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

by Richard C. Hale

  “What?” She said.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, simply.

  “Why do I believe you when you say it?” She whispered.

  “Because it’s true. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  She reached out and held his hand. They watched the sun go down and cooked the steaks.

  They ate at the kitchen table and talked about her life and her FBI job. She was so excited when she talked about it, he should have known something would come between them. It already hurt to think she would be leaving in six months.

  She saw it in his face. “We have six months.”

  “I know. We’ll make it count.”

  He couldn’t admit how much he wanted her to stay. There was no way he would try and keep her from her dream. He would have to let her go. He pushed it from his mind and smiled at her.

  “Poker time,” he said.

  “You have got to be kidding me. Let me guess. Strip poker?”

  “You know me so well.”

  “Ha! You do know you’re going to get the girl later, right?”

  “It’s all about the conquest,” he said, clearing the dishes. He tossed them into the sink and came back to the table.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know how.”

  “Good. You’ll be naked first.”

  She was not wearing a stitch of clothing within fifteen minutes. She pouted on the other side of the table.

  “Not fair,” she said.

  He stripped in front of her, his eyes locked on hers and he went to her and pulled her up by her hand. He led her to the bed and pushed her down gently.

  “I’ll make it up to you,” he said.

  She tugged on his hand and he lay on top of her.

  “You already have,” she said.

  * * *

  Jaxon had taken most of the day off.

  Ray didn’t show at the office and he didn’t bother him at home. Jaxon was not his mother and would not keep track of him if he couldn’t deal with something. Besides, he was probably with Laurelyn and they needed some time together.

  Vick had been sick again and Jaxon was getting worried about her. He hoped she didn’t have some weird food poisoning or some other problem. She lay on the couch most of the day while he got caught up on paperwork. She wouldn’t eat anything.

  In the late afternoon, Vick was feeling better and he fixed her some soup. She kept it down and said she felt a lot better. He decided to see if Ray was available to head to Gainesville with him. Might as well get something accomplished for the day.

  He pulled up to Ray’s apartment and made it to the door where he stopped. He could hear Ray and Laurelyn laughing. He put his hand down and thought better of knocking. Let them have their day.

  He went back to the car and drove to Jonathon Gunther’s house.

  There was something that was bothering Jaxon about him and he wanted to talk to him again. Plus he wanted to show him some pictures of the two they caught yesterday. Maybe he would recognize them.

  He arrived at the house as the light was leaving the day and he stepped from the car looking at the sky. It had a deep purple hue and if he was a romantic, he might see something in its beauty. He knew Vick would appreciate it if she were here.

  He knocked on the door and was greeted with silence. The dog should be barking like crazy right now and Jaxon wondered if they were out for a walk or something. He went back to the car and leaned against it to wait. He called Vick.

  “How’re you feeling?”

  “I’m good, actually. The soup helped.”

  “Good. Do you think you want me to take you to the doc?”

  “I’ll wait one more day. Maybe it will clear up on its own.”

  “I went to Ray’s. I didn’t knock.”

  “She was there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good for them. And good for you. Sometimes, you do prove you have a heart.”

  “Only with you.”

  “See, the romantic in you comes out when you’re around new love.”

  “I’m getting nauseous now.”

  “You know I love you,” she said.

  “I know. I’m right there with you.”

  “Go find bad guys.”

  He chuckled. “Waiting for him to finish walking the dog.”

  “Be careful.”

  “Not possible,” he said.

  “I have to ask.”

  “Love ya.” He hung up and smiled.

  He was lucky she had come back to him. He had been lost for a long time without her. If only Michael was still with them, his life might be perfect.

  Gunther was nowhere in sight, so Jaxon figured him to be out. That still didn’t explain the absence of the dog. He went back to the door and knocked again. Nothing.

  Checking in the garage, he saw the same beat-up Jeep parked inside. He went around the side of the house. Maybe Gunther was out back enjoying the mosquitoes.

  The gate stood ajar so he pushed it open and made his way to the back porch. Gunther was not there, nor was the dog. The lake stood still and quiet.

  Jaxon turned toward the house and saw the sliding glass door sitting partially open. It was pitch black on the other side with the dark now almost fully on him. He stepped to the open door and called Gunther’s name. Nothing.

  He drew his gun from the holster and pushed the door further, the bearings in the rollers protesting and breaking the silence that hung in the air. He stepped inside. He smelled blood.

  Finding a light switch, he flipped it on and found Gunther in his chair, his face a mask of pain and his intestines lying in his lap. Flies swarmed around him and Jaxon watched as one particularly large one made lazy circles around his head and then landed on Gunther’s nose. Jaxon turned away and thought about puking. He held it down.

  He stepped outside and called Tate.

  “I’m at Gunther’s,” Jaxon said without announcing who he was.

  “Jaxon?”

  “You better get down here.”

  * * *

  Ray ran his fingertips down the length of Laurelyn’s back and over the swell of her rear, causing her to smile. She was lying on her stomach, her head on his pillow, eyes closed. She had been asleep.

