Page 41 of Her Last Confession

"This is Special Agent Gift, out of the Richmond field office," she said the moment the dispatch operator answered. "I need immediate medical assistance at my location." She rattled off the coordinates, keeping one hand on Jennifer's shoulder to steady her as the young woman tried to sit up.

"Easy," Rachel murmured to her while the dispatcher was still on the line. "Help is coming. You're safe now." She shrugged off her jacket, draping it over Jennifer's shoulders. The night air was cool, and shock would be setting in soon if it hadn't already.

Jennifer's fingers clutched at Rachel's arm. "He... he said he was…was….”

“Later,” Rachel said. “Rest for right now, okay? Let’s make sure you’re really fine before you get into it all.”

Behind them, Bradley had started talking again, his voice taking on an almost dreamy quality. "You don't understand what it's like to watch someone you love suffer... to watch them beg for relief that no one will give them. My wife... she found peace…was released from her fears and her…andmywork. She…”

But again, he broke down into sobs, literally falling to his knees with his hands cuffed behind his back.

Rachel looked down at her hand, noticing for the first time the full extent of the cuts where the glass had sliced her palm.Blood dripped slowly onto the forest floor, but she barely felt the pain. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but she thought it might be quite deep. She may have a few stitches in her future. But it seemed a small price to pay. They had Bradley. They had saved Jennifer.

In the harsh glare of the truck's headlights, the pod's broken glass glittered like stars scattered across the forest floor. When she was able to accept that it was over, she used that same bloodied hand to call Wheeler.

Minutes later, as the first red and blue lights began to flash through the trees, Rachel stood slowly, her hand throbbing in time with her heartbeat. She shared a knowing look with Novak, and Bradley continued to weep until the sound of approaching sirens drowned him out.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

The startling glow of emergency lights painted the forest in alternating splashes of color, transforming the quiet logging road into something that looked like a surreal movie set. Jennifer Parker sat on the back step of the ambulance, an oxygen mask pressed to her face, her hands still trembling despite the shock blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Rachel watched as the EMT checked Jennifer's vitals for the third time. They were located roughly fifty feet away from where Rachel had removed Jennifer from the pod because the ambulance had not been able to make it all the way down the rough road.

"Blood pressure's still elevated," the EMT said, her voice professional but kind as she spoke to Jennifer. "But that's to be expected after what you've been through. Just keep taking slow, deep breaths."

The narrow dirt road had become a maze of emergency vehicles. Two patrol cars were angled awkwardly into the brush, their wheels sunk into the soft earth at the road's edge. The ambulance had barely made it down the rutted path, its driver having to navigate between tree stumps and low-hanging branches. Rachel had watched them inch their way in, the massive vehicle swaying dangerously as its tires fought for purchase on the uneven ground.

The scene was organized chaos – radio chatter crackling through the night air, flashlight beams cutting through the darkness, and the constant movement of uniformed officers securing the area. Every few minutes, another vehicle would attempt the treacherous journey down the logging road, adding to the congestion.

Just in front of the ambulance, Detective Wheeler was standing next to a police cruiser, one hand resting on the roofwhile he spoke into his radio. "Suspect is in custody, repeating, the suspect is in custody. We're going to need CSU to process this whole area, and someone get hold of the DA's office." In the backseat of the very same cruiser, Christopher Bradley sat in silence, his face illuminated by the strobing lights. Rachel noticed how ordinary he looked – like someone you'd pass in a grocery store without a second glance.

She and Novak both turned their attention to Jennifer now that the paramedic had given her a decent report.

"Ms. Parker," Rachel said, "I know this is difficult, but can you tell us exactly what happened? Every detail could be important."

Jennifer pulled the oxygen mask away from her face. Her mascara had run, leaving dark trails down her cheeks, and Rachel could see the angry red marks on her wrists where a restraint of some kind had been recently.

"I was... I was just going to meet my friend Sarah for drinks." Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. "Around five, I think. CJ—my husband—was watching football so I didn’t have anything to do. So I met a friend at McLaren's, the bar we go to sometimes. I got there and…and…”

"Take your time," Rachel encouraged, noting how Jennifer's fingers tightened around the oxygen mask.

"We had a few drinks and…yeah, I know…not responsible, but we left to head back home. I’d only had two drinks, you know. So I was fine…but I had just gotten to my car on the other side of the street…" Jennifer paused to take a shaky breath. I started the car when he popped up from the back seat. He’d…he’d broken into my car. I don’t even know how. But he was…he had a gun." Her voice cracked. "One of those small ones, a revolver, I think. He pressed it against my ribs from the back seat and said if I screamed or tried to run, he'd kill me right there."

Novak nodded sympathetically. "What happened next?"

"He made me drive. My own car at first. We took back roads I didn't recognize – he kept telling me where to turn. That's where he tied my hands and moved me to his truck. A blue pickup, I think. Just waiting there. Everything after that is..." She shuddered. "It's a blur."

"Did he talk during the drive?" Rachel asked, keeping her voice steady and calm. "Anything he said could help us build our case."

Jennifer nodded, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "He kept talking about someone named Kelly. His wife, I think. And he was talking about EndLight…I work there, remotely. About how he’d worked for them but he was finally using the ideas they had for good. To remember Kelly. I don’t know…it all sounded nuts to me. He said…well, he told me he knew about my suicide attempt…that he was going to make that right. That he was going to help me.”

A gust of wind rustled through the trees, causing the shadows to dance across the ground. More officers were arriving now, their vehicles creating a bottleneck at the narrow entrance to the logging road. The pod – that terrible machine – was being photographed by the crime scene unit, their camera flashes adding to the disorienting light show.

“Anything else?” Novak prodded.

“I don’t…I don’t think so. Like I said…after he tied me up…it was all just a blur.”

Rachel nodded, reaching out and placing an encouraging hand on Jennifer’s shoulder. “Can we call anyone for you?”

“The cop I spoke to earlier already called my husband. He should be on the way.” She smiled weakly and said, “Thank you. Sorry about your hand.”

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