Page 98 of S.O.S. Perk

“A safeguard. That’s all. And it’s not mine. I’m holding it for a…friend.”

She looked like she’d regained her equilibrium, but if Perk had his way, it wouldn’t be for long.

Perk spoke up again. “Jeremy, I hate to tell you this, but the police in Plymouth pulled your father’s body out of a pond down there just before Christmas break.”

Jeremy gasped, staggered to a chair, and sat down hard. “He…drowned?” The boy suddenly looked young; a kid floundering in visceral pain.

“No, Jeremy, he—”

“That’s quite enough,” Jennifer cut Perk off. “I think you’ve disrupted our lives, plenty.”

“No, Mom.” Jeremy sat up straighter. “I want to hear what he has to say.”

Perk obliged, but with a care toward the pointing gun while he handed Jeremy the bad news. “Your father was shot and killed before his car was submerged.”

Jeremy’s eyes went wide, and he leaped to his feet. “You did this. You.” He pointed an accusatory finger toward his mother. “Is that the gun you used? Is it?” He was slowly becoming hysterical.

“Don’t be delusional, Jeremy,” Jennifer snipped. “I didnotkill your father.”

Rather than looking appeased, Jeremy’s posture stiffened. “Who did it then?” he rasped. “And why?”

Jennifer glanced over at Perk, clearly deciding that she could speak freely since he wasn’t going to be a threat much longer.

She began wheedling, giving over much needed intel.

“Your father didn’t like what we were doing, Jeremy,” she began. “He was threatening to pull the whole operation down around our ears.”

“Who?” Jeremy repeated, his face having gone stark white.

Jennifer took a step toward her son. “Mr. Shultz thought it would be best—”

“Mr. Shultz?” Jeremy’s voice rose. “Mr. Shultz killed my father?”

Jennifer put a hand out toward him.

It was now or never.

Perk took his chance.

Reaching down, he grabbed the gun from his ankle, dropped and rolled just as Jennifer turned on him and fired.

Perk felt a slice of heat across his forehead, but he managed to pull the trigger, and watched as Mrs. Nelsin screamed and crumpled to the ground, losing her hold on the gun in the process. It skittered across the rug.

Perk scrambled for the weapon, kicking it away before the woman’s claws could reach it again.

“I don’t think so,” Perk growled, blood dripping down into his eyes. He swiped it away, angrily.

“Your game is over, Mrs. Nelsin.

“Consider this a knock out.”

****

Sloane had spent the last few minutes—once they lost all communication—trying to convince the team that they needed to move in, but Baskins and Del seemed to have faith in Perk, telling her to stand down. Del said they’d give Perk a few more minutes before they possibly blew their whole case by breaching the Nelsin residence prematurely.

Sloane wasn’t happy about it, but—

A loud gunshot split the air. Then another.

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