by Mike Ryan
“What is it?” Ames asked.
“Found out who Franks was visiting at that apartment building.”
“Who?”
“Woman named Tiffany Vogel.”
“What’s her story?”
Charlie shrugged. “Looks like she’s a kindergarten teacher at a public elementary school. Ran backgrounds on her, nothing came up very interesting. No criminal record, not related to either Franks or Jacobs, can’t find anything that indicates she’s involved with them in any manner.”
“Well, Franks didn’t just pick the apartment out of the blue, did he?”
“No, but I can’t find anything about her that ties her to them. And Jacobs’ kids are dead, so she’s obviously not their teacher or anything.”
“What about his brother? Jacobs has a brother, right? Maybe she teaches his kids?”
Charlie shook his head. “No. Terry Jacobs’ kids are going to a private school.”
“Girlfriend?”
“I’ve checked with some sources on the street, and I haven’t found one that indicates Jacobs has a girlfriend. Not one thought it was even a possibility. They all said Jacobs is still devoted to his family.”
“Well, maybe she’s just a weekend hookup for him.”
“Maybe she doesn’t know Jacobs at all. Maybe she’s just a friend of Franks.”
Ames turned his head and glared at his associate. “You really think a kindergarten teacher’s going to be friends with a man like Eddie Franks? What would they possibly have to talk about?”
Charlie shrugged again. “I don’t know. Just throwing suggestions out there.”
“When I want dumb suggestions, I’ll ask for them. Besides, how old’s this girl?”
“Uh, around thirty, I think. Somewhere in there.”
“Isn’t Jacobs in his early thirties?”
“I believe so. Thinking maybe Jacobs is getting his groove back on?”
Ames nodded. “Possibly. You got a picture of this girl?”
Charlie went through his phone and pulled up a picture. It was one that Charlie found digging through school pictures that Tiffany’s school had posted online. He showed his boss. “This is her.”
Ames looked closely at the photo. He smiled. “Yeah. She’s got that sweet, innocent look about her. I could see Jacobs falling for a girl like that.”
“She’s pretty, but like I said, nobody I talked to have thought that it was even remotely possible.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure, isn’t it?”
“What’s that?”
“Nobody out there, including the people you know, really know Jacobs all that well to begin with, do they?”
Charlie shook his head. “Except for Eddie Franks. He’s the only one that seems to know him well.”
Ames nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. Except for Eddie Franks. How are we making out on him?”
“Still have a man on him. Hasn’t left his place since yesterday when he went to this girl’s apartment.”
“What about her?”
“I’ve got a man outside her place too. She went to school today, came back home, hasn’t gone out anywhere else yet.”
“Well, tomorrow’s Saturday, so maybe we’ll get lucky with some additional activity.”
“Keep the tails on?”
Ames leaned back in his chair, looking at the ladies in the pool, appreciating the view. “Yes, Charlie, keep the tails on. Something will break soon enough. It always does.”
Tiffany was nervously walking around in her apartment, thinking about what she wanted to do. She kept replaying the last conversations she had with both Jacobs and Franks in her mind. She was getting conflicting messages. She then thought back to the two times she’d been out with Jacobs. She was happy when she was with him. But she knew that was only an outer layer. There was so much more buried underneath him that he wasn’t showing. And it was only two dates. It wasn’t exactly like she knew him for six months or something. She could have just moved on and found someone else if she wanted to. But every time she thought about that, her mind kept going back to Jacobs. She felt some kind of connection there, and maybe it was just her imagination, but she really felt like there was one. What if she walked away and regretted not trying? She doubted if she tried—and it didn’t work—that she would regret giving it a chance. After all, she didn’t have to give it years. A few weeks, maybe a month or two; she didn’t see the harm in that. Not when there was a possibility of a lifetime of happiness.
