“What information did he want?” Kendra asked.
“Just our travel and sound-check schedule. I talked to him maybe five or six times between then and the night Delilah was taken.”
Jessie’s face flushed with rage again. “You knew they were going to kidnap her, and you helped them?”
He looked ill. “He seemed like a nice enough guy. And they said they wouldn’t hurt her. They told me they wouldn’t hurt anybody.”
“Tell that to those two dead security guys.”
“I know.” He let out a long breath. “That’s when the shit got real.”
“It got real the second you put Dee’s life in danger,” Kendra said. “And those men might still be alive if it hadn’t been for you.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” He pounded his fist on the counter with sudden violence. “He said she’d be home for dinner safe and sound, less than an hour after the ransom was paid.”
“No one’s even asked for a ransom yet,” Jessie said. “We haven’t heard a thing.”
“Shit,” he whispered. “It’s not the way this was supposed to go down. None of it.”
“Why’d you leave town?” Kendra asked. “The police had no reason to suspect you until you left.”
“It wasn’t the police I was worried about.” Adrian’s face tensed. “When I saw that these people were willing to kill two security officers, I figured what in the hell would stop them from killing me? Then Arthur called and asked me to meet him in Griffith Park at five A.M. the day after the abduction. He said he wanted to give me a cash advance for my good work.”
“Out of the kindness of his heart,” Jessie said caustically.
“It didn’t sound right to me, either. So I went home, threw some things together, and got the hell out of town.”
“We found you quickly enough,” Kendra said. “If Dee’s kidnappers want you dead, they’ll find you, too. You can identify one of them. If the FBI can link him to known associates, their whole scheme falls apart. That’s pretty good incentive to silence you.”
“That’s why I’m living in this thing.” Adrian gestured around the RV’s shabby interior. “So I can keep moving.”
“You’re not going anywhere except back to L.A.,” Jessie said flatly. “You’re going to tell your story to the FBI.”
Kendra nodded. “We’ll sit you down with a sketch artist and get a good drawing of this Arthur. We’ll spread it everywhere and see if anyone recognizes him. If you’re really sorry about what happened to Dee and those security men, it’s your only option.”
“I can’t go to jail. I’d go nuts in there.”
Jessie crossed her arms and leaned against the small stovetop. “Maybe you won’t have to.”
“Don’t bullshit me.”
“I’m not gonna lie, this is bad for you. If you don’t play this just right, you could go down for two murder accessory counts and one for kidnapping. You could be serving hard time for a long while.”
He looked down. “Shit.”
“But you have another path. You come with us to the Federal Building in Westwood and talk to the FBI. You tell them everything, and you help them every way you know how.”
“I’ve already told you everything. What else can I do?”
Kendra thought for a moment. “Maybe you can convince this Arthur and his crew that you’re still in and want the money you’ve been promised. You’ll arrange to meet him.”
He shook his head. “I could get killed.”
“The FBI will have your back,” Kendra said. “If he or anyone else makes a move against you, they’ll be on it. In the meantime, we’ll keep you safe.”
“What could they do about a sniper’s bullet?”
“The FBI is smart. They’ll be watching out for that. We wouldn’t let you meet them anywhere that would be unsafe for you.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You can trust us.”
“I can’t trust anyone.”
“We’re your only chance. Even when we do get Dee back, we’ll need you to testify against those scumbags,” Jessie said. “You can get your life back if you just do what’s right.”
He slowly shook his head. “It’s too risky. Pay the ransom. Maybe she’ll be okay…like they told me.”
Jessie stepped toward him with a bearing that even Kendra found surprisingly intimidating, especially given her small size. “Just so you know, this isn’t a negotiation. You’re coming with us.”
He tensed with alarm. “You’re not cops. You can’t make me do shit.”
In one lightning-fast motion, Jessie grabbed his left wrist, wrenched it behind his back, and slammed his face onto the cooktop. He howled in pain.
Jessie leaned over and spoke into his ear. “Ever hear of citizen’s arrest? That’s a real thing, asshole. If you’d like to ride back to L.A. with plastic zip ties cutting into your wrists and ankles, we can make that happen.”
A high-pitched whine escaped his lips. “I think you broke my arm.”
“Trust me, you’d know if I’d done that. Wanna see what it feels like?” She pulled on his wrist, and he screamed. “Kinda like that, but about fifty times worse.”
His eyes were wild. “You’re psycho!”
“I’ve been called worse, buddy.” Jessie grabbed his other hand, pulled it back, and slapped a zip tie around his wrists. She pulled it tight. “Did I mention how much I like that sweet kid you sold to those scumbags?”
“Owww.” He wiggled his fingers. “You’re cutting off my circulation.”
“Your hands will be a nice shade of purple by the time we get to L.A. I wouldn’t worry unless they turn black.”
“Can’t we…discuss this?”
She shoved him toward the open side door. “Sure. We can talk all the way back to the FBI L.A. regional office.”
Kendra followed as Jessie steered him to her SUV and practically threw him into the backseat. Adrian gazed pleadingly up at Kendra. “Jessie doesn’t believe that I’m really sorry about Delilah. It’s true. But I’ve been so scared and desperate ever since this began.” His eyes were frantic in his pale face. “I’m not a bad guy, and I can see how wrong I was to let them take her. Maybe I can make it up to her somehow. You guys were right, I have to try to change it. I’ll do whatever you want to save her. Just don’t let anyone hurt me.”
She could see he was terrified. Not only from his dealings with those kidnappers, but Jessie must have thoroughly intimidated him. And what was more encouraging was that he also seemed sincere about wanting to save Dee. What he’d said about her had held the ring of truth. “All you have to do is cooperate and you’ll get through this okay. But you have to help us or we can’t do anything. Do you understand?”
“I told you, anything you want. Anything I can do to save her.” His voice was shaking. “If I do that, will you promise I’ll come out of this alive?”
“I promise. All we want is to save Delilah. Just give us a chance to do that, Adrian.” She slammed the door. “And it would help if you’d avoid irritating Jessie on the way back to L.A.”