by Mike Ryan
“I hear this look’s all the rage these days,” Recker laughed.
“It’s a nice look,” Hendricks flirted. “It’s uhh…quite a coincidence that I find you here, I mean, fitting the description of those other people and all.”
“Isn’t it?”
Hendricks took her phone out of her purse. “So are you gonna make me do it or are you gonna tell me the truth?”
“Do what?”
“Call the police. If I feel I’m being followed, especially since I have a restraining order out, I’m very jumpy, I should call the police, don’t you think?”
Recker knew she was playing him, trying to bluff him into revealing his true intentions. He could just get up and leave and not say another word, but that seemed like it might be counterproductive at this point. He figured that she knew he was there, and at least had some indication of who he was, or what he was doing. If he just left and she saw him again at another time, it might lead to the same conversation all over again, or maybe even worse. Also, the fact that she was there and approached him, as well as initiated a conversation with him, meant that she didn’t feel threatened by him. That was a plus on his side. After thinking about it, he decided the best course of action was to let her know that he was there to protect her. Maybe that’d even make the job easier for him. If she was in on everything, it would help him if she advised him on everywhere she was going or planned to be.
“Well, what’s it gonna be?” Hendricks asked, tapping her thumb on her phone.
“How bout if we just leave it at, I’m here to look after you and make sure you’re safe?” Recker asked, knowing full well that wouldn’t satisfy her.
She shook her head no. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Recker.”
“Interesting name.”
Recker grinned. “I’ve heard it before.”
“What’s your first name?”
“Michael.”
“I’d reciprocate but I have the feeling you already know mine.”
“Kind of ballsy, coming over here, talking to a stranger who you think is following you.”
Hendricks made a face, scrunching her nose. “Not really. You stepped in and took on my ex, you stopped a girl from getting raped…it didn’t really occur to me that I had much to fear from you. You seem like you’re from the right side, I just want to know why. Though it seems you’re not the talkative type.”
“I usually let other people do the talking. I’m more the action type,” Recker said.
“So I’ve noticed. So, Michael Recker, why are you following me? Did my father put you up to it?”
“What’s that?”
“My father. I figured it must’ve been him. The last time I talked to him a couple weeks ago and told him about Stephen, he indicated I should do something about it.”
“You did. You got a restraining order.”
Hendricks rolled her eyes. “That thing? Hardly worth anything.”
“Why do you say that?” Recker wondered.
“I work in a hospital. You know how many women I’ve seen walk, or wheeled in, that had restraining orders?”
“Then why’d you get it?”
“I don’t know. Everyone kept telling me what a good idea it was, friends, family, people I work with…I guess I figured it was better than doing nothing, even if I didn’t really think it was worth it,” she explained.
Recker nodded, understanding her reservations. “You know, he’s already violated that order, you could just call the police if he’s near you again.”
“Why? So they can put him in jail for a couple months. Then I have to worry about it all over again. It’s like, why bother? It just keeps prolonging everything and it’s never settled.”
“I understand.”
“So is it my father that hired you?”
“Uhh, I’m not at liberty to reveal that kind of information. Why don’t you ask your father about it?”
Hendricks groaned. “Yeah, like that would be any better. He would just deny it too.”
“You two don’t get along I take it?” he asked.
“We get along fine as long as we don’t see each other more than once a month,” Hendricks answered. “He’s a big business executive. He’s always been more concerned with his stock portfolio, or his vacation house, or the three BMW’s he owns, than his own daughter. Money cures all problems according to him.”
“I know the type. Don’t confide in your mother much either, I take it?”
“She died when I was ten.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. She had cancer.”
“And you and your father haven’t been close since.”
“Not really. I mean, I guess I understand, you know…what’s a man who’s gone most of the time know about raising a daughter on his own.”
“Sounds like he struggled.”
“If he tried. All he did was hire babysitters and nanny’s to watch me all the time, most of whom he probably slept with,” she said, reminiscing.
“Sounds rough.”
Hendricks shrugged. “Wasn’t so bad I guess. I guess I turned out all right.”
“So it seems.”
“So what are you gonna do, just follow me around all day?”
“Not while you’re at work,” Recker sniped back.
“How long do you plan on doing this for?” she wondered.
“Until I’m sure your ex is no longer a threat to you.”
“I’m sure he’ll go away in a few days.”
“Considering the threats he’s made, I kind of doubt that’s the case,” Recker replied.
“How do you know he’s made threats? I didn’t tell my father that. I just said I was having trouble with him.”
Recker smiled. “I have my ways.”
“Did you hack into my phone or something? Can you do that?”
Recker put his finger in the air, trying to deflect the question. “Uhh, did you order yet?”
“Oh, no, not yet.”
The waitress came over and took her order as the two continued discussing her situation.
“It doesn’t seem like you’re afraid of him,” Recker stated.
Hendricks shrugged. “I’m not, really. I mean, he makes idol threats and all, but I don’t really take them seriously. It’s just him talking a big game like he always does.”
