Chapter 12

Tuesday Late Evening …

D oreen slowly walked toward Mack, knowing where he was, having texted him that her meeting with Tammy was over. She continued to ponder Tammy’s words. “Is the world so messed up that prostitution really is everywhere?” she asked Mack, as soon as she filled him in on Jed’s stable in Kelowna.

He nodded. “It’s pretty well in every town, in every country. Some places it’s a bigger industry. Some places it’s smaller. Some places it’s legal, and they’re set up with protection. In a lot of places, you’ll find they’re on the streets, on the corners, trying to turn a trick or two, either for their next fix or to keep their masters off their backs,” Mack explained, shaking his head, keeping an eye out around them. “It’s a sad world out there.”

She nodded. “You don’t really realize how sad.”

When they got to a large green expanse, away from any traffic, she unleashed Mugs and Goliath. “Come on, guys. Let’s run.” She had a bit too much energy coiled up inside her after that disconcerting conversation with Tammy. So Doreen ran and raced around, tossing sticks, and generally kicked up a storm, while the animals kept up their antics around her. When Doreen finally collapsed, they bounced on top of her. And Thaddeus on top of them.

Mack was laughing at her by now. “I don’t know what brought that on,” he said, “but that’s a side of you I don’t really see that often.”

She smiled. “It’s a side most people don’t see,” she admitted, with a chuckle. “I just had to release some energy. After that conversation, I needed it.”

“Apparently you did,” he agreed, with a bright smile. He bent down to give her a hand up, when they heard a crack overhead. He immediately dropped on top of her and whispered, “Don’t move.” She cried out for the animals, and he placed a hand over her mouth. “ Shh ,” he whispered. “I don’t know if that was meant for us or not, but it sure could have been.” When a second shot splattered the tree above their heads, he nodded, quickly bounded to his feet, and pulled her along with him, behind the tree.

She stared up at him, her eyes huge as she stared at him. “That was definitely meant for us,” she whispered.

He peered around the tree and nodded. “Sounds like it.” He already had his phone out, calling for backup.

She sank into a pile at the base of the tree. “Good Lord,” she whispered. “What was that all about?”

“I don’t know for sure, but it was likely about the conversation you just had.”

She stared at him. “I hope not because that means Tammy is in trouble. She won’t last long if Jed is shooting at us.”

“Oh, I’m sure, if she’s not working and doesn’t have an alibi by now, she’s in trouble,” Mack confirmed. “Nothing good comes out of these kinds of conversations, if you’re expected to be somewhere and are lying about it.”

Doreen winced. “Yet she seemed to be quite comfortable doing it,” she muttered.

“Maybe she’s serious about getting out—or maybe not,” he said. “For all we know, she’s the one shooting at us right now.”

Doreen gasped. “I really don’t want to think about that.”

“Maybe not, but it doesn’t change anything though,” he stated.

She nodded and waited, but no more shots were coming their way. She looked up at him. “Is it safe to leave?”

“No, not yet.” Moments later, they heard sirens in the distance, and he smiled with a grim satisfaction. “Now it should be safe. That should put a stop to our shooter.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anybody saw anything.”

“No, but you can bet that we’ll be all over Tammy now.”

“Great. That’s hardly what she needs.”

“Maybe not, but, if Jed’s got something going on that we need to shut down, then we need the information to do it. That means we have to nail him. If this tasing is how he deals with interference in his life, that’ll come to a stop really soon as well,” Mack declared, his tone hard. “I don’t care where he came from or how hard his life was. You don’t get to keep people as prisoners to do your will just because you feel like it. Jed should get a real job and live a real life.”

“I think they do have prisoners,” Doreen agreed. “Guys like that always seem to think they’re owed something.”

“Yeah, we need to find Frankie as well and have a little talk with him.”

“Yeah, good luck with that. Tammy seemed to think that Frankie would get the boot pretty fast, and from Jed.”

At that, Mack turned and frowned at her. “Seriously?”

She nodded. “Frankie’s apparently not been doing his job or not holding up his end, whatever you want to call it. No idea when this might happen, but Tammy seemed pretty certain that Frankie wouldn’t be living there much longer.”

“We need to pick him up now then,” Mack announced, placing another call. Soon he disconnected and returned his attention to her. “Okay, so we’ve got an order out for Frankie to be picked up. I’ve also put out an APB on Jed, and I’ll go pick up Tammy right now.” He eyed Doreen and asked, “Can I trust you to go home and to stay there?”

She smiled. “I’ve got no problem going home at this stage, but won’t I need to stay here and make a statement first?”

“We’ll catch you tomorrow.”

With that said, he escorted her to a police cruiser parked near Mack’s truck. He gave the uniformed officer instructions for her to be delivered home. The officer just nodded, and she got into the back with the animals and watched as Mack slammed the door on the black-and-white. Then he strolled off and was soon out of sight.

She groaned. “Sure doesn’t feel like this is over.”

The cop in the front seat nodded. “Correct, this is just beginning.”