by Mike Ryan
“Can’t you track her or something?”
“Possibly,” Jones replied. “It’ll take some time though.”
Recker suddenly stopped and sat down. He put his head in his hands as he started to worry about what Mia might have gotten herself into already.
“What if she hasn’t checked in by the time you want to leave?” Jones wondered.
“I’m not leaving until I know she’s OK.”
“You sound like a worried boyfriend.”
In most circumstances, Recker might’ve taken offense to his implication of enhanced feelings for her. But in their current situation, he didn’t pay much mind to it. He didn’t even bother to reply. He looked at his phone again, thinking about calling her number one more time.
“I can’t just sit here anymore,” Recker stated.
“What do you plan to do?”
“I dunno. Go out and do what I do I guess.”
“Where are you going to start?”
“Her apartment I guess. I’ll figure out where to go from there.”
“Maybe we could get Mr. Gibson involved?” Jones asked.
“Let me search her apartment first and see if I turn up anything.”
Recker got up and walked over to the gun cabinet and started looking at which weapons he wanted to take with him. As soon as he picked up one of his handguns his phone started ringing. Hoping that it was Mia, Recker rushed over to the desk to answer it. Jones, worried himself, leaned over and looked at the screen.
“It’s Mia!” Jones shouted.
Recker reached across the desk to pick up the phone. “Where have you been?”
“Who taught you how to answer a phone?” she wondered.
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because I’ve been calling you for like two hours.”
“Wow. You almost sound worried,” Mia told him.
“I am worried.”
“I didn’t know you cared so much.”
“Stop. You know I do,” Recker said.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah. I already said that.”
“Then why haven’t you been answering my calls?” Recker asked.
“I told you at the diner. I had to go to work. I’m just on my break now and saw you called.”
“Mia?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve already called the hospital and they told me you weren’t there and you weren’t scheduled to work today,” Recker revealed.
“Oh,” she replied, knowing she was busted.
“Why don’t you tell me where you really are?”
“I’ve been different places.”
“So why did you tell me you had to work today when you didn’t?” he asked.
“Because you wouldn’t have liked it if I told you what I was really doing.”
“Which was?”
“I told you I already started my own investigation into Susie’s death,” Mia explained.
Recker closed his eyes and sighed, afraid that was the answer he was going to get.
“I can hear you yelling under your breath,” she told him.
“I’m not yelling.”
“Not out loud at least.”
“Mia, I’m just worried that you’re gonna stumble into something that you’re not prepared for,” Recker said.
“I know. But I said that I wasn’t waiting for anybody else anymore.”
“Will you just do me a favor and step aside for a couple of days?”
“I’m not waiting anymore.”
“Just for two or three days and then I promise you that I will help,” he offered.
“You will? Why?”
“Because I know it’s important to you and I’m worried that if I don’t then you’ll get into something that you don’t know how to get out of.”
“What about your other cases?” Mia asked.
“I can still work my other stuff while looking into Susan’s death. OK?”
“Yeah, but I’ve already talked to a couple people and I have some promising leads.”
“Mia, please just wait a couple of days for me.”
“Why do I have to wait? If you’re interested in helping then why can’t you get started right away?” she wondered.
“Because I have to go away for a couple of days,” Recker told her.
“What? Why?”
“There’s some old business that I have to finish up.”
“Where are you going?” Mia asked.
“I can’t really say.”
“Of course you can’t.”
“It involves that night I told you about. When my old job tried to eliminate me.”
“Oh. They found you?” she worried.
“No. But I found someone else. And it’s something that I need to take care of right away.”
“You are coming back, aren’t you?”
“Of course I’m coming back.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Tonight.”
“Oh. So soon.”
“Yeah. And I will be back in two or three days. Promise me you won’t get into anything while I’m gone?”
“I mean, what if you don’t come back?” Mia asked.
“I will be back. And when I am, I will do everything in my power to find Susan’s killer. Promise me you’ll wait till then?”
Mia paused, thinking of a response. “I promise I won’t initiate anything.”
“I guess that’s as good as I’m gonna get from you,” Recker replied.
“Probably.”
Chapter 4
Recker left Philadelphia just after seven and had been on the road for a little over five hours. For most of the drive, his mind was split between thoughts of revenge on Edwards and concern over Mia. Every time he tried to concentrate on how he’d kill Edwards, his mind would suddenly shift over to Mia’s predicament. He only planned to be gone a day or two at the most, depending on how quick and easy he could get to Edwards. He assumed that Mia couldn’t get into any real trouble in such a short amount of time since she just started her investigation. But then it occurred to him…what if she was further along than she let him know? Perhaps she started weeks earlier than she told him. She was already keeping it a secret from him so he wouldn’t have put it past her if she started sooner than she initially told him. Recker was growing more worried that she’d get into something without him there to protect her. Figuring that Jones was still up, he called him to ask a favor.