“You know, a lot of women who end up dead or in the hospital…they probably said the same thing.”
A more concerned look overtook the pretty nurse’s face. “So you really think he means it then?”
“I think he’s dangerous and I think you shouldn’t overlook what he’s capable of.”
“Gee, I’m so glad I talked to you and scared me further,” she said, faking a smile.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. But I just want you to understand how serious this is and not to underestimate him.”
“So what if he doesn’t do anything for a while, or just keeps up doing this for months? Are you just gonna keep following me?”
“I don’t think it’ll take that long. It’s escalated for him. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna come to a head soon enough.”
“That doesn’t sound appealing for me,” Hendricks said.
Recker tried to give her a warm smile to reassure her. “Don’t worry. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll protect you.”
“Well, I’m sure you can’t be near me twenty four hours a day. What happens if he shows up when you’re not around?”
Recker had a feeling about what she was intimating and thought it probably wasn’t a bad idea. It certainly made his job easier if he didn’t have to operate in the shadows. He took out a small notebook from his coat and tore out a piece of paper. He wrote his name and phone number down and slid it across the table to her.
“If you feel threatened, any time, day or night, you call me. Chances are I’ll be nearby anyway,” Recker told her.
Hendricks looked at it and nodded, smiling at him. “Thank you.”
It wasn’t the warm smile she gave earlier though. It was more along the lines of “I can’t believe I have to go through all this.”
Hendricks continued talking about her situation for a few more minutes. Even though Recker could hear what she was saying, he wasn’t really listening intently. He was looking at her, thinking of how pretty she looked. She was pretty, not a bombshell, but she had that cute, girl next door vibe going on for her. She talked softly, had sexy eyes that could melt any man’s heart who looked inside them, and had soft, jet black hair. She seemed to be pleasant and have a good personality, though not afraid to be bold if she had to, evidenced by her approaching him to begin with. Another time, another place, and Recker thought she was the kind of girl that would interest him. He could see getting lost looking at her. He couldn’t believe there was a man out there lurking around with the intention of hurting her. The more he talked to her, the more she spoke, the more he found himself liking her. After about an hour of conversing, Hendricks looked at her phone.
“Oh my gosh, I lost track of time,” she said, making sure she had everything in her purse. “I’m gonna be late.”
“Well this was fun,” Recker sarcastically joked.
Hendricks grinned and looked at him funny. “Really? Was I that bad company?”
“Not at all,” he said, shaking his head. “Probably will be the highlight of my day.”
Hendricks stood up at the edge of the table. “Do I need to give you my itinerary?”
Recker smiled. “No thanks. I already have it.”
She returned the smile. “I’m sure you do. Should I give you my plans for the day or the rest of the week?”
“I already have your work schedule.”
“Why does that not surprise me? Well, after work, I’m going straight home, not stopping anywhere.”
“Good to know.”
“So will I see you again sometime? Or only if I look at the end of a parking lot and see you lurking in a car somewhere?” she asked.
“Never know.”
“Well, I guess I should say thank you for looking after me.”
“There’s no need.”
She gave him that sweet smile of hers before leaving. “Well, hopefully we’ll see each other again.”
Chapter 7
Recker and Jones just had dinner in the office, fast food, as they’d often had in the past week. After finishing, they each went to different computers, working on different projects.
“Do you think it was wise to engage Ms. Hendricks in conversation?” Jones asked, typing on his keyboard.
“Well I didn’t have much choice, David. She’d seen me on three different occasions and approached me. Not much I could do.”
“And here I thought someone with your expertise and experience could avoid being detected by a simple pediatric nurse,” Jones wisecracked.
Recker didn’t really have a comeback, “I’m a little rusty! It’s been a while.”
“Apparently.”
“It might work out for the better. It’s always easier to keep someone under surveillance who knows what the stakes are and willingly knows and allows it.”
“I just worry about your cover.”
“It’s fine. She thinks her father sent me to look after her. That should hold up since it doesn’t appear that they’re very close and don’t talk often.”
“I hope you’re correct.”
“Don’t worry about her. She’s fine.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Besides, she may come in handy for us after her case is over,” Recker said.
Jones stopped typing and swiveled his chair around to look at his partner. “What do you mean?”
“She’s a nurse, right?”
“I’m failing to see your point.”
“At some point, a nurse might be a good idea to have around in case of emergencies.”
“I don’t know about that,” Jones rebuffed.
“I dunno. I figure at some point, if we wind up doing this for years, it’s a decent possibility that I might get hurt eventually, or even shot.”
“And you think it’d be wise to bring Ms. Hendricks into the fold for that purpose?”
“Not bring her into the fold. She doesn’t have to be in on what we’re doing. Just keeping her as a contact in case of emergency. After all, me going to a hospital in such a case is risky business.”
“You’ve gotten out of there before.”
“How many times you think I can do that?”
“How did you do that in London, anyway?”
