Cache 72 (A Jaxon Jennings' Detective Mystery Thriller Series, Book 2) Read online

  “Great. Just great.”

  Jaxon shook his head and signaled for him to drive on. He’d just deal with whatever came up. If Gil got hauled off to jail, at least he’d be safe there. For a while anyway.

  They pulled up to a softball field and there was a game going on. The lights were on and a small crowd was scattered around the bleachers. They got out of the Mustang and stood there staring at the game.

  “Well, SOFTBALL BACKSTOPS makes sense now,” Melanie said.

  “How are we going to get to the backstop?” Gil asked.

  Jaxon looked at the scoreboard and saw it was only the bottom of the second inning. “I guess we’ll just have to walk out there during the game and get it. What could they do? Beat us up?”

  Gil shrugged and they walked toward the home plate area.

  “Have you seen it yet?” Jaxon asked.

  Gil shook his head, but he was searching and Jaxon followed his gaze.

  “There!” Gil pointed. Just to the left of the backstop area, there was a pole with a flag run up on it. Stuck to the metal about ten feet up was a small box.

  “I can’t reach that,” Jaxon said.

  “No shit,” Gil said. “Somebody is going to have to climb.”

  “I’m forty-eight years old,” Jaxon said.

  Gil gave him a look and said, “All right. I’m on it.”

  Melanie smiled and then started giggling.

  “What?” Gil said.

  “I just can’t wait to see what these people do when you climb that pole. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

  “You want to do it?”

  “No!”

  Jaxon pointed. “Time’s a wastin’. You wanted to help.”

  Gil grinned and moved away.

  A few of the onlookers noticed him but went back to watching the game. Jaxon scanned the crowd and could find no camera or video surveillance systems that might clue the perp in to their position, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any out there.

  Gil walked straight to the pole and started climbing. The pitcher noticed right away and paused in his wind-up. Then the ump called time and turned around as the catcher followed the eyes of the pitcher. The small crowd started to buzz. A man with a Florida Gator t-shirt and hat stood and pointed to Gil.

  “What the hell, man! You’re screwing up the game.”

  Gil grabbed the cache and slid down.

  The ump said, “What are you doing?”

  “It’s already done,” Gil said and saluted the ump. He watched Gil walk away and shrugged.

  Florida Gator man wasn’t so forgiving. Jaxon watched as the man jumped from the bleachers and stopped Gil with a beefy hand. “What are you doing?”

  “None of your business,” Gil said and pushed at the guy’s arm. “Excuse me.”

  “It is my business,” Gator said. “My kid was about to hit and you just messed up her concentration.”

  “Not my problem.”

  Gator man turned red. “I’m making it my problem,” and he bunched up Gil’s shirt in his hand and pulled him closer. “You need to learn some manners.”

  “Uh oh,” Jaxon said, and grabbed Melanie’s arm. “Come on.”

  Everyone in the bleachers and the game was watching the altercation and one guy even yelled, “Give ’em hell, Joey!”

  Jaxon pulled his old badge out and shoved it in Gator man’s face. “What’s the problem here?”

  Gator man seemed to deflate a little, but didn’t let go of Gil’s shirt. “This guy’s disrupting our game.”

  “You need to let him go,” Jaxon said.

  “But…”

  “Now.”

  Gator man released his grip on Gil and took a step back. “I wasn’t gonna hurt him.”

  “Didn’t look that way from over there,” Jaxon said. He turned to Gil. “Do you want to press charges?”

  Gil looked at him in shock. “What?”

  Gator man’s face fell and his mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”

  “Do you want to file assault charges against this man?” Jaxon asked Gil, ignoring the other man. Melanie was trying to keep from laughing.

  “No,” Gil said. “I just want to be left alone.”

  “He’s messing up my daughter’s game and I’m in trouble?” Gator man asked.

  “You physically assaulted this man,” Jaxon said.

  “I grabbed his shirt.”

  “That’s assault in the state of Florida.”

