Cache 72 (A Jaxon Jennings' Detective Mystery Thriller Series, Book 2)

by Richard C. Hale

  Bethany and her friends had destroyed not only the lives of a mother and daughter, they had destroyed many lives close to them and in the community. The pain with which many had suffered for the carelessness of their acts could not be measured.

  After the death of his wife, the husband refused to talk to anyone in the press. He shuttered the house after the funeral and Bethany had not been surprised to find it empty a few weeks later. She had heard he moved, but did not know where. He had never said one word to her or her friends.

  Bethany tilted her head back and let the heat of the compartment wash over her. Her tears dried quickly and were replaced with a light sheen of sweat covering her face. She tried to take a deep breath but the sauna-like conditions inside the container made it hard to expand her lungs completely. The darkness inside the container seemed less today and she was surprised to find she could see to the other end of the box. Maybe her eyes were adjusting to the darkness or there was more light coming in.

  Something caught her eye and she stared into the far corner trying to see what it was. She stood and walked closer as she kept her eyes on the upper corner opposite her. A small shadow seemed to seep from the darkness up there and as she walked closer, it turned into a shape. Standing under it, her mouth open in astonishment, the anger swelled within her and she screamed. Jumping back so she was in front of it, she waved her arms and cried at the camera that was mounted above her head in the darkness. Its dark lens seemed to mock her.

  CHAPTER 23

  The phrase ‘Jaxon sucks pricks’ had been easy for Gil to decipher.

  Two things bothered Jaxon as they headed for the next destination with Ray driving the Mustang. The first was that his name had been so prominently displayed in the message. He could understand that after all the times he had been seen in the lens of various security cameras and him supplying his cell phone number over that last two hours, he would be ID’d by the perp. But when Vick had been injured in the bombing of his house with the perp somehow gaining access to the house with Vick in it, and planting a bomb at the naval base before Jaxon had even found the severed finger, he could not discount the fact that the guy had somehow known he was going to find the severed finger first and had even planted it there for him. This also meant that Jaxon was some unwitting pawn in the psycho’s game and had not been some random GeoCacher stumbling on the cache find from hell. It could also mean that he knew Fanucci somehow. That did not jive.

  The other thing that was nagging at the back of his mind was the fact they were heading for Gainesville. And not just some new spot in Gainesville, but the same spot they had been given over a day ago. The one they had skipped. Jaxon wondered just what they would find there and now that it had been given to them again, what they had missed by skipping it. If he were a betting man, he was sure the cache in Gainesville would not contain the GPS position in Lakeland, but a new position and that if they had gone to Gainesville first a day ago, they would have skipped all the other stuff in between. They would be way ahead of the game.

  Jaxon could almost hear the killer’s laugh in his ears as Jaxon cursed himself for the mistakes they had made. It was as if the asshole could read his mind and control their actions and thoughts like tugging on the strings of some sick marionette puppet.

  Mel must have seen his face because she gave him a pitiful look and said, “How could we have known? He made it look like it was easier to skip.”

  “He played into my training. He knows all about me and I’ve refused to accept it. I’m running down the Psycho Serial Killer Apprehension Checklist and he’s one step ahead, laughing as he checks off the traits one at a time.”

  “I’m not following.”

  “Most criminals are dumb. It’s a known fact. That’s why they get caught most of the time. Even murderers are mostly stupid in what they do and act with passion as opposed to thought and planning. I assumed he was a dumbass loser and when he presents me with these puzzles that seem stupid, he’s set me up. He knew I would underestimate him and think I could take advantage of his supposed lack of intellect by skipping ahead. He planned on that and that makes him one smart mother. He’s played me this whole time and all I keep telling myself is I’ll find something to get ahead of the game, but I’m falling farther and farther behind while Bethany lies somewhere waiting to die. Who knows? She may already be dead and I’m running around chasing after her while his real purpose is fulfilled somewhere else.”

