Justice Overdue: A Private Investigator Mystery Series (2 page)

The warden gasped for breath as he forced out the words, “Let me go.”

“Can’t do that. You’re my ticket out of here.”

“Please.”

“Who’s doing the begging now, Warden?”

Parker’s eyes bulged as he fought for breath, clawing at the fingers that dug into his throat. The gun fell to his lap and slipped to the floor. His feet kicked wildly at nothing as his attacker held on.

“I am. I’m begging you. I’ll let you go,” the warden barely managed to say. “Just don’t hurt me and I’ll let you go.”

“Sorry. No deal.”

“Please.” The warden gave a last gasp, and then became still, unconscious but alive.

Lucas released his grip and slipped between the seats into the front of the vehicle. He retrieved the pistol from the floor, cocked it, and finished the job. The hole through the warden’s head assured he would never breathe again. The bullet shattered the side window bringing a spray of blood and human tissue with it.

Varick Lucas chuckled. He had four notches in his belt already. What’s one more?

And now, to get out of here.

He scrambled to open the passenger door and stepped onto the gravel shoulder. He spat out the foul taste of gasoline, then took a deep breath and went around the front of the vehicle and opened the driver side door. Shards of bloodstained glass sprinkled to the ground at his feet. He kicked them aside, dragged the warden’s body out, and removed the shirt, pants, jacket and shoes from the corpse. The jacket was spattered with blood from the unfortunate incident, so he tossed it aside and changed into the rest. The clothes hung loose, some blood on the shirt, but they would do for now. The shoes fit him to perfection.

The warden’s wallet held a couple hundred in bills. That should tide him over until he could round up some more cash. He left the credit cards and tossed the wallet onto the ground beside the body.

He gazed thoughtfully at the warden’s remains a few moments, then turned his back, crossed the road, and climbed down into the ditch.

Leaving Parker’s half-naked body on the side of the road beside the SUV, he hopped the fence and jogged across the open field toward the trees. He knew of a town a couple of miles away and he could use some food, fresh clothes, and transportation as far away from here as possible.

Chapter 2

Thursday, 7:45 AM

ANNIE LINCOLN watched her eight-year-old son poke the last bite of toast in his mouth, drop his plate in the sink, and dash from the kitchen.

“Thanks for breakfast, Mom,” he called over his shoulder.

Matty had about as much energy as any kid his age. She wished she had his get-up-and-go, but the last few days had been so physically and emotionally exhausting, she wanted to sleep for a week. Chasing bad guys did that to you.

Jake, though, always recovered quickly, ready to tackle anything. Even now, as he sat at the table sipping his first coffee of the day, she saw the restlessness in his eyes. He was raring to go.

Jake set his cup down, leaned back and looked at his wife. “We’re going to have a great time this weekend. The weatherman promised us good weather. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”

Annie shook her head and offered a weak smile. “Not this time. I’m just going to relax and maybe catch up on some reading.”

“We’ll miss you.” He ran his fingers through his short-cropped hair and shrugged. “But we’ll get by.”

Matty dashed back into the room, his backpack slung over his shoulder. “I’m going over to see Kyle. I need to make sure he packed everything he’ll need.”

Their next-door neighbor, Chrissy, was a single mom and a good friend of the Lincolns. Her seven-year-old son, Kyle, and Matty were the best of friends, and Matty was elated when Jake had agreed Kyle could come camping with them.

Annie glanced at her watch. Matty still had enough time to run next door before he and Kyle needed to be off to school. “Don’t be late.”

“Don’t worry, Mom.”

“You forgot your lunch,” Annie said, as she stood, opened the fridge, retrieved a paper bag, and handed it to her son.

He grinned a crooked grin. “Yeah, I’m gonna need that,” he said, as he took the bag and stuffed it into his backpack.

Annie laughed. “Try to concentrate on your school work today and keep your mind off the trip.”

“Yeah, I will, Mom,” he said, but Annie wasn’t so sure.

Jake turned to Matty. “I want to leave as soon as you guys get home,” he said. “I’ll have everything packed and ready to go.”