  “I don’t believe this.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Gil said. “I don’t want to press charges anyway. I just want to go.”

  “You’re not going anywhere but downtown to answer some questions,” Jaxon said.

  Gil just stared at him.

  Gator man grinned. “You’re going to jail, punk.”

  Gil flipped him off.

  “Enough!” Jaxon said, and grabbed Gil’s arm to escort him away. The crowd cheered.

  “I didn’t do anything,” Gil whined, playing the part. Jaxon almost burst out laughing himself.

  “You disrupted the game and you smell drunk. Public intoxication is also a crime.”

  “You tell him officer!” Gator man yelled after them. “Take that punk to jail!”

  Jaxon stopped and turned to the man. “Go sit down, sir, before I take you along with him.”

  Gator man frowned and did what he was told. His buddy in the stands clapped him on the back as he climbed back to his seat. Jaxon could not hear what was said, but did catch laughter from the people around them.

  “Play ball!” The ump cried as Jaxon pulled Gil toward the Mustang.

  “That was fun,” Gil said under his breath.

  “What? No thank you?” Jaxon asked.

  “For what? You made me look like an idiot.”

  “I saved your ass from a beating.”

  “Bullshit! I could’ve taken him.”

  “Right.”

  Melanie watched the two with a smile and then said, “He’s right.” She pointed to Jaxon. “He saved your ass.”

  “Whatever,” Gil said and got in the car. Jaxon slid in the back and Melanie went to the passenger side. Gator man was still watching. He stood with a funny look on his face.

  Inside they opened the cache and saw three sets of lat/longs.

  “Which one first?” Melanie asked.

  “Let’s plug them in and see which is closest,” Gil said and got his GPS out of the glove box. He punched the first set in and saw they were in Gainesville.

  “Shit. That’s a trip,” he said, and plugged in the second set. The map moved to Lakeland, Florida. “Damn!” The third set proved to be even worse. “How do they expect us to make it all the way down to Naples after we go to Gainesville and Lakeland? This will take all night.”

  Jaxon nodded and fidgeted. He had expected something like this. Some trek to use up time. Gator man was standing now and watching the car. “We can skip some and just see what’s at the first stop in Gainesville. Maybe the next clue will be there.”

  “I’m sure they’ve thought of that. Are you sure we’re supposed to follow all of these? Maybe we’re only supposed to pick one?”

  “But which one?” Melanie asked. “Is that it? We’re supposed to guess and then see if we’re right? That’s stupid. Of course we’re going to pick the closest.”

  Gator man pointed at the car and said something to his buddy who stood.

  “Then maybe we should pick the farthest and go from there. If that’s not the right one then we back track and go to the next one,” Gil said.

  “But what if the next point is closer to Naples than Gainesville or Lakeland?” Jaxon said. “Then we’re backtracking anyway. I say we start at Gainesville and follow the path.”

  “We need to find a way to get ahead of these people,” Gil said. “You know we’re not going to get to her in time if we follow their rules.”

  “I know. I’m just waiting for something to give so we can jump ahead. So far, that hasn’t h
appened.”

  Gil nodded. Jaxon was impressed the kid had seen the futility in this chase. Maybe they were going to be a help after all.

  Gator man and his friend had climbed down from the bleachers and were coming their way.

  “Whatever we do,” Jaxon said. “We need to do it now.” He pointed at Gator man walking quickly.

  “Oh shit.” Gil said.

  “We split the difference,” Jaxon said as Gil started the car.

  “Lakeland it is,” Gil said and squealed the tires as he pulled out.

  Gator man and his friend shook their fists after them. Gil rolled his window down and flipped them off.

  When they got to Lakeland it was just before midnight and they had to use flashlights to find the cache. It was hidden in the stump of a fallen tree at a rest stop on I-4. Even Gil had been confused for a bit and they spent fifteen precious minutes searching the picnic areas, bathrooms, snack machines and out buildings. Melanie had actually been the one to find it and she smiled, proud of herself. Jaxon liked her and he hoped he would be able to keep her safe.

