Jack Beale 00 - Killer Run

but―” Her thought was cut off when the phone rang.
    She picked it up. “Ben’s Place, may I help you?”
    After a long pause, a voice that barely louder than a whisper said, “I know you have it. I want to explain everything to you. I know you’ll understand.”
    Jack watched the life drain from her face. She began to tremble as she continued listening.
    “Where are you?” she finally asked, trying to keep her voice from cracking.
    “Close. I’ll be in touch.” Then the phone went dead.
    Slowly, she hung up the phone, her face ashen and expressionless.
    “Max, who was it? You all right?”
    “Jack, it was him.”
    “Who?”
    “Alfred.”
    A chill washed over Jack. Then he asked, “What did he say?”
    “It was strange. He said he had to talk to me. He said that when he explains, I’ll give the quilt to him.”
    “That’s it. I’m calling Tom.”
    * * *
    “Stay at Ben’s. Make sure the doors are locked. Don’t leave the building,” said Tom. “I’ll be right over to escort you home.”
    Jack wanted to argue, but he didn’t.
    “What did Tom say?” Max asked when he hung up the phone.
    “He’ll be right over.”
    The next thirty minutes felt like an eternity. Finally, they heard knocking on the door.
    It was Tom. When Jack let him in, he was blowing furiously on his hands, and his face was red from the cold.
    “I didn’t mean to take so long, but I tried to call Malloy. He wasn’t around, so I went over to your place. I walked around the outside and didn’t see anything.”
    Tom looked at Max. “You’re sure it was him?”
    “Yes.”
    “I’ll follow you home.”
    “Nah, that won’t be necessary,” said Jack. “You said you checked around the place. You’ve done enough. We’ll be fine. I’ll call you if I need you.”
    “Well, if you’re sure …” Tom said. “I’ll take another look and then I’ll try to call Mark again.” He said goodbye and left Max and Jack alone, once again, in the bar.
    * * *
    By the time they had closed up for the night, clouds had moved in and it smelled like snow. The heater in Jack’s truck hadn’t even thought about getting warm by the time they got home. Jack turned off the truck, but neither made any move to get out. They just sat silently in the darkness as the damp coldness crept into the cab.
    Jack turned to Max. “Let’s―”
    Behind him, the door was ripped open. An arm reached in and grabbed his coat, pulling Jack out of the truck and onto the ground. Max’s scream and a searing pain in his head filled his last seconds of consciousness.
    Shock and fear paralyzed Max as she watched Alfred pull Jack from the cab. She heard a thud and didn’t see Jack again. Before she could move, Alfred was at her door, ripping it open.
    “I lied. We’re not going to talk, but you are going to give me the quilt.” With that, Alfred pulled her from the truck and pushed her toward the door.
    “Open it,” he hissed.
    “What did you do to Jack?”
    “He’s just fine, taking a short nap, that’s all. Now, open the door. I really don’t want to hurt you.”
    Max glanced back toward the truck. The driver’s door was still open, and the interior light spilled out onto the ground. She tried to see Jack, but couldn’t.
    “Hurry up,” he growled. He gripped her arm a little tighter, causing her to wince. She fumbled for her keys and finally, after several attempts, found the correct key and forced it into the lock.
    As soon as the door clicked open, Alfred pushed her inside. “Lights,” he said.
    Max felt for the switch and flipped it up as soon as she touched it. The bright light blinded her for a moment, but Alfred didn’t wait. As soon as it came on, he began pushing her up the stairs. “Move. I want it now.”
    Max tried to resist, but his grip made that impossible.
    “Up,” he commanded again.
    Once upstairs, all he said was, “Get it.” He tightened his grip as a warning.
    Cat mrowed as she sauntered out from the bedroom.
    “What’s that?” he demanded.
    “It’s just the cat.”
    “Where’s the quilt?” he said, ignoring Cat.
    “It’s in there,” said Max. She pointed toward the door that Cat had just walked through.
    His grip didn’t loosen as he forced her in that direction. Once in the doorway, he pushed her into the room. “Get it.”
    Max looked back at him. Anger and fear coursed through her blood. “If I give it to you, will you leave us alone?”
    “It’s not a case of if ―it’s when . When you