Ring of Lies by Victoria Howard Read Free Book Online Page B

fourteen. He had no doubt that Emilia would do the same.
     
    He turned left and headed west onto Interstate 95. He kicked down the accelerator and watched the needle climb, when it settled on sixty, he set the cruise control. The traffic on the three-lane highway was heavy with commuters returning home from work. Out of habit, he glanced in his mirrors. A silver convertible sped past him. The driver was in for a shock. Jack had already spotted the cop car coming down the ramp and adjusted his speed. Sure enough, within seconds the cop had switched on h is siren and was giving chase.
     
    Jack wove through the traffic and took the off ramp. At the next intersection he turned right , then right again into the parking lot of a non-descript building . From the outside it looked like a warehouse , in reality it housed the FBI shooting range.
     
    He showed his ID and signed in, then made his way through to the changing rooms . He swapped his jeans and T-shirt for a pair of coveralls, collected a pair of ear defenders, four clips of bullets , and a SIG Sauer 228 from the range manager then took up position in one of the booths . He adopted a shooting stance, and fired at a silhouette suspended from a wire twenty metres away . When he checked the target , his aim was off. He replaced the clip and was about to fire again, when the door open ed and Mike Zupanik walked in .
     
    Bald and a few pounds overweight, Mike was head of the Miami field office. He’d exchange d his normal work outfit of a three-piece suit for black coveralls . With twenty years service under his belt he was counting the days to his retirement when he planned to buy an RV and travel the c ountry with his wife, Chrissie.
     
    Jack watched the older man take aim and fire , hitting the target dead centre every time. When Mike paused to reload, Jack walked over to talk to him .
     
    ‘ Hi, Mike. Nice shoot i ng. ’
     
    ‘ Thanks, Jack. I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you’d be busy with your new baby daughter. ’
     
    ‘ I decided I’d get some practice in before my leave ’s up . ’
     
    The SAC smiled. ‘ More like you wanted to get away from all that crying. I remember what it’s like . Chrissie went months without a decent night’s sleep when our two were babies. The endless round of feeding and changing diapers , you r life stops being your own for a while . Another week and you’ll be be gging me to come back to work.
     
    Jack nodded. ‘ Mind if I ask you a question , Mike ? ’
     
    ‘ Sure, go ahead. ’
     
    ‘ You’ve got kids. ’
     
    ‘ And two grandkids, don’t forget. David’s seven and Angie’s nine. ’
     
    Jack dragged a hand t hrough his hair. ‘ I wondered, a fter they were born did … did Chrissie lose interest in the m ? ’
     
    Mike snorted. ‘ Hell, no . H ey, what kind of a question is that? You got problems at home? ’
     
    ‘ Rosa— she doesn’t pay much attention to Emilia . Doesn’t want to feed her, hold her or do anything for her . It’s not natural. ’
     
    ‘ You spoken to her doctor ? ’
     
    ‘ Not yet. ’
     
    ‘ I’m no expert, but I know what Chrissie went through giving birth, and I’m telling you , I’d rather face a bullet than that kind of pain. May be that has something to do with it. ’
     
    ‘ Rosa had all the pain relief drugs known to medical science. ’
     
    ‘ Then I dunno. Maybe it’s that post-partum depression you keep hearing about . It happens sometimes. ’
     
    ‘ Maybe. Thanks for the advice, Mike. I’ll make sure Rosa gets it checked out. ’ He patted the other agent on the sh oulder and turned to walk away.
     
    ‘ Aren’t you going to practice some more? ’
     
    ‘ No, I’ve left Rosa with Emilia for long enough . B etter head back. ’
     
    ‘ Wait up. I know you well enough to know t here’s something else bothering you . ’
     
    Jack frowned . ‘ You’re right. You ever heard of an attorney by the name of Parous, Zachary Parous?