C. Box - The Highway

Legerski let that sink in.

“Ask Jimmy if you don’t believe me.”

Pergram looked to Jimmy. Jimmy said, “Yeah, it was at my place an hour ago. She’s a bitch. She’s got no sense of humor. One of those types, you know?”

Pergram felt a stab of red rage rush up his throat. “You didn’t…”

“No, I didn’t tell her anything she could go on,” Legerski said, waving Pergram’s question away with a big paw. “Like I said, she got me to agree to see the judge this morning and get the warrant. I don’t have a choice. It was that or come off like I was impeding her investigation. So that’s where I’m headed as soon as we’re done.”

“What did you tell her?” Pergram asked.

“Nothing. But she’s not going to let go of it once she clears the folks on the compound. If she starts to ask around it’s no secret you and me know each other. Locals will tell her that. I can’t deny it if she asks.” Legerski leaned forward and the two front legs of his chair lowered to the concrete.

“So what if you know me?” Pergram said.

Legerski flushed. “It’s the same thing Hoyt asked, is what I’m saying. You’re a kind of logical conclusion given the circumstances. I can see it plain as day. They’ve got a bead on you even though they don’t know who you are. It’s just a matter of time before she puts two and two together.”

“What?”

“You’re a type, Ronald,” Legerski said. “You fit the profile. I always knew it.”

Pergram felt suddenly angry. “What profile? ”

The way he said it made Jimmy’s eyes go big. He stared at Pergram gap-mouthed, as if this was all new to him.

“Jesus,” Legerski said, glancing again at his boots, “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this. But it’s the same way I found you in the first place. I looked back at the cold case files and found that friend of your sister’s. What was her name, Melody? Yeah, Melody Anderson. Seventeen, high school athlete in Livingston. Tall, a little crazy. She vanished, as you know.”

Pergram stepped back involuntarily. He had no inclination Legerski knew about Melody. His first. And his first mistake, in a way. He’d learned things since, he wanted to shout. No more locals. Obviously, they’d look close when it came to locals. So to ensure a steady supply and avoid area gossip and suspicion, he’d learned to cast his net much wider. And concentrate on targets with no support system, no anxious friends, family, or relatives. So that when they were gone no one would really miss them. It took a while to get it figured out, but he’d mastered the system. But Melody, the first, would always sit back there calling at him. Like she was now. Since then, he’d always been so careful.…

“You’re a fucking poster child for the profile,” Legerski said. “Think about it. Late forties. Single. Gone for long periods of time. A determined cop could start to match up known disappearances with your long-haul trucking logs if they did the research. Hell, I did it. They’d start to see a pattern of missing women that corresponded with your routes. So when Hoyt asked I looked into his eyes and I saw he was one of those rare bulldogs. He was going to grab this thing with his teeth and run this out. What I did to him saved your miserable life, Pergram.”

With that, Legerski grabbed the cheap plastic armrests of his chair and pushed himself up until he was standing. His right hand hovered over his weapon.

“And for saving your life, you give me this shit,” Legerski said to him.

Pergram looked around the room, trying not to meet Legerski’s or Jimmy’s eyes. He had to think for himself and not be influenced by them.

He said to Legerski, “You’re making this out like you were saving me. But you were really saving yourself because you didn’t know where the videos were hidden, or how many copies I made.”

The trooper’s mask cracked. Pergram knew he hit home. The illusion was shattered. Until Legerski had all of the videos in his possession, he wouldn’t be in complete control of Pergram, and they both knew it.

Pergram said, “You did what you did to save your hide. You never gave a shit about me. I’m the one who made all this possible. I never needed you, or this bunker, or anything else. I started this and you and Jimmy weaseled your way in. So don’t get high and mighty and say you killed a cop to save me.

“You don’t care about me,” Pergram said.

Legerski filled his huge chest with a deep intake of air, as if it was a response. His eyes and face betrayed his defiance and acceptance, Pergram thought.

No words were spoken for a minute. Pergram and Legerski glared at each other. Pergram thought about dropping his right hand into his pocket and grasping the.45 and pulling the trigger.

Jimmy suddenly said, “I want to see them girls. I want to do them now.”

Legerski said, “You’re out of your fucking mind, Jimmy. This is not the time.”

Jimmy rolled his eyes theatrically and put his hands on his hips. “You two have seen them. I haven’t even seen them yet.”

“Later,” Legerski said.

“Bull- shee - it ,” Jimmy moaned. Making the word stretch over three syllables. “We got girls back there I’ve never even seen. Young meat, from what you told me. But you two assholes are standing around struttin’ like peacocks. I say we go back there and see what the Lizard King brung us.”

“I said,” Legerski whispered, “not now, Jimmy. You know the rules. We all participate or none of us do.”

“We’re all here,” Jimmy said, sweeping his hands toward Legerski and then Pergram. “I been up all night with your bullshit. Now it’s time to meet the new chickens.”

Pergram stared hard at Legerski. The only reason Jimmy was involved was because the trooper had brought him in. Pergram never wanted additional participants. It made things too complicated.

“Fuck you two,” Jimmy said, turning on his heel toward the dark hallway. “I’m gonna go get them and bring them out here and we’re gonna have a good time. Why the hell else would I even agree to come here?”

“Jimmy,” Legerski cautioned.

“From what you said, we might all get busted,” Jimmy said over his shoulder, “so I want what I want in the meantime. Ya’ll can come along with me or stay around here arguing about who done what first.”

Pergram hated the fact that things were chaotic. The idea of Jimmy getting to those girls first was an unspeakable affront.

“This was my thing a long time before you two came into it,” he said. “You two shouldn’t even be here.”

Legerski ignored him, and filed in behind Jimmy as he went down the hallway.

Pergram closed his eyes for a moment and despised Legerski for being involved. And despised Jimmy for what he was doing. Then he followed them both down the hallway.

Why not? he asked himself. He thought of those long bare legs on the dark-haired one. Those spindly freckled legs on the other. Still, though, the timing and desire needed to be right.…

Jimmy got to the door first. Legerski was behind him and to his right. Despite the poor illumination, Pergram thought he saw Legerski reach down on his right side and unsnap his sidearm.

Then Jimmy whooped and reached for the door.

10:22 A.M., Wednesday, November 21

Gracie felt more than heard footfalls coming toward the door. The talking, the low rumbling, had stopped.

“Oh, Jesus, they’re coming,” Gracie whispered to Danielle.

On the other side of the door, a man yelled out with a high-pitched cry. Like he was cheering something.

She felt her sister’s hand squeeze hard.

The vertical viewing slot in the door was thrown back, and a pair of eyes filled it for a moment before it was closed again.