"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Sweigert," the ranger said, looking nervous, "but I couldn't help overhearing. Um… I think I know what cabin you may be referring to."
Dean Sweigert set the radio down. "Okay.. "
Glenn cast a nervous glance at Lisa. "You said one.of the guys that abducted you was named Tim? And another called himself Jeff?"
Lisa nodded.
"Was there a guy named Al with them?"
Lisa nodded vigorously. "Yes"
Glenn looked pale. "Tall, thin guy? 'Thinning blond hair, looked like he was in his late thirties maybe?"
Lisa nodded. 'That's him. That's AI "
"And Tim… kinds dumpy-looking guy with glasses? Bushy beard, sandy-colored hair, big beer belly?"
"Yeah," Lisa said. Her heart pounded.
Dean's eyes widened in surprise. "You saw these guys?"
"'The other guy, Jeff," Glenn said, ignoring Dean. "Nice looking guy, early thirties maybe, dark hair. Kinda yuppie-looking "
"Yes " Lisa felt her stomach sink as Glenn described the man she could only think of as Animal. A monster.
Glenn turned to Dean Sweigert." the night Neal phoned the report in on Debbie, we canvassed the area south of the Martinez cabin. V pulled up to the Golgotha cabin and came across these guys. They looked like they were leaving and they were packing camera equipment into a van. Neal knew Tim, asked him if he had seen Debbie around, and Tim said he hadn't seen her. I… I didn't think anything of it at the time-'
"You really saw these guys?" Dean sounded surprised and angry.
Glenn nodded. He licked his lips nervously. "Yeah. Like I said, Neal looked like he knew this Tim Murray character. I questioned all three of them. One of them claimed it was the first time they'd been up here. Tim said they were using the cabin for the weekend to shoot a low-budget film." He looked nervous, scared, and sick. It was obvious that word of the crime had traveled around the station. 'I… I had no idea that these " guys… that they.-.
"It's not your fault," Detective On said softly, sighing in obvious frustration.
Glenn took a deep breath and bowed his head for a moment. Lisa could tell that the ranger was having a hard time dealing with this. He took another deep breath, then looked up at them again. "Christ, I feel so sick about this. I had no idea they were the guys. I mean, at the time I questioned them we were dealing with a missing-person thing and… shit!"
'It's okay, Glenn," Dean said, looking grim.
'What's this Golgotha cabin?" Detective On asked.
"It's owned by the Golgotha Publishing Company," Dean told him. "They're some kind of multimedia corporation. Self-help books and videos, CD-ROMs, corporate training shit. 'They're apparently financed by one of the big churches in Orange County. The cabin itself is owned by the board of directors and sometimes they come up here for retreats." "
"I asked Neal about this Tim guy after we left," Glenn said, looking nervous. "He said that Tim rents the place out from somebody, but he never told him who owns it. Neal never asked."
*You questioned these guys? The Golgotha people?" Detective Orr asked Dean.
Dean moved over to the filing cabinet and began rummaging through it. "Yeah, we did. I got on the phone with one of them a few days after Debbie disappeared. One of their board members claimed the cabin was rented that weekend. That a film crew was making some kind of student film for a Christian University."
"I don't believe it," Lisa said. Hearing that the perversities that had been carried on in that cabin were being hidden by the guise of organized religion was making her sick.
"Did you get the name of the person you spoke to?" Detective On asked.
"Yeah" Dean found the paper he was looking for. "Oliver Gardenia" He looked at Lisa. "Ring a bell?"
Lisa was trying to remember. "I don't know. I… I think Al might have mentioned somebody named Sam at some point during the weekend, but.. " She didn't remember an Oliver Gardenia.
"Even though the corporate name is listed on the deed, Oliver's name and signature are on some of the other paperwork, so that's who I called."
"Make me copies of everything you got," Detective Orr said, moving to another desk and picking up the phone. "Mind if I use your phone?"
"Go ahead."
And as the investigation kicked into high gear, Lisa could only sit back and let William Grecko comfort her as she sought to retreat from the madness.
