by Andy Rane
“It’s decaf? Lots of both,” he said.
“So tell me more about this doctor who sent you,” James said.
“He called me up out of the blue. I’d never heard of the guy before. Said he knew of someone I might want to get in touch with. Said it was important for me to contact you…today.”
“Today? Why?” James interrupted.
“I have no clue. He wouldn’t say. Said he had to keep the call short. Gave me your address and a rough description of the house, but…” Kevin finished by pointing at James and shrugging his shoulders.
“Nothing about the fact that I look just like you…give or take a pound or two and a weeks’ worth of facial hair,” James said.
“A weeks’ worth? Took me three weeks to get this kind of coverage,” Kevin said, rubbing his chin and frowning.
“Looks good to me,” Nicole said with a smile. She handed Kevin the coffee and sat down next to James on the loveseat. “I’ve been trying to get James to grow some facial hair for years.”
Kevin gestured for a moment of time as he sipped the coffee. He nodded approvingly and lifted the cup toward Nicole.
“Not too bad for decaf. Yeah, so he was like, you really need to see him and now. He said he would meet me here.”
“He did?” James said, looking toward the door as if someone might knock.
“Yeah, he said it was important for him to meet with the two of us,” Kevin said.
“That’s just bizarre,” Nicole said, sweeping a strand of hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear.
“I’ll say,” James said. “What was his name again?”
“I never said,” Kevin said. “He said his name was Paynter. Robert Paynter. James? Are you all right?”
“Paynter? You said Paynter,” James said.
“Yeah, that’s what it sounded like, you know,” Kevin said, waving his hand in the air as if he were painting a wall.
“That name is on my birth certificate,” James said.
“No shit,” Kevin said.
“Yeah…and he’s bogus…or at least I thought he was. The hospital never heard of him. Caused a mess when I went to get a license,” James said.
“Can I see it? Your birth certificate?” Kevin asked.
James left the room and returned a moment later, a slightly disheveled, folded envelope in his hand. Kevin took it from him and cautiously opened it.
“Mom showed it to me when I was a kid. Wasn’t till I got older that she let me in on the fact that it was a lie,” James said.
It was Kevin’s turn to look somewhat stunned. He handed the paper back to James, then produced a nearly identical page from the pocket of his coat. He handed it to James.
“It’s the same paper. Same layout. Same imprinted seal. Same hospital name and different doctor. Fred Taylor” James said.
“Curiouser and curiouser,” Nicole said, taking the paper from James.
“I’ll say,” Kevin said.
“Can’t wait to meet this guy,” James said.
Chapter 5
Special Agent John Norris drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. Normally, it was the traffic that brought about his ire. This time it was the one-sided conversation that was pouring out at him from the earpiece of his cell phone. No, conversation was the wrong word. Conversations were a give-and-take between two people. There was definitely no give on his part. He was taking a verbal beat down. The tirade that had been going on now for, he looked at the dashboard clock, seven straight minutes, required little input from Norris. He probably could have hung up. It was at this point that he tried to determine if he had just stopped listening or whether he could no longer actually hear what was being said. As if in response, the Deputy Director’s voice reached a crescendo. Norris pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it as if it might suddenly provide a moment of rationality. No such luck. He pressed the “end” button and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat.
It was a first-year move and he knew it. At the same time, he already knew everything the DD was telling him. He’d heard it before, unfortunately, and it wasn’t like a refresher was going to do him any good. He was too old for that. There wasn’t much more he could say. Norris knew he had fucked up. You just couldn’t throw protocol to the wind anymore without having it fly back in your face. And, getting your partner, a half-cocked rookie fresh out of the academy, all shot up because a hunch went bad wasn’t real great either. It wasn’t the hunch that had been wrong though. It was his decision to follow up on it without backup. That, and accepting another rookie partner. They just can’t teach you about the tension that bullets, fired to kill, create. They were both lucky to have escaped with their lives, and Norris was lucky to still have the badge in his pocket though he wasn’t quite certain how long that would last.
Norris had defied retirement again when given the option. It was the third offer in five years. The kid would recover, but his field days were over. The left eye was done. He’d eventually recover forty percent of his vision if he was lucky. Norris had spoken with him in the hospital. The kid didn’t blame Norris. Not now, at least. Norris had lost his New York post, and nearly his job. They even threatened to take his pension away, but Norris knew that was just smoke. Why they bothered with him anymore, he didn’t know. But, when he posed the same question to himself, all that came were more questions. The fact was he didn’t know why he still wanted to work. But, when it came down to it, he didn’t know anything else. And now, he was stuck in traffic from a five-car pileup on the outbound George Washington Bridge, driving to his exile.
He had hoped that maybe they would just send him out West. Give him some time in California to mellow out. He could use a little sun. To his great dismay, the Cleveland office was in need of some “seasoned” field agents. It was the only option given him. He took it. He had nothing else.
