by Jamie Hill
She breathed in and out deeply. “How do we make one hundred percent sure it’s him?”
“They’re testing dental records and fingerprints, now that they have a name to go with the body. They’ll know by tonight or tomorrow. But since this affects us so personally, I thought we might drive over there and ID him in person.”
“I’d have to…look at…?” she trailed off.
He nodded.
I’ll have to look at the body. She thought about it, and stood up. “I can do that. We need to know.”
“We really do,” he agreed. “Think Moe’ll cut you loose? It’s going to take at least an hour to get there, and what with the red tape and all, I’m not sure you’ll be back to work today.”
“What about the boys?”
“We’ll get them from school later, or catch them on their way here. They’ll be fine.”
She nodded and went to talk to Moe. They stood in the doorway to the kitchen as she explained the situation to him.
“No problem, Crystal-ina. We’ll manage without you.” Moe patted her hand. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thank you so much,” Crystal told him, and as she went for her coat she caught Caesar watching them. The look on his face terrified her. She grabbed her things quickly and returned to Jack. “Let’s go.”
He was studying the doorway to the kitchen. “What’s with the cook?”
“General creepiness,” she muttered.
Jack smiled and led her out. “Let’s run by the apartment so you can change.”
“Thanks.”
At the apartment building, he gave her the key so she could run up by herself. It would have been their first time alone in the apartment together, and Crystal knew that although they were heading off to identify a dead body, if they had a chance to be alone first they’d take advantage of it. As appealing as that idea was, this was definitely not the time.
She changed into jeans and a v-neck sweater, and then slipped back into her jacket. It wasn’t really warm enough for the weather, but it was all she had. She blew on her hands as she slid back into his truck. She saw Jack look her over appreciatively. She could tell his eyes didn’t miss the way the ‘v’ of her sweater enhanced her breasts. She zipped her jacket higher and smiled apologetically. “I wanted something warm,” she remarked, trying to explain the sweater.
He looked her over again. “I don’t know about you, but it definitely warmed me up.”
Crystal laughed nervously and buckled her seat belt. “I guess we should go,” she reminded him. She lit up a cigarette and tapped her toe on the floorboard.
“I guess we should get you a warmer coat.” He checked his blind spot before he pulled out into the street.
She puffed on her cigarette and gazed out the window. “Maybe your sister has one she’s not using anymore.”
He glanced sideways at her and gave her a small smile. “You giving me a hard time?”
“No,” she flicked her ashes out the window and looked at him. “I’m sorry, I’m just nervous.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not yet. I need to think about it first.”
“Want some music?” He pushed a button and the radio came on.
“Depends. What do you listen to?”
Jack shrugged. “I like everything. Currently I’m on a country kick. I don’t know why, but the Musik Mafia amuses me. Big and Rich, Cowboy Troy…”
“Gretchen Wilson,” Crystal added.
He nodded. “Not entirely unpleasant to look at.”
She thought about that as she puffed her smoke. “I know all the words to ‘Redneck Woman’. Don’t ask me why.”
He laughed at that, and drove toward the neighboring town of Hutchinson.
The morgue at the Hutchinson Police Department, like many others, was located in the basement of the building. Jack checked in with the homicide department, exchanged some shop talk and easy banter, and less than half an hour later they were being led down a long corridor in the cool, damp basement. Crystal started to shiver. Jack reached over and took her hand.
“He was beaten up badly, but was pretty easily identified with the rap sheet you faxed us. His fingerprints are a match. Still waiting on dental records.” The Hutchinson officer told them.
Crystal looked at Jack. “So it’s him, then.”
He nodded and squeezed her hand. “We knew it was, Crys. Let’s just get this done and have it over with.”
“Okay.” She steeled herself, but clung to his hand as they were led into a cold room, made even colder with banks of clinical silver cabinets lining the walls. A covered body lay in the center of the room on a gurney.
The officer looked at Jack who glanced at Crystal. She nodded, and the man pulled the cover off the upper portion of the body.
“Oh Jesus, Dave,” Crystal murmured. “What did you get yourself mixed up in this time?” She looked at the dead man's face. The officer was right. It was obvious he'd been beaten, but it was also obvious the dead man was Dave.
The officer spoke “David Erickson?”
“Yes,” Crystal replied. She looked at his face again, but her mind now saw Mark and Devon. What the hell was she going to do? She looked at Jack. “Can we go?”
“You bet.” He thanked the officer and led her back up the stairs and out into the cold fresh air.
Crystal took a few deep breaths and then lit a cigarette to calm herself.
“You’re handling this better than I expected.” Jack leaned against his Explorer and watched her.
She shrugged. “I didn’t love him. I didn’t even care that much about him, except for Mark and Devon. I just don’t know what we’re going to do now.”
“Don’t think about that yet. Let’s get something to eat, and then maybe we can talk.”
“Okay,” she agreed, and stomped out her cigarette before getting in the truck.
Jack took her to a nice Italian restaurant, where they ate pasta and salad and tried to have a normal conversation. The gloom of the morgue hung over them like a pall. He tried to joke with her, but Crystal wasn’t feeling very cheerful. She had no idea what she'd tell the boys, or what she was going to do with them. It nagged at her as they walked out to Jack’s Explorer.
