by David Archer
He stepped quietly back the way he had come just as another bullet came through the wall where he’d been standing only a second before. Chance grunted as loud as he could, trying to make it sound like he’d been hit, but he was aiming his gun at the bedroom doorway. A figure stepped into the dark hallway, and Chance yelled, “Freeze and drop it! ”
Garrett snapped off a shot, forcing Chance to duck, and then he spun and ran for the stairs. Chance got to his feet again and glanced into the bedroom just as Garrett snapped off one more shot. The bullet grazed his head just over his left ear and Chance fell to the floor.
He managed to regain consciousness a few seconds later to find Donna Jackson standing over him, her eyes wide. “Just hold still, mister,” she said. “You’ve got a pretty deep gash on the head, here, and it’s bleeding pretty good.”
He got to his feet, motioning her back. “Where is he?” he asked.
The woman said, “He's gone. I guess he thought he got you, because he just kept on running down the stairs and out. Who the hell was he?”
Chance sighed. “He’s the man who’s supposed to keep you safe.”
“Safe?” Donna asked. “You called him Garrett, I think. Was that his name?”
Chance nodded. “Yeah, his name is Chuck Garrett. He works with the U.S. marshals, in the witness protection division. He and some other people have been selling you folks out, and he’s trying to collect some money for killing you to keep you from testifying next month.” He touched the side of his head and saw blood on his fingers when he looked. “Let me make sure he’s gone, and then I’ll see to it that you go somewhere safe.”
Chance got to his feet and managed to remain steady, then held his gun in front of him as he went down the stairs. He checked out the house thoroughly and found no sign of Garrett, then went back to where Ms. Jackson was waiting.
“Are you okay?” he asked, and she nodded.
“Yes, thanks to you. I can tell you I was never so scared in my life. I was downstairs watching television and he just walked in, and I know damn well I had locked the door. He pointed his gun at me and told me to get upstairs, and I thought for sure I was going to die. If you hadn’t shown up when you did…”
“Yeah,” Chance said. “I understand.” He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Agent Roberts' cell number. She answered a moment later.
“Now, somehow I just knew I was going to hear from you again before the day was over. What’s going on?”
“Garrett just tried to take out another witness. I just stopped him and the witness is okay, but I got a bullet crease on the side of my head for my trouble.”
“Geez, where?” she asked. “Who is it?”
“The lady’s name is Donna Jackson,” he said. “I'll give you the details when I see you, but you might want to put out an alert. He couldn’t have gotten very far, so if you get cops down here quickly, there’s a chance we might find him.” He gave her the address of the house.
“I'm on it,” she said. “Stay put, I'm on the way.”
“I'll be here.” He cut the call, then dialed Pete.
“Chance?” his partner answered. “Everything okay?”
“I'm okay,” he said, “and Ms. Jackson is safe. I interrupted Garrett before he could get things done, and I guess I shook him up enough that he ran. Unfortunately, he managed to graze my head with a bullet before he did so. It’s going to be a nasty scar. Everything alright there?”
“It is now,” Pete said. “I got hold of the witness in Kingman and he’s going into hiding. I still haven’t reached the one in California, yet, but since the marshals know about Garrett, they’re probably already on it.”
“Okay,” Chance said. “Roberts is on the way here, so we should probably turn this over to her, now. I’ll fill her in about the phone call from Garrett and everything, but she’s gonna wonder how we knew who these witnesses were.”
“I got that covered. I called Darrell and filled him in, and he’s willing to swear he had the complete list and gave it to us, so we could try to help protect more of them. Can’t have Josie getting in trouble for getting us information we absolutely had to have.”
Chance smiled. “Good thinking,” he said. “I'll call you when I get done with Roberts. It might be a while, so you don’t need to wait there for me. Might be a good idea if you stay at the new house again tonight. Far as we know, Garrett has no idea about that place, yet.”
“Okay, Chance,” Pete said. “Stay safe, buddy.”
“You do the same,” Chance said and hung up. He looked at the lady beside him. “I take it you live alone here?”
Donna nodded. “Yes,” she said. “You really think I'm still in danger?”
Chance returned the nod. “Garrett was exposed today, so he’s trying to rack up a bunch of cash to help him disappear. If he can get to you again, he probably will. I got an FBI agent on the way, and she’ll make sure you get somewhere safe tonight.”
“Okay,” Donna said. “Just give me a couple of minutes to pack some clothes. I hate having to start over again, but it beats the alternative.”
She went back into her bedroom while Chance checked the other rooms upstairs, then went down the stairs. He walked through the house, checking every room, then sat on the couch in the living room.
Donna came down the stairs ten minutes later. “So, I'm just curious, but how did you know this was going to happen?”
“Well,” he said, “like I told you, Garrett has been selling out witnesses for a little while. To be honest, I'm a little surprised you weren’t a higher priority to him, but maybe he was saving you in case he needed it for a quick getaway. I managed to expose him earlier today, so now the FBI and the rest of the government are hunting him, but the arrogant bastard called me up to tell me he was going to take care of a few witnesses personally, just for the money. Somebody had given us a list of people in the program, and you were the closest possible target.”