After pacing around for nearly thirty minutes, thinking of all her possibilities and options, Tiffany finally grabbed her phone off an end table. She went into the kitchen to find the piece of paper with Franks’ contact info on it, which was right on the counter. She took a few deep breaths, then began the text.
“Hi. It’s Tiffany. I was thinking about what you said, and if you think it’s still possible, I think I would like to try meeting Brett again. If he’s willing. I really don’t want to force him into something, though, if it’s not what he really wants.”
Franks texted back right away. “Have no fear of that. I will think of something to get you two together. When’s a good time for you?”
“I’m available all day, really. I have no plans.”
“Great. You good for today? I know Brett’s got nothing going on.”
“Yeah. Should be.”
“Let me think of a place, and I’ll get back to you.”
“Brett and I have met at the park twice. Could try there again.”
“Sounds good. Meet you there in one hour. Maybe two, depending on how long it takes me to convince him to go out.”
“OK. Just let me know.”
A smile came over Franks’ face as he put the phone in his pocket. He felt good about himself putting this plan together. As much as his friend tried to deny it, this was what he needed. Franks was sure of it. Jacobs needed a reason to keep on living. And what he had in his life right now just wasn’t cutting it. He needed more. And if he wasn’t willing to do what it took to improve it, then Franks was. Now he just needed to figure out a way to get Jacobs out of the house. He had an idea, though. It would work. He was sure of it. Franks was about to get in his car and drive over to Jacobs’ place, but just in case he wasn’t home, he decided it was better to call him instead. He got back on the phone and called his friend. Jacobs picked up on the second ring.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, buddy ol’ boy, how’s it going?”
Jacobs contorted his face, knowing that something was up. His friend either wanted something, needed something, or was in trouble. And it was entirely possible that all three things could be connected at once. He could tell from Franks’ choice of words and the tone of his voice that something big or unusual was about to come out of his mouth. “Uh, it’s going OK, I guess. How’s it going for you?”
“Just fine and dandy.”
“Good.”
“Whatcha got going on today, anything?”
“Uh, nothing in particular as of now. Why? Do you need something? You locked up? Tied up? In trouble? Hanging by your feet off a bridge? About to get thrown off a plane?”
Franks rolled his eyes. “Awe, c’mon now, man. Now that’s just hurtful. That’s hurtful. You know that? I mean, here I am trying to have a nice pleasant conversation with you, and all you’re doing is bringing up things that make it seem like I’m after you for something.”
“So you’re not?”
“No, man! C’mon now. Can’t a friend just call another friend and just shoot the breeze?”
“How often do we do that?”
“Not much. But that’s the point. We should do it more often, you know what I mean?”
“I suppose. So what do you want?” Jacobs asked.
“You’re just hurtful, man, hurtful. I’m just calling to see if you wanted to hang out today for a little bit. That’s all. Nothing more to it than that.”
“You just wanted to hang out?”
“Yeah, that’s all.
Is that so terrible?”
“Are you trying to get me somewhere?”
“What?! No, man, c’mon, don’t be ridiculous,” Franks said.
“So what did you have in mind? Bowling, mini-golf, regular golf, go to a movie, a ball game, what?”
“Why you gotta be like that?”
Jacobs laughed. “Like what?”
“Condescending. Yeah, condescending, that’s what you are. You know that?”
Jacobs eased up on the laughter. “I’m sorry, it’s just too easy.”
“Well, now that you had a bellyful, how ’bout it? Did you wanna hang out soon? Maybe in an hour or so?”
“What exactly did you have in mind?”
“Oh, I dunno. I thought maybe we could just go to the park. Maybe bring the furball with you, toss around a frisbee or some tennis balls, things like that.”
“The park? With Gunner?”
“Well, it ain’t the first time I’ve been in a park with you, you know.”
“Yeah, it just seems… strange.”
“You know what, man, fine, be that way. If you don’t wanna hang out with me, you don’t have to. I know when I’m not wanted. Maybe I’ll just call up Lucy and Deb and see if they wanna have a little triangle…”
“Just stop right there. Don’t wanna hear more. If it will make you feel better, I’ll meet you in the park in an hour, OK?”
