Gail was leaning against her father-in-law as he had his arm wrapped around her.
She looked over at her two weeping sons standing beside a devastated Velma, and asked a question laced with fear.
“Is it hereditary?”
“It can be, yes, but the odds of it occurring in more than one generation are extremely low, and I believe no greater than in the general population. I’m so sorry for your loss. I understand how sudden and devastating this must be... is there anything we can do for you?”
The old man reached out and shook the doctor’s hand.
“Thank you, Doctor, I... I know that you and your staff did all you could.”
“Again, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Can we see him?” Gail asked.
“Yes, of course, please follow me.”
And later, on a day of great triumph and tragedy, the Calibers made their way home, one fewer than when the day began.
CHAPTER 12
AUGUST 2005
Jake had never seen his grandfather plead before, but the old man was pleading to Jake’s mother. He and Christopher sat on the sofa in their living room as their grandfather all but begged their mother not to follow through on her plans to move to L.A.
“Gail, Daughter, please, don’t move these boys across the country. I know you miss my son and that the boys’ kidnapping still has you rattled, but moving away won’t erase any of that.”
Gail was packing items into boxes as she spoke.
“We’re going to California, Jake, and nothing can change my mind.”
“Why? Why are you so damn set on breaking up this family?”
“I’m not breaking it up, I’m saving it. I’m taking them away from this legacy of violence that the Calibers seem to be trapped in.”
“We’re not violent, but we will defend ourselves, and we’ve defended others who couldn’t defend themselves for over a hundred years. That’s our legacy.”
Gail turned and screamed in his face.
“My son killed two men! My beautiful baby has blood on his hands because he carries your name.”
“You’re blaming me for the kidnapping?”
“No! Of course not, I just, oh God, I don’t know what I’m saying, other than that I need a new start, and those boys are going to have one as well.”
Jake stood up from the couch. The doctor had cut the cast off his arm just that morning, and it was two shades lighter than the other one.
“I’m not going to California. I’m staying here with Granddad.”
“What are you talking about? Of course you’re going, and I know that it will seem strange at first, but in time you’ll learn to love L.A.”
“I’m not a boy anymore, mother. I’m eighteen now and I can make my own decisions. I’m staying here.”
Gail shook her head, as she pointed at the old man.
“No. If you stay here you’ll only become more like him. I know you look up to your grandfather, but he’s a relic. Private investigation isn’t done with a gun and a fist anymore. It’s done with interviewing and computer searches. Serious crimes should be handled by the police.”
Jake shook his head.
“You had the FBI and the police looking for us, but it was Dad who saved us, and it was Granddad who saved those tourists from the bank robbers a while ago. You were right when you said we have a legacy, but it’s like Granddad said, we defend those who can’t defend themselves. I want that life, Mom. I want to be like Granddad.”
Gail grabbed the old man by the arm.
“You tell him no. Tell him that he can’t stay here.”
“It’s like he said, Gail, he’s a man now. He can make his own choices.”
“Goddamn you, you old fool!”
She slapped him, and with such force that it immediately reddened his cheek, as the sound of it filled the apartment. An instant later, she touched him gently and whispered an apology.
“I’m not your enemy, Gail, I love you and these boys both, and I only want what’s right for you. Please stay; I need my family near me.”
A week later, Gail left for California with Christopher.
***
The old man looked up as the elevator doors opened and Jake stepped out.
His grandson was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and blue tie. As he walked into the office, Jake pointed at the cigar.
“When did you start that?”
“About a year ago, but Mom always gave me hell about it.”
Jake held up his own cigar.
“There are worse habits.”
“I want to be a private detective, Granddad. I want you to teach me what you know.”
“You’re not leaving school, are you?”
“No sir, in fact, I’m studying criminal justice. Tommy and I are in the same class; he wants to a cop like his old man.”
“Good, stay in school, and little by little you’ll learn the business.”
“Are you working on a case now?”
“Yeah, a woman thinks her husband is trying to kill her, but the cops don’t believe her.”
“Well... what do you do in a case like that?”
Jake smiled.
“Jakey?”
“Yes, Granddad?”
“Thank you for staying, boy.”
Jake looked about the office, an office that his family had worked out of for generations.
“This is where I belong.”
