It was tearing his heart out. He could hear her tears, feel her sorrow. The anguish in her voice was so heavy that he didn’t think he could listen to another word. He was crying, remorsefully. He hadn’t cried since he was a kid. But now it was as if he was crying for every wrong thing he’d ever done. For every person he’d hurt, for every lie he’d told…for Jennifer.
“My God Jenn, I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice trembling. “I know there is nothing I can say or do that will help, but please believe me, if I could change it, I would. Tell me what you want me to do. I’ll do anything to save us.”
There was an empty feeling in the room. He stood, moved toward her, maybe it they could hold each other, “Jenn please.”
“Get out!”
“Please, don’t do this, I’m sorry, I…”
“GET OUT – NOW!”
With tears pouring down his face he ran from the room, down the stairs and into the garage. It was dark and cold; he laid across the hood of his car and sobbed. He needed to leave, drive as far away as he could. He jumped in the car. There was an envelope stuck to the steering wheel. He ripped it open, not thinking how it got there.
How does it feel? You better get ready, cause here it comes!
Bi – Bi
Suddenly, he realized someone had been in the garage while he was upstairs. He went from heartsick to terrorized. Who would have done this and why? His emotions were about to explode. He shot out of the garage and sped up the street. He had no idea where he was going, away, far away… maybe all the way.
Chapter 12
Jack Johnson knew he’d better find Sonja Bartlett and he’d better do it fast. He would start at her apartment. If she had come back, he’d be able to tell. He got a hold of the Chef and they met there. She had been there, but it didn’t look like she was staying there - probably too scared. Well, he now knew she was back in town and undoubtedly starting to snoop around.
Johnson figured she’d start with the police. She had good contacts there, but so did they. He could find out if she’d been making inquiries. He sent the Chef on his way, telling him to watch the apartment and if she returned to let him know, then tail her. He made his way back to the office to let Mr. Marks know she was back in town and they were on it.
* * * *
Ty was going crazy. First he thought getting to Mattie was the best way, then directly to Mr. Eastman, but what if Mr. Eastman actually had something to do with the murder. He’d be tipping his hand and his location. No, the best way to go was straight to Morgan. She was the only person he could absolutely trust. He’d find a pay phone somewhere and call her. He had to talk to her, make sure she was safe, and let her know he was too.
He hopped a cab to the train station. From there, he’d take a commuter flight to London. If the call was traced, they’d think he was in England. He timed it so it would be around 6 a.m. in Chicago. Morgan would certainly be there at that time - if she was alright. Flying over the Channel, he became doubtful and unsure of himself. What if he was jeopardizing her safety? What was he doing? What if she wasn’t there, then what? No, she’ll be there, she has to be.
As the plane landed, he could hardly contain his anxiety. He shot off the plane, then realized he was going to have to wait a few hours. It was only three in the morning in Chicago. That was fine; he’d get something to eat and look for an out-of-the-way phone.
By 1 p.m., London time, he’d found a phone hidden away in the back of a large office building in downtown. It was perfect. As the phone rang he could feel his stomach tighten.
“Hello,” a sleepy voice responded.
“Morgan, is that you?”
“Ty, my God, where are you? Are you alright?”
“Morgan, I miss you so much. Tell me you’re okay.”
She was wide-awake now and very relieved. “I’m okay, sort of. Well, not really. Ty, everything here is starting to come apart. You were right. Dad and Eugene were having an affair and I had to tell mom. She didn’t take it well. She turned on me, but I know it was only because she was so hurt and disbelieving. How could I expect her to accept that? Where are you, love of my life? Are you safe?”
“Yes. Let’s just say I’m out of the country. I love you Morgan and miss you so much it hurts.”
“I’ve been sick worrying about you Ty. This doesn’t even seem real. What are you going to do? I know if you come back now, you could be risking your life. As much as I want to see and hold you, I know that’s not possible right now.”
“No, it’s not,” he said in a depressed voice. “To be honest I’m not sure what to do. I want to help you, but I don’t know exactly how.”
“Stay there Ty. I’m planning to see my dad and find out what he has to say about all this. Then I’ll try to talk to my mom again, and then I guess I’ll talk to Steve. I’m not even sure he knows what’s going on. You know he and dad haven’t been very close over the years.”
“Yeah, I know. But whatever you do, promise me you’ll be careful. I’m sure they’ll be watching you, hoping I’ll show.”
“Well don’t,” she said in a very confident voice. “I can take care of myself, and Mattie’s helping me.”
“Good, but stay on your toes. This is way more than either one of us has ever had to deal with. These are powerful people with no regard for what happens to us.”
“I’ll be careful. Will you call again?”
“Yes, but I don’t know how soon. It will be at this same time if that’s okay with you?”
“Anytime’s okay. But I’ll plan on this and always be home. You don’t know how much it’s meant to hear your voice and know you’re safe. I love you Ty.”
The dial tone was like a rude intrusion into the only peace he’d had in weeks. He sat limp for several minutes. At least he knew they were both safe…for now.
* * * *
Mr. Marks was hanging up the phone as Jack Johnson walked in.
