Part I-Chapter 29: COMMUNICATED

Chapter 29

Communicated
(Ó 2007)

Some forty minutes later, David and Noel were traveling southbound on a commuter train from Lake Forest to downtown Chicago. They both decided to take the train to Lake Forest that morning to avoid the rush hour traffic. Besides, the logic of a thirty to forty minute train ride overrode the insanity of two hours behind a wheel looking at a long line of blinking red brake lights.

Their seats were arranged so that they faced each other and they both leaned back and looked out from the eastside of the train as the scenery, which was still glowed brightly from the heavy snowfall of the past weekend, moved past the window.

They shared their train car with only three other people, whom all sat separate from each other in their own seats. Noel had his head restring against the back of his seat, his eyes were closed and it seemed he was trying to take a quick nap. David however stared out the window watching the scenery, he was in deep thought over the things that transpired that morning, things that were said, and theories that came to his mind.

David looked at his friend and partner. He watched as Noel’s head went from side to side with the rhythmic movement of the train, sitting there with his hands folded over his mid-section and his mouth slowly opening. He knew that Noel would soon probably be snoring, and David felt a slight guilt, because he had to wake him up to discuss something that was now in his thoughts.

“Ski?” David said, when he did so Noel’s eyes popped opened.

“Huh? Yeah?”

“Sorry man, I just been thinking about something.”

“What’s that man?” Noel replied as he massaged his eyes and face as he woke.

“It’s something that Boldini said.”

“And that is?”

David straightened himself up and leaned toward his friend and spoke quietly so that only he could hear him, “It’s about when he asked me if our guy has ever tried to communicate with us.”

“What about it?”

David leaned closer and said, “What if … he has? I mean, what if he has tried to communicate something to us?”

Noel’s expression showed that David had piqued some interest in him. He then straightened himself out and he then leaned closer to David. “What are you getting at?”

“Sheriff Harwood said that when he and his men arrived they found Divic in his den.” David began, “When he showed us the ‘Pink Book’ he said they found in in the wall safe, however the key to the wall safe was hanging on its handle, with the secret panel opened. Hanging there, or should I say, placed there, for everyone to see.”

Noel had a slight amazed expression, “I see what your getting at.”

“Yeah, and not only that, our boy also took the time to walk to that basement door, unlock it, and set it so that it was slightly ajar.”

“I get it,” Noel said, “you think that he wanted us to find the book, and find those kids.”

“Precisely, which also tells me that somehow he found out where that book was, and he knew those kids were in that basement.”

“Then it’s one of two things,” Noel said, “he either knows Divic, or he has been watching him, and watching him good. Good enough to know everything.”

“I’m just wondering if … he does know anybody on that list.” David said.

“If that’s true, then maybe you weren’t so far fetched when you told Boldini that maybe he’s watching them now.”

“Yeah, well then that’s gonna be Boldini’s problem.” David said. “If I figure him, he’s gonna be busy watching them to make sure none of them get hurt. I don’t think he’s gonna do a fucking thing about anyone on that list. He’s gonna seek them out, squeeze them for anything he can get from them, and make some sort of deal with them all. Boldini is out for Boldini, and I tell ya …”. David went silent, his expression showed that some revelation had come to him.

“What is it Dave?”

David looked to Noel and said, “That could be it.”

“What could be it.”

“What our guy is trying to communicate to us.”

“What’s that?”

“Maybe he wants us … to do something about the people on that list.”

“How do you come to that?”

“Come on Ski, he’s has to know who we are, right?”

Noel nodded and agreed, “Yeah, he has to know.”

“He knows who we are, he knows where we work, he knows we’re looking for him.”

“He knows what we look like, he sees us on TV, reads about us in the papers. Everyone else does.” Noel added, then he gave a mock shiver, “Kind of creeps me out for some reason”.

“If he knows all of that,” David said, “then he knows that when he attacked Divic, like he did the others, he knew we would be involved.”

“Yeah, look at the scandal he caused just with Jared and Mitch. He unmasked the two biggest phonies in America.”

“He stopped a couple of pedophiles, two very wealthy, powerful pedophiles.” David said.

“Just wait and see what happens when those names go public.”

“If,” David emphasized, “if they go public.”

“Then … maybe this is what he wants.” Noel said.

“This also makes me believe that he watches his targets,” David said, “he watches them, studies them, plans the whole thing out, so far, perfectly.”

Both men sat silent for a moment, Noel then asked, “What now?”

“Keep things just between us, even from the Boss. We still have copies of the ‘Pink Book’, and I feel Boldini is going to be up our asses, maybe we can just look in on everyone ourselves. But I can’t help but feel, our guy wants us to do something about these shit bags. But, we basically can’t, our hands are tied now by Boldini and the feds.”

“Dave. Do you hear yourself?”

“What?”

“Your sound like, well, you want to help this guy, your making an excuse to him why we can’t do anything.”

David realized that his partner was right. “Shit man. I’m sounding like the civilians.”

“Hey, I know. I feel the same way about this guy. How can you not have any reverence for him?” Noel said, “You wanna know what’s really gonna be the shits?”

“What’s that?”

“That if we do catch him,” Noel said sincerely, pointing back and forth between them, “you and I will be considered total assholes for stopping him.”

“Yeah, ain’t that the truth.” David said.

They both then sat back in their seats and relaxed for the rest of their trip. David kept thinking of this message, if it were a message, maybe there is a way to answer. Maybe there is a way to communicate back, there has got to be some way.