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  He opened the envelope and looked down at the picture inside. A rat-faced guy was posing to show off his new eagle tattoo on his right forearm. Kevin Arnold. He’d have to run him when he got home.

  On the back of the picture she’d written, “I’ll wait.” Next to it, she’d written the number 2614 and had drawn a heart around it. He remembered the new tattoo on Marisa’s back, a heart with a gold combination lock. He hadn’t made the connection before, but he did now. The combination was 2614.

  Jack Stratton you suck. 2614. My badge number.

  Someone laid on a car horn as Jack pulled out. He didn’t care.

  Chapter 9 ~

  She Slimed Me

  On the way home, Jack remembered to stop by the supermarket and pick up a gigantic chocolate cake, an “I’m sorry card,” and a box of chocolates for Mrs. Stevens.

  As he walked back to the car, he changed direction and headed to the liquor store.

  I’ll just have a little. Take the edge off. Nothing more.

  The bell on the door rang as he entered. Cappy, an old fat guy, sat behind the counter, barely looking up. It was a small store with three rows of hard liquor and four coolers of beer in the back. Jack headed for the rum.

  He grabbed a half pint, took two steps, and then put it back. Reaching out, he picked up a pint, but then hesitated. As he returned it to the shelf, the glass clinked against the other bottles. Settling on a fifth, he headed for the front.

  Cappy got off his stool as Jack approached and set the bottle down on the old worn counter.

  “Hey Jack, you want anything else?”

  Jack stopped cold and stared at the back of the cash register.

  Cappy set his hand on the counter and leaned in a little. “Hey. You want anything else?”

  Jack still didn’t speak. He was staring at a flyer taped to the back of the register. Replacement must have put it up. He stood there gazing at Michelle’s picture.

  “You want it or not?” Cappy grumbled.

  Jack turned and walked out the door empty-handed.

  “Jack?” An elderly woman in a worn brown coat paused in the middle of getting into an old sedan as she called to him.

  Despite being in her late 70s, Mrs. Sawyer had always been very active. Jack had met her when she was convinced her home was being robbed after finding a broken window. He felt it was from a tree branch nearby and a bit of wind. Nonetheless, he went by to check on her every day for a month to make her feel better and now he had a lifelong friend.

  He went over to accept a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and rocked him back and forth. It always made him feel good.

  “It’s so nice to see you, Jack.”

  “How have you been, Mrs. Sawyer?”

  “Wonderful. I just picked up some fresh apples. They’re on sale. So is the haddock. I might make a chowder.”

  “I was going to stop by.”

  “You’ll have to. I’ll give you a warm cup of cocoa and a big slice of pie.” She patted him on the arm. “I stayed out a little too late running errands, so I better head back. The General will be wondering where I’ve gone.”

  The General was her cat. Jack closed the door for her and stepped up on the curb. With a wave, the little old woman gunned the car out of the parking lot. Jack was glad there was only light traffic; she drove faster than most in town.

  After he returned to his apartment, Jack stood outside Mrs. Stevens’s door. He tried to balance the cake, card, and chocolates as he knocked. He took a step back when she opened it. It was obvious she’d been crying, and she looked scary.

  When she saw him standing there she let out a mournful wail and threw both arms around his neck.

  “Mr. Stratton, I’m so truly sorry.” He could hardly understand her through the sobs and sniffling. “You’re the nicest man.”

  Jack’s mind raced to find an excuse so he could get out from her clutches without offending her too much. He also didn’t want to drop the cake. “It’s okay Mrs. Stevens.”

  She patted the side of his face with her wet hand and then took the cake, card, and chocolates. “God bless you, sir. You’re an angel for what you’ve done for that poor girl.” Another strange wail of a sob caused her to turn and run into her apartment, the door slamming behind her.

  Jack stood there and wiped the side of his face with his jacket.

  Gross. She slimed me.

  He shook his head. Replacement. I wonder what she could have told her that—

  He turned and ran up the stairs three at a time.

