Jack could almost hear his police academy instructor’s voice yelling at Kenny for poor procedure. Your feet are too close together. You need to grab the suspect’s other wrist to control him.
Jack started to say something, but it was too late. Dennis yanked Kenny’s arm, pivoted around him, and ripped Kenny’s gun from its holster. When Kenny stumbled, Dennis grabbed Kristine and pulled her in front of him.
Jack’s gun snapped up, but there was no clear shot. Kristine froze as Dennis pressed the muzzle of the gun against her head. No one moved.
“Throw your guns on the bed now.” Spit flew from Dennis’s mouth. He shielded his body with Kristine’s.
Jack aimed down the sight. “Not going to happen.”
“Now!” Dennis shrieked. “I’ll blow her head off! I’ll do it! I will!”
McCann held out a hand. “Dennis, calm—”
“Toss them—NOW,” Dennis ordered. McCann tossed his gun on the bed, and the rest of the officers, including Jack, followed suit.
Dennis’s hand shook. “I need time. A head start. I deserve a head start. I’ll let her go when I get out of town.”
Terrified, Kristine cried out, “Jack!” Tears ran down her face.
“All of you get against the wall. Hands behind your heads.” Dennis leveled the gun at Jack’s face. “But not you. Hands up.”
Jack raised his hands higher.
Dennis’s hand shook. “It’s all your fault. Everything is. If you had just left the dead buried . . . Damn you!”
Kristine’s expression changed, and Jack could see the resolve in her eyes. Her chin still trembled, but her voice was clear and determined. “Damn you, Dennis! Steven was your best friend.”
“It was his fault!” Dennis yelled.
Kristine closed her eyes. “I won’t let you hurt his son.” Her voice was low, almost a growl. Jack could see her body tighten up as she prepared to move. Dennis must have felt it, too, because he pressed the gun back against her head.
He sees it coming . . .
Kristine’s eyes snapped open. She stopped crying. Her face was strangely calm.
Jack pointed to the mirror on the vanity. “Dennis, look at your head.” Jack’s order was crisp and direct.
Dennis glanced over at the mirror. A red laser dot was centered on the middle of his forehead.
“On the other end of that dot is a fifty-caliber sniper rifle with the best marksman I know dying to pull the trigger. I lower my hands, you die. I close my fist, you die.”
Dennis’s face went as white as his shirt, and he squinted as he tried to look through the darkened doorway at the sniper in the next room. He glared at Jack and aimed the gun at Jack’s head. “We’ve got a standoff then. I’ll blow your head off. We’ll both die.” The gun trembled in his hands.
“You won’t shoot.”
“Why?”
“You ever see what a fifty-caliber round does to someone?” Dennis went even whiter. “That, and the fact that you’re a coward, means you won’t shoot me. Throw your gun down.”
Dennis gripped the gun tighter. “Coward? You want to die, boy? Do you?”
Jack stepped forward. “You know what? I do. Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to die, so I could get out of the hell I found myself in. And that feeling hasn’t stopped. It’s only gotten worse. Every day, I have to come up with reasons not to eat a bullet. It’s wrong that I don’t value my life more, but you value yours way too much. You could shoot me, and I might die. But you suck as a shot, so I may not. Even at this range. But that doesn’t matter because, live or die, I don’t care! You? They won’t miss. You’ll die, and you don’t want to. Now—throw the gun down now or I close my hand.”
“You rotten bastard.”
“You made me a bastard!” Jack screamed. “I had a chance . . .” His hand shook. “Five. Four.”
Dennis’s face contorted in rage. “I’m just sorry I didn’t kill Steven before he slept with Patty.” His eyes shifted to the doorway and the unseen sniper.
Jack stopped breathing. He knew there was no sniper in the other room. It had to be Alice, with his dad’s laser pointer.
Dennis pivoted and aimed for the red dot in the doorway.
Jack pushed forward off the balls of his feet as the gun discharged. In the small room, the blast sounded like a cannon.
