The Final Flashpoint

by Iona Morrison

  Chapter 25

  Jessie typed at her computer. She paused, tapping her fingers on the desk. She found a certain comfort every time she worked on an article. Placing words on paper and working with them until a sentence sounded right was a cheap form of therapy. Tonight, though, her mind was on the students. Each of their faces as she had first seen them was vivid in her mind. She wanted to take her experiences of the past few weeks and make sense of them on paper—and without talking about ghosts or spirits, which would leave her readers thinking she had lost her mind. She sighed. How could she explain the emotion of watching Amir’s body coming ashore or of Ryan’s memorial service? She had found hope in all the young people gathered to honor him in the way that made sense to them. It had been an eye-opening moment for her—a love fest of sorts as love and life often took many forms.

  Life didn’t come neatly packaged in the way people thought that it should. Riddled with unwanted change, life had a way of messing with the best laid plans. Change was the one constant in life as Grams had always said. Life took a tragic turn for the students. Somehow, Jessie had to find a way to tell the story of Amir’s, Shara’s, and Ryan’s lives through the window of their deaths. The more she thought about Ryan’s service, the more her own life came into view. She had connected with him. Maybe she was a mystic like Sadie, aware of the many facets of life that went unnoticed by others. From now on, Jessie would no longer feel like a victim of circumstances. This was her purpose for this time in her life. It was a part of her person, and she wouldn’t make excuses for it anymore.

  The phone rang. “Hi, Matt.” Jessie had given him his own special ringtone.

  “What you doing?” He drew out the word doing in a sing-song kind of way.

  “I’m writing about the students. It’s cathartic for me.”

  “My English teacher in school would have loved you. You would have been her ideal student. Writing makes me need therapy.” He chuckled. “I could write a whole page without ever putting in one comma or period. Then I would go back and throw them in randomly here and there. She found it a great challenge to make a writer out me. I think it devastated her when she got nowhere. She quit teaching the next year.”

  Jessie laughed. “You’re exaggerating, I’m sure.”

  “Honest, it’s the absolute truth. Her name is Mrs. Draper, and she still lives in town. All you have to do is say my name, and she shakes her head. Of course, I did make it through college, and I had to write quite a few papers, which I managed with the help of spell check and a grammar program. Thank heavens for computers.”

  “Computers are nice, easier than the typewriter. I’m still not sure whether to believe you or not.” Jessie laughed.

  “Believe me, sweetheart, I’ll take you to meet her. Wait a minute.” Matt tried to muffle the sound. “Pipe down.” She could hear Tom laughing in the background. “I’m back. Tom’s a royal pain.”

  “Did you have a reason for calling?” Jessie looked at her e-mails while she talked.

  “Do I need a reason to talk to my girl?”

  “No, but you usually have one.”

  “You’re right, and I have one now, too.”

  She smiled. “I figured you might.”

  “As soon as we get some info on the prints and DNA, I want Frank and Radar to try doing another track to see if the guy is still in the area. I thought you’d like to go along for the ride. I wanted to give you the heads up in case you need to make arrangements at the store.

  “You bet I do. I’ll get someone to stand in for me, or I’ll close the store for a few hours.” Jessie stood in her excitement.

  “I don’t know if I told you or not, but I got a threatening note today. I guess I’m happy to have Tom around after all.”

  “No, you didn’t tell me. I’m glad he’s there, too.” Jessie sighed. “How could you forget to mention such an important detail?”

  “I’m in denial, as Tom likes to say. Carlos gave us a lot of information today, you gave us more, and my tail followed me home. He really isn’t good at it. Tom wants to go out and have a chat with him. I think we should wait a few more days. Your idea of him being a decoy makes sense to me. He’s too sloppy to be the real deal.”

  “Whatever you do, be careful. I kind of like having you around. You’re easy on the eyes.”

  “I could say the same thing about you.” She heard him take a deep breath. “Frank made us dinner tonight. He made a great meal. I’m impressed.”

  “Speaking of Frank, what’s he doing?” Jessie grinned at Matt’s attempt at small talk. She was fascinated.

  “Right this minute?” He mumbled something, which she couldn’t hear.

  “Yeah, right now.”

  “He’s sleeping in my favorite chair with Radar sleeping at his feet. I may never get to sit in that chair again while he’s here.”

  “I thought he might be sleeping. He must like your chair.” She laughed.

  “He does. It seems to put him to sleep every time he sits in it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Jessie smiled. Frank had been sleeping in the chair the other evening when she was at Matt’s house for dinner. He must need it.

  Jessie decided she wanted to meet Carlos and his mother. She would go after work tomorrow. Carlos might be able to give her a bigger picture of his friends. Jessie wanted to do justice to their story. She needed another point of view to go with Darsha’s observations. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, typing her beginning ideas.

  A phone call from Katie interrupted her. “I’m glad you’re still awake. Dylan and I argued, and I’m depressed.” Katie sniffed and blew her nose.

  “What happened?” Jessie could imagine Katie’s facial expression. She was pouting.