“But if they know who he is, why hasn’t somebody already picked him up?”
“Unfortunately, he managed to slip away,” Chance said. “I'm Chance Reddick, by the way, I'm a private investigator.” He took out his ID and showed it to her. “The FBI and the police are on the way here now.”
A car's headlights appeared as he spoke, and then the red and blue lights of a squad car began illuminating the neighborhood. There was a knock, and Chance got up to open the door.
Two uniformed police officers were standing there, guns in their hands. Chance held up his ID and said, “It's all clear, officers. Come on in.”
“Mr. Reddick?” one of them asked, and Chance nodded. They put their guns back into their holsters.
“Yeah, I'm Chance Reddick. Is Special Agent Roberts coming?”
“Yes, sir, she should be arriving any second now. We were told to come on down and make sure everything was secure until she got here.”
Chapter 22
Roberts showed up only moments later. She spoke with Donna Jackson, and then motioned for Chance to follow her outside, where they could talk privately.
“Now, would you like to tell me what on Earth is going on here? I get a call from you saying Garrett was here and that he almost managed to kill another witness. Why the hell didn’t you call me about this earlier?”
Chance rolled his eyes at her. “I should have, I admit that. Garrett called me about an hour ago and told me that he’s got another whole identity all set up, but that he was going to take out a few of the witnesses personally in order to get some money together. Darrell Johnson had given me and Pete a list of witnesses in the area, so we can help protect them, and I knew that Ms. Jackson was the closest. I just played a hunch that he would come here first, and I was right.”
She glared at him for a moment, but then nodded. “Okay, I can see that,” she said. “We already had an APB out on him, and officers went to his place to check whether he’d been back there, and he hasn’t. His place is being searched right now, that’s where I was when yo
u called.”
“There’s more,” Chance said. “Garrett also told me that he’s planning to settle the score with me before he disappears completely. If he does come after me, you might as well get it through your head that I'm going to do everything possible to take him down.”
She nodded. “Of course,” she said. “After all, that’s what you do. The question right now, though, is where the hell could he have gone? The guy isn’t actually a field agent, so it’s not like he can outsmart us for long.” She looked away for a moment, then turned back to him. “What about your wife and kids? He could go after them again.”
“My family's out of town,” Chance said. “I took care of that even before he called me, just as a precaution.”
Roberts shook her head. “Every time I have to deal with you, things go crazy. How the hell am I supposed to handle this?” she asked, but then she turned and walked away, going inside the house before he could answer. He followed and stood by while she made arrangements to have Ms. Jackson transported to an FBI safe house, then waited until she was ready to speak to him again.
She didn’t speak, but motioned for him to follow her with his car. A few minutes later, they were back in her office and Chance was answering her questions once again. She typed up another statement for him to sign, and then told him he could go home to get some rest. It was just after ten o’clock by that time, and he was actually feeling pretty tired.
He was almost home when his phone rang again, and he looked to see that the number was blocked, just as it had been before.
“Hello?” he said, adrenaline starting to flow.
“Hello, Mr. Reddick,” said Chuck Garrett. “I seem to have underestimated you, Reddick, and I have to say that really surprised me. How the hell did you figure out where I was going?”
“You said you needed to make some money, and were planning to kill some witnesses. I just checked to see who was closest. Luckily, I managed to interrupt you before you could get the job done.”
“Yeah, you took me by surprise. Are you ready to lay off and stay the hell out of my way, now? Or do I need to take care of you next?”
Chance sighed. “Tell me where you are, Garrett. You want me, then let’s do this face to face. Give me a place to meet, and I guarantee I will come alone.”
“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Garrett said. “Maybe you think I'm stupid, but I'm not. You might’ve put a small crimp in my plans, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. No, when you and I come face to face, I can guarantee you won’t be able to anticipate how it will turn out.”
Chance shook his head in frustration. “Oh, come on, man. Every cop and federal agent within five hundred miles is looking for you, there’s no way you are going to escape. What you really ought to do is turn yourself in, and maybe you could even cut a deal to give up the woman you’re working for. Maybe you could end up at one of those federal country clubs, rather than someplace nasty.”
There was silence on the line for a minute, and then Garrett chuckled. “How on Earth do you even know about her? I’ve taken an awful lot of precautions, but you seem to be able to crack through them. What’s your secret, Reddick?”
Chance grinned into the phone. “Simple,” he said. “I'm smarter than you.”
“No, you are not. I’ve known a lot of guys like you; you’re not all that smart, but you might be lucky. No, wait, I’ve got it. Hell, you tapped my phone somehow, didn’t you? Was it when you came to my office? I remember you were messing with your own phone a lot while you were there. Was that it?”
“Just give it up, Garrett. You don’t have any hope of actually escaping, and if you would think for a minute, you’d know that. It’s time to give up and face the music.”
“There you go again, singing that same old song. I'm not even close to giving up, Reddick. I’ve got a little bit of unfinished business to take care of, and some of that involves you. I know you already got your family out of town, but those aren’t the only people around here that you care about, now are they?”
