The Next Best Thing

by Wiley Brooks

  “The kid lives well,” Bo said.

  On the floor just inside the door was the envelope that Big Willie had left earlier. Mason bent to pick it up, but Bo stopped him.

  “Just a minute, Mason.” He pulled a small camera from a pocket and took photos of the envelope on the floor. He then turned to snap some establishing photos of the main room of the apartment. He made sure to show the motorcycle. He then pulled two pair of latex gloves from a back pocket and handed a pair to Mason.

  “Put these on,” he told Mason, as he put the other pair on himself. He then reached down and took the envelope. Mason handed him a knife and Bo carefully slit the envelope open. Inside was a hand-penned note.

  Joey,

  The police are on to you. A detective came to my shop today asking about you. I said I didn’t know you, of course, but this changes everything. You need to get away right now. I know you are probably off with the Jessica woman. Drop that plan and leave as soon as you get this note. And don’t contact me again. Sorry my friend. I had hoped this day would never come. Please burn this note in your sink before you leave. But leave quickly.

  Willie

  Bo placed the note on the dining room table, turned on a light, and photographed it. He then looked at Mason.

  “It’s only a matter of time,” Bo said. “We’re going to get this asshole.”

  “Who’s Jessica?” Mason responded.

  Joey and Jessica joined John and Melinda near the coral reef they had discussed over dinner the previous night. Joey lathered her back and legs with sunscreen – “the most important part of the day” – and then gave Jessica a short lesson in how to use the mask and snorkel. He practiced with her in shallow water.

  “There are really just two things you need to learn to do to enjoy snorkeling,” he told her as they sat in shallow water near the beach. “The first thing is that you have to make sure your mask fits snugly on your face. If it doesn’t, you’re going to be leaking water inside the mask.”

  He took her mask and put it against her face.

  “Breathe in through your nose,” he said. She did. He took his hand down and the mask stayed suctioned to her face. “Great! No air leaks here means no water leaks there,” he said pointing to the water. He broke the seal and took the mask away.

  “The other thing is to take easy, slow, steady breaths,” he continued, “in and out of your mouth. The nose doesn’t work. That takes a little getting used to, but it’s not hard. That gives you so much more control. Even if water gets in the snorkel you can easily blow it out. We’re going to practice here in the shallow water, so you can get the hang of it.”

  He helped her put her mask on, made sure the strap was behind the widest part of the top back of her head. He then showed her how to keep the mouthpiece almost loose in her mouth. “Don’t bite it hard,” he said. “Just let it sit between your teeth.”

  He had her float face down in the water and take those slow, easy breaths. She got it quickly. Then, staying in the shallow water, he had her add in slow, rhythmic kicks with her fins. Finally, he told her to dive down just enough to fill her snorkel tube with water. “When you break the surface coming up, give a quick blow of air through the mouthpiece.” She did it and squirted water several feet into the air when she surfaced.

  “You’re ready,” he said. “We’re going to swim out to where it is deeper. Trust me. I’ll be next to you the whole time. Go at your own pace. If you find yourself getting nervous, just stop and stick your head up. The fins will make it easy to keep your head above water. Steady kicks. But you’ll do great. You ready?”

  “I’m ready.”

  With that they headed out to the deeper water where John and Melinda already were swimming next to a small inflatable boat.

  They spent the better part of the next hour swimming among thousands of brightly colored fish of all shapes and sizes. They swam slowly next to a sea turtle and then another. The entire experience was amazing.

  “I’m ready for lunch,” John called out. “Me, too,” Jessica answered. They pulled the raft onto the beach, took out a picnic basket Bisaam had made for them and went up under the trees for lunch. The four of them sat there on the edge of the beach blanket chatting and eating, then John and Melinda said they were going to explore the beach.

  Jessica stretched out and laid her head in Joey’s lap. “This is heaven,” she said, eyes closed. He played with her hair.

  “Hey Joey?” she said.

