The Final Flashpoint

by Iona Morrison

  “I’ll come get them. I want you to try one of my new salad creations before I put it on the menu for customers. I want your honest feedback. I have a few folks who have tried it.”

  “I’d love to. I’ve been Katie’s guinea pig for years and believe me, when she started out she wasn’t as good as you are.”

  “Wow, it looks like we’re about to get busy.” Molly pointed to the bus pulling up across the street.

  “I hope they spend their money, my friend.” Jessie was happy to see the bus.

  Jessie got to work as several customers wandered into her store. She loved busy mornings; time seemed to fly by. Business was booming. Customers and a good mystery kept her mind and hands busy. Darsha was never far from her thoughts. Her investigative juices were flowing.

  Her first break in the crazy morning came at lunchtime. She sat at the small table and took her first bite of Molly’s lovely salad. It was pleasing to the eye as well as delicious. Besides the mixed greens, there were slices of grilled chicken, black beans, and corn, topped with crunchy tortilla strips. A southwest lime chipotle dressing completed the taste experience. The flavors were wonderful. It was a keeper. With the last bite she could possibly eat in her mouth, Jessie gave Molly a thumbs-up.

  Molly walked in her store. “I take it you liked the salad.” Molly gave a skeptical glance at the salad left on her plate. “You didn’t eat much.”

  “Are you kidding me? I stuffed myself. This is a big salad. I would order it again.” Jessie looked at the small dent she had made in the huge salad. “You could offer to box the leftovers up so I can munch on it later.” Jessie handed her the plate. “I think it will become a favorite on your menu. Only one suggestion, make sure you offer a half-size salad on the menu too.”

  “What a great idea. I think I’ll put your suggestion into practice with all of my salads. They’re rather large servings, more conducive to a man’s appetite.”

  “Hello, ladies,” Matt stood in the open doors. “I’ll be in to talk as soon as I get me a sandwich.” He winked at Jessie.

  “Sounds good.” Her eyes lit up at the sound of his voice. His visits were a bright spot in any day.

  “How was your morning?” Matt came back with his lunch and sat beside her.

  “It’s been a busy one, I’m pleased to say. Besides all my customers, Reba was here with some of her wise words. The best surprise of the morning was a visit from Evan and Adriana Foster, and their new little girl.” Jessie’s face softened. “Matt, she was perfect. I loved holding her.” She showed him the pictures she had taken on her phone.

  “How are they doing?”

  “They seem to be fine. Although, I’m sure the new baby has changed their lives in a major way.”

  “I can imagine. I think that’s why my parents travel so much now. No rowdy boys to worry about, they’re finally free.”

  Jessie nudged Matt’s hand. “Before I forget, Reba said to watch over Darsha. She’s seen more than she should have and someone is aware of her knowledge.”

  “I’m waiting to hear from the FBI agent in charge of the investigation. One of them was reported missing a few days ago. I can’t say much, but the life of anyone with knowledge of this case is in jeopardy. Darsha, her family, and people who know them are in danger.” Matt rubbed his temple. “Let’s just say this case is a big one and will have the Feds descending on Blue Cove along with the press when the story leaks out.”

  “I know you’ll tell me what you can when you’re able to. I’m sure of one thing; I was supposed to meet Darsha. She is important to this case.”

  “It’s strange or maybe not so strange she came into your store.” Matt grinned at her. “I’m starting to catch on to how this works. It’s fate or some kind of destiny thing.” He took a bite of his sandwich.

  “I was hooked the moment I saw him sitting on the rock watching the body coming ashore. The big guys may come to town, but you and I will have our part in solving this case because the victims have come to us.” Jessie frowned. “Where is Darsha anyway?”

  “She’s still at the station. We’re waiting for her parents to come for her. We need to talk with them. I wanted to see you, eat lunch, and now it’s back to work for me. I have more questions than answers right now.” Matt stood. He wrapped the rest of his sandwich to take with him. “How’s dinner sound?”

