JACK KNIFED (28 page)

Authors: Christopher Greyson

BOOK: JACK KNIFED

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Jack lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling. His eyes followed along the cracks, and he put his arms out to either side.

Replacement and I will move downstairs tomorrow. I have to be out of my mind to be thinking about her.

He exhaled and sighed. His eyes had just closed when he heard the faint tap at the bedroom door. It slowly opened, and Replacement’s face appeared, her green eyes shining.

“You asleep?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

“Shut up.” She walked in, dragging her comforter and carrying her pillow.

Jack sat up.

“Do you want me to sleep on the couch, kid? Do you want the bed?” He started to get up but stopped when she shook her head.

“I want the bed, but I don’t want you to sleep on the couch.” She looked up nervously.

Jack raised an eyebrow.

“We can still do the pillow thing down the middle.” Her shoulders popped up and down. “I don’t want to sleep alone.”

Jack moved over, and she scooted up next to him.

“Thanks.” She fanned the comforter out and wiggled around until she was comfortable. “You couldn’t sleep?”

Jack shook his head. “I was thinking.”

“About what?”

“My parents. In Florida. I haven’t seen them in a while, so I’m going to go down and visit them.”

“When?”

“Next month maybe. I have the time at work. Sheriff Collins said the time I have taken off is paid. I don’t think he’s too happy I’m back now anyway.”

They both lay there and gazed up at the ceiling. Jack continued to follow the cracks until they faded off into the darkness.

“Did you hear her?”

“Who?” Replacement rolled onto her elbow to look at Jack.

He closed his eyes for a second before he continued. “Patty. She said my name is Steven.”

Replacement nodded, and her hand ran softly over his.

“I’m going to change my name.” Jack closed his eyes.

Replacement sat up. “You’re not going to be Jack anymore?”

Jack shook his head. “I’ll still be Jack. That’s like…who I am. It would be too weird to change that.”

“Good. I like Jack.”

“I was thinking…I’m going to change it to Jack Alton Steven Stratton.”

He turned and looked at her and was surprised that she made a face.

“What?”

Replacement rolled onto her back and pressed her lips together.

“What? You don’t like that?” Jack’s voice rose.

“I like it. I really do. I think that’s very nice of you, but…” She held her hands up. “Could you go with Jack Steven Alton Stratton?”

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, but why?”

Replacement smiled. “Well, if you go with it your way…you’ll be Jack A.S.S.” She burst out laughing.

Jack leaned on one elbow, his mouth fell open, and then closed with a pop. He rolled on his back and burst out laughing, too. They both lay there until their laughter faded into the occasional snicker and, finally, contented sighs.

Jack closed his eyes, and he could feel sleep slowly clouding his thoughts.

Replacement rolled over. “How long are you going to be gone?”

“I was thinking four days with my folks, but I was going to make a stop before there. They live right outside Orlando.”

Replacement shrugged.

“Would you want—would you want to go to Disney World with—”

His words were choked off, along with his air supply as Replacement rolled on top of him. With her legs straddling his stomach, she sat up and raised her hands over her head and cheered.

“I always wanted to go. Always!” She drummed her hands on his chest.

“That’s sorta why I’m asking.” Jack grinned.

“I know all about it. I had a book. Did you know there are different parks? It’s really cool.”

Jack slowly drifted off to sleep as Replacement ran down her ever-lengthening list of the things they’d do together in the Magic Kingdom.

The Impala turned onto the road to the Hope Falls Library. Jack had written a hasty note for Replacement and slipped away at three a.m. It was a long drive, but with no traffic, he made great time. It was still early, and everything was quiet in the little town.

Jack relaxed into the seat and smiled. He felt great. For the past three days, all he’d done was sleep. The nightmares had stopped, and Replacement always shut off his alarm, so he was sleeping until almost noon. This morning was different: not bad, just different.

His eyes had flashed open, and he just seemed to know what he had to do. It was as though he made a checklist while he was sleeping, and he hurried out of bed to get started on it.

The first stop was the little library. One lone interior light was on inside, but he knew it was closed. He sighed as he walked up to the entrance and looked in. He could almost feel the calmness and smell the wood.

