front.
Jack parked and opened the door. A couple of men who were loading a pickup truck stopped and turned to watch Jack as he stalked up.
“Do you know Terry Bradford?” Jack asked.
The men just looked at each other and then back at Jack.
“Just point me in the right direction,” Jack grumbled.
They looked at each other again. As a cop, Jack had seen the look a thousand times.
No one wants to be a snitch.
Replacement tapped Jack’s shoulder and tilted her head toward the building. A group of five men in green shirts, jeans, and work boots marched out of the office. Jack zeroed in on the guy in the middle.
Mid-forties. Five ten. Two hundred pounds.
Terry Bradford was twenty-six years older than the yearbook photo and apparently shaved his head now, but Jack knew it was him.
“Terry, you got a second?” Jack let his hands relax and moved closer. Four of them stopped. Terry kept walking.
“You a cop?”
“Not on duty. I just have a few questions.”
“I’m workin’. Talk to me later.” Terry held up a hand.
“It will only take a second.” Jack walked in front of him. “Did you know Steven Ritter?”
“Who? No. Get the hell out of my way, or I’ll break your nose.” He stopped and made a face as if he drank extra sour lemonade. “Who?”
“Steven Ritter. You went to high school with him.”
“Ritter? That the kid who got killed at the pond?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know him. He was a year under me. He didn’t play football, right?” He glared at the men, who’d stopped a couple of steps behind him. “We gotta be someplace,” Terry snapped before he pushed Jack, but Jack wasn’t in the mood to be pushed.
Jack stepped to the side and cut him off. They stood nose to nose and glared at each other. “Did you know Patricia Cole?”
“Patricia?” Again he made the lemonade face. “Patty? Put-out Patty?” His tongue hung out of his open mouth as he laughed. “Everyone knew Patty…if you know what I mean.”
Jack’s hand twitched into a fist, and Replacement put her hand on his arm.
“You guys on vacation?” a large man bellowed from the building’s doorway. “Get your asses in gear, now!”
“I gotta go. Get out of my way,” Terry sneered.
Replacement kept her hand on Jack’s arm, while Terry walked around him and got behind the wheel of the truck. The veins in Jack’s neck stood out.
“Not now,” she whispered. “Get him alone.”
As the truck pulled out of the parking lot, Terry stopped, leaned out the window, and called back to Jack. “Patty might be a little old for you, so how about we trade? I’ll take the little girl, and you get Patty?” He roared with laughter and pounded the side of the door as he ripped out.
Jack turned and stormed back for the car. Replacement dashed over to it and stood before his door.
“Out of my way, kid.”
“Not now, Jack.” She put both hands on his chest. “You taught me that. Wait until you can ask him alone. You know where he lives, okay?”
“He could be the guy.”
“He could, or he might not be.”
Jack shut his eyes and looked at the sky.
Damn it. I’m too close to this. I can’t think straight.
He looked back down at Replacement. “Keep me in check.”
She nodded and smiled. “Can I drive?”
“No.”
The Fiduciary
They parked outside the small, modern, two-story office building. The parking lot was three-quarters filled with over a dozen cars. All of them looked as though they’d just come off the dealership lot. Jack scanned the large brass mailbox next to the entrance. A number of names were etched into the plates.
Different companies must rent the space.
“Two o six. Second floor,” he snapped as he held open the door.
Replacement turned, looked up at him, and flashed a big smile. “How about letting me do the talking on this one?”
“I said keep me in check, not on a leash.” Jack looked down at her. “I’ll do the talking. Just make sure I don’t flip out.”
“How am I
Jack parked and opened the door. A couple of men who were loading a pickup truck stopped and turned to watch Jack as he stalked up.
“Do you know Terry Bradford?” Jack asked.
The men just looked at each other and then back at Jack.
“Just point me in the right direction,” Jack grumbled.
They looked at each other again. As a cop, Jack had seen the look a thousand times.
No one wants to be a snitch.
Replacement tapped Jack’s shoulder and tilted her head toward the building. A group of five men in green shirts, jeans, and work boots marched out of the office. Jack zeroed in on the guy in the middle.
Mid-forties. Five ten. Two hundred pounds.
Terry Bradford was twenty-six years older than the yearbook photo and apparently shaved his head now, but Jack knew it was him.
“Terry, you got a second?” Jack let his hands relax and moved closer. Four of them stopped. Terry kept walking.
“You a cop?”
“Not on duty. I just have a few questions.”
“I’m workin’. Talk to me later.” Terry held up a hand.
“It will only take a second.” Jack walked in front of him. “Did you know Steven Ritter?”
“Who? No. Get the hell out of my way, or I’ll break your nose.” He stopped and made a face as if he drank extra sour lemonade. “Who?”
“Steven Ritter. You went to high school with him.”
“Ritter? That the kid who got killed at the pond?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know him. He was a year under me. He didn’t play football, right?” He glared at the men, who’d stopped a couple of steps behind him. “We gotta be someplace,” Terry snapped before he pushed Jack, but Jack wasn’t in the mood to be pushed.
Jack stepped to the side and cut him off. They stood nose to nose and glared at each other. “Did you know Patricia Cole?”
“Patricia?” Again he made the lemonade face. “Patty? Put-out Patty?” His tongue hung out of his open mouth as he laughed. “Everyone knew Patty…if you know what I mean.”
Jack’s hand twitched into a fist, and Replacement put her hand on his arm.
“You guys on vacation?” a large man bellowed from the building’s doorway. “Get your asses in gear, now!”
“I gotta go. Get out of my way,” Terry sneered.
Replacement kept her hand on Jack’s arm, while Terry walked around him and got behind the wheel of the truck. The veins in Jack’s neck stood out.
“Not now,” she whispered. “Get him alone.”
As the truck pulled out of the parking lot, Terry stopped, leaned out the window, and called back to Jack. “Patty might be a little old for you, so how about we trade? I’ll take the little girl, and you get Patty?” He roared with laughter and pounded the side of the door as he ripped out.
Jack turned and stormed back for the car. Replacement dashed over to it and stood before his door.
“Out of my way, kid.”
“Not now, Jack.” She put both hands on his chest. “You taught me that. Wait until you can ask him alone. You know where he lives, okay?”
“He could be the guy.”
“He could, or he might not be.”
Jack shut his eyes and looked at the sky.
Damn it. I’m too close to this. I can’t think straight.
He looked back down at Replacement. “Keep me in check.”
She nodded and smiled. “Can I drive?”
“No.”
The Fiduciary
They parked outside the small, modern, two-story office building. The parking lot was three-quarters filled with over a dozen cars. All of them looked as though they’d just come off the dealership lot. Jack scanned the large brass mailbox next to the entrance. A number of names were etched into the plates.
Different companies must rent the space.
“Two o six. Second floor,” he snapped as he held open the door.
Replacement turned, looked up at him, and flashed a big smile. “How about letting me do the talking on this one?”
“I said keep me in check, not on a leash.” Jack looked down at her. “I’ll do the talking. Just make sure I don’t flip out.”
“How am I
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