the Sept. '05 Episode title challenge by Katy,
the April '05 Mystery challenge by Jesfrealo,
the Oct. '03 Chase Challenge by Violette,
and possibly a couple of others if I work it right.*
Vin Tanner looked up from the report he was pretending to work on and met his boss’s frustrated gaze. “Nope.”
“Damn it.” Chris turned back into his office and half stomped back to his desk, flopping back in his chair and turning to stare out the window.
Ezra was in trouble. Vin knew as he watched Larabee’s actions that Standish had pushed too far this time. Standish was normally late but nothing like this. Vin glanced up at the clock and frowned. It was almost 11. Ezra always called if he was planning on being later than 10.
“JD!”
Tanner looked up sharply and chuckled as the cardstock and crepe paper turkey that’d been perched on top of Buck’s computer monitor went flying towards Wilmington, a suction cup tipped arrow stuck to its pilgrim hat. He shook his head as Buck peeled the arrow from the turkey and tossed it like a missile at Dunne. “Quit shooting Ole Tom. Lucinda gave him to me.”
JD snickered but hurriedly shoved the bow and arrow into a drawer as Chris once again popped out into the main office and glared at Ezra’s deserted desk. Larabee didn’t ask this time, he merely snarled at the group and ducked back into his office again.
“What’s up with that?” JD whispered curiously.
“We were supposed to have a meeting about the new case,” Nathan answered automatically.
“When?” Vin spun his chair around to face the direction of Jackson’s desk.
“10:30.”
“Shit.” Vin looked back at Chris’ office again. Even with Ezra’s habits, the man was always on time for scheduled meetings.
“Do you think there’s cause for concern, Vin?” Josiah’s deep voice filled with worry.
Vin tried not to show his frustration. Since when did every feeling and instinct of his become the rule around here? He wasn’t some psychic or anything didn’t they get that? He wasn’t always right. “Don’t know,” he responded without looking at back at Sanchez. “Just ain’t like Ez, normally.”
“Could be just blowing it off because he’s more interested in that pumpkin spice coffee he likes.” Nathan tried to conjecture but no one responded. They all knew that despite Standish’s lackadaisical attitude he took work seriously.
Larabee’s phone rang and Vin found himself leaning back in his chair, straining to hear Chris’s side of the conversation. He didn’t have to strain much.
“Where the hell are you?” Chris virtually shouted into the phone.
Vin cringed. Least Ezra was okay.
“What do you mean a few days? No, you can’t.” Larabee’s voice carried well in his private office. The rest of the team sat and waited, listening as Chris continued to argue with Standish.
“Get your ass in here, Ezra. I’m not handing this case off to that hotshot Buchanan on team two.”
“Standish!” Chris stood up behind his desk.
“Um, excuse me.” The softly accented feminine voice caught everyone in the outer office by surprise.
Vin spun around in his chair, his mouth dropping open in shock. “Aislinn.” He hadn’t seen her since the Rounds case. Ezra’d been in the hospital and she had come, to make sure they were okay and then as soon as he started asking questions…she’d disappeared again.
He heard Chris yelling into his phone again and a feeling of dread grew in his gut. Aislinn stood there, staring directly at him. Her hair was still blonde, but without the magenta streaks. She wore it in a simple ponytail and Tanner realized it was the first time he’d ever seen her with her hair pulled back. She was dressed in jeans and an oversized cable-knit sweater. She looked like she was shivering. His eyes swept over her face again, noticing the red-rimmed eyes and the slight quiver of her lower lip.
“Shit.”
He stood quickly and pulled her into the break room. Every time she showed up, one of them, specifically him or Ezra, ended up hurt somehow. What was it now? “What happened?” he questioned more harshly then he intended.
She shook her head, unable to find words for the moment. Her midnight blue eyes filled with tears, but she held on and blinked them back. “He needs you,” she whispered hoarsely.
Vin groaned. Last time she said that Ezra had barely survived. “Is he hurt? Where is he?”
She pulled back, obviously distraught, as he reached for her. “I can’t…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I just…you need to know. Please. Go to him.” With a soft sob, she spun away and ran from the small room and out of the office.
Vin stared after her. “Well shit.” It seemed a fitting theme for the day.
By the time Tanner exited the breakroom the others were waiting, as he’d expected.
“What was that about?” Nathan asked.
“What’d you do to her?” Buck demanded.
Vin shook his head. “Nothing, she was upset when she got here.”
He ignored their other questions and went into Chris’ office just as Larabee slammed down the phone. “That Ezra?” Tanner asked.
“No,” Chris snarled. “That was me handing our newest case over to Buchanan.”
Vin raised an eyebrow. “Ezra?”
“That idiot is boarding a plane as we speak.” Chris put his hands on his hips, obviously wrestling with his anger. “Told me he needed a few days and basically said ‘too bad I’m going anyway’ when I said no.” He looked up at Vin. “What’s he thinking? We’re supposed to be sending him under right after Thanksgiving. Now, Buchanan is all gung-ho to take over.”
“Let him.”
“What?” Chris stopped and stared at Vin.
