“Yes sir, Agent X. You can count on me, sir.”
Tanner smiled.
“I know I can, Henry. You’re a hell of a good kid.”
CHAPTER 25 – Ping!
Sara left the area the same way they had entered earlier, by using the dry riverbed to drive beneath the highway. As they did so, they could hear more police cars pass overhead, as the cops sped towards the private road that led to the lake house, with their sirens blaring and lights flashing.
The southern end of the makeshift road brought them up on the other side, and after Sara merged onto the highway, she drove a mile and pulled into the parking lot of a McDonalds.
Before long, Henry was settled in a booth sipping on a chocolate milkshake, after having called his grandmother on Sara’s phone.
Laura, Henry’s grandmother, confessed that she thought Henry was still in his bedroom, and she thanked Sara for taking care of Henry and keeping him safe, while apologizing for the inconvenience.
“It’s no trouble,” Sara had told her. “We both like Henry, but I can see where he’d be a handful. He seems to be very independent for a child.”
“You have no idea,” Laura said.
Halfway through the meal, Henry pointed towards the windows at the front of the restaurant.
“Look, the ladies.”
Tanner and Sara gazed out the windows and saw the women from Yatsenko’s lake house walking along the other side of the highway, moving in the opposite direction of the traffic flow.
“If they’re heading back to Philadelphia they have a long walk ahead of them,” Tanner said.
“Maybe they have other plans; I know I would after what they went through,” Sara said, and then she sighed as she watched Sondra walking away. “That girl still has my jacket too.”
While Sara used the restroom, Tanner had called Alexa to let her know that he’d been successful, and that he would be returning to the motel as soon as they dropped Henry off at home.
“The little boy sounds brave,” Alexa had said, and Tanner agreed, as he watched Henry. The boy had finished eating, and was now writing on a piece of paper he had borrowed from Sara.
As they continued talking, Tanner heard something in Alexa’s voice and questioned her about it, but she said that she would explain when she saw him.
***
After they ate, Tanner asked Henry if he knew a wide open area where they could practice shooting. Henry directed them to a huge pasture on a private farm, and Tanner showed the boy the proper way to handle the M1 rifle.
The gun was big compared to the boy, but Henry had long limbs and was determined to show “Agent X” that he could shoot well if given the chance. Tanner was impressed, as was Sara, because Henry hit the target, a gnarled tree, more often than not.
Sara, who stood nearby while wrapped in a blanket, had never shot an M1 Garand. She laughed aloud whenever the clip PINGED! and leapt from the rifle after dispensing its last round.
“Does it always make that sound?”
“Yeah, it’s one reason I like the M1 so much,” Tanner said, as he reloaded the rifle, which held eight rounds.
***
After they finished the shooting lesson, Sara followed Henry’s directions and drove to his home along a narrow dirt road that would help them avoid going near the lake house. The path wasn’t much wider than the car, but it ended in a strip of gravel that met up with the driveway that led to Henry’s home.
Henry told Sara that he wanted to talk with Tanner alone, and so after giving Henry a peck on the lips that made him turn bright red, Sara waved goodbye, as Tanner walked Henry towards his front door.
Halfway there, they rounded a curve in the driveway which put them out of view of both the house and the car. Henry stopped walking, and handed his rifle to Tanner.
“You keep it. If Glenn sees it he’ll just take it away for good.”
“Maybe if you show Glenn that you’re responsible with the rifle he won’t take it away from you again. But I want you to promise me that you won’t go after Kessler, do you promise?”
“I promise to leave him alone,” Henry said, and as he spoke, he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and took out the piece of notepaper that Sara had given him. It was folded four ways, but seemed thicker than it should be.
When Tanner began to unfold it, Henry asked him to stop.
“Don’t read that until later, okay?”
“Okay,” Tanner said, and was amused by the seriousness in Henry’s tone.
Then, Henry smiled wide.
“Tanner.”
“Yeah?”
“I saw a naked lady today, and she was so beautiful.”
“I saw her too, and you’re right, she was a beauty.”
Tanner bent his knees and looked Henry in the eye.
“Do you promise not to tell anyone what you saw today? And I’m not talking about the naked lady.”
“I promise, but that’s your job right, to kill bad guys?”
Tanner laughed.
“I guess you could say that, although, most people would say that I’m a bad guy for doing it.”
Henry gave a vigorous shake of his head.
“You can’t be a bad guy—you’re Agent X.”
***
Henry’s grandmother welcomed him with a kiss and a hug, while his step-grandfather, Glenn, glared at him with annoyance and chastised him for sneaking out. However, Tanner did notice that Glenn looked relieved to see the boy back home and safe.
Henry told Glenn that he was sorry, and asked if he could keep the rifle.
“No, it’s too dangerous and you’re too young, but your grandmother has an idea,” Glenn said, as he eased the rifle away from Henry. Then, Henry’s grandmother reached over and took the gun from Glenn.
“You can’t have it, but we’ll save it for you until you’re older. Lord knows that I had no love for the man, but this rifle is the only thing your father left you. But Henry, if I find out that you’ve taken it again, then you’ll never see it once I get it back, understand?”
