Headhunters by Charlie Cole Page B

secrets? Or was it Max working independently? I just didn’t know.
    I’d thought I was out of Blackthorn for good, but now, I was
only in the heart of the darkness.
    And worst of all, I was going to be late for dinner…
     

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     
     
    The smells of the Chinese food
mingled together and wafted through the Volvo as I drove home. Miles Davis was
still playing over the speakers so I killed the radio, more irritated at myself
than at him. There are times I needed the news, times I needed jazz, times I
needed what Jess always called “angry music” and times that I needed peace.
Nothing more than quiet to let my thoughts rattle around in my head and time to
let the pieces fall into place.
    I accelerated through the rain and passed a driver on the
expressway. I checked my speed and backed off a little. No need to break the
law, just get home, get safe and get my thoughts together.
    Max Donovan.
    Randall Kendrick.
    Blackthorn…
    Like some algebraic nightmare the planes of existence in my
worlds were intersecting where they had no business intersecting. I struggled
to see what they had in common. I knew Kendrick’s angle most of the time. His
endgame had always been plain to me, regardless of whether his methods were
obvious or not. And what was Max Donovan doing —
    My phone rang, interrupting my train of thought. I grabbed
the earbud attached to my cell and put it in place before answering the phone.
    “Simon Parks.”
    “Hi! It’s Alaina.”
    “Hi there. I’m on my way home.”
    “Great!” Alaina said, her voice upbeat. “There’s someone
here who stopped by to see you…”
    “Oh?” I asked. Years in the business as a headhunter, I’d
learned to control my reactions, to temper what I allowed to escape into my
voice and my expressions. I didn’t see any reason to alarm Alaina with
speculations.
    “It’s your friend from Virginia. Randall…” she said, then
her voice trailed off as if looking to someone in the room with her. I heard a
man’s voice, muffled, but close. “Kendrick… Randall Kendrick stopped over to
see you.”
    I swallowed hard and forced myself to laugh.
    “He’s there now?” I asked.
    “Yeah, he’s right here. Do you want to talk to him?” Alaina
asked.
    “No, that’s okay… I’ll be home soon.”
    “OK, see you soon!” “Bye...” I hung up.
    Kendrick was in my home. Then, a moment later, I realized
that he’d probably not come alone.
    I steered the car off the expressway and slipped through a
yellow light at the bottom of the ramp before accelerating down the road toward
home. I passed my neighbor, Carl, who was always outside mowing his lawn on a
battered green John Deere lawn tractor. He was outside today and I gave him a
quick wave before I turned down his street. I lived on the next road up, but I
didn’t want to pull up to the front door. I stopped in Carl’s driveway and
pulled up close to his garage so my Volvo wouldn’t be seen.
    I jumped out of the car and nearly slammed the door before
realizing I’d left my briefcase and the bag of Chinese food inside. I grabbed
the Chinese and left the briefcase, making a mental note to double back for it
later. I closed the car door and began to look around for the best path to get
to my house.
    “Hey!” I heard the yell from over my shoulder.
    The voice startled me and I spun, fist cocked. Carl was
standing behind me in the driveway. Carl stumbled back, realizing he’d taken me
by surprise. His Chicago Bears T-shirt was worn and ringed with sweat. His
round glasses almost fell from his face as he tried to dodge away.
    “Sorry… sorry, Carl,” I said.
    Carl was the pediatrician for my kids. He was a great
doctor. I’d found him through a round-about route. I worked on a job order for
a Chicago law firm and found a Network Engineer for their corporate office. In
my discussions with the office manager, I’d mentioned that I had kids and, what
do you know, so did she. We bonded in that