Rosemary Danced: Ivy Book One Read online

  “Tina begged me not to get in trouble. She convinced me that if I hurt him, I’d lose the law, I’d go to jail and she’d be on her own. Instead, I’ve spent every free moment trying to get the little weasel. When I saw the stuff about your girlfriend, I noticed that she had modeled for the same agency and I smelled a rat. So, I called Trayvon and reminded him that he could refer anybody to me who came asking questions.”

  “How is your sister now?” Mike asked politely.

  “She’s good.” Trey beamed. “She just got married.”

  “That’s good.”

  “So, you’re wondering where we go from here, right?”

  “Yeah, I am.” Mike took a gulp of the water.

  “I have some ideas. I cleared my schedule for this afternoon; can you stay a while?”

  Mike nodded. “I’m staying until I find her—or until my money runs out, whichever comes first.”

  “Aren’t you still in school?”

  Mike shrugged. “Don’t care. I told my mom I wasn’t coming back without Rosemary.”

  “Your mom is okay with that?”

  Mike sighed. “Probably not. But she knows me—she wouldn’t expect any less. She and my sister want me home, though.”

  “Okay, let me make a couple of calls then I’ll take you to lunch while we wait for people to show up.”

  Chapter 43

  Three people were in Trey’s office when they returned from lunch. Susie, a statuesque blond beauty and her husband, a rumpled guy named Mark. Nat, Trey’s brother-in-law, was almost as big as Mike. “Mike, this is the group who has been trying to bring down Armand Francois.”

  “Is his last name really Francois?” Mike asked.

  “Nope. The whole name is fake. His real name is Howard Smith.” Susie grinned.

  “Do you know him?” Mike asked.

  “Oh, yeah. I know him. I was his second or maybe third victim—at least that we know about. It’s possible there are others, but we haven’t found them yet. I modeled as a teenager. I lived in Milwaukee, but I’d come to Chicago on the train when I had a job here. I stayed with my older brother while I was here. My brother was twenty-five, he wasn’t interested in keeping tabs on me; he was more interested in beer. Armand figured out very quickly that I wasn’t being monitored, so he cut me from the herd.”

  “It took me a long time to realize he was breaking me down. When I started to date at home, he became more possessive. He drugged me, too. He took pictures, but he also…took videos. I didn’t remember a thing —I woke up in his apartment, but I was dressed. I thought I had drunk a little too much wine. My boyfriend didn’t like me spending time with Armand, so I told him I wasn’t coming over anymore. Armand’s response was to show me the pictures and threaten to send them to my parents if I didn’t give up the boyfriend. He had some weird idea that he was in a relationship with me. I knew my dad would make me give up modeling, so I broke up with my boyfriend and continued to see Armand for another six months. About a year later, I started seeing Mark. We were friends first, so eventually, I told him about the pictures and videos; he believed me when I said I didn’t remember doing any of it. Strangely, Armand's apartment was vandalized soon after that. But only his computers, cameras and phone were damaged. Damaged beyond repair, I might add.” She looked sideways at her husband, who looked over her head, staring at a water stain on the ceiling.

  Mike nodded. “Rosemary’s story is similar. She believed he was trustworthy. She also had gotten the impression that he was gay, so she believed she was safe from being hurt by him.”

  Nat had been quiet up to this point. He smiled slightly at Mike. “I wouldn’t mind disrupting Howard Smith’s life.”

  “Nat is a former Navy Seal. Don’t let his quiet demeanor fool you. I’m pretty sure my brother-in-law knows fifty different ways to kill a person.” Trey pointed at Mark. “Mark, who looks barely awake, is our computer guru. He goes places we don’t talk about in public. Right, Mark?” Mark just smiled sleepily.

  “Okay.” Mike nodded.

  Mark spoke up. “So, we think Smith knows where Rosemary is and hasn’t, so far, insisted she meet with him or stay with him. It’s likely he’s got GPS on her phone, her car and her laptop. I keep tabs on Smith, but I don’t go deep unless we’re looking for something specific. I’ll be trying to see him watch Rosemary. We also want to know where Rosemary is because we want to protect her. Smith has several guns registered in his name. He target shoots regularly and we believe he’s capable of murder.”

