tear somebody apart on the witness stand when they try to bullshit their way out of something, but a woman can wrap you around her finger in a heartbeat. Don’t forget, I’ve been through all your relationships with you. Pat was a great lady, but you picked some doozies before her.”
“Thanks for the compliment. If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re doing a hell of a job. Remember you introduced me to Danni.” Jack took a large sip of his martini, finishing it off.
“Take it easy,” Ron told him. “You sip these drinks. It’s not like a beer.”
“Do you think I haven’t had a martini before?”
“I’ve never seen you drink one. Let’s get back to you and Danni. I thought you’d be great for each other. You’ve both been kind of out there for years. So what happened?”
Jack got Mabel’s attention and ordered a beer. One martini was enough.
“She just said she couldn’t do it anymore.”
“Do what?”
“Be in a relationship.”
Ron didn’t say anything for a minute or two. He was thinking about the situation.
“Maybe she just needs a little time, Jack. You guys have been seeing a lot of each other. She may be overwhelmed.”
“I’m an overwhelming guy.”
“And then some.”
Jack stayed in Oakville for another week although he never heard from Danni. He went jogging every day on his favorite path through the woods. On the morning he decided would be his last day, he came around a bend just after the sinkhole and found a man kneeling on the path maybe twenty feet ahead of him. The man had a ski cap on and a gun in his hand. The gun was pointed at Jack.
Jack had nowhere to go. The guy was obviously waiting for him. He desperately dove for the bushes. As he did so, he heard a pop. It wasn’t a gunshot. Maybe the gun had a silencer. Jack hadn’t noticed. He landed in the woods, hidden behind a decayed old oak amid a slew of dead leaves. He didn’t appear to be hit. He wasn’t in any pain.
What do I do now? Run, or just stay here?
He didn’t hear any more movement so he decided to stay put. If the guy found him, he’d be helpless but if he got up and ran, he might be an easier target. At least here he was fortunate enough to be somewhat hidden. A murderer doesn’t have the luxury of spending too much time searching around for his victim.
After about twenty minutes of lying completely still, when he heard no further sounds, Jack stood up and stepped back onto the path. What he saw shocked him.
The shooter was lying where Jack had first seen him with a pool of blood forming around his head. He was still in the kneeling position although he had fallen over. Jack carefully checked for a pulse. There was none. Then he saw the bullet wound in the temple on the right side.
So I come around this bend and this guy is kneeling ready to shoot me but instead somebody shoots him. Who? And why?
It took him a few minutes to think that one through but when he did, he decided it would be best to leave the premises. If he was there when the cops arrived, it wouldn’t be hard to put two and two together. He stopped at a convenience store along the way, asked to use the phone, and called 911, giving the dispatcher the exact location of the body.
Oh yeah, Jack thought as he ran back to the condo. It’s definitely time to go home.
PART THREE
Almost Two Years Later
January 2003
Route 27
Ten Miles South of
Perry, Florida
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jesus, can they make these damn trucks any smaller? If they’re going to sell them in America, they should make them to fit Americans.”
Jack was mildly amused watching Henry negotiate the passenger side of his Toyota pickup. The man was just too big. His knees were banging against the underside of the glove compartment and the rest of his body was squished against the passenger door. He’d been squirming for the last three hours. Now he was starting to voice his complaints.
“They do make them for normal Americans, Henry, but you don’t fit into that category.”
“You don’t look so comfortable over there yourself,” Henry grumbled.
It was true. Jack wasn’t a small man either, although he wasn’t Henry’s size and he didn’t have his bulk. Still, he’d have been a lot more comfortable in the Suburban.
“Why didn’t we bring the Suburban?” Henry asked as