“I don’t want you to take pity on me and just meet me to repair my bruised and fragile ego.”
“Eddie, I would love to meet you at the park, OK? I’ll meet you in an hour.”
“All right, don’t forget the little guy.”
“He’s not that little.”
“Well, he’s smaller than me.”
“Just remember that little guy could probably pull your arm off if he wanted to,” Jacobs said.
“Uh, yeah, right. Tell him I said hi and I love him.”
“Uh huh.”
“One hour, man, one hour.”
“I’ll be there.”
Jacobs got to the park in an hour, right on time. He sat in his car for a few minutes, not seeing Franks there yet. Instead of waiting, he and Gunner got out of the car and started walking. He then got a text from Franks saying he’d be there in a minute or two. He and Gunner stood within sight of the parking lot, so Franks could see them once he pulled in. They saw Franks’ car pull into a spot. Franks got out and waved at them, then quickly walked over to their position.
“Where’s the stuff?” Jacobs asked.
“What stuff?”
“You said something about frisbees and tennis balls.”
“Yeah, but what makes you think I have them?”
“‘Cause you said it?”
“Why would I have them? I don’t own a dog.”
“Because you’re the one who mentioned it.”
“Yeah, man, only because I figured you had that kind of stuff.”
“I do, but I didn’t bring them because I thought you were.”
“I don’t know why you’d think that,” Franks said. “Anyways, let’s just keep on walking, anyway. Maybe we’ll find something along the trail.”
Jacobs looked at him strangely. “Such as?”
“I dunno, a ball, a… something. Something we can stick in his mouth. Maybe a stick.”
“Or an arm?”
“Now don’t get like that, man. It’s a nice, beautiful day outside. Let’s just enjoy it.”
Everything still seemed kind of strange to Jacobs, but he was just going to roll with it for now. He was sure Franks had something up his sleeve, but he was probably just waiting for the right time to drop the bomb on him. Jacobs was already bracing himself for it. They’d been walking about ten minutes before Gunner started acting funny. He was jerking on the leash, looking very jittery.
“What’s wrong, boy?” Jacobs asked.
“He all right?”
“I dunno. He senses something.”
Franks raised his eyebrows and scratched behind his ear as he turned all around. “Looks like the coast is clear to me.”
“Well, it’s not. I trust his nose more than your eyes.”
“That’s kind of insulting. True maybe, but still insulting. You could at least pretend.”
Jacobs knelt down and pet his dog on the back. “What do you see?”
“You don’t suppose that maybe he senses someone’s in trouble or something, do you?”
Jacobs stood back up, looking around. He didn’t see anything either, but he trusted Gunner’s nose. Something had caught his attention. “Maybe.”
“What do you wanna do? Head home? Forget about this?”
“No, let’s see what he knows that we don’t.”
“Umm, just in case, are you packing? ‘Cause if we get into some type of fight, I’m probably not much use.”
Jacobs just looked at him. “I’m always packing. And in regards to the other part… well, yeah.”
“Hey! I did save your life once before, you know. In case you forgot, there was a certain female assassin that…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. How could I forget? You won’t let me.”
“Well, just want credit where credit is due.”
They started walking again, Jacobs letting Gunner pull him in the direction that he wanted to go. After only three or four minutes, Gunner suddenly stopped and sat down, calming down.
“Maybe a false alarm,” Franks said.
“He doesn’t have false alarms. He sensed something. Might be gone now, though.” Jacobs eased up on his grip of the leash. As soon as he did, Gunner took off, breaking free of his owner’s grasp. “Awe, man.”
Jacobs immediately started running after his dog. He didn’t worry about Gunner disappearing. He worried about him running into trouble without him.
“Do I gotta run too?” Franks asked. “Cause running ain’t really my game, you know.”
