Corrector (29 page)

“If someone had called and warned the police, could they have prevented this from happening,” Jake asked.

“Unusual question,” Keller said.  “Did someone know they were having trouble?”

“Not that we know of,” Zack said.  “It’s just something Cheryl wondered about.  Could it have been prevented?”

Keller hesitated, and then answered frankly.  “The truth is, we have been surprised by what we have learned recently about your stepfather.  He was a well thought of man, and with considerable influence in the town.  I doubt anyone would have taken claims that this might happen very seriously without some kind of proof.  I still have a little trouble believing it.”

“There it is,” Cheryl said pointing ahead toward a large sprawling two-story home across the street from the beach.  They pulled into the driveway next to a late model Ford SUV.

“That’s got to be Alex's car,” Cheryl said.

At almost the same time, the front door opened and a tall, brown haired young man stepped outside.  He walked toward their vehicle as they climbed out of the rental.  Jake could see the family resemblance to Cheryl as the two siblings embraced.

“Are you sure you want to go inside?” Alex asked Cheryl.  “It’s a bit depressing.”  Alex looked at Zack who he knew, and then at Jake and Karin who he didn’t.

Cheryl nodded, then introduced her friends. They all went inside, Jake and Karin bringing up the rear. 

Jake had already decided that trying to alert the police wasn’t going to work.  After hearing what Detective Keller had to say, he was going to need some proof if he wanted decisive action.  More and more it appeared that interrupting the attempt would be the best way to alert her mother to the danger and to derail the attempt.  Her mother could then go to the police, which would also serve to keep him out of it.  Her mother would be confused as to who he was and why he was there, but since she didn’t know him, he could more than likely simply fade away.

While Zack and Cheryl talked with Dave, Jake walked around the inside with Karin.  She gasped and turned away when they came upon the blood stains.  Jake noted where they were.  There was only one likely place where Cheryl’s stepfather could have been hiding in wait.  When Cheryl’s mom had come down the stairs for breakfast, he’d been waiting.

Jake then led Karin outside, partially to get her away from the stain, but also to get a look at the backyard and the possible entry points.  He’d done this enough times now that it only took a few moments for him to see how he’d get in and out.  Access to the house itself  wouldn’t be a problem because Cheryl had already told him where the spare key was hidden.

After a bit, he and Karin went back inside.  They would have dinner with Cheryl’s brother, then stay the night.  It was already late and his friends had to be exhausted, both physically and emotionally.  The overnight would give him a chance to think, and they would still be in the area in the event there was something else he wanted to look at before they flew back to Reno.

Jake checked the small case that he used to transport his handgun.  Today he would be bringing the Browning High Power he had recently acquired, along with three loaded magazines.  He wouldn’t need a suppressor.  In fact, he didn’t expect to fire a single shot this time.  His presence with the firearm should be enough to encourage Cheryl’s stepfather to withdraw.  If he needed to fire a warning shot, the sound would be advantageous, and he’d simply ditch the weapon somewhere afterwards.  He closed the case, which looked more like a businessman’s document case than something for transporting firearms.  Inside the case he had gloves and a pair of small earplugs that would protect his hearing from firing the gun indoors.

Jake had contacted Karin this morning and explained what was happening, so she would know why he wasn’t around today.  He couldn’t alert Zack and Cheryl, as they were still in Australia, and would be heading back toward Sydney from wherever they were.  They would be flying back in a couple of days.

Grabbing the other small travel case, Jake headed out to the garage where he placed everything in the trunk of the Toyota.  He could have flown commercial, except for the gun, but once again, he didn’t want any more records than necessary.  It was a habit, and even though this trip wasn’t a killing mission, he felt it better to continue being careful.  The attack on Cheryl’s mom wasn’t until tomorrow, so he had plenty of time to fly down, stay near the Los Angeles airport in one of the business hotels, and be at the house in time the following morning.  He’d used the new credit card and ID, so nothing about the trip should tie him or his previous identity to the area.

At the Reno FBO office, he retrieved the luggage from the trunk and walked into the building, waving at the familiar face manning the desk.

“Flying today?”

“Business trip,” he confirmed.  He stopped at the desk for a minute.  “I’m going to need to gas her up,” he explained.

The man reached for his phone.  I’ll alert them you are coming over,” he said.

At the plane Jake loaded the luggage into the seat behind him, then climbed up inside.  After settling in, he started the plane, allowing the engine to warm up before releasing the brakes and slowly taxing over to the fuel pump.  There he shut down the engine and climbed out so the attendant could fill it up.

The man seemed to be having troubles this morning, and discovered that the pumps were locked and had to go get a key.  It took several minutes before he returned and was able to unlock the pump.  Finally he was able to get the transfer started.

“Mr. Mathews?” a voice said from behind him.  At first Jake paid no attention, then it dawned on him that was who he was supposed to be at the moment.  Surprised he turned and looked toward the sound of the voice.

Jake was surprised to see a cop waiting, his service automatic drawn, and while not pointing at him, was clearly ready if the need arose.

“Mr. Mathews, I’d appreciate it if you would turn and place your hands on the side of the plane with your legs spread well apart,” the cop said.

“What is this about?” Jake asked in what he hoped was a casual voice as he moved slowly to comply, but he suspected he knew.  Somehow they had finally tracked him down.  Somehow the plane had been the link they had tumbled to.  He’d always known it was possible, but had felt that he had been careful enough that it wouldn’t happen.  Also, the fact it had been a long time since he’d used the plane for one of his missions, he had come to assume that he was in the clear.

