VICAP: The Complete Series, Volume One by Michael Newton

Author:Michael Newton
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781647341497
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Published: 2020-09-29T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

IT WAS AN EERIE FEELING, stepping off an airplane onto unfamiliar turf and instantly discovering a face he recognized in the arrivals lounge. Like tripping in the Twilight Zone, where every flight you took, regardless of direction or duration, brought you right back to your starting point.

An endless circle, going nowhere, turning back upon itself.

In this case, the familiar face belonged to Grady Hines, Seattle’s VICAP agent, who had volunteered to meet Flynn in Vancouver and attempt to smooth things over with the local law. The hand he shook was firm and dry.

“Good flight?”

“Not bad,” Flynn said. “I like the mustache.”

“So does Sheila.”

“Better yet. Have you been waiting long?”

“About an hour. I caught the shuttle down and used the time to bag some wheels.”

Flynn’s luggage was a simple carry-on—fresh socks and underwear, a change of shirts, his shaving gear—and they were not required to linger at the baggage carousel. Outside, the day was clear and cool, more like a hint of autumn than the start of springtime in Los Angeles.

Their vehicle was rented by the day and more expensive than the standard Bureau rig. Hines slid behind the wheel and Joseph took the shotgun seat.

“Your office sprang for this?”

“Damn right. I told the SAC you’re six foot four or something, and I didn’t want to throw your back out, driving you around in some Chevette that makes you sit like Quasimodo. Anyhow,” he added, grinning, “I just love to show the little girls at Hertz my badge.”

“Does Sheila like that too?”

“You got me, Joe. My secret’s in your hands.”

“Just call me butterfingers.”

Pulling out of Pearson Airpark, rolling west to catch I-5 with water on their left, Hines chuckled to himself and then fell silent. When he spoke again some moments later, Flynn was conscious of a change in tone.

“I guess we fucked it up on Griggs.”

“Forget it,” Flynn replied. “Aside from bites, they weren’t that similar. Blunt instrument with your boy and a razor in L.A. From what I’m told, the AIDS thing could have slipped past anybody. It’s a fluke we picked it up on number five.”

“I still don’t like mistakes,” said Hines. “We could’ve had this joker on the wire with Number Two.”

“And then what? We’ve been butting heads to find a geographic pattern, and it’s just not there. From us to you, then New York City, back to San Francisco…there’s been nothing in the evidence to help us head him off.”

“I guess. It still feels like I fumbled on the one-yard line.”

“Not true.”

“I have to tell you, Joe, Vancouver’s finest may not welcome you with open arms.”

“What else is new?”

“Their chief of homicide’s a stud named Kruger.”

“Freddy?”

“It’s a toss-up. This guy’s old school all the way. You want to picture him, imagine Archie Bunker minus any sense of humor. Local law enforcement right or wrong, that kind of bullshit. We’ve investigated five or six complaints against his men for roughing up their prisoners the past two years, and Kruger loves to hold a grudge.”

“Convictions?”

“Nothing yet. One of his suits went back to street patrol and took a cut in pay.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.