  She opened her eyes and found him. “I’m getting worried about you, Maningham.”

  He knew when she was being playful, because she called him by his last name.

  “What did I do?”

  “You’re always watching me.”

  “I was studying this hideous mole on your shoulder. You need to see a doctor.”

  She swung the pillow at his head, but he ducked.

  “Hey! You love it anyway,” he said.

  She stretched, yawning, and his mouth dropped open. She giggled.

  “Close your mouth, Maningham. It’s just me.”

  “Can you do that again? I have to get my camera.”

  “Will you stop?” She laughed. “No cameras!”

  He reached for his camera phone and grabbed it. He pointed it at her like he was going to shoot.

  “Ray. Don’t you dare. I will kill you.”

  “You’re beautiful. The whole world needs to see.”

  She grabbed the pillow and covered herself with it, stifling a giggle as she bit into it.

  “I will leave you right this minute if you take that picture.”

  He lowered the phone and smiled at her.

  “Do you really think I would do that to you?”

  “No. But for a second I wasn’t sure.”

  He went to his hands and knees and crawled across the bed to her.

  “I don’t want to share you with anyone,” he said, kissing her, and then looked down at the phone.

  “You won’t have to,” she said.

  “But, if you want to take some shots of me…”

  She swung at him with the pillow and connected with his head. She grabbed the phone.

  “Give me that.”

  It started vibrating in
her hand. She looked at it and held it up. “It’s Jaxon.”

  “I don’t want to talk to him.”

  “It might be important.”

  “He’s going to ruin our night. Trust me.”

  She pressed the answer key and put it to her ear. He threw up his hands.

  “Hey Jaxon…I am…I’m not angry anymore, at least not at you or Ray…He’s here with me…You too…Hold on.”

  She handed the phone to Ray. He refused to take it. She shook it at him and gave him a look.

  “Come on, Ray,” she whispered. “He sounds ok.”

  He shook his head, but took the phone from her.

  “I was taking a day off,” he said.

  “It’s night time,” Jaxon said. “I think you two should get down here.”

  “I knew it. I knew you were going to ruin my night. What is so important that can’t wait until tomorrow?”

  “Gunther is dead. Murdered. Tate’s on his way and wants Laurelyn here. I figured you’d want to come too.”

  “She’s on suspension.”

  “She’s back off of it. Tate’s instructions. If she checks her phone, she’ll see that he’s been calling.” He looked up at Laurelyn and she gave him a questioning look.

  “He says to check your phone.”

  She went to her purse.

  “We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Ray said. “You’re making this a habit, Jaxon.”

  “I can’t control death.”

  Ray hung up and saw Laurelyn pull the phone away from her ear slowly. She looked pissed. He went to her.

  “They let them go,” she said.

  “Who?”

  “Roy Hubble and his partner, Joey Parks. They couldn’t hold them. Their lawyer got them out.” She looked up at him. “It’s my fault.”

  He pulled her to him and she leaned against him. “We’ll get them,” he said. “They won’t be out long.”

  She pulled away and started getting dressed. He didn’t watch this time.

  Chapter 15

  Ray drove and they were there within an hour.

  Temporary lights had been erected around the property and patrol cars with their lights flashing kept traffic off the streets. She flashed her badge at the roadblock and they waved her in. Ray put his hand in hers and she squeezed. At least she seemed herself.

  Jaxon met them out front and took them through the house to the scene.

  “It’s pretty rough,” he said. “Prepare yourself.”

  Ray had seen ‘pretty rough’ and thought he was immune to most things, but Jonathon Gunther’s body was a shock even to him. Laurelyn turned away and leaned against the counter in the kitchen. Ray reached his hand out, but she waved it away. She was all business now.

  She took a deep breath and turned back. She walked closer and inspected the scene. Ray chose to keep his distance.

  Tate approached Laurelyn and pulled her away. They stood close to Jaxon and Ray but did not include them in the conversation. Ray still heard everything.

  “The M.E. guesses time of death sometime last night. He won’t have a closer estimate until he gets him to the morgue,” Tate said. “He didn’t die immediately.”

  She looked at him. “So, this could have happened more than a day ago?”

  Tate nodded. “The M.E. thinks he was tied to the chair, eviscerated, and died of hypothermia due to the exposure of his internal organs to the air conditioned environment.”

  “That can happen?”

  “He says the blood would not be able to hold the body’s temp and it would cool down more the longer the intestines were exposed. Like a radiator in a car.”

  “When did Hubble and Parks get out?”

  “Two days ago. Almost right after we closed the cage. Somebody’s paying the bills for the lawyer. He’s a hotshot from Atlanta with a license to practice in Florida. He had them out in two hours. I tried to call you.”

  “I had the phone off.”

  She didn’t look at him as she moved away, closer to Gunther.

  She knelt down and looked at the corpse and Ray had no clue what she was looking for. He nodded at Tate, toward her, and Tate said, “Yeah. It’s been swept. We’re just waiting for the M.E. to collect him.”

