No Return

by Nolon King

  “Hold up a minute,” Spider shouted from the back, though she was hard to hear over the music.

  The volume fell, and Jasper turned his attention to the back room.

  The door opened. Behind Spider, he spied shelves full of boxes and parts. She was carrying an ancient looking computer, rolling her wheelchair into the living room.

  She looked up at Jasper with a giant smile and bright green eyes. “Finally came by to see the place?”

  Spider set her computer on the ground, then opened her arms for a hug.

  Jasper embraced her, awkwardly enough to make her laugh.

  “So damned stiff, man. You need to lighten the eff up.”

  Spider, real name Felicia Borrego, was a half-Cuban half-Jamaican, eighteen-year-old girl, and the sole survivor of a car crash that killed both her parents five years ago. In addition to losing the use of her legs, she had a vicious scar on her forehead that she did nothing to hide. Whether using colored extensions, or putting her hair in neat pigtails like today, Spider never hid her face. Jasper had rescued her from some trouble in a foster home and recognized that her talents would be put to better use working for him.

  “Yeah, well I’m old and set in my ways. And yes, nice place, though I still don’t know why you want to live here. I offered you a dozen better options in much better — safer — neighborhoods.”

  “I fit in here. People always lookin’ at me weird in those other places. Here I’m one of them.”

  “Maybe they don’t identify with you so much as need you, thanks to the odd job for dealers or gangsters? How long before that blows up?”

  “You come to lecture me, Professor, or you need some help?”

  Jordyn smiled. “She told you, Dad.”

  Jasper shot his daughter a look and was about to introduce her to Spider, but then he remembered.

  “So, whachya’ got?”

  Jasper explained the situation. Discretion was a given, or else he wouldn’t be here.

  “Let’s see what we’re working with.” Spider took the duffel from Jasper and set it on her L-shaped desk, long enough to occupy the entire right and back walls of the living room, where most people might put a sectional couch.

  Instead she had tables lined with monitors and various shelves and drawers loaded with the tools of her trade.

  She opened the laptop, put blue tape over the camera, and turned it on.

  “Password protected, but I’ll get around it,” she said before diving deeper into the bag and removing the phone and thumb drive.

  “Code is 1-1-7-0 on the phone,” Jasper said. “See what you can get from it, any associated accounts, websites, everything.”

  “Gotcha.” She punched in the same password on the tablets, but it didn’t work. “The iPads might take a little longer, but I don’t anticipate any problems with the other stuff. Most folks around here aren’t so savvy with the encryption.”

  “Whatever you can get, fast as you can get it. Jessi Price is counting on us.”

  “Gotcha, Professor, I won’t rest until I’m done.”

  “Thank you. And Spider?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I need one more thing before I go.”

  Chapter 24 - Jasper Parish

  As Jasper drove to Cadillac’s St. Augustine address, Jordyn stared out the window, deep in thought.

  “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

  “About Ophelia and Alicia,” Jordyn said. “And how much of a shame it is that things didn’t work out. Do you think you’ll ever see her again?”

  “I carry a shit storm wherever I go. It’s probably best to steer clear of everyone.”

  “That wasn’t your fault. Her sister was with those meth dealers. They would’ve come around whether you were there or not. Hell, maybe they would’ve killed them all if you hadn’t been.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.”

  “No maybes about it. You can’t blame yourself for that, Dad. It’s not on you.”

  “Well, either way, now they see what I really am. Ain’t nobody wanna be with someone like this.”

  “You’re not a bad guy.”

  “I think some people would argue.”

  “Well, I don’t think you’re bad.”

  “Either way, as long as I do stuff like this, I can’t have a normal life. It isn’t fair to the people around me.”

  “Then maybe it’s time to give up on this life. Let the cops do their job.”

  “No. Even if they managed to bring in the lawyer, he wouldn’t have said a word. I got info they couldn’t, or wouldn’t, be able to get. So, yeah, I think they need my help. Same for Jessi and Mallory.”

  “Okay, but what about after this is all over? What do you think will happen then? That Detective Black will be your buddy, you two driving around solving cases together? Do you think this is a TV show? The minute this is over, assuming either she or Jessi make it out alive, she will arrest you.”

  “What is it with you and her? You never did like her, did you?”

  “I like her fine. But she’s a cop, Dad. And it’s her job to stop people like you, even if you’re right.”

  “So, what, now you don’t believe in my mission?”

  “I didn’t say that. I just think it’s time to stop and do something else with your life. You can’t keep on like this forever.” Jordyn laughed. “You sure as hell ain’t getting any younger.”

  “What am I supposed to do, huh?”

  “I don’t know, maybe try and be happy? You deserve it after what happened to Mom, and …”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “No, I want to know what.”

  “Well, what happened to me.”

  “What are you talking about?” She was looking away like it was something he ought to know. Something she’d told him before. Now her feelings would be hurt that he didn’t remember.

  “Come on, Dad. You know what I’m talking about.”

  “No, I don’t.” He pulled over then into a Publix parking lot. “What are you talking about?”

  “Never mind,” she said, crossing her arms, reminding him again of Mallory.

