Abby glanced at the map. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to think it through again. Seven years ago, Eden left the Tillman cult with her kids, leaving some very pissed-off men.” He pointed at the pin that marked the compound. “Then, a few years later, Gabrielle calls them, trying to get in touch with her dad. They try to get her to go there, but she refuses. Then, Otis figures they can kidnap the kids. He makes a plan, involves David, the ex; Karl, who is supposed to marry Gabrielle; and this guy Luther.”

“He sends Karl to scope out the targets,” Abby said. “Karl follows Gabrielle’s Instagram and every once in a while goes by their house. But Otis later decides to keep David out of it. He realizes he can kidnap Nathan and use Gabrielle’s popular Instagram account to get a nice ransom for the kid.”

“And at the same time punish Eden for leaving them in the first place.”

“Then, somehow, Liam Washington finds himself in the wrong place,” Abby said. This was the weak link in their theory. “One of them takes him out.”

“And later they see something in Eric’s online interview that makes them think he figured something out. So they kill him too.”

“Liam Washington’s murder still bugs me,” Abby admitted. “It doesn’t fit with the rest.”