Jack frowned.
“Why do you think I gave you that ringtone?” Her hands shot up.
“The stupid barking dog one? Because I remind you of Toto?”
She burst out laughing. Jack shook his head, but he still smiled.
Jack winced as he shifted his legs.
“Do you want me to drive?” she offered.
“No.”
“Fine. Sport?”
“Baseball,” Jack replied.
“Football,” Replacement shot back. “Superhero?”
“Iron Man.”
Replacement closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them, they glistened. “Batman.”
Jack swallowed and looked at Replacement. He remembered how she thought Chandler was Superman, and he was Batman.
“Thank you for coming back.” She smiled. “TV show?”
“The Rifleman.”
“The what?” Replacement laughed.
They kept playing the game until they reached Fairfield. As they drove into the town, they both drifted off into their own private thoughts. The silence that followed ended the game, but not in a bad way.
Jack parked the car and looked at Replacement. Her eyebrows rose, and he understood the unspoken question. Jack started to get out of the car.
Replacement reached out and grabbed Jack’s hand. “Do you want me to do it?”
“No, I got this one.”
He looked down as he walked slowly. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders to avoid looking around. He was not looking forward to this, but he knew he had to do it himself. A few moments later, he stopped and stared at his feet, unable to look up.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” he muttered. “I put off…coming to speak with you. I didn’t want to…you know,” he inhaled deeply, “but I need to tell you what happened. They caught the people responsible for Michelle’s murder. It was this guy who worked at the psychology center with Michelle. It was him and Michelle’s roommate. They’re both dead. The sheriff’s department is opening cases to look into the other people they murdered too. They’d been killing people for years and the victims’ families should know what happened.” Jack cleared his throat. “Replacement should get the credit. If it wasn’t for her…”
He stopped talking. He wrung his hands together and waited. He was nervous when he heard nothing but silence.
Jack tried to keep going. “She’s going to stay with me now. I’m going to get a two-bedroom apartment. My landlady already offered me the apartment below mine. She said the people moved out because the guy above them was too loud.” Jack shrugged and faintly smiled. “That’s me. Anyway…”
He closed his eyes and exhaled.
“I miss you. Both of you. I’ll take care of Alice and Aunt Haddie. I promised her I’d stop by a lot.”
He walked forward and placed a flag in front of the left side of the tombstone and flowers on the right.
Jack looked up and sighed.
“I’ve been thinking about it. If it weren’t for Replacement, no one would have known what happened to Michelle. More time would have gone by, and we might never have known. You can tell she’s your sister. She has your courage, Chandler. You should have seen her at the Pit.” Jack laughed. “Michelle, she said you taught her computers. She’s quite good at them. Anyway, I see both of you in her.”
Jack started to turn to go but stopped.
“Thank you, for everything,” he whispered.
He closed his eyes. He could almost see them. Michelle was riding her bike, and Chandler ran alongside her. They both waved and smiled. Jack laughed and waved too.
He opened the door and sat back in the seat.
Replacement turned and looked up at him, hopeful. “How did it go?”
Jack gripped the steering wheel. “Good.” His fingers tightened until the leather creaked, and then he relaxed his hand. “Are you ready, kid?”
Replacement grinned and rolled down her window.
“Ready.” She smiled, and they headed down the road…together.
Epilogue
Replacement’s hand covered the phone as she tried to muffle the beep. She held her breath as she peered back at the couch. Jack was still sleeping.
She bit her lip as her eyebrows knit together.
He hasn’t slept the whole night through since the lab.
Jack moaned and rolled over again. She waited a minute until she was sure he hadn’t woken up. She picked up the phone and checked the email that set it off. It wasn’t her phone; it was Jack’s. She tapped the display and the message opened.
Hi Jack,
Just checking in. Hope you’re feeling better. I just read about your exploits in the paper. Like to get together sometime?
Marisa,
P.S. If you need any nursing, I give great sponge baths.
“He doesn’t need your nursing,” Replacement muttered before she hit Delete.
She turned back to the computer and continued her hunt. Every night for the last few days, Jack had woken up screaming and covered in sweat. He wouldn’t tell her what the nightmares were about, but she knew. She’d gone through his search history on the computer and saw what he was looking for—his mom.
As the case grew and the police found additional victims, he seemed to grow more and more restless. She wondered whether all the victims who were prostitutes had something to do with his angst.
Replacement had wanted to help, but she knew he’d say no, so she didn’t tell him she’d started to search too. Every chance she had, she scoured through online records and hunted databases to look for clues.
She first found out that Jack’s adoptive father had to hire a private detective to track down Jack’s birth mother for the adoption. Reading through the court documents was frustrating because her name had been blacked out on every page. Replacement hit pay dirt when she discovered one page where the photocopy of the old records had bled through. His mother’s name was Patricia Cole.
