by Jeff Carson
“No, thanks,” she said with no more patience, “If you could just point us the right direction.”
“To the left. Straight down, it’s on the right a ways up. Can’t miss it.”
Patterson led at a brisk pace and a minute later they were at the classroom.
Patterson knocked and stuck her face against the rectangular window.
A man with a beard and wire-rimmed glasses stopped in mid lecture and walked to the door, then upon seeing the uniforms stepped outside.
“Hello, officers. May I help you?”
Patterson noted the way the man started sweating. “We’re here to see Jack Wolf. Could you please send him out?”
The man leaned and looked over Patterson’s shoulder, and then he looked at his watch. “He went to the bathroom a few minutes ago. I’m usually not one to let students get out of class to go mess around in the bathroom when they could have relieved themselves between classes. But it seemed like an emergency.” He whispered the word emergency.
Patterson pointed down the hall. “Here?”
“Yeah, just down the hall. On the left side.”
“Thank you.”
They walked to the men’s bathroom and stopped.
Patterson held out her hand and Lancaster pushed his way in. The door swung shut and she was left standing alone in front of a line of lockers. With an exhale she leaned against one of them and a memory of being pinned against her locker and kissing Brad Quinley flashed in her mind. Before Scott, there had only been Brad.
She wondered what Scott was doing today. Probably wondering why she was avoiding his calls. Probably wondering why she had yet to give him an answer to his proposal. And probably wondering why had she given such pause at the question when he’d popped it—sprung it, threw it in her face—when they were out to dinner a week ago.
Why had she frozen up and told him she’d think about it? It had devastated Scott.
The memory of his jaw falling to the floor made her pace in the hallway.
She certainly loved the man. Their physical chemistry was great. They made each other laugh. They made each other think.
So what the hell was her problem?
And what the hell was taking so long with Lancaster?
She barged across the hall and pushed on the bathroom door, and it stopped with a bang.
“Ah!”
Backing up, she let the door swing shut.
A second later Lancaster came out holding the side of his face.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was just …” She paused at the sight of Lancaster’s eyes.
For a split instant she saw hatred within his glare, and for an instant he leaned toward her, like he was about to do something about it. And then, just as quickly, the look was gone.
“It’s all right,” he said with a chuckle.
She turned away and let him get out of the doorway. Like she’d just stared at the sun and the after image was blocking her sight of anything else, she still saw the hatred. Christ, she had no idea the guy was so disgusted with her presence.
Jack.
“Where is he?”
“Not in there. Checked every stall.”
Forgetting the face crunching door incident, she pushed her way into the bathroom. “Jack?”
No answer.
She bent down and saw the stalls were all empty, then walked back outside.
Lancaster stood with his arms to his sides, his cheek bright red.
“There’s gotta be another bathroom he went to.” She marched back toward the classroom and then past it, and then around a corner, and then to a set of double doors that led outside.
Pulse now racing, she jogged past Lancaster and back down the hall, past the classroom, all the way to the administration office.
“I need you to call Jack Wolf on the intercom and tell him to come here.”
The woman jumped into action. “Jack Wolf, please come to the Principal’s office. Jack Wolf.”
A door opened and a tall woman in a pantsuit stepped out. “Everything all right, Claire?” She looked expectantly at Patterson.
“I’m looking for Jack Wolf, ma’am.”
She stepped forward with her hand extended. “I’m Principal Ulfers. What’s going on?”
“Jack Wolf is missing from his class. I’m looking for him.”
The Principal smiled. “Well, that’s not exactly out of the ordinary for Jack Wolf as of late.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. I’m … sure you heard about his mother. He’s been absent quite a lot lately. I’m sure he’s just checked out for either the period, or for the rest of the day. I’ve talked to him numerous times, and I’ve even spoken to his grandparents. His father has yet to come in.”
Patterson frowned and left the office.
“Officer?” The principal called out.
Lancaster was leaning against the wall, watching her as she flew by.
Reaching the classroom again, she opened the door.
Everyone’s heads turned her way, teacher and student alike. “I need to know where Jack Wolf sits.”
A girl pointed at a vacant desk in front of her.
She walked over and plucked the backpack out from underneath the plastic chair. “Is this his backpack?”
The girl nodded. “Yes.”
“Did he tell any of you where he was going?” She turned full circle, imploring the young faces in the classroom.
“He was on his phone for a little bit,” a boy said sitting next to where Jack would have been. “I saw him, like, texting, and then he left.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Officer,” Principal Ulfers was breathless in the doorway, “can I please speak to you a second?”
Clutching the backpack, Patterson walked to the doorway and pushed her way out. “No time, sorry.”
“Officer.”
Patterson passed an unconcerned looking Lancaster, walked down the hall, and back outside.
Halfway down the pathway to the parking lot she looked over her shoulder. Lancaster was leaving the building with a crowd of students. Eyeing her, he had his phone pressed to his ear again.
She put her hands on her hips and waited, ignoring the flow of kids as they scattered to cars to have off-campus lunch.