  “What did you tell her?” he demanded to the empty living room and kitchen.

  Maybe she went to get something to eat.

  He walked into the bedroom and sat down to kick off his shoes. Replacement walked out of the bathroom wearing her long nightshirt with her head down wrapping her hair in a towel.

  Jack smile mischievously.

  She doesn’t see me.

  “Boo.”

  Replacement shrieked. Jack saw her hand shoot out, and the next second she launched the candleholder on his bureau at his head. It just missed and smashed against the wall. She ran shrieking into the bathroom and slammed the door.

  Jack sat there for a second and then fell over laughing.

  She ripped opened the door and yelled, “Jerk. What the hell is the matter with you?”

  He laughed harder.

  She stormed out. He tried to stop, but he just rolled over and laughed at the ceiling.

  “Seriously? Seriously?” She slapped his legs.

  “Stop. Stop. I can’t breathe.” Jack’s sides hurt.

  “Do you knock? You hide in here?”

  “Hide? Knock? It’s my apartment.” He was down to giggling now.

  “You’re a total JACKASS.” She stomped back into the bathroom and slammed the door.

  After a minute, Jack rose with a groan and went to the door. He shook his head and knocked softly. “Sorry.” Jack listened and waited. “I’m sorry,” he said again louder.

  She opened the door a crack. “Do you mean it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you announce yourself next time?”

  Announce myself? It’s my damn apartment.

  Jack exhaled. “Okay. I’ll stop. Truce?”

  Replacement eyed him warily. “Truce.”

  “Is your shower broken?” Jack asked, trying to control his laughter. He realized every time he came home, she was getting out of his shower.

  “You have unlimited hot water. You’re not a save-the-water-and-conserve type of guy, are you?” She got so close to him they were inches apart. She was trying to make him a little uncomfortable while making a seductive face. “But I did hear that those save-the-water types have a slogan: Save the planet, shower with a buddy.” She laughed as his mouth dropped open. “Did you want me to wait?” She raised her eyebrows up and down suggestively.

  “Don’t go there.”

  Not after this morning . . . too far.

  Jack walked over to the computer.

  “Now I’m sorry,” she continued to joke as she skipped over next to him. “Forgive me?”

  Jack tossed the envelope on the desk. She tore it open.

  “Did you run this guy? Do you know where he lives?”

  “I just got here. I was going to login and run him.”

  “I thought you went to the police lab? Why didn’t you run him there?” She turned the picture over, and her eyes narrowed when she saw Marisa’s note. “Gee . . . the guys down at the lab must think you’re pretty sweet.” She was pointing to the heart and batting her eyes.

  “I said, knock it off; I’m not in the mood.” He grabbed for the envelope. “Hey, what did you say to Mrs. Stevens?” he asked as the memory of the crying landlady came back.

  “I bought her a pie.”

  Jack got out of his seat as he sensed Replacement’s frustration. She sat and began typing.

  “A pie?” I should have kept the cake.

  Jack’s stomach growled, and
he headed for the kitchen to scrounge for food. He opened the refrigerator and there was milk and a large apple pie on the top shelf.

  “Can I have some of this, please?” He sounded like a little kid as he begged at the refrigerator.

  “I bought it for you,” she called over her shoulder as she kept typing on her laptop.

  “It had to be a lot more than pie to get her crying like that. What else did you say?” Jack poured a tall glass of milk to go with the huge hunk of pie he dished out for himself.

  “I . . . I just . . . I kept in character.”

  Jack shook his head dreading what she might have said, but didn’t care; the pie was delicious.

  “Kevin Arnold. This guy’s a piece of work,” Replacement spat.

  Jack started to choke on his pie. He rushed over to the computer.

  She’s logged into the police database.

  “How did you do that?”

  “I’ve been looking through it all day looking for the car, so I just went over and ran his name. Look at the pictures. This is the same guy.” She pointed at the screen and sat back in the chair.

