“I heard you won the team challenge. Again,” Jack said and smiled.I smiled back at him. “I usually do.”“Arrogant as always. Did you talk to Nataly this time?” His gaze was searching my face, looking for some clue.“No,” I said, wishing he hadn’t brought her up.Jack shook his head and scratched at the stubble on his chin. “You have to talk to her at some point and I don’t mean work.”“No, I don’t. I have nothing to say to her.” I looked him in the eye and changed the subject. “How are June and the kids?”“June’s great, the kids are terrorists,” he said and I laughed. “I worry about you, Jericho.”“I’m fine.” Jack nodded and then made his way to the barn where his men would dismember the bodies and transport them away. I went into the laundry room and got a bucket and cleaning supplies. I went down to the basement first and started cleaning the floor where I had killed Andrew and the other man, washing away their blood. There could be nothing to see when Charlotte woke up. Three ho
I opened the freezer and took out some fish. I put it in the oven and let it bake while the vegetables steamed. I knocked on Charlotte’s door five minutes before it would be ready. She hadn’t emerged at all and I had no idea what was going through her head.“Charlotte, dinner’s ready.” I went back downstairs when she didn’t answer me. I ate dinner alone and took two more pills. I felt tired after I cleaned the kitchen and I went upstairs to my room after calling the dogs and locking up.The next morning when I woke up, I felt better. I brushed my teeth and got dressed in the bathroom after another shower. Charlotte was in the kitchen when I went downstairs, making coffee. It was half past six and she just looked at me as she handed me the cup. I felt awkward around her and I was sure she did too. Regret, it was written all over her face.“Andrew’s dead so I guess I can go home now,” she said. She was right. She could go home now.“I’ll take you when you’re ready.”With Nataly, things
I called Jack back as I thought of something else. “Where did you leave his SUV?”Jack chuckled. “I parked it at the curb in Garfield Park.”“That’s good. It’ll be there for maybe an hour before it’s stolen,” I said to him. “Thanks, Jack.”“You know I’ve always got your back,” he said and I was about to hang up when he spoke again. “You might want to think about silencing her before she becomes a problem.”“I’m not going to kill her,” I said and he started to laugh.“Do you really like her that much?”“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. It was over before it even began.”The moment I said it, I knew I shouldn’t have.“Aww, shit, you slept with her, didn’t you?” Of all the people in my life, Jack knew me the best, but even he didn’t know everything.“What difference does that make?” I didn’t like where he was going with this conversation. I wasn’t a kiss and tell kind of guy and discussing this with my brother didn’t sit well with me.“For you it makes all the difference in the world, little
I was nervous about doing this. If she said anything about me, Jack would know and then I would have to silence her. It wasn’t something I wanted to do. I liked her and the realization made me smile and then frown. ‘No,’ I thought to myself. This was dangerous territory.I saw her car turn into her street and then into the driveway. She got out and unlocked the front door and shut it with her foot. I watched the screens on my laptop. I had perfect coverage. She put her handbag down on the couch and kicked off her shoes, leaving them right there on the floor. She went into her bedroom and I heard the bathroom door close.Jack answered on the first ring. “It’s go time.”“Tracking your phone location now…searching for hers…okay, Jericho, what do you want done?”“Phone calls, texts, emails, google, Facebook, Twitter, I need access to everything,” I said. I could hear him typing as I spoke. I had another phone that would basically act as her phone’s clone. I would get every text she got an
“Jericho!” A voice boomed from across the room. I smiled as I watched the big guy smile. Joshua was always happy, always in a good mood and you couldn’t stay mad at the guy even if you tried.Joshua walked toward me and Jack lifted his hand in greeting from his office that overlooked the open plan area. His office was on the next floor and he could literally watch everybody that worked under him. It felt good to be in the middle of the buzz again even though it had only been ten days. The air was filled with electricity as people coordinated drop-offs and exchanges and confirmed that the dead were in fact dead.“Long time no see,” Joshua said. We walked toward the boardroom together and I chuckled at him. I had missed training day because I was in Redondo Beach killing Paul Jameson.“Must be important for us to be summoned in early,” I said and he nodded his head in agreement. We walked into the boardroom and were the last to arrive.“Thank you for finally joining us,” Lynda said.She
“Thanks for meeting me, Blake,” Max said and took a sip of his coffee.“If it’s about tomorrow, the barn’s empty,” I said and he shook his head.“It’s not. I have to ask you some questions.” He was looking uncomfortably at me and I knew.“Ask away, Max.” I was smiling but inside I began to worry. Had I messed up somehow? I looked over at Charlotte and she looked away quickly.“I received a missing person’s report from Nevada. Some ex-cop and a group of his friends went missing. His brother has no clue where he is. His phone’s off and they haven’t heard from him since Saturday night,” Max said.“Nevada?” I asked with a frown. “Why did they send it to you?”“Blake, the guy, Andrew Douglas, he called in your registration number to the Dubuque Police Station to request your address,” Max said in a softer voice as more people entered the diner. “That was around midnight on Wednesday last week. Nobody’s heard from him since Saturday night. His credit card was swiped at a bed and breakfast h
