by mike Evans
“It isn’t really a real time because most normal people, myself included, are sleeping.”
“Yes, and so was I until I had the chief of police from Ankeny and Des Moines Iowa call me requesting assistance. They want labs, they wanted people, and they basically wanted every resource that they could get their hands on.”
Jack sat forward waiting for it and when it didn’t come said, “So what are you doing calling me? I'm not released back to duty yet. I’ve been trying for the last three months but I keep hearing that I'm not ready and there’s no reason to rush back into things. Something about how studies show rushing back into the field after traumatic events aren’t how to keep a sane mind, and the bureau only wants what is best for me.”
“Before tonight I was in total agreement, Jack, but unfortunately you are the best we got. Or, you were before you went to the DEA. I know by now you’ve seen some sort of news about the man in the white mask, the giant going around murdering people down in Missouri?”
“Three months talking once or twice and this is the invitation that I'm going to get to come back in. I don’t like how this conversation is starting off at all. Yeah I know who they are. I thought that the stupid shit blew himself up a month ago. Let me guess…that doesn’t seem to be the case, or are we dealing with a copycat killer, either way probably doesn’t make much of a difference does it?”
“From what I’ve been reading the last few hours, the police are still trying to identify who was killed in Missouri. What happened tonight is near Des Moines in a state park. The closest towns are ones you’ve never heard of. The pictures of the place look beautiful, but I'm pretty sure that it’s going to be known as the spot where around a half dozen people were murdered. It’s the kind of place you go to relax, fish, camp, drink too much beer and enjoy yourself. But now it sounds more like a horror movie.”
Jack who’d had a darker sense of humor since his wife’s killing said, “So they have a Camp Crystal Lake there now, is that what you are saying?”
The reference flew over Hansen’s head and of course he didn’t care to ask if it didn’t have something to do with being able to catch Hardin. “The first on scene did an initial search finding a truck with two dead men in it, and what looked like there would have been a third wounded in the back.”
“Were there any witnesses at the scene?”
“Yes and no; the witnesses were also residents of the camp. Every one of them are now dead. They looked like they were killed by someone who enjoys their line of work. Bloodied smiley faces were drawn all over the place and unless it’s a copycat killer as you mentioned, we don’t have any way to know one way or the other. We do know that when the two men arrived in Ankeny that they had been alone. We caught them getting off the interstate and there were definitely two men in the truck unless someone was lying down in the backseat, but we don’t think that was the case.”
“So you want me to go work the scene. You sure you can get Peters to sign off that I'm not a liability?”
“I called him first, Jack, before I called you. He gave me his blessing and is getting me the paperwork now, if you are up for coming back this way. I assumed that you wouldn’t want much else to do with the DEA after everything that happened.”
“I haven’t really decided what I want to do, sir. I can’t say that working for the DEA is overly appealing, but at times it was better than having to get inside of the head of those twisted fucks.”
“I just thought that after Krystal you’d be wary of going back.”
“Sir, she was really all I had. I don’t see people going after my sister or they’d have already done so in the last year.”
“You loved your wife, right, son?”
Jack didn’t respond, he just squeezed the phone until he was thinking if he didn’t let go that it was going to snap under the pressure.
“Stupid question, sorry, Jack, of course you did. Let me rephrase… you loved your wife and if you could have done anything to save her you would have, right?”
“Too little too late, but yes. I have a feeling you already knew that answer.”
“Then think of all the men, women, and children this freak could eventually kill. Do you want the weight of that on your shoulders because you turned it down and sent someone else in your place who can’t do half the job that you can?”
“Ahh, this is the part of our talk where we try and guilt trip me into it. What resources do I have?”
“We are trying to keep this quiet. And we want you there a few hours ago. The reports coming back are that the truck with the two dead men stopped at an ex-police detective’s home. He was MIA for a few hours until he showed up at his house. Two police were trying to keep it on the down-low that they got the lead about shootings in a neighborhood that matched up with the timeline when these two were found at the campground and covered in blood.”
“So these two were driving up for some small town revenge?”
“It’s the only thing that we can come up with, Jack. His wife had no clue; she looked heartbroken from the scene pictures taken by the officers’ on duty shoulder cameras. He had his two children locked in their rooms and left the wife on the couch tied and gagged. There were two detectives on the scene both slain and he wasn’t easy on them. His name is Matt Hardin, retired detective. He was responsible in Colorado and Missouri for catching serial killers-“
“But he was the man, let me guess…after he caught both of them he was the one who picked up and moved afterwards and then like fucking magic the killings magically began all over again?” Jack asked.
“Yeah pretty much, Jack. I think over time someone would have figured it out but the sheriff from Missouri put it together before anyone else. Unfortunately, they weren’t patient enough to do it right.”
“To do it right? Are you condoning vigilantes, sir?”
“This guy doesn’t have a MO kid, he kills who he wants, when he wants and there aren’t many victims who are going to have the option of an open casket.”
“So do we have orders to bring him in needing a toe tag, sir, or do we want to let people do psych evals?” Jack questioned.
