Infernal

Only thing I know is, you don't want him mad at you.

Tom sat mesmerized as the song closed with a slide guitar solo and the sparse audience gave up an appreciative round of applause. Was that about his kid brother?

And then he saw Gia lean close to Jack's ear. Tom caught her whisper.

"I don't know what you did for that man and I don't want to, but to have that kind of effect on a life, to make someone want to sing about you… that must be indescribable. I can see why you keep going back for more."

And then it all came together.

Dad's remark about calling on Jack if he needed someone to watch his back… then that character Joey this morning asking Tom if he could "hack" what Jack hacked… and now this blues singer talking about a ghost named Jack who slips through the cracks, and singing about a "repairman" named Jack…

Somewhere along the line Dad had come up with the idea that Jack was a repairman… an appliance repairman. But the "R-J Blues" was about someone who fixed other things.

R-J… Repairman Jack? Was that what it stood for?

Had to be. Little brother was some sort of urban mercenary.

Taking it further, Tom realized that might explain why Jack had needed him to claim Dad's body. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to claim it—he couldn't. Because he was probably living under a false identity.

Ho-lee shit.