by Beth Flynn
Brooks banged on the front door of a small and tidy home owned by Douglas Thacker. When there was no answer, he walked around to the side of the house and found a gated six-foot-high wooden fence. The gate wasn’t locked, so he let himself in the backyard. What he saw immediately set his blood to boiling. The Doberman was tied to the post of a crumbling clothesline. There was no shade and two overturned bowls were well out of the dog’s reach. He was lying on his side, panting heavily. He barely raised his head when Jonas knelt beside him.
“I’ve called Animal Control on this son of a bitch at least a dozen times!”
Jonas stood up and swung around to find an elderly woman standing behind him with her hands on her hips. “I can’t tell you how many times he leaves this poor animal back here for days at a time without food or water or shade. It’s at least ninety degrees out today.”
Jonas looked her up and down. She stood there like a tank. She was short, thick around the waist, and barrel-chested. She wore a sleeveless polka dot housedress and men’s socks with sensible shoes. Her skin was tanned, and her thinning white hair was pulled back in a bun so severe the skin around her eyes and forehead gave the appearance that she’d had a facelift.
“How do you know he leaves the dog for days at a time?”
“How do I know? I’ll tell you how I know! He travels for his job. And instead of asking someone to come in and care for Carlos or leaving him at a kennel, Doug just ties him to the pole and leaves. I live next door and my bedroom window is right there.” She pointed to the right with her meaty arm. “A wooden fence doesn’t conceal Carlos’ cries. I’ve offered to come over and feed him and let him out in the yard. You know what his response was? To mind my own damn business.” She thrust her chin in the air. “I do it anyway. Why have an animal that you’re not going to care for?” She bent over and snatched up a bowl and headed toward a spigot on the wall. “I’ve been at my sister’s for two days and I can guaran-damn-tee you this poor baby hasn’t had a drink since I left. I just pulled up when I saw you let yourself in the gate. And just so you know, the only reason you could get in the gate was because I broke the lock off and the stupid shit that lives here hasn’t even noticed!” When she was finished with her tirade, she walked the bowl over to the dog who slowly rose to his feet and furiously lapped it up. It was then that she allowed herself a good look at Jonas. “And who the hell might you be?” she asked.
“I’m Douglas Thacker’s worst nightmare,” he informed her.
She assumed an authoritative posture and offered her hand. “I’m Betty Ann McGuire.”
After Jonas shook her hand, she asked, “You have a beef with him?”
“You could say that,” Jonas replied while taking inventory of the backyard.
She hmphed. “He’s more than just an abuser of animals, you know.” She narrowed her eyes and waited for Jonas to respond. His expression invited her to continue. “I notice that every time he takes Carlos with him, he comes back with young teenagers in the car. Always boys.”
Jonas raised an eyebrow. “And?”
“I can’t say what goes on in there.” She tilted her head toward the house. “But I have an idea. When my grandson came to visit six years ago, he asked to stay home while I ran to the grocery store. When I got home, I saw him coming out of Doug’s house. He told me that as soon as I left, Doug knocked on the door and told him he figured he was bored and wanted to offer him some comic books. He took the boy back to his place and said he could have his pick to keep while he was visiting me. The only thing is, my grandson, who was almost thirteen at the time, came back without any comic books and wanted to go back to Chicago a full week before he was supposed to. That was six years ago and he hasn’t visited me since.”
“So your neighbor is a pedophile?”
She nodded affirmatively. “I’d stake my life on it.” She motioned toward the Doberman. “I’ve never seen him leave with Carlos in the car and not come back with a kid. Almost like he uses the dog as bait.”
Jonas took a deep breath and stared hard at the woman. “I’m going to let myself in the back door and look for evidence of what you just told me. Let me ask you something. If I find it, what do you think the penalty should be?”
She returned the glaring stare. “First, I know you’ll find it. Second, my late husband was the head of a task force in Chicago that went after predators. Unfortunately, a lot of them are still out there because the system doesn’t always work. I’ve tried involving the law with this guy. He had a boy over here once and I smelled pot, so I called the police and reported my suspicions.”
