Jack Beale 00 - Killer Run

headed back to the coast.
    It had been a long two days and they were both physically and emotionally exhausted.
    “You okay?” asked Jack.
    Max’s reply was slow in coming. “Yeah. I guess.”
    “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a funeral quite like that.”
    “I know. But you know, I kind of liked it. You could really feel the love everyone had for Malcom and it forced everyone to celebrate his life rather than lament over his passing. I’m not saying that there still won’t be a lot of sadness, but I think this was good. I just feel so bad for Polly.”
    “I know what you mean,” agreed Jack.
    Max, lost in her own thoughts, watched Jack as he drove. Because of the late hour, it was dark and there was little traffic. In the shadows she could see his face, not clearly, but whenever an oncoming car’s headlights flashed over them, for that instant, his face would be lit. Several cars passed before she was sure that he was smiling, and she wanted to know why.
    “Jack, what’s with the grin?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Bullshit. What’s so funny?”
    “I’m sorry, but I was just thinking about how I found Malcom.”
    “That’s not funny.”
    “I’m sure that I’m going to rot in hell for saying this, but I was just remembering how when I first fell and didn’t know I was on top of him, I was kind of woozy and I looked down and saw that I had three feet. I remember thinking, ‘ This can’t be right! ’ so I looked again and I still had three feet. I was so confused. That’s when I discovered I was lying on a body and I freaked out. In a sick and twisted way, it was kind of funny.”
    “You are sick and twisted,” said Max with righteous disdain in her voice. She remained silent and then began to giggle.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “You. I was just imagining you lying there, looking down and seeing three feet.” Her giggle turned into a laugh. Jack glanced at her and then he laughed too.
    Max continued, “I wish I had been there. You must have shit your pants when you realized where that third foot came from.” She laughed again.
    “It wasn’t funny,” Jack managed to say, but then he continued to laugh.
    For a moment Max paused. “I know,” she said in a serious voice. Then she began laughing harder.
    They laughed for several miles, until they were laughed out.
    “I wish I had known him,” said Jack. “He seemed like a really cool person.”
    “I know. Polly’s pretty amazing too.”
    “I can’t believe she gave you that quilt.”
    “I can’t either. We’ll have to find some safe place for it. I wouldn’t want for it to get damaged. I wonder what’s the best way to store something like this?”
    “I have no idea.” After a moment Jack added, “Do you think that Alfred finally got the message?”
    “I hope so. And I hope Tom and Malloy catch up with him soon.”
    Nothing else was said for the rest of the way home.

CHAPTER 93
    “HELLO,” JACK SAID IN A LOUD WHISPER . He had been jarred awake by the first ring and had grabbed the phone quickly so as not to wake Max. As he looked over at her he heard Tom’s voice on the line. Still whispering, Jack said, “Hold on; let me get into the other room. I don’t want to wake Max.”
    Settled on the couch, he said, “What’s up? Did you find Alfred?”
    “No, I’m sorry. We haven’t. There’s a B.O.L.O. out for him, but so far, nothing. Still, I did have an interesting conversation with Malloy.”
    “Yeah?”
    “He told me that Alfred had an identical twin brother, Thomas. The two boys often played on a rope swing by the river and as the story goes, one day Thomas swung out over the water, let go, hit his head on a rock that was just below the surface, and was killed.”
    “So.”
    “Well, Alfred was always known as the ‘good’ twin and Thomas was known as the troublemaker. But Malloy thinks it wasn’t Thomas who was killed; he thinks it was Alfred. Then, for whatever reason, probably the trauma of seeing his brother die, Thomas assumed Alfred’s identity.”
    “Whoa,” murmured Jack. That was a lot to comprehend before his morning coffee. “And does he have any proof?”
    “Nothing hard, but it would explain a lot. Malloy has learned that after Alfred’s mother’s death, before he took over the antiques store, he was institutionalized.”
    Tom continued, “Malloy has had a hard time finding out the details because Alfred was a juvenile at the time and those records were sealed. But he has talked with