A Prayer for the Devil (32 page)

Vincent thought for a few minutes and then began typing again. They scanned every e-mail folder but found no other clues. Noticing that Vincent was visibly upset, Luke said, “Let’s go back to bed. I promise I’ll call my friend first thing in the morning. We know a lot more than we did yesterday, and we’ll know more tomorrow. You should know by now that I’m not giving up until I figure out who killed my brother, and if Fatih had anything to do with your parents’ deaths, he’ll pay for both.”

“You’re damn right, and I’ll make sure of it,” Vincent said through clenched teeth.

Vincent again brought up getting the police involved. Luke was adamantly against it, since they still had no real evidence. He added, “And I don’t think the police would be too happy to hear that we hacked into Fatih’s e-mail account.” To prove his point, Luke took the keyboard and typed into the search engine, “What’s the penalty for hacking into an e-mail account?” When the screen refreshed, there were thousands of hits. Luke scanned down the list, and it didn’t take
long to confirm that this was a serious offense, with huge fines and jail time measured in years.

Both men returned to their rooms, but neither slept. Luke again was tortured with the thought that someone was evil enough to plan a vicious attack years in advance. If his worst fears were confirmed, he would be uncovering one of the most devious terror plots ever. One thing was sure. He was going to catch Aaron’s killer even if he had to go to Riyadh to do it.

LUKE AND VINCENT WERE
still awake as the sun began to rise. Knowing that it was too early to call Jami, Luke suggested that they go downstairs to the gym for a workout. Luke ran on a treadmill for several miles. Watching in the mirrored walls, Luke saw Vincent pick up a few weights, hit the heavy bag a few times, and ride the exercise bike for a few minutes. Eventually he sat on a bench and stared out the windows. Understandably, Vincent was traumatized at the realization that his adopted brother might also be his parents’ killer.

After showering, Luke dialed Jami’s number. She answered, “Hi, Luke.”

“Good morning, Jami. I hope I didn’t wake you.” She laughed. “No, I have my last class before the holiday break this morning.”

“I really need to talk to you. When will you be free?”

“Class ends at ten thirty. What did you find out?”

“Can you meet me in front of your apartment complex at eleven?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be in a bright orange Jeep. Since I don’t want our picture to be
in the newspaper again, I’ll be sitting in the back, and a friend of mine will be driving.”

Jami said, “OK, I’ll look for you.”

Luke knew what he wanted to do before meeting Jami, and he asked Vincent to take a ride. Once on the road, he called John to see if he could go to the Common and try to find Star. John agreed, and Luke and Vincent drove back to the crematory in Forest Hills with Justice in the backseat. They parked in the lot, and Luke said, “Wait here. I’ll just be a minute.” Walking inside, he was greeted by a man in a dark suit who went into the back office and returned holding a black wooden box. When Luke asked about the bill, he was told that Margaret had sent a check in advance.

He had another idea during the drive back. He directed Vincent to drive to Beacon Hill, where he managed to find a parking spot on the crowded street. Again, Vincent waited in the car with the dog, and Luke rushed across the street and rang the bell at Mark Aldridge’s house. The same young girl he had met previously answered the door. “Come this way, Mr. Miller. He’s in the library having tea. Can I get you anything?”

Luke smiled. “No, thank you, I’m good.”

When Luke appeared in the doorway, Mr. Aldridge’s face lit up, and from his wheelchair he enthusiastically waved Luke in. “Come in! It’s so nice to see you again, Luke!”

Luke understood once again why Aaron liked the old man so much. “It’s so nice to see you, Mr. Aldridge.”

“Please, sit down, and call me Mark.”

Luke sat on a small sofa directly across from him. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been to visit sooner. I’ve been very busy.”

Mark smiled. “You sure have. I read about you in the newspaper almost every day. I can’t believe that you had that good-for-nothing
Lieutenant Governor Richard Simpson at your house for Thanksgiving. Don’t you know that he’s a Democrat?”

Luke laughed. “Really? But his wife was working with Aaron.”

“Lori is a very special person. Why she’s married to that jerk, I’ll never know.”

Not wanting to keep Vincent waiting in the truck, he got right to the point of his visit. “Mr. Aldridge, in all of your time as a political consultant, did you ever hear of someone named Mike Dempsey? He worked for the CIA and now says he’s the lead investigator in charge of the bombing incident for the FBI.”

The old man looked up but was deep in thought. “I know that name; just give me a few seconds to think.” He gently tapped his index finger against his forehead. “Tall, with dark gray hair around his sideburns?”