  “Perfect, if you’re there.” Jessie walked him to the door. “See you later.” She kissed his cheek and got back to work.

  If she hurried, there was enough time to put a few books on the shelf and replenish the display table before her next customer. The cemetery at the church was in her line of sight as she straightened the sale sign in the window. Where was his ghost today? Were they both still in town, or had they moved on? Shrugging her shoulders, she moved to the counter which needed sprucing up.

  The bell above the door rang, breaking into her thoughts. An odd little man shuffled into her store. He grabbed a magazine and sat down in a chair to read. More than once she caught him looking over the top of the magazine at her. He was making her nervous. The man was thin, with angry blue eyes, and he walked with a slight limp.

  “Can I help you?” She smiled tentatively at him.

  “No, I’ll read here and pay for the magazine before I leave.” His foot shook back and forth in front of the chair.

  Two women in the coffee shop made their way into the store, chatting and laughing. They bantered back and forth, hardly taking the time to catch a breath. Jessie smiled. With their cups of steaming coffee and books, they sat at the table in the center of the room. “Do you mind if our book club meets here?” one of the women asked. “A few more will be joining us soon.”

  “This is a perfect place for your club to meet, and I’m happy to have you.” The strange man wasn’t pleased though, if his scowl was any indication. Jumping to his feet when the next group of women walked in the door, he limped to the counter to pay for the magazine, his frown making the wrinkles on his face more pronounced,

  “Nice place you have here. I’ll be back. I can guarantee it.” The man’s voice sounded gruff.

  Jessie handed him his change, not liking the way he had said he’d be back. It sounded more like a veiled threat to her than a normal comment. “Would you like a bag?”

  “Nope.” He rolled the magazine hastily in his hands and walked into the coffee shop.

  Pulling out a chair with force, he sat at a table where he could see in her store. The book club stayed all afternoon, and he was still in the same spot when she shut and locked the doors going into the coffee shop.

  “Feel free to meet here anytime.” She walked over to the table to meet the members in the group. “You might want to put your club time on the calendar and make this your regular place to meet,” she added. “I’d love to have you.”

  “Good idea. We could meet every month. I’ll talk to everyone and get back to you.”

  “Here’s my card and number.” Jessie walked the last couple of women to the door. The man was standing outside leaning against the lamppost. Locking the door, she turned the sign around to “Closed.” Relief filled her when Matt pulled up in his cruiser, and the man moved on.

  Chapter 4

  When Jessie opened the door for Matt, she stepped outside and glanced down the sidewalk.

  “Are you looking for something?” Matt grabbed her arm to pull her back. He held her around the waist.

  “I am, but he got away.” She tried to pull away.

  “He who?” Matt frowned. He held on to her until she answered his question.

  “I don’t know who he is.” Jessie told him about the odd little man who had watched her store all day. “He must have scurried between the buildings after he saw your car.”

  “I don’t like the idea of someone casing your store, especially after Darsha was here earlier.” He followed her back inside and took the keys from her hand. “Let’s drive your car and go somewhere quiet to talk.”

  Jessie checked the door
to make sure it was locked. “Quiet sounds perfect to me.” She turned off the lights as she headed to the back room. “I know you’ve had to learn something today, and I’m impatient to hear the details. You know how I get. Once I heard our victim’s cries, I was hooked.”

  “I’ve learned plenty. More than I wanted to know,” Matt muttered as he closed her car door. He slipped into the driver’s seat.

  “Is it all right if I ask you something?” She turned in her seat so she could see him.

  “Ask away. I’ll answer if I can.”

  “Is it possible there’s another body somewhere?” His expression told her what she needed to know.

  “It’s not only possible but highly probable.” He started the car. “What made you think of another body? You didn’t see another ghost, did you?”

  “No, but I got a good look at Darsha’s posters. I recognized the one young man, but the man in the second photo was not one of our victims.”

