Six Degrees of Desperation

By Ryan Hale

Justice must be served up differently when the justice system favors criminals instead of victims. Vigilante justice or ruthless judgment is central to Blake Franklin's latest case. It is said that revenge is a dessert best served cold, and there is nothing like dessert to finish a final meal. When the Bl

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fiction
• Release date: Apr 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088201565

Book preview

Contents                  

About the Author and His Works

Prolog - Meet the Franklin Team

Chapter 1 ​Six Minutes

Chapter 2 ​Six Inches of Snow

Chapter 3 ​Six Shooter

Chapter 4 ​Six Evidence Bags

Chapter 5 ​Six O’clock Eastern

Chapter 6 ​Six Seconds of Sincerity

Chapter 7 ​Six Sigma

Chapter 8 ​Six Important Pieces

Chapter 9 ​Six in Human Years

Chapter 10 ​Six Ways to Use It

Chapter 11 ​Six AM

Chapter 12 ​Six Below Zero

Chapter 13 ​Six Cars Back

Chapter 14 ​Six Feet Underground

Chapter 15 ​Six Fifteen

Chapter 16 ​Six Years

Chapter 17 ​Six Percent Return

Chapter 18 ​Six Degrees of Desperation

Chapter 19 ​Six Ways From Sunday

Chapter 20 ​Six Pack

Epilog ​………………………………………………..

Other Books by Ryan Hale

Acknowledgments:

Disclaimer ​………………………………………………..

About the Author and His Works

Ryan Hale lives in Flower Mound, Texas with his wife, Antoinette. They have been married for forty-four years and have three adult children and four grandchildren. They are members Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, and they are enjoying their retirement years.

A restaurateur for twenty-three years as a corporate manager and trainer, he then pursued a career in the telecommunications industry as a manager, trainer, and technical writer for the largest telecom in America.  

Ryan is retired and enjoys writing full-time and watching his grandchildren's sporting activities. He is the author of a non-fiction work entitled Memoirs of an Air Force Brat. Ryan’s first work of fiction is an exciting story with a backdrop of a Covid Origin Story, The Year of the Rat. The Blake Franklin Investigations series began with One for the Money, the story of a Fort Worth Police Officer who launched a Private Investigations firm, intent on helping people at a deeper level than had been available to him on patrol. Two for the Show, book 2 in the series has the Franklin Investigations team fighting against evil forces who come up against a televangelist with healing powers. Three to Get Ready pits Blake and his team against crazed gunmen seeking to put survivalists in the ground, and not in a prepped bunker. Go, Kat, Go! – Four Part Disharmony puts the Franklin Investigators on the stage of the Barbershop Quartet world of music, devastated by a murder and Blake must find the responsible person and make them sing a different tune. Five Will Get You Ten, book 5 introduces the Celebrity Travel and Protection group as they put themselves on the line to save their wealthy clients. All seven books are available on Amazon from Kindle Press. And Barnes and Noble. Please enjoy.  

Prolog - Meet the Franklin Team

In Texas

Blake Franklin – A former Fort Worth Police Officer, Blake is the son of Kent Franklin, Chief of Fort Worth Police Department . After failing the Detective examination three times, he left the Department to pursue his dream of being a Detective, only to discover his father had rigged it for him to fail. However, the success of his Investigations Agency and the Franklin Celebrity Travel and Protection Service has proven he is a highly capable Investigator and businessman. Most importantly, he has surrounded himself with the right people who have helped jettison his business to levels he never imagined were possible.

Mindy Grayson McAllister – Mindy was a former girlfriend of Blakes who expressed an interest in being his Administrative Assistant when he first Launched Franklin Investigations thirty-six months ago. Soon after the company launched, Blake made her a full partner because her computer investigative skills were instrumental in winning their first case. She has taken on Retail Investigations with convenience store chains, grocery stores, Men’s clothing, and other boutiques. Her retail Investigations have been a steadily growing revenue stream for Franklin. Mindy is married to Tate McAllister, a Fort Worth Attorney who utilizes the Franklin Agency for his client’s Investigative needs.

Kegan Langley (Langley) - Langley is Blake’s college roommate at Texas Tech and has maintained his sense of humor and his attraction to and from women. He is a Lead Investigator and has developed the newer Investigators to work cases the Franklin way. In addition, he has begun taking flying lessons to get a commercial pilot’s license under the tutelage of Glen and Diane Baggerly. He has achieved his Instrument Rating and successfully passed Simulator Training. Now he needs to get in the air.