  “I’m dead, Dad. You do remember, don’t you?”

  And then, just like that, he did.

  Yet, she was still next to him in the car. Still looking at him.

  Somehow.

  “I … I know you’re dead. Sometimes, I just … I forget is all.”

  “And Mom is dead, too.”

  “I know, Jordyn. I remember.”

  “Are you taking your meds?”

  “You know the answer to that. You’re here, aren’t you?”

  “Listen, Dad. I love that we’re still talking. And that I’m still so much in your heart. But maybe I’m holding you back from being happy or having a normal life.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Maybe that’s why Mom doesn’t come around. Maybe she knows it was hurting you.”

  “I can’t have a normal life. I can’t just sit by and know the things I know without doing anything. The meds dull my gift, and they keep you away. Why would I ever give up on that?”

  “Because this won’t end well for you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Come on, Dad. I know the dreams you’ve been having. The man with the machete. I’ve been having them, too. Please stop, before it’s too late.”

  He stared out the window, watching a young mother wrangle two toddlers into a car-shaped shopping cart, wondering if Jordyn had a point.

  “So, what do I do? Just take my meds and live a normal life? Never see you or Mom again?”

  “We’ll see each other, either here or in Heaven.”

  “Heaven?” he laughed. “You think I’m going to Heaven after all I’ve done?”

  “There’s still time to make everything right.”

  He wanted to ask Jordyn if she made it to Heaven. He knew what the Bible said about suicides going to Hell and hated the thought of his sweet little girl being tortured f
or an eternity. If there was a God, Jasper hoped He would take mercy on those who killed themselves. For hadn’t they already suffered in life?

  But he didn’t want to upset Jordyn. Besides, if she were a figment of his imagination, a split personality, or some other personification of him, then she wouldn’t know Jordyn’s fate.

  But if she were really here, a ghost, as he preferred to believe, then perhaps she wasn’t anywhere yet. Neither Heaven nor Hell. Maybe there was nowhere to go, except for here.

  “Maybe. After this case is over. But for now, Jessi and Mallory need me. They need us. Okay?”

  Jordyn nodded, and Jasper put the car back into motion.

  Chapter 25 - Jasper Parish

  Jasper arrived at the address for Keisha Brown, a small ranch-style house in a rundown area just outside the historic district.

  “How do I look?” he asked Jordyn, smoothing out his suit jacket and donning a charcoal fedora.

  “Like you’re selling God.”

  “Good.” He got out of the car, patted the holster under his jacket, then headed toward the front door. The patchy yard was filled with weeds, a couple of small, slightly rusted bikes, a faded basketball, and other detritus of childhood and neglect.

  He retrieved an envelope from his pocket and knocked.

  A young woman answered the door wearing a half-shirt, tight yoga pants, curlers in her hair, and a scowl. Behind her stood two little kids — a boy around three and a girl maybe a year older. “Yeah?”

  “Got a job for Cadillac.”

  She looked Jasper up and down. “I don’t know you. Why you comin’ ’round here?”

  He opened his envelope and showed her the bills. “There’s five grand here. Another ten on completion.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Her nose twitched, involuntary, like it was grabbing a scent.

  “Name’s John Dennings. A mutual friend gave me Cadillac’s info, said he was a man who could get stuff done. Tell me I’m wrong, and I’ll find someone else.”

  Jasper turned and took two steps toward his car.

  “Hold up,” she said. “What’s the job?”

  Jasper stifled a smile and turned back around.

  Chapter 26 - Jasper Parish

  Jasper got back in the car, drove to a nearby shopping center, stopped the vehicle, pulled out the cell phone that Spider had cloned Keisha’s number to, and waited.

  “So, let me get this straight,” Jordyn said. “Spider can clone anyone’s number?”

  “Pretty much,” Jasper said. “She explained it to me once. Something about a known vulnerability in most phones, but it’s not fixed because it’s a backdoor that the government uses to spy on people. Once we have his number, we can track him and maybe clone his phone.”

  “You believe her?”

  “I don’t know. She subscribes to a lot of crazy shit. I know when I was working on the force we didn’t have tools like this, but who knows what the NSA, CIA, and other agencies can do these days.”

  It didn’t take long for Keisha to call Cadillac and tell him of the curious job offer from “the cat in the wool hat.”

  Cadillac said, “I don’t know this dude. What’s the job?”

  “A simple heist. Said some rich dude is staying at a nearby hotel. Said he’s got no security and is an easy mark. Dude can’t do it himself because it’s his business partner.”

  “Hmm, I dunno. You get his number?”

  “Yeah.”

  “’K, we can talk about this later. Right now, I’ve gotta deliver the package.”

  “All right, honey. When you coming home?”

  “Should be tonight. Miss you.”

  “Miss you, too. Love you.”

  They hung up.

  “Delivering a package?” Jasper wondered aloud.

  He set down the cloned phone, then called Spider and gave her Cadillac’s number.

  “I’ll hit you in a few with his location history,” she promised.

