“Oh, we haven’t located your truck driver as yet. The company he normally works for indicates he went on vacation yesterday, and isn’t expected back to work for another week. We’ll keep trying. He’s probably somewhere in town there since he would have had to follow your friend to know when and where he was going.”
Jake was quiet as he hung up the phone. The others were looking at him, waiting to hear what he had learned. There was no point in explaining. He took a deep breath and back-tracked.
Chapter 4
The note arrived in the daily mail. They had spent two days in Idaho. The letter had come while they were away and had been mailed from somewhere in San Francisco. It was remarkable in several ways. The author of the short missive revealed a remarkable awareness of Jake’s ability and participation in certain events. Until the note arrived, Jake would have said with assurance that only six people in the world had that kind of knowledge, and none of them would have written what was on the paper. Then there was what it both threatened to do and what it demanded of Jake.
Jake,
We might as well keep this on a personal basis, don’t you think? I guess by now you have figured out that someone knows all about you. You’ve demonstrated very clearly what you can do. Three deadly events I set up, and which somehow haven’t happened, while those misfits I contracted to do the work are all in custody even though officially they haven’t committed any crimes. The FBI has requested they be held for extended questioning. It’s a waste of time. We both know that.
Imagine what your life would be like if I kept this up. I can wrap event on top of event, until you aren’t able to deal with everything. I’ll bet you are already a bit dizzy with the true sequence of what has happened the last few days, probably more like a week to you.
Oh, here’s a thought. I could concentrate on your family. I know you can unravel almost anything, but that’s assuming you are still around to take action. You aren’t invulnerable. What if I were to arrange an accident for you? Then your family would be unprotected, and I could arrange anything I want to happen to them. Have you considered that? I thought not.
Here’s the thing, you bastard. You killed my sister. Oh, you probably don’t recall doing it, but it was your fault. I didn’t know it was you until recently, but now that I do, and now that I understand what you can do, perhaps there is a solution. Remember an event in San Francisco almost two years ago. A senator was saved by a mysterious individual who stopped a couple of bombs from reaching the politician’s room. We both know that was you, don’t we? Well, other people were hurt as a result.
Here’s the deal. I want you to correct this little mistake. If my sister lives, than this whole set of events won’t ever happen. However, if she doesn’t survive, then you and your family won’t either.
I know you will come looking for me. I don’t have to tell you who dies if you attempt to do anything. You believe that is a clue. Good luck with that.
Henry Ray
Chapter 5
“Two years!” exclaimed Carlson when Jake contacted her at the FBI with news of the note.
“Can you even go back that far?” Jim Laney asked.
“I don’t know,” admitted Jake, who thus far had never attempted anything greater than two months. Even that had been awful, both in terms of the effort required, but also the miserable time reliving that many weeks of his life, knowing what was to happen and not wanting to alter events in any significant way.
“It doesn’t matter,” Carlson said. “We aren’t going to give this idiot what he wants. We have enough information to find out who this is and deal with him as we have others in the past. He clearly hasn’t thought through the implications of your abilities.”
“Either that, or he knows far less than it appears,” Laney agreed.
For some reason, Jake wasn’t as confident.
“Do you recall what happened on the case he is referring to?” Jake asked. In his mind it had always been an odd one, and one that had never been completely and satisfactorily solved. For one thing, the men behind the attempt had never been found.