In Plain Sight

  IN PLAIN SIGHT

  A Blake Jordan Thriller

  Ken Fite

  The Blake Jordan Series

  The Senator: A Blake Jordan Thriller – Book 1

  Credible Threat: A Blake Jordan Thriller – Book 2

  In Plain Sight: A Blake Jordan Thriller – Book 3

  April 2017

  Copyright © 2017 Ken Fite

  All rights reserved worldwide.

  CONTENTS

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY-NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  THIRTY-TWO

  THIRTY THREE

  THIRTY-FOUR

  THIRTY-FIVE

  THIRTY-SIX

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  THIRTY-NINE

  FORTY

  FORTY-ONE

  FORTY-TWO

  FORTY-THREE

  FORTY-FOUR

  FORTY-FIVE

  FORTY-SIX

  FORTY-SEVEN

  FORTY-EIGHT

  FORTY-NINE

  FIFTY

  FIFTY-ONE

  FIFTY-TWO

  FIFTY-THREE

  FIFTY-FOUR

  FIFTY-FIVE

  FIFTY-SIX

  FIFTY-SEVEN

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  FIFTY-NINE

  SIXTY

  Find out what happens to Blake.

  ONE

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  **

  SHAWN BECKMAN LIFTED his empty beer bottle and nodded at the woman standing behind the bar. “We’ll take two more,” he said in response to her last call warning.

  AJ shook his head and looked at his friend. “I think I’ve had enough. I need to get up early tomorrow.”

  “Come on, man. It’s your last night in Washington. Live a little,” Shawn argued and smiled at the bartender standing impatiently with her arms crossed and head tilted. “Two more,” he repeated.

  The woman smiled and grabbed the empty bottles. After stepping away for a brief moment, she reappeared with two ice-cold beers and placed one in front of Shawn before turning to look at AJ. “This one’s on me,” she said as she set his down in front of him. “Sounds like congratulations are in order.”

  AJ nodded, realizing how loud his friend had been all night. “I’m starting a new job in Fort Meade on Monday,” he explained as another man stepped up to the bar, waiting for the bartender to notice him.

  “Fort Meade, huh?” she said. “I think I know what that means. You’re one of those guys, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah,” replied AJ, staring at his beer and nervously turning the bottle to look at the label while hoping the blonde wouldn’t ask any more questions about his new job. He may have said too much already.

  “I’ll miss seeing you around. Your friend here, not so much,” she said looking over to Shawn who laughed and told her that she didn’t have to worry about that, he’d be back tomorrow. She rolled her eyes. “Come back and see me some time,” the woman said, turning to AJ. “Maybe I’ll give you another on the house.”

  “I’ll do that,” replied AJ as the bartender smiled again and shot him a playful wink before shifting her attention to the man standing a few steps away, wanting to order another beer before the bar closed.

  Shawn reached over and slapped AJ’s back. “I think she likes you, man. Did you see how she looked at you?” he joked and tried to contain a laugh while slapping AJ’s back again. “You should have asked for her number. Wait, you don’t have to anymore! Quick, take a picture of her! Run it through your database!”

  AJ laughed and took another drink. The two men turned to the door as a large group of friends left The Bleeding Heart and stepped outside, causing a cold gust of wind to enter the room. AJ could see a fresh dusting of snow covering everything out on the street, casting a dark, gray filter over the outside world.

  When the door closed, AJ stared at his beer again and continued to turn the bottle slowly. “The movers are coming tomorrow. Everything’s boxed up and ready to go,” he said. “Lisa said she might stop by, too.”

  Shawn turned to AJ. “Lisa? Why?” AJ shrugged his shoulders. “You just need to forget about her, man.”

  “Trying to. It’s why I took the Maryland job. Maybe she needs closure, you know? I sure could use some.” AJ looked around the smoky room and watched as the bartender started wiping down the bar. “I hope I’m making the right decision leaving DC. Things were going great at the DoD. I have a lot of friends here.”

  “You’ll make new friends, AJ. It’s a good opportunity. The NSA’s bringing all security work back in-house with Keller putting a stop to using contractors. That means more money for people like you and me.”

  AJ turned to his friend. “It’s not about the money, Shawn. It’s about trying to forget about Lisa,” he said. “That’s really why I’m doing this. I just can’t work with someone that doesn’t want to be with me anymore. Seeing her at work every day is torture,” he added and stared at his beer again. “You think she’ll ever come around?” When Shawn didn’t respond immediately, AJ put a hand on his friend’s back. “Hey, you okay?”

  “Not feeling so good,” replied Shawn as he put a hand on his stomach. “I’m ready to get out of here.”

  “Okay, give me a minute,” said AJ. “I’ll be right back.” AJ stood from the barstool and walked down the long, dimly lit hallway, and entered the men’s room. Once inside, AJ stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror, wondering what he was doing.

  He had worked through one of the longest days of his life and was completely drained. His boss had made sure that everything he had worked on over the last year was documented and his coworkers fully trained to take over his work. It took three systems analysts to take on his entire workload. That made AJ smile. They’ll miss me when I’m gone, he thought to himself.

