Chapter Two

“Is a fish hooked?”, he suddenly asked.

“Oh.. what?”, Chrissie started, not knowing exactly what to do with the phone - it was too late to hide it.

“I asked if a fish has been hooked.”

“I'm not fishing, so I wouldn't know.”

“Well,” he shrugged carelessly, “you looked hooked is why I asked. Who is he?”

“Who? The fish, the fisherman? I don't even understand you.”

“Yeah I meant the fisherman.”

“Whoa! No.. I mean.. what.. what do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.”

“No I don't,” Chrissie denied.

“You do.”

“I don't!”

“I say you do.”

“And I say I don't.”

“Well, you do. And he better be someone worthy of you or I'll wring his neck,” Jason warned in a serious tone.

“By your standards, I'm sure no one would be worthy of me.”

“That's no excuse to hide him from me.”

“I'm not hiding anyone!”, she shouted, blushing deeply.

“Which means you are. Wish you could see your face. Looks like Vegas at night.”

“Oh God,” she moaned, covering her face with her hands. “I'm going for another swim.”

“Yeah, that's a good idea. You need to cool off, but you can only wash it away if you stop hiding him f...”

“I'm not hiding anyone, dad!”

“But you are, my dear.”

“Fine. Suit yourself. I'm off to swim.”

“Take your time, sweety.”

Jason relaxed in the chair, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He knew Chrissie was seeing someone. Someone he wouldn't approve of, but he wasn't too bothered. He knew his daughter was smart enough to learn from what she had gone through over a year ago and would start making better friends, though he still could not wrap his head around her recent declaration of forgiveness for Hannah, who was still very much at large.

His thoughts lighted on Clyde and he shook his head involuntarily. If Chrissie was seeing him, then it would most likely end soon. The boy was one of those adventurous live-life-as-it-comes kind of people and that was not what he wanted for his beloved daughter.

When he rescued Chrissie from Carlos Alvarez two years ago and managed to disentangle Clyde from the clutches of the FBI, he had told the boy to head back to school, so he could become a better and more responsible personality in society. He knew back then that he was speaking to himself. One look at Clyde's face told him the kid had no wish to study. He'd most likely continue to seek adventure until the day he would find death instead. This was not the kind of man that Chrissie needed to be with and sooner rather than later, he'd have to let her know.

***

Jason was back at their hotel, laughing to a comedy show on TV, when he felt the now annoying vibration in his pocket. Even though he couldn't recognize the number, he knew it wouldn't be Vernonica. She knew him better than to make another try. He picked the call and found to his surprise that it was Tony, his long-time friend.

“Do you ever make two calls with the same number?”, Jason grumbled with a sigh.

“Yeah, why not? To soft and sweet-bodied creatures of which you're not one,” Tony fired back.

“Right. I can only imagine how many you're currently tracking.”

“Oh, I'm free right now. Purging myself of all the toxins and rendering myself pure.. seeking divine forgiveness and preparing myself for transition into...”

“Well, well, well, I'm sure you're working hard at it.”

“Oh yes. And speaking of working hard," he cleared his throat noisily, "we're having a large dose of it over here. Serious situation, I tell you.”

“Really?”, Jason was now suspicious. “Well, I'm sure you guys can handle it. That's why you're the almighty FBI. How you found time to call me, I still can't comprehend. You must be spending your little free time on me. I appreciate it, Tony. Get some rest and keep working har...”

“Hey, hey, hey, hold on," Tony quickly cut him off. "You see, normally I get the script and I play by it, but I'm not always sure where it'll end. But this time, it's different. I know where things are headed. Things will turn out very badly if you don't help us. Come on, Jason. You used to be a ready guy. The guy who was always on standby to do all the good things.”

“Yeah, Tony, but now I'm done. There are many others you can call. Better guys with far more experience. I would give you names, but then... you know them more than I do. I'm done, Tony.”

“Yes, you are! We know that, but you need to understand that this case needs your special attention. You're specially and specifically needed to ...”

There was a deliberate pause and Jason knew its function. He laughed and shook his head.

“I'm not curious, Tony. I'm done with the FBI and that's final. I'm sorry, but I can't help, not now, not ever.”

He disconnected the call and threw the phone on the couch beside him and went back to the comedy program. He didn't notice Chrissie watching him from the door.

“Another old friend?”, she asked, startling him.

“Huh? Oh.. uhh yeah.. another old friend really. How's Tessy? Feeling good I hope?”

“I've not gone yet,” she answered, taking a seat beside him on the couch. “I've been in my room dressing, which you ought to know if you didn't have something bugging your mind. So, what's it on your mind?”

“Oh nothing. Just forget it, hon.”

“The FBI want you to come back?”, she suddenly asked, her eyes focused fully on his face.

“I'm not going back and they know it," Jason said with determination.

“Did they say why they want you back?”

“I don't know and I don't wanna know. I came out here to have fun with my daughter, not to bug myself with FBI problems.”

He put his arm around her and kissed her forehead. But Chrissie was not to be so easily put off.

“What if they want.. need you for something important?”, she asked.

“They have capable people, hon. Trust me, they can handle it. I'm off to sleep.”

He gave her another kiss on her forehead and proceeded straight to his room. He closed his door behind him and sat on the bed. He was trying his best not to think of why the FBI wanted him to come in, but it was easier said than done. It must be something pressing, but nothing was worth disappointing his daughter over, and by the way, he was also not in the mood for such duty anymore. At last, he decided to swallow some sleeping pills before crawling into bed. Within minutes, the pills had kicked in and he fell into a deep dreamless sleep.