Richard Hale - Frozen Past

The news crews had had a field day with the coverage and the department looked incompetent. The story had been broadcast on every station for two days. Jaxon watched himself deflate on TV as the black coat, hung on a branch by a gardener, fluttered in the wind, the officer holding it frowning into the camera.

Jaxon was frustrated. The computer program he got from Luke Harrison gave them nothing. They had designated one officer the sole task of monitoring the cell phone’s signal, but the damn thing hadn’t even been turned on since the software had been copied to the IT department’s computers. The phone Smith had called from during the funeral was a new number and they had no way of decoding it. The dead ends were like alleyways with thirty foot walls and Dobermans trapping him inside. He felt like he was clawing his fingertips off trying to scale the massive barriers. He’d give Harrison one more try.

He called Victoria at home first.

“You actually know my number,” she said, without saying hello. “It’s a true miracle. Are you bringing Reverb over?”

He smiled to himself for the first time in three days. “Should I? He’s mean and grouchy, but he might remember you.”

“Thanks. I thought dogs always remembered their owners.”

“He has a drinking problem. He can’t even remember where to pee.”

“Sounds like someone I know.”

“Like owner, like mutt.”

“Uh huh.”

“How is the head?” he asked.

“Sore, but I don’t have the bandage anymore. Looks worse than it feels. It’s got that sick yellow tinge to it old bruises get after a few days. Looks like a bird crapped on my head.”

“Well, I was going to ask you to come with me so your beauty and wonderful personality would offset my anger and bad manners, but maybe the bride of Frankenstein will make things worse.”

She laughed and the sound was good in his ear. “I could throw some sheet or bag over my head.”

“Worse.”

“What’s the plan, anyway?”

“I wanted to see if we could sweet talk the Harrison kid into giving up his hacker.”

“Smith’s cell phone hasn’t been turned on?” she asked.

“No. Not even for a second. He’s moved on to a new one and I doubt he’ll go back. This is a smart asshole.”

“When do you want to go?”

“Now.”

“I’ll be ready in fifteen minutes. Think you can find your way?”

“Sure.”

“You’ve never been here.”

Embarrassed he paused. “I know where it is.”

“You have been here,” she said, and he could hear the grin in her voice. “Why didn’t you knock?”

“I just know where it is, ok?”

“Uh-huh. See you in a bit.”

Jaxon put the phone in the cradle, slowly, and kicked himself for looking like a fool. She was not going to get to him this time. He swore to himself it wouldn’t happen. He needed a partner is all and she was the only one on top of everything. Just a partner. Besides, she was seeing Holt now. Their relationship was over and probably irreparably damaged. The death of a child had a tendency to do that. It was a known fact, a lot of marriages failed after the loss of a child. It was just too much to handle. Blame worked its way into the fabric of the love and weakened the threads. Slowly, the material began to unravel and the ragged pieces would give little shelter and warmth.

In Jaxon’s case, the blame had been huge. Still was. He carried a massive amount of guilt around, the burden rendering him ineffectual at times. The alcohol helped, but never pushed it completely out of his mind. He had to live with it every day and he could see it in her eyes, even now, though they were getting along better than they had in years. He imagined her blame as a inferno of resentment and the smoke and embers on the surface reflected in her eyes.

Then why was she being so nice? Why was she flirting with him? Or was he imagining that too? This kind of thinking drove him nuts, so he just shut it off. No time for the bullshit. He needed to find and kill this son-of-a-bitch and do it soon.

He made his way to Reston, where she and Holt held residence, and parked in the street in front of the condo. He knocked on the door and she opened it, smiling. She was beautiful and his mouth must have been hanging open because he forcibly shut it. She smiled even bigger.

“I dressed to impress. Even a teenage boy. They’re the easiest.”

“The way you talked, I expected to have to shelter you from the neighbors so they wouldn’t run screaming in terror.” He paused. “You look good.”

“Thanks,” she said as she pulled the door shut and locked it behind her. Her hair was down and shiny black, the makeup she had applied only let a hint of the bruise through and the bright red lipstick drew enough attention away from her injury that you had to be looking for it to even notice it. The blouse she wore was cream colored and low cut, her cleavage impressive enough to draw any idiot’s eyes away from her face. The bruise would never be seen by most. The tight skirt and heels finished the ensemble, making her radiant in the late afternoon sun.

“I had a thought,” she said.

“Just one?”

“One for now. Do you want to hear it or what?”

“Shoot.” He opened the car door for her and she looked surprised. She slipped into the seat and waited.

“I think it would be good if we picked up the girl too and brought her with us to the Harrison kid’s house. Those two are an item and maybe we can use that to our advantage. She looks so much more open to suggestion than the boy.”

“How do you know this?” but he grinned. “You haven’t even met them.”

“I read Sally’s report as well as yours. She always touches on the more personal aspects of a case where you just stick to the facts. She made reference to the fact they were a couple and the girl, more emotional, as would be expected. The personal stuff can make or break a case you know.”

“Whatever. I like it. Call her mother while we drive. Play the big FBI agent so we can borrow her for a while.”

“That’s me, United States Government employee. Pension plan and all.”

He gave her the number and she made it look easy. Jaxon remembered Madison Pemberton and was glad it was Victoria dealing with her and not him. The woman could be a total bitch.

They picked Ellie up and made a little small talk on the short one minute drive to the Harrison’s. The girl seemed distracted. Jaxon could tell something had happened and he would press it with her when the boy and girl were together. Jaxon hated to think he would be interrogating these two, but there was a lot on the line, including their lives. Especially the girl’s. Smith had said she was next.

As they knocked on the door, Jaxon looked around the court and it occurred to him there just may be hidden web cams somewhere around here. The kids did say it seemed like the killer knew every move they made and a lot of personal information about them. He’d have to check the area when they were done here. The web cam seemed to be the asshole’s tool of choice.

The door was answered by the father who glared at Jaxon but then softened when he saw Victoria. This was going to work like a charm. They were led into the house to the same room he and Sally had been in when they came to give the horrible, but inaccurate, news of their son’s death. The room felt chilly.

The Harrison kid was sitting on the couch waiting for them and when he saw the girl, his eyes lit up and he jumped up and stepped quickly to her, taking her in his arms. This was going to be easier than he thought. Even though he felt confident about getting the information they needed, he couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of happiness at the cuteness of the young couple. Apparently, three days apart was just too much. Victoria turned to him and smiled, giving him a look he was having a hard time reading. Her eyes were shining and he thought she might actually cry, but it didn’t happen. She may not be as useful as he originally thought.