White Space Season 2

was at the Hamilton Island Car Rental Agency trying not to glare at the counter weasel, Paul Flakman. Brady knew if he had to look at the self-important customer service rep any longer, he wouldn’t be able to hold back — he would deck the fucker in his face, then climb behind the desk to check the computer himself.
    So Brady sat in the reception area, pretending to read through a magazine as he swiped the tablet desk in front of him, wondering why in the hell Paul was refusing to cooperate. Brady explained the circumstances, that they had a missing girl and a suspect with one of their rentals. No, the car had been checked out in the Seattle branch, but arrangements were made here at this location, and Brady wasn’t about to go off to Seattle when he could get the information here from this weasel’s computer. Brady just wanted to know the location of the car while they still had a chance of finding the girl.
    But Paul was apparently a legal scholar, inciting his rights, and demanding a court order, even though he was an employee, not the agency’s owner, leaving Brady with no idea why the jerk would go to such great lengths to be difficult.
    Brady sat and waited, for either the District Judge to issue a warrant, or to hear from the agency’s owner Frances Spaulding currently vacationing in Utah. Paul had called Spaulding and left a message for the owner only after Brady practically begged him to. Brady had been nothing but pleasant to the smug fucker, and it was adding bile into his already acidic throat, having to hold the patience on his face like slowly drying paint.
    Paul, who was working with a young blonde trainee, Suzy, kept glancing over at Brady.
    He tried to ignore it, but finally, the chief looked up and asked, “Is there a problem?”
    “Well, I was just thinking that if there’s a missing girl, maybe you should be out there instead of smearing our monitor.”
    Brady couldn’t believe the bastard’s goddamn balls. He stood, laughing as he approached the counter. “Excuse me? Are you trying to tell me how to do my job, Paul ?”
    Paul’s eyes went saucer wide. Brady smiled at the asshole’s clear realization that he had just pushed the police chief an inch or 10 too far. Brady unholstered his gun and set it on the counter, then the badge from his shirt pocket, and set it beside his sidearm.
    “Maybe you’d like to be Chief, is that it, Paul?”
    Paul shook his head, his Adam’s apple bouncing.
    “No?” Brady said, “Are you sure? I mean, you have such terrific ideas in that hard working noggin of yours,” Brady said, jamming his index finger hard into the side of Paul’s head twice.
    Paul stepped back, and put his hand to his head. “Ow!”
    “Aw, does that hurt, Paul?” Brady asked. “You better man up if you wanna be Chief ‘O’ Police!” He stepped behind the counter, and thrust two fingers hard into the man’s chest.
    Paul took another step back, “Hey! You’re not supposed to be back here!”
    “Call the police,” Brady said, smiling. “Oh, wait, you are the police now, Paul. So … do something.”
    Paul’s eyes went to Suzy, who looked down, as if ashamed for her co-worker. When they returned to Brady, they were wet, as if near tears.
    “You want me to leave, then why don’t you get me the information I’ve been asking for since I got here? Now!”
    Paul scrambled to the computer, punching the keyboard as Brady holstered his gun and returned his badge to its home.
    “OK,” Paul said, “Um, I’ve got the car located as coming back on the ferry this morning.”
    “To Hamilton?”
    “Yes, sir,” Paul said.
    “And where is it now?”
    “2747 Evergreen.”
    Brady wasn’t certain, but the address sounded like it might be Jon Conway’s new place.
    “Thank you, Paul ,” Brady said, then burst through the rental agency’s front door and hopped in his cruiser.
    He grabbed his radio and called dispatch, “I want two deputies on 2747 Evergreen immediately. Suspect is Brock Houser, and he may have Emma Hughes. Go in dark, and wait for me. And for Christ’s sake, don’t shoot the girl! If the suspect attempts to leave, detain him. I’m on my way. Make sure you use the secure channel.”
    The last thing Brady wanted was involvement from Paladin.
    He texted Jon, letting him know Houser’s rental was here on the island and that he was following up on the lead now, and would be in touch the second he had news.
    He was about to pull out of the rental