The Road to Justice/Sins of the Son combo pack - A John Fowler Novel (John Fowler (Books 1 & 2)) (70 page)

             
“Oh knock it off, you big baby,” she said.

             
“Jessica!  I could be concussed!!”  John exclaimed.

             
“Do you want to spend the night in the hospital, or ride with me back to your in-laws and we stay there and rest up for a day or so?”  Jessica asked.  John sat straight up.

             
“Faker,” Jessica said, smiling.

             
“I’m really hurting,” John replied, trying to look pitiful.  Jessica put an arm around John’s shoulders and whispered in his ear.

             
“Do you need a sponge bath?”  John looked her in the eyes and nodded.  She pushed his head to where she could whisper into his ear again.  “Do you need me to kiss your owies and make them
better.
”  John looked into her eyes again, and nodded.  Jessica backed up.  She began to speak very slowly and sensually.  “You know,” she paused, and looked at him mischievously.  She continued.  “I know this male nurse . . .”

             
“You’re mean,” John said getting to his feet.  He started to walk out of the building.  He looked up and noticed that part of the roof had been blown off.  That would explain the big hole he saw from his back earlier, he thought.  They walked outside and saw Bruce.  He was talking with Trip.  Trip saw them and waved them off.

             
“Go to the Moores, take a couple days off.  We’ll take care of paperwork when you get back,” Trip yelled.  John nodded and locked eyes with Trip.  Trip nodded at John.  John knew Trip wanted to arrest Bruce right here, but there was no evidence of Bruce for any of the murders, and honestly John wasn’t sure Bruce was guilty.  John
started to get into the car when EMTs intercepted him and began to check his various cuts, bruises and overall wellbeing.

As John let the EMTs work on him, his mi
nd wa
ndered.  The conversation John and Trip had a few days ago kept running through John’s mind.  The only people John couldn’t get a read on were sociopaths . . . and Bruce.  John looked at Bruce, who smiled broadly at John.  John nodded and got into the car with Jessica, brooding.  Could Bruce be the one responsible for Thelma’s death  . . . and Sam’s?

             
John said very little on the trip back to the Moores.  There were two reasons for John to return to the Moores.  One was to get some rest, and the second was to check back in on Rosa.  John was contemplating letting Jessica have a go at Rosa, but Rosa didn’t deserve to be treated like a suspect.  John was afraid if he didn’t let Jessica do what she did best that Archibald would slip away.  He wasn’t sure what to do.

             
While John was contemplating all of this, Jessica had been watching John and thinking about how much he was complicating her life.  She had to admit she didn’t like John going with Bruce to go after Luke, but she wouldn’t have liked that even if they weren’t . . . well, whatever they were.  Jessica glanced at John again and decided she had had enough!

             
“John,” she began.  “We need to talk.” 

             
“Ok,” he replied.

             
“The last case we were on, I nearly told off the director because of how you made me feel.  Tonight I was scared to death about you being with Bruce,” she held up her hand to cut him off before he could retort.  “I know you think Bruce isn’t what Trip, Chet, and I think he is, but when I saw you lying there  . . .
”  She
stopped talking for a second trying to gather her thoughts.  When she continued she spoke very softly.  “I’ve never felt like this before.”

             
John grinned.  “You’ve got it pretty bad, huh?”  He asked quietly.  Jessica rolled her eyes.  John continued.  “That took some guts sharing that.”

             
Jessica wasn’t expecting that response.  She was prepared to fire off a retort, but she was taken by surprise. 

             
“So what do you
want
me to do?”  John asked.

             
“I want you to tell me how you feel,” Jessica replied quietly.

             
“I feel like you’ve kept me out of harm’s way for three years.  I feel like you were my partner, the better
looking of the two of course, and I feel like I can trust you with my life.  I feel like you might be the only person on Earth that I can trust with my heart.”  John paused.  “I think I’m falling for you, and I don’t know how to be what you deserve, and I think you deserve better than me.  I think I’m going to have to work very hard to ever be close to what you deserve, and I think I want to do that.”  John was very silent, and then asked very quietly, “What do you think?”

        “I think I want to pull this car off of the road and make out with you,” she replied.  John gulped, audibly.  Jessica laughed and then continued.  “However, due to your
current injuries
, I think I want to take it safe.  I mean I wouldn’t want to overexcite your system or anything.”

             
“I’m willing to take the risk,” John replied.  Jessica smiled at John.  John felt his heart pounding in his chest.  He had loved Sam.  He still did, but he wasn’t for sure anyone had ever made him feel like this. 

             
“Calm down
,
John,” Jessica said playfully.

             
“What?”

             
“You look like you might stroke out over there.  Look let’s go to the Moores, you get a day or two of rest, and then we figure this out, together.”

             
“Oh
,
crap,” John said.

             
“What’s wrong?”

             
“I promised Arthur I’d tell him everything when this was all over,” John replied, looking very uncomfortable.

             
Jessica nodded.  She reached over and took John’s hand.

        “I know,” she said smiling.  “Madeline told me all about the deal you made with Arthur.  You and I are going back to New York in a couple of
days,
get all the files on Sam
.  I’ve already talked to
Trip and Chet
.  They have agreed to
join us here, and we’ll tell them everything we know.”  Jessica paused.  “John; Trip, Chet, and I have to tell you things about Sam you don’t know.  We have to tell
you all the things we’ve been keeping from you since we pulled you out of your private eye life.”  John smiled and nodded.  He knew this had been coming.  Jessica continued.  “After all that, if you’ll let us, the three of us would like to help you solve your wife’s murder.”

