She looked at him a moment, and then said, “Does she know what you did?”
He sighed heavily. “Yes, she knows.”
“So you locked her in the barn?”
“Yes, I had to.”
“So now what will you do?”
“I don’t know.” He hung his head, and sighed again.
“You aren’t going to... hurt her are you?” she asked cautiously.
He looked up. “I might have to.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t let her go, and I can’t keep her here. I can’t afford it. I have no job, you know.”
She nodded.
He studied her. She really does seem to understand me. “She’s a private detective,” he said.
Jenny looked surprised.
He continued, “ I don’t know what to do. She told me her husband knows where she is, and he will come looking for her. She also said the cops know where she is, and they will come too.” He dropped his head.
A sudden glimmer in her eyes indicated she seemed pleased, maybe a little excited, to hear that, and smiled slightly. The smile disappeared as he raised his head, and said, “I think maybe I will have to kill him. If he comes, that is. Maybe she’s just lying.”
“What if he kills you?” she asked carefully.
His eyes blazed as he said sharply, “He can’t. It’s impossible.”
“Impossible? Why?”
“Because, the good guys always win. You know that.” He motioned toward the bookcase. “It’s in all those books you read, and always on TV, and in the movies. The good guys always win. So... in the end... I will win.”
“Because you’re the good guy?”
“Of course.” He sounded annoyed. “You know that.”
“Yes, I know that,” she lied.
Monday, August 15th, 12:48 PM
ANNIE WAS AFRAID. Afraid the crazy, insane little man, would come back and kill her.
She knew Jake would be frantic right now, but she was optimistic he would find her. She had been able to piece it all together finally, and was confident Jake, or the police, could do the same.
But would it be in time?
She sat on the blanket, leaning against the wall of the barn. She looked about her gloomy surroundings. High above she saw a beam, a piece of rope still attached. She shuddered when she realized what it was. Where Annette Spencer had hung herself. She forced her eyes to look away from the dreadful sight.
She had struggled with the leather strap around her neck, but had been unable to work it loose. The chain holding her was securely fastened to the post. She had studied it for some time, and could see no way to remove it. She had tugged and twisted, but it remained solid.
She thought about Jenny, looking out of the upstairs window. She was thankful Jenny was still alive, and appeared to be ok, but Jeremy was insane, and she couldn’t predict what he could be capable of.
She stood up and moved across the barn floor, testing the length of the chain. About ten feet long. She searched every square inch of the floor as far as she could reach, brushing back the straw, looking for something that might help her cut through the collar around her neck.
Her search turned up nothing.
Maybe a weapon? She tugged at the floorboards, looking for a loose one. Something she could use for a weapon if he came back. She pulled and strained for a long time. Her fingers felt sore and her arms were aching.
She dropped back onto the blanket in frustration.
Suddenly she stood to her feet and picked up the chain. She held it at either end, swinging it, testing it, looping it around. Practicing. Perhaps if she used it as a sort of lasso, she could catch him with it, maybe wrap it around his neck if he came close enough.
She kept at it. Over and over.
She was determined to protect herself: if... or when... he came back.
Chapter 45
Monday, August 15th, 12:55 PM
THE WALMART in Midtown Plaza was busy, as always. Parking spots were scarce, and Jake didn’t have time to wait. He pulled up in front of the store, parked under a no parking sign, and swung from his vehicle.
He didn’t know where on earth he would find the manager’s office in such a massive store, so he approached the greeter, and asked her.
The greeter pointed vaguely toward the left side of the store. “Over there," she said.
Jake strode to where he had been directed. He dodged serious shoppers, casual browsers, and kids, as he went.
He found the manager’s office finally, close to the huge double doors leading to the warehouse behind. He stepped aside to avoid a motorized dolly, speeding carelessly through the doors.
He tapped on the manager’s door, and it swung open. He peered inside. A middle-aged woman with a well-curved business suit looked his way.
“Yes?” she said.
Jake stepped in. “May I sit down?”
She motioned toward a classy chair that looked more expensive than it probably was. He sat down.
She raised her brows and looked at him.
He leaned forward, and offered his hand. “Jake Lincoln,” he said, “from Lincoln Investigations.”
She shook his hand and sat back. “What may I do for you, Mr. Lincoln?”
He cleared his throat. He hadn’t prepared a speech, but no use to give her all the facts. “I’m investigating the murder of Chad Bronson. His car was found parked in this lot last Tuesday, August 9th.”
“Yes?”
“I was hoping you might have some security camera footage from that time and going back to August 2nd. It may show us how the car got here, and when it was picked up.”
She frowned. “It doesn’t sound likely,” she said as she picked up the phone. She touched a number and waited. “Give me security.”
Jake’s foot tapped the floor as he eagerly waited.
“It’s Ms. Stanley. Do we have security footage from August 2nd on?” Silence. “From outside, in the parking lot.” More silence, then, “Ok, hold on.”
Jake waited.
She looked up. “I’m sorry Mr. Lincoln, but any recordings beyond seven days would be long gone. However, there are cameras in front of the store covering much of the lot, and we have digital recordings for August 10th, if that would help.”