“Don’t forget the bait,” Matty said. “We can’t catch any fish without that.”

“We’ll stop and grab some before we get there. There’s a small town just a few miles from our camping spot.”

Matty charged out and the front door slammed as Annie sat at the table and leaned forward, her chin in her hands. “I’ve been thinking.”

Jake took another sip of coffee and eyed her, waiting.

“This private investigation business we got ourselves into isn’t exactly like doing the research we did before.”

Jake chuckled. “You can say that again. Too many of our clients turn out to be criminals.”

“That’s my point exactly.”

“Huh?”

“Doing research, we never had to get a retainer in advance because we did all of our work for established companies. We always got paid, but now … well, we’d better start.”

Jake sat back, tucked his hands behind his head and stretched out his six-foot-four body. “Yeah, good idea.”

“Which reminds me,” Annie said. “We need to look into that possible fraud for the insurance company. We’ve been putting it off for a while. We don’t want to lose a good client, and besides, we could use the money.”

“I still have to pack for our trip,” Jake said.

“I can do most of that. Do you think you can look into it today?”

Jake nodded. “I’ll give it some thought and try to come up with an approach. I might have time.”

Annie went into the office and leafed through a stack of papers, slipped out a page and returned to the kitchen. She handed the report to Jake. “It’s all there.”

Jake sipped his coffee, held the paper with his free hand and studied it briefly. “It shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll soon find out whether or not this guy has a bad back.” He folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. “I’ll take care of it.”

She knew he would. Due to a building slump, he was laid off a short while ago from his job as a construction engineer. His crazy plan to expand Annie’s part-time freelance research company into something more lucrative had worked, and when the company wanted him back, he refused. Lincoln Investigations was a going concern and he was having too much fun.

And so was she. Unlike most private investigators, whose job usually involves little more than research, surveillance, or background checks, they’d had more than their fair share of frightening experiences. Sure, sometimes things did get a little dangerous, but Annie loved working alongside her husband and doing something they both enjoyed. But right now, she knew he wanted a little time off as well, and the fishing/camping trip he’d promised Matty would be just what he needed.

And it would be great for Matty and his best friend as well. Sometimes their job forced them to work long hours, occasionally in the evening and weekends, and this would give them a little guy time.

“I’ll give Hank a call before we go,” Jake said. “I haven’t seen him for a couple of days and he might need us.”

Annie laughed. “I’m sure the police can do without you for a while. But it’s too bad he can’t go with you. He needs a break as well.”

“He said maybe next time.” Jake pushed back from the table. “And now, I’d better get a move on. It’s going to be a busy day.”

Chapter 3

Thursday, 8:20 AM

THE SMALL TOWN of Haddleburg was gripped with fear. Many in the town had objected when the maximum-security penitentiary was proposed to be built nearby, but the town councilors had won out. The new facility would bring much-needed jobs to the floundering community, and so, it was built. But as far as anyone knew, though there were many attempts, there had never been a successful escape. Until now. The citizens had felt comfortable in their homes and were caught unawares by the brutal murder of one of their own.

Other than the name Varick Lucas, a name now on everyone’s lips, authorities had released no other information, and the press was kept at bay. A massive Royal Canadian Mounted Police manhunt had the entire town in lockdown. Citizens were confined to their homes, the area cordoned off by the federal police.

The message was firm: people are ordered to stay locked down in their homes, keep off the streets, and allow the RCMP to do its job.

The unofficial information that buzzed throughout the close-knit community was that an unknown citizen was accosted in his home late last night by an escaped convict, the victim then murdered and robbed. Nobody seemed to know who was killed and the sudden encirclement of the town served to intensify their fear.

In the early morning hours, teams of police officers had converged on their sleepy village, their weapons drawn. Some patrolled streets within the cordoned off area, others employing K-9 units. Armored security trucks were also visible. Contingents of officers searched homes and businesses, street-to-street, door-to-door, no building left unsearched, every hole, nook, and cranny explored.

The Mounties had conducted the intensive manhunt through the night, and yet, Lucas had eluded them.

