Читать книгу Jack Taggart Mysteries 7-Book Bundle - Don Easton - Страница 61

“Hey, babe! I’m home.” Danny didn’t get a response but he heard a thumping sound coming from his kitchen. He entered and saw Susan, taped to a chair that was lying on its side. She was banging her head against the floor. Tiffany was taped to the pedestal of the kitchen table.

He drew his 9mm and rushed over to kneel by Susan. She stared up at him. He expected her eyes to look frantic. They didn’t. They looked glassy ... lifeless. He grabbed the telephone on the kitchen counter and dialled 911 while covering off the entrance to the kitchen with his pistol. He was conscious of Susan’s methodical banging of her head on the floor. Sorry, babe. Just a few more seconds ...Tiffany crying and squirming ... everything is going to be okay.

Danny gave quick instructions into the telephone, and then left it off the hook as he knelt beside Susan and peeled back the tape from her mouth.

“Jimmy!” she choked. “They killed our Jimmy!”

Caution disappeared in a flash as panic sent Danny racing across the kitchen toward Jimmy’s room.

“No!” cried Susan. “Outside,” she added softly. “They drowned him half an hour ago.”

Danny turned abruptly. He saw the blue cover on the pool flipped back and drooping over the edge.

Assistant Commissioner Isaac thought about the meeting he’d had a few minutes earlier. Inspector Crana was sharp. His position on the Vancouver RCMP Drug Section demanded it. Isaac brooded over what he had been told. No, the narcs hadn’t heard of any large influx of cocaine hitting the streets this week. It was the opposite. Many major players were pulling a disappearing act.

Inspector Crana had assured Isaac that he would tell his people to canvas all informants and sources to find out what was going on. He would also check with VPD to see if they had heard anything unusual.

Isaac was just putting on his raincoat to head home when Inspector Crana called.

“Sir, I checked with VPD. Their Vice Unit doesn’t have anything, but their Homicide does. Three high-level cocaine dealers have been murdered within the last two days. A couple more are missing. The dealers don’t appear to be connected with each other.”

“Are they affiliated with any groups? Satans Wrath, Indos, Russians...”

“No, sir. Not that anyone knows of. It might be coincidental.”

“I don’t think it’s coincidental,” replied Isaac, with a noticeable edge to his voice. “You said earlier that many major players were pulling a disappearing act. What do they know that we don’t? Get on this!”

Isaac thought about it as he drove home. Taggart has a secret meeting with Damien, who then returns in a van that had been used to transport cocaine. Now dealers are being murdered? Isaac shook his head in frustration. There always seemed to be one common denominator when people were murdered. Taggart!

Jack was also on his way home when he received a call on his cell.

“Jack! What’s going on?”

He recognized Connie Crane’s voice. “Hey, CC. I was just thinking about you. Anything new on whoever sent the note? I’ve been in contact with Holly and —”

“Forget Holly! What the hell is going on with you and Danny?”

“What are you talking about? I’m just on my way home. Danny left over half an hour ago.”

“You haven’t heard? He didn’t call you?”

“Who?”

“Danny! Damn it! There was a home invasion at his house this afternoon. Bunch of guys. Tied up his wife and toddler, then decided to kill their baby and dropped him into the swimming pool. He didn’t call you?”

“No.” Jack heard his own voice but for a moment it sounded mechanical, like someone else was speaking. “Where are they?” he heard himself ask.

“BCCH. I’m on my way there now. I want to talk to you.”

Jack hung up and quickly dialled Danny’s cell.

Eventually Danny answered, “Yes.”

“Danny? Is that you? It’s Jack. I don’t recognize your voice. What —” The line went dead. Jack redialled but found that Danny’s phone was shut off. He called Natasha and was relieved to hear her answer.

“You okay?” asked Jack. “Where are you?”

“Sure, I’m okay. Just about home.”

“Danny and Susan had a home invasion this afternoon. Someone —”

“A what? Are they okay?”

“I don’t know. They’re at BCCH. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes. I’ll call you, but watch yourself. I don’t know what is going on.”

Jack parked at the emergency entrance and ran inside. Moments later, he located Danny and Susan at the intensive care unit talking to an I-HIT investigator. Danny and Susan numbly stared at him as he rushed up.