  Mike blanched. “Murder?”

  “Yes.” Susie nodded firmly. “I’m sorry, Mike, but we suspect him of at least one murder.”

  “So how are we going to do this?” Mike looked around the room.

  “First, we’ll strategize. Follow Smith around. Try to find Rosemary. Watch him online.”

  They gathered around the very battered conference table. Mark took his laptop to Trey’s desk and started tapping keys. “Finding Rosemary is our first priority, but bringing down Smith is a close second. We also have to be realistic. We want to know if he’s got a new target so that if we can’t get him this time, we know where he’s putting his energies. Mike, you’re the only one of the group who hasn’t been seen by Smith, as far as we know. Are you game for doing some low-level surveillance?”

  Mike nodded. “I never expected to have help finding Rosemary, so I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  Nat cleared his throat. “Mike, we may find Rosemary, but instead of running right in to get her, we may need to watch for a while—even for a few days. So, if you’re going to be on the team, you have to promise me that you’ll stay away from her until we’ve agreed to make a move or we give you the go-ahead. Can you do that?”

  Mike gulped. He understood Nat’s point, but he didn’t like it. He finally nodded. “I promise. I want her back, but I want her safe. She would feel a lot safer if Armand was out of the picture.”

  Nat nodded. “Okay. Then I’m good with you helping.” They made final plans, exchanged contact information and agreed to meet in Trey’s office in twenty-four hours.

  Over deep-dish pizza, he described his day to Jason. “You got a lot done.” Jason remarked.

  “Mostly thanks to your old friend Trayvon for pointing me in the right direction.”

  “Yeah, he’s a good guy.” Jason looked at Mike. “Do you feel any better?”

  “I feel a little more hopeful.”

  Early the next morning, Mike looked at the clothes he’d brought. He took the oldest pair of jeans and made some tears in them. Taking them outside, he found a tiny patch of grass, rubbing dirt, wet grass and gravel dust all over the jeans. Jason had given him an old jacket; he gave it the same treatment as the jeans. He found an old baseball cap and a torn messenger bag at a second-hand store. He also bought a book, some tattered magazines and a well-used travel cup for coffee.

  In front of the large office building where the modeling agency had space, he spread out on a bench with a newspaper. He finally saw Armand walking with a very pretty, very tall African American girl who looked about sixteen years old. Mike sneaked out his phone and took some pictures of the two. After they walked past him, he casually picked up his bag and sauntered down the block.

  “Hey, homeless guy. I was getting worried.” Trey clapped Mike on the shoulder when he walked into the office.

  “Sorry, I hit the traffic at the wrong time. But I saw Armand just before I left the plaza; I even got a couple of pictures of him with a young girl who’s maybe sixteen?”

  “Good work.”

  Mark and Susie had been tracking Armand’s online movements since yesterday. Nat had followed Armand from his apartment to work and then found his car and broke into it. He held up a batch of papers. “I found two smartphones in his car; I took screenshots of the texts and the contacts. All without being arrested for breaking and entering.” Nat grinned. “Mike, is this Rosemary’s number?” Nat read off a number.

  “Yeah.” Mike swall
owed. “Has he been calling her?”

  “There’s a text exchange late Sunday night and a call from that number a couple of hours later.” Nat read the texts to the group. “Now we know why she came to Chicago. He threatened you.” Mike felt a stab of fury that the guy had tortured Rosemary, but his overriding emotion was terror for Rosemary’s safety.

  “After Nat sent me the screenshots, I called the detective in Des Moines who is handling the case of Rosemary’s friend Peter Noah. I didn’t give him any detail, but I told him that we had seen a text message from Smith, admitting he was responsible and that we knew he had been in Des Moines at that time.” Trey took a gulp of water. “I told him Smith was obsessed with the girl who had witnessed the crash and that we’re looking for her here in Chicago because he threatened her boyfriend and family.”

  Nat spoke up again. “Trey, read the texts from Monday.”

