Chapter 94

Chapter 94—Jack gets one more surprise

12:30 p.m., Friday, December 30

The last thing Jack expected was to be intercepted outside his new apartment.
“Jack. Over here.”
Jack did not recognize the voice.
Jack placed his fingers around the pistol he was carrying. “Yeah, what can I do for you?”
The driver had leaned over and opened the door of a black Expedition with highly tinted windows, and said, “Roger sent me.”
“Hang on for a second,” Jack said, taking his cell out of his pocket, but still keeping an eye on the driver.
“Rog,” Jack said, “Did you send someone to pick me up? … Thanks. I just wanted to check on his credentials. Jackson, you say? Well, thanks again.”
“What the hell, Jackson, did you sleep out here?” Jack said, as he got into the front passenger seat.
“Actually I just got here, Mr. Handler,” Jackson replied. “But Roger did have a man posted all night.”
“He did? Did he see anything unusual?” Jack asked.
“Not really. Unless you’re referring to the two idiots who broke into your apartment.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. Who were they? Do you know?”
“We snapped a couple of images,” Jackson said, reaching into the center console and pulling out half a dozen plain-paper prints. “Take a look and tell me if your recognize either of them.”
Jack took the pictures and scrutinized each of them. “The light is pretty poor, but even so, I would have to say that I’ve never seen these fellows before.”
“We were surprised when they walked back out,” Jackson chuckled. “We figured you would have them gutted and hanging in the shower.”
“I never heard a thing,” Jack said. “Rog must have drugged me.”
“You’re kidding me. Right?” Jackson quipped.
“They could have killed me, if they wanted to. I was dead to the world. I did not hear a thing. The first thing I knew about it was when Kate, my daughter, woke me up with her call. That’s when I discovered the burglary.”
“Well, I promise we’ll never tell a soul,” Jackson said, pulling onto the highway. “I take it you’re headed to the hospital?”
“Right,” Jack replied. “I’ve got a date with Captn’ Spencer, right after I check up on my daughter. That guy is becoming a royal pain in the ass.”
“Tell me about it,” Jackson replied. “But, I’ll confess that I’ve worked with Rog for ten years, and have known Spencer for that long, and I can tell you that both Roger and I believe him to be harmless. He’s a bit of a Columbo, but without a clue. … What does Kate think of him?”
“You know,” Jack said. “I’ve never actually asked her. And she’s never offered her opinion.”
“Roger said that she’s a total pro.”
“I think so.”
“Actually,” Jackson added. “I’ve heard others comment that Spencer might be a little thick, but he is a straight shooter …”
“Well,” Jack interrupted, “he might be a straight shooter, but he better not be pushing my buttons, or he might not be collecting his pension.”
“Do you want to know who those fellows were? The ones who broke in your apartment?” Jackson asked, wanting to change the subject.
“Or, even better, who sent them?”
“Yeah, I would like to know who burglarized me,” Jack said.
“Promise no retribution?”
“Depends on who they were, and what they were working for,” Jack said. “What do you know about them? Do you have that info?”
“We ran facial recognition,” Jackson said. “And we came up with these names. They don’t mean much to us, and probably won’t to you. But I think you might find interesting just who they work for.”
Almost as soon as Jackson handed him the printout, Jack’s mouth dropped. His eyes lifted from the pictures, and turned into a blank stare out of the windshield.
“What the hell would she want with Reg’s things?” Jack asked.
His question was sincere. He really did wonder why anyone would have an interest in Reginald’s bloody clothes. But he had a pretty good notion why Allison would want to get her hands on the puzzle.
Neither Roger nor his people knew anything about the puzzle. Jack decided to keep it that way.