  The jump proved fruitful as the next waypoint messaged to Jaxon’s ID after they logged the cache was the point in Naples. At least it wasn’t the Gainesville waypoint. Jaxon just hoped that when they got to Naples, they’d get some new information. The clock was ticking.

  Gil let Jaxon drive for a bit while he and Melanie climbed in the back and took a little nap. Jaxon glanced back at them from time to time. They were cute together. Once, he found Gil staring at him as he glanced back and he asked if everything was all right.

  “Yeah,” Gil whispered. “Just hope we haven’t made a mistake bringing her.”

  Jaxon only nodded. What else could he say?

  Gil took over at two in the morning and Jaxon climbed in the back with Melanie who slept through the stop. She was not a light sleeper. When he was just about to doze off, she startled him by snuggling up next to him with her head on his shoulder. She was still asleep and he tried not to wake her. He looked up to see Gil grinning in the mirror.

  “She’s a cuddler,” he whispered. “She can’t sleep without something to hold on to. It’s all right. I don’t mind.”

  Jaxon nodded and relaxed. He fell asleep and dreamed of severed fingers. He awoke with a start as the car swerved. Melanie sat up and said, “What?”

  “Sorry,” Gil said. “I kind of dozed off.”

  “Pull over,” Jaxon said, and Melanie looked at him like he was an alien. “I’m Jaxon. Remember?”

  Her eyes finally focused and she sighed in relief.

  “Oh yeah. I guess I didn’t remember. Hi.”

  “I’ll drive for awhile,” Jaxon said. “I don’t want to die in my sleep wrapped around some tree.”

  “Thanks,” Gil said. “I need a break. Or some coffee. Want to stop for a minute?”

  “Yeah. Sounds good. I need to call Vick anyway.”

  “It’s four o’clock in the morning.”

  “She’ll be up.”

  They pulled in to an all-night gas station and Gil filled up while Jaxon got coffee. He updated Vick on everything and she told him to be careful. He told her to get some sleep. She said she would and they ended the call.

  Back on the road again, Jaxon drank his coffee and thought of Michael. His dead son always seemed to pop up at times like this and he realized it gave him comfort. He missed him terribly.

  He and Vick had never had another child and he knew she regretted it. They had spent so much time hating each other after Michael had died that they missed the opportunity and now they were too old. At least he felt old. She could still get pregnant, he knew, but late age pregnancies were always risky. For the mom and the infant. Still, they had talked about it and he was sure they would talk about it again.

  They were only an hour out of Naples and he let the kids sleep while the flat expanse of I-75 flew by. Traffic was light at this hour and he made good time. Besides, the Mustang was fun to drive. Even if it was just cruising on the interstate.

  Bethany Hope. The name meant nothing to him but he was sure it meant something to the psycho. Most of the time, these people, who had lost touch with reality and decided to take things to a level that most of the world considered heinous and insane, knew their victims. Either by a chance meeting and something clicked, a little research on the internet, a run-in at some mall, or a coworker, but they usually knew them to some extent, or the person had some meaning that only the psychos could comprehend. Jaxon wondered what Bethany Hope meant to this one. If anything, the name was beautiful and Jaxon presumed the woman was too. Most of the time, he was correct.

  As soon as this asshole messed up and they could get a little something on him or her, then the pieces should start to fall in place. Jaxon knew that all they needed was just the tiniest of breaks and the ball usually started rolling down hill. It picked up steam as it went and by the time the ball was at the bottom, it was huge and damaging. At least to the perp.

  “Are we there yet?”

  The voice floated up from the back and Jaxon shook his head. Melanie was staring at him in the mirror and her face glowed in the lights of the interstate. Every time they passed a light, it would brighten and make her seem real, then it would fade and she would become just a ghostly glow. “About an hour out,” he whispered. “You ok?”

  “Yeah. I’m just a little worried.”

  He nodded. “Everything will be all right.”

