Abducted: A Jake Badger Mystery Thriller by Glenn Rogers Read Free Book Online

it entirely, was the only way I could control it.
Even the slightest opening, to let out just a little bit of what I was feeling,
would weaken the structure containing the swirling sea of emotion. The powerful
forces raging within would overwhelm the fragile fortress and come rushing out,
destroying everything in their path. The only way to survive the flood was to
contain it.
    I
realized that my eyes had become fixed on the vastness of the ocean beyond the
window we sat next to. I pulled my eyes back to Alex. He was watching me. All I
could do was shake my head.
    Alex
nodded. “Okay,” he said, and took another sip of his Coke. “I got all that
stuff from my sister, by the way, the psychologist. I've got no experience whatsoever
in any of that kind of stuff.”
    Just
then our food came. I was thankful for the distraction.
    After
we each took a couple of bites, Alex said, “Susan's worried about you, you
know. I think she loves you, too.”
    My
eyes met his once more.
    “Two
beautiful women,” he said, shaking his head. “Both of them in love with you. One of them my sister. I don't understand it. In every other
respect they seem perfectly normal. Obviously, at some deep level there's
something seriously wrong with them.”
    The
smirk on his face as he spoke eased some of the tension within. Aside from
Monica, Alex was my very best friend. I loved him like a brother. His insult
made me smile. The surging emotions within subsided enough for me to speak.
    “You're
just jealous,” I said. “Even though you're afraid of women.”
    “I'm
not afraid of women,” he said, pretending to be insulted. “I supervise
twenty-three female agents.”
    “Sure.
And if you thought one of them was interested in you, you'd become
uncontrollably flatulent.”
    He looked shocked for a brief moment, and then we both began laughing so
hard that others in the restaurant began looking at us.

Chapter 8
    Tuesday Afternoon and Evening

 
    I'd
gotten back to my office early enough to go to the gym and get in a workout on
the heavy bag before having to leave for Barstow. I felt guilty for taking the
time to go to the gym. I felt like I should have been out looking for Monica.
But I had no idea where to look. I needed the files I’d get later in the
evening. They’d help me find her. But at that moment, the best thing for me to
do was to continue my rehab. Monica would have agreed. My chest was not back to
normal yet, especially the right side, where I'd been shot. It still hurt to
land a hard punch. I was getting some of the speed back, but I didn't have the
power I'd had before. There was still a lot of work to do. Working out felt
good. It took the edge off some of the rage I was struggling to contain. But I
missed Monica not being there to encourage me and joke around while we worked
out.
    After
my workout, I took Wilson for a walk and gave him a snack before getting
cleaned up and dressed. The drive to Barstow would be two hours. I told Wilson
I'd see him later. He woofed goodbye and went to his big pillow to chew on his
giant rawhide bone. I was out the door at ten minutes to four.
    As
I drove, I thought about the things Alex had said, actually the observations
Susan had made, about my state of mind. She was right. But regardless of how
screwed up I was, finding Monica required that I control my emotions and
maintain my focus. I was a trained investigator. I knew what to do and how to
do it. I needed to generate enough control and professional detachment to get
the job done.
    My
introspection and internal dialog was interrupted when my phone rang. My
Wrangler had a Bluetooth system in it so phone calls came through my stereo
system. Hands free. I answered, “Badger.”
    “Mr.
Badger, this is Kyle Dell. I visited with my cousin, James.”
    “And?”
    “He
says he didn't have anything to do with it.”
    “You
believe him?” I asked.
    “Before
I talked with James, I met with Thrasher and explained the situation. He says
to say hi,