Douglas Dorow - The Ninth District

“Get out of here. I’ve got the screens, I’m across the hall.”

“Jack, listen. You need to sleep. I know you’ve taken precautions. Paid cash, changed cell phones, you’ve got the command center. But, you need to man it and you need to sleep. You can’t afford to miss anything or to not be sharp.” Junior tried to struggle to a sitting position and stuck out his good hand to Jack. “Give me a hand?”

Jack pulled Ross up to a sitting position.

“Thanks. Let’s hang out, order a pizza, give each other a break.

“All right.” Jack sat on the foot of the bed and searched the screens for his family at the water park. “Get what you want, I’ll eat whatever. Get a couple liters of soda too. It’s going to be a long night.”

“And a long day too. Aren’t you spending tomorrow with the family at the Fourth of July celebration?” Ross asked.

Jack kept his focus on the television. “Yeah, so get that pizza ordered and come take watch so I can get a nap.”

“Jack, wake up. Look.”

Jack jumped out of bed and stared at the screen that Ross was watching.

“What’s up?”

A man stood facing the doorway across the hall from them. He was wearing shorts and a polo shirt. His back was to them so Jack couldn’t see what he looked like, but he saw that he was digging in his pocket for something.

“He stopped in front of the door and just stood there,” Ross said.

“Tell me what you see him doing.” Jack crossed the room to the door, looked out the peephole, and put his hand on the knob. His other hand held his gun. He watched the man remove the card key from his pocket.

Jack turned the knob to unlatch the door.

The man looked at the door, turned, and walked down the hallway.

“He’s leaving, Jack. The way he’s walking, looks like he may be a little drunk. Stopped at the wrong door.”

“Keep watching him.” Jack stood at the door and watched the closed door across the hall through the peephole. Two doors between him and his family. He should be in their room watching them, but he couldn’t worry them with the truth and Julie wouldn’t let him otherwise.

“He went to the stairs, Jack. I bet he was at the right room, but wrong floor.”

“What time is it?”

“Have something to eat. It’s probably still warm.”

Jack sat at the table by the window, helped himself to some pizza, and looked at the scene on the television. His family was sound asleep. Lynn and Willy shared a bed and Julie was sleeping on her stomach on the right side of the bed, her side. His side was empty. The images on the TV next to the bedroom scene scrolled as Ross conducted surveillance.

“Hey, Junior. Did you watch them get ready for bed?”

“No, it’s your wife.”

“It’s OK, I trust you,” Jack said quietly.

Ross focused on the screen while he answered. “I checked in on them when I thought they should be done. I tried to scan the perimeter outside and the hallways while they were getting ready.”

Jack sat on the foot of the bed next to Ross and put out his hand for the remote.

Ross handed it to him and took his turn lying on the bed for a rest. “It’s pretty busy, weekend and all. If you need some help watching the screens, let me know.”

“Get some sleep, Junior.”

Ross grabbed a second pillow and used his good arm to fluff it up and place it behind his neck so he could see Jack and the TV. “The kids are wound up. Probably excited to see you tomorrow.”

“I’m excited to see them too. Get some sleep.”

“Willy’s up. The others are stirring,” Ross said.

Jack stretched, grabbed his glasses, sat up, and looked at the television.

“Willy’s always been an early riser. Call room service and get us some breakfast? I’ll take eggs, hashbrowns, and a pot of coffee. I’m going to shave and take a shower.”

“Let me run in there first?”

“Sure.” Jack turned on the radio to get some news while he watched his family wake up.

Jack walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was slicked back. The air smelled like soap. “Looks like they’re having fun.” Willy waved a small American flag as they walked down the hall towards their room. “Happy Fourth of July, Junior.”

“Today’s a holiday, right?”

“A holiday? What’s that? Didn’t they cover that at Quantico in new agent training? We don’t get government holidays off.” Jack dressed in shorts, polo shirt, and running shoes. The shirt was untucked to cover the handgun at his waist. “But I’m spending today with my family.” The coffee Jack drank down was lukewarm and he grimaced as he swallowed it. “What are you going to do today for your investigation?”

“It is a bank holiday, so I’m not talking to any bankers or employees.” Ross yawned. “What time is check out? Maybe I’ll hang here and take a nap.” He lay back on the bed, his good arm propped behind his head, the other arm in the sling across his chest. “Then this afternoon hit the office to look through the files again and tonight I’ll walk down to Nicollet Island and see the fireworks you’ve told me so much about.”

Jack tossed his duffle bag onto the bed. “Only call me if you really need to. And if you aren’t out of here by eleven you pay the extra day.”

After stashing his duffle in his car parked down the street from the hotel, Jack made his way back to Julie’s room, waved at the camera for Ross, and knocked on the door. He heard a commotion as the kids ran to the door and argued over who got to open it. Julie told the kids to let her get it. Jack wasn’t sure if it was for safety or if she was looking forward to seeing him too.

“Who is it?” Julie asked though the door.

Your lover, your hero, the man of your dreams, your husband, the father of your children, all flashed through his mind. He settled on, “It’s me, Jack.”

Julie opened the door. Jack didn’t know what to say. His wife stood there with her hair pulled back, just the way he liked it, sunglasses poked into her hair above her forehead, a golden tan, no makeup except a light coating of lipstick, khaki shorts, and a sleeveless, off-white top.

“Hi,” he said and stepped forward to give her a kiss. Julie turned her head and Jack kissed her lightly on the cheek. “You look great,” he whispered in her ear.

“Thanks. You should have called to make sure we were ready.” Julie stepped to the side to let Jack into the room. “Kids, Dad’s here.”

Both kids charged and grabbed on, one hugging around his waist from each side. “Hey, guys. Did you have fun spending the night here? Did you go down the water slide?”

“It was so cool, Dad,” Lynn said.

“Part of the tunnel goes outside,” Willy added. “And we went in the hot tub too.”

Jack looked around the room. “Smells like sun screen in here. It looks like you’re packed. Let’s get you checked out, haul your stuff to the car, and walk over to Nicollet Island.”

“Yeah!” the kids yelled in unison and ran to get their bags.

“On the news it said a woman was shot.”

Jack walked next to Julie across the Hennepin Avenue Bridge. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked straight ahead, watching Willy and Lynn who had run on ahead of them. “I’m sure he was shooting at me. He was waiting for me, targeted me just like he went after Ross, Agent Fruen, with the car crash.”

“But who was she?”

“Her name’s Patty Lopez. She’s a TV news reporter. You’ve probably seen her.”

“And, what was she doing there?”

“She told me she had some information for me and would only tell me in person. I told her I was busy, but that I was going for a run in the morning. I never thought she’d go for that, but she was outside waiting for me. We were running along the trail down by the river and she got shot.” Jack kept looking straight ahead, telling the story while they walked.