Vengeance Passed On. Macy Gray

they heard a ding, and both turned to the computer to see if a match was found in the computer. One true match was found, but the picture was of a man named Fred Hernandez. He worked at the office store where the paper is sold.

      “Well, he definitely does not look like the woman I saw.”

      “It was worth a try. Why don’t you go over and talk to Fred and see if he remembers the woman that bought the paper?”

      “Damn, Peter, you have the brainpower today. I’m going to do exactly that.” Jaxon copied down the office store address and placed it in his pocket.

      “Jaxon, I guess I’ll separate out the hospitals and morgues for us to work on while you follow up with Fred. We can start looking into Reginald tomorrow. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off, see Fred, and follow up by taking time to do something that you would enjoy doing and come back tomorrow refreshed?”

      “Will do.” Squeezing Peter’s arm, Jaxon grabbed his coffee cup, keys, and left work. The file would wait one more day.

      Chapter 7

      Jaxon drove directly to the office supply store. It was only a fifteen-minute drive from the office, and he was excited to have a lead that might pan out. Jaxon parked near the rear of the lot and walked to the store, thinking the air would help clear his head before he went inside. The lot was rather full, which makes sense because it was lunchtime, and people were replenishing their office supply needs. Jaxon walked through the double doors as they automatically opened as a means of welcoming him to the store. A customer service agent appeared out of nowhere, offering to help him with anything.

      “I’m looking for Fred Hernandez?”

      “He’s in the paper supplies section. I’ll show you where.”

      “Thank you.”

      The two walked down a side aisle until they reached the paper section.

      “Hey, Fred, this gentleman is looking for you.”

      “Thanks, Steve. How can I help you, sir?”

      “Hi, I’m Jaxon Bartleight. I’m a police officer (he displayed his badge). I am trying to find a young lady who I met. She is a person of interest to me, and I don’t have her name. I know she bought this paper from this store, and it has your fingerprint on it, so I know you sold it to her. She was an attractive young lady, very upbeat on life. Does this ring a bell? Probably would have been just about yesterday or the day before.”

      “Absolutely! I remember her. She knew what she wanted, but when she got here, I felt an overwhelming urge to tell her anything she wanted to know about me, so I started blurting out the problems I’m having with my girlfriend. Next thing I knew, I had answers to every question I ever thought I could have about my relationship with her. Her advice saved my relationship. She literally was a godsend for me.”

      “That sounds like her. Did she give you a name?”

      “No. She touched my shoulder, and next thing I knew, we’ve talked for almost an hour, and finally, she said she needed to leave. She paid cash for the paper she wanted.”

      “Did everything seem normal until she laid a hand on you?”

      “Now that you mention it, yes. I wish I knew where I could find her at because she was so amazing.”

      “When was she here?”

      “I think it was…yeah, Wednesday…yesterday.”

      “Anything else you can think of?”

      “No, but if you find her, please tell her I need to see her again. I’ve never felt so good.”

      “Will do. Here’s my card. If you think of anything else, or if she shows up again, please call me, and get her name, dammit!”

      Jaxon was disappointed, yet relieved. He wasn’t the only one that had this reaction to the woman; he wasn’t crazy. Jaxon stopped at a drive-through and took his food back to his house. He grabbed a beer and turned on his favorite TV crime-scene show and sat down to eat his hamburger and fries. He decided to enjoy his day, get some sleep, and deal with everything else tomorrow.