JACK KNIFED (20 page)

Sort Of Pregnant

The Impala stopped in Terry Martinez’s driveway. They could see the teacher in the backyard, struggling as he tried to drag a large tree branch. He waved as they approached.

“Why, hello.” He pushed up his glasses and then wiped his hands on his pants.

“Good morning.” Jack shook his hand. “I want to apologize. You might get a visit—”

“From Jeff Franklin?” Terry asked.

Jack and Replacement nodded.

“He was already here. Persistent guy. I, of course, told him I had nothing to do with it. He asked lots of questions about the both of you.”

Jack grabbed the large tree branch Terry had been tugging on and started to drag it to the pile in the middle of the yard.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Kiss off. In a polite way, of course.” Terry smiled. “I told him the truth, which is boring and doesn’t sell newspapers. I told him I didn’t know anything. I don’t think he believed me.”

“We’re going there next.”

“We’ll explain it to him,” Replacement added.

Terry got next to Jack, and the two of them finished tossing the heavy branch onto the pile.

“Do you believe me? That I didn’t have anything to do with it?”

Jack nodded.

“You do?” Replacement made a face.

“Chief Dennis Senior checked your alibi. It’s in the report.” Jack shrugged. “And you seem…I think you seem like a good guy.”

Terry smiled and shook his hand.

“Do you want to come in for a drink?”

“No, thanks. I have to get over to Jeff’s and try to stop this next article.”

“Good luck with that.”

“Thanks.”

Terry walked them back to the car. “If you can sometime, stop over. I’d like to talk to you about Steven. He was a good friend.”

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to it.”

*****

Jeff Franklin’s apartment was only four streets away. The ride took less than two minutes. The reporter’s car was parked in the driveway. Jack knocked on the door, and Replacement slipped in front of him.

“Just in case,” she whispered.

“In case of what?”

“In case you lose your temper.” She smiled up at him. The door opened a crack and the little chain lock swung into view.

“Are you angry?” Franklin peered out.

“What the hell do you think I am?” Jack erupted and bumped up against Replacement’s back. “You said you’d retired. You said I was off the record.”

“I did not,” the old man piped. “I also said I was ‘mostly’ retired.”

“Mostly retired? That’s like being sort of pregnant. You are, or you’re not. Do you know how much crap you just stirred up? I don’t think Terry had anything to do with it.”

“But you said—”

“Well, I was wrong. Now I have one Terry threatening to sue me, another one freaked he’ll lose his job, and I’m worried the third one will lose his job.”

“You don’t think they did it?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“They didn’t do it.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Don’t ask.” Replacement shook her head.

“Why not?” The door opened a little more.

“Jack has his own built-in lie detector, and it works differently on each person. Sometimes he can tell if you’re lying if he likes you. Other times he has to beat the snot out of you or throw you through a wall.”

“Jack, is that true? I know you beat up Terry Bradford, but who did you throw through a wall?”

“No one. She was making a stupid joke. No one. And no Terry is a suspect.” He glared at Replacement.

“You can’t keep printing stuff,” Replacement protested. “Someone shot at Jack—”

“The killer tried to kill the son, too? Where?” He held up a little notebook.

“Nowhere. It didn’t happen.” Jack leaned in. “You can’t print anything about the Terrys. They didn’t do it.”

“Then give me something to print. Who shot at you?”

“I’m not saying anything else to you.”

“Then I’ll print everything. I’ll make a trade. Who shot at you?”

“The guy with the gun. I don’t know. I couldn’t see him.”

“Then give me the when, where, and how. Or—”

“If you print this stuff, Jack will lose his job.” Replacement stamped her foot.

“Excuse me, miss. But from what I found out, Jack was directly involved in a scandal at White Rocks College. His job is as good as gone. It’s only a matter of time.”

“It wasn’t a scandal; they tried to kill us. I was there. They were crazy and tortured us after giving Jack drugs—”

“Replacement, shut up. Jeff, I know you have worked on this case for years. I get it, okay? Your story today got the killer riled up enough to draw him out.”

Jeff smiled and puffed up a bit. “It did? I lured him out?”

“Yes. You might be writing the next story about you solving this case. But the Terry angle, you can’t print that. Please.” Jack turned his hands out. “If I find something out, I’ll give you an exclusive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But if you print something else, the deal’s off.”

The door closed. Jack and Replacement waited a few moments, and it opened again, but the chain was still attached.

“Deal. I won’t reveal the Terry information. Anything else said, or that I find out, is fair game, and I get an exclusive.”

“Deal.”

The door closed. Replacement kicked the welcome mat into the bushes.

“Creep.” She hurried to catch up to Jack. “Why don’t you want him to print anything about any of the Terrys?”

“They didn’t do it.” The Impala’s tires squealed as he backed up too fast.

“Are you totally sure?”

