Goodbye Natalie

Chapter Twentyfour: Too Late for Salvation

      ”Jake, JAKE! Oh my God, what have I done?” Fallon shook the unconscious Jake Barnes, willing him to awaken. She wiped blood from his eyes and prayed she hadn’t killed him. He was still breathing, barely. She clumsily cracked ice cubes from the little hotel refrigerator, dumping them into a plastic bag and applying it to the fist-sized knot on his forehead. Now she would have to call paramedics and the police – medical attention for the man she’d just assaulted, and the cops to help find the missing Joanie Kwan.

     The enormity of the coincidence of Jake showing up in her room was belied by the irony that the man she’d tracked to San Francisco in hopes of shedding light on the murder of her former boss, Alan Rassmussen, was incapable of assisting or even communicating, due to her own violent attack. She again checked her victim’s i.d., yep, Jake Barnes. The driver’s license picture matched the face in the photos in Attorney Barnes’s office. That was before the severe laceration, swelling and bruising from the force of the fire extinguisher to the head that had gashed him pretty seriously.

     ”Oh Jake, I am so sorry. What the hell were you doing here anyway?” She said pleadingly to the unconscious body.

     ”Maybe I should’ve called first.” Croaked Jake as he came to life groggily.

      ”You’re alive!” Fallon exclaimed.

     ”I think so.” Jake said as he squinted his eyes and felt the throbbing lump on his head.

     ”I’m so sorry...I thought you were a kidnapper.” Fallon explained.

     “Would the penalty have been any worse if I were?” Jake asked. She held the ice to his wound. ”OUCH!” Jake winced.

     ”You might need stitches, and some medical attention.” Fallon said.

     “Got anything to drink?” Jake asked.

     Fallon leaned in closely, dabbing blood away and examining the injury with concern. As the haze lifted, Jake studied the face of the petite girl who’d knocked him cold. Soft, auburn curls framed a delicate, serious face. Her brown eyes were marked with golden flecks in the iris, pouty red lips concealed straight, white teeth. He could smell her strawberry shampoo and a hint of department store fragrance. As she worked on the cut he could feel the heat of her body as her hips pressed against his side. Maybe he was a bit delirious from the concussion, but he felt the urge to reach up and pull her face to his own and kiss those lips. He felt his blood boiling and passion rising...he wondered if she noticed.

     ”Oh my God!” Fallon exclaimed. ”It’s so big!”

     ”I’m sorry.” Jake began apologetically. ”I’m afraid the impact made me forget my manners.”

     ”Ice should make the swelling go down.” She said.

     ”I dunno, I guess you could try that.” He replied.

     ”I’ll keep pressure on it, does it hurt?” Fallon asked.

     ”It’s beginning to.” Jake answered.

     Fallon slowly took notice of the double meaning and stood up, placing Jake’s hand on the ice bag. ”Better hold it yourself.” She admonished.

     ”I’d rather you do it.” Jake said.

     ”You’re a big boy.” She said.

     ”Thank you.” He answered. ”Now how about that drink?”

     ”I’ve got herbal tea.” Fallon said.

     ”Nothing stronger?” He asked.

     ”With honey.” She said.

     ”Wonderful.” Jake said sarcastically.

     ”You know, just walking into strange hotel rooms can be dangerous.” Fallon advised as she prepared the tea.

     ”Now I know.” He said. Fallon gave him a look.

     ”You mind telling me what you’re doing here Jake?” She asked.

     ”You know my name.” He commented.

     ”It was in your wallet.” She responded.

     ”My license says John, you called me Jake.” He said.

     ”I know who you are, I work for your uncle. Well, I did...” Fallon said.

     ”DID? Is he alright?” Jake asked.

     ”He’s fine, visiting relatives back home for a couple of weeks.” She said.

     ”He sent you looking for me? Why?” Jake asked.

     ”He just wants to know you’re alright.” She answered.

     ”I was, till I ran into you.” He kidded, half-seriously.

     ”Sorry about that. My name’s Fallon Hunter. I also worked for Alan Rassmussen.” Fallon waited to see recognition in Jake’s eyes. ”Do you know him?” Fallon questioned.

     ”Alan? Yes, he’s my uncle’s office partner, a good guy.” Jake said.

        ”Then you haven’t heard?” ’She asked.

     ”Heard what?” He was curious.

     ”Alan’s dead...murdered.” Fallon said gravely.

     ”What? Alan murdered?” Jake spoke incredulously.

     ”I’m sorry to break the news to you so suddenly. That’s part of the reason I’m here. I think Alan’s death may have something to do with you.” Fallon finished speaking and waited a moment for Jake to absorb the news. ”Jake, was Alan working on a case for you?” She asked.

