BackTrek (6 page)

“How bad is it this time?” Jack asked.

“Another slaughter.” He said as he handed
Jack a piece of paper. “Just got the call ten minutes ago, and
Penelli is already on the way. I need you over there pronto.”

“On the way, Cap’n.” Jack responded as he
quickly headed towards the exit. He looked at the address on the
paper, and knew that Penelli would already be there, as the address
was only a few blocks away. He hurried downstairs, and jumped in
his unmarked gray car. He started the car and activated the
carefully concealed emergency lights. As he peeled out of the
parking lot, cars slowed and pulled to the side of the road. Jack
slowed at the intersection, and then accelerated through the
red-light, as he cautiously watched for any citizens that were not
paying attention. When he arrived at the scene, there were already
a half a dozen black and white units that blocked the street. He
eased his car to a stop behind Penelli’s, and turned the vehicle
off. Jack jumped out and quickly surmised that the uniformed
officers were already blanketing the area, as they asked the
neighbors if they had seen anything. Two officers guarded the
entranceway of the tenement where the crime had happened.

As he walked towards the entranceway, he
couldn’t help but wonder just how bad this one would be. The last
one had been the worst that he had ever seen. A family of three.
And the girl, only ten, had been the youngest victim. The entire
family had been summarily executed, each with a single shot to the
head. No motive, no evidence except for the bullet’s themselves,
and no suspects. The Evidence Technicians had not found a single
scrap of DNA anywhere that didn’t belong to the victims. Even today
when he thought of what they had found that day, his stomach became
queasy. There was simply no limit to the depravity that man can
inflict upon his fellow man. But whomever was responsible for these
crimes was no man. Jack wasn’t even sure if he could be called an
animal.

“Jack, good to see you.” Penelli called out
from the second floor window. “Hurry up, I need your help.” Jack
waved to Penelli, nodded to the two officers at the entranceway,
and walked up the steps and entered the building. He bounded up the
narrow stairs, and turned towards the opened door on his left. As
he walked into the room, the floor began to spin, and he grabbed
the door jam to steady himself. It was worst than the last one.
Much worse. A group of bodies sat slumped on a large sofa, as
though they stared at the blank TV across the room. A middle-aged
man sat slumped next to his wife. Next to her, almost sprawled in
her lap, was what appeared to be her daughter. Almost pretty like
most teenagers were, yet not quite of age. His heart sank as he
realized that she had made it so close to becoming a woman before
this had happened, just another year or two to go. He thought of
Bella, and his stomach flipped. At the other end of the couch sat
two boys, young boys, possibly ten or eleven. Each of them had a
single neat little hole in the middle of their forehead. As Jack
approached, Penelli checked the body that appeared to belong to the
father.

“The best that I can tell, Jack, the single
entrance wound is all that’s on the rest of them, but Dad here, has
another one behind his ear. See?” He said as he pointed out the
tiny hole behind the mans ear, careful not to smudge the wound with
his gloved hands.

“So the perp popped Dad first?” Jack
asked.

“Maybe...but he was definitely caught by
surprise. The others were head on shots.”

“Have you checked the rest of the
apartment?”

“Just to clear it. You go ahead. Let me know
if you find anything.” Penelli said as he turned to the Evidence
Technician and began to discuss the arrangement of the bodies on
the couch. Jack surveyed the rest of the living room briefly, then
headed down the hallway. He stopped at the first door, and peered
inside. A bathroom. He then walked further back into the apartment,
glanced into a bedroom that obviously belonged to the teenager, and
then continued past the parent’s bedroom. As he looked in the next
bedroom, which had to belong to one of the boys, he noticed the
covers on the bed appeared to have been hastily laid out, and
entered the room to further investigate. Grabbing one corner of the
comforter, he pulled the covers back, and uncovered the pillow
closest to him.

“Penelli! I’ve got something!” He yelled as
he stared down at the small puddle of blood that stained the
otherwise white pillow. Penelli entered the room and Jack pointed
out the stain.

