A Father's Justice Pt. 03

"I got it," Timmy said.

"Let's go," Jorge said. They left through the front door and quickly made it to Ryan's car. Bill and Jorge got in the back, squeezing Timmy in the middle. When they got to the police station, Ryan turned to face Timmy.

"This is where you get off, Timmy," he said.

"That woman," Timmy said. "Who was she to you? Why do you care what happened to her?"

"That woman was my daughter's mother," Ryan said. He looked at the cross dangling from Timmy's neck. "You believe in God, boy?"

"Yes, sir, I do," Timmy said quietly.

"Then you'd better pray to your God that the woman you shot lives," Ryan said. "If she dies, so help me God, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you die, too. Got it?"

"I got it," Timmy said. "I'm sorry, man. Really, I am."

"Just remember, you never saw the two us," Ryan said, indicating himself and Bill.

"Never," Timmy said.

"I'll take care of Timmy from here," Jorge said.

"Need a ride back?" Ryan asked.

"No, thanks anyway," Jorge said. "My office is just up the street a couple blocks."

"We have one more stop to make," Ryan said. "I'll be in touch. Thanks for everything."

"Just wait till you get my bill," Jorge said with a laugh. They watched as Jorge escorted Timmy to the police station, then pulled out.

"Where to now?" Bill asked.

"Knight Petroleum," Ryan said. When they arrived, Ryan pulled out his phone and placed a call.

"Elmer Jenkins," the man at the other end said when he answered the call.

"Mr. Jenkins, this is Ryan Caldwell. We met at the hospital," Ryan said.

"Of course, Mr. Caldwell," Elmer said. "I remember. What can I do for you?"

"I have some information regarding the attempt on her life, and I need to talk to you about it," Ryan said.

"Good," Elmer said. "When would you like to meet."

"Right now," Ryan said. "It involves a member of your board."

"Well then, I guess we had better meet. The sooner the better. Please come on up," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Jenkins," Ryan said. "I'll be right up." He ended the call and looked at Bill. "Is it just me, or did he sound a bit... off?" Ryan asked.

"What are you saying?" Bill asked.

"I have a feeling there's a lot more going on here," Ryan said. "You have your phone on you?"

"Of course," Bill said. "Also have my backup in the bag. Why?"

"Can you record calls on your phone?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Bill said.

"Good," Ryan said. "I'm going to call your phone. I want you to listen and record everything that's said. If you sense anything going wrong, I want you to call Jorge, then call the FBI."

"You think this is a trap?" Bill asked.

"Sure smells like one to me," Ryan said. "I'm going to keep the keys to the car here, just in case you have to make a hasty retreat."

"Okay," Bill said. "You think they'd actually try to take you here? In their own executive suites?"

"They tried to murder Lisa in their executive parking lot, didn't they?" Ryan asked.

"I see your point," Bill said.

"I'm going in now," Ryan said. "Keep your eyes and ears open, okay?"

"Will do, boss," Bill said. Ryan dialed Bill's phone and waited for him to answer. Bill started the recording as Ryan got out of the car. Bill watched as Ryan made his way to the front of the building. He went inside and consulted the board in the front lobby, looking for Elmer Jenkins. He found what he was looking for and walked to the line of elevators, noticing that only one went to the floor Jenkins was on.

"Excuse me, sir," a man at the front desk said, getting Ryan's attention. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here to see Elmer Jenkins," Ryan said. "He's expecting me." The man looked miffed as he took in the tall, lanky cowboy with the scarred face and eye patch.

"And you are?" the man asked, his voice dripping with condescension.

"Ryan Caldwell," Ryan said.

"One moment, please," the man said, picking up a phone. Ryan heard him talking to someone for a moment. He put the phone back down and handed Ryan a blank white card. "You'll need this to access the elevator," he said.

"Thanks," Ryan said, taking the card. He walked to the elevator and held the card in front of the reader. The doors slid open and Ryan stepped inside. After the doors closed, the elevator automatically began its ascent.

When the elevator stopped, the doors opened. Ryan looked around, halfway expecting to see security guards. Instead, he saw a rather attractive blonde receptionist sitting alone at a large desk. She looked up as he walked toward her.

"Ryan Caldwell to see Elmer Jenkins," he said.

"Good day, Mr. Caldwell," she said with a smile. "Mr. Jenkins is expecting you. Please follow me." He followed her through a set of double doors and down a hallway to a large office. After opening the door, she announced Ryan's presence.

