Jerry sat whistling as he clicked away at his lab top computer. 'God how
I've missed this,' he thought as he moved some more of Skye's funds through
various locations in order to make any paper trail extremely difficult, but
not impossible, to follow. Jerry figured that someone would be monitoring
her accounts for movement. So while he had sent a chunk of her cash to
places where he could clean up the trail, he was also moving large chunks
of her funds around in an effort to distract whoever was keeping track. As
he made another 50 grand disappear he thought, 'This must be why I keep
getting into trouble with the authorities. I enjoy the challenge to much
to give it up.'
Ring. Ring
'Damn! Where did I leave my cell phone?' Jerry felt around until he found it, never taking his eyes off of the computer screen. He punched the button, balanced it between his ear and shoulder and continued typing. "Jerry, here. What's up gorgeous? Did you have any trouble at the bank?"
"I wouldn't know, I haven't been there yet today," Jax replied, laughing.
At the sound of Jax's voice, Jerry dropped the phone from his shoulder and it landed on the keyboard. "Damn," he said as he tried to get that last screen back up."
As Jax heard the clunk and then Jerry's frantic typing he said, "Was that 'damn' because you screwed something up or because I'm not the lady you took to dinner last night."
"A little bit of both actually."
"Anything I can help you with."
"Not at the moment. I just have to figure out where it went to when the phone clicked the computer board."
"I take it your date went well last night."
"It was definitely one of my more interesting evenings.
"Do tell."
"No, not this time. This is definitely not the kind of woman that you kiss and tell on."
"Ah, so this is someone you are serious about."
"Let's just say that I am looking forward to getting to know the lady. So, how's the search for your ex-wife going?" Since he called, I might as well find out what he knows.
"Rather slowly at the moment. We do have a lead. I found out where she hawked her jewellery and bought it all back for her. The guy didn't have that much cash on hand, so he wrote her a check."
Jerry quickly sat up in his chair. "Really! At least you know that she has cash."
"It gets better. We are waiting for her to deposit it so we will have an idea where she is."
"Do you know how to do that?"
"No, but the PI that I hired does. All we have to do is wait until she cashes the check, then we will have an approximate location to work from."
"I'm impressed little brother. But how do you plan to protect her from Alcazar if he is following you. Won't you be leading him to her?"
"Sooner or latter, Alcazar is going to catch up to her. I would feel better if I was with her in order to protect her when it happens. She is better off with me than on her own."
"Careful little brother, the last time you went on that theory was with Brenda. She never was in any physical danger from the man and you got shot in the stomach."
"That was different. Brenda was the decoy. Skye is the real target."
"Do me a favor. This time, try to remember that Alcazar doesn't want to physically harm Skye."
"How would you know that?"
"Because he's gone to great lengths to get her back. Kind of like the prizes that we used to fight over as kids. We went to great lengths to get them because we valued them. Alcazar values Skye alive. You on the other hand, he probably won't have any problem killing."
"You make it sound like she isn't in any danger."
"I'm not saying that she isn't in danger. I'm just saying that if it comes down to a showdown between you and Alcazar, try to remember that you will physically be in more danger than she will be. Please, just try to be more careful this time."
"You sound worried."
"I did some research on this guy since we last spoke. I've even spoken with someone who has some first hand knowledge of how he operates. He is into some very nasty stuff and he's got an extremely twisted mind."
"I can handle Alcazar."
"Just be careful. That's all I ask."
"I will be. Jerry, Chris is signalling to me so I have to go."
"Okay, and Jax."
"Yeah."
"Good luck and stay safe."
"You too."
As soon as Jax hung up Jerry pressed his speed dial and called Skye.
"Hello?"
"Skye, it's Jerry. Did you cash that check yet?"
"An hour ago. Why? Look Jerry, can this wait? I have an appoint with a doctor in about a half hour."
"No it can't. Skye, Jax can trace the check. I just got off the phone with him."
"What! You promised me that you wouldn't call him."
"I didn't. He called me. And it is a good thing that he did or we wouldn't have known that he can trace that check."
"Okay, okay. I'm not going to panic. How did he find out about the check anyway?"
