The fire had been mostly contained within the first floor, but the blast had wreaked havoc on the front of the house and the second floor master bedroom. If he had to guess, he would say there were charges left in two separate places inside the house. What Jaxon really wanted to know was how did they get there?
The fire marshal was standing by the front door. Jaxon flashed his ID at the cop by the driveway and approached his ruined abode. He introduced himself to the fire marshal and asked him for his opinion.
“I don’t normally discuss things like this before I’ve made a thorough analysis, but since you’re a retired cop and it’s your house, I’ll tell you what I think.”
“Thanks.”
“Two incendiary devices were discharged within the confines of the house. One on the second floor inside the master bath. You can see the destruction caused by that unit from out here. Upstairs, it’s even more conclusive. The unit downstairs was placed behind the couch in the living room.”
He stepped inside the ruined doorway and pointed to the couch. Or what was left of it.
“The piece of furniture absorbed quite a bit of the blast, but not all. The windows and doors were all blown outward from the pressure wave and the fire that ensued was the couch burning and then spreading to the walls. Not much fire upstairs, just mostly blast damage. You’ll be able to rebuild.”
“What kind of incendiary?” Jaxon asked.
“Unknown at this point. I haven’t tested any residue. If I had to guess, I would say C4.”
“Plastic explosive? Pretty edgy stuff.”
“Somebody wanted damage without a lot of material. Didn’t take much to do this. It would be easy to hide that way.”
Jaxon wandered into the kitchen and saw it was mostly intact. The window over the sink was gone, but most of the appliances and dishes remained in good shape. The fire marshal followed, keeping quiet. When Jaxon entered the family room, the man spoke up.
“Don’t know what that means, but it was drawn on the walls with some kind of heat reactive material. Do you know what it is?”
Jaxon nodded.
On the wall, brown and ugly in three foot letters, was a set of lat/longs written in a looping hand. Probably lemon juice. More invisible ink.
Jaxon did not like the idea that this guy had the time to plant the explosives in his house, and then write his message in lemon juice on his walls, all while either Vick was asleep or out of the house. The problem was, Vick hadn’t left the house in almost two days. She had been busy helping Jaxon with the investigation. He must have done it when she napped or slept. That was not good.
“What does it mean?”
“It’s a message. For me.”
Jaxon walked out of the house and left the fire marshal behind shrugging his shoulders. The detective in charge of this investigation stood with Ray and the kids next to the Mustang. He watched with a wary eye as Jaxon walked up.
“You Jennings?” he asked.
“Yes. You?”
“I’m Detective Tate. The sheriff would like you to come down to the station and answer a few questions.”
“I don’t have time right now. He should know that. Has he found Fanucci?”
“No. And you’ll have to make time. It’s not a request.”
“Am I under arrest?”
“No.”
“Then it can wait.”
“The sheriff isn’t going to like this.”
“I don’t care.” Jaxon turned, ignoring him, and he walked away. “Gil, give me the GPS.”
Gil handed it over and Jaxon punched in the numbers from his smoke damaged wall.
“Where did you get those?” Gil asked.
“They were written in lemon juice on my wall. The heat of the blast and fire activated it.”
“How did he get in there without your wife knowing?”
“That’s what I want to know.”
Jaxon watched as the waypoint centered on the map.
Well, at least it was back here in Jacksonville and they hadn’t wasted too much time coming home. The only problem was it was smack dab in the middle of Naval Air Station Jacksonville off US17 on the Westside.
“Looks like we get to hassle with the military,” he said and handed the GPS to Ray.
“Anybody ex-military?” Ray asked.
“I am,” Jaxon said and opened the door to the Mustang. “I’ll need to drive. Let’s go.”
They made good time to the entrance and pulled up to the security building.
The Mustang did not have a sticker and could not get in without clearance. Jaxon would have to get passes for them all anyway. As they stepped from the car, Jaxon noticed the extra Marines at the gate and watched as cars were being turned away. “Shit,” he said. “They’re on lockdown. Dammit!”
“What does that mean?” Gil asked.
“It means they’re going to give us a hard time.”
“But you’re prior military.”
“There’s some kind of security alert. When that happens, only active military are allowed. We’ll have to see. Come on.”
They walked in to the building and stepped up to the counter. The room was small and painted an ugly off yellow color that Jaxon always associated with the military. They must have bought tens of thousands of gallons of the stuff and were using it until it ran out.
A Marine sentry stood guard at the door. He had an M4 rifle slung over his shoulder and a Kevlar helmet on his head. A computer screen sat on the counter and a security camera pointed its lens at them from the other side of the desk. The sergeant behind the counter looked them up and down and said, “Base access restricted to active duty personnel only.”
“I figured as much,” Jaxon said to him. “But I have a special situation and I need to gain access.” He pulled his ID and showed it to the man. “I’m investigating a case and it’s very time sensitive. We need to get in right now.”
“I’m sorry, sir. That is not possible.”
Jaxon pulled out another form of ID and flashed it to the man. “I’m also ex-Army. MPs. I need a favor.”