“Yes.”

“I know who he is. Before Dempsey left the CIA, the president had submitted his name as a candidate for director of operations. Then about a week later, his name was abruptly withdrawn without any explanation.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that he probably had something in his background that would embarrass the administration. Why do you ask?”

“He unexpectedly showed up at Aaron’s house with the pretext of being on the case, but I am suspicious.”

Aldridge was visibly concerned and pushed himself up in his wheelchair. “What do you mean?”

“Well, he said that he was visiting all of the families that had lost loved ones in the bombing. When I asked him who else he had visited, he stumbled and didn’t answer. He couldn’t tell me the name of one other family on the list. It just seemed strange. Then he picked up
the newspaper and commented on the article from Thanksgiving Day about the homeless.”

The old man seemed shaken. “Well, I can tell you this. He and the lieutenant governor know each other. Both of them have friends in very high positions, including the oval office. Those people must be very concerned about something you’re doing, and Dempsey was sent to your house to find out.”

Luke was worried as Mark cautioned, “You better be careful. Luke, what exactly have you found out about the bombing?”

Now, not wanting to expose another person to danger, he replied, “I have a few ideas, but nothing I want to tell you yet. As soon as I have proof, you’ll know.”

“Luke, you don’t realize the type of people you’re dealing with,” Mark replied emphatically. “They’ll go to any length to protect themselves and won’t care who gets in their way.”

VINCENT DROVE THEM THE
short distance to the Common. As they pulled up to the curb, Luke took out his cell phone and called John’s number.

“Luke, I’ve found her.”

“Where are you?”

“At Frog Pond.”

Luke ran into the park, carrying Blade’s ashes. Reaching the pond, Luke wasn’t surprised to see that children were ice-skating, since the weather had been cold enough to freeze the six-inch-deep water. When he looked around, he saw Star sitting on a bench and John standing nearby. Seeing Luke, John began walking in his direction. When they met, John said, “She won’t talk to me. She thinks that I had something to do with Blade’s death.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Luke hurried over and sat down next to her. She never looked at him, so he began speaking. “This box contains Blade’s ashes. I want you to have them.” Luke tried to hand the box to her, but she didn’t move. He placed it on the bench next to her. Then he reached into his pocket and took out the cell phone. “Please take this and call me if
you need anything. You can use it to call anyone you want. Mine and John’s numbers are stored on the contact list. You can call me anytime for anything.” Again she didn’t move. Luke stood and looked at John. As they began to walk away, Star said, “Take his ashes.”

Luke stopped and turned to look at her. “I think Blade would want you to have them,” he said.

“I can’t do anything with them. He worked on fishing boats when he was younger. Maybe you could spread them in the ocean.”

Luke reluctantly picked up the box. As he walked away, he looked back and saw her examining the cell phone.

When he got back to the Jeep, Vincent said, “I thought you were giving her the ashes.” Luke explained that she wouldn’t take them and wanted them spread in the ocean. Vincent smiled. “Looks like we’re going to have to take that yacht of yours for a ride after all.”

“Yeah, but we’ll have to wait till the ice melts.”

Vincent knowledgeably replied, “Just because the pond in the park is frozen doesn’t mean the harbor is. Salt water freezes at about six degrees Fahrenheit compared to thirty-two degrees for freshwater.”

“But there’s ice around the boat right now,” Luke pointed out, skeptically.

Wanting to educate him, Vincent continued. “That’s because there’s a mixture of fresh and salt water in the harbor, sometimes called brackish. As you get closer to the ocean, the water turns to all salt and doesn’t readily freeze. We could ease the boat out of the marina and not have to worry.”

They headed for Jami’s apartment building as Luke directed the way. Pulling up, they saw Jami already pacing outside. “There’s a spot over there,” Luke said, pointing. Vincent parallel parked and waited. As Jami approached, Luke opened the door. He introduced her to Vincent, and she climbed into the backseat.

Luke quickly told her everything about Corner Stone Builders while letting Vincent fill in the parts of the story concerning Fatih. She was neither skeptical nor surprised at what she was hearing. When they finished, she thought for a few minutes before asking, “What is his last name?”

“Abu,” Vincent answered.

“Unfortunately, that’s a very common name in the Middle East. Do you know his middle name?”

“I think it was Mohammad,” Vincent said.

“That’s little help. That’s the most common name in Saudi Arabia.” Jami reached into her purse and took out a pen and a used envelope to write on. “What were his parents’ names?”