by Mike Ryan
“Usually one of them mentions something they ate, and it turns into a thirty-minute talk about it.”
“Hmm. Sounds interesting.”
“Yeah, it’s really not. I usually just let it go and wind up ignoring them,” Jacobs said.
“Whatever works, I guess.”
“It’s just their thing. But it works.”
“Hey, whatever gets the job done. That’s all that matters.”
Mallette was staring out the window of his office, which had just been fixed an hour before, when he saw Reed pull up in front of the building. He looked at the time. It was a little after four o’clock. He hoped that meant it was good news. Once Reed got out of his car and disappeared into the building, Mallette turned around, waiting for him to get up there.
Mallette looked anxious as he waited. When Reed finally entered the office, Mallette started talking before he barely got in the door.
“Well? Is it done?” Mallette asked, hope in his voice.
Reed took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to say would disappoint his boss. He hoped Mallette wouldn’t go on another rampage. Reed shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Nothing happened. She wasn’t there. Never showed.”
“What do you mean, she wasn’t there? You missed her?”
Reed continued shaking his head. “No, she wasn’t there. I waited at the back of the parking lot, so I had a good view of where the teachers come out at the end. Never saw Jacobs. And Vogel never came out. I had a good view of the cars as they passed by, and I checked all of them. She wasn’t in them.”
Mallette sighed. He kept his temper in check this time, though he was still clearly disappointed. He closed his fist, then pounded it into his other hand. “That’s not a coincidence.”
“You think they knew we were coming?”
“After what happened the other day, then she suddenly doesn’t show up for work?” Mallette shook his head. “Jacobs is not a stupid man. He’s a lot of things, but dumb isn’t one of them.” Mallette put his hands behind his back, then walked back over to the window and gazed out.
“So what do we do now? Keep trying?”
“No, that ship has sailed. Jacobs isn’t about to let another tragedy befall a woman he cares for. He’s either going to keep her tucked away where nobody can find her, or even if she does go back, he’ll have contingencies in place. Maybe even asking his old friends on the force to keep an eye out for her while she’s at school.”
“So drop it altogether?”
“For now. Unless the opportunity suddenly presents itself, then we’ll take advantage of it.”
“We still going after Jacobs?”
Mallette thought about it carefully. “If we can. But we cannot force it. We must be smart about it. Jacobs is too good to be consumed by him. That is where we would make a mistake. Only if the opportunity presents itself. For the moment, we have bigger fish to fry.”
“Ames?”
Mallette nodded. “Wilson Ames. I gave him a week.” Mallette looked at his watch. “And the clock is ticking.”
12
Jacobs was sitting on the couch with his head resting on his hand. Tiffany and Thrower were sitting next to him.
Franks walked in from the kitchen and pumped his fist into the air. “I think we’re almost there.”
“I got it!” Hack yelled.
Franks shrugged. “I guess we’re there sooner than I thought.”
Jacobs leapt off the couch and hurried into the kitchen, passing right by Franks. Tiffany and Thrower followed him in, eager to hear the news.
“Whatcha got?” Jacobs asked, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs.
Tiffany and Thrower stood behind him. Franks came back in as well.
Hack had a smile on his face, pleased with his efforts. “Well, it took a little longer than I thought it would, but I got something.”
“I’m all ears,” Jacobs replied.
“Haven’t found anything on Mallette yet. Ames either. Butch is another matter, though.”
“You found where that son of a beeswack is hiding?” Franks asked. “I’d like to get my own hands on that wack job’s throat and squeeze the life out of it. Double-crossing us like that.”
“Well, I can’t be sure whether he’ll be there, of course. But there’s no doubt it belongs to him. Or someone in his crew.”
Jacobs rubbed his forehead, not exactly sure what he was saying. “What are you getting at?”
“Let me just explain.”
“Wise move, man, wise move,” Franks said.
“This building here.” Hack pointed to a building on a map that was on his computer. “This was rented out about six months ago by one of the names on this list that you say works for Butch.”
“Could be a hangout.”
“Could be.”
“What’s it being used for?” Jacobs asked. “I mean, normally.”
“As far as I can tell, it hasn’t been used for any business in over a year,” Hack replied. “At least not the legal kind. What Butch is doing with it is anyone’s guess.”
“Bet you don’t need three of them,” Franks said with a laugh.
“Yeah, probably not. Anyway, it’s not being used for a normal business right now. There’s nothing associated with it.”
Jacobs nodded. “So there’s a pretty good chance they’re just using it for meetings and such.”
“I’d say that’s likely.”
“And that’s all you can find?”
“Uh, yeah, so far. All the men associated with Ames have gone silent. No social media activity. Phones, addresses, nothing’s coming back to them right now. So they’re either being extra careful or they’ve moved on from previous places.”
“After what we did to them, I’d say it’s a fair bet that they chucked everything and went back to square one,” Franks said.
“And Mallette?” Jacobs asked.
