The Perfect Scream

THIRTY-FIVE

John Stallings sat in a booth at a Denny’s in the south end of Duval County. He wanted to stay in his official jurisdiction just in case there was a problem. He couldn’t fully trust a pot grower, even one as attractive as J. L. Winter. From the window he could see the traffic coming down J. Turner Butler Boulevard. He wasn’t sure what kind of vehicle to look for but wasn’t surprised when he saw the beautiful woman pulled into the lot driving a Cadillac CTX. Nice, but not too flashy.

He stood when she entered the restaurant and approached him. He held out his hand to forestall any chance of a hug.

J.L. said, “What a gentleman.”

When they settled into the thick padded benches, J.L gazed out the window and said, “I try not to come into civilization too often. But it gets so boring on the farm and I have so few visitors, I have to keep occupied.”

“My guess is you could have all of the visitors you wanted.”

“Given the nature of my occupation, I try to limit the number of people who actually come onto the premises.” She gave him a sly smile. “But you have an open invitation.”

“Why do you live in such isolation? There is so much you could be doing.”

“If business stays like it is, I can retire in a couple of years and never worry about money again.”

Stallings had heard that same line from every prostitute, drug dealer, and thief in Jacksonville. “What do you do when you have enough money?”

J.L. shook her head, causing her black hair to fan out behind her. “I don’t know. Maybe public service so God won’t judge me too harshly. I thought about teaching. I have my bachelor’s in elementary education from USF.”

Stallings said, “I was at the University of South Florida on a baseball scholarship.”

“When did you graduate?”

“Never did.”

“How do you go from baseball to a police officer?”

“Maybe I want God to take it easy on me too.”

Lynn couldn’t believe how quickly Leon had found information on Zach Halston. She’d already written down where he had been seen down in St. Augustine. Now she looked back up at Leon sitting across from her at her desk.

“How’d you get this?”

“One phone call. You just have to know the right people to call.”

“I appreciate this, Leon. But I think you’ve done everything you could do for me.”

The hard-looking man shook his head. “No, there’s a lot more I could do. This was too easy. Now that I’ve done this, we’re joined together.”

“But I don’t need any help.”

“Everyone needs help and this makes me feel good. You don’t want me to feel bad about myself, do you?” His tone changed.

Lynn could see how effective this man could be in almost any cutthroat industry. But now he was her problem and she had to figure out a way to deal with him.

Stallings sipped his coffee and let J.L. talk about herself for a few minutes before he focused her on what he really wanted to know.

“You said you had some information on Zach Halston.”

“You’re not going to arrest him, are you?”

“I don’t arrest minor pot dealers. Almost no one does. He’s a missing person, his parents are worried, and I have a few questions for him. That’s it.”

“That’s what I thought. And I believe you; otherwise I wouldn’t be saying anything. The last thing you want to happen in this business is be labeled a snitch.”

Stallings just gave her a scowl, hoping to prod her into divulging the information.

J.L. said, “I heard some talk. A few people are not happy with Zach. He’s unreliable and owes some money, but it’s nothing too serious. The pot-dealing community is not known for its violence. He’s just laying low down in St. Augustine.”

“Can you be more specific? The tourists alone could keep me from searching all of St. Augustine for one missing college kid.”

J.L. let loose with a dazzling smile. “He hangs out at a bar off King Street named the Ponce de Leon Pub. It’s supposed to be a small, dingy place with good food and a couple of decent TVs. My source thinks he’s staying at a motel close by. He eats lunch at the pub every day.”

Stallings wrote the name of the pub in his notepad as he gazed out the window and considered his next move. He knew he’d have to go down to St. Augustine alone. He couldn’t have anyone around when he found Zach because his first question was going to be about the photograph of Jeanie.

J.L. cleared her throat to get his attention and when he looked back she said, “I’m not used to men forgetting I’m close by.”

“I bet you’re not.” He laid a twenty on the table and said, “You’re probably not used to men leaving you in a restaurant either, but I’m afraid I have to go. I really appreciate the information you gave me.”

J. L. Winter lifted her left eyebrow and said, “Oh yeah? How much do you appreciate it?”

Stallings looked at her and said, “Enough to hope you become a teacher really soon.”