The Mysterious Jack Roberts
Howie looked over at Kevin and couldn’t help but feel a little worried about his friend. The look of deep concentration and concern could be read on every feature of his face.
“Everything alright?”
Kevin looked away from the road for a second, glancing at Howie before once again returning his eyes to the front of the car.
“Yeah, why do you ask?”
“You seem troubled.”
“Well, this guy troubles me Howie.”
“No, I mean beyond that.”
“I’m okay D, Nick overheard me talking to the guy on the phone yesterday and now he’s all freaked out.”
“Oh he did?”
“Yes, and I think he might have overheard me telling Lisa I was staying with you.”
“He’s just a kid Kevin.”
“A kid afraid that he’s going to lose his big brother. You had to see him today he had a vice grip on me.”
“He loves his brother that’s nice.” Howie said smiling.
“It’s nice to an extent, today it felt wrong, he shouldn’t be terrified to see me go to work.”
“Like how you felt when your dad left for work?” Kevin nodded.
“I remember how hard that used to be for you.”
Howie was right, Kevin used to carry on when he was a child, not wanting his father to go to work. Even though he was young, he still understood how dangerous his dad’s job was. Just like how Nick understood Kevin’s.
“I remember hiding his shoes…you know? So this way he wouldn’t be able to leave the house. Like his whole world would have to stop if he couldn’t find a stupid pair of shoes.”
A memory from years ago came reaching through his mind, a time when he had heard his mother and father arguing about someone being shot. He had grabbed onto his father’s arm, much the same way Nick had grabbed onto his, and begged him not to go to work that day. Kevin senior picked his son up from the ground and made eye contact with him, “I’ll be okay son…don’t worry.”
And he was okay, until years later when a fight drove him out of the house and to his death.
“It’s okay to have second thoughts Kevin; I mean I have had second and third thoughts about this job.”
“You have?”
Howie nodded, “Yes, I can’t even tell you how many times I have wanted to write that letter of resignation but I don’t because, well part of me kind of loves it you know?”
Kevin smiled, he couldn’t help it, “Yeah I do know.”
“Nicky will get over it, he’s sick and probably over emotional, don’t worry about it Kev okay?”
“Yeah, I think it just made me remember you know?”
Howie reached over and pat his friend on the back, “Yes I know.”
They arrived at the bank, did their investigative work, Kevin not paying as much attention as he should have as the tellers rattled off vague descriptions of the men who hit their bank. One lady was near hysterics because she was sure one of them was going to blow her brains out. Even though he never once took out his gun.
They stayed for about two hours with the team, all of them going over the bank vault much the same way they did when they went into Scott Wilson’s house which seemed like decades ago.
He shuddered thinking about the man who had been calling his cell phone. Maybe he would get the answers he was looking for at this Jack Robert’s house. Maybe they were one in the same person. He could crack this case and be done with the whole thing.
“We are all done here Kevin.” He looked over at Maria who was putting her notes into her briefcase.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll see you back at the office, Howie and I just have to make one quick stop.”
She looked at him suspiciously, like she knew he was about to do something stupid, “Okay…see ya later then.”
He smiled at her as she walked away, sighing knowing he was not going about things properly. His phone vibrated in his pocket as he walked out of the bank and towards his car, Howie was finishing up his last interview with a security guard.
Kevin looked at the number almost knowing it was going to be him. The all too familiar number (787)464-2326 stared at him as he clicked on the phone taking a deep breath so he could sound so much calmer than he was.
“Are you back on the case?”
“Why is it so important for you to have me on this case?”
“Answer my question.”
“Answer mine.”
The man paused as Kevin made his way into the car and turned on the ignition, maybe if he left now he would be able to get to this guy before he even got off the phone. He was looking around for Howie and frowned when he saw him still sitting at a desk interviewing the guard.
“The other guy isn’t taking me seriously Kevin, I know he isn’t. I can feel it. I am being blown off and I don’t like being blown off.”
“What is it you want?”
“This is getting tiresome…I want you back on the case.”
