Final Target

by Jack Young

  Darcy: Should I stay awake? ??

  Joe: I wanna say yes, but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be

  It took a couple of minutes for Darcy to respond and when she did it was in the form of a photo. Joe opened the text allowing the photo to engulf his screen. It was a nude selfie of Darcy accompanied by another text: Your prize awaits at home. If asleep when you get home, wake your prize up with kisses

  Joe felt the front of his pants tighten and he looked around to see if anyone was looking at him or if they had a view from over his shoulder. No one was. He sent another text: I’ll hurry home as fast as I can

  Darcy: Just come home safe and sound

  Joe: I always do. Love ya!

  Darcy: Love ya!

  “Yo.” Jacobs brought Joe’s attention back to work. “Newt sent you and me an email.”

  Joe put away his phone and slid his chair towards Jacobs’ desk where the photos were on the computer screen. Newton was able to clean up the view quite a bit. Not perfect, but Joe could see the guy’s face better. The view still wasn’t a full frontal of the face, but there was familiarity to the face. “Recognize this guy?”

  “No.” Jacobs clicked on a couple more photos of the man. “He’s a younger guy. Probably not quite thirty I would bet.”

  “What I figured also. Anything on the car?”

  Jacobs brought up the photos of the car. It wasn’t on the video too long and they couldn’t get a full shot of the license, but the car looked like a piece of shit with its various colors. Newton was able to clean up this image and zoom in on the license plate. Half of the numbers were visible. Joe pointed to the plates. “Shouldn’t be too hard to figure this out now. What is the car? Camry?”

  “Think so.” Jacobs ran the plates and a few names came up, but only one was local. “2000 Toyota Camry. Registered to David Carlyle. I know that name. From where?”

  Joe closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “Fuck.”

  “You know this guy?”

  “Yeah. I do. Davy Carlyle.”

  “How?”

  “Remember when we first partnered up? My little brother, Danny, lived with us for a bit because he didn’t want to live with our folks?”

  “Yeah. Vaguely.”

  “Well, he’d bring Davy over sometimes to hang out. Davy had a shitty homelife, so I didn’t mind.”

  “Your brother, you still tight with him?”

  Joe shrugged. “I could ask. Might lead us somewhere.”

  Jacobs looked at his watch. “Why don’t you go home and see your kids before it gets too late.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. Not much more here for two people to do tonight. I probably won’t be much longer either.”

  Joe slid back to his desk and began shutting down his computer and gathering his belongings. “You know what, Papa Bear?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Not everyone sees the nice Bear like I do. That’s why I call you ‘Papa Bear.’”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Most think you’re just an angry asshole.”

  “I am an angry asshole. I just like your wife and kids. I don’t see what they see in you though.”

  Joe laughed. “Yeah. I wonder that, too. ‘Night.”

  Jacobs gave a back-handed wave and went back to looking at the computer screen as Joe walked away. He hadn’t spoken to his brother, Daniel, in months. Joe was sure his brother wouldn’t have any idea where Davy was or what he was up to. It was worth asking him and he would try to do it on the way home. It was getting close to the kids going to bed and if he had any chance of seeing them tonight, he needed to get going.

  When Joe walked into his house, all the lights were turned off downstairs. He checked his watch which said it was eight forty-three, so he knew everyone was still awake for a little bit longer. He heard a laugh come from upstairs. The laugh came from his youngest, Thomas.

  Joe hung up his jacket and unlocked the drawer where he put his pistol after unholstering it and clearing the weapon to make sure it wasn’t loaded. He also put the two extra loaded magazines he had clipped to his belt and his badge in the drawer before closing it and locking it. Once this daily ritual was completed, he stood still and listened to the peace and tranquility of his home. The world is a vicious place and over the years Joe had seen the worst in humanity and coming home hearing the happiness of his family helped ease the horrors of his job. As much as Joe wanted to be upstairs and be with his family, he wasn’t quite ready to do so. He needed another moment or two alone.