  “I can’t help thinking of the girl. Bethany. Is she my age? Does she have any kids? Where is she? Is she suffering some horrible torture or just alone and afraid waiting for God knows what?”

  “Most of the time kidnapping and hostage situations are not as bad as the movies make them out to be. She’s probably comfortable, locked in some room where the perp can keep her under control.”

  “You said, ‘most of the time.’ What about the other times?”

  Jaxon didn’t answer and that was answer enough. He watched her turn to look out the window and as the next light passed them, he could see a wetness on her cheek. He knew how she felt.

  “We’ll find her.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “Yes. I promise.”

  * * *

  The woman had realized hours ago that one of her fingers was missing. She had been surprised that this realization hadn’t happened sooner. It was probably because her hands had felt numb from the bindings and the cold salt water. She shivered in the darkness and wondered if she was running a fever. She knew that it was a good possibility the amputated site was infected. Both of her hands tingled, but the one with the missing finger ached too. She also discovered one of her fingernails was missing from the other hand. She didn’t know if her struggling had ripped it off or something else had happened.

  She stared at the light that winked on and off above her and could feel whatever she was trapped in moving with the water she now knew held her afloat outside. Where the body of water was she did not know. She had no idea how long she had been out or even if it was day or night. The winking light gave her no clue and she figured it was either moonlight, or sunlight, shining through some crack. The light became a beacon for her and she watched it, holding her breath, waiting for the next wink. It came every ten to fifteen seconds, and when she finally saw it, she would let the air out in a sigh and breathe again. Though it was exhausting, she clung to it like a life raft.

  She was twenty-five years old and her life had been easy. Until now.

  She rarely wanted for anything and she had a great job. She loved her mom and dad and her brother was even ok at times, if he wasn’t stoned or drunk. Her fiancé had swept her off of her feet and they had fallen hard for each other in a matter of weeks. She wondered what he was doing right now and if he was trying to find her.

  It was weird that she hadn’t heard from him for a whole day prior to all this happening to her and she now wondered if something had happened to him. There was no way for her to know, so she kept the hope in he
r heart that he would rescue her. He would be worried, she knew, especially if it had been some time since she had seen him.

  She closed her eyes and pushed the winking light from her mind. She needed to rest and with her thoughts on Dirk, her fiancé, she drifted off to sleep.

  CHAPTER 8

  Jaxon exited I-75 at Golden Gate Parkway and though he knew it was Florida, the name brought up visions of his honeymoon with Vick in California.

  The Golden Gate Bridge was something they would always have together and he didn’t want to associate this nightmare with such a good memory. He pushed it out of his mind and concentrated on the road.

  Gil and Melanie were awake in the back and the sun had yet to show itself over the horizon. Traffic was still light for this time of the morning and Jaxon made good time through the streets. The GPS indicated he was to turn left on Goodlette-Franklin Road and their waypoint would be just up ahead. When he made the turn, he saw what it was and moaned.

  “I hope that’s not our destination,” Gil said.

  “You should know,” Jaxon said. “It’s the only place it could be.”

  “I know. I was just hoping.”

  Jaxon pulled into the Naples Zoo and Caribbean Gardens and parked in the lot. They were the only ones in it. He looked at the ticket gate and saw that it didn’t open for another two hours. “Maybe we should go eat while we wait for it to open.”

  “I’m starving,” Melanie said. “Can we get pancakes?”

  “You can have whatever you want.” Jaxon said and pulled out of the zoo.

  They found an IHOP and everyone ordered pancakes. Jaxon found he was much hungrier than he thought and he had a second order. He watched the two smile and talk softly to each other and he felt like he was a third wheel. He excused himself and stepped outside to call Victoria. She answered on the fourth ring.

  “I woke you, didn’t I?”

  “It’s ok. I was just dozing. Are you there?”

  “Yeah. Well, we were, but it doesn’t open for another hour so we’re getting something to eat.”

  “Everything ok?”

  “No. It’s in a zoo.”

  “You’re kidding.”