“Have you hurt anyone else?” He asked, trying to buy time, willing Howie to walk out the door which gratefully he did.
“Hurt anyone? Millions of people get hurt everyday, was that a vague enough answer to your vague question?” once again Kevin went back to his lessons on profiling, instantly able to pick up the fact that this guy was very smart and probably a likeable guy. He had an oddly friendly voice. Deep within it though held the slightest hint of something not quite right. Was it fear?
“Okay fine I’ll be more specific,” Howie motioned towards the phone as he got in the car and when Kevin nodded, his posture tensed. He placed the car in drive and started toward Jack Roberts house hoping to keep the guy on the phone long enough to catch him in the act.
“Have you hurt anymore girls?”
There was a slight pause…he could almost tell the guy was smiling on the other end of the line.
“I think I need to go Kevin, but remember you need to get yourself onto the case. I’m not quite done yet.” He shuddered when he figured out what it was that he picked up in the guys voice, not fear but excitement.
“What do you mean you’re not done?” But before Kevin could get his question out, the guy hung up.
“That was him again?”
“Yeah, are we close?” Kevin asked hoping Howie would say it was one block up but he found himself sighing when he saw the mounting traffic that they had run into caused by a faulty traffic light.
“Was it the same number?” He nodded as his grip on the steering wheel tightened in frustration.
“Now we’ll never get there in time, it’s like he knows we’re coming. I can just tell. He’s playing some kind of game with me Howie and he said he’s not done yet.”
“Not done yet?”
“Yes which leads me to believe soon we will hear about another little girl gone missing.”
“Kevin, what if he’s calling from his next victim’s house? I mean what if Jack has a daughter?”
“Oh my God…why didn’t I think of that?” Suddenly his sneaking around the red tape of the FBI took a backseat to his needing to make sure there were no more little victims, so he called the office and asked to speak to Tyler ASAP, knowing there would be repercussions but not really caring at the moment.
“Kevin what is it now?” He sounded put off at the fact that he was being bugged once again by this ‘kid’ as Tyler liked to put it when he thought Kevin wasn’t listening.
“He called me again from the same number; you need to get a team over there right away. What if he’s calling from his next victim’s house?”
“Kevin we have been through this a thousand times.”
“Look, I’m on my way there now, it would be great if there was some backup for me.” Kevin said sending his overhead flashes into a blaze of blue and red, as cars in front of him began to scramble and part like the red sea.
“What the hell? Kevin you have your own damn case!” Any calmness in Tyler’s voice went out the window in an instant replaced by sheer anger.
“It’s a hunch…you can report me later but for now please get someone over there Ty.”
The older man paused, Kevin could tell to try to compose himself. “Fine, if you think that there might be a little girl’s life in danger I’ll send someone out there now.”
“Thanks.”
“Kevin this better not be a waste of time.”
“It won’t be.”
Before Tyler could lecture him further he hung up, “Well that went well.” He said rolling his eyes. Howie laughed; despite being fed up with the situation.
Once again Kevin tried to redial the number only to be met with constant ringing on the other end. “We have to get to that house Howie,” Kevin looked at his friend and shook his head.
“I think it’s about five miles down the road and to our left,” he said now that they had all but cleared the traffic jam.
“Good because if he was in the process of kidnapping another child I’d never forgive myself.”
By the time they arrived at the house, another official car was already there. Two people were questioning a man who seemed nervous as he stood shifting from one foot to the other. “We don’t have a search warrant D, so we have to be invited into the guy’s house. I hope these two didn’t ruin that.”
When Kevin and Howie got out of the car all three people looked over at the men, the two agents with disdain and the man who belonged to the house as if they were his salvation.
“Hi.” Kevin said approaching and smiling, extending his hand to the man who took it and shook. He had a firm handshake.
“Kevin this is Jack Roberts, he owns this house and doesn’t recall ever putting in any calls to your cell phone.”
“Oh this is the man?” He asked one of the agents as he tried looking past Roberts and into the house.
“Yes I’m the man; may we come inside for just a moment? I promise we won’t be long. I just have a few questions.”
