The Third Victim Read online

  “What was he doing there?”

  “They brought him.”

  “Who brought him?”

  “Regina Barrister’s associate. They must have figured out that I was with you in Miami. They asked if I knew you and they asked about the hotel where we did the threesome.”

  This was Allison’s worst nightmare.

  “I followed them to their hotel and got the guy’s room number. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to call you, but you said I shouldn’t ever do that because the cops could check our phone records.”

  “What did you do?”

  Meredith couldn’t meet Allison eyes, and she looked down at the muddy trail.

  “He’s the only one who could say we knew each other before Portland. He can wreck everything.”

  “What—did—you—do?”

  “I couldn’t think of any other way, so I went to his hotel room with my gun. Only he wasn’t in his room. The associate was. She slammed the door on my wrist and the gun fell, but I got away.”

  “Thank God for that,” Allison said.

  “What should I do, Allison? I can’t go to jail. I’d never make it in there.”

  “I’ll never let that happen.”

  Meredith’s eyes widened as she saw the knife in Allison’s hand. She leaped to the side just as Allison stabbed at her. The rain had made the ground slippery and Allison slid forward. Meredith slammed both hands into Allison, who fell into the thick, solid trunk of an oak tree. Pain lanced through Allison’s shoulder. She gritted her teeth and struggled to her feet. By the time she was standing, Meredith had disappeared into the mist.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  Harry White sat on an uncomfortable plastic chair in the contact visiting room in the Multnomah County jail. When the door opened and Meredith walked in, Harry didn’t feel a thing. His ability to feel had been destroyed the moment Carrie Anders told him that Meredith had been charged with attempted murder in Atlanta and was on the run.

  Carrie had called again last night to tell Harry that Meredith had been picked up in California when she’d used a credit card to buy gas for a car she’d stolen. He was at the jail today because Carrie had asked him to negotiate a deal with Meredith before she got a lawyer, in the hopes that his connection with Meredith might carry some weight. Harry told her that he never wanted to see Meredith again and that there had never been a real connection. But Carrie persisted and appealed to him on behalf of Alex Mason, and he gave in.

  Meredith was wearing an orange jumpsuit that was too big on her, but she still looked beautiful. The guard left them and Meredith sat down. Harry couldn’t speak. He could only stare. Meredith smiled and looked at him with the eyes that had once filled him with desire.

  “Hello Harry,” Meredith said. “It’s nice of you to visit. I’ve missed you.”

  “No you haven’t.” Harry smiled sadly. “You know, I really loved you, but now I know that the woman I fell in love with never existed. She would never have been able to torture those poor helpless women.”

  “And neither could I.”

  Harry shook his head. “I know what you and Allison did. You’re monsters.”

  “If you believe that, why are you here?”

  “To give you a chance to save your life. Agree to testify against Allison and you’ll get life with the possibility of parole. Refuse and you’ll take Alex Mason’s place on death row.”

  “What could I say? I’ve never met Allison. I’m a victim, Harry. Just like those other poor girls. You saw me that first day. You saw how I’d been beaten and abused. How could anyone fake that?”

  “Easily, if they had no conscience. So, what will it be? Death row or a chance at freedom?”

  “In how many years, twenty, thirty? Think about it, Harry. The torture I went through in that cabin lasted less than a week. The torture I would suffer as an innocent prisoner would be a million times worse.”

  “That torment is what Alex Mason is experiencing, Meredith. If there’s a shred of humanity left in you, please help him.”

  “Mason is a convicted serial killer who tortured me. Why would I want to help him?”

  Harry wondered how he could have been so wrong about Meredith.

  “You know you’re going to prison in Georgia for attempted murder,” Harry said as he stood up and rang for the guard. “Cooperate and we can work with the authorities in Georgia to get your sentence to run concurrent with a life sentence here. Think about the deal, but don’t think too long. We’re going to give Allison the same option. First come, first served.”

