Alone in the Dark

‘You wanted Reuben’s job?’ Scarlett asked.

‘Not really. I just wanted him out of the way so that I could get better access to the leadership team. Reuben ran a tight ship, kept all his departments separate. I was Sweeney’s bodyguard for a while, but Reuben made sure we bodyguards never got close to the real workings of the business.’

‘Where is this place where you stashed Reuben and Jason Jackson?’ Deacon asked.

‘An apartment near my handler’s house. My handler parked Reuben’s car at the airport hotel, but he was supposed to go from there to the apartment to take those two into custody. Trouble is, my handler and I lost contact. I was getting ready to make an emergency call to the SAC in the field office when you pulled your rifle on me, Agent Coppola. Everything had gone to shit and I didn’t want Sweeney’s leadership team to completely kill themselves off.’

‘I’ve sent perso

‘Did you get access to the data you needed?’ Deacon asked.

‘Some of it.’ Davenport nodded. ‘I copied a lot of it. Some of it’s still up here.’ He tapped his head. ‘Some of it’s in the computer in the office, although I think Sean destroyed all that.’

‘What about Sean?’ Scarlett asked. ‘You say he was Sweeney’s son?’

‘Yes. Sweeney’s son and daughter both worked for him. Alice you know.’

‘Oh yeah,’ Marcus said darkly. ‘I know Alice.’

Scarlett rubbed his back comfortingly even as she directed her questions to Davenport. ‘What was Alice’s role, besides being an evil, co

Davenport’s lips twitched. ‘Alice was Sweeney’s right hand, his heir apparent. The woman is cold as ice and can think on her feet. Sean is IT. Bookish. Likes to keep to himself. I got the vibe that he didn’t like his father, but I never pushed because he would have denied it. The blood in the garage is Sean’s. He confronted Sweeney about funds that his old man had taken from company coffers, then taunted him that he’d taken the money back for himself. Then he pulled a gun on him. Sweeney wrestled the gun away from him. Sean was a desk jockey and Sweeney still had a lot of physical strength. Sweeney overpowered Sean, tied him up, then cut off fingers and toes until Sean revealed bank account numbers and passwords.’

‘You stood there outside the garage and . . . just listened?’ Scarlett said, looking appalled at the thought that Davenport could have witnessed such a thing without stopping it.

‘I “just listened” from the small shed,’ Davenport corrected icily. ‘Once I got access to Sweeney and his house, I planted bugs everywhere that I could. The shed was my listening post. If I’d intervened, my cover would have been blown and three years of work would have gone down the toilet.’

‘I apologize,’ Scarlett said stiffly, at first a

Davenport acknowledged her words with a half-nod. ‘It was,’ he said. ‘I’ve known bits and pieces about what’s gone on for the past three years. I’ve saved people where I could. But of course I couldn’t do anything for most of the victims. After Sweeney got what he needed from Sean, he threatened to put him through the chipper alive.’ He glanced at Marcus. ‘He stopped torturing Sean because he had to meet you, so he left him tied up in the garage. I hid Sean away, knowing he was the one with all the real information. That’s why I’d been willing to risk calling the field office – to get medical attention for Sean.’

‘But Sean is gone,’ Marcus said, shaking his head. ‘And Burton, who worked for Reuben, is gone too?’

‘Yeah. Sean must have had a knife. All the ropes were cut.’

‘Why did Sean betray his father?’ Scarlett asked.

‘Because Sweeney killed his mother.’

‘Oh,’ Kate said. ‘That’s pretty powerful motivation.’

Davenport nodded. ‘Sean had motivation and brains. We need to find him and Burton.’

‘What about Marlene and Chip Anders?’ Scarlett asked.

Decker sliced his finger across his throat. ‘Sweeney made sure it hurt. I buried them in the big shed. Demetrius is also in one of those graves, but his body is . . . messed up. Sweeney used knives to get information about contracts and suppliers from Demetrius before he died.’

‘Good,’ Marcus said coldly. ‘That bastard shot Phillip and Edgar and killed Agent Spangler. He needed to be put down.’

‘Who else did you kill or stash?’ Kate asked.

‘I didn’t kill anybody,’ Davenport explained. ‘I stashed Reuben, Jason Jackson, Dave Burton, Stephanie Anders and Belle Co

‘Drake’s sister,’ Deacon said. ‘Good. I was at that crime scene. I’m glad she’s okay. Where is she?’

‘I told her that I was a cop and that her life was in danger,’ Davenport said. To not go home, but to find a friend and keep her head down for a few days. I hoped she’d call the real cops, actually, to verify my warning. I didn’t mean for her to hide from you guys. I messed up her house a little to make it look like a legit abduction, hoping you’d investigate and shine a light on her brother, Drake. Drake would have led you to Stephanie Anders, then to Chip, and then to Sweeney. Although you seem to have found out about Anders on your own.’

‘We found Anders through their dog,’ Scarlett said. ‘Although we never found the dog itself.’

‘Marlene claimed it was with its handler. I’m sure the handler’s name is written down somewhere in Chip’s house. I’ve got Belle Co

Deacon tilted his head, studying Davenport. ‘You were at Chip Anders’ house. You left Mila and Erica’s trackers for us to find.’

‘Yeah. That nearly got me caught.’

‘It was important,’ Deacon said. ‘Thank you.’

‘You also called in the tip about Alice shooting at the suspect from the ankle tracker manufacturer,’ Marcus said.

‘No, that wasn’t me. That was Sean. He wanted to get Alice out of the way.’

‘What about Joel?’ Kate asked. ‘The accountant.’

‘He actually may be willing to turn state’s evidence. I got the impression that Joel wants out. You should find all the evidence you need in Sweeney’s house and office. I for one would be happy if I never went back to either. I’d left for good earlier today, hoping to contact my handler, but then I heard that the Ledger had been attacked and that Sweeney had taken Gayle hostage. So I came back.’

‘Thank you,’ Scarlett said. ‘We’re all pretty glad you did.’

Marcus rechecked the wound on Scarlett’s arm, satisfied when he saw the bleeding had mostly stopped. ‘We’re going back to the hospital to get this looked at and to be with my family. You know how to find us if you need anything else.’

‘And we need to fully brief SAC Zimmerman,’ Davenport said meaningfully.

Marcus wondered what else the undercover agent had to share, but didn’t even bother asking. They weren’t going to tell him any more than they had, and frankly he was stu

Kate pointed to the paramedics waiting by the ambulance parked at the very end of the entry road. ‘Davenport, let them check you out. And if you say you don’t need to, then you’re a liar,’ she snapped when the big man opened his mouth to probably say that very thing. ‘You’ve soaked the gauze you stuck in that wound and now you’re leaking out onto your shirt. I don’t want you collapsing on me from blood loss while we’re debriefing with my boss.’

Davenport touched his side and grimaced when his fingers came away sticky. ‘Shit. Fine. But I’m not riding in that damn thing.’

Marcus, Scarlett and Deacon left them to their bickering. ‘She’s always been a little bossy,’ Deacon whispered when they’d gotten a few feet away.

‘I heard that, Novak!’ Kate called without missing a beat, making Deacon grin.