Hack brought his hands up. “Too soon to tell. Without knowing who’s working with him, I just can’t tell. And all of his known former buildings have been sold. Now, some of the ones that were sold, I can’t really verify what’s happened with them since, or the owners involved. Could be they’re just paper moves, and he’s still got a piece of them, but I can’t say for sure.”
“We could still check them out anyway,” Thrower said.
“That could take a lot of time,” Jacobs replied.
“If it’s all we got, it’s all we got. It’s better than nothing.”
Jacobs agreed. “Yeah, well, we got this thing on Butch first. Let’s deal with that before anything else. Butch and Mallette seem to be buddy-buddy lately, maybe we’ll get lucky and catch them together.”
“Well, I’m ready when you are. When you wanna do this?”
“No time like the present. The sooner we hit it, the sooner we can end this thing.”
Thrower nodded, then left the room to start getting ready.
“I can still keep working on it if you want,” Hack said.
Jacobs gave him a smile. “Thanks. You don’t have to do it here, though. Go home, relax, spend some time with your girlfriend, make sure she knows she’s important. When you get some time, look into it more if you can.”
“I definitely will.”
“Girlfriend?” Franks said. “You still got one? You mean she hasn’t dumped your sorry ass yet?”
“No, Eddie. She actually appreciates me. Unlike some people.”
Franks laughed. “Can’t imagine why.”
As Franks and Hack continued ribbing each other, Jacobs grabbed Tiffany’s hand and led her into the living room. He gave her a smile, then a kiss.
“Don’t worry,” Jacobs said. “Even though I know you’re going to, anyway.”
Tiffany grinned. “Can’t help it. Just how I am. I’m always going to worry about you.”
Jacobs put his arms around her and pulled her close. He stroked her hair as her head rested against
his chest. “I promise I’m gonna end this as soon as possible.”
“I know you will. I just wish it was over already.”
“You know, maybe you could join your parents in Hawaii.”
Tiffany pulled her head away. There was a look of concern in her eyes. “What?”
“Well, if you were there, I wouldn’t have to worry about your safety. Plus, you wouldn’t have to sit around wondering and worrying.”
“And you think that’d be better four thousand miles away?”
“Just a thought.”
“No, I’d hate that. At least here I can be with you. If I were out there, I’d drive myself crazy, not knowing what was happening. I’d probably worry more.”
Jacobs kissed her forehead. “How’d I get lucky enough to find someone like you?”
Tiffany couldn’t help but smile. “You just got lucky, I guess.”
“I sure did.”
Thrower came back into the room, bulletproof vest on, and weapons in hand. Tiffany glanced at him, then back at Jacobs.
“I guess that’s your cue.”
“Yeah.”
“Just promise me…”
Jacobs smiled, already knowing what was coming out of her mouth. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“I guess I’m getting predictable, huh?”
Jacobs put his arms around her again. “Don’t ever change.” He held her for a few seconds, not wanting to let her go. It was moments like these that he wished things were different. But he knew he had to go if there would ever be a time where he could actually hold her for as long as he wanted, without having to worry about who was trying to kill him.
Once Jacobs finally let her go, he called for Gunner, and they walked over to the door, Thrower right behind him.
“Hey, where’s your gear, man?” Franks asked, watching from the kitchen.
“In the car,” Jacobs replied. “Don’t worry.”
The door closed, Tiffany still staring at it. “Yeah. Don’t worry.”
Franks came up behind her and put his arm around her shoulders. “They’ll be back before you know it. Hey, I got some new board games in the car. It’ll help pass the time and get your mind off things.”
“Board games?”
“Yeah. Listen, anything to take your mind off things is a big help. I got Scrabble. Just so you know, I am a wordsmith genius. I’ve got some words you never even heard of before.”
Hack walked past them. “He’s got a lot of words the dictionary’s never even heard of, too.”
“Ha ha, very funny, man.”
Hack put his hand up to wave as he reached the front door. “It was very nice to meet you, Tiffany.”
Tiffany forced a smile. “You too. Thank you for the help.”
“It was my pleasure. I guess this goes without saying, but, don’t worry. They’ll be fine.”
“Thanks.” She forced another smile as Hack walked out. “I’m getting used to it.”
Jacobs and Thrower could see the front gate of the building. There was an electrified fence that went around the rest of the property. Gunner was with them. They were discussing their options at that point.
“Just once I’d like for one of these places to be out in the open,” Jacobs said. “Just once. Every time, it’s a warehouse, a fence, guards, secluded… always. It never fails.”
Thrower laughed. “You didn’t think they’d do all this stuff in the middle of a park, did you? Or maybe downtown in a big fancy office building?”
“It’d be a nice change of pace, wouldn’t it?”
“It would. Don’t think you’re likely to ever find that, though. There’s a reason these places are out of the way and unoccupied, you know.”
“Yeah. I can dream, I guess.”
They were two armed guards at the gate. They were on the inside part of the gate, though at opposite ends. They looked somewhat alert. One was sitting in a chair, reading a book or a magazine. The other was just leaning against a small booth, which probably used to be a guard station. Maybe still was, though not the original purpose of it.