John smiled at Jessica and nodded.  He was looking forward to a day off.  It had been a trying couple of weeks.  In two weeks he had done more than most agents did at the peak of their career.  John had been basically retired three weeks ago, and now he was closing big cases again. It was a major change to his life.  He really needed to go to an AA meeting when he got back to New York; in fact, he might try and find one tomorrow night here in Virginia.  John leaned back in his seat and watched the sights go by.  In less than a week they were going to reopen his wife’s case.  Maybe I should find a meeting tonight, John thought.
             
 

Psychiatric Hospital

Chapter 95

Pamela was working the night shift the way she always did; studying.  She hoped she passed her test the next morning.  This was the last pre-requisite class for her to get into the doctorate of nursing program.  She had always wanted to be a nurse practitioner.  She hated her job here.  She wanted to help people, but the people here . . . they had problems, problems that Pamela wasn’t ready to cope with.  Honest
ly
, she was scared many nights at her job, especially since the new patient had been added to her floor, David George. 

All he did the past few nights was sing some song about Lisa.  He seemed so normal during the day, but at night . . . at night he terrified her.  She was positive he wasn’t taking his meds, but she couldn’t prove it, and none of the doctors paid any attention to her.  She was simply in charge of watching the security monitors at night and putting the facility on lockdown if she saw someone trying to escape.  She hadn’t been disturbed but a few times in all of the years working here.  Tonight was going to be one of those nights she was disturbed.  A man came up to her and flashed an FBI badge.

“I’m Special Agent John Fowler with the FBI,” the man said.  “I have to talk to David George right this second.  It is imperative to national security!”

“I’ll have to call my supervisor,” Pamela answered.

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me,” the man said, angrily.  “That man was charged in the attempted kidnapping of the First Lady.  We have to know exactly how he entered into the White House.  Other countries may
try to duplicate his attempt.  We have to seal this leak immediately!”  The agent leaned in close.  “This is for the safety of our country.”

Pamela jumped up and headed down the hall with her keys.  David was in a locked room for his protection and for the protection of those around him.  Pamela unlocked the door, and turned toward the agent.

“Anything else?”
  She asked.

“I’m going to have to take him with me,” the agent said, handing her some papers.  “I don’t have all the paperwork right now, but the FBI should be sending it down in the next few days.  If you don’t receive what you need by the end of the week, you need to contact the FBI and ask for John Fowler.”

Pamela looked at the paperwork, and saw all that was missing was the judge’s signature.  She looked back up at the agent.

“Our judge is on vacation, he won’t be back for two days.  Just start the paperwork process and everything you
need will
be here by the end of the week.”  Pamela nodded.  The agent put handcuffs on David George, who was smiling broadly.

“Good to see you again, Agent FOWLER,” David stressed, still smiling.  The agent pulled David along and they went out of the building.  David was put in the back of the car.  The agent opened his door, and waved at Pamela.  Pamela smiled; glad to see David George gone. 

             
The car drove down the road with David George in the back.  He was
humming
a tuneless song.  After a few minutes, the car pulled over to the side of the road.

             
“Is this where you kill me?”  David George asked.

             
“Now why would I do that?”  Bruce asked.

             
“Well,” David began.  “I have no idea who you are or why you would break me out.  I figured Archibald sent you to have me taken out.”

             
“That’s an interesting theory,” Bruce replied.  “Have you ever heard the old saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend?”  David nodded.  “Then consider us friends.” 

             
Bruce picked up a bag from the front seat and pitched it into the back.

             
“In there is money, a few survival items, and a key to locker, with an address on it.  At that address are a few other weapons to help you in your crusade against the Staples.  You see David, they tried to screw me over, and then they had the audacity to send someone else in to help me.”  Bruce looked very offended as he spoke.  “Like I need any help from anyone!  I have a few loose ends to take care of, and then I am going to disappear, with
or without my Daddy’s blessing.  T
his is your chance to take care of the thorn in your side.”

             
David sat there for a minute, slowly nodding.

             
“So any chance you have a change of clothes for me?”  Bruce smiled, and got out of the car.  He opened David’s door, and helped him out.  Bruce took the handcuffs off of David and opened the trunk.  In the trunk was a change of clothes.  The road was deserted, so David changed right there.  David laced up his boots, grabbed the bag Bruce had given him and looked around.

             
“There’s a small town about 3 miles that way,” Bruce said, pointing. 

             
“Which way is the address of the weapons locker?”  David asked.  Bruce pointed in the opposite direction.  “Then that’s the way I’ll go,” David said.  He started walking and stopped.  “You know he’s going to find out.”

             
Bruce smiled at David.  “I’m counting on it.

             
David shook his head at Bruce.  “Do you think you can take him out?”  David asked.  Bruce smiled a million watt smile.

             
“He’s been a dead man walking for weeks and didn’t even know it,” Bruce replied.

“While I owe you for helping me out, I have to tell you, you don’t stand a chance against Fowler.  Good luck,” and with that, David was off.  He slipped into the fog and night.  Bruce stood there for a minute scowling.  He got back in the car, thinking about David George.  Bruce had to take down John, but not yet . . . not yet.