The laser dot blinked out.
Jack’s left hand caught the chief’s right wrist and shoved it upward. The gun fired again. Jack twisted Dennis’s wrist till he screamed in pain. Kristine ran to the corner as every police officer tackled Dennis to the floor, and the gun was ripped from his hand.
“ALICE!” Jack charged into the other room.
Replacement lay on the floor, sprawled on her stomach. She wasn’t moving. Jack turned her on her side. His army training took over. His hands searched for a wound while he covered her with his own body.
“Status?” he yelled.
Replacement blinked rapidly and stared at him.
“Status?” Jack bellowed again as his hands continued to sweep over her body.
“What does that mean?” Replacement barked back. “Am I okay? Yeah.”
Jack pulled her close and held her. Replacement started to shake.
“It’s okay,” Jack whispered.
“Okay?” Replacement struggled to pull free. “It’s totally okay!” She jumped up. “You were awesome!” Her face lit up with a grin from ear to ear. “I was so scared when he grabbed Kristine and then pointed the gun at you.” She held up the laser pointer. “I was going to try running out to the hallway and stabbing him with the pen part when he came out, but then I had the whole laser sight idea.”
Jack’s head ticked to the side. “I’m really glad you went with Plan B.”
“Yeah.” She grinned. “Me too. He totally fell for it.”
Jack put his arm around her shoulders, and they walked back to the doorway. The corner desk had been knocked over and paper littered the ground. The captain had finished handcuffing Dennis, who sat on the floor.
Dennis groaned as he straightened his legs out.
“Don’t move,” McCann ordered.
“Shut up, you putz,” Dennis snapped. “I’m not going anywhere . . .”
He trailed off.
Jack followed his gaze. In the middle of the scattered papers, an old red valentine stuck out.
“Patty kept the valentine,” Dennis said softly. “She . . . she kept it.” A look Jack didn’t recognize crossed his face. Then he looked up. “Jack?”
“What?”
“Will you tell Patty . . . Tell her I love her. I always have. I just couldn’t . . .”
Two troopers walked over to Dennis and pulled him to his feet.
Jack stared into the eyes of the man who had killed his father. Part of him wanted to draw his gun and finish his quest for vengeance then and there. He knew no one could stop him. He was too fast. Draw, safety, pull the trigger—over. Less than a fraction of a second. He could almost feel the gun kicking back in his hand. He envisioned Dennis crumpling to the ground as Jack unloaded the clip into him. But then other images crowded in—the look on Alice’s face. The sadness. The disappointment. The pain.
What would happen to her?
Jack felt Replacement’s hand slide into his.
“You’re not worth killing.” Jack let the words fall from his mouth.
Dennis hung his head as the troopers led him away.
37
Miss Ultra-Hypocritical
Jack tossed another bag in the Impala and headed back to the inn. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the air was crisp but not too cold. He wanted to break into a run and feel the air on his face as he walked along the gravel path. So he did. He couldn’t wait to see Replacement’s face.
As he pushed through the front door, three women turned together to greet him. Kristine had her arm around Jack’s grandmother, and Replacement held the old woman’s hand.
“Jackie.” Mrs. Ritter smiled and held out
her arms.
Jack went over to her, and she embraced him once more.
“You promise?” She patted his cheek.
“Yes. I’ll be sure to visit. Let me get things settled, and I’ll be back. It’s not that far.”
“I’ll make sure he calls,” Replacement said. She had on her pink Hope Falls shirt and the matching baseball hat.
“You’ll always have a room here,” Kristine said, and gave Replacement a hug.
“Oh, nonsense,” Mrs. Ritter huffed. “Next visit, they stay with me.”
They all laughed and exchanged another round of hugs. Kristine kissed Jack’s left cheek and Mrs. Ritter his right. Loaded down with homemade sandwiches and drinks, he and Replacement waved and walked out to the parking lot.
