by W L Knightly
Jake didn’t know what was going on but had the sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t supposed to hear anything about their exchange.
“I think it’s time we go, Jake. We’re not going to get anything from him.” She got up and stormed out the door, slamming it behind her.
Jake got to his feet. “Go to bed and sober up, Chief. We’ll finish this later.”
With that, he started for the door, but the chief called out to him. “I tried to do the right thing, Jake. But sometimes, there is no right thing.”
Chapter 14
Jake
After leaving the Chief’s house, they headed to Speed’s, where Jake wanted to grab a bite for dinner, and he couldn’t resist the urge to ask what O’Connor had been talking about. “So, what was that back there? You should know corrupt politics?” He turned into the parking lot.
“Who knows what he’s talking about, Jake? He was skunked. He probably won’t remember anything when he sobers up, and you’d better hope he doesn’t. He’s liable to kick your butt right into retirement before this case is done.”
“He wouldn’t. He’s pissed I’m leaving, and he wants me to stick around.”
“Yeah.” She looked down at her hands. “What’s on the menu today?”
“I don’t know. I’ll probably have the meatloaf.” He didn’t bother trying to steer her back in the direction of his conversation.
He parked the car, and they went inside where Ruth Anne greeted them with a smile. “Well, hello, stranger.”
Jake gave her a sideward look as he led Jo to a booth. “I miss one coffee, and I’m a stranger now?” He held out his hands. “What’s up with that?”
She walked over as he slid into the booth across from Jo. “What can I get you to drink?”
Jake knew she wasn’t talking to him, and he looked across the table toward Jo, who looked toward the ceiling as if she needed time to think. Finally, she turned her eyes toward Ruth Anne. “I’ll have a coke, thanks.”
Ruth Anne walked away, and Jo leaned in closer, resting on the table. “You know, I was thinking. We might be looking at things from a different perspective. The victims have to have more in common than corruption. They all work in the same jurisdiction.”
“You’re just figuring that out?” Jake grinned, knowing she would get to the point eventually.
“Funny, but just hear me out. We assume that this is personal for the Hangman, which is kind of a no-brainer at this point because let’s face it. He’s made it personal with you, and the style of his crimes are in line with that reasoning.”
Jake shook his head and wondered where she was going with this.
“What if there is one case that they were all attached to? You have a lawyer, a judge, and now a forensics specialist.”
“Don’t forget the crooked cop.” Jake could see where she was going already. “We don’t need to look for many cases. Just one.”
“The one that is personal for the Hangman.” She nodded. “It’s not about what they’ve done in the past, but what they’ve done to him in the past. It is personal like we thought, but it’s directly personal.”
Jake knew she was right. “Then we have to keep digging in the files. If we can compare Gaines’s and Mathews’s files and find the cases they were all together on, including Nina, we just might find our man.”
“I’d put money on it.” Jo smiled up at Ruth Anne as she approached with their drinks. “Thank you.”
“You are welcome, sugar. What can I get you to eat?”
“I think I’ll have the turkey club.” Jo looked up at Jake.
“You know what? Give me the same. But make them to-go.”
“Two turkey clubs to-go, coming right up.” She turned and hurried off.
Jake smiled at Jo, who gave him a quizzical look. “We’re not dining in?”
“Nah, let’s get back to our office. We know what our next plan is. Maybe we can find this asshole before he gets the chief.”
“Let’s do it,” she said in agreement. She went quiet for a moment after that, and Jake couldn’t help but wonder where her mind went when she got that way.
“What’s on your mind? Still thinking about the case?”
“Actually, I wondered what things would be like if you stuck around.”
Jake let out a breath. “I have to admit, I’ve wondered the same thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Retirement is looking as good as it ever has, but I don’t really know what I’m going to do with myself.”
“Surely, you have big plans?”
“Nah. I just wanted to sleep mostly, which I barely do anyway. I don’t think the ghosts of this job are going to leave me alone, and the only time I didn’t have to deal with them was when I slept on your couch.”
“Well, my sofa is always there for you.” She gave a teasing grin. “You slept like a rock and were snoring. I knew you needed it.”
“Yeah, and it was the only night I didn’t see some ghoulish reminder from one of my cases that woke me up. I don’t really remember dreaming anything.”
She tucked her chin to her shoulder. “Why do you think that is?” she asked, then took a sip from her straw.
“I don’t know. I’m not used to sleeping, knowing anyone else is around. I’m always alone. That could be why.”
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “So, have you never had anyone sleep over? Like a girlfriend? Family come to visit?”
“No to the family, and the women I’ve brought home don’t stay the night.”
“Not even your girlfriends?”
“I haven’t had a steady in a long time.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Not that I’m some man whore.” He didn’t want to come off like he’d been sleeping around a lot.
“Hey, I’m not judging you. I just assumed that an attractive man like yourself would have no problems with the ladies.”
