Father Figure (A Jaxon Jennings' Detective Mystery Thriller Series, Book 3)

by Richard C. Hale

  “Just feeling queasy.”

  “You must be pregnant,” he said.

  She gave him a look.

  He sat at the table and pulled some of the paper to him. The murders were still getting attention, but not front page. At least it was quieting down.

  Vick was looking through one of his father’s yearbooks, the stuff still scattered around the table. The Naval Academy put out a sparse product back then, with only limited candid photos, but his dad had been in a few along with William Rothstein. They had apparently been the talk of the school back then. Jaxon had gone through the book but it had yielded little information that might lead to the mystery sender. Someone had gotten all of his dad’s old stuff, but who that someone was remained a mystery. He knew it wasn’t his stepmother. She had been the first one he called.

  The pictures of the two together had a totally different vibe from the more recent reunion, genuine smiles and a camaraderie that showed true friendship. He wondered what happened between the two to make his father appear distressed in the most recent picture. Or maybe it was his imagination.

  He pulled the reunion album out and turned to the page with ‘The two Bills.’

  “Look at this picture,” Jaxon said. “Tell me what you see.”

  Vick stared at it for a minute and said, “It looks like your dad has a problem with that guy. Isn’t that William Rothstein?”

  “Yeah. I thought so too. He looks frightened.”

  Vick turned the book upside down.

  “What are you doing?” Jaxon asked.

  She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows.

  “I’m trying to see his eyes without his facial expression. You don’t know this trick?”

  “Can’t say I’ve ever used it, no. Some FBI tactic?”

  She nodded. “I thought everyone knew this.”

  She stared at it and then handed it back to him. “Look for yourself.”

  Jaxon focused on his dad’s eyes. Fear. Something scared his father and Jaxon wanted to know what.

  * * *

  Ray knocked on the door and waited.

  Her apartment complex was nice. Not new, but not old. Established and in a nice section of Orange Park, back behind a shopping center anchored by a grocery store and chicken wing joint. Ray had eaten at the chicken wing place a few times and liked it. He wondered if Laurelyn ate there often.

  She opened the door wearing jeans and a simple blouse that did wonders for her figure. He could see the intricate work of the tattoos that adorned her left arm and he wondered when she had them done. On her, they were beautiful.

  Her hair was down with one side tucked behind her ear. She had cute ears. She smiled at him and looked him up and down. She twirled her finger around in a circle and he did a quick turn in front of her, obeying her command.

  “You’ll do,” she said, and opened the door wider. “Come in for a sec?”

  “Sure.”

  He was happy he met her approval. He hadn’t been sure what to wear since he didn’t even know where they were going yet.

  He had called her in the early afternoon, like she wanted, and she had been busy on a case, but said to pick her up at 7:00.

  “Nothing fancy,” is all she had said before hanging up. So, here he was. Nothing fancy.

  He followed her into the apartment admiring her décor. Simple and comfortable, just the way he liked it, but he had to admit it was much nicer than his. Hell, at this point, everyone in town had a nicer place than his. Since this was only a temporary stop in his life, his choice of living conditions reflected his situation. Too bad he hadn’t moved on as fast as he expected.

  “Would you like a drink?” She asked.

  “Beer, if you have it.”

  “I’ve got Crown too.”

  “Beer will be good now. I’ll hit the hard stuff later,” and he grinned.

  “You’re not going to be a drunk date are you?”

  “Are you?”

  “I wasn’t planning on it.”

  “Then no, I’ll be middle of the road.”

  She shook her head but smiled at him anyway. She stepped into the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge.

  “Nice place,” he said looking around. “Much better than mine.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Over at The Pines.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Slumming?”

  “It’s nice.”

  “I was there the other day. The place I was in could not be classified as nice.”

  He shrugged. “Ok. It’s a dump, but it’s cheap.”

  “Jaxon doesn’t pay you much?”

  She handed him the beer and then sat on the arm of a recliner. He took the couch.

  “He pays well. I just didn’t think I’d be here this long.”

  She took a sip of her beer and studied him over the can.

  “Is she going to get in the way?”

  “Who?”

  “Whoever she is. The one on the phone. It sounds like you’re waiting to get back to your life.”

  He took a big swallow and met her gaze. She could see things about him that he didn’t even like to admit to himself. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to be analyzed again.

  “I’m a big boy. It’s over.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Is this really the way we’re going to start this night?”

  She smiled. “Maybe if you say her name, we can get past it.”

  He paused, not sure if he wanted her to know. She stared at him, waiting, a smile touching the corners of her mouth. God, she was beautiful when she gave him that look.

  “Michelle.”

  “There. That wasn’t so hard. Michelle. I like the name.”

  “I like Laurelyn.”

  She gave him a look that he couldn’t quite read.

  “Well, Rayford, where would you like to go?”

  And just like that she was done with Michelle. Ray was relieved.

  “I like wings.”

  “So do I.”

  “Which place?”

  “The one right here in front of the complex.”

  “My fav.”

  “Let’s walk since we’re drinking.”

  “Or we could run.”

  She stood up and drained her beer. “Running is so over-rated.”

