I found no evidence of weapons or anything that could be used to abduct someone, so I knew that Jack hadn’t yet gotten to the point where he could be dangerous. That would give me time to put my plan into action. I made sure I hadn’t disturbed anything and cracked the door open to see if the hallway was empty. Seeing that it was, I quickly exited, ensuring the door was locked securely behind me.
As I left the building, I opened the door for an older lady who was apparently returning from the grocery store. We exchanged smiles, and I got into my Sting Ray and took off. I headed back to the guest house, hoping to talk to Sandy and see how her efforts were going.
When I got back, I didn’t see Peggy by the pool as I walked to the guest house. I called Sandy as soon as I pulled a Corona out of the refrigerator and took a pull. When Sandy answered, I said, “Sandy, I’ve learned some additional information about Jack that you should know.”
“What is it?”
“Jack has several computer coding books, among them C++ and RPG-3, and I saw a lot of printouts of computer code, so he still has his hand in programming.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Ray. It turns out I have a position for a C++ programmer at one of our customers in Superior, Wisconsin. Will that work for you?”
“That’s exactly what I need, Sandy. How soon can you get that arranged?”
“I can get the paperwork in the mail this evening. You should get it in a day or two. This is a time-critical hire, so Jack will need to quickly decide if he’s going to take it.”
“Good! The sooner he needs to take the job, the better. Whether this works out or not, your debt to me is paid, Sandy.”
“Good. If this works out, we both get a good deal from it. Keep me updated, will you?”
“I will, Sandy. Thanks again for doing this. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye and good luck, Ray.”
After ending the call, I finished my beer. I had hoped that Sandy would come through for me, and it looked like she had. Now, I just had to convince Jack he’d be better off taking the job offer than dealing with me. I ate a quick lunch before heading out, wanting to show the colors, so to speak, to Jack so he didn’t think I had forgotten about him.
I drove back down into West Hollywood and rolled by the garage. I got lucky and managed to catch Jack’s attention as he walked out of the garage to greet a customer. I saw him start when he saw me. I smiled at him before powering away, satisfied that he hadn’t forgotten about me. I drove over to Jack’s apartment building, found a spot to park where he couldn’t miss seeing me, and waited for him to get home.
I was finally rewarded with seeing his beat-up pickup truck coming down the street. When his vehicle came up beside me, I saw him look over toward me, and I smiled at him. I knew he saw me from his reaction, so I watched as he parked and headed inside. He kept looking over his shoulder, probably expecting me to approach him. Instead, I took off, making sure Jack saw me leaving. I drove around the block and found a different spot to park and keep an eye on his truck. I waited to see if he would come out, and less than a half hour later, he came out, got in his pickup truck, and took off. I decided to follow him and did so discreetly, staying a half block and several cars behind him.
Jack eventually pulled up to a corner bar called ‘Shorty’s’ and parked. I parked down the street, got out, and followed him into the bar. When I entered, I could see it was just one step up from a dive, and the clientele looked like mostly blue-collar types who were there to drown their sorrows and forget about the bad day they’d had. I spied Jack up at the bar, and I came up and sat down beside him.
It took a moment before he looked over at me and realized who had sat down next to him. He leaned away as he said, “What do you want. Why are you following me?”
I tapped my temple with a finger and said, “Don’t you think Erin asks those same questions whenever she sees you following her around?”
Before anything else was said, the bartender asked us what we wanted. Jack asked for a Corona, and I said to make it two. The bartender grunted and went off to get the beers while I waited for Jack to answer my question. He eventually said, “I suppose you have a point. But how else can I try to talk to her?”
I was glad to hear that Jack was still thinking somewhat rationally and not acting like an obsessed person. I smiled at him as I gently said, “You have talked to Erin, and she’s made it clear that she no longer feels the same way for you. You need to accept that and get on with your life. You seem to be a decent person, and I’m sure you’d have no problem finding someone who feels the same way toward you that you feel for them.”
Before I could continue, the bartender came back with our beers. I handed him a ten, indicating I wanted to pay for both beers. I told him to keep the change, and he turned away, this time without a grunt. I took a pull from my beer before turning back to Jack. I saw a thoughtful look on his face, so I said nothing more.
I left him to his thoughts and finished my beer. I got up and left, thinking I’d made an impression on him that I could exploit once I received the package from Sandy. I got in my Sting Ray and headed back to the guest house, satisfied that Jack seemed amenable to an alternative to stalking Erin.
When I got back to the guest house, I didn’t see Peggy at the pool, so I went inside and turned on the TV to see what was in the local news. I fixed a quick meal and settled back to watch some summer re-runs. The Equalizer was on, and even though it was a repeat, I watched it and saw how his helping people using his contacts from his years in intelligence, along with the skills and training he had received, paralleled what I was doing.
Once the 10 PM news came on, I got ready for bed and turned in, looking forward to tomorrow, hoping the package from Sandy would arrive so I could wrap up this case. About five minutes after I turned out the lights, I heard someone at the door and smiled, knowing Peggy was about to arrive …
… The morning sun woke me, and I stretched, working out the kinks from last night’s assignation. I smiled, thinking about how enthusiastic Peggy was, especially when tied up. I quickly performed my toilet and ate breakfast. I called Matt to update him on my progress and briefly chatted with Erin. I then got ready to go, making my daily pilgrimage to let Jack know that I was still around, keeping an eye on him.
I knew he was working today, so I made sure to swing by the garage and sit outside for a few minutes, making sure that he saw that I was there and keeping an eye on him. Once I accomplished that, I left to do some shopping to pass the time before heading back to the guest house for lunch.
When I returned, I saw Peggy wearing her usual bikini and using the net to fish some leaves out of the pool. We exchanged smiles, and I noticed that the bruises peeking out from under the small triangles covering her nipples were indeed colorful. I went in to fix a quick lunch. Just as I finished lunch, I heard a vehicle pull up the driveway. I looked out and saw a bright yellow DHL truck and knew my package had come.