“I just heard. Got here as fast as I could,” stammered Jack. “What —”

“Get away from us,” said Susan, her voice sounding raspy and bitter.

Jack felt stunned. His mouth opened to speak but no words came out.

“You heard her, Jack! Get the fuck away from us!” screamed Danny.

“Danny ... I don’t understand. Why...” Jack stopped and stepped back when he saw Danny clench his fist and pull his arm back.

Both men stared at each other for a moment, then Jack turned and walked away. He was conscious of walking past Holly, who had stepped out from Charlie’s room to see what the commotion was about.

The I-HIT investigator caught up to him and said, “Maybe you should hang around in the waiting room near the front doors. Connie should arrive soon. She’ll want to talk with you.”

“What happened? I heard they drowned Jimmy.”

“Not pronounced yet, but he was in a backyard pool for about thirty-five minutes. Doesn’t look good. All I know is that it had something to do with you. The guy who did it told Susan it was because she was your friend.”

“What about Tiffany?”

“That the other one? She’s being examined by a doctor. Don’t think she has any ... physical injuries. Victim Services have been notified.”

“I’m going home to my wife. Tell CC she can call me there.”

It was five-thirty when Jack got back in his car. He called home and Natasha answered.

“I’ll be home in forty minutes. Don’t let anyone in until I’m there.”

“Jack? What happened? Are they okay?”

“I’ll talk to you when I get home. I ... can’t talk right now.”

“Jack? What —”

Jack hung up and tossed the cell down on the seat as his body shook with each sob. He leaned forward and crossed his arms over the steering wheel to make a pillow for his head. Minutes later, he sat up and reached for the ignition. The keys slipped from his fingers onto the floor. He slumped over to pick them up, then clenched them in his fist and sat back in his seat breathing heavily.

Time passed and Jack realized he was staring at the edge of Charlie’s picture protruding from underneath the sun visor. It reminded him of another picture. A picture of Jimmy that Danny and Susan had given him when he was first born.

The tears dripped off his cheeks as the images of both infants vied for his attention.

It was forty-five minutes later when he found the energy to answer his cellphone.

“Jack! You son of a bitch!”

Jack recognized his sister’s voice and panic set in. Not her too! Not again! “Liz! What is it? What’s happened?”

“You know perfectly well what happened! It’s all because of you!”

“Marcie ... Ben ... are they okay? Tell me!” “Marcie doesn’t know. But how could you do that to us? Ben’s been freaking out. He wouldn’t tell me until just now. How could you? What if the dope dealers come back here looking for the stuff?”

Jack breathed a sigh of relief, then said, “They won’t. It’s all been burned. You’re completely safe.”

“Don’t you think having both my children murdered last year was enough?”

Jack swallowed, not knowing what to say.

“You tell us this Bishop fellow is dead, and we think, gee, maybe now we can get on with our lives. But no! You have to involve us in something like this!”

“Liz, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. The person who I did this favour for ... helped me find...” Jack paused, then said, “I promise, I’ll never do anything like that again.”

“That’s why you and Danny came out to visit the other morning! I thought it was strange. Tell him that I’m not impressed with him either.”

“Liz, something has happened to...” Jack coughed and tried to regain his composure. “I do need a favour. I hate to ask you now, but...”

“Haven’t you been listening to what I just said?”

“It’s Natasha. I ... never mind. I’m sorry.”

Elizabeth paused and then said, “A woman problem maybe I can handle. What is it? Are you okay? Jesus, I didn’t mean to come down so hard on you. Your voice...”

“I’m worried that Natasha is in danger.”

“Your job?”

“Yes.”

It was seven o’clock when Jack arrived home.

Natasha met him at the front door and said, “What the hell is going on? Why did you hang up on me?”

“I was at the hospital. I’m sorry, I just couldn’t ... oh, Jesus, it’s my fault,” replied Jack.

Natasha was startled by the tone of his voice but more shocked when she looked at him. Grief and anguish carved deep etches into his face. It was obvious he had been crying. She forgot her anger and hugged him, then held his hand as she led him to the living room and sat him down on the sofa to face her.

“Talk to me,” she said softly.

The words poured out. Everything that had happened within the last three hours. When he was finished, Natasha placed one hand on his shoulder and said, “You mean you still don’t know that Jimmy is going to be okay?”