“Did they come out?” Jonas questioned.
She rolled her eyes. “They did indeed. And wouldn’t you know it. The young man had turned eighteen two days earlier, so he was legal. I wouldn’t have put him a day past fifteen. And as far as the pot was concerned, they’d finished what they were smoking and the tiny little bit that was left didn’t count for shit. After that, the police never took me seriously again.” She slapped her hands together and rolled back on her heels. Looking at the sky she told Jonas, “I would say he’s averaged at least one visiting kid a month for the past six years. Not to mention the repeat visitors who trickle in on their own.” Her eyes glazed over with sadness as she shook her head. “Those poor kids must be pretty desperate if they show back up here. And I know from my husband’s experience that these kids won’t talk. They’re ashamed and feel like it’s their fault.” Her jaw tightened with anger. “He needs to be stopped.”
Jonas approached the back door. Pulling a knife out of his boot, he jimmied open the lock and motioned for the woman to follow him inside. It took less than five minutes for them to find unrefuted proof that Doug was indeed a predator who was involved in child pornography. One bedroom was set up like a photo studio, and the proof of those sessions was stacked in several dresser drawers.
“I’d say that eighteen-year-old was a fluke that saved Doug’s ass because these boys are definitely underaged.” He glanced over at the woman. “You don’t seem shocked at these pictures,” Jonas commented before putting the photos back where he’d found them.
Betty Ann held her chin high. “Unfortunately, my husband occasionally brought his work home with him. Nothing would shock me.”
They both stilled when they heard the click of a lock and a worried voice calling out. “Hello? Is someone here?”
“He saw my truck in his driveway,” Jonas whispered. “How far are you willing to go to see that Thacker pays for what he’s done?” he asked her.
Through clenched teeth, she softly replied, “You look like the kind of man who is willing to go all the way. If you get my drift.”
Jonas’ answer was a nod.
Her eyes burned conspiratorially when she added, “You provide the body and I’ll give you the shovel.”
Jonas gave her a hard look. “First, we’re going to mete out my form of justice on Mr. Thacker. Can you handle it?”
She gave Jonas another once-over. “You’re damn straight I can handle it.”
Chapter 41
Just over a week later, Jonas found himself once again at Anthony’s landscaping office. “I got your page. What’s up?”
Anthony reached into a drawer and tossed an envelope on the desk. “It’s all in there.”
Jonas ignored the envelope. “You know I can’t read it,” he lied. “I assume you did. What does it say?”
“There is no record of Melton Renquest before 1952. He must’ve been hiding from something. For all intents and purposes, he may still be since they never found his body.”
“Do you think Lucy’s mother knew?”
Anthony shrugged his shoulders and appeared indifferent when he said, “The only way to know that is to ask her.” He nodded toward the envelope Jonas held and said, “There’s an address for her in Maine. My guy couldn’t find any copies of Melton’s birth certificate or their marriage certificate, so it’s a safe assumption that whatever they used was forged.” A moment
passed before Anthony added, “You should also know that Lucy’s father set up a small one-man office here in Naples and worked as a tax attorney. Except he’s not licensed. Melton Renquest never took the Bar exam.”
Jonas looked thoughtful for a minute. It was a lot of information to take in and only deepened the mystery surrounding the man’s disappearance.
His thoughts were interrupted when Anthony asked, “You wanna tell me why your knuckles are raw?”
Jonas decided to come clean about Douglas Thacker. He left out no details concerning what he’d found in the man’s house and the elderly neighbor who was only too willing to be his accomplice.
A full thirty seconds passed before Anthony addressed him. “What is going on with you, Brooks?”
Jonas looked puzzled. “What do you mean what’s going on with me? I happened upon a piece of shit, got rid of him and his car. And I took his dog.”