August 10th may show Benny taking the car, but Jake was interested in finding out who dropped it there on the 2nd.
He said, “That would be a help.”
Ms. Stanley spoke into the phone. “Bring me what you have from August 10th, Brian. As soon as possible.” She hung up.
“Mr. Lincoln,” she said, “you might want to check with the plaza management office. They have cameras in the lot as well, and may be able to help.”
Jake brightened. “That would be great. I’ll check there immediately.”
She motioned toward her left. “Just go down here past two or three stores, then you will see the door. Management is on the 2nd floor.”
In a few minutes, Brian appeared. “Here it is,” he said. He held out a flash drive. He handed it to Jake as she motioned toward him.
Jake stood up. “Thank you, Ms. Stanley. You’ve been a big help.”
She smiled at him, and Jake nodded slightly at Brian as he left.
He half ran through the store and out to the sidewalk. He turned left, and soon he saw the doorway. He went in, took the stairs two at a time, and knocked on the door below a sign saying, ‘Midtown Plaza Management Office’.
He turned the knob and went in without waiting. A pleasant-looking girl looked up and smiled as he came in.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m looking for the security office.”
She pointed behind her. Just tap on that door. Gene will help you. She smiled again.
“Thank you,” he said as he hurried past.
He tapped on the door and it was soon opened by a rather plump man, maybe in his thirties.
“Yes?” He sounded way too cheerful.
Jake explained what he neede
d.
Gene looked at him and frowned. “Do you have a warrant?”
Jake was stunned. “Uh...”
Gene almost fell over laughing. “Just kidding,” he said. “They always say that on TV. Just kidding. Just kidding. Come in. Sit down,” he said as he hooked a chair with his foot and swung it over towards Jake.
Jake forced a laugh and sat down.
“You’re in luck,” Gene said. “We used to erase everything after a week, and reuse it, but last winter, some guy said he slipped on the ice and hit his head. He decided to sue us. We didn’t have the footage. It was a big headache. We finally won, though. But memory is so cheap these days, we put in a bunch of new servers and now we keep everything for a month. Just in case, you know.” Gene laughed again.
Jake didn’t know what he was laughing at, but he smiled and said, “If I can get the footage from August 2nd, as well as August 10th, that would be perfect.”
“No probs.”
Gene whipped open a drawer and pulled out a flash drive. “This baby can hold a lot,” he said. He pushed the drive into a port on his desktop computer, and hit a few keys. In about two minutes, he pulled the drive out, snapped the top on, and handed it to Jake. “Viola. Finito.”
Jake took the drive, thanked him, and left.
He hurried down the steps, hopped in his car, and flew out of the lot.
Jake didn’t want to waste the time going home, setting up their equipment, and try to fudge his way through the video by himself, so as he turned onto the street, he pulled out his cell phone. He punched a few keys, and then heard the phone dialing. He pinched it between his chin and shoulder, and waited.
“Jeremiah Everest.”
“Geekly, it’s Jake.”
“Jake, what’s up?”
“I need your help.”
“Sure. What can I do for you, my good man?”
Jake knew Geekly was always home. He ran a web design and computer consulting business out of his home. It seemed like he never left his chair.
“I’m on my way over now. Do you have time to check out some video for me?”
“Sure do. Come on over.”
Jake hung up and tapped the brakes, swerving down a side street. He slapped the shifter into high gear, and touched the gas again. A couple of lefts, then a right, and he screeched to a stop in front of a row of townhouses.
He swung from the vehicle and ran up the steps of #633. The door opened as he approached it.
“Come on in, Jake.”
Jeremiah Everest was appropriately nicknamed Geekly, for obvious reasons. He looked the part. Hair down over his ears, a fruitless attempt at a goatee, true geek glasses, and a face that would have been enough on it’s own to spell ‘geek’, even without his other enhancements. He actually took great pride in his appearance, and loved his nickname.
Jake slapped him on the back, and followed him in.
The whole house seemed to be his office. His desk was in the living room. There was no normal furniture around except an easy chair in the corner, facing a television set perched on a coffee table. The walls were lined with makeshift shelving, containing computers, printers, and a variety of electronic stuff Jake didn’t recognize. His desk contained only a pair of monitors and a mouse. Off to the side, within easy reach of his chair, was a tower, and a shelf stuffed with DVDs, drives, mice, and cables.
Jake suspected even his bedroom had computer parts and other stuff lying around.
There was, however, besides Geekly’s well-worn chair, one other that spun over toward Jake as Geekly gave it a shove.
“Have a seat, Jake. Let’s see what we have here.”
“Do you have a paper and pencil?” Jake asked.
“Paper. Who needs paper when I have a computer.” He chuckled and opened a drawer at the side of the desk. “Are these the obsolete items you were looking for?” he asked as he handed Jake a pad and pencil.
Jake laughed and scribbled down the dates, and times, he was interested in viewing. He handed Geekly the paper.