"He found the pawn shop that you sold them at. The good news is that if we ever get this problem with Alcazar taken care of, you can have all your jewellery back. Jax bought everything that he thought was yours."
"That bad news being that he knows where I cashed the check."
"Yep, we have got to get out of here. I figure that it will take about four hours for Jax to get to town."
"Not before my doctor's appointment. It took an entire morning to find this guy. I'm already packed. All you have to do is pick up my suitcase and I'll meet you wherever you want."
"Skye!"
"Look, it's going to take some time to make the arrangements anyway right?"
"Yes"
"Well, you can make them and meet me at the clinic. We can take off from there."
"Okay, I'll meet you at the train station in two hours with tickets, new ID and wig."
"Wig?"
"You're going to look charming as a blond."
"I'll see you in two hours Jerry."
As Skye hung up, the maid came over her and said that the doctor would see her. She led Skye into a parlour in the back of the house.
"You do realize that I'm no longer allowed to practice medicine anymore young lady."
"Trust me doctor, after the way you helped my second husband with his experiments, there is no way that I would let you anywhere near me. I'm here for a different reason."
"Do I know you? Oh yeah, you were married to what's his name? Oh yes Jonathan Kinder. What ever happened to him anyway?"
"Last that I heard, he was still rotting in prison."
"Oh, so if your not here for my medical opinion, what can I do for you?"
"I need a list of doctors. The kind that for the right price, will give me whatever I want and won't say anything to anyone."
"That kind of list could get me into trouble."
"How exactly are you paying the bills these days? With all the restrictions on your medical licence, you're probably not making all that much."
"I'm doing okay."
"Yes, but I bet you would be doing even better with this." Skye laid a thousand dollar euro on the table.
"That's a nice start."
"You will receive one of those for every name and address you give me. And I want a different one for each country."
"I think that we could come to an arrangement."
"Good. Now let's talk."
--
"Jax, we've got a location on that check." Chris shouted.
Jax lifted his ear from the telephone to see Chris motioning to his computer.
"I will be. Jerry, Chris is signalling to me so I have to go. Yeah. You too." Jax hung up and walked over to the computer. "Where is she?"
"Seville, Spain."
"What? That's where my brother is."
"Maybe you could get him to help out?"
"Good idea. I'll call him back." Jax dialled Jerry's number only to get a busy signal. "Damn. It's busy. His new girlfriend must have called."
"We can try him latter. I'll go to the airport and get the plane ready. You get everything packed. We will be ready to take off by the time you get there."
"I'll see you in a half-hour."
--
"Sir?"
"What?" Alcazar barked.
"We have a lead on Miss Chandler."
"Where?"
"According to our source, she cashed a check in Seville, Spain."
"How the hell did she get there?" Alcazar shook his head. "No it doesn't matter. What about Jax?"
"His plane is being fuelled for takeoff as we speak."
"I don't want him to get there before us. Call our contact and make sure that he is delayed. Get our plane ready. We are going to Spain."
"Yes Sir."
--
"Jerry, I don't like it."
"I don't know. I think it looks kind of cute."
"It itches."
"Don't all wigs?"
"Not the really good ones."
"Then you will have to teach me a thing or two about buying wigs."
"Why?"
"It's either that or dying your hair. It would be a shame to do that. I like it the way that it is."
"You and red heads."
"What about me and red heads?"
"According to your parents, every serious relationship that you have ever had has been with women with red hair."
"What can I say? I know what I like. How did your doctor's appointment go? Are the little ones okay?"
"We didn't have time for a through check up, but I have lots of very good referrals so I won't have any trouble finding doctors."
"That's good."
"So, where are we going after Madrid?"
"Where are your doctors located?"
"Here's one in the south of France. I like France."
"Didn't you just come from there?"
"I was in Paris. That's in the north. I doubt that Alcazar would consider that I would come back to France after the way I left."
"Okay, France it is."
"How long does it take to get to Madrid anyway?"
"This is the speed train. We should be there in about an hour."
--
"Damn." Jax swore as he piloted his plane.
"What?" Chris asked.