Anthony casually leaned back in his chair, but there was no mistaking the irritated clamping of his jaw. “I let the Davey thing go,” he told him. “I heard what he’d said to you about Lucy, so I gave you a pass.”
“What do you mean you let it go?” Jonas questioned. “You were a heartbeat away from having me or X put a cap in his head.”
The movement was so swift Jonas barely had time to react. Anthony’s fist came down so hard on the desk it vibrated. “Not in view of the public, Brooks! Do you know how many witnesses there were? And now you’re playing biker vigilante for a pedophile? Let me tell you something. I don’t care what you do when it’s not connected to the club. But lighting Davey up in public and playing judge, jury, and executioner with an elderly civilian as your accomplice?” Anthony leaned across the desk and broke his no-profanity rule that had been passed down from his Uncle Robert. “What the fuck, Brooks? You know better, man. How long was your truck parked in front of his house for the whole block to see?”
Jonas didn’t bat an eye. “She was better at cleaning up the crime scene than your best guy. And as far as my truck being seen at Thacker’s house…” He waved his hand. “She has that covered too. If someone comes looking for him, which I highly doubt will happen for weeks if not months, she’ll let everybody know she saw him drive away with a suitcase and his dog. And they’ll believe her because she is the eyes and ears of that block. She’ll dispute the color, make, and model of my truck. And that’s only if someone remembers seeing it. Which I highly doubt.”
Anthony glared at him. “You’ve never cared about pedophiles before. This city is full of them. Should I give you a list so you and your geriatric Wonder Woman friend can clean up the city?”
“This pedophile disrespected Lucy,” Jonas admitted.
Anthony leaned back with a sigh. “So this is all because of a woman? I should’ve known when Shasta told me what lengths you went to to make sure Lucy was comfortable at the cabin.” He didn’t give Jonas a chance to comment by swiftly adding, “Don’t be mad at Shasta. She’s not a snitch. She has explicit instructions from me to let me know when anybody from my crew contacts her. Even you. She’s doing her best to stay clean, and I wanted to make sure nobody was trying to lure her back into her old lifestyle before she gets her diploma and heads out of state for college. Shasta was just following my orders.”
Jonas scrubbed a hand down his face. “I care about Lucy, boss. That’s all. But she doesn’t feel the same way,” he lied. “I felt bad for tricking her into coming out to the cabin and ruining her cruise. I don’t know why I thought I could ever have a chance with a woman like her. The new car, exacting vengeance on Thacker…” There was a long pause as Jonas contemplated his next statement. “I guess it was my way of making it up to her, even though she’ll never know that I went after the guy.”
“I need you on top of your game, Brooks. I have X running point on a deal for me. Plus he has something going on in his private life that I’m not privy to, nor do I care to be. He disappears at least one long weekend a month. I can’t have you upping your game in public. I don’t need the attention.” He leaned forward and placed both elbows on the desk. “And you obviously have some frustrations to get out of your system.” He reached for a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote some information down and handed it to Jonas. “Based on the library book you had Shasta get and the tote bag of teaching supplies in Lucy’s car, I’m going to guess you didn’t spend all of your time there between the sheets with Lucy or hunting gators.” He handed him the paper. “Can you read that?”
Jonas was caught off guard by Anthony’s intuition but not surprised. Anthony Bear had a heightened instinct that was one step short of mindreading. Jonas secretly wondered if it was due to his Native American heritage. He glanced at the paper and said, “I can read well enough to get by.”
Anthony continued, “The place is anonymously owned by a friend of mine, so you’re guaranteed a job. When you’re not working for me, you can blow off steam there. Legally.”
Jonas stood and picked up the envelope from Anthony’s desk.
“Just be patient,” Anthony said. “Lucy might still come around. Don’t doubt yourself. Who’d have thought Christy Chapman, wealthy heiress to the largest high-end automobile conglomerate in South Florida, would end up with a guy like me? Don’t sell yourself short, Brooks.”