There was a good distance between where Jacobs and Thrower were and the front gate. And there was nothing in the way of cover. It was a clear path between them and the gate.
“Could try to sneak around to the other side, see if there’s a back entrance,” Thrower said.
“What makes you think there is one?”
“There’s always another exit. Especially for guys like this. They wouldn’t take the chance of only having one. If the police come or another group looking to take them out, they wanna have an exit strategy. Sneak out the back door while everyone else is coming in the front. If you can only leave the way you came in, then you gotta fight your way through it.”
“Yeah, but there’s no guarantee we won’t have the same problem on the other side.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“And there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to get back there unseen.”
“Possible.”
“And it’s gonna take a lot more time.”
“True.” Thrower smiled. He could tell Jacobs really had no interest in moving from their current spot. “You really wanna go in the front door, don’t you?”
“Isn’t there a saying about ramming it down their throats or something?”
“Sounds vaguely familiar.”
“Well, that’s what I wanna do.”
“I hear you. I just hope we can get there to do it.”
“We’ll get there,” Jacobs replied. “We’ll get there. Let’s just wait a little bit longer until the right time to strike. You with me?”
“Ready and waiting.”
Jacobs figured they still had time on their side. He learned his lesson. They didn’t have to rush and make a mistake. They could afford to wait and pick the right opportunity. And if that opportunity didn’t present itself on this night, maybe it would the next day. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. Butch and his men didn’t know that Jacobs was there, or that he knew the location of the building, so Jacobs could be patient this time. And he would be.
After standing in their spots for close to an hour, Thrower looked down at Gunner, who was still lying next to Jacobs.
“How long’s he gonna stay there before he gets jumpy?”
Jacobs smiled. “You’ll get jumpy before he does.”
“Probably so.”
They then heard a car coming in their direction. Jacobs and Thrower looked back and saw two cars approaching. They quickly retreated behind a couple of thick trees, making sure the headlights didn’t give off their presence. As soon as the cars passed, Jacobs and Thrower went back to their former positions and watched as the cars headed for the gate.
The cars stopped for a few seconds, waiting for the gate to open. Whoever it was appeared to be expected, as the guards didn’t approach the cars and let the vehicles go through.
“Who do you think that was?” Thrower asked.
“I dunno. Didn’t get a good look at who was inside.”
“Maybe Butch? Or Mallette?”
“Possible. Couldn’t tell.”
“Recognize either of the cars?”
“Not really,” Jacobs answered. “Could’ve belonged to anybody.”
“Got any ideas yet?”
“Still thinking.”
“If we come back another day, we’re still gonna have the same problem.”
“I know it.”
Thrower then laughed. “Unless you got a few grenades you wanna throw.”
Jacobs smiled. “I did wanna go in with a bang. That wasn’t quite what I had in mind, though.”
“Hey, I got an idea.”
“I’m all ears.”
“It’s getting a little chilly out here, isn’t it?”
Jacobs gave him a curious look, not sure what he was getting at. “Need a coat?”
“No. Wasn’t quite what I was thinking. One of these chumps is gonna have to pee soon, don’t you think?”
“Uh, probably. I guess.”
“We wait him out,” Thrower said. “Either he goes somewhere, leaving just the other guy, or he goes off to a corner somewhere. In that case, when he unzips, we attack.”
“Sounds like the plot of a bad movie or something.”
Thrower chuckled. “Maybe. But I think it’ll work.”
“We’re still gonna be out in the open until we get there, though. Even with that one guy.”
“Either that, or we get back in the car.”
“I’m not ready to leave yet.”
“Who said anything about leaving? I just said get back in the car. We can follow that one in.”
Jacobs nodded. “I’m assuming you’re not talking about stopping.”
“You want to get in with a bang. Let’s give them one.”
13
Jacobs was in the driver’s seat, Thrower on the passenger side, and Gunner in the back seat. They were just about ready to go.
“You know, I just thought about security cameras,” Jacobs said.
“What about them?”
“If they have one on the gate that links up to the main building, and someone’s watching it in there, they’re gonna know we’re coming before we reach that building.”
“No doubt about it.”
“Which means we could have a welcoming committee by the time we reach the second wave.”
Thrower nodded. “Seems likely.”
“How you wanna work it once we get to the main building? They might be on us quick.”
Thrower shrugged. “I dunno. Shoot whoever gets in our way?”
Jacobs smiled. “That’s not much of a plan.”
“I figure whatever we come up with, as soon as the shooting starts, it’s gonna go right out the window anyway. Then we’re gonna wind up winging it just the same as if we had no plan at all.”
Jacobs laughed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. So you still wanna do this the loud and obnoxious way?”
Thrower smiled. “I’m game if you are.”
“OK. Just making sure.” Jacobs turned around to look at Gunner. “Hang on back there, buddy.”
Jacobs and Thrower put their windows down, that way they had an unobstructed view for when they fired their weapons. Jacobs was planning to crash through the gate, then jam on the brakes as soon as they broke through, that way they could dispose of the guards. Once that was done, they’d get up to the main building as quickly as possible.