***
That night, with sleep eluding him, the old man left his apartment and went for a walk.
After an hour of wandering, he caught a taxi into Queens, where he trudged up a hill. When he found the gates locked, he climbed over the black, wrought iron fence and dropped to the other side. It took him a while in the moonlight, but then he found it, and sat on the nearby stone bench to stare at his son’s grave.
“It’s me, boy, and I can’t tell you how much I miss you. We all miss you, Gail most of all.”
He stopped speaking for a moment, as he gathered his thoughts and tried to hold back the tears.
“Jakey’s with me now, Son. He’s such a good kid, and lord how he reminds me of you. I miss you, Son. I love you and I promise to make sure that boy turns out right. Gail’s got Christopher and maybe that’s for the best, for now. But I promise you this, someday this family will reunite and I will watch over your family until I take my last breath. Rest in peace, boy, rest in peace. I love you.”
Then, the tears overcame him, and he simply cried.
EPILOG
THE PRESENT
Jake and Kelli returned from vacation, and as the tanned couple rode up in the elevator to return to work, Kelli shook her head at him.
“Look at you; you can’t wait to get back. You have the same happy look returning from a vacation that most people have when they leave for one.”
“I love my work,” Jake said.
“And what about me?”
“I adore you.”
Jake began nuzzling her neck and Kelli giggled.
The elevator opened, and in the outer office, Chris and Velma were locked in a passionate kiss.
“I see things have changed while we were gone,” Jake said.
Chris and Velma gave them embarrassed grins.
“Hello Big Brother, and yes, things have changed, it’s a long story, but Velma and I are now together.”
Jake punched him on the shoulder.
“Way to go, kid.”
Kelli hugged Velma.
“I’m so happy for you, both of you.”
The old man came out of the office and greeted everyone, then, he asked a question.
“Have you seen your mother this morning? They’re looking for her downstairs.”
“No,” Chris said. “Velma and I stopped by her office, but she wasn’t in yet. I figured she must have an appointment. She’s never this late.”
“Jake and I thought the same thing,” Kelli said.
“They say they’ve left messages on h
er phone, but that she hasn’t called back.”
“Well, I wouldn’t worry, Granddad,” Chris said. “Maybe the battery on her phone went dead.”
The old man nodded, but he didn’t look reassured.
When hours passed and there was still no sign of Gail, the old man began pacing about his office. Jake, Chris, and Velma, were all out on a Red Case together and weren’t expected back until later.
After calling Gail’s phone once more and getting no answer, the old man grabbed his trench coat and fedora and headed for the elevator.
“I’m going out to run an errand, Kelli. Call me right away if Gail shows.”
“Yes sir, and I’m worried about her too. This isn’t like her at all.”
He sent her a smile.
“It’s probably nothing,”
He hailed a cab in front of the building and headed to her home in Forrest Hills, Queens. The Tudor home had five bedrooms and three baths. She had inherited it from an aunt who recently passed away. The house sat between two that looked much like it, with their deep driveways and detached garages.
Jake walked up the stone steps that led to the front door, and as he did so, his eyes searched the windows for movement, or damage. He saw neither, and once he reached the wide front door, he rang the bell.
No answer, even after four attempts.
The old man drifted around to the back of the home and that’s when he spotted the blood trail. It began at the top of the cobblestone driveway and threaded towards the home’s back door, which sat open.
With his gun in hand, Jake slowly climbed the wooden steps at the rear of the home, while being careful not to tread in the blood. A sickening realization struck him as the coppery smell of blood became so strong that he could fairly taste it.
Someone had died at this house and they had done so very recently.
With his gun leading the way, Jake stepped through the back door and into the home’s large kitchen, then staggered back a step at the sight that greeted him.
There was so much blood splattered about that whoever it came from could not be alive.
Jake Caliber was a man who had been around bloodshed and killing for most of his long life, but to see this horror show of gore in the home of someone he loved put fear in his heart. He pushed it aside, stepped carefully around the blood and proceeded to search the rest of the home.
When he found nothing else amiss, he left the way he entered and checked out the garage and the toolshed, near the dormant garden at the back of the property. He found all of it to be normal.
With a trembling hand, he took out his phone.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“It’s my daughter... she’s missing.”