The car in front of him moved up five feet. He didn’t bother moving up. He watched as another ambulance struggled to make its way up the emergency lane. He took a long drag on the cigarette that was dwindling in his hand and squashed it in the tray. The dull pain in his chest returned and he rubbed it absent-mindedly. He coughed, bringing up a mouthful of phlegm. He cracked the door and spit it onto the roadway, looking up just in time to see the lady in the car next to him make a face and turn away. He shut the door and moved up the five vacant feet. Maybe he would finally see a doctor when he got to Cleveland. He doubted it though.
The phone on the passenger seat was vibrating. He glanced at it with the desire to not answer. Then he picked it up. It wasn’t the call he was expecting.
“Norris,” he wheezed.
“John, it’s Dennis.”
“Den. What can I do for you?”
“John, you hung up on the DD.”
“Connection must’ve got lost.”
“John, c’mon…”
“Hey, I’ve heard it all. Do I really need a kick in the ass on the way out the door?”
“He’s fuming,” Dennis said.
“Good. Gives him practice.”
“John--”
“Den, he’s an arrogant little prick. If he was a field agent…wait, let me correct myself, if he had ever been a field agent, he couldn’t keep up with me. And, in my prime I’d have kicked his ass for saying some of the shit he just laid on me.”
“Things don’t work that way anymore,” Dennis said.
“I know. It’s a damn shame,” Norris muttered.
“John, listen. You’re going to have to talk to him eventually.”
“No, I’m not his responsibility anymore. Why should I give him the pleasure? Tell him to go fuck himself.”
Dennis sighed.
“He could make Cleveland hell for you.”
“More so than it already will be? C’mon, Den, you know as well as I do that it’s a Siberian banishment. They may as well have sent me to the Dubuque office. At least out there, I might get a radical militant group.”
“There were no ope
nings,” Dennis said.
“I was kidding,” Norris said.
“I wasn’t,” Dennis retorted.
“Nice.”
“That’s not the only reason I called.”
“More good news…I can tell.”
“It’s about your number one. He’s back in country.”
Norris felt the old sensation of heat and fear rise up from his gut and he fought it back with anger, almost growling. He pulled the phone away from his face and wiped his brow. He felt light-headed and for a moment, he considered opening the door and stepping out. Then he remembered where he was.
“John?”
“I’m here. You’re absolutely sure?” Norris asked.
“Would I tell you if I wasn’t?”
“How?”
“Texas. Bill Hanlon came across a strange name/number combination at customs. When he couldn’t find a match, he sent it my way. The camera shot is fuzzy at best, but I’d bet a bill on it.”
“And Hanlon hasn’t done anything?” Norris said.
“He wasn’t sure, and I haven’t told him yet. Figured I’d let you know first,” Dennis said.
“And how are you so sure?”
“Two days later they found a woman killed in a small town in the middle of nowhere, Texas. Not quite his style, but definitely a hit. A bit too coincidental.”
“So he didn’t come back to sight see. What do you mean by not quite his style? You mean he didn’t shoot her in the back and sneak away in his ‘Cuda?”
“No…face-to-face. And, get this…he went back to the crime scene.”
“You’re sure it’s him?”
“Well, that’s the thing. He wasn’t seen until he came back. Neighbor saw the car circling the block on Saturday morning. Coroner’s report says she died Friday afternoon,” Dennis said.
“That ain’t like him. That ain’t like him at all. She?”
“Well, that’s the other thing. Interesting target. She had a file, but it appears to have been cleaned up. She had clearance at one time, but no record about what the clearance was for.”
“Really,” Norris said.
“Yep.”
“So, someone has brought him back to clean up. Do you think that’s it?”
“Do you really think he’d risk coming back for one woman in the middle of nowhere, Texas?” Dennis asked.
“For the right amount of money, maybe, but no…I don’t think that’s it. He’s gotta have a list. He wouldn’t come back for just one. There’s no challenge in it. Ok, Den, get me what you can on the woman. Is the ballistics report in on the gun yet? He likes large caliber handguns…usually a .45 revolver. Or, if he’s in a wistful mood--”
“John, you know you can’t take this on.”
“Why did you tell me then, Den?”
“I…I just thought you should know.”
“Then get me what I need. He’s not leaving country again. I don’t care what it takes.”
“John.”
“Den…don’t argue with me on this. I’ve been waiting twenty years. Twenty years and he’s left his first print. I’m not letting this opportunity slip by. You get me her info and anyone who might be even remotely connected.”
“I can’t send that to the Cleveland office.”
“That’s why you’ll send it to my secure email. Hell, text it to me if you have to.”
“John…”
“Den, I’ll convince them that it was all me. I threatened you with…I don’t know. Some dirt on your sister.”
“I don’t have a sister, John.”
“It won’t come back to you, Den.”
“I can’t afford for it to, John. I only got a year left for a full pension.”
“I know that.”
“I wouldn’t stick my neck out for anyone else like this,” Dennis said.
“You know I wouldn’t ask you. You know that. But, this…,” Norris said.
“I know. I knew this was what would happen if I told you. I’m just saying it to make myself feel better.”
“Do you feel better?” Norris asked.
“No. I feel like I just told the last dumbass knight where the dragon sleeps.”
“Maybe so,” Norris said.
“John, this’ll kill you if you’re not careful.”