  “Yes?”

  “There are a lot of places in Malaysia that I’d like to see.”

  “There are some great spots. And not just beaches,” he responded.

  “I was thinking that maybe you could be my personal guide.”

  He was quiet for a minute and she wondered if she had misread him.

  Finally, he spoke. “That sounds like you want to hire me.” There was what sounded like hurt in his voice. She sat up abruptly.

  “No. Not like that. I want to travel with you. That’s what I meant. I feel good around you. Jeez Joey! I feel great around you. Besides, I want more nights like last night.”

  A broad smile spread across his face and his eyes twinkled.

  “Oh. Yeah. I like that idea. I could take you to places around the country that I’ve been to, then after we’ve done that, who knows. I wouldn’t mind going to Bali.”

  She stretched back out on the blanket and put her head back in his lap. She looked happy. This was turning into the adventure she had wanted when she left Seattle. And with a young stud, no less.

  “When do you want to start?” he asked her.

  “Right away. I’ve seen all of Penang I care to see. When we get back, I’ll check out of the Holiday Inn and we can take off.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he told her.

  Bo radioed headquarters. He assigned a plainclothes officer in an unmarked car to stake-out the apartment from four to 10 p.m. and another officer to do the day shift the next day. Because of budget cuts, he couldn’t assign anyone to after 10 p.m. without approval from the chief himself. He couldn’t do that after what he went through the last time he requested overnight OT. Bo told Mason that if he had to go to the chief, he’d have to tell him the full story. They agreed that the odds of Joey rolling in and leaving in the wee hours were small, so they’d risk it.

  Before they left, they pulled the manager, Mr. Chew, aside.

  “Listen,” Bo told him, “not a word of this to anyone. You understand? No one. If you so much as tell one soul, I’ll personally see to it that you are prosecuted for aiding and abetting a known criminal.”

  Mr. Chew said nothing but looked terrified as he nodded his head that he understood.

  ‘What do you think our next step should be?” Bo asked Mason as they drove back toward his hotel.

  “I think we go knockin’ on the man’s door right now,” Mason said. “The last thin’ that guy wants is to get his fat ass thrown in a Malaysian prison. Let’s make it easy for him to roll. An easy way out.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I’m thinkin’ we stroll right in. Just you and me. He’ll see you and know somethin’ is up. I mean, a visit from the chief of homicides twice in one day? He’ll try to play it cool, and that’s when you show him the envelope. He’ll shit a brick. He’s a smart guy. He’ll see that the gig is up.”

  “Do we cuff him then?”

  “Maybe take ‘em out and set them in plain sight. Let him sweat in silence for a bit.”

  “Yeah, I can then let him know that we’re not really interested in his fat ass. If he tells us what we need, we’ll walk out the door and he can go on being the worthless piece of shit he is. I’ll spell it out for him. Right now, you and I are the only ones who know about the note. The note clearly links him to a serial killer.”

  “Don’t they hang fuckin’ murderers in this country?”

  “Yeah. Not a lot of due process. Arrested. Quick trial. Guilty verdict. The noose. He’ll get the picture. He could be dead th
is time next year.”

  “Right as rain, buddy. He’ll flip his fat ass so fast it’ll feel like a fresh breeze is rushin’ in.”

  “So, what do we want from him exactly?”

  “Who the Jessica woman is? Where they are? And every little scrap of info he can tell us about Joey that will make it easier to find him.”

  They drove straight to the tailor shop. It was closed.

  “What do you think?” Mason asked. “In the wind?”

  “Doesn’t make sense. He’s got a going business and nothing that he thinks that makes him part of the murders. Here’s my guess. Either he’s stopped off some place to have a few drinks or he’s gone to a safe house he has somewhere to cool his jets. In either case, he’ll be back. The question is when.”

  “Let’s grab dinner, then come back to see if he’s showed up.”

  Over dinner, Bo again asked Mason what was going on.