“We don’t have a preference. You know as well as I do that the media will find some way to spin this making us look like we were out for blood and that the man was crazy and should have been helped.”
“Can’t say as the media not liking my actions is going to make me lose any sleep. If those bastards would have stayed the fuck out of our business then I still might have a wife.”
“You do still have a wife, Jack.”
“Not one that I can sleep next to and kiss goodnight. Do we have any leads on where he might be? Is he still in Iowa or do we know what he is driving?” Jack asked.
“I want you on a plane to Iowa. I have a jet waiting for you and there’s going to be a file for you by then. I'm getting some info on his background for you. I don’t know if it will do any good but at the least you’ll want to know what you are up against. He’s been with the police, the military, and was a college boy for a while too. He isn’t stupid. If we get any more information on him we’ll be sure to let you know.”
“So are we both just assuming that I'm agreeing to this death wish?”
“If not then let me know, Jack. There aren’t many people as good as you are but I know we can find someone. If you were in hand-to-hand combat with this guy you are one of the few that might be able to walk away from it.”
“I keep a pistol on me for a reason, sir. If I need to go hand-to-hand I’ll take my chances but I'm not going to piss away a chance to shoot this sick fuck if I can. I'm sure he didn’t make it this long being stupid and I'm not going to underestimate him.”
“So is that a yes, Jack?”
“Tell the plane to get the jets going. I need an hour and I’ll be there. How long before they can get me to Iowa?”
“It’s going to take a few hours, but you’re going to lose a few for the better when you start crossing time zones. The quicke
r the better, Jack. They’ll be anxiously awaiting you, and thank you, kid. I really mean that, you get there, and we’ll get you some info I promise, Jack. We aren’t going to let you down.”
“Is there anything else I need before I head out, anyone I need to meet out there?”
“Like I said, we are trying to keep it quiet, so if you need a resource you call me directly and we’ll get you whatever it is that you need. I know I’ve told you that he isn’t stupid but remember he’s a cop. He’s worked the scenes and he knows how to keep moving. I'm sure there are a lot of places that he’s killed that we don’t know about. It really is the only incentive to bring him in alive; to give some families a little bit of closure. Even the smallest amount is going to help heal hearts. I want to catch this scum.”
“Did you really just say scum? Do you want me to leave now, or is there anything else that needs done before I get on a plane? “
“Jack, the FBI has the jet ready, full of fuel, and will be on standby when you arrive. Take a bag, there’s a good chance you’ll be there for a few days. Do you have anything you need to wrap up or arrange? Is your girlfriend going to be okay with you leaving in the middle of the night?”
Jack actually laughed, “There is no girlfriend, sir. That was my sister you woke up. I don’t sleep well, and I couldn’t sleep at all in our house. It's been on the market for seven months now, pretty much since I got released from the hospital. No one has bid on it and with the market being upside down I owe too much to sell the thing at a loss. It’s a fuck me twice kind of situation, sir.”
“I’ll make some calls, maybe we could use it as a safe house, pay you outright for it and then you can move on.”
“I’ll pack a bag and be on my way. Let the pilots know I’ll be there within the hour.”
The Director began to say thank you but heard the dial tone in his ear. Melinda was resting in the doorway to the living room. She said, “So do you think that you are okay to go, Jack? What I mean is…can you can keep your shit straight?”
Jack shrugged, “No better way to find out than trial by fire, right?”
“As long as you don’t mind getting burned if you’re wrong, Jack. You do know that you are the only one I have left in life, and I don’t want to lose you.”
Jack got up heading back to his room, and threw together a makeshift bag that would give him a week’s worth of clothes. He pulled out his service piece and added it alongside his personal pistol as well. “If I didn’t care about my life, sis, I’d have eaten one of these bullets a long time ago. I’ll be fine. Besides this is a dangerous man. He needs taken off the streets. He isn’t the type that gets bored. He can grow old and die, if we don’t stop him then old age is going to be the only thing that does and from the sound of it he’s in his thirties and that might be a very long time to come.”
“Wait a fucking minute… you are going after that creepy fucker with the white mask and cross? Are you out of your mind? You’ve been off work for a year, just getting to the point that you have your shit and head together and this is where you want to start back. You need to do something else; you can’t tell me that there isn’t someone else who could handle this assignment?”
“There are probably a hundred people, but none that aren’t going to have long term damage from getting in this guy’s head.”
“And you, the super-agent are going to be able to do this and not come out worse because...”
“There’s so much wrong with me right now, Melinda, I don’t know what kind of a difference it would make. You don’t go counting me off yet. I was always able to handle the gore part of this. The only reason I got out of it, was for Krystal. She didn’t think that it was any kind of life to live going round and round after serial killers. I can’t say that I disagree, but now that I'm mostly on my own I don’t think there’s going to be quite the same issues. That fear of God in most people is only because they have someone that they need to worry about. I know you are an ass kicking New Yorker and I don’t have any worries about you. You live in the toughest city next to Detroit, and I know you’re safe.”
“I'm safe because I'm not stupid. I want you to be safe and not stupid also. I really mean it; I’m your sister not your mom, so don’t make me worry like one.”