“I know it. In my gut. Maybe my mother got stuff mixed up. The part about Steven was correct, but the Terry part…” Jack shook his head. “I think she may have been wrong.”

Stop Smiling

They rode in silence back to the inn. Jack drummed the steering wheel, and Replacement stretched out in the seat. When they reached the stop sign outside the parking lot, Replacement sat up.

“What’s she doing?”

“Who?” Jack looked around.

A young girl jogged away from them, and a lady got into a car at the inn parking lot. Jack’s mouth fell open. The tall woman across the street was dressed in three-inch high heels, a short miniskirt, and a tight, low-cut blouse. She was also getting into Kristine’s car.

Jack and Replacement looked at each other.

“Is that Kristine?” Replacement’s lip curled.

“Where’s she going dressed like…?” Jack gripped the steering wheel.

Kristine backed the car up and pulled out. Jack followed.

“Should I call her?” Replacement held up her phone and Jack pulled her hand down.

“Keep it low, kid. It’s going to be hard enough to tail her in the Impala.” Jack slowed down and let another car pull in front of them.

“I take that as a ‘don’t call’ then?” Replacement put her phone away.

“Keep it out.”

Replacement made a face.

“Now you want me to call?”

“No. Get a mapping program up. I want to know where we’re going.”

Jack didn’t have to wait long. He stayed behind the one car until it turned off and then remained as far back as he could without losing sight of her.

“The only thing down here is the high school.” Replacement zoomed out on her phone.

Why go there, looking like that?

“Scary thing is,” Replacement began, “she looks like your old girlfriend, Gina. Remember her? The crazy one? She’s…hey, stop smiling.”

“What?”

“Don’t smile when I talk about an old girlfriend.”

“What?”

“You should frown or something.”

“I wasn’t smiling about her. I was thinking about when you chased her out of the apartment.”

Replacement’s grin quickly vanished. “Where is she?”

“Damn.” Jack searched the road, but her car wasn’t on it. “She must have turned off by the school.”

Jack sped up and turned in. He slowed at the corner of the building and caught sight of her car. She was headed toward the back of the school, near the football field.

Jack examined the map on Replacement’s phone. “No way out of there. I’ll swing up.”

The road split, and Jack took the right fork that would look down toward the football field. Kristine parked facing the woods. Jack parked near a running track.

“Get out.” Jack opened the door.

“What? Shouldn’t we lie low?”

“She’ll see the car. I don’t know if she knows it’s mine. Look like you’re going to go for a run.”

Replacement hopped out and began to stretch. He was glad she had when he noticed another car come into view at the other side of the school. He leaned into the door and watched. The tan Audi waited for a few moments before it continued. It drove over and parked next to Kristine’s car.

Jack’s eyes narrowed when he saw the man who got out.

“It’s the school counselor. The other Terry,” Replacement whispered into the window.

“What’s Kristine thinking?”

Replacement opened the door and got in but didn’t shut it.

“She must be undercover.” Her face lit up.

“What?”

“He must have written back to meet her. That’s why she’s here.”

“She wouldn’t. Not without telling me. Damn. Yes, she would.”

“I’m sure of it. I know a lot about going undercover.”

Jack shook his head.

I can’t leave her down there. If he did have something to do with Steven’s murder…

“Come on.”

“You’ll blow her cover.”

“It’s not a game.”

“I’m not playing, Jack. We’re in this together, but she has a part, too.”

“Kid—”

“Let me jog down there, and I’ll see what I can see. I’ll give you a signal.”

I’m out of my mind.

“Go.” Jack cracked his door open and tried to gauge the distance down the hill to Kristine’s car.

Seven seconds to cover that much ground. That’s a long time.

Jack cracked his neck and flexed his legs as he waited. He watched Replacement jog down the road and turn toward the football field. The road would take her behind the car and, if they did see her, it would look as if she was headed for the football field.

When she reached the equipment shed, she stopped. He could see her peering around it. He cracked his knuckles and put one leg out of the car. Minutes passed. Replacement didn’t move or signal. Jack cracked his neck. He was never good at waiting. At Quantico, he’d taken only one sniper class. Patience might be a virtue, but it was not one of his.

Kristine’s car shook back and forth. Replacement stood up. Jack shoved his door open. Replacement began running. Jack took two huge strides before he dashed down the hill. His gun was in his hand. Kristine’s passenger door flew open.

Replacement would reach the car first.

“Back off, Alice,” Jack screamed. She kept running.

Terry was coming out of the car backward, with Kristine on top of him.

Three more strides. I don’t have a clear line of sight on him.

Jack took three more huge strides but had to move to the right because of Replacement.

“FREEZE!”

Replacement skidded to a stop, but his command had no effect on Kristine. She pummeled Terry with her fists.

“You rotten bastard!” Her fists slammed down on him. Terry whimpered and held his arms in front of his face.