ALSO BY REMINGTON KANE
The TANNER Series in order
INEVITABLE I - A Tanner Novel - Book 1
KILL IN PLAIN SIGHT - A Tanner Novel - Book 2
MAKING A KILLING ON WALL STREET - A Tanner Novel - Book 3
THE FIRST ONE TO DIE LOSES - A Tanner Novel - Book 4
THE LIFE & DEATH OF CODY PARKER - A Tanner Novel - Book 5
WAR - A Tanner Novel - Book 6
SUICIDE OR DEATH – A Tanner Novel – Book 7
TWO FOR THE KILL – A Tanner Novel – Book 8
BALLET OF DEATH – A Tanner Novel – Book 9
MORE DANGEROUS THAN MAN – A Tanner Novel – Book 10
TANNER TIMES TWO – A Tanner Novel – Book 11
OCCUPATION: DEATH – A Tanner Novel – Book 12
HELL FOR HIRE – A Tanner Novel – Book 13
A HOME TO DIE FOR - A Tanner Novel – Book 14
FIRE WITH FIRE – A Tanner Novel – Book 15
TO KILL A KILLER – A Tanner Novel – Book 16 (Coming Soon)
The TAKEN! Series in order
TAKEN! - LOVE CONQUERS ALL
TAKEN! - SECRETS & LIES
TAKEN! - STALKER
TAKEN! - BREAKOUT!
TAKEN! - THE THIRTY-NINE
TAKEN! - KIDNAPPING THE DEVIL
TAKEN! - HIT SQUAD
TAKEN! - MASQUERADE
TAKEN! - SERIOUS BUSINESS
TAKEN! - THE COUPLE THAT SLAYS TOGETHER
TAKEN! - PUT ASUNDER
TAKEN! - LIKE BOND, ONLY BETTER
TAKEN! - MEDIEVAL
TAKEN! - RISEN!
TAKEN! - VACATION
TAKEN! – MICHAEL
TAKEN! – BEDEVILED
TAKEN! – INTENTIONAL ACTS OF VIOLENCE
The BLUE STEELE Series in order
BLUE STEELE – BOUNTY HUNTER
BLUE STEELE – BROKEN
BLUE STEELE – VENGEANCE
BLUE STEELE – THAT WHICH DOESN’T KILL ME
BLUE STEELE – ON THE HUNT
BLUE STEELE – PAST SINS (Coming Soon)
The CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY Series in order
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY – GENERATIONS
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY – TEMPTATION
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY – A RANSOM PAID IN BLOOD
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - MISSING
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - DECEPTION
CALIBER DETECTIVE AGENCY - CRUCIBLE
Also by REMINGTON KANE
THE CONTRACT: KILL JESSICA WHITE – A TAKEN!/TANNER NOVEL – Book 1
BOUNTY OF BLOOD – A TAKEN!/TANNER NOVEL – Book 2 (Coming Soon)
MONSTERS – A Detective Pierce Novel – Book 1
DEMONS – A Detective Pierce Novel – Book 2
ANGELS – A Detective Pierce Novel – Book 3
REDEMPTION... Someone's taken her
DESOLATION LAKE
PARKER & KNIGHT
SLAY BELLS
Join my Mailing List and Learn about New Releases. Also, get access to FREE Books and Short Stories, including The TAKEN! ALPHABET SERIES, QUICK – A TANNER Short Story, and A LITTLE OFF THE TOP – A TANNER Short Story. REMINGTON KANE http://www.remingtonkane.com/contact.html
Did you love Caliber Detective Agency - Box Set 1? Then you should read Caliber Detective Agency - Box Set 2 by Remington Kane!
From Remington Kane
Caliber Detective Agency - Box Set 2
Caliber Detective Agency - Missing - Book 4
Caliber Detective Agency - Deception - Book 5
Caliber Detective Agency - Crucible - Book 6
Read more at Remington Kane’s site.
About the Author
REMINGTON KANE is the author of the wildly popular TANNER SERIES as well as the equally thrilling TAKEN! SERIES.
While The TANNER Series and The TAKEN! Series are similar in that they're both packed with action, the hit man Tanner has a little more grit to him.
Please visit www.remingtonkane.com to learn more.
Read more at Remington Kane’s site.
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