  She locked the door and they walked the short distance to the restaurant making small talk. The temperature was pleasant for June and he didn’t even break a sweat. She seemed to enjoy being outside and that was a good sign. Ray was an outdoor guy.

  They decided to grab a table instead of sitting at the bar and they both ordered beer and a bucket of wings. Spicy. She continued to surprise him and that was a good thing. So different from Michelle. It was making it easier to forget about her.

  She was not shy with the wings and soon had a plate full of bones, a sheen of sweat on her brow from the spices. It was definitely sexy. She had some sauce on her cheek and he reached up to wipe it off. She let him, smiling at him and tilting her head when he was done.

  “I like messy,” she said.

  He picked up one of her wings and touched it to her cheek, smearing sauce back on it. She laughed quietly and shook her head.

  “I like you better messy too,” he said.

  She slipped her tongue out and licked the sauce. He stared, mesmerized. She left the rest on her face.

  The waitress walked up and asked if they wanted refills and they both held up their mugs. She motioned to Laurelyn and pointed to her face and Laurelyn used her napkin to wipe her chin. It ruined the affect for Ray.

  When the waitress left she asked, “What’s working for Jaxon like?”

  “He’s all right. It’s not what I expected but he’s easy to work for. Kind of demanding at times, but a good boss.”

  “I heard he does whatever he wants.”

  “You heard correctly.”

  Ray knew Jaxon respected the law and what it stood for, but the man also skirted around it when
it benefitted him.

  “Tate likes him, but gets pissed by what he does sometimes. I think if he cooperated with us more, he’d probably get whatever he asked for.”

  “I tried to tell him that, but he has a mind of his own. I don’t think he trusts you guys yet.”

  She nodded. “I figured. I’ve heard the stories from last year.”

  “I lived them.”

  The waitress dropped off the beers and moved on.

  Laurelyn sipped her beer and watched him over her glass. She set it down and said, “What’s your take on it?”

  “Last year?”

  She nodded.

  “I wish things had gone differently, but it was what it was.”

  “The girl. She lived, right?”

  “Yes. But others did not.”

  “I was still a patrolwoman, but I paid attention to all that went on. The sheriff was pissed.”

  “I bet he was.”

  “But not at you.”

  Ray looked into her eyes not sure what she was getting at.

  “He never let on to me one way or another. He was all about Jaxon.”

  “We have an opening.”

  Now he understood. He set his beer down.

  “Is that what this is about?” He asked, a little edge to his voice.

  “No. I like you.”

  He relaxed. “I like you.”

  She smiled that gorgeous smile and then reached out and took his hand.

  “I thought the job would be a good fit for you. It’s up to you, of course, I’m just letting you know about it.”

  The feel of her fingers in his was spectacular, her touch light, yet he remembered how much strength she possessed and it surprised him how a simple thing could make him feel.

  “And I’d get to work with you,” he said.

  “And you’d get to work with me.” Her eyes shone in the low light.

  He could handle that. Still, Jaxon had been good to him and he hated the thought of leaving him out on a limb.

  “I’ll think about it,” he said.

  “Don’t wait too long. Somebody else will jump on it.”

  She let his hand go and drank her beer.

  The door to the restaurant was jerked open, the bell jangling violently, and Ray watched a young girl and guy walk in. The girl carried a backpack, as if she was on the way home from high school. Her blond, lank hair hung in greasy plaits, the tips dyed an off pink. She looked rapidly left and right, her eyes wild, and Ray tensed. She appeared about to scream.

  Laurelyn saw his expression and turned to see.

  The guy was shorter than she was, his hair color matching the tips of hers, and he was laughing. Uncontrollably it seemed. The laugh was tense, not funny, and most of the other patrons in the restaurant seemed to find little humor in either of the new customers.

  Laurelyn turned back to Ray and said, “Great.”

  Ray watched the two closely, something definitely out of whack with them, as the guy’s head swiveled on his neck, his eyes panning around the room like a camera. The strange laughing continued. The girl trembled slightly standing next to him and as solid as his stare was while his head moved, her eyes flitted around and settled on nothing.

  The guy found what he was looking for and grabbed her arm, pulling her toward a table. The laughing had stopped. He yelled for a waitress even before his butt hit the chair. The girl remained standing and the guy reached up and pulled her down into her own seat. She squeaked when he grabbed her and then yelled, “Fucker!” as loud as she could.

  The guy started laughing again. To Ray, it seemed more like a cackle than a laugh. Something a patient lost deep in psychosis exhibited.

  A big guy at the bar said, “Hey. Watch your mouth. There are kids in here.”

  The girl cowed at his voice and then seemed to change her mind. She flipped him off. The big man set his beer down slowly and stood. He strode over to the two and pointed at her with a beefy finger.

  “I don’t know what your problem is, but you’re not going…” His voice stopped in mid-sentence and Ray couldn’t figure out why for a moment. Laurelyn, on the other hand, must have had a better view, because she stiffened right away and her smile faltered. Then Ray saw it.

  The laughing kid had a gun.

  It was pointed at the big guy’s stomach. The laughing continued.

  The kid tried to talk in between his fits of laughing.