“Sure, I already answered a lot of questions, but I have nothing to hide so come on in.” he moved to the side and let all four people into his house.
“He lives alone, his mother died about a year ago. He has never been married and has no children.” Kevin let out a breath when the blonde agent, Reynolds said that. No children meant possibly no victims, for now anyway.
“Like I just told these nice detectives…” The way Jack Roberts said nice, slightly exaggerated to intone they were the polar opposite of what they were accused of, made Kevin smile. “I haven’t called anyone today, feel free to hit redial and you’ll see.”
Reynolds went over to the phone as the smallest hint of disgust crept on Robert’s face. You could tell he didn’t like that Reynolds guy and who could blame him? Kevin didn’t either. He hit the redial button and Kevin held his phone waiting for it to start ringing and was sad to see it didn’t. Instead a Joey’s pizza picked up on the other end of the line.
“See? I told you.”
“So this number…(787)464-2326 isn’t your number?”
“Oh goodness no…” He paused for a minute. “Although, a few years back I did have a second line for my mother. She insisted on having her own phone number, maybe that’s the one, I don’t really remember.”
“But if it was years ago I doubt it would be working.” The other detective who was along with Reynolds said.
“I guess there’s only one way to know for sure.” Kevin said walking over to the wall mounted phone. “Do you mind if I take this off?” Jack shook his head.
“Go ahead.” He said seeming as curious as the agents were.
Kevin walked up the steps and the rest followed, “I hope you don’t mind, if you do let me know and I’ll stop.”
“Not a problem detective, I need answers just as much as you do.”
When Kevin reached the top of the stairs he motioned for Roberts to take the lead, “So show me to a phone jack.” He said following the man into what he guessed used to be his mother’s room.
The man sat on the bed and placed the phone into the jack, expecting to not hear a thing and surprised when a dial tone kicked in, “Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.” He said disbelief in his voice.
Kevin grabbed his cell phone and hit redial and sure enough the phone that Jack Roberts was holding rang into life.
Reynolds eyed the older man suspiciously but for some reason both Kevin and Howie knew this guy was innocent. What they didn’t understand was why.
“I don’t get it…I mean I had that phone line shut off a long time ago.”
“Mr. Roberts, I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with us.” Reynolds said abrasively.”
Kevin already knowing he was going to be in a mound of trouble stepped in, “Actually he doesn’t have to come with us at all. We came here just to ask a few simple question Mr. Roberts. However, if you came down to the office with us and looked at some pictures it might help put someone away.”
Reynolds look ready to kill but Kevin equaled his look and wasn’t the least bit intimidated, after all he was higher up in command than both these people, maybe not after today but as of right now.
“Kevin look.” Before Roberts was able to give an answer one way or the other, all eyes were on Howie who was holding a piece of paper by a broken window.
Kevin walked over and examined the paper while his gloved friend held it in his hand, “It says ‘see ya around’.”
“Jack when was the last time you were in this room?” Kevin asked now approaching the window.
The man took in a breath and moved his eyes towards the ceiling as if that would help him remember, “I don’t much ever come in here. There’s really no need anymore, too many memories.”
“So you had no idea this window was broken?”
Jack shook his head, “No sir.”
All four agents looked at each other, two with grimaces and two with looks of I told you so plastered on their faces. Kevin once again walked over to the confused Jack Roberts and placed a hand on his shoulder, “It really would help if you could come down to the office Jack…I’ll let you think about it and then if you are willing, give us a call.”
“No need to think…I want to know who’s been coming into my house and using my dead mother’s phone. I’ll come with you right now.”
Kevin smiled at the man, “Thanks.”
As they walked back down the stairs Howie pulled Kevin aside, “He knew we were coming.” He said with assurance.
“My guess is he was writing that note as he was talking to us.” Once again Kevin felt a shiver run down his spine.
Excitement…that was what Scott Wilson was getting out of this…excitement.
I'll be back on Saturday with another chapter hopefully. No promises though lol feedback is much appreciated.
