Chain Reaction (21 page)

‘Under arrest? What? It’s against the law to sleep one off in the afternoon?’

‘Get. Out. Of. Bed. Right. Now,’ Lucinda ordered.

‘You tell me what the hell is going on first.’

Lucinda grabbed one of Teresa’s wrists, twisted it and flipped her back over. Lucinda cuffed both of the woman’s hands behind her back and hoisted her up by the chain. Teresa’s feet scrambled for purchase on the floor. She swayed in place once she found it.

‘What’s the damn charge?’

‘Child neglect. Child endangerment. And aiding and abetting the commission of a felony.’

‘What?’

‘We’ll explain all to you back at the station. Colter, get her out of here.’

‘I demand a lawyer!’

‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ Robin said. ‘At the station.’

Lucinda walked out into the living room where she saw an over-stuffed chair filled with three bodies, clinging to each other as if their lives depended on it.

Charley said, ‘Daddy’s on the way.’

‘You called him?’

‘Yes, he said he’ll pick up all three of us.’

She nodded at Charley. CPS was on the way and would probably get here first. All she had to do was talk them into breaking the rules. She looked heavenward and whispered, ‘Send me a rebel, please.’

A
s soon as Connelly was secured, Jake called Lucinda but his call went to voicemail. ‘Hey, Lucinda, I’ve got a plan. I want to make sure you’re OK with it before I take steps but I don’t have a lot of time. Call me as soon as you can.’

Jake drove over to Dr Singh’s office. The doctor was with a patient but Jake was escorted to a room in the back and asked to wait there. He tried calling Lucinda again without luck.

Dr Singh walked into the room with an outstretched hand. ‘I want to thank you, Agent Lovett, for extricating us from that tricky situation. You were innovative and quick on your feet; we appreciate you very much.’

‘Anything I could say in return would sound trite, so I’ll just say that I am delighted that I was able to end this situation without any serious injury to anyone.’

‘And where is Agent Connelly?’ Dr Singh asked.

‘He’s in custody. He’s being held on kidnapping charges.’

‘Do you really think that is appropriate, Agent Lovett?’

‘You don’t want charges placed against him?’ Jake asked, hoping that was exactly what the doctor meant.

‘Agent Connelly appears to be experiencing a serious problem with his mental stability. Treatment seems more appropriate than jail time.’

‘Really? But if you bring him to the courtroom to face those charges, it could be a golden opportunity to confront the bias and misconceptions about your faith.’

Dr Singh smiled. ‘Yes, Agent, but it could be a trap that results in a backlash, making the situation even worse.’

‘You don’t want to publicly explain your beliefs and principles?’

‘We find it far better to simply live them, Agent. We do not proselytize. We do not believe in cramming our faith down the throats of the unwilling. We believe that, if, by our example, people are drawn to our faith and ask questions about it, then is the time to discuss the essence of our beliefs. Not before.’

‘What would you like to see?’ Jake asked.

‘I would like to see Agent Connelly evaluated by a neurologist, mental health professionals and a gerontologist. I would like to see him given the treatment he needs so that he can retire with peace of mind.’

‘Sounds as if you have made a preliminary diagnosis, Dr Singh.’

‘Not exactly, sir, but the more I observed his behavior, the greater my feeling that Agent Connelly’s paranoia and delusions could be symptoms of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. I think that possibility should be explored.’

‘Do you think your patient, Mr Basra, will share your view?’

‘I am relatively certain he will. But if you would step out of the room, I will gladly give him a call. After I have spoken to him briefly, I’ll put him on speaker phone, with his consent, and you can hear his response.’

‘Certainly,’ Jake said, rising from the chair.

‘And, Agent Lovett, I couldn’t help but notice that you often looked down at your cell while we talked.’

‘I …’

‘No, no,’ Dr Singh said, moving a hand side to side. ‘No explanation needed. I just wanted you to know that if you need to make a call, the examination room next to this one is empty. You will have privacy there.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

In the neighboring space, Jake called Lucinda. Once again, he heard the sound of her recorded voice. Where was she? What was she doing? He disconnected and paced the floor for less than three minutes before the door opened.

