by Amy Shannon
Aggie took a deep breath and ran her fingers lightly over his scar. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
“About what?”
“That we both really like each other. I mean, we wanna get to know each other, aside from this case and this murderer slash stalker.”
“You were right, about everything,” he said. “Uh, did you still wanna have supper tonight? We could meet at the diner, or I can pick up somethin’ and cook for us.”
“Why don’t I pick up supper and meet you at your place at seven?” she smiled. “I know you’re busy.”
He looked at his watch. “I haveta meet with Lou Fisher,” he sighed. “In a few minutes. He’s in charge of hiring the maintenance contractors. He said his office was in this building.”
“Is that why you came here?”
“Not the entire reason and I do care about you. Just be extra cautious. I don’t know if this John guy is just a messenger, friend, or the actual Icarus.”
“What if Lou is?” she sighed. “He could be.”
“Well, I checked him out with the Feds,” he sighed. “He’s been working and living in this town since he was born, and they sent me his prints, and photo. He’s worked for the county for over thirty years. So he doesn’t even fit the age profile.”
“But age isn’t always right,” she sighed. “Oh, sorry. You know that.”
“You’ve been reading a lot of profiling books, haven’t you?”
“And I watch Criminal Minds, sorry,” she smiled.
“Criminal Minds?” he raised an eyebrow. “Oh, right, sorry. A police procedural show, right? I don’t watch much TV.”
“Do you watch any?”
“Just the news and old shows on Blu-Ray.”
“Hmm, I still have so much more to learn.”
“And I’ve got a lot to learn about you.”
“I’m an open book, just ask my stalker.”
“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I better check in on Mr. Fisher.”
“Two floors up is maintenance. I’ll be at your place at seven,” she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek.
“Doc, I’ll see you soon,” he started to walk down the corridor toward the elevators, and then he turned around. “Doc, soon this will be over.”
She nodded and headed into her office, as Jake walked onto the elevator. She stared at the envelope on her desk, handwritten were the letters Agatha. “Crap,” she muttered, putting on a pair of latex gloves and sitting behind her desk.
Jake walked down the corridor toward the office at the end of the hall, when a man coming from the other direction, bumped into him. He stopped and looked into his eyes. “John, I presume,” he grabbed the man’s arm.
The man shrugged it away. “Do I know you?”
“Jake. Jake Dalton,” he crossed his arms.
“Oh, what did ya want?”
“What’s your full name?”
“John Lawrence Smythe, uh, sir.”
“You delivered somethin’ to my office today, am I right?”
“You must know I did,” he backed up, until his back hit the wall.
“I must know? How?”
“Not sure how, but you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t know it, right?” he put his hands up. “Don’t hurt me, sir, please.”
“I’m not gonna hurt ya,” he placed on hand on the holster on his hip, and removed his Stetson with his other hand. “Why you think that?” he positioned himself in front of John, so he was barely stepping on the man’s toes. He looked down at the man, who was at least a foot shorter than he was. “I just wanna know who sent you to my office and made you give that delivery.”
“Uh, you did, sir.”
Jake cocked an eyebrow, and moved a little bit closer, so John could feel Jake’s breath beating on his nose. “I did not make you send anything to my office.”
“Uh, sir, you’re in my space. Please, step back. I only obeyed orders.”
Jake took a step back. “I beg your pardon. You should start explaining, right now,” he released his hand on his holster, and placed his Stetson back on his head. “Now, pardon my lack of manners, but explain or I’ll call the sheriff.”
“I was in the locker room, when I noticed a box on the floor in front of it. My friend, Reid, uh, Reid Morrison was getting dressed for work in the next row. He told me that a guy wearing a cowboy hat wanted me to deliver that package.”
“And you just did it? Are you mad or somethin’?” Jake crossed his arms.
“No, I kicked the box, and the flap opened. There was two envelopes. One was the one I delivered, and the other one had three hundred dollars in twenties, and a note telling me to deliver it. It said if I didn’t deliver it, the county building would be blown up.”
“Do you have the letter?”
“Uh, it said to destroy the letter, but I didn’t. I put it in my locker. You didn’t give me instructions?”
“No. Someone is killing people and stalking my friend, and you just helped him deliver a package to me. It could’ve been dangerous.”
“I’m sorry. If you follow me, I can get you the letter.”
“Go get it, and bring it to me,” he said. “Uh, I also want the information on your friend, Reid Morrison. If you don’t return in five minutes, I’ll call the sheriff and tell him that you’re aiding and abetting a murderer.”
He hurried down the hall toward another corridor, and within three minutes, he returned. Jake took a plastic bag out of his pocket and opened it. “Drop the letter into the bag.”
John did as instructed. “Sir, I am sorry.”
“If somethin’ like this happens again, come straight to the agency and let me know.”
“Yes, sir, of course, sir.”
“And if you hear anything out of the ordinary, especially from someone who works with you, let me know.”
“I will, sir, I promise,” he walked down the hall and then turned around. “Uh, sir?”
“What is it?” Jake turned around.
“You said your friend is being stalked, right?”
“Yes, Dr. Constantine, why? Do you know somethin’?”
