Kill Her Again (A Thriller) Read online

  That made sense. But Sharkey wasn’t Pope’s concern at the moment. “So Troy’s not happy with last night’s little rendezvous. What does he want me to do about it?”

  “Get your ass up there, that’s what. Pronto.”

  Wonderful. Just the good news he needed at two in the morning. “Why? It won’t change anything. The past is the past.”

  “Right now you’d better start thinking about the future,” Sharkey said.

  Then he hung up.

  THE ELEVATOR IN the residential section of the Desert Oasis Hotel-Casino had to be the slowest in the world. But then everything was a little slower out here, and Pope liked it just fine that way.

  Forty miles outside of the city proper, a last-chance gas and gambling stop near the California state line, the Oasis didn’t even attempt to capture the high-gloss hustle and bustle of the “new” Las Vegas.

  Walking into the casino was like stepping through a time warp. The 1970s all over again, only a little grungier and faded this time around. The booze-and cigarette-stained carpet and dusty-looking wallpaper hadn’t been changed in decades and the slot machines could actually be cranked by hand.

  Anyone who was used to the glamor of the Strip, or even the refurbished beauty of the Nugget downtown, would take one look at the Oasis and immediately start reaching for the Sani-Wipes.

  It was what the tour brochures called charm.

  All this changed, however, once you got to the fourteenth floor. Anderson Troy’s private domain was as immaculate as a biological clean room and just about as welcoming.

  After a long, slow ascent, still slightly hazed by the killer pot, Pope stepped off the elevator and looked down at the spotless white carpet. Not a stray cigarette ash or splash of bourbon in sight.

  “Good morning, Daniel.”

  Pope looked up to find Troy’s personal assistant, Arturo, standing before a set of double doors. To one side of the doors was a neat row of shoes.

  “Morning, Arturo.”

  Knowing the routine, Pope slipped off his loafers and lined them up next to the others. Anderson Troy was neither eccentric nor germaphobic, but he did like to keep his carpet clean, especially after his staff and visitors had been traipsing around the casino below.

  Pope had once asked him why he hadn’t renovated the entire hotel rather than just the fourteenth floor, and Troy had told him that he was afraid it would scare away the locals and budget tourists who made up ninety percent of his trade.

  “Besides,” Troy had said, “it would cost too much. And you know how fond I am of money.”

  Pope did indeed. In fact, his own current lifestyle was, in part, the result of that fondness. But he also knew that the Oasis, just as it stood, was the perfect under-the-radar cover for Troy’s other, less legitimate, activities.

  Anderson Troy was not your typical casino owner. For that matter, he wasn’t your typical anything.

  He was, however, a dangerous man.

  Once Pope’s shoes were in place, Arturo handed him a pair of disposable foot covers, which he dutifully slipped on over his socks.

  He felt like a toddler wearing bunny pajamas.

  “Go on in,” Arturo said. “He’s expecting you.”

  No shit, Sherlock.

  Pope almost made the remark out loud, but restrained himself. What was the point? Arturo was a simple working man who did his job and seemed to bear no grudges against anyone. Even when he was killing them.

  Instead, Pope nodded and pushed through the double doors into the now familiar lair of one of the youngest self-made multi-millionaires in the world. A man who had made those millions in DVDs and video games, among other things. Not creating them, mind you, but hacking their copy protection, pirating and selling them overseas.

  Only a select few knew that Troy was worth so much. And since making his first several million, he had branched out into a variety of Internet schemes that could potentially land him in prison for life, if he weren’t so good at remaining anonymous.

  A self-styled gangster, he was really nothing more than a thirtysomething computer geek with a lot of hired muscle. And, of course, the will to use it when necessary.

  He was sitting on the sofa, which was a soft gray puff of nothing that blended in beautifully with the muted grays and whites that dominated the room. Looking like a stain on the fabric, he was hunched over a laptop computer, wearing a faded GOT ROOT? T-shirt and frayed, cut-off maroon sweats, his stringy wannabe rock star hair hanging in his face.