"Ah, Mr. Caldwell, please come in," Elmer said. Ryan walked in and looked around. He saw no guards but stayed on the alert. "Have a seat," Elmer said as the receptionist left. Ryan sat, and finding the chair was on wheels, turned so that he could keep an eye on the door.

"Always vigilant, eh, Mr. Caldwell?" Elmer said with a smile. "I guess that's helped keep you alive all these years, isn't it? You know, I've kept an eye on you for quite a while now. Impressive record. Bronze Star, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge. You're commendations are rather impressive. It's really a shame you decided to go private after all that. You would've made quite an asset to our team."

"Sorry to disappoint," Ryan said. Elmer shrugged his shoulders.

"No problem," Elmer said. "I guess I can understand why you did what you did. No doubt you were hurting after what Jake did to you and your family."

"So you know about that?" Ryan asked.

"Of course," Elmer said. "I didn't get to be the Chairman of the Board by just sitting on my ass, you know. I know everything that goes in in this company. It's my job to know. Just like I knew about those moles you recruited. Oh, don't look so surprised. That took balls, by the way. They found exactly what I wanted them to find. Oh yes, it's all legit. But thanks to Lisa, most of that has been mitigated by now. We might have to pay a fine or suffer a slap on the wrist by the SEC, but that's minor. That's just regular business for us.

"What you don't know is that Jake wasn't the only one to sample what your ex-wife has to offer. Or I should say, had to offer," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked. Elmer opened a desk drawer and pulled out a DVD. He tossed it to Ryan who caught it in mid-air.

"Those are just the highlights, if you will," Elmer said with a smirk. "Or lowlights if you prefer."

"Did you..." Ryan began.

"Of course," Elmer said. "Along with most everyone else on the board. Women included. Lisa was quite the wild child. Always the life of the party. Espeially at our annual summer retreats. She and some of the board even thought about including your daughter after she came of age. Of course, most of that stopped after she married Jake. It's one thing to cuckold an outsider like you, a lowly mechanic, but it's something else again to do it to the CEO behind his back."

"Then why have her shot?" Ryan asked quietly, his stomach in knots by these new revelations. He wanted to choke the life out of this guy, but he knew he'd never get out of the building alive if he did. "You already had control of her."

"I don't think you quite understand the big picture," Elmer said. "Take a look out there," he added, motioning to the city far below. "Know what you see down there? Commerce, my boy. Commerce and trade, all made possible by us and other companies like us. You see, oil is the engine that drives the economies of every nation on earth. Hundreds of millions of people, all working because of the energy industry. Without it, you'd be poor, dumb, blind and naked. You wouldn't even have the buttons on that shirt you're wearing."

"What's that got to do with shooting Lisa or trying to kill me?" Ryan said.

"Let me explain it this way," Elmer said. "You're a mechanic. You understand how engines work. Everything has to be just right for that engine to work. If something breaks, the engine doesn't work and the car doesn't run like it should. As a mechanic, it's your job to find the part that doesn't work and replace it. The world is a lot like that. You see, we're all parts of a great global engine. When everything fits like it should and everyone does as they should, things work.

"But when one of those parts stops working like it should, it needs to be taken out and replaced," Elmer said. "Jake screwed up. He was replaced, and you, unwittingly, helped make that happen. Lisa also screwed up. Some of her ideas were a bit too progressive for some people's tastes.

"You see, there are some who think companies like ours are evil and need to be destroyed. Some even want to take us all back to the Stone Age where we live in caves, wear animal skins and eat whatever we can catch or gather. Humanity just doesn't work like that, my boy.

"I will admit, though, having a woman at the helm, at least for a while, gave us more capital than we anticipated, especially with some on Capitol Hill. That, believe it or not, means more than money in some circles."

"So you wanted her killed because she's something of an environmentalist," Ryan said. "What, you have a problem with clean air and clean water?"

"Not at all," Elmer said. "I'll match our environmental record with anyone. Truth is, the folks who think they can replace oil with wind and solar power are living in a dream world. It'll never happen, at least not in my lifetime. Probably not in your grandson's lifetime."

"So, why have her killed?" Ryan asked.

"Well, it was mostly a business decision, but we came to an agreement with Jake," Elmer said. "He had a lot to lose with the divorce and the charges against you. So we came to a gentleman's agreement, if you will."

