The Betrayer by Daniel Judson Page A

better if
we let Morris do this by the book.”
    “But what if he
finds something incriminating?”
    “Yeah, that’s a
problem, isn’t it? We should have a few hours before Morris gets his warrant. Maybe
you could take a quick look around the place first, just in case. For all we
know, Jeremy’s got an Ecstasy lab there. Or worse. You up for that, Cat?”
    She nodded,
then said, “Yeah.”
    It was her turn
to look at him closely. Something was clearly bothering him.
    “What’s on your
mind, Donnie?”
    “I should have
told you this sooner, but Jeremy called me a while back. About a month ago, I
guess. He said he’d gotten himself clean and was thinking clearly for the first
time in a long time. To be honest, he sounded a bit manic, talking fast and
saying stuff that was way out there.”
    “Like what?”
    “That he remembered
things from the night your father was killed, things that he’d suppressed,
apparently.”
    “What things?”
    “He wouldn’t
tell me over the phone. I asked him if he was working, and he told me he was tending
bar at a restaurant in Midtown. I went there the next day to confirm it. He was
there all right, but he seemed…keyed up.”
    “That’s
Jeremy.”
    “I know, but
this seemed different. He wouldn’t look me in the eye. I asked him about the memories
and he said he didn’t want to talk about it. I told him he could trust me, but
he just shut me down. I didn’t want to push it, or him, so I backed off and said
I’d like to hear from him once a week — the same day, the same time, every
week. He agreed and checked in with me just like I’d asked him to, right on
time — until this week, that is.”
    “Why didn’t you
tell me this?”
    “I was handling
it. Or at least I thought I was. Anyway, you have enough to worry about.”
    “He’s my
brother, Donnie. He’s my problem.”
    “It’s hard to
know what the right thing to do is here. With him, I mean. With you three. But you’re
wrong about him being your problem, Cat. He’s my problem, too.”
    “When was he
supposed to check in?”
    “Yesterday.”
    “Did you go
looking for him when he didn’t call?”
    “I was in court
all day. I phoned the restaurant when I got out. It turns out he had quit weeks
ago. Every time he called and told me he was still working there and doing fine,
he was lying.”
    Born to suffer,
Cat thought. And to cause suffering.
    Nothing new
there.
    “Did you go by
the apartment?”
    “I was going to
today. I learned a long time ago that if you push Jeremy, he runs. I didn’t
want that to happen.”
    “And he hadn’t
said anything more about the memories.”
    “Not a thing. It
was almost as if he had forgotten all about it. At that point, I just assumed it
was something he’d blurted out during an episode. Or maybe he’d had a moment of
paranoid delusion or something.”
    Cat had seen
her brother in fits of mania. She’d also seen him high to the point of near-religious
euphoria. And though she had never witnessed delusional outbursts, she knew anything
was possible.
    What, after
years and years of abuse, could be left of the poor boy’s mind?
    Fiermonte took
in a breath, let it out. “I hate to say this, but I was hoping this whole thing
tonight was somehow drug related. A buy gone bad, or maybe he owed the wrong
person money. And maybe you’re right; maybe it wasn’t even him on his bike
tonight. But right now my gut is telling me otherwise.”
    Fiermonte
looked at Cat, paused, then said, “Maybe Jeremy does know something — saw it
the night your father was taken but had forgot all about it till now. Or maybe
he’s out of his mind and in need of meds. Whatever the case, we need to find him.
Before he gets himself hurt. Or worse. We need to find him and get him help. Even
if that means going for involuntary commitment again. I made a promise to your
father a long time ago, and I’ll do what I have to do to keep it. Do you
understand me?”
    Cat nodded. “I’d
better get