‘Please, Agent Lovett, can you return now?’

Jake took a seat across from the doctor in the room where their conversation had begun.

Dr Singh smiled and pressed down on a button to reconnect the call. ‘We are back now. I will put you on speaker phone.’ When Mr Basra responded, the doctor laid out his viewpoint in succinct bullet points. ‘Now please, sir,’ Dr Singh said, ‘tell the FBI agent exactly what you think of my opinion.’

‘I am completely in accord with Dr Singh,’ Mr Basra said. ‘I would strongly prefer that charges against Agent Connelly be set aside and he be given the treatment he so desperately needs.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ Jake said. ‘I’ll do what I can to make that happen.’

Dr Singh disconnected the call. ‘Agent Lovett, I understand that ignoring violations of the law goes against your nature. I am very pleased that you are willing to step outside those self-imposed boundaries and explore a more equitable solution.’

Jake stood and stretched out his hand. ‘Thank you, Dr Singh. I’m not sure if I’ll succeed in giving you satisfaction in this matter but I will do my best.’

On the drive back, Jake tried Lucinda again without any luck and then arranged for a conference call at the top of the hour with ATF Deputy Federal Security Director Franklin Wesley and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Sandra Fielding – his supervisor, also known as the Wicked Witch of the North.

Jake took a seat behind his desk and waited for the call to come through. When it did, he exchanged greetings with the other two and plunged right into the briefing about the situation with Connelly.

‘Do you plan to move Connelly to a jail to await trial?’ Wesley asked.

‘I was hoping for a better solution to this problem, sir.’

‘Excuse me! You don’t plan on letting this lunatic run loose, do you?’ Fielding objected.

Wesley snapped, ‘Quiet a minute, Sandra. Let’s hear what he has to say.’

Fielding expelled a noisy breath of air. ‘Please, Lovett, entertain us.’

‘It seems apparent to me that Agent Connelly is not mentally stable—’

‘Oh, well, aren’t you the bright one?’ Fielding interjected.

Wesley said, ‘Sandra, please.’

‘As I was saying, I think that Agent Connelly should have a professional mental health evaluation before incarceration. And, in light of the public relations problem this situation presents for the ATF, perhaps that agency should be making the decision on this matter.’

Fielding expressed her displeasure with another noisy exhalation.

‘What about the victims, Agent Lovett? Have you spoken with them?’ Wesley asked.

‘Yes, sir, I have. They are in agreement that Connelly needs consultation with a neurologist, a gerontologist and mental health professionals. They prefer that charges not be brought against him.’

‘They were kidnapped. Restrained. Held against their will. Are they as crazy as Connelly?’ Fielding asked.

‘That is how they feel, ma’am,’ Jake said. ‘I got the impression that their opinion was grounded in their faith.’

Fielding sighed, ‘Spare us all from the saints among us.’

‘They are not Christian, ma’am,’ Jake said.

‘Whatever,’ Fielding snapped back.

‘Agent Lovett, I am inclined to support this action initially – at least until we have a professional assessment of Agent Connelly’s issues. I will arrange for him to be transported to a secure facility. I can send in another agent to help with your investigation.’

‘Sir, I need someone who is already in the loop – I really don’t want to take the time to backtrack. And there is only one person I can think of – the only one who was conducting a realistic investigation.’ Jake paused, hoping this was what Lucinda wanted. ‘I would like the investigation turned back over to Lieutenant Pierce.’

Wesley and Fielding started talking at once, making most of what they said hard to understand – but one thing stood out: they were united in their disdain for local cops. Jake listened to their objections until they ran out of steam.

‘May I remind you both that while I and Connelly were dedicating our time to chasing down his paranoid fantasies, Pierce was actually making progress?’

‘She was taken off the case, Agent Lovett. I hope you were not providing her with unauthorized information,’ Fielding said.

‘I sort of had my hands full with Agent Connelly, ma’am. Hey, all I’m saying if we want to find the person who blew up the school, she’ll get us there quicker than anyone. After all, I’m not exactly on top of the latest developments – I’ve been sidetracked and I’ll have some catching up to do.’