“Um-hmm Grandma, but how old do I have to be?”
Laura gave that a moment of thought, and then said, “Fourteen, and only if you find an adult to hunt with.”
“Fourteen? But that’s a looong ways off.”
“Take it or leave it, kiddo,” Glenn said.
Henry frowned at him.
“I’ll take it.”
***
Tanner said goodbye, and received a hug from Laura and a firm handshake from Henry. When he returned to the car, Sara smiled at him.
“What did Henry want to talk to you in private about?”
“He gave me a letter that he wants me to read later, and oh yeah, he talked about seeing that naked woman.”
Sara laughed.
“You should have seen him. I thought his eyes might pop out of their sockets.”
“He’s also being allowed to keep the rifle, but he won’t get it back until he’s older.”
“Did you really have a gun when you were his age?”
“I had more than one rifle, and I hunted and took target practice with them.”
Sara stared at Tanner and there was the hint of a smile on her face.
“What?” Tanner said.
“You were good with Henry. Have you ever thought about having children?”
“Not really, but Alexa wants some.”
“Then I guess you’ll soon be a father; I mean, as serious as you two are.”
Tanner nodded, and then regretted it, as a sharp pain shot through his neck.
“Are you sure that you don’t want to see a doctor? I can call Mr. Burke and he’ll see that one is sent to you.”
“I’ll be fine, Blake. I just need some rest, and by rest, I mean several weeks. Alexa thinks she found a house for us to live in, and that means that we’ll be busy settling in.”
“Oh, well, congratulations, but where are you moving to?”
“A town called Killburry, it’s i
n Connecticut and it’s supposed to be a real Mom and apple pie type of place.”
Sara shook her head.
“Forgive me if I have trouble imagining you in a normal environment like that.”
“You’re not alone, I have trouble imagining it myself, but it’s what Alexa wants, and I don’t really care where I live.”
“I’ll have to buy you two a housewarming gift.”
“Make it liquor; I’ve a feeling I’ll need it.”
***
By the time they returned to their motel, it had grown dark and Tanner was beat and feeling the effects of all the rounds he had taken on the body armor.
He spotted the lump on the right side of Alexa’s forehead the moment he walked in the door, and then sat as she muted the TV. The motel had double rooms that they referred to as “suites”, and Alexa was in the front room relaxing on the sofa.
***
“A hit and run car accident?”
“Yes,” Alexa said. She was lying to keep the truth from Tanner. A decision she had come to on the spur of the moment.
“Did you call the police?”
“No, we thought it best not to... because of you and the reason you’re in the area.”
“I doubt that the two things would have been connected, but what about you, are you certain that you’re all right?”
“I’m fine, and as long as I keep taking painkillers my head doesn’t hurt too much. But what about you? You seem to be holding your head at an angle.”
“It’s a neck injury, a strained muscle, but it will heal.”
“I’m sorry that things didn’t go as you planned.”
“Hmm, it sounds like you and Deke had an eventful trip as well. But I’m a little surprised that he didn’t chase after the car that hit yours, as a former Marine, I would have expected him to take more action.”
“He didn’t feel the need to, Tanner. Deke says that he’s had enough of killing and adventure and just wants to settle down.”
“I see,” Tanner said, and it wasn’t lost on him that Alexa was hinting that he might consider doing the same. He knew that Alexa wanted a normal life, and he would see that she got it, but that didn’t mean that he was ready to get a 9-to-5 and punch a time clock.
“I need a shower,” Tanner said, as he stood up from the sofa.
After kissing Alexa tenderly on her bruised forehead, he walked through the bedroom and entered the bathroom, where he would strip and take a shower.
***
After hearing the bathroom door close, Alexa phoned Deke and informed him that she had told Tanner the story Deke had come up with, that they had been in a hit and run accident.
“Thank you for not telling him what really happened. I also think it best if the two of us never discuss it again.”
“I didn’t like lying to Tanner, Deke.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“I don’t know why. I guess I did it for you, to help you.”
“Thank you, Alexa, and how are you feeling?”
“Better, thanks.”
“Have a good night. I’ll see you in the morning before we all drive back to Connecticut.”
“Goodnight, Deke.”
Alexa hung up the phone and nibbled on her bottom lip, as conflicting emotions roiled in her mind.
***
Inside the bathroom, Tanner was looking forward to going to bed early and sleeping until well past dawn.
As he was removing his clothes to shower, he came across Henry’s note, and when he unfolded it, he saw that it contained two wrinkled dollar bills. Wrapped inside the money, was a dime and three pennies.
Tanner read the note, and then he read it again.
He sat atop the closed toilet lid and thought about the words that Henry had written to him. After coming to a decision, Tanner turned on the water and stepped into the shower, but before doing so, he set the alarm on his phone to wake him at three a.m.
He was not going to get much sleep after all.
CHAPTER 26 – For life
Boyd Kessler zipped up his jacket as he stepped out of his trailer, to protect against the frigid air that had moved into the area after midnight.
There was a storm coming, and according to the weatherman, the snow would begin falling before sunrise.