"And Colin Blackstone helped arrange it," Ryan said.

"He played his role, and did so remarkably well," Elmer said. "Unfortunately, a family emergency forced him to leave the country in something of a hurry."

"Sorry to hear that," Ryan said.

"I'll pass that on. It was rather unfortunate," Elmer said.

"I'm sure it was," Ryan said.

"Let me give you a bit of friendly advise, Mr. Caldwell," Elmer said, leaning forward in a vain attempt to intimidate Ryan. "A smart soldier like you knows when it's time to charge and when it's time to back up and regroup. This is a fight you can't win, and you know it. So, why don't you just go back to that nice little hacienda of yours in Texas. You got enough money to live comfortably the rest of your life. Enjoy your golden years. Who knows. Maybe you'll meet a nice woman. And don't piss in my soup again. I'd hate to see something happen to that cute daughter of yours, and that nice little grandson."

"Well, Mr. Jenkins, I thought you were a smarter man than that," Ryan said.

"What are you talking about?" Elmer said.

"You should know the worst thing you can do is threaten a man's family," Ryan said. "I'll take your advise under consideration, but you need to know one thing. You fuck with my family -- you even think about fucking with my family, and I'll give you a war the likes of which you won't fucking believe. And you know I can do it." Elmer looked hard at Ryan for a few moments before smiling.

"Fair enough, Ryan," he said. "And I'll make sure that if Lisa gets through this, she'll be well taken care of for the rest of her life." He stood and extended a hand. Ryan looked at it for a few moments, then took Elmer's hand in his. As they shook, Elmer squeezed his hand. Ryan knew what he was trying to do and squeezed harder. Elmer looked at Ryan and for a moment, felt as though he was looking into the face of death itself. He recalled the line spoken by Marc Antony in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war."

Ryan saw the discomfort on Elmer's face and released his hand. Elmer looked at him and felt fear for the first time in many years. Perhaps, he thought, they made a huge mistake going after this man and his family.

"Well, then," Elmer said. "I take it we have an agreement."

"Reckon so," Ryan said coldly, not wanting to give Elmer so much as a hint of what he was thinking.

"Good," Elmer said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Ryan nodded his head.

"Me too," he said. "Y'all have a nice day, y'hear?" he said, touching the brim of his beat-up Stetson. He turned and left the office, leaving Elmer to wonder if perhaps he had just made a big mistake crossing swords with the man he once dismissed as an uneducated grease monkey.

After he left the building, he took the phone out of his pocket.

"You catch all that?" he asked Bill.

"Sure did," Bill said in response. Ryan ended the call, and turned off his phone. He got in the car and looked at his friend.

"What do ya think?" he asked.

"Shit's gotten pretty deep," Bill said. Ryan nodded his head.

"I agree," he said, taking the battery out of his phone.

"What are ya doing?" Bill asked.

"I get the feeling they knew everything I've been doing for the last six months," he said. "You know anyone who's an expert with phones?"

"Yeah, I know someone," Bill said. "Best damn hacker in the business. Got his own storefront down on Main Street. You think your phone's been bugged or something?"

"Something," Ryan said. "Let's go. I wanna talk to your friend." They pulled out and Ryan followed Bill's directions to a strip mall on Main Street. They saw a small store advertising computer and phone repair and parked in front of it.

"Let me see your phone real quick," Ryan said. Bill handed him his phone. "You got that call recorded and saved on here?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" Bill asked in response.

"I wanna send it off to someone," Ryan said. "Here's his email address," he added, handing Bill the card he got from FBI Special Agent Smith.

"You want to send this to the FBI?" Bill asked, confused.

"Absolutely," Ryan said. "Then I wanna talk to him."

"Okay," Bill said as he put the email together. He sent it to the address on the card and handed Ryan the phone. Ryan made the call and waited for Smith to answer.

"Smith," the man on the other end said when he answered.

"Agent Smith, this is Ryan Caldwell," Ryan said.

"Caldwell," Smith said. "I was just thinking about you."

"Look, I just sent you a recorded phone call," Ryan said. "It's a recording of a meeting I just had with Elmer Jenkins."

"The Chairman of the Board of Knight Petroleum?" Smith asked.

"One and the same," Ryan said.

"I think you'll find it... interesting," Ryan said. "I don't know if it can be used as evidence, but maybe you can get it to whoever's prosecuting Jake Knight. My name isn't on the email, by the way."

