Read Noble Beginnings: A Jack Noble Thriller (Jack Noble #1) Page 32
Chapter 15
I dropped Bear and Jessie off at a hotel in Petersburg, Virginia and swapped the Tahoe for a rental car just outside of Richmond. It crossed my mind more than once that the Tahoe might have been bugged. It was risky driving the Tahoe as far as I did. But I figured whoever was after me had proved time and again that they would wait until I was settled somewhere before striking. Why would now be any different? Besides, I still wasn’t sure that they followed us to Abbot’s. The hit on Abbot could have been in motion long before he told us to come out to his lake house. That made sense. The hit had been planned before he talked to me. Otherwise, why not send a team and take all of us out?
I stopped at a convenience store and picked up a TracFone, then got back on I-95 northbound to Washington, D.C. The sedan provided a smoother ride than the Tahoe. I caught myself falling asleep more than once.
I exited the interstate in Springfield, Virginia and stopped at the first hotel I found. Paid cash for a two night stay. The hotel wasn’t fancy, a two story place with outside entrances to each room. I drove to the far end and walked up a flight of stairs to room 228. I ran the green programmed key card through the lock and the door clicked open. I stepped into the room. To my right was a bathroom. To the left a full length mirror followed by a shallow closet. A dresser with a TV on it leaned up against one wall. Across from the dresser was a queen sized bed. On the far side of the bed was a round table with two chairs.
I pulled out the TracFone and the torn paper with Conners and the phone number missing one digit written on it. Blood stained the paper. Abbot’s blood. My jaw clenched as anger built inside of me. I started dialing the number, stopping after the ninth digit. I tried to decide what number to press next. My finger hovered over the button labeled with the number five. Instead of pressing the button, I flipped the phone shut. Once I heard a voice on the other end of the line I’d need to act on whatever information it gave me. Right now I needed sleep. Sure, I’d been trained to operate in sleep deprived situations, and I had been since leaving the little house in Iraq. But now I needed every bit of cohesion and clarity I could muster.
I took off my clothes and hung them over one of the chairs next to the table. Placed my gun on the nightstand and laid down. I was out within five minutes.
I awoke in a dark room. It took a few moments to remember my location and why I was there. I sat up and turned to look at the window. The sunlight that penetrated the folds of the drapes had disappeared. I pulled back the shades and saw that it was dark outside, too. I grabbed my watch. Seven p.m. I brushed off the initial burst of anger and took a deep breath. Seven hours of sleep would prove beneficial. A pen and pad of paper were placed next to my gun on the nightstand. I grabbed all three and moved to the table. My stomach growled. I leaned over and checked through the drapes. A Mexican restaurant next door caused my mouth to salivate.
I quickly dressed and left my room. Crossed the parking lot and entered the restaurant. I ordered take out and returned to the room to eat.
I picked up the pen and wrote Conners at the top of the notepad. Below that I wrote the nine digit number and below that I wrote the numbers zero through nine in order. My finger had hovered over five before I had lain down to sleep, so I decided to start with that one.
A raspy voice answered the phone midway through the first ring. “Hello?”
“Is this Conners?”
“Who’s this?”
“This is, uh, a friend of the Colonel’s.”
“I know lots of Colonels. Which one?”
I took my chances. “The one who’s dead now.”
There was silence on the other end. Finally, the man spoke up. “Christ.”
“First guess. What a surprise.” After a pause I added, “I was in the house when he was murdered.”
“OK, so you are who I think you are and I am who you think I am.” He coughed. “We shouldn’t say much else on the phone.”
“Agreed. Where can I meet you?”
“Carlito’s, it’s a—do you know your way around the city?”
“Well enough.”
“19th and I Street. You can’t miss it.”
“You sure—” I searched for the right words. “Listen, Conners. People are dying everywhere I go. I get the feeling I’m being framed. But, do you…is this place safe?”
“It is, and you are. Meet me at nine thirty tonight.”
The line went dead. I flipped the phone shut and set it on the table. I stood and peeled back the curtains covering the window and studied the parking lot outside. The hotel’s lot was motionless. A few cars came and went as families stumbled out of the restaurant and others made their way inside to take the place of those who had just left. The cycle of life, somewhat.
I wasn’t sure about Conners. The cautious nature of our phone call and the reaction to Abbot’s death made me think he was on my side, or a good actor. Aside from Bear, General Keller was the only other person I could trust. But I’d have to give Conners the benefit of the doubt. If the meeting turned out to be a double cross, I’d be ready.