“Go make me some coffee will you? I'm going to rinse off before I head out, I packed light. No one knows who I am so I can dress how I want. A FBI badge is more than any of them have.”
“You didn’t say anything to make me feel better.”
“I wasn’t trying to. I said that I’d come back and I will. Short of being hit by a car, I’m not going to be taken out. Lots of coffee though, I’m going to be thrown off all day if I don’t get a jolt of java.
“I’ll have a thermos of coffee and we can slam it while I drive you to the airport. You make sure you keep your promise to me; come back so I can kick you out and you can start over. You aren’t too old to do that, you know. Come to think of it I should probably put on a bra or these things are going to be jiggling all over the place.”
“TMI, Melinda.”
“Boobs, Jack, we all have them, not everyone has such a great rack as me and that can go in your TMI notes.”
“Well at least my nightmares can vary, Melinda.”
**
She raced as quickly as she could to the private airport entrance. Melinda showed Jack’s parking pass to security. It was as good as gold and got them everywhere when he needed to go to an appointment. Melinda followed the signs until she arrived at the FBI’s personal hangar. When she pulled up, she put a hand on his forearm as he climbed out. “I want you to be careful. I want you to take your time with this and do it right. You haven’t been out in this for a year. I don’t know if things change for people when they take a break or if it stays the same but the last thing I want you to do is not come back. I love you, and I want you to come back. You’d break my fucking heart, Jacky.”
Jack squeezed her hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll do my best to come back, I promise. I don’t have a death wish. I want to live as long as I can to see the day that Lund gets out of prison.”
“Why would you want to live for that? I think it would be a little depressing.”
“It will be the best day of my life. When he comes out, I’ll be standing there with a fifty-caliber pistol. When his crew is walking alongside him, I’m going to pull the trigger until he’s the only one still standing. The guards will be coming for me but by the time they make it there, I’m going to choke him so hard that I’ll snap his fucking neck. The feeling of joy that he will get after serving all that time in jail and then finally being released only to watch as his life flashes before his eyes. I’ll make sure that my face is the last thing that he’ll see before he passes.”
“That’s morbid, you live a life trying to do good only to waste it when you should be retired and enjoying yourself. Try not to think about that too much, okay? You have decades left before you’ll ever have the chance to live out that fantasy.”
“I know, don’t worry, maybe I’ll figure out a way to make it happen before then. If I do, it might be the best thing for him, and might be the only thing that could save him.”
“You know how scary you can be at times, right?”
“Only when they deserve it. Probably part of the reason why I am getting ready to get on this plane right now. I’ll try and call you in a few days, if I’m not home before then.”
Jack opened the door grabbing his duffle bag from the back. As he walked, he waved back to Melinda and reached in his bag making sure that his pistols were both a quick reach away. He looked at the sleek jet sitting in the hangar. One of the pilots saw him coming and must’ve known who he was.
The pilot walked forward slowly probably not used to men coming up without suits who were going to take the jet. The man held out a hand and said, “Good morning, Agent Gray. My name is Captain Rod Haw and I’m going to be getting you where you need to go, and safely. Do you have an
ything that we need to know about in your luggage? Do you have any drugs or paraphernalia?”
“Rod, do you want to be my friend?”
“No, not particularly, sir. I want to get you where you need to be safely and get back home to my wife and kids. You liking me has nothing to do with why I am here today.”
Jack smiled a bit at this, nodding and handing him the bag. “This stays up next to me; there are two pistols, extra ammunition and a stack of magazines for each gun. Other than some sleeping pills, this bag is drug free. You got a problem with either of those things?”
“Wouldn’t do much good sending you to the middle of the country if you weren’t armed would it?”
Jack decided to keep the bag on him and within three hours, they were taxiing into the Des Moines International Airport. Jack stretched as he came off the plane, the pilots had their cabin doors shut and had not seen him since taking off. He had been busy studying the file and had been surprised to see how damn big the man was.
Jack read over in detail the cases from Missouri the reports and what had happened in Colorado. His cell had been on airplane mode as instructed, he looked out the windows and saw a car ready and hoped it was his. Rod came to a stop, yelling, “Turn your phone on now sir!”
Jack pulled it out doing what he was told and Director Hansen was on the other end. Jack said, “Just got wheels down, what are you doing already checking on me, sir?”
“Shut up, Jack, he’s at the hospital. That wound that we figured was something to run by must’ve been worse. Good news is he got shot or he probably wouldn’t have been there.”
“And the bad news?”
“He currently has police in a standoff in the lower parking level of Mercy Hospital. Punch in code 562 to your computer, we’ve already got our tech running hot here and they have GPS ready to get you there. This looks like it might be over before you get a chance to get back in the game.”
“Tell the police to make sure they get that garage and hospital locked down!”
“Son, they are in the middle of getting it evacuated; he, or someone else, pulled a fire alarm. Procedures are being followed until they can be shown there is no fire. The police are scattered across town and are trying to get there as quickly as possible. The rush hour isn’t horrible there but it isn’t great either. You are seventeen minutes away in rush hour. You get there as quickly as you can though!”