Jack Beale 00 - Dangerous Shoals

marks were even more tender to the touch. He filled the sink with cold water and held his hand in it. That seemed to ease the throbbing a little.
    After several more aspirins and a new dressing on his hand, the predator finally slept.

CHAPTER 77
    KURT WAS AWAKE at the crack of dawn. The anticipation of recovering the CD for his employer and the ever-increasing pain and throbbing in his hand had made sleep nearly impossible. Now, as he lay in bed thinking about his options, the sun began to rise. Time to begin. But when he first stood up, the wave of pain and the increased throbbing in his hand made him take a deep breath and sit back down on the side of the bed. After a few moments, he stood again and slowly made his way into the bathroom.
    The face in the mirror that stared back at him was unnerving. The pain and throbbing in his hand, along with the lack of sleep, had etched their presence onto his eyes. His natural gauntness was amplified. He unwrapped the strips of cloth from around his hand and looked at his wounds. The welts made by the cat’s claws on the top of his hand, while ugly, didn’t appear to be too serious. The bite marks and the spot from which he had extracted the claw were of greater concern. That area was inflamed, swollen, tender to the touch, and the source of the constant throbbing. The redness that highlighted the wounds was beginning to spread toward his arm as faint crimson lines. Another soaking in cold water and several more aspirin seemed to mitigate the pain, so he rewrapped his hand with new strips of cloth from the already torn pillowcase.
    Finished in the bathroom, he returned to the main room, put on the headphones, and lit a cigarette. He flicked the switch and was instantly transported to that other room. He closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply on his cigarette and listened. They were still sleeping. Lulled by the soft rhythmic sounds of their breathing, he soon followed suit.
    Kurt awoke with a start to the sound of her voice. “I’m working the day shift today,” Max was saying.
    “I’m going to see Tom this morning. We need to talk about last night and then I’ll stop by Ben’s. Then we can decide what to do,” Jack replied.
    Kurt could hear their footsteps leaving the bedroom and then nothing. The other bug had either been found, was broken, or both. In any event he didn’t hear anything else so he flicked the switch off, removed the headphones, and lay there on the bed, thinking.
    He knew that the police would be looking for him. So despite the ever-increasing pain in his hand, he began the process of buying time until he could complete his mission. The biggest variable would be luck, and for that he could only hope.
    First, he needed to find a new place to stay, someplace a little further away. He knew that the search would start here, in Rye Harbor. Then, gradually they’d expand the search to other towns. He didn’t need to leave the area―he couldn’t, not yet―but he could increase the amount of time before he had to disappear completely.
    Even if they asked questions—and he knew they would—no one would even notice his absence for at least a week. Maid service was required only when a room changed occupants, and he had prepaid for his current digs in cash. There were still several days left on its rental.
    He cleaned the room, taking care to leave no trace of his injuries. All the trash was bagged and he took the pillow that had sacrificed its case. Discretely, he loaded everything into his car. He was on the road by late morning, headed south toward Massachusetts.

CHAPTER 78
    “HEY, TOM.”
    “Jack, come in.”
    Even though it was only 9 AM, it was both hotter and more humid than the days before. The air conditioning in Tom’s office felt good to Jack as he sat down. “Did you have a chance to do anything with that disc yet?” he asked.
    “I gave it to a friend who is something of a computer guru and she’s working on it. Let me see if she’s had any success.” Tom picked up his phone and dialed. By the look on Tom’s face Jack could tell that it was ringing. Tom put his hand over the mouthpiece and spoke to Jack in a slightly hushed tone. “She’s notorious for ignoring the phone when she’s working. If she wasn’t there, her machine would have picked up by now. We just have to be patient. Eventually she will answer.”
    Jack nodded.
    “Felicia … Tom. Have you had a chance to work on that disc I left off? … You have… .