  The muffled music outside the washroom was lowered and replaced by laughter and loud, echoing voices. It wasn’t until someone pushed the door open and stepped inside that AJ became fully present again.

  He splashed water on his face and used his fingers as a comb, running them through his long, dark hair. AJ took another glance at his reflection before he reached for the door and walked back toward his friend.

  “Thought maybe you fell in,” Shawn said with a smirk as AJ approached the bar. Now that the music was off, AJ noticed that his friend was slurring his words. “Let me ask you something,” Shawn continued. “Don’t you think it’s strange that your new boss was all over you today checking on your access? We’ve worked together for a long time. I’ve never seen anyone provisioned access before their first day of work.”

  AJ thought for a second. “Not really, maybe he just wants to make sure I’m ready to go on Monday.” Shawn stood from the barstool and started to fall over. AJ grabbed his friend and h
elped keep him steady. “Looks like I’ll have to drive you home,” he said as the lights flickered twice and the music turned off.

  Shawn shook his head. “I walked here. Apartment’s only a few blocks away,” he said, putting on his coat.

  “Good. I’ll walk with you,” said AJ as the two men followed another large group out the door.

  Once outside, AJ looked down both sides of the street. He noticed a police car parked a block west of the bar. Shawn turned and started walking east on H Street. AJ followed. When Shawn turned the corner at 7th and headed south, AJ looked over his shoulder and saw the police car make a U-turn and disappear.

  “Think I’m gonna be sick, man,” Shawn said as they approached G Street and AJ watched as Shawn knelt down and vomited into some nearby bushes. AJ blew hot air into his hands, trying to stay warm.

  “I appreciate that, hell of a way to send me off,” said AJ as he looked north on 7th toward H Street where most of the traffic was. Without the headlights from the cars driving on the main road, AJ relied on the orange glow of a few street lights to guide them toward Shawn’s apartment.

  Shawn stood and leaned against a fence in front of one of the homes on 7th. As AJ waited on his friend, he felt the hair on his neck stand on end. He looked down both ends of the street, feeling like someone, somewhere, was watching him. Nobody’s out here, AJ thought to himself as Shawn started walking again.

  When they crossed G Street and passed an elementary school, AJ heard what sounded like a car door being shut somewhere close by. “Hold up,” said AJ as he looked around. He didn’t see anyone there.

  When they reached the end of the block, AJ stopped and held his arm out in front of Shawn to keep him from crossing the street and pointed in front of them. Crouched on the sidewalk half a block away was a man dressed in black, wearing a ski mask. AJ and Shawn stood still, overcome with fear, and watching the man closely. Then AJ noticed something metal shimmering in his hand. “He has a knife,” he whispered.

  TWO

  AJ KEPT HIS eyes fixed on the shadowy figure still crouched in front of them and took a step backwards. He grabbed Shawn’s coat. “We need to get out of here,” he said and tried to get his friend to turn around.

  Shawn broke free and held both hands to his mouth. “Hey man, what the hell’s your problem!” he yelled.

  AJ grabbed Shawn and held him back while keeping his eyes on the man. “Shut up! I told you, he’s got a knife,” he said. “Let’s head back to H Street. I saw a cop up there a few minutes ago. We need to go now.”

  “I have a better idea,” replied Shawn, his speech becoming even more slurred now. “We’re gonna have to split up. You run back to H Street and I’ll go this way.” Shawn nodded toward the road to their right. AJ looked up and saw that the street was Morris Place. His eyes returned to the man still crouched across the street and slowly reached into his jacket, searching for his cell phone. “Meet me back at the bar, okay?”

  “No, not okay,” whispered AJ as he watched the man in the ski mask stand and slowly tilt his head. His arms dropped to the side. AJ could clearly see the long blade catching the light from a nearby streetlight. AJ’s blood ran cold. Adrenaline began rushing through his veins as he stared at the man in the mask.

  “Go!” yelled Shawn as he started to run down Morris Place, catching AJ off guard. “Go, AJ! Run!”

  But AJ was unable to move. He stood motionless, gripped by fear as he watched his best friend disappear down the dark street. AJ’s eyes shifted back to the man with the mask. He slowly tilted his head to the opposite side and raised his hand, lifting the blade, and pointing it at AJ.

  AJ’s gut was telling him to run back the way he came from, to H Street, where the heavier traffic was. Shawn’s idea to lose the guy might work. But AJ knew that his friend didn’t stand a chance if he left him alone. AJ sprinted in the same direction as Shawn, leaving the man in the mask behind as he ran away.

  His steps were loud as he ran down the one-way road. Cars were parked on both sides of the dark street and AJ stayed in the center of the road as he headed west, trying to find his friend. “Shawn!” he yelled, hoping he was there somewhere hiding behind one of the cars, but there was no response.

  AJ turned as he ran to look down the street, but the man in the mask wasn’t following. “Shawn, where are you?” AJ yelled as he passed a basketball court and approached the entrance to the elementary school’s baseball field.

  The cold December air burned AJ’s lungs as he breathed heavily and approached the end of the block. Reaching into his jacket again, he found his cell and started to call for help. But help found him instead.

