Assassin's Redemption: Stolen Memories, #1

by Richard Allen Evans

  “You really are the most beautiful woman I've ever known. I'm just making sure this isn't a dream,” Beau said.

  “Ummm, no, it's real,” Haley said enjoying his touch.

  “I'll be right back,” he said as he hurried relieve himself of the condom.

  He came to bed and found her under the covers.

  “You weren't here to keep me warm. I got cold,” she said.

  He crawled onto the bed and she pulled the covers back. Beau scooted over next to her and his big arms enveloped her again. Haley put her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her head.

  “You really are something special,” he said.

  Haley giggled.

  “I'll bet you say that to all the naked women in bed with you,” she said.

  Beau squeezed her tightly as his hand found her backside again and gently rubbed.

  “No, I'm serious. You are special. You're everything a man could ever want wrapped up in a perfect package,” he said.

  She climbed up and rested both arms on his chest and put her chin on her arms so she could see his face.

  “But?” She asked.

  “No buts. You're smart, funny, drop dead gorgeous, and sexy beyond description. I feel like the luckiest man in the world,” he said.

  Haley's face softened. She kissed his chest.

  “I have a confession to make to you now. I was like all the other women in the department. You were my fantasy too,” she said.

  “Are you disappointed?” He asked.

  “Mmmm. Not at all. It was all I could have ever dreamed of and more,” Haley said.

  Beau reached up and stroked her dark hair.

  “I just want you to be happy. I'll do anything you say. You don't even have to ask - just tell me,” he said, looking her directly in the eye.

  A shiver went down her spine and she wiggled her hips.

  “Ooo,” she said playfully.

  Beau smiled and they kissed again.

  “You realize we made love over an hour,” Haley said.

  “Didn’t seem like it,” he said.

  “I have one question for you: how do you like your eggs and how many do you want?” Haley asked.

  “Over medium. As for how many, that depends on my appetite. I mean, how busy can I get before breakfast?” He asked.

  “You know we'll only get fours sleep tops,” Haley said as her hand found him growing thicker.

  “So you want to sleep?” Beau asked.

  “No, I want to return a favor,” she said as she started slowly kissing down his chest and stomach.

  “Just remember, anything you want,” he said.

  ***

  Chet drained the last of his coffee and put his plate in the dishwasher.

  “Breakfast was good Hun,” he said as he hugged Carlene from behind.

  “Just pancakes. Nothing special,” she said.

  “I appreciate it just the same,” Chet said.

  “You heading out?” Carlene asked.

  “I think I will. I want to check on a couple of the school zones. After yesterday, I don't think I could handle any more excitement than that,” he said.

  She kissed him.

  “Be careful. I'll see you tonight. Love you,” Carlene said.

  “Love you too,” he said as he went out the kitchen door.

  Chet was eager to get some lab results back. He didn't mind people thinking the worst of Tackett. It wasn't like he had a good reputation to begin with so with attention focused on what the public knew, the two murder cases — Smitty and Savanna Brooke — would remain open.

  On his way to the school zone at Butcher County High School he decided to swing by Haley's apartment complex. He guessed she and Beau had put in late night and he didn't want to wake her. Chet figured if her car was there she was either sleeping or getting ready for work.

  What he saw surprised him. Her car was nowhere to be seen. Beau Fullbright's Bronco was parked where her car should have been.

  “Interesting,” Chet said as he wheeled his car around and left the parking lot. Waking her it seemed, might the least of his worries in that situation. He then decided to drive by the courthouse. Sure enough, Haley's car was parked where she left it a day before.

  “The plot thickens,” he said to himself as headed toward the high school. Maybe it was all totally innocent — it was Beau and Haley after all. Then again, maybe it wasn't. He just hoped for the best for both of them.

  In any event, he had a conversation starter with Carlene.

  ***

  Marcus arrived at the office at nine o'clock. He was surprised he was the first one there. He double checked the other two desks to make sure they hadn't already been there and gone.

