Walker (Bowen Boys, #1)(33)

He began making a mental list. There were things he knew that no one else knew, and when he’d received the call an hour ago, the woman would be dead within a few days anyway. The one thing that Garrett had done right before he’d killed himself was contact another piece of the puzzle. He’d made arrangements to have her killed, as well as the president. The man may have been a coward, but he had been a smart one.

McCray held the key to him being here. She had information that was going to have him sentenced to certain death by firing squad rather than a long prison sentence. He was sure he knew what it was, but he wasn’t positive. She was too untrusting to share that information with Garrett.

She knew or had something that put him there when he’d had his family killed. In fact, he’d been the one who had drugged them all and set fire to the house they were in, burning them alive. If he was really down he’d simply remember their screams. All of them from his parents to his grandparents, as well as his younger siblings. Jerry had wanted something badly enough to not want them to tell anyone they were related, not to mention all the dirt they had on him.

Jerry lay down on the cot and didn’t move when a box was shoved into the room with him. The same man held a gun on him when the door had been opened and he stood watching him as the box was pushed in. When they were both gone, he got up to see what it was.

Books that he’d never read, but had asked for because he could, a single plastic glass that had a small crack in it, toilet paper, a small hand towel that was marked with a number on it, and last but not least, his iPad. It was shattered and all the insides were stripped out. He simply laid it on the floor and tried not to think about what had been on it as well.

There was nothing of use to him here. Not if he didn’t count the necessities. He wondered if he’d get his clothes when he noticed the orange jumpsuit in the bottom of the box. The number on it matched the one on the tiny towel. He thought about refusing to wear it, but thought it would be better than being naked. He had one more thing that they hadn’t found and reached to the mattress he’d been sitting on to pull it out. Nestor had told him the cell phone was there months ago, just in case. He told him that he’d hidden one in each cell inside the mattress so that if he ever had to move, he’d be covered. Jerry took it out and turned it on. Time to make things happen.

~~~

Walker opened the door a little after midnight. He’d been gone for nearly six hours and he wasn’t really surprised to see Caitlynne still sitting at the table working. She looked up at him when he cleared his throat.

“There’s something here I can’t find. Something that connects the dots that I’m not seeing.”

He looked at the large board that was covered from top to bottom, then back at the table. She had three computers running something and a small device hanging out of each one. There were papers everywhere, including the counter a few feet away. He didn’t see any plates, only a single glass that had water, but no ice. He would bet she’d not touched it since he left.

“I’m hungry, are you?”

She nodded absently.

“Okay. I need to move some of these things. Will that be alright?”

She didn’t answer, but got up to move them to the already overflowing table. She sat back down and looked at the computers again. Smiling, he decided that he’d distract her after he fed her.

He made them a simple sandwich of ham and cheese. She picked off the lettuce and tomato and ate it nearly in three bites. When she eyed his sandwich he handed it to her, made himself another one, and gave her a glass of tea. She drank it down in one drink. She was going to be hard to keep filled if this was any indication. He finished his dinner and watched her for a few minutes. When she looked up, he smiled.

“You were supposed to be waiting for me in our room.” She looked around as if seeing what she’d been doing for the first time. “You’ve been too wrapped up in this to remember, I understand.”

“You’ve only been gone what…thirty minutes, forty-five? I only just got a good start on this and now you’re back. I thought I’d have more time.”

“I’ve been gone for six hours, love, and you probably haven’t moved a bit, have you?” She started to protest, but looked out the window over the sink. “How about we go to bed and maybe after you sleep, you’ll find your dots.”

“I can’t let him harm you guys. It’s not right that he can do whatever he wants to me, but I know you guys had nothing to do with any of this.”

He nodded and helped her stand.

“You still want to f*ck me?”

He laughed. “No. I want to make love to you. Fucking is for strangers. I want to make love to you.”

“It’s the same thing, Walker. The end result it exactly the same.”

He picked her up and started to the stairs.

“I’m quite capable of walking on my own, you know. Besides, I should go back to that hotel and stay there. It would be a lot safer if I—”

“You mention leaving me again and I swear I will beat your ass. The sooner you get it through your thick skull you’re mine, the better off things are going to be.” He opened the door to his room, realizing that this was the first time she’d been in here. “If you want to change anything, I don’t care.”

She walked around the room when he put her down.