“Aislinn was here.”
“Here? When?” Chris glanced out the wall of windows to the outer office space.
“Minute ago.”
“It bad?” Chris’ entire demeanor changed from angry to concerned. He knew their history with the mysterious woman and her appearance never seemed to signal anything good.
“Said he needed me.”
Larabee stared at him a minute before responding. “Well, shit.”
Twenty minutes later Chris was parking his truck next to Ezra’s Jag in the long term parking section of the airport. Vin listened to JD on the cell phone. “Just tell me where he’s heading, JD,” he demanded as they climbed out of the truck and Chris locked it up. They didn’t have anything with them save for the small duffles they each kept in their vehicles for emergencies. One change of clothing and a little extra cash and they were set. “Where?”
He weaved around a small Ford in order to catch up with Larabee’s determined strides toward the terminal. “Really? Okay. Thanks. We’ll let you know when we figure it out.”
Vin snapped the phone closed and shoved it into his pocket.
“Where?” Chris asked without looking at him.
“Nashville.”
“Nashville?” Larabee’s steps faltered a little, he glanced at Vin with a questioning expression.
“Hell if I know. Let’s just get some tickets and go.”
They made it on the next flight to Nashville with only a little arguing and cajoling with the lady at the ticket counter. “You’re lucky you’re flying this week and not next,” she told them with a small frown, alluding to the holiday and its reputation for being the busiest flying week of the year.
Clearing security was no problem since both had left their sidearms locked up at the office. Both men hated the feeling, but knew they’d never catch up to Ezra if they took the time to go through all the channels needed to keep their weapons with them. As it was they weren’t even sitting in the same row on the plane.
Vin settled back into his aisle seat, thankful for the sparsely filled plane and unbuckled his seatbelt as the light above dinged off. He smiled at the older man seated beside him and began to relax now that take off was over. The man in question smiled back and then turned back to the window. Tanner’s gaze took in the brand new clothing, the pale complexion and the small prison tattoo on the man’s right hand and immediately recognized the man as a recent parolee.
Sensing his scrutiny, the man turned to look at him again. “Hey.”
“Hi. Nice view?” Tanner wasn’t sure what to say. He normally didn’t strike up conversations with total strangers on planes.
“Yeah, haven’t seen much lately.” The guy grinned self-consciously.
“Been out long?” Vin dove in. There was something oddly compelling about the man.
The man looked surprised but shook his head. “Not really.”
“Vin,” Tanner introduced himself, extending a hand. Why was he being so chatty suddenly? He wondered.
The man gripped his hand and shook it solidly. “Jack.”
They were silent again as Vin let Jack take the lead in the conversation. He glanced across the aisle to where Chris sat and smiled. A small child beside Larabee tossed a whiffle ball into the air, bouncing it lightly against the overhead compartment and chattering on about his pet cat, while his mother seemed oblivious. He saw Chris’ posture stiffen and wondered how long it would be before Larabee snatched the ball.
“What takes you to Nashville?” Jack asked beside him.
Vin leaned back in his seat, shifting to find a comfortable position. “Helping a friend.”
Jack nodded. “Good reason. What’s he need?”
“Don’t know.” Vin admitted, uncharacteristically open with the stranger. “Just know he needs a friend right now.”
Jack smiled at that and nodded. “Lucky man to have someone so willing to help.” He said, and then turned back toward the window again.
Vin closed his eyes and thought about Aislinn’s abrupt visit to the office. She’d never come there before. There was so much about her that he didn’t understand but he knew better than to doubt her. Questions rolled through his mind at dizzying speed. Why had she been so upset? What was her connection with him and Ezra? How did she always know when one of them was in trouble, particularly Ezra? What was happening to Ezra now? Sighing heavily, Vin tried to chase the worst-case scenarios from his mind but past images assaulted him all the same. They needed to catch up with Ezra, fast.
The Nashville International Airport wasn’t very busy considering it was the weekend before Thanksgiving. Vin was thankful for that fact as he shifted the strap of his duffle higher up on his shoulder and listened to Chris talk to JD on the cell phone.
“Is he leaving a trail at all, JD?”
Vin could hear the impatience lacing Larabee’s voice. If Ezra wasn’t using his given name or his own credit cards it was going to be very hard to trace the man. Unfortunately for them… Ezra was a master at being someone else. If he didn’t want to be found, using their own bullheadedness would be their only chance to find him. They were lucky as it was that Standish had flown this far under his own identity. According to flight schedules displayed on screens throughout the airport terminal, they were only about 45 minutes behind him. Surely they could catch up to him soon. The problem was, they’d already spent an hour walking through the airport, but there had been no sign of Standish. They were searching blind with no real idea where to even start looking.
Vin sidestepped a man pushing a cart filled with luggage and bumped into Chris. “Sorry,” he murmured, ignoring Chris’ glare. He knew Larabee’s frustration was not aimed at him.
“Yes, JD, I do know how many ways out of the airport there are. Yes, I want you to check them all. Start with taxi and shuttle services.” Chris flipped the phone shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If he’s changed to another identity…”
“I know, cowboy.” Vin glanced around for a place to sit down and think. Spotting a small sports bar, he pointed. “Let’s slip in there for lunch.”