  He didn’t bother to look up when he said:

  “A fag?”

  These were the last words Pope had expected to come out of Troy’s mouth at that particular moment, so he responded with a simple, “What?”

  Troy tore himself away from the computer screen and made eye contact. “You want me to believe I was once a faggot? A homo?”

  “I think the politically correct term is gay,” Pope said.

  “I don’t give a fuck how you candy-coat it. This Nigel Fromme guy? I just did a Google on him and found some very disconcerting information. Turns out he was an artist. One of the hottest painters of his time.”

  “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Not a thing,” Troy said. “It’s his sexual orientation that concerns me.”

  “I take it he’s gay?”

  “Gayer than a bucket full of butterflies.”

  “So? What difference does it make?”

  “Difference?” Troy closed his laptop, got to his feet. He was high school–basketball tall. “Let me explain something to you, Daniel. I come from a long line of God-fearing, gun-loving homophobes. Now, personally, I’m a little more progressive in my thinking. I don’t have an ax to grind when it comes to people’s choice of bed partners. You’re a guy, you want to bag another guy, shit, you want to bag a gerbil, that’s your choice. Whatever you do in the privacy of your home is your own business. But do me a favor and make sure it stays that way. I’ve got no interest in you unless you’re a big-titted blonde with no sudden surprises dangling between your legs.”

  He moved toward Pope now. “So when I find out this Nigel Fromme guy was a full-on flamer, you can understand my concern.”

  “Not really, no.”

  Troy sighed. “If I believe all this stuff you’ve fed me about past lives—”

  “I’ve fed you?”

  “—then I have to believe that my soul once occupied Nigel Fromme’s body, right?”

  Pope shrugged. “That’s the theory.”

  There had long been a debate in the hypnosis community over past life regression therapy. Was it real, or was it, as Pope’s grandfather, an old jazz musician, used to say, pure bushwa?

  A lot of people in the field believed that even simple childhood regression therapy was bullshit. Nothing more than a combination of recall and imagination. But, to Pope’s mind, that didn’t necessarily negate its usefulness as a therapy. Recall and imagination could reveal quite a bit about a person.

  For the record, however, it was Troy who had originally brought up the subject of reincarnation, after reading an article about it online. Pope’s own feelings about the matter remained noncommittal. He didn’t really give a damn.

  “So if this Nigel guy liked to bat for the home team,” Troy was saying, “then my soul was batting right along with him. The same soul that occupies my body, right here, right now.”

  Pope said nothing. Figured it was better to let that one go.

  “In other words, you’re telling me I’m a fag.”

  Pope stared at him, wondering if this was a joke of some kind. Troy having fun. Was Sharkey standing behind the door to the kitchen, laughing his ass off at Pope’s expense?

  He didn’t think so.

  Troy wasn’t the kind of guy who joked around. And computer geek or not, the man was unpredictable when he got angry.

  “I’m not telling you anything,” Pope said. “That’s not how it works.”

  “Oh? Then how does it work? Because the way I see
it, either I’m a fag or you made a mistake. Which is it?”

  There was a sudden chill in the room. Real or imagined, Pope couldn’t be sure. Feeling a presence behind him, he turned to find Arturo standing quietly in the doorway.

  Not a good sign.

  What had begun as an off-the-cuff, semi-stoned conversation during a late-night poker game had turned into an impromptu, after-hours hypnosis session that had now somehow morphed into a deeply offended and lethally angry Anderson Troy. And the only one Troy could find to blame for the insult was the messenger. The hypnotist. The guy who had put him under.

  That, of course, would be Pope. Star of the Desert Oasis Hotel-Casino’s ever popular late-night lounge show, Metamorphosis. Twenty bucks and a drink. Discount coupons in the hotel lobby.

  “You know,” Pope said, offering Troy his million-dollar stage smile, thinking he needed his glittery black tux to make it official, “this isn’t an exact science. Maybe I did something wrong, got some wires crossed somehow. If you like, we can try again, see what happens.”