After that, Replacement followed her trail through the police database. The mug shots told her tale. Prostitution and drugs had worn down the beautiful woman into a shell of what she once was. Replacement had compiled the photos into a sort of face smash. They showed Patricia’s descent into the void. It looked like one of those Scared Straight campaigns.
The arrest records stopped a few years ago. Replacement thought she might have died. It was as if she fell off the planet. Then she came across an address scribbled in the margins of the paperwork.
Replacement looked back at Jack and bit her lower lip.
How do I tell him?
He suddenly groaned and turned over.
She got up and walked to the window. As she stared out into the darkness, her resolve started to fade.
How do I tell him? Jack, your mom is alive but…she’s institutionalized…
She exhaled.
And I think there’s more…
Here’s a preview of the next book in the Jack Stratton Collection:
JACK KNIFED
“Why do I keep doing this…thinking about her? It was so long ago, but I can’t get what happened out of my head. I shouldn’t let any of that junk define me, but I still do. I’m driving in circles, caught in some loop that I can’t break out of. I want to know why she abandoned me…but some things, I guess, I’ll never know…”
Constant nightmares have forced Jack to seek answers about his rough childhood and the dark secrets hidden there. With Replacement by his side, Jack travels to Hope Falls to solve a murder that occurred before he was born. Everyone in the small town remembers the unsolved murder of Steven Ritter, but after twenty-seven years, no one thought that someone would look into it. They don’t know Jack.
A heartrending mystery-thriller about lost love, betrayal, and murder, Jack Knifed will keep you on the edge of your seat.
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JACK KNIFED
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Novels featuring Jack Stratton in order:
GIRL JACKED
JACK KNIFED
JACKS ARE WILD
JACK AND THE GIANT KILLER
DATA JACK
and coming soon…
JACK OF HEARTS
Epic Fantasy
PURE OF HEART
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Looking for a romantic suspense story mixed with mystery?
Be sure to check out Katherine Greyson’s bestselling serial:
EVERYONE KEEPS SECRETS
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Acknowledgments
I would like to personally THANK YOU for taking the time to read this story. It was my goal to tell the story of Jack and Replacement and to take you along for the ride. I am so grateful for all the words of encouragement I have received. Thank you for spreading the word via social media on Facebook or Twitter and taking the time to go back and write a great review. Word-of-mouth is crucial for any author to succeed. If you enjoyed Girl Jacked, please consider letting others know; it would make all the difference and I would appreciate it very much. Your efforts give me the encouragement and time to keep writing. I can’t thank YOU enough.
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW HERE
I would also like to thank my wife. She’s the best wife, mother, and partner in crime any man could have. She is an invaluable content editor and I could not do this without her!
My thanks also go out to; My two awesome kids, my dear mother, my family, my fantastic editors: Faith Williams of The Atwater Group and Karen Lawson and Janet Hitchcock of The Proof is in the Reading, the unbelievably helpful Beta-Readers, and Stuart and Rachel.
About the Author
Since I was a little boy, I dreamt of what mystery was around the next corner, or quest lay over the hill. If I couldn’t find an adventure, one usually found me, and now I weave those tales into my stories. I am blessed to have written the best-selling Jack Stratton mystery series. The collection includes “Girl Jacked,” “Jack Knifed,” “Jacks Are Wild,” “Jack and the Giant Killer,” and “Data Jack.”
My background is an eclectic mix of degrees in theatre, communications, and computer science. Currently I reside in Massachusetts with my lovely wife and two fantastic children. My wife, Katherine Greyson, who is my chief content editor, is an author of her own romance series, “Everyone Keeps Secrets.”
My love for tales of mystery and adventure began with my grandfather, a World War I decorated hero. I will never forget being introduced to his friend, a WWI pilot who flew across the skies at the same time as the feared, legendary Red Baron. My love of reading and storytelling eventually led me to write “Pure of Heart,” a young adult fantasy.
I love to hear from my readers. Please go to ChristopherGreyson.com. I plan in the next coming months to add free content, including side stories and vignettes involving the characters from the series. Please sign up for my mailing list and receive periodic updates on this and new book releases, plus be entered for prizes and free giveaways.
Thank you for reading my novels and I hope my stories have brightened your day.
Sincerely,
Christopher Greyson
GIRL JACKED
Copyright: Christopher Greyson
Published: August 1st 2013
The right of Christopher Greyson to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and didn’t purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Find out more about the author and upcoming books online at www.ChristopherGreyson.com
GIRL JACKED (Crime and Punishment Mystery Thriller Series) Page 28
