Certain aspects of the situation were starting to clarify for me. If “removal” meant what I presumed it did I was probably splitting legal hairs thinking that by not knowing the details I was not an accomplice after the fact. The only way I could protect myself was to report the situation to the police at once. I’ve always been, for the most part, a law-abiding citizen. As an attorney, I am an officer of the court. Yet, here I am weighing the pros and cons of being an accessory to murder.
I needed to find some solid ground. I needed to understand what was happening. I leaned forward with my elbows on the table and in a semi-whisper asked, “Justin, just who the hell are you? You certainly aren’t a deck hand.”
The slightest smile turned up the corners of his mouth as Justin replied, “Well, I am really a decent deck hand.”
“Come on. You want me to accept your involvement in this but you tell me nothing about who you are.”
Justin took another short drink on his beer and relaxed back in his chair, “Fair enough. For starters, I am a deck hand for Captain Bob. What you’re getting at is that I am more than a deck hand and that is true. Let me give you the condensed version of my life story. I got bored midway through college and dropped out and joined the army. I took very well to military life and became very proficient at certain skills. These proficiencies led to additional training and special operations assignments. The recent history of the world has created unprecedented opportunities for special ops. For a number of years, I embraced those opportunities with reckless abandon. Then one day I made a serious mistake, I began to ask myself why I was doing what I was doing. Not the individual missions, but the purposes under which some of those missions were undertaken. In other words, I lost faith in the political decision makers who were sending me to do the deeds I did. Once I began to doubt the righteousness of my actions I became a danger to myself and my team. Consequently, I left the military and began to bounce around the country trying to reconnect with some type of purpose. Unable to find anything else that held my attention, I drifted back into the special ops community, but on the private contractor side. Now I take the missions that I feel are righteous and turn down the others. Mostly, I just fish with Captain Bob.”
I sat there staring. I had read about guys like Justin described, but had never met one. At least I didn’t think I’d ever met one. I asked, “And you consider protecting Sissy as righteous?”
He looked at me intently, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. You feel the same. That’s why you’re risking your life to protect her. You and I aren’t that different. I just have skills more applicable to this situation than you do. Otherwise, we’re probably much the same.”
I decided to quit grasping at the sides of the rabbit hole and to blindly follow Alice into Wonderland! “I appreciate that Justin, but how the hell did you find us?”
A chuckle, “Wasn’t that difficult my friend. I followed you here last night.”
Last night. Last night Justin came into my office at Cap’s. “You were following me then?” The acid in my stomach started to bubble again, “Is that how you think the guy that was here tonight found us? Did he follow me?”
“Don’t know how he found the location. After talking with you last night at Cap’s I didn’t like the feel of things. You two had been hiding long enough that I figured someone could get a line on your location by now, so I came out to keep an eye on things. Tonight the guy arrived in the area about forty-five minutes before you left. He parked at the end of the street and waited in the hedges a couple of houses down. No one came down the street, so no one noticed. When you left, he jogged down the street and slipped in the gate before it closed. He could have as easily climbed the fence like I did, but guess he was trying to be crafty, or was just lazy.”
The roller coaster that carried my emotional state crested the hill and started hurtling downward at breakneck speed. I had nearly gotten Sissy killed. My efforts to play Lone Ranger almost got her killed. Damn Jack! It took intense concentration to keep my hands from shaking, “Shit Justin, I don’t know where to take her. Even the cops couldn’t protect her at the Pinnacle.”
With quiet confidence Justin replied, “Let’s talk it through. We’ll come up with a strategy.”
Over the next hour I related the events of the past three days to Justin. He asked a few questions but mostly let me ramble. When I got to the part about agreeing with PJ to let her protect Sissy, his eyes narrowed and his brow wrinkled. I took that as a look of concern or disapproval but Justin said nothing. When my rendition got to my arrival at the guest house tonight I asked Justin to give me a rundown of his involvement. Nibbling at the back of my mind were remnants of my doubts about Justin’s view of reality that had formed during our meeting in my office. All I really knew for certain was that he was here and Sissy was sleeping. I had seen no sign of the guy Justin had “removed.” Everything else was conjecture based solely on his statements. The more he talked the more opportunity I’d have to determine if I thought he was the real deal, or a slick wacko.
Justin told me that, like the other regulars at Cap’s, he’d started to hear bits and pieces of the threat to Sissy. When he met with me in my office he was starting to get concerned because Allison was missing and he doesn’t believe in coincidences. A few minutes after our meeting when he heard that Allison was dead he made the decision to involve himself whether I wanted it or not. That was when he followed me and learned of this location.
Justin went on with his story up through his intervention with the guy breaking into the guest house. I asked him how he confronted Sissy without scaring her out of her wits. He told me that he simply rang the door bell and stood under the front light. Sissy recognized him and opened the door. He told her that I had sent him to stay with her until I got back. She bought the story hook line and sinker. I asked how it happened that Sissy fell asleep before I returned. I was as much hurt as curious. Justin produced a small pill container from his pocket and held it up telling me that he often has issues sleeping and carries them with him so that no matter where he lays his head down he can get a few hours sleep if he chooses. Sissy looked so tired and agitated that he asked for a soft drink and slipped a couple into Sissy’s. He didn’t know when I would return and felt she needed rest more than to wait for me. A few minutes later, she couldn’t keep her eyes open so he suggested she lay down on the couch. After she fell asleep Justin turned the lights off. He pointed out that with lights on inside anyone outside can determine exactly where you are in the house. Duh. Tell that to Sissy.