  Troy nodded to Arturo, who quietly returned the nod and left the room.

  “I’m glad you see it that way, Daniel. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to replace this carpet again.”

  5

  THE BOY COULDN’T remember any of it.

  After Anna identified herself as FBI, the owner of the junkyard stowed his shotgun and muzzled his German shepherd, letting Anna pull Evan out of his hiding place and carry him back toward the house.

  They were greeted at the chain-link fence by Royer, Worthington, and half a dozen sheriff’s deputies, who had come running, weapons drawn, at the sound of the shotgun blast.

  The boy, trembling, kept his face buried in Anna’s neck. Rather than deal with the logistics of getting him up and over the fence, one of the deputies ran back for a pair of wire cutters and they simply made a hole big enough for Anna to step through.

  She carried him across the rutted field, through the backyard, past the house, and on out to the Ford Explorer, where she waved the others away and deposited him on the backseat. He was crying, tears streaking his dirty face, and she could see that he was in shock, a shock that might be too deep to penetrate.

  “It’s okay, Evan. Everything’s okay now.”

  But it wasn’t okay and the boy knew it and he continued to tremble as the tears flowed. She figured he had to be close to seven years old, but his reaction to the trauma of this night made him seem much, much younger.

  “I want my mommy,” he said in a small, shaky voice.

  Anna’s heart seized up in her chest. “I know you do, hon; I know. But your mommy’s been hurt and she can’t be with you right now.”

  “I don’t want her to go away. I want her to come back.”

  “I know,” Anna said.

  She’d lost her own mother to cancer when she was about his age. Remembered the feeling of helplessness, the disbelief. The ache.

  “Bring her back,” the boy cried, then flew into Anna’s arms again, pressing his face against her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Anna held him, wishing she had a magic wand she could wave to make his pain vanish. But she had learned long ago that there was no magic in this world. There were no miracles. No do-overs.

  Dead was dead and resurrection was the thing of fairy tales.

  Anna’s biggest failing as a federal agent was her tendency to become emotionally involved in a case. She knew it could only lead to trouble—and certainly had in San Francisco—but she never hesitated to allow herself to empathize with the victims of crime. If a situation called for her to be a friend, a confidante, or even a surrogate mother, she was more than happy to fulfill that need.

  If she had a calling, that was it. Which sometimes prompted her to think she should have continued with her education, rather than allow herself to get sidetracked into law enforcement.

  She might be better off now, if she had.

  Might even be sane.

  As the boy cried against her chest, she pulled him close, rocked him, and quietly sang her favorite lullaby, the song her mother had sung to her nearly every night of her life before she was too weak to sit up:

  Every little star

  Way up in the sky

  Calls me

  Heaven in my heart

  Wishing I could fly

  Away

  Drift off to sleep

  Into a dream

  My soul to keep

  I do believe . . .

  Her mother had written the song, playing it on a cheap ukulele she kept on a shelf next to Anna’s bed. A simple, melancholy tune that, to Anna, now seemed prophetic. As if her mother had known, even before the illness, that death was approaching.

  As she sang the last bar, Anna noticed that the boy, Evan, had grown quiet. Was lost in his own moment, his own memory.

  She hoped it was a good one.

  “YOU QUESTION HIM?” Royer asked.

  “As much as I could.”

  “And?”

  Royer and Worthington were huddled in the front yard, several feet from the Explorer, as Anna approached. The boy was asleep on the backseat.

  “He’s in shock. He doesn’t remember anything.”

  “Nothing at all?” Worthington asked.

  “He knows his mother is dead, but can’t or won’t tell me what he saw. And he has no idea where his sister is. He’s a complete blank as far as I can tell.”

  “As far as you can tell.” Royer didn’t bother to hide his contempt. Despite this turn of events, his anger had obviously not dissipated. “Maybe somebody else needs to take a shot at him. Somebody qualified.”