“Help! Get her off me! Help!”

Jack holstered his gun, grabbed Kristine around the waist, and pulled her into the air. A stream of profanity poured from her mouth as she struggled to break free.

Terry crawled to his feet. “Are you a cop? Arrest her. Arrest that crazy bit—”

Terry’s words were cut off as Jack grabbed him by the throat. Jack spun him around, and slammed him into his car.

“Why was she screaming?” Jack glanced at Kristine and her ripped blouse. When Jack looked at Terry again, Terry gasped and started to shake.

“Why?” Jack growled as his fingers tightened around Terry’s throat.

“If you want him to talk, I think he has to breathe.” Replacement put her hand on Jack’s arm.

Jack relaxed his grip, and Terry gasped for air.

Kristine stood there panting. “That piece… What he did… She just wanted… You bastard!” She lunged at Terry, and Replacement wrapped her arms around her waist like a linebacker as she tried to hold her back.

“Talk.” Jack shoved Terry against the car.

“I have no idea,” Terry whined.

“You better say something because I can’t stop both of them,” Replacement snapped as she planted her feet and tried to hold back the larger woman.

“I’m sorry,” Terry whimpered.

“I’m so sick of hearing that.” Jack grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head down onto the hood. “You’re going to talk to me, and if what you’re telling me doesn’t match what she says, I’m breaking your head like an egg.”

Terry started to cry.

“What happened?” Jack screamed and raised Terry’s head a foot off the hood.

Terry started to babble incoherently.

“Kristine.” Replacement slapped her across the face.

Kristine stopped screaming and stood up straight. Her eyes were wide, and her nostrils flared.

“I always wanted to do that.” Replacement grinned. When Kristine leaned forward, she quickly added, “Not to you, but…you know, just to see if that works.”

“Don’t. I’m fine.” Kristine pulled her blouse down. “He”—she raised a trembling hand and pointed at Terry—“he thought I was a prostitute. He put two hundred dollars on the dashboard and…grabbed my…”

DING!

Jack slammed Terry’s head down on the hood. Terry sobbed.

“What did he say about Steven?”

“Who?” Terry cried.

“Steven Ritter.”

“Ritter? That was years ago.” His feet started to slide around as Jack pressed down on his head.

“What did he say about Steven?” Jack turned to look at Kristine. Kristine looked at Jack and she gasped.

“Kristine?” Jack lowered his voice.

“I didn’t get that far.” She brushed back her hair. “He just talked about Patty.”

“About Patty? You’re not Patty?” Terry stopped struggling.

“What do you know about Steven Ritter?” Jack leaned down, so he was right in his face.

“He was the student who was stabbed. I did the grief counseling. Him? The one at the pond. Is that who you’re talking about?”

“That’s him. How did you know Patty?”

“I…are they connected? I didn’t—”

“Is that what I asked you?” Jack pulled Terry off the hood and spun him around.

“Please, I didn’t know Steven. I think he was Brad’s…Brad Strumford was his counselor.”

“How did you know Patty?” Jack shook him.

Terry’s face contorted, and he made a little gurgling sound.

“Go ahead and tell him,” Kristine growled.

“Please. I’m sorry. I was her counselor. She needed help. She asked for some money, so…I gave it to her.” He looked at Replacement.

“What did you make her do for it?” Kristine’s voice was cold.

Jack’s hands tightened on his shirt. Suddenly, Replacement kicked Terry in the groin so hard he came almost a foot off the ground before he crumpled in a heap. Jack and Kristine both looked at her, and their mouths fell open.

Replacement leaned down. “You should thank me, scumbag. The guy standing here who was about to rip your lungs out is Patty’s son. Now…that little kick isn’t going to do anything to stop him if you don’t answer the next question. How did you know Steven?”

Terry held up one trembling hand. “I didn’t.” He panted. “I swear on my mother’s soul. I didn’t know him.”

“What about Patty?” Replacement asked.

“I…she told me she needed some money. I shouldn’t have made her…the only time I had anything to do with Patty was that one time. I swear. I gave her the money. She dropped out right after that.”

He broke down and started to sob. Replacement looked up at Jack, and he shook his head.

“This is the deal,” Replacement continued. “You go to the cops, and this is what happens: one, I tell your wife what a cheating scumbag you are and show her your dating profiles. Two, I tell the cops you were soliciting. Three, he comes back and finishes the conversation with your head, and I bring back hedge clippers, so you never hurt another girl. Understand?”

Terry nodded into the dirt.

“Go.” Jack looked at Kristine. “We’ll follow you.”

As Kristine walked to her car, Jack looked down at Terry.

“My mother came to you for help, and you used her. I should kill you right now.”

Terry sobbed and writhed in the dirt.

“He’s not worth it.” Replacement spat before she grabbed Jack’s arm and headed back to the car.