weren’t quite enough to get them running.
“No problems?” he said.
“Just wear and tear, and I’ve got a kid from town who handles that. I’m not a fan of things with motors racing around the forest, but with restrictions on where and when they can be used, I’ll admit they worked out better than I expected. Which now has Owen eyeing a few used snowmobiles that ‘just need a little work.’”
“You want them? I’ll fix ’em. Thinking about coming up this winter. Couple weeks maybe. If that’s okay.”
“It’s always okay, and while you don’t need the snowmobiles as an excuse, I know that your idea of a vacation doesn’t mean sitting around ice fishing. I’ll take you up on that offer if you’re serious.”
“I am. Only tell Owen I’ll find the machines. He doesn’t know shit about motors.”
I grinned over at him. “I’ll tell him the first part and skip the last.”
Jack took the exit for Cleveland.
“Is this our destination?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
After a minute of silence, I said, “I’d love to ask what we’re doing here, but apparently, I’m not getting that. Just as long as there isn’t a surprise party at the end.” I paused. “Actually, I’d be okay with a party. Just no clowns. I hate clowns.”
Jack didn’t even acknowledge the lame joke. He kept his gaze fixed forward, his face tense. He drove down two more streets before pulling into a mall parking lot. I was about to get out when I realized he’d stopped to make a cell phone call. I motioned to ask if he wanted privacy, but he shook his head.
His voice took on a flat midwestern accent as he asked to speak to David Miller. His gaze slid my way, as if checking to see if I recognized the name. I didn’t.
“Yeah, I figured he was on duty today,” Jack said. “Can I leave a message? Tell him Ted called. He’s got my number.”
A pause. Then, “Thanks. Oh, and when does his shift end? It’s kinda urgent.”
He waited for a reply, then thanked the person on the other end again and hung up. When he did, he sat there a moment, staring out the windshield.
“Is that someone we need to talk to? A cop?”
“Yeah. Don’t need to talk to him. Just making sure he’s at work. Figure he knows a Ted.” He paused. “Speaking of names. David? Most popular male name for a guy his age. Miller? Sixth most common surname in the U.S. Put them together? Fifteen thousand Americans named David Miller.”
“That’s . . . fascinating. Either you’ve taken up a new hobby or this is a roundabout way of telling me it’s fake.”
“Yeah.”
“A fake name for a cop in Cleveland? That’s not easy to pull off.”
“Works in a small town nearby. He just lives here.”
I nodded. “It’s easier to get past background checks on a small force, but it’s easier to live anonymously in a big city. Still, becoming a cop with a false identity is tough. I’m presuming there
are
cops named David Miller somewhere. Probably dozens of them, which would make it an easy identity to steal.”
“Especially if you’ve done it a few times.”
“So we have a serial identity thief posing as a small-town cop in Ohio. Intriguing.” I glanced over at him. “You have a job for me, don’t you? A mission to take my mind off Michigan.”
He didn’t turn from the windshield. “Something like that,” he said and backed from the parking spot.
CHAPTER 6
Jack drove us to a section of townhouse complexes that looked like exactly the kind of place I’d find a single, middle-aged beat cop. Older, well-kept buildings with gardens and bikes in the front yards and five-year-old cars in the drives.
“Which place is Miller’s?” I said.
Jack gave a vague wave down the road as he pulled over.
“Is this a break-in or just reconnaissance work?”
A shrug.
I turned to him. “Okay, Jack, I need more here. Presuming this is a job, is it something you want
me
to do or am I helping
you
?”
He tapped his fingers on the wheel. Then he
“No problems?” he said.
“Just wear and tear, and I’ve got a kid from town who handles that. I’m not a fan of things with motors racing around the forest, but with restrictions on where and when they can be used, I’ll admit they worked out better than I expected. Which now has Owen eyeing a few used snowmobiles that ‘just need a little work.’”
“You want them? I’ll fix ’em. Thinking about coming up this winter. Couple weeks maybe. If that’s okay.”
“It’s always okay, and while you don’t need the snowmobiles as an excuse, I know that your idea of a vacation doesn’t mean sitting around ice fishing. I’ll take you up on that offer if you’re serious.”
“I am. Only tell Owen I’ll find the machines. He doesn’t know shit about motors.”
I grinned over at him. “I’ll tell him the first part and skip the last.”
Jack took the exit for Cleveland.
“Is this our destination?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
After a minute of silence, I said, “I’d love to ask what we’re doing here, but apparently, I’m not getting that. Just as long as there isn’t a surprise party at the end.” I paused. “Actually, I’d be okay with a party. Just no clowns. I hate clowns.”
Jack didn’t even acknowledge the lame joke. He kept his gaze fixed forward, his face tense. He drove down two more streets before pulling into a mall parking lot. I was about to get out when I realized he’d stopped to make a cell phone call. I motioned to ask if he wanted privacy, but he shook his head.
His voice took on a flat midwestern accent as he asked to speak to David Miller. His gaze slid my way, as if checking to see if I recognized the name. I didn’t.
“Yeah, I figured he was on duty today,” Jack said. “Can I leave a message? Tell him Ted called. He’s got my number.”
A pause. Then, “Thanks. Oh, and when does his shift end? It’s kinda urgent.”
He waited for a reply, then thanked the person on the other end again and hung up. When he did, he sat there a moment, staring out the windshield.
“Is that someone we need to talk to? A cop?”
“Yeah. Don’t need to talk to him. Just making sure he’s at work. Figure he knows a Ted.” He paused. “Speaking of names. David? Most popular male name for a guy his age. Miller? Sixth most common surname in the U.S. Put them together? Fifteen thousand Americans named David Miller.”
“That’s . . . fascinating. Either you’ve taken up a new hobby or this is a roundabout way of telling me it’s fake.”
“Yeah.”
“A fake name for a cop in Cleveland? That’s not easy to pull off.”
“Works in a small town nearby. He just lives here.”
I nodded. “It’s easier to get past background checks on a small force, but it’s easier to live anonymously in a big city. Still, becoming a cop with a false identity is tough. I’m presuming there
are
cops named David Miller somewhere. Probably dozens of them, which would make it an easy identity to steal.”
“Especially if you’ve done it a few times.”
“So we have a serial identity thief posing as a small-town cop in Ohio. Intriguing.” I glanced over at him. “You have a job for me, don’t you? A mission to take my mind off Michigan.”
He didn’t turn from the windshield. “Something like that,” he said and backed from the parking spot.
CHAPTER 6
Jack drove us to a section of townhouse complexes that looked like exactly the kind of place I’d find a single, middle-aged beat cop. Older, well-kept buildings with gardens and bikes in the front yards and five-year-old cars in the drives.
“Which place is Miller’s?” I said.
Jack gave a vague wave down the road as he pulled over.
“Is this a break-in or just reconnaissance work?”
A shrug.
I turned to him. “Okay, Jack, I need more here. Presuming this is a job, is it something you want
me
to do or am I helping
you
?”
He tapped his fingers on the wheel. Then he
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