Free Repairman Jack [10]-Harbingers by F. Paul Wilson Page A

"Well, trust me, he looked pretty solid last night."
    He held his breath as they reached the second-floor landing. A three-story building… he prayed this guy lived on the third.
    As Jack turned right into the hallway he waved and said, "See ya."
    The guy said, "Yeah. And say hello to the ghost for me."
    Then he started up the next flight.
    Perfect.
    Jack took his time ambling down to 2-B. When he reached it he glanced back to check that he had the hallway to himself. He did. He knocked.
    "Mr. Zeklos… delivery." No answer, no sound from within. "Mr. Zeklos… Candygram." Still no response.
    He'd been checking the door as he knocked. A tight jamb. That made a plastic shim approach a little tougher. The no-name knob lock would be a snap to pick; the Schlage deadbolt above it would be tougher, but no match for his pick gun.
    Another check of the hallway and Jack went to work. The knob lock wasn't even set—Zeklos depended entirely on the heavier Schlage. Sensible choice. Three minutes of raking with the gun, a twist of the tension bar, and he retracted the bolt.
    He put his hand on the knob and pulled his Glock. Three possibilities on the other side of that door: an armed and angry Zeklos, a dead Zeklos, or no Zeklos.
    Jack wasn't looking for a fight. Plan A was to talk to Zeklos if he was home and unarmed, try to pump him a little. If he was home and alive and locked and loaded, that would trigger Plan B, which was to get out of here with as little fuss as possible. If not home, shift to Plan C.
    He moved to the side, crouched, took a breath, and pushed open the door.
    "Zeklos? You there?"
    From what he could see from his angle, the place looked empty, sounded empty, felt empty.

5

    Now what?
    Jack sat in his car and stared out at the street. He'd started the engine but hadn't put it in gear. He'd budgeted a longer time frame for Zeklos. What to do with the excess?
    Well, since he was in the neighborhood, why not drive by the yeniçeri warehouse and see if anything was shaking?
    Jack ducked inside and did a quick check of the bedroom and bathroom—no one.
    He pulled Zeklos's H-K from the shopping bag and wiped it down. Would have been nice to have access to a crime lab—check out Zeklos's prints, see if he had a record, or a gun license, or if Zeklos was even his real name. But he didn't, so low tech would have to do.
    Part of the low-tech approach involved head games. That was where Plan C came into play.
    He wiped down the pistol and placed it on the kitchen table. Then, keeping his gloves on, he pulled out a pen and notepad and wrote:

    He slipped that under the pistol and made his exit.
    He smiled as he bounced down the stairs. The last thing Zeklos would expect was the return of his weapon. Losing it had to be a crushing blow to the ego of someone who considered himself a yeniçeri. Now that he had it back he might be a little less defensive and a little more forthcoming about his buddies in black.
    And then again he might not.
    Head games… such fun.
    He took a roundabout route, scanning the sidewalks for familiar faces—always better to see first than be seen.
    A couple of turns and he had the warehouse in sight. The bricks of the walls looked battered, weathered, and faded, but the ones filling the window frames looked new.
    Nobody out front.
    A quiet day in crummy Red Hook.
    As he approached the three-story building he felt the same itching, burning sensation across his chest as last night, intensifying as he passed the front, fading as he left it behind.
    What the hell?

6

    "Don't you think you were perhaps a little harsh with the man?"
    The Oculus sat behind the desk in his study and faced the two yeniçeri, Miller and Davis. They stood before him, feet apart, hands behind their backs. Both wore casual clothes—the yeniçeri imposed no dress code at Home—with Davis in jeans and a sweater and Miller in a gray warm-up.
    The Oculus had been downstairs a few moments ago and noticed a dejected-looking Zeklos