  As the words left his lips, Jaxon realized he may have just stated the obvious. The killer had some other agenda and he was being led away from it. Or was it another ploy? Like the Gainesville point, or the Power Run cache on Kingsley. Jaxon cursed to himself again and felt like he was losing his mind. Mel only looked more confused.

  “I can’t think like him,” she said, “so I have no idea. If we could think like him, we may be able to figure him out.”

  “Easier said than done, but I agree.”

  Vick had called, while they drove, with the news she was being discharged. Jaxon was sorry he couldn’t be there, but she said she understood. It was more important to find the girl at the moment than to hold her hand. Besides, she said she was fine. He wasn’t so sure about that. He knew she was tough, but anybody who’s had their home invaded knows what they were both feeling. Even if they both carried guns and knew how to use them.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he had said.

  “I know. I’ll get on the computer and keep digging.”

  “You get some rest. I’ll call you if I need something.”

  “Don’t baby me, Jaxon. You need my help. She needs my help.”

  He couldn’t argue with her there so he said he loved her and he’d talk to her soon. She sounded tired already.

  Jaxon sucked on the soda in his hand trying to get some more caffeine into his system, but it was doing little good. Gil was in the front passenger seat passed out and that was good. The kid had been through a lot and really needed to rest so he could heal. His hand was still swollen and looked like it was causing him pain. At least it wasn’t so painful he couldn’t sleep.

  Twenty minutes later they were at their destination. The University of Florida. Home to the Gator Nation.

  Jaxon sighed and realized nothing was going to be easy. They pulled on to the campus and Mel woke Gil. She looked excited. Apparently both she and Gil had attended the university a few years back. Gil was a graduate. She had never finished.

  Gil sat up and looked around.

  “I knew it would be here,” he said and smiled. “Turn left up here, Ray. I bet I know where it is.”

  Ray directed the Mustang to an area near the main campus park. They found a spot and stepped from the car. Gil had the GPS out and pointed toward a statue in the center of the park. They started walking.

  Classes were in session for the summer term and the park was moderately full of students eating an early lunch and generally goofing off between classes. A few were even throwing a Frisbee around and it glided in front of Jaxon who caught it and flung it back to the closest Gator. The guy waved and passed it on to his buddy.

  Otherwise there was nothing remarkable about the campus or any indication that anything dangerous might occur. Jaxon kept his eyes open just the same. This guy was capable of anything.

  They came up to the statue and Gil stopped.

  “It’s around here,” he said and started looking over the statue. Mel wandered over to a water fountain and searched while Ray and Jaxon looked around in some of the nearby bushes. A guy walked up and stared at them.

  “You guys GeoCachers?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” Jaxon said. “You?”

  He nodded. “This one’s been getting quite a bit of activity lately.”

  Jaxon stopped what he was doing and asked, “Do you know where it is?”

  “Sure.”

  “Tell us.”

  The guy frowned. “That’s not supposed to be how it works.”

  Gil walked up and said, “I
’m Gatorcache. You?”

  “You’re Gatorcache? Man, I follow your stuff all the time on the boards. You’re a legend. I’m DelFuego.”

  Gil nodded and shook his hand.

  “I know there are standards for this stuff, but we’re on a different kind of hunt and we need to be as fast as we can. If I were to guess, I would say it’s in that tree, since it’s not the statue. Am I right?”

  DelFuego frowned again and Jaxon could tell the kid was struggling with the ethics of GeoCachers worldwide. You weren’t supposed to give the locations away. It was like cheating.

  “You’re not what I expected,” he said to Gil. “I can’t believe you’re asking me this.”

  “I know it goes against all you know about caching, but this is important. You know I wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t. Am I right?”

  He nodded and pointed to the tree just behind them.

  “It’s wedged in the crook of that first big branch.”

  “Thanks. We owe you.”