It was already close to four in the afternoon here, three if he went by Denver time and if he was starving, he knew Chris probably was. too. The damn airlines didn’t serve so much as a snack anymore.
“What’s JD got?” Vin finally asked after they were seated at a tiny table, their bags shoved under their chairs. From their vantage point they could still see the myriad of travelers walking past.
Chris picked up his beer and took a long sip. “Nothing.” He shook his head, placing the glass back down on the foam board coaster. “They’re still trying to get a definitive trace on his cards. We got lucky with the flight. He used his Government issued for that.”
“Really?” Vin looked up from his basket of fries with surprise. For Ezra to use the office card for something personal… something must definitely be wrong. He watched Chris intently, noting the tight jaw line. “He’s got a good reason for this.”
“He better.” Chris picked at his chicken sandwich, playing with the bun a minute before he picked it up and took a bite. Vin shoved another fry into his mouth and glanced around the area again. He was surprised to spot Jack walking casually by.
“You know him?” Chris asked, following Tanner’s glance.
“Met him on the plane.” Vin offered. “Name’s Jack.”
“Looks like he just got out.”
“That’s what I thought. Didn’t tell me much other than he’s heading home.”
“Something familiar about him.” Chris watched the older man move through the airport. He stopped in front of a sign that read Chattanooga Coaches. “Seems like he’s going pretty far for just being released.”
“I’m guessing he’s got permission.” Vin nodded. “Seemed too at ease to be violating parole.” He watched Chris stiffen and realized that Jack had spotted them watching him.
Jack smiled confidently and waved. Vin reluctantly waved back and frowned, the former prisoner was walking towards them.
“What does he want?” Chris met Vin’s gaze.
“How should I know? Just be nice. He seems okay.”
“Hiya, Vin.” Jack leaned against the small, sculpted metal rail that served as the restaurants exterior wall, rolling a half empty bottle of cranberry juice between his hands. “Find your friend yet?”
Chris’ eyes widened but Vin ignored him. “Not yet. Waiting on some information first. This is Chris.” He gestured toward Larabee.
“Nice to meet you,” Jack waved casually. “I’m Jack.”
Chris just nodded at the man.
Jack seemed unphased by the lack of vocal greeting. “So, where you going to look next? Think your friend is still in Nashville?”
“Don’t really know. He could be anywhere.” Vin glanced at Chris who raised a questioning eyebrow. Tanner just gave a small shrug.
Pondering for a moment, Jack didn’t notice the small communications back and forth between the two men from Denver. “Have you thought of trying the shuttle place over there?” Jack waved in the direction he’d come from.
“Haven’t narrowed things down that much,” Vin admitted, glancing up and reading the ‘Chattanooga Coaches’ sign again. “Why would he go to Chattanooga?” he wondered out loud.
“No clue.” Jack chuckled as he picked at the juice label. He’d already peeled the word Ocean off, leaving the bottle to read ‘spray’. “Me, I got some family I’m trying to hook up with myself.” He pushed away from the rail and nodded to both men. “Nice to meet you, Chris, and talk to you again, Vin. Have a good holiday season.”
Vin choked a bit as he sipped his beer. “Thanks, you too,” he managed.
Jack nodded, suddenly looking sad. “Been a long time.” His smile was bittersweet. “My own fault, but it’ll be nice seeing the kids again.” With that his demeanor instantly brightened. “Well, good luck finding Ezra.” He waved one last time and moved back across the airport’s glossy floor.
Chris stared at Vin. “How much did you tell him?”
Vin shrugged. “Just got talking on the plane. He just knows I’m looking for Ez, nothing more.”
Any further comment was cut off by Larabee’s phone ringing. He snatched it off the table, answering at the second ring. “JD?”
Vin watched as Chris looked back the way Jack had wandered and then turned and met his gaze. “You’re sure? Okay, that’s where we’re headed then. Keep on it.”
Clicking the phone shut decisively, Chris pushed away from the table. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we headed?” Vin questioned, somehow already knowing the answer.
“Chattanooga.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Are you kidding me?” Chris’ voice radiated with anger and Vin could tell that his friend was truly fighting to control his temper. “We have to get on that bus.”
“That shuttle,” the desk clerk cleared her throat and held her ground, “has already loaded and is preparing to leave as we speak.”
“But it hasn’t left yet!” Larabee countered, pulling his badge out of his pocket and flashing it with authority. “We need to catch up with someone on board.”
Unabashed by the attempted power play the clerk smiled broadly. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s a life and death situation,” Larabee tried with desperation.
The clerk raised a sculpted eyebrow with disbelief. “A huh.” She glanced down at the computer terminal in front of her. “Usually we require twenty-four hour notice for bookings, but during the holiday season, we try to be forgiving. Would you like me to book you two seats on the next shuttle?” She met his glare unwavering. “We still have some openings.”