“I’m really going to miss it here.” Replacement twirled around. “I watched the sunrise from the widow’s walk this morning after you left. I think it’s the prettiest one I’ve ever seen. Where did you go?”
“I had to get a few things.”
Replacement stopped short. “Oh, look!”
Jack followed her eyes to the parking lot. “What?”
“Look!” She pointed.
Jack looked again. There were only three cars in the lot: his Impala, a green sedan, and the blue Beetle. “What’s wrong?”
“Someone must have rented my car!” She scooted over to the Beetle and gave it a hug.
“Wait a second, Miss Ultra-Hypocritical. You give me a hard time about the Impala, but you get to hug your car?”
“This is different. It’s so cute.” She stood and sighed. “And it’s not my car.”
“Isn’t it?” Jack tossed her a set of keys. “Why don’t you follow me so you don’t get lost.”
Replacement stared down at the keys in her hand. “What is this?”
Jack just smiled.
Replacement’s legs started shaking and then the vibration spread up her body. “Wait. Wait just a second. Are you serious? You didn’t. You did? You bought me the car?”
Jack laughed. “It’s no big deal. It’s used, so Marty gave me a good price on it.”
Replacement’s mouth hung open. “Jack . . . How can I repay you?”
“Forget it.”
“It’s my car. I’ve never had my own car. Oh!” She raced over to Jack and threw herself into his arms, rocking back and forth. “Thank you!”
“Replacement, let me go.”
She danced over to hug her new used car. She laughed and wiped her eyes as she jumped behind the wheel. “Let’s go!” she shouted.
“Okay. But follow me. I need to make one stop before we head home.”
38
What’s My Name?
When Jack carried the small box over and set it down on the table, Patty rocked back and forth and looked down at her hands. The doctor stood in the corner of the room, with Replacement next to him.
“Hi,” Jack said as he sat down.
Patty gave him a quick wave. Her eyes darted to his face and then away.
“I wanted to stop by and see you again.”
“Patty, this is Jack,” the doctor said. “We talked about him this morning.”
Patty looked around. Her eyes stopped on Replacement. She squinted as she stared at Replacement’s pink shirt, then a little smile dawned on her face. “Hope Falls,” she whispered.
Jack leaned closer. “We were just there. You grew up there.”
Patty scooted forward in her chair and leaned in toward Jack. She spoke softly so the doctor couldn’t hear what she said. “Steven . . . why did he call you Jack?”
This is going to be hard to explain.
Jack opened the box. “I picked up a couple things for you. I have some more, but they said you can only have two for right now.” He pulled out a stuffed animal. It was a dog missing an ear.
“Alphie?” Patty rose partway out of her chair; her hand hovered over the toy. “It’s my Alphie!”
Jack nodded. “It’s yours.”
She snatched it to her chest and buried her face against it. She rocked back and forth, cradling it. After a little while, the doctor stepped forward, but Jack held up a hand.
Give her some time.
Jack watched and waited. Eventually Patty looked up. Her eyes darted to the box and back down like a little kid.
Jack reached inside and took out the picture frame. Patty’s mouth fell open before he’d even turned it over. Her hand flashed out and stopped as it touched his. She quickly looked away and pulled her hand back.
He set the picture frame down on the table and turned it around.
Patty inhaled and sat up straighter. “Momma.”
Jack nodded.
“Momma and me.”
Jack put his hands on the table and shut his eyes. After a moment, he felt her hand cover his. He opened his eyes again; something deep within him seemed to change.
Patty laid her arm flat on the table, rested her head on her arm, and stared up at him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t a better mother to you.”
Her words were so clear and sharp, they slammed into him.
“What?” His voice broke.
“I’m sorry I sucked at being a mother. Dragging you all over. Everything.”
Jack didn’t know what to say. “It—it’s okay.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Jack swallowed. “What’s my name?”
Patty wrinkled her nose. “Steven. Like your father.”
Replacement softly gasped.
