Chapter 21
It turned out I didn’t travel all that much. I took a plane to Miami, a cab across a few bridges and found a small apartment above a bar for rent in the Keys. Two and a half relaxing months passed in the blink of an eye. The place was above a locals bar. At least the majority of its patrons were locals. I made a few friends. My hair grew longer, as did my beard. It felt awkward, but I went with it.
I kept in touch with Clarissa. We talked or emailed once a week. She had moved on and seemed to be doing well for herself. Her father’s life insurance policy paid nicely and would take care of her for a while. I encouraged her to use the money to go to college. She planned to spend it all on a two year journey through Europe.
I had emailed Jessie soon after arriving here and asked her to join me. She only replied with a maybe and an apology for deleting the file and not burning it to the CD. She feared for her parents’ safety. Martinez and Keller had threatened her that day they held her hostage. I was pissed that I had trusted her enough to handle the CD. Should have done it myself or at least watched over the process. I told her not to worry about it. Under the circumstances, I understood. Gave her a deadline to come to the Keys and told her that after that point I’d be unavailable. I don’t know if that statement had any truth to it or not, but I couldn’t go on waiting forever.
The deadline loomed, now just a few hours away.
I sat outside at a table on the bar’s patio. On either side of me was an empty bistro table. A few people joined me throughout the day. They’d stay anywhere from a couple minutes up to an hour. It just depended on who and where the conversation went. I stayed sober during most of the day and only started drinking around two that afternoon. At four I didn’t feel drunk, but I certainly felt the effects of the alcohol.
“Noble,” a voice called through the open window just above my head.
“Yeah,” I said without looking back or standing.
“Got a call for you.”
I looked at my watch. Four fifteen.
“Man or woman?”
“Man.”
“Take a message.” I didn’t feel like talking.
My spot had a nice view of the water. Not a full view, but decent enough. It was early June. The sun stayed out until close to nine at night. I had every intention of sitting there until then. I had told Jessie six p.m. But I’d wait until nine. Or until I drank enough that I couldn’t sit upright anymore.
As the next two hours passed, I found myself looking further and further down the street in an effort to spot her.
“Today’s the day, eh, Noble?”
I smiled at the elderly couple who sat down at the table with me. Ralph had been a computer salesman in upstate New York. He and Marcy had been married for forty years. They left the cold a few years back for the laid-back lifestyle the Keys could offer those with the money to afford it.
Marcy straightened Ralph’s blue Hawaiian print button up shirt and then leaned toward me.
“She’ll show, Jackie.”
Most people here simply called me Noble. For some reason, Marcy saw me as the son or grandson she never had and insisted on calling me Jackie. I stopped protesting after the first week. It was quite obvious she wasn’t changing her stance.
“We’ll see.”
“Don’t get his hopes up, Marcy.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ralph,” I said.
We talked for half an hour about nothing in particular. They offered to pay for my drinks. I declined and paid for theirs. It was a game of sorts, who could throw their hands up and protest the longest and the loudest. Four times out of five, they won. Tonight they let me take the glory.
Ralph looked down at his watch. “Six p.m. We should go and leave you to your woman.” He winked and helped Marcy out her chair. The couple joined hands and slipped through the open entrance of the bar and joined the rest of the Key West crowd who had become my family.
Six o’clock passed, and there was no sign of Jessie. I leaned back in my seat and stared out at the ocean. I lost myself in the crystal blue waters and sounds of locals and tourists on the street and beach. I had dropped into such a deep zone that I didn’t notice someone standing in front of me.
I shifted my gaze and looked at the person. It wasn’t who I hoped it would be.
“Jack Noble.” Not a question. The man knew me. He stood with his hands on his hips. His jacket pushed just enough to the side that I could see the handle of his pistol. What I didn’t see was a badge. He had to be a fed, though. Who the hell would be in Key West dressed in a suit in the middle of June? I found myself wishing I still carried a gun with me everywhere I went. Unfortunately, it didn’t jive with swim trunks and a tank top.
“Do I know you, friend?” I’d taken to calling strangers friend. Everyone down here was a friend. I couldn’t help thinking this was the life I could have had during off seasons and after my pro football career.
“I’ve got a proposition for you.”
“Does it involve handcuffs and a nine by nine cell? If so, I’m not interested.”
He laughed and pulled out a chair. “May I?”
“Have at it.”
He sat down and looked up at the open window. “Uh, sure, whatever he’s having.” He looked back at me and smiled.
I looked away.
“This has nothing to do with handcuffs or cells. I want to offer you a job.”
“Doing what?”
“Well, that’s complicated. You see—”
“Let me save you the time. No.” I grabbed my glass and took a sip. “I’m not interested in working.”
“You’ve got two weeks left until your government hand out ends.”
“Hey,” I said as I pointed at him. “I worked hard for that money. Went three years without a vacation. Don’t go around telling me it’s a freebie. And keep your damn voice down.”
“Apologies, on all counts.” He stood and took his drink from the bartender’s outstretched hand. “Ten years or so with us and you’ll never have to worry about money again.”
“Who are you?”
“Name’s Frank.”
I waited for him to tell me his last name. He didn’t.
“Who do you work for?”
“That’s classified.”
“Not the FBI. No badge.”
He nodded
“CIA wouldn’t want anything to do with me.”
“Correct again.”
“NSA?”
He shook his head.
“Then who—”
“I’ll save you some time, Noble. The only way you’ll find out is if you join.”
I looked around the street and didn’t notice anyone.
“What’s the job description?”
“Professional killer.”
I lifted an eyebrow. He smiled. It wasn’t the smile of someone that just told a joke. He meant business. It made sense. All my training had led to this.
“Who told you about me?”
“I, uh, I really can’t tell you that.”
“Marlowe.”
He shrugged.
It was Marlowe.
“I need a bit to decide.”
“You’ve got two minutes, Jack. After that, I leave.”
My mind started on the what if game. What if Jessie showed up? What if she didn’t? I was terrified of both. But the thing that kept pushing its way to the front of my mind was that I wanted to join Frank and his mystery organization. I wanted to be a part of the team. I craned my neck and looked down both sides of the street. I didn’t see her. I knew I wouldn’t see her. Not here. Not anywhere, never again.
“I’m in,” I said.
Frank stood and extended his hand. I reached up and shook it. He smiled at me for a moment and pulled a card from his pocket. He let go of my hand and pulled a pen from inside his jacket and wrote something down on the card.
“Two weeks,” he said and then he turned and left.
I placed the card on the table, t
hen finished my drink while keeping my eyes open and aware. I kept up hope that Jessie would show up. She didn’t. At nine p.m., after a glorious sunset full of deep reds, oranges and pinks, I stood and grabbed the card off the table. It took a few minutes for my drunken eyes to focus. I read the note out loud.
“July 1st. East 64th Street and Park Avenue. Ten in the morning.” Below that line it said, “Welcome aboard, Noble.”
THE END
The Jack Noble saga continues in A Deadly Distgance, available now!
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