  “I’m still not sure. We were talking wedding plans, and Dylan blew up at me.” There was a long pause. “Okay, I might have said something to upset him. The next thing I knew, he was heading out the door with only a small peck on my cheek.”

  “Knowing you, my dear friend, you have left out a lot of details. None of which is my business anyway. Did you try apologizing?”

  “Why should I?” Katie sniffed again. “He was totally unfair about it all.”

  “Well, I might be wrong, but if you said something which upset him, you should talk about it with him, don’t you think? After he tells you why it bothered him, you might want to apologize.”

  “I don’t see how you can take his side. I’m your friend, after all.”

  “Yes, and it’s because I’m your friend I won’t let you ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to you. I’ve seen how happy Dylan makes you. Call him and tell him you’re sorry; you didn’t mean to upset him.”

  “Okay. Never mind, he’s back. Maybe he’ll apologize to me.”

  “Katie Donovan!” Jessie tried to sound like Katie’s mother.

  “I know, I know, I’ll take care of it. Wish me luck.”

  Forget writing; it wasn’t going to happen now. Jessie went to the kitchen for a glass of water, shut off her computer, and grabbed the book she had been reading. A few minutes later, propped up against the headboard and her pillows, she began reading where she had left off last night. It didn’t take long for her mind to drift to other thoughts. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. Jessie didn’t want those guys anywhere near Matt.

  Chapter 26

  Jessie walked into the hospital room after checking with the two officers outside the door of Carlos’s room. A tiny woman, her dark hair streaked with gray, came to greet her.

  “My name is Jessie Reynolds. I brought you a treat.” She handed her a box with assorted pastries from the coffee shop.

  “Thank you. Everyone has been kind to us here. I am Carlos’s mama, Bernice Huerta. He still is sleeping a lot, but he is much better than the first day I saw him. Sleep is healing as they say.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “I wasn’t sure my son would make it. Today is a better day.”

  “I’m happy to hear the good news. I work with Chi
ef Parker, and my friend’s dog is the one who found Carlos. I would like to do a story about him and the life of his friends, but I don’t want to bother him while he’s resting. I should leave.”

  “Please don’t hurry off; it gets a little lonely sitting here all day watching him sleep.” Bernice looked wistfully at her son.

  “Would you like to go walk around? I can sit here and watch him for you.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?” Bernice stood and stretched her hands over her head. “I could use a walk. I’ve been sitting too much the past few days.”

  “Of course not, I’d be happy to stay and let you take a break. It’s a beautiful day. Go out in the sunshine for a while.” Jessie smiled at Bernice as she walked out the door.

  Jessie sat in the chair next to Carlos’s bed. The only movement was the steady rise and fall of his chest. The blood pressure and pulse on the monitor above his bed stayed constant with only an occasional dip. His random snores and the ticking of clock sounded loud in the otherwise silent room. A hospital worker delivered his lunch, but he slept on until the nurse came in and roused him. She grabbed his arm to put a blood pressure cuff on him, and his eyes opened wide. Jessie stepped out of the room while the nurse checked his wounds.

  “You can go back in now, hon, the police are sending over a sketch artist, so we need to keep him awake for a while. Keep talking to him.”

  “I’ll give it my best shot.” Jessie walked back into his room.

  She introduced herself to Carlos and explained why she was there. “The nurse told me a sketch artist is coming to work with you today. I’ll talk to you about your friends another day if you wish.” She pushed his lunch tray closer so he could reach his food and raised his bed so he could sit up. “I also brought you and your mom a few sweet treats if you can have them.”

  “I want to talk about my friends.” He gave her a weak smile. “I’m glad you’re going to write about them. They accepted me as I am. Not many people do. You can come back anytime.” Carlos pushed the button to raise his head a bit more, as his mom walked into the room followed by Jared. His mom rushed to help him position his pillow behind his head.

  “I’ll be back to see you another day. You’ll need all your strength to give Jared the best descriptions of your abductors. He’ll work you hard.” Jessie gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m happy you’re feeling better. I wasn’t there the day they found you, but I’ve heard how bad you were. My goodness, you’ve come a long way.”

  “My mama says the same thing.”

  “Bernice, it was nice to meet you. I hope you enjoy the treats from Java Joe’s Coffee Shop. Molly makes some of the best food around.”

  “I’m sure I will, and so will Carlos,” Bernice said.

  “Carlos, work hard with Jared. We want to get the men who did this to you and your friends.” Jessie moved so Jared could set up his sketchbook.

  “I will. It was nice to meet you.” He smiled, and she waved at him as she left the room.

  Jessie walked out into the sunshine. It was good to see Carlos so much better than when they had found him. Matt hadn’t been sure he would make it. Jessie drove back to the store. She had a good feeling about the young man. He would do something purposeful with his life when this was all over.

  ****

  Matt and Tom looked at the sketches that Jared brought to the station. Kip went through the mug shots at the station, agents poured through the ones at the Bureau, and Agent Dickerson sent copies to Interpol. This was the biggest break they’d had yet. The tension was building in the department. They were one step closer to solving the case. The fingerprint on the book was a match for the one on Shara’s body. Tom was running the prints through the computer now.