Jack’s mother stroked the back of his hand as he sat there, stunned. “Steven?” She whispered the word.
“Yes?”
She held his hand. “Stev . . .” She made a face and looked away. “Sorry. It’s just . . . hard for me.”
“What’s hard?” Jack asked.
“To say your name.” Patty touched her heart. “It hurts. Besides Momma, Steven was the only person who was ever nice to me.” She sniffled. “I guess that’s why I don’t say it much. I miss him.”
Jack squeezed her hand. “He loved you too, Mom.”
She smiled. “Thank you for bringing these.” She held up Alphie.
“Sure. Next time I’ll bring you some more stuff.”
39
I Had a Book
Jack lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. His eyes followed the cracks, and he put his arms out to either side. Tomorrow they would move into the two-bedroom apartment downstairs.
His eyes had just closed when he heard a faint tap at the bedroom door. It opened, and Replacement’s face appeared, her green eyes shining.
“You asleep?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
She snorted and walked in, dragging her comforter and carrying her pillow.
Jack sat up. “Do you want me to sleep on the couch?” he asked. “Do you want the bed?” He started to get up, but she shook her head.
“I do want the bed,” she said, “but I don’t want you to sleep on the couch.” She looked at him nervously.
Jack raised an eyebrow.
“We can still do the pillow thing down the middle. I just don’t want to sleep alone.”
Jack nodded. He moved over, and she scooted up next to him.
“Thanks.” She fanned the comforter out and wiggled around until she was comfortable. “You couldn’t sleep?”
Jack shook his head. “I was thinking.”
“About what?”
“My parents. In Florida. I haven’t seen them in a while, so I’m going to go down and visit them.”
“When?”
“Next month maybe. I have the time at work.”
They both gazed up at the ceiling. Jack continued to follow the cracks until they faded off into the darkness.
“Would you have believed that?”
“What?” Replacement rolled onto her elbow to look at Jack.
“Patty. She said my name is Steven.”
Replacement nodded, and her hand ran softly over his.
“I’m going to change
my name,” Jack said.
“You’re not going to be Jack anymore?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’ll still be Jack. That’s like . . . who I am. It would be too weird to change that.”
“Good. I like Jack.”
“But I was thinking . . . I’m going to change it to Jack Alton Steven Stratton.”
Replacement smiled at first, but then made a face.
“What?”
She fell onto her back again and pressed her lips together.
“What? You don’t like the sound of that?” Jack’s voice rose.
“No, I like it. I really do. I think that’s very nice of you, but . . .” She held her hands up. “Could you go with Jack Steven Alton Stratton?”
Jack shrugged. “Why?”
“Well, if you go with it the other way . . . you’ll be Jack A.S.S.” She burst out with a laugh.
Jack’s mouth fell open, then closed with a pop. He burst out laughing, too. They both lay there until their laughter faded into the occasional snicker and, finally, contented sighs.
Jack closed his eyes, and he could feel sleep clouding his thoughts.
Replacement rolled over toward him again. “How long are you going to be gone?”
“I was thinking a week with my folks. They live right outside Orlando.”
Replacement was silent.
“Would you want—would you want to go with me?”
Her face scrunched up, but she still didn’t answer.
“There’s not much to do there; it’s a retirement community. Pretty low-key, but they’re not too far from Disney World. We could go to the park—”
His words were choked off, along with his air supply, as Replacement rolled on top of him. With her legs straddling his stomach, she sat up and raised her hands over her head and cheered. “Woo-hoo! I’ve always wanted to go. Always!” She drummed her hands on his chest.
“Well, that’s sorta why I’m asking.” Jack grinned.
“I know all about it. I had a book. It’s not just one park. There’s a bunch of different ones. It’s really cool. Let me tell you about them . . .”
Jack drifted off to sleep as Replacement ran down her ever-lengthening list of the things they’d do together at Disney World.
Detective Jack Stratton Box Set Page 47
