Smoke Signals (A John Tall Wolf Novel Book 4) (19 page)
Read Smoke Signals (A John Tall Wolf Novel Book 4) Online
Authors: Joseph Flynn
Tags: #Mysteries & Thrillers
Tuesday, October 20, 2015, Santa Barbara, California
John and Rebecca walked hand in hand along Butterfly Beach just as the sun was cresting the eastern horizon. They had the place to themselves. Rebecca kicked at the white foam of the small waves as they rolled onto the beach and receded out into the deep.
Wearing a look of mock insecurity, John asked, “Our wedding night wasn’t that disappointing, was it?”
She gave him an elbow to the ribs, a gentle one.
“No, not disappointing at all. I figure you’ve got about five good years left in you.”
John laughed. “I hope so, and maybe a few more.”
Rebecca said, “It’s just … I took a look at the
Toronto Sun
online before you woke up.”
“And?” John asked.
“Home page, top story. Yours truly in her dress uniform. Annie Oakley with arrows or something like that. Ottawa is very embarrassed about the bad guys being Canadian but couldn’t be more pleased about me.”
“That’ll make you a lot harder to banish to the hinterlands,” John said.
“Maybe. I still think there’s a boom about to be lowered.”
John put an arm around his new wife’s shoulders. “I know we said we wouldn’t get each other any wedding gifts until we both had time to do it, but I couldn’t wait.”
Rebecca looked up at John, something she had to do when they were barefoot.
“What did you do?”
“I didn’t try to pressure your government.”
“Good.”
“I did try to provide you with an alternative or two.”
“Like what?”
“Have you heard that James J. McGill’s investigations agency is expanding. Besides the one in DC there’s another in Paris.”
“You want us to move to France?”
John shook his head. “What Byron tells me, there are going to be offices opening in Chicago and Los Angeles, too.”
“You want to move to one of those cities?”
“Not necessarily. I spoke with Mr. McGill just before the ceremony got started yesterday and talked to him about the possibility of opening an office in Toronto with you as the person running it.”
Rebecca stopped dead in her tracks. “What did he say?”
“He said he’d think about it and he’s willing to discuss the idea with you.”
“He saw the video, didn’t he?”
John nodded. “On his own initiative, he also got a look at your service record.”
“He can do that?” Rebecca asked, surprised.
“Apparently. One other thing, if Toronto doesn’t work out for whatever reason, Byron is going to be the head of the L.A. office. He said you’d be welcome there, but you’d have to settle for being number two in the office.”
Rebecca resumed walking. “I’d also have to learn a new city, a new country, new laws.”
“The winters are milder than in Canada, I hear.”
“There is that.” Rebecca said with a laugh. She looked around. “This is a gorgeous place.”
John said, “There are drawbacks, but there are always drawbacks everywhere.”
“What about us? Do you want to go to work for Mr. McGill, too?”
“No, not yet anyway. I like what I’m doing, and someone has to keep an eye on Marlene. But with you in the private sector, you’ll have more freedom to set your own schedule. We should have more time together, and I promise not to marry anyone else while you’re not looking.”
“Sure, I’ve just shown you how dangerous I can be. But if we want to have kids, and I do, what then?”
“We’ll adjust accordingly. I like my job, but I’m not wed to it. Just you.”
“Good. As pretty and warm as it is here, I think I’d choose Toronto first, if I have the choice.”
“If you don’t stay in the RCMP and make all of my scheming irrelevant.”
“Do you have your phone on you?”
John nodded. He dug it out of a pocket and handed it to her.
“Calling home?”
“Calling Deputy Commissioner Murphy. I want this sorted out right now.”
“How much time you think you’ll need?”
“Ten minutes will probably do it.”
“I’ll give you thirty. I’ll go get us a couple of nutritionally balanced but refreshing drinks.”
“Don’t forget the straws,” Rebecca said.
She watched John jog off on the hard-packed, wave-washed sand, thought about gaining a husband and maybe losing her country. She sat facing the ocean and made the call. Deputy Commissioner Murphy answered by saying, “I’ve never had a call from the American Bureau of Indian Affairs before. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking? Is this Lieutenant Bramley’s sweetheart?”
