Page 57 of Operation: Integrity

“Got it.” The officer wrote down a note, then went back to what he was doing.

Everyone seemed to have forgotten the woman who’d come in dressed in a suit limping from broken heels.Viceroy’swife. Where had he heard the name Ramona Butters before? If only Connor had followed him in, he could ask. As far as he could tell, Connor and Edwyn hadn’t been allowed inside, and he wasn’t going to leave until he looked for this Ramona, Viceroy, and Nathan since he seemed as slippery as an eel.

Sam whistled for Zeus and made sure no one was watching him as he headed for Ramona’s office. Was she really the owner or had she made that up to get out of talking to the police right away? Unless a woman did something that immediately made her suspicious, officers often gave them the benefit of the doubt. He hoped she wasn’t behind the door plotting murder.

He gripped Zeus’s collar, then slowly opened the door. Inside, there was a closet that led to a stairway, but the room was empty. Sam dug into his jacket pocket for his keychain flashlight, flicked it on, and dove into the dark staircase.

Zeus stayed at his side instead of running ahead. While the dog’s eyes were probably better than his, Sam was glad for the stability of the dog. He couldn’t hear anything except the sound of his own footsteps. Ramona had to have escaped through this exit, but where would it lead and what would he find when he got there?

He pushed forward, taking a few steps, then waiting to see if he could hear anything. His light only penetrated a few feet into the darkness. If that woman had gone ahead of him, she had to be out of the narrow staircase by already since there was no way to navigate it without light and he didn’t see anything but pitch black ahead.

The stairs ended and the floor leveled out. His head brushed the ceiling and cobwebs clung to his hair. He brushed them away quickly and pressed ahead. Zeussniffed the air but kept mostly silent. He seemed to know this wasn’t the time to bark or run.

Soft voices ahead made Sam stop so he could hear what they said. “Nathan was taken. He must have been too focused on the girl. I told him to leave her behind back in Wyoming. I knew where she was and could’ve easily gotten to her once we were sure we weren’t followed,” a man said.

“You think I care? You left me on the side of the highway to walk. I should’ve left you for the police,” the woman answered.

He heard the distinct sound of a hard slap echo down the hall and then a whimper.

“Don’t ever talk to me like that. You have the unfortunate belief that you’re an equal with me and you never will be. If you don’t start remembering your place, I’ll put you in the grave.”

“Y-yes, sir,” the woman didn’t sound nearly as sophisticated now.

“Get in the car. Now. It won’t be long before they realize you aren’t back there.”

“Do you even care that I made it here in time?”

Sam didn’t feel the need to listen to their arguing and it would allow him to get closer without notice. If Ramona was Viceroy’s wife, then the man she was talking to had to be Viceroy. He was within a few yards of the man they’d been chasing for almost a year. Always one step behind.

Sam reached the door and felt for his gun. It was at his side, but would the environment on the other side of the door be conducive to using it? He had to assume it would be too dark and it would be dangerous. There was no way to know if any victims were held down there. Too light and he’d be seen right away. A gun wouldn’t help him inthat scenario. He might have the element of surprise, but it wasn’t like he could shoot them. That would be nothing short of murder.

He tested the knob, and it turned quietly in his hand. Zeus lowered slightly, ready to spring. A car engine started and took off. Sam whipped open the door in time to see a distant garage door opening and lights speeding out of it. A stench hit him square in the gut and he retched before he could get a handle on what was happening.

He flashed his light around him, and horror choked him. Kelly had told him that women would disappear in the night, never to be seen again. Now, he knew where they went. There was no way to follow Ramona and Viceroy, but he could get the cops to send someone from the coroner down there. What he’d found would keep them busy for a long time.

Kelly letthe EMT check her over and put butterfly tape on her wounds to her cheek. He asked her if she would please consider submitting a kit once they got to the hospital, if for no other reason than to help the police convict the people responsible for all of this.

She didn’t want to. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t, but she didn’t want to. Anna reached over and squeezed her hand. “We can do this.”

Her words made her think of Sam. He’d said he wouldn’t leave her, but she hadn’t seen him for at least fifteen minutes. As soon as the paramedic had gathered her and Anna toward the ambulance, Sam had disappeared.

“You okay?” Anna reached over and held out her hand.

Kelly squeezed it in return, but touching anyone had become too emotional and she let her go right away. “Sam was here. He came for me but then was just gone. I don’t understand. He wasn’t any part of this and has no reason to hide from me or the police, so where did he go?”

Connor peered from behind one of the back doors of the ambulance. “Can we come over and say hello?”

Kelly waved them over. “Have you seen Sam? He’s missing.”

Connor looked surprised. “I thought he was in there with you. I saw people coming out finally and didn’t see him, so I thought to check the ambulances. So, he’s not here either?” Connor stood taller, glancing around at the other vehicles nearby.

One of the officers yelled, “That woman that came in is missing. There’s no one in that room where she went and there seems to be an escape route from that room. A man just came up from there after following her and says we need to call in the MEO.”

Kelly closed her eyes tightly. MEO meant Medical Examiners Office. Someone had died down there. Was it Sam? “Please,” she choked on the word. “Go make sure he wasn’t talking about Sam.”

Connor nodded. “I’ll make sure he’s all right. You just stay with these folks. Go to the hospital if you need. We’ll meet you there. Everything will be all right. Okay?”

The slight disconnect in his voice did more to shatter her hope than her own thoughts. Could Sam be dead? Viceroy would’ve shot him without a second thought. Ramona might not usually use guns, but she would kill him without question. Had she survived just to be alone?

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