He reached to open the door for her, but Crystal grabbed him first and pulled him by the lapels of his jacket to face her. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. She sensed his hesitation and the subtle shift to surrender as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tenderly. A little whimper caught in her throat as his movements changed from gentle to something much more fierce and primal. She returned his kisses with ardor.
Jack backed her up against the truck and pressed his body into hers. She felt his body heat and the firm ridge of his desire nudging her belly. She squirmed against him, wanting to get as close as she could with two layers of clothing between them.
Jack kissed her one last time and then pulled away. He grinned at her slyly. “Is it a blessing or a curse that we don’t have more time?” He looked at his watch and then showed her the face. The boys would be out of school by the time they drove back.
“Definitely a curse,” she rubbed her hands over his face and down over his chest. “I really want to be with you.”
He chuckled. “What you said, times a hundred.” He kissed the back of her hand, and smiled as he let her go.
They got in the truck and she couldn’t resist leaning in for one more kiss. They fogged up the windows as they kissed for a few more minutes. Jack finally pulled back with a look of regret. “We really need to leave if we’re going to get the boys on time.”
“I know. Let’s go,” she murmured and touched her hand to her cheek. She already missed the rough scrape of his chin on hers. She wanted more time. Time to explore the complexities of him. Time let him explore every inch of her. She tingled at the very idea.
He turned the defroster on high to melt some of the fog on the inside of the windows. Crystal smiled a
nd lit up a smoke. She glanced at him sideways. “Thanks for being here today for me, Jack. You’re my hero.”
He chuckled and gave her a wink.
It was a long hour’s drive back, and they didn’t talk much. When they were almost home she said, “I just don’t know what I’m going to do with the boys. I have to tell them about Dave. They’re going to want answers from me about what’s going to happen to them. How can I give them answers I don’t have?”
“I don’t know. But I was thinking that we don’t have to tell them about Dave today.”
“You think? I figured I should probably tell them right away.”
“Another couple of days won’t hurt anything. Let’s give it a little time and see what happens.”
“Time,” she murmured. “Why does it feel like my enemy as well as my friend?”
He glanced at her, and she could tell by the expression on his face he’d do anything to figure out that puzzle for her.
The boys were headed for the diner when Crystal and Jack spotted them. “Hey you two.” Jack rolled his window down. “How about a ride?”
“Jack!” They both grinned and ran to the truck. “Crystal! Hi!” They climbed inside. “What are you doing here?” Mark asked.
“I finished work early today,” Crystal said. “It’s cold, so Jack wanted to pick you up.”
“Doesn’t feel so cold in this new coat,” Devon said. “It’s really warm.”
“Great,” she beamed at him and then Jack, who kept his eyes on the road, but still had a smile on his own face.
They got to the apartment and he stopped to check in with Ralph while Crystal and the boys went inside. They were laughing and joking until they got to the third floor and Crystal saw her apartment door ajar. She clutched the boys to her and stepped back against the wall. “Jack!”
He took the last flight of stairs by twos and reached them quickly. “What is it?”
Fear clutched her heart as she pointed to her open door, and then noticed Dave’s door was also open.
Jack looked at her. “You didn’t…?”
She shook her head. “You have the key.”
He muttered a curse and pulled out his gun. “Stay here!”
He stepped inside the apartment and disappeared.
Chapter Six
Jack was gone a few minutes. Crystal could tell by the look on his face that it was bad, but he didn’t make eye contact with her until he returned from checking Dave’s apartment too. He shook his head and holstered his weapon. “They’re gone, of course! Damn it, Crys, you’re not going to like this.”
She took a step into her own apartment and saw that now it was trashed just like Dave’s had been. The sofa was slashed. The boys’ mattress gaped in shreds and clothes were strewn all about. Pictures, ashtrays and vases had been shattered, adding to the war-zone look.
Remembering the children, she swore under her breath.
Mark stepped around their clothes and commented astutely, “Somebody was looking for something.”
“Inside the TV?” Devon asked, confused.
They looked up and saw that the TV set was shattered. Crystal tried not to cry, but the indignity was too much. “That’s just vicious!”
“Yeah, it is,” Jack agreed, “and that’s why we can’t stay here.” He looked into her eyes and she nodded with resignation.
He knelt down and gathered the boys close. “I need you two to be strong, tough guys for me now. We’re going to pack your stuff and get out of here as fast as we can. I’ll get your suitcases, and I want you to shove everything in there, okay? The sooner we’re done, they sooner we’re out of here and some place safe.”
The boys nodded and Jack grabbed their suitcases and tossed them on the sofa. “Right now it doesn’t matter whose clothes they are, just stick them in here. We’ll straighten them out later.” He stood up and took Crystal by the arms. “Do you have a suitcase?”
She nodded. “I did, anyway.”
“Go get it, and pack everything you can.” He grabbed the empty TV carton that had served as her end table and threw it on the kitchen table. “I’ll pack up the unopened food and anything else I can salvage.”
