The three rings dangling on a chain around his neck softly clanged together as he reached for the door handle on his black BMW. One, his grandmother’s ring served as a constant reminder of what he’d lost; the other two a constant reminder of what he’d let go. He popped his cell phone in the car cradle and reached for the ignition. Rubbing his eyes against the bright, morning sun, he slipped on his dark sunshades. His cell phone rang. The ice-blue LED light from his console flashed a name. He groaned and pushed a button on his steering wheel. Checking the traffic, he peeled onto the highway and put his foot down. “What have you done to her now?”
“This is not about Donna, Jared.”
“Then I’m sorry, Sir Richard, but I don’t have time to chase bad guys with you today. Besides, haven’t you heard? I hung my white hat on the wall. I’m not the good guy anymore.”
“I heard about the news. It’s been taken care of.”
“More carpet sweeping?”
Sir Richard softly chuckled. “You might call it that. No charges will be filed against you or Donna.”
“Donna! Why would charges be filed against her? She had nothing to do with it. Forrest set me and Kim up to take the fall. He had no intention of keeping his end of the agreement.”
“No, he didn’t, and I tried to warn you about….”
Jared growled. “I don’t need you reminding me of my mistakes. Just get on with it - will ya? Why have you called?”
“I don’t know if you met Melissa Hart while you were at D’Netics, but….”
“You mean the mole you left behind to keep an eye on Donna?” Jared interjected. Sir Richard chuckled again. “I’m glad you find me amusing, Sir Richard. Yes, I know of her. We never personally met. She wasn’t at her desk when my lawyer and I went to talk with Forrest. What about her?”
“I wasn’t laughing at you, Jared. I just find it uncanny that you knew more about me than I did about you, at the time. We may be getting upset over nothing. Missy may be fine, but she didn’t check in at her normal time. When my secretary tried to reach her, Missy didn’t respond. That’s not like her. Missy is in a precarious position. You might say she’s walking in the furnace if you know what I mean.”
Jared pulled into his parking space behind the clinic. “Hang on a second,” he said, put his Bluetooth ear bud in, grabbed his cell phone and got out of his car. “OK, I’m back. Yes, Sir Richard. You seem to put your people in unnecessarily dangerous positions.” He slid his security card through the slot and opened the door. “Let me guess. You think her cover has been blown, and Forrest has her?”
“That’s what we’re afraid of. Gary scanned for her but couldn’t find anything either. He suggested you might be able to help. He said you have… special talents, for this sort of thing.”
Jared unlocked his office and turned on the light. “Did he?” he paused briefly. “What kind of special talents did he say I had?” He washed his hands and reached for a towel.
“He didn’t elaborate.”
“That was wise of him. I’m already more involved with Triplet International, than I care to be.”
“I understand that Jared, and if I had been put in your position, I would probably feel the same way. We can’t always anticipate our enemy’s next move. I’m no different. I never intended for things to turn out the way they have.”
“Yeah – well – that’s not very comforting. Each day is like hell for me, but at least the two people I care about most are alive and safe. She is… safe, isn’t she?”
“Safer than where she was. Gary said he spoke to you about the Bluetooth virus. I wish he’d checked your cell phone before you used ‘Dessert’ on it.”
“So do I,” Jared groaned. “It would have been useful to know whether or not I was a target in the BSV link. It might have given us an idea how long the virus has been bouncing around and where the source computer might be located. I believe it might have happened when the computer in my car was bugged.”
“That’s a possibility. It would explain how Forrest got the video of you and Donna.”
“Yeah, but not the footage taken at Wisteria Hall. Let’s don’t go down that lane. My people are still looking for that leak. So far, they haven’t found anything. Does Gary have any idea where Missy might be?”
“Since he can’t pick her up at all, he thinks she might be in one of the black-out areas at D’Netics.”
“There is one other possibility – his fortress over the hill. If she’s there, it won’t be easy to get her out. Getting into that fucking place is like trying to walk in a terminator-version of Fort Knox.”
“So, you’ve been inside Forrest’s Cross Lake mansion?”
“You haven’t?” Jared countered with a grin. “I’m gonna put you on hold for a second.” Jared knocked on Alan Standing Deer’s office door. “Al, need a favour.”
“What’s up?” his business partner asked.
“I need you to hold the fort down for a while. I’ve got something I need to do in Shreveport.”
Alan grinned. “You want half the profits, but you love running out on me – don’t you?”
One corner of Jared’s mouth turned up. “There are lots of things I’d rather be doing, and they don’t include looking at your ugly face.”
Alan softly chuckled. “Is this about her?” he asked, his voice serious.
“In a round-about way. It’s to do with Triplet International. Sir Richard needs a favour. I’ll get back as soon as I can.”
“Yeah, sure, Jared. Take all the time you need. Do you think there’s any chance you’ll see her?”
Jared slowly exhaled and shook his head. “I can’t Al. I can’t risk it. I’m gonna lock up and leave. I’ll see you when I get back.” He went back to his office and activated the speaker phone on his desk. “Mother, I’ve got to go to Shreveport. Remember what I said about keeping an eye on Beth.”
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“Is it Donna?”
“No, thank goodness. Sir Richard has got one of his people in a tight spot, again. I guess he’s gonna expect me to be his lap dog from here on out. I don’t suppose you’ve picked up any vibes about this…?”
Nadine looked at Tom, who shook his head. “Just hurry, Jared,” she sighed.
“So, you have, then?”
Nadine locked her eyes with Tom’s and swallowed hard. Tom narrowed his eyes. He knew his wife wasn’t going to say too much, but sometimes he had to remind her. “Not directly, Jared.” Tom frowned.