  Jasper felt something gnawing at his gut, like something awful was about to happen. The same feeling he got in the haze of an unclear vision, a vague threat he couldn’t nail down. That feeling of waiting, but not knowing where or when the evil might strike.

  He looked at Jordyn. “You getting any visions?”

  She shook her head. But he could tell from her pained expression that she shared his unease.

  A text came through on Jasper’s phone — a list of locations stretching back to this morning.

  And as he went through it, his blood ran cold.

  “Oh, no.”

  Chapter 27 - Mallory Black

  Mal stared at the TV, watching Ashley at age three, giggling a raspy laugh as her mother tickled her.

  “Stop it, Mommy!”

  Mal would stop, then Ashley would say, “Again!”

  Mal tickled her, and so it went for several minutes until the video cut to Ashley pointing to her picture book. “He still doesn’t see the birdie on his head!”

  Mal wiped tears from her eyes as she finished her wine, then stopped the video and stood. She grabbed her gun from beside her on the couch, carried it with her to the bathroom, and set it on the sink counter. She looked at herself in the mirror and laughed. “Getting drunk in the middle of the day watching videos of Ashley is not helping you find Jessi.”

  But what else could she do?

  She thought about calling Colleen but couldn’t deal with her in such a hopeless mood. Besides, she was sure that Mike, and likely an FBI agent or two, were giving Colleen the necessary attention, lying to buoy her spirits. And Mal definitely wasn’t in the mood to lie.

  All she could think about was the cold hard truth — the longer Jessi was missing, the less likely they were to find her alive. And that didn’t even take into account the odds when a super predator like Paul Dodd pursued a girl he had already victimized.

  She stared in the mirror, wishing it were a magical portal to look in on Dodd. “What are you doing to her, you sick bastard?”

  Breaking glass downstairs snapped Mal to attention. She grabbed her gun and went to the stairs, listening as she slowly descended.

  Did a glass fall? Or was Dodd coming to get her?

  Let him fucking come!

  I’ve got something for you!

  Mal aimed her gun as she reached the bottom floor, searching for the noise, scanning every corner, checking the doors.

  The front door was open.

  Fuck!

  Her shoulders tightened. So did her grip as she strained to hear movement.

  Something hit the ground in front of her with a hard thud, then rolled.

  She looked down to see a grenade, then bolted toward the door, to put as much distance between herself and the explosion. But the detonation never came.

  Instead, another grenade landed at her feet, and gas spilled out, filling her field of vision.

  No!

  She choked on the smoke, her eyes stinging. Then she covered her mouth and crawled toward the door.

  But Mal was disoriented and had lost the exit behind a wall of smoke.

  She couldn’t move at all.

  And then she fell.

  Chapter 28 - Jasper Parish

  Jasper pulled up behind Mal’s car in the driveway, walked past it, then knocked on her front door.

  No response.

  He stared at the broken window leading to her living room, wondering if someone had thrown a rock through, or maybe taken a shot.

  He’d called her twice on the drive over, even left a warning, but got only silence in return.

  His every nerve was on edge as he listened for any sound coming from inside the house. If they’d come and taken her, they were probably long gone, but you never knew for sure.

  He tried the doorknob. Unlocked.

  Jasper didn’t bother turning around to make sure no neighbors were walking by or watching. Best to act like he belonged.

  He went inside, saying, “Hello, Mallory” as he went, acting as if she’d let him
in.

  He closed the door and drew his gun. “Mallory?”

  Jordyn was behind him, her eyes wide, listening intently.

  “You feel anything?”

  She walked toward the center of the room then knelt down, closed her eyes, and touched the floor. A moment later, she looked up at him. “There were three men here. They took her.”

  “Do you know where?”

  She squeezed her eyes tighter, then stood, walking around the living room with her eyes closed, waiting for something to come.

  He watched, helplessly, hoping she’d picked up on something useful.

  After a long moment, she opened her eyes and shook her head.

  “Shit.”

  Jasper was about to head upstairs, but his phone rang first. The burner whose number he’d given to Cadillac’s girlfriend. He disguised his voice and answered.

  “Cadillac?”

  “Yeah, who is this?”

  “John Dennings. A friend gave me your info. Said you could help me.”

  “Yeah? What friend?”

  Jasper looked at Jordyn. She whispered, “Percy.”

  “Percy,” Jasper repeated, taking a deep breath as he waited to hear if the name checked out. Cadillac would either continue the conversation or hang up and go into hiding.

  “What’s the job?”

  Jasper smiled as they made plans to meet tonight.

  Chapter 29 - Jasper Parish

  Jordyn couldn’t stop laughing in the passenger seat, staring at her father’s disguise. “You look ridiculous!”

  Jasper was wearing an oversized brown suit from the 70s, an equally out-of-style fedora, a gray afro wig, and wire-rimmed glasses.

  “Oh, you’re just mad I didn’t take your advice and dress in a fat suit and a dress.”

  “Hey, it works for Tyler Perry.”

  “This will work fine,” he said, driving.

  Jasper had arranged to meet Cadillac at a bar near his place, on his turf, to put him at ease. But Jasper had no intention of meeting him there.