"I see something just came in," Smith said. "Alright, I'll check it out. Did he threaten you?"

"You could say that," Ryan said. "He said a few other things you might find enlightening."

"I see," Smith said. "You're not going to do anything stupid are you? I am aware of your background, you know."

"I won't do anything unless I'm forced to," Ryan said.

"Uh huh," Smith said. "Leave this to the pros, Mr. Caldwell. This isn't some third-world country, you know."

"I know," Ryan said. "And I promise to let the pros do their job. One last thing."

"What's that?" Smith asked.

"Jenkins threatened my family," Ryan said. "I want round-the-clock protection on them. Starting today. That includes my son-in-law's parents. Will you do that?"

"I can make some calls," Smith said. "I'll get it taken care of. Anything else?"

"That's it for now," Ryan said.

"Alright," Smith said, not completely convinced Ryan would back off. "We'll be in touch. Bye." The call ended, Ryan handed Bill's phone back and got out of the car. They walked into the store and Bill introduced him to the young, long-haired man behind the counter. He didn't look to be more than 18 or 19 years old.

"Ryan, this is Greg Hamilton, the best in the business," Bill said. "Greg, this is my good friend, Ryan Caldwell." The young man extended his hand and shook Ryan's hand.

"Good to meet you, Mr. Caldwell," Greg said. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like my phone checked out," Ryan said as he put the battery back in and unlocked it.

"Is it giving you trouble?" Greg asked.

"I think it's been bugged or something," Ryan said. "Can you tell if it has?"

"Yeah," Greg said, shrugging his shoulders. "Let me take a look." Ryan handed the phone and watched as Greg's fingers flew over the screen.

"Holy fuck," Greg said when he was finished.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

"Oh, your phone has been hacked alright," Greg said. "It's probably been cloned as well. It's full of spyware and there's a hidden app that's designed to record and transcribe your calls."

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Greg said. "Some companies use an app like this if they suspect someone of corporate espionage or something. It records everything you do -- texts, emails, photos, videos, calls -- literally everything. Then it transcribes the calls into a text file and uploads it all to the cloud."

"The cloud?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, the Internet," Greg said. "Or to be more precise, to a server somewhere on the Internet."

"Well, can you unclone it?" Ryan asked. "Can you get rid of all that stuff?"

"Yeah," Greg said. "The app has the server address and the credentials. The server address and the username is easy to see, but the password is encrypted. I can get through that, though. I might even be able to delete whatever they've copied. It's gonna take me a while, though. There's a lot to do and I'll need to get in touch with your carrier to see if it's been cloned. They can block the cloned device if it has. Can I hang on to it overnight?"

"Yeah," Ryan said. He pulled a roll of cash out of a money belt around his waist and peeled off ten $100 bills. "Think this will cover it?" Greg nodded his head and took the bills.

"Yeah, it'll more than cover it," he said. "If you come back by in the morning, I'll have it ready for you, clean as the day it was made."

"Thanks," Ryan said, shaking Greg's hand. They said their goodbyes and left.

"You think Lisa set that all up?" Bill asked.

"She's the one who gave it to me the last time I was in town," Ryan said. "I remember she told me she had already set it up for my area code and had already programmed some numbers in it for me. At this point, I don't know what to believe."

"So, what are ya gonna do now?" Bill asked.

"Elmer made a good point," Ryan said. "A smart soldier knows when it's time to back up and regroup. I think maybe that's exactly what we should do."

"You're going back home, then?" Bill asked.

"For now," Ryan said. "I'll need to talk to Jorge first. I'll do that tomorrow. I'll talk to the kids tonight. I'll let Elmer think he's got the upper hand, at least for a while. That'll also give the feds time to do their work."

"Want me to reach out to the old team?" Bill asked. "You know they'd do anything for you."

"Yeah, do that," Ryan said. "I'll be in touch, probably after I've gotten back home. Once I've had a chance to wrap my head around all this shit, I'll set up a meeting, probably at my place."

"Okay," Bill said. "Let's do it, then." Ryan started the car and took his old friend home, then went back to Sarah and Bill's house. He saw Sarah's car in the driveway and parked behind it. Walking in the house, he saw her in the kitchen.

"Hey, princess," he said. "How's it going?"

"Not too bad," she said. "Bob's still at work and little Ryan is at his folk's house. I'm just trying to head start on everything before tonight."

"How's your mother?" he asked.