Vin heard the growl starting low in Larabee’s throat and stepped closer. “That would be fine, ma’am, to Chattanooga please.” He gave their information as requested and handed over his own company credit card. “What time will that be leaving?”
“6:30pm,” she answered sweetly. “Try to be here a few minutes early, you’ll get a better pick of your seats.”
Vin accepted the tickets with a nod of thanks and gently pulled Larabee away from the counter.
“I can’t believe that. We sat there eating and he was in there the whole time.” Chris steamed.
“No way of knowing that ‘til JD got us the info,” Vin reminded, his own voice heavy with disappointment. Ezra was probably still on a bus here at the airport. He glanced at his wristwatch. It was 4:35pm…so Standish was on his way to Chattanooga now. Damn they’d just missed him.
“What do we do now? Wait for two hours?” Chris complained.
“Looks like, or we could see if we can find any flights that will take us to Chattanooga before he gets there.”
“Why on earth would he go to Chattanooga?” Larabee wondered out loud.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Vin admitted.
Forty minutes later, the two were dejectedly heading back toward the shuttle office. The only available flight from Nashville to Chattanooga was a nine-hour monstrosity that stopped both in DC and Charlotte NC before getting to Chattanooga.
The same clerk as earlier smiled warmly at them as they entered the small waiting room. The room was sparsely decorated and reminded Vin of the waiting areas at car dealerships or garages where they dumped you while they fixed whatever was wrong with your car. He plopped down in an old, worn padded chair and put his foot up on the bare coffee table. Christmas music played softly in the background and a mounted TV was showing a muted news program. Tanner glanced at the wall clock and groaned. They had another hour and twenty minutes to wait.
Larabee paced the room once and then sat down in the chair next to Vin’s, mimicking the younger man’s posture. “Tell me what’s up with Aislinn,” he demanded suddenly.
Vin glanced at him without turning his head. “You know as much as I do, Cowboy.”
“Why does she always come to you? Or Ezra? What’s her connection to you two?”
“Told you, I don’t know.” Vin tried not to get defensive. How was he supposed to know why the lady had singled him and Ezra out? “She just seems to show up.”
“With bad news,” Chris reminded unnecessarily.
Vin shrugged.
“Think she’s behind any of it? That she’s out to get you two for some reason?”
“Nope.” Vin shook his head. “She’s always warning us about something.”
“Huh.” Chris was silent for a few minutes. “How does she know?”
“Know what?” Vin’s gaze wandered to the arm of his chair where the vinyl had cracked and a clump of graying stuffing was exposed. He picked at it.
“How does she always know when one of you is hurt, or needs us or whatever. What’s her deal?” Chris’s frustration was obvious but Tanner had no answers for his friend.
“Maybe she’s psychic?”
Larabee laughed, but Vin could tell the man wasn’t totally discounting the idea, not after what they’d already been through with the strange woman. “I just don’t get her. What’d she say this morning?”
Vin sighed and closed his eyes, thinking back to what already seemed like a full day ago. “She was upset. Very. I mean she could barely speak. Never have seen her that emotional.”
“You’ve only seen her two or three times, Vin,” Chris reminded.
“Yeah, but with the Rounds case, she was pretty intense about what Ez was feeling. This time, it was like she was dealing with her own feelings. She could barely talk around them. What she did manage was that Ezra needed me. Now.” He waited for more questions.
“Is he in danger? Hurt?”
“Didn’t say. Just he needed me.”
“What’s your gut telling you?”
Vin could feel Chris’ gaze on him now and opened his eyes. “That we really need to catch up to him,” he admitted softly.
It was 9pm by the time the two weary agents stepped off the shuttle at the Chattanooga office. They were exhausted and knew they were at least two hours behind Ezra now. Chris got out his cell and called back home again. “What’s the update?” he asked.
Vin wondered if Chris was still talking to JD.
“Where?” The disbelief in Larabee’s voice was obvious. “Why the hell didn’t he just fly straight there to begin with then?” Chris demanded.
Vin smiled. How would they know?
“So he caught another shuttle? To Atlanta? What time was that?”
Vin caught Chris’ gaze and moved to the ticket counter again, quietly requesting information about their next shuttle to Atlanta. He turned back to Chris with a frown.
“The son of a bitch is going to Atlanta.” Chris shook his head, angrily shoving the phone back into his pocket. “We have to get on another one of these damn shuttles.”
“Not going to happen,” Vin responded.
“What do you mean?”
“Ezra was on the last shuttle of the night.”
“What time is the next one?”
Vin looked at the haggard looking desk clerk. “Five in the morning,” the clerk answered.
Larabee frowned, seeming to consider their options. “How long a drive is it?”
Tanner checked the schedule again. “Looks like two and a half hours if that.”
“Come on then.” Chris nodded to the clerk and led the way out of the office. They only had to walk a few yards before coming to the first Rental Car place.