  The door opened. Harry turned his back on Meredith and started to leave. Then he stopped and turned around.

  “Something has really bothered me,” he said.

  “What, Harry? Maybe I can help you.”

  “The scar on Mason’s hand. Did Allison tell you about that or did you learn about it by reading the police reports I gave you?”

  Meredith just smiled. Harry waited a beat. When it was clear that Meredith wasn’t going to answer, he left the room. When the door closed behind him and he was alone, Harry’s heart seized in his chest and it took all of his will to fight back tears.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

  The rain was still coming down a week after Allison’s trip to Forest Park. She couldn’t believe how stupid Meredith had been. What had she been thinking when she went to that hotel and tried to kill Daniel Prescott? Of course, thinking had never been Meredith’s strong suit. If she’d been thinking when they had their threesome with Prescott, she would never have boosted his wallet and there wouldn’t have been a reason to kill him.

  Wondering about what Meredith would do next had Allison on edge. Meredith hadn’t tried to call her, which didn’t surprise her, since she’d tried to kill Meredith. Allison was hoping that Meredith had run to some small town where she could change her name and spend the rest of her life waiting tables in a bar.

  The doorbell rang. Allison wasn’t expecting anyone. She walked into the foyer and looked through the peephole. Kyle Bergland and the oafish detective whose name she could not recall were standing on her doorstep, huddled under their umbrellas. Allison fixed a welcoming smile on her face and opened the door.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Bergland. What can I do for you?”

  Bergland smiled. “You could let us in before we drown.”

  Allison noticed that the detective wasn’t smiling, but she laughed anyway. “Sure. Come on in.”

  Bergland stepped into the entryway and held the umbrella outside for a moment to shake off some of the water.

  “What brings you out in this downpour?” Allison asked.

  “A very serious situation, Mrs. Mason. Have you read about Meredith Fenner?”

  “I have, and I can’t believe she tried to shoot someone.”

  “She did, and it’s the reason that she tried to murder Daniel Prescott that brings us here.”

  Allison looked puzzled. “I don’t understand.”

  “Daniel Prescott, the man Fenner tried to kill, is the person you had sex with in Miami when you were working as an escort.”

  Allison’s brow furrowed. “What possible reason would she have to kill him?”

  “Only one we can think of,” Bergland said. “You had a threesome with Prescott. If Fenner was the other woman in that threesome, it would mean that you knew her before you two moved to Portland and it would cast doubt on the charges against your husband.”

  “I still don’t get it,” Allison said.

  “Let’s cut the crap,” Carrie Anders said. “You and Fenner cooked up a scheme to steal Alex Mason’s fortune, and it was working just fine until Fenner tried to kill Prescott. We’re here to tell you that Fenner is in custody and she’s made a deal; no lethal injection if she testifies about your part in the murders of Tonya Benson and Patricia Rawls.”

  Allison’s mouth gaped open. “You think I … That’s ridiculous. I’ve seen Miss Fenner on TV, but I’ve never met her and I had nothing to do with the deat
h of those poor women.”

  “Fenner says she met you in Forest Park last week and you tried to kill her.”

  “That’s absurd.”

  “Maybe, but before we go, we have something for you.” Bergland held out an official document. “That’s a subpoena. The court is holding a hearing on a motion for relief of judgment in your husband’s case and you’re going to be a witness.”

  Allison closed the door behind the detective and the prosecutor and walked back to the living room. Should she be worried? Allison poured a glass of Alex’s very expensive single-malt liquor and stared out at the rain. Her divorce attorney had explained that criminal charges had no bearing on the way the proceeds of a divorce were distributed, so she’d come out with several million dollars even if Alex was released from prison and the cops suspected she was guilty of murder. And they could suspect away, because they would never be able to prove anything. If Meredith accused her of being involved in the Rawls and Benson murders, she’d say that Meredith was making up the story so she could cut a deal with the DA and escape the death penalty.

