JACK KNIFED (22 page)

Blinders

Jack stood in the shower and let the water wash over him. He longed for the shower back in his apartment and the giant, seemingly endless hot water tank. Right now he was grateful for a chance to think. He hung his head and closed his eyes. He could feel the heat from the water seep into his muscles.

The brothers beat him, but they didn’t kill him. He was alive when they left.

Jack’s eyes flashed open as he pictured his father lying dead on the ground. He stared down at his hands and let the water pool there before it fell into the tub.

They left when they saw the lights. Police lights. Abbey saw them when she was a kid, too.

Jack shut the shower off, watched the water swirl around his feet before it swirled into a whirlpool. His foot moved forward to cover the drain. The water slowly started to rise. As he gazed down, water drops fell off his body and splashed into the pool.

Stabbed multiple times. No murder weapon found except the broken tip of a jackknife.

The mist from the hot water quickly dissipated and so did the heat. Jack moved his foot to let the water escape.

He reached for the towel with a smile on his face. When he’d told Replacement he was going to take a shower, she had run in and laid everything out for him.

Could it work? Her and me? Why not? Because I’ll screw it up. I’ll just shut her out when she gets close.

Jack got dressed quickly and hurried outside. He needed to make two calls, and he didn’t want Replacement to overhear him. He walked halfway around the porch before he called.

“Pinkerton Sports World,” a man answered.

Jack ran down the list of things he needed and, one by one, he checked off the items. They had everything.

“I need you to get it all and set it behind the counter. I’ll be by tomorrow to pick it up. Name’s Stratton. Do you need a credit card to hold it?”

“Nope. I’m not on tomorrow, but I’ll leave a note. You can pay when you get here.”

Jack hung up the phone.

It would be a short drive tomorrow. He debated for a moment about talking to Replacement.

If I’m right, it’s going to be dangerous. I’ve gotten a lot wrong. I’ve had blinders on. I can’t put her in danger.

Jack grabbed a scrap of paper from his pocket and then dialed his phone. After three rings, a man answered. “This is Jimmy.”

Jack lowered the phone slightly before he raised it back up. “How are you doing, Tank? It’s Jack.”

Jack needed a favor, and Jimmy was the only one who could do it for him. Still, he hesitated. It was never easy to ask someone to be ready to kill a man.

Sorry About The Shovel

The next morning Jack, Replacement, and Kristine all met in the room behind the front desk where Jack had first met his grandmother. Jack paced the floor.

“They didn’t go to the police. I talked with my friend, and she said no one said anything.” Kristine held a teacup with both hands.

“Someone is going to talk soon.” Replacement paced the floor. “And when the paper comes out…”

“I have to talk to Henry Cooper. There was some cop at the pond before Steven was stabbed.”

Kristine shook her head.

“Jack, he’s a mean drunk but, why would he have hurt Steven?”

Replacement jumped up. “Did you know him? Did Steven ever talk about him?”

Kristine closed her eyes and leaned her head to the side. “I didn’t know him, but Steven did. Henry was the assistant Scout leader. Dennis was the Scout master, or whatever it’s called.”

“Dennis was?”

“Dennis Senior. He started with Cub Scouts because of his son, then went from there. Steven loved it. Well…”

“Well, what?” Jack asked.

“How is your relationship with your adoptive father, Jack?” Kristine looked up.

“What?” Jack leaned against the doorframe.

“How is it? You didn’t have a dad until you were eleven. How was it when you got one?”

Jack smiled, and his chest swelled. “It was awesome. My dad…” He shrugged but patted his chest. “He fit something that was missing.”

“I think that’s how Steven felt about Dennis Senior. Steven never had a dad but, because of Scouts, he got a chance to feel what it was like, a little.”

“What about Henry?” Replacement crossed her arms.

“He lives across from the library. I know he’s divorced. He’s been doing odd jobs since getting kicked off the force. Like I said, he’s a mean drunk.”

“Why did he get kicked off the force?”

“Booze. It was something about drinking on duty. There was stuff on TV about it.”

“This should be interesting. Better to talk to a drunk in the morning. Ready?” Jack headed for the door.

“Is there a good time to talk to a drunk?” Replacement stuck her tongue out.

“Jack?” Kristine whispered his name. “Can I do anything?”

