Pieces Of Our Past: A Riveting Kidnapping Mystery (A North and Martin Abduction Mystery Book 5)

by James Hunt

  Jim escorted both Nate and Tim to the edge of the airfield and then watched as the pilot lowered the steps from the side of the plane.

  “When you arrive in Vancouver, all you need to do is present these passports,” Jim said, handing Nate the folder with all of his final documentation. “Everything you need is inside.”

  “And it’s all legit?” Nate asked.

  Jim nodded. “The keys to your apartment are inside, along with the debit card that holds your bank account information. There’s five thousand in it to help get you started, and the first year on your apartment has already been paid for.”

  Nate flicked through the papers quickly and shook his head. “How the hell did you do all of this?”

  “I called in a few favors,” Jim answered, knowing it was more of Mullocks who had called in a few favors. “You can finally start fresh. New names. New life. But you can’t ever come back here.”

  Nate nodded and tucked the documents into his backpack. He stood, keeping hold of his son’s hand. “I don’t know how to thank you, Jimmy.”

  “You don’t have to,” Jim replied. “You saved my life. Twice. This is the least I could do.”

  Nate squeezed his son’s hand and then looked at Jim. “Well, thank you anyway. Right, Tim?”

  Tim nodded. “Thank you, Uncle Jimmy.”

  Jim smiled at the sentiment. “Look, you better go. I don’t think that pilot is going to wait for very long.” He hugged his friend. “Good luck, Nate.”

  “Yeah, you too.”

  With final goodbyes finished, Jim hung back and watched the plane taxi to the end of the runway and prepared for take-off. The twin engines revved loudly as it picked up speed down the runway and then drifted up into the air.

  Jim lingered until he couldn’t see the plane in the sky anymore. It was a beautiful day, with clear blue, cloudless sky above him.

  Even though Jim knew he was helping a friend, he still felt conflicted. He couldn’t help but think of Tim’s grandmother back in North Carolina, who would never see her grandchild again. He thought of the laws he broke, aiding and abetting a criminal.

  But Jim also knew what it was like to grow up without a father. There was always a piece of him missing, and while Nate wasn’t the world’s perfect father, he still loved his boy. They needed one another, and Jim needed to clear his ledger with Nate.

  Now, both were done, and it was time to deal with the rest of the fallout.

  Jim returned to the precinct where he had a meeting with the lieutenant and captain. The ordeal with Cutters had created a lot of red tape from the situation that happened in the woods, and the department was still working on untangling that mess.

  When Jim arrived at the precinct, the lieutenant’s door was already closed, which meant the meeting had started without him. Jim had expected the Captain and lieutenant inside, but when he opened the door and found Kerry as well, he grew nervous.

  “You’re late,” Captain Kierney bellowed.

  Jim closed the door behind him and stood at attention. “I’m sorry, sir. I had a prior engagement that was a high priority.”

  Jim knew that hinting to the Captain that there was a priority higher than the man himself would irritate him, but that was Jim’s intention. The captain had been nothing but a pain to deal with during this entire process after Cutter’s death.

  The moment after Nate pulled the trigger, Jim managed to tuck Nate away, keeping him hidden, while Jim took the fall for Cutter’s death. It hadn’t been difficult to prove. It was clear there was a shootout, and Jim was simply defending himself. There were no other witnesses that had seen it, so all Jim had to do was sign on the dotted line.

  But this couldn’t have been pulled off without the help from Mullocks, who kept Tim’s name off the official names of the individuals recovered. Nate and Tim had been hiding out at his parent’s house for the past week, laying low until Mullocks could arrange for new identities for them with her DEA contact, who was happy to oblige now that Cutters out of commission.

  Kerry had also been cleared thanks to the DEA, who had signed an affidavit stating Kerry had been working undercover for them since The Greeks organization. The only real witness that could go against them now was Bill Fayette, but he had cut some deal with both the DEA and the FBI, and part of that deal was his silence on Jim and Kerry.

  But Captain Kierney had been a man on a mission to find something, anything, to bring the three of them down. Part of it was due to the fact he was upset he hadn’t been brought into the loop of Lieutenant Mullocks’ ‘operation’ against Cutters.

  “I don’t think I need to remind you, or anyone in this room,” Captain Kierney said, giving everybody a piece of that stern expression, “how important it is to follow the rules. The protocols and procedures of our department are the only things that keep it from falling into disarray and chaos. What the three of you did during the case against Benjamin Cutters, regardless of how the district attorney has chosen to spin it, was very disappointing.”

  It might have been disappointing to the Captain, but the district attorney was ecstatic to finally have people willing to testify against Cutters and his organization. The DA would have preferred to have Cutters alive due to the fact that he had been so instrumental in the corruption of high-ranking officials across the country, making it near impossible to sniff them out now. But at least the logistics of Cutter’s Empire were in disarray, and people were scrambling on the other side of his business dealings to figuring something out. It was in this chaos that the district attorney, along with the task force assigned in sniffing out the rest of his network, were confident that they would be able to bring in several members of his organization.

