Page 370 of A Matter of Time

Just as I’d told him, renting time on a computer, accessing my email and printing out pictures of Caleb was simple. I had my photos ten minutes later.

Because I was worried that Zach and Billy might get in trouble with Rego over me not showing up, I called the club and got him on the phone. Before he could threaten me, I explained about being on a stakeout. After five minutes of me explaining things to him, he let out a quick breath and said I was the weirdest guy he’d ever met. It was probably true. When he hung up, I figured I’d covered the guys. I turned the phone off again after that.

Back in the car, I didn’t realize I’d nodded off until I jerked awake at four twenty in the morning. I was freezing, and I also had to pee. I crossed the street to use the bathroom at the gas station, and when I walked out after going, some guy was hitting a woman around back near the dumpster. I had the attendant call the police as I went to intervene. The guy had her by the throat, and even though she was already bleeding from her lip and nose, he was going to punch her again. I was afraid if I went for his arm, he’d still connect, so even though he was much bigger than me, I tackled him, diving forward, which sent both of us crashing to the ground.

Of course he turned fast under my weight, and punched me in the face. He had a ring that opened up my right eyebrow, and I felt like he had shattered my right cheekbone as well. The woman tried to help by pulling me away, her fingers clawing at my jacket, but the guy was so big, it was useless. All I could do was fight dirty since, compared to me, the man was a giant. I rolled over and my knee came up into his groin, and when he curled up, I used the hardest part of my body, my elbow, and drove it down across the back of his neck like Sam had taught me. He went face down onto the asphalt as the woman grabbed my hand and we ran. At the side of the building, she turned and hugged me tight. I held the young woman until I heard the sirens, walked her to the attendant, then bolted back across the street. There was blood on my parka, so I turned it inside out and lay down on top of it in the back seat. My face was throbbing, but I was so tired that I fell asleep with the engine running, lights out, with the heater on.

I woke up three hours later, and when I sat up and looked at my face in the rearview mirror, I realized it was crusted with blood. I looked lovely. Since it was at least a normal-ish hour of the morning, I called Dane.

“Will this number work longer than the last one?” he groused at me.

“For a bit,” I told him. “But I’m just gonna turn it off when I’m done. I can call you, not the other way around.”

“I’m aware.”

“Tell me how you are.”

“That’s not important. The vital news is that Sam’s awake, and he’s asking for you.”

My stomach flipped over. “Oh yeah? How’s he look?”

“He looks good. Come see for yourself. Everyone’s here except you. Why don’t you stop what you’re doing and visit?”

Visit. Dane was funny. “Listen, I’m doing really good. I found the place where the guys jacked the car from, and I’m here now. I’m gonna show Caleb’s picture around and see what turns up. Hopefully I can⁠—”

“Jory—”

“Last night I had to talk this pimp into letting the guys help me, and you should have seen me. I was scared but⁠—”

“A pimp? What are you talking about?”

“This guy, Rego James, he owns a club down⁠—”

“Rego what?”

“James. He⁠—”

“James? Rego James?”

“Yeah, he⁠—”

“Wait, Sam’s trying to say something… Hold on.”

As I waited, I turned off the car, got out, and looked around. There was a diner across the street on the other side, and farther down a thrift store. I couldn’t wear the parka with blood on it, and I couldn’t use my debit card to get a new one. I had used one of the credit cards I shared with Dane for the car rental, but they’d only needed it to guarantee the pay-as-you-go card I’d put cash on, they hadn’t actually run it. I appreciated them and the fact that they were just a bit shady. I had taken a two-thousand-dollar cash advance on that same card that I would pay back as soon as the mystery was solved, and I got back to work. Not that I was worried that Dane would be mad, he’d know I was good for the money.

At the moment, I had to eat, and I had to wash my face. I needed a Band-Aid too, since my eyebrow felt like it was hanging open.

“Jory.”

“Yeah? Who’s this?” Not my brother.

“Jory, this is Detective Hefron. Jory, Rego James is a very dangerous man. Please have no further contact with him and simply return immediately.”

“But I got this far, Detective. I’m running down a lead.”

“Jory, just come back and I’ll run it down. You don’t know what you’re⁠—”

“Gotta go, my eye’s killing me.”