Replacement stepped up. “Do you know Jeff Franklin?”

“The reporter?”

“Yeah. He wrote the article and he’s going to write another one next week.”

“I met him a few times, but I don’t know him.”

“He’s a major problem.” Jack ran a hand through his hair. “If he prints that article next week, I lose my job and get sued.”

Replacement shifted from foot to foot. “Do you know him well enough to shut him up?”

Kristine laughed. “What do you want me to do, invite him for a cup of tea and poison him?”

Replacement’s eyebrow went up.

“Alice.”

“I’m kidding.” She frowned.

“Do you know anyone who can talk to him?” Jack continued. “I just don’t want him to say anything about Terry Martinez. He seems like a good guy.”

Kristine smiled. “I’ll see who I know. At least I’ll be doing something.”

Jack and Replacement headed for the Impala. The day was gray and overcast; a lighter gray spot revealed where the sun was hidden behind the thick veil of clouds.

“I won’t kick his ass.” Jack looked down as he walked.

“Jack.” Replacement ran in front of him and stopped. She stared at his chest before she continued. “Look, I only care about you. I don’t want you to get in trouble, lose your job, and go to prison or something. The guys who you stomped are scumbags. I wanted to punch them, too. I just…I just want to say I don’t think you’re wrong.”

Jack smirked. “So I can beat this guy up?”

She pushed him back and then walked for the car.

“No. I just… It’s hard to explain.”

Jack laughed. “I think I get it. Thanks, kid.”

“Do you want me to drive?” Replacement looked puzzled.

“No.” Jack gave her a look back before he realized he had opened her door for her.

Her eyes widened as she also realized what he was doing. Her mouth opened, and then snapped shut and she hopped in.

Jack hurried back to his side of the car.

What’s wrong with you?

The Impala sputtered before it started. Jack turned his head to listen to the engine. After a few seconds, he patted the dashboard and backed out.

“Why do you do that?” Replacement asked.

“Do what?”

“Rub the car.” She made a face.

“I didn’t rub the car.” He scowled back.

“You did. I just saw you.”

“I patted it.”

“It wasn’t a pat. It was a rub.”

“I’m not, like, caressing the car.”

“Looked like it to me.”

“Guys do that. She’s my baby and she sounded off. I got worried.”

Replacement’s head wobbled back and forth, and she stuck out her tongue.

“I’m jealous of—”

Jack looked over, but she kept her head to the window. He drummed his thumbs against the steering wheel.

Now or never. Don’t be a pansy.

“Hey, kid? Before you came to Aunt Haddie’s, where were you?”

She kept her head turned away and didn’t answer him. Jack turned onto the main road and slowed for traffic.

“A foster place. I don’t talk about it.” She spoke into the window.

“Even with me? You know my past.” Jack hit the steering wheel. “Sorry. That sounded jerky. I meant I thought we could talk…I mean…like I felt comfortable telling you, so…but you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

Smooth. Idiot.

“I went from heaven to hell.” Replacement scratched her hand, and Jack noticed the faint scars.

Nervous habit. She’s done it to the point of scarring, though.

“My dad was…awesome. My whole family. When they died, they placed me in a shelter thing, and people were really nice. I was nine. But then they placed me in a foster home. It was…I didn’t think…”

A horn blared, and Jack slammed on the brakes. They stopped inches from another car. They stopped so fast the Impala stalled. Jack held up his hand and Replacement looked around, wide-eyed.

“Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” Jack muttered as he started the car back up.

Replacement stared ahead at the car before them and trembled.

Her family died in a car accident. Way to go, Jack. Batting a thousand today.

He undid his seat belt so he could put his arm on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry. You okay?”

She nodded, and the car behind them laid on the horn.

Jack put the car in drive and then slowly moved again. He kept both hands on the wheel but kept looking over at her.

“Stop it.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m okay. I just got a little freaked.”

Jack exhaled, but he still turned slowly onto the road to the library.

“That his house?”

Henry Cooper’s house didn’t fit Jack’s expectations at all. It was a very nice, but small, ranch with a manicured lawn. White paint, red door, and a brick pathway that led to a driveway with a newer model red truck parked in it.

Jack pulled in next to the truck and shut off the engine. As he opened the door, he could hear the sound of a small chainsaw out back. He nodded his head, and Replacement walked with him around the back of the house.