Becky walked up to the table with my bill and the card machine in her hand. “We’re basically closed, Blake.”“I’m waiting for Charlotte,” I said and handed my card over. Becky smiled but didn’t say a word as I put my pin in. Her face was an open book and I could read every thought she had. Even if that hadn’t been one of my skills, I would have known what she was thinking.Charlotte was cashing up and Becky grabbed her bag from behind the counter. She and Rosie walked past me to the door and she whispered to her friend. “I told you they’re a couple.”Charlotte finished up behind the counter and sat down across from me with fresh coffee. She looked worried and her thumb nail looked chewed on. “What the hell is going on, Blake?”“Apparently Andrew called the Dubuque police on Thursday morning to run my plates. He must have memorized them when he saw us drive away from your house,” I told her. “Max basically just needs to verify my whereabouts over the weekend.”“You were in California a
I walked out of the police station and turned toward the diner where I had left my bike. Max followed me outside. “Blake, wait up!” he said loudly behind me. I stopped walking and turned around to face Max.Max caught up to me, a little out of breath. “I didn’t know they were already here.”“It’s fine, Max. The truth is still the truth. I was with Charlotte from Wednesday night until Friday morning and then I went to Chicago,” I said to him.Max nodded his head. “Yeah, that’s what Charlotte told that Harris guy too.”“What exactly did she tell them?” I asked him.Max scratched his head and I could see the indecisiveness in his eyes. “She verified what you said, that you two were at her house and left for your house at around midnight. She said you left for Chicago on Friday morning and returned on Sunday and took her home.”“That’s it?” I asked him.“They had a million questions about the time and so forth and then she admitted that you two are in a relationship and you had a fight ea
On a whim, I decided to get on the bike and drive the three hours to Epworth. There were some things I needed to get since the apartment in Chicago was usually just for weekend stays. I would also have to make more permanent arrangements with Quince about the dogs.I opened the throttle and raced down the highway and it felt good. It felt good to drive down this road and know that tonight I would sleep in my own bed. Chicago also had my own bed but it was different in the farmhouse, it felt more like home to me.The flashing blue lights up ahead made me slow down and I was pulled over by a police officer from Epworth. I didn’t know him and wondered when they had hired someone new. Max had talked about getting some extra bodies and here he was.“Good evening, sir,” he said as I switched the bike off and opened the visor on my helmet.“Evening, officer,” I said and dismounted the bike. I took my helmet off and got my ID and licence and handed both to him.“Do you know how fast you were
I hadn’t exactly lied to Jack. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with me, although I had an idea. I never got sick, I couldn’t even remember ever having the flu or a headache before the other night. I was pretty certain that my initial diagnosis on myself was correct.I went to see my GP, who was surprised by my visit because he really did see me once a year for a physical. We socialized as well but that was different. We had also gone to college together and he had known Robert too.“What brings you in, Blake?” Charles Roberts M.D asked me. He had a thing about the M.D behind his name and he got constant flak from all of us about it.“Swollen lymph nodes, pain in my neck, trouble swallowing every now and then, it’s not persistent but I’ve had a cough for the last two days,” I said as he looked at me, taking notes of my symptoms. “I’m thinking thyroidism.”Charles gave me a physical and then sat on the edge of his desk and looked at me. “I think you should go see David.”“You think it migh
I started the bike and took my time driving to HQ. Even though it was past midnight, I knew Lynda would be there. She was always there. She would know the moment I swiped my card at the gate and drove into the basement.I went up in the elevator and Lynda stood there in the hallway when the doors opened. She looked relieved, angry and concerned all at the same time. She nodded and started walking toward her office. I stepped off the elevator, thirty pairs of eyes following my movements.“Jericho!” Jack called as he came running down the corridor. He grabbed me in a bear hug and I felt his body relax as he hugged me.“It’s good to see you too,” I said.He let go of me and punched me. His fist connected with my cheekbone and it stung like hell. “Don’t ever do that to me again!” He hugged me again and I wrapped my arms around him.“I have to go face the music,” I said and turned away to Lynda’s office.I walked inside her office and closed the door behind me and was immediately engulfed