  The Captain paused for a moment and closed his eyes as though what he was about to say next physically pained him. “However, the chief wanted me to,” he swallowed and took a breath as he quickly spilled out the next few lines. “Thank you personally for everything that you have done and that despite the somewhat lack of following the guidelines and protocols of this department, which I must reiterate our crucial to the functioning of our department, you managed to bring down a very dangerous man. And you also brought several people home that wouldn’t have been able to happen otherwise.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Kerry said.

  Jim parroted his partner's reply, but the Lieutenant took a slightly different approach.

  “And you be sure to tell the chief that we appreciate his words,” Mullocks said.

  Jim repressed a smile when the Captain’s cheeks flushed red. The man considered himself a very important figure, and the fact that he was simply acting as a messenger boy was driving him mad.

  “Lieutenant, I will leave you to discuss the rest of the matters with your team,” Captain Kierney said, and then he exited the office, slamming the door shut behind him.

  “What an ass,” Mullocks said.

  Both Jim and Kerry laughed, and for a moment, things were exactly as they had been before all of this, back when they were both officially on the force and partners. Jim still didn’t know if Kerry was coming back to the department, but the fact that she was here boded well for their reunion.

  “It could have gone worse,” Jim said.

  “Yeah, we should count ourselves lucky,” Kerry replied.

  The lieutenant nodded, but she didn’t dwell on the subject for very long. “Luck always runs out. I prefer to think of it as experience in action.” She smirked, but it disappeared quickly. “Regardless, what we need to focus on now is the way forward. That’s why I invited Kerry here today.”

  Jim realized that Kerry had probably made her decision about whether or not she was coming back to the job. He had wished they had spoken more about it, but deep down, Jim knew that this was her decision, and it would be best if he didn’t interfere.

  “Kerry, I know you told me you wanted to say a few things,” Mullocks said. “Go ahead.”

  Jim couldn’t keep the butterflies calm in his stomach. He was
afraid that he was so wired that he might be visibly shaking, and it took every ounce of concentration he had not to dissolve into a fidgeting mess.

  “I know that me being away has caused some stress for the both of you,” Kerry said. “But I want you both to know just how much I appreciate all of the support you’ve given me. Whether it’s been through advice or just giving me space.”

  Jim broke out in a cold sweat, and he hoped Kerry couldn’t see it.

  “Jim,” Kerry said, looking directly at him now. “Being partnered with you over the past year has given me a new outlook on my career. Everything has changed for the better, and I know that’s because of the work we’ve done. We make a good team.”

  Jim nodded and cleared his throat before he spoke to make sure his voice didn’t crack. “Of course. It’s been an honor working with you.” Jim immediately regretted his choice of words, knowing that it sounded as if he believed their partnership was over. But to be fair, Kerry was talking in the past tense.

  “I have done a lot of soul searching,” Kerry said. “Trying to figure out, just not what kind of cop I wanted to be, but what kind of mother, and wife, and friend. I know my children see everything I do, and the last thing I want is to disappoint them and let them down. Everything I’ve ever done in my life has been for them.” She started squeezing her hands, and Jim knew she was nervous. “But the work I do here, with both of you… I love it.”

  Jim smiled. The Lieutenant did the same.

  “We make a difference,” Kerry said. “And I feel like I’ve been given a second chance to wear the badge again, and I want to take it. I want to come back.”

  Jim had never been an emotional person, but he nearly broke down and cried. Thankfully, the lieutenant spoke up before Jim embarrassed himself.

  “We’d love to have you back,” Mullocks said. “I’ll put in the paperwork. It’ll probably take a few days for it to process, but I suspect everything will be good to go by the end of the week.”

  Mullocks stood and walked over to Kerry, shaking her hand.

  “Thanks, Lieutenant,” Kerry said.

  Mullocks turned around, her back to Kerry, and winked at Jim before returning to her desk. “Now, I want you two out of here because you’ve already taken up most of my day. Dismissed.”

  Jim headed for the door and opened it for Kerry. Once they were out of the office and back into the hallway, they both headed for their desks. Neither of them had realized they had done it, it had simply been a force of habit, and then Kerry laughed as she sat down at her chair.

  “Can’t say I miss the chair,” Kerry said, and she bounced around uncomfortably in her seat.

  “I’m pretty sure one of the other detectives switched yours out when I wasn’t around,” Jim said.

  “Looks like I’ll have to hunt it down,” Kerry replied.

  A silence fell between them, only disrupted by the sounds of the office as they caught one another’s glares. It was Jim who spoke first, and his tone was surprisingly calm.

  “I know that you’re the senior in regards to overall time with the department,” Jim said. “But I’ve always felt that I’ve been the teacher in the professional side of our relationship. And while I’m glad I’ve helped you grow as a detective, I want you to know how much you’ve helped me grow as a person. Your friendship has changed my life. You’ve allowed me to see beyond just the job, and through those experiences, I know I’ve become a better cop and a better person. And for me, that is invaluable.”

  Kerry smiled, and then she wiped something at her eye. “I guess we’re good for one another.”

  “Yes,” Jim said. “And we’re good for the city. You were right to come back. There’s always work to be done, and you and I are the best at what we do. If we ever give up… the bad guys win.”

  “Well then,” Kerry said, rocking forward and resting her elbows on her desk. “We’ll never give up.”

  “No,” Jim said. “We won’t.”

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story!

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