Chance thought of Pete and Josie, and he got angry. “Come on, Garrett, where do you think you can go where they can’t find you? You've got warrants out for you, now, and sooner or later, you are going to be spotted. I don’t think it’ll be very long before you're caught.”
“Oh, hell, Reddick, you don’t need to worry about me. I know how to vanish when I want to, and if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s set up a new identity. And don’t get the idea that you are going to get off scot free. Just because I can't get to your family right now doesn't mean I won’t ever be able to, right?”
The line went dead suddenly and Chance knew that Garrett had hung up the phone. He drove home and parked the Charger in the driveway, then went into the house. The place seemed so empty without Gabriella and the kids and Grandma, and he stayed only a couple of moments before he slipped out the back door and went over the fence.
Pete was sitting at the kitchen table next door and opened the door to let Chance in. “Everything go okay with Roberts?” he asked as Chance sat at the table.
“Another statement,” Chance said. “Garrett called me again. I think the guy’s actually enjoying this little game of cat and mouse he’s playing with me. I just wish he’d give me something to tell me where he’s at, so I can bring this to an end once and for all.”
“Yeah,” Pete said. “I think that would be best, but for now you just need to get some sleep. I hate to say it, man, but you look just about beat, and that scratch on the side of your head is probably making it worse. Why the hell didn’t you go to the hospital?”
Chance waved him away. “A little headache isn’t going to stop me,” he said. “But I admit that a bit of sleep sounds good at the moment. Is the couch open?”
* * * * *
Chance woke to the sound of his phone ringing and picked it up to see that it was Gabriella calling. His head was throbbing, but the sun was coming through the windows as he smiled and put the phone to his ear.
“Hello, gorgeous,” he said. “You guys are safe?”
“We,” she said, “are in the most luxurious hotel I have ever seen in my life. How did things go for you last night?”
“Okay,” he said. “I managed to save another witness from Garrett, but the bastard got away. What time is it?”
“It’s only about eight o’clock,” she said. “The boys think it’s time to head for you know where, but I wanted to hear your voice before we get started on our adventures. Chance? Are you watching your back?”
“Nope,” he said, “I got Pete for that. Don’t worry, honey, I'm going to stay safe. This should be over pretty soon, and you guys can all come home.”
“Okay,” Gabriella said, “I'm just worried about you. We’ll be okay over here, don’t worry.”
They talked for a couple more minutes, and then said goodbye. Chance sat up on the couch and rubbed his hands over his face, then went in the kitchen. Pete and Darrell Johnson were both sitting there, and Pete pointed at the coffee pot.
“Thanks,” Chance said. He got a cup and poured for himself, then sat at the table with the other two men.
“I was cluing Darrell in to what happened yesterday,” Pete said. “Should we be looking at getting these people hooked up with Roberts today?”
“Yeah, probably,” Chance said. “Don’t do anything until I talk to her, though. We can trust her, but I still want to be cautious.”
He drank his coffee, then got up and went back to his own house. He checked the house over carefully, making sure no one was waiting for him, then went to the shower, taking care of other bathroom necessities along the way.
Pete had agreed to meet him at the office, so he checked his car over carefully and then headed that direction. He wasn’t surprised to find Josie there with Pete when he arrived, and they both looked up and smiled as he came through the door.
“I'm here,” Chance said as he flopped into the chair in front of Pete’s desk.
“
Good,” Pete said. “Any calls this morning?”
“None yet,” Chance said. “You come up with any ideas on how to catch this guy?”
“Well, Josie and I have been making some notes this morning. I know he says he’s trying to get some money together, but he’s probably got some stashed already. And if he really does have a new identity prepared, it would surprise me if he didn’t already have some money in accounts for that identity to access.”
“I have been looking at his bank records,” Josie said. “If I can find where his current dummy accounts are transferring money to, maybe we can get an idea on what name he’s using.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Making any headway?”
Josie shook her head. “Unfortunately, not yet. There have been a lot of transfers, but most of them end up in banks in Europe. Some of those have security high enough I can’t crack into them. I'm not done trying, though. Just give me some more time.”
“What’s worrying me,” Pete said, “is that Garrett seems to have some sort of fixation on you. It’s like he’s trying to goad you into coming after him, maybe so he can set a trap you can’t get out of.”
“Or maybe,” Josie said, staring at Chance, “because he’s worried you might be smarter than him.”
“I am,” Chance answered. “I even told him so, last night, but he laughed it off. That’s enough to convince me he’s worried about it, so now I just need to figure out how to use it against him.”
Pete sat and looked at him for another moment. “And, hopefully, without getting yourself killed in the process.”
All three of them jumped as Chance's phone rang. The display said RESTRICTED.
He touched the button to answer it on speaker. “Hello?” he said cautiously.
“Good morning, Mr. Reddick. I hope you slept well.”
Chance scowled. “Well enough,” he said. “Ready to give it up, are you?”
Garrett laughed, but it was tinged with irony. “Not quite. I will give you credit, though, you definitely do have a one track mind. No, I'm just calling to let you know that I have decided to up the ante a little bit. You see, I think I figured out something important last night, and I was calling to give you a little heads up about it.”