Hunter (2 page)

THREE

Hunter

      
“Thanks for calling, have a great
day.” I spoke into the phone with a fake polite tone and hung up. That was the
fifth irate caller of the day. Rubbing my forehead I couldn’t shake the sheer
boredom of life in a cubical. I’d figured out everyone around me ages ago.
Sharon had affairs with anyone who could walk, because it made her feel good to
be wanted. Matt lived with his mother and was a total geek, but he was an
insufferable know-it-all because he read anything he could get his hands on, so
of course that made him an expert.

      
Boring.
Everything was boring. Even hunting had lost its appeal. The prey couldn’t
fight back, so it wasn’t much of a sport. There were so many ways to cheat;
planting trail cameras, putting out corn or other treats, etc. But the animals
still couldn’t fight back when the person after them had a gun. I’d spiced it
up a bit with a new kind of prey who could fight back, but even that was
beginning to bore me.

      
So many just gave
up once they were taken. They lost the will to fight because they had no
confidence that they’d be able to get away. But the thrill was still there for
a moment when they finally did try. They took the weapon I gave them and tried
to get away.

      
Inevitably, they
would fail. And the game would be over. “You have another caller,” Keith, my
manager, called irately. The line had been blinking.

      
I waved a hand at
him in acknowledgement and answered the call. Going on autopilot, I barely had
to listen to the caller to know how to respond. Dull.

      
Instead, I
concentrated on the most recent participant of my game, who was waiting in my
shed in the woods. He would be fun. The young usually were for a time. They
would go into the game with the firm belief that they were too young to die,
and in the end I would make them beg to die before I finally went in for the
kill shot. The biggest thrill was watching the moment when the hope for life
faded from their eyes, and the shock that entered them in the brief moment when
I fired. Or slit their throat. Either method excited me.

      
What could be
better?

      
What could I find
that would last longer? There had to be some way to make the thrill continue
beyond the game. Some challenge that would stave away boredom for an extended
amount of time. If there was, I had yet to find it. And I’d been looking.

      
This job was only
temporary. I had in mind to try my hand at police work, so I’d been taking the
necessary steps to get on the force. I had only a few tests left to pass before
I would be eligible, and those were simple. The psych tests were easy to fake,
and the detective’s exam was cake. I’d seen a copy of it and would have no
trouble passing. Then I would be able to see if the challenge of solving crimes
while still living a life of crime would be enough to keep my interest.

      
Speaking of
keeping interest, I got out my phone and texted Sharon.
Meet 2nite, nrml plc
.
She texted the affirmative while the complexities of holding two relationships
made me shiver a little. My wife was home, but she would be clueless. Always
had been. I supposed I loved her, since I never left to avoid boredom, but she
wasn’t enough to hold my interest full time.

      
I entertained the
thought that she might be a fun addition to my hunting trips, but realized she
would be one who would practically lie down and die. Boring. Nothing
entertaining about killing a beast that wouldn’t fight back. Maybe Sharon and I
would meet at my house tomorrow. My wife would be working, and it was always
more fun knowing I was in our bed with another woman.

      
Sharon wouldn’t
argue. I could hold some of her other affairs over her head if she did. She
could be fired for sleeping with the husband of one of our managers. Or for
meeting some of her affairs on company property. Whatever I had to do to make
her do what I wanted.

           
The
phone kept ringing, and in the sheer monotony of the day, I decided: the hunt
would be this weekend.

FOUR

Jason

           
As
I expected, there was not much to be found along the missing boy’s route. But
there were several paths into wooded areas that would have made it a prime area
for a predator to lay in wait. I knelt along the trails to feel for any
remaining echoes, but the results weren’t promising. The most recent prints had
mostly overpowered the fainter vibrations left over from when the boy was
taken, and if he was taken in a car, none of the prints would be useful.

           
The
mother was waiting on the sidewalk for me to rejoin her after my short
excursion onto one of the trails. “Anything?” she asked anxiously.

           
“Not
yet, but it is definitely possible that he was taken through one of the paths
to a hunting lodge or cabin, but there are several around. It could take some
time. How about you head home; I’ll start looking and contact the police to see
what they are able to share with me. I’ll keep you informed.”