“Have the E.T. do a DNA scan on this blood,
as well as the bodies. I’m interested to know who was in this bed
and why they were moved.” Jack said, as Penelli nodded and left the
room. As he waited for Penelli to return with the E.T., Jack nosed
around the room, looking for any small shred of evidence that might
help explain this apparently senseless killing. Whoever had done
this was a professional, and Jack held little hope that he would
have left any trace of himself behind. Ever since DNA scanning had
been implemented on a national basis, professionals were all but
impossible to catch. However, your average homicide was a breeze to
solve. DNA scanners had shrunken in size to that of a wireless
phone, and were able to transmit across the same airwaves giving
instant access to information nationwide. Scanning even the
smallest bit of hair, blood, or even a skin flake would instantly
produce a DNA code, which when matched in the national database,
would divulge the identity of the owner. Then it was a simple
matter of finding them. But professionals were different. They were
quick, thorough, and extremely careful. If this was a pro, the
chances of them finding even the tiniest bit of DNA was slim, if
non existent.

Penelli reappeared with the E.T. who
immediately began to scan the puddle. Jack stepped back into the
hallway and looked for the last bedroom, but the only other door in
the hallway led into a closet. Puzzled he walked back into the room
where Penelli and the E.T. were and surveyed the room again.

“We’ve got one kid too many.” Jack said.

“What do you mean?” Penelli asked.

“The girl, her room’s back that way. Mom and
dad, across the hall. And this is junior’s room. So who is the
other kid?”

“Maybe both of them shared this room.”

“Not without starting world war three, they
didn’t. There’s only one bed.” Penelli thought for a moment and
then turned to the E.T.

“He’s right.” The E.T. said. “This blood type
is different. We’ll have positive identities in just a few minutes,
then we’ll know.” Penelli was shaking his head, and then turned to
Jack.

“Come on, let’s get some fresh air.” He said
to Jack.

The two exited the apartment. They both
desperately needed some fresh air, and a chance to clear their
heads. As they stood outside, Penelli lit a cigarette and offered
one to Jack.

“I know you quit, but...” Penelli began as
Jack reached over and took one from the pack, then accepted the
light that he was offered.

“Thanks.” Jack said as he took a deep draw
off of the cigarette, held it briefly and then exhaled.

“Jack, that’s the sickest damn thing that
I’ve ever seen.”

“You and me both, Penelli. I don’t know who
this bastard is, but we’ve got to get him, before he does this to
anyone else.” As Jack spoke, Penelli watched down the street as a
black unmarked car pulled in behind where they had parked. Jack
turned as he realized that his partner was fixated on something
specific. He watched as a man in a black suit exited the car, and
began to walk towards them. Suddenly Jack had the feeling that he
should know this man, but his identity was just out of reach. As
the man came closer and closer, the feeling increased, and Jack
began to become uncomfortable. He knew this man, but the distance
that separated them made it impossible to place the face. As the
man approached them more swiftly he lowered his face, which totally
obscured Jack’s view. Finally within earshot of the two detectives,
the man looked up and began to speak.

“Jack! Long time no see. How are you?” The
man asked, his tone friendly.

“Ted? Ted Truman? What the hell are you doing
here?” Jack exploded in anger as he realized who the man was.

“Hey. Is that anyway to treat an old friend?”
Ted said. He smiled as he extended his hand for Jack to shake.

“You’re no friend of mine, you bastard!” Jack
spouted, as he intentionally ignored the man’s outstretched hand.
Ted left it there for a moment longer before he dropped it. He
turned to Penelli and offered his hand to him, which Penelli shook,
though not enthusiastically.

“I see that you haven’t let go of the past,
there, Jack. I never thought you’d be one to hold a grudge.” Ted
said, a slight smile entered his expression.

“You can kiss my ass, you liar!” Jack
said.

“My card.” Ted said, as he handed a business
card to Jack. Jack ignored it as he began to approach Ted. He
backed him up a step or two before he got right in his face.
Penelli couldn’t believe Jack’s sudden aggressiveness, and stood
silently in shock as Jack continued to verbally assault the other
man.

“I asked you a damn question, and I want a
damn answer. What in the hell are you doing here?” Jack yelled,
only inches from the man’s face.

“Get out of my face, Jack.” Ted said calmly,
making no effort to push him back, nor to step back any further
himself.

“Get me out of your face, you stinking
maggot!” Jack screamed, his eyes wide with hatred.

