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would concentrate more on him and Jason, as long as Alex was out of the picture.
He and Jason would need someplace secluded, Stephen said, and Jason
immediately thought of Badger's cabin on Lake Altoona. He called police
headquarters. Badger answered.
"Hey, bud," Badger said. "Your dad okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine, just resting," Jason now said. "Listen, pal, some important
business& family business& has come up and I need a favor."
"Fire away."
"Can I borrow your cabin for a few days? Dad and I have some things we need
to discuss and we need peace and quiet. It's really important. That's why he came
down so suddenly."
"Well, yeah, sure. It's yours for as long as you want," Badger said, hesitation in
his voice.
"What's the matter?" Jason asked. "You seem unsure."
"Have you cleared this with Silverman?" Badger asked.
"Not yet, I figured I'd talk to him after I got off the phone with you."
Jason paused.
"But that's not what's really bothering you, is it?" he asked. "C'mon, Badge.
What is it?"
Badger was silent for a moment before speaking. "I don't know, Jazz," he said.
"This investigation is real hairy. You know that. Everybody and his brother is
breathing down our necks, demanding a suspect. Newspapers and TV want daily
updates. Residents are calling just to find out what we know. And the politicians
around here are getting really antsy. You know Quintard would just love to nail
our asses to the wall. He's already making a lot of huffing and puffing noises. I
got a feeling he's wearing something up his sleeve, and whatever it is, I know it
won't be good for us."
Badger took a sip of something. Jason assumed it was coffee.
"And the nuts are starting to crawl out of the woodwork to confess," Badger
continued. "I know it only takes a couple of seconds or a little research to knock
holes in their stories, but it's just one more piece of shit to deal with. I don't
know, Jazz. Now seems to be kind of a bad time to take a break. It's getting to be
almost like a witch-hunt around here."
Jason's eyes widened at Badger's choice of words, then he relaxed. No need to
get upset. His friend was understandably nervous and just letting off a little
steam. Jason knew that Badger wanted to solve these murders as badly as anyone.
Hell, if he called me and told me he was splitting for a couple of days, I'd feel as
if I were being left all alone and lonely, too. He smiled.
"I know, pal," he said. "Believe me, I'm feeling the stress, too. I'm sorry about
this. I know you must be feeling kind of abandoned, left out in the cold. But you
know I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't completely necessary. And it is.
Really. There's nothing going on with the investigations right now. All the trails
are ice cold. And what I'm going to do with my father is no picnic. This isn't a
fishing trip, or a chance to kick back. I've got some & some serious family
problems to hash out. Really serious shit."
"Anything I can do?" Badger asked. The sincere tone of concern in his friend's
voice gave Jason a twinge.
Badger deserved to know the truth. God knows he had been there plenty of times
in the past when things got rough. But Jason knew this was rougher than anyone
could imagine, and anyone associated with him stood a good chance of getting
killed. Leaving Badger out of the picture was unfair and ungrateful, but it might
also save his life.
Until I'm better acclimated to the truth myself, I don't think I should drag Badger
into it, Jason decided.
"Naw, man, there's nothing you can do," he said into the phone. "I'll tell you all
about it when I get back. And listen, if anything breaks on the Mercy Killings,
you call me immediately, okay? How about transferring me to Silverman?"
After a few questions, Silverman gave his permission, saying he understood
family problems, having come from a crew of five brothers and three sisters.
"Besides, you're getting pretty crispy around the edges from this investigation,"
he said. "A few days off might loosen you up."
Knowing what he was heading into, Jason didn't think he'd come back any less
crispy.
Jason packed quickly and in fifteen minutes he and his father were climbing into
the car. After his father settled into the car, Jason hugged Alex tightly and kissed
her deeply.
"I love you," he whispered in her ear.
"Love you, top," she said.
He hugged and kissed her again and got into the car, waving to her in his
rearview mirror as they pulled away.
"She's a fine girl," Stephen said.
"I know."
Jason and Stephen drove in silence for a few minutes, both lost in the enormity
of their thoughts. Jason thought about all that had happened to him in the past
two years, how his life had turned one hundred eighty degrees away from where
he was just before Sarah and Claire died. It was a new life and a new world and
he wasn't sure just how much he liked it.
And these powers of his, these awful, fascinating powers. They were so foreign, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]