Читать книгу A Baby For Agent Colton - Jennifer Morey - Страница 10

Chapter 3

Trevor looked on the bright side of going to see Matthew Colton in prison. A, he had some time apart from Jocelyn, and B, he might be able to extract more information. Matthew enjoyed his visits. He enjoyed the game. He enjoyed his kids’ desire to find their mother’s body, the power he held over them by drawing out when and how he offered clues. A clue in exchange for a visit from each of his kids. Josie was the last to get her clue. She’d gone once and Matthew had toyed with her without giving her the clue. Now she refused to go back. Going the first time had been too much for her. She wasn’t ready to try again. Maybe she never would. Trevor couldn’t blame her. Visiting Matthew made him sick to his stomach.

“Hey, Trevor.”

Trevor turned to see Mac approach, the corrections officer who’d taken him to see Matthew the other times he’d been here. “Mac.”

“Come with me. We’ve got him in the room just as you requested.”

Trevor walked beside him down a white, windowless hall. An eye-aching row of rectangular lights reminded him of the painted lines on highways. “How’s he been?”

“He was treated for dehydration after some chemo treatment he received. He’s recovered from that, though. Doing all right, considering.”

Considering he was dying of cancer. Trevor felt no sympathy for the man. “As long as he can talk.”

The officer chuckled. “He loves to do that.” He opened the door to the round communal room. “Just let the guard know when you’re ready to leave.”

“Will do. Thanks.” Trevor entered, seeing Matthew sitting at one of the tables in the overcooked-pea-green-painted room. It just so happened Trevor had come during visitor hours. There were three other tables with inmates meeting with loved ones. He’d been offered a private room to talk, but he’d declined. Maybe meeting around other people would ease the discomfort of having to face his murderous father.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Matthew asked.

“The pleasure is all yours.” Trevor sat on the other side of the table.

“You should be nicer to an old man who only wants to help you.” Matthew had lost a lot of weight with his illness. His skin sagged and had a ghostly pallor, and those evil, beady eyes seemed to have sunk into his skull.

“Feel like talking about Regina Willard today?” Trevor asked.

“Any admirer of mine is worth discussing. Besides, what else do I have to do in here?”

“Have you received any more letters?” That any woman would send letters to a killer like Matthew befuddled Trevor. Matthew knew something about the killer, and Trevor suspected it had something to do with the letters. But so far, Matthew refused to reveal anything.

“What do I get in exchange if I did?”

“A clear conscience?” Trevor couldn’t keep his sarcasm out of his tone. Matthew was always looking for leverage.

He sat back as he observed Trevor. After a long study, he finally said, “You were a wild kid. I remember when you ran off while we were at that amusement park and I had to go to the lost child booth. You remember that?”

Trevor did. He had run off to get away from his dad, tired of his weak ego and smart mouth. The way Matthew had spoken to their mother had gotten Trevor in trouble more than once. He’d often gone toe-to-toe with the man, who’d shut him down with his bigger size. Matthew, though smart, had needed too many compliments to feel like a man. And he had never responded well to criticism.

“Now you think you’re some hotshot FBI profiler.” Matthew scoffed. “Hell, you can’t even find your own mother’s grave.”

Anger simmered low and hot. “You insult her memory by calling where you dumped her a grave.”

“Your mother was a good woman up until the end.”

She’d put up with Matthew, loved him, even. To the public he’d appeared normal and even likable. But living with the man had revealed a lot more. He’d kept his murdering ways hidden up until Saralee had discovered what he’d been doing. That had gotten her killed and had led to Matthew’s arrest.

“Tell me,” Matthew said. “What’s your profile of me?”

Matthew actually wanted him to say? Trevor would take pleasure in this.

“You’re insecure and that insecurity led to your first murder. You never measured up to Big J Colton. He always made more money than you.”

Matthew’s face began to color, the most life Trevor had seen in that skin so far.

“You never got over him buying you out of the family ranch. You felt he gave you no other option. You were never going to feel like a man living in Oklahoma, where Big J lived. So you ran off to Texas, where you were still never able to measure up.”

“You always were a smart-mouthed kid. I should have beaten you more, taken you down off that high horse you like to ride so much.”

Trevor grinned, taunting. “You hated Big J. That’s no secret. It’s what drove you to kill those men. They reminded you of him. You compensated your weakness by killing your brother over and over again. As long as you killed, Big J stayed dead.”

