Jack Taggart Mysteries 7-Book Bundle. Don Easton

That was when Susan invited me. I think she said then what we were having!”

      “You sure?”

      “Positive. Tell me you were there doing your thing?”

      “I was. Videoed everyone I could see who attended. Meet me at my office.”

      Jack hung up, then looked at Natasha and said, “I want you out of here. Go out to the farm. Take next week off work. These people are murdering people I’m connected —”

      “Jack, I can’t. I’ve got patients to look after next week.”

      “Aren’t you paying attention? Everywhere I look or go people are getting murdered! Three nights ago I saw a guy get his brains blown out! Today someone tried to kill Susan’s baby because she fed me dinner! Can you believe it? Dinner! I can’t take this anymore! I’m not losing you, too!”

      Natasha looked at him calmly, then said, “I didn’t hear about someone losing the contents of his cerebellum.”

      Jack sighed, then said, “Okay, that one doesn’t count. Just bad guys killing bad guys. But this other stuff ... Danny and Susan. Someone did that because they’re ... they were my friends. I want you someplace safe until this is over.”

      Natasha shook her head and said, “Jack, you should have looked in a mirror when you came home tonight. You need me. We’re a team. I’m not leaving you alone while —”

      “If I need help, I’ll get someone. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t include you. You don’t invite me in to assist with your patients. I need to have a clear head. If I’m worried about you then I might make a mistake.”

      Natasha thought for a moment, then in a whisper said, “You’ve made your point. Call your sister, I’ll pack.”

      “She’s expecting you. I’ll stay and then follow you until I know you’re not being followed. I’ll call you as often as I can.”

      Twenty minutes later, Jack and Natasha embraced and kissed each other in the underground parking lot beside their respective cars.

      Natasha looked at Jack and said, “I know you desperately want to catch who did this, but ... I’ve got a bad feeling. I want you to promise me that you’ll take care of yourself.”

      “I promise. I’ll take care of myself — and I will take care of whoever is behind this,” he said bitterly.

      chapter seventeen

      Jack met CC in the I-HIT office and said, “Check this number out. I got it off my phone bill. It’s the number the Brit called me from when I was at the funeral.”

      “Good work!” replied CC. Her enthusiasm was cut short moments later when she discovered that the number belonged to a cellphone that had been reported lost or stolen. The owner was elderly and had no criminal history.

      “Too much to ask for, I guess,” replied Jack. “Show me the video.”

      Jack and CC then watched the video of the funeral. He saw himself walking away from the service and then answering his phone. They both studied the crowd but there was no indication of anyone calling him.

      “I received two calls,” said Jack. “Keep watching.”

      The video remained focused on those who were leaving and it became evident that the second call Jack received was not on film.

      “Damn it,” said CC.

      “I remember a green van pulling out from the curb and cutting off someone in traffic about the time Susan invited me. The driver’s window was open. You must have recorded plates.”

      “We did. Nothing really stood out. Nobody with a record for violence, but a green van sounds familiar. Hang on.”

      A moment later, Jack saw where a pan of the camera had captured the back of the green van parked on the road outside the cemetery. The driver had his head out the window and was looking toward the service. He looked dark, perhaps Indonesian.

      “The plates ... did you run them?”

      CC froze the frame and zoomed in for a close up. “No, I’ll show you. Too muddy. The last two numbers, one might be a three, maybe an eight, but we couldn’t make it out.”

      “The rest of the van isn’t muddy,” muttered Jack. “That was done on purpose. Run it under all combinations. See if one of them matches.”

      Several minutes later, Jack and CC received the information. None of the numbers matched a green van, but one of the numbers did match a stolen plate.

      “That’s him!” said Jack. “He was there when Susan invited me!”

      “Lousy picture,” commented CC. “Just his profile. Pretty grainy when I zoom in any further.”

      “There’s something about this guy...”

      “He look familiar?”

      “No, but let me think. There’s something else ... Elvis!”

      “What?”

      “Elvis, from Anti-Corruption! He was doing some work for me recently. Said he heard a guy with a British accent speaking to a lawyer who works on retainer for Satans Wrath. Described him as maybe being Indo.”

      “That’s incredible!” CC’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Jack.

      Jack frowned and said, “Not that incredible. Elvis saw the guy but didn’t identify him.”

      “I don’t mean that! I mean the part you said about ACU working for you!”

      Jack surprised himself by laughing. Too much stress, not enough sleep. Still, it felt good. He dialled his cell and felt relieved when his call was answered.

      “Laura, it’s Jack. I need —”

      “Forget it, Jack! Not tonight. Operators are not standing by. Stall it or get someone else. Elvis and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary.”

      “Not you, Laura. Elvis. I need to speak to him. It’s about what happened to Danny and his family this afternoon.”

      “Your partner? O’Reilly? What happened?”

      “Put Elvis on. He can tell you later.”

      Less than an hour later, Elvis confirmed that the man in the green van was the same man who had met Lawrence Leitch in the park and had been shown the bogus report given to Molen.

      “What bogus report?” demanded CC.

      Jack explained how Molen was supplying information to Satans Wrath through Leitch’s secretary.

      “So she gave it to Leitch, who then showed it to this guy in the park?” asked CC.

      “Exactly,” said Jack.

      “Maybe we should bring Molen in and grill him,” Elvis suggested.

      Jack shook his head. “I don’t think Molen knows him. I’m not sure Satans Wrath even knows who it is. My guess is that Leitch is playing both sides of the fence. Working for the Indos and the bikers. You bring Molen in and that might just spook everybody.”

      “Another fake report then?” suggested CC.

      Jack and Elvis exchanged glances, and then Elvis said, “We already did that, but I think Molen burned us. I’m not sure another one would work.”

      “Sounds like you don’t have anything to lose by trying,” said CC. “I want this guy bad. What he did to...” She stopped as she thought of Susan’s horror. She felt her body begin to tremble and knew she couldn’t articulate that subject without losing control. If I’m going to cry, it won’t be in front of these two guys!

      CC gave Jack what she hoped was a tough and angry look. He looked back and slowly squeezed his eyes shut and