  Ray approached and knelt down next to her. “What are you looking for?”

  “I don’t know. Anything. This is so bizarre.”

  The smell of blood hung in the air like a cloud and Ray could see what looked to be the man’s heart inside the chest cavity. It was hard to focus on anything but the body, but Laurelyn seemed to be able to shut it out. She pulled on a pair of gloves and reached for something under the chair. She pulled out a blue crayon. She showed it to Ray.

  “Why’s that here?” Ray said.

  “Good question.” She turned and called to Tate. “Bring me an evidence baggy, would you.”

  He pulled one from his pocket and handed it to her. She slipped the crayon inside and sealed it, handing it to Tate.

  “Good eyes,” Tate said, and left the room.

  She stood, pulled the gloves off and moved over to where Jaxon stood. Ray stayed with her.

  “You found him?”

  Jaxon nodded. “I came to talk to him.”

  “Why didn’t you come and get me? Take me with you?”

  He looked at her, and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m a big boy. I don’t need my hand held.”

  “Come on, Jaxon. We’re still working this together, right?”

  He locked eyes with her and seemed to come to some conclusion. He nodded.

  “I came to Ray’s place and heard you inside. I thought it was important for you two to get square, so, I left.”

  She smiled at him. “You’re an old softie, aren’t you?”

  He grinned. “I won’t admit it.”

  She did something then that Ray would never have expected. And from the look on Jaxon’s face, neither did he. She bent in and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Thank you.”

  She cleared her throat, grinned one more time at him, and then she pulled her work attitude back on and was all business. Ray watched Jaxon fidget with his hands for a sec and then he was himself.

  She continued to amaze him.

  “What made you want to come back out here?” She asked.

  “He wasn’t completely straight with me. And I wanted to show him the mug shots of Hubble and Parks. See if it jogged his memory.”

  “I guess we’ll never know, now.”

  “Part of the job,” Jaxon said. “We are forever guessing.”

  “What made you enter the property?”

  “The dog wasn’t barking.”

  “He had a dog?”

  “Yeah, they found him cowering under the bed. He was too scared to bark when I knocked. They have him out in the evidence van. Little guy’s still shaking.”

  His phone rang and he held up his hand to answer. “Vick’s been sick. Let me make sure it’s not her.”

  He answered and then turned away when he knew who it was. He walked outside to carry on the conversation.

  “How long do you want to stay?” Ray said.

  “It looks like they’re about done with us. The evidence technicians will go over the room again after the body is removed, but I don’t need to be here for that. I might have to go back to town, though, since my suspension was lifted. I have paperwork.”

  “I’ll take you.”

  “No. I’ll ride with Tate. You don’t have to wait.”

  He looked her in the eyes. “Will you come stay when you’re done?”

  “Yes.”

  Jaxon came back in as he was hanging up his phone.

  “Feel like taking a ride, Detective?” He asked.

  “What’s up?”

  “My informant wants to talk. He says it’s important. Wouldn’t say more over the phone.”

  “Yeah. I want to go. Let me clear it with Tate.”

  She left and Jaxon turned to Ray. “I think Papa’s in trouble.”
r />   “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Hopefully he’s still there when we get there. He sounded skittish. He never sounds like that.”

  Laurelyn came back and nodded.

  “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Ray and Laurelyn followed Jaxon to town and within the hour they were parking in front of the old Laundromat. Jaxon stepped from his car and looked around. It was after midnight and the street was deserted.

  Ray and Laurelyn got out and joined Jaxon at his car.

  “Where is he?” Ray asked.

  “Give him a minute.”

  Jaxon took his cell out and checked it for messages. Nothing showed so he put it in his pocket. Papa walked out from the alley next to the Laundromat and waved them over. He froze when he saw Laurelyn.

  “Who’s she?” He asked in his deep voice.

  “A friend,” Jaxon said.

  “Bullshit. She has cop written all over her.”

  “I have cop written all over me.”

  Papa turned back to Jaxon, looked him up and down and grinned.

  “Damn right. Shit. All right, but I don’t want a hassle.”

  “I’m out of my jurisdiction,” Laurelyn said.

  This seemed to satisfy Papa. He glanced once at Ray and looked back to Laurelyn.

  “She’s fine though. Does she party?”

  “I’m right here,” she said.

  He chuckled. “Feisty too.”

  “What’s so important, Papa?” Jaxon asked.

  “Guy wants to talk to you.”

  “Who?”

  “A guy. I don’t know. Said he wants some protection.”

  “I don’t know if I can help him.”

  “She might.”

  “True. What is he selling?”

  “You’ll have to ask him. He was too scared to say. If I had to guess, I would say he ran into The Owner.”

  “How do I find him?” Jaxon asked.

  Papa held out his hand.

  Jaxon sighed and pulled a wad of bills from his pocket and peeled off three twenties. Papa did the grab and disappear thing.

  “I’ll take you to him.”

  This seemed to surprise Jaxon and he hesitated.