Sharon Longstreet – Sharon was the first client of Franklin Investigations, and she so appreciated the work Blake, Langley, and Mindy did for her that she came to work for them. She brought the first Cessna, her late husband Charley had owned with her and has since purchased two more just like it for use by Franklin Celebrity Travel and Protection (FCTP), her brainchild, and the way she wanted to give back. Blake and Mindy asked that she spin the business off to be hers alone, but she prefers to remain in the Franklin family. Sharon is now seventy-four years old and has a new love interest, so settling down has been on her mind.

Clyde Tinker - Clyde worked with Blake in his first case as Special Investigator for the Tarrant County District Attorney. Unfortunately, having two strokes within three months of one another caused the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office to force Tinker into early retirement. However, Blake offered him a vital role in the company, and Tinker flourished while maintaining his tough-as-nails exterior. He has been rehabbing in the Franklin Fitness Center and has regained almost all of his mobility, walking now without a cane and a barely perceptible limp in his size thirteen boots.

Enrique Carranza – One of the nicest guys the author has ever worked with, Enrique has been resurrected in the Franklin series as a former Arlington Police Detective who retired early and grew tired of the boredom. He has been working with Blake for two years as a Lead Investigator.

Rick Ortiz – Another character brought to the page as a tribute to an old friend from the restaurant business. Rick is now a tech and fabrication expert working on Tech Street within the Franklin Offices. Rick works with Ron Travis to produce decoys with audio and video surveillance capabilities. Tech Street has helped in every case Franklin has taken on.

Ron Travis – Is the other half of Tech Street and brings computer programming expertise to his technical support role. He has co-written algorithms that have been instrumental in solving issues and cases for Franklin. Before joining Franklin, he owned a Spy Shop called Here’s Looking at You Kit, where he sold surveillance kits to businesses. He was on the verge of bankruptcy when Blake made him an offer to come in-house. Blake bought his inventory and saved his finances. Since that time, Ron has been a dedicated and integral part of Franklin.

Robin Travis – Robin is Ron’s wife and began as a front desk administrative person and has evolved into a social media expert for Franklin. She updates Franklin’s social media accounts, monitors activity, responds to posts about the Agency, and has worked with Ron to develop algorithms the Franklin Investigations Agency has used to push case development along. She no longer sits in the front, isolated from the rest of the office. Her desk is one of the pie-shaped cubicles in the Pie R Cubed configuration for Investigators and Protective Services personnel.

Dwight Fordham – Dwight is a former Fort Worth Police Officer. He spent seven years on patrol and became frustrated with the hierarchy in the Department. He was thinking of leaving Police work for other pastures, green or not when he saw the job posting for Franklin. He recognized Blake’s name as someone he had heard about in the South Division, but he didn’t realize he was the Chief’s son until after coming to work for Franklin Investigations. He has never been happier.

Sherry Patton – Sherry was another Fort Worth Police Officer, and she was frustrated over failing the Detective Exam twice when she heard about the Franklin Investigations opportunity. Blake knew she must be a great officer to have earned the chance to take the exam. However, he also knew that her failures may not have been something she had control over.

Daniel Cho (Temporary Assignment for rehab) Daniel Cho and his wife, Lee Ann, moved into one of the four guest rooms added to the Franklin offices. The rooms, the common lounge and the kitchen had been added as a safe house but worked perfectly for Cho’s rehabilitation after he survived a brutal attack in Colorado. He had been protecting a client when he was shot. A wall was blown up, crushing him beneath the rubble but preventing much of the automatic rifle fire from finding its mark. Daniel is making tremendous process, and LeeAnn has made herself available to the Franklin team for errands or busy work as it comes up. She has been by Daniels side every minute of his rehab.

Rob Bardelang – Rob has remained active in the Celebrity Travel and Protection (FCTP) service. He has taken numerous flights with Valerie’s Cherubs, working with the newest member of the (FCTP), Jonaye Wiley-Bradford, who started four months ago.

Alexis Moss – Alex is a former Marine. Considered a logistics wiz, in addition to her protection duties with FTPS, she has worked with Tinker on deployment questions and movement of support inventory.

Kirk Rehnquist – Flying out of the Dallas market, Kirk continues to run FCTP missions, primarily for sports and entertainment clients. Kirk has always been a quiet producer. As a member of SEAL Team Seven, Kirk was a sniper, providing overwatch on missions and found it easy to lay quietly in a ghillie suit for days if necessary to protect the men who depend on him.