‘I think, Sandra, that this is a matter that requires further discussion between the two of us, don’t you?’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Lovett, we’ll get back to you within twenty-four hours with our decision.’

Both connections terminated abruptly. Now, if he could only find Lucinda, they could start working toward a solution together – with or without approval from on high.

L
ucinda watched through the picture window in the living room as a young woman, who appeared under five feet tall, bustled up the sidewalk clutching a briefcase. When she stopped to speak to the patrolman at the steps, Lucinda opened the front door. ‘CPS?’ Lucinda asked.

‘Yes, Estelle Lopez,’ she said, extending her right hand. ‘Are you Lieutenant Pierce?’

‘Yes, come on in.’

‘Is there a place we can talk privately?’

‘Yes, Ms Lopez, there is a deck out back; follow me.’

The two women crossed through the house, Estelle glancing at the three children and smiling at them as she walked through the living room. As soon as they stepped back outside and Lucinda pulled the sliding glass door closed, Estelle said, ‘I thought there were only two children.’

‘There are – only two of the three children involved in this incident actually live in this home. The other is Charley Spencer, the daughter of Dr Spencer.’

‘The timing of this is not optimal.’

‘You know I didn’t plan this, right?’ Lucinda asked.

‘Certainly, Lieutenant. My supervisor redlined the review of Dr Spencer as a suitable person for temporary custody of the two children but we’d only begun. And now we need to act without being fully prepared.’

‘That is out of my control – and your control. But what we can do is make things as comfortable and as safe as possible for the two children, whose only guardians are currently in police custody.’

‘Granted. That is why we are considering an exception to our normal operating procedure. We are prepared to escort these children to Dr Spencer’s home for the night – maybe a little longer. However, we have already taken steps to identify any suitable family member to step in and care for them.’

‘I trust you will exercise due diligence in ascertaining their suitability,’ Lucinda said.

‘Of course, Lieutenant. And we are well aware of the additional trauma we could inflict on these children if we make one false move. That is why we are reluctant to act on your recommendation, in case Dr Spencer is not as appropriate as he seems at this moment. We are doing so just the same, but when I take the children over, I will be making certain that they are OK in that environment and that Dr Spencer lives up to our expectations. If I have any doubts after talking to him, the children will not spend a single night in that home.’

‘Thank you, Ms Lopez, for putting the needs of the children on the top of your priority list. I feel confident that Dr Spencer will not raise the slightest suspicion in your mind. I believe Dr Spencer is on his way here right now but I can call him and ask him to return home if you can give Charley a ride, too.

‘Naturally, but I will be evaluating her en route.’

Lucinda smiled at that thought. ‘I think you’ll find her to be the independent sort who questions authority at all times.’

‘Good. The other two children need that kind of influence to help them get past the betrayal by their mother.’

‘You certainly don’t sound as if you popped out of the typical cookie-cutter mold.’

‘Not in stature, not in philosophy and not in attitude. I don’t believe in coddling the children under my charge. They need to be able to deal with their reality and move on. I want them to develop a strong sense of self and an independence of spirit to help them build a successful future.’

‘Good; we’re in agreement,’ Lucinda said.

‘Terrific. Now, can you introduce me to the children?’

Estelle explained to the three of them what would happen in their immediate future and gently addressed the long-term uncertainty. Then Lucinda, Estelle and Charley helped Amber and Andy pack up what they needed and put it in the trunk of Estelle’s car.

Estelle turned to the sister and brother and said, ‘I know you’ve gotten what you need for a few days, but is there anything that you want – anything that you will miss or that means a lot to you? Because, in some ways, you’ll need those things, too.’

Both kids nodded and scurried back into the house. Andy returned with the shoebox containing his rock collection and Amber brought a framed photograph of herself, her mother and her brother as an infant – obviously taken in happier days.

Lucinda went back inside and waited for the arrival of Lieutenant Barry Washington from the sex crimes division so that she could turn the scene and the case over to him. She was exhausted and could think of little more than a shower and a warm bed. She knew she should check the messages on her phone, but it felt as if it would take too much effort to pull it out of her pocket and press the necessary buttons.