“I didn’t want you to think I was one of those clingy girlfriends, so I decided against leaving it. I guess I’m kinda a wimp.” She smiled at him.
“I’m glad you gave it to me,” Jones said with a creepy smile, and reached toward her. She jumped back-a natural reaction, but one that might make him suspicious … if he wasn’t already. Jones picked a pine-needle off of her dress. I looked down and noticed that we were both covered in pine needles. She made up a lame story about stopping at my parents’ house so I could pick up my health insurance information, before heading to the hospital. “The place is practically in the middle of the woods, and with his parents at the football game, there were no lights on. I ran right smack into a pine tree.”
“I’ve been to the Warner house, and it is very remote. I hope that you’re alright.”
“I’m better than the tree.” She laughed nervously once again, and then attempted to change the subject, “I thought you’d be working all night, Kyle. Maybe it’s not too late to have that dinner.”
“I’m tired, Gwen. I’ve had a rough night. So we’ll have to take a rain-check,” he held up his IOU as proof of a future date. “But we’re still on for our trip next week, right?”
“Of course. I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks.”
“That’s good to hear, Gwen. And it looks like I might have some unexpected vacation time coming to me. I’ll call you tomorrow-drive safe.”
Before returning to the police car, he handed Gwen the jacket she’d left on the way to the restaurant. He also flashed me a quick look to kill. I couldn’t figure out if his point of contention was my close proximity to Gwen, or if he wanted me to back off my investigation into Noah’s murder. Or maybe he was concerned we might have broken into his home and touched his Batman action figures. I contemplated the possibilities as I watched him walk back to his vehicle.
The minute he was gone, Gwen blurted, “He knows.”
“He just thinks we were doing it in the woods,” I attempted to joke, while picking another pine-needle off her dress.
“The way he looked at me-he knew.”
“He knows what? That we broke into his house? That he thinks we’re having some kind of steamy affair? That we now know that he longs for some kinky three-way with you and Batman?”
“He’s starting to scare me, JP.”
“Starting? You’re not really going on vacation with him.”
“I can’t back out now. Besides, it’s a much better plan than this charade.”
“It wasn’t a question, Gwen-you’re not going.”
A lecture commenced about my right to have any opinion about her life, due to circumstances from years ago.
“C’mon, Gwen. That was like three lifetimes ago.”
“Those who don’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
I leaned back, defeated, and rubbed my temples. I remembered from the past that this was an argument I’d never win, and I wasn’t going to repeat it.
Chapter 49
Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
October 1st
The small Piper propeller plane made a perfect landing on the small airstrip on Ocracoke Island. The only access to the small island off the coast of North Carolina was by sea or air.
Kyle Jones helped Gwen out of the plane like a perfect gentleman. She stood on the runway in her white buttoned down shirt tucked into mauve jeans that she wore with sandals. She breathed in the warm salty air. “Plan Gwen” was under way.
She was always more subtle than JP, which showed in their ideas on how to solve the case. They were in agreement that they believed Jones was a murderous vigilante who killed Noah. But that’s where the consensus ended. Gwen doubted JP’s breaking and entering plan would be productive, and it wasn’t. It only led to more questions. High risk/low reward.
She knew the only way to connect the dots was to find the motive behind Jones’ obsession, and the only way to do that was one on one, like a real reporter.
A couple areas of interest were his parents, whose death led to the settlement that helped him afford the home in Ocracoke, and the plane that delivered them here. Also, Kyle’s wingman from the photo. JP was working with Carter to get access to Air Force records to try to discover his identity, but Gwen thought her time alone with Kyle would be more fruitful in that search. The other point of emphasis was the girlfriend from Arizona named Lucy.
Jones’ extensive Batman collection fascinated her, and she’d researched the Batman tales since the break-in. Bruce Wayne and his parents were returning home from the theater after watching The Mask of Zorro, when Bruce witnessed his parents shot to death by a mugger in a dark alleyway. Bruce vowed to dedicate his life to fighting crime in the dark night. He did so with a relentless obsession and a burning passion to punish all criminals, disguised as a mythical figure called Batman. On some levels, it seemed to parallel Jones’ pursuit. But for all she knew, he could be just a Batman fan like millions of others around the world. She had her work cut out for her.
Jones put his arm around her and walked her across the small runway to a waiting taxicab. He held the door for her with a smile. He was very much like many zealots she had interviewed in the course of her work. Calm, smiling, and charming most of the time. But when their zealotry was questioned, even slightly, they would lash out.
He made no mention about the one-week suspension he’d received from the force. Her source told her that it was related to an incident where he was caught on video roughing up a DUI suspect, which Tolland had tried to keep quiet-although, it sounded more like the work of Maloney. Officially, Jones was on vacation. Her source was Jeff Carter.
She never pushed the issue. The last thing they wanted was to shine a light on Jones. He would have gone on high alert, and the odds of connecting him to Noah’s murder would decrease.
They entered the cab that advertised low rates to “all island airports,” even though there was only one. He instructed the driver to take them to a restaurant called The Back Porch. The familiarity of the island seemed to put him into a comfort zone. Gwen played the passive girlfriend, allowing him to feel in charge.
The taxi sputtered as it pulled away. Jones lightly set his hand on her leg. “You have been so quiet.”
Gwen came out of her daze, sporting a nervous smile. “I just have a fear of flying. I feel better now that we’re safely on the ground.”
“It’s completely safe, Gwen. I used to fly with people shooting at me … now that’s when someone should have a fear of flying,” he said with a cocky grin.
Gwen went into reporter mode. “I guess you were like one of those guys in Top Gun. I had the biggest crush on Tom Cruise.”
He appeared annoyed by the question. “We were Air Force-Top Gun pilots are Navy.”
Jones could spot a drunk driver three counties away, but couldn’t notice a sense of humor if it smacked him across his skull.
“Did you still get to have one of those cool pilot nicknames like Maverick or Ice Man?”
“I was Batman.”
“Did you have one of those co-pilots like Goose?”
“It’s a wingman-not a co-pilot. He was Robin … we were Batman and Robin.”
“I’m glad we had a couple superheroes keeping us free and safe. That must be an amazing bond, I can’t even imagine the connection.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wingmen. You put your lives on the line for each other every time you went up in that plane. It must connect you for life. Do you and Robin stay in touch?”
“I haven’t seen him since I left Arizona. We had a falling out-a girl came between us.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe I can arrange a reunion.” She smiled. “Your new girlfriend wouldn’t make you choose. If you give me his name…”