“Mr. Marks, she’s back in the city.”
“Yes, I know Jack. I just got off the phone with our friend at the police department. She’s been there asking questions.”
“About what sir? She didn’t report our visit did…”
“No, Jack. She was inquiring about abandoned or stolen cars. If she’s as good as I think she is she’ll soon know what we know and who we’re trying to pin this on.”
“Yeah, but she won’t know where he is, anymore than we do.”
“Don’t count on it, Jack. She’s very industrious and proficient; two qualities that may seem somewhat foreign to you. Now get out there and – FIND HER!”
“Don’t worry sir, we will,” he said, hesitating to ask the next question. “And once we find her?”“Follow her! She will probably lead you to Mr. Flynn. Once we find him I can turn Woodburn at the Tribune loose on it. That should put an end once and for all to Mr. Eastman and his aspirations.”
“And once we find Flynn, what happens to Ms. Bartlett?”
“Don’t worry about it Jack. You just find her and stay with her. She’ll lead you where you need to go. I’ll take it from there.”
Jack was feeling dirty. He’d been with Don Marks a long time and had done some questionable things, but murder? No, he wasn’t sure Marks actually had anything to do with it directly, but this whole thing was starting to smell, even for politics. Once Bill Woodburn got a hold of it, it would be like a runaway train, and lots of people could get hurt. Woodburn had been at the Tribune for years, and was known to be a guy who “Got the Story” at all costs. Jack liked Ms. Bartlett and was having a hard time trashing her life. Sure that’s politics, but she came from the outside and didn’t deserve this. Plus, he didn’t trust this operative that went only by the name of “Chef.” Jack had dealt with various operatives in the past, but this guy was different - evil. He asked him once, “Why the name Chef?” “Because I can cook up whatever you need
,” he said with a malevolent grin. He knew what he was doing, but seemed to have an inherent anger about him - something Jack couldn’t quite put his finger on. He didn’t like him, and he wasn’t sure what might happen if “Chef” got to Ms. Bartlett first. Despite Mr. Marks’ implications, Jack did know his way around and had a few good contacts of his own. He had to find Sonja Bartlett before the Chef did.
* * * *
Darting down the highway it suddenly hit him. He was running like a whipped dog. That’s not how Cornell Eastman had moved up the ladder and become a presidential candidate. He slammed on the brakes, swerving off the road onto the shoulder. He sat thinking about all that had happened, what he’d done to his family and what a coward he was. “No,” he thought. “I’m not going to let them kick me around like this!”A quick U-turn and he was on his way back to take what he had coming and try to salvage what was left of his marriage, family and career.
As he pulled up to the house, he could see Morgan’s car in the driveway.
“That’s fine,” he thought. “We can get on with this right now. I only wish Steve was here.”
Morgan and her mom were sitting in the family room, crying. As hard as this was going to be, he felt good about the fact he was finally facing it.
“Jenn – Morgan, can I talk to you?”
They looked up, wiping the tears from their faces. They were too stunned to talk. They just stared in disbelief. His eyes began to well up and in a trembling voice he said, “I love you both so much. Can we please talk?”
Jennifer dropped her head and began to sob. Morgan slowly rose and walked over to her dad. She looked deep into his eyes and could see the pain and sorrow. She reached out and embraced him. As they sat and talked, the grief and anger started to subside, at least for now.
* * * *
Through motor vehicle records, Sonja found Tyler Flynn’s address. Approaching the apartment building, she kept wondering how he got involved in this. What was he doing at the Herbert Hotel? Maybe she’d find out inside his apartment. She’d left her car at a friend’s house and was driving a rental, just in case they were looking for her. There was no doubt in her mind Tyler Flynn was Mr. X and on the run. Nevertheless, she was going to be very careful. It was late and she had no trouble getting into the building. She found his name on the listing in the lobby and made her way up to the fourth floor. It was a nice, quiet, older building, well kept; he had one of the end units. She’d gotten very good at picking locks and this one was no different. She eased through the door and flipped on her flashlight. No one was there, nor had there been for some time. The plants looked dead and there was dust everywhere. She turned on some lights and began looking around. There had to be some clues where he might have gone. His office was in a back bedroom; she’d start there. It appeared, by looking through the work on his desk, that he had something to do with insurance. They were loss–control reports. That was it! He must have been there inspecting the building for an insurance company. If that were true, then his finding Eastman and White was an accident. He’d simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. She felt terrible. He was truly innocent in this, and was now running for his life. And worse yet, she’d played a major role in it.