  “How did you login?” Jack was trying to control his growing exasperation, but he was losing that fight.

  “I used your login.” She shrugged.

  “How did you get it?”

  “I saw you type it. Chargers, just with a dollar sign instead of the letter S. I pick up on stuff like that.” She looked at him with a genuinely innocent smile.

  His irritation evaporated. He didn’t know if it was because it was his own stupidity for letting her see his password or the fact that the look on her face showed she had no idea that she’d broken a whole string of laws.

  “Okay,” he mumbled as he walked back to his pie. “What’s it have on him?”

  He ate some more. Jack was shocked that a pie could abate his anger so quickly. He shrugged and took another bite. It was really good.

  Replacement’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “He’s been arrested eight times: breaking and entering, drugs, and three assaults.” She continued to type. “No jail time. There are two restraining orders out on him. Both expired. He has one outstanding warrant.” The typing stopped.

  “What were the assaults?”

  “One domestic. Looks like a girlfriend. That’s how the restraining order came up.”

  “What about the other assaults?”

  “First one was a girl inside a bar.” She scanned the page. “It doesn’t look like he knew her. Relationship says none.”

  “Second one?”

  “Oh this is different, girl outside a bar. He didn’t know her either.”

  “What’s the race of the women?”

  “Girlfriend is listed as white. Girls from the bars are African-American.”

  If this guy touched Michelle, I’m going kill him.

  “You have an address? Since he has no jail time, they’d have listed it under probation records. It should be in there.”

  “I’ll try.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard again.

  Jack shook his head. He worked at the station and knew next to nothing about their computer systems. He’d have to sign up for some more classes.

  “Nothing.”

  Jack closed his eyes, laced his fingers behind his head, and exhaled.

  “Check who posted his bail.”

  After a minute, Replacement tilted her head and shook the mouse. “That doesn’t make sense. Nancy Mulligan bailed him out, but that’s the girlfriend he assaulted.”

  Jack frowned. “It happens all the time. I don’t get it. Why would a girl stay with someone who treats them like that?”

  “She lives at 303B Hillside Downs Road.”

  Jack was too familiar with Hillside Downs. It was an apartment complex with about a hundred units. They looked like something from a third world country and going there was about as safe.

  Gun. Taser. Vest. Mace for the dogs.

  Jack grimaced as he started to make a list of things to take.

  Jack looked at the clock. “I can’t go out there now. I’ll need backup. I’ll go in the morning. You’ll stay here.”

  “Great. Sure.” Replacement smiled and moved to the couch.

  Jack looked down at her and frowned. I didn’t mean that you'd sleep here. I meant that I’d go, and you won’t go. He wanted to say it aloud, but instead he ran his fingers through his hair. I’m getting soft.

  Chapter 10 ~

  The Downs

  The next morning Jack drove out to Hillside Downs followed by Kendra and Donald Pugh. They stopped before the entrance, and Jack walked back to meet with them.

  “Thanks for coming.”

  “No problem.” Donald gave a curt nod.

  Donald was Kendra’s partner. He’d cajoled Jack once into promising to take him to the police gun range for an afternoon and he was still waiting for Jack to deliver. When it came to shooting practice, Jack went alone. Not because he was bad, quite the opposite. He was like a celebrity at the range. Jack had found out the hard way the downside of being the fastest gun hadn’t changed since the old west. The title put a mark on your head, and everyone wanted to try to take you down. He didn’t know if Donald wanted tips or to take a shot at besting him.

  “I normally enjoy watching you get into trouble but not here.” Kendra looked over, and her eyes rounded in concern.

  Jack understood her meaning. He started to speak in his stern military no-nonsense tone. “The guy we’re looking for is Kevin Arnold. He’s a skinny little, rat-faced white guy.” Jack handed them a copy of Kevin’s mug shot. “He has an outstanding warrant for failure to appear from Lincoln County.”

  Kendra passed the paperwork to Donald.

