“That would be his girlfriend, Helen. She doesn’t have much to do with anything. I’ve never even met her.”

“Yeah?” replied Jack. “You can’t convince me she didn’t know what was going on.”

“Oh, I’m not denying she didn’t know,” said Virgil.

Laura frowned at Jack. “Knowing what was going on as opposed to being convicted for what was going on, are a little different in court.”

“Yeah, I know,” sighed Jack. “Still, we got enough to toss her sorry ass in jail for the night to shake her up a little. Maybe she’ll confess.”

“Like I did,” mumbled Virgil.

“Your ass, we had,” lied Jack. “I’m going to tell the Americans you got away, but they would be pissed if they ever found out I had lied to them and cut a deal with you instead.”

Virgil nodded in agreement.

“Once Helen gets busted and everyone clears out, you’re going to show us where your last rape victim lives.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Virgil sighed. “What about my car? Will you let me drive?”

“No, Laura will follow us in it. The cuffs are staying on you for the time being.”

“Are they really necessary? They’re kind of uncomfortable,” complained Virgil.

“Yeah, Jack,” said Laura, “why don’t you take them off him? Maybe I’ll get lucky and he will try something.”

“Actually, I guess they’re not that bad,” quipped Virgil, bending forward and shaking the cuffs to adjust them on his wrists.

Jack took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. At the moment he thought it would be a simple matter to verify the woman’s address and check with the Major Crime Unit to ensure that Virgil was being truthful. If he was, Virgil would be cut free as promised.

Having determined a course of action, Jack’s stress level had dropped a little, although in the back of his mind he still questioned and hated the decision he had been forced to make.

Laura got in the BMW and Jack glanced at himself in the mirror as he got in the SUV to drive. He had been at work since noon the day before. His goatee already gave him somewhat of a menacing appearance, but now with being unshaven, exhausted, and chilled from being in the bush, he could see he really looked awful.

He blinked his eyes as he imagined going home soon to a long hot shower and a clean bed, but a glance in his rear-view mirror at Virgil brought back the promise he had made. He went over it again in his head.

Yes, I am doing the right thing. It is a simple matter of letting one criminal go to catch worse ones …

Jack was about to find out it was not a simple matter.

Chapter Seven

On Thursday morning at eight o’clock, Amanda and Megan arrived at her apartment complex, as her brother Burt backed a U-Haul truck up to the back door of the apartment building. A car with three of Burt’s friends parked in the alley.

“Sorry I couldn’t get a sitter,” apologized Amanda when Burt got out of the truck. “Wendy had to take her own kid to a doctor’s appointment this morning so I thought I should —”

“Are you kidding? I’m glad she’s here.” Burt looked at Megan and pointed to the truck and said, “There it is! This is the big truck your Uncle Burt is going to give you a ride in!”

Megan looked at the truck and her eyes widened with excitement. “That is a big truck!” she exclaimed. “And I’m going in it!” she squealed.

“You betcha!” said Burt. “But first we have to get it loaded.”

Everyone went inside the apartment at which time Amanda announced she had left the coffee pot out, along with a few mugs for everyone to use. After switching on the coffee pot, Amanda stepped into the living room.

“Hot and stuffy in here,” mumbled one of Burt’s friends, as he walked over and slid open the door to the balcony.

Amanda looked at the sliding door and her body started to tremble and she hugged Megan.

“What’s wrong, Mommy? Are you afraid of the bad man?”

“Forget about the bad man,” said Amanda, gently placing a hand on each side of her face to hold her attention. “We’re moving to a new place. Away from bad men.”

“Maybe you should take Megan and wait outside in the truck,” suggested Burt. “Really, you don’t need to be, uh, in here. We’ll be done in no time at all.”

“Yes, Mommy! The truck! I want to see the truck!”

Amanda swallowed and nodded in agreement. She knew she would not be able to keep her emotions in check. She turned to Megan and said, “Okay, honey. Let’s go see the truck.”

Megan shrieked with delight and raced out of the room in front of Amanda.

Burt watched them leave, then turned to his friend as they each picked up a box of kitchenware and said, “I’ll kill him if I ever find out who it was.”

“I’d be glad to help you,” swore his friend.

Jack drove to Surrey and parked in an urban area as directed by Virgil. Laura parked Virgil’s BMW behind them and walked up and opened the front door of

the SUV.

Jack looked at Virgil and asked, “Which building? You said it was an apartment in the back?”

“Not these ones,” replied Virgil. “The best way for me to find it is to walk from here and follow the same route she took. I followed her from about this point on.”

“Why did you pick her?” asked Jack.

“It was Sunday and she wasn’t with a guy, so I thought maybe she lived alone. Especially as she lived in an apartment. I figured if she had a house she would probably have a guy.”

Jack glanced at Laura and said, “If I take his cuffs off, do you think he will try to run?”

“Hope so,” muttered Laura.

By the look on Virgil’s face, Jack was confident he would not try anything, so he took the handcuffs off. They then walked down a sidewalk for a block before cutting across a playground and heading down a path leading into some alleys.

Eventually they came upon a row of apartment complexes and Virgil stopped. “I think her apartment is on the other side of that U-Haul truck.”

“You think?” replied Jack. “Keep walking. I want you to be sure.”

As the three of them approached the front of the U-Haul, Jack saw a young girl run around to the front of the truck, followed by her mother’s cry of, “Megan! Come back here!”

Jack crouched down in front of Megan to block her from running out into the alley and said, “Hi, there. Your mommy wants you.” As he spoke, he glanced over his shoulder at Virgil.

Virgil’s mouth was gaped open in panic. Then he quickly turned his back and pretended to fuss with the zipper on his jacket.

Jack felt the goosebumps rise on his body. He knew the young woman he heard calling for Megan was the victim.

Jack glanced at Laura and knew she had also clued in. “Take him back to the SUV,” whispered Jack. “I’ll distract her.”

Amanda was at the back of the truck when Megan first ran around the front, so she darted to the other side, expecting to see Amanda circle the truck. When she didn’t appear, Amanda reversed direction and ran back.

“Megan, don’t be hiding on Mommy. Come here!”

Jack stood up as Amanda rounded the corner of the truck. She hadn’t realized he was there and let out a scream, while grabbing Megan by the arm and taking a couple of steps backwards.

“I’m sorry,” said Jack, rounding the corner of the truck and gesturing with the palms of his hands, trying to indicate she had nothing to be scared of. He smiled apologetically and said, “I hadn’t meant to startle you. I heard you calling for your daughter and wanted to stop her from —”

Jack heard a low guttural curse as a man grabbed him around the chest from behind and tried to throw him to the ground. Jack responded as he had been trained, by clasping the attacker’s arms to his chest so the attacker couldn’t let go, while simultaneously taking one step forward and bending his shoulder over. The result was he threw the man to the ground while landing on top of him. His training had also taught him to follow up with a karate punch to the man’s solar plexus, throat, and groin.