  “You should…” Cackle. “See your face…” Spasms. “Mister.” Cackle. “It’s hilarious.”

  The big guy’s back was to Ray, but if he had to guess, he was sure his face had gone from anger to shock to now something calculating. If it was Ray, he’d be looking for an opening and that meant that things were not going to get better. Laurelyn sensed it too because she unconsciously reached for her gun, but of course, it wasn’t there. She looked down at her hip as if surprised and then she said, “Shit.”

  She started to get up. Ray reached across and grabbed her arm.

  “Wait,” he whispered.

  She sat back down, clearly unhappy.

  The kid was laughing so uncontrollably hard that he was rocking back and forth with the gun in his hand, his head tilted back, cackling at the ceiling. The big guy must have decided not to wait and see what would happen. He lunged at the gun, but was too slow.

  The kid, quicker than Ray would have guessed, slid back and fired the weapon point blank into the big guy’s gut. He staggered backward and sat down hard. Two women started screaming. One of them was the girl.

  The girl stood and screeched at the top of her lungs. A horrible, animal sound that made Ray’s ears hurt. The young guy stood too and panned the gun around the restaurant, his laughing more subdued, but still maniacal. Most of the other patrons ducked but one guy broke for the door. The kid shot him.

  More laughter.

  Then the kid started babbling about republicans and oppression and Ray could understand little of what he was saying. At least the laughing had stopped. Unfortunately the screeching girl had not.

  Ray slid from his chair and sank to his knees. Laurelyn did the same. They looked at each other and Ray motioned with his head he was going to the right. She nodded and moved left, staying out of sight of the kid and the gun barrel.

  Ray scooted across the rough carpet and slipped behind a booth where the seat back hid him from view. Two women stared at him and he shook his head. They looked away quickly. He turned back and saw Laurelyn behind another booth on the opposite side of their row. They had the two psychos bracketed, but they were not close enough to get to the guy without getting shot. The kid continued to babble and hadn’t noticed their table was now empty.

  Ray peeked around the booth and saw the big guy writhing on the ground just in front of him, blood leaking from around his fingers. The kid’s head and gun swiveled toward him and he moved back behind the booth. Gunshots did not follow.

  The kid was raving about music and video games, his voice seeming to come from the ceiling and Ray guessed he was standing on the table. He needed to find a way to distract him. Leaning to the two ladies, he whispered, “Give me your glass.”

  They stared at him, and then one mouthed, “What?”

  “Your glass. Give me your glass.”

  The older of the two understood and slipped him the glass. It was one of those solid tumblers, a nice heavy feel to it. He hefted it in his hand and felt the weight. He couldn’t believe what he was about to do.

  He waited until he could tell the kid was pointed away from him and he rose quickly and threw the glass across the restaurant at the window opposite of his position. The huge window shattered and the kid crouched, whipping his gun around toward the sound, and then he fired at empty air.

  Ray moved quickly, closing the distance between him and the kid in a few seconds. The kid must have sensed something because he was starting to turn back toward him, the gun tracking Ray’s way.

  Ray dived at the kid and tackled him.

  They both cr
ashed from the top of the table to the floor, the gun bouncing from the kid’s grasp and sliding across the floor. People screamed and dishes shattered as Ray attempted to pin the kid underneath him. It was almost impossible.

  He thrashed and bucked and beat at Ray’s face and sides, the creepy laughing interspersed with screams of rage. Then, Ray felt someone on his back, pummeling his neck and head, a high pitched screeching right behind him. The girl had attacked him and was stronger than he would have guessed. His ears rang from her blows.

  The girl was attached to his back, her legs wrapped around his waist as he tried to sit up, her hands and fists slapping and punching his head and neck. The guy was doing the same from the front. Ray was beginning to believe this wasn’t such a good idea.

  The weight of the girl on his back grew lighter and she was no longer hitting him, but her screeching continued as someone pulled her from him. The kid underneath was getting a second wind and Ray could see blood dripping down on him and he realized his own nose must be bleeding. Apparently pinning him was not going to work so Ray decided it was time to stop being nice.

  Ray elbowed him across the face and then drove a fist into his nose, hearing a satisfying crunch as it connected. The kid stopped moving, stunned, and that’s when Ray sat up, picked the kid up and flipped him over. Ray sat back down on him and pinned his arms behind his back. The kid started yelling “Fucker! Fucker! Fucker!” over and over, blood spraying from his lips as it leaked from his nose.

  Ray turned to see Laurelyn struggling with the girl, her arms flailing as Laurelyn attempted to subdue her. A tall skinny guy got up from his booth and came over to help her, but she yelled, “Sit back down, sir. Police!”

  “You need help lady,” the guy said as a wild fist connected with Laurelyn’s jaw. It seemed to daze her for a second.

  The girl’s screeching continued and Ray saw something change in Laurelyn’s eyes. She hauled off and punched her in the jaw. The screeching stopped as the girl slumped to the floor. The guy continued to yell obscenities so Ray elbowed him in the side of the head and he shut up.

  Silence.

  Then the room erupted in applause. It was over.

  * * *

  The news had them on at eleven o’clock.