AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Mr. and Mrs. Hawker, my name is Katrina Redhawk. I’m an attorney in the New Orleans area. I’ve been looking up the records for your worker’s compensation case.”
“H-how did you get into the records?” asked his wife.
“Let’s just focus on what I’ve found,” said Katrina. “Were you aware that your attorney was in the same firm as the attorney for the oil rig company?”
“What?”
“I didn’t think so. If you’ll give me permission, I’ll take this case over and probably have an acceptable settlement for you within the hour.”
“Is she joking?” asked Mrs. Hawker.
“I assure you she is not. Give her permission, and we’ll wait right here while she does what she’s so very good at.”
With permission given and recorded, Katrina set out to nail a nasty lawyer to the wall. A few minutes later, Whiskey came down the hallway.
“Well, I have to say, I have a grown daughter, but she was never as neat as your daughter. That place is immaculate!”
“Yes,” laughed Mrs. Hawker. “It was something we joked about a lot. Most parents have to scream at their kids to clean up their room. Usually, it was Danielle screaming at us to clean up.” She choked on the last word, shaking her head.
“Hey, it’s alright. We’re going to help you,” said Whiskey. “I didn’t find any strange notes, no photographs, nothing that would tell me she was doing something behind your back.”
They talked for a while about daughters, both men sharing stories of Juliette and Ellie and their rebellious years. Families sometimes became immune to the temperaments of young girls, and theirs was no exception. As promised, almost an hour later, Katrina called back.
“Hey, Katrina,” said Nine. “What did they say?”
“Am I on speaker?” she asked.
“You are.”
“Mr. Hawker, would you be agreeable to accepting five years of pay, your medical bills paid in full, and another one hundred thousand set aside for any future surgeries or medical needs?”
“Oh. Oh, my God,” he whispered, crying into his hands.
“I think that could be a yes,” said Whiskey.
“I like to make people squirm, so if you’re okay with this offer, I’m also going to make them offer medical benefits for you and your family for the next ten years or at such time as you get another job.”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Hawker. “Yes, we’ll accept that offer.”
“Great. I’ll have the paperwork drawn up, come by and get some signatures, and then take it to the courthouse. You should have everything taken care of within fourteen days. That was my stipulation.”
“Well, it looks like at least one thing will be solved for you,” said Nine, standing to shake their hands. “I’m gonna send some boys over here a few times a week to make sure the yard is taken care of until you get fully back on your feet. We’ll let you know if we find out anything more on the kids.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” said Mrs. Hawker. “Who are you people?”
“Gray Wolf, ma’am. Just Gray Wolf.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Three kids, all from the same school, all great students in various AP classes, some in STEM. Good parents, good home lives, nothing in the closet. It’s the strangest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” said Whiskey to the room.
“We checked on the other kids that are missing,” said Miller. “They’re all from the New Orleans area, all between sixteen and eighteen. Only one was in college. Same story as you got. Good homes, good kids, but every fucking one of them got a tattoo from that asshole out there.”
“No bodies in the morgue?” asked Nine.
“Nope. Not one. They’ve been missing anywhere from three weeks to three days. Where are these kids?” asked Luc.
“Fucking million-dollar question,” said Gaspar. “I’m wondering if we shouldn’t use the boys to draw this asshole out.”