Crystal’s gut ached as she noticed the dinette vandalism for the first time. Written in black marker boldly against the white Formica tabletop was the question: “Where is it?”
She cried out, “Where is what? I still have no idea what they’re looking for!”
Jack pulled her to him gently and tried to calm her shaking. “Shhh,” he murmured. “I need you to be strong, too. We’re going to figure this out.”
She gathered herself up and nodded. She headed to her room and packed what she could fit in her suitcase.
Devon appeared in her doorway in tears.
“What is it, sugar?” He held out his stuffed rabbit, which had been gutted with a knife from head to toe. “Those bad, bad men,” she murmured. “Show me where you found this.”
He led her to the living room and pointed. Crystal knelt down and scooped the stuffing from the floor back into the bunny.
Jack handed her a plastic sack. “Put it in here. Maybe we can sew it up later.”
Crystal nodded, once again fighting tears. She tucked the bunny into the bag and held it tightly.
Devon looked up at Jack and asked, “Where are we going to go?”
Jack looked around and said, “Probably a motel. I’ll figure it out.”
Crystal glanced at him and he shook his head no.
“Bugged?” she whispered softly to him, and he shrugged.
“Maybe. Just don’t say anything more than is necessary.” He closed up the cardboard box and carried it to the hallway. He helped the boys and then Crystal with their suitcases, and they all stood in the hall for a moment.
Mark said, “Maybe we should leave a note for daddy.” Before they could stop him, he stepped into his old apartment and froze when he saw the condition. A mess, just like Crystal’s place. “Oh.” He turned to Jack and Crystal. “I guess we don’t live here anymore.” He glanced at Crystal’s apartment. “I guess we don’t live anywhere.”
Crystal’s heart clutched at his words. She turned to Jack and could tell by the look on his face he felt the same way. He grabbed Mark by the hand and urged, “Come on. You’re going to like where we’re going.” He led the child out, and shut the apartment door behind them. “Not sure why I bother to lock it.”
“Hasn’t helped yet,” Crystal agreed, but nonetheless locked her own door. “Let’s get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps.”
They carried their things down and loaded up the Explorer. As he drove away, Jack told the children, “I changed my mind about the motel. We’re going to my house.”
“Is it big?” Devon asked.
“Big enough.” Jack nodded. “There’s a bedroom for each of you, although you’ll probably want to bunk together. That’s fine, too.” He glanced sideways. “And there’s a bedroom for Crystal.”
She looked straight ahead. “Don’t go to any trouble on my account.”
He gave her a small smile before glancing in the rearview mirror at the boys. “There’s something else. I have a dog.”
“A dog?” both boys squealed, and they chattered with excitement on the drive across town.
Crystal noticed Jack checking his rearview mirror frequently, and finally asked softly, “Are we being followed?”
“Nope. Just making sure.”
She rubbed her hands over her arms nervously. Jack kicked the heater up a notch. “I’m fine,” she told him.
“Yeah,” he snorted.
She knew he saw right through her. She was anything but fine. She was holding it together for the sake of the boys, but on the inside she was a complete and total basket case. She glanced at Jack, and realized that once again he was rescuing them. She'd never been so grateful to anyone in all her life.
* * * *
The boys were clearly excited as they toured Jack’s house. He flipped on th
e lights as they went from room to room, and disengaged the alarm system that Crystal eyed with relief. Maybe we’ll be safe here. She looked around. The home was decorated plainly, but was certainly big. They passed through a spacious living room with a comfy-looking sofa and a big screen TV into a dining room that looked as though it was rarely if ever used. The table was buried under stacks of books and papers. She noticed the kitchen out of the corner of her eye, and realized it was about as big as her whole apartment.
Jack drew back the curtain on the sliding glass door. A large golden-colored dog barked at them wildly. The boys jumped behind Jack and even Crystal eyed the animal nervously. He was a big dog.
“Zeus!” Jack spoke firmly to the animal. “Stay, Zeus.” He snapped his fingers at the dog. Zeus stopped barking, but continued to look askance at his visitors. Jack removed the broomstick from the track of the door and opened it a little. “Zeus, this is Devon, Mark and Crystal. Everybody, this is Zeus.” He allowed the dog in to sniff them. They remained stock-still. Jack chuckled. “He won’t hurt you. Doesn’t he make a great watchdog?” He rubbed the animal’s back and scratched behind his ears. “Don’t you, boy? Yes, you do.”
Mark extended fingers to the dog. Zeus sniffed before wagging his tail furiously and licking the boy. Before long, both boys were romping around the house with Zeus, finding bones and toys in every room and tossing them to him.
Jack carried their belongings inside and locked up again. He watched the children a moment, and then stood by Crystal as she unpacked the box of food. “Just put that stuff anywhere.”
She nodded and emptied the box.
He held up their suitcases. “Shall we unpack these and try to make some semblance of order out of their clothes while they’re occupied?”
“Sure, but then we should probably think about dinner. They’re used to eating early, and they never got a snack after school.”
“Oh shoot, yeah. What if I have a couple pizzas delivered and we call that dinner tonight? I’m not in the mood to cook.”