Geekly fit the flash drive from Walmart, into a slot on the tower. It a moment an icon appeared on his desktop. He glanced at the paper, and then double-clicked the video icon that appeared inside the drive. A window opened containing a video. A timestamp read midnight on the 10th of August. He made the video a little larger, and then dragged a small bar at the bottom of the window. The timestamp blurred. Spiegle had called in to dispatch at 5:02, so Geekly expertly maneuvered the bar until the timestamp read 4:30, and let it play.
The camera had not been very close to the spot where Benny had said he found the car. The image was small and unclear. Jake saw the spot where the buggies were parked. He pointed to the screen. The car would have been right about there. He leaned forward and squinted. He thought he could vaguely make out a white Tercel in among other parked vehicles.
Jake looked at the timestamp. “Can you speed it up a bit?”
Geekly touched the keyboard, and the video sped up to three or four times speed.
In a couple of minutes Jake shouted, “Stop.”
Geekly stopped it, backed it up a bit, and played it forward in slow motion. A man could be seen bending down and looking in the window. In a few seconds, he climbed in the vehicle and pulled out of the spot. Jake could now see the side view, and was certain that was the car. He looked at the timestamp. 4:52.
“Try the other drive. There should be two videos on it. Let’s see August 2nd,” Jake said.
Geekly tucked the other flash drive into another slot, and repeated the process. The camera was still not close enough to make out details, but it showed a much better shot of the area in question. By comparing this video to the last one, Jake could narrow down the exact slot where the Tercel would be. The video started at midnight, August 2nd, and the slot was empty.
“We have no idea of the exact time, so can you play it at super fast speed?” Jake said as he touched the screen. “Watch that spot. When a car appears there, that should be it.”
They watched.
The video was playing so fast, the car seemed to appear in the slot like magic. Geekly stopped the video, then moved the bar back until the car disappeared, and then played it at normal speed.
Jake leaned in a little more.
Soon. “There it is!”
The Toyota could be seen coming into camera range, and then turning into the slot. It stopped. Jake held his breath. He watched as someone climbed from the car. Then his face turned toward the camera.
“Stop!”
The video stopped.
“That’s him,” Jake said. “Can you enhance that?”
Geekly shook his head. “Nope. You can’t enhance a video in real life. Only in the movies. You can’t see any information that doesn’t actually exist.”
Jake frowned.
Geekly said, “Have you ever looked at a TV screen from a few inches away? Everything is just a blurry mess. But if you sit back a few feet, it becomes clear.”
Jake cocked his head. “So...?”
“So,” Geekly said, “If I blow this up large on the screen, then you stand over there by the wall, it will appear much clearer.”
Jake stood back a few feet while Geekly blew up the video until the face filled the monitor.
“I don’t believe it! Son of a...”
“You know who it is?”
“I sure do. Thanks Geekly. I owe you one,” he called as he ran toward the front door.
Two or three pedestrians spun around to stare as a bright red Firebird squealed and bunny hopped away from the curb, roaring out of view of their startled eyes.
Chapter 46
Monday, August 15th, 1:30 PM
IF THEY came looking for him, he had to be ready.
He pulled out the drawer by the sink and retrieved the kitchen knife sharpener. It made a gritty squawk as he drew the blade of his hunting knife through the v-shaped crevice. Again and again. He tested the edge of the blade with his finger. Perfect. He smiled grimly as h
e tucked it back into its sheath, and dropped his pant leg.
He leaned down and slid open the drawer where he kept Father’s trusty 22. He lifted the towels and picked up the gun, caressing it lovingly, and thought of Father. He checked the cartridges and spun the cylinder, and then tucked it behind his belt buckle, next to his skin.
He hadn’t used Father’s old hunting rifle for some time. The one Father had used to eliminate the dirtbag thief that had destroyed their lives many years ago.
He flicked on the basement light, and went down the aging wooden steps. The stone-walled basement smelled musty, and the air was thin and damp.
He saw the gun rack hanging on the far wall. He walked over and lifted the semiautomatic off the rack, wiped the dust off with a cloth he found on a shelf, and then grabbed a handful of bullets from a box by the stand, and dropped them in his pocket. The rifle had a fixed 5-shot magazine, so he loaded it up from the box, and carried it upstairs.
He went to the living room. It had a window facing the driveway. He opened it a crack and poked the barrel of the rifle through, testing the range, swinging the gun back and forth. From here, he would be able to see the whole front of the property. He wished the rifle had a scope, but he didn’t think there ever was one. He would just have to make do without it.
He couldn’t carry the rifle around with him everywhere he went, so he decided to leave it in the mudroom. He tucked it back out of sight on a low shelf of the workbench, where he could find it quickly, if necessary.
Digging on another shelf, he found a spike. About four inches long. That should do it. He picked a hammer off of a hook on the wall above the bench, and went to the front door. He selected a spot and pounded the nail in, fastening the door securely to the frame. He stood back and smiled grimly.
Just one more thing to do. He went to the phone in the kitchen, grabbed the receiver and unplugged the cable, tucking it under some towels in a cupboard drawer.
He was anxious to get back to work. There were a lot more scumbags out there who he needed to kill, and he didn’t want this distraction right now. Hopefully this would all blow over soon, and he could continue his task.
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