  “He has no known address, but I looked up who bailed him out: Nancy Mulligan. It’s her apartment. If we’re lucky, Kevin Arnold won’t be far behind.”

  The two patrol cars rolled through the front gates of Hillside Downs, four three-story buildings with all the warmth and charm of 1950’s Russian architecture. They were squat, square, and appeared as if whoever had built them had asked for the cheapest model possible. The peeled paint, rusted railings, and crumbling walls added to the feeling of desolation.

  As they drove to Building Three, the windows all appeared empty. There were only a couple with shades and even fewer with curtains. Most windows had a sheet or blanket that concealed the room from the outside world.

  Jack, Donald, and Kendra parked at the side of the building.

  A dog tied to a railing of one apartment rushed the car. It ran straight at them before it reached the end of its chain, the collar yanking its neck. The dog’s whole body twisted violently, and it fell into the dirt before scrambling to its feet and barking incessantly.

  They looked up, and the windows stayed empty in spite of the dog’s warning.

  “Is this place deserted or what?” Kendra asked as she scanned the area.

  There wasn’t a soul in sight.

  “It always is at eight in the morning. Everyone’s still sleeping off the coke and booze from last night,” Donald cracked.

  “Kendra, you watch the back. This guy's assaults have all been on women, and he’s jumped them. If I were going to put money on it, I’d lay four-to-one that he takes off. The balconies on the end apartments connect them. He could try to go there. Plus, there are utility closets that link the apartments. I’ve seen water heaters in them, but this guy may be skinny enough to slip through,” Jack said.

  Kendra nodded. “I’ll cover them. If he bolts, I’ll nail him.”

  “Good.”

  Jack gave himself a once over and went through his list: Gun. Taser. Vest. Mace. Cuffs. Baton.

  Donald looked over at his partner, “No unnecessary chances, okay?”

  Kendra nodded.

  Jack forced himself to walk slowly, and Donald followed behind.

  Third floor. All of these apartments, same layout.

  A pair of yellowed eyes peered out from a first floor window and hasti
ly disappeared.

  The stench of urine hit his nose when he got to the staircase.

  Front door. Square living room. Kitchen in the back. Utility closet in the kitchen. Bathroom to the left then the bedroom.

  The second floor had a couple of old lawn chairs next to the stairs and cigarette butts littered the cement. A chain held a mountain bike frame that was missing the tires, seat, and handlebars.

  Third floor.

  Jack flexed his shoulders. He leaned over the railing and saw Kendra. She was watching the back, and her head was in constant motion.

  Head on a swivel. Good girl.

  Jack reached the unit. He motioned and Donald waited near the window. Standing to the side of the door, Jack knocked. He didn’t pound on it like some cops do. He didn’t want to sound like the Gestapo. A dog two apartments down started barking, then another. Both sounded like big dogs. He instinctively put his hand on his mace. He knocked again. The face of a little girl appeared in the corner of the window.

  Damn. A little kid.

  A woman in her early twenties opened the door. She was dressed in gray baggy sweatpants and a loose top. The baby in her arms was pulling on the top so much that her left breast was almost exposed. She yanked her shirt out of the baby's hand while using her leg to try to hold back the little kid who’d been peering out the window.

  Jack categorized them as a non-threat and began scanning the background. The living room was dark, but there was enough light to see.

  No one visible. Kitchen empty.

  He listened intently for any sounds in the apartment.

  “Yeah?” She alternated from looking at the floor to trying to look at him. Her eyes would catch his for a brief moment and then dart away.

  Red mark on cheek. Bruise on arm. Distrust. Fear.

  “Good morning ma’am. I’m Officer Jack Stratton.”

  “Yeah?” She pulled the baby's hand from her hair.

  “Sorry to disturb you but I have a few questions.” He kept his tone light. “May I ask your name please?”

  “Nancy Mulligan.”

  “And this is your apartment?” He gave an extra wide smile.

  She just nodded her head.

  “I’m looking for Kevin Arnold. Is he in?”