The sergeant looked him in the eye. “My hands are tied. I can’t let you in. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
Jaxon lost it.
“Tomorrow? Didn’t you hear me, sergeant?” He spoke in his command voice from his days as a captain in the Army. The man reacted slightly, then regained his composure. He stood stoic and did not budge. “I’m on a time sensitive case and there is evidence located inside this base. A girl’s life is at stake.”
“Authorized personnel only, sir.”
“Dammit!” Jaxon slammed his hand on the desk.
He knew it was not the thing to do, but the exhaustion and frustration he felt was taking its toll. The Marine standing guard at the door came to a ready position and lowered his weapon. He stepped toward Jaxon and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I need you to leave, sir,” the Marine said.
Jaxon shrugged him off, violently, and pointed his finger at the sergeant across the counter.
“This girl’s life is on your head,” he shouted. “If she dies, I’m personally going to come down here and have your ASVAB Waiver revoked, then I’ll see to it myself you find your way to the hospital.”
Ray touched his arm. “Easy, Jaxon.”
The sergeant’s face turned an ugly shade of red and he nodded at the Marine sentry. Another Marine appeared, slinging his rifle, and grabbed Jaxon’s left arm while the first, his right.
“You need to come with us, sir.” They held him tightly and he fought for a second, then pointed at the sergeant.
“You’ll regret this.”
The sergeant was on the phone as the Marines escorted him to another room.
Ray, Gil and Melanie followed all looking shocked.
They sat Jaxon down in a chair that was bolted to the floor and handcuffed him to it. They motioned for Ray and the other two to sit in the remaining chairs. They were not restrained.
“Wha
t now, Marine,” Ray asked.
“The local police are on the way. You’ll be taken into custody.”
The Marine closed the door and remained standing guard inside.
Ray turned to Jaxon, “Well, it looks like you’re going to get to talk to the sheriff whether you like it or not.”
Ten minutes later, Detective Will Tate showed up with a patrolman. He looked at Jaxon and shook his head.
“Looks like you’re going to get to talk to the sheriff after all.”
“So I’ve heard. Listen. I really need to get in here. I need a favor.”
“You should have thought of that an hour ago. You haven’t made me want to jump through any hoops for you. I had to go back to the station and explain why the small task I was given hadn’t been completed. Now, you want me to go to bat for you?”
“It’s not for me. A girl’s life is at stake. I’m running out of time.”
“Let’s go talk to the sheriff and you can explain it to him.”
He nodded at the Marine who unlocked the handcuffs and Jaxon was free. Tate gestured to the other three and they all walked out of the office.
Jaxon paused at the desk. He pulled out his cell phone.
“Let’s go, Jaxon,” Tate said. “These guys have had enough of you.”
“Just a sec.”
He punched his own cell number into his cell phone and made sure it showed up in its display. He held the phone up close to the security camera for a second then leaned down in front of it so his face was seen. Tate pulled on his sleeve.
“Come on.”
“What the hell are you doing?” The sergeant asked.
“Trying to communicate.”
“With whom?”
Jaxon didn’t answer as he was led away.
His phone rang just as he reached the door. Tate stopped and the sergeant paused what he was doing. Jaxon looked at the display and grinned. It showed no number. Just the words ‘Private caller.’
“Your security system has been compromised,” Jaxon said to the sergeant. “You better have it checked.”
He grinned and walked out of the door. Outside, he answered the cell.
“Jaxon.”
“Hello, Detective. So nice to hear your voice. I was wondering when we were going to get to speak.”
The voice was high pitched, not quite feminine, but still up high in the register. Like the son-of-a-bitch had no balls. It also carried a slight southern accent. He didn’t remember Fanucci sounding like that, but it didn’t mean his voice wasn’t disguised. Tate and the rest stared at him, but let him talk. They could tell it was something out of the ordinary. Ray moved closer and nodded at Jaxon. He nodded back.
“You know me. I don’t know you.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. I know what you used to be. And you definitely know me.”
“I’m at a loss. Help me.”
“Later. I’m sure that’s not what you got my attention for, Detective. If so, I’m hanging up now.”
“I need some help.”
He hated admitting it to this asshole, but he didn’t know what else to do at the moment.
“That can’t be,” the voice mocked him. “You’ve been doing so well. You and your little gang.” It grew angry then. “Why should I? You’re not playing by the rules.”
“I can’t get into the base. It’s on lockdown. I can’t get to the next clue.”
Laughter filled the speaker and Jaxon had to pull the phone away from his head. It went on for a few more seconds and then stopped abruptly. “I don’t remember telling you I would help you solve your dilemmas. Figure it out.”
“You aren’t playing fair…”
“Neither are you,” he shouted.
“Tell me the next waypoint.”
“Consider this your punishment for cheating. Oh—and your wife too.”
“I’m coming for you. You know that, right? I won’t stop. Ever.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Detective.”
The line went dead.
CHAPTER 21
Jaxon sat in the sheriff’s office alone.