           
She
took a step back, nodding quickly. “Okay. Did I give you my number?” Her
shaking hands reached into her purse for a pen, which she used to write her
number onto the small pad of paper I carried with me. “Here’s the down
payment,” she said, handing me an envelope of cash. Not many people like paying
a PI with anything other than cash. Something I didn’t argue about.

           
“We
charge…”

           
“Fifty
an hour. I saw in your office. I’m okay with that. Just find my son,” she
interrupted.

           
“I’ll
keep records,” I assured her. “You’ll get at least a basic accounting of how we
spend the time while we search. And if it turns out we can’t help you, I will
let you know.”

           
There
was no need for her to spend her money on an impossible search. She nodded and
walked back to her car, leaving me to begin my hike down the trails. I’d never
met her son, so there was no way I’d be able to recognize his steps. It might
not even make sense for me to wander the wooded trails, but if I found nothing,
I wouldn’t charge her for my time.

           
For
my own peace of mind, I needed to try to find any signs of struggle. And if I
found something, it could lead to a son being reunited with his mother. I
checked my watch and decided I would only stay out until dark. It wasn’t worth
searching in pitch-blackness, even if I technically didn’t need to see in order
to find something.

           
At
least it was a nice day for a walk. My lightweight spring jacket was enough to
keep me comfortable without getting too warm, which was good because I only had
a T-shirt underneath. Wearing them at all was a recent development, but only
with Sam. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been paying attention when I grabbed clothes
this morning, so I’d ended up with a shirt that showed off all the obvious
scars on my arms. Sam had grown accustomed to me walking around the house in
short-sleeves, so he hadn’t mentioned it when I walked out the door.

           
Wearing
short sleeves was something I rarely did when leaving the house. I hated the
looks I got from people when they noticed the scars, and the inevitable
questions from people I would talk to. Some wouldn’t ask verbally, but the
questions were always there in the quick glances and hushed whispers.

           
I
paused and knelt on the trail near the end of where I had checked earlier,
before I’d rejoined my client. And she was my client. Joe didn’t know about her
yet, and I had been her contact. He’d told me before that if he didn’t know a
client, he didn’t want to have to be involved in the case unless I got stuck or
needed him to help me track someone. Although he did need to know about it and
be kept in the loop as I worked. So far, I hadn’t needed help. I also hadn’t
gotten any of my own cases. I’d helped with most of Joe’s since I’d started
with him, and after the first few where I’d proven that I could handle myself,
he’d decided if I caught a case when he wasn’t around I should be able to be
the primary on it.

           
When
he was sober, he was actually a nice guy. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too attached
to the drink after his wife’s announcement, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if
he were. That would be a good reason to move on. I couldn’t stay and work for a
man who got that angry when he was drunk.

           
Hannah’s
voice came back to me then. “
I’ll be here when you’re ready to come home.
”
She hadn’t hesitated to call her house my home, which made me wonder if I could
go back. The only time I’d gone back to a place after running away, was when
I’d gone back to my father’s house to get Sam. And I hadn’t completely decided
to take him with me until I saw him limping and holding himself like he had
bruised ribs. He’d looked so small and helpless that I couldn’t help but take
him.

           
Returning
to Alice and Hannah’s home would be completely different. It would be returning
to something familiar and positive, and I actually wanted to be there. I
wouldn't be counting the minutes until I could get away again, like some places
I’d been. I knew Sam would love to go back, but something prevented me from
following through. It had never been my intention to cut them out of my life
completely, but it was hard to let them back in.

           
I
sighed and stood again, walking around the maze of trails confidently. One upside
to my ability was that I rarely lost track of where I was. I could always find
my way back, because I could follow the echoes of my own footsteps. The same
thing that kept me from getting lost, kept me from wasting time going over the
same areas more than once.

           
Even
with that advantage, I was unable to get through all the trails before dark,
and I found myself in the middle of the woods when the last of the daylight
faded to black. I lowered myself so I was sitting under a tree, and enjoyed the
solitude I currently found myself in. No one was around, and I couldn’t see
anything past my hand in front of my face. It was strangely relaxing knowing
that nobody could sneak up on me no matter how dark it was. I would always feel
them coming.

