The Final Flashpoint

by Iona Morrison

  “A new place that Dylan suggested. He seems to know all the best places around.” Matt glanced in his rearview mirror and then his side mirror.

  “Are they going to come?” Jessie had her fingers crossed. “I haven’t seen Katie for a few days, and it would be great to see her.”

  “Yeah, he was at the Inn when we drove by.”

  “You boys can talk shop, and us girls can talk weddings. It will make for a great night.”

  “To tell you the truth, Jessie, I’m interested in hearing more about you,” Kaufman told her. “I’m fascinated by all this, and I’ve never heard anything like it in all my days at the Bureau. I have a list of questions I want answers to. The wedding plans might have to wait.”

  At the highway, Matt turned to the right. He smiled at Jessie. “Relax. We have about a twenty-minute drive ahead of us.” He gave a brief glance in his side mirror.

  Frank was talking to Kaufman, which gave Jessie time to talk to Matt. “Darsha’s aunt came into my store to visit me today. She wants me to talk to Darsha. Her family is worried about her.” She saw Matt check his rearview mirror.

  “Huh? Isn’t that what you wanted?” He glanced in the mirror again.

  “Yes, I’m happy.” Jessie turned to look in the side mirror. The car behind them turned when they did.

  “Looks like you’re going to get your wish.” He gave her a quick glance. “If we’re ever going to find the people who tortured these kids, we might need to shake things up. You have a way of doing it, sweetheart.”

  “Thanks. I never thought of myself as someone who rocks the boat.” She smiled at him and glanced at the side mirror again. Their tail was still with them.

  “Take it as a compliment. We’re going to have to turn up the heat and force our suspects to show their hand.” He signaled and slowed for a turn, glancing in the rearview mirror as he did so. He frowned. “A trap or two, close the circle around them, and force them out into the open—those are all things you can do with your pen.” Matt parked the car.

  “I hope you’re hungry.” Dylan and Katie came over to Matt’s car. “They have great food here. Kip told me about it, and we tried the place a few weeks ago.” Dylan pulled Katie into his side.

  “I could use a good meal.” Kaufman started toward the door of the restaurant.

  “Me too.” Frank fell in step with the agent.

  Matt held Jessie’s hand. “We’ll talk later. Enjoy some down time with your friend, sweetheart.” He held the door open and followed the others in.

  “Thank you.”Jessie gave the car that had tailed them a quick glance as she walked through the door. The man bent out of sight.

  ****

  Too close for comfort. Marshall popped sideways on the seat and then peeked over the steering wheel. “Phew.” He wiped the sweat from his brow. They were inside. He’d have to be more careful in the future. “No slip-ups now, Marshall, you’re too close to your goal.” His fingers strummed the armrest. He’d been tailing the cop for a few days. Nothing of interest yet, but it was a side job, and they paid him well. Why they were interested in the cop, he had no idea. You didn’t ask guys like them questions. You took the money and kept your mouth shut. Keeping quiet was something he knew how to do. It was a game of dead or alive, and he wanted to live. This was his last side job. Retirement was in sight after thirty-five years on the force, on a lousy beat. They should have promoted him, but the Chief never gave him a chance. He scowled. With the money he would make from this hire and his pension, he’d be sitting pretty—better than most retired cops. A nice warm place far away sounded about right to him. Marshall snapped a few pictures. He didn’t want his new boss to think he was slothful.

  Chapter 9

  Matt looked for the car that had followed him when they walked out of the restaurant, but it wasn’t there. He had noticed it twice in the last few days. He put his arm around Jessie. “Are you warm enough, sweetheart?”

  Jessie leaned close. “I’m fine. Besides, your car is right there.” She pointed at it. “Are you okay? You were quiet tonight.”

  “I’m fine. You know how I get when we’re on a case.” He unlocked the car.

  “True, you do get edgy, but I was thinking it might because there was a car tailing us on our way here.”

  “You saw it, too? I should have known you would. You’re becoming more observant.” He smiled down at her.

  “It could be, but it’s more like the guy following you wasn’t doing a good job of being discreet about it.”