  “Good observation, sweetheart. You’re right.” Matt turned onto Main Street and headed out of town to the highway. “From what I learned today, I have a hunch a few more bodies might show up. With any luck, we won’t find them in my jurisdiction. Lewis has his hands full with two.” Matt adjusted his mirror. “Did I mention I talked to Agent Kaufman?”

  “No. Is he the agent in charge of the case?”

  “He was the lead agent in charge of the abduction and will work with us on the murder for now. Kaufman is on his way to Blue Cove and will be at the station in the morning. No one understands the reason for the torture or the murder. From everything the agency’s investigation has uncovered to date, the victim was a good student, played by the rules, and was popular on campus. The boy’s father was stunned when he received the ransom note.”

  “Have you seen the ransom note?”

  “Not yet, I should see a copy soon. The families are in shock. Neither young man seemed to have any enemies.” Matt continued to drive. “Both victims were only twenty. It makes no damn sense. “Too young to die, that’s for sure.”

  Jessie brushed her hand against his. “It’s sad and kind of depressing. It makes me wonder what the world is coming to.”

  “I know. I can’t imagine what the families are going through.”

  “Where are we headed? I forgot to ask you earlier.”

  “Dylan and I found a nice place a few miles out of town a few weeks ago on our way back from the city. We can enjoy a quiet meal together.” Matt paused, becoming silent for a few minutes. He glanced at her. “It’s liable to get hectic around here the next several days.” He signaled his turn into the parking lot. “There’s a tight lid on this case.”

  “I get it. I can’t speak a word of it to anyone.” Jessie fiddled with the purse sitting on her lap. His tension was making her uneasy. “What do we know so far? You know—details that we can discuss at this time.”

  “I’ve learned enough to know I wished those two had come ashore in the next town. We have a potential for a big mess on our hands. Dave has two bodies in the morgue, and I know the identity of one of them, which must remain a secret for the moment. When it gets out, it will be big news.” He walked around to open her door. He took her hand when she stepped out of the car.

  “I wish I could do more” She rubbed her thumb across the palm of his hand. “This will be a stressful time for you and our town.”

  “Having you around helps me more than you know.” He smiled at her. “Let’s eat. I’m hungry.” Matt stopped walking. “I can breathe when I’m with you.”

  Jessie smiled at him. “I’d say breathing is a good thing.”

  “You know what I mean. I can rest when I’m with you.”

  “Rest is good too. Personally, I think we’re good together.”

  “The best. How are you doing?” he asked before they walked into the restaurant.

  “I’m fine, but I can’t stop thinking about that man’s face when he watched his body coming ashore. It was surreal.”

  “I can imagine. I think we both need this time together.” Their conversation ceased when the hostess escorted them to their table. “Have you seen his ghost since yesterday?”

  “No.” Jessie looked at the menu. “I’m not sure I want to either. I don’t know if a ghost can be in shock or not, but he seemed to be. I don’t want to be around when the shock wears off.” She rolled her eyes. “I know, it sounds weird to me too.”

  After they had given the waiter their order, Matt filled her in on the details he could tell her. “Your idea of torture from an electrical prod was correct. The weapon of choice was a picana.” He told her the details Dave had told him. “Those two suffered; the question is why? What did they do?”

  “Do you have any theories?” She placed her napkin on her lap.

  “I was thinking drugs, but after talking to Darsha, I’m not sure now.” Matt waited for the waiter to place their salads on the table. “Darsha said he wasn’t a user. Of course, he could have hidden that part of his life from her, or he could have sold drugs on campus and stole the money.”

  “I’m sure Darsha would know. Addiction to drugs is not easy to hide. Besides, he didn’t look like the kind of kid who would do drugs to me, but I could be wrong.”

  “I wish it was easy enough to pick them out by their looks. We could save a lot of lives that way. The case is in the early stages; it could go so many directions from here.”

  “What about a hate crime?” Jessie took a bite of her salad. “Darsha is from India, one of the young men was white, and I don’t know the other’s ethnic background. Reba made it sound like hate could have played a part in it.”