The backyard was even more carefully groomed than the front. Small apple trees dotted the yard, along with benches and a picnic table. In the far corner, a man was halfway up a ladder, trimming a tree with a chainsaw.

Jack motioned for Replacement to hold up while he kept walking forward. The guy was dressed in blue jeans, work boots, and a sweatshirt. Even with all the noise of the saw and the glare off his safety glasses, he noticed Jack. As the saw sputtered out, the man jumped down from the ladder and set the tool on the ground.

Henry’s gray hair was cut short, and his face was deeply lined, but Jack guessed he was in his early fifties.

“Henry Cooper?” Jack stopped a couple of feet away from the man. “I’m Jack Stratton. Can I have a couple minutes of your time?”

“You’re a cop?”

Jack nodded. “I’m not here officially. I—”

“Then get the hell out until you are.”

Jack looked at Henry’s stance: right foot back and slightly angled, left leg slightly bent.

Henry’s dangerous.

“I just have a—”

“You have ten seconds to get off my property before I make you leave.”

Jack searched his face.

He thinks he can back it up.

“We just have a couple questions.” Replacement walked forward and gave a little wave. “We wanted to know what happened at the pond.”

“Screw you,” Henry snarled. “I’ve paid for that. It wasn’t my fault.”

“No one is—”

“Five.” Henry started to count. “I saved the kid. I couldn’t get the father. Four. Did you know his boot was stuck in the snowmobile? They don’t write that, do they? Three.”

“Hold up.” Jack took a step back and moved Replacement behind him. “I’m not here about that. I’m here about the murder at Buckmaster Pond.”

“Buckmaster?” Henry blinked rapidly and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Steven?”

“Steven Ritter. I need to know about that.”

“Why?”

“Steven Ritter was my father.”

“Steven didn’t have a kid. He was a kid.” Henry looked down for a second before he sneered. “Did he knock up some chick before he got killed?”

Jack’s chest tightened. Henry stared at Jack. He looked him up and down, and his eyes widened.

“Damn. You could be him. You got ten questions.”

“When did you first go out to the pond?”

“One. Stupid question. I went to the pond when I got the call.”

“What time?”

“That’s two. A girl called the station that night and I went out.”

“That was one question. Second question. Were you the only cop on that night?”

“Four. Being a wiseass cost you a question. Yeah. There was only one covering cop on that night, and it was me.”

“Fine. Five. Where were you when you got the call?”

“In my car.”

“Six.” Jack took a step forward. “Where was your car, exact location?”

“On patrol.”

“Where?”

“Seven. On patrol.” Henry took a step forward.

“The dispatcher call log placed you at Market Street just before the call. Market Street is two minutes from the pond. Dispatcher wrote that just before the call came in. You took fifteen minutes to get to the pond. Where were you when the call came in?” Jack snarled the question and stepped in.

Only a foot separated the men now.

“Ten. In my car.” Henry smiled and reached out for Jack’s shoulder.

Jack smacked his hand away. Henry lunged forward. He grabbed Jack’s belt with one hand, but Jack twisted and broke the hold. Henry’s fist shot out. Jack leaned and blocked it. Surprised by the speed, the blow just missed his face. Jack’s hand instinctively struck back; this time Henry blocked. Henry’s foot shot out low for Jack’s knee. Jack’s leg was a blur as he lifted it up, but they still clashed shins.

Damn. This guy is fast.

Henry kicked for Jack’s groin, but Jack scooped his leg to the side. Jack stepped to the right and grabbed Henry’s arm with both hands. Jack put pressure on Henry’s arm, and Henry doubled over.

“Calm down,” Jack growled.

“Screw you.”

Henry lunged toward Replacement. Replacement gasped and darted left. The move caught Jack off guard, and he tried to pull Henry back toward himself. Henry let Jack yank him close and slammed his elbow in the side of Jack’s face. Jack’s head snapped back, and he landed hard on the ground.

“Stupid Boy Scout,” Henry spat.

Jack grabbed a handful of gravel and chucked it into Henry’s face. As Henry’s hands came up, Jack pushed off the ground and planted a solid kick to Henry’s stomach that launched him backward. Henry rolled as he landed and drew up in a crouch. Jack saw the gleam from the jackknife that was now in his hands.