Seasoned veteran, RCMP Sergeant Lance Brewer, was in charge and he made sure everyone knew it. Brewer leaned against his vehicle and cursed. He had hoped to end this right away. He bounced off the vehicle, turned and uncrossed his arms as a corporal approached him.

“Report of a stolen vehicle, sir,” the corporal said. “Could be Lucas. All forces province-wide have been notified to be on the lookout.”

“We’ve about scoured this town clean. He’s gone and that’s going to make it even harder to track down this monster. This might be the break we need.” Brewer raised one ragged brow. “Any way to track this vehicle?”

The corporal shook his head. “It doesn’t seem like it. It’s an older SUV.” He consulted some notes. “It’s a 2005 4-Runner. Black. No GPS.”

“Anything else?” Brewer asked.

“That’s not the worst of it, sir.”

Brewer frowned. “Spit it out, Corporal Loy.”

“We believe he’s armed, sir. Neighbors confirmed the murder victim had at least one pistol in his possession. And that’s pistol’s gone.”

An intense frown took over Brewer’s brow. He cursed again as he dug out his cell phone and dialed a number. “It’s Sergeant Lance Brewer. Give me the Commissioner, priority one.”

“The Commissioner is tied up at the moment,” came over the line.

Brewer raised his voice. “Give me the Deputy Commissioner then. And make it quick or I’ll have your tail.” Brewer glared at the phone. “Did you not hear me say priority one?”

“Just a moment, Sergeant Brewer. I’ll see if he’s available.”

He waited a moment, kicking impatiently at the dirt. Didn’t they know time was wasting and Lucas was slipping from their grasp? The volatile con would stop at nothing to get away and every second counted. He had to be stopped. Finally, he heard, “What do you have for me, Brewer?”

“I’m afraid he’s gone, sir. He stole a vehicle and a pistol and now he’s armed and dangerous. I want your ok to extend the manhunt. I need to block all the roads and search all vehicles within twenty miles of here.”

The deputy commissioner talked fast, the words tumbling over one another as if in a hurry to spit them out. “Do it. I want this guy found. He’s killed two already and we don’t want more. Get on it. Whatever you need.”

“I need more men, sir. This is a major operation and most of my people here have been up all night. I need some fresh troops and some fresh dogs.”

“You can have every officer who’s not doing anything vitally important. Our people put their lives on the line every day to protect our citizens and communities. This is what they’re good at. We’ll get him. Hell, we’ll call out the army if we have to. They need some action.”

“Thank you, sir,” Brewer said, and hung up the phone. He turned to Loy. “I want every piece of information you can get on Lucas. I want his mother’s maiden name and I want to know what he eats for breakfast. Got it? Everything.”

“Right away.”

“What about his cellmate?”

The corporal shrugged. “They’ve finished with him. They’ve been at it all night but can’t get anything from him. He’s a lifer with nothing to lose. I just talked with the deputy warden. He’s pretty convinced the guy has no idea where Lucas is headed.”

Brewer sighed. “Lucas ain’t stupid enough to give him that information, but I bet he knows something he doesn’t know he knows. What’s the guy’s name?”

“His name’s Stephan Padre. They call him Rabbit.”

Brewer bit his lower lip thoughtfully. He had almost thirty-five years on the force with a stellar record, almost ready for retirement with a maximum pension. He couldn’t afford to lose this one. He wanted to go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Brewer pointed a long finger at the corporal. “I want him put in a four-piece suit and let him cool in the hole awhile. He’s an accessory to murder and I don’t care what it takes. He killed the warden and a guard, and that makes it very personal. He knows something and I don’t want him to eat, drink, or take a dump until he spits up something useful.” Brewer leaned in and glared at the corporal. “Got that?”

Corporal Loy grinned up at Brewer. “Got it.”

Chapter 4

Thursday, 9:59 AM

JAKE PULLED THE piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and studied it. A small black and white photo of a man’s face appeared at the top left of the page. Nothing outstanding about his features, but clear enough to be recognized. The information on the single-page report was sketchy. The insurance company hadn’t given a lot of details regarding the alleged scammer.