  Anna looked at him. She’d never been the type to flaunt credentials, but she’d had about enough of this jerk. “You’re probably right, but just for the record, I have a Master’s Degree in applied psychology. I was working on my Ph.D. when the bureau recruited me.”

  “Is that supposed to impress me?”

  “I’m merely stating a fact. And it seems to me the only thing you’re qualified to do is bitch and moan.”

  Royer said nothing for a moment, cycling through three or four different facial expressions before finally settling on what Anna could only describe as a murderous glare. “That’s it, McBride. You’re done. As soon as we get back to Victorville, your ass is—”

  “Hold on, now,” Worthington said, throwing his hands up. “As entertaining as this little squabble may be, I’d appreciate it if you two would stow the bullshit and get back to the matter at hand. I’ve got my men scouring that junkyard, but there’s still no sign of the girl.” He looked at Anna. “You think if we bring an expert in here, we might be able to get Evan to open up?”

  Before she could respond, Royer said, “If you have any questions about how to proceed, Deputy Worthington, direct them to me.”

  Worthington frowned. “Nobody’s given you the keys to the car just yet.”

  “The Ludlow County Undersheriff might disagree.”

  “The Ludlow County Undersheriff is one of my best friends and he called you people because I asked him to. And until we establish that there’s actually been a federal crime committed here, let’s consider this a cooperative effort and keep the drama to a minimum.”

  Royer cycled through another set of facial expressions, and was still looking for a suitable response when Worthington turned again to Anna. “I assume the bureau has somebody they can call for this?”

  “Down in Victorville. But it’ll take a while to get him out of bed and bring him out here.”

  “We don’t have the luxury of time.”

  “You have somebody local in mind?”

  “Unfortunately, the only head doctor we’ve got within spitting distance is currently out of the county. Around here, most people’s idea of therapy is shooting at junkyard rats.”

  “Do I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere?”

  Worthington nodded. “The thing you said about the boy being a complete blank brought something to mind. There
’s a guy I know, lives just over the state line, maybe a twenty-minute drive. He hasn’t worked with the police in a couple years, but when he did, he was considered one of the best. He might just be able to help Evan remember.”

  “A psychologist?” Anna asked.

  Worthington shook his head. “A hypnotherapist. Specializes in forensic hypnosis. Or at least he used to.”

  “Used to? What’s he doing now?”

  For the first time, Worthington’s confidence faltered a bit. He seemed almost embarrassed. “He has a lounge show at one of the state-line casinos.”

  Royer broke his silence with a loud snort. “You gotta be fucking kidding me. You want to bring in some sideshow psychic?”

  “Hypnotist,” Worthington said. “Not psychic. This guy has all the right credentials, is fully trained. Even has a DCH.”

  “What’s a DCH?”

  “Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy.”

  Royer snorted again. “Sounds like a complete load of crap to me.”

  Anna had to admit she shared Royer’s skepticism. The bureau was no stranger to clinical and forensic hypnosis, but the hypnotherapists they utilized were either psychologists or highly trained agents.

  Bringing in some Vegas phony to work with Evan seemed like a complete waste of time. But then who was she to judge anyone at this juncture in her life?

  Worthington must have read her expression. “Look,” he said. “I know it sounds iffy, but the stage gig is only a recent development. He’s had some tough breaks the last couple years.”

  Anna shook her head. “We’re talking about a child who’s extremely fragile right now. There are specific guidelines we have to—”

  “I don’t give a damn about guidelines,” Worthington said. “We’ve got three people dead and a missing girl and time is our enemy. I know this sounds unconventional, but like I said, we’re talking about somebody who was once the go-to guy in Nevada law enforcement circles.”

  “So why did he stop?”

  “You more than likely already know.”

  Royer’s eyebrows raised. “What’s that supposed to mean? Who the hell is this guy?”

  Worthington hesitated, and Anna was suddenly struck by the notion that there was something more going on here, something deeper. That the man Worthington was recommending might be more than just a colleague. They were connected somehow.