  Matt chuckled. “You’re something, you know it?” He opened the car door and chucked her chin as she slid in. As soon as they were all in the car, Matt turned to Kaufman. “We were being tailed tonight. The car was gone when we came out. Jessie noticed it too.”

  She shrugged. “He got a little sloppy at the end, which is the only reason I saw him.”

  “We’ll have to be on guard. These guys mean business.” Kaufman fastened his seat belt. “Jessie, after hearing your stories tonight, I definitely want you to interview some of the college students and Darsha. We can use all the help we can get.”

  She turned in her seat to answer him. “I’d be happy to if Matt comes along.”

  “Be prepared, Kaufman. Once she starts asking questions, the case will break open.” He grinned at her. “It’s happened every time.”

  Jessie laughed. “Don’t let him fool you, sir, it’s no big deal.”

  “You’ll see, Kaufman; get ready for a hell of a ride.” Matt signaled to pass a slow-moving car. “How long can you stay in town, Frank?” he asked.

  “A few days, why?”

  “I thought we might need Radar for one more track. Three of the four missing students were found in my jurisdiction. I find it strange. I may be wrong, but I can’t imagine them dumping the fourth somewhere else, unless of course they’re keeping him alive as a messenger or for ransom.”

  “I’ll stay around. As long as I have a place to stay, which I do, and you feed me, you can count me in.” Frank stretched his sore knee out and rubbed it. “Besides, I want to help make sure these guys are caught. I hate what happened to those kids.”

  “You and me both.” Kaufman leaned his head back. “I’m tired. A meal after a long day makes me sleepy.” It didn’t take long, and he was out.

  Matt turned off the highway at the Blue Cove exit. “Jess, see if you can take a day this week to go to the college with me. I want to talk to the kids while the details are still fresh in their minds. Kaufman has given you the go-ahead.”

  “I’ll arrange for a day away from the church. Audrey can work the store maybe, or Reba might be able to come in for me. You’re right; we need to go soon. Also, an article for the local paper and one for Neil would be the right touch to shake things up a bit.” She let her excitement punctuate her words.

  Matt parked beside her car. “Don’t go. I’ll walk you to your door.” He strode over to open her car door. “I’ll be right back,” Matt told Frank and the snoring Kaufman.

  “He’s not going anywhere.” Frank yawned. “I’m not either. I might join him before long.”

  ****

  “Thanks for dinner.” She smiled at him when he grabbed her hand. “I enjoyed spending time with Katie. I love watching how happy she is with Dylan.” Her breath caught when his thumb stroked the palm of her hand. “They’re good together. Dylan has a calming effect on her.”

  “They seem happy.” His thumb made a path across the palm of her hand again.

  “I know she is.” She exhaled. “Knock it off,” she grinned at him. “You’re distracting me on purpose. I won’t be able to keep a straight thought in my head.”

  “Ah, it’s working, then.” He lifted his brows. “I would be happy to have more time with you. We haven’t had much time alone the past few days. I hope that’s not an omen for the duration of this case.” Matt pointed at the second cottage. “How are your neighbors working out? Is Liam still checking on you every day?”

  “I’ve hard
ly seen Liam or Connor. The pub has kept them busy.” Her face lit up. “I think they’re having a great time together. They work all the time, like anyone with a new business has to. It takes a while before you can hire help. At least for management. With the summer tourist season almost here they should be in great shape. They have a solid business plan.” Jessie found herself rambling. Matt was making her nervous. Why?

  “I know how you love plans.” Matt held out his hand for her key. He leaned in close. “I love you, sweetheart.” He kissed her until she relaxed in his arms. “I wish I could come in…” His voice trailed off, and he kissed her again.

  Jessie walked in the door he held open for her. “Matt,” she called as he turned to leave, “please be careful.” Jessie saw him nod as she closed the door. The car tailing them tonight had reminded her of the dream still fresh in her memory. Maybe it was her feeling jumpy and not him. Jessie rubbed her hands over arms to ward off the sudden chill. Matt getting hurt wasn’t something she wanted to think about.

