Just Take My Heart - Mary Higgins Clark [95]
Mike heard lowered voices but could not discern what they were saying.
“My husband, Rudy, said that we'll trust you to be fair.”
“It's a fair question to ask,” Mike said. “We will proportion the reward based upon the value of each person's information.”
“That sounds good,” she said. “Rudy and I will come in to see you whenever you want.”
“How about tomorrow morning at nine o'clock?”
“We'll be there.”
“And please bring any written materials or documents that would help support what you say.”
“Absolutely,” Reeney replied enthusiastically, no longer afraid of being cheated out of the reward.
“I'll see you then,” Mike said. “Let me give you back to my secre?tary and she will give you our address and any directions you may need.”
Just Take My Heart
64
Jimmy Easton had just arrived back at the Bergen County Jail after his sentencing.
Captain Paul Kraft, the shift commander, was waiting for him. “Jimmy, I have news for you. You're about to leave your home away from home. We're going to transport you to the prison in Newark in a few minutes.”
“Why?” Jimmy demanded. He knew from extensive past experi?ence that the administrative transfer to state prison after a sentence normally took from a few days to a few weeks.
“Well, Jimmy, you know you've got some problems with guys here because of your cooperation.”
“That's what my lawyer tried to tell the judge in court,” Jimmy snapped. “I get no peace. I get hassled all the time because I helped the prosecutor. Like these guys wouldn't do the same thing to get their time cut down!”
“There's more, Jimmy,” Kraft told him. “In the last half hour we've had a couple of anonymous calls. We think it was the same guy both times. He said you better keep your mouth shut from now on or else.”
Seeing the alarmed look on Easton's face, he added, “Jimmy, it could be anybody. It's probably a nutcase. What you said at your sen?tence is already on the radio and the Internet. With the problems you've had here and now these calls, we thought it was better to get you out right away. For your own protection.”
It was obvious to Kraft that Easton was genuinely frightened. “Jimmy, be honest. Do yourself a favor. You know who made those calls, don't you?”
“No, no, I don't,” Jimmy stuttered. “Some jerk, I guess.”
Kraft did not believe him, but didn't push it. “We'll check into the number that came up on the caller ID, and trace it back,” he said. “Don't worry.”
“Don't worry? Easy for you to say. I guarantee those calls came from a prepaid cell phone. I know all about them. I've had dozens of them myself. You make an important call, then you throw it away. Try it sometime.”
“All right, Jimmy. Let's collect your stuff. We've already let them know about this at the prison. They'll make sure you're okay.”
But an hour later, handcuffed and shackled in the back of the transport van, Jimmy stared morosely out the window. They were on the Turnpike in Newark in the vicinity of the airport. He could see a departing plane ascending into the sky. What I wouldn't do to be on that plane, no matter where it was going, he thought.
He remembered a song by John Denver. “Leavin' on a jet plane ...”
I wish I was.
I'd never come back here. I'd start over somewhere.
As the van arrived at the prison gate and was screened for entry, Jimmy was plotting his next move.
Aldrich's lawyer was pretty nasty to me at the trial but I bet he'll be glad to hear from me tomorrow.
When I'm finished filling his ear, he won't even mind that it was a collect call.
Just Take My Heart
65
When left the house in Glen Rock early Monday morning, Zach Lanning drove straight to Newark Airport. He found a spot in long-term parking, just a few spaces away from where he had parked the van he had bought from Henry Link. As he switched his belong?ings from one vehicle to the other, he hoped he was blending in with the airport travelers carrying their suitcases to and from the ter?minals.
He had a scare when he was taking his television set out of the trunk of the car and a security guard drove past but