“Get something sporty,” Vin told Larabee, laughing as the senior agent flipped him off. “And a map!”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vin leaned back in the contoured seat of the dark blue Oldsmobile and tried not to let his impatience show. They had been making excellent progress, hurling down I-75 south, the dark countryside flying by, certain to make it to Atlanta in less than two hours when they’d hit the fog. It’d been like driving into a wall of thick gray cotton. Their speed dropped dramatically as visibility disappeared. Now, Chris gripped the steering wheel tightly, cursing regularly as they inched along and declaring at regular intervals how much he wished he had his truck. Frustration grew thick between them as they were forced to slower speeds, and time stretched out between them and Ezra.
Why on earth had Ezra returned to Atlanta? The question plagued Vin. Atlanta had nothing to offer Standish. Nothing save a lot of bad memories and former colleagues still carrying hateful grudges. Tanner chewed absently on the straw from his soda and closed his eyes a minute. He felt exhausted. Time wise, it wasn’t that late back home, but here, after traveling across half the country, frustrated and worried, it felt as if he’d been up for 72 hours or more. His mind went back to this morning in the office, again. He could still see Aislinn standing there, fighting her tears. Was she afraid? Was she…
Suddenly it hit him. Grief. That’s what he had seen in her eyes. Fear clenched his heart and he sat up straighter in the seat. Ezra could not be dead, Vin’s rationale reminded him. JD was still tracking Standish through his various credit card uses. You couldn’t follow a dead man—unless the person who killed him had stolen his wallet.
Damn. Vin looked at Chris, his panic growing. I’d know right? Vin asked himself. I’d be able to sense if Ezra was truly gone, wouldn’t I? Yeah right, he scoffed internally. What makes you think something like that? he ranted silently. Just because you and Ezra are close sometimes, what if…
Chris cast a sideways glance at him as if sensing the sudden unrest. “He’s okay.” Larabee’s eyes were clear and certain, and with two confident words he managed to answer the unspoken questions and calm the rising fear. His look told Vin not to bother asking how he knew and, at that moment, Tanner didn’t need to. He grasped onto his friend’s confidence and let his fear subside back into a persistent worry.
The fog continued to slow them down, remaining heavy, even as they finally reached the outskirts of the city. Weary, they stopped at a BP station in a traffic heavy suburb and called the team in Denver.
Vin leaned against the side of the car and listened to Chris’ end of the conversation while he watched evening traffic navigate through the thick fog. The night was chilled but comfortable compared to Denver. From Chris’ responses to JD, it sounded as if they had good news to report.
“What’s up?” Tanner asked as Chris pocketed his phone.
“He’s not trying to hide.” Chris’ relief was obvious.
“Using ‘Standish’?”
“Yup, and his own credit cards. He’s rented a car and checked into a hotel for the night.”
It took the pair another hour and a half to get directions and find their way across the city to Ezra’s hotel. They drove through the parking lot twice before Chris backed into a spot that allowed them a good view of the main entrance of the hotel.
Vin’s eyes scanned the exterior of the two-story building, with its cream siding and rows of bright blue doors. Small and simple, it didn’t fit Ezra’s usual flare for the extravagant at all. It was the kind of place you picked because it was there and it was what you needed. It was functional.
“There’s the car.” Larabee pointed out a dark colored rental that matched the description JD had managed to get them. “Looks like he’s in for the night.”
Tanner slouched in the passenger’s seat, reclining it slightly and settled into a more comfortable position. “Reckon we are, too.”
Without needing to discuss their options, the two friends automatically fell into a comfortable silence as they kept watch. From the information JD had gathered, the night manager at the hotel was a talkative fellow. They knew that Standish had requested a very early wake up call. Both Chris and Vin knew there was too great a chance of losing Standish if they checked into a room themselves and neither were willing to risk it. The one bit of information JD hadn’t managed to get was which room Ezra had checked into and, at the current late hour, they weren’t about to go banging on doors or harassing the manager to find out.
That left waiting, and continuing to wonder what had brought Ezra all the way to Atlanta on such a spur of the moment.
“I bet Maude is involved.”
“Maybe.” Vin looked at Chris. “He ain’t been too quick to jump through her hoops for a long time though.”
Larabee frowned. “True. This is like her though.”
“Yup.”
Sighing heavily Chris sat up straighter and gestured toward the gas station just across the yellowed lawn beside the parking lot. “I’m going for coffee. What do you want?”
Vin grinned and rattled off a list of junk food that made Chris shiver and shake his head before climbing out of the car. “Be right back.” He watched Chris jog across the small space of grass, and turned back to the hotel in time to see a figure emerge from the main office and begin walking by the first floor rooms. In and out of the shadows of the walkway the man looked somewhat familiar to Vin but it wasn’t until the figure stopped four doors down from where Ezra’s rental was parked that Vin gasped and leaned forward in his seat. “It can’t be him,” he said out loud as disbelief filled him.
He watched, his hand reaching for the door handle as Jack stood outside the room for a long moment. The older man looked weary and hesitant, sad. He touched the door lightly and leaned in, his forehead just touching the blue exterior before he suddenly pulled away and moved on as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
Tanner watched him slowly climb the stairs to the second level and disappear into the shadows. That couldn’t really have been Jack, could it? What was he doing here? Had he actually followed them?