“No. I’m sure he’s not. Even if they manage —”

“Nobody has told you!”

“Told me what? What are you talking about?”

“Jimmy is going to be okay. I was going frantic. Had to find out what was going on so I called the hospital and spoke with someone I knew. Danny and Susan are in shock, but Jimmy seems fine.”

“No, he can’t be. It’s not possible. He was underwater over half an hour. His brain will be ... if he lives ... he’ll be...”

“No, we don’t think so. He is alive and not showing any signs of neurological damage.”

“It can’t be. I was told he —”

“Let me speak. Normally, drowning suffocation causes a lack of oxygen resulting in death in only a few minutes. An exception to this rule appears in victims who have been suddenly submerged into ice-cold water, resulting in the slowing of body functions while diverting blood only to the heart, lungs, and brain. Some of these people have survived without any physical damage for up to an hour underwater. It’s known as the mammalian dive reflex. If someone gradually becomes hypothermic then this reflex does not apply.”

“But Jimmy is just a baby!”

“Babies are born with the mammalian dive reflex. They naturally hold their breath when submerged. Also, being less than three months old means his blood is still oxygen enriched from being in the womb.”

Natasha embraced her husband. She felt the moisture on her neck from his eyes. The telephone rang and he tried to move to answer it. She held him a moment longer before relenting.

“Jack. CC here. Just to let you know that it sounds like O’Reilly’s baby is going to be okay.”

“I know.”

“How did ... oh yeah, your wife.”

“How are they doing?”

“Pretty shook up. Got two guys providing security for them at the hospital. We’ll stash them at a motel later. Everyone else in your section is being warned to be cautious. In the meantime, who do you know with a British accent that is psycho enough to do this?”

“A British accent? Nobody. I can’t think of anyone.”

“Susan said that one of the guys spoke with a British accent. He also knew she had you over for dinner last week.”

“He what?”

“Yeah, commented to her that he was going to kill her baby because she fed you Yorkshire pudding.”

“How did he know that?”

“That’s what I’m asking you. Who knew what you had for dinner that night?”

“Nobody. She invited me when I was leaving the funeral and I went straight...” Jack paused. The funeral! The annoying wrong number calls ... the green van with the open window ... I never saw anyone enter it after the funeral ... sitting inside ... waiting...

“Jack?” asked Connie.

“Someone with a British accent called me a couple of times at the funeral for Holly’s husband. Said it was a wrong number. That was when Susan invited me. I think she said then what we were having!”

“You sure?”

“Positive. Tell me you were there doing your thing?”

“I was. Videoed everyone I could see who attended. Meet me at my office.”

Jack hung up, then looked at Natasha and said, “I want you out of here. Go out to the farm. Take next week off work. These people are murdering people I’m connected —”

“Jack, I can’t. I’ve got patients to look after next week.”

“Aren’t you paying attention? Everywhere I look or go people are getting murdered! Three nights ago I saw a guy get his brains blown out! Today someone tried to kill Susan’s baby because she fed me dinner! Can you believe it? Dinner! I can’t take this anymore! I’m not losing you, too!”

Natasha looked at him calmly, then said, “I didn’t hear about someone losing the contents of his cerebellum.”

Jack sighed, then said, “Okay, that one doesn’t count. Just bad guys killing bad guys. But this other stuff ... Danny and Susan. Someone did that because they’re ... they were my friends. I want you someplace safe until this is over.”

Natasha shook her head and said, “Jack, you should have looked in a mirror when you came home tonight. You need me. We’re a team. I’m not leaving you alone while —”

“If I need help, I’ll get someone. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t include you. You don’t invite me in to assist with your patients. I need to have a clear head. If I’m worried about you then I might make a mistake.”

Natasha thought for a moment, then in a whisper said, “You’ve made your point. Call your sister, I’ll pack.”

“She’s expecting you. I’ll stay and then follow you until I know you’re not being followed. I’ll call you as often as I can.”

Twenty minutes later, Jack and Natasha embraced and kissed each other in the underground parking lot beside their respective cars.

Natasha looked at Jack and said, “I know you desperately want to catch who did this, but ... I’ve got a bad feeling. I want you to promise me that you’ll take care of yourself.”

“I promise. I’ll take care of myself — and I will take care of whoever is behind this,” he said bitterly.