Drive (14 page)

             
“You mean other than that one,” said Fish dryly, pointing at the obvious ‘beast’ in the room.

             
“Yes, well, Jet here is the exception,” said Robbie. “Trust me, I’d prefer to keep her in a more suitable environment as well. I certainly didn’t spend all my time and money buildin’ proper shelters and enclosures just to offer my spare room to every animal that finds its way here. Thing is, Jet’s had a hard time adjustin’. She came from a hoarder where she was kept in the woman’s bedroom. She isn’t used to bein’ able to roam and wide open spaces seem to frighten her. The other cats haven’t accepted her yet and her condition was quickly goin’ from bad to worse because she wasn’t eatin’. All I could think to do was bring her back into an environment she felt comfortable in. It’s not her fault people corrupted her instincts to where she no longer understands who she is and what she needs.”

             
Jordan was mesmerized by the strange contradiction before her. This wild beast who would be terrifying under any other circumstances, stood there completely still and vulnerable. Looking in her gentle hurt eyes, Jordan couldn’t imagine ever being afraid of her. Jet wasn’t the first contradiction of her kind that Jordan had been confronted with recently. Standing there with Jet, Jordan couldn’t help but let her mind wander to Sawyer. The other beast she knew she’d never fear.

             
“Can I pet her?” Jordan asked.  

             
“Sure, she won’t do nothin’ to ya…except maybe lick ya to death.”  

             
Cautiously, Jordan took two steps in their direction. Then slowly extending her hand toward the cat, Jordan lowered herself down until she was level with her.

Jet happily let herself
be pet, rolling her head into different positions, helping Jordan to reach all of her favorite places. Then, curiosity got the better of her and she abandoned all the attention being lavished upon her to inspect Fish who was still clutching the wall beside the door.

             
“Oy! What’s she doin’ now?” said Fish. With no way to escape the cat, he pressed himself up against the wall as flat as he could go, but it was pointless. With outstretched neck, the tip of Jet’s nose scurried across Fish’s legs and up his torso. It was love at first scent for the black cat as she nuzzled her face into his unwelcoming hands until he gave in out of sheer fear and pet her.

             
“She likes you,” Robbie chuckled. “Well, then, guess there’s nothing left for me to do, but say good night.” He gave Jordan a pat on the back and began to walk out of the room. He shook his head, still laughing at Fish as he reached for the door handle and began to pull it shut on the way out.

             
“Wait!” Fish called out in a panic. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

             
“Oh, there’ll be no separatin’ the two of you now.” Robbie tipped his head and left. The quiet thud of the door shutting made Fish’s eyes pop out of his head as though it had been an explosion.

             
“Would you relax! She’s clearly not going to hurt you,” Jordan laughed. “Now snap out of it! We have some work to do.” Wasting no more time, she went for his computer bag and placed it on the small desk in the corner of the room. “You shouldn’t have any problem getting online here. I remember my dad telling me what a fiasco it was getting Robbie hooked up with a reliable service all the way out here, but he needed it for the sanctuary. A lot of people won’t call for help, but they have no problem sending an anonymous email.”

             
She turned back only to find that Fish still had himself glued to the wall.

             
“Are you going to come and do this or do I have to try and wing it myself?”

             
When Fish still made no efforts to move in her direction she said, “Alright then, here goes nothing.” She had barely unzipped the case when Fish broke free from the wall and came rushing through the room.

             
“Hands off of the equipment!”

             
“Bet you don’t say that very often,” Jordan smirked.

             
Fish shot her a dirty look and went to work, trying his best to ignore the fact that a wild leopard was sitting at his feet and playfully chewing on his pant leg.

              Two days went by without much success. Fish tried relentlessly to search for any sign of Sawyer or Justus Hathaway using every possible means he had via the internet and continuously came up empty handed. Aside from the original image Fish had found on the traffic cams of Hathaway approaching his house, there had been no signs of life from either of them.

             
Meanwhile, Jordan had been busy contemplating whether or not it was wise to call Detective Mortison again. She didn’t feel right making any moves without Sawyer and yet, she and Fish couldn’t remain in a state of limbo forever. She had tweaked the original message in order to convey the more current state of their situation and felt fairly certain that it was still encoded enough to keep them safe, should it be intercepted in some way. However, something was still keeping her from moving forward with her plan.

             
It was almost noon when Jordan wandered into the room she and Fish shared, holding two plates with chicken salad sandwiches she had whipped up using leftovers she found in her uncle’s kitchen.

             
“Find anything?” she asked as she set down a plate beside him. The moment Jet heard the clank of the glass hitting the desk, she came slinking down from the top bunk where she had been comfortably laying while watching Fish’s every move. Much to Fish’s dismay she had stuck to him like white on rice since their arrival and every attempt to evade the big cat had proven to be futile.