     ”What? A case?” Jake shook his head adamantly. ”Not a case, he was holding something for me, that’s all, but how would anyone know that?” He said.

     ”An envelope?” Fallon said.

     ”That’s right. How did you know?” He asked.

     ”It’s complicated.” Fallon remarked noncommittally. ”What was in the envelope?” She asked.

     Jake ignored the question. ”Alan dead?”

     ”Jake, what was in that envelope?” She pressed.

     ”I can’t believe they’d go that far.” Jake spoke to himself out loud.

     ”Who Jake? Who would go that far?” She asked.

     He looked at her deeply. ”I’ve already endangered enough people, I’d rather not say. You’re better off not knowing any more. Too many people have already been hurt.” Jake was determined not to divulge information.

     ”Whoever killed Alan is blackmailing me and threatening Alan’s family. If you know something, you need to tell me. I found you, how long do you think it’ll be before they’ll find you as well?” Fallon insisted.

     ”You didn’t exactly FIND me, I found you.” Jake said.

     ”Yes.” Fallon mused. ”How exactly did that happen? What brought you here Jake?” She asked interestedly.

     ”The Chinese girl.” He stated simply.

     ”Kwan?” Fallon asked excitedly.

     ”Yes. She came into the massage parlor where I work. I interview all the new hires. I don’t think she was really looking for work. I guess she was actually looking for me. She told me about you, a little. Said you know my uncle and needed to speak to me, told me where to find you. It was all very mysterious and led me here. Next thing I know, I’m out cold.” Jake explained.

     ”Where is she now?” Fallon asked hurriedly.

     ”I don’t know. She left immediately after we spoke. I suppose she came back here; you two are staying here together I take it?” Jake surmised.

     ”How long ago did she leave Magic Carpet?” Fallon asked.

     ”Must have been a couple of hours ago. So, you did send her to find me?” Jake asked. ”What’s wrong? Why are you concerned?”

     ”She’s missing. Kwan’s missing.” Fallon said. ”The chain lock’s broken and she’s gone. That’s why I hit you, I thought you might be responsible.”

     ”You think somebody grabbed her?” Jake asked.

     ”I think it’s possible.” Fallon said.

     ”Who? You think Alan’s killer might be involved? Or that this has something to do with me?” Jake asked.

     ”Maybe. That’s why you’ve got to tell me Jake, what was in that envelope? You’ve got to tell me everything?” She was insistent.

     Jake thought for a moment, then relented. ”Alright, I’ll tell you then... it’s a script.” He said outright.

     ”A script? Like movie script?” Fallon asked.

     ”No, a TV script. A spec script for a TV show.” He said.

     ”But, why...” Fallon began. Her words were cut short by the faint noise of paper scraping wood. It caught both their attention. Fallon followed the sound to the base of the door. A small, folded paper had been slid underneath. She immediately grabbed her gun off the dresser and lunged at the door, ripping it open forcefully. She heard footsteps pounding down the stairs and she bolted out into the hallway, giving chase.

     She rounded the corner into the stairwell in split seconds and leapt down the first flight in one jump. Adrenaline rose in her throat and she felt energized. Whoever left that note probably knew where Kwan was and she was determined to not let them escape. Intentions, fate and calamity intersected as she rounded the corner from the stairwell onto the hallway of the second floor. Another hotel guest stepped dangerously into her direct path and she crashed violently into him. The surprised man fell backward and Fallon bounced off into the wall. They were both dazed and she was seeing stars.

     Fallon immediately knew that she had lost too much time and her quarry had escaped. She stumbled to the window at the end of the hallway in time to notice a young girl in a miniskirt and stilettos, coming from the direction of the hotel, run across the street and disappear down the adjacent street. Fallon was incensed at her bad luck and hurried back to the room to examine the note. Jake was reading it, perplexed.

     ”What does it say?” She demanded.

     Jake read. ”It says, ’If you want to see your girlfriend alive, come to the top of the mountain on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, the west exit. If you call the police, she’s dead. If you bring anyone else, she’s dead. If you try any tricks, she’s dead.’”

     Fallon took the note. Holding the paper in her hands and reading those chilling words brought the cold reality of the seriousness of the situation into focus. Whoever took Joanie Kwan had struck Fallon at her most vulnerable pressure point. But who, and why? Fallon’s nerves were frayed like an over-used and weathered rope. Her emotions arose within like roiling ocean waves in a typhoon. Was the sudden appearance by Jake Barnes related to Kwan’s kidnapping? Or just some bizarre coincidence? Was she cursed with perpetual bad luck, inadvertently pulling everyone around her into a vortex of misfortune and chaos, or could circumstances and fate really be so incredibly unfortunate? She forced herself to focus and think deliberately. In her amateur attempts at investigation, perhaps she had stumbled onto someone’s secrets, overturning rocks best left undisturbed, unleashing a landslide of catastrophe.

