CHAPTER 26
INTIMATE CONFESSIONS
Alex and I arrived at FBI headquarters within minutes of each other. He gave me a sly smile when he saw me in the reception area. He was in such good spirits, so I didn't have the heart to tell him he was about to get canned. After we announced our arrival to the receptionist, we took a seat to wait. He told me what a wonderful night it had been and about his disappointment when he woke up and found me gone. I told him about my ride home and the car that followed me. He apologized for not being there to protect me. I didn't tell him about finding Bart at home or that it was over between us.
After a few minutes, the receptionist led us back to a small conference room and told us to take a seat. She asked us if we wanted a cup of coffee. Alex declined, but I accepted as I needed the caffeine boost. As soon as she had left, Agent Doug Barnes joined us. He appeared to be in his late 20's, medium height, a crew cut, and intense brown eyes—probably ex-military. I wondered if his partner was watching us through a two-way mirror. He sat down across from us and smiled. "Quite a day you two had yesterday."
I nodded. "Yes, it was. Any word on the missing children?"
"No. They seem to have vanished. We've had every law enforcement agency in Texas looking for them, but so far no luck."
"What about the car? Did you find any prints or other evidence that would tell you the identity of the kidnappers?"
"No. The car was wiped clean."
"But how could that be? They didn't have time to wipe down the car. We weren't two minutes behind them."
"I don't know how they did it, but there isn't a print anywhere in the car. In fact the car looks like it was just detailed—not a speck of dust, lint, hair, or anything."
"Well, that consistent with their signature. Whoever these people are, they're very clean and tidy."
"If that's all your questions, I'd like to ask you a few."
"No problem, shoot," I replied.
"How was it that you two just happened to be at the school when the kidnapping took place?"
"I wanted to talk to Cheryl, so I called her at home and on her cell phone. She didn't answer, so I got worried. She always has her cell phone with her. One of her friends suggested I catch her at the school when it let out."
"So, did you recognize any of the kidnappers?"
"Yes, the bald one. I'd seen him once in the elevator at Martin's office building and a second time in a video tape of his living room." I told Barnes about the bald man disappearing in the elevator and Cheryl's video surveillance of Martin's home. "That's why I'm quite sure Martin is behind the kidnappings and the liquidation of assets."
"I'll need those video tapes," Barnes said. "I'll send someone over to your office to get them."
I shrugged. "Sure, why not. It doesn't look like I'm going to need them."
Barnes continued to question me. I walked him through the kidnapping and the ensuing chase in as much detail as I could remember. When he was finished asking me questions, he told me he'd been in contact with Detective Rupert Shaw of the San Fernando police department in Trinidad.
"What do you think of the similarities between the two kidnappings?" I asked.
"At first I just thought they were just coincidences, but now I'm not so sure."
"What changed your mind?"
“Well, I just found out Mr. Quinlin used to live in Dallas.”
“Really?”
"Yes, and it seems that yesterday Mr. Quinlin's two children disappeared."
"You're kidding!" I replied. "What do make of all that?"
"I don't know. When children disappear, it's usually one parent trying to deprive the other of their visitation rights. That happens all the time. But usually the parent and children disappear at the same time. What's unique with these two cases is the disappearance of the husband first and then the children several days later."
“That is strange, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and I've been doing a little research to see just how strange it is."
"So, what did you find out?" I asked.
"Well, in the last six months I've found 23 similar scenarios in Texas and most of them are in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area."
"Why, I wonder? Is someone kidnapping children so they can sell them?"
"Yes, and killing the father so it appears he's run off with them. If the police believe a parent is involved in the disappearance they're not likely to refer the case to us, and their own efforts to locate the missing persons will be downgraded."
"You mean it's possible Cheryl had nothing to do with her husband's disappearance?" I asked, finally seeing a ray of hope. "That would explain why they didn't take her along with the children. They just needed her to get access to them."
"It's just a theory," Agent Barnes said. "I wouldn't bet the store on it quite yet."
"No. I understand. I really appreciate you sharing it with me. Let me know if anything else develops along those lines."
"I will if you'll keep me abreast of anything new you come up with."
"Sure," I said, amazed at Agent Barnes' openness.
My spirits were high as I drove back to the office. In my previous encounters with the FBI, I had found them to be rather closed-mouthed and uncooperative. This was a very refreshing encounter, particularly considering Barnes's promise to share information with me in the future. I was excited about his theory too. It was simple, yet very credible. A jury would eat it up.
When I got back to the office, Stan was in the reception area talking to Jodie. He looked up but didn't smile. "I need to talk to you, Paula."
I didn't like the look on his face or the tone of his voice. "What happened?"
"You'll want to be sitting down," he said. "Let's go to my office."
I took a deep breath and followed him into his office. We sat across from each other at a small table. "I got a call from Mo last night," he said solemnly. "He traced all the money from the Windsor assets that were liquidated."
"Oh, wow. That was fast."
"That's his business and he's really good at it. Anyway, it seems the money was wired here and there but finally ended up in an account at the British Virgin Islands' branch of VP Bank. Normally it's impossible to know who controls an account because they are held in the name of a nominee."
"Uh huh."