Jonaye Wiley-Bradford – New investigator and has cross-trained for FCTP if another female is needed. She was never in the military or a Police Officer. Still, her degree in law enforcement and experience as a Mixed Martial Arts middleweight champion gave her the training she needed to handle anyone giving the Cherubs a problem. Jonaye grew up in Dallas, moved to Georgia, and recently returned with her husband, who became a Dallas Police Officer.

Glen Baggerly (Pilot) – Glen enjoyed a foray into active duty four months ago and has returned to the pilot’s seat. He is ready, trained, and able should he be needed for mission support.

Diane Baggerly (Pilot) – Glad to have her husband seated to her left, and the active schedule of FCTP keeps them busy.

Imogene Perdue (Pilot) – Called upon when the need arises for a secondary flight. With two Cessna’s flying out of Dallas. Sharon has tried to concentrate on contracted clients for the Texas market. Primarily sports celebrities, their leisure travel needs are less than those of entertainment clients.

California Team

Shante Burke – Shante was promoted from Investigations to FCTP and transferred to Los Angeles four months ago. She has had a steady schedule of entertainment and some sports clients. For example, Darnell Cambrie, last year’s NBA MVP, has signed an exclusive contract with FCTP and is in demand for appearances around the country.

Marcus Dantley – Promoted and transferred along with Shante, and they moved in together when they moved to LA. They have become a dynamic duo in the protection business.

Palmer Hughes (Pilot) – Number one Pilot in the LA market, and his aircraft stays quite busy. The number of contracts has created an exciting problem Franklin is ready to address.

John-Michael Perdue (Pilot) JMP is the copilot for now. He has a lot of experience, and the FCTP flies six days a week. Before becoming a pilot, John worked in the mining industry. After taking his pilot training he was thrilled to go from the depths of the earth to the blue skies above. John is a former welter weight Golden Gloves boxing champion.

Chapter 1​     Six Minutes

The squad room erupted into cheers as The Old Man sat his box on his desk and turned to face them. Keith Harkin was fifty-four years old and as fit as he had ever been, but the time was right. It’s something a person just knows instinctively. Like when Michael Jordan or Tom Brady decided to call it a career when some around them thought they should stick with it. Keith was sure he had more in him to give, but it was past time to start giving to the right people in his life.

Lieutenant Barb Cavanaugh stood off to the side and added to the applause with a subtle golf clap, not celebratory, not thankful, just neutral, and polite. That described the Lieutenant to a tee. Polite but uncommitted, at least to her men and women in the Detectives bureau. Even on such an occasion for her former partner.

Someone started saying speech, speech, and soon eighteen cops said it loudly. He didn’t want to make a speech. He preferred to say nothing at all. His wife, Bernice, was there to walk out with him for the last time. They would drive home to Euless and begin a life he had cheated of his time for over thirty years. They had spoken openly about his thoughts, nightmares, and regrets, and both agreed that putting in his papers was the best decision he could make.

Over their thirty-five years of marriage, thirty as a cop, Keith had missed almost every holiday, birthday, anniversary, dance recital, and two graduations of his girls. He had given himself one hundred percent to the job, leaving little for the family.

Bernice didn’t want to hear a speech. Bernice probably wanted to hear an apology for thirty years of absence and bad moods and nightmares. Thirty years of concealment, unable and unwilling to bring the streets, the loss, the depravity, or the horrors that filled his days, haunted his dreams, and occupied his mind into the brief hour or two they shared most days.

Keith had, over the years, mentioned the names of fallen officers, some he knew, still others he just knew as brothers. They had not been killed in the line of duty. They were taken from their families by their own hands. The suicide rate among Cops was almost as high as military personnel with PTSD. Trauma knows no battlefield but the mind, so Iraqi deserts or Fort Worth streets made no difference when it struck its devastating blow.

Keith Harkin felt the darkness intruding when he slept or had quiet moments, and he knew his reactions were concerning to Bernice. She seemed to want to say more, do more, comfort more, but he held it inside and pushed her out in the process. It was just how he dealt with things. How he kept such things siloed, thinking he was protecting Bernice from the ugliness of a homicide Detectives life.

No, Bernice was as interested in hearing a speech as Keith was in giving one, but as always, he would give more to the job than was deserved while Bernice waited patiently for it to end. Then he could finally come home to her, or this time, with her.

He rested his left hand on the box containing the remnants of his years of service and the few trinkets that made his desktop look like a human worked there: family photos, Service Commendations, a bowling trophy for third place, and the album. The constant reminder of his failure as a Detective.