  “I’ve been havin’ nightmares. I wake up in a cold sweat and breathin’ like I just ran a fuckin’ marathon.”

  “People have nightmares. Although, now that I think about it, I haven’t had one in years. Why do you think you’re having them?”

  “How much do you know about my takin’ out General Tho?”

  “A little. I know it was off-book. You found out that he ordered the bombing of your place that killed Sylvie. And you took him out. An eye for an eye.”

  “Well, yeah, but there’s more to it than that. I didn’t limit my killin’ to the general. We packed so much C4 under his table that when I pushed the button it took down the entire fuckin’ buildin’ and kilt fifty-four innocent people.”

  “Yeah. I had heard that. Collateral damage.”

  “Well, yes. I guess. Here’s the thing. I’ve been fine with it for all these years. Really, I’ve given it little thought. Then about a week ago, I started havin’ the visions of individual people and sometimes their families who I kilt with that bomb. It’s horrible. The things I see.

  “It happens most nights, though it didn’t last night. I’m hopin’ I’m done with it. I get really nervous before fallin’ asleep, so I don’t sleep so well and then bam! I have the nightmare and I’m wide awake. Then, unless I stay really busy my mind keeps revisitin’ it throughout the day.”

  “You need to get help, man.”

  “I know, but I can’t right now. Timin’ sucks. I gotta finish this case. You know how it is. Single-minded.”

  Bo asked if Mason thought there were any connection between the case and the nightmares.

  “Maybe. They did start when I took the case. I do really get Bob Anderson’s pain and need for revenge. I’ve taken it very personally, you know what I mean. I wanna find this Joey guy and string ‘im up by his balls. Maybe my subconscious is forcin’ me to deal with what I did. But that sounds so fuckin’ touchy-feely. It’s embarrassin’.”

  “This kind of shit happens, man. I bet the two are connected. Maybe if you can figure out how, the nightmares will go away.”

  “Yeah. Maybe. In the meantime, I need some sleepin’ pills. Do I need a prescription here?”

  “Afraid so. But I have a friend who’s a doctor. I’ll call him and see if he’ll call you in a prescription.”

  “Thanks, Bo.”

  They finished dinner and headed back to the tailor shop. Two hours had passed and he was still not there.

  “Goddamnit,” Mason cursed. “We should have stayed on ‘im.”

  “Should we put out a BOLO for his car?” Bo asked.

  “Let’s give it till tomorrow. I don’t want us to have to explain all this shit to anyone.”

  Day 16

  Jessica and Joey were up and in the boat with Omar at 10 a.m. to catch the noon ferry back to George Town. Joey had gotten everything he wanted from the Langkawi getaway. Jessica liked him and trusted him enough to travel alone with him. More than that, though. She adored spending time with him. And, he had to admit, he enjoyed her, as well.

  The ride back to Penang was faster but felt longer. They’d slept most of the way to Langkawi. The trip back was in the sun and heat of the middle of the day. They spent much of the return trip trying to find and stay in the shade. There was seating below deck, but it was stifling down there. Eventually, they settled into a spot near the stern on the port side of the boat, shielded from the direct rays of the sun. It was bearable.

  They napped when they could and took turns walking the deck. They didn’t want to leave their spot because someone else would likely take it. And they weren’t about to leave their packs unattended.

  It was mostly a quiet time. They had plenty of time to plan their tour of Malaysia and just chat.

  “There’s something I want to tell you,” Jessica said. “I was married before.”

  “Yeah. I picked up on that when you said you hadn’t been with a man since your husband. So, you’re divorced?”

  “No. He died. Had a massive heart attack. Wallace – that was his name, Wallace Jamison – he was only 42.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, then after a long pause asked, “Were you married long?”

  “Six years, but it felt longer.” He didn’t know how to react to that and she could see it in his face. “We had problems. We were both really focused on our careers. He was a big-time attorney.”

  She looked at him, debating how much more to say, but she kept talking.