  Ray volunteered to climb the tree, and while he was making a fool of himself, Jaxon asked DelFuego if he had seen anybody unusual paying attention to this GeoCache spot.

  “That’s weird you ask because you guys are acting a little weird. But yeah, there was a guy a few days ago who climbed the tree and then spent a while up there. I eventually yelled at him to see if he was in like a diabetic coma or something and he said he was fine and to bug off. He was a prick.”

  Ray yelled from the tree. “There’s a set of lat/longs carved into the bark of the tree.”

  Jaxon took out a notepad and pen and told him to call the numbers out. Gil yelled up to Ray, “That seems awfully easy. Look around more and see if you see anything else weird.”

  Ray wedged himself in the crook a little better and leaned out and around the main trunk of the tree. He then looked up under another big branch and stood up examining something. “You’re right,” he yelled. “There’s another set up here hidden under this branch. It’s very small. My eyes suck. I can’t make it out.”

  “I can,” DelFuego said. “I’ve got great vision.”

  “Come down, Ray,” Jaxon said. “Our friend here is going to look for us.”

  Ray climbed down and DelFuego went up to the spot and leaned in close.

  “They are small,” he shouted, “but I can read ’em. You ready?”

  “Yes,” Jaxon said.

  DelFuego called them out

  “Got it.”

  DelFuego moved down to the lower branch and then stopped. “There’s something else up here.”

  Jaxon walked up under the tree and looked up. “What is it?”

  DelFuego poked at something on the trunk and his finger disappeared inside the tree. “There’s a hole bored into the trunk covered with camouflaged paper. My hand won’t fit all the way in. It looks just like bark. Does anybody have a pencil or pen?”

  Jaxon held his pen up and then tossed it up to DelFuego who caught it deftly. He pushed it into the bored hole and worked it around. Jaxon heard a pop and then DelFeugo screamed, putting his hands to his face.

  The kid lost his balance and fell from the tree landing with a horrific thud on the grass below it. He writhed around on the ground, his hands covering his face. Jaxon bent to him and tried to pull his arms away, but the kid was strong. Ray came over and grabbed his other arm and Gil started talking to him, trying to get him to calm down. Mel stood out of the way crying.

  A small crowd had gathered from the commotion and Jaxon told somebody to call an ambulance. A handful of cell phones went to their owners’ ears and calls went out.

  Jaxon was able to coax the kid’s hands from his face and was shocked at what he saw. Somebody screamed. The kid’s eyes were bleeding and his face was covered in blisters.

  “Don’t touch his hands or face,” Ray said. “It looks like some kind of acid.”

  Jaxon kept the kid’s hands clear of his face and did his best not to touch them, but some kind of liquid rubbed off on his palm and it started to burn. He ignored it.

  Sirens could be heard in the distance and the University’s security showed up and made an attempt at some kind of crowd control. The regular police and then the fire department showed up next and took over.

  Jaxon looked at Ray and Ray nodded.

  They backed away and grabbed Gil and Mel.

  “We need to get out of here now,” Jaxon said.

  They moved away from the crowd and headed for their car. Jaxon felt horrible leaving the kid, but he could do nothing else for him. The paramedics would know what to do more than he could help. Mel was still crying and kept looking back over her shoulder at the crowd.

  “We can’t stay, Mel,” Jaxon said. “They’ll detain us too long.”

  “We can’t just leave him.”

  “He’s in good hands. Come on.”

  He pulled her along and she went reluctantly. No one stopped them.

  When Jaxon got in the car he got on the phone and called the Clay County Sheriff’s office and asked for detective Tate. He answered and Jaxon came right to the point.

  “We’ve had a few developments and there are a few things you can track down for me.”

  “For you? If I’m not mistaken, I believe you were told to act in a consulting capacity only.”

  “All right, you’re consulting me now.”

  Tate sighed. “What have you got?”

  Jaxon explained the situations at the Navy base, his house, and what had happened here in Gainesville.