“Found a contact with a less than reputable reputation. I’ll tell you about it another time. Let’s just say he trusted the CIA even less than I did, which made him the perfect contact.”
“Well, as far as Ms. Hendricks, I’ll follow your lead. If you think she’s necessary.”
“Not necessary. Just someone we can trust. One thing you learn as a CIA black op is that if you don’t have a few people you can trust when your life’s in danger…you won’t last very long.”
Jones turned back to his computer and continued typing away, alternating between the laptop and the desktop. They kept banging away at their respective computers for several hours. Just as the time reached nine o’clock, Jones stopped, seeing something on the screen that stopped him in his tracks.
“Oh dear,” Jones suddenly stated, sounding deeply concerned.
“What’s wrong?” Recker asked.
“It appears we have another situation on our hands and it looks gravely serious.”
“What’s up?”
“It would seem there’s a woman who’s life is in danger. A man too for that matter.”
“What’s going on?”
“Listen,” Jones said, hitting the play button on his software program.
“I’m telling you right now, if I find her at that hotel tonight with her boss, I’m gonna kill the both of them,” the strange voice stated.
“That was the message that Martin Gilbert left on the voicemail of a friend of his,” Jones informed.
“I take it the her he’s referring to is his wife,” Recker said.
“That would be correct,” Jones replied, feverishly typing away on the laptop. “His wife’s name is Lorissa Gilbert.
Recker looked at the screen as Jones pulled up the DMV information of the husband and wife, picture included.
“Who’s the boss?” Recker wondered.
“Hold on, getting that information now,” Jones said, pulling up Lorissa’s job info.
“Advertising agency secretary,” Recker read off the screen. “Boss is Kevin Fitzpatrick. Where’s that hotel Gilbert’s talking about?”
“I’m trying to locate it now. But it sounds as if Mrs. Gilbert’s having a late night rendezvous, perhaps not work related.”
“You don’t know that. Don’t jump to the obvious conclusion,” Recker warned. “Maybe it is work related and this husband of hers is the super jealous type who also jumps to the wrong conclusion.”
“Perhaps you’re right. Maybe I am being too hasty with my judgment.”
“How’s that location coming?”
“Just about got it,” Jones replied, taking another minute to find the spot. “There it is. Sheraton Hotel in Society Hill.”
“What room number?”
“Three twenty one. Registered to Kevin Fitzpatrick. And it looks like Mr. Fitzpatrick has already checked in.”
“I’m on my way. Call me with whatever else you come up with,” Recker told him, rushing out the door.
Recker drove the half hour it took to get to the hotel. As he pulled into the parking lot, Jones called him with more information.
“Mr. Recker, have you reached the hotel yet?” Jones asked.
“Just got here.”
“I’ve come up with a few more details, one of which being that Martin Gilbert purchased a gun two weeks ago.”
“What kind?”
“A Smith & Wesson forty caliber, it’s…”
“That’s all I need, I know it. Nice weapon.”
“Yes, well, regardless of your fondness for it, I would imagine he’s carrying it with him tonight.”
“Gilbert have a record?” Recker asked.
“Not that I can find.”
“I don’t think I have to worry too much about him. Sounds like a novice.”
“Just be careful with him. Anyone with a gun can be dangerous, especially if you take them lightly.”
Recker got out of his car and went inside the hotel, immediately going to the elevator, stopping at the third floor. Without seeing anyone else in the halls, he walked down the hallway, stopping at three twenty one. He stood there at the door, listening. He heard several voices. A man’s voice was talking loudly, and somewhat incoherently, as well as a woman’s voice, though it was mostly crying from her.
Recker tapped his earpiece. “Jones, he’s already here. Sounds like something’s about to go down. Looks like I’ll have to step in.”
“Do what you have to do,” Jones responded.
Recker carefully turned the handle so as to not make any noise to alert the subjects in the room. He opened the door just a hare, peeking inside to gauge where everybody was. The bed was in a small room to his right, and Gilbert’s back was to him. He had a gun out and pointed at his wife, naked under the bed sheets next to her boss. They were holding each other, afraid for their lives. Recker slowly walked into the room, hoping the floor didn’t creak underneath him and give him away. Amidst her crying, Lorissa looked over and saw Recker walking closer. Recker put his hand up to his face and moved it around, hoping she wouldn’t give away his presence. Gilbert kept yelling at his nude prisoners, trying to get up the nerve to pull the trigger on the pistol he’d never fired before. He waved the gun around, taking turns on which person he pointed it at. Once Recker got within a couple feet of him, he rushed him. Gilbert didn’t realize he had company until Recker was right on top of him, the former CIA agent throwing him into the wall with a body block any NFL tight end would be proud of. Anytime you surprise someone who’s holding a gun, and there’s physical contact, there’s a chance of the gun going off by accident. Luckily, Gilbert’s finger wasn’t on the trigger and the pistol flew out of his hand without incident. As Gilbert laid there against the wall, stunned, and holding the back of his head which hit the bottom of the wall, Recker walked over to the gun and picked it up.