  There was a plate of food sitting on the counter next to the microwave. It was a plate with two drumsticks and two breasts of homemade fried chicken. The chicken had cooled off slightly, but Joe didn’t mind. He loved Darcy’s fried chicken. He ate a drumstick and breast while washing it down with a glass of milk before deciding to be with his family. On his way upstairs, he made a quick stop into the downstairs bathroom for some floss to get the chicken out of his teeth.

  At the top of the stairs, Joe could see light shining at the bottom of Beth’s and Garrett’s bedroom doors. He gave a little tap on Garrett’s door before opening it. “Hey, guy. How’s it going?”

  “Just reading.” Garrett held up the paperback he was reading. Joe squinted a little to see the title. It was Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker. It made Joe smile when he saw that because he and Garrett had just caught the movie version recently and both enjoyed it.

  Joe pointed to the book. “That as good as that movie we watched?”

  “Yeah. It’s a quick book though. I started at six and only have about thirty pages left. You wanna read it when I’m done?”

  “Yeah. Sure, I’ll give it a try.” Joe pointed down the hall. “Everyone else doing okay tonight?”

  Garrett shrugged. “I guess. Beth was stressing about a math test or something, but when doesn’t she stress about school?”

  Joe shrugged. “Alright then. I’ll let you get back to Cole and Hitch.”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  Joe closed the door and then went to Beth’s door. Once again, he gave a little tap announcing someone entering the bedroom. “Hey there, kiddo.”

  Beth was lying on her belly with a textbook opened to her left and she held a pencil writing in a notebook to her right. “Hey, Daddy.”

  “Your brother says you’re stressing about a math test?”

  She chuckled. “Just a little.”

  “I hated math when I was in school.”

  “That’s what Mr. Diaz says about you, too.”

  That made Joe laugh. “Can’t believe he’s still at it. He’s gotta have about thirty years now teaching.”

  “Thirty-three after this year.”

  “Shit.” He smiled at her. “The guy knows what he’s doing and he’s always helped you. You’ll do fine.”

  “I hope so.”

  “You will. How are your other classes?”

  She shrugged. “They’re fine. Mr. Wells assigned an essay in World History, but it’s not due until the end of the week.”

  Joe knew Mr. Wells. Mike Wells and Joe went to school together and not long before Mike helped Joe find a bunch of kidnapped teenage girls held captive by the high school’s principal and science teacher. He hadn’t spoken to Wells too much since then, but heard he was doing some private investigation work on the side.

  Joe walked all the way into Beth’s room and kissed her on her forehead. “Try not to stress too much about a silly test, okay?”

  She smiled. “I’ll try, Daddy.”

  He smiled back at her and left her room. When he entered his bedroom, Darcy and Thomas were propped up with pillows and eating popcorn. Joe glanced at the TV and they were watching Boss Baby again on Netflix. Seeing his wife and son on the bed made him smile and glad he was home. “Got room on that bed for one more?” Thomas scooted closer to his mother and Joe flopped onto the bed which caused some popcorn to spill. He scooped up the popcorn and put it in his mouth. While chewing, he kissed his son o
n top of his head and blew Darcy a kiss.

  Darcy snuggled her body close to Joe’s. Both were sweaty and winded from the lovemaking that just occurred. As tired as they were, they made the kids go to bed as soon as the movie was over. They waited just long enough to enjoy the silence and took advantage of the fact that they were both still awake. These moments didn’t happen as much as they did early on in their marriage, but when they did happen it was amazing.

  Darcy adjusted her body and kissed Joe’s neck. “That kind of day?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Care to expand?”

  As a reporter Darcy never burned Joe on an investigation. They respected to each other’s jobs and if he ever had anything she could use for the news, he let her know. “We got a lead on one of the guys from the shooting at the Target. He was a friend of Danny’s when they were kids.”

  “Does Danny still talk to this guy?”