Though Justin’s story seemed a bit incredible, I could find no reason to doubt it. I knew that one element of verification would be to see the body of the guy Justin said he had dealt with at the front door. Yet, that was a leap of complicity I was not certain I wanted to take. I decided to probe a bit and see where it took me. “Any idea who the guy was that came here tonight? Did he have any identification?”
“Don’t know who he was. Haven’t really given it much thought. He was carrying ID but I doubt it’s legit. My guess is that he was a contract killer. Given the gash on his face I’m certain he was the guy who attacked Sissy at the Pinnacle. She whacked him good. I’ll attempt to get a line on his identity. That may help us determine who sent him.”
“Isn’t that more appropriate work for the police?”
“It certainly is. I just haven’t figured out how to turn the body over to the police without them asking questions we don’t want to answer. He didn’t die of a heart attack you know.”
“How exactly did he die?”
“Jack, are you sure you want that level of detail?”
I didn’t. I did. Shit Jack, where are you headed? “I don’t need precise detail. I was only wondering what a good cover story would be. Maybe there is a way to involve the cops without them knowing of our involvement.” There you go Jack using the words, our involvement.
Justin took another short pull on his beer, “I think it would be plausible that he died
during some type of street crime or dope deal gone awry. That is plausible with a single gunshot to the head.”
“You shot him to death at the front door? That must have terrified Sissy!”
Another chuckle before Justin answered, “Give me some credit Jack. Properly equipped, the correct weapon emits no more than a loud pop.”
“You mean a silencer. Excuse me, I’m new to this . . . this . . . business!”
Justin gazed back at me intently, “Let’s have another beer and figure out where we go from here.” With that, he got up and walked to the refrigerator. For the first time I noticed that he had laid my 9 mm on the other side of the table. There he stood at the refrigerator with his back toward me and my gun three feet away on the table. Did he think I trusted him now? Did I trust him? Was he just sloppy? He didn’t give the impression of being sloppy, but maybe this is an indication that he’s not who he purports to be. I could grab the gun. What then? Call the police and let them sort things out. What if Justin is the real deal? Now he faces murder charges for saving Sissy’s life. Yet, he did commit murder. Does he get to decide when murder is justified? Do I get to decide? Didn’t I have that power when I was a prosecutor? What would I have decided in this situation? If this is the guy who attacked Sissy at the Pinnacle he was no doubt here to kill her. Does that make his death justifiable? Justin should have stopped him and allowed the system to determine the consequences. That’s what the system is for. That’s what separates us from uncivilized societies. Would the system protect Sissy? The system had protected Sissy when she testified against Muskof. What the hell should I do?
I made my decision and reached across the table. I grabbed both of our empty beer bottles and swiveled in my chair until I could drop them in the trash. Got to love those states without bottle deposits. As I turned back to the table, Justin turned from the refrigerator with two beers in his hand and a broad grin on his face. As he settled into his chair, Justin looked at me with the remnants of the grin and said, “Remind me to reload your gun before we leave.”
Justin and I spent another hour discussing the alternatives for next steps to protect Sissy. He expressed his reservations about my plan to turn her over to PJ for protection. He said, that while we had no reason to distrust PJ, we would lose control. I didn’t tell him, but I didn’t think I was ever really in control. Seemed like I was continually running from the crest of a tsunami wave. I told him that I really didn’t know how much longer I could resist PJ’s requests to bring in Sissy. I was afraid that I could even be arrested for interfering in a police investigation or obstruction of justice or some such catchall charge. Finally, we came up with a strategy, such as it was. I would tell PJ that I hadn’t been able to convince Sissy to trust the police yet, but that I was diligently working on it. That should buy us some time during which Justin would tap his sources to attempt to identify the source of the threat. He’d start with the identity of the guy sent to kill Sissy and work backwards.
By the time we had worked out our strategy, my body ached and my eyes felt like my lids were lined with sandpaper. Justin suggested I get some sleep while he made a call to address the relocation of the guy who came to kill Sissy. He said that once that situation was addressed he would catch some sleep on the couch in the great room. He said he didn’t think we would have any more intruders that night, but he reloaded my 9 mm and told me to keep it with me. I guess I had passed the little test when he turned his back on me and left the empty gun on the table. I was too tired to ask how he intended to have the guy he killed disposed of, and besides, I didn’t think I really wanted to know. I knew I needed some rest before I faced telling PJ that Sissy was not coming in for police protection.
