Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119935 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
They bounced on the bumpy road like lottery balls in a glass box, and Jack’s speeding was a thing that only nail-biting could alleviate. She’d barely had time to introduce her mother to him after the show. The woman had showed up to let her know she’d extended her stay, so instead of the airport, she went back to the hotel. How Angelique found out about the dance recital, she could only guess—probably all the promotion about it around town—but none of that mattered right then.
After years of torment, Jack finally could sink his teeth into something worthwhile—he now had a name, a new lead to chew on.
“…I don’t care about any of that, Walt. She said these guys were his friends, but that doesn’t help because Chad was practically friends with everyone, and I knew his closest ones. Not one of them was named Beau.”
“Jack, I need you to listen to me. Do not approach anyone. Do not go around asking people who Beau is, either, do you understand me?”
“I can hear you, and I understand what you’re saying.”
Oh, God… he’s going to go out and ask people about this anyway. Certainly, Walt can read between the lines…
“Jack, I’m serious. If this lead is legit, you could compromise the case. I am going to pass this tip along, and we can use programs you don’t have access to that can help us.”
“Help you do what, exactly, Walt? You don’t have a physical description. All we know is he was White. That describes ninety percent of the damn population of Fairbanks. The people here aren’t going to talk to you. You don’t know them, and the girl was scared shitless. She only braved talkin’ to me because she was desperate for the money… and…” He shot Kim a glance. “I think the dance recital may have gotten to her. There was just something about it…”
“Recital?”
“Yes. Tonight, Kim and her students performed various dance routines in honor of the missing and murdered Native women in Alaska. The girl told me she had relatives who also went missing. Many people were there tonight, especially indigenous people. It was incredible.”
“Oh, yes. Kim did mention that to me. Jack, thank you for calling me. Please give us twenty-four hours to get back in touch with you, okay?”
“You told me this isn’t like the movies, Walt. You said there aren’t any people running around the place with guns drawn, or folks in lab coats bent over microscopes, looking at evidence, making quick matches to find some criminal waiting in the wings, and then rushing their findings back to you in a short period of time. It’s not CSI or some thirty-minute crime show. You told me checking out leads could take months, sometimes even years, because they’re so backed up. And even then, many times it leads to nothing more than frustration. You expect me to believe they’re going to put my son at the top of the line? He wasn’t famous. He wasn’t rich. Nobody cares about him but me and his dead mama. Was that not what you said?”
“I told you the truth, but in this situation, I can put some fire under it. On top of that, we’re dealing with a smaller population of people, Jack. This isn’t Los Angeles or Houston. We’re looking exclusively at Fairbanks. If we need to spread out, we will, but oftentimes killers will commit murder in their own surroundings, including when the homicide isn’t premeditated. That puts you at an advantage, so please, Jack, just sit tight. Promise me you won’t go looking for trouble?”
“I never look for trouble. Trouble looks for me, and then it regrets finding me.”
Jack hung up on the man as they pulled into his driveway, then opened the garage door and pulled inside. As she reached for the handle, he quickly jumped out of the driver’s seat and went around to help her out of the vehicle. She wondered if she should ask questions, chat, or be quiet. Too much was going on—elation and sadness all at once. She figured she’d play it by ear, but upon entering Jack’s house, all she could do was gasp.
A big celebratory banner hung in her honor above the fireplace, with all of the children’s names written across it, surrounded by pink, black and silver balloons. As they moved towards the dining room, she noticed two wine glasses and a beautiful cake that read, ‘Congratulations, Kim!’ Now she understood why he stated he’d put Diesel in an upstairs room for the evening. The dessert would’ve been as good as gone. Indeed, she heard the wolf making a racket. Diesel had obviously heard them come in, and wanted in on the action.
“Oh, Jack, I can’t believe this! You didn’t have to do all of this for me.” She wrapped her arms around him and he smiled down at her, giving her a tight hug.