Rebecca laughed. “No, Eileen, it’s me, and I’m speaking to you informally because I’d like this to be a woman-to-woman conversation.”
“Sure. You want to know where things stand, if I’m not mistaken.”
“You’re not.”
The deputy commissioner told Rebecca about the behind the scenes scheming by the Marchands and the counter-plotting by the Bramleys and herself.
“We thought we had things all worked out, and then you had to go all
Hunger Games
on us.”
“So where does that leave me?” Rebecca asked.
“Well, there’s no way anyone in the government is going to exile you now. That’s the good news. The regrettable news is that your fate and Serge Marchand’s are still tied together. If you can’t be banished, neither can he. He’ll be reassigned in an equivalent post in another province, probably Quebec.”
“He’s the one who should be punished,” Rebecca said.
Murphy sighed. “The prevailing opinion among most of our male counterparts is that you’ve punished him quite enough.”
“Shit.”
“Yes, indeed. So can you live with what I’ve told you?”
Rebecca didn’t need a heartbeat to think about it. “No.”
“No?”
Rebecca told the deputy commissioner that she had married her American, and she had one and maybe two job offers in the private sector.
“Here or there?” Murphy asked.
“One in each country.”
“You’re sure you want to leave the force and possibly your country?”
“If Marchand stays, yes. If I go, you’ll see to it that he doesn’t get to stay.”
A laugh came from the deputy commissioner. “Oh, yes, I’ll see to it. I don’t care who tries to fight me on that.”
“Thank you, Eileen.”
“Send me a post card if you stay down south, Rebecca, and make sure you have a room for me if I want to go somewhere warm in the winter. I’ll tell you all about Serge Marchand’s final days on the force.”
“I can’t wait,” Rebecca said.
She broke the connection, and looked out at the ocean rolling onto the California beach.
Maybe the place she’d learn to call home.
As the sun continued its climb, she grew warm and thirsty.
She felt she could use something nutritionally balanced and refreshing.
Looking to her left she saw John approaching with a cup in each hand.

Joseph Flynn has been published both traditionally — Signet Books, Bantam Books and Variance Publishing — and through his own imprint, Stray Dog Press, Inc. Both major media reviews and reader reviews have praised his work. Booklist said, “Flynn is an excellent storyteller.”
The Chicago Tribune
said, “Flynn [is] a master of high-octane plotting.” The most repeated reader comment is: Write faster, we want more.
Contact Joe at
Hey Joe
on his website:
www.josephflynn.com
All of Joe’s books are available for the Kindle or free Kindle app through
www.amazon.com
.
The Jim McGill Series
The President’s Henchman,
A Jim McGill Novel [#1]
The Hangman’s Companion
, A JimMcGill Novel [#2]
The K Street Killer
A JimMcGill Novel [#3]
Part 1: The Last Ballot Cast,
A JimMcGill Novel [#4 Part 1]
Part 2: The Last Ballot Cast,
A JimMcGill Novel [#4 Part 2]
The Devil on the Doorstep,
A Jim McGill Novel [#5]
The Good Guy with a Gun
, A Jim McGill Novel [#6]
The Echo of the Whip, A Jim McGill Novel [#7]
The Ron Ketchum Mystery Series
Nailed
, A Ron Ketchum Mystery [#1]
Defiled
, A Ron Ketchum Mystery Featuring John Tall Wolf [#2]
Impaled, A Ron Ketchum Mystery [#3]
The John Tall Wolf Series
Tall Man in Ray-Bans
, A John Tall Wolf Novel [#1]
War Party,
A John Tall Wolf Novel [#2]
Super Chief, a John Tall Wolf Novel
[#3]
The Zeke Edison Series
Stand Alone Titles
Round Robin
, A Love Story of Epic Proportions
Pointy Teeth
: Twelve Bite-Sized Stories
You may read free excerpts of Joe’s books by visiting his website at:
www.josephflynn.com
.