  “I want to take these by Jessie’s and have her check them out. I want to know if one of these sketches is the man who showed up in her store.” Matt grabbed the keys to his cruiser.

  “You’re not going anywhere without me.” Tom put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Then get with it, man, we’ve got things to do.” Matt walked out of his office with Tom hot on his heels.

  They pulled up in front of Jessie’s store a few minutes later. Matt carried the sketches into the store and over to the table. “Hey, sweetheart, do you have a minute to look at something for me.”

  “Yeah.” Jessie walked over to where he stood.

  “You look good enough to eat,” he whispered in her ear. “What have you’ve been up to today?” He pulled out Jared’s handiwork and laid them on the table.

  “I went to see Carlos and met his mother.” She looked at the sketches. “This is the man who came into the store. I’ll never forget those eyes.” She shivered. “Jared captured them perfectly.”

  “Are you sure?” He studied her face as she nodded.

  “I’m positive.” She glanced at each one again. “I don’t see Harry in this group.”

  “I don’t believe the kids ever saw him, although they might have heard him. These men are the ones who tortured them. Carlos was adamant that he could remember each one.”

  “He did a good job of describing this guy. The eyes are perfect—cold and dead.” Jessie shuddered as she studied the sketch again. “He’s capable of great evil, I think. What’s next?” She rubbed her arms and walked over to Matt’s side.

  “We find them before they can do any more damage.” Tom picked up one of the sketches. “These are some mean-looking dudes.”

  “I want some names and background checks. It helps to know what we’re up against.” Matt studied the sketches.

  “We should have those soon.” Tom walked into the coffee shop. “I’ll be back. I need coffee.”

  Matt grabbed Jessie’s hand as she twisted a lock of hair around her finger. “One day you’re going to twist your hair into a knot you can’t get out.”

  “It’s a nervous habit.” She slapped his hand away.

  “I’ve noticed. There’s nothing to be nervous about at the moment.”

  “The thought of him being in my store makes me panicky.” She glanced at Matt. “He was here handling my books and watching my store. Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable.”

  “Well, he’s not here now, so you can relax.” He massaged her shoulders. “Damn, Jess, your shoulders are tight.”

  “It’s this town. Oops, I almost forgot.” She slapped her hand across her mouth.

  “Forgot what?” Matt gave her an odd look.

  “I’m not going to blame what’s happened in my life since moving here on anything. I’ve come to accept it as part of who I am. No, more blame games for me.” She shrugged.

  “That’s extremely gracious and mature of you.” Matt grabbed her hand again, smirking.

  “Not really, I’m finally accepting that I might be the reason for all these happenings, and it has nothing to do with the town.” She squeezed his hand in hers. “Sadie has always been a bit of a mystic when it comes to life, and she might have rubbed off on me. Whether it’s true or not, I want to stop complaining and accept the fact, peculiar is who I am for now. The future could change it all again.”

  “I’ll like you either way.” He kissed her knuckles. “You’re perfect as far as I’m concerned.”

  “I hope you don’t live to regret it.” She turned to face him. “How are we going to get these guys? We can’t leave anything to chance. We need a foolproof plan. Having seen their handiwork up close and personal, I don’t want them anywhere near you.”

  “I’d prefer it that way, myself, but nothing is fail-safe. I’ve been thinking about Reba’s words and your dream. I doubt I need to worry, but I’ll be smart about it too. You see, Tom over there doesn’t leave my side, and right this minute, I can guarantee you he’s watching all the action including the people ready to come into your store.” Matt pointed to where Tom was sitting.

  “I know Tom is good at what he does. But as you’ve told me in every case we’ve been involved in, you can plan for everything, and there’s still a risk that somethin
g could go wrong. It happens, but I don’t want it to happen to you.”

  “Jess, you’re worrying before it’s necessary. No wonder your muscles are all in knots. I’ll be okay. You need to stop fretting about me.” His head turned when the bell above the door rang. “You should get back to work.” He put the sketches into the case file folder.

  “Wait a minute.” She went to check on the customer and then came back. “Did you or did you not worry about me in all the cases where I was the target?”

  “Yes, I did. I get the message.” He grinned at her.

  “I’m glad you can see where I’m coming from. I’ve learned from the best. I might even come up with a lecture or two for you while I’m at it.” She made a face at him and laughed. “I could be wrong, but love and concern go hand in hand.” She waved at him when he went to join Tom.

  Chapter 27

  Dylan met Matt by his office door. “I’m glad you’re back. I was getting ready to text you. We have identities on each of the four perps. I thought you’d want to know.” He handed Matt the files.

  “What have you learned so far?” Matt sat in his chair and opened the first file.

  “Each of the men comes from a different ethnic background and country. This man”—Dylan handed Matt the sketch—”is an American citizen. He grew up in Trenton, New Jersey. The FBI is interviewing his family and friends as we speak. They confiscated his computer, and they’re monitoring his social media sites. The other men first showed up on the agency’s radar in crimes involving Americans traveling south of the border.” Dylan leaned back in the chair waiting for Matt to react to the sketch in front of him.