Vin stared at the door Jack had entered until Chris suddenly banged on the driver’s side door, a bag of groceries in one arm, a tray of hot drinks in his other hand. Vin shook his head and leaned over to open the door for Larabee. It was late and he was very tired. He had to be imagining things. What were the chances the ex- con would be following them anyway? What reason would he have?
Vin took the bag of food as Larabee climbed in. “I miss anything?” Chris asked, handing a cup of coffee over.
Tanner glanced up at the second floor room again before meeting Chris’s questioning gaze. “Nope.”
The night dragged on, interspersed with walks over to the all night gas station to escape the stuffy car and light restless naps that always left Vin waking up to the sensation of being watched.
“Hey.” A sharp slap to his chest woke him a final time just after dawn. “There he is,” Chris pointed out.
Sitting up straight and righting his seat, Vin squinted through the bright morning sunlight. He pushed aside the unsettled feeling left by his disjointed dreams and focused on Ezra.
Standish was just stepping out of the room four doors down from his car. Vin frowned, looking quickly at the second floor before refocusing on his friend again. His relief at seeing Ezra unharmed was immediately tempered with renewed worry.
Dressed in jeans and a simple black pull over sweater, Ezra looked pale and tired. His shoulder slumped with an unseen burden and unguarded, his expression betrayed a hurt and loneliness Vin had never witnessed in Standish before. Ezra opened the door of his unlocked rental, tossed a duffle bag into the back seat and climbed in without so much as a glance around the parking lot.
Vin exchanged a concerned look with Chris. They weren’t making any real effort to hide from Ezra and on any other day, Standish would have already spotted them. It wasn’t like Ezra to be so unaware of everything around him, wasn’t safe for the undercover agent either. Something was very wrong.
Chris started the car as Ezra backed his out of the parking space and waited only a minute before following the southerner. The fog from the night before was long gone but traffic was slow and heavy. It took both men to keep track of Ezra’s rental weaving through the mass of vehicles and making it obvious that Ezra was still quite familiar with where he was going. If they lost him now, Vin wasn’t sure they’d ever find him again.
They managed to keep him in their sight as they followed him onto I-85 north and stayed on the highway for close to 45 minutes.
“I thought Denver traffic was bad.” Vin quipped, grabbing the dash as yet another driver cut in front of them.
“Bad everywhere,” Chris conceded. “Shit! Where’s he going?”
Up ahead, Ezra had suddenly pulled into the exit lane. Vin checked the right lane. “You’re gonna have to gun it. Nobody here is about to slow up much to let you in.”
“Hang on.”
A horn blared behind them as Chris swerved into the far right lane, barely making the exit.
“Don’t think that guy likes you, Cowboy.” Vin grinned.
“Too bad.” Chris shook his head. “Idiot should have let me in.”
Traffic began to thin out as they left the highway and made a half a dozen turns or more. For a moment Vin wondered if Ezra was on to them, but as suddenly as the thought came, it was gone. Ezra was turning into his destination.
“What the hell?” Larabee continued on past the complex, unable to make this turn fast enough. Without hesitating, he did an illegal u-turn at the next light and soon he and Vin were pulling in to the same parking lot.
Vin read the large sign a second time. “Why is Era coming here, Chris? Who does he know in a state prison?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Chris’ voice was tight with anger.
What was Ezra hiding from them? An old case? An old friend? What? And why had Aislinn showed up all worried and distraught? Had she actually been wrong this time?
Phillips State Prison was high security and it took time for Chris and Vin to first convince the guards that they were with Ezra, and then to wait while their identifications were checked out. Finally, they were let into the complex where, once through the entrance, they were greeted by another guard to escort them not the prison itself. They hadn’t seen any sign of Ezra yet, meaning he had somehow managed to avoid the same level of red tape and security measures to gain entry. He had been here before.
Chris and Vin followed their escort through the cold gray hallways without speaking. Tanner wondering the whole way how angry Ezra was going to be by their intrusion into his privacy. He doubted suddenly if they had made the right choice to chase Standish across the country, but then Tanner remembered the look on Ezra’s face as he’d climbed into his rental car back at the hotel. A certainty settled over Vin that whether Ezra was angry with them or not, he needed them, just as Aislinn had warned back in Denver.
Their escort led them down another bland hallway before entering an unmarked door. In sharp contrast to the other unwelcoming surroundings, they were shown into a room with plush beige carpeting, overstuffed arm chairs and a comfortable looking sofa. Framed landscapes decorated the walls and a small table set up with coffee and water was set against the far wall.
Ezra was sitting in one of the armchairs looking nervous and unsure of himself. He looked up as they walked in and Vin saw the surprise and shock rocket through Standish. He marveled at Ezra’s effort to cover it all.
“Gentlemen.” He stood and greeted evenly, the lost look on his face immediately replaced by one of assurance and confidence. “What are you doing here?”
“Can it, Ezra,” Chris commanded in a harsh low tone. “I just followed your ass all the way from Denver and spent the night staking out your hotel.”
Ezra’s eyes widened and he looked at Vin who nodded his confirmation.