Twenty-three
Brad was at home packing clothes for him and Lisa into a single suitcase when the doorbell rang.
He had gotten a call from William Grecko an hour and a half ago telling him to pack and to be ready to leave when he and Lisa returned. William said he had set them up at an undisclosed location in Las Vegas and that they were leaving this evening. When Brad asked how Lisa was doing, William said she was fine. "'There's more, but I'll tell you everything tonight" Billy's tone of voice told Brad that things were brewing and that he couldn't talk about it on the phone. He would find out soon enough.
Brad moved through the house to the front door, wondering who was at the door. It couldn't be Lisa's parents, who were still in town. He had talked to them already and they were waiting by the phone per his instructions. He had talked to his parents this afternoon, telling his dad, then his mother, everything. His mom had gasped in shock, then had given the phone to his father, Brad had heard her crying in the background as he told his father. Dad had been silent, his voice shaky. He'd sounded shocked. He'd asked Brad if there was anything they could do and Brad told them no, not yet, Billy was taking care of everything. He'd call later.
He looked through the peephole, couldn't see anything at first due to the brightness of the porch light, and then a face swam into view.
Brad sighed and unlocked the door, opening it. "Danielle," he said.
Danielle Kwong stood on the porch, dressed in a black conservative business suit. Danielle was Lisa's partner at the law office, and she and her boyfriend often accompanied him and Lisa to the movies or to dinner on sporadic FYiday evenings. "I'm sorry I can't talk, Danielle," Brad said. "I was just getting some stuff packed up."
"That's okay," Danielle said. Her tanned oval face was bright and inquisitive, and despite her smile Brad could read a sense of concern in her exotic features. "I was just on my way home and thought I'd stop by to see how Lisa was doing!
"She's better," Brad said, not bothering to step aside to let her in, which he normally would have done. "But she's not here now"
"Oh. "A hint of disappointment in her voice.
"I'm sorry," Brad said, feeling awkward in his treatment of her. Billy's words echoed in his mind. Pack your things and wait for me. Don't tell anybody where you're going. "It's just that I'm short on time and I'm already running late. When Lisa gets home, we're leaving straight for the airport."
"Where are you going?"
Las Vegas is a big place, he thought. It's not going to hurt to say we're going away for the week, is it? Brad decided it wouldn't hurt to tell Danielle at least that much. After all, she was a close friend and she'd been concerned and shocked at what happened to Lisa. She had volunteered to run errands for Brad and told him numer ous times that she was there if they needed help or just wanted somebody to talk to. Danielle Kwong was the definition of the word Mend. He could trust her. "We're going to Vegas for a week. We need to get away and just… relax. You know?"
Danielle smiled. "I know. And you guys need the vacation. Well, tell Lisa I stopped by and that I hope she's feeling better. Maybe you can have her call me at the office?"
'Of course," Brad said.
"Okay." Danielle stepped off the porch. "'Thanks. Bye!"
"Bye" Brad closed the door after her.
When the door was closed, Brad leaned against it. I didn't fuck up by telling her where we re going, did f? Billy's paranoia was starting to rub off on him. Whom could Danielle tell that would alert the murderous scumbags who had almost killed Lisa? Danielle and Lisa worked in Family Law, not Criminal Justice. Lisa spoke highly of her colleagues; he was certain that if William Grecko wasn't a loyal and trusted friend and ally, they could rely on a number of lawyers in Lisa's firm to help them. Danielle Kwong maybe, or Kyle Bennett. Hell, Lisa was friends with George Brooks, one of the senior partners. 'There was no end to the resources they could tap into if they hadn't been blessed with Billy's friendship. Besides, Billy Grecko was getting them out of town as a precaution. As he'd told Brad on the phone this afternoon, "I don't think these guys will be coming after you, but I want to play it safe. Most likely they're lying low right now. They won't be stupid enough to try to go after you this quickly. If we can get some solid leads in Big Bear, we'll be on their trail quickly and then we'll have them in jail where they belong'