"We've got a problem. I'm going to have to set down in Madrid and have it fixed. That's going to slow us down some."
"Not really. You could get someone else to fix the plane and take the speed train to Seville. It would only take about an hour to get the tickets. This should only slow us down by about an hour and a half."
"Okay, you find the mechanic and I'll arrange the tickets.
Ring. Ring
'Damn! Where did I leave my cell phone?' Jerry felt around until he found it, never taking his eyes off of the computer screen. He punched the button, balanced it between his ear and shoulder and continued typing. "Jerry, here. What's up gorgeous? Did you have any trouble at the bank?"
"I wouldn't know, I haven't been there yet today," Jax replied, laughing.
At the sound of Jax's voice, Jerry dropped the phone from his shoulder and it landed on the keyboard. "Damn," he said as he tried to get that last screen back up."
As Jax heard the clunk and then Jerry's frantic typing he said, "Was that 'damn' because you screwed something up or because I'm not the lady you took to dinner last night."
"A little bit of both actually."
"Anything I can help you with."
"Not at the moment. I just have to figure out where it went to when the phone clicked the computer board."
"I take it your date went well last night."
"It was definitely one of my more interesting evenings.
"Do tell."
"No, not this time. This is definitely not the kind of woman that you kiss and tell on."
"Ah, so this is someone you are serious about."
"Let's just say that I am looking forward to getting to know the lady. So, how's the search for your ex-wife going?" Since he called, I might as well find out what he knows.
"Rather slowly at the moment. We do have a lead. I found out where she hawked her jewellery and bought it all back for her. The guy didn't have that much cash on hand, so he wrote her a check."
Jerry quickly sat up in his chair. "Really! At least you know that she has cash."
"It gets better. We are waiting for her to deposit it so we will have an idea where she is."
"Do you know how to do that?"
"No, but the PI that I hired does. All we have to do is wait until she cashes the check, then we will have an approximate location to work from."
"I'm impressed little brother. But how do you plan to protect her from Alcazar if he is following you. Won't you be leading him to her?"
"Sooner or latter, Alcazar is going to catch up to her. I would feel better if I was with her in order to protect her when it happens. She is better off with me than on her own."
"Careful little brother, the last time you went on that theory was with Brenda. She never was in any physical danger from the man and you got shot in the stomach."
"That was different. Brenda was the decoy. Skye is the real target."
"Do me a favor. This time, try to remember that Alcazar doesn't want to physically harm Skye."
"How would you know that?"
"Because he's gone to great lengths to get her back. Kind of like the prizes that we used to fight over as kids. We went to great lengths to get them because we valued them. Alcazar values Skye alive. You on the other hand, he probably won't have any problem killing."
"You make it sound like she isn't in any danger."
"I'm not saying that she isn't in danger. I'm just saying that if it comes down to a showdown between you and Alcazar, try to remember that you will physically be in more danger than she will be. Please, just try to be more careful this time."
"You sound worried."
"I did some research on this guy since we last spoke. I've even spoken with someone who has some first hand knowledge of how he operates. He is into some very nasty stuff and he's got an extremely twisted mind."
"I can handle Alcazar."
"Just be careful. That's all I ask."
"I will be. Jerry, Chris is signalling to me so I have to go."
"Okay, and Jax."
"Yeah."
"Good luck and stay safe."
"You too."
As soon as Jax hung up Jerry pressed his speed dial and called Skye.
"Hello?"
"Skye, it's Jerry. Did you cash that check yet?"
"An hour ago. Why? Look Jerry, can this wait? I have an appoint with a doctor in about a half hour."
"No it can't. Skye, Jax can trace the check. I just got off the phone with him."
"What! You promised me that you wouldn't call him."
"I didn't. He called me. And it is a good thing that he did or we wouldn't have known that he can trace that check."
"Okay, okay. I'm not going to panic. How did he find out about the check anyway?"
"He found the pawn shop that you sold them at. The good news is that if we ever get this problem with Alcazar taken care of, you can have all your jewellery back. Jax bought everything that he thought was yours."
"That bad news being that he knows where I cashed the check."
"Yep, we have got to get out of here. I figure that it will take about four hours for Jax to get to town."