  The red and blue overhead lights turned on and bounced off the dark homes on the left side of the street. AJ watched as the officer slammed on the brakes, leaving the car blocking the street and stepped outside.

  “Show me your hands!” the officer yelled with what sounded like a Russian accent. He kept his hand resting on his holstered gun and walked around the front of the car. AJ put his hands up, but took a step backwards. “Stop moving,” the officer said as AJ turned around again to look down the road behind him.

  “That’s not him,” AJ heard a familiar voice yell from inside the vehicle, followed by frantic knocking on the window. AJ was relieved to see Shawn in the back seat. The cop glared at Shawn as he walked to AJ.

  “Please, you have to help me,” said AJ. “There’s a man back there at the end of the street. He has a knife.”

  “That’s what this guy just told me,” the cop said, nodding to Shawn while keeping his eyes on AJ. “Thought maybe he had too much to drink, started seeing things, you know.” The cop looked behind AJ, like he was anticipating, maybe even expecting the man with a knife to appear. “Turn around for me?”

  AJ turned and kept his hands in the air. The cop kicked at his shoes, causing AJ to widen his stance, and began frisking him. When he was sure AJ wasn’t armed, he turned him around. “Got some ID?” he asked.

  Reaching into his back pocket while looking over his shoulder one more time to make sure the man in the mask wasn’t approaching, AJ grabbed his wallet, unfolded it, and pulled out his driver’s license for the officer. While the cop inspected the ID, AJ noticed a fading, gold nameplate on the cop’s uniform with ANDERSON embossed on it. The cop found a small flashlight, illuminated the ID, and looked back at AJ.

  “Anthony,” the officer began after putting the flashlight back in his pocket while still holding onto the ID, “I need you to step into the vehicle for me.” AJ hesitated. “For your safety,” the officer added.

  Anderson walked to his car, opened the back door, and motioned for Shawn to exit the vehicle. “Step out,” the officer said. Shawn obeyed and cautiously inched his way out of the car. “Walk to the fence for me?”

  After Shawn started walking, the cop gestured for AJ to step inside and take Shawn’s spot.

  Doesn’t seem like an Anderson to me, AJ thought and took a seat. The officer pushed the door closed and followed Shawn to the fence on the other side of the street. AJ watched him say something into his radio, but he was too far away for him to hear what he had said. So AJ sat silently in the back seat, wondering what Anderson was doing, and why he wanted Shawn against the fence and needed AJ inside the vehicle.

  AJ thought back to when he and Shawn had stepped out of The Bleeding Heart. He had turned the corner and watched as a police car made a U-turn and disappear. Was Anderson following them?

  He began to panic. Unable to open the door, AJ banged two open palms against the window. “He didn’t do anything wrong! Please! Get us out of here!” he yelled, but Anderson ignored him. AJ watched the cop bring the radio to his ear to listen to a transmission, then attached it to his belt and looked behind the car.

  Anderson pointed back at Shawn. “Don’t move,” he said, the words muffled to AJ, and started to walk.

  The cop saw something. AJ’s blood ran cold. He turned around and saw what looked like movement behind the car as a s
hadow passed across the back window. It was fogged up, keeping AJ from being able to see outside the vehicle. AJ reached over and used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the window clean.

  “That’s him!” he yelled and turned to pound his fist on the car window. “That’s the man!” he screamed. Anderson rested his hand against the gun holstered on his belt and ordered Shawn to face the fence again.

  AJ watched as the man dressed in black approached. He was still wearing the mask. As he passed behind the car, getting closer to the cop, the orange glow from the streetlight at the corner of Morris and 6th clouded AJ’s view. The window in the back of the car fogged up again as AJ started to breathe more heavily, forcing him to have to wipe it clean again. “Do something!” AJ yelled to the officer.

  Anderson walked past his police car and met with the man dressed in black across the street, next to the townhouse on the corner. The cop kept his hand resting on the gun as they spoke. AJ listened, but the voices were too low to make out what was being said. “Do something,” he said to himself. “Arrest him.”

  AJ watched as the officer handed the man in the mask the driver’s license that he had given the cop only seconds earlier. Anderson pointed to the car. AJ was filled with terror as the man wearing black headed straight toward him. “What’s he doing?” AJ whispered and slid across the back to the seat to his left.

  The man stopped at the door. AJ watched Anderson walk closer to Shawn and draw his gun. He fired two shots. Shawn fell to the ground. Anderson jumped into the front seat as AJ’s door opened. The man in the mask climbed inside. As the car sped away, he turned to AJ and removed the mask.

  “Hello, Mr. Lennox.”

  THREE

  JAMI RESTED HER hand on my back to keep herself steady as she leaned over to set the dessert in front of Kate and me. “This might bring back some memories,” she said, smiling at her sister, and taking a seat at the head of the table just to the right of me. Kate’s face lit up as she set down her glass of chardonnay.

  “Jami?” said Kate as her eyes grew wide. “Is this Mom’s pumpkin pie?” Jami grinned and reached over to cut an extra-large slice, carefully set it on Kate’s plate, and spooned a dollop of whipped cream on top.