Ray, Gil, and Mel were out in the station sitting, twiddling their thumbs. The door opened and a bull of a man walked in and sat behind the desk. The name on the plate that sat on the desk, trimmed in gold, read James Guest. He glanced at Jaxon over wire rimmed glasses and put the papers he was holding down on his desk.
“I’m not sure what to do with you Mr. Jennings.”
“Jaxon.”
“Excuse me?”
“The name’s Jaxon. Everybody calls me Jaxon.”
The sheriff pursed his lips and looked at the paper on his desk.
“You’ve created quite a dilemma for me. You and your little posse out there.”
“That’s not my intention, Sheriff. I’m conducting an investigation and I appreciate all the help you have given me.”
The sheriff sat back in his chair and studied Jaxon.
“I don’t know what you’re used to where you’re from, but here in the south we don’t like it when someone blows sunshine up our ass. Just an hour ago you told my detective to basically shove it and then you threaten a member of the armed forces of this United States. Now you sit there and shine my ass on the so called ‘help’ we’ve provided you. I don’t like it. Not one bit.”
Jaxon smiled. He didn’t think he’d be able to smooth talk his way out of this, but he had to try.
“You’re right Sheriff. My apologies. I’m just in a tight spot and I don’t have much time to find this girl.”
“Then why didn’t you involve us in the first place? You should know this. You were a detective in DC for God’s sake.”
“I was instructed to not involve any law enforcement or risk the life of the girl. From what I observed, he seemed capable of determining whether I had in fact done just that or abided by his request. In my opinion, involving you would have been a mistake.”
“So you think. How, pray tell, did you determine that the man was able to know every move you made?”
“He is very adept at manipulating recent technology to his advantage. At the site where I found the severed finger and first note, he was monitoring the spot with a remote camera. He knew when I found it and his game began. He has also been able to hack into just about any public and so called private security service and learn of my whereabouts and who I am interacting with.”
“Sounds like a superman. I don’t buy it.”
“Did your detective inform you of the telephone call I received as he took custody of me from the Marines?”
“Yes.”
“That call was the result of me displaying my telephone number into the lens of the security camera at the naval base. He was monitoring it.”
The sheriff considered this and then stood up.
“I understand why you’ve involved us now since you believe the perp to be one of my own men. Robert Fanucci, who has been conveniently unavailable. Your wife explained to my men how you came to this conclusion. What I don’t understand is why he would pick you?”
“I’m still not convinced that I wasn’t just some random player in his game. The first person to discover his little cache.”
“Your wife seems to think otherwise.”
“We’ve discussed the possibility but have not yet discovered any conclusive evidence pointing to that.”
The sheriff sat in his chair again.
“All right. This is how it’s going to go. This investigation is now under my jurisdiction…”
“I don’t…”
“I don’t care what you think. It’s now under my jurisdiction and you will only be allowed to participate as a consultant. I have no doubt of your ability, but your recklessness and this man’s disregard for the lives of those involved and also those of innocent bystanders necessitates our involvement…”
“He’ll kill her.”
“…and our expertise. If he contacts you again, or gives you any evidence of the whereabouts
of this Bethany Hope, whether directly, or in the form of some kind of puzzle, you will turn that evidence over to Detective Tate immediately.”
“I won’t agree to that.”
The man’s face turned red.
“I make it a point to know every private investigator with a license to operate within my jurisdiction. You’re new here and I don’t know you. I made a call to your chief up in Washington and he had some exemplary things to say about you. I find that hard to believe.” He paused to judge Jaxon’s response. “He also informed me that you were a hot head. A loner, and you didn’t like to abide by the rules. That I find easy to believe.” He leaned forward and pointed his finger at Jaxon. “I will not tolerate you acting on your own, nor will I allow you to continue to be even a consultant on this case if you do not cooperate. I will have your license revoked and your ass thrown in jail until I can find something that will stick to you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” Jaxon said.
The sheriff took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “Now, get out of here.”
Jaxon stood and walked out of the office. He glanced at Ray, who stood and followed. Gil and Mel caught up as quickly as they could. When they were outside, Ray said, “I heard it all. Looks like we’re out of business.”
“Bullshit.”
“I don’t know about you, but if a sheriff threatened to throw my ass in jail and revoke my ability to earn a living, I’d listen to him.”
Jaxon ignored him and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed from memory. The phone rang at a desk a thousand miles away and was answered on the second ring.
“FBI.”
“I need to speak with Emory Holt.”
“Please hold.” He listened to canned music for a minute or two then the line picked up.
“Holt.”
“It’s Jaxon. I need a favor.”
CHAPTER 22
Jaxon stood in front of the sergeant at the counter again.
The man did not look pleased. He asked for Jaxon’s ID and the IDs of the rest of the group and he filled out some paperwork. Producing a badge for each of them, he slid the clipboard over to Jaxon.
“Sign here.”
Jaxon signed and slid the clipboard back. He looked at the security camera on the counter. “Did you get the security problem fixed?” he asked.
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