“I know of three guys who talk about her, you know, inappropriately, saying things, like how sexy she is, or whatever. Normal guy stuff.”
“Oh, well, all right.”
“But there’s one guy who gets real defensive, as if he were dating her or somethin’. She’s not dating this guy, I know that for a fact.”
“How do ya know?”
“Because he’s a loner and liar,” he sighed. “His name is Arlo, Arlo Robinson.”
“How long have you known Mr. Robinson?”
“Since we were kids,” he sighed.
“Oh, the man we’re looking for is new to the area.”
“Are you sure? Arlo grew up here, but then went away for several years. He just moved back last year.”
Jake took his black notebook out of his jacket pocket, and wrote his name down. “Does he work with you?”
“He is contracted with Shining Maintenance, like I am, but he usually works at the clinic or the hospital. Sometimes he works here, just not all the time.”
“Thanks, and, John, keep this between us. He may not be the guy.”
“No, but he may be a guy that does things wrong, too,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. I told people before, but no one ever paid attention.”
“Well, John, I’m paying attention, and if you have any other information, you know where I am, or you can call me,” he pulled one of his business cards out of his inside jacket pocket. He walked down the hall toward John and handed it to him. “Anytime.”
“Thanks,” he nodded and headed down the hall.
Jake turned and headed toward Mr. Fisher’s office.
15
Jake walked into the agency, and focused on Ralph. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Brennan, I need you to do a check on these names, starting with the one at the top.”
“What kind of check?”
“Oh
, right,” he sighed, taking off his Stetson and setting it on his desk. He sat on the edge of the desk. “Call Dina at the Oklahoma FBI, and she runs background checks. Let her know you work for me,” he sighed. “Her number is in my rolodex, which you should make sure you have a copy of for yourself.”
“Yes, sir, I added all of those contacts to my phone.”
“Good. Dina Jennings. Federal Bureau of Investigations,” Jake said.
“I got the FBI part,” Ralph said.
“Oh, right, sorry. It’s been a long day. Also, I want you to do searches on the names. I wanna know everything there is to know about those names, starting with the one at the top.”
“Everything? I’m sorry, what do you mean by everything,” he wrote down some notes on the yellow legal pad that was on his desk.
“Uh huh, employment, lifetime residences, arrest records, military, family, pets, cars they drive, credit report, everything you can find.”
“Yes, sir, I’ll do that.”
“Also, I want their photos. Mr. Fisher, who deals with maintenance contracts with the Shining Maintenance agency based in Camden, said he’d email me the photos that go with their security badges. I want you to compare them. I need to make sure the men are who they claim to be, and if you haveta, use the facial recognition software. You did install it, right?”
“Uh, I didn’t know you had it, but I’ll get it installed. I’ve got access to use it?”
“You have access to whatever I say you have access to,” Jake sighed. “Install the software. It’s registered to me, I’ve just never used it. I hardly use the computer except when I need to. Now, I’ve got you, right?”
“Yes, sir,” he sighed. “Whatever I can do. It wasn’t on your laptop. I looked at yours and then installed everything on mine.”
“No, it’s on the computer in the other room. The one in the corner of the storage room. It’s on its own network. I’m sorry. I guess I needed to make sure you could be trusted. That computer is one of those state-of-the-art computers and it has direct access to different law enforcement databases. One of my contacts at the FBI set it up for me. I don’t use it often, but now, would be a good time to do it. Brennan, don’t let me down.”
“I won’t. You can trust me,” he sighed. “I’ll prove it to you. I swear.”
“Good. Install the facial rec software on yours, but everything else leave on that other computer. Don’t use it unless I tell you. In order to access it, you need my creds, and I’ll give them to you when you need them. Don’t try to hack it or whatever you do, or you’ll be arrested again.”
“Yes, sir,” he sighed. “It’s linked?”
“To several federal databases. I’m not as inept in tech as you may think. I just use what I like to use,” Jake sighed. “Brennan, I like you and you’re a big help around here. I know you thought this was just one of those run-of-the-mill PI agencies, but it’s not. I do know what I’m doing and I get paid very well for doing my job. This case just happens to be somethin’ different than I normally take on.”
“Sir, I’m sorry that I assumed you were just a cowboy slash PI who used to be a cop.”
“Not a cop, a Texas Ranger. Glad you’re here, and don’t treat me any differently. I’m still the same guy,” he sighed. “Get right on that, and I don’t care if you haveta call upon Google or whatever.”
“Yes, sir,” he sighed. “I’ll do that now.”
“It may make you work late, so, if you wanna go get supper, and come back, go on. I’m sorry, but it has to get done as soon as possible. At least the first one. That Robinson. After that, you can finish the others tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,” he sighed. “Can I just get takeout and eat and work here?”
“It’s fine,” Jake nodded, taking a cigar out of his shirt pocket. He rested it on his lip and lit it. “As soon as you know somethin’, let me know,” he sat down at his desk, and opened one of his folders.
“Of course, sir,” he sighed. He stood up and walked into the back storage room.