Maybe I’ll stop back after I see my grandmother.

Jack grinned. He was looking forward to his surprise visit. He’d decided to come only this morning, so he hadn’t called, but he was sure she wouldn’t mind.

That’s the third stop. First here.

Jack turned and opened the book return chute. He looked down to the wrapped package in his hands and smiled. Inside were the two yearbooks and an apology card from Replacement for “accidentally” borrowing them. She’d found them when they were unpacking and wanted to drive back right then.

As he slid the package inside and closed the door, he suppressed the urge to pick up the phone and thank her. Before she wrapped the yearbooks, he’d taken another look at his parents’ photos. Replacement hadn’t said anything to him, but when he looked at Patty’s photo, the graffiti someone had written about her was gone. The paper was only a little more frayed now, but you couldn’t tell that someone had defaced it.

She didn’t say anything. The kid’s like that.

Jack ran his hand through his hair and headed back to the car. The Impala restarted with a deep roar and Jack smiled and patted the dashboard. She’d been running even better since Atlas Auto had flushed her out. He slipped her into drive and headed back down the road.

He looked over at Henry Cooper’s house and grinned. He’d have to stop by sometime. Jack rolled his shoulders and exhaled. There were now a lot of things he’d have to do sometime, and most of them involved Hope Falls.

He pulled onto the main road and hit the gas. The Impala purred, and he settled back into the seat to enjoy the feeling as the car softly rose and fell as the speed increased. His fingers gripped the wheel lightly, and he listened to the engine hum.

Is this content or happy? Maybe it’s both?

Jack looked down at his chest and grinned as he inhaled. He pulled the rearview mirror down and a man who needed a shave with deep brown eyes stared back. Jack smiled and flipped the mirror up.

He lowered his head and was about to push the pedal to the floor when he saw the sign up ahead. He let the car slow way down before he pulled in. His head swiveled around in a full scan, but he knew he was alone.

The Hope Falls Cemetery was set on a few acres of carefully maintained ground. It was an older cemetery and large trees ringed the edges. In the middle, a huge oak rose up, its thick branches spread out.

Jack’s jaw clenched, and he could feel his muscles tighten as a somberness seeped in. He looked from the small headstones to a statue of a weeping angel draped over a tomb, its wings hanging in perpetual sorrow. He turned his head away as the sight of a lone teddy bear against a grave crashed into his chest.

Jack tried to only look forward as he headed for the back left corner. He never did well with death and in his twenty-six years had seen more than most. A gallery of faces flashed at the edges of his thoughts.

None of us makes it out of here alive.

As he reached the back, he stopped and shut the car off. He was grateful that Kristine had told him right where it was so he didn’t have to search. He walked slowly down a slightly worn path he was certain must have been made by Kristine and his grandmother on their trips to the little headstone.

His father was buried beside his grandfather. On the granite marker were the words: BELOVED SON. STEVEN RITTER.

Two weeks ago, I didn’t even know him. Now…

Jack hung his head and stood there silently for a moment. The first breeze of the morning stirred the grass, and Jack looked up.

“Hi, Dad. It’s me, Steven . . .”

Need more Jack?

Here’s a preview of the next book in the Jack Stratton Collection:

Jacks Are Wild

Handsome white knight Jack Stratton is back in this action-packed, thrilling adventure. When his sexy old flame disappears, no one thinks it’s suspicious except Jack and one unbalanced witness. Jack feels in his gut that something is wrong. He knows that Marisa has a past, and if it ever caught up with her—it would be deadly.

Determined to buck the critics and listen to his instincts, he and his young feisty sidekick plunge ahead and start tracking down leads, hoping to find Marisa in time. The trail leads them into all sorts of trouble—landing them smack in the middle of an all-out mob war between the Italian Mafia and the Japanese Yakuza. When evidence surfaces that Marisa was kidnapped, Jack must navigate through the warring parties, assassins, and cold-blooded hit men to outwit the cunning kidnappers before it is too late. As the body count rises, the stakes in this game are life and death—with no rules except one: Jacks are Wild.

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JACKS ARE WILD