  If they had to stay late at the lab they probably had to sleep a little later. But Haley's car was where she left it, he thought.

  There was probably a good explanation he thought as he went to the coffee maker and started the first pot of the day. He sat down at his computer and checked the CID e-mail. There was a message from Dr. Short promising preliminary results on Savanna Brooke by mid-day and for Tackett by early evening — essentially a documented version of what he told them a night before.

  He scrolled through the messages. Nothing from the lab yet — that wasn't a surprise either. He pulled up the pictures from Smitty's murder scene. He pressed print.

  In moments, the laser jet printer spewed forth pretty good photos. Marcus gathered the photos and walked to a large corkboard. He arranged them so the entire room would be shown from the different camera angles. He hoped that maybe in doing so, he would get a fresh perspective.

  Marcus studied the wall, the closet door, position of the body, and the blood spatter. He was going over the scene in his mind when he walked to the coffee maker. He looked at the ancient clock on the wall. Marcus guessed it was state of the art during the Kennedy Administration. Nearly ten o’clock — he was getting concerned when the door opened. Haley stepped in followed by Beau.

  “So if you stay late you get to come in late,” Marcus said.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Beau said as Haley made a beeline for the coffee pot.

  “We got back late so Beau dropped me off at my apartment and picked me up this morning,” she said.

  “And unfortunately, I overslept so she had to wait for me,” Beau said as Haley handed him a cup of coffee.

  “It wouldn't have happened if you would have let me drive part of the trip. You could have slept a little,” she said.

  Marcus noticed she was drinking from Beau's SKU mug.

  “Turns out that's all the sleep I got - a little,” Beau and Haley grinned.

  Must be an inside joke, Marcus thought.

  “It looks like you've been busy,” Haley said as looked at the board.

  “Yeah, I don't know. I'm just trying to see if there's something we might have missed,” Marcus said.

  “Good idea,” Beau said as he walked over and looked at the board. “It looks like Smitty walked in the door and stepped to the left and that's when the killer popped him.”

  “Like someone brought him through the front door pulled out of the line of sight - the door was open,” Marcus said. “Why else would they lead him out from view of the door?”

  “There was no blood spatter or tracks there was there?” Beau asked.

  “The only tracks I saw were those going from the kitchen to the garage and the small prints going into the study,” Haley said.

  “That's all I saw,” Marcus said.

  “And we recovered some trace amounts of blood from the floorboard of Tackett's vehicle. But we're still waiting for the results on whose blood that was,” Beau said.

  Marcus studied the photos.

  “This might sound crazy but I want to go back over there and take another look,” he said.

  “Not crazy at all. We might have missed something. I think we were all in a little shock over who the body was,” Beau said.

  “I'll grab my gear,” Haley said.
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  “Let me go. If we should get any results back I want to know as quickly as possible and I trust your analysis of the evidence,” Beau looked at Marcus, “and yours, before I trust my own.”

  “I'll drive,” Marcus said.

  “That's fine. I'll meet you downstairs. I need to take care of something before I go,” Beau said.

  With Marcus gone, he turned to Haley.

  “I really meant what I said. I hope you're not upset,” he said.

  She smiled.

  “Not at all. I understand. Now go before Marcus gets suspicious. But before you go,” she walked over to him and put her arms around his neck.

  They kissed.

  “Breakfast was wonderful. Thank you again,” Beau said.

  “You're welcome — you earned it. Be careful,” Haley said.

  He squeezed her hand.

  “I'll see you soon,” he said.

  “You better,” she said.

  When Beau got to the parking lot Marcus looked at him.

  “How'd it go with Haley?” Marcus asked.

  “Huh?” Beau asked.

  “I imagine she didn't like having to stay behind,” Marcus said.

  “She took it well. I think she's okay with it,” Beau said.

  “Good. It's been stressful the past couple of days and with you two working so late, I was afraid of a blowup,” Marcus said as he stepped up in the truck.