“I’ll let you know when it’s safe!”
It wasn’t a long run. Jacobs ran for maybe a minute before his eyes finally found Gunner’s body again. Jacobs immediately stopped as he saw his dog sitting on a park bench, next to a pretty girl that he knew. It was the same bench that he and Tiffany had been on the previous times they’d been there. Jacobs took a deep breath, trying to figure out what he was going to say this time. Then, Franks caught up with him.
“Oh, hey, look, it’s Tiffany. What’re the odds running into her here?” Jacobs’ jaws clenched tight. His head turned slowly toward his friend. Franks started to panic as he saw the look on his face. He realized what he said had given him away. “And, uh, uh, and how would I know that since I never saw her before now?”
“Yes, Eddie, how would you know that?!”
Franks faked a cough. “Well, it’s a funny thing about that, you know?”
“I can’t wait to laugh.”
“Well, you know, the other day, I just happened to be out and about, and, uh… well, you know, the way I usually go about things is… well, see, it’s like this… when I went out, I happened to… oh, look, she’s waving to us. How nice.”
Jacobs looked at Tiffany, who had a smile on her face, and he waved back. “Eddie, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do nothing, man, nothing. Why you always think I did something?”
“Because it’s you!”
“Well, I didn’t.” Franks then started moving forward. “Let’s just enjoy the nice day with the pleasant company, huh?”
Jacobs put his head down for a moment. When he picked it back up and saw Tiffany’s face, he couldn’t deny it was nice to see her. He just knew it wasn’t a good idea, though. But, for an hour or two, he guessed there were worse ways to spend an afternoon. His legs started moving forward, and he began talking to himself on his slow walk over to the bench.
“Stay strong, Brett. Don’t let your guard down.”
12
As Jacobs reached the bench, he and Tiffany smiled at each other. She continued petting Gunner, who seemed to enjoy the attention.
“Hi,” Tiffany said, putting her hand up to wave.
“Hi. I would introduce the two of you, but somehow, I think you’ve met.”
Tiffany wasn’t sure what to say and looked up at Franks, who gently shook his head. He felt Jacobs’ icy stare as well and quickly stopped.
“Uh, no, not at all,” Franks said, reaching over to shake her hand. “How would we meet? Pleasure to meet you, ma’am. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“I’m sure,” Jacobs tersely said.
“Looks like the dog’s taken a liking to you.”
Tiffany smiled and continued petting Gunner, looking like she was enjoying it as much as he was. “He’s so good. I love him.”
Franks leaned over to whisper in his friend’s ear. “Hear that?”
Jacobs returned the favor and whispered in Franks’ ear as well. “I’m gonna kill you.”
Franks cleared his throat. Not eager to be on the receiving end of Jacobs’ threats, he clapped his hands excitedly and pet Gunner as well. “So, what brings you to the park today?”
“Can’t wait to hear this,” Jacobs mumbled to himself.
“Uh, I just come here from time to time. This is where Brett and I first stumbled into each other, actually.”
“Oh, is it now?” Franks asked. “Well, isn’t that nice? And you two just bumping into each other again… maybe it’s a sign.”
Jacobs moved his jaw around, trying to prevent himself from smiling, as he thought Franks was laying it on pretty thick. “Sure is.”
Tiffany looked up at Jacobs and could see he didn’t have the most pleasant look on his face. “Umm, I know after our last talk, if you’re uncomfortable with me being here, I can just go.”
Franks quickly put his hand on Tiffany’s arm and leaned in to whisper. “No, no, no, what are you doing? Stick with the plan.” Franks then pulled back and coughed. He looked at his friend and talked louder. “There’s no need for that, right?”
Jacobs plastered a smile on his face. “No.” He looked at Tiffany’s face and couldn’t give her one of those talks again so soon after the last one. He just didn’t have it in him to disappoint her again. “Of course not. We’re all here. No reason we can’t enjoy the day together.”