He pulled himself up from the couch. His knees were aching more than usual. All the driving was getting to him. He was very much looking forward to seeing LuAnn. And Riggs too, he supposed. Sounded like the guy had really come through for LuAnn. If he could pull all this off, well, it would be a miracle.
He went into the adjoining room and checked on Lisa. She was still sleeping soundly. He looked at her delicate features, seeing so much of her mother in them. She was going to be tall too. The last ten years had gone by so fast. Where would they all be next week? Where would he be? Maybe with Riggs in the equation, his run was coming to an end. He had no doubt that LuAnn would take care of him financially, but it would never be the same. But what the hell, the whirlwind that represented the last ten years with her and Lisa had been far more than he deserved anyway.
The ringing phone startled him. He checked his watch. Almost two A.M. He snatched up the receiver.
“Charlie?”
Charlie didn’t recognize the voice at first. “Who’s this?”
“Matt Riggs.”
“Riggs? Where’s LuAnn? Is she okay?”
“She’s more than okay. They caught him. They caught Jackson.” His tone was one of unbridled joy.
“Christ Almighty. Hallelujah! Where?”
“In Charlottesville. The FBI had put a team of agents together at the airport and he and his brother walked right into it. I guess he was coming to pay LuAnn back.”
“His brother?”
“Roger. The FBI doesn’t know if he’s involved in all this, but I don’t think they care. They’ve got Peter Crane. They want LuAnn to come to Washington in the morning to give a deposition.”
“Tomorrow? What about meeting us down here?”
“That’s why I called. I want you and Lisa to get packed up right now and meet us in Washington. At the Hoover Building. Ninth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. They’ll be expecting you. I set it all up. If you leave now, you can meet us for breakfast. I personally want to celebrate.”
“And the FBI? The murder charge?”
“All taken care of, Charlie. LuAnn’s home free.”
“That’s great, Riggs. That’s the most wonderful news I’ve heard in I can’t remember how long. Where’s LuAnn?”
“She’s on the other phone talking to the FBI. Tell Lisa that her mother loves her and can’t wait to see her.”
“You got it.” He hung up and immediately started to pack. He would’ve loved to have seen Jackson’s face when the FBI busted him. The prick. He figured he’d pack the car before waking Lisa. Might as well let her sleep as long as possible. When she heard the news about her mother Charlie was sure further sleep would not be possible for the little girl. It looked like Riggs had come through after all.
His heart lighter than it had been in years, Charlie, a bag under each arm, opened the front door.
He immediately froze. The man was standing in the doorway, his face covered by a black ski mask, a pistol in his hand. With a scream of rage, Charlie threw the bag at him, knocking the gun free. Next, Charlie grabbed the man by the mask and hurled him into the room, where he slammed against a wall and went down. Before the man could get up, Charlie was on top of him, hammering him with lefts and rights, his old boxing skills coming back as though he had never left the ring.
The piston-like battering took its toll as the man slumped down, groaning from the furious beating, and lay still. Charlie turned his head as he felt the second presence in the room.
“Hello, Charlie.” Jackson closed the door behind him.
As soon as he recognized the voice, Charlie leapt for him, surprising Jackson with his quickness. The twin darts from the stun gun hit Charlie in the chest, but not before his massive fist collided with Jackson’s chin, knocking him back against the door. However, Jackson continued to squeeze the trigger, sending the massive electrical current into Charlie’s body.
Charlie was on his knees using all of his strength to try to rise, to kick the shit out of the man, to beat him into oblivion where he could hurt no one else. He tried to propel himself forward, every mental impulse in his brain craving nothing less than the man’s complete destruction. But his body refused to follow his orders. As he slowly sank to the floor, he stared at a terrified Lisa standing in the doorway leading into the bedroom.