  The knock at the door startled her. Matt stepped in and pulled her into the circle of his arms, his chin resting on her head. “You forgot to lock it, didn’t you?” He shuddered. “Don’t worry, Jess, I’ll be careful.” He kissed her. “I’m not finished—we’re not finished—it’s only the beginning, sweetheart. I like that you worry about me,” he whispered in her ear. “Lock the door behind me this time.” He paused when he saw her notebook with bold letters written across it. He took a closer look. “Flashpoint? What’s this?”

  “The title of the article I’m working on.” She folded her hands behind her back.

  “Catchy.” He placed the notebook back on the table.

  “It’s more than that. Some event or place was the flashpoint that set off this crisis. I’m in search of it. These kids deserve that much.”

  “Their families do for sure.” He moved toward the door. “See you.” He gave her a quick kiss and walked out.

  Turning the lock, Jessie leaned against the door and sighed. The room always seemed empty after he left. Matt’s love had blindsided her. Jessie had had her life mapped out, her short and long term goals in place. He was right; she liked to plan, but she wasn’t sure her plans even mattered anymore. When had that happened? She pushed away from the door. Goals were good, of course, but relationships and people were more important. The last year had taught her the lesson well. He filled up the empty spaces in her life.

  Jessie walked over to the computer and turned it on. A quick check of her e-mails showed nothing of importance. She wrote a brief note to her parents and to Sadie. While she sat there, she researched the weapon that had been used on the kids. What kind of people would choose to torture young people? The electric prod had become a weapon of choice in certain groups. It was designed only for the purpose of inflicting pain. If applied to the skin, the current would sear, burn, and scar the skin; inflicting high levels of pain on the victims. The picana took the current up to the next level to cause maximum damage. The more she read, the sicker it made her. How could parents live with the knowledge that their child had been tortured? Jessie couldn’t read another word. Her conclusion was that sometimes people were cruel. Hate unchecked never ended with good results. She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. When it came to ways of killing people, the bad guys kept inventing new methods. When would people learn to get along? She sighed and turned up the volume of her favorite show.

  Chapter 10

  Matt arrived at the station in time for the morning press conference. He was happy to let Kaufman deal with the questions from the reporters. The Bureau was sending a few more field agents to assist with the case. Between the press and the FBI agents, they’d be tripping over each other before long. Matt understood. This was a big case. It could be bad for international relations for years to come unless they solved it quickly.

  “Sir.” Kenny approached Matt when he walked in the door. “I have a call on line one for you from Tom Maxwell.”

  “Thanks, I’ll take it in my office.” He picked up the phone. “Hi, Tom, what can I do for you?”

  “I’m one of the agents being assigned to help in this case. I’m coming for the sole purpose of watching your back. What’s going on there anyway?”

  “I don’t need a babysitter,” Matt snapped. “But we could use all the help we can get to solve this case.”

  “That’s not how Kaufman sees it. You’re being followed, according to him. It could be a part of this case or separate from it. I’ll be there to watch you.”

  He let his breath out in mild exasperation. “You have to follow your orders, but I think you’ll be coming for nothing.”

  “I wonder if Jessie sees it the same way,” Tom muttered.

  “Probably not.” He couldn’t help but smile. “But she worries about me because she cares.”

  “Damn it, Parker, I care.” Matt heard Tom chuckle. “I’ll be there sometime today. I’ll be staying at a motel and not the Inn when I’m not camping out at your house. My expense account won’t allow the Inn this time.”

  “Dylan would stay in the room next to yours if you stayed at the Inn. He’s not taking any chances when it comes to Katie.”

  “Hey, it worked the way it was supposed to. I know it, and so does Katie. I’m cool with it. I was only trying the relationship on for size. I could tell her heart was otherwise engaged. You could see it anytime Dylan was near, or when she heard his name. That last night at her brother’s pub made it perfectly clear to me.”

  “You wouldn’t like living in Blue Cove anyway. You’d miss the Bureau, and she would miss the Inn.” He chuckled. “Like you said, it all worked out for the best.”

  “Kaufman was amazed by Radar. I’m sorry he had to find another body though. I wonder if the dog could help us in our search for the people who did this,” Tom mused.