  Rosemary: I’m here. I’m in Chicago.

  Smith: Where are you?

  Rosemary: I’m in Chicago. I didn’t promise you I would come to your apartment. You’ll have to be satisfied for now. I don’t want to be with you, Armand.

  Smith: But you will be. I can be patient, as long as you’re in Chicago. Don’t do anything stupid. Check in every day.

  Rosemary: If I have to, I will. Just stay away from my family and Mike.

  Smith: It’s not wise to threaten me, Rosemary.

  Trey looked up. “She checked in again Tuesday and Wednesday. She won’t tell him where she is, but he probably knows.”

  “He knows.” Mark spoke up. “He somehow hacked into her phone, probably a year ago when she was drugged in his apartment. He checks it obsessively on his computer. He has had listening devices in her studio since last winter. He checks that on his computer, too.”

  “So much for the keypads and locks on the doors,” Mike muttered.

  “Yeah. I hacked into his credit card accounts. He went to Iowa a lot last spring and summer, but not since August, according to his accounts. His bank balances are low and his credit card balances are high. I also hacked his cloud account and found thousands of pictures of Rosemary, Tina, Susie’s friend Marcie, and Susie.”

  Mike glowered, so did Trey and Nat. “Guys, don’t go all alpha-male. I can’t get rid of the pics; they’re evidence. I copied the files but I’ll get rid of my files as soon as the cops get Smith’s files. Except for the pics of Susie. I’m keeping those.” Mark grinned at his wife. “Just kidding, honey.”

  “The newest pictures are of a very pretty young African American girl. The folder is titled “Tashina.” I didn’t see anything risqué in Tashina’s file, but the backgrounds and props are the same that he used for Tina, Rosemary, Marcie and Susie. So, she’s been at his apartment.”

  “Is this her?” Mike pulled up a picture on his phone.

  Mark nodded. “Anyway, Smith has been hacking into Rosemary’s laptop forever. She has an Excel spreadsheet she uses to keep track of her money; he’s looked at that, but he hasn’t been able to hack into her trust account. He’s had trouble hacking into Rosemary’s laptop over the last three days. Her security has greatly improved, but I don’t know why.”

  Mike spoke up. “Her mom’s friend is a lawyer named Rosemary. Her brother said that the older Rosemary got married last year to a guy who does something with computers. Maybe he helped her.”

  “A lawyer named Rosemary…” Trey mused. “That’s not a common name in women younger than sixty. Give me a minute.” He grabbed his own laptop. “Score. Rosemary Davis-Taylor is a specialist in contract law. Two years ago, she married Archibald Taylor IV, the son of a federal judge. Taylor IV specializes in cyber law. Between the two of them, there are eight pages of articles that come up about them, both about professional topics and their civic and charity work.”

  Trey continued to look through articles on the internet. “This is interesting. Taylor IV has been in practice for fifteen years and was one of the first attorneys who dug right into cyber law. He’s considered an international expert; he not only tries cases all over the country, he consults on cases from every corner of the world.” Trey looked at Mike. “I wonder if your girlfriend realizes that the Taylors are high-powered and extremely well-connected.”

  “It’s hard to tell. Rosemary’s not impressed with power or prestige.” Mike smiled grimly. “Last month we went to LSU on a recruiting trip. We were at a fancy dinner with four other recruits and their parents. One of the recruits, Nils Lawrence, was with his dad, Jameson Lawrence.” Susie gasped. “The other women fawned all over him, but he wouldn’t stop staring at Rosemary. Later, he got her alone for a minute and put a move on her, but she shut him down flat. I doubt she’d be impressed with a lawyer who is married to her mom’s friend.”

  Trey nodded. “Archie IV probably has a friend who helped make Rosemary’s computer more secure.”

  “I found something else, too.” Mark was tapping keys. “Smith has been setting up jobs for Rosemary, mostly out of the country. He is asking for huge payouts and he’s getting takers. He’s negotiating to take fifty percent of her pay off the top. Rosemary is scheduled to leave for Hong Kong next week and he’s planning to go with her.”