Lancaster slowed and stopped, just chatting away.
“Screw this.” Patterson took out her cell phone and dialed.
“Sluice-Byron Sheriff’s Office. How may I direct your call?”
“Hi, Tammy. It’s Patterson. Can you please connect me to MacLean’s office?”
Patterson waited patiently as the phone trilled.
“MacLean.”
“Sir. This is Deputy Patterson. I have news.”
“What news?”
“We, Lancaster and I, just learned that Jack Wolf is missing from school.”
“Okay. How do you know that?”
“We just stopped by his school and found that he’s missing.”
“And why’d you do that?”
She paused. “To find him. To tell him about his father, you know, let him know everything that’s been going on. Didn’t you talk to Lancaster about this earlier?”
“And so what? He’s gone?”
“Yes sir. His backpack was still here. In class. But he just disappeared.”
“Are you sure he isn’t just, I don’t know, taking a leak?”
“That’s what the teacher thought he was doing. We checked the bathrooms. He doesn’t appear to be on campus.”
“Doesn’t appear to be? Appear to be?”
Patterson’s face went hot. “Yes, sir.”
MacLean chuckled into her ear. “Did you learn who his girlfriend is? See if she’s missing too? Check out the make out spots up in the trees? How about where the kids go sneak away to have a smoke? Hell, was he given a wedgie and shoved in a locker? Maybe he likes a particular shitter on the other side of the school and is having a rough go of it.”
“Yes sir,” she said.
“Bother me when you have a reason.” The phone clicked.
Pocketing her phone, she took some deep breaths and walked to meet Lancaster halfway. MacLean had a point. She had been hasty thinking Jack was missing after a few minutes of passionate pursuit. They needed to be one hundred percent sure before they left these grounds.
Lancaster approached with his phone held up. “I just told MacLean about this. He wants us to check around town to find him. I told him you know better than I do where he could be.” Lancaster motioned to the SUV. “Let’s go. You navigate.”
Patterson stopped, almost stumbling. She opened her mouth and closed it. She might have made a noise but it was unintelligible underneath the pounding pulse in her ears.
“You all right?” Lancaster asked.
She swallowed. “Yeah.”
Lancaster narrowed his eyes. “Were you going back inside?”
She froze, her thoughts unable to keep up with the momentum of the situation.
“What’s going on?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I was just thinking maybe we missed him somewhere. I’m just freaking out. We have to find him.”
“You think he’s still in there?” He asked, looking back at the outpouring of students.
“No,” she said.
“Then let’s go.” Lancaster marched to the parking lot.
Heart hammering in her chest, the pores on her body pouring sweat, she steeled herself like she was about to karate chop through a stack of pine boards, and then she followed the man.
Chapter 24
Wolf sat perfectly still, concentrating on inhaling deep.
“The guy’s still locked in the storage unit. No phone. Out cold.”
Wolf ignored her.
“Wolf. We have to move. Every second we waste in this parking lot means the FBI and cops are closer on our tails.” Her calm tone did nothing to calm Wolf’s thoughts.
Wolf picked up the phone and pushed the button again. Nothing had changed: the phone was still on. The battery was still charged. There was still cell coverage. Still no call.
“Okay. Never mind. We’ll wait.” Luke sat frozen in the driver’s seat, her eyes wide and gentle. Impatient and yet with all the patience in the world.
She was so devoted to seeing Wolf through this, even if it meant career suicide. Even though the last two days for Wolf had been a half-unconscious blur of action, he recognized what she was doing.
When Luke and Wolf had dated for that brief period, Jack used to stutter and trip on his words in her presence. She was that kind of beautiful to his son. And when she spoke Jack used to give her all his attention, as if terrified he might miss a word coming out of her lips. He used to over-laugh at her jokes. Unconsciously follow her from room to room.
Wolf smiled briefly at the memory, then thought of Jack’s smile. His forest green eyes. The pain on his face the last time they’d spoken by the river.
He lifted the phone again.
At the same instant the phone vibrated and started ringing. He pressed the button and brought the phone to his ear. “Yeah?”
“Got him. I’ll take care of everything. Just get here safe and keep me posted.”
Wolf hung up and leaned back. The tension flowed down his legs and out his feet, leaving his body weak.
“Are we good?” Luke asked.
Wolf nodded.
The truck fired up and she reversed with squealing tires.
Luke pulled forward and immediately slammed the brakes. “Crap.”
Wolf saw why she’d stopped. Outside the parking lot there was a line of traffic dribbling forward on the northbound lanes of the highway. Four police cruisers with flashing lights were checking vehicles as they passed at a snail’s crawl.
As if on cue, a black helicopter sped by overhead going south.
Luke let off the brake and crept forward. “We’re screwed.”
Wolf pointed. “Go out the north exit of the parking lot to the other strip mall across the street.”
“Yes.” Luke accelerated, narrowly missing an old man stepping out of the grocery store.
“Without killing anyone.”