           
That
being said, it was probably time to get out of the woods. Sam, despite my
warning that I’d be home late, would be waiting for me, and I was getting
hungry. But I’d found nothing, so I wouldn’t charge for the several wasted
hours of my time. My walk back to the sidewalk outside the woods took almost an
hour; followed by another fifteen minute walk to the office where I’d left the
junky little car I’d been able to afford after helping Joe for a while.

           
The
house and Sam’s school were mostly thanks to the work I’d done for the police
back home, when I’d found and stopped Trevor Mason and then Kindred. Alice and
Dan had worked the system so I could get the normal fee for consulting along
with a reward for ultimately stopping two very dangerous men. I’d also received
the gift of the city paying for my hospital bills once all was said and done,
so I wouldn’t have to worry about having any huge bills to attempt to pay off.

           
“I’m
home,” I called as I stepped through the door at about ten o’clock. Sam was
sitting in the living room with the TV on. “How was your day?”

           
“Good.
School let out early today and I did some studying,” he answered without
glancing away from the TV. “I called Alice,” he said, his eyes flickering to
meet mine before going back to the show.

           
I
kept my voice even as I answered, “How’s everything there?”

           
“Fine.
They wanna see you whenever you’re up to it. Or at least hear from you
directly.” His voice was slightly accusing, but his face showed understanding.
“Why don’t you just call?”

           
My
gaze dropped to the floor briefly before meeting his eyes again. “I… I don’t
know. If I call them now, I’m going to want to go back. I can’t go back yet,
Sammy.” My voice took on a slightly pleading tone that I didn’t like.

           
“Why?”

           
The
muscle in my jaw twitched as I answered. “I don’t feel safe there anymore. Too
many people know what I can do, and a lot of them are criminals. Nobody has
tried to hurt either of us since we moved here, Sam. I want to keep it that
way.”

FIVE

Sam

           
As
much as I wanted to argue, to say that the people who tried to hurt him were
either in prison or dead, I couldn’t. He hadn’t shared many of his worries with
me, and I didn’t want him to stop because he thought I’d fight him on it. Though
it seemed to me if he wanted to stay out of trouble and safe, he wouldn’t have
chosen to be a private eye. He must have read that thought from the look on my
face because the next thing he said was, “I can’t sit back and watch others get
hurt or lost because I’m afraid to get into trouble. And I’d rather be my own
boss than have to follow orders given by people I’ve never been able to trust.”

           
His
emotions were in a whirl, bouncing around from shame, fear, self-doubt, guilt,
and determination. Hoping to calm him, I nodded and motioned to the seat next
to me for him to join me. “I made some pizza. It’s on the counter if you want
some.”

           
We
spent the rest of the evening sitting in front of the TV and eating snacks.
“Oh, I forgot to ask,” I said as we were getting ready to go to bed. “Jake
asked if I could come over tomorrow to play some video games and go to the
park.”

           
“Jake,
which one is he?”

           
“The
tall skinny kid with dark hair. You met him once when you decided to walk me to
school.” One of the days following a bad nightmare of when Mason had kidnapped
me, I assumed. Those were usually the times when he didn’t want to let me out
of his sight.

           
“Right.
If you want to, go ahead. I’ll probably be working anyway,” he said with a
yawn. “Do you need a ride?”

           
I
shook my head. “Nah. He said his dad would come and get me around ten if I
didn’t call him to tell him otherwise.”

           
“Okay.
Let me know if you need me to pick you up when you’re done. If it’s after dark,
no walking home.”

           
I
promised, and then went into my little room, which was still pretty bare of
personal possessions besides school supplies. Old habits die hard, I guess.
Neither of us had accumulated much due to our former lives as street kids. We
were used to all of our belongings fitting into a backpack, so we kept the
practice of only keeping things that were important to us. I fell asleep
pondering what had been deemed important.

           
I
woke hours later, unsure what had disturbed me. The house was dark and silent,
as was normal with me and Jason here, but there was something on the edge of my
awareness. Jason. Something was wrong, so I got up to investigate. As I neared
his room, which was slightly down the hall from mine, I heard him moving around
restlessly. I flipped the switch in the hall so I’d be able to see; hopefully
not disturbing Jason more than he already was when I opened the door to his
room.