"Not before my doctor's appointment. It took an entire morning to find this guy. I'm already packed. All you have to do is pick up my suitcase and I'll meet you wherever you want."
"Skye!"
"Look, it's going to take some time to make the arrangements anyway right?"
"Yes"
"Well, you can make them and meet me at the clinic. We can take off from there."
"Okay, I'll meet you at the train station in two hours with tickets, new ID and wig."
"Wig?"
"You're going to look charming as a blond."
"I'll see you in two hours Jerry."
As Skye hung up, the maid came over her and said that the doctor would see her. She led Skye into a parlour in the back of the house.
"You do realize that I'm no longer allowed to practice medicine anymore young lady."
"Trust me doctor, after the way you helped my second husband with his experiments, there is no way that I would let you anywhere near me. I'm here for a different reason."
"Do I know you? Oh yeah, you were married to what's his name? Oh yes Jonathan Kinder. What ever happened to him anyway?"
"Last that I heard, he was still rotting in prison."
"Oh, so if your not here for my medical opinion, what can I do for you?"
"I need a list of doctors. The kind that for the right price, will give me whatever I want and won't say anything to anyone."
"That kind of list could get me into trouble."
"How exactly are you paying the bills these days? With all the restrictions on your medical licence, you're probably not making all that much."
"I'm doing okay."
"Yes, but I bet you would be doing even better with this." Skye laid a thousand dollar euro on the table.
"That's a nice start."
"You will receive one of those for every name and address you give me. And I want a different one for each country."
"I think that we could come to an arrangement."
"Good. Now let's talk."
--
"Jax, we've got a location on that check." Chris shouted.
Jax lifted his ear from the telephone to see Chris motioning to his computer.
"I will be. Jerry, Chris is signalling to me so I have to go. Yeah. You too." Jax hung up and walked over to the computer. "Where is she?"
"Seville, Spain."
"What? That's where my brother is."
"Maybe you could get him to help out?"
"Good idea. I'll call him back." Jax dialled Jerry's number only to get a busy signal. "Damn. It's busy. His new girlfriend must have called."
"We can try him latter. I'll go to the airport and get the plane ready. You get everything packed. We will be ready to take off by the time you get there."
"I'll see you in a half-hour."
--
"Sir?"
"What?" Alcazar barked.
"We have a lead on Miss Chandler."
"Where?"
"According to our source, she cashed a check in Seville, Spain."
"How the hell did she get there?" Alcazar shook his head. "No it doesn't matter. What about Jax?"
"His plane is being fuelled for takeoff as we speak."
"I don't want him to get there before us. Call our contact and make sure that he is delayed. Get our plane ready. We are going to Spain."
"Yes Sir."
--
"Jerry, I don't like it."
"I don't know. I think it looks kind of cute."
"It itches."
"Don't all wigs?"
"Not the really good ones."
"Then you will have to teach me a thing or two about buying wigs."
"Why?"
"It's either that or dying your hair. It would be a shame to do that. I like it the way that it is."
"You and red heads."
"What about me and red heads?"
"According to your parents, every serious relationship that you have ever had has been with women with red hair."
"What can I say? I know what I like. How did your doctor's appointment go? Are the little ones okay?"
"We didn't have time for a through check up, but I have lots of very good referrals so I won't have any trouble finding doctors."
"That's good."
"So, where are we going after Madrid?"
"Where are your doctors located?"
"Here's one in the south of France. I like France."
"Didn't you just come from there?"
"I was in Paris. That's in the north. I doubt that Alcazar would consider that I would come back to France after the way I left."
"Okay, France it is."
"How long does it take to get to Madrid anyway?"
"This is the speed train. We should be there in about an hour."
--
"Damn." Jax swore as he piloted his plane.
"What?" Chris asked.
"We've got a problem. I'm going to have to set down in Madrid and have it fixed. That's going to slow us down some."
"Not really. You could get someone else to fix the plane and take the speed train to Seville. It would only take about an hour to get the tickets. This should only slow us down by about an hour and a half."
"Okay, you find the mechanic and I'll arrange the tickets.