"But Mo knew the nominee and got the identity out of him."
"Jesus. That's great. Who is it?"
"You won't believe this, but it's Cheryl Windsor."
"What? No!" I said, shaking my head. "That's impossible. She wouldn't outright lie to me. I just can't believe it. It can't be true."
Stan shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Well, that was my reaction too. Maybe she's being set up."
"By whom?"
He laughed. "Martin Windsor, I guess, assuming he's alive."
I told him about Agent Barnes's theory. He liked it a lot and said I should explore it some more. We decided we needed to confront Cheryl with the information about the VP bank account and see how she reacted. If she continued to claim a lack of memory, then we'd ask her to let Dr. Gerhardt put her under hypnosis. We had no other choice. The evidence against her was mounting and we had to get some answers soon. If she refused to be hypnotized, then we'd know she didn't want the truth to be known and we'd have to do the best we could without her help.
"So, how's Alex working out?" Stan asked.
The question surprised me and the intensity of Stan's gaze was unsettling."Fine," I finally replied.
"Did he take you home last night?"
The question also alarmed me. Had Bart already talked to him about Alex? I hesitated a little too long.
Stan continued, "I was a little worried about you two."
"Worried?" I asked, feigning innocence.
"Well, I knew Bart was away, and well—Alex is young and good looking."
I didn't know what to say. Stan knew me too well. He didn't wait for a response because he knew he'd hit pay dirt. "Well, I figured as pretty as you are th
ere was a ninety percent chance Alex would be hitting on you before the day was over, and I wasn't sure if you could handle that. You know, you mix fire and oxygen and what do you get?"
I sighed. "I didn't plan for it to happen. If the jerk's car hadn't been in the shop, I wouldn't have had to take him home."
"Are you sure it was in the shop?"
My pulse quickened. "Sure. . . . I mean. . . . Yeah, he wouldn't have lied about it."
Stan raised his eyebrows. "It's not that it's any of my business, but I care about you and Bart. I'd hate for anything to split you two apart."
"It's just that I'm used to doing what I feel like. I hate looking back and feeling guilty."
"I can understand how that might be difficult. I got married young, so I never had that kind of freedom."
"Do you regret getting married young? You don't seem to have any problem resisting temptation."
Stan smiled. "Oh, I've had my share. You haven't been my only challenge."
"Oh, is that right?" I smirked.
"Fortunately the man upstairs kicks my ass whenever I start to stray."
"How's that?"
"Well, there was the time out in West Texas when we were celebrating an oil well coming in. I'd drunk a little too much champagne and found myself in the caretaker's cabin with the chairman's wife. Sheila had a crush on me so things got a little out of hand. Fortunately, in our haste to get our clothes off, I knocked over a lamp and set the cabin on fire."
I laughed hard. "That's so funny."
"Yeah, the Lord really went out of his way to protect me from Sheila. She liked to sail, so her husband, Bird, bought her a big yacht. Bird was prone to getting seasick, so he wouldn't go out with her. When I came down one time to do some legal research at the courthouse, she insisted I go out on the yacht with her. Bird didn't seem to mind, so I went. After awhile she got hungry and wanted to stop at a little island in the middle of Corpus Christi Bay to have a picnic lunch. Well, after eating, she pulled off her top to do a little sun bathing. That was a little more temptation than I could handle, and I'd have no doubt broken two of the ten commandments had the Lord not conjured up a huge thunderstorm right there on the spot."
"Well, that makes me feel better. You're not such a saint after all."
"No, the flesh is weak. I'll admit that."
"Do you really believe God was watching over you?"
"Sure, He does it all the time."
"I don't know. I don't see how he could watch out for everyone. Why didn't He kick my ass before I slept with Alex?"
Stan raised his eyebrows. "Hmm. I don't know."
"I don't think you really wanted to screw Sheila, so subconsciously you found a way to stop yourself. But, subconsciously I probably did want to screw Alex, so I did."
"I don't think my subconscious mind can create thunderstorms," Stan replied.
"Maybe not. Who knows? So, what do I do now? Bart wants to can Alex for not following me home last night."
"Don't give him the chance. Call Paul and tell him to replace Alex. Tell him you need somebody older and more experienced. He'll understand. That way Bart and Alex don't have to have it out."
That advice seemed sound. It was great to have someone I could talk to honestly and confidentially. I knew Stan wouldn't reveal my secrets or judge me either. "Thank you, Stan. You're such a good friend. I could never have this conversation with Bart. He'd get all jealous and angry."
"I know. Rebekah is the same way. It's nice for me to have someone to confide in too. I've never really had a close friend that I trusted enough to tell all my secrets."
"You mean, there are more?" I teased.
Stan smiled. "Yeah, I'm afraid so. I doubt you've told me all yours either."
"No. Not by a long shot."
When Stan had left, I called Paul and told him I didn't feel comfortable with Alex and wanted him to replace him. As Stan had predicted, Paul took it in stride and said he'd take care of it. I hoped Alex would blow off our relationship since we'd only been together one night. I didn't want to have to face him again. I had more serious problems to deal with, namely a client who was either a liar or had the worst memory of anyone south of the Red River.