“So cut the crap,” Chris continued. “Sit down and start talking.” Chris pointed back to the chair. “What the hell are you doing here?”
There was an obvious internal struggle visible on Ezra’s features as he debated what to do and how to react to Larabee. Vin watched his friend’s jaw tighten, his lips press together in a thin line and his fingers curl into fists. Ezra stared at Chris for a long moment before letting out a long breath and sinking back into his chair like a deflated balloon. His gaze flicked back and forth between his friends.
Vin smiled and sat down in the closest chair. Chris remained standing, waiting.
Ezra swallowed several times before answering but finally he spoke wearily, “My father is dead.”
“Your what?” Vin sat up straighter in his chair while Chris stepped backwards and sank into the one opposite Ezra. “I, I didn’t know you knew your father.”
Ezra’s eyes clouded as he shrugged half-heartedly. “Not much to know.” His grin was shaky. “He spent most of my life in one prison or another, far as I know.”
“Wha—“ Chris’ question was cut of as the door opened and a distinguished looking man stepped into the room. Dressed in a dark blue business suit, he was tall and slender with dark hair just beginning to gray at the temples. He seemed out of place amongst the other prison guards and officials in uniform. He eyed the three men and blinked with confusion. “Mr. Standish?” He searched each of their faces attentively.
Ezra stood. “Yes?”
“Ah, yes.” A hand reached out in greeting. “I’m Curtis Miller, director of prisoner affairs. I believe we spoke on the phone.”
“Yes.” Ezra nodded numbly, completely oblivious to the curious expressions Miller cast at Vin and Chris.
Vin stood first and extended his hand. “Vin Tanner. This here is Chris Larabee.” He offered no further explanation.
“Shall we then?” Miller sat on the sofa and waved for them all to be seated again. He laid a thick leather bound folder on the coffee table between them and focused on Ezra as he opened it and began to talk. For all the fanciness, all that jumped out at Vin was the stark white label reading “Inmate 78, Standish, J.P.” across the top.
Miller was friendly, but had the quick, down to business attitude that reminded Vin of dealing with a bank official. The prisoner affairs director didn’t seem to notice Ezra stiffen as he went on about the senior Standish making his own arrangements upon learning of his illness. It was obvious to Vin that Ezra hadn’t known his father was sick at all.
“The service is scheduled for this afternoon.” Miller looked up when Ezra shifted, disguising a flinch. “Your father wanted everything dealt with quickly. No frills,” he explained.
“I understand.” Ezra portrayed no emotion in front of the official.
Miller continued, giving the time, place and directions to the small cemetery where Ezra’s father’s ashes were due to be scattered later that day. Finally, the hellish meeting was over. Miller stood and shook hands with each of them again, lingering on Ezra. “I am sorry for your loss.”
Silence filled the room as Miller exited. It was no longer welcoming or comforting. “Ezra?” Chris began to question but Standish turned away.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Outside the sun was a welcome sight to Vin. He breathed deeply of the fresh morning air, suddenly thankful for his freedom to come and go as he pleased.
Ezra led them to his rental, where he stopped, seeming lost about what to do next.
Chris glanced at his watch. “You know how to get to the cemetery?” he asked.
Vin checked his own watch and realized the meeting had been longer than it seemed, but they still had plenty of time.
Ezra answered slowly, “Yeah.”
“Good. Vin will ride with you and I’ll follow.” Larabee was walking to the other car before anyone could argue.
Surprisingly, Ezra didn’t try.
Vin watched closely as they climbed into the car, waiting and searching for any cue Ezra might give as to what he was feeling or thinking.
“Doesn’t seem real,” Ezra admitted as they pulled out of the complex.
“That he’s gone?” What exactly was he supposed to say? Vin wondered.
Ezra sighed and chewed at his bottom lip before answering. “That he’s gone. That he was here so long. All of it.”
Vin heard the anger in Ezra’s voice. “Did you hate him?”
Standish glanced at him, splitting his attention between the traffic and Vin. Tanner could see the emotion his friend was trying to control. “I don’t know,” Ezra finally admitted. “I really don’t know.”
The cemetery was small, well kept and looked like any other cemetery Vin had ever come across in his lifetime. Nothing stood out or marked it as special, it was just a plot of gated property where people were buried or had their ashes spread. There was something disconcerting about the brightness of the day. The changing colors of the leaves, delayed by the unusually warm fall, were vibrant against the blue sky. Beyond the trees, sounds of the highway broke through, reminding that the little hideaway wasn’t as hidden as it appeared.
Chris and Vin fell into step following Ezra down a manicured pathway. They were early for his father’s service.
“You call Denver?” Vin asked quietly.
“Yeah,” Chris nodded, his eyes squinting against the sun. “They’re surprised.”
“I bet.”
“Glad to know though, that he’s safe at least.”
Standish seemed to have run out of energy. He’d found a carved stone bench and sat down.
It was a relief to find Ezra safe and know he wasn’t in any kind of mortal danger, Vin agreed, but the thing was, for Vin anyways, it would’ve been easier to deal with danger. He could fight that. You just couldn’t fight against what death had already claimed. He remembered Aislinn’s words that Ezra needed him and hoped that just being here was enough.
