Read Online Mystery: The Card Counter: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense Thriller Mystery) by James Kipling - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: James Kipling
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frontline when shit was hitting the fan, which made me feel guilty for wanting to go home.
“I’m sure,” Captain Bancroft replied. “If something big happens, we’ll get in touch. I’ll get someone else to file through the paperwork. Like you said, the team’s being watched, and that should slow him down.”
“I’ll take it home with me.”
“Not a fucking chance,” the Captain corrected me. “There’s no way anyone is taking this shit home. If you forget it at the pizza place on your way home, it will be on the front page of The Times tomorrow.”
“All right,” I said as I stood up and put my coat back on. “Thanks.” The idea of heading home to be with the girls before they went to bed sounded good. I could probably clean up a bit before Cassie brought the girls home. I promptly left and drove home, which wasn’t bad since traffic was a little lighter at night on the way to where I lived.
When I pulled into the driveway, I saw another car parked by my place. Cassie didn’t have a car and I quickly realized whose car it was. I dreaded the moment. As I stepped out of the car, I took a deep breath and closed the door softly in an attempt to hide how angry I really was.
She was sitting on the front porch in a chair by the front door, and rather than ignore her, I thought it best to start talking now and get things over with. “Beth.”
“Jake,” Beth called back.
“You do realize the sole reason I pick the girls up from school is to avoid meeting you.”
Beth seemed unaffected by my wit. “Where are the girls?”
“They’re not here,” I answered.
“I gathered that much, asshole.”
“They’re out with Cassie.”
“Cassie’s here, too?” Beth asked.
“I convinced her to stay here for the week while things are really bad on campus; she dropped by almost as soon as I got off the phone with you,” I answered. “Since I had to go back to work, I gave her money to take the girls out for pizza and a movie – she’d come over to spend time with them anyway,” I fibbed.
“You know, if you don’t want to spend time with the girls˗”
“Is that what you really think, Beth?” The conversation was starting to heat up but I didn’t care. “Do you really think I wanted a serial killer to start torturing and murdering kids at Cassie’s campus so I wouldn’t spend time with Abbey and Sandy? There are people dying out there, Beth, and the fact that Cassie was very close to it scares the shit out of me. That’s why I go in when they call me.”
“You’re over-reacting,” Beth sniped back.
“No, I’m not.”
“You’ve always been full of shit, Jake.”
“The second victim was found in her dorm.”
There was a long pause after I made that statement. There was no way she could know that. I had only been there earlier today so there was no way the press could have released that information, if we’d even released it in the first place. I could tell the comment cut Beth pretty deep. Cassie was very close to the violence this time, and unlike previous paranoia I’ve displayed as a father, this one seemed to have legs. “I had no idea it was this bad.”
“Beth, you have no idea how bad this is at all,” I said as I walked closer. “These are some of the most brutal killings I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of sick shit in my time. These kids are Cassie’s age. Do you think I can sit on the sidelines and let someone else do it when this is going on? There are parents out there who are living what are my worst fucking nightmares, and you have the audacity to accuse me of being selfish because I want to bring this piece of shit in as soon as possible?”
“There are other cops in the station, Jake,” Beth countered. “The world isn’t going to end if the great Detective Walker has to pass on a single damn case!”
“So you think I should tell my boss to fuck off whenever he calls me to come in?” I snapped back. “He doesn’t do that often, and I
“I’m sure,” Captain Bancroft replied. “If something big happens, we’ll get in touch. I’ll get someone else to file through the paperwork. Like you said, the team’s being watched, and that should slow him down.”
“I’ll take it home with me.”
“Not a fucking chance,” the Captain corrected me. “There’s no way anyone is taking this shit home. If you forget it at the pizza place on your way home, it will be on the front page of The Times tomorrow.”
“All right,” I said as I stood up and put my coat back on. “Thanks.” The idea of heading home to be with the girls before they went to bed sounded good. I could probably clean up a bit before Cassie brought the girls home. I promptly left and drove home, which wasn’t bad since traffic was a little lighter at night on the way to where I lived.
When I pulled into the driveway, I saw another car parked by my place. Cassie didn’t have a car and I quickly realized whose car it was. I dreaded the moment. As I stepped out of the car, I took a deep breath and closed the door softly in an attempt to hide how angry I really was.
She was sitting on the front porch in a chair by the front door, and rather than ignore her, I thought it best to start talking now and get things over with. “Beth.”
“Jake,” Beth called back.
“You do realize the sole reason I pick the girls up from school is to avoid meeting you.”
Beth seemed unaffected by my wit. “Where are the girls?”
“They’re not here,” I answered.
“I gathered that much, asshole.”
“They’re out with Cassie.”
“Cassie’s here, too?” Beth asked.
“I convinced her to stay here for the week while things are really bad on campus; she dropped by almost as soon as I got off the phone with you,” I answered. “Since I had to go back to work, I gave her money to take the girls out for pizza and a movie – she’d come over to spend time with them anyway,” I fibbed.
“You know, if you don’t want to spend time with the girls˗”
“Is that what you really think, Beth?” The conversation was starting to heat up but I didn’t care. “Do you really think I wanted a serial killer to start torturing and murdering kids at Cassie’s campus so I wouldn’t spend time with Abbey and Sandy? There are people dying out there, Beth, and the fact that Cassie was very close to it scares the shit out of me. That’s why I go in when they call me.”
“You’re over-reacting,” Beth sniped back.
“No, I’m not.”
“You’ve always been full of shit, Jake.”
“The second victim was found in her dorm.”
There was a long pause after I made that statement. There was no way she could know that. I had only been there earlier today so there was no way the press could have released that information, if we’d even released it in the first place. I could tell the comment cut Beth pretty deep. Cassie was very close to the violence this time, and unlike previous paranoia I’ve displayed as a father, this one seemed to have legs. “I had no idea it was this bad.”
“Beth, you have no idea how bad this is at all,” I said as I walked closer. “These are some of the most brutal killings I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of sick shit in my time. These kids are Cassie’s age. Do you think I can sit on the sidelines and let someone else do it when this is going on? There are parents out there who are living what are my worst fucking nightmares, and you have the audacity to accuse me of being selfish because I want to bring this piece of shit in as soon as possible?”
“There are other cops in the station, Jake,” Beth countered. “The world isn’t going to end if the great Detective Walker has to pass on a single damn case!”
“So you think I should tell my boss to fuck off whenever he calls me to come in?” I snapped back. “He doesn’t do that often, and I
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