“I don’t actually know,” the cop said honestly.  “I was ordered to come here and detain you.  That’s all I know.  I’ll be taking you into the station.  They’ll tell you what this is all about I’m sure.”

There was no point in panicking.  They obviously knew about the plane, but hadn’t managed to track him back to his real identity.  At least, not yet.  If they had, they would have confronted him at the house before this.  He could back-track and simply avoid coming here, and they wouldn’t know about him.  That’s what he’d have to do.  He could decide later what to do about the plane.  He could have it sold, or simply abandon it.  The latter might be the best approach.  They could wait and watch it for a long time before deciding he wasn’t returning.  For now, it was probably best to go along with the cop and see how bad it was.  He needed to learn what they knew so he could adjust his plans accordingly.

After being professionally searched, he was placed into the back seat of the patrol car.  This one stank and had no handles on the door and a solid inch thick plastic barrier between him and the front compartment.  The cop then retrieved his bags and threw them in the trunk of the patrol car.  Not that it mattered much, but there was nothing illegal about the gun he had been carrying in the case.  They drove away leaving the plane still filling with gas.  It didn’t matter.  None of this was going to happen in the long run anyway.

While he waited in his cell after being fingerprinted and booked Jake considered how glad he was that he hadn’t made the trip to Las Vegas with Karin as he’d been thinking.  They would have both been arrested and the experience would have been frightening for her.  It would have been undone, but he still was glad that hadn’t happened.  He had to wait more than three hours.  No one talked with him.  No one offered him a drink or a chance to visit the restroom.  They totally ignored him.  Finally, an older cop he hadn’t seen before arrived and opened the cell.

“This way,” the man said. 

Jake suspected he was going to learn who had ordered his detainment.

“In here,” the cop said, standing aside so that Jake could enter the room.  Inside was a scarred old table that was bolted to the floor and a couple of chairs.  One of the chairs was occupied by an older man in a suit.  Jake noted that his browning was on the table along with the three loaded magazines. 

“You sit on the far side,” the cop directed.

Jake sat down in the chair and allowed his legs to be cuffed.  He wasn’t going to be moving very far until they released him.

“That will be fine,” the older man in the suit said.  “I can handle it from here.”

Neither Jake nor the man spoke until the cop had left, closing the door behind him.  Then the man smiled and said, “I’m Special Agent Thomas of the FBI.”

FBI Jake thought.  So, this has to be related to the earlier events.  Somehow they had stumbled onto what he had been doing.  Given the way this had gone down, it had to be the plane that had given him away.  Well, he’d always known it was a bit of a risk.

“So, Mr. Mathews, or should I call you Mr. Waters?  The identification papers you have on you don’t reflect the Mathews identity at all.  We’ve spent a great deal of time trying to chase down your false identity.  I must compliment you on how well you set that all up.  But none of that matters now.  We have your real identity from your wallet, verified by the fingerprints we took earlier.  Your army record verifies your identity.  It’s nice to know who you really are and not just another working identity.  I’ll have a team over at this address by the end of the day and we’ll see if we can learn a lot more about you.”

Jake said nothing and sat watching the man.  He’d already decided this agent wasn’t the one who had chased him down.  This was a field agent, but someone who was handy to come and take possession of him.  Someone else had to be in charge.  Someone who might be coming here.  Jake wondered if it was worth waiting for him to arrive.

“You don’t appear particularly nervous about being detained.  I assume you know why?”

“Why don’t you tell me,” Jake suggested calmly.

Agent Thomas smiled.  “We believe you have been involved in an extended killing spree over the past couple of years.  You and your plane have been traced to the sites of more than a half dozen murders.”

They didn’t know about them all, Jake realized.  He wondered which ones they hadn’t linked.

“They were all about to kill dozens of innocent people,” Jake said.  “I think you must know that.  Your people will have examined the crime scenes and been able to surmise what had been intended.”

“Yes, so I’ve been told.  That’s one of the things that has people very curious.  How could you know in advance and be in place to act?  At first it was thought you were one of them and had changed your mind and had killed the shooter off to hide your involvement.  But as the number and distribution of the events expanded, that explanation didn’t fit.”

“It sounds like you haven’t been part of the investigation,” Jake noted.

Agent Thomas frowned.  He didn’t know what he had expected, but this calm reaction and open admission of the crimes wasn’t something he had considered.

“No. No, I haven’t. There is a team that has been watching your trail for some time.”

“Maybe I should wait and talk with them?”

“You’ll get your chance.  But it won’t be for a few days.  We’ll be transporting you back to Washington tomorrow.  Once you get there you will be interrogated by Agent Carlson, who is the senior agent who is responsible for this case.  Then we’ll see how much you are willing to tell us.”

That was enough.  Jake couldn’t afford to be taken from the area.  He wasn’t going to get to meet the man who had been pursuing him, but at least he had a name.  There was little more for him to learn here.  He had two things to deal with.  He still hadn’t resolved the matter with Cheryl’s mom.  He gave it another fifteen minutes, but it soon became clear that Agent Thomas wasn’t going to reveal any more.

Jake back-tracked.

Crap!
  It was one thing to envision them one day getting a lead on you.  It was another to have them suddenly appear and drag you off into custody.  Jake wasn’t sure how he would deal with the unexpected intrusion by the FBI into his life, but he would have plenty of time to think about it as he traveled to Southern California.  Obviously, he was going to need to do some serious planning.  They didn’t really know who he was.  Yet!  That could change depending on how well he had done his planning when he had set everything up.