Matthew liked that analogy. Trevor watched him go back in time to his kills, relishing the experience of killing his brother over and over, because to Matthew, each victim was his brother.

“Except now you can’t kill anymore,” Trevor said. He would not allow this monster to enjoy his crimes. “You can’t kill Big J. In fact, Big J is doing just fine in Oklahoma. Richer than ever. Successful rancher. Happy as can be. Nothing you’ve done has changed that.”

Matthew started to stand. “You son of a—” The security guard took a step forward, his hand on his gun. Matthew saw this and sat back down, glaring across the table at Trevor.

“You asked me to profile you,” Trevor said, checking his phone for the time. “I’ve got to go. You’ve wasted yet another of my visits.”

“Wait.” Matthew’s temper cooled. He didn’t want this visit to end, this escape from everyday prison routine. “You convince that daughter of mine, Josie, to come and see me?”

“She already came to see you.” It had been a brief visit. Josie had given up and left.

“If you want another clue, bring Josie to see me.”

Trevor wasn’t sure he could convince her. “She thinks you’re bluffing. You don’t give out information easily.” He’d refused to give Trevor any clues. Maybe because Trevor came to see him the most. He knew Trevor would come to see him. Josie was more of a challenge. But Josie had been through a lot. A person could only take so many doses of evil at a time.

“You can give me her clue,” Trevor said. He’d tried every time to get information.

Matthew scoffed. “What fun would that be?”

Matthew didn’t consider Trevor a challenge. He also despised him for what he represented. Law enforcement. FBI profiler. And though Matthew would never admit it or say it to Trevor’s face, he knew he was good at what he did.

“Give me Josie’s clue. You’ll find peace knowing your wife will have a respectable burial.”

“Peace,” Matthew sneered. “You left that part out of your profile. I am at peace.”

He would not bend. He would not hand out any more clues until Josie came to see him again. Killing all those people, Saralee included, didn’t bother him.

“You want to know where your mother is buried, you’ll do as I say. No more clues until I see Josie.”

That put him in a bind. Josie didn’t believe Matthew would give a clue. She also struggled with the drama. Going to see Matthew would be painful for her, bring up old memories she didn’t welcome. None of them did. He couldn’t blame her, but he wished she’d at least try to get the clue, go see Matthew more than once if that was what it took, even if he never divulged what he owed them all.

* * *

When Trevor arrived back at his office, the visit at the prison had left him emotionally drained. He sighed and tipped his head back, shutting his eyes and trying to block the image of Matthew Colton from his mind. His grayish pale skin. Empty eyes that only livened up when he felt in control. His frail body. On the drive back here, Trevor had actually felt a tinge of sympathy for the man. He’d die in prison. Cancer would be the weapon to do the job. Justice.

Why or how he could feel any sympathy for his murderous father confounded Trevor and upset him. As he examined his feelings, he supposed the sympathy came from the basic fact that Matthew was his father. A biological fact. He mourned the loss of a real father, one who didn’t kill and hold a psychotic grudge against his brother.

The justice, however. Ah, the justice. Trevor smiled a little at that. Matthew was where he belonged. Cancer would take him from this world, and Trevor and his brothers and sisters would never have to see him again.

A knock preceded Chris Colton saying, “Must be good. Did you catch the Alphabet Killer?”

Trevor lowered his head and sat forward. His younger brother’s sharp blue eyes crinkled in a half smile. Tall and muscular with dark blond hair, he made an imposing presence. He’d gone into private investigation, something Trevor had always been proud of, especially the similarity to his job. Except he’d seemed reserved around him since they’d reunited, more collateral damage that cancer would hopefully remove from their lives.

“Chris.” Trevor got up. “I’m surprised to see you.” Chris didn’t come to his office much, if ever.

“Yeah.” He moved into the office and closed the door.

Trevor stopped. A closed-door meeting? What was this all about? Chris didn’t talk much about his feelings, but Trevor sensed that was what had brought him here.

“There’s something I need to ask you.”

“Sure. Fire away.” He walked closer to his brother.

“It’s okay, however you answer. I just need to know the truth.”

This sounded serious. Since Chris had the most easygoing personality out of all the Colton kids, Trevor went on alert.

“I’ll tell you the truth. What is it?”