Well, there was still the hope she could find him before they did and help him. The first thing she noticed was a large picture on his desk of himself and Morgan Eastman, boating. Sonja was aware Morgan had been dating someone, but had no idea it was Tyler Flynn. She’d been too busy following Jeff, to zero in on his children. Plus, Morgan didn’t live with her parents. This cast a whole new light on things. There was obviously a strong possibility that Morgan would know where he was, but Sonja was going to stay clear of that initially. She’d already done enough damage and didn’t want to put Morgan in danger as well. She continued to sort through things, hoping to find some clues. He was very well organized, which made her searching easy. In a bottom drawer, she found some photo albums. The oldest one had some pictures of Ty and some of his college buddies on various trips. Places like Florida, Southern California, Hawaii and Paris, France. There were pictures of his parents at family reunions, the usual stuff. The last album she looked at had pictures of Ty and another woman. In the captions he’d written, “Laura and me in Paris.” She began to flip through all the pictures. He’d been there with his school buddies, his family and then with this Laura. He obviously loved Paris. Could it be that’s where he went? She’d learned a long time ago, when people run, they will generally go where they can fit in and feel comfortable. She sat at his desk mulling over her options. She felt Paris was a good place to start, and if anyone would know, it would be Morgan. If there was only some way to contact her and convince her she was on their side and was trying to help. She knew she had to do something, and fast. Marks and Johnson were undoubtedly on his trail as well.
With his obvious love of Paris, maybe he had some favorite spots, where he liked to stay. She started sifting through receipts and records hoping to find anything about his trips there. For the time being, she decided she’d stay away from contacting Morgan. That might just complicate things. If she could come up with something here, that would the best way to start. He had receipts separated into vacation and business. She came across vacation receipts from France and specifically Paris. There were a number from cafés, galleries and the like. There were also hotel receipts. The only repeat was from a hotel called Libertel Sevres – Vaneau, located at 86, rue Vaneau. He’d stayed there twice. She looked back at the pictures, and there he was with Laura standing in front of Hotel Vaneau. That’s where she’d start and backtrack from there.
Chapter 13
Steve and Tim had decided to take a long weekend and get out of town. Steve was starting a new job on Monday at a large independent book store downtown, and they thought it would be a nice get-a-way before his first day. Tim had gotten him the job. Tim was a buyer for the same store and traveled the country, as well as internationally, buying rare and collectable books.
Early Friday morning Steve got an urgent phone call from Morgan. It was about their father. She wanted him to come to the house early Saturday morning so they could all discuss what had happened. Morgan now knew about Steve’s letter to their dad. She told him how critical this was for the family. Of course, his initial response was, “Tell him to go to hell.” But Morgan emphasized how important this was to her and their mom. Grudgingly, he agreed.
He informed Tim they were going to have to postpone the weekend trip, which didn’t go over well. He tried to explain he was only doing it for his sister and mom, but it caused Tim to swing into one of his mysterious moods again.
“So, what are you going to say to good old dad?” Tim asked sarcastically.
“I don’t know,” Steve said taken aback a little. “This sort of caught me off guard. I haven’t had time to think about it.”
Tim appeared angry and ready to fight. “Really, well you better think about it soon, and I for one would like to know what you’re going to say?”
“Tim, what’s going on here? Why are you so upset about this?”
Tim, sensing Steve didn’t understand his true feelings, decided to back off.
“Sorry Steve. I don’t know, sometimes I guess I just get frustrated with our situation. I didn’t mean anything. We’ll make the weekend up later. Besides I have some work I can do.”
“Okay, you’re sure it’s alright?” Steve asked, somewhat relieved.
“Yeah, it’s fine. I’ve got plenty to do.”
“Is the next trip out of town? Because if it is, maybe we could make that our long weekend.”
“Well, we’ll see. I may have to go out of town soon, but I think I’ll have to do that one alone since you have a new job. But yes, sometime we’ll go. Let me know how it goes with your…with Cornell.”
Steve felt reassured. In his mind, Tim was far more importan
t than his father was. But he’d promised Morgan, and he certainly wanted to do the right thing for his mother.
Pulling into the driveway brought back all the old feelings and pain - how his father had belittled him and criticized his life style. Now, here he was going to try and console him and tell him it was alright, after the way his father had treated him. If he didn’t love his mom and sister so much and care about their well being, he’d tell the bastard off in person. He had to sit in the car for a few minutes to gain his composure. Finally, feeling he had it together as much as he could, he opened the front door.
He could hear talking in the family room and figured that’s where they were. He hadn’t seen his father for quite a while, other than at political functions, and not on a one-to-one basis since that infamous “Half a bubble off center” remark. He’d read the papers, heard the rumors, and Tim told him he’d heard from reliable sources that his dad and Eugene White had, in fact, had an affair. It was on that basis that he wrote the now ill-famed letter.
He couldn’t believe it. His father looked so much older… and sad. His mother immediately got up and gave him a long hug and told him how glad she was he’d come. Morgan did the same. His father just sat on the couch, looking up at him with a depressed and embarrassed gaze. There was a long, awkward pause. His mother, sensing the tension said, “Steven, come sit down. I can’t tell you how glad I am you came. It’s been too…”
“I only came for you and Morgan, mother.”
“Well, yes, I know dear, but nevertheless you came. How’s Tim?”
“Tim’s wonderful mom. I think you and Morgan would like him.”
This was not taking the direction Morgan had hoped for. She knew she had to stop this before Steve wound up throwing Tim in her father’s face.
“Steve, you told me on the phone you’re starting a new job on Monday. What will you be doing, and for whom?” Morgan asked trying to change directions.
“I’ll be working for the Nottingham Book Store downtown. You know the one with all the wonderful rare and collectable books?”