“No promises.” Her face was pressed against the windshield. “Idiots, they left a bypass route wide open. We’re going to make it.”
And they did. In a matter of minutes they’d passed the roadblock and were on their way north on the highway.
A half-mile later they took a right on the county road they came in on and ten minutes after that the truck hummed over gravel.
Luke shoved another chicken drumstick in his face and he waved it away. “I’m all right.”
“You have to have more food. I’m not going to carry you around for the rest of the day.”
Wolf grabbed the cold piece of chicken and forced down the meat.
He kept it to himself that exhaustion almost overtook him after the wait for Burton’s phone call. Almost. The ringing in his ear had started, but it had stopped before it gained any traction. Perhaps it was because he had been sitting, or perhaps some form of resistance to his condition was building, spurred by the danger to Jack.
“That was the best chicken I’ve ever had in my entire life, bar none, hands down. The best.”
Wolf shook his head. “That bad, huh?”
“What’s the plan, here?”
Wolf threw the bone out the window and wiped his hands on a napkin. “We go talk to MacLean.”
Luke spit Coke out her mouth. “What? MacLean?”
“Yep.”
“What? You want to go to the station?”
“No. I want to go to his house.”
She set down the plastic bottle in the center console. “And that’s safe? That drop off the cliff really did knock you on the head.”
Wolf grabbed his Coke and took a sip. “I’ve made sure Jack’s safe. The next thing we need is for you to be safe. The only way that can happen is by proving I was framed for this whole thing. And as far as I see it, everything points to MacLean.
“He brought those photos of Gail Olson to me and tried to blackmail me to drop out of the race with them. Gail Olson admitted the whole thing was a setup and that MacLean was behind the whole thing.
“You said Carter Willis, or Agent Smith, brought those photos to your boss to get the go ahead to watch me and my department. So that means MacLean brought those photos to Agent Smith. They were somehow partners in all this.
“And since it’s looking like Smith and Tedescu were involved with some really bad guys and we can’t talk to them, we need to talk to MacLean.” Wolf squeezed the plastic bottle. “I’ll beat the truth out of him if I need to.”
“Yyyyyeah. Beat it out of him? We need to be a little less heavy-handed and a little more careful about things when we get into town. The Bureau’s going to be everywhere. They’re probably going to have surveillance on MacLean’s house. Are you sure there’s not another angle of attack when we get there?”
“Yeah, but if you’re right about how they found us, our angle of attack is probably sitting in jail, or in FBI custody.”
“Who? Margaret?”
Wolf nodded. “She was Sarah’s employing broker at Hitching Post. She has access to all of Sarah’s records—every transaction that she’s ever had since she hung her license there three years ago.”
“You think this has to do with Sarah?”
“She was shot dead in the same car with Agent Smith, wasn’t she? I’ve looked at her history once in the last few weeks but found nothing. I’d like to take a second look.”
They rode in silence for a few seconds.
“I don’t think she was involved with this Carter Willis-Agent Smith guy. You know, sexually. I saw it in her eyes. She was scared of him for some reason. I think he was using her for something, and she got caught up in all of this wit
hout trying to, and then paid the price for it.”
Luke kept silent.
Wolf repeated the words he’d just said in his mind, feeling less sure about them the second time around.
Wolf activated the cell phone and scrolled through the contacts again.
“Still don’t recognize any numbers in there?”
He shook his head. “They’re mostly Colorado numbers. A few 303’s and 720’s, but mostly 970 area codes.”
“Mostly mountain area, or the northern third of the state.”
“But there’re no names in here. He uses numbers to signify each phone number. About fifty of them. He must have some sort of cipher, a list of the corresponding names to the signifying numbers to know who’s calling him. It’s like the guy was paranoid about this scenario. And there’s no personal information in the phone at all.”
“And WCB Holdings.” Luke said, referring to the commercial insurance and registration cards they’d found in the glove compartment.
“We need to look into that, too.”
Luke shook her head. “If we had the resources of the Bureau. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Wolf leaned back and sighed.
Staring at Wolf, Luke looked happier after a solid meal.
“I noticed you said you were going to quote, beat it out of him, when you saw MacLean. From what I’ve seen so far, you couldn’t best a second grade schoolboy at arm wrestling.”
Wolf smiled. “With the hormones they’re feeding these kids nowadays? Probably not.”
She smiled and he laughed, and he felt more grateful than ever for her.
Folding his arms, he leaned back and closed his eyes.
“Oh no. Here we go.”
“Wake me up in an hour.”
“Yeah. I’ll try.”
Chapter 25
Rachette snuck to the end of the squad room and peeked around the corner.
Down the hall MacLean paced inside his glass aquarium office with a cell phone pasted to his ear. His gruff tone echoed through the hallway all the way to Rachette, but he couldn’t make out the words.
“Can I help you?”
Rachette turned around. A deputy who’s name eluded Rachette waddled forward, his pear shaped body swaying side to side. His eyebrows were propped up in perpetual surprise.