Let it snow all it wants. Kessler thought. There’s not enough snowflakes in the world to put out the fire I’ll set, and once it’s done, that damn kid, Henry, will be just a bad memory.
He let out a loud yawn. He had wanted to get up before dawn, but had woken earlier than he’d planned. He had laid there in the dark with his eyes only partially open, and as he came to full awareness, he swore he could hear the sounds of someone digging nearby.
However, by the time he staggered out of bed and made it to the window, the noise had stopped, and Kessler assumed that some animal had been burrowing in the dirt.
Kessler grabbed a small gas can from the rickety wooden shed where he kept the tools he used for his pot garden. He had enough cannabis plants hidden out in the woods behind his trailer to keep him in booze and cigarettes. The trailer was paid for and he had inherited the land it sat upon, so he didn’t need much money to get by.
If not for the damn property taxes, Kessler would never have to work, but the odd job paid those too, and he even had some left over to buy a new TV.
Kessler had walked into town to down a few beers the night before. When he returned to his trailer, he found the business card from some cop stuck in his doorjamb.
He knew what it was about, after hearing all the talk at the bar. Somebody had sent a team of killers to whack that little foreign guy who owned the lake house, and since he had recently been hired to watch the house for the guy when he wasn’t around, the cops wanted to know if he’d seen anything.
Yeah, like he’d help the cops.
Kessler sat the red plastic gas can down to blow on his hands, then, he went back inside the trailer and grabbed his gloves. Afterwards, he used his phone like a flashlight to make his walk through the woods to Henry’s house.
While he had been inside the shed, Kessler hadn’t noticed that his shovel was missing.
Kessler had a book of matches in his pocket, along with a few of those green toy soldiers that all little boys like to play with, and he was going to burn Henry’s house to the ground.
When the fire department put out the flames, they’d find the toys near the matches and blame the blaze on the kid. Kessler thought it would be the perfect murder, even better than when he had killed Henry’s mother.
Kessler grimaced when he thought about Anne, if she had just been nicer to him, she’d still be alive. It was like that girl he had killed back in high school, that stuck-up cheerleader. If she and Anne had just treated him better, he never would have hurt either one of them. Still, he needed to stay away from the hard stuff and stick to smoking weed and drinking beer. Too much whiskey tended to bring out the demon in him.
A sound came from behind Kessler just as he crested the tall hill that bordered his property. He spun around and shined the light from the phone in the direction the noise had come from, but saw nothing.
Down below, his trailer sat in the middle of a clearing looking colorless in the gloom of night. After listening for a few moments, he heard nothing unusual and figured that some night critter had been scampering about in the fallen leaves.
He continued on, but put away the phone before emerging out of the woods near Henry’s home, and then he crept over to the side of the house and tried the garage door. It was locked, but the window on the side slid open.
Kessler leaned in and placed the gas can beside a yard tractor. He was lifting his right leg to climb inside when the flat end of a shovel came crashing down on the back of his skull.
Kessler fell while moaning and saw nothing but flashes of light dance before his eyes, as a severe pain made him wonder if his head had been split open.
Before he knew it, he was being dragged away by his hair.
It should have hurt like hell, but it didn’t, because the earlier blow had already commandeered every pain receptacle in his head, and his skull was already pounding. The pain did nothing to clear his mind, and Kessler struggled to remain conscious.
His gangly form slid easily over the cushion of dead leaves, but the occasional rock or tree root hurt like hell when he was dragged over them.
His mind cleared enough for him to open his eyes. He was about to cry out and ask what was happening when he began tumbling end over end.
He came to rest against a tree. That resulted in the pain in his skull getting competition, as his back screamed at him with a fresh agony all its own.
He lay there, moaning, bleeding, and searching for a sign of who it was that was beating him like a mongrel dog.
That was when Kessler saw the figure walking casually down the hill towards him, and from the way he moved, you’d think the man was out for a stroll. It was too dark and shadowy to make out the man’s features, but he was holding his head in a funny way, sort of leaning to one side as if his neck hurt.
Then, a beam of slivered moonlight fell between the bare branches of the trees, and Kessler saw it reflect off the knife the man carried.
“Who the hell are you?”
The only answer Kessler received was a kick to the side of his head, while his last sight, was the flash of the knife. That was followed by his final sensation, the exquisite, albeit brief, agony of a punctured heart.
A short time later, his corpse was lifted from the ground, carried several yards, and dumped unceremoniously into a pre-dug grave.
The body would never be found.
***
As usual, Henry was the first one up in the morning at his house, and he went outside to enjoy the fresh snow, also, there was something he had to check on.
Although his destination was certain, being a boy, Henry meandered before reaching it, and he even gave chase to a snowshoe hare he had spied, but lost sight of the white creature after it burrowed beneath a bush.
Henry sighed, if he had been carrying his rifle, his family could have been eating that hare for dinner.
When he finally reached his destination, he stood at the top of the hill that looked down on Kessler’s trailer, and was disappointed to see no signs of shoeprints in the snow. He’d been hoping to see a single set of tracks leading in and another set leading out, with the trailer door hanging by one hinge, as if it had been kicked in.
The TANNER Series - Books 13-15 (Tanner Box Set) Page 12