He thought that was an interesting choice of words. “I don’t have any problems. I just haven’t met the right one yet.” He knew it was a lie the minute it came out of his mouth. She could be the right one. Of that, he was certain.
Before the conversation could get too deep or take an even more awkward turn, Ruth Anne came back with their orders. “I made them myself. I figured you had something come up.”
“Thanks,” said Jake. “Can you put it on my tab?”
“Will do, honey.” She patted him on the back as he stood and then walked away to tend her other tables.
After they left, the conversation didn’t continue in the car, and that was fine with him. He drove them back to their office, and when they walked inside, he took the hard chair on the other side of his desk.
“If you did stay, we’d definitely need a bigger office. Something with two desks.” She glanced his way as if to see what he thought about it.
“There are three open ones down the hall if you don’t like the size.”
“Does that mean you’re considering it?” She got a hopeful look in her eyes as she placed their to-go dinners on the table and sat down.
“No, I just meant if you didn’t like this one, you don’t have to stay here. I got it because it was closer to everything.” Disappointment steeped in her expression. “Look, don’t get your hopes up on that one. Besides, we’re not sure that the department even needs two detectives.”
“With the crime escalating, I’m sure they do.” She reached down and took the stack of casefiles they had gathered a week ago and put them on the desk. “This is just a small dent in the actual cases, and you know it.”
“Are you saying you can’t handle it?” He reached out and opened one of the files he’d gotten from Kevin before they’d found Nina. “Don’t answer that.” He didn’t want her to tell him she needed him. It might be the one way he would stay.
He unwrapped his sandwich and then looked down at the file while he took his first bite.
Jo did the same, busying one hand with the sandwich while her mind was on the pages in front of her. “W
hat have you got there?” She nodded toward the desk.
“Kevin sent this over. It’s one of Nina’s reprimands. She had ‘lost’ some evidence, and he had written her up. I think we should start with her and work our way back since her list isn’t half as long as the others. She’s only been around a short time.”
“Just like O’Connor?” she asked before taking another bite.
“Only nine months longer.” He found the case number and then thumbed through the stack she had on her desk. “Take some of those and find the corresponding case. We need to make quick work of this with the chief’s life on the line.”
Jo took some of the pages from the stack of reprimands. “How could she do so much and get away with it? If I screwed up one time on my last job, I’d have been out on my butt.”
“I’m sure she knows someone higher up. Someone in a place of power who could make or break the department.”
Jake opened up the first casefile and read through it. “Nothing is leaping off the page.”
Jo checked the tabs on the files and found the case she wanted. She opened the file, and Jake looked up to see her skimming the page. Just as he put his head down to keep looking, Jo gasped. “What is your informant’s first name?”
“Craig Tanner?”
“Yes. Holy shit! His name is here. He was a witness in a crime.” She studied the page, and Jake hurried around the desk to look over her shoulder.
“This is a drunk driving case from two years ago. I remember this. Nina lost the initial blood-alcohol tests, and they had to use the one from the hospital that was taken hours after the accident when the man had already had time to sober up. The chief was livid.”
Bits and pieces were coming back to him. “What I remember about this case most was some of the victim’s family didn’t think it was an accident. The victim and the driver had just left a club after they’d gotten tossed out for fighting.”
Jo nodded, pointing to the page. “Our boy Tanner was a witness. He was walking with his cousin when the man was struck by a car. The driver was a young man, twenty-three. A student.”
“I bet his parents paid off the department to make this problem go away.”
“Who was the judge?”
“Mathews. But the prosecutor wasn’t Gaines. Do you know a Sterling?”
“He moved away. But I’m not even worried about that. Now we know that Tanner is in this deeper than he let on. He probably knew we’d find out about this.”
“He was on the side of the victim,” she said. “Why wouldn’t he just tell us what happened?”
Jake could only think of one reason. “Would you trust the system? Not only that, but then he meets and talks vigilante justice with the Hangman at work? The two probably bonded. He has to know more than he’s letting on.”
Jo wrapped up the uneaten portion of her sandwich, eased back in her chair, and yawned. The day had been a long one. “It’s getting late to try and figure out what happened.”
“You should get home, and I’ll stop by his apartment on my way and see if he’s come back. His leaving could have been a setup. He might not really have anywhere else to go, and assuming he lives alone, he’s not going to give up his apartment so easily.”
“I could come with you. We could go back to my place after and work on the case some more. You could sleep on my couch and actually get some rest?”
“I better not. I have things to do at home, and I should let you get some rest. We’re not going to get anything done until we find Tanner anyway, and I’ll call you if I find anything.”
“You should call me even if you don’t.” She met his eyes, and all he could see in hers were pity. He instantly regretted telling her how being alone affected him. “Just to let me know you made it in.” She shrugged it off like it was no big deal.
“Okay, I will.” He took the last bite of his turkey club and tossed the paper in the trash. Then they gathered their things and left the office together. Jake walked her to her car, and then after a reluctant goodbye, he went to his own and left.