  “I don’t think so. He has his own problems with just getting divorced and he doesn’t even live around here anymore. Plus, Danny’s a rule follower. There’s no way he’d break the law.”

  “What’s Nelson’s take on it all?”

  “He thinks it’ll get messy before it’s all said and done.”

  “Sounds like it’s kind of messy right now don’t you think?”

  Joe laughed. “Yeah. Just a little. There’s some kind of powerplay happening here and I just can’t seem to figure out by who. That was a definite hit at Target and this shooting at the school was a hit on one of the guys who walked away from Target.”

  “Can I use that on the record?”

  He shook his head. “Not yet. We need to track down Danny’s friend and the guy who was shot at the school. He took off from the hospital. It was his girlfriend who was killed at the school. He’d just found out she was pregnant.”

  “I know. I heard. Joanne Lang was Thomas’ teacher last year.”

  “Oh shit. That’s why her name sounded familiar.”

  “I’m just glad the kids were all gone when it happened. Thomas was upset about it. That’s why he was in here cuddled up to me watching movies.”

  “I’ll speak with him in the morning.”

  “She wasn’t the target though, right?”

  “No. We’re thinking her boyfriend was. Guy named Paden Evans. I’m sure you’d recognize him. He used to be a private investigator, but is now a bouncer at some of the clubs we’ve been to around town.”

  “So, you need to find both of these guys?”

  “Yeah. We have nothing on the shooter. No lead on the vans used and both times the shooters wore masks. Evans and Danny’s friend were there for other reasons. We think one was dropping off a bag of something. We think Evans was that guy and the other one was there to do a hit.”

  “Sounds like our town is getting ‘mobbed up’ as they say in the movies.”

  “I don’t know about that, but we need to figure this out before the body count increases.”

  “Can you forget about this for a little bit?” Darcy pulled herself closer to Joe and began kissing his neck.

  Joe found her mouth with his and kissed her deeply. “For the rest of the night if you want me to.”

  21.

  Paden wasn’t second guessing what he and Davy were going to do, but he knew there would be no coming back from this. They were both quiet as they sat in Davy’s car as an old Better Than Ezra song was playing. Davy was looking out his window, deep in his own thoughts while in the back seat a small arsenal of weapons was covered by an old blanket and both of them had a pistol with them up front in the car.

  Paden pointed down the road. “You know these guys we’re gonna go see?”

  “A little. I’d see them around Sean’s place doing odd job type things. They’re just some guys who get used far less than I get used when things need to get done. I really don’t think they’re important to Sean, but I’m starting to wonder who really is important to him these days.”

  “So, how connected to Brady are you?”

  Davy shrugged. “I dunno. I don’t deal with him much. His son and I were friends in school, but Alex moved away so I don’t go over to his house as much as I did ten, twelve years ago. Alex left for some Ivy League school and is a writer now and teaches at some college on the East Coast.”

  “Would I know anything he wrote?”

  “Probably. One of his books became a movie. It was that one last year with Viggo Mortenson and that girl from the True Grit remake as his daughter.”

  Paden nodded. “I saw a trailer for it on TV. Never got around to seeing it yet though.”

  “It’s a good one, but of course, the book is always better.”

  “That’s always the case, right?”

  “Usually. Not always though.”

  Paden continued looking out his window realizing they’d been driving for over twenty minutes. They were well-beyond town limits and soon the neighboring town would be coming up. Paden’s aunt and uncle actually lived in that town, but other than them he didn’t know anyone there.

  Thoughts of Joanne flooded Paden’s mind as Davy drove. He wondered if he would’ve ever married her or would they have one of those families where marriage wasn’t necessary. It seemed to happen more and more he noticed with long-standing couples. He’d been with several women over the years, but Joanne was the one he’d been with the longest. He was faithful to her and treated her well. Although, the feelings of being in love with her hit him more recently, he began to think of times over the last few months where he didn’t know what he’d do without her. He had no idea that she was going to die and he now faced life without her. Now that she was gone, he wished he would’ve been more open with her.

