Loose Ends (42 page)

“Taggart!” Sid blurted. His eyes and mouth opened wide as he looked around in fright. He tried to yell but his words became bubbles in the water as Jack tackled him.

Sid kicked with his feet and jerked his knees while trying to pull at the hands around his throat. He gulped in water but managed to twist out of Jack's grasp and grabbed the side of the pool to climb out.

Jack lunged on him again, grabbing the back of his head and smashing his face in a frenzy against the concrete edge of the pool. Sid's nose broke and he gurgled and tried to scream as broken teeth cut his lips and tongue. His scream was cut short when his head was submerged once more. He tasted blood and felt splinters of teeth in his mouth as his lungs craved for air before giving in and gulping down more water.

Jack stared down at Sid's eyes in the water. He tried to think of Maggie and Ben Junior as he watched Sid struggle in a futile attempt to reach the surface. The image of the children's faces was hard to hold on to. A memory of Natasha kept appearing … facing him on the suspension bridge while he gave his promise…

Sid started to vomit as Jack brought his head to the surface.

Jack wanted to scream out at the world in rage. Rage over the grief that this man had caused … and frustration that even with his death, this man could affect his future with Natasha. He eased his grip and saw the colour return to Sid's face.

Sid read the hesitation in Jack's face and became emboldened. “You will die for this,” he spluttered. “I will see to that!”

“Wrong thing to say,” said Jack, jerking him by the throat back into the pool. Sid grabbed at his arms and twisted his body like an eel, but Jack held on firm. He stared into Sid's wide eyes and watched as frothy red
bubbles parted his lips. He waited until Sid went limp before pulling him out of the water and laying his body along the edge of the pool.

A shadow appeared over Sid's body and Jack spun around.

“Natasha! How…?”

She bent down to check Sid's pulse and said, “I don't know much about whales, but I do know you don't spy in people's swimming pools for them.” She looked up at Jack and said, “He's still got a pulse. What had you planned on doing with him?”

“I was going to kill him, but then I started thinking…”

“About what?”

“Priorities … my promise to you … letting emotion rule my brain…”

“You'll never … correction,
we'll
never be happy as long as this bastard is alive. Besides, the promise was not to do anything that would land you in jail. This won't.” Natasha then rolled Sid face down into the pool.

Jack was dumbfounded. “What?” was all he said.

“As a medical practitioner, I would surmise that this man slipped on the edge of the pool, hit his face, then fell unconscious into the water and drowned. As a policeman, what would you say?”

Jack blinked, then looked at Natasha and replied, “I would say that I love you more than life itself.”

“Correct answer, officer.”