Jonas looked around the room, not meeting Anthony’s eyes. “Lucy won’t come around. I’ve been honest with her about everything. And I guess my everything turned out to be a little too much.”
“Everything?” Anthony questioned.
Jonas nodded. “Even things you don’t know, Bear.”
Anthony gave a mirthless chuckle. “I know everything there is to know about you, Brooks.”
The look of surprise on Jonas’ face was obvious.
Leaning back, Anthony raised both hands and slapped them on the sides of his chair. “What? You think I don’t know about your family history? About Marty? How you did time in juvie for killing her stalker when you were fifteen?” He slowly shook his head. “And the real reason you think you hate her?” He leaned forward, nodding his head. “Yeah, Brooks, I know all of it.”
Jonas headed for the door and stopped to turn around. Raising his chin proudly, he continued, “I never tried to hide from who I am. I’ve never been ashamed. And never will be.”
“I know that. And I also know it’s why you gravitated toward me and my crew. You knew you’d be accepted without judgment.” Anthony blew out a breath. “At least you don’t carry around a chip on your shoulder like I did before Christy came into my life.” There was a pause before he added, “Like I said before, be patient with Lucy.”
Jonas raised the envelope to his forehead as if saluting. “Thanks, Bear. See ya around.”
His first stop was the place Anthony had recommended. After securing part-time work, he headed home. He was greeted by Carlos who was turning out to be a damn fine dog.
Three days later he was sitting at a red light, Carlos happily panting at his side, when he glanced down at the closed ashtray in his truck. It brought him back to the day he drove Lucy to the cabin for the first time. He remembered how Shasta had hugged him at the Waffle House and shoved Lucy’s car key and a note in his pocket. He’d been certain the note was an apology for forgetting to leave the key at the cabin, and when Lucy wasn’t looking, he’d stuffed it in the ashtray of his truck and promptly forgot about it. Besides, he wouldn’t have been able to read it back then. He reached for it now and started to read Shasta’s neatly printed words. The light had turned green, but the beeping of the frustrated motorists were nothing compared to the riot growing in his head. Shasta didn’t write the note to apologize for forgetting to leave Lucy’s car key at the cabin. She wrote the note to let him know Lucy had a Peeping Tom.
Chapter 42
With shaky hands, Lucy placed the teacups on a plush chair and darted for the living room. She found a terrified Brad as he walked backwards, Jonas lumbering toward him with a malevolent glare. When the backs of Brad’s knees bumped agai
nst a living room chair, he involuntarily landed in it. Jonas stood towering over and glaring down at him.
“Jonas!” Lucy cried, while trying to ignore her elevated heartbeat. “Leave him alone!”
Without taking his eyes off of Jonas, Brad asked with a frog in his throat, “You know this guy, Lucy?”
Taking Jonas by the arm, Lucy pulled him away from Brad who was visibly shaken. “Stop scaring him, Jonas!” She looked over at Brad. “It’s okay, Brad. He’s an old family acquaintance. He doesn’t mean to be an intimidating behemoth.” She scowled up at Jonas. “It just comes naturally.”
Jonas looked at Lucy as if seeing her for the first time. “Where are your glasses and why are your eyes so red?”
“I’m giving contact lenses another try,” she told him with a slight upward tilt of her chin.
Jonas swung around and pointed at Brad. “For him?” he growled.
Before Lucy could reply, Brad started mumbling, “Six, nine, nine, five, five, eight…”
Jonas snapped his head back to Lucy. “Why is he reciting your numbers? Those are your numbers, aren’t they? From your memory game?”
Lucy took a calming breath. “Because you’re obviously scaring him to death. I told him it was how I sometimes dealt with anxiety and he asked me to teach it to him. He’s an accountant,” she impatiently informed him. “Like my father was before he became an attorney. Brad likes numbers too.”
“Isn’t he a little old for you?”
Brad finally composed himself and started to tell Jonas, “I’m not—”
“That is none of your business, Jonas Brooks,” Lucy retorted, cutting off Brad’s denial.