             
“Nope, still nothing.” He leaned back in his seat, taking the sandwich in one hand while placing the other on Jet’s head, stroking it absentmindedly. He was still staring at the screen in front of him. “I thought for sure Sawyer would have emailed me by now, but the account we set up for this sort of thing hasn’t seen any activity since last spring when we were working a job together.” He took a bite from his sandwich and looked over at Jordan. She had pulled a note from her pocket and was re-reading it for the hundredth time. “Wha bou yo? Mae a decishin ye bou Morson?” he asked. His mouth was so full, Jordan had a hard time making out the words.

             
“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to, but from the looks of it we’re on our own for now.” Jordan glanced down at the note in her hands again. “I’ll ask Robbie if I can take his truck into town so I can make the call.” She began to walk from the room, and then stopped at the door. “I don’t suppose you’ve ever met this Gary guy?”

             
Fish shook his head. “We don’t really hang with the same crowd if you know what I mean.”

             
“Yeah, I figured.” Jordan remained hovering in the doorway. “I guess I better get this over with. Can’t exactly stay out here forever.” This time she didn’t wait for Fish to answer. He had already pulled up everything he could find on Gary Mortison, including several pictures dating back to his high school graduation and all the way up to a present shot of him taken for the newspaper. According to the headline Mortison was a local hero for apprehending an armed man after walking in on him mid-robbery at a gas station. On paper, Gary Mortison was a model citizen and an outstanding cop. It would have to be enough to ease her fears about taking the next step, even if the ache in the pit of her stomach suggested otherwise.

              Jordan had been on the road for over an hour when she finally pulled off at a small convenience store. She knew she was being overly cautious, but after the way things had gone the last time she had made this call, she couldn’t be too careful.

             
She scanned the parking lot for a moment. There were four cars total, one of which was parked off to the side and likely belonged to the cashier working the store, leaving three other people wandering the small shop, provided none of the vehicles had extra passengers.

             
Jordan took a deep breath and pulled at the handle, releasing the door. Less than thirty seconds later she was standing in the center aisle of the convenience store. From her location she could see straight to the back and was disappointed to find that there was no sign of a payphone. She reached down into her pocket and felt around for the note she had planned to read to Gary Mortison. She’d hardly be able to do that with the store attendant standing by and not raise a red flag or two in the process. It would be risky enough talking to him for more than a moment without being recognized, considering her name and face had made the national news as a murder victim. Hopefully the change in hair would be enough to keep her identity hidden.

             
Holding the note between her fingers, she crumpled it up and pulled her hand back out of her pocket. She’d just have to recite the damn thing from memory. It would be easy, she’d certainly read the stupid thing often enough to remember it by now.

             
“Excuse me,” Jordan said as she got close enough to get the cashiers attention.

             
He looked up from the paper he was reading hidden behind the lottery machine on the counter. “Yes?” The man was about Jordan’s age with dark brown hair and a pleasant looking face. Initially disgruntled by the disturbance, his demeanor quickly changed when he caught sight of Jordan.  “Hi there. What can I help you with?”

             
Jordan bit back a grin at the guy’s reaction to her. Maybe the new hair was doing more than just disguising her. She certainly wasn’t used to men turning on the charm by the mere sight of her. Of course, the sight of her had previously always included a paramedic’s uniform and a ponytail, neither of which were particularly flattering.

             
“I noticed that you don’t have a payphone,” she opened slowly.

             
“Oh, yeah. Well, we used to, but then these day’s they’ve become pretty obsolete what with everyone carrying around a smartphone wherever they go. So, we got rid of the payphone and now offer free wi-fi,” he said, smiling broadly and completely unaware of the fact that he completely missed the mark in his efforts to be helpful.

             
Jordan offered a smile in return. Then she sweetly said, “But you see, my phone died about ten miles back and I really need to call my Dad. We were in the middle of a conversation when we got cut off and I know he’s probably totally worried since he doesn’t know what happened.”

             
“Oh, here – use mine!”

             
Jordan took his phone happily, winking flirtatiously to show her appreciation as she moved a few steps off to the side to gain a little privacy.

The call went faster than Jordan had expected. Gary Mortison had been out of the office, leaving her no choice but to convey her message directly to his voicemail. Jordan sincerely hoped that the detective made it a regular habit to check his inbox for missed calls, otherwise she had a feeling she’d be going for round three of attempting to contact the man Sawyer had described as their only way out.                           

             
After returning the phone to the clerk, Jordan thanked him once more before departing the small store. Since she wasn’t sure how long it would be before Gary would receive her message, there was nothing left to do now, but head back to the ranch and wait.