“Hey. You weren’t sleeping yet, were you?” Recker asked.
“No. I still had some things I was looking into.”
“Still at the office?”
“Yes, why?”
“Just wondering.”
“How are you making out so far?” Jones asked.
“Good. Should get there on time.”
“Since I’m sure you didn’t call to wish me pleasant dreams, what can I do for you?”
“Well aren’t you cynical? Can’t someone just call a friend to say hi without a reason?” Recker asked.
“Yes. But you’ve never done that before.”
“Oh. Well, anyway, I was just calling to see if you can keep an eye on Mia while I’m gone.”
“What do you mean, keep an eye on her?” Jones wondered.
“Just make sure she’s not getting herself into any trouble.”
“Should I follow her the entire day?”
“No. Just periodically call her. Make sure she’s all right. Kind of hint at what she’s doing.”
“I guess I could do that. But if all you want me to do is call, then I don’t see why you couldn’t do that.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m high on her friend list right now,” Recker said. “You’re probably just as likely to draw any information out of her as I am, if not more.”
“I suppose I could do that.”
Jones continued working on some of the cases they’d sta
rt working on once Recker returned, assuming that he did return. There was still a part of Jones that feared that Recker wouldn’t survive his encounter with Gerry Edwards. Even if Recker was successful in eliminating his target, there was always a possibility that he would get killed in his escape from the area. Jones buttoned everything up a little after two, knowing he’d have one more thing on his plate when he woke up with having to look after Mia.
Recker was right to be concerned about Mia’s safety. His fears would turn out to be true as she hadn’t been honest with him in regards to how far along she was with her investigation. The assumption was that she’d just started within the previous couple of days, when in reality, she was now in her fourth week. It started when she was helping Hanley’s mother clean out her apartment. She found a piece of paper with a man’s name and phone number placed inside a book that Susan had been reading. Joe Simmons was the name and Mia had never heard her mention him before. Mia had gotten a hold of Hanley’s appointment book and noticed that the name wasn’t on it. She called the number listed on the paper but it was no longer in service. She wrestled on whether she should’ve handed the information over to either the police or Recker, but she figured both of whom would just push her aside. Since neither of them seemed like finding Hanley’s killer was high on their priority list, she was the only one who’d keep pressing to find the culprit.
It was after nine o’clock and Mia had just finished eating breakfast when she sat down to look at some of her notes. After every person she talked to, she wrote down anything of note that they might have mentioned. She checked off every single person that was listed in Hanley’s appointment book and mentioned to all of them whether they knew the name of the person that she found inside that book of Susan’s. Nobody indicated that they knew who Simmons was. Her phone started ringing and when she looked at the ID screen, didn’t recognize the number calling.
“Hello?” she greeted.
“I hear you’re looking for someone,” the voice said.
“Who is this?”
“I know where you can find Joe Simmons.”
“Where?” Mia excitedly asked.
“Haddix Apartments on 5th street. Second floor, room 217. Go there at twelve and I’ll give you everything I have on him.”
“Who are you?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Who is this Joe Simmons? How did he know Susan?” Mia wondered. “Hello? Hello?”
There was no answer. Whoever was on the other end of the phone had already hung up. Mia sat there for another hour poring over her notes, trying to piece things together the best she could. Though she was a little hesitant at meeting someone who she didn’t even know the name of, she was running out of leads to run down. If Recker was still there, she might’ve asked him to go with her, but since he wasn’t, she’d have to go it alone. As she was reading her notes, her phone rang again. She quickly jumped at the phone thinking it might’ve been the same guy again, but this time she recognized the number.
“Mia, how are you?” Jones asked.
“Fine. You?”
“Good.”
“Mike asked you to check up on me, didn’t he?” Mia asked.
“Uhh…”
“It’s OK. You don’t have to lie or cover for him. I know he did.”
“You’re right. He did,” Jones replied.
“I knew it.”
“So is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine. You guys are such worrywarts,” Mia told him.
“Well, with good reason. You’re doing something you don’t have much experience in. It’s more difficult that it appears on the outside.”
“I’ve been making out OK.”
“So how much progress have you made so far? Perhaps I can start running things down here on my end?”
“I don’t think I need any help with anything. I’ve already talked to everyone on her contact list and all her clients. Even friends and family of clients,” she said.
Jones tilted his head, thinking it was strange that she was so far along already. “How can you have done all that already?”
“Huh?” Mia said, worried that she said too much.
“I find it peculiar that you could have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time.”
“Well I haven’t been sleeping much and I’ve been working around the clock.”
“Considering you have a normal job, I don’t see how it’s possible you could have spoken to every one of her contacts so soon. Unless you’ve been at this much longer than we’ve suspected.”