He turned to face the people lined up in a semi-circle at the back of the squad room. The call for speech, speech dying down. Then, finally, the Lieutenant and Bernice took a step sideways, and he spoke.               I’ve known some of you since you were rookies and some, not so long but just as well. And you know me too. So, you know I’m not one for making speeches. But let me tell you something. I respect every one of you and trust most of you. A little laughter and an elbow were nudging in the room. 

In all seriousness. I’ll miss you. The job. I’ll miss coming in here every day for maybe a week. More laughter, and the room could see he was uncomfortable. Then, finally, someone shouted "we’ll miss you too!"

I doubt that’s true. But to a person. You have been good people to work with. I’d trust, hell, I’d be honored to have anyone of you work my case if I ever get murdered. The room looked awkwardly back at him, and a few Detectives laughed nervously.

Let’s all meet up sometime, tip a glass of beer, and talk about anything other than the job. I’m going home with Bernie now. He didn’t wait for the polite applause to stop before he picked up his box and walked away. Bernice by his side. 

It was a Thursday, and everyone thought he would wait until Friday, but for Keith and the Detectives of Homicide, the workweek didn’t begin and end as it did for others. The spelling was the only difference between Monday, Friday, or any other day. Weekends meant more homicides, and Mondays, the board would be full. But it would look the same on other days ending in Y, and there was seldom a break in the action.

Keith and Bernice had weathered many difficult years together, mainly because Bernice was not a quitter. She thought about it. Even dreamed about starting over somewhere. About how much more pleasant it would be if she didn’t spend every waking moment worrying about someone. Every news report of an officer-involved shooting when he was on patrol that tied her stomach in knots would be gone. Every time he cussed at her or the kids for asking a question or interrupting a thought or making him feel guilty by talking about some event he had missed. None of that would have had to happen.

Most of his life’s missed events were significant, requiring much of his time and attention. Accumulatively, they represented his two daughters’ lives and even his grandchildren’s. In his head, the Frank Sinatra song My Way had played on repeat for more than ten years. Not the triumphal crescendo of the boastful ending I. Did. It. My. Way! But the haunting beginning that best described Keith’s life and his career. Regrets, I’ve had a few. And there it stopped and repeated over and over. The following line was just out of reach because he always chose to grasp tightly to the truth. He could never say, but then again, too few to mention. He didn’t mention the regrets for fear of letting them surface and consume him as they did in his sleep.

Keith and Bernice drove home from Fort Worth to their home in Euless, and small talk filled the time it took to navigate heavy Thursday afternoon traffic. Bernice talked of plans to visit the girls. Allison is getting a badge in Girl Scouts this weekend at a Jamboree. Maybe we could drive up and see them? 

That would be great, Bernice. Let’s do that. He had responded in a way he never could for thirty years because Detective Keith Harkin never knew what tomorrow would bring, only that it would come with another problem he had to deal with. Another witness statement. An autopsy result. A trial appearance. A meeting with someone in the department or another grieving mother, father, or child. The demands of the job cut him off from the possibility of ever committing to an event in the lives of his children. For the last five years, they didn’t even bother to ask.

Civilian retiree Keith Harkin could make plans. Bernice was talking about the perennials she planted last year starting to show blooms and wanting to clean the flower beds. Keith thought he should sell one of the cars since they would be traveling together most of the time and didn’t need two.

They arrived at the home Keith and Bernice had owned for twenty-one years and finally had paid off, to find his daughters, their husbands and three grandchildren and others in the front yard holding balloons. A sign by the brick mailbox encasement said Congratulations, and another in the middle of the yard said Finally Retired. 

Keith smiled and accepted hugs, and a couple of neighbors were there to shake his hand. He remembered one of their names, but the other didn’t come to him. Then, en mass, they went inside to a cold-cut spread with croissants for sandwich bread and far too much meat and cheese slices someone would have to take home. Keith wasn’t a sandwich eater.

Everyone stayed about an hour before, one by one, and family by family, they apologized, mentioning school nights and early meetings. Then Keith and Bernice were left in the silent aftermath of the celebration. 

Bernice said, Well, that was fun. So sweet of everyone to come by to celebrate with you.

Since he pulled onto their street and laid eyes on the balloons, Keith had thought that he wished it would just end. He simply wanted to sit in his easy chair, open a beer, take a long cleansing breath, and exhale the stale air he had breathed