“Has Dad?”
Nadine sighed. “That’s all I can tell you, Son. Just be careful and hurry. Time is of the essence.”
“See you when I get back, Mother.”
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“Be careful, Jared.”
“I will Mother…” he hung up the phone. He took his car keys out of his pocket, shut off the light and locked his office door. Tapping his ear bud, he took Sir Richard off hold. “I’m back.”
“There for a minute, I thought you’d hung up on me.”
“You may not be my best friend, Sir Richard, but I won’t take that out on Missy. I’m on the way to the airport. Tell Tim to be ready. If Forrest has Missy and she’s still alive, we go with my judgement call – agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“One other thing, I’m going to contact Juanita – Dr. Walton. Since she moved back in the building, she can check a few things out for me before I get there. I’ll need a nurse, and other than Donna, Juanita is my second choice.”
“OK, Jared. I haven’t told John yet.”
“You do like keeping people in the dark, don’t you?”
“And you don’t?”
Jared chuckled. “What is the French word you big wigs use? Ah – yes, touché, Sir Richard. I’ll ring you when I get to Wisteria Hall.”
“I’ll tell Gary to add you to our phone list.”
“You’ve switched over to your phones?”
“Gary told you that too? Remind me to box his ears.”
Jared chuckled. “Too bad I don’t have one of those gadgets. Gary says they’re the ultimate. Three different network settings – right?”
“Be careful, Son.”
“Will do, Dad.” Jared laughed and disconnected the call. “As if you’ll ever be that to me,” he scoffed.
------------
Jared parked his car and paid for a long-stay ticket. He popped his Bluetooth ear bud in and selected Juanita’s number. “Hi, sweetheart. It’s Jared. Remember me – guy with the red face and sexy smile?”
“You’re full of yourself, Jared. Hi. How are you? I haven’t heard from you in months.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been… coping. I need a favour. You still living at the same apartment complex, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. Hang on Jared. Let me switch over to my hands free. You caught me in my car.”
“Sorry about that, sweetheart.”
“OK, I’m back. What kind of favour do you need and is it legal?”
Jared laughed. “You Little Smart Ass. That’s one thing you and my honey have in common. I’ll be in Shreveport in a couple of hours. Remember Missy from D’Netics?”
“Funny, Jared. I still work there part-time. Somebody had to fill in for Donna. Have you heard from her?”
“No, sweetheart. No contact – remember?”
“I just figured since you were talking to Sir Richard, you might – never mind. What about Missy?”
“You didn’t by any chance work at D’Netics yesterday, did you?”
“No, Jared. I’m there from Wednesday to Friday and sometimes on weekends if Forrest is feeling particularly shitty.”
“Hang on a second, sweetheart,” Jared said as he neared the plane.
Timothy McGowan stood in the entrance. He shook Jared’s hand. “Welcome aboard, Dr. Thundercloud. We’re ready to take off when you are.”
“Thanks, Tim. I assume Sir Richard has briefed you on what’s going on?”
“He has, yes.”
“Then I guess I’ll get buckled up.” McGowan nodded and went back to the cockpit. “Juanita, you still there, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, Jared….”
“Here’s what I need you to do. I need you to check Missy’s apartment, and if she’s not there, find a reason to drop by D’Netics. Can you do that without getting into trouble?”
“Oh, yeah. Forrest is always willing for me to work extra hours – the bastard!”
“I need you to do a little undercover work, but I don’t want you to get caught. Ask around. See if you can find out if anyone knows where Missy may be. Sir Richard thinks her cover might be blown. If that’s the case, there’s no telling what that asshole might have done to her. Are you still working part-time with Terry, too?”
“That’s where I was headed. Do I need to call him and tell him I’m not coming in today?”
“I’ll call him and tell him what’s going down. If you will, sweetheart, start checking out those places. Also, pack some bags. After this, you won’t be safe staying at your apartment, so you’ll be moving into Wisteria Hall.”
“You want me to move in with you?”
Jared chuckled. “Don’t get excited, sweetheart. We’re not pickin’ out silverware. I’m hardly there anymore. I’m sure Donna wouldn’t mind us hanging out together when I am.”
“I miss her.”
“Not nearly as much as I do, sweetheart. Carl and the band come around to use the studio from time to time. That won’t be a problem for you since you guys split – will it?”
“Oh no – we’re fine, Jared. Carl and I are still good friends. It just didn’t work out. One thing, I couldn’t put up with his housekeeping habits and he didn’t like Nano.”
Jared laughed. “I did warn you. Carl wasn’t too big on animals.”
“Are you OK with Nano coming with me?”
Jared cleared his throat. “I don’t have a problem with the cat, but… he might not like me. Go ahead and bring him. We’ll manage. Like I said, I’m not at home a lot. Listen, sweetheart, this thing is starting to crackle, so I’d better go before I lose you. See you soon, and be careful. If you get in a tight spot before I get there, call Joe Islington. He’s heading Sir Richard security team in Shreveport.”
“OK, Jared. Oh! Do you want me to pick you up at the airport, or have you made arrangements with Gerald?”
“It depends on what time you get finished. I’ll call you when we get close to the airport, and we’ll go from there. If you can’t come get me, I’ll call Gerald or one of Sir Richard’s men can pick me up. I should be there at one.”
“If I see I’m gonna have time, I’ll grab us some lunch – pizza OK? I’ll pick one up at Dominoes. You are coming in at Barksdale, I assume?”
“Yes, we are, and pizza is fine. Thanks, sweetheart,” Jared said and ended the call. “Terry, it’s Jared. Got some problems – need some favours….”