  “I’m sure it did. There is an element of hate and passion in most murders.” He twirled his wine in his glass.

  Jessie watched him closely. He was pensive. She knew what it meant. He was walking a tightrope, guarding information, and still trying to bring her into the case. She loved how he included her. “I’m sure we’ll know soon enough, and you’ll tell me when you can.” Jessie changed the subject to her day at work. He laughed in all the right places, but she knew he was far away.

  ****

  Matt leaned his head back against his recliner. He had been downright boring tonight, not because of the company, she was mighty fine. Picking up the remote, he flipped through the stations hoping something would grab his attention. Jessie understood his crazy moods when he was at the beginning of a case. Hell, it was more like anytime during a case, if he was honest. She understood this quirk about him; not many women would. He loved that about her. Matt wanted to talk about the case, but he couldn’t risk something slipping out until the right people were in place. Jess was in the middle of it all too; the body had found her and so had the kid’s ghost. She must have needed to talk about it. Some listening ear he had.

  Damn, who was casing her store? It concerned him more than he had let on. Why was he there? Darsha must have a tail. At least the Sarins were in a safe house for the night. He put his feet up and reached for his phone.

  Jeremy answered on the third ring. “Hey, man, what’s up?”

  “I’ve got some research for you to do.” Matt gave Jeremy the details that he had now without giving away the identity. “I want you to check out the group.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Call me when you get anything, and maybe I’ll be able to fill in more details for you soon.”

  “I will, and, Matt, people who use torture devices are not nice and don’t act alone. Keep your eyes open and make sure someone has your back.”

  “I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

  Chapter 5

  Matt’s day started out hectic and showed no sign of getting any better. Agent Kaufman met with his officers early in the morning and updated them on the investigation. Amir Baz was one of the victims. His father, a diplomat at the Kuwait Embassy in D.C., was the one who had reported his son missing. Matt had a copy of the ransom note Mr. Baz had received. After reading over it several times, he wa
s still having a hard time understanding the hate-filled rant. Crudely written, the page had religious underpinnings and racial bigotry, which made little or no sense. There was a demand for a million dollars for Amir’s safe return. The FBI had monitored all incoming calls into the embassy, but the kidnappers only called once, letting the parents hear Amir’s voice before hanging up. They never contacted the family again with any instructions. Matt shook his head. They obviously weren’t in it for the money. What was their motive?

  Ryan Lucas was the identity of their second victim. The FBI was on the lookout for two more missing persons, Carlos Huerta and Shara Nachman. All of them were good students, leaders on campus, and well liked. Their common link, besides being good friends, was their leadership roles in a club fostering good relations between students of various ethnic backgrounds. Many students on campus participated in the club. Darsha, also one of the leaders, was late to the meeting that day. Matt penciled a note into the open file. It was strange how a matter of minutes could forever change a person’s life.

  He picked up the phone and dialed the coroner’s office. “Hey, Dave, this is Matt. I was informed a short time ago that you can proceed with the Baz autopsy as soon as the family’s mullah and representative get there.”

  “Okay, chief. I know how important it is to the family that we follow their country’s protocol, the law, and their religious practices. I’ll make sure the body is ready when we release him for burial. Time is of the essence in these cases. I’ve done a few before.”

  “I’m sure you have. I’m afraid this case comes with added pressure from our government. They want answers.”

  “Who doesn’t? We’ll have a few shortly, but the toxicology results will take longer. I’ll call you as soon as we’re done here.”

  “Thanks Dave.” He disconnected the call.

  What else did the kids have in common besides this group? Matt was sure there had to be more. The way they were tortured made him think they knew or had something their abductors wanted. Why pick on the kids? The next few days would consist of putting together their story in the days leading up to the kidnapping. Somewhere in the ordinary movements of their normal day were clues waiting for discovery. Jessie could help him with the details. His pencil tapped on the file.