Vendetta by Fern Michaels Read Free Book Online Page A

Marie Lewellen and her family? Shit! He picked up his cellphone and hit the number one on his speed dial.
    “Don’t say anything, Mark. Just listen, OK?” He was like a runaway train as he rattled off his suspicions. When he was finished he heard Mark whistle so loud he had to move the phone from his ear.
    “They knew Chai would never come back to the States, so they went there. They’re going to kill him, Mark.”
    “Wait a minute. Just hold on, Jack. If that’s true, why didn’t Mrs. Rutledge go with them? I’d think she’d want to be part of it. I know I would if it was my kid. Nah, I think you’re off base. By the way, the Lucas woman is on her way to Oregon to pick up twenty thousand Christmas trees. She’ll drop them off on her way back up the Eastern Seaboard. They’re due back in McLean in…Who the hell knows? Depends on how fast she drives, I guess. Think about it, Jack. Myra Rutledge is helping Lucas with Christmas trees while her friends go to China to do in her daughter’s killer? It’s too big a stretch. Fall back and regroup, buddy. Where are you now?”
    “Outside the gates of Pinewood. I’m about ready to fry these gates. I’m not wrong, Mark. Don’t think for one minute that they didn’t get rid of Senator Webster, either. And Marie Lewellen. Now that we know how powerful Charles Martin is, it all makes sense. Factor in Myra Rutledge’s money, Nikki’s legal expertise and all those other women who probably have special…talents, and I make my case.”
    Jack had to strain to hear Mark’s whispered response. “Vigilantes!”
    “Yeah. Vigilantes. I’ll get back to you. Gotta get to work.”
    Jack climbed out of his car and looked at the high-tech panel that controlled the gates. A few years ago they were simple gates with a simple code: 1-2-3-4. Nikki had a remote on the visor of her car that she hit and the gates swung open. Mere visitors had to press in the proper code. Less than two years ago these new gates, the kind they had in prisons, were installed with a monitor and a different set of codes. The gates also sounded prison-like, clanging so loudly you had to hold your ears. There was no code these days. The gates were controlled either by someone inside the house or by a special remote control. Why was that?
    Jack walked around the back of his car, popped the trunk and took out his brand new Private Dick kit that Mark had assembled for him. He wished now that he had paid more attention to the instructions on all the high-tech gizmos. He knew, though, that Mark had included the instructions. They were probably somewhere in the bottom of the voluminous canvas bag. He dropped the black bag outside the gates and climbed back into the car. He backed it down the road and then drove it into a dense area of wild-looking straggly brush. He looked around for a pine tree, found some saplings, broke off the branches and covered his car. He took a minute to survey the surroundings in case he had to make a hasty retreat. When he had the site firmly locked in his mind he jogged back up the driveway to where his black bag awaited him.
    Jack fished around inside the bag until he found the gray box he was looking for. He wished suddenly that he
had
been an electrician in his other life. He carried the box over to the control panel, opened it, looked at the wires and closed his eyes. Red wires, blue wires, yellow wires. Yeah, well, color was color. He hooked on the gray box, hit the plunger and watched the gates give off a shower of sparks. Then he slipped his arms through the straps of the backpack and marched over to the gates, calmly pushed them open, and walked through like he was a regular visitor.
    His cellphone chirped. Garrity.
    “Gotcha in my sights, Jack. Nice fireworks display. What do you want me to do?”
    “Mark is sending a replacement. Stay there till he arrives. Then meet me in the barn. You can hop the fence behind it. We have time before the dogs get here.”
    “OK. Be