Flu

Chapter 116

"The squirrels are active today," Rick notes as the furry creatures scurry heedlessly across the paths of the green zone. Maybe they know Merlin Jasper is out of circulation."

"I don't see many kids around. You want to go for the swings?" Kate suggests.

Rick freezes in midstride. "Kate, what if you fall? And who knows what swishing back and forth inside like that will do to The Peanut?"

Kate rolls her eyes. "Rick, honestly, stop reaching for the bubble wrap. The swings are more comfortable than the benches – and less likely to have bird poop on them. I was only suggesting we sit on them and talk, maybe sway a little. The Peanut will get less of a ride than it does in the car."

"Fine," Rick agrees, "but I just got a new combination light and magnifier app for my phone. I'm going to check the seats and chains first."

Kate hides a smile behind her fingers. "Of course you are."

Without being as obvious, Jack's sunglasses enhance his view as well as a small pair of binoculars would. He'd rather use a scope, but the last thing he needs is someone reporting a peeping tom or worse, a potential child stalker. He can watch Richard and Kate, but his shades don't afford him enough magnification to read lips. Just as well. Both of them would be mad as hell if they thought he tried.

Richard runs his phone camera over every inch of a swing before he lets Kate sit on it. His son's actions remind Jack of some of the Company's advance teams checking out a venue for confidential negotiations – only Richard's more thorough. From the expression on Kate's face, she thinks her husband's gone a little around the bend, but Jack can't fault the father-to-be for being careful. Kate is carrying precious cargo.

By Jack's calculation, She has about a month left on her pregnancy, but on her slim frame, the bump makes her look ready to drop his grandchild any moment. He couldn't even get close for Alexis' birth. Maybe he'll have better luck with whatever-its-name-is.

A vendor wheels a cart into position just off the path nearby and starts setting up to sell both hotdogs and pretzels. Jack sees Kate pointing at what will soon be a source of New York City delicacies. If She and Richard come this way, they won't be able to miss seeing Jack. He should leave. He pulls a ball cap down over his face but otherwise doesn't budge.

Intent on making sure Kate gets her perfect hotdog; Rick almost doesn't notice the figure on the bench. When he does, it takes a moment for recognition to descend. Mumbling thanks, he shoves money at the vendor and strides over to Jack. "I can't believe that your presence here is a coincidence. What do you want?"

Jack forces his voice to stay low and even. "Sit down, Richard. Attracting attention won't do either of us any good."

Rick drops to the bench. Holding her snack, Kate lowers herself to sit next to Rick. "Hello, Jack."

"The gangs all here," Jack announces, "including the coming addition."

Rick's brows surge upward. "So now you want to be the doting grandfather? It doesn't exactly jibe with your history."

"I'm not about to endanger the child by hanging around, any more than I was about to endanger you, Martha, or Alexis." Jack pushes himself up from the bench. "But when I can, I'll be around. I care, Richard, about you, Martha, Alexis, Kate, and the new little one. I can't tell you anything more."

Rick watches as Jack walks away. Feet dragging, he heads back to the swings.

Kate carefully settles herself next to him, in the seat he so painstakingly inspected, and reaches for his hand. "Are you all right?"

Rick's swing bobbles slightly as he shakes his head. "I never know what to think about him."

Kate's fingertips make little circles in Rick's palm. "You can think that in his way, he loves you. But that means staying away. That can't be easy for him, Babe. Think about how you feel when Alexis is out of your sight for very long. He probably isn't just lonely; he's scared."

"I can't picture Jack being scared of much of anything, but I get your point," Rick admits. "And it is kind of cool to know we both have guardians, as extreme as the disparity between them may be. Johanna comes from above, and Jack – well, who knows? God did equip his angels with swords."

"Yes," Kate agrees, "he did."

Paige gazes at the racks of markdowns. "This place is great, Alexis. The prices are like the stalls on Canal Street, but there's a try-on room, so we don't have to guess if something's going to fit." She selects several pairs of jeans. "Let's go check these out."

Alexis' eyes are drawn by a jacket, the shade of green that Gram insists complements red hair. She drops behind Paige to examine the cut and check the tag. Paige screams from the try-on room. Forgetting about the jacket, Alexis goes after her friend on a run.

A woman is scrunched into the shelf jutting from the back wall of a changing stall. The angle of her head to her neck is impossible for a living human. Alexis grabs Paige and pulls her away. "We can't do anything for her. Don't touch anything. I'll call 911. The cops need to seal off the scene before the evidence gets contaminated."

Paige covers her mouth with her hand. "I think I'm going to puke."

"Do it outside," Alexis advises. "The last thing you need is for the lab to find your D.N.A."

"You did the right thing, Alexis," Ryan declares, "keeping everyone away from the scene. Are Beckett and your dad coming?"

"They should be here any minute. I called Paige's parents too. They're on their way. Are you going to have to take her to the 12th?" Alexis queries.

Esposito joins them. "If she calms down, we'll get her statement here. We'll need yours too. What did you see?"

"Enough to know that woman was dead without needing to check her pulse. She looked like a broken doll with the head almost off."

Lanie emerges from the try-on room. "Not a bad description. Her spinal cord and spine are completely severed."

"What would do that?" Ryan asks.

Lanie shrugs. "I can tell you more when I get her back to the lab. But I can say this. It didn't happen long before Alexis' friend found her. Her body temperature isn't down even a degree."

Emerging from Rick's car, Rick and Kate hurry to flank Alexis. "Lanie, are you saying that my daughter and her bestie were in the store at the same time as the killer?" Rick demands.

"They could have been," Lanie acknowledges.

"Where's the bubble wrap when I need it?" Rick mutters.

"Ryan and Espo were on the scene first. That makes them the primaries, doesn't it?" Rick asks as he and Kate throw together a comfort food supper.

"Yeah, it does," Kate confirms, dropping pasta in boiling water. "And since our family has a personal connection of sorts, we should be at most on the periphery anyway."

"Alexis isn't going to like stepping back," Rick asserts. "She wants to get into the lab and help track down the killer."

"I can't see Osnitz allowing that," Kate offers. "For one thing, any evidence she develops would be in question in court. But that doesn't mean she won't be important to the case. Alexis and Paige might have seen the murderer."

Rick furiously stirs a cheese sauce. "Which means the killer might have seen them. I don't like this situation, Kate. I don't like this at all."