  “No, I think she knows how to handle stress,” Beau said.

  ***

  Gene and Jack were the seated on the patio on the second floor just outside of the kitchen. They were enjoying their breakfast of eggs benedict, Canadian bacon, multi-grain toast, and fresh fruit when Cyprus appeared.

  It was a place the brothers grew up eating breakfast away from the adults. They still took breakfast at that location when there were houseguests they didn't particularly want to be around.

  “D.C. come join us. The eggs benedict are wonderful today. Rafael outdid himself this morning,” Jack said.

  “No thank you sir. I had breakfast with some of my men earlier,” Cyprus said.

  “Come sit with us and have a Bloody Mary,” Jack said as D.C. waved off the beverage.

  “Please D.C. Have a seat,” Gene gestured to an empty chair between them.

  “I have the information you requested,” Cyprus said as he slid a DVD over to Gene, who dabbed his mouth with a white linen napkin.

  “Excellent. Tell me, is Mr. Jefferson stirring yet?” He asked.

  “Not to my knowledge,” Cyprus said.

  “There's no hurry, but when he is, could you let him know that I'd like to see him? Tell him I've reconsidered my offer. Here, at least have a glass of orange juice. Freshly squeezed — nothing like it,” Gene said.

  “Thank you,” Cyprus said as he poured a glass.

  “We were discussing Bob Tackett, an old friend of Gene's that passed away last night,” Jack said.

  “My condolences,” Cypress said as he took a sip of the juice. It really was delicious.

  “It seems he committed a murder and was suspected of another before he died,” Gene said.

  “And this asshole wants to speak at his funeral. What kind of fallout are we looking at there Gene? This can't be good for the campaign,” Jack said.

  “The fallout won't be as bad if I acted like I didn't know him. He was a V.P. at the Stone City plant. Everybody in this county knew he and I were friends. Of course we knew him. It would be make us look stupid to deny it,” Gene said.

  “In any event, I'm going to Stone City tonight and you can't stop me. I've been a good boy. I've done everything that was asked of me. I deserve a reward and tonight, I'll claim it,” Jack said.

  “I really wish you wouldn't but if you're determined to go, take D.C. along for protection,” Gene said.

  Jack grinned his one hundred watt smile.

  “That's a fine idea. I'm glad you're okay with it,” he said.

  ***

  Adam got up early and walked down the local drug store and had a delicious breakfast. He read the local paper as he ate and listened in on bits and pieces of conversations. Most of the talk concerned the upcoming game between the Dragons and the Mavericks. Arm chair quarterbacks had plenty of advice to dispense when it came to what the game plan ought to be for both teams.

  Every now and then someone would mention the “killing in Butcher County.” That peaked his interest. He didn't need to walk into a job where a manhunt was taking place.

  Adam finished his meal and paid for it. He left a nice tip - but not big enough to draw unwanted attention. He went back to his apartment and turned on the antique television.

  Adam watched one of the local morning news shows and sure enough an outline of Butcher County appeared on the screen behind the anchor.

  “In Stone City, officials confirm two bodies have been found the apparent result of foul play. Officials aren't saying if the homicides are related. They would not confirm a report that a third body, believed to be the alleged killer, was also found. No names have been released at this time. The Butcher County Sheriff's Department is investigating.”

  If they did find a third body, there was no manhunt and no potential danger to his assignment. Still, it was approaching time for his Southern sojourn to end.

  Perhaps the best thing to do would be the unexpected. It would mean taking a gamble on being seen leaving the old dirt road near the ridge. But it would also mean throwing everything into chaos if local law enforcement was working on a couple of murders.

  The FBI would likely be called upon to investigate. That was good. His employer had money and the influence to control such an investigation. He knew first hand they could divert the FBI.