           
A
nightmare. It was the fear that had disturbed my sleep, although from Jason’s
tense muscles and gasping breaths it hadn’t disturbed me as much as it should
have. Normally when he was afraid, I felt it and understood it immediately.
This time I hadn’t figured it out until I saw him. “Jason!” I called, knowing
not to touch him to wake him up. He’d come up swinging more than once, and had
almost collapsed the house on everybody several times when we still lived with
Alice. “Wake up. It’s just a dream,” I kept my voice calm, although I had to wonder
at the cause for his nightmare tonight.

           
We’d
both had more than our fair share of nightmares, but he’d been free of them for
several weeks. What could have prompted their return tonight?

           
“Jason!”
I raised my voice as his panting and thrashing continued. He sat up suddenly,
gasping for breath with tears rolling down his cheeks. I gave him a moment to
calm down before asking, “Are you okay?”

           
He
nodded quickly, not assuring me in the slightest. “Fine,” he rasped. “Did I
wake you?”

           
I
almost nodded, but he hadn’t been making any noise I could have heard from my
bedroom. Not that he’d know that, but I didn’t want to make him think the
nightmare had been worse than it was. “I got up for a drink and heard you
thrashing around,” I said instead, wanting badly to ask him which monster had
starred in his dreams that night, and why.

           
After
rubbing his hands over his face and breathing deeply for a few minutes, he
seemed to pull himself together. “Sorry, kid. Not sure where that came from.”
His eyes dropped from mine as he spoke, and I could feel the deception. He
knew. He just didn’t want to tell me.

           
He’d
been afraid this afternoon. The duration had been brief, but he had been
afraid. “Go back to sleep, Sammy. You have plans tomorrow. I’m fine now. Thanks
for waking me up.” He smiled warmly at me, and I decided to let it go for the
moment.

           
“Okay.
See you in the morning.” With no other choice, I headed back to my room and lay
in my bed. Eventually I’d have to tell him. He would be upset, both because I
hadn’t told him before, and because I’d always been aware of what he thought he
was hiding, but I had to tell him. Falling asleep the second time wasn’t as
easy, but apparently I managed, because the next thing I knew Jason was
knocking on my door for me to get up and get ready.

           
“Your
ride’ll be here in about half an hour,” he said.

           
“Weren’t
you going to work?” I asked. Normally he would have been gone already.

           
He
grinned sheepishly. “I overslept. But there isn’t an official start time today.
I just need to get some information about the case I got yesterday, so I want
to go to the police station to see some files, and then wander some trails for
a while.”

           
“If
it’s someone who’s missing, have you gone to their house to try for some
echoes?”

           
“Wouldn’t
work,” his head was shaking. “Too much time has passed. There could be some
little vibrations left, but they would be distorted and indistinguishable. Good
idea though, for future reference,” he smiled and patted my head. “Now, get
ready. You’re having some fun today. You don’t need to hear about my work.”

           
Yes
I do
, I said silently when he left the room. His work was interesting, but
dangerous. If something happened to him, I would be alone. He wanted me to have
the typical thirteen-year-old’s life, but refused to acknowledge the facts.
After everything we’d been through, I wasn’t capable of being a typical
teenager. Just as his experiences had changed him, mine had changed me. Sure, I
could still have days to hang out with friends, but I wasn’t like them.

           
“Breakfast.”
Jason handed me a microwave breakfast sandwich when I got downstairs.

           
I
accepted. “Thanks. Be careful today, okay? If someone took that kid, they may
not want you, or anyone, finding them.”

           
“I’ll
be fine. You just concentrate on having fun with your friends, and I’ll see you
tonight. Remember to call if you need a ride.”

           
He
grabbed a light-weight jacket and the sleeve of his T-shirt rode up to show the
shiny
M
scar on his arm. I shivered,
remembering the emotions that had pulsed through when Mason had my brother
captive. Both his emotions and mine had mingled together so strongly, and I had
been sure I wouldn’t see him again. Thankfully he proved me wrong by beating
Mason and holding on until Agent Mark Jones found him, for which I would be
forever grateful.

           
“Your
ride’s here.” His voice interrupted my thoughts, and I shook off the melancholy
feeling always associated with the memories.

           
I
stuffed the last bite of sandwich into my mouth and headed out the door. With a
lightheartedness I couldn’t completely feel, I called out, “Bye, Jase!”