“No, just a couple days,” Mia said.
“I may not be as adept at reading people as Michael is, but I do usually get a good impression as to when people are lying to me,” Jones told her.
“Oh. Umm, I think I have someone on the other line.”
“Mia?”
“Yes?”
“How long have you actually been working on this?”
“Uhh…about four weeks.”
“Oh dear,” Jones stated.
“Everything’s fine. There’s nothing to worry about. Everything’s fine,” she reassured.
“And may I ask what you may be working on today?”
Mia wasn’t sure she should tell him about the call she just received. He’d probably tell her it wasn’t a good idea to go if she did. Apparently though, as Jones could attest, she wasn’t a good liar. She figured she’d just kind of give a generic response without really answering the question.
“Uhh…nothing,” Mia told him.
“Nothing? Really?”
“I told Mike that I wouldn’t initiate anything and I’m not.”
Once again, Jones didn’t feel like she was being truthful. “I get the sense that you’re trying very hard not to tell me something.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“So what do you have on your itinerary today?” Jones asked.
“Umm…nothing.”
“You do realize I can check your phone logs if I have to, right?”
Mia didn’t answer him and put her head down, slapping her hand against her forehead. She knew he was going to find out what she was up to whether she told him or not.
“Fine. I’m meeting someone at twelve who has some information for me,” she finally relented.
“Mia…you told Mike…”
“I said I wouldn’t initiate anything and I haven’t. This person called me a little while ago and told me they know something and wanted to meet. I’m just responding…not initiating.”
“Semantics, Ms. Hendricks.”
“Maybe.”
“Who is this person that called?”
“I don’t know. They didn’t say.”
“And you think this is wise to meet someone that you don’t know who it is?” Jones asked.
“I don’t know. I need answers and I’m willing to go wherever the leads take me.”
“I’m not sure Michael would approve.”
“Well he’s not here, is he?”
“How do you know you’re not walking into a trap or something? How do you know this person really has information and isn’t after something else? Or maybe they just want to harm you.”
“I’m sure it’ll be OK,” Mia replied.
“I get the feeling that nothing I can say is going to dissuade you from going.”
“That’s right.”
“You’re as stubborn as Michael.”
“Everything will be fine.”
“Maybe. Perhaps I should go with you,” Jones offered.
“No, that’s really not necessary.”
“At least give me the number of the person that called you so I can look into it.”
Mia hesitated, not sure that she wanted the help at the moment. While she didn’t initially think anything was suspicious about the phone call from the stranger, the more she thought about what Jones said, the more doubt started creeping into her mind. After another plea from Jones requesting the number
, Mia agreed and gave it to him. They kept talking as Jones punched the phone number into his system. Just as he feared, the number didn’t match up to anyone.
“Did you get anything?” Mia wondered.
“As I suspected, there’s no match.”
“How can that be?”
“It’s most likely a prepaid phone,” Jones replied.
“That doesn’t mean something’s up or I’m in danger or anything.”
“No, but just the same, I do wish you’d reconsider going. At least until Michael returns.”
“I’m not waiting,” she defiantly said.
“Very well. Then I will insist on accompanying you.”
“I don’t think you really need to.”
“It would put my mind at ease,” Jones told her. “If I know you’re going to this rendezvous and then I don’t hear from you for a while, then my mind will wander with all sorts of terrible thoughts.”
“Gee, thanks for the scare.”
“Plus, Michael will never let me hear the end of it if he knows that I know that you’re going to this thing and I didn’t either stop you or go with you.”
“So what you’re really worried about is Mike giving you crap,” Mia said.
“No. I care about you too.”
“So have you heard from Mike since he left?” she asked. “How’s his trip to Baltimore going?”
“Nice try but he did not tell you where he was going. And I can definitely say that it wasn’t Baltimore,” Jones answered.
“So you do know where he went.”
“Yes, but I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”
“Of course you’re not.”
“But if you’re curious as to his whereabouts, I can tell you that he’s gotten there safely,” Jones said.
“Is he done with whatever he was doing?”
“Not yet. He just text me a few minutes ago saying he arrived. He’s not yet concluded his business.”
“Why do you two always talk so cryptically?” Mia asked.
“It’s for your own protection.”
“That’s what he says.”
Mia agreed to let Jones go with him when she met the man that called her and agreed to meet at the Haddix Apartment complex. Both agreed to wait before going in until the other one arrived. Jones thought about letting Recker know what was going on but decided against it. He figured the less Recker had to worry about back in Philadelphia, the better his chances were for a successful outcome in Columbus. He didn’t want Recker’s mind cloudy or worried about anything other than completing what he felt he needed to do and getting back safely. If there was any trouble that arose from Mia’s problem, Jones assumed he could take care of it for the time being.