  What about Prescott? She’d bet anything that he wasn’t able to say that Meredith was with her in Miami. If he could, she’d be under arrest. No, she was safe and she’d soon be rich.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  The guards led Alex Mason to the defense table, where Regina, Robin, and Les Krueger were waiting. Alex stood in front of Regina.

  “Les explained everything you’ve done for me and I want to apologize for the hurtful things I said in Judge Herrera’s chambers.”

  “No need for an apology. You had every right to be mad.”

  “I still shouldn’t have said what I did.”

  “That’s all behind us, Alex. Our job is to get you out of jail, and we should accomplish that today.”

  “Will you be representing me?”

  Regina smiled. “No, Alex. I’ve learned my lesson. Robin and I will be at counsel table, but Les will handle the case. I want to be sure that you have competent counsel this time around.”

  The bailiff rapped the gavel and everyone stood when Judge Herrera took the bench.

  “Mr. Kreuger, this is your motion, so tell me why we’re here,” the judge said as soon as she was seated.

  Les Kreuger was a bear of a man, with a florid complexion, gray-streaked black hair, and a deep voice that had been trained for opera in his youth.

  “We’re here, Your Honor, because recent events have made it crystal clear that far from being the perpetrator of several hideous crimes, Alex Mason is as much a victim as Patricia Rawls and Tonya Benson.”

  “I’ll make that decision after I hear your witnesses. Call your first one.”

  “We call Meredith Fenner, Your Honor.”

  A guard led Meredith out of the holding area. Les Krueger had bought her a conservative blue dress, which made her look like an angelic waif. Robin had to keep reminding herself that the woman who was taking the stand was a sadistic murderer.

  “I still can’t believe the way she played us,” Robin said to Regina. “Fenner came across as a saint, but she’s really a vampire.”

  Regina’s mouth gaped open. “Oh my God,” she gasped. “Halloween!”

  “What?” Robin asked.

  “I knew there was something,” Regina said. Then she leaned toward Krueger and whispered in his ear.

  “Mr. Krueger?” the judge asked.

  “May I have one minute, Your Honor?”

  Robin leaned over to hear the conversation. She missed most of it, but she did hear Regina say, “Send Meredith back to the jail and have Bergland ask her one question. If she gives the answer I think she will, we’ve got Allison.”

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, Kreuger said, “We call Allison Mason, Your Honor.”

  Allison entered the courtroom with Jacob Heller. She was wearing a dark dress and a pearl necklace and looked self-confident.

  “Your Honor,” Heller said, “Mrs. Mason received a subpoena commanding her to appear at this hearing. I’m accompanying her because we are not certain why she’s been summoned and whether there may be Fifth Amendment considerations.”

  “Very well, Mr. Heller. Take a seat. If Mrs. Mason needs to consult you, I’ll let her. Let’s proceed.”

  “Mrs. Mason,” Les Kreuger began as soon as the bailiff administered the oath, “did you testify in Alex Mason’s criminal case?”

  “Yes.”

  “During cross-examination by Miss Barrister, did you admit to being arrested for prostitution in Miami, Florida?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now my understanding about this incident is that you were working for the Excelsior Escort service. Is that correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “And they sent you to meet a man named Daniel Prescott at the Marriott.”

  “I don’t remember the man’s name, but that sounds right.”

  “Would it help if I told you that Mr. Prescott was shown your picture and positively identified you as the woman with whom he had sex at his hotel?”

  “I’m not denying I worked as an escort. I just don’t remember the gentleman’s name. If Mr. Prescott said I was the person sent by the escort service, I probably was.”

  “And you took another woman along?”

  “Yes, there was another woman with me.”

  “Who was not an employee of the service?”

  “No.”

  “She was a friend?”

  “No, she was only an acquaintance.”

  “Do you remember her name?”

  “No, I didn’t know her well.”

  “Could her professional name have been Candi, with an i?”

  “It’s been a while. I don’t remember.”

