Luke had thought the same thing. “And will you?” he asked, mildly.

She shook her head. “I sure don’t want to. And I won’t even consider a deal without knowing what information he has and if it’s genuine. I’ve got a dozen victims to consider here. They deserve their day in court. But…” She let the thought trail.

Thirteen, Luke thought, but didn’t correct her. Susannah’s name hadn’t been on Daniel’s original list because he hadn’t known at the time. Luke decided to let Susannah contact Chloe on her own. One more victim would not make Garth Davis any less guilty. “But you might have to cut him a deal.” The thought made him sick. “We can search his house, his office. Find out if he had any dealings with Granville.”

“That’s the kicker, Luke,” she said. “And that’s why I’ve worded these warrants so carefully. I can only include on the warrant evidence you find relevant to the rapes unless I have probable cause to link Davis to the trafficking. If you find anything in your search that implicates him, I can’t use it otherwise.”

“At least we’d be a step closer to finding the girls.”

“That’s true, if he has something incriminating in his home or office. You’d have to find it first. And I know I don’t have to tell you this, Luke,” she added gently, “but the clock is ticking. We’re in a damned if we do, damned if we don’t position.”

“I don’t want this bastard to walk, Chloe. I don’t care what he knows.”

“You won’t know what he knows until you ask him,” Germanio inserted reasonably.

Chloe adjusted her briefcase strap on her shoulder. “Also true. So let’s ask, Papa.”

Garth Davis waited until Luke and Chloe sat at the table before opening his mouth. “This is a ludicrous charge,” he said. “I raped no one. Not now, not thirteen years ago.”

Luke said nothing, simply sliding a folder across the table. It contained only four of the photos graphically implicating a teenaged Davis. Davis took one look at the pictures, drew a breath, and closed the folder, stone-faced and pale.

His attorney scowled. “Where did you get these? They’re doctored. Obviously.”

“They’re genuine,” Luke said. “These were the first I came across while sorting through the several hundred we have in our possession.” He picked up one of the pictures and studied it. “You’ve aged well, Mayor Davis. Some men might have developed a gut in thirteen years. You’re in as fine a shape now as you were then.”

Davis ’s stare was hate-filled. “What do you want?”

“Garth,” his attorney cautioned.

Davis ignored him. “I said, what do you want?”

Luke leaned forward. “To see you rot in jail for the rest of your miserable life.”

“Agent Papadopoulos,” Chloe murmured and Luke sat back in his chair, still staring Davis down. “We have fifteen victims here. Fifteen counts of your client engaged in nonconsensual sexual relations with minor females, drugged and helpless. At a mandatory ten a pop, that does equate to the remainder of your natural life, Mayor Davis.”

“I said,” Davis said through his teeth, “what do you want?”

“Tell him what you want, Agent Papadopoulos,” she said.

Luke watched Davis ’s face. “Tell me about Toby Granville,” he said, and for an instant saw a flicker of fear. Then it was gone, replaced with contempt.

“He’s dead.” His smile was smug. “Kind of bad for you.”

Luke’s smile was congenial even though he wanted to knock the smirk off Davis ’s face. “One could say that. One could also say that Granville’s death concentrates the venom of your surviving victims. More hate to focus on you. You’re the only one left of the seven. You’ll be taking the fall for the other six bastards, Mayor Davis. And I guarantee, your surviving victims will be pissed, and totally out for their pound of your flesh. Yours and yours only. Because you’re not dead. Kind of bad for you.”

Davis ’s attorney whispered something in his ear. Davis ’s jaw went taut, then his expression smoothed, almost as if he’d slipped into his politician skin. “Granville was the town doctor. Coughs, colds, skinned knees. That’s all I know.”

“Come on, Mayor Davis,” Chloe said. “You know better than that.”

Davis and his attorney whispered again. “We want a deal.”

She shook her head. “Not till I hear what you’ve got.”

Davis ’s attorney sat back. “Then he’ll have no leverage.”

Luke spread the four photos across the table. “I have dozens of these, with Mayor Davis smiling in every one as he rapes another girl.” He met Davis ’s eye once more. “You have no leverage. You have only the mercy we opt to give you. And right now, the quality of my mercy is very strained indeed. So stop wasting my time.”

Davis glanced at his attorney and the attorney nodded. “The club was Toby and Simon’s idea. It started out as a game, but then took on a life of its own.”

“Did you ever meet or talk to or see anyone other than the club members?”

“No.”

“Where did these rapes occur?”

“Depended on the weather. When it was warm, outside. When it got cold, indoors.”

“Where?” Luke asked again, more harshly. “I want a location.”

“Different houses, depended on whose parents weren’t home at the time.”

“Was there ever a time when you used a house or other structure not belonging to one of the club members?” Luke pushed.

“Once. We’d had it all planned to go to Toby’s house, but Jared O’Brien’s mother came down with something and canceled the party she was throwing that night. That meant all our parents would be home, so we needed another spot. Toby found us one.”

Luke pushed out a breath. “Where and to whom did it belong?”

“I don’t know and I don’t know. Toby had us all get in the back of a van he’d borrowed from his mother’s gardener. No windows and he hung a sheet up, so we couldn’t see out the front. Simon sat in the back, making sure nobody peeked. And with Simon on guard, nobody peeked. He was a crazy SOB, even then.”

“How long did you drive?”

Something cagey moved in Davis ’s eyes. “I don’t remember.”

Chloe’s annoyed huff let Luke know she’d seen it, too. “I think you do, Mr. Davis.”

“I’m ready to go back to holding.” Garth turned to his attorney. “Keep looking.”

Keep looking for what? Or who. “Must be rough, having your wife desert you that way,” Luke said mildly. “Not knowing where your kids are, or if they’re okay. Two boys, right? Seven and four. Awfully little to be on the run. So many dangers out there.”

A muscle in Davis ’s unbruised cheek twitched. “You know where she is.”

Luke lifted a shoulder. “I don’t remember.”

Davis sat down. “I want to see my wife and my children.”

“I may be able to arrange that,” Luke said quietly. “How far did you drive that night?”

Davis ’s cheeks hollowed as his eyes grew ice cold. “Less than an hour. It was a cabin. Up in the mountains.”

“That’s all?” Luke asked. “That’s not nearly enough.”

“It was a goddamned cabin, all right?” Davis snarled, eyes blazing. “It had a fireplace and a kitchen. Like every other goddamn cabin up there.”

“Any knickknacks, anything to tell you whose it might have been?”

Garth’s eyes grew cold once more. “Yeah. And you’ll get it when I see my kids. And not before. I don’t know why that cabin’s so important to you, Agent Papadopoulos, but it is and that’s all the leverage I’ve got right now.” He stood up. “I’m done.”

Chloe waited until they were back in the viewing anteroom. “You mind telling me what that was all about?”

Luke sighed. “Granville’s last words were ‘Simon was mine. But I was another’s.’ Someone was mentoring him. Guiding him. Maybe even pulling his strings.”

“Could be his trafficking partner,” Chloe said. “Or not. Could have been the owner of that cabin. Or not.” Then she smiled. “But that was a good Hail Mary, Luke. You got us some leverage without dicking around with a plea. I may still deal, but I’d rather hold that card as long as I can.”