  “Oh no, he is not!” Mike jumped up.

  “Calm down, Mike. We’ll do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t happen. We have to stay calm. That’s the only way we can beat him.” Mike nodded, but he was still tense.

  Nat ignored Mike’s outburst. “Mark, now that we know about those smartphones, can you hack into them?”

  “Already working on it. As careful as Smith is about most things, he seems oblivious to the need for good security on his computerized devices. When I get in, we’ll see his texts in real time.”

  Over takeout, they made plans. Trey located Rosemary Taylor’s address and Nat found out who handled security for the condo building. “Another bit of luck. The security physical presence is handled by a small outfit owned by a guy I know. I’ve done him a couple of favors; now I’m going to see if he’ll do one for me.”

  An hour later, Nat left to pick up a uniform so he could do a shift at Rosemary Taylor’s building. Mark and Susie were going to continue working on the cyber side of the project. Mike was going to be on call for the morning.

  Chapter 44

  Jason had gone out with friends, so when Mike got to the apartment he stretched out on the couch and called his mom. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Hi, baby. Are you alright?”

  “Yeah, Mom, I’m okay. I’m sleeping on Jason’s couch. I’ll fill you in, but how are you and Miranda?”

  “We’re okay. We miss you, though. I told Miranda you went to find Roma—she seemed to think it was okay that you left to do that.”

  “That’s good. I asked Uncle Vince to come over last night and take the trash cans to the curb, did he do that?”

  Patty laughed. “He did. But, I can take the trash cans to the curb, Mickey.”

  “I know, Mom. But I always do it; besides, I wanted Vince to check on you.”

  “He did that, too. Then he took us to the Mexican restaurant for a very unhealthy meal.”

  “Unhealthy, but good. Did Miranda eat anything besides chips and cheese?”

  “Nope. By the time we had finished eating, she was covered in white cheese. She had a great time; but she always does with Vince.”

  “Have you seen the Masters?” Mike stifled a yawn.

  “Not since you left, but I’ve talked to them. I told them you went to Chicago; I don’t think John was surprised. Rosemary’s oma showed up at their house because Margie wouldn’t take her calls and Rosemary has blocked her number.”

  “I’m glad she did. That grandmother of hers is terrible.” Mike hesitated. His grandmother was terrible, too. “How is Grandpa Studor?”

  “He seems very sad. He’s upset with Jean, but I don’t think he knows what to do about it. He knows you went to see her the other day; she was crying when he came home. She wouldn’t tell him much, just that you’d sa
id you never wanted to see her again.”

  “I didn’t yell or get mad. I just told her I was ashamed of myself for allowing her to act the way she has to you, Miranda and to Rosemary. I told her I knew she lied and she did it because she wanted her own way. I meant what I said to her—I never want to see her again.”

  Mike took a deep breath. He didn’t want to talk about his Grandma Studor, so he changed the subject. “Grandma and Grandpa Moore? How are they?”

  “They’re okay. We’re all worried and scared for you. But you know I understand why you went, right?”

  “I know. I’m sorry I’m worrying you. I’ll tell you what‘s been happening, but I have to ask you to keep it to yourself for now. Is that alright?”

  “I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to.” Mike told his mom about everything they were trying to do to find Rosemary and get her home safe. He left out the part about Armand being a murderer. He didn’t think his mom could hear that and still get any sleep at night.

  “You’ve gotten farther than I thought you would. I don’t like that she’s supposed to go to Hong Kong next week.”

  “Me, either. I hope we can get this over with before that happens.”

  “Mickey, do you know who Nora Singh is?”

  “Is she that columnist for the newspaper?”

  “She is. She contacted John and Margie and then me. Her son Owen was friends with Rosemary’s friend Pete—the boy who was killed last spring. Owen also remembers Rosemary from elementary school. He told his mom there was no way any of those things in the article could be true about Rosemary. She said he told her everything he knew about Rosemary, convincing her to look into it. She talked to the reporter who wrote that horrible article and he admitted he didn’t fact check the things Jean said about Rosemary.”