  “It was easier for him. He was screwing his secretary. It had been going on for at least two years. Wallace didn’t know I knew, though.”

  “He was cheating on you? That’s really hard to believe. You’re beautiful, Jessica. Why would he do that?”

  “Happiness needs more than looks. I guess he wasn’t getting what he needed from me.”

  “I’m sorry, Jessica. But I don’t see how this could have been your fault. He was the one sneaking around. Besides, if he wasn’t getting what he needed from you, he wasn’t trying very hard. You are. . .” he paused to ask himself if this was okay to say, then decided it was, “You are great in bed.” A small smile crossed her face. She was, she thought to herself. Then, he definitely was, too. She could go with this for at least a couple weeks.

  They sat quietly for a bit.

  “Forty-two is awfully young for a heart attack, isn’t it?” he asked.

  Jessica told him about Wallace. He had become really fat and a chain smoker. When they met a decade before, he had taken better care of himself. He had never been skinny, but there is a huge difference between being a little overweight and being rotund. He had become rotund.

  The smoking seemed to grow with Wallace’s waistline. It was a disgusting habit, but as Wallace’s career took off, he seemed to crave the nicotine.

  “No doubt that he was addicted to it,” she said. “As a nurse, I knew how that could happen, but it didn’t make his doing it any easier to take. God, he wreaked of cigarette smoke the last couple years. Disgusting.”

  She said she had stopped being sexually attracted to him a few years back.

  “That’s probably what drove him to her,” she confessed.

  “Hey, he made choices that drove you away,” Joey said, showing the forced empathy that psychopaths can gin up when the occasion calls for it. “Don’t take it on yourself.”

  She knew he was right, but it was hard to let go that had she been a better wife that maybe Wallace wouldn’t have strayed. Then, and perhaps this was the new adventurous Jessica thinking, what difference would that have made? As unhappy in her marriage as she had become, she would never have cheated on him. Why hadn’t she just left him?

  That was, she knew now, the old Jessica. The new Jessica was far more willing to take risks.

  They sat there in silence for a minute.

  “Still, just forty-two,” Joey said.

  “Yeah. I buried him about eight months ago. It’s been a strange time since.”

  “In what way?”

  “So many. I knew I was supposed to feel remorse, but I really didn’t. His death did what I had
been unwilling to do. He was gone from my life. One minute he was part of it and the next not. But I no longer had to live with his lying and cheating. It was like a great weight was lifted.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “And you know what made it even better?”

  “What?”

  “His secretary, Judy – the one he was having the affair with – she was left high and dry. He had been giving that bitch jewelry and all kinds of nice gifts. He was paying for her apartment and taking her on so called business trips. That gravy train ended. She got nothing. I got it all. Every last dime.”

  “It was all I could do not to rub her nose in it,” Jessica continued. “At the funeral, she was dressed in black and all crying and stuff. I figured most of her tears was from all the goodies that ended like that,” she said, snapping her fingers. “And then there I was. Well provided for. I mean, who names their mistress in their will? I had to act somber on the outside, but inside I was – oh God, this is going to sound awful of me – but on the inside I was dancing.”

  They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Joey’s mind darted around. He heard her, of course, when she said that Wallace had provided for her. A part of him wondered just how much Wallace had left her. But another part of him was truly moved by her story and her willingness to share it with him. How does someone share a secret that big, he wondered?

  “Thank you for telling me about Wallace,” Joey said finally.

  “It just felt like I needed to tell you. I’m not sure why. I’m glad I did, though.” She snuggled up to him and before long was napping.

  They were about an hour from Penang when Jessica woke up.

  “You’re still here,” she said with a smile.

  He hugged her a little tighter. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

  “Speaking of which, any thoughts on our next stop?”

  “I was thinking we might take in the Cameron Highlands first,” Joey said. “You up for that?”

  “You’re the captain of this expedition. I go where you go. What are the Cameron Highlands?”