Tolerance Book II

Chapter Eighty: Questions

Mollys' Bar

Herrmann arrived to a silent table and deposited the requested drinks and retrieved the used glasses without his usual banter. He was no fool and had vast experience by now in reading a table. He nodded to Voight and Al then left without a word.

"So?" Hutton urged as he watched the retreating man momentarily before focusing on his companions.
"You know about King?" Al for once seem surprised.
"I did my homework when I got your message. Now how about answering my question?"
"We know Halstead won't actually do a job," Al stated firmly.
"But King must think there's a way to persuade him."
"Maybe," Voight sighed heavily, they had of course considered this angle.
"You know who took him. That's good isn't it? King is not some unknown entity."

Shoreline

Mens' voices were the first thing Jay heard as consciousness returned in a blurry kaleidoscope of images. Squeezing his eyes shut to try to clear his foggy surrounds two things immediately became apparent. Firstly, as his wet, shivering frame attested, he had somehow survived the treacherous waters and made it to shore. Secondly he was not alone. Forcing his eyelids open again he carefully went to sit up and was startled by a sudden hand around his shoulders helping his efforts accompanied by a gruff voice

"You back with us?" a burly, brown haired man asked doubtfully.
"Ah .... yeah ...," Jay managed to croak out, wondering what had happened to his voice.
"Well in that case how about we go somewhere a bit warmer than here," the stranger suggested amiably.
"Where .... exactly is 'here'?" the former Ranger finally ventured as his vision cleared and he took in the sandy beach he sat on.
"Told you he hit his head!" a new voice stated loudly, causing the injured man to wince.
"Well then keep your voice down," the brown haired man ordered evenly, "and help me get him to the pickup."
"Where are we?" Jay persisted as he was helped to his feet and eyed the long stretch of bare golden sands which seemed to stretch on forever as logs tied together bobbed up and down in the waters.
"This is Harpers Bay ..... you out fishing or something? Fall overboard?"
"No ...... not fishing ......," Jay answered honestly as he finally felt his shaky legs weren't going to deposit him unceremoniously back on the soft sand, "never heard of Harpers Bay."
"We don't get many Tourists," the brown haired man commented as he held out a hand, "forgive my manners. I'm Jack Tucker and the loud one is my brother Billy."
"Nice to meet you," Jay accepted the offered appendage even as a frown formed and nodded to the obviously younger Billy, "you out fishing?"
"No. We were just out for a walk. Our place is about three miles away."
"Any chance I could use a phone?" Jay enquired as Jack motioned towards a wild, grassy knoll leading away from the shorefront.
"Sure but first you need to get checked out. The local Clinic takes drop ins. We'll take you to our place then to get freshened up."
"I'm fine," the Detective automatically insisted even as he tried to decipher what was middling him, something was off but he wasn't sure what!
"Jack is used to getting his own way," Billy stated with a sigh of long suffering, "best to just give in now otherwise he'll just nag you to death!"
"Really?" Jay played along with the banter even as he struggled to find the source of his uneasiness.

The two brothers seemed genuinely friendly. If they had been working for King in the event of this very scenario they would not want to bring him to a public place where his identity would cause problems. He knew by now Voight would have put out an APB on him. Yet his instincts were telling him he was missing something important. Maybe when the headache that had greeted his return from oblivion disappeared his brain cells would start fully co-operating.

Clinic

An hour later, much to Jays' chagrin, he found himself dealing yet again with the medical community. Billy had been right in his summation. Despite numerous arguments to the contrary put forward by the Detective Jack had refused to detour from his objective of getting the newcomer checked out. In the end the older siblings' observation that if Jay was unknowingly hurt and didn't receive medical attention the man would feel responsible. He put forth such a resolute argument that it wore the weary younger man down and he capitulated for a puiet life. So far since arriving in the relatively quiet facility he had undergone x-rays and been checked for concussion. The last had been a worry because apparently Jay had a large lump on the back of his head where he recalled a stray log had battered into him. Sitting alone in the cubicle he tried to find the source of hiis unease which had settled in as soon as he heard the two men talking on the beach. Distractedly looking around the small area his eyes rested momentarily on a poster on the wall declaring Canada as one of the best providers of health care. Moving on his eyes rested on a maple leaf emblazoned nametag affixed to a white coat thrown over the arm of a chair across from him. It was then his brain finally offered up the reason he had been searching for. It wasn't the mens' demeanour which had triggered his alarm, it was their voices! Their different voices because they weren't American they were Canadian! King had left him in another country!!