  “Anything is possible. We’ve had one stroke of recent luck. The coroner found a fingerprint on Shara’s body, and Dave is running it now. Hopefully, it will give us a name.” Matt clicked his pen off and on.

  “The thing about groups who use torture as their preferred method of killing is that they aren’t what you’d call refined criminals,” Tom said sourly. “He’ll probably be in the system somewhere. They don’t care about wiping off their fingerprints; they want you to know who they are. Fear and intimidation are their mental weapons of choice. He won’t be in this alone. There’s some kind of gang involved.”

  “I hope it gives us someone to put away for the sake of the families. The longer this goes unresolved, the harder it will be for all involved.”

  “One can hope. We’re not looking for a single suspect—these folks roam in bands,” Tom said. “Don’t try to be a hero and go it alone. Wait until I get there.”

  “It’ll be hard to be a hero sitting in my office with no clue where to begin.” Matt turned his chair around to watch the people in the park.

  “Good, you’ll make my job a whole lot easier if you sit tight. See you soon.”

  “Sounds good.”

  What wasn’t Tom telling him? There was more going on than the facts in front of him. The FBI must have a group in mind, maybe one they’d been watching. Hell, he didn’t want someone to babysit him. Slamming his fist down on his desk, he went in search of Kaufman.

  Matt found the agent in Dylan’s office. He walked in closing the door behind him with a bang. “I think you have some information you haven’t told me. I hate working with my hands tied behind my back. I would prefer you to put all your cards on the table so I know what we’re dealing with.”

  “Do you want me to leave?” Dylan asked.

  “No, stay. You need to be a part of this discussion.” Matt glared at Kaufman. Maxwell told me he’s coming for the sole purpose of watching my back. We have more field agents on their way here, and I want to know why.”

  “It’s a big case.” Kaufman sounded defensive.

  “I’m well aware of the size of the case, but there’s more to it than that, and
you know it. Let’s hear what you’ve got.” Matt squeezed the arm of the chair. Hard.

  “We’re not sure if this is the group we’ve been keeping tabs on. They were operating around the edges south of the border when you captured the human trafficking group. They’ve never had any operations in this country, which would make this a first. Frankly, we have no idea why they would be involved with these kids. This is one nasty group, and they leave a lot of bodies wherever they operate.”

  “You didn’t think this was an important fact for us to know?” Matt frowned. “If they are anywhere near our town, don’t you think we should have been made us aware of it?” Matt stood. “If you have a theory, I want to know it. I would do the same for you.”

  “We’re still trying to fit the pieces together. It may not be this group at all, but their use of torture is similar. We’re bringing in a team of agents who have tracked these groups in our country and have learned from the CIA, who is tracking them on foreign soil. Our world is a whole lot smaller than it used to be, and you never know when one these gangs will show up.”

  “Tell me, have you learned anything about these students that would tell us why they might have become a target?”

  Kaufman shook his head. “We’re in the beginning stages of all this. You know as much as I do. What’s this all about, Matt?’

  “I don’t want to be pushed aside while you take over my department and run roughshod over me. I learned a few minutes ago that I’m going to have a shadow, but no one told me there was even a need for one. I’m responsible for this town, and I want to know what you know so I can plan accordingly.” Matt raked his hand through his hair.

  “I wanted the protection for you in case we find a connection to one of your big cases. The closure of the organ trafficking group, for example, dried up the foreign group’s resources for buying and selling. It could have made you a target, and that’s only one of the groups impacted in the past year.

  “Have you found a connection?” Matt asked.

  “Not yet,” Kaufman said. “You have to remember, you’ve dealt with some high-profile cases. Hell, most small-town cops never see this crap. Besides organ harvesting, you busted up a human trafficking group and a major weapons ring. Our concern is you’ve shut off the money source to some bad people, and you’ve created enemies. Are they connected? We have no idea if there’s any connection to you. Or how the kids fit into it. We have a mystery to solve and want to prepare for any scenario.” Kaufman paused. “You might start by telling me how long your stint at the Bureau was and why you quit.” Kaufman held up a folder with Matt’s name on it.