March Into Hell Read Online Free PDF Page B

to trust in him?
    "You could have called the cops!" She threw the car into park turned sideways in her seat and in the dim light, he could see the burn of anger in her eyes, but then her expression softened. "Do you have a death wish or something?"
    Mark stared out the windshield, trying to recall exactly what had happened. Everything had transpired so fast, some of it was fuzzy in his mind. "No, I don't have a...a...I...I was going to call the cops. I swear it. You know, there were at least a dozen of them, and I knew I couldn't do anything on my own. I turned around to leave and that guy...the leader was there."
    The recollection of the man's cold, almost inhuman eyes, elicited an involuntary shudder. Mark turned to find Jessie watching him, a thoughtful look on her face. "What?"
    "You okay?"
    "Yeah. It's just that guy...he...gave me the creeps."
    She nodded. "The officer's initial report has your description of what the leader looked like. Is there anything else you can tell me about him?"
    "Um, nothing specific. The look in his eyes was...I don't know...cold and...and lifeless." Mark shook his head in frustration, knowing that the description wasn't very helpful. "And his voice was deep...like--never mind."
    Jessie cocked her head. "Deep like...like what? You were going to say something."
    "It's stupid; forget it."
    "If it helps us catch the guy, it's not stupid."
    Mark rolled his eyes, feeling ridiculous, but he finished his thought, "He...he sounded like Darth Vader." He grimaced and ducked his head at the snort of laughter from Jessie. "See, I told you it was stupid."
    "I'm sorry, it's not stupid. I'm just picturing putting out an APB on Darth Vader." She grinned, and Mark couldn't help wondering when the smiles had stopped. Why hadn't he noticed? He'd give anything to make her grin like that more often. Especially if she directed it at him.
    "Yeah, I guess that is kind of funny." Before he could suppress it, Mark let out a huge yawn. "Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head to work out a kink.
    She took the cue and turned to face the front of the car. "Go on. Get some rest and try not to think about it too much. The girl's okay and you're okay...for the most part, so everything came out all right." Jessie cleared her throat. "Well, take it easy, Mark.  I'll probably have some more questions for you in the next few days."
    "Sure. And, thanks for the ride, Jessie." His body aching, he pulled himself out of the car and trudged up to his loft.

    * * *

    "Adrian Kern."
    Dan looked up from the report he was perusing. "What?"
    "I have a possible name on that guy in the Medea case." Jessie circled the desk and showed Dan the file she had found buried in a drawer devoted to unsolved crimes. "A few years ago, a woman reported escaping from a group who had posed as a prayer group initially. After attending several sessions, she was pressured to sign over her bank account to the group. She was told it was something they all did and that pooling their resources was good for everyone. Besides, they said she wouldn't need it any more because all of her bills would be taken care of. Apparently a group of them rented a big old house in Oak Park."
    Dan sat back and raised an eyebrow. "And she believed them?"
    Jessie shrugged. "I guess so. Anyway, after a few months, she balked and closed the account and left the group's home. One day as she was walking home, she was approached by members who were in a car and they lured her into coming with them. They told the woman that the group was dissolving and that she was owed a share from the group's savings."
    "And she jumped at the chance to get her money back."
    Jessie nodded. "You bet. But, of course, that didn't happen. Instead, she was taken to a warehouse and beaten while the group chanted around her." Arching one eyebrow, Jessie looked at Dan. "Sound familiar?"
    "Yeah, but what happened?"
    "A passing squad is what happened. The officer on patrol noticed something out