     Whoever took Kwan must believe so. They were willing to commit kidnap, a life-term felony, exhibiting a substantial degree of ruthlessness or desperation, or both, in order to achieve their goals – or prevent her from accomplishing hers.
”You know where that is?” Fallon asked Jake, referring to the mountain in the note.

     ”Yes, it’s a mostly deserted wildlife sanctuary. Just winding roads up into the hills. Nothing but trees and rocks. You can see the whole city from there. They’d be able to see anyone crossing the bridge or entering the park.” Jake was solemn.

     Fallon ripped bed sheets into strips and wrapped Jake’s wound. ”You should get to the hospital.” She stated matter-of-factly.

     ”It can wait.” He said back.

     He watched her check the clip in the little Colt pistol and pack mace, brass knuckles and the telescoping baton into her raincoat. ”You’re going then?” He asked.

     ”I have to.” She answered with determination.

     ”Do you know who did this, or why?” He asked.

     ”That’s what I intend to find out.” Fallon said.

     ”You think it has something to do with me?” Jake said.

     ”I don’t know.” She answered honestly.

     ”The Chinese girl...she’s your girlfriend?” Jake asked.

     ”She’s a friend, she’s a girl. Seems people tend to draw their own conclusions there...probably according to their own perverted minds. She’s not my girlfriend though.” Fallon spoke flatly. Her eyes fell on the solemn face of Kwan’s teddy bear in the corner. All the desperation she felt inside seemed to show on the face of the little bear.

     ”I’m going with you.” Jake said.

     ”That might not be a good idea. I can’t take the chance.” Fallon said.

     ”I know that area, I’ve been there many times, I could help.” He said.

     ”This isn’t your fight.” Fallon stated.

     ”You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. I’m not letting you go alone.” Jake examined the bandage job in the bathroom mirror, the bleeding had stopped but the swelling left him disfigured and unrecognizable.

     ”I want to help you find your girlfriend.” Jake said seriously.

     Fallon pulled on her coat and cinched the belt tight. She leaned over and picked up Jake’s wallet that had fallen to the bedside. Without conviction, unconvincingly...she quietly murmured, ”She’s not my girlfriend.”

* * *

     Mudcat Jones pulled the Monte Carlo onto the Golden Gate Bridge. The beauty and majesty of the bay below and the lights of the city behind went unnoticed. ”You best be sure ’bout this place girl.” His voice was laced with threat and venom.

     ”Oh, it’s deserted alright.” Cherry Bomb stated surely. ”Nobody goes up there at night, I bring tricks up there all the time. Can’t find no secluded spots in the city no more, but nobody else hardly goes up there.”

     Mudcat smiled evilly. Anticipation of cruel deeds soon to be done warmed his cold heart.

     In the chilled darkness of the cramped car trunk, Joanie Kwan was terrified and shivering. Her hands were painfully restrained with heavy tape behind her back and her ankles were tied securely. Her eyes and mouth were taped tight as well. Mudcat had burst into the room so suddenly that she hadn’t time to react. Within seconds he’d forced her downstairs and into the car. It all happened so quickly, she was still in shock. As the moving tomb bounced uncomfortably on, she could feel the presence of two other bodies wedged on either side. Neither one was moving and she couldn’t detect any breathing.

     She flashed back to the fishing boat that had smuggled her and thirty other refugees into the country. The smell of fish and urine and sweat had been overwhelming. When her mother had packed her up and sent her on her way to what she hoped was a better life, leaving the poverty of her Asian home behind, she’d cried uncontrollably. It had been two days before her eleventh birthday and even though she knew there would be no presents because they were so poor, she was still excited with anticipation. Her mother had surprised her with a homemade teddy bear with button eyes and a crooked smile. She clung to the little bear the entire treacherous journey, but lost it when they fled from the boat in the dark. The one she had found in the Chinatown thrift shop resembled the one she lost and reminded her of her mother and how very far from home she was. She hoped Fallon would take good care of it.

     Cherry Bomb sucked hard on the crack pipe and for one fleeting moment, a shadow of conscience passed through her mind like a phantom of doubt. For that brief second she thought, ”Don’t you feel bad for what you’re doing?” Almost immediately, she realized, she didn’t feel anything. She was still alive, physically – walking, talking, getting high, turning tricks, getting hurt and feeling pain...paying the world back in kind. She glanced at her reflection in the car mirror, searching the eyes of the face there, looking for the person inside. All she saw was a shell. The soul was long gone, and with it, the essence of life had disappeared. Like the girl tied up in the trunk, her own adolescence had been cut too short and adulthood had been far too severe. She wondered for an instant if she would ever be able to find herself again. Or, was it too late for salvation?

* * * * *