“I don’t think it’s coincidental,” replied Isaac, with a noticeable edge to his voice. “You said earlier that many major players were pulling a disappearing act. What do they know that we don’t? Get on this!”
Isaac thought about it as he drove home. Taggart has a secret meeting with Damien, who then returns in a van that had been used to transport cocaine. Now dealers are being murdered? Isaac shook his head in frustration. There always seemed to be one common denominator when people were murdered. Taggart!
Jack was also on his way home when he received a call on his cell.
“Jack! What’s going on?”
He recognized Connie Crane’s voice. “Hey, CC. I was just thinking about you. Anything new on whoever sent the note? I’ve been in contact with Holly and —”
“Forget Holly! What the hell is going on with you and Danny?”
“What are you talking about? I’m just on my way home. Danny left over half an hour ago.”
“You haven’t heard? He didn’t call you?”
“Who?”
“Danny! Damn it! There was a home invasion at his house this afternoon. Bunch of guys. Tied up his wife and toddler, then decided to kill their baby and dropped him into the swimming pool. He didn’t call you?”
“No.” Jack heard his own voice but for a moment it sounded mechanical, like someone else was speaking. “Where are they?” he heard himself ask.
“BCCH. I’m on my way there now. I want to talk to you.”
Jack hung up and quickly dialled Danny’s cell.
Eventually Danny answered, “Yes.”
“Danny? Is that you? It’s Jack. I don’t recognize your voice. What —” The line went dead. Jack redialled but found that Danny’s phone was shut off. He called Natasha and was relieved to hear her answer.
“You okay?” asked Jack. “Where are you?”
“Sure, I’m okay. Just about home.”
“Danny and Susan had a home invasion this afternoon. Someone —”
“A what? Are they okay?”
“I don’t know. They’re at BCCH. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes. I’ll call you, but watch yourself. I don’t know what is going on.”
Jack parked at the emergency entrance and ran inside. Moments later, he located Danny and Susan at the intensive care unit talking to an I-HIT investigator. Danny and Susan numbly stared at him as he rushed up.
“I just heard. Got here as fast as I could,” stammered Jack. “What —”
“Get away from us,” said Susan, her voice sounding raspy and bitter.
Jack felt stunned. His mouth opened to speak but no words came out.
“You heard her, Jack! Get the fuck away from us!” screamed Danny.
“Danny ... I don’t understand. Why...” Jack stopped and stepped back when he saw Danny clench his fist and pull his arm back.
Both men stared at each other for a moment, then Jack turned and walked away. He was conscious of walking past Holly, who had stepped out from Charlie’s room to see what the commotion was about.
The I-HIT investigator caught up to him and said, “Maybe you should hang around in the waiting room near the front doors. Connie should arrive soon. She’ll want to talk with you.”
“What happened? I heard they drowned Jimmy.”
“Not pronounced yet, but he was in a backyard pool for about thirty-five minutes. Doesn’t look good. All I know is that it had something to do with you. The guy who did it told Susan it was because she was your friend.”
“What about Tiffany?”
“That the other one? She’s being examined by a doctor. Don’t think she has any ... physical injuries. Victim Services have been notified.”
“I’m going home to my wife. Tell CC she can call me there.”
It was five-thirty when Jack got back in his car. He called home and Natasha answered.
“I’ll be home in forty minutes. Don’t let anyone in until I’m there.”
“Jack? What happened? Are they okay?”
“I’ll talk to you when I get home. I ... can’t talk right now.”
“Jack? What —”
Jack hung up and tossed the cell down on the seat as his body shook with each sob. He leaned forward and crossed his arms over the steering wheel to make a pillow for his head. Minutes later, he sat up and reached for the ignition. The keys slipped from his fingers onto the floor. He slumped over to pick them up, then clenched them in his fist and sat back in his seat breathing heavily.
Time passed and Jack realized he was staring at the edge of Charlie’s picture protruding from underneath the sun visor. It reminded him of another picture. A picture of Jimmy that Danny and Susan had given him when he was first born.
The tears dripped off his cheeks as the images of both infants vied for his attention.
It was forty-five minutes later when he found the energy to answer his cellphone.
“Jack! You son of a bitch!”
Jack recognized his sister’s voice and panic set in. Not her too! Not again! “Liz! What is it? What’s happened?”
“You know perfectly well what happened! It’s all because of you!”
“Marcie ... Ben ... are they okay? Tell me!” “Marcie doesn’t know. But how could you do that to us? Ben’s been freaking out. He wouldn’t tell me until just now. How could you? What if the dope dealers come back here looking for the stuff?”
Jack breathed a sigh of relief, then said, “They won’t. It’s all been burned. You’re completely safe.”
“Don’t you think having both my children murdered last year was enough?”
Jack swallowed, not knowing what to say.
“You tell us this Bishop fellow is dead, and we think, gee, maybe now we can get on with our lives. But no! You have to involve us in something like this!”
“Liz, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. The person who I did this favour for ... helped me find...” Jack paused, then said, “I promise, I’ll never do anything like that again.”
“That’s why you and Danny came out to visit the other morning! I thought it was strange. Tell him that I’m not impressed with him either.”
“Liz,