“This is not a pissing match, Jack. Back
off.” The man replied calmly, but Jack stayed his ground.

“Get your lying ass back in your damn car,
before I rip off your damn head and spit down your neck!” Jack was
clearly out of control as spittle spewed from his mouth and struck
Ted in the face. Penelli finally shook off his paralysis, and moved
in to contain Jack, just as he saw him begin to raise his arms.
Jack went wild. He shook off Penelli, and lunged for Ted in a
single move. Ted had foreseen this inevitable physical
confrontation, and coolly stepped to one side, and lightly struck
Jack in the back as he flew past and hammered himself into a black
and white police car parked at the curb. Ted’s business card
fluttered to the ground, now forgotten.

“Cool it Jack!” Penelli hollered as he began
to move towards Jack.

“Stay out of this Penelli! This is between me
and this...this...this puke!” Jack said as he regained his balance,
and spun around to once again charge at Ted.

"Jack. Don’t do this." Ted said calmly to
deaf ears as Jack once again lunged at him. Ted used Jack’s own
momentum, spun him around by the arm, and slammed him to the
ground. He reached into Jack’s jacket, and pulled Jack’s own weapon
on him. Ted placed the barrel of the Glock nine millimeter pistol
against the base of Jack’s neck, while he still held his right arm
pinned behind him and pressed his face to the sidewalk. Penelli
reacted on instinct when he saw the blue steel of Jack’s gun as it
slid out of his jacket. He drew his own weapon, and aimed it
directly for Ted’s head.

“You bastard!” Jack screamed, as he spat sand
out of his mouth.

“Drop the weapon!” Penelli yelled at Ted.

“Stand down, soldier!” Ted yelled at Jack, as
he ignored Penelli, and raised his voice for the first time. Jack
continued to struggle. “Stand down!” Slowly the tenseness faded
from Jack’s body as he admitted defeat, and followed the orders
that had been ingrained in him after years in the army. Penelli
began to approach Ted from the side, but quickly stopped when he
found Jack’s gun now pointed at him. "Mr. Penelli, I presume?"
Clearly baffled by everything that had just happened, Penelli
hunched down, and continued to point his weapon at Ted’s head.

“Drop the fucking weapon!” He repeated.

“You can relax, Penelli, the safety is still
on.” Ted said as he dropped the gun to his side, and released
Jack’s arm. Jack rolled to his side, and began to slowly get up. As
he stood up, Ted grabbed Jack’s gun by the barrel and handed it
butt first to Jack, who looked at it for a moment without reaching
for it. He looked up from the gun and into Ted’s eyes, and then
slowly took the gun from him and put it back in his holster. Though
clearly still upset, Jack had relaxed tremendously, almost to the
point that Penelli was concerned that if he needed his help to take
this guy, Ted, that Jack wouldn’t be up to it.

“Who are you?” Penelli asked, as he lowered
his own weapon, and slid it back into it’s holster.

“As our friend just said, I’m Ted
Truman.”

“What are you doing here?” Jack demanded
sarcastically.

“Business, Jack. I’m not here to make your
life miserable or drum up bad memories. I’m here on a Federal
matter.” Ted said as he brushed his coat off, and straightened his
tie.

“Federal? You mean Army?” Jack asked.

“Not exactly, Jack. I’m not with the Army
anymore. Let’s just say that it’s a Federal matter. Your superior
has been advised, and I’m not at liberty to discuss it.’

“You’re not trying to pull jurisdiction on us
are you?” Penelli intervened, as he remembered the bad experiences
in the past when the FBI took charge.

“On the contrary, Penelli. I want you to
solve the case on your own. My reason for being here is just to
inspect the crime scene, and compile what evidence or clues that
you already have. I have no intentions whatsoever of interfering
with your investigation, I assure you.”

“Well, we’re still waiting on the M.E. to
arrive, but you can look at the scene now, if you don’t touch
anything.” Penelli offered. He knew that the Medical Examiner that
was on call would blister them all if the crime scene was
contaminated.

“That’s fine.” Ted said as he started to turn
towards the front of the building. Suddenly he stopped and looked
back at Jack. "If that’s all right with you, Jack?" Jack stared at
him for a moment, in total silence, with only a slight hint of the
anger that had previously controlled him.