  Maybe late afternoon would be better. He could blend in with the late work traffic on the main highways. He could then lay low for two or three days, ditch the vehicle, hide his weapons in the bus station locker, and catch a flight to Atlanta or Dallas. Adam would get a flight to Chicago from there.

  Ordinarily he wasn't a fan of changing plans on the fly but this time it made sense. The only real change would be from night to day. He knew he needed to get there early and wait for his target to appear. He had a copy of the itinerary for the week and suggested times the target would be available.

  Adam got out the Steyr and cleaned it one more time.

  ***

  Gene waited until Jefferson finished brunch. As he stood from the table, Gene approached the former attorney general.

  “Good morning Gene,” Jefferson said cheerfully.

  “Good morning Jeff. How was brunch?” Gene asked.

  “Wonderful. Your Rafael is the best,” Jefferson said.

  “Yes he is. Care to join me for a stroll around the grounds?” Gene asked.

  “Sounds like a good idea. One never knows who might be listening,” Jefferson said.

  Once outside and out of earshot of everyone else, Jefferson spoke again.

  “Look at the sunshine and blue sky Gene. Smell that East Tennessee air. It's a beautiful day,” he said.

  “And it's about to get even more beautiful,” Gene said.

  “Ah yes. I understand that you've decided to amend your offer from last night. Surely you understand, five million is a low ball number for a man like me. What is your new offer?” Jefferson asked.

  Gene grinned in pure delight.

  “Absolutely nothing. In fact, I expect you to pay your own expenses out of your pocket as a sign of your unwavering support for the Raven campaign,” he said.

  Jefferson stopped and looked at Gene in a mixture of surprise and anger.

  “What kind of joke is this? I gave you my price and if you won't meet it, then I'll be on my way,” he said.

  “It's no joke and you will do it,” Gene said.

  Jefferson laughed.

  “And why should I?” He demanded.

  “I wouldn't want this to go public. If you don't do as I say, when I say, and exactly as I say, this will go very public,�
�� Gene said smugly as he handed Jefferson a package wrapped in brown paper.

  “What is it?” Jefferson asked.

  “That is a videotape with a very interesting movie. You of course didn't realize it but your bedroom activities were recorded in great detail last night. What would your friends and family think?” Gene asked.

  The color drained from Jefferson's face but he remained defiant.

  “If you release that I'll sue your family out of existence,” he said.

  “Did I mention the young man you spent the night with is only seventeen? And now child molester, do you want to play ball or do you want to go to court?” Gene asked gruffly.

  Jefferson's color went from pale to deep crimson.

  “I'll get you back for this!” He snarled.

  Gene looked at him thoughtfully.

  “You also need to make a public showing of your contrition. You need to announce your desire to serve this campaign and your willingness to do so out of your own pocket. Your ass kissing is about to go public - it's simply a matter of which ass do you want to be seen kissing?” Gene asked.

  Jefferson started to storm off.

  “Wait! I need an answer. Right now,” Gene said.

  Jefferson gritted his teeth.

  “I'll do it but I will get my revenge,” he said.

  “There. Was that so hard?” Gene asked as a more compliant Jefferson hurried away.

  Gene shook his head and chuckled. When the campaign was over the video would find its way into the hands of the media. Jefferson's career was on life support and fading fast, he thought to himself.

  Gene walked away whistling. It was a beautiful day indeed.

  ***

  Beau and Marcus lifted the yellow tape. Marcus used a house key (that had been taken as evidence) to open the door. They stood with the door open looking at the carpeted floor just inside the house.

  “For a man with so many super wealthy friends his taste in floor coverings sucked,” Marcus said.

  “It is ugly,” Beau agreed.

  “If there's anything in that fiber, it's probably microscopic,” Marcus said.

  “We could always cut it, roll it up, and take it with us,” Beau said.

  “The TBI Lab is going to send you a Christmas card,” Marcus said.

  “I think it's time we started our lab,” Beau said.

  “Great idea. Who's going to pay for it?” Marcus asked.