“I could be careful, and it might still kill me, Den. That’s already written. If I can take him with me, maybe I can tag some undeserving worth to this bullshit life.”
“John…”
“Den, just send me the info. Then go home and get some rest. Sleep well. I’ll do the worrying. You do what you’ve always done. Keep an eye out when you can, but don’t worry. Nobody will cry over this soldier anymore. There’s no one left to care and…that’s ok by me.”
“She still cares, John,” Dennis said.
“Not enough to matter,” Norris said. His words hung heavily on the ends of the broken conversation.
“Goodbye, John,” Dennis said.
Norris hung up the phone. He stared at the tail lights in front of him. The darkness was coming with the sunset and he wondered if he would see the other side of the bridge in the fading light of day. On the horizon, the clouds looked ominous. That made sense, he thought. He would face the storm soon enough. He just hoped he was facing the right direction when it finally came.
Chapter 6
“Dad’s an accountant or finance guy…or something like that. A pencil pusher who crunches numbers,” Kevin said. He was looking between James, who was seated across from him at the kitchen table, and Nicole, who stood at the stove, occasionally flipping some bacon and hash browns. The room was awash with the smells of breakfast. A pile of toast was already on the table, and the scrambled eggs were nearly ready. James stared at Kevin. There was something mesmerizing about watching yourself talk. He didn’t think he would ever get over it. Identical twins that grew up together didn’t have to look in a mirror to see how they looked when they talked or made faces. They had a sibling mirror. He looked into his sibling mirror with some concern. Did his nostrils flare that much when he talked? Now that he saw it, he couldn’t not see it anymore. He rubbed his nose self-consciously.
“Will you stop!” Kevin said, breaking James out of his fugue. He had a broad smile across his face.
“What?” James said, pulling his hand away from his nose.
“You’re giving me the creeps,” Kevin said.
“What’s he doing?” Nicole asked.
“He’s eyeing me up…lustily,” Kevin said, openly winking at Nicole, who turned to James with a mock look of shock.
“Even I don’t get those kinds of looks…anymore,” Nicole said, and turned back to her pan with an overly haughty huff.
“I am not…and you do too,” James sputtered.
“I think there’s a note of guilt in that response. What do you think, doctor?” Kevin said.
“Oh, definitely,” Nicole said, expressionless. She brought the pan out to the table and began heaping piles of bacon and hash browns on their plates. “Narcissus all over again.”
“Wow…good thing you’re cute and can cook,” James said.
“Uh-oh…you gonna let him get away with that?” Kevin asked.
“He gets away with nothing…even if I don’t have a snappy comeback…he pays in other ways,” Nicole said. She turned to place the pan back on the stove.
“Boy do I ever…” James mumbled through a mouthful of hash.
“What was that, honey?” Nicole said without turning.
“Nothing, dear,” James said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Kevin nearly choked on his orange juice. Nicole fixed her own plate and sat between the two.
“Hey, thanks for making breakfast. I thought people only ate like this at the diner or…Vermont or somewhere like that. It’s really great,” Kevin said.
“Why, thank you, Kevin. I see your father raised a gentleman,” Nicole said, flashing James a quick smile.
“If such a thing exists anymore. Yeah, my dad taught me s
ome manners,” Kevin said.
“Yeah, I mean, walking up to a guy on his back porch and sticking a metal tube to his head and pretending it’s a gun…there’s some damn fine manners,” James said straight-faced before cracking a smile.
“Not gonna live that one down, am I,” Kevin said.
“Well, if I can’t live down the frying pan thing, then you shouldn’t live down the metal thing,” Nicole said. She stood and they watched her clear the table. She shooed their offers to help.
“So, when did this Paynter fellow--,” James began.
“Doctor…Dr. Paynter,” Kevin interrupted.
“Oh, my apologies…when did this Dr. Paynter fellow say he was going to arrive?”
“He didn’t really,” Kevin said.
“Huh…well, you’ll stay, right? I mean…at least until he comes?” James asked.
“I…well, yeah…I guess so. Wouldn’t really make sense for me to go back home now.”
“Well, I’d like you to stay,” James said. “Even if this guy turns out to be a nut bar. I mean…after he’s gone. If you want to, that is. I mean, I’ve got this whole house to myself. Even with Nicole here, it wouldn’t be too much. You’d have your pick of the two spare rooms.”
“Really? I…don’t know quite what to say…”
“I don’t want to put you in an awkward position. I just thought it might be a nice change of scenery. Get out of the house. Get to know your brother. Don’t answer now…just think about it.”
“Alright…we’ll see,” Kevin said. “I don’t know if we’ll have that much time to play house though.”
“What do you mean?” James asked.
“Well, the good doctor said I was to meet you then get you ready to go.”
“Go? Where?”
“He wouldn’t say. Told me there was something we needed to understand about who we were.”
“Were…or are?” James said.
“He said ‘were…I think,’” Kevin said.
“Interesting choice of words,” Nicole said from over her shoulder. She stood at the sink, rinsing the last of the breakfast plates.
Kevin gingerly touched the lump that had formed on his head.
“I bet a warm shower would make that feel better,” James said.