Jake opened his laptop and accessed his secured email. He logged in and then entered his 10-digit passcode. He selected Dina Jennings, FBI from his contacts.
Dina-
Ralph Brennan works for me now. He will be contacting you regarding a list of employees of Shining Maintenance agency in Camden, OK. Need all info ASAP. If Brennan requests something diff. let me know.
I need to make sure Brennan can be trusted and continue to work here. I need new creds for diff dB so Brennan can use my access.
Also, need other files about Brennan. You know what. Thx.
Dalton.
He clicked on send and then went into his sent files folder and deleted the file. He pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket and flipped it open. He sent a quick text to 55569.
Jake: Sent Email. Reply l8r
He put his phone in his desk drawer, and stood up. He took off his jacket, hung it on the coat rack, and poured himself a mug of coffee. He walked over to the maps on the wall and sighed as the telephone rang. “I got it, Brennan,” Jake walked over to his desk. “Dalton.”
“It’s Olsen. The IDs are confirmed. You were right, ‘bout most of the girls who’re missing, they match the bodies. However,” he stopped.
“However?”
“Three more missing person calls came in today.”
“Can you send me the files?”
“I can email them or send them via messenger. Whatev-ah works for you. I’m heading to Oklahoma City this evening for a few days.”
“Email is fine. Use the email address indicated in my personnel file from the Rangers,” he sighed.
“Got it,” Nels hung up.
Ralph walked into the office. “Sir, is there somethin’ I should know about you?”
“Probably, but not yet. Just do your job, and the rest will come if you end up staying here.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Mr. Dalton, I thought you were just a PI.”
“Brennan, sit down for a minute,” he pointed to Ralph’s desk.
Ralph sat down and looked up at Jake, who stood over his desk, holding his mug with one hand, and his cigar with the other. Ralph noticed how the ash slightly hung on the cigar before Jake flicked the ash into the ashtray stand near Ralph’s desk. “What is it? I was being too nosey, right?”
“Well, you need to watch who and what you listen to, but let me just share somethin’ with you.”
“What’s that?” Ralph gulped. “Are you really gonna shoot me?”
“Only if you deserve it,” he sighed. “I’m just your typical former Texas Ranger, who left for personal and professional reasons,” he put his cigar out in the ashtray and sipped his coffee from the mug. “I was hurt in the line of duty, hence the scar. I made a name and reputation for myself when I came here to Clarksville and settled down. I’ve made contacts over the years, and they help me. I also made some enemies, like the chief of Police. I’m not on some covert op or whatever, but some of my contacts need to be confidential. I do security and I also am an investigator.”
“I didn’t mean to ...”
“Stop. Brennan, did someone send you here to work for me?”
“No, sir, I was lookin’ for a job, and I did overhear Ranger Sullivan and Janice at the diner. I figured a guy like you would need some help, if you’re as busy as he said you were, and that you were doing it all on your own.”
“Good. Now, I know tech, I just prefer not to use it unless I haveta. I’m not afraid of it, I just prefer my own way of things. I still need to know I can trust you and I’m starting to, by you doing your job. I hope you know you can trust me.”
“I get that, Mr. Dalton, sir.”
“I wish you’d call me Jake or Dalton, and not sir, but whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“Thanks, uh, sir.”
“Whatever works for you, Brennan. And, you have a job as long as you need it. Your probation period is over. I know I said a week, but you proved that I need
your help, your assistance.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate you taking me in and giving me a chance.”
“Like I said, trust is earned, and you’re doing your job. Just don’t lie again.”
“I won’t. I know, you’ll shoot me. Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did,” Jake smirked. “Uh, go ahead.”
“How did you get the scar?”
“An idiot tried to kill me. Any other questions?”
“I’d like to run to the diner and pick up somethin’ to eat while I run some things. Did you want anything?”
Jake looked at his watch. “No, Dr. Constantine and I are having supper together. We’ll be at my place. If you get somethin’, don’t forget to let me know, even if it means interrupting me at home.”
“You want me to come or call?”
“Call first,” Jake said. “Go on and get your supper. I’ll be going home soon,” he walked over to his desk as Ralph grabbed his own coat and left the agency. He heard the vibration of his cell phone, so he opened his drawer. He opened the phone.
Dina: Replied
He opened his laptop and accessed his secured email.
From Dina Jennings, Federal Bureau of Investigations –Strategic Operations
Brennan is clean so far except for his record for hacking, but you knew about that. He proved to be very worthwhile to Bureau. Great loss to us, good for you. Good young man to trust. Will keep you informed if anything else comes up. New creds being sent via messenger tomorrow.
Brennan asked for some background checks, am running them now.
Dina
Jake deleted the email, and emptied the Trash folder. He closed out of his email, and closed the laptop. He grabbed his Stetson, and jacket, setting his mug near the coffee pot. He headed out of his office and around back to his home.
16
Jake walked in and out of every room of his home, making sure that everything was spotless and in its place. He walked back into the kitchen, and made a fresh pot of coffee. He took a deep breath when he heard the knock at the door. He smiled, opening the door to gaze in Aggie’s eyes. “Right on time,” he opened the door wider, leading her into the house.