             
As Jordan made the long drive home, she couldn’t help but think about Sawyer. She knew it wasn’t a good sign that he had stayed off of their radar for so long and it had taken all of her willpower on multiple occasions to keep from jumping into the Jeep and driving straight back to the last place she had seen him alive. The only thing that gave her hope at this point, was her trust in him. Sure she had overpowered him the very first time they had met, but he had been wounded and had gravely underestimated her, which wasn’t uncommon. In the events that followed, Sawyer had proven himself more than capable of keeping a clear head and thinking on his feet. Enemies like Justus Hathaway were a dime a dozen in the world Sawyer lived in and Jordan had to believe that he would have the upper hand when it came to a confrontation between the two. Especially since the element of surprise had shifted from being in Hathaway’s favor to working for Sawyer instead. Still, with each passing hour that Sawyer remained absent, Jordan couldn’t help but wonder what it was that was keeping him away.

              The rest of the day passed without any change. While Fish maintained a laser focus in his search for Sawyer, Jordan spent her time sitting out on the front porch with an old pair of binoculars she had found in Robbie’s desk. After being ambushed at the motel the last time, Jordan had thought better than to give Mortison her actual location. As an alternative, she had chosen to lead him to a small farm about twenty acres over from Robbie’s place. She had noticed on their drive in on the first night that it was empty.  After talking to her uncle, she had also  learned that the place had been foreclosed on the year before. The bank owned property had been abandoned ever since, with the bank making zero attempts to replenish their pockets with the prospects of a sale. From where Jordan sat, she had a clear view of the property. Watching it like a hawk, she kept her binoculars directed at the long driveway leading up to the dilapidated house sitting at the center of the land. Even as night set in, Jordan refused to abandon her post. If Sawyer had taught her anything, it was to expect the unexpected and to be prepared. The only way she would see someone coming, was to keep watch at all times. And
someone
would be coming. The only question was who and with what intent.

             
It was nearly three o’clock in the morning when Jordan spotted the dim headlights creeping up the driveway of the abandoned farm. They couldn’t be more than fog lights given the limited visibility they provided. Jordan didn’t need to be a cop to figure out that sneaking up on someone in the dead of night wasn’t exactly an indication of someone who was entirely on the up and up. It wasn’t until the car parked and two men got out that Jordan was able to recognize the taller of the two as Detective Mortison. She came to her feet with a sudden jolt, then froze half a second later. She turned back toward the house. It was completely dark. Her uncle had gone to sleep hours ago, but Fish was likely still sitting at his computer in the pitch black, pounding away at the worn keys of his keyboard. For a moment, Jordan considered going in and telling him about Gary Mortison’s arrival, but then decided against it. If he knew, he’d insist on going with her and somehow it seemed more prudent to her to have someone left on the outside, should anything go wrong at her meet and greet with the detective. And Fish of all people would be able to find her, even if she found herself buried deep within the legal system.

             
By the time Jordan reached the old farm house, Mortison and his friend had already figured out that the place was empty and were busy searching the property using a small flashlight.  Jordan felt it hard to step out from the security the darkness provided, but she knew she didn’t have a choice. Moving closer to the men she called out, “Detective.”

             
“Who’s there?” It was Mortison’s friend who turned around first, pointing his flashlight and gun directly at her.

             
Automatically, Jordan raised her hands into the air to show that she was unarmed.

             
“My name is Jordan Hall. I’m a friend of Sawyer’s. He’s in trouble.” Jordan didn’t dare move any further. It was the first time Jordan felt afraid at the sight of a gun. One wrong move or misunderstanding and Sawyer would be one step further from clearing his name and being safe.

             
“You’re the one who called me. I recognize your voice.” Detective Mortison motioned for the other man to lower his weapon.

             
Jordan nodded. Relieved to see the other guy follow Mortison’s orders, she lowered her arms into a more comfortable position.

             
“Where is Sawyer now?” the detective continued.

             
“I don’t know. We split up two days ago.”

             
Jordan watched as Mortison and the other man exchanged a look, communicating things to one another she was unable to understand. It made her uneasy. When it was done, Mortison approached her while the other man turned away, continuing his search of the property.

Jordan was about to tell them that she was the only one there when she felt Mortison reach for her wrist. Before she could free herself from his grip he had both of her hands twisted behind her back. She heard the sound of handcuffs clicking and locking into place and felt the cold metal weighing heavily into her skin.

              “What are you doing?” Jordan cried, still trying to fight her way free.

             
“You’re under arrest Miss Hall,” the detective replied in a matter of fact tone.

             
“For what?” Jordan was struggling to keep a clear head as her worst fears were coming to fruition.

             
“Where do I begin? Aiding and abetting a known criminal, car theft, conspiring to commit murder. The list is long Miss Hall.”

             
“Murder? What are you talking about?” An icy cold ran down the length of the spine as Jordan said the word out loud. Was he talking about Sawyer? Could he really be dead?