Casually, Vin sat beside Ezra and waited. Chris stood at the other end of the bench. Together, they flanked their friend. A cool breeze rustled the trees, cars honked, the roar of eighteen-wheelers hummed beyond the tree line and they sat.
“He left when I was still a toddler,” Ezra began, surprising both Vin and Chris but neither interrupted. “Maude never would tell me why, though she alluded to another woman more than once. My first real memory of him was actually visiting him in prison.” Ezra stared straight ahead as he talked. “Fraud charges, I think. Wasn’t in long that first time, but you know the Standish talent for finding trouble,” he joked, but no one laughed. “As I was growing up, I remember hearing Mother tell my relatives that he was out again a couple of times, but then he killed someone, supposedly in self defense. Got a longer sentence and then got in more trouble inside, ended up here.”
“Is that why you started out here in Atlanta?” Larabee asked.
“I never really gave him much consideration, truth be told. Least not consciously.”
“You’re here though,” Larabee commented.
Ezra turned slowly and smiled sheepishly up at his friend. “Haven’t exactly figured out why yet,” he admitted. “Not like he did anything to deserve this.”
Vin chuckled and shook his head, drawing the others’ attention. “Don’t matter so much now what he did or didn’t do,” he reminded Ezra. “Whether he was there for you all your life or not. He was your father.”
“Yes, he was.”
“And he wanted you here?”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“Then you’re the bigger man for being here now…for him.”
They didn’t talk again. They simply sat together until it was time for the small ceremony. The service itself was simple and quick, making Vin wonder exactly what Ezra’s father had been like.
Ezra had stood stiff and unmoving through the entire service, never giving a hint as to what kind of emotions were tearing away at his insides. Vin knew his friend though, and noticed the little things. Like the way Standish’s hands trembled as he’d taken the simple brass urn when the Minister handed it to him and slowly dumped his father’s ashes into the breeze. For a moment Vin felt his friend was lucky, lucky to have known his father at all, lucky to be a part of this good- bye, to be able to say good-bye.
In no time at all the ceremony was over. The minister stepped close to Ezra and spoke in soft comforting tones that Vin had only ever heard clergy use, and he wondered if they had a special course in preaching school to learn how to talk that way. He watched the middle aged man hand a large manila envelope to Ezra, pat Standish reassuringly on the back and then move on. They were done here.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vin yawned and stretched as much as possible, wondering again how he’d allowed himself to get manipulated into the window seat for the flight home. Thankfully, returning to Denver was turning out to be a much simpler affair than their wild ‘follow Ezra’ trip to Atlanta. They’d managed to book seats on the first available straight through flight to Denver.
After a quick lunch and a harrowing drive through the city to get to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, they only had to wait two hours before they were on their way home again.
“You gonna open that?” Vin asked, watching as Ezra fingered the edges of the manila envelope sitting on his tray for the umpteenth time.
“What would he have to say to me?” Ezra asked.
“Might as well find out,” Chris replied from the aisle seat.
“Not sure I’m ready,” Standish admitted even as he reached for the envelope and slid a finger under the envelope’s flap to open it.
Above them, the in-flight light dinged for them to put their seat belts on.
He tipped the envelope up and let the contents slide out onto his tray. The first thing Vin noticed was the thick business sized envelope with Ezra’s name scrawled in a sloppy script. As Standish picked up the white packet, he revealed a couple of pictures beneath it.
“Vin?” Chris’ voice was calm even as he exchanged a disbelieving look with Vin. “Isn’t that Jack?”
“Who?” Ezra looked up at both of them, searching nearby seats for someone they might know.
“The guy who sat next to Vin on the flight to Nashville,” Larabee explained hesitantly, his voice dropping to a whisper. “That’s him.” He pointed to the photo that Ezra now held. “That’s Jack.”
Ezra snorted. “You picked a bad time to develop a lousy sense of humor, Mr. Larabee.” His voice was tight.
“I’m not kidding, Ezra. The man talked to Vin the entire flight. Even tipped us off as to where you were headed out of Nashville. Maybe your dad knew him in prison, he…” Larabee stopped as Ezra just stared at him.
“It’s him,” Vin managed not quite understanding. His eyes flitted to the second picture even as he listened to Ezra.
“Chris, this is my father.” Ezra pointed to the picture again.
“Jack?” Chris choked on the name. “Your father’s name was John.”
“Yeah, John P. Standish. Everyone called him Jack.”
“Well, shit.” Chris blinked and stared at the picture. “It was him, Ezra.”
“I don’t. I don’t understand.” Ezra looked at Vin for help but Tanner was completely focused on the other picture.
He held it up so Chris and Ezra could see it. An older picture and faded some with the years, it was of Jack with his arms wrapped around an obviously pregnant young woman.
“That’s my father when he was younger,” Ezra said. “But I don’t have a clue who the woman is.”
“I do.” Vin found it hard to speak as he looked up and met Ezra’s intense gaze. “She’s my mother.”