  “Check on the kid for me. We had to evacuate the area.”

  “You just left him?”

  “No, the paramedics and the locals are here. He’s in good hands. I just want to know.”

  Jaxon could hear him scribbling things on a pad.

  “What else?” Tate asked.

  “I need you to chase down a lead in Orlando. Specifically Disney World.”

  He explained the GeoCaching site in the lagoon and that people had to reserve in advance if they wanted to access the site underwater.

  “Have them check their reservations for Fanucci.”

  “I know Fanucci. Between you and me, it isn’t him.”

  “I know how you feel, but it sure is pointing toward him. You haven’t found him yet have you?”

  “No.”

  “Just check the Disney lead and if you don’t feel good about it, track down who else has visited that site in the last thirty days. It can’t have been that many.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m still consulting. I’m going to consult.”

  “Keep me in this, Jaxon. The sheriff’s watching this. And you.”

  “Will do.”

  Jaxon hung up and saw Gil with a grin on his face.

  “You were right. Neither of these lat/longs is for Lakeland. They’re both new. We should have come here first.”

  Jaxon nodded. He wasn’t happy about being right. “So, where are they?”

  “That’s the bad news. One’s in Palm Beach. The other, in Tallahassee.”

  “Shit. Which one?”

  “Exactly. We have to think like him.”

  “I don’t understand the acid,” Ray said. “Why put that there?”

  “It was a booby trap,” Jaxon said. “Like the snake, and the bomb. He’s hoping we’ll fall prey to one of his tricks.”

  Ray nodded. “It seems awfully convenient that nobody but us finds these things. How can he be so sure somebody won’t stumble on to his games and then we’re shit out of luck?”

  “He probably doesn’t care. He’ll win one way or another. He’s amusing himself with this scavenger hunt, but it’s just a way to kill time. He’s planning on killing her, and me, no matter what. I know that now.”

  “Then why the hell are we playing his game?”

  “We have no other choice,” Gil said.

  “Gil’s right,” Jaxon said. “We don’t have any other way to find the girl at this moment. We stay on the path and hope s
omething breaks. We have no other alternative.”

  “Which one, then?”

  “The closest,” Jaxon said.

  “Tallahassee it is.”

  Ray started the car and pulled out of the lot. As they left the campus of the Florida Gators, an ambulance pulled ahead of them, its siren wailing and lights flashing. Jaxon hoped the kid would be ok.

  CHAPTER 24

  “They’re interrogating him now,” Vick said. “They won’t give me any more information than that.”

  Jaxon was about an hour out of Tallahassee and his cell had woken him from a brief nap. He had been irritated at first, but when it turned out to be Vick, he felt a little better.

  “Where did they find him?” he asked.

  “That’s the weird thing. He just showed up for work at his normal shift time. Just walked right in the building like nothing was wrong.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He was sick.”

  “Did he have an excuse for why he wasn’t home or answering his phone?”

  “He said he was at his brother’s. He had gotten drunk and didn’t want to drive, so he called in sick and stayed over there.”

  “Seems like Tate and the sheriff would have checked there.”

  “That’s what I said and they didn’t have a good excuse. Tate kind of skated around the answer. I don’t think they take him as a serious suspect.”

  “He’s the only one we’ve got,” Jaxon said. “I guess I need to ‘consult’ with Tate again.”

  She laughed. “I heard about that. Apparently they aren’t appreciating your interpretation of consultant.”

  “We’re almost to Tallahassee. I have a bad feeling this time it’s a wild goose chase.”

  “Hasn’t this whole thing been a wild goose chase?”

  He had to agree with her.

  This little adventure had turned out much worse than he had expected. They were supposed to have found Bethany by now. Hell, by yesterday. Jaxon was beginning to worry that they may never find her or Fanucci would only spill his guts after the fact.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m sore,” she said. “But I’ll live. I can function. They gave me some pills for pain, but I’m not going to take them. I don’t need them.”