  “Mr. Prescott said that the other woman told him her name was Candi and that the three of you engaged in some S and M sex.”

  “Yes.”

  “This was a game—role playing—much like the S and M game you and Mr. Mason played?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now S and M role playing can get rough, so the partners have a safe word they say if they want to stop, don’t they?”

  “Yes.”

  Kreuger smiled. “As I understand it, you and Mr. Mason used a safe word, pumpkin.”

  “Yes.”

  “Speaking of silly words, wasn’t Candi a made-up name that Meredith Fenner used when she was part of your threesome with Daniel Prescott in Miami?”

  “I’ve never met Miss Fenner, ever.”

  “Remember, you’re under oath,” Kreuger said.

  “I remember quite well,” Allison replied angrily.

  “You’re aware, are you not, that Miss Fenner tried to murder Mr. Prescott in Atlanta?”

  “I only know what was in the newspaper.”

  “If Miss Fenner wasn’t the person in your threesome with Mr. Prescott, what motive could she possibly have had to murder Mr. Prescott?” Kreuger asked.

  “I have no idea. I don’t know anything about that.”

  “No further questions,” Krueger said. “And Mr. Mason calls Daniel Prescott.”

  Prescott testified about the ménage a trois at the Miami hotel and positively identified Allison Mason as one of the two women.

  “You have seen Meredith Fenner on several occasions up close. Was she the woman who called herself Candi?” Krueger asked.

  “I think she was, but I can’t be certain. Candi had blond hair, which I think was a wig. I’ve seen an artist’s sketch showing Miss Fenner with blond hair and you had me view her with a blond wig at the jail. I think Miss Fenner was the woman who accompanied Mrs. Mason, but this was a brief encounter, five years ago, and I’m not a hundred percent positive.”

  “When Mrs. Mason got to your hotel, did you agree to engage in S and M sex with her and the woman who accompanied her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was there an agreement to use pumpkin as your safety word if you felt that the sex was getting too rough?”

  “
Yes.”

  “Who suggested the word?”

  “Mrs. Mason.”

  “Was Candi present when you agreed on the word?”

  “No, she was in the bathroom.”

  “Did you ever use the word while engaged in your sex acts?”

  “Yes.”

  “When did that happen?”

  “Candi bit me. It hurt. I said, ‘Pumpkin’ and she apologized.” “So Candi knew the safe word?”

  “That is correct.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Prescott. My next witness is Meredith Fenner.”

  * * *

  “Miss Fenner,” Krueger asked after a few preliminary questions about the deal she’d cut with the district attorney, “do you know Allison Mason?”

  “I do.”

  “What is your relation to her?”

  “We were lovers.”

  “How long had you and Mrs. Mason been romantically involved?”

  “On and off for about five or six years.”

  “Please tell the judge how you met.”

  Meredith turned to Judge Herrera. “I was a waitress at a nightclub in Miami and I served her. We started talking and I went home with her after my shift.”

  “How was Mrs. Mason supporting herself in Miami?”

  “Mostly temp work, but she did occasional jobs for an escort service.”

  “Did Mrs. Mason take you along on any of her assignments for the escort service?”

  “Just once. I asked her if I could go because I was curious and I thought it would be fun.”

  “Who was the client?”

  “Daniel Prescott.”

  “Where did you meet him?”

  “At the Marriott by the airport.”

  “What happened at the hotel?”

  “Mr. Prescott had arranged for only one girl, so Allison asked if he would mind if we did a threesome. He wanted to know if it would cost more. Allison told him a price and he agreed.”

  “Where were you when Mr. Prescott and Mrs. Mason testified today?”

  “In the jail.”

  “Could you hear what they said?”

  “No.”

  “Have you read the notes of Regina Barrister’s interview with Alex Mason?”

  “No.”

  “Have you read any reports of any interviews Mr. Prescott gave to Miss Barrister’s associate Robin Lockwood?”