“I’m sorry. I just don’t want Eric to do anything stupid. I should’ve called someone last night. I feel like it’s all my fault.”
Before I could say anything, I heard shouts from inside the facility. Two people were yelling. I went against everything I’d just told Cindy. I rushed through the old gate and toward the battered metal door that led to the interior of the factory, yanking it open. I was unprepared for the change in light. Between the dust and the filthy windows that let almost no light into the building, I banged into a couple of barrels before I got my footing completely.
Cindy followed along behind me. She had her phone in her hand, ready to snap some photos or video. I agreed that some visual evidence might be useful later, so I didn’t say anything.
I glanced again at the map on my own phone, then slipped the phone into my pocket as we drew closer to the sounds of the argument. We passed through a giant open roll-up door into a room that stretched for what looked like a full city block. The roof wasforty feet off the ground. The place was a spiderweb of aging catwalks and giant metal vats.
We immediately located the sources of the argument. Standing on a catwalk that ran over three enormous empty vats were two men. It took me a moment to recognize Eric Snaff. He was dressed in old jeans and a T-shirt. Giant sweat stains extended from under his arms and over his chest. The moisture had caused some of the cement dust to cake on his shirt. He looked nothing like the well-dressed, handsome man I’d met at Claire’s award party.
The other man, presumably Jason Cortlandt, appeared to be in his late thirties, and looked more like he belonged here. Cement dust seemed to have permanently soaked into the crags in his face. He had his hands out in front of him. Then I saw why.
Eric Snaff stood gripping an automatic pistol, pointing it at the man.
CHAPTER94
I FROZE ASsoon as I saw the gun in Eric Snaff’s hand. I’d brought a pistol. Something else I’d prefer not to explain later. I didn’t think it was time to draw it just yet. Watching Eric carefully, I eased forward.
Cindy slipped off to my right. I didn’t say anything. She was staying behind stacks of wooden crates. She still had her phone in her hand, possibly already recording any action.
Now I could understand the words being shouted.
The man I assumed was Jason Cortlandt said, “C’mon, Eric. I didn’t do anything to Nicole. You’ve got everything mixed up in your head.”
“You may not havephysicallytouched her, but you definitely turned her against me.” There was a catch in Eric Snaff’s voice. He kept the gun generally pointed toward Cortlandt.
I didn’t like the feel of this at all. Snaff looked deranged. The surroundings didn’t help either. Cortlandt dropped to his knees, holding the rails of the catwalk with both hands. He was shaking uncontrollably.
“Please, Eric. Don’t shoot me.”
I took a step closer and shouted up to him. “Eric, stop! This isn’t going to solve anything.”
Snaff did a double take when he looked down at me. “Sergeant Boxer? What are you doing here? How the hell did you find me?” Then he stepped closer to Jason Cortlandt and put the barrel of his gun directly to Cortlandt’s forehead.
Cortlandt started to sob. He dropped his hands from the handrails so it seemed like he was kneeling in front of Eric. Both men appeared completely wrung out.
“She’s right, Eric.” Cindy had stood up about thirty feet to my right. “Jason is not worth it. Don’t ruin your life for nothing.”
“For nothing? Are you kidding me? I’m going to blow this asshole’s head off foreverything. He took everything from me. He ruined my little girl.” He pressed the barrel hard against Cortlandt’s forehead and shouted, “Tell them! Tell them the truth! Or I’m going to pull this trigger in three seconds.”
Cortlandt lost it. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell them. Just take the pistol away from my face.”
Snaff didn’t move. He shouted, “Talk!”
“I didn’t touch Nicole. I swear. All I did was give her the number of a guy I know. He gives me cash for referrals. That’s it. Just referring pretty girls to a rich guy. I never hurt anyone.”
I glanced to my right and saw that Cindy was recording the whole incident. Not that a confession forced at gunpoint was admissible in court. But there were other reasons to hear what he had to say.
I shouted to Eric, “Let him go. We’ve got what we need. Don’t throw your life away. Now we might really be able to find Nicole.”
Eric turned his head. He actually had hope in his eyes for amoment. Then he broke down and dropped to his knees, the pistol slipping out of his hand and falling off the catwalk altogether.
I scurried up the metal steps leading to the catwalk as quickly as I could. When I reached Eric, he was on his hands and knees, sobbing uncontrollably, and Cortlandt had his forehead pressed to the grate by his knees. I helped Eric to his feet. He was unsteady. I turned him toward the steps. Jason Cortlandt meekly rose and followed us.
My mind was on fire trying to figure out how to make all of this worthwhile to my investigation.
CHAPTER95
I HAD Aconundrum on my hands. What do you do when you have in custody a suspectandsomeone who needs psychiatric care? And you’re way out of your jurisdiction? And you’re on suspension?