I sat down on the couch, the flashback of all these memories haunting me. Memories of when life was less complicated and Jennifer still lived in Chicago and Robert had still been alive. The living room light went on and John Gold stepped inside the room.“Blake?” he asked questioningly as he walked toward me.“Hi, John, we need to have a conversation,” I said.“It’s the middle of the night, Blake,” he said and I took the Jericho from the holster. “What the—”“Sit.” I pointed to the couch with the gun and he sat down reluctantly, watching me with his beady eyes.“Have you lost your mind? What’s this all about?” he asked me, raising his voice slightly.“I’m glad you at least had the decency to bury Lydia with Robert,” I said and he looked away.“It wasn’t my first choice,” he said and I nodded. I knew that to be true.“You broke something inside,” I said and he stared at me, clearly confused.“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said.“When you killed Robert, it broke somethin
I made my way back toward my bike and entered the building. I went up to the penthouse and picked the lock. I opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit foyer. I walked to the living room and opened the drinks cabinet. I had been here so many times that I could almost call it my second home.When I had met Robert in college, I thought he was a spoiled rich brat but I soon realized he had depth to him. He disliked his father immensely and he brought me home with him on our first break. I’d had a falling out with Peter, who didn’t approve of me taking time off to get a degree. I wanted to experience normalcy and it took him only four months to draw me back in again and do part-time assignments.I could relate to what Robert felt for his own father, who dismissed any ideas he had as idiotic and wanted him to fall in line and do as he was told. Sure, we didn’t always do the right thing and a few times we screwed up, not that they ever knew about it. The worst thing we did together was
“I’m not armed,” she said from behind the wall. I wasn’t aiming the gun in her direction but kept it in my hand on my lap.“Neither am I,” I said. She looked around the corner of the wall and something in her eyes changed. “Let’s talk.”She moved to the closest couch and sat down. “How did you figure it out?” The despondency in her voice might have made me feel something if she hadn’t tried to kill me.“It wasn’t that hard, but I knew for sure the moment Dillinger and Mendez came for me,” I said.She lowered her head. “They’re dead.” Her voice was softer now, almost like she was talking to herself.“You always were the sly one,” I said to her. “The fox in the chicken coop.”“It is what it is,” she said and looked up.“Why though?” I asked her. “We’re supposed to be a team.”“The fucking rejection, Jericho! Everyone else always being in your shadow, pick one!”“What rejection? You were always part of the team!” I said angrily.“I was good enough to sleep with after Nataly, and then the
I woke up to the beeping of a heart monitor. There was a blood pressure band around my left arm and bright sunlight filtered into the room, making me squint. I turned my head and looked around the room. It was comfortably large and I lay in a king size bed, hooked up to machines with an IV in my arm.There was a clean bandage on my lower arm where I had stitched up the knife wound and a larger bandage near my side where I’d been shot. It still hurt, but the pain was manageable. The door of the bedroom opened and a young black woman walked in, followed closely by Bo. He looked relieved to see me awake.“Finally, man. I almost died worrying ‘bout you,” Bo said and sat down in a chair next to the bed.“Where am I?” The last thing I remembered was being in the elevator and feeling myself lose consciousness.“This is my home away from home,” Bo said and smiled at the woman. “And this is Gloria, my little sister, and the family doctor.”Gloria checked my vitals and had me follow her finger
I briefly closed my eyes. I knew she was watching Robert’s funeral as well. Jennifer had loved him, just like I had. I forced the memories away, focusing on the present and the situation I now found myself in. “Hang on.”I plugged the earphones into the phone and put the earpiece in my ear. I put the phone back inside my jacket and kept it open. I was going to need access to my guns.“Where am I going, Bluebird?” I turned away from the sight of Robert’s coffin being lowered into the ground. I didn’t want to see it anymore. It was the final goodbye, Robert’s final resting place and it broke something inside me.“Goodman is on the other side of that lake and Black is on your left, right in those clusters of trees,” she said.I turned to the right and made my way through the graves and back toward the entrance. I would circle him from behind. “Thanks Jen.” I disconnected the call because she wouldn’t want me to hear her cry.I saw him standing between two trees with a pair of binocular
Tuesday. I woke up at 6 p.m. and I couldn’t believe that I’d slept that long. The migraine was gone and I showered, dressed, drank coffee and checked my phone. Jennifer had sent me details on Ashley Grant.She was five foot two, tiny with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her location showed her in a residential area in Williams Park. I studied the area and drove out to her location. It was forty-six miles to what I assumed was her house and I slowed the bike as I drove past it. I turned right on North Ada Street and parked the bike in an empty yard between some trees. It was almost 9 p.m.I was about a hundred and twenty yards away from her house and I walked quietly through the cluster of trees that bordered the back of the house. At the fence at the rear of her house, was a small shed-like structure. I mounted it and lay flat on the roof. It was level with her back door.I watched the house for a few minutes and saw movement behind the curtains. She wasn’t married and she had no children.