Chris hesitated, as though not sure he should hear the truth.

Trevor put his hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “Hey. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out, okay?”

Chris relaxed in his easy way, a genuine smile lighting his face. “I’ll hold you to that.” After the brief levity faded, he said, “I need to know why you tried to adopt Josie and not me. Not the rest of us.”

That took Trevor aback. “I tried to get custody of her and the rest of you.” Trevor lowered his hand. Why did Chris think he wouldn’t?

“You tried?”

Trevor grunted in disbelief. “Of course I tried.”

“How much? Once? Twice?”

“Chris.” He couldn’t believe his brother doubted him. “How long have you thought I wouldn’t try to get us all together?”

“It couldn’t have been that hard to get custody of us. You could have. Why Josie?” As he spoke, his voice rose and his hands went to his hips.

Wow. He was really upset over this. And he’d never talked to him about it before now. Why had he kept it all bottled up? Trevor took his arm and guided him toward the two chairs before his desk. “Sit down, why don’t you. We have a lot to talk about, it would appear.”

Chris shrugged out of his touch and sat down, looking like his younger brother again, during one of their fights. Trevor’s heart wrenched. Damn Matthew. Damn him to hell.

“We were fostered out through different private agencies, Chris.”

“I know that.”

“Social workers prefer other relatives above siblings adopt or take custody. They look at lifestyle and economic standing. Where I lived, whether I was married or had a girlfriend. I had neither. And I moved a lot.”

As Chris’s face smoothed, he got his answer.

“The court felt we had the best chance at a normal childhood in separate homes. They allowed visitation, but it wasn’t enough. I made that argument over and over. But it didn’t matter. I couldn’t show financial stability at the time. I was in college and I didn’t have a steady job. Having to deal with different agencies didn’t help.” Trevor raked his fingers through his hair, agitated all over again with the frustration of hitting wall after wall. “Social workers moved or quit. Files were misplaced or lost. And then they didn’t want to talk to me once they saw I was a single college student. They saw me as young and irresponsible, even though I told them I was going to college to gain stability. You have no idea the headache I went through.”

Trevor put his hand behind Chris’s neck, coaxing, wishing he hadn’t doubted him at all. “I never gave up trying to get us all together.”

Chris nodded a few times, leaning over with his elbows on his knees. Did he truly understand or did he still have doubts?

Rage for his father intensified. Ever since he’d reunited with his siblings, the negative fallout continued to emerge.

“Do you believe me?” Trevor asked.

The burden he’d carried for so long took a while to ease, but eventually, after thinking it over, Chris turned his head, at an angle with his position, and a grin curved his mouth. “Yeah.” He sat up. “I believe you. And I should have thought to check the rules. I should have known Matthew would ruin any chance we had.”

“We’re together now. That’s all that matters.” That and burying both the Alphabet Killer and Matthew.

“Josie said you had a new murder that could be linked to the copycat,” Chris said.

“Yeah, but the DNA will take some time to analyze. According to Jocelyn, we have to wait before we eliminate the suspect in Jane McDonald’s murder as the copycat killer.”

“You don’t think her killer is the Alphabet Killer?”

Trevor shook his head. He didn’t think there’d be a link and hoped something else would break the case open.

“But Jocelyn says we have to wait for the DNA test.” Trevor smiled fondly.

“Jocelyn, huh? How are things going with you and your hot new partner?”

Did he have to call her hot? Since when had his little brother noticed how hot Jocelyn was? “She’s not my partner. She’s on my team and she’s a rookie.”

“I wasn’t talking about your team. I’ve seen her. She’s hot. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.” He elbowed Trevor with a smile and a “Huh? You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”

This man-to-man banter was new to Trevor and he liked it. However, he didn’t like the romantic connotations. Only Chris’s laid-back way made it bearable. Somewhat.

“Yeah. I’ve noticed.” But that didn’t mean he could act on his baser instincts. He had a job to do.

Even as he thought that last line, he could hear Jocelyn jumping at the chance to tease him. And what job is that, Agent Colton, being a professional stick-in-the-mud?

Trevor chuckled and Chris misunderstood the cause, laughing with him. A glimpse of the eleven-year-old boy flashed in his brother’s eyes and all the lost time taken from them made Trevor all the more determined to solve the Alphabet Killer case and put Matthew underground and out of their lives forever.

But first he had to find Regina Willard.