  Paden didn’t realize he was holding his breath while thinking about all that until his lungs were about to burst. He let the air out slowly so Davy wouldn’t notice and say something about it. A single tear also rolled down the left side of Paden’s face which he wiped away. “Jaws.”

  Davy looked over. “What’s that?”

  “Jaws. You know, the shark movie.”

  “Ok. You got Tourette’s or some shit?”

  “No. You ever see that movie?”

  “Yeah. Who hasn’t? Scared the shit out of me as a kid. That underwater scene with Richard Dreyfuss. You know the one?”

  Paden smiled and gave a quick laugh. “Yeah. Where that dead guy’s head pops out of the hole in the bottom of that boat?”

  “Fuck. That part still freaks me out.”

  “Ever read the book?”

  “There’s a book?”

  Paden laughed. “Oh yeah. My dad had a paperback copy of it on a bookshelf when I was growing up. I finally got around to reading it a couple of years ago.”

  “Same copy your dad had?”

  “No. I came across this one at a used bookstore.”

  “Better than the movie I take it.”

  “Hell no. Fucking terrible.”

  “That bad, huh?” Davy laughed. “So, I guess you’re telling me to not read it?”

  Paden gave a half-shrug. “You’re a grown-ass man. Just know I struggled through it and it’s a pretty short book.”

  “Do you read a lot?”

  Paden shrugged. “When I can. You?”

  “Same. When I can, that is. My little brother now, that dude’s always reading. Fantasy. Sci-Fi. Comic books. You name it.”

  “That’s good though, right?”

  “Yeah. He’s twenty and works at the Taco Bell on Tenth. Kid’s smart as hell and I keep trying to get his ass to go off to college, but he’s says he’s fine with how his life is.”

  “Twenty? Yeah, I thought I knew it all then, too. I was still in the Army though. What do your folks think?”

  “Dad died when we were little and Mom never really cared one way or the other.”

  “Did you go to college?”

  Davy laughed. “Fuck, man. I hated school. I learned everything I ever needed about life from Big John.”

  Pade
n nodded knowing what Davy meant. He, himself, really didn’t have anyone to mentor him once he got out of the Army. He took every turn in life on his own and learned from every choice and mistake he made. Oftentimes, early on, he made many mistakes. Even now, at his age, he still made them. Taking Lanny up on his offer for this recent job cost him the love of his life and nearly his own.

  Davy drove them into a small town a few minutes later and took a left at a four-way stop at the center of town. He pointed down the road. “There’s an old farm a couple miles down the road on the right. It’s kind of a cooling off spot Sean owns. I’ve stayed there a night or two after a job.”

  Soon, Paden saw the farm Davy was referring to. “It’s just two guys?”

  “Two who did the shootings. Yeah.”

  “Could there be more there?”

  “Probably. You never know.”

  “What do we do if there’s more than just the two shooters there?”

  Davy grabbed his pistol and chambered a round. “I guess we take out everyone in the house.”

  Davy had been sent into many tough situations before by Big John, so walking into the farmhouse with the possibility of being outnumbered wasn’t something he was too worried about. He could take care of those in the house by himself, but Paden needed this, to get his revenge for what happened to his woman. Davy was along to make sure it got done. That was another reason Big John used him for these kinds of jobs. Davy never failed on a hit. At times, the timing could be off, but he eventually finished his task. If Paden couldn’t do this, Davy would.

  They both exited Davy’s car and tucked their pistols in their pants at the base of the backs. Davy chin-pointed to the house. “Let me do the talking. These guys don’t know you.”

  Paden nodded. “That’s fine. I don’t have much to say to them other than finding out who sent them.”

  “Big John told us that already. Brady sent them.”

  “And we’re going after Brady next?”

  “More than likely. You up for that, too?”

  Paden let out a long, deep breath. “If he sent these guys to kill me then yeah. I want to get his ass, too.”

  “One thing at a time. Let’s take care of these guys and go from there.”