I left Justin sitting at the kitchen table and went to the second bedroom. The one that had been Sissy’s but not used. I wasn’t going to disturb Sissy from what was probably the only decent sleep she has had in three days. I kicked off my shoes and fell onto the top of the bed with my clothes still on.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
When I awoke, sunlight was streaming through the open window shades. As I rolled to my side and started to rise from the bed every joint in my body screamed at me. I felt as if I’d been beaten with a baseball bat. Amazing what the rise and fall of adrenaline and stress can do to your body. I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. It didn’t help my aching body but started to clear the cobwebs from my mind. On the whole I felt like hell.
As I came into the hall, I saw the door to the front bedroom open and looked in seeing the bed empty. I heard voices coming from the back of the house. Coming into the great room I could see Sissy and Justin sitting at the table on the outside patio. As I started onto the patio, I tripped on the threshold and nearly fell on my face.
Sissy exclaimed, “Whoa, sleepyhead! Don’t fall and break your neck.” I cursed under my breath and replied, “When did they install that trip hazard? I should sue!”
Justin grumbled, “Yeah, just like a lawyer. First thing he thinks of is a lawsuit.”
Sissy stood and headed for the door, “Sit down Jack and I’ll get you some coffee. Maybe we can bring you back to life.”
When she was inside Justin looked to me and in a near whisper said, “Sissy doesn’t know anything about the guy last night. Nothing. Let’s keep it that way for now. She’s too keyed up already.”
I replied, “Agreed. For that matter she doesn’t know about PJ wanting her to come in for protection.”
Justin raised one eyebrow, “That’s right. I think we should tell her that the cops are requesting, and we are considering it, but haven’t agreed. I would really like to buy some time to see if we can get any line on the source of the threat. I’m not comfortable turning her over to the cops since they have no idea where the leak came from.”
Sissy came out the door, without tripping, carrying the coffee pot and a cup for me. She filled my cup and refilled Justin’s and hers. She returned to her chair and turned to me, “So Jack, did you learn anything from PJ last night? By the way, thanks for sending Justin out last night. I was really scared alone again. Why didn’t you tell me Justin was coming anyway?”
I feigned burning my mouth with the coffee to buy me some time to think, but before I could say anything Justin interjected, “Sissy, that’s my fault. When Jack called and asked me I told him not to say anything to you because I didn’t know when I’d be able to get here. I didn’t want you to be worried. You have enough to worry about.”
Sometimes I open my mouth before I engage my brain. This was one of those times, “How did you get here Justin? I didn’t see a car when I drove in last night.”
Justin looked at me with a totally blank expression but his eyes betrayed his ire, “When I drove by and saw the gated drive, I found a vacant lot on the other side of the main road and walked down here. I knew I was going to need to climb the fence to get back here and didn’t want my car blocking the entrance at the gate.”
Sissy looked to me and curled her lip, “You should have given Justin the code to the gate Jack.”
I shrugged, “I know, I know, but everything worked out.”
I wanted to discuss our plans for today with Justin but didn’t want Sissy to be frightened by the situation more than she was already. Besides, I was starting to lose track of what I had shared with her and what I hadn’t. I told Sissy that she had heard everything before and asked if she could find some breakfast for the three of us in the kitchen. She agreed and went inside. For the next twenty minutes Justin and I worked out a strategy for the day.
Sissy came back out carrying three plates with scrambled eggs, ham, and toast. She set them down and said, “Bon appetit!” I noticed that Justin’s presence had certainly lightened Sissy’s mood. In all honesty, I was starting to appreciate Justin’s presence as well. At least for the moment.
We all dug into our breakfast and made small talk like three people who have acknowledged, but refuse to continue to discuss, the elephant in the room.<
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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
After breakfast, Sissy made another pot of coffee and the three of us sat on the patio enjoying the beautiful South Florida morning. When I sensed that Sissy was as mellow as she was going to get, I brought up my conversation the night before with PJ. I didn’t mention that I had agreed to let PJ take over the protection of Sissy. I portrayed the conversation as PJ asking, and me telling her we could talk about it. I suggested to Sissy that I talk to PJ later today and we could see what we all thought after that. Sissy agreed. Now all I had to figure out was how to go back on my commitment to PJ without getting arrested.
Justin told us that he thought this was probably a good location for Sissy. At least for the time being. He and I were talking in code across the table, but I understood that he felt it was a good hideout but that could all change on short notice. Probably depended on what he was able to learn about the source of the threat.
Justin said that he had access to some equipment that would make it safer here for us and that he would like to pick up a change of clothes. He said he could be back in a couple of hours. Sissy looked perplexed for a brief moment, then grinned broadly, “I knew you weren’t just a deck hand.”
Justin raised his coffee cup in a toast and said, “What I am Sissy is a friend. Your friend. Jack’s friend. I’m here to help. Nothing more. Nothing less.” He drained his cup, stood and said to me, “Now Jack, if you could give me a ride back to my car I’d appreciate it.” Turning to Sissy, “It’ll only take a couple of minutes. Jack will be right back.”
On the way out the front door I couldn’t help but look around the walk and bushes surrounding the front of the house. In the car on the way to the spot where Justin’s car was parked, my curiosity finally got the best of me, “So what happened to our visitor from last night?”
Cap's Place: A Jack Nolan Novel (The Cap's Place Series Book 1) Page 16