Chapter 15
Jake
As he strolled into the office, he could tell that Jo was pissed off at him. Not only had she not said so much as good morning, but she kept her head down in one of the casefiles as he made his own cup of coffee.
“What’s blown up your skirt?” he asked while he waited for the machine to do its magic.
“Nothing. Why would I be upset?”
“I don’t know. Did you get my message last night?”
“Yeah, I saw it. Thanks for the heads-up.”
“What’s going on? You wanted me to let you know about Tanner, and I did. He wasn’t home. I told you I talked to the lady we saw on her porch, and she said that Tanner told her to keep an eye out. He said he was going to his cousin’s house in Mead.”
“And I already found the address, so let’s not waste time. Let’s go.” She jumped from her seat like her ass was on fire, and Jake took his coffee on the run, walking out behind her and locking the door.
“Slow down,” he said as they passed the front counter. Dannie and Sam stared as they breezed by, and he noticed the forceful way Jo pushed the door open.
She walked to her car and hit the unlock button on her key fob to open the door. “I’ll drive.”
“I’m not getting in the car with you until you tell me what the bug up your butt is all about.” He started at her over the top of the car.
“It’s nothing. I’m not mad. I just want to get this day over with. Do I always have to be in a super sunny mood and be sweet little Josephine? No. Sorry. Not today.” She slid into her car and had it started before Jake could even get his door open.
“Okay. So, you’re not in a good mood.” He got into the car and put on his seatbelt.
She sank in her seat. “Look, it’s not your fault. Let’s just not worry about it.”
“I thought maybe you were pissed that I texted instead of called you.”
She shook her head. “Look, stop worrying about it. It doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s personal, and I shouldn’t let it interfere with the case.”
“Is it a man?” He wanted to break the asshole’s neck already.
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, it is.” She backed out of the space and slowly made her way out of the parking lot.
“Whose ass do I need to beat? You can tell me. I’ll handle it.”
“You’re sweet, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to beat up my father.” She let out a long breath. “Look, let’s drop it, okay?” She headed to the nearest on-ramp.
He breathed a sigh of relief that it was only her father and not some boyfriend. “Sure. So, you stayed up late looking for the address?”
“No, I went in early. I found some other names in the casefile, and I went on Google. Tanner is at his cousin Meg’s house. Her brother was the one who got ran down, and I think they’re very close.”
“You got all of that and an address this morning? At least I know I’m leaving things in your capable hands. I wish it were that easy to find the Hangman.”
“Yeah, well I get very determined when I’m angry.”
“Then remind me to piss you off when I need something done.” He flashed her a smile as she changed lanes to head out of town on the way to Mead.
They fell into a comfortable silence as Jake watched out of his window, but when they left the county line, Jake remembered his last brush with Mead Police. That was the day he’d met Jo.
She was so quiet, and he wondered if she was still upset with her father. He didn’t know if he should bring him up again, so he talked about Tanner instead. “I hope he doesn’t run this time. I don’t feel like running.”
“I do. Maybe it will blow off some of my steam. Or I could just shoot him in the ass.”
“You wouldn’t.” Jake knew better than to believe her.
“You’re right, but I will go after him. If he runs. And you’re not going to stop me.” She gave him a pointed look.
“I only stopped you before with the Hangman so you wouldn’t get hurt.”
She grinned. “Thanks for caring.”
Before Jake knew it, another fifteen minutes had passed, and just before they made it to Mead proper, she slowed the car and turned down a dirt side road.
“I really hope this GPS is right,” she said.
“There are worse places to get lost.”
The GPS announced another upcoming turn, and Jo slowed the car and followed the directions. At the end of the road was a small set of houses. Each one looked like a duplex, with two front door and a small silver number just under each porch light.
“If he does run, he’s going for the woods.” The place wasn’t in any large neighborhood or subdivision but nestled in the trees in the middle of nowhere.
“Let’s hope he hasn’t seen us yet. It’s unit four.” She parked in front of unit one. “Maybe we still have the element of surprise.” Jo killed the engine, and they got out, keeping their guns holstered.
Jake knocked on the door of unit four. “Just a minute,” a voice called.
“Go around back,” said Jake. “Just in case you get to run off some steam.”
Jo had just stepped down when the door opened.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Tanner said.
“I’m sure I was the last person you expected.” He waved Jo back to the porch.
“Yeah. I had hoped I’d be harder to find.”
“My partner was on a mission. Besides, we have a lot to talk to you about.”
“I don’t know anything else.”
“Why did you run?”
“Because if that asshole finds out that I talked, he’s going to kill me too. I saw the shit he did to those fucking people. I don’t want to hang.” He walked out, took a seat in